Barlow Brewing

In the coming months, I’m planning to do a mini-presentation for my homebrew club about what is hot and trendy in brewing. This seems a natural fit for me, as I have restlessly yet to brew the same beer twice, and homebrewers are on the cutting edge of brewing. Sure, the majority of beer drinkers might find out about the latest trend from a commercial example, but it was likely that a homebrewer did it first since he or she can afford to pour out 5 gallons of beer if the elements and process go horribly and undrinkably wrong.

So I’m crowd sourcing now. Leave a comment at the end of this post and tell me what you are seeing as the latest trend in brewing. Are Black IPAs still a hot trend, or have they faded? We all talk about session beers becoming the next big thing, but they haven’t yet. At least not like sours or oak aging have. Using rye in beers became popular for a time, but is that a trend? Using New Zealand and Australian hops has been a fun experiment for many brewers, too, lately.

And I am straying from the word “new” in this post because I’m not sure there is truly anything “new” in the brewing world.  The Gose has made a comeback, but it probably would be better described as a rediscovery than anything new. But I definitely encourage the return of older, or simply forgotten, styles to popularity.

Frankly, brewing has become very easy with our highly modified grains, and high alpha hops, and highly efficient brewing equipment.  Perhaps the latest trend is making beer difficult to make again. Decoctions and turbid mashes don’t make your brew days any easier or shorter. We are bringing back the bacteria and wild yeasts that brewers worked so hard to eliminate over the years with a vengeance, too.

What say you? What are the current trends in beer? What will they be tomorrow? Leave a comment please, and thanks.

Like many homebrewers, my favorite style when I first started brewing was the American IPA (AIPA), and I’ve probably brewed more of them than any other style. But where once they were every third batch, nowadays I might only brew them once or twice a year.

Despite spending less and less time making AIPAs, I think I’ve gotten better at brewing the style. I’m sure that has everything to do with brewing other styles of beer that require a bit more finesse. More balance.

And, to have an adult moment, AIPAs are not the hardest beer style to brew. They are very, very forgiving and the amount of hops that go into what is now considered a standard AIPA will cover up a lot of flaws. Sure, late additions and dry-hopping won’t cover up a sanitation issue, but they will cover some obvious malt imbalance issues that might leave your beer too sweet or without a bready, toasty backbone at all.

So, if you have the AIPA dialed-in, congrats. I don’t want to diminish that accomplishment. Brewing a great beer is hard and that is a great desert island choice. But the brewing of this style of beer has become impractical beast created with blunt instruments.

The inspiration for this AIPA was a Citra APA that I made last year. I love the citra hop, but it has become increasingly hard to get. It is a high alpha, low cohumulone hop that throws amazing mango and pineapple aromas and flavors.

I loved the American pale ale (APA) I made with it, but the final beer straddled the line between an APA and an AIPA. I figured I would go ahead and make a full-fledged AIPA from the hop the next time it came my way. And I did.

This one is a strange in that the malt bill is really just a double pale ale. I wanted to see if an AIPA could work without crystal malts, but it wasn’t that big of a test, since Imperial IPAs use a similar malt bill. After having a few commercial, and homebrewed, examples of AIPAs lately where the beers ran over into Amber territory (which I love, as well, but that is a different style), I wanted to reign it in and make a clean, hoppy beer that wasn’t too heavy and sweet.

I was very happy with the final beer. As the years go by, I’m less interested in deeply bitter beers that only leave you wanting something different next for the next round. My citra AIPA left me thirsty for more, not full of the palate fatigue that I get from commercial examples that seem like they were designed around a dare.

 Citra Ass Down – American IPA

Starting Gravity: 1.071 (12/26/11) 68º F  -> 72º F
Final Gravity:  1.014 (1/13/12)
7.6% alcohol (by volume)
Apparent Attenuation:  79.3%
Real Attenuation: 65%

Mash (65 minutes ~152º)                           

12.00 lbs Maris Otter (2-row)
1.0 lb Victory Malt
0.75 lb Munich Malt
0.75 lb Wheat Malt

Boil(6o minutes)   

1.20 oz. Magnum Leaves 14.0% AA (60 min.)
1.0 oz. Citra Pellets 13.4% AA (10 min)
1.0 oz. Amarillo Pellets 8.2% AA (10 min)
1.0 oz. Citra Pellets 13.4% AA (0 min.)
2.0 oz. Citra Pellets 13.4% AA (Dry Hop) on 1/1/12

1 tablet Whirlfloc (Boil – 15 min.)
½ tsp Brewer’s Choice Wyeast Nutrient Blend (Boil – 10 min.)

Primary (68º F)  

Safale 05 – 1 packet (No Starter – Rehydrated in 90° wort)

I love how science and art come together in the brewing of beer. You need to have your technique down and your calculations correct in order to make great beer. You, also, need creativity to pair together the right flavors and aromas to make a beer transcendent. But just like “right-brained” and “left-brained” people, we all favor one or the other. There must be a dominant side, right?

Which way do you lean? Are you an engineer or an artist?

