Celebrating 200 Years With Beer!

Once again it came to my attention that I had been ignoring this blog. Well, maybe not ignoring it as much as finding the time in a busy schedule to make some entries.

The brewery has expanded! All of our new fermenters are in place and as of today currently filled! What a rough 2 weeks that was. A lot of extra brews on top of our standard processes sprinkled with a few collaboration brews and beer festivals! The result? Lots of beer!

We have some great seasonal beer coming your way in the next few weeks. One that I’m most excited about is the first in our series of beers celebrating Indiana’s bicentennial. Throughout the year we will release four different beers that have a historical significance to Indiana or a famous person, trade, or craft that came from this state.

This weekend we will release the first in our series: Ice Melter.

Ice Melter is a Gose style ale. 

AKA:
Leipziger Gose

Pronunciation guide for English-speakers:
“Gose-uh” as in “rose” plus “uh”

Definition:
Gose is an ancient, sour and saline tasting ale, made from more than half malted wheat and the rest malted barley. The brew is fermented with both yeast and lactic bacteria and is spiced with both coriander and hops. It is brewed with slightly salted water. This peculiar beer style is now most closely associated with Leipzig, the capital of the German State of Saxony.

Last spring I attended the Maple Syrup Festival in Nashville, IN and learned of Indiana’s maple and salt production. These two products were turned to in hopes to recover from an economical struggle after logging had wiped out much of the forests and left the land difficult to farm. Southern Indiana, in particular Salt Creek and many of the areas named “Lick” were capable of producing salt either through desalinization of water from Salt Creek or mining.

After searching high and low for local “culinary salt” from Indiana I had to resort to using plain sea salt. Most of the salt produced in Indiana today goes to the stuff they put on our roads so we don’t slide around in the winter. Hence the name of the beer: Ice Melter!

What else makes this beer special? Rather than a traditional Gose base we took it a step further and used a traditional Witbier or white ale base. While keeping the coriander as per tradition with both styles, we added healthy additions of orange peel and rose hips to give a little extra citrus and fruity kick. We soured overnight and finished the brew the following morning fermenting the finished product with Belgian Wit yeast. Choosing a witbier as the base beer allowed us to pay some homage to our friends at Upland and their drive for helping to bring craft beer to Indiana! Upland Wheat, a witbier, is one of their flagship beers!

We are super stoked to bring this beer to you this week. It’s an awesome spring beer and has some great historical ties to it!

Summer will bring a brand new bicentennial beer as well. I won’t say too much as I enjoy leading up to surprises, but it will be another blend of German styles that I really enjoy. All of malts are being sourced from Sugar Creek Malts right here in Indiana!

Fall brings us harvest season for many hop farms. With the harvest season in full swing we chose to put out a new IPA involving our friends at Eight One Two Farms in Columbus, IN. Indiana has a strong hop growing history dating back to pre-prohibition, plus these guys are local and love great beer!

Winter will bring us to the state’s actual birthday and the release of our final beer. A good ‘ol fashioned winter warmer style featuring maple syrup from a local maple producer!

Festivals!!!

Indiana has a ton of beer festivals in the summer. We’re looking forward to attending many of these and hop to see you there!

Bloomington Craft Beerfest was fantastic as always and our  next one will be in May. We’ll be pouring at Downtown Indy Brewfest on May 21st. Others can be found on the Indiana Brewer’s Guild site! So keep a look out and don’t miss out on some of these awesome festivals!

Cheers!

Changing Seasons

Tags

Beer, Bloomington, Brewery, Craft beer, Indianapolis

The new year is here and times are changing for The Tap Brewery.

Our new location on Mass Ave in Indianapolis has had us chasing our tails in effort to keep up with the demand for our beer. Thank you so much!

To help keep you happy we decided to expand our brewery. Within the next few months we will be going through some major renovations in the brewery so we can add an extra 70 barrels of fermentation space! That’s 7 more 10 barrel fermenters!

This expansion will help us expand our rotating draft list and keep our house beer lines filled year round!

Matt and I are very excited and can’t wait to get these tanks in place, cleaned and filled. We have so many awesome ideas for seasonal beers and can’t wait to brew them.

I will do my best to keep you updated with our current construction status as things progress.

In the meantime I thought I’d key you into some of the seasonal offerings we will have to welcome Spring. (I love winter so spring to me is just one season closer to summer…I’m not thrilled.)

