Microbrewed Adventures Read online

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  JOHN 1981

  First and foremost a “wow!” experience, this beer has lots of malt, lots of hops and lots of passion. Fermented with a vigorous yeast strain providing a relatively dry finish to a very complex ale that will continue to age well, it’s a homebrewed version of Charlie 1981. The recipe can be found in About the Recipes.

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  Rogue Brewmaster John Maier in a mountain of hops

  In 1989 John became the head brewer at Rogue Ales. I visited the brewery a few short years after it had opened. There was that ever-present sparkle of passion and excitement in John’s eyes and a small grin while he juggled brewhouse, fermentation and packaging activities. They had just received new bottling equipment and were in process of fine-tuning its operation. Since then the beers of John Maier have continued to roll off the conveyers at this small coastal-town brewery.

  Would a professionally trained brewmaster with neither homebrewing experience nor passion for beer be capable of what John has achieved? I think not. I can’t keep up with the proliferation of beers Rogue offers to the beer drinker. Go to their website (www.rogueales.com) and count them yourself. John brews more than 30 actively available beers, among them Chipotle Ale, Chocolate Stout, Dead Guy Ale, Hazelnut Brown Nectar, Imperial India Pale Ale, Mocha Porter, Morimoto Imperial Pilsner, Santa’s Private Reserve and Rogue Smoke.

  One of John Maier and Rogue Ales’s award-winning and briefly popular beers was “Charlie 1981,” brewed to commemorate the 2001 Association of Brewers’ Annual Craft Brewers Conference. Confronted with a bottle of Charlie 1981, bearing my likeness on the label, I was taken by surprise. John had commemorated his first batch of homebrew (1981) using the book that had started his career.

  Charlie 1981 was a bottle-conditioned strong ale with a unique balance of hops and malt that rewarded John and the Rogue brewery with honors at several international competitions. Intended to be a once-only brew, Rogue rebrewed Charlie 1981 once again in 2002, but there are no long-term plans to brew this widely acclaimed ale.

  The Book with the Little Rose

  New Belgium

  WHEN I AM DEVELOPING a new beer and have certain ideas of what it should be, I don’t brew test batches by aiming at the ‘center of the target.’ I like to brew test batches that explore the areas of ingredients and process so I learn what is happening all around the central idea I am ultimately trying to brew.”

  These are the words of Peter Bouckaert, head brewer and brewmaster of New Belgium Brewery in Fort Collins, Colorado, makers of the very popular Fat Tire amber lager. Peter is Belgian, with experience and friends at several breweries in Belgium. Now he has relocated to Colorado, bringing with him special skills and an attitude that admires both the obvious and the not-so-obvious world of brewing’s science and art.

  Speaking English with a Flemish accent, Peter confides, “It is so nice, yes, that in America there are so many people experimenting with all aspects of brewing. The large brewers in Europe are not doing this. The homebrewers, microbrewers and craft brewers are all important to helping us all understand and explore all these interrelationships and very new ways of doing things. If you have many brewing projects that you and others may be working on, it is very valuable to be able to take little pieces of knowledge from each project and fit the pieces together to achieve a new beer.”

  Others have often said that there are so many good beers in the world, but so little time to try them all. Peter is one who realizes that there is so much to learn and do in creating beers, but so little time to brew them all. He possesses a wealth of knowledge and experience, gained from delving into matters of brewing frontiers.

  We discuss the addition of herbs and fruits to beer. There are secrets Peter won’t tell me, but he makes me realize that not all herbs and fruits can be treated equally, explaining, “It all depends on the chemical nature of the flavor and character you are trying to finally end up with in your beer.” You need to understand very specifically the chemical nature of a cherry’s or a raspberry’s flavor. For example, raspberry flavors have ketones in their makeup. If they are fermented, certain other flavors are derived from the fermentation and aging process of these compounds.

  How do you maintain the red color of cherries? “This is something I know about through experimentation and discussion with colleagues,” Peter says with a smile. “I can’t tell you too much about this because now we consider it is confidential.” He leaves me with the thought that the answer is both process and ingredient related.

