Thank you
and
I'm sorry.
Mom taught me well.
So I tapped our first cask-conditioned ale in time for business on Friday. I brought my family in for dinner Saturday evening and found that the cask ale was gone before noon that same day.
I had no idea!
When I was brewing in Cleveland, it took 2-3 weeks to go through a cask of ale.
So, thank you to all who got a chance to try it, and I'm sorry for those of you hoping to try some and found it to be gone already.
I've already got the go-ahead to pick up a few more Firkins and I'll be ramping up our cask selection four-fold. I'll make up a cask of the BOSS P, and it should be ready mid-week next week.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Friday, May 27, 2011
Cask-Conditioned Beer Now On Tap!
It's finally here.
The St. Francis Brewery now features Cask Conditioned Ale served via a traditional English beer engine (pictured right).
Several things. All of our regular beers are force-carbonated. This means, once the beer is transferred into one of our six vessels, I pressurize the vessel and then bubble carbon dioxide through the beer until it is carbonated.
With cask-conditioned ale, I take beer from the fermenter and fill up the firkin. There is still a little bit of yeast floating around in this beer. Then I’ll add a little bit of sugar to the firkin before sealing it up. The yeast eats the sugar and starts giving off carbon dioxide, which naturally carbonates the beer.
Cask-conditioned beer will not be as bubbly as our other beer. It will always be a little flatter, and that’s the way it’s supposed to be.
Cask conditioned beer is also served at "cellar temperature" or right around 50 degrees, so it will seem warmer than our other beers.
Finally, cask conditioned beer cannot be filtered, so it will be a bit cloudy. This is the extra yeast that is in the beer, and it’s actually beneficial.
So what makes this different from our regular beer?
Several things. All of our regular beers are force-carbonated. This means, once the beer is transferred into one of our six vessels, I pressurize the vessel and then bubble carbon dioxide through the beer until it is carbonated.
With cask-conditioned ale, I take beer from the fermenter and fill up the firkin. There is still a little bit of yeast floating around in this beer. Then I’ll add a little bit of sugar to the firkin before sealing it up. The yeast eats the sugar and starts giving off carbon dioxide, which naturally carbonates the beer.
Cask-conditioned beer will not be as bubbly as our other beer. It will always be a little flatter, and that’s the way it’s supposed to be.
Cask conditioned beer is also served at "cellar temperature" or right around 50 degrees, so it will seem warmer than our other beers.
Finally, cask conditioned beer cannot be filtered, so it will be a bit cloudy. This is the extra yeast that is in the beer, and it’s actually beneficial.
The beer we will feature will change all the time. Our first beer is cask-conditioned Nut Brown Ale, which has been infused with toasted oak. The oak gives it a nice barrel-aged flavor with a slight hint of bourbon.
The price of our cask-conditioned offerings will be the same as our house beers. Quantities are limited, so when the current selection runs out, you'll have to wait for the next.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
B.O.S.S. P
I finally got the call yesterday.
The cask cooler is in and nearly ready for pick-up. I just need to have the temperature control replaced with one that will hold the cooler in the mid-50 degree range.
Once I have it in place, it will be a relatively simple process to get everything hooked up so that we can feature cask-conditioned ales.
With that in mind, I picked up some oak spirals from Northern last week. I also picked up some bourbon and have been soaking them:
These spirals are nice because they provide a ton of surface area to impart their flavor to the beer.
Anyway, this was all in preparation to make our debut cask-conditioned ale: Bourbon Oak Soaked Smoked Porter, or B.O.S.S. P.
I made a robust smoked porter last week and racked some of it into a firkin along with some priming sugar and one of these spirals. I also "accidentally" poured a little of the oaked bourbon into the firkin!
After conditioning at room temp for a couple of weeks, I'll take it out to the World of Beer Festival on Saturday, June 4th. This is one of Southeastern Wisconsin's oldest and best fests. Get your tickets!
The cask cooler is in and nearly ready for pick-up. I just need to have the temperature control replaced with one that will hold the cooler in the mid-50 degree range.
Once I have it in place, it will be a relatively simple process to get everything hooked up so that we can feature cask-conditioned ales.
With that in mind, I picked up some oak spirals from Northern last week. I also picked up some bourbon and have been soaking them:
 |
| Two oak spirals soaking in a bag of booze. |
Anyway, this was all in preparation to make our debut cask-conditioned ale: Bourbon Oak Soaked Smoked Porter, or B.O.S.S. P.
I made a robust smoked porter last week and racked some of it into a firkin along with some priming sugar and one of these spirals. I also "accidentally" poured a little of the oaked bourbon into the firkin!
 |
| A conditioning cask. |
Old Hat
Our IPA contest winner, David Skreczko, joined me yesterday to brew up his Black IPA.
It was a fun, and very smooth session. He'll be on hand at the 6/8 tapping to soak in the glory of the kudos sure to be heaped upon his shoulders.