We will be keeping up a tradition with an Irish Red ale for the St. Patrick’s Day holiday and along with that we will have as our seasonal session ale an Irish Dry Stout.

Electric Stinger will be making a return in March along with an Imperial Honey IPA brewed with Hunter’s Wildflower Honey! We’re super excited for this one!

We look forward to seeing you at the Bloomington Brewfest in April! Cheers!

Beer Geek Wars

Tags

Beer, Bloomington, Brewery, Craft beer, StarWars

I love this image so very much! I can make beer…but this is true art and a killer article to go along with it. Read it here: http://hrgrowler.com/star-wars-themed-beer-may-be-coming-our-way/

I’m not at the brewery today. Why, you might ask? Well, it’s simple. Today is the unofficial release of “StarWars: The Force Awakens.” Come early afternoon I will be spending the evening waiting in line with my step-son to see this soon-to-be life changing event.

While watching an episode of “StarWars: Rebels” with my daughter last night I started to think about what different beer styles might be a good representation of many of the main characters in the “StarWars” films.

**THIS BLOG ENTRY CONTAINS NO SPOILERS**

If you’re a fan of the films that line is important.

The only characters I have chosen to work with are the ones that are already fleshed out and I will focus only on the new films. There are tons of characters in this universe but to many these are the ones that stand out and make an impact in the universe.

C-3PO and R2-D2

R2-D2 & C-3PO http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Counterpart

These two droids filter throughout the six films and will be present in the new ones as well. They carry the stories and help to relay what’s going on through the eyes of outsiders.

R2-D2 is curious, adventurous, witty, and small. I find a lot of the same qualities in today’s session IPA’s.

C-3PO is a bit more cautious, worrisome, caring. Kolsch was the first style that came to my mind for him. This German ale that drinks like a lager is calm, and safe for many but still has a beautiful delicate flavor and aroma to it making it easy to enjoy!

Luke Skywalker & Leia Organa

Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/luke-skywalker/images/10489466/title/luke-leia-skywalker-photo

This duo has and will have many adventures together. Both  have strong wills and are determined to fight strongly for a common cause. They are two of the main heroes of the StarWars universe.

Luke was challenging and I broke down into three different beers.

Luke Skywalker, farm boy (“A New Hope”)

Luke is curious, longing for adventure, and ready to jump into anything as a young farm boy who hates his home may act. I chose a Belgian Wit to describe this. Unique, flavorful, and a bright star in the beer world.

 

Luke Skywalker, Jedi in training (“The Empire Strikes Back”)

Luke is now part of Rebel Alliance against the Galactic Empire and is the rebirth of an ancient order of knights to help protect the galaxy. While still learning he is rambunctious, excited to learn and help, and pushes his will to the limits to get what he wants, even if it involves risking his or the lives of his friends. To compare to this I decided an American style IPA was a good choice. Aggressive, flavorful, bitter, and exciting. Just as Luke learns that a Jedi does not crave these things we as beer drinkers have learned that hoppy does not always mean bitter or flavorful, but rather a balance of both.

Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight (“Return of the Jedi”)

A fully trained Jedi, Luke now has better control over himself and his abilities. He is more patient but still has sparks of himself that arise making him a unique and powerful character. Thus, White IPA! A perfect blend of both styles blending flavorful Belgian wit packed with orange and spices and a boost of bitter and flavorful hops to create a truly unique style!

Leia Organa

A strong woman and one of the first characters we are introduced to in the original film. A princess and senator in the Galactic Senate, she also doubles as a spy and leader for the Rebel Alliance. She is passionate and caring for those she loves and ideals she supports. I feel that a Belgian Tripel is one of the best styles to meet her character. Big, bold, spicy-sweet, but can really mess you up if you’re not paying attention!

Han Solo and Chewbacca

Chewbacca and Han Solo http://www.starwarsunderworld.com/2014/08/rumor-what-will-han-solo-and-chewbacca.html

These two are friends for life. A Wookie life debt was made by Chewbacca to Han for saving his life once from the Empire (or so traditional cannon states.)

Chewbacca is a Wookie from the planet Kashyyyk. These yeti like creatures are gentle, but also have a fierce warrior side. They are loyal and dedicated to their causes and Chewbacca embodies all that Wookies stand for. Thus an American Amber ale, in my opinion, describes him best. Malty sweet with hints of caramel backed by strong hop flavors of traditional American hops from the Pacific Northwest like Cascade.

