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MN Beer Activists feed of news, events, education, legislation related to beer, wine, and spirits in Minnesota.

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Reviewbicle: Old Stock Ale

August 2013

Dan Belfry and Jon Buck

www.brewbicle.com

After a brief summer hiatus (man it is flying by isn’t it?) we’re back and glad to be opening some more delicious brews and share our findings with you guys. We’ve gone with an Old Ale from North Coast Brewing out of Fort Bragg, California. This beer has an excellent reputation for its ability to cellar well. In all fairness we’re likely opening them before their prime, according to reports we’ve heard, but curiosity got the better of us and we wanted to see where this beer is heading.

Reviewbicle: Old Stock AleThis Old Ale is coming in at a rather large 11.7% ABV for both vintages the label has changed slightly over the years but we believe that the recipe is the same year-to-year. Along with our tasting we’ve decided to bring some food into the equation as well. We have selected a stilton and a cheddar with salt crystals, included also for a palette cleanser were some grapes. All of these were a winner in our opinion and really complemented the beer’s sweetness.

NORTH COAST OLD STOCK ALE

Appearance (’12): There is a small amount of with head which quickly dissipated and clung to the sides of the glass. The color is dark-red chestnut, and decidedly clear. Which was interesting as the older one had a haze present to it. Aside from the haze however the coloring is identical.

Appearance (’10): By contrast to the ’12 there was a haze present in the ’10 but still had the same dark-red chestnut coloring. Lightly carbonated even after a rather aggressive pour there was little head developed and what was there dissipated quickly. There is some lacing when the beer is swirled.

Aroma (’12):  Possesses a very malty nose, and there is a forward aroma of sweet cereal grains with a fleeting fruit. The fruit and gain played second fiddle to the alcohol here however. No doubt it is the front runner here, it carries throughout the different aromas and stings slightly.

Aroma (’10):  The nose is sweet and deep with fruit and caramelized sugars. A wonderfully simple yet powerful combination of plumb and other musty aromas combined with the caramel create a very pleasant nose. Underlying this is a distinct but not overpowering booziness. Really can’t say enough about how good this is smelling just wonderful.

Taste/Mouthfeel (’12): Kicking things off here is a hoppy bitterness which doesn’t last very long but most certainly is there. It abruptly is overpowered by a strong, sappy, dry, sweetness which reminds us of molasses. The sweetness is distinct, but dissipates more quickly than anticipated. The small amount of carbonation lends itself in the hoppy—> sweet transition. There is a surprising lack of flavors that linger, this one finishes nice and clean. This was a rather surprising characteristic to us as we’ve become so used to anticipating that these big beers will stick to your buds but this was a pleasant surprise.

Taste/Mouthfeel (’10): There is no hop bitterness to be found here, the taste skips right into the sweetness, however there has been a fruity development and the dryness has gone away. The fruitiness has married with the alcohol to make a wonderful “booze-soaked fruit cake” kind of flavor. Don’t mean to drudge up negative connotations with the fruit cake description, not at all what we intend. In fact it is very pleasant, more fruit cakes should taste like this. There are layers of dark fruits, cake/breadiness, sweetness and the comforting warmth of alcohol. The mouthfeel is velvety while it is present, this one doesn’t linger either it finishes cleanly and dry.

Overall Comparison (’12 and ‘10): Old Stock has a reputation as a beer that is good to age, and we can start to see why. What starts as a fairly straight forward malt bill and some booze really evolves into a beer with some dimensional layering and great interplay of flavors. The ’12 was kind of flat and lacked much interest in terms of complexity and harmonizing elements. It was on sitting on this guy for a bit that we began to see the benefits of oxidation, different malt flavors coming through and outshining the hops and the booze-burn. What resulted was the alcohol enhancing and rounding out of the beer rather than finishing as an exclamation point on a sweet beer.  This being said we both thought that the ’10 also lacked a little depth, don’t get us wrong it was a good beer and we will continue to stock our cellars with Old Stock Ale, but don’t go into this expecting a bouquet of tastes. Perhaps this will change with time or perhaps our expectations are clashing with the reality that a simple, well-made beer doesn’t need to have a dozen things going to make it interesting. Sometimes it is good to have a beer like this to remind us to enjoy the simple side of life as well.

