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Inspiration can come in a flash, especially as it relates to my homebrewing schedule. Since my summer is packed with events from sunup to sundown, it’s tough to maintain any kind of regularity when it comes to creating recipes and setting aside a few hours for a brew day. Lately, it usually consists of me scrambling around at the last minute, reading homebrewing books and websites frantically, working out solutions to potential hazards, and then just diving right into it. Yesterday was no different.
For this latest round of brewing, I’ve decided to do a witbier. Now, normally I’m not a fan of the style. In fact, before just recently, I couldn’t really name a witbier that I truly enjoyed – until I tried The Bruery’s White Orchard. Dry, refreshing, and complex, that witbier had everything I was looking for, and some things I wasn’t. Even though I probably should’ve gotten on this back in April or May so it would be ready for summer, it’s still plenty hot here in Virginia through September.
I’m calling this one Tuzeneu’s Rye Wit. For one, I’m a sucker for rye, and thought it would be an interesting addition to the wheat in the sense that it should add a different level of spiciness in addition to the coriander. Second, it’s an homage to my friend’s ability to make puns, good or bad, out of anything. Plus, he prefers witbiers over hefeweizens, so there you go.
I thought this would be a good exercise in brewing for me. With my Hopheadache IPA, I was shooting for a burst of hop flavor and aroma that would provide a solid base bitterness. With the Rye Saison, I was trying my hand at different grain additions to the grist and Belgian-style brewing. Now, I want to see what I can do with spices and fruit additions, and if I can make an involved beer that’s not necessarily “extreme.”
Another thing that I did, and this was before things have a chance to go wrong with fermentation, was made a starter. All it took was a cheap mason jar style setup with plastic cork and airlock, and I’m ensuring that my yeast get fired up before pitching. Since the volume of my batches is normally a gallon or two shy of the standard five, I have a tendency to pitch my White Labs vials directly in. This method has worked alright in the past, but having a yeast starter is a nice, simple way of having an insurance policy, and will hopefully help me avoid stuck fermentations.
To get myself in the proper mood, I picked up a Flying Dog Woody Creek White the other day at River City Cellars. Pale, hazy, slight citrus and spice – what more could you ask for in a witbier? With temperatures topping out in the 90s as of late, this phenolic wheat beer is the perfect accompaniment to a witbier brew day. There was even a small orange spot in the head when I first poured it into the glass, suggesting the addition of orange zest.
Which reminds me, not only is rye in the mix here, but I’m also adding the zest of lemon and lime instead of orange, and using Centennial hops at the very end for a citrusy and floral aroma without the bitterness. When I did the post-boil gravity reading, it was a little lower than I was shooting for, but I had to deal with a 90-minute boil. It smelled a little like Trix cereal, to be honest, so I’m curious as to what the yeast is going to do with it. Instead of a witbier strain, I opted for the White Labs WLP550 Belgian yeast, which is supposed to be derived from Achouffe and have excellent attenuation. I may end up adding lactic acid to the mix at bottling to give it that “authentic” Belgian twang, but we’ll see.
If I can dry this baby out and make it refreshing and crisp, then I’ve done my job. If not, then I’ll try to come up with another creative way to salvage it. And despite my recent setbacks, I’ve got a good feeling about this one.
Answering a barrage of questions after being awake for two days straight can be a daunting task. Patrick Rue, CEO and founder of The Bruery, has just flown across the country and has already hit several spots around town, hosting tastings and promoting his beer. This unassuming man at the bar, bespectacled and outfitted in a company-logo work shirt, is head of one of the hottest names in the craft beer industry at the moment.
A relatively young upstart of a microbrewery, The Bruery is based in Orange County, California and has been active since May 2008. At present, Patrick tells me that The Bruery has an output of 1600 barrels, and that last year that number was only 600. All told, he employs a total of 12 people to make this happen, with 3 full-time brewers making sure there’s more beer ready to go.
“We just expanded four months ago in order to meet demand, so hopefully we’ll be able to keep up,” said Rue. But when asked what he loves most about what he does, Rue replied, “Working with people I work with. I love it. They’re all crazy enthusiastic about craft beer, and that level of interaction makes me and them happy to be there.”
Patrick started out as a law school student that got into homebrewing as a diversion from the stresses of deadlines and exams. After graduating and getting his law degree, Patrick realized that it wasn’t what he wanted to be doing with his life. “It was a matter of doing something you’re trained in versus doing something that you love. I chose the latter,” and the Bruery was born.
But what are they doing in Virginia? Well, after seeing success on the West Coast with consumers and beer judges, and garnering top ratings from beer-centric websites such as RateBeer and BeerAdvocate, they decided to get their brews to beer lovers along the Atlantic Seaboard. Patrick cites the East Coast’s affection for beers made in the Belgian tradition as a prime reason to get Bruery products in the hands of people clamoring for them.