Han Solo is a smuggler, scoundrel, lover, and pugnacious. He never wanted to be part of the rebel cause, but ended up involved to save his own skin. He gained many new friends and a desire to help others. Roggenbier! A German rye beer fits his personality the best! Spicy, relaxed, full of flavor and zest, roggenbier offers all of these things! Plus, he’s one of my favorite characters and one of my favorite beer styles.

Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader

Ok, so this is a really fun one. Anakin goes through some drastic changes in his life as a slave boy (A film I will ignore in this blog), to padawan (Jedi in training), a Jedi Knight, and later a Sith Lord (the big bad guys.)

The many faces of Anakin Skywalker https://www.pinterest.com/pin/405886985140278120/

Anakin Skywalker (Jedi Padawan, “Attack of the Clones”)

Anakin was always wanting to do his own thing. While he believed in the cause of the Republic and Jedi together he was always breaking the rules and exceeding limitations in his training and as a boy. The American Double/Imperial IPA is a great fit for this character. Packed with flavor and always pushing the limits of power to get what he wanted, everyone to be happy!

Anakin Skywalker (Jedi Knight, “Revenge of the Sith”)

Anakin excels at his training and passes his “tests” quickly to become a full Jedi Knight and help protect the people of the galaxy from an upcoming war with the soon-to-be empire. He is brash, aggressive, and begins to abandon much of the Jedi way to develop and unorthodox version of the Jedi which he is unaware is spiraling him to the dark side of the Force. I chose Black IPA to exemplify this change. The hops are still there, blended with soft roast, the bright gold/auburn of an IIPA is replaced by jet black to create a unique inspiring style that reflects Anakin’s thoughts and actions.

Anakin Skywalker (Lord of the Sith Darth Vader, “Revenge of the Sith, A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi”)

The big bad guy in the StarWars cinematic universe. Anakin has taken a turn for the worse and has become everything he swore to protect against. Bulky black armor, an intimidating mask, and unreal power was gained to create a war machine capable of tapping into the dark side of the Force to get his will accomplished. This one was obvious…Russian Imperial Stout. It seems to be the next evolution in the other two styles and also in the beer world, trumping the Black IPA. Full bodied, roasty, chocolaty, rich, bitter-sweet, and will end your night very quickly if you aren’t careful, just like the Dark Lord himself.

Obi-Wan Kenobi

Obi-Wan was a true hero in the films from padawan to Jedi Master he embraced what the Jedi stood for, helped his friends, and pushed to end the tyranny of the Galactic Empire by introducing us to Luke and aiding him in his training as he had with young Anakin.

Obi-Wan Kenobi While I love McGregor I will always be a fan of Sir Alec Guiness. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obi-Wan_Kenobi

While he grows through the films his personality is already strongly developed by the start of the film that shall not be named. He comes into his own by “Attack of the Clones” and is fully aware of who he is and is very comfortable with himself by the time we see him in “A New Hope.” Thus, a traditional English IPA is a great choice. Birthing the American IPA and IIPA styles this English version is malty, balanced with floral and earth hops, and not super bitter, but very flavorful and easy to enjoy, just like Obi-Wan from start to finish of the films.

Yoda

The Jedi Master Yoda http://www.truthliesdeceptioncoverups.info/2013/05/yoda-and-orange.html

Yoda is the true embodiment of what we consider to be a Jedi Master and a true master of the Force itself. He is ancient and holds so much knowledge and has a lot to teach us as well as his students. I feel the best beer to reflect Yoda is the traditional Belgian Geuze. This style is small but packs a powerful punch. Yoda loves misdirection and this Belgian wheat ale does the same thing. While small in alcohol by volume this style is packed with flavors derived from wild yeasts and bacteria. Old hops provide balance against the malt and flavors of barn yard funk, stone fruit, and aggressive tart-sour notes. Yoda surprises us all in “Attack of the Clones” and “The Empire Strikes Back” and shows us he is a force not to be toyed with both in his skills as a Jedi but also as a philosopher and teacher. Geuze also has much to teach us about beer styles and what beer can really become and what it means to that drinker.

Senator/Emperor Palpatine

This man is the mastermind and true evil in the StarWars universe. He corrupted the Senate, created Darth Vader, destroyed entire worlds, and enslaved people to do his bidding, much of which happened under the guise of the sweet old senator who convinced everyone he wanted nothing but to help others and resolve wars peacefully.

