So This Guy Walks Into A Bar...

a.k.a. "First Contact"

Life here can't all be sausages and festivals.  A man's gotta work.

There's only one brewpub in a 40 mile radius around here, and it's at the closest city, Kaiserslautern.  The family and I decided to stop over there to check it out last Monday for lunch.  It's called Brauhaus am Markt or Market Brewery.  I ordered their four beer sampler--they brew three house beers and a seasonal:  Helles, Weisse, Alt and Weinachtbier (Christmas Beer).

The beers were good, especially the Christmas beer.  I left my business card and wrote on the back of it that I'd like to meet the Brewmaster.  The waitress said he wasn't there but was expected to be in around 4 pm.  We hung around and were later greeted by Brewmaster Bernhard Honing.  We chatted briefly--he knows some English which is great because my German consists of a bad, loud German accent and a lot of pointing.  I told him I'd like to watch him brew.  He said, "how about Wednesday?"

It was on!

I arrived at 8 on Wednesday morning and Bernhard was finishing up a first batch of beer and milling in the grain for the second.  Apparently, he got there at 2 am!  He said he likes to get there early, as the restaurant gets pretty busy during the day and it gets harder to brew among a crowd.

In what I believe is typical of German brewing, they like to keep things simple.  A couple types of malt.  One type of hops.  I think he had five different malts on hand while I have about 41 different malts in our warehouse!  I've used eight or nine different malts in a single brew in the past.  I don't think one philosophy is better than the other--they are just different.

The brewery adheres to Reinheitsgebot, though they do use wheat.

The next thing that struck me is there's not a lot of "helping" to be done.  The process is largely self-contained.  Where I mix the barley by hand with a paddle, there are stirrers in his mash tun.  Where I rake the spent grain into garbage cans to haul out, he has mechanical rakes which comb the grain through a trap door, and a grain pump sends it out into the back alley through a hose where a local horse/pig farmer collects it in a small trailer for his livestock.

Much of the process was familiar, if not completely identical.  While conversation was difficult--the English/German was not the only barrier; I also had to deal with metric and I only "think" in English measurements.  In Germany, it's all Celsius and hectoliters, so when Bernhard asked how much beer I brew in a year, I had to pull out the calculator.  Bernhard brews the equivalent of 10-12 barrel batches, so it is similar to the batch sizes I brewed when I worked for Rock Bottom.

Because a lot of the process was automated, there was a fair amount of down-time, which Bernhard graciously filled by feeding me!  The sauerbraten was delicious!  I learned that Bernhard is also a hobbiest schnapps and whiskey maker, and I sampled a little of his work.  He has a distilling license as puts out a variety of flavored schnapps.  The first I sampled was a Maribelle schnapps--a type of plum.  This fruit is popular in northeasten France, so this makes sense as we're not far from the French border.  The second was a coconut schnapps that he blended with Meyer's rum.  Both were fantastic. 

I was curious how this smallish brewpub had such cool toys, and the answer lies with the ownership.  The facility is owned by Bischoff--the largest local commercial brewery in this "state".  Bernhard has worked the better part of the last 25 years for Bischoff.  Bernhard asked me if I'd like to meet Bischoff's Master Brewer.  Arrangements are being made and soon he and I will make the trek to Winnweiler to visit the brewery!  When I mentioned that I am waiting for my brewing gear to arrive so I can start things up here, he also said I was welcome to grain/hops etc.  There's something to be said for the generosity offered to me.  I am truly grateful.

I did pick up some tips with regard to fermentation temps, which I will bring back to SFB for experimentation.

The gleaming copper kettles of the Brauhaus am Markt in Kaiserslautern

Bernhard Honing--Braumeister, Schnappsmacher, und host extraordinaire.



The inside of the steam-fired brew kettle.



Their brewhouse control panel has a few more switches than ours!

In the fermentation room.

The serving vessels are located on a balcony above the patio.



Pictures Pictures Pictures

Oh happy day.

My electronics have all arrived from the states. 

So today instead of boring you with a long diatribe,  I will "pic up" the blog with some photos of the first two weeks of my Germany adventure.

Here is the road leading into our village of Oberstaufenbach.  We're in a valley within two kilometers of two other villages and a small town.  There are bike/walking paths adjacent to the road, which is nice as vehicles tend to soar on these country roads.

Here is the welcome sign to our village.  There are about 400 villagers and more than half of them are Americans working with the nearby military bases:  Ramstein Air Force Base and Landstuhl Army Base.

