The details

IBU: 80
ABV: 6.4%
Hops: Centennial, Amarillo™, Citra™, New Zealand Rakau
Malts: Harrington, Caramel

Availability: Releases on May 14, to be brewed year-round. Available in 6-packs, same price point as EPA

The Review

Appearance: The head is fluffy, and off-white. The body is clear golden/amber hued, about 6-9 SRM.

Aroma: The beer immediately releases a resinous, piney nose, which opens up to a mild fruity bouquet, reminiscent of peach and mango.

Flavor: Sága has pleasant hop bitterness, supported by a caramel malt body. The peach notes from the nose carry through, with hints of kiwi and mango. The combination of Citra™, Amarillo™, and Rakau hops yielded more fruit flavor than with other examples of an IPA.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, finishing with no alcohol heat. The carbonation is standard, not overpoweringly effervescent. There is little to no lingering bitterness.

Overall: Sága is an awesome addition to the Summit lineup. It’s not as aggressive as an imperial IPA, sitting nicely at just over 6%. The beer would be a great compliment to spicy foods, like vegan three-bean chili. To the best of my recollection, this is the first time I’ve had a beer with Rakau hops. I look forward to enjoying beers like Sága, with wonderful hop aromatics and less bitterness than with other IPAs, this summer.

Thanks to Jon Landers of Summit Brewing for providing this sample.

The Lost Abbey, San Marcos, California
The Angel’s Share, American Strong Ale
ABV (Alcohol by Volume): 12.50%

Show Notes – Recorded March 5, 2011
00:00 – 03:09: Introduction
03:09 – 34:46: The Angel’s Share by The Lost Abbey
34:46 – 38:21: Homebrew California Common Ale
38:21 – 39:22: Conclusion

Show Links

• Northern Brewer – California Common Extract Kit
• Lake Superior Kayak Kölsch
• City Beer Store – San Francisco; @citybeerstore on Twitter
• 2010 The Angel’s Share by The Lost Abbey
• Northern Brewer Homebrew Video How-To’s and Classes
• Cockney Rhyming Slang Translator
• Tastes Like Rare

Music — When It Stings by Pictures of Then

One morning while reading The Heavy Table, Shawn learned about one of Minnesota’s newest breweries, Boom Island Brewing Company. The biggest difference between Boom Island and many other breweries that have hit the news recently, is that Boom Island was already putting its beer up for sale. I attended a quick tasting at The Four Firkins in Saint Louis Park, where I grabbed two of the first bottles released. Boom Island Brewing is Belgian-inspired brewery, based in Minneapolis. The story of Kevin Welch, brewer, is one of a homebrewer’s dream. What could turn out to be Boom Island’s “ace in the hole” is the fact that Kevin is cultivating his own yeast strains, gathered during a trip across Belgium. We review the some of first releases available from Boom Island Brewing: Silvius Pale Ale and Thoprock IPA. On its website, Boom Island also teases the eventual release of a Dubbel and Tripel in bottles.

Boom Island Brewing Company, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Silvius Pale Ale, American Pale Ale
ABV (Alcohol by Volume): 5.5%

Boom Island Brewing Company, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Thoprock IPA, American IPA
ABV (Alcohol by Volume): 8%

Show Notes
Recorded January 11, 2012
00:00 – 06:05: Introduction
06:05 – 22:12: Silvius Pale Ale by Boom Island Brewing
22:12 – 38:25: Thoprock IPA by Boom Island Brewing
38:25 – 44:17: Boom Island Brewing Wrap-Up

Show Links

• Boom Island Brewing Company; @boomislandbeer on Twitter
• Heavy Table: Kevin Welch of Boom Island Brewing

Runtime: 44 minutes
Download: MP3 (26.6mb)
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Music — When It Stings by Pictures of Then

We’ve reached into the archives to release a “lost” episode of The Happy Hour. Back in 2010, Jason and Mike were lucky enough to receive a bottle of Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout. This annually released beer shouldn’t be considered a simple oaked version of Founders Breakfast Stout, but is a wholly different beer. Kentucky Breakfast Stout is a bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout brewed with coffee and chocolate. It’s tempting to draw parallels between KBS and Goose Island Bourbon County Stout, or more specifically, the Bourbon County Coffee Stout. The beer leads coffee and is bourbon second.

Kentucky Breakfast Stout is good. But it fits the bill better as an after dinner desert, rather than a breakfast starter.

KBS should be hitting the shelves in March of 2012.

Founders Brewing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Kentucky Breakfast Stout, American Imperial Stout
ABV (Alcohol by Volume): 11.2%
IBU: 70

Music — When It Stings by Pictures of Then

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Specs from Goose Island:

ABV: 6.2%
Color: Ruby, Chocolate
Hop Bitterness (IBU): Changes year to year
Malts: Pale Ale, Munich 10, Caramel 20, Caramel 60, Caramel 120
Hops: Change year to year
Availability: November – December

Serving Suggestions:

Preferred Glass: Nonic
Food Pairings: Ham, Turkey, Lamb
Cheese Pairings: Aged Gouda, Dry Jack
Cellaring Notes: Develops in the bottle for up to 5 years

The Review

Appearance: The body is a deep garnet, with fluffy toasted marshmallow-colored head, which quickly subsides and leaves no lacing.

Aroma: The nose is soft, but as the beer warms, the body of hazelnut appears. There is a slight alcohol hint lingering, that becomes less present when the beer reaches room temperature.