The many faces of Palpatine http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=6503.195

Bourbon barrel aged English Barleywine. My wife decided on this one, I had Belgian Dark Strong, but hers makes way more sense. Complex, intense, decadent and full of flavors that meld into one evil concoction that can destroy your world if you’re not careful. English barleywine is important in this comparison due to its malty sweetness and lack of aggressive hops. The bourbon adds a new dimension and exemplifies the sweet malt flavors with spice and then you’re hit with the high tide shifting alcohol that you forget is very, very present and has no problem making itself known when the time is right.

The last one….

Lando Calrissian

Suave, man of business, and a gambler Lando is the representation of the ladies man in the StarWars universe. Portrayed by the great Billy Dee Williams this character brings about some really great spunk to the last two films. Lando is someone that Han sees as a friend, then an enemy, then a hero! I think saison says it all. Attractive to many who are just getting into craft beer due to its bright, sparking body, fruity flavors, and in some versions high alcohol, saison is a great style! But, many people once they get into other beers begin to dislike saison. They learn that it can hide things they may like in beer, but when it comes down to it, who cares! Its a fun beer style that almost everyone loves, just like Lando…and Billy Dee!

Lando at his finest moment! https://starloggers.wordpress.com/category/reviews/

Would you agree with this list? What would you place as styles for these characters? What about other characters that I did not mention? Leave your thoughts in the comment section!

So I will end this entry here. I’m super thirsty and even more excited for the new installment tonight! So after the movie tonight swing by The Tap and enjoy some music, great food and some amazing beer!

Cheers, and may the Force be with you!

 

 

 

 

I do not own any of the images used in this post. I have placed the links from where they were borrowed from. StarWars is the property of Disney and Lucasfilm. The thoughts associated in this blog entry are for entertainment only and do not reflect the opinions of Disney, Lucasfilm, or the actors who portrayed the characters in the films and film stills.

 

 

Great American Beer Festival Day-2

Tags

Beer, Bloomington, Brewery, Craft beer, GABF

I am a huge sour beer fan. In fact, I found myself going after more sour beers at the festival than any other style. Berliner Weisse, wild ales, etc, all made it into my GABF tasting cup. I also found many lager beers, and fruit beers appearing in my cup. So much of it was for research, development, and seeing what others in the industry were doing. There are some killer chile beers out there!

I started my day by heading to Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project. The brewery sits in an industrial park and is quite hidden among other units of the same color and size. Upon arrival I realized that they had not one, but three units that were occupied by their wares.

Crooked Stave tasting room

If you don’t know Crooked Stave is known for their use of brettanomyces, or wild yeasts, along with bacterial strains like lactobacilius and pediococus to create beautiful, funky, sour beers. Chad Yakobson, their head brewer and owner, has pioneered many brewers into this style of beer and understanding the use of brett in particular in beers. His work has been documented almost daily on his page The Brettanomyces Project.

Barrel Aging, Crooked Stave

Crooked Stave fermenters and foeders

The fermentation and aging cellars were amazing, pristine and inspiring to look upon. I need to figure out how to get a foeder into the brewery!

Once finished at the brewery I headed over to the tasting room to sample some of these delicious elixirs. The Colorado Sage was one of my favorites along with one of their year round offerings, the sour blonde ale. Nightmare on Brett Cherry Street was pretty delicious and so was the Key Lime Pi (insert Pi symbol/letter). Not a bad beer in the bunch.

Crooked Stave Tasting Room

The festival was much busier than it was the previous night. Packed wall-to-wall with people having a great time is a fun way to spend the evening. Having a better understanding of how the festival worked and its layout was key this time. Knowing exactly where to go and which beers to try made it more fluid of a movement through the rows of people.

I did make my way over to the Pacific and Pacific Northwest section as I had intended. Worthy Brewing made my list with their pale ale, but a clear winner was from Ladyface Ale Companie with their Flamberge Flemish Red.

A big challenge from this festival is trying to recall everything that you tried. The beers were all solid and there were a lot of lager beer style, sours, and English styles this year. Wicked Weed Brewing blew me away with their bourbon aged Russian as did Cellarmaker Brewing with their Batch 1 Porter. Needless to say I need to go down through a list of participating breweries and try to remember everything I experienced!

Cheers!

Great American Beer Festival Day 1 (Official)

And so it begins!

Denver is packed with brewers and beer lovers from all over the country, and possibly the world. This is the largest beer festival in the US and sells out the quickest; within a matter of hours some years.

