I wonder if anyone even gets that subject line reference anymore?
Well, though I was sad to leave Germany, I'm happy to be back in the States, this time for good.
I've also been terrible about getting this blog updated, so I'll type a few lines in the middle of a cleaning cycle here at the brewery.
So much is happening, I don't even know where to begin. First off, I tapped the Summer Night Saison last Wednesday, and I'm very happy with the results. Sweet, spicy and very tasty.
Second, I experimented with a new dark beer--a recipe of my own design--which I called the "Heimkehr Dunkelweizen". This is a black wheat beer which looks heavy but is surprisingly light. Using our weisse strain of yeast, this black beauty has a bit of the banana/clove characteristic of our KK Weisse. Well, it seems you liked it too, as it sold out very quickly. I will brew this one again this month, and you can try it again in early August.
Thirdly, I'm happy to report that our distributor has secured us two tap handles at the WI State Fair. You'll be able to try our Envy IPA and our Nut Brown Ale at Benno's at the fair.
Last Friday, I brewed up a batch of our August seasonal, "Givum Helles". This is a Munich style lager. Essentially, this style of beer was Munich's answer to the Czech Pils which was sweeping Germany by storm and was making German brewers nervous. To regain market share, the Germans developed their own style of a pilsener which leaned more toward the malty side, rather than the traditional hoppiness of a Czech pilsner. This style was called Helles which means light-colored. The beauty of this beer is its simplicity: two types of pilsener malt and two German hops--Tettnang and Hallertauer. This is also my trick-of-the-trade beer, as it provides a vehicle for ensuring I have enough lager yeast for the Oktoberfest brews coming later next month.
Finally, and if that weren't enough, you will find us at the Milwauke Firkin Fest this coming Saturday. I'll be tapping cask-conditioned versions of our Dunkelweizen, Saison and a returning favorite--the Toasted Coconut Brown Ale. Can't make that fest? Worry not, as we will be at the Milwaukee Brewfest the following Saturday, July 28. Details will follow.