  “You have to treat spices the same way,” he says. For example, if you use kaffir lime leaves, the flavor compound that you want to perceive in the final beer is related to citronellal. He explains that this is chemically described as an aldehyde. If this is acted upon during the fermentation process, it can be broken down into alcohol, and this in turn can be broken down into esters. All have the elements of citrus character, but at each stage the flavor and aroma threshold can increase or decrease dramatically. So you have to be careful about how much you add, as well as when you add it. Every spice and herb is different. “If you are seeking a desired final balance of flavors then it is nice to be able to understand these things,” Peter adds.

  There are many creative beers brewed at the New Belgium Brewery. The tasting room/pub is worth a visit, for some of the most interesting and experimental beers are available only on site and at the brewery. One beer that is available nearly everywhere is their well-known Fat Tire. But New Belgium also has unusual beers such as their 1554, which intrigues me as a beer enthusiast and homebrewer. Its recipe is based on references to a Belgian-style black ale, brewed as far back as 1447 and quite popular in the 18th and 19th centuries.

  “Zwart bier,” or black beer, is virtually unknown in today’s Belgium. Phil Benstein, one of the brewers Peter works with at New Belgium, came across a reference to black beer at the Colorado State University library. Further research led Peter to other references in the 1903 book One Hundred Years of Brewing, but he could not find any Belgian brewers who knew of this historic beer. On one of his frequent journeys back to Belgium, Peter enlisted the help of a Belgian friend and historian, who uncovered a book published in 1554 referencing black ale and a 1447 book called Het Boeck mette Rooskens, translated “Book with the Little Rose.”

  The idea to recreate a historic version of this black ale was proceeding at the brewery, using malted barley, hops and selected spices. The beer, label and packaging were ready to be introduced to beer drinkers as “1554.”

  Book with a Little Rose

  Book with the Little Rose. Courtesy of Peter Bouckaert, New Belgium Brewing Co.

  Through good fortune and lucky circumstances, Peter found a copy of Het Boeck mette Rooskens in the city archives of Brussels. It was handwritten on parchment, dated September 27, 1447. Written in old Flemish, in stylistic cursive, the book deals with legislated city laws, of which about 32 pages concern “swart ofte zwert bier” beer-related matters. Peter believes that Brussels at the time was a small town of perhaps 15,000 people and 1,000 breweries.

  Peter recalls, “Everyone was making beer at the time and there were rules in each town that governed what could be used and how you could make beer. Some references to black beers used oats while others may have used barley and wheat. Some reference hops and others reference gruits, the mixture of herbs and spices that were used more often than hops to flavor beer.”

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  1447 BELGIUM ZWARTE ROSE ALE

  Brewed with ingredients of the 15th and 16th century such as grains of paradise, amber-colored Munich malt, wheat, oats and crystallized caramel malt, “1447” is a dark beer with no roasted malts. My recipe takes liberty with the addition of rose petals. It’s unlikely they were used in 15th-century Belgium, but they remind me of the creative Belgian spirit of brewing and this is the year 2005. This recipe can be found in About the Recipes.

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  Peter admits he is not a historian, but he certa
inly values the historic as well as modern-day creativity involved in the mystical process of making craft microbrewed beers. When he can find time, or someone to help translate the difficult old Flemish, Peter plans to learn more about his Belgian brewing roots and perhaps some old wisdom that can be applied to his modern brewery, to brew beer for all of us beer drinkers to savor.

  Had he found the “Book with the Little Rose” soon enough, we might be enjoying 1447 rather than 1554.

  Hop Whompus

  Oggi’s Pizza & Brewing and Left Coast Brewing Company

  TOM NICKEL is the brewmaster of Oggi’s Pizza and Brewing Company’s Left Coast Brewery. His birthday is August 13, the same day as my wife’s and also of lifelong friend Whitey Jensen, so I have some insight into the Leo the Lion personality behind the passion for taste, adventure and discovery. I’ve never studied astrology, nor do I know what the books say about Leos, but I do know what an adventure it is to hang out with them.