Cheers!

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Civilization Brewing

As we wade through the depths of human history, there has been one bright light guiding us forward.  It spread agriculture and spawned permanent civilizations.  It kept us safe and fed.  It opened our eyes and inspired our minds.  The study of it led to some of the most significant scientific and literary improvements in the human condition.  What was it that guided us forward through time?  A beverage fermented from cereal grains commonly referred to as beer!  Why is it only in the last 30 years that we’ve remembered to treat this partner the way it deserves?  Follow along and discover how our love affair with beer ushered mankind into the modern world.

Several millennia ago our ancestors were hunters and gatherers who scratched through life, surviving on what they could find.  As omnivores, humans were forced to use trial and error to determine which foods were edible.  The increase in human brain size was primarily driven by the need to remember which things were good to eat and have the ability to communicate that information to others.

Eventually, ancient man discovered that a certain seed growing on wild barley plants was good to eat if prepared properly.    In due course, people noticed that grains soften when soaked in water.  However, if left untended, these water-soaked grains would spontaneously ferment, or spoil.  Luckily enough, we are trial-and-error creatures so some adventurous soul tasted the “spoiled” water-logged grain… and beer was born. This new discovery was just the partner humans needed to propel their rise to dominance.  Since grain can be grown on throughout the world, beer spread rapidly from culture to culture, civilization to civilization. Throughout the ages, people taught each other how to prepare and eventually ferment beer.

The earliest evidence of people fermenting grains is from Jiahu, China, and dates to over 9,000 years ago.  Fermentation was tricky and misunderstood, but beer remained a staple of human existence because it was highly nutritious.   Almost every early religion had a patron “god” of beer to whom our ancestors prayed in hope of proper fermentation.  While we may question the usefulness of these prayers, ancient humans learned some practical lessons as well.  To make good beer, the water needed to be boiled – a step that (not so coincidentally) also renders water safe to drink.  Between boiling of the water and the resultant alcohol, brewed beer gave our ancestors a safe staple that allowed us to live close together in cities.  Beer allowed us to live in cities because as we all know the more people, or animals that gather together in tight spaces the dirtier those spaces become, think college dorm room.  Dirty spaces lead to polluted water supplies increasing the need to “process” this water into beer.

Every early agricultural civilization on Earth brewed beer in one form or another.  Europe, Africa, and the Americas all had cultures that – with little or no contact to ancient beer loving Middle Eastern civilizations – fermented grains independently.  As the fruit- and grape-rich areas of Greece and Rome rose to power, beer became a second-class beverage, relegated to barbarians.  However, grape-starved regions of the world did not abandon beer during this period, and many northern Europeans began to view beer as the beverage that kept them from becoming Romans. The Germans, Belgians, and Britons kept the spirit of beer alive.  Indeed, the Germans, and their beer, would eventually conquer Rome when it rotted in its own decadence.

Although the period after Roman rule is referred to as the “Dark Ages”, it was a Golden Age for beer. Beer-loving peoples ruled, and beer once again drove creativity and innovation forward.  The quest to develop our long-standing partner to its full potential began.

This was a time riddled with sickness and war.  All Europeans survived at the bequest of the Catholic Church after Rome fell. As fortune would have it, most monasteries followed a combination of Irish and German traditions – one of which required the production and distribution of beer by monks for the poor.  Monasteries in the Normandy region of France were granted hop gardens by Charlemagne around 800 C.E., and beer changed forever.  Around 500 years later, German brewers discovered that hopped beer lasted longer.  Beer could now be shipped cross-country.

With the rise of hopped beer, its production moved from monastery and home to the commercial brewery.  In order to provide enough beer to their ever-multiplying consumers, medieval brewers needed to create a consistent, quality product that could survive transportation.  This economic pressure sparked a spectacular age of innovation, as advances in beer technology spilled over into revolutionary scientific and industrial breakthroughs.