Our house, in the middle of our street.  It looks small, but it's actually quite large.  Plus, there is a two bedroom apartment attached to the lower level (which you cannot see from the front) which we are able to offer to friends/family who visit.  Unfortunately, our boiler uses fuel oil which is very expensive.  Mrs. Brewmaster doesn't like to pay for this oil, so if you visit, be sure to pack plenty of sweaters!

This is from one of the big hills surrounding our valley.  Germany has hundreds of wind farms.  Here you can see one small example.  In the little that I've traveled so far, I've seen wind farms with as many as 20 masts.  This picture was taken at a wildlife preserve near our home which we discovered the day after we arrived.  Many cool animals and birds of prey.  We didn't stick around for the falcon show, but someone else told us that the show couldn't happen in America.  Apparently they let the falcons get VERY interactive with the audience.  I guess Germany isn't as "lawyered-up" as America. 

Christmas or Weihnachten is a very big deal here, but also very different from the way it's celebrated in America.  Many towns have Weihnachtmarkts-Christmas Markets where locals and tourists alike gather to purchase crafts or to simply get together and enjoy the seasonal Gluhwein--a spiced, hot wine drink.  Christmas is more about family, friends and togetherness than presents and lights.

Rudesheim with the Rhine River in the background.

Germany is comprised of sixteen states and we live in Rheinland-Pfalz, in southwest Germany, so technically I am currently a Rhinelander.  We took a day trip to the town of Rudesheim on the Rhine River.  This is wine country in Germany.  We took a cable car up the hillside over the vinyards for a birdseye view of the Rhine.  We then went back into town to enjoy their Weihnachtmarkt and some delicious grilled sausages.

Below are a few of the many photos taken at Rudesheim.

So, How's Germany?

That's sort of like asking someone who has lived in Bayfield for two weeks, "How's Wisconsin?"

I understand the reason for asking, though, so I can offer up some first impressions. 

I've never been to Seattle, but I think the weather is similar here.  Very gray, daily rain, occasional breaks in the clouds.  It's not overly cold, but it is windy.

There is a definite language barrier.  Most Germans have a working knowledge of English, and I can fake enough German to get by, but in large crowds or in restaurants it's all German.  It's an odd feeling having people speaking all around you and you can't understand most of what they say. 

I've been listening to a German Top 40-ish radio station here.  Almost all the songs are American hits, but the DJs all speak German, so it's fun trying to figure out what they're talking about.  You'll hear the words "Lady GaGa" in the middle of a thick German stream.

Christmas is huge here, but not in the way of America.  Where Americans see Christmas as a time to buy things--presents, decorations, clothing, etc., the Germans seem to enjoy the spirit of togetherness.  There are very few outdoor displays--most are simple and modest.  Religious observance seems a bit reserved, but no one is afraid to wish you a Merry Christmas.  Where America tends to be "in your face" about everything, good and bad, I'm not finding a lot of that here.  The utter lack of polarization is very refreshing. 

Beer is an interesting thing here.  First off, it's dirt cheap.  More on that in a future post.  However, I've been a little disappointed so far.  Granted, I'm only two weeks into this adventure so there will be many beers to try over the next several months.  But, I've been led to believe that Germany was the first and last word in exceptional brewing.  Not long before I left for Germany, I had stumbled upon this article which decried the decline of beer in Germany.  Americans, unhampered by ancient brewing laws, can throw anything they want into a beer, mostly for better--some for worse.  As a result, the stunning variety of beer made available to the American populace has spoiled me.

Granted, as a brewer who adheres to the simplicity of the "basic four" ingredients, I take pride in brewing beers that are fairly true to style.  However, I do have an adventurous palate, and so far, that palate has found a lot of the same in the few beers I've tried here.  They're decent, they're basic. 

They're boring.

Yet, I remain enthusiastic about the future.  Two weeks will not cement my impressions.  I'll revisit this topic in six months and we'll see where we are.

P.S.  I promise to get some pictures up here very soon.  There have been some technology "issues"--namely that I accidentally left a great deal of my technology back home on my couch when I left for O'Hare!

One Week In...

But, not much to report.

I wrote a very lengthy synopsis of my trip out here to Germany.  However, as I read, and re-read it, it had so little to do with brewing that I didn't think it appropriate to post here.  That said, I may start a secondary blog which is geared more toward my personal experiences, where this blog will remain focused on all things beer.