I wandered across this idea when I recently took a tour of the Deschutes Brewery in Bend, Oregon. The tour was fantastic, and I have nothing but good things to say about them, their process, and their beers. Breweries the size of a Deschutes put a lot of money and time into insuring that their beers taste exactly the same from one batch to another, and that all of their customers are getting the same, quality beer. It is a difficult task and certainly an important one. Like many big, craft breweries, they test through sensory training and their own lab. A wildly inconsistent product can be the undoing of any company, in any industry.

Commercial breweries obviously need engineers in order to maintain that sort of consistency.  This isn’t to say that an artist can’t thrive in a production brewery, but I’m guessing those brewers need to recharge their artistic batteries with one-off beers and collaborations from time to time.

So, let me oversimplify the engineer and the artist:

The Engineer

The Engineer is the brewer that always hits their numbers. They are always looking for better ways to improve their process. Faster, more efficient, leaner. They want to know how everything works. If you turn away, for even a moment, they are taking things apart and putting them back together again. They are forever doodling schematics and looking for the closest whiteboard. They make all of their equipment, and their rig is cooler than anything you could buy. They can take your recipe and make a better beer than you by pure brewing skill. If you ask them a simple question, they will give you a three hour response, and they will become more excited with each passing moment of the description. They take amazing notes, and they can always pinpoint where things went right or awry.

But… they don’t always have the most inspired recipes, if they can write them at all. They often depend on other people to taste and evaluate their concoctions. They can brew astonishing beers, but they can’t describe them in a way that makes you actually want to drink them. Wild yeast and sour beers freak them out. (There are too many variables. Too much that is out of their control.) They are not patient. They make all of their equipment, and it can look like some Frankenstein’s monster shit. They don’t understand that beers can be technically perfect and still suck. They make the same beers over, and over, and over. And give them version numbers.

The Artist

The Artist is always coming up with great ideas. Although they occasionally strike out, they generally blow you away with their beers and their illogical flavor and aroma combinations. They make brewing look easy. Like a zen art. They don’t become obsessed with perfection. They are infinitely patient and can age beers to perfection. They love the mystery and they have the parenting skills to brew wonderful wild and sour beers. They get the big picture of beer. Its place in history, and the greatness it can inspire.

But…despite making wonderful brews, they always hate their own creations. They can never make the beer that they dreamed up in their head. Their brewing process is a zen art, and learning how to brew from them, or replicating their methods, is impossible. They get bored easily and can burn out. Good luck trying to get them to make the same beer twice. They can be horrible collaborators, always want their way, and refuse to compromise. They put more time and effort into naming the beer and creating the label they made for the bottles, than the recipe and the actual brewday. They take terrible notes, if they even take notes at all. You will never get a recipe from them that makes any sense whatsoever. All of their beer has a certain house flavor that you are going to either love or hate.

What now?

Well, you probably don’t match either of those descriptions exactly. We are all far more complex than an overly simple Myers-Briggs, but one of them sounds a little more like you than the other.

Do you try to consciously change your methods and tendencies in order to become more centered? Do you try to surround yourself with people who are your antipodes and, therefore, would be complimentary? Do you just stick with your strengths (and weaknesses) and carry on with a slightly better understanding of yourself?

What will you do?

At the end of each year (2009 and 2010), I go through the stats of my homebrewing adventures and try to identify some trends and larger takeaways. I brew a modest amount of beer each year, and usually set a goal of making 60 gallons, which only equates to brewing a 5 gallon batch each month. That goal, many years ago, was bold and reaching. Nowadays, it is a pretty low bar, but it keeps me on track.

Looking back at 2011, four trends define that brewing year: hiatuses, organic beers, the lack of sours, and some competition success.

The Hiatus(es)

I go in waves with homebrewing. If it was my job, I’d be happy to brew, cellar, or package every day. But as a hobby that needs to be squeezed into the cracks and spaces between family, work and daily life, there have to be breaks. I took three hiatuses this year and did not brew at all during the months of March, August, October and November.

I do not know if that model is more beneficial to my overall zeal for the hobby, or if I’m better off keeping to a steady schedule. I know that feel a bit more excited about a brewday after some time off, but I also feel sloppy and out of practice when I do brew, as well.

Organic Beers

Organic beers just kinda happened this year. After planning to experiment with Rakau hops, which were organic, I decided to go ahead and make that entire beer organic. Then, I was in the Bison/New Brew Thursday competition, which required that I brew an organic beer, too. And then, in retrospect, my cider, perry, and mead were organic creations, as well.

I’m repeating myself here, but I couldn’t detect the difference between a normal and an organic beer. The bottom line with organic, from a creative perspective, is that you reduce the number of ingredients you can work with to make a beer. I like the idea of organic brews but, for the foreseeable future, that will always be secondary to my desire to use the exact hops, malts and other ingredients I want to use to make the beer that I want to drink.

But my awareness has changed and I no longer think, if I ever did, that organic beers are inferior. And that is something in and of itself.