As I’ve never been to Denver, yet to Colorado many times, I wanted to explore some of the known and lesser known breweries. This also helps to eliminate booths that I won’t have to visit at the festival.

After a lazy morning I started my trek down to Great Divide. The place was packed to the brim full of thirsty beer-goers. I had a pint of their Dirty Bob Dunkel. A Munich Dunkel style lager. Pretty tasty.

Great Divide Tap Room

I spent a good amount of time wondering through the fermentation forest outside the brewery. Their fermenters are stationed outside next to the brewery/tasting room. Hoses and pumps littered the floor of the stainless steel jungle. Strange thoughts only brewers probably have started to go through my head…”How do they do this process? Where do they keep these…? What do they do with…?” The facility is much smaller than I anticipated for the volume of beer they serve and distribute nation wide.

Great Divide’s stainless jungle

Fermentation at Great Divide

My next stop was more local. Jagged Mountain Brewery. A large tasting room with a wrap around bar, friendly bartenders who were truly excited to be serving beer lovers from all walks of life, and a tap list featuring daily special beers in honor of GABF.

The bartender put together a solid flight for me to try featuring some unique beers such as their Men Who Drink From Goats smoked Sahti and some standards like their American IPA. Their Dark Moon Russian was a pretty tasty beer coming in at 17% abv! I spent most of the day here as it wasn’t as crowded and I found myself in good conversation with people around me.

Jagged Mountain tap list

Jagged Mountain beer flight

Fresh Kill, Jagged Mountain’s Couger Slayer blackberry saison aged in rose and red wine barrels.

After a quick nap I headed out to the festival. The whole experience is very overwhelming upon arrival. So many breweries, so many people, and not a real clue where to begin. Thankfully there are several days to really experience what goes on and pick out places that one wants to experience. Future GABF goers I strongly recommend downloading the GABF app. It really helps to organize the location of breweries and what breweries are featuring certain styles.

I ran into some old friends from Iron Hill Brewery, Port Jeff, 2SP, and Beach City Brewery as well as some Tap Loyalty members that are now living in Colorado or out from Indiana enjoying the festival!

Some booths were simplistic and others such as Gordon Biersch and Uinta Brewing were down right incredible. All of the beers sampled were fantastic and I am still working on organizing which ones I sampled.

Gordon Biersch Booth

I’m looking forward to seeing how today goes and what libations I will discover today and tonight!

Cheers!

Great American Beer Festival Pre-Day 1 and Brewery Updates

Tags

Beer, Bloomington, Brewery, Craft beer, GABF

Well, The Tap Brewery has made it to Denver!

I arrived to the Mile High City last night safe and sound. I decided to drive rather than fly. Was this the best choice? I think so. I happen to like open road (Kansas has a lot of it.) I also have a love of different geographical and topographical regions of our country. I love seeing the different landscapes and people as I travel. The different beers I can buy in gas stations and mini-marts are also a huge plus!

Denver Skyline Photo source: http://www.ucdenver.edu/about/newsroom/newsreleases/Pages/CU-Denver-Anschutz-major-driver-of-Colorado-economy.aspx

After a delicious dinner prepared by my sister I crashed pretty hard and decided to set out adventuring the following day.

Denver is a beautiful city. While only passing through via airport in the past I’m excited to really take in this city and its liquid offerings. My sister, whom I am staying with, happens to live within walking distance from numerous brewpubs and breweries. I’m looking forward to experiencing many of these places today and tomorrow.

As for the home front we are in the final stretch of getting our new location open. The beer and restaurant gods permitting we will be open for business this weekend. I had the pleasure of training the new staff last week in beer. I’m excited to present them to you as they are a solid representation of what we at The Tap are here to do. Bring you great beer and food and incredible service.

As for our upcoming beers we have some fun ones. An old favorite was brewed the other day and will be ready late October. I’m excited to bring back Hopnotic IPA; a piney, dank, resinous IPA with supportive malt backbone.

Welcoming autumn is a new beer whose name has yet to be determined, although it may just keep its description as a name, Apple Pie Braggot. This beer takes on the name braggot from the use of 30% locally sourced apple blossom honey! A braggot is a beer-mead (honey wine) hybrid lending some really unique honey flavors to the malty pie crust notes this style is sure to please! We mashed this beer with 60 lbs of fresh baked apples and finished it with a blend of spices that really pull everything together. Look for this beer in the first two weeks of October!

As for now I’m off to go exploring! Cheers and I will bring you actual Day 1 tomorrow!