Patrick describes The Bruery’s lineup as an array of Belgian-style beers that strive to be unique. “We try to take these styles and make them our own. But styles are not as important as the beer itself.” And that’s the exact reason Rue decided to take his beers in a Belgian direction.
“When I was homebrewing, I saw the best success with Belgian-style beers I was making. They just came out the way I wanted them to. They also allow for the use of a wide variety of ingredients.”
If you look at their current roster of beers available in Virginia, you’ll see what he means. Their Orchard White, a Belgian-style witbier, uses coriander, citrus peel, and lavender to make for a complex yet very drinkable beer. And if you want something a little more exotic, their Trade Winds Tripel summer seasonal features Thai Basil.
“That’s the beauty of these kinds of beers: versatility. We don’t like being pigeonholed into one particular style or another, and this gives us a lot of leeway to make the type of beer we want.”
I asked Patrick what other sources of inspiration were out there as a homebrewer and future brewery owner. He pointed to classic books such as Randy Mosher’s Radical Brewing and Farmhouse Ales by Phil Markowski for great technical homebrewing advice, but also to pioneers in the craft beer industry and beer lovers in general. “Tomme Arthur from Pizza Port, Vinnie Cilurzo from Russian River – those guys were like gods to me. But it was also people like Dave Moody, a local guy who lives a couple miles up the road from me that really taught me a lot about brewing.”
Since the beer has to make such a long trip to get to the East Coast, I inquired as to concerns of freshness and the beer’s condition by the time it reaches consumers over here. Rue illustrated his plans to avoid this by limiting the amount sold to distributors. This way, product continues to move and fresh bottles stay on the shelf. However, Patrick also noted that they do have beers that do well with cellaring. “The Saison Rue at about two years out is drinking really nicely, and last year’s Trade Winds is also delicious right now. Not only that, but all our seasonals can stand up to some cellaring and can improve with age.”
In time, it won’t just be bottles in Virginia. The Bruery is already on tap in New York and Massachusetts, and it is anticipated that they’ll hold some taps in the Commonwealth sometime in the near future. Not only that, but they plan on expanding their lineup with more year-round beers to widen the selection. Currently, The Bruery offers five year-round beers and four seasonals, along with special release batches and an anniversary ale.
Although they are making one-of-a-kind beers, I asked Patrick what he thought about the craft beer market in general, and if he thought there was room for more growth or if we were reaching a saturation point. He sees it as both. “On one hand, there’s room to grow because there are still a lot of people not drinking craft beer, and there are also enough aficionados out there that are willing to try beers that are new and different. At the same time, you have a lot more options available and several different layers of craft beer drinkers.” Mentioning the price components, he makes a very good point about the categories of craft beer consumer and their purchasing habits. From six packs of cheap pale ale to special release corked and wire-caged Belgian-style beers, there are varying levels of affordability and taste preference.
At the end of our conversation, I wanted to hear The Bruery’s strategy for growth, which tied directly into their brewing philosophy. Patrick responded, “Simply put, we want to make the best beer possible and reach the people that enjoy it.” That means continuing with recipe experimentation and making beer that really stands out.
“We don’t want to dumb it down.” And if the excitement around the brand is any indication, that’s a smart move.
This interview also appeared in the Capital Ale House newsletter, albeit in a slightly more abbreviated form. Of course you wanted to read it in its entirety, what with the parts about price components and market saturation included. You’re obviously savvy since you’re reading this blog right now, you wise consumer you.
Give me a break here. I know I haven’t been keeping up with the blog as much as I would like to, but I’m a busy man. Plus it’s good to remember what life is like beyond a computer screen, so forgive my absence and allow me to regale you with a yarn about my latest batch of homebrew.
Over a month ago I mentioned cooking up a beer that was intended to be a take on AleSmith IPA, and was re-worked on the fly. Despite the ever growing laundry list of things I’ve got to take care of, I decided that tonight I’d take some time out and sample my effort.
Believe me, this batch tried my patience. I kept wanting to hurry up and get it in bottles, but resisted the temptation in order to ensure full attenuation from the yeast. And once it was in bottles, I had a hard time fighting the urge to crack one and check its progress. Give it time, I thought. Let it alone and allow it to naturally carbonate.
But therein lies the problem. Barely any carbonation.
When I opened it up, it poured a nice hazy pale orange color, and had an involved hop character happening in the nose. Only not many bubbles. The beer has a lot of characteristics I was hoping for, too – great attenuation, slight dry and refreshing, and hoppy but not overly so.