Anyway, there are a few things which you may find interesting.  First off, the area we are living in is a lot like the Holy Hill area.  Lots of high, rolling hills.  There are pockets of agriculture along side thick pine forests.  Weather is similar to Milwaukee.  No snow yet, but high winds and rain almost daily.

We live in a tiny village and the next biggest village is about a mile down the road.

All of our furniture, as well as all my brewing gear, is scheduled to arrive around January 6th, and I can't wait to get started brewing as the water is delicious here.  I don't have a water quality breakdown, but I can tell you that it's a little hard, based solely on the fact that our shower head tends to spray water in several directions other than where you'd like it to go.

I make most purchases on the Air Force Base, as they are on the dollar and prices are reasonable.  Once you get "out on the economy", a dollar will get you $0.75 Euro, so not only is everything 25% more expensive, but you have to pay VAT and local tax on top of it.  The value of the dollar is trending in our favor, so hopefully our buying power will improve over time.

This past week, and the next couple will be spent getting acclimated to my new surroundings, while ensuring that things are running as smoothly as possible at SFB.  Once we can function a little more independant of each other, I'll be out exploring and learning a little more.  In the meantime, I welcome any questions you may have about Deutschland.

There are STILL Decent Companies in America

Just when I'm convinced that we've become a truly disposable society, a company proves me wrong.

Backing up....

Several years ago I was planning my homebrew setup.  I received a gift certificate to Northern Brewer, and decided to use it to buy the Cadillac of homebrew pumps--a magnetic pump from the March Pump company out of Illinois.

The pump sat in my basement for over a year.  Finally, I started putting my system together and put the pump into use.  After about four uses, the pump died.

I emailed March Pump with my model and serial number and explained that the unit is probably out of warranty, but I was very disappointed because I barely used the thing and it no longer worked.  I received a response within hours by a gentleman named Doug Street.  He told me that it was out of warranty, but if I sent it to them, they'd take a look at it.  He said, sometimes they can get them working again, but there would be no guarantees. 

The only thing I had to lose (other than the value of the pump) was shipping.  I sent it off.

I followed up a couple of weeks later to get the status, and was told that they got it running, but it was pretty "fubar-ed" up and was rubbing a lot.  Oh well....

So I come home today to a very pump-sized box on my front porch.  I figured I got my very defective pump back. 

No!

A shiny new pump motor was staring back at me!

This company was up-front, responsive, and successful in removing some of the cynacism I've cultured over the years.  They went above and beyond anything they had to do, and they not only left me 100% satisfied, they also made me want to tell everyone my pleasant experience.

I think I'll start with this blog......

So What Else Is New??

So kind of you to ask.

It is with great excitement, a touch of apprehension, and a tinge of sadness that I am reporting that I am leaving you.

Temporarily.

Let's back up a little.

A few months ago, my lovely wife was offered a pretty cool opportunity.  She is a medical coding auditor and she's darn good at what she does.  Now, normally I find this occupation as interesting as, say, a sequel to "Eat, Pray, Love" but once in a while, life throws you a curve.  Well, it did.  My wife swung and hit it out of the park.  She was offered a supervisory position overseeing all of the Air Force bases in Europe, with Germany being the home base (Ramstein AFB).  Last month, she moved there, and rented a great house in the little village of Oberstaufenbach.  On December 8th, the day after the December tapping, I will be moving there to join her.

While living with the woman I love is a no-brainer, this decision had a fair amount of trepidation.  I have worked very hard and sacrificed much to get to where I am today.  I love working for St. Francis Brewery.  I love making good beer.  I love the freedom, automony and trust that the ownership has offered me.  I also continually strive to become a better brewer.  Both I and my bosses see this new venture as an opportunity to learn and grow as a brewer.

With this in mind, in a wonderful display of generosity, the ownership of SFB is considering this a Sabbatical of sorts.  They are keeping me on staff, and I will be returning one week a month to get a whole lot of brewing done.  I have hired an Assistant who will handle the day-to-day minutiae.  You will meet her in an upcoming post.

Stay tuned to this blog, as I keep you abreast of my new adventures.

In all sincerity, it has been a pleasure serving all of you.  I look forward to raising a mug of St. Francis' finest with all of you in the future.

Auf Wiedersehen!
Scott

El Doble Rojo

Thought it would be fun to crack out the Spanish lingo.

I brewed up a short batch of Double Red.  It's not just for Valentine's Day!

This is a malty, higher strength version of an Irish Red.  Low bitterness.  Caramel and toffee flavors.