Cheers!

New Ventures, New Seasons, New Faces!

First and foremost I’d like to apologize for not blogging as frequently as I’d like. This thing called life has reared its head and not given me an opportunity to reach out via this media and let you know what is going on in the brewery and my head. I thank you for understanding.

I can feel the weather moving from hot, sticky summer into crisp and cool autumn. This makes me happy. Some of my favorite memories and beers come out in the fall and I look forward to sitting on my porch with my family enjoying some of them while watching the leaves turn deep green to hues of red, gold, orange, and brown.

The majority of beer festivals for us has come to a close and competitions have all been entered and judged, or waiting to be judged as in the case of Great American Beer Festival this September in Denver, CO. While the brewery will be getting busier as we prepare for our next big venture.

In case you were not aware The Tap is growing! We will be

opening a second location in Indianapolis sometime mid to late September! We are super excited and have been planning and preparing full force to bring you the same great experience you have been experiencing in Bloomington! We can be found on Mass Ave near Delaware and New York Ave!

Along with preparing for the new location we have been busy at the brewery preparing some new Autumn seasonals and preparing a new brew team member.

Meet Matt Groff! Matt has been a bartender here at The Tap and has grown his love and passion for beer into a full-time career as he will be taking on the position of cellerman both here and our new location in Indianapolis. Matt has been in Bloomington for quite sometime and calls it his home. He was a history major at IU. Historical foods, beverages and techniques on their preparation have captivated him for years and drew him to homebrewing and craft beer. His beer brewed at home focus on traditional and historical styles of beer world-wide, although when it comes to a go-to beer Matt says it would be 8-Bit Pale Ale from Tall Grass Brewing in Kansas! Cheers Matt and welcome to The Tap Brew Team!

Matt working hard at the Indy Microbrews Festival.

With fall quickly approaching (hooray! Summer is on its way out! Can you tell I’m slightly biased?) we have been cranking out some of my favorite fall seasonals. Dopplebock has made a return with a new name, Tapenator. Our farewell to summer Honey Tripel, now called Electric Stinger is now on tap as well. Tap-o-Lantern Pumpkin Ale is busy fermenting away and will be ready early September followed by a traditional German Oktoberfest lager.

The sweet, sweet Tap-o-Lantern mash.

This traditional version is not as deep amber as the American varieties and is a deep gold with some copper highlights. Malty with little hop presence. A great way to bring in the fall and celebrate!

Speaking of traditional beers we will be tapping our Abbey Dubbel this week! This is one of my favorite Belgian styles. It’s a rich chestnut colored beer, medium-full bodied and sports flavors of plum, fig, pear, and hints of nutmeg and cinnamon all produced from Belgian yeast!

We will also be bringing back two favored IPA’s. Look for them late September through late October (Atomic Polecat and our Red Rye Anniversary Ale).

I’m excited to be blogging again and bringing you some great info about The Tap and what we will be offering this fall. Cheers from The Tap Brew Team!

Prost!

Jarrod and Matt

Summer Heat, Summer Wheat

Summer is around the corner…well maybe not for the average person, but for us in the brewing community we typically think pretty far in advance. Since the average beer takes around 21 days from start to finish we have to start thinking ahead of the game.Many of us are getting our summer libations ready for the market this week or in the next few weeks. And many of them will be on tap by mid May.

The warmth of summer brings many people closer to beer styles that are crisp, refreshing, thirst quenching, lower in alcohol (maybe not) and go well with all sorts of grilled, or picnic style foods. Pilsners, American style pale lager, American pale ale, hefeweizen, grisette, kolsch, witbier etc. All of these styles scream summer in my opinion. While ingredients may vary, they offer the aforementioned qualities of what many define as a “summer beer.”

I wanted to focus mainly on the style that many people gravitate toward in the dead of summer. Wheat beer!

The German Beer Institute offers a great definition of a German style wheat ale, and is what many people probably think of when this style is mentioned.

“Weissbier means “white beer” in German. The name derives from the yellowish-white tinge that is imparted by the pale malted wheat from which the brew is made. In North America, the brew is more commonly called Hefeweizen (literally “yeast wheat”), because it is unfiltered, meaning the yeast remains in suspension and causes the beer to look slightly turbid…”

“… According to German law, all beer that is labeled Weissbier or Weizenbier must be made with at least 50% malted wheat. Most Bavarian Weissbiers contain 60 to 70% malted wheat. The rest is malted barley.”