  I’m glad I made the effort to spend a day with Tom in July 2004, visiting the brewery where he has created world-class award-winning ales. To say that Tom is passionate about beer is an understatement. Beer springs forth from every pore of his body and soul. When he is around beer, the guy is all about the planet Microbrew!

  Tom Nickel

  Tom’s beers are notable for their stylistic balance of flavors, while venturing to the edge of creativity, forging new territories. He is an extraordinary brewer and an extraordinary teacher. While discussing beer and brewing with Rick Smets, Tom’s assistant brewer, it became quite obvious why the beer was so excellent. With a glass of vat-fresh pale ale, Rick explains, “I get up every day in the morning and come to work and am so thankful to have this job as a brewer. I love being a brewer. I couldn’t ask for better work. Some beers are more work than others, but that’s part of the job and I don’t mind the extra hassle and work, because I know that the beer is going to be extra good. My grandmother was a Belgian brewer and my uncle turned me on to making beer when I was 16 years old. I love making beer.” Rick was smiling during every bit of the conversation.

  Rick Smets, Andy Schwartz and Tom Nickel

  Both Rick and Tom explained the “secrets” about their pioneering Double India Pale Ale, a style that one might safely say originated in Southern California.

  Using three to four pounds of hops per barrel (that’s about 10 ounces per 5 gallons, or a 20-liter batch of homebrew!), the hops are dosed throughout the process to emphasize hop flavors and aromas. They are added to the malt mash, to the kettle boiling, during the lautering process, to the fermenters and even into the “bright tanks” just before kegging. What one ends up with is infused pale ale bursting with vibrantly fresh hop character.

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  JEFF BAGBY’S HOP WHOMPUS 2004

  Jeff sent me a three-page e-mail detailing his recipe and procedures for his award-winning beer. This homebrewed version is an adaptation, extravagantly full of hop flavor and aroma. Yet it is unrepentantly balanced with a foundation of malt. Superbly drinkable and not just for sipping, it’s a winner for your own brewing pleasure. This recipe can be found in About the Recipes.

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  There’s excitement in Rick’s conversation as he adds details. Later he points out how Tom has encouraged him to learn about everything that he has access to, especially by tasting the beer throughout its journey from malt and hops to finished product. He notes that tasting the beer at all points of the process really helps a brewer to become a master. I agree, as I, too, find myself tasting ingredients, tasting unfermented wort, fermentation and finished beer before bottling and noting how beer flavors evolve with time and patience.

  Oggi is the Italian word for “today.” All three of us are enjoying today’s still-fermenting India pale ale fresh out of the vat, while knowledgeably imagining what tomorrow holds for the glass of beer in our hand. We are microbrewers.

  THERE ARE SEVERAL “location” brewmasters working at other Oggi’s Pizza breweries. We visited brewmaster Jeff Bagby, award-winning brewer at Oggi’s in Vista, California. Jeff offered us a quick taste of a smooth, velvety imperial stout and a new fermenting barley wine sort of ale. As bubbles rose in our glasses from ongoing fermentation, Jeff, Tom and I all agreed that the future was huge for this smooth, hard-to-characterize ale with a unique balanced blend of hops. Little did Jeff know that 68 days after my visit he would be awarded a Gold Medal in the Imperial/Double Red Ale category at the 2004 Great American Beer Festival.

  New Frontiers on the Edge of a Continent

  Stone Brewing Company, San Diego

  You are not worthy of drinking this beer. It is quite doubtful that you have the taste or sophistication to appreciate an ale of this quality and depth…

  The preceding is part of the statement you will behold when reading the label of Arrogant Bastard Ale. It may be quite true: you are not worthy of this beer unless, as they continue to say, you like big, flavorful brews that are not hyped by multimillion-dollar advertising campaigns that convince you that yellow fizzy beer makes you more sexy. This statement at first struck me as quite confrontational, but I wasn’t convinced that this was all there was to the attitude of the brewers and makers of a wide variety of beers at the San Diego area’s Stone Brewing Company.

  Steve Wagner and Greg Koch (not related to Boston Beer’s Jim Koch) are the figurative “bastards” who with their attitude co-founded Stone Brewing in 1998. They were homebrewers and beer enthusiasts before starting what is now Southern California’s most successful microbrewer turned craft brewer.