Surprise the wife with a growler, and let the chips fall where they may......

So, What's New?

Been a little lax in my updates lately. 

However, things have been a little crazy around here.

For starters, we are currently featuring three special beers in addition to our house lineup:

The first is our Black Sheep Weizenbock.  Coming in at 8.1% ABV, this German Ale has been very popular since its debut on 10/9.  The description can be found here.

Next up is our Rye Oh Rye Roggenbier.  This German Ale features rye, a cereal grain that isn't often used in brewing as it tends to be a little difficult to work with.  However, rye imparts an interesting flavor giving this beer slight whiskey and spicy notes.  This is a full-bodied beer with a slightly bitter tang from the rye.  The taste starts sweet and then the rye and hefeweizen yeast take over with a hint of banana/clove.  ABV: 5.8%

Finally, we just tapped our Tripel Trouble Belgian tripel.  This one got away from me a little bit, as the ABV came in at 10.4%!  Using a suggestion from our yeast lab, I fermented this one a little different than when I made it in the winter of 2009.  As a result, the fermentation was almost too complete, if there is such a thing.  However, don't let that stop you.  The flavor is fantastic!  This golden ale features imported Belgian pilsener malt, and a special Belgian yeast strain gives it a spicy sweet flavor.  There's very low bitterness in this one.

On deck, we have the Cowtipper Stout coming back.  Plus, I pulled a firkin of Cowtipper today and added toasted coconut.  (Our coconut casks are very popular!)  This should be ready in about 10 days.

I also filled a firkin of Double Red, another popular beer that can't wait until February. 

Last, but not least, this can only mean one thing:

Yes, the Chocolate Hazelnut Porter is coming back.  I'll be brewing up a bigger batch of this for our December seasonal.  It will tap on December 7th.

More big news to follow......

An Old Friend Is Coming Back

I'll spare no expense for you:

Mmmmm.  Look at all that imported Belgian Pilsner malt.

That could only mean one of two things:  Saison?  Nope, I did that one already this year.

It's Tripel time!!!!!

I made this one almost two years ago to raves.  In fact, it was one of the more "jubilant" tappings in SFBs history.

Anyway, this Belgian beauty should be ready to roll in about three weeks.  This will be our November seasonal.

Everything Always Turns Out Okay In The End.

That's kind of been my life motto.

The Weizenbock ended up just fine.  Yes, the sparge did take forever, and yes, I was about 3/4 of a point shy of my original gravity (more brewer talk), but with a high gravity beer, I'm not concerned.

Now it's in the yeast's hands--or buds.

I'll pop in tomorrow to see if it's rolling along as it should.

On another note, I sampled the Oktoberfest today and I'm very happy with it.  It's amazing what 30+ days of lagering will do.  I hope to see you all out at St. Francis Brewery next weekend for our Oktoberfest celebration.  The event kicks off at noon on Saturday the 24th.  Free beer!

Weizen#$*@!

It sounds a little like weizenbock.

Brewing it today.  It's about 48% wheat.

A little lesson to folks new to brewing:  The rest of you may talk amongst yourselves.

Malted wheat has no husk, as opposed to barley which keeps its husk during the malting process.  The husk is great because it acts as a natural filter in the mash tun and helps keep the wort free-flowing and clear.  When you use a large percentage of wheat, you do not get the benefits of the husk.  Also, wheat contains gelatinous proteins which make the mash stiff and gummy.  To counter this, many brewers (myself included) will add rice hulls to the mash as a "substitute husk".  If you don't do this, you can experience a slow or "stuck" mash.  Basically, it becomes so thick, that the wort cannot flow through it very well, if at all.

Lesson over.  Sure, I added rice hulls, but apparently not enough!  This is one of the slowest sparges ever.

Plus, based on the size of this batch, and the weight of the grain, I think my conversion was down significantly.  This means, I'm not sure I got the most of the "good stuff" that I want out of the grain.

I seldom get mad at work.  A bad day brewing is always better than a good day at work.  However, my patience may be tested today.....

More to follow.

Keg a Thon

Well, the new walk-in cooler was installed today, though it won't be fully operational until Friday afternoon. 

That said, I had the joy of indulging in one of my most cherished duties:  Keg Cleaning.  This time, with a vengeance.

There were 22 of them in all.  Thirteen of them will be used to keg off an entire batch of Oktoberfest.  The rest will be used to keg off some of our house beers in order to free up the serving vessels.