A brewer named Otto van Guericke built the first pneumatic pump in 1657 while trying to extract air from his beer kegs, an invention that eventually led to the development of the steam engine.  Another brewer, named James Joule, discovered that when pressurized, beer started to heat up – but if the pressure was released, it would cool down.  Physics students around the world study this principle today – you may know it as the first law of thermodynamics.  He also revealed why heat could be created by friction.

But the scientific progress that can be credited to beer is not limited to physics.  Louis Pasteur, while studying the diseases in fermentation of beer, discovered what yeast truly was: not magic, but a microorganism.  This discovery led to the practice of pasteurization, and inspired Pasteur to develop the “germ theory”.  Pasteur is now the father of modern medical science because he surmised that these same organisms could cause disease in humans.

As with many modern humans the consumption of a beer (or six) can kindle creativity and conversation.  During the Enlightenment Period, this inspiration was taking place in coffee houses of London, where free thinkers like John Locke, Ben Franklin, and Joseph Priestly met with their contemporaries to discuss new ideas.  These beer-fueled collaborations would lead Franklin to electricity, Priestly to the discovery of oxygen, and Locke to pen his ideas of liberty.  Many other British, French, German, and eventually American citizens gathered together around a few beers to produce the ideas that would change the face of the planet.

Only recently have Americans rediscovered that beer is not just a beverage to be mass-consumed in college or at sporting events. It is also a quality product that should be respected.  In the story just told, we can see how the production, consumption, and study of beer guided humanity towards the revolutions in industry and science that gave us the modern world.  So raise a glass and remember how beer guided us through the long journey to where we are today.   Never fail to appreciate how great a partner we have in our beer.

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August Schell Brewing Company Starts Fresh Hop Series

Schells mosaic pilsLast autumn, Schell’s released Fresh Hop Citra Pils as part of its massively successful Stag Series. The beer was received with so much success they’ve decided to brew a fresh hop beer every fall. A new annual tradition we can all look forward to!

The Schell’s Fresh Hop Pilsner Series will be brewed each year during the pinnacle of the hop harvesting season. Fresh hops contribute aromatic oils and resins that add a unique flavor to the beer. The fresh hopped beers will be brewed in very limited amounts, only 100 barrels will be produced.

This year’s Fresh Hop beer will be a pilsner that is single hopped with Mosaic hops. The Mosaic hop gives a variety of flavors and aromas to the beer, hence the name Mosaic. A fairly new hop variety, Mosaic hops are the love child of Simcoe and Nugget hops. The hop variety can be described as complex blend of floral, tropical, fruity, and earthy flavors.

Look for the Schell’s Fresh Hopped Mosaic Pilsner in kegs and 6-packs. Keep ’em cold and drink ’em fast. This beer is all about the freshness.

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Gun Flint Tavern and Brewpub

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It seems like you can’t open the paper or fire up the computer without hearing about another brewery opening. I can imagine for some readers each new brewery gets a little less and less exciting. I’ve even read articles suggesting that the State may be nearing a saturation point. Hogwash! If you look at the breweries per capita of Oregon and Colorado, states with similar “personalities” as Minnesota, they suggest we could support eighty or so more breweries. I’d venture a guess that most craft beer enjoying Minnesotans would love to be compared to Oregon and Colorado. We’re just getting warmed up!

IMG_5963I was in Grand Marais recently and had the chance to sit down with the head brewer of the soon-to-be-opened Gun Flint Tavern and Brewpub. Paul Gecas (“GET chiss” if you’re scoring at home) was kind enough to share with me the history of his family’s little tavern in the north and its brewpub expansion. It’s quite possible that if any of you have ever been to Grand Marais, the Gunflint Trail or any of the State Parks on the upper North Shore that you’ve paid a visit to the Gun Flint Tavern. Since opening in 1998 the Gun Flint Tavern has been focused on craft beer. And, as much as possible, Minnesota craft beer. I remember my first visit in 2009 and I was blown away. Only a few places in the Cities at that time were offering the selection this place had and the GFT was 280 miles away! Paul’s aunt and uncle, Jeff and Susan Gecas, opened the pub with a focus on high quality food, freshly prepared in-house and with a beer menu to complement. And quite honestly, they’ve always had visions of beer freshly prepared in-house as well. Later this year, that vision will become reality.