This is a great description of what makes a German style wheat ale. However, there are other styles that exist among us in the beer community that maybe you knew and maybe you didn’t know that fall into this category.

Vintage shot from Hamburg 2008 with two delicious hefeweizens!

The second most common is probably the Belgian style white ale known to many as witbier, or white beer. This beer along with hefeweizen are typically starting points for many people who are getting into craft beer. They are fruity and easy to drink, one of them even contains fruit in the brewing process…the witbier. Traditionally, orange peel and coriander, and possibly another herb or spice may be added to give this beer its signature flavors. The yeast also helps to provide some unique flavors, just like the German weizen strains produce some really nifty banana and clove characters.

To me any beer that contains a significant amount of malted wheat in its recipe can be considered a wheat beer. Wheat gives beer a great mouthfeel, wonderful cereal-like flavors, a delightful color, and a well-roundedness that is difficult to match to any other style.

The average amount of wheat that most…I say most…wheat beers contain is around 30-40%. Almost all European wheat beer styles fall into this category. Many American varieties may be slighter lower than 30% but typically will not exceed 60%. It makes for a super awful brew-day without proper care of the mash. Wheat gets super sticky and makes it hard for water and wort to pass through a wheat heavy mash.

So why do we drink wheat ales over the summer? Perhaps for the same reason we drink lemonade on hot days. There have been many studies that point refreshment to acidity. Acidity stimulates salivation and thus helps you feel rehydrated. Weizen, saision, wit, and lambic style yeast strains all produce elements of acidity that create a tart, citrus, lemony or orange note that allows these beers to come across as refreshing. When the witbier style was introduced to the mass market in the mis 90’s  through Miller-Coors with Blue Moon, they included an orange slice garnish to help people recognize the citrus acidity, promote its refreshing flavor, and help people identify what the product was in industry settings.

Today many people still add an orange to their witbier, or a lemon to their hefeweizen to help exemplify these flavors…in fact, over the past few years the shandy has taken a huge leap in sales in the US with the help of the Boston Beer Co. owned Traveler Beer Company. The Radler style developed for cyclists in Gemany has taken quite a leap in the US as well, which essentially is a light alcohol beer spiked with grapefruit juice or grapefruit soda.

Witbier with orange slice, Blue Moon style! Image C/O: https://www.pinterest.com/explore/blue-moon-beer/

A whole other category of wheat ales that help to promote thirst quenching acidic goodness are sour beers. The typical lambic style beer is composed of at least 40% malted wheat with a small portion of torrified or unmalted wheat product. The yeast and bacteria that produce the delicious sour notes we like do it by eating a lot of extra carbohydrates in these beers leaving them feeling thin. Unmalted and torrified wheat products help to keep the body and retain the head in these beers after they are finished. The delicious bugs, as they are playfully known in the brewing community, produce some delightful tart cherry, lemony, peach, and apricot flavors that go so nicely with the summer heat.

So this summer, when the weather becomes unbearable come visit us at The Tap and grab a pint of hefeweizen (late June); Bee’s Knees, our imperial honey witbier (next week), or even Bluebeard! That one is one of my favorites, a blueberry Berliner weisse. A tart, lemony German wheat beer spiked with the essence of blueberries. Perfect for a hot summer day!

Cheers!

Beer and Food

The Tap is holding its first beer dinner! What better way to kick off Bloomington Beer Week?!

As a student of the culinary world and a brewer these magical events hold a special place in my heart. I love working with the two mediums. Beer lends itself to food so well, possibly more so than wine!

I love working closely with the chef, asking questions, bringing samples of beer to taste with the different elements of the dish, and of course sampling the final product. I find delight in tasting a beer and thinking about what foods will go well with it.

Just the other day I was sharing a saison with my wife. It’s not a style we typically drink on a regular basis, but this one had been highly recommended to us. It was a truly beautiful beer. Aromas of peaches, nectarines, plantains, green peppercorn and a soft smokiness were balanced with flavors reminding me lemon, thyme, chervil, a bit of banana and a soft hint of saltiness that reminded me of the sea.

My immediate reaction was earthy foods. I wanted mushrooms roasted with fines herbs, roasted Cornish hen, or Sole Victoria, sea scallops…there were so many savory possibilities that were flying through my head. I quickly grabbed a few cookbooks and began looking through recipes to find flavor combinations I had missed. When you discover this sensation it really is an amazing experience to behold.