This is chump change in comparison to the keg output of places like the Water Street Brewery or the Milwaukee Ale House, but I think they have gads of underlings ready, willing and able to help out.

The tough part is going to be hauling them over to the walk-in cooler once they're filled.  Without the luxury of a forklift (or even doors wide enough the fit a pallet through) it's going to be a keg-at-a-time operation.
At roughly 165# per filled keg, I am considering having my spine reinforced.

Weizenbock

This one will be a biggie!

The Brewer's Style guidelines describe a Weizenbock as:  "A strong, malty, fruity, wheat-based ale combining the best flavors of a dunkelweizen and the rich strength and body of a bock."

I've never brewed one before.  There aren't a lot of commercial examples of them out there, but Schneider's "Aventinus" (a favorite of mine) would qualify.

The thing that will set mine apart, however, will be the use of some Briess Midnight Wheat malt.  This is a specialty malt that Briess puts out once a year.  I picked some up and thought it would make a nice addition to this beer.  As a result, it will send the color off the charts.  This beer will be nearly black, but it won't have any of the roasty character of a stout or porter.

It will also be a great cold weather beer, as the ABV estimate will be around 8%.  This will be another snifter beer.

Though bocks are traditionally lagers, this weizenbock will use hefeweizen yeast, technically an ale yeast, so that I can get some of that banana/clove taste found in our K.K. Weisse.

Fun New Stuff!

The scent of cinnamon lingers in the brewhouse as I am brewing up my lone spiced beer of the year:  Pumpkin Pie Spice Ale. 

This tends to be a favorite among SFB beer lovers so I increased the batch size a bit, and plan to have it available for our Oktoberfest celebration on Sept. 24-25.

Also, we're getting a new walk-in cooler to store lots of kegs.  This will allow me to keg off batches of beer, thus freeing up serving vessel space for some more creative concoctions.  I've got a few ideas in the works:  a Weizenbock, a Roggenbier and a Scotch Strong Ale.  More on this as it develops......

Picking Back Up

I wasn't whining in that last post. 

Really.

Now it's a bit of a hurry/stop/hurry/stop cycle.  Last week, I brewed on consecutive days and all three fermenters are full again--Oktoberfest, Weisse and Kolsch.  So, this week there's not a lot of brewing going on.

What to do, what to do?

Today I decided to try something a little new.  I picked up a bunch of 22 oz bottles at Norther Brewer and some sealing wax.

I put a question out to the Brewery's Facebook friends.  What beer would you like to see return?  A couple of you gave me an unexpected answer:  the Harvest Strong.  As fortune would have it, I saved a half barrel of last year's batch to see what some cold storage would do to it.  I sampled it this morning and it is wonderful!  The smokiness has subdued and it tastes somewhat like a Belgian Tripel with a big alcohol kick.  So I ended up bottling about 26 bottles of that plus 26 bottles of Breakfast Stout.  I then dipped the crowns in colored wax giving the bottles a classy (or pretentious) look.  Once I come up with a label for them, we'll sell single bottles at the bar.  Price is TBD.  These will be the first featured bottles in our "Premium Selection" line-up.  These will beer our "big beers"--higher alcohol and more specialized malts.

Look for them soon!

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Maybe it's the calm before the storm.

But, there hasn't been much for me to do lately.  Bummer.

Two of our three fermenters are full of Oktoberfest, happily lagering away.  However, one of our old friends will return.  I brewed up a small batch of our South Shore Stout.  As soon as the Breakfast Stout is gone, I'll get that one tapped. 

But, this doesn't keep me from trying new things:

Premium Sodas!

I experimented with some new sodas:  Cream, Orange Cream, Grape and Cherry.  The cream was gone in about two days!  The other three are currently on tap, and I'd love your feedback.

Also, I'm going to experiment with some premium bottle selections.  More on this as it develops.

Now, back to sleep.

Oktoberfest!!

My favorite time of year calls for one of my favorite pictures:

Yes, we are looking forward to our second Annual Oktoberfest extravaganza.                

We're BIGGER, BETTER, and BEERIER this year.

The event kicks off at noon on Saturday, September 24th.  We will have the big tent set up in the west parking lot. 

In true Munich tradition, the Mayor of St. Francis will tap the first cask of Oktoberfest beer, I'll open the tap, and everyone there can fill their mug until the cask runs dry.

Immediately following the tapping, we will be entertained by the polka stylings of Milwaukee's own Squeezettes.  Three lovely accordion-clad ladies, a dapper drummer, and Chaltry will do what they do best.