  Arrogant Bastard is their hugely big-humongous-grand-colossal red ale loaded with malt, hops and flavor. In a way it has been their affrontal mascot, but it represents only one of the most distinctively named of their growing list of explosively complex beers: Stone Pale Ale, Stone Levitation Ale, Stone Smoked Porter, Stone India Pale Ale, Stone Ruination IPA and Arrogant Bastard Ale, along with Stone Limited Special Releases such as Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine, Double Bastard Ale, Stone Imperial Russian Stout and the Stone Vertical Epic series.

  Arrogant Bastard courtesy Stone Brewing Co.

  I made a pilgrimage to the brewery in July 2004 in an effort to understand where these beers were coming from and discover the people and spirit behind the brew. Some guy with shockingly bright blue hair greeted me at the door. “Hi Charlie, I’m Steve; we’ve met before. Welcome to our brewery,” welcomed the company president. It was “blue do” time at the brewery. All staff members had been encouraged to dye their hair blue for a charity fundraiser and the brewery’s upcoming eighth anniversary.

  The brewery was a beehive of activity, brewing, bottling, shipping and receiving, and it was obvious why an expansive new brewery on the other side of town was being built.

  I’ve known Greg Koch, chairman and CEO, for several years and have watched and tasted his beers throughout Stone Brewing’s six-year history. “What’s the ‘arrogant’ all about, Greg?” I ask. He smiles and says it represents a viewpoint: “It’s about what we think a great beer is all about.” Greg and I resolve that not all Stone’s beers are malty and hugely hoppy. I’m wondering whether perhaps the attitude is about making interesting, flavorful beers that are always complex. I came away from that conversation still wondering, “What is the Stone style?” Giving it my best shot, I might conclude what Greg hinted at when he said, “We don’t like to paint ourselves into a box.”

  Did he mean “We don’t like to paint ourselves into a corner?” or “We don’t like to put ourselves into a box?” I suppose mixed metaphors are not in anyone’s box or corner. As Humpty Dumpty said, “When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.” To which Alice replied, “The question is, whether you can make words mean so many different things.” Humpty concluded the discussion from his precarious perch on the wall: “The question is, which is to be the master—that is all.”

  Greg had just opened a preview bottle of Stone Brewing’s Eighth Anniversary
Ale, and I felt as though I was playing Humpty Dumpty with him. Or perhaps it was the beer playing games and being the “master.”

  It was all becoming clear for me when Greg explained the style of Anniversary Ale: “Hmmmm. Maybe it’s an imperial mild?” If you looked carefully, you’d notice a grin on his face.

  Imperial—implying big, bold, strong beers. Mild—implying low-alcohol, easy-drinking, mild-tasting brown ale. Who was the master, Greg or the beer? It all seemed quite logical at first, but then contrarian.

  Don’t ever attempt to figure out the beers of Stone Brewing and why they do what they do. They are all complex and a mirrored vision of only themselves. Expect the unexpected. Anticipate excitement and what is next. It’s as though every “box” you want to put them in, they’ll punch themselves out of, and then you realize that they weren’t in a box to begin with!

  Greg Koch, Stone Brewing Co., San Diego, Calif.

  A visit to Stone Brewing’s website will introduce you to the passion behind their beers and their spirited support for those who homebrew. For example, here’s Stone Brewing Company on the making of beer:

  To get started, you usually want to have a stock of a couple of beers that you are going to taste to keep you inspired (while brewing). Not that it is necessary, but it can keep you focused.

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  STONE 03.03.03 VERTICAL EPIC ALE

  Stone Vertical Ales are a series of brews whose essence goes well beyond the bounds of a recipe. They are brewed with an attitude and the poetry of the moment. Follow the journey of a Stone epic and then brew your own. This recipe is excerpted from their web page, with my own adaptation for homebrewers. This complex, full-flavored ale is one of America’s great “laying down” ales. (No, not the beer drinker—lay down the beer for aging!) The recipe can be found in About the Recipes.