Sours

This one actually surprised me and freaked me out a little. Although I bottled, added dregs to, and won medals for sours, I only brewed 5 gallons of sour beer last year. Since it can literally take years for a sour ale to fully develop and become drinkable, this was huge hit to my pipeline.

Although I still have plenty of bottles of my fruit lambics and a few of my Flanders Reds, I quickly realized that the weekly work of maintaining brett and sour beers was important, and they can make you forget that you having nothing in the pipeline.

After that epiphany, I immediately brewed a Berliner weisse that I hope might be turning the corner by the time the weather gets warm.  But I’m screwed for sours for most of 2012. Perhaps that is a mark against the hiatus model, which would have had me, at least, making filler beers in the in-between months.

Crap.

Competitions

This was a good year for me for BJCP and other competitions.

My goal for 2010 was to try to get a beer into the final round of the National Homebrew, and I squeaked in a beer and a cider. For 2011, I was hoping that I could get a beer or two into the final round again, and perhaps get one of those to medal.

Fortunately, I had three beers make it to the final round of the NHC: my “Tobias Fünke” Flanders red, my “Fargin Eishole” eisbock, and “Slow Motion Walter, Fire Engine Guy”, which was an oak-agerd, smoked Baltic porter.

I thought my flanders red, which had gotten a 1^st place ribbon in the first round of the NHC, had a good chance, but it was my eisbock that won a bronze medal in the final round of the National Homebrew Competition. That was amazingly cool, and it proves that anything can happen in the final round.

In other BJCP competitions, I won a Gold, a Silver and a Bronze in the Dominion Cup, and two Gold and two Bronze medals in the CASK competition. Both were poor outings for me, but I’ve got no one to blame for them except the brewer of those beers. Yes, me.

Outside of BCJP competitions, my brett saison won first place in The Bruery’s Batch 300 Contest for French/Belgian ales, but it did not win a the overall competition. And I made it to the final round of the Bison/New Brew Thursday Organic Homebrew Competition, but I did not win that final round.

I also won a qualifying and the final round of the Iron Brewer competition. That was a bunch of fun, and it is always nice to have an excuse to talk shit with HopfenTreader and Simply Beer, as well as drink great and experimental beers.

2012

What will be my big trend for 2012? I’m getting a late start on planning that one out. Obviously brewing a bunch of sours, and I’d like to make a few full-flavored session ales, as well. Short term, I need to look into brewing beers for this year’s National Competition, but I might be dead in the water there, too.

If you are into stats:

Weights and Measures
Gallons of Beer: 82
Gallons of Non-Beer: 14
Pounds of Grain: 172
Pounds of Hops: 3.06

Averages
Average Batch Size: 5.1
Average ABV: 6.5%
Average OG: 1.061
Average FG: 1.012
Average Pounds of Grain per Batch: 12.3
Average Ounces of Hops per Batch: 3.3

By Category
Ales: 14
Lagers: 2
Ciders: 1
Perrys: 1
Meads: 1
Sours: 1
Organic: 4 (2 beers, 1 cider, and 1 perry)

Medals and Ribbons
BJCP Competitions Entered: 3
Medals Earned: 10
National Homebrew Competition Ribbons: 3
National Homebrew Competition Medals: 1

Superlatives
Favorite Brew – Triple Lindy / Churchill Downs (bourbon barreled Triple Lindy)
Favorite Brew (Runner Up) – Aardbei (Strawberry lambic)
Worst Brew – Piper Down 1 & 2
Favorite Name – You’ll Shoot Your Rye Out
Favorite Name (Runner Up) – Up on Cripple Kriek
Biggest Trend – Organic Beer

AHA NHC Ribbons

AHA NHC Medal

In another belated blog post, I wanted to circle around and talk about the Iron Brewer Championship Round that I was in at the end of October.

I had won my qualifying round of Batch 2 of Iron Brewer competition, and that let me move on to the Championship round against the other round winners and my dreaded nemesis Hopfentreader.

Ah, yes, if you haven’t already, you should head over to Joseph’s Hopfentreader blog, which is infinitely interesting and inspirational and, also, “Like” his Burlington Beer Company on Facebook, which is a brewery he intends to open in the very near future. I expect amazing things to come out of that new brewery. You know, despite the fact that he is my nemesis. Lex Luthor to my Superman. Tango to my Cash.

As a quick review, Iron Brewer is a fantastic national competition created by Peter Kennedy of Simply Beer. In each round, he outlines three ingredients that need to be used in the beer. You can make any style that you want, and use any ingredients you want, but you must use the necessary three ingredients. I’m the kind of brewer who loves to be creative with my beers and this competition demands that.

To play spoiler, I won the Championship round against some very stiff competition. I’m telling you this because, as a reason to read this post, whether or not I won probably isn’t amazingly interesting. The story of it is how I won the final round.

What is the trick to Iron Brewer? I don’t think there is one. Well, not a simple one.

Start by making a good, technically solid, beer. You are shooting for a faultless beer, but creativity goes a long way in forgiving some fundamental flaws.