It was a fun, and very smooth session. He'll be on hand at the 6/8 tapping to soak in the glory of the kudos sure to be heaped upon his shoulders.
 |
| Work's done! |
 |
| Cleaning out the Mash Tun |
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
More Foolin' Around
a.k.a. Brewing for Kicks!
I had an open fermenter, and a small break in my brewing schedule.
That can only lead to trouble.
I also had some smoked malt left over from last Autumn's Harvest Strong. I decided to brew a small batch of Smoked Porter. This will not be a Mug Club tapping, but look for this beer on tap in a couple of weeks.
Other news--I finally placed the order for my firkin cooler. Once we get it installed, I'll be able to have cask conditioned ale on tap all the time. Yay! I'm thinking I can throw some bourbon soaked oak chips into a firkin and rack the smoked porter on top of it. Mmmmmm.
I had an open fermenter, and a small break in my brewing schedule.
That can only lead to trouble.
I also had some smoked malt left over from last Autumn's Harvest Strong. I decided to brew a small batch of Smoked Porter. This will not be a Mug Club tapping, but look for this beer on tap in a couple of weeks.
Other news--I finally placed the order for my firkin cooler. Once we get it installed, I'll be able to have cask conditioned ale on tap all the time. Yay! I'm thinking I can throw some bourbon soaked oak chips into a firkin and rack the smoked porter on top of it. Mmmmmm.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
SFBs IPA Contest
Well, the 2011 St. Francis Brewery's Homebrew IPA Contest is over.
This year, we had 16 entries. Our esteemed judging panel assembled at 11:00 am Saturday to find the best IPA that you had to offer.
One consistant comment from across the panel was that the quality of entries was remarkable.
Here's how the contest worked:
The judges were grouped into two groups of two and one group of three. Each group evaluated about five beers. After all the beers were sampled and evaluated, the top three scorers were moved to the final round, competing head to head (to head) for the win, on taste alone.
Now, for the results:
This year, we had 16 entries. Our esteemed judging panel assembled at 11:00 am Saturday to find the best IPA that you had to offer.
One consistant comment from across the panel was that the quality of entries was remarkable.
Here's how the contest worked:
The judges were grouped into two groups of two and one group of three. Each group evaluated about five beers. After all the beers were sampled and evaluated, the top three scorers were moved to the final round, competing head to head (to head) for the win, on taste alone.
Now, for the results:
Third Place
(no prize, but a little fanfare)
Jayme Nawrocki
Second Place
(still no prize, but a little more fanfare)
Kenny Grenz
And your winner, and now TWO TIME CHAMPION
David Skreczko
with his Black IPA
Not only did David win by unanimous decision. His IPA was also the highest rated among all entries during the first round. Congratulations go out to all contestants.
Your score sheets may be picked up any time from 5/9 to 5/14. They'll be behind the bar, so ask the bartender for them. After 5/14 I'll toss them.
 |
| Beers awaiting their fates |
Judges, from left to right:
David Bass, Brewmaster-Rock Bottom
Russ Klisch, President--Lakefront Brewery
Sue Thompson, Head of the Sensory Panel--Miller/Coors
Robert Morton--Brewmaster--Milwaukee Brewing Co.
George Bluvas, Brewmaster--Water Street Brewery
Jeremy King, Manager--Northern Brewer
Ryan Hartman, General Manager--Rock Bottom
Thursday, May 5, 2011
MaicowP.A.
Sort of sounds like mea culpa!
Tapped the Maibock last night for the Mug Club. This will be our last lager until August.
Historically, Germans started enjoying Bock beers in the month of March. By the time they got through their regular Bocks in March and the Doppelbocks in April, they were ready for something a little lighter. Welcome the Maibock! This straw/amber hued lager boasts the traditional sweetness up front, but is one of the most aggressively hopped beers in the bock family. ABV is 7.15%
We're also getting some very nice feedback on the Cowtipper Milk Stout. Even my Oatmeal Stout fans have been enjoying this one. Will it become a permanent fixture? The jury's still out.
Finally, we'll be judging the Homebrew IPA contest this weekend. Photos will appear soon after.
Tapped the Maibock last night for the Mug Club. This will be our last lager until August.
Historically, Germans started enjoying Bock beers in the month of March. By the time they got through their regular Bocks in March and the Doppelbocks in April, they were ready for something a little lighter. Welcome the Maibock! This straw/amber hued lager boasts the traditional sweetness up front, but is one of the most aggressively hopped beers in the bock family. ABV is 7.15%
We're also getting some very nice feedback on the Cowtipper Milk Stout. Even my Oatmeal Stout fans have been enjoying this one. Will it become a permanent fixture? The jury's still out.
Finally, we'll be judging the Homebrew IPA contest this weekend. Photos will appear soon after.
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