Flavor: I detect a bit of aged hops with the first sip. There’s a bitter finish that quickly fades. I can imagine there’s a brown sugar / spice duo, but it’s only a very faint notion. It’s certainly a warm, sweet brew, but at 6.2%, not alcoholic.

Mouthfeel: Christmas Ale 2011 is sweet, with very low carbonation. There is a roasted caramel toffee aftertaste. This beer reminds me of a ramped-up version of Mild Winter.

Overall: I’m pleasantly surprised by this one. When I think of a Christmas ale, Anchor Brewing’s Christmas Ale comes to mind. However in this example, Goose Island nailed it. They produced a centric, not overly-hoppy, smooth-malted ale. This beer works well throughout the Christmas gathering. I’ve been sipping on it while grazing appetizers, and plan to open another bottle to enjoy during dinner.

Thanks to Ken Hunnemeder at Goose Island for providing me this sample.

Supplementary Review (by Mike)

Appearance: The Christmas Ale poured hazy amber with a tan, bubbly froth on top. If you swirl the glass around, the beer will slowly drain off the sides. There does seem to be a bit of carbonation as bubbles cling and rise against the glass edge.

Aroma: This beer comes off as slight sweet and somewhat toasted. If you hold your nose to the glass long enough, you can convince yourself that you’re smelling banana bread.

Taste: I get a fair amount of effervescence with this beer. Not that it’s a bubbly champagne, but it doesn’t fall flat on the palate. I get that metallic tinge with slight bitterness. The real flavors here, however, are the roasted malts balanced with some sort of spice (maybe cinnamon) element.

Overall: The beer tastes rounded, and I believe it’s because of the alcohol content. It’s not too high of an alcohol content at 6.2%. But that ABV does make the beer a little warmer and leaves a balance between the sweet and the spice.

Specifications from Goose Island:

ABV: 5.6%
ABW: 4.4%
Color: Toffee Brown
Hop Bitterness (IBU): 20
OG: 14.0° Plato
Malts: 2 Row, Carapils, Dark Chocolate, Roast Barley, Rye Flake
Hops: Pilgrim, Centennial, Tettnang
Availability: December – March

Serving Suggestions:

Preferred Glass: Willi
Food Pairings: Beef, Stews, Sausages
Cheese Pairings: Gruyere, Fontina
Cellaring Notes: Enjoy within 180 days

The Review

Appearance: The body is a ruby to toffee brown. The head is fluffy white, and as it subsides, it laces the glass. I poured into a Saison Dupont glass, the only example of a willi glass I own.

Aroma: Soft, caramel roast, raisins. Fleeting finish, with peppery rye notes.

Flavor: Mild Winter is only slightly sweet. It’s very reminiscent of a British mild or a bitter, with low hop presence and a slight toffee bitterness. I enjoy the fact I’m not drinking a boozy behemoth. I could comfortably quaff a few of these at a sitting.

Mouthfeel: Sweet, low carbonation. It feels slightly like corn or unfermented grain. The beer finished with little bitterness and no alcohol heat.

Overall: Mild winter is a great change of pace for the season. When friends are bringing out high ABV brews like Russian Imperial Stouts and barley wines, or spicy winter warmers, this beer would please a broad range of beer drinkers’ palettes. I know I plan to share this brew with my family (they’re typically drinking American adjunct lagers at get-togethers).

Thanks to Ken Hunnemeder at Goose Island for providing me this sample.

Much of my excitement for homebrew derives from drawing inspiration from my surroundings. Fall in Minnesota is one of my favorite experiences, and sadly, Fall will be coming to a close in the coming weeks. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate its passing with a beer.

Wild Rice in Minnesota is a grain typically harvested in September. Truth be told, Wild Rice is not actually rice but a water-grass seed.¹ The techniques for harvesting wild rice have remained unchanged for centuries. Two people will occupy a canoe in which one, the “poler”, pushes the canoe through the wild rice bed of a lake, and the other, the “knocker”, uses cedar sticks to bend the wild rice stalks over the side of the canoe and taps the kernels off the stalk.² In Minnesota, the celebrated grain finds its way into many food dishes like salads, soups, and Thanksgiving stuffing. Even Fitger’s Brewhouse in Duluth made a vegetarian wild rice burger. So, when looking for a Minnesota native ingredient to infuse in a Fall-seasonal beer, it is only sensible to make one with wild rice.

How Will This Be Used

Wild rice has to be considered in your homebrew recipe much differently than American white rice. Though there are exceptions, white rice will contribute little pronounced flavor to your recipe and can be used to give your beer a lighter mouthfeel. Wild rice, on the other hand, can contribute a nutty flavor as well as color. In the summer of 2010, August Schell Brewing Co. of New Ulm, Minnesota released their Wild Rice Farmhouse Ale. The Schell’s ale married the nutty characteristics of the wild rice with the yeast to create a self-described “dry and quenching”³ beer.

My intent in using wild rice was to experiment with the Minnesota-native grain and find a late-fall seasonal beer recipe that I could continue to share and revisit each year. From what I had read I would want to focus on allowing the nutty, earthy flavors and aromas from the wild rice to shine through. I had a basic idea of what I wanted and knew that I would use wild rice. But there is so much more to a beer recipe that needs to properly come together before you have a worthwhile product.

Let’s Get Into It

I am a fan of using Kölsch yeast in my homebrew. I thought that perhaps a lower temperature fermentation with time could lead to a clean finishing beer. However, I feared that whatever unique flavors Kölsch yeast brings along