Paul’s brewing history goes back a long way. His father Greg has been homebrewing for 30 years and for as long as he can remember has been helping dad make beer at home. Paul’s family owns and operates Heston’s Lodge up on the Gunflint Trail. The three hour round trip to Grand Marais eventually led to Paul’s being homeschooled. The curriculum apparently included brewing and fermenting; something we all wish we could say we learned in primary school. While in college at U of M Morris, Paul and a group of buddies would homebrew on a regular basis. Since college he spends his time helping out on the family lodge which includes, of course, brewing. Paul and his father have long been active members of the homebrew club Northern Ale Stars and have been hosting club events at the Lodge for over 20 years. Greg Gecas will take on the roll of assistant brewer assisting his son, so this really is a family run operation. Paul interned at the Thirsty Pagan Brewing in Superior, Wisconsin earlier this year and spent some time shadowing Dale Kleinschmidt at Lake Superior Brewing. Most recently, Paul came down to the Cities and worked with the gang at Lucid Brewing in Minnetonka. These are all efforts to learn as much as he can about the parallels and distinct differences between large and small scale brewing.
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So what can we expect from the brewery? The 5 barrel system was built and used in New Zealand and most recently resided (although never used) in California. The brewery was shipped to Grand Marais and is going to be installed soon. There will be three fermenters and five serving vessels. The tile work is complete and the plumbing roughed in. There will also be a lot of glass in the brewery so you’ll be able to have a good view when visiting. What will be on tap? Well, the Tavern’s clientele drink a lot of hoppy beers so you can expect some of those, “perhaps an IPA, pale ale or EPA” says Paul. You may also find a Brown Ale or similar style on the darker end of the color spectrum. Paul spent a May-term studying abroad in Scotland and spent much of the time seeking out the best ‘real ales’ he could find. His appreciation of this style, he says, may eventually lead to some small batch hand pumped casks at the brewpub. Definitely exciting!

The restaurant’s menu will never be far from Paul’s mind while crafting his beers. The food at Gun Flint Tavern often plays around with new and different ingredients, something he plans on doing as well. They plan on using Lake Superior water for their brewing water. Did I mention Lake Superior is only about forty feet from the front door? And speaking of local sourcing; Paul plans on using local artists for label art and tap handles as well as a local coffee roaster and other companies as much as possible to craft his hometown brews. Something many of us can appreciate.
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Will you be able to get Gun Flint Tavern beer to go? That is the plan. In addition to traditional glass growlers, they are hoping to provide Nalgene or stainless steel growlers perfect for taking into the Boundary Waters. Does 64oz sound like too much beer to carry in your back pack? They have been toying with the idea of refillable 750ml bottles, again maybe Nalgene or stainless. The perfect companion for a thirsty paddler. As of right now there is no official opening date but they are hoping to be open sometime this calendar year. If you find yourself in the area I would highly recommend stopping in, even if the brewery isn’t open yet. And be sure to stop at the many new breweries popping up in Duluth and along Highway 61 on your way.

For more information and to follow the progress please check out their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/gunflinttavern and blog http://gunflinttavern.wordpress.com/.

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Fulton Brewery Patio Grand Opening

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Fulton BeerPatio season in Minnesota started a few months ago, but this Friday at 3pm Fulton Beer Co gets in on the action. They have been working for the past few months on a patio expansion. The space is decked out with landscaping from Tangletown Gardens and expanded bicycle parking.

If you have ever stopped into the Fulton taproom at peak hours you know things can be a little tight. This patio expansion should give you a little more elbow room when you swing by this North Loop landmark. As if you needed an excuse drop by!