This leaves me perplexed, with a million questions running through my mind. Did I give it too long in primary? Should I have added more yeast when priming it? And more sugar to go along with it? I’m wondering if I should try to salvage it or just dump it and start over.
I’m already in the process of salvaging a Rye Saison that just hasn’t fully attenuated, and I’m not sure it will completely, regardless of my best attempts. The worst part about it is, my beers are tasting better and better, so it’s not like I’m dumping total garbage. At any rate, I’ll try rousing the yeast in the bottles and see if that doesn’t help some. Appears like that’s my only hope at present.
Kind of makes me want to throw in the towel. But I’ve got a solution: more fermenter capacity and more time to brew. Though the latter is much harder to come by these days than the former.
One man’s rare and sacred brew is another man’s widely-available West Coast IPA. So you could imagine my excitement when a friend passed along a Russian River Pliny the Elder for my enjoyment. I’ve already read several other bloggers hyping this beer up, even ones in United Kingdom and Ireland! By my calculations, that’s much farther from Santa Rosa, California than Richmond, Virginia.
But you see, I’m not easily taken in by the chatterings of others. I’m the type of person that avoids seeing a popular movie or band until I feel the time is right, in an attempt to assess the situation with a modicum of objectivity. Popular opinion does not sway me.
On the other hand, sometimes popular opinion is dead-on no matter what. Pliny the Elder appears to be a beer beyond reproach – the closest thing to a benchmark you could ask for in the beer world. From hopheads to malt mavens, you’ll find people of varying tastes and backgrounds profusely praising the Pliny. And not without reason.
Pliny pours a see-through orange sunburst color with a brilliant white head of foam that’s slow to settle. Cloud-like on top, even. A quick sniff lets me pick up pine with orange citrus notes, and they’re softer than expected. And believe it or not, so is the taste. After hearing hop-heads from all over the country raving about this beer, I figured it would be a palate’s worst nightmare. Apparently, that’s more Pliny the Younger than his father, but still, I’m amazed at how drinkable this beer is. Sure, there’s a formidable hoppiness, but it’s one that you can still enjoy after a few sips.
At the forefront, I detect some resiny hop oil character on the tongue, with that orange citrus playing a greater role than floral or sharper citrus notes, although they’re still in there, too. What’s great about Pliny the Elder is the way the burst of hops subsides to a low roar by the time you get to the finish, leaving enough lingering to delight the tastebuds but not coat them excessively. My theory is the inherent dryness that subdues the hops, with the yeast getting a lot of attenuation to create a refreshing and flavorful beer. But that’s just my cursory glance on the subject.
The label indicates that this was bottled on April 20, 2009. Only a couple months out for this beer, and they most certainly get points for the freshness dating and the repeated instructions to consume this beer as fresh as possible. Behold the Old. Don’t age the Elder. Drink it fresh.
It was ages ago that a good friend and myself got the idea to set up an elegant “beer versus wine” dinner at a local restaurant here in Richmond. The idea behind it was to play upon the successful dinners of this ilk that have already taken place, hosted by the likes of Garrett Oliver, Sam Calagione, and Greg Koch. So not the most original idea, but something new for the Richmond area to chew on. No pun intended.
Anyway, we’d been painstakingly planning the courses and options for guests, beer and wine selections, and overall theme for the event – all while trying to keep it at a reasonable price. I approached some wine bloggers in the area, seeing if they were up for the challenge, and even got some minimal feedback. Restaurants, too, with one in particular picked out that seemed like a great choice.
The response, “No. We’re going to be doing monthly beer tastings anyway. What’s the point?” Fair enough. But it seems that after a spate of beer dinners happening all over town, so many that I can hardly keep up with them, that one restaurant in the area has decided to run with this idea.
Can Can Brasserie is hosting a beer versus wine dinner on July 9th at 6:30pm. There’ll be three courses, accompanied by a beer and wine sample for each. Tickets are an all-inclusive $65, and your hosts will be Dave McGregor and Bob Talcott. Not sure about all the other details, but if you’re patient and do a little legwork, I’m sure you’ll find out eventually.
With so many of these dinners in abundance, it’s hard to make a call on which one to go to, let alone deciding to drop a pretty penny per ticket in order to attend. And while it may open some palates up to beer, at least when you juxtapose it with wine in a food setting, the inherent pricing (which I understand) is still somewhat exclusionary. Not to mention that half the time everyone finds out about them so late in the game. When I want to spend that kind of money, it better be a damn good date. But if that’s the case, beer won’t be dominating my every thought either.
Maybe I’m just not cut out for this whole “beer nerd” thing after all. Vive la indifférence!
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