Chef Ron has put together a wonderful German menu, and two fermenters full of Oktoberfest are happily laagering until their debut.

The Squeezettes will perform from noon-ish to 3.  Then, the Music Venders will take the stage for a music marathon.  Unlike last year, will will have bands performing throughout the entire day.

Can't get there Saturday??

No Problem!!!

Because the party hasn't ended yet.  We'll crank things right back up on Sunday, September 25th.  Enjoy our Sunday brunch at 10:00 am, and then head out back to the tent to get your Gemutlichkeit on at noon again on Sunday.  The Jeff Winard Band will kick things off from noonish to three.

Then, the second kick-off of the day will take place around 3 pm--The Green Bay Packers!!  We plan to broadcast the game outdoors with a hi-def, LCD projector.  Enjoy a mug or two of Oktoberfest beer and a Pretzel while watching the Pack destroy the Bears.

Finally, we can celebrate the Packer victory through song and dance, as we end the weekend as it began--with the Squeezettes from six to nine pm.

Looking forward to seeing you then!

 

 

 

Shhhhh! It's a Secret.....

As I've mentioned in the past, I will often "test brew" a beer for numerous reasons.  Maybe it's a variation on a current offering.  Maybe it's an oddball recipe that I don't want to try full-size.

This leads me to our newest beer:

And So It Gose

Gose (pronounced goes-uh) is a near-extinct style of beer dating back to pre-Reinhietsgebot in Germany.  Reinheitsgebot is the German Purity Law that says that beer can only be made with four ingredients:  Barley, Hops, Water and (later) Yeast.

Gose has the inclusion of wheat, coriander and salt.  It also uses weisse yeast so you do get a bit of that banana/clove flavor.

It is a very light beer, refreshing and low alcohol.

As a gift to my blog followers, you will be the only ones who know about it. 

Starting Monday, August 15, if you go up to the bar and say "And So It Gose", you can get a pint of this beer for $3.00.  Quantities are EXTREMELY limited, and when it's gone, it's gone.

Do me a favor and let me or your bartender know what you think of it.

Going Nuts. A Pictorial Essay.

At Firkin Fest last week, I debuted the cask-conditioned Toasted Coconut Brown Ale.  I had no idea how it would turn out. 

I also fully intended to have enough left over to put it on tap at the brewery when the festival was over.

No dice.  The crowd at the fest pretty much drained the cask.

So, I thought I'd make up another cask of it.  Here's some of the prepwork involved:

I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts!

Drill a 3/8" hole through one of the "eyes".

Drain the coconut milk, reserving it.

2 1/2 cups of milk from three coconuts.  Not too shabby!

Bust those bad boys open.  A few taps does the trick.

Scrape the meat from the shell.  A spoon works well. 
The meat will have a tough, brown coat that should be peeled.

All peeled and ready for processing.

The shredder attachment on our Cuisinart makes short work of it.

Toast in a 350 degree F oven for about 20 minutes. 
Check/toss it every now and again.
The aroma is outstanding.
While it's toasting, simmer the milk in a saucepan for about
ten minutes. 

And, here's what three coconuts will yield.

A Different Kind Of Brewing

I love coffee.

I can hardly remember a time when I didn't.  In fact, my love of coffee is much older than my love of beer. 

Maybe that's one of the reasons why I am excited about the Breakfast Stout that I brewed last week.  It's almost fermented out, and I have to start preparing for the final ingredient addition. 

That's right--MORE COFFEE.

I added 2-1/2 pounds of Sumatran cold-brewed coffee to the boil.  Sumatran coffee is big, bold and bitter, so it mimics some hop bittering properties, while adding some coffee flavor.

This morning, I am cold-brewing 2-1/2 pounds of Kona coffee which will be added to the serving vessel in a couple days.  Kona is a very smooth, richly flavored coffee. 

Cold-brewing coffee is not a common brewing process here "up north".  It is very common in New Orleans as it probably reflects that laid-back lifestyle.  Up here, we're all, "Latte.  STAT!"  Conversely, cold-brewing takes about 12 hours, but it's well worth the wait.  With hot-brewing, not only are you extracting the coffee flavor from the bean, you also tend to extract a greater percentage of bitter oils that are in the beans.  Cold-brewing produces a smooth coffee concentrate which can then be added to hot water or milk.