Be unusual. Think about the most obvious thing you can make with those ingredients, and then don’t make that. And figure out a way to make all of the ingredients apparent. Yeah, they may not make sense or even work together. You might end up unsuccessful, but everyone in that round is using those same ingredients, so it is a level playing field. Making them apparent is part of the mission, not something you are trying to hide.

For the Championship Round, the three ingredients were Sorachi Ace (a Japanese hop), Weinstephaner (German) yeast, and rye malt. The most logical way to have gone with this round would have been to make a roggenbier, which is a German rye beer that is fermented with that weizen Weinstephaner beer. Roggenbiers are cool and rare, but I couldn’t do the obvious thing and I had made a roggenbier in the previous round.

In the end, I decided to go the opposite direction and make a black rye IPA. I love rye as a grain, with its light spice, bready flavors, and the Sorachi Ace is lemony citrus hop that wanders into hints of light dill. The trick of this one was the yeast. The Weinstephaner strain is a common hefe/weizen yeast, and it strays to banana flavors at normal fermentation temperatures, clove at lower temperatures and bubblegum if you ferment too high. That wasn’t going to make any sense in an IPA, but I intended to ferment it cold to minimize the banana and avoid the possibility of bubblegum, as well.

Rye and Chocolate Rye

My curveball on this one was my choice of rye. At the time of the round, rye malt extract had just become available and I knew Peter included it since it was now an ingredient that could now be used by extract brewers. I had done many batches with rye, but this was a cool opportunity to use chocolate rye, which would be an added dimension of malt and complexity to the beer.

The brew day was pretty straightforward and the rye did not cause any gummy mash problems either, although I did throw in some rice hulls for piece of mind. I pitched a huge starter of the Wyeast 3068 yeast and fermented the batch at 65°. After a week, I dry-hopped the batch with more Sorachi Ace and then bottled it 7 days later.

It ended up something quite complex, despite the hammering away I did with big, late hop additions, and very drinkable. It had a clear lemon character from the Sorachi Ace, and the chocolate rye, and its 250 Lovibond, gave a balanced roast and spice character. Not unlike dark pumpernickel bread.

I was happy with this brew and it barely won against a bunch of other great beers. I think I’ve said this each time, but each Iron Brewer round I’ve participated in has gotten progressively more difficult and competitive. I guess the final bit of advice I’d give you about Iron Brewer is to be a bit lucky, too.

You’re going to need it.

You’ll Shoot Your Rye Out (Black Rye IPA)

Starting Gravity: 1.065 (9/10/11)
Final Gravity:  1.016  (9/24/11)  Days
6.5% alcohol (by volume)
Apparent Attenuation: 74.4%
Real Attenuation: 60.9%

Mash (60 minutes ~153º)
12 lb Maris Otter Pale Malt 2-row
3 lb Rye Malt
1.0 lb Munich Malt
1.0 lb Crystal 40L Malt
0.75 oz Chocolate Rye
0.50 oz Roasted Barley

Boil
1.0 oz Magnum Pellet Hops (13.1% AA) (60 min)
1.0 oz Sorachi Ace Pellet Hops (10.9% AA) (10 min)
1.0 oz Simcoe Leaf Hops (14.1% AA) (10 min)
1.0 oz Sorachi Ace Pellet Hops (11.6% AA) (0 min)
0.6 oz Simcoe Leaf Hops (14.1% AA) (0 min)
0.5 oz Amarillo Pellet Hops (8.2% AA) (0 min)
2.0 0z Sorachi Ace Pellet Hops (11.6% AA) (Dry Hop) (9/17/11)

½ tsp Brewer’s Choice Wyeast Nutrient Blend (Boil – 10 min.)
1 tab Whirlfloc (Boil – 10 min.)

Primary (65º F)  
Wyeast #3068 –Weihenstephan Yeast (2000ml starter)

Secondary (º F)

“IBC” on caps

Notes:

7 gallons of 1.053 collected pre-boil

This week is the National Homebrew Conference, and homebrewers from all over the country are heading to San Diego to talk shop, attend brewing workshops with experts, and to find out the results of the final round of the National Homebrew Competition.

It is a time to celebrate the art and the hobby of homebrewing, and what better way to do that then to talk to a pair of homebrewers who are making the leap to become professional brewers. I first came across Nate and Mike through their blog Thank Heaven for Beer. These homebrewers now have a Kickstarter campaign going to raise funds for their start-up: Wilderness Brewing.

After you get to know these guys, be sure to stop by their Kickstarter page and support them!

And Interview with Nate and Mike from Wilderness Brewing in Kansas City, MO:

Barlow Brewing: Where does the name Wilderness Brewing come from?

Mike: It comes from our philosophy on brewing. As we were working through our name ideas and their various iterations, we came up with the name from getting into the nitty gritty of our approach.  Wilderness speaks to a place of wondering, exploration, and navigation through various terrains.  That’s what we want to do with brewing. We want to stay on the move and “wander” the wilderness, so to speak. The name just seemed to fit.