Tasting food and beer together is almost a religious experience. A divine experience that involves all of our senses. The old saying that we eat with our eyes is true. Food that has been prepared and plated eloquently is just as beautiful as that perfect pint pour. The aromas of said meal open up and prepare our taste buds and work together to prepare the mind, body and soul for the upcoming experience; CO2 carries the beer’s aromas to our nose and tongue. We listen to our food and beverage; the sound of a beer being poured, splashing into the glass, or a crack of a can or pop of a bottle reminds us of a sizzling saute pan, bubbling sauce, or crunch of greens as we bite into a fresh salad, triggers more sensations heightening the whole experience.

Needless to say I’m very excited for this event. Chef Kayla and myself have been working hard on the perfect menu to showcase our works and we hope you enjoy it. Tickets are very limited so hurry. They can be purchased in the brew pub for $40 and include all 5 courses and matching beer.

I look forward to seeing you there! Cheers!

Brewer Musings

Recently I came across an article re-posted by Mitch Steele, the brewmaster at Stone Brewing, along with several other prominent figures in the brewing community. The article was called How We’re Killing Craft Beer Classics. It brought to light some major points in the craft beer revolution in this day and age.

In the early 2000’s when I really started to get into beer there were only a few really great breweries producing some really great craft beer that was available throughout the country. Sure there were local places and regional breweries, but I remember looking around at the distributor for a case of something unique and finding nothing really local other than Victory, Yards, Flying Fish, Dogfish Head and Flying Dog. But these exotic beers from other states…Boulder Brewing, Sierra Nevada, and of course Stone were right there, as fresh as they could be, and ready to be sampled. To this day I believe my first double IPA was Stone Ruination. I think that’s why this article hit me in a certain way.

Ruination as we know it is no more. There will be another, and I’m sure it will be just as great, and I’m excited for it! What it comes down to though, is that Ruination was not selling the way it used to. I admit, I had it, loved it, had it a few more times, then didn’t go to it again for a few years. Why? Because I had discovered it already, and if Ruination was amazing, than other double IPA’s must be as well. So I branched out and discovered other breweries, just as we all do. And this is great! It keeps us in business and producing different and unique things for our consumers.

This article made me think. Do we do too much? Are we constantly just seeking out new and better beer? Do we often really forget some of the greats, and why do we not visit them more often?

When was the last time you had a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, or Anchor Steam, or Sam Adam’s Boston Lager? Not out of necessity because there was nothing else on tap at the establishment you were visiting, but really sat down and enjoyed a pint of one of these beers? If you’re like me it may have been a while. We get wrapped-up in the thoughts that these large breweries are moving out of the craft sector so we don’t gravitate toward them unless they put out something small batch and rare. But we forget they pioneered the way for brewers like myself to provide you with a product and service that you love. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is an awesome beer! Same with Sam Adam’s Boston Lager!

A wonderful part of working at The Tap is the ability to experience so many of these beers that I often forget about as well as new ones I’ve never heard of! We recently had Stone Ruination on tap. I was fortunate enough to get a small sample of it before it kicked. Man, is that a good beer. I’d forgotten how much I loved it. We also had Stone Arrogant Bastard on at the same time. I quickly went to that one as well. Delicious. I fell in love all over again.

I suppose where I’m going with my rambling is that we should explore the world of craft beer. Meet other breweries, drink their wares, support local, and so forth. But we should never forget to write home. Visit old friends and family…someday they may not be there.

That being said….I put two new beers on tap this week. The first I mentioned in an earlier blog post. The beer at the time did not have a name. It does now…Wine Wit It.

I wanted to experiment a bit with grape must (juice) and added a decent portion to a Belgian wheat ale. It created a tasty beer, blush in color with soft hints of fruit, spice, and a hint of tartness and tannin from the Pinot Noir must. I’m very excited to have this on tap!

The second went on tap this morning. A traditional Robust Porter known as MoCo Porter. Porter has a dear place in my heart. I love this stuff. To me its a true working-person’s beer! Well rounded, coffee, chocolate, hints of toffee, and a smooth mouthfeel giving you the appearance of something bigger than it really is, and low enough alcohol that you can have a few! My first experience with porter was Iron Hill Brewery’s Pig Iron Porter. To this day this version of a Robust Porter is still my epitome of what this style should be.

It’s late, and I still have a few recipes to work on for the upcoming week including a rye IPA. I also think its time for a beer. Tonight I’ll have an Arrogant Bastard. Cheers, old friend!