To celebrate the patio opening they will have all their beers available (excluding collaborations and taproom one-offs). The patio party will take place in conjunction with neighborhood events North Loop fest & Crayfest. Sounds like a good time!

Checkout the Fulton Beer Blog for all the details.

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Interview with Clint MacFarlane, Owner of Castle Danger Brewery

Part of the reason I took a pledge to drink only MN beer for 1 year was to really focus on what makes Minnesota brewed beers special.

Who better to shed some light on this, than Minnesota brewers themselves? In an effort to get some more insight I will be attempting to interview some of Minnesota’s finest brewers from breweries across the state.

My first interview is with Clint MacFarlane, owner and brewer at Castle Danger Brewery.  Castle Danger recently got some great press in the City Pages Beer Blog for their planned expansion.

I had the honor to intern with Clint during my last year of college, and loved every minute of it. I got to witness a small part of what it takes to start up a new brewery in Minnesota. Clint also let me help out a little bit with creating the recipe for Castle Cream Ale. This was one of the best experiences of my life and really helped shape my passion for brewing, but there will be a later post to come all about my time with Castle Danger.

Name: Clint MacFarlane

Job Title: Owner, Brewer

Hometown: Two Harbors

Brewing Experience: 5 years of home brewing and 2 years professional.

Right now, my favorite beer to drink is:

I generally don’t have a “favorite” beer. I am always trying out new ones, but Odell’s Mercenary makes a fairly frequent visit to my fridge. I love the tropical fruit notes in that beer.

Who are your brewing influences and/or role models?

I have many influences when it comes brewing. Some are ingredient driven, wanting to use local flare like maple syrup, wild rice or Spruce tips. It is always exciting to use an odd ingredient in beer and try to pair it with a style. Others can be wanting to brew a style you enjoy, but then adding your own twist to it. Of course there is also that beer you try and you say “damn they nailed this beer” now I can move on to something else.

There are many brewers and breweries that I admire, and can look at, and really appreciate what they are doing. Not only their beers but also how they run their businesses. On  a national scale Odell’s comes to mind, they have definitely figured out my taste buds. Locally the bench marks are Summit, Surly, and Schell’s.

What is your most favorite beer to brew and why?

IPA is probably the most enjoyable for me, strictly on the aromas that happen throughout the day. Otherwise any new beer we have not yet attempted, because of the unknown it adds that excitement of  “I wonder how this will turn out?”

What is your favorite aspect of making beer?

Coming up with new recipes is probably the most fun, but also the end result, BEER!

When did you know that you wanted to be a professional brewer? Why did you decide to make it your career?

It was probably right around the three year mark into homebrewing when I started thinking about starting a brewery. It was evident right away that I enjoyed brewing and obviously the end result. It was more matter of fact than a dream I had been pining over, however, it did take me a year to convince my better half that it was a good idea. I never planned on it becoming what it is or what it will hopefully be in the future. It was more of a want to have enough beer for friends and family and possibly sell enough to break even. It was going to be more of an extension of home brewing for me.

Like any hobby you get into, you either lose interest after a while, or it goes the other way. The latter happened to me, it is now in my blood. I am lucky enough to have found this  second passion in life, my first was music. I played bass guitar, wrote songs and sang in a few punk bands growing up. We never really got past the garage but I loved everything  about it, and still do, but beer has taken over. Beer has that very creative side to it, just like song writing. To me, a passion is something you will want to do full-time if you can. I  am better at brewing beer, and beer has a much wider appeal than punk rock.

What are your biggest challenges?

Right now we just don’t have enough beer, or space. We need to be careful of how many accounts we take on. In the winter when it is slow we could add more accounts and keep up our brewing pace, but because we have no room for extra capacity, we would definitely run accounts out of beer during the summer months when things get busy. That can put a bad taste in a bar owners mouth, so we just don’t do that.

What advice would you give to somebody that wants to join the industry?