Barlow Brewing: Who the heck are these guys Nate and Mike?

Mike & Nate: We are guys who love beer and want to do something great with it. We are really no different than you, and anyone else reading this. We are bloggers who have been writing for three years and learning everything we can about beer. Now we are guys who are ready to brew for a living. We have discovered that what we set out to do in life wasn’t the end destination, just a location along the journey.

Barlow Brewing: What got you guys into brewing? Why has your passion for it continued?

Mike: My wife bought me a home brew kit for Christmas one year. She saw how passionate I was becoming about beer and thought I would like to try to my hand at brewing. My passion for it has continued because I love diving in and seeing how things work, exploring a variety of flavors, and creating. I also love to cook. The two go together, and cooking has informed my brewing (and vice versa). But seeing people taste and appreciate beers I’ve brewed has maybe been the greatest fuel for continuing my passion. Additionally, I’ve had the privilege of teaching other people to brew as well.  That has fueled a collective passion.

Nate: I first brewed with Mike and was fascinated by the paradox of simplicity and complexity in the process. I became addicted to brewing when my dad bought me a kit for Christmas. I thought I would brew every couple or months or so, but soon find myself doing it weekly. I almost went to art school, but changed my mind last minute. I see brewing as no different than painting with oils or molding a lump of clay into a functional piece of dishware…it’s an art…that’s why my passion has continued. The aspect of self expression is so tangible, both in the creation, and seeing other enjoy the work.

Barlow Brewing: What are the best and worst beers you’ve ever made as a homebrewer? How did they change what and how you brew?

Mike: I have never really brewed a bad beer. I’ve certainly had beers I would change. Perhaps the one I consider the worst is my second double chocolate stout. A bit more cocoa powder than I would have liked. Ironically, my best beer is also a chocolate stout. I home roasted the cocoa beans (much better than powder) and got it to a huge ABV. Then I added bourbon. Then I eisbocked it. I consider it a delicious achievement.

Nate: I had one bad beer. I brewed a big barleywine-ish (10%) beer and dosed it with sarsparilla. The flavor was decent, but the harsh aroma of the sarsparilla screwed with me when I went to take a sip. I almost threw it out, but my wife convinced me to keep it. After about a year and a half, it turned out to be pretty good, since the sarpsarilla has faded to just a nuance. My best beer…hmmm…I just brewed a couple of Flanders style brews and though they won’t be drinkable for a while, I think I’ll covet them.  But, for the time being, believe it or not, I am a huge fan of my Pilsner. It’s a bit hop forward, but I can’t find a beer to parallel it to…it drinks like a session beer, but is packed full of flavor.

Barlow Brewing: Why is beer art?

Mike: Because it requires thought and consideration rather than rote memory or action. Because it inspires both the brewer and the drinker. Because it can be interpreted in multiple ways and becomes a masterpiece in the hands of the right person. It is not simply a formula; it is jazz.

Nate: I kind of covered this earlier, but I’ll reiterate: How is taking an amalgam of denominators and combining into something that is enjoyed by the senses NOT art? A visual artist combines shades of color and line to create something the eyes can enjoy. A brewer combines shades of grains with hops, water, and living organisms to create something that is not only enjoyed by the eyes (beer is beautiful to behold), but also by the nose and the tongue.

Barlow Brewing: Why is now the time to open a brewery? What was the tipping point?

Mike: It is time to open it because it is the right time. So many aspects of our hard work and thought have converged in this particular moment. The tipping point was the fact that we thought about it so long and not gone for it. My personal tipping point was a kick in the ass from a person who basically asked me, “So what are you doing about it now?” Aside from that, my wife finished her course work for school and can write her dissertation anywhere. Plus, the dream only sustains you so long. At some point, you have to act or decide to deceive yourself indefinitely.

Barlow Brewing: What batch sizes and capacity are you planning to start with?

Mike & Nate: 62 gallons (i.e., two barrels). But that’s just starting point. Regardless, at this point, we have no intention of ever growing to fermentors the size of small aircraft.

Barlow Brewing: You say that you want to stay small. Why, and how might that be harder than you think?

Mike: The reason we want to stay small is related to interest and integrity. As stated above, beer is art in many ways. If we really think of it this way, then we have to keep being creative (if for our own sanity).  I also think that once you get to a certain point of volume, the market will dictate to you what you make.  In other words, you have to brew this to stay open or you have to make that if you want to pay the bills.  It might harder because maybe attitudes about this differ. Some may argue that you make the flagship in order to create. However, the volumes will keep this from being the case. I also think it may be a bit harder because demand may go up quite a bit and fulfilling demand may force us to grow. It’s not that I am fundamentally against it, and it’s honestly about arriving at the right level rather than staying small forever. Perhaps we could amend the phrase to say, “We want to stay small [enough].” Small enough to maintain a free reign on creative license.

Barlow Brewing: What does the Kansas City market not have that Wilderness Brewing brings to the table?