Here's how to do it:

1.  Coarse grind a pound of coffee and add it to a large, non-reactive container.  (Stainless steel or glass)

My little coffee grinder working overtime on some Steep & Brew Kona.

2.  Add 2 cups of cold water, and stir gently, just to wet the grounds.
3.  Add 8 more cups of water.  Avoid agitating the grounds.

4.  Cover and let steep at room temperature for 12 hours.
5.  Strain coffee concentrate through a medium sieve, then again through a fine-mesh sieve.
6.   To make iced coffee, fill a glass with ice, add ¼ cup coffee concentrate and 3/4 to 1 cup milk, then stir. To make café au lait, warm 3/4 to 1 cup milk in a saucepan or microwave, then pour into a mug and add ¼ cup coffee concentrate. (Concentrate will keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.)

Because this coffee will be added into our serving vessel, I will have to pasteurize it so there's no chance of it infecting the Stout.  After the grounds are strained out, I'll heat the concentrate to 150 degrees F and then put the whole pot into a 150 degree F oven for about 30 minutes.  This stout will be a higher gravity beer, so I'm not overly worried about infection.

Dorkmunder

No, that's not a typo.

That name was coined by my dear wife when I homebrewed this style a long time ago. 

I claim it's an homage to me.

The true name of the style is Dortmunder Export, and it will be August's seasonal.  It hails from Dortmund, Germany and is one of the few lagers I brew at St. Francis.

Similar to a Pilsener, the Dortmunder Export glows in its simplicity.  Stylistically, it falls mid-way between a Helles and a Pilsener.  Less malty than the former and less hoppy than the latter.  It uses only two types of malt and is a golden color.  The goal of brewing a Dortmunder is to achieve the perfect balance of malt and hops, with neither being overpowering.

It's also my "cheater" beer.  (Though I prefer to call it ingenious strategy!)

You see, since I seldom brew lagers,  {here's why} I don't have lager yeast banked for use.  Also, you need about twice as much lager yeast as you do ale yeast.  So, I like to brew up a lager a couple of months before we celebrate Oktoberfest.  That way, the lager yeast that I pitched into the Dortmunder will multiply and I'll have plenty of lager yeast to pitch into the Oktoberfest that I'll be brewing early next month.  In fact, for the first time in SFBs history, I will be brewing two full-sized batches of Oktoberfest.  I can't wait.

Be sure to mark your calendars for September 24th and 25th, as our celebration will run all weekend long.

The Next Rotating Dark

I know I'm going to take some heat from my Oatmeal Stout fans, but I'm trying out another new dark beer.

Last year, I saw a recipe for a "Breakfast Stout" that had a very interesting ingredient list.  The recipe was based on Founder's Breakfast Stout.  From what I gather, the name comes from the fact that there is oatmeal as well and two kinds of coffee in this ale.  It also includes dark bittersweet chocolate and cacao nibs. 

Cacao nibs?  What are those?  (I didn't know, either.)  These are the beans from the cacao (cocoa) plant which are roasted and shelled.  They have a nice chocolate, yet bitter flavor and are nutty.  The next step was to find a source for them.  Luckily I found them right here:

Located on Old World Third Street in Downtown Milwaukee, The Spice House nearly slaps you in the face with the fragrant aromas as soon as you open the door. 

It is a charming store that was bustling with activity during my visit.

Anyway, I picked up my 2# of nibs, and walked out with a much lighter wallet.  These suckers don't come cheap, but nothing is too good for the St. Francis beer lovers!

Weighing out the nibs

I'll pick up the rest of the ingredients this weekend and plan on brewing this up on Tuesday.  There will probably be a coffee house visit as well.  The recipe calls for Sumatran and Kona coffee.    I will end up cold-brewing the coffee and adding it to the boil.  This stout will probably be available around July 27 or so.  I'll keep you posted.

By the way, the Summer Night Saison tapping was one of our biggest to date.  We went through a lot of it, and it continues to roll out of here.  Pick yours up while you can.  I don't think it's going to last until our Dortmunder Export tapping which will take place on August 10th for the Mug Club.  I'll write more about that one soon.

God bless the USA

As you enjoy your celebrations and freedom, take a moment to remember those who sacrificed everything to form this Great Experiment in Democracy.

The brewery is closed today so that our employees may enjoy some time with their families and friends. 

Have fun and be safe!

Fun with Firkins!

Part of the joy of cask conditioned ale is the experimental aspect.