Keep at it, learn everything you can, go to school, homebrew, become a cicerone. Any kind of special skill you can acquire that might be helpful in a brewery setting that will set you apart from the next guy might be enough. It also might mean taking a pay cut (or working for free) and cleaning kegs for a year, working on a packaging line, you just have to prepared to put some time in before getting promoted to a more coveted job. Almost every brewer in the industry had to  enter it this way, or you can start your own brewery and do it all right away. (That also means you will probably work for free even longer!)

How do you get consumer feedback?

There are many ways. People will tell you, whether it comes from an account saying how people like the beer, someone on the street, or in the tasting room. One of the biggest is a returning regular to the tasting room, these are the people the continually come in for a growler or to taste a new beer. The rating sites Untapped, Beer Advocate, and Rate Beer can be helpful. Although you will have to choose and pick what is helpful and what is not on those sites. What I mean by that is someone who rates your beer at a beer tasting after they have had 15 or more samples may not be an accurate meter.

What is one aspect of making beer that most consumers don’t understand?

The amount of time and effort that goes into making a batch of beer. The biggest misunderstanding for us right now is “Why aren’t you open more often?” We get that question a lot, and for us, having a combined production/retail space is especially difficult our answer is usually “We do have to make beer sometimes.” I just think people forget that we are a manufacturer first and a retail outlet second

What do you think is special about Minnesota beer?

I think Minnesotans as a whole are independent, against-the-grain kind of folks, and I think our brewers are no different. A lot of the new brewers are coming from the homebrewing side of the fence, and home brewing really embraces experimentation. We might be brewing a base style, but I think we all want to put our own stamp on what we are doing.

What excites you about the future of beer in Minnesota?

The people of our State are the most exciting thing about the future of Minnesota Beer. They are driving the growth of all of us, it will take a while but I think Minnesota can be like a Colorado or Washington State. The fact that there is so many new breweries opening up all around the same time. We all get to essentially “grow up” together, along with the beer drinking public of Minnesota. Of course Minnesota has had some form of craft beer/breweries for some time, but not like the current explosion of recently opened breweries. We are all in our infancy so to speak, when we as brewers “mature” I think we will see more and more world class breweries in our State.

Why is it important to drink local beer?

Drinking local keeps your local breweries brewing, which means a few more jobs in the community. Typically breweries like to be involved in their own community’s and give support when they can. The beer is better fresh!

What if local beer isn’t good?

It can be a problem for someone who has not yet tried a local craft beer before, it can turn them off. They might not be as willing to try another local beer. The positive side of this argument is how many local beers are out there and how mainstream it has become. We will get a lot of patrons into the brewery that have never been to a brewery and simply just want to check it out. They might not care for all the styles, but generally I will hear them say “Oh, so and so would like this, we will have to tell them about this place.” People are now aware of how many local options there are, so if they do try one they don’t like, they know there is another brewery around the corner to try next. The more breweries there are the better, it forces brewers to make better beer. At the end of the day if a brewery is putting out sub-par beer, I believe it will work itself out.

Where is your favorite place to try new local beer?

Anywhere I can! I don’t get out often, but when I do I am always looking for that new brewery or beer that I have not tried.

 

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Beer Style Tasting Tuesdays at North Loop Wine and Spirits

Every Tuesday, North Loop Wine & Spirits cracks open a few bottles for customers to sample. Nice, eh?

Free beer you say? Yup! But, they are taking the average beer tasting to the next level by organizing the beer by style. Each Tuesday, from 4-8, they will explore a different category of the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP). North Loop will run through each category from Light Lagers to Ciders, covering the entire spectrum of fermented beverages. They’ll talk aroma, appearance, mouthfeel, and flavor of each beer you’ll taste. If you are unfamiliar with BJCP program you can head http://www.bjcp.org/ and get to learning! After all, how are you going to appreciate your beer if you don’t know if it’s a good example of the style?

This week the style will be Category 7 — Amber Hybrid Beer So you can look forward to tasting
7A. Northern German Altbier
7B. California Common Beer
7C. Düsseldorf Altbier

North Loop Wine and Spirits
218 Washington Ave N, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55401

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