Nate: Kansas City has a great beer scene. There are more than a handful of beer stores that offer an amazing selection. Also, Boulevard is a pillar in the craft world that we love and look up to, and we don’t want to diminish what they bring to the community.  We hope to bring unparalleled variety and exploration of historic and avante-garde brews. We’d love to bring a wealth of sours to the scene…in fact, sours lack shelf space across the United States. We’d love it if folks find themselves saying, “what will they brew next?”

Barlow Brewing: You say, in your video, that you won’t have a flagship beer. What are you hoping will be a crowd favorite?

Mike & Nate: You actually just named it. If we have a flagship, it will be a crowd favorite. We don’t believe a brewer should tell the consumer what the flagship is. Not that it’s wrong…we just have a different philosophy. The people who drink our beer can tell us what their favorite is and we can work with them to keep making it. Perhaps the flagship, like a strain of yeast, can even evolve over time into something deliciously different than what it started as.

Barlow Brewing: I know you like to make sours. Because of how long those take to make, will they not be part of your initial brewing?

Mike & Nate: We will probably brew them almost immediately but they, as you say, take a while to age and become what they are supposed to. We could offer some brews utilizing a sour mash (we both utilize this method frequently) that have a sour aspect that are drinkable much sooner than something that requires lengthy aging.

Barlow Brewing: How will you be able to balance a start-up brewery and a family?

Mike: My wife is very supportive (as is Nate’s), but my wife and I don’t have any kids right now, so that will make a little easier for me than for Nate. However, Andrea will be a regular participator in brewery life, and I’m confident that we will have plenty of time together.

Nate: My wife has been pushing me towards this for a while. When I was working a job that just sucked the life out of me she would encourage me to follow my passion. When you have your spouse’s support, the balancing act is much easier. Additionally, I managed to be a father to 2 kids (I have 5 now) work a full time job, and be full time graduate student who maintained a 3.5 gpa. I love hard work, and in a weird way, feel like it to be sanctifying.

Barlow Brewing: Why should someone give you guys money to make Wilderness Brewing a real brewery?

Mike: That’s the hardest question to answer. After all, it’s hard to convince someone you don’t know to fund something you are doing. But I think I have three answers that are enough for me to give to campaign. One, I believe in what someone is doing and they convince me that it is a worthwhile pursuit. Two, because most people have dreams. And while they may have missed the boat on theirs or haven’t arrived at their dreams, they understand what it is like to hope and aspire. That is enough for many people. Three, you have say over your money for once. Money that you have deducted for taxes may or may not be used for something you like or agree with. People giving to the campaign now have say over giving their money to something they see as meaningful (it doesn’t hurt that they can get some swag).

Nate: Well, nobody has to give…and we don’t want anybody to be guilted into it. But, there is an aspect of “community” that the craft beer world exhibits; there-within the answer may lie. I know of a bunch of breweries who have helped out other breweries in times of hop shortage, I know of guys who have supported other new brewery startups–like Mystery Brewing Co., and bloggers, like yourself who help spread the world, pledge money, and surprise beer blogger like myself with auto-siphons. I remember watching an old fashion Amish barn raising in Northern Ohio when I was a kid…brotherly love just seems right.

Barlow Brewing: If I happen to be in Kansas City, would you let me brew a batch with you? What if I want to make a triple decocted eisbock aged in Zima barrels?

Mike & Nate: Maybe not the Zima barrels. I think we will always be open to having people brew with us or participate in the process. Letting people brew a batch with you and determining the recipe are pretty different. However, we are open to the possibility of working with people to brew some batches. In fact, I would personally like to use the brewery as a teaching avenue if people in the area are interested in it. We love the idea of Sam Adam’s longshot, and have even written about the “collaboration craze” and how the collaboration between a brewery and a homebrew would be rad.  Having tasted your Eisbock, for you, the answer would be yes…it was delicious. Perhaps even some internships would be something we would love to do.

Barlow Brewing: If I stop by, can I crash on your couch? I don’t snore. Much.

Mike: Absolutely. That’s all I can say to that one. Anything to encourage the transient life of a wonder-lusting peripatetic.

Nate: Absolutely. You might have to deal with a sleep walking 5 year old or a crazy howling beagle, but I doubt you’d notice that after a few homebrews.

Barlow Brewing: Thanks for taking the time to answer my occasionally serious questions. Good luck!

And make sure you visit Kickstarter and support Nate and Mike in making their dream of Wilderness Brewing a reality.

The score sheets from the 1^st round of the 2011 AHA National Homebrew Competition (NHC) came out last week. It is cool win ribbons and medals, but the feedback is the most part of entering these contests. And, with a competition like the national one, it is really, really hard to place without making a spectacular beer, so it is a good idea to keep your expectations low.

My sheets came back from the Nashville region and quality of the feedback and the scores I received were good. My average score was 31.87, which I am pleased with. The highest scores were 43s and the lowest score was smack down of a 15 (for a Scottish ale that aged badly).