I changed up the Mariner Nut Brown ale a bit, and have replaced it with what I'm calling the Brighton Brown.  This is a Southern English Brown Ale.  It differs from the Mariner in that it is sweeter and maltier. 

I also decided to make up a cask of the Brighton and I got a little crazy. 

I went to Pick 'n Save and bought three coconuts.  I got about one cup of coconut milk from them which I boiled for a few minutes to sterilize it.  Then I shredded the coconut meat and toasted it in the oven.  I then put all the coconut into a firkin along with the milk, to which I added some priming sugar.  Finally, I filled the firkin with Brighton Brown Ale. 

It is presently third in line for tapping.  Currently we have the "Primus Pilus" IPA (an extra-hopped version of the Dark Lord IPA) and the yet-to-be-cleverly?-named Raspberry Weisse on deck.

Miscellany

A few short notes--

The "Dark Lord" IPA was tapped last Wednesday and it's selling well.  Come and try some before it's gone!

I've replaced our Stout with a Rotating Dark.  This does not mean that the stout is disappearing.  In fact, the Cowtipper sold very well, so it will make a return.  However, I'd like to get some other dark styles into the rotation.  Currently I have the "Smokey the Beer" smoked porter.  I made a robust porter and added some smoked malt.

Our cask-conditioned ale series is in full swing.  We currently have on cask our BOSS P--the Bourbon Oak Soaked Smoked Porter.  I took some of the aforementioned porter and cask-conditioned it with a bourbon soaked oak spiral. 

There are also some cask conditioned ales on deck.  Last week, I pulled some of the Dark Lord IPA and dry hopped it in the cask with some more Centennial hops.  This one might be a hop bomb!  Today, I just tossed some crushed frozen raspberries into a Firkin and racked some Weisse on top of it for a cask-conditioned raspberry weisse.  The next time I brew a Kolsch, I think I'll make a cask of that with strawberries to make a Strawberry Blonde.

Finally, the weather is perfect (depending on when you are reading this) for our outdoor patio.  The hops I planted last year have come up again and a few are really taking off.  Hope to see you here!

WI Craft Brewing Is In Danger

The good folks at Tyranena Brewing have put together a wonderful article about some pending legislation in Madison.

While the rich history of Wisconsin craft brewing has seen some wonderful gains of late, it is at the expense of certain Mega-Brewers who have seen their market share slip.  It is believed that their influence has helped quietly push this new legislation along.

I would implore you to take a few mintes to read this well thought out article, and then contact your state representative.

Thank you!

http://www.tyranena.com/BadNewsMotion414.pdf

The Belgian Inversion

No, this has nothing to do with the Beatles or the Stones.

If you've been following my blog for some time, you may recall:  http://stfrancisbrewery.blogspot.com/2010/06/saison-day.html

Yes, I'm brewing the Summer Night Saison again, and yes, I am still inverting the sugar myself.

But let's digress, shall we?

Many of you may never see me.  I tend to get to the Brewery early, get the job done, and leave.  However, my absence from the brewery does not necessarily mean I am not working.  For example, sometimes I am representing the St. Francis Brewery at local festivals:

This was from the World of Beer event put on by the Beer Barons of Milwaukee every year. 
Sometimes my workday is much more demure.  Tonight I was inverting sugar for my planned Saison.  To refresh your memories, Belgian beers often call for Belgian Candi Syrup.  This is a fancy way of describing inverted sugar. 

So what is inverted sugar?  Easy.  Table sugar is sucrose.  The Belgian monks found that yeast had an easier time eating a simpler form of sugar.  So, by taking simple table sugar, mixing it with a little water, bringing it to a boil, and adding a little acid (in my case, citric acid), you can break sucrose into two simpler sugars:  glucose and fructose.  Yeast has an easier time eating these simpler sugars.  You can see the steps here:

This is simply sugar mixed with water.

Once it boils and the acid is added, you can see how it clears up.

 



Last year's Saison was a learning experience for me.  Saisons call for bitter orange peel in the brew.  Last year, I tossed the orange peel into the brew kettle thinking they would whirlpool out nicely.  Unfortunately, they didn't.  I ended up clogging my heat exchanger with little pieces of orange peel.  This year, I'll pull about a gallon of wort and boil the orange peel separate from the main boil, strain it, and then reintroduce it to the main boil.

Mr. Manners

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.

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).

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.

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:

Two oak spirals soaking in a bag of booze.

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!

A conditioning cask.

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!

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.

Work's done!

Cleaning out the Mash Tun

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.

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:

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