The two scores of 43 that I received were for my “Tobias Fünke” flanders red and for my “Fargin Eishole” eisbock. The flanders red won 1st place for the Sour Ale category, and the eisbock won 3rd place for the Bock category. The feedback for these was very good but, honestly, how unhappy can you be with a beer that scores in the 40s?

The other beer that placed was my “Slow Motion Walter, Fire Engine Guy” oak-aged, smoked Baltic porter. It scored a 30.5 and it must have squeaked in to 3rd place in the Smoke-Flavored and Wood-Aged Beer category. The feedback for that was good, but both judges wanted a bit more smoke flavor in the beer. I can completely see that. I enjoy all styles of beer, but smoked beers are at the very bottom of that list. So, in making a smoked beer of my own, I went a little light on the Bamberg malt. I can live with that feedback because I’m not sure I’ll ever make a beer that I can’t enjoy just to do well in a competition. That’s BS to me.

My bourbon-oak tripel did really well and scored a 39.5, but it did not ribbon. This was simply a gallon of my tripel that I siphoned onto French oak cubes and Blanton’s bourbon. My feedback for that beer said it was nicely balanced and creamy. I agree, and it will be hard not to bourbon-oak the entire batch next time I make a tripel.

The only head scratchers were scores for the original tripel and the brett saison. The tripel received a 30, and it was downgraded for not having enough of a phenolic character. I think most American tripels are over-the-top with phenols so I specifically fermented that one cold to keep them subdued. But I can’t blame the judges for not “getting” what I was trying to do.

The other strange one was my brett saison which received a 31.5. (And it did pretty well in The Bruery’s Batch 300 competition.) Both judges only sensed a “slight sourness”…..which is mystifying. If it was supposed to be a sour saison, I would have marked it as such. This was a brett saison and brettanomyces does not make things sour. That is disappointing.

But, all and all, I’m happy with what I heard back from the Nashville region of the AHA NHC 2011 First Round. Hopefully one of my three beers advancing to the final round lucks into a medal. If not, there’s always 2012.

In 2009, I made a Gumballhead clone that turned out great and not too terribly far off the mark from the original. It even got a silver medal in the Dominion Cup for the Light Hybrid Beer category.  I wanted to make it again but, being me, I couldn’t make the same recipe twice.

In the end, I changed more things than I expected.

I wanted to keep the same grain base, which was almost a 50/50 split between American 2-Row and Wheat malt with a touch of Crystal 20L. The first was a single hopped beer of all Amarillo, so the real question was what hop did I want to highlight with this batch?

After some random conversations and stumbling around, I came across a New Zealand hop called Rakau. I could only find it on the Seven Bridges Cooperative website and it was described as having a “fruity character with tropical aroma highlights of passionfruit, mango, and peach.”

That sounded interesting and, since the Seven Bridges Coop is all about organic products, I decided to make the entire batch organic. After further conversations, and some advice from Bison Brewing, it didn’t appear that brewing an organic beer was in anyway different from the my normal brew day.

The only wild card was that I ordered the wrong yeast for the beer. I meant to get the WLP001 California Ale yeast, but accidentally asked for the WLP060, which is an American Ale Yeast Blend. The WLP060 is a mix of the WLP001 and two others strains, and sounds like it brings more of a lager character to the beer. This would accentuate the bitterness and the hops.   

These are the three organic grains: Crystal 20L, American 2-Row and Wheat Malt

These are the Horizon hops since the Rakau were pellets and really boring to photograph

The final change in the beer was a major one and completely accidental. In fact, it would be better labeled as a sloppy mistake. While putting this recipe into my brewing software, the Horizon hops defaulted to 0.25 ounces and I simply forgot to adjust it up to 1 ounce. Since Horizon is a 10.2% alpha acid hop AND it was added for the full 60 minute boil, it blew the IBUs off the top of these beer. Instead of being ~25 IBUs, like a normal American Wheat, this one is probably closer to 60 IBUs, like an American IPA.

I don’t what that spells for the beer. From my pre-carbonation tastings, it isn’t overwhleming bitter, but it certainly isn’t an American Wheat anymore. The hops are evolving. It is certainly like nothing I’ve made before.

It is named “Haka” for a traditional dance form of the Maori of New Zealand. I first saw this dance performed by the New Zealand All Blacks before a rugby game, and it was nothing but intensity and intimidation.

Just like this beer so far.

Haka – (Organic Rakau American Wheat)

Starting Gravity: 1.057 (4/3/11)
Final Gravity:  1.012 (5/4/11)
6.0% alcohol (by volume)
Apparent Attenuation: 78.1%
Real Attenuation: 64.0%

Mash (@150º 70 min)
5 lb American 2-Row
5 lb Wheat Malt
1 lb 20L Crystal Malt

Boil
1.00 oz Horizon Leaf Hops (10.2% AA) (60 min)
0.75 oz Rakau Pellet Hops (12.7% AA) (15 min)
1.00 oz Rakau Pellet Hops (12.7% AA) (5 min)
Irish Moss (Boil – 15 min.)

Primary (66º F)  

WLP060 American Ale Yeast Blend – Starter Made
2.0 oz Rakau Pellet Hops (12.7 AA) (4/27/11) (Dry hopped for 7 Days)

The great Mr. Beer experiment will begin this weekend.

Truth #1: I was sent a free Mr. Beer kit, the Premium Edition Beer Kit to be exact, by the company to try out. There was no obligation to write anything about it on my blog, but clearly I am doing so. As a side note, this is the first time I can remember being sent anything at all because of having a blog. I don’t know if that is a good thing or a bad thing. 

Truth #2: I’ve been really excited about making beer with a Mr. Beer kit for years. No kidding, no sarcasm. I’ve known brewers who’ve started on those kits. Some stopped there, and some moved on to more advanced equipment and less processed ingredients. It has been a minor obsession. I just want to see what these things can do.

Perhaps you might think I’m viewing it as a Top Chef challenge where they have to cook a meal with an Easy Bake Oven. Maybe. There certainly is a challenge in that. But I view any entry into brewing your own beer as a wonderful thing. I’ll take that stepping stone drug.

I’m planning to brew with this kit in, at least, two different trials:

Trial #1:

The game plan here would be to brew the “West Coast Pale Ale” kit that came with it while following the instructions to the letter. This will be a test of the Mr. Beer equipment AND their kit. In theory, as someone who has been homebrewing since the mid-90’s, I should be able to pull this off at a pretty high level. I understand sanitation and I can follow directions. Well, almost as good as Brooklyn’s Garrett Oliver.

What I’m testing: What is the quality of beer that someone can expect from using a Mr. Beer kit as it is intended? This is the control.

Trial #2:

The idea here is that I will use the Mr. Beer Kit equipment but, like any curious homebrewer, I’ll design my own extract beer recipe. The concept is to use high-quality DME, hops and yeast, and to brew it inside, on my stove, like any budding homebrewer would.

What I’m testing: What are the limits of the Mr. Beer equipment? Is this system flexible enough to crank out great beer for the homebrewer who wants to keep his brewery small for space or monetary reasons?

Is there a third experiment? Maybe a gueuze? OK, I’m going a little crazy there.

Stay tuned.

The next beer in my series of style driven beers, fermented at low temperatures and using the East Coast Yeasts, was my Scottish 80/-. This was the last of my ECY yeast and it was the Scottish Heavy:

“ECY07 Scottish Heavy: Leaves a fruity profile with woody, oak esters reminiscent of malt whiskey. Well suited for 90/shilling or heavier ales including old ales and barleywines due to level of attenuation (77-80%) – recommend a dextrinous wort. Suggested fermentation temp: 60-68°F”

The only problem was that I just wasn’t in the mood for a Wee Heavy, and I was more interested in turning a beer around in 4 or 5 weeks, rather than months. So I decided that I was going to make an 80 shilling, even though the final beer and recipe might border into the 90 shilling territory.

Although I will admit to drinking a lot of Killian’s Red in my misspent youth, I know very little about the Scottish and Irish ale styles, so this seemed to be a good time to brew one. (And, I apologize to all proper Irish Red beers by mentioning you in the same paragraph as Killians, which I believe is really an amber lager.)

Referring to the homebrew master, I checked out Jamil’s take on the style. He advised to do some kettle caramelization and a colder than usual fermentation. So I took the first gallon of runnings from the mash and boiled it separately until it was reduced to ½ a gallon, and then I poured that into the full boil.

My Youngest Holding the Only Specialty Grains in the Beer: Black Roasted Malt

Milling the Grains

I’m a Morning Brewer, But This Brew Day Ran Long. A Rare View of My Burner After Dark

It was later that I made my bonehead move of the day. (There is always one and it is always different with each brew day.) After crashing the wort down to 70º F, I put it in the cooler to drop the last 4 degrees, added oxygen and the yeast, and then simply forgot about it. The next morning, instead of finding it bubbling way, I discovered that the carboy had dropped to 54º F.

I rocked the carboy, turned the cooler off and left the door open, and let it warm up to 66º F. Luckily, the ECY07 was up to my cruel challenge, and began fermenting later that day.

I’ll try to come back to add some tasting notes, but I’m happy with how this beer has turned out thus far. It is still young, but it is malty, pretty clean and has a smoky note that came from the yeast.

This one is called “Piper Down”.

Piper Down - (Scottish 80/-) (6 gallons)
Starting Gravity: 1.062 (2/13/11)
Secondary Gravity: N/A
Final Gravity: 1.014 (2/28/11) Days
6.4% alcohol (by volume)
Apparent Attenuation: 76.5%
Real Attenuation: 62.7%

Mash (70 minutes ~154º)
12 lb Maris Otter
3 oz Black Roasted Barley

Boil (75 min)
1 oz EK Goldings Pellet Hops (4.5% AA) (60 min)

Primary (66º F)
East Coast Yeast – Scottish Heavy ECY07 – 125ml (No Starter)

Lagering (32º F)
No secondary, but it was crashed down to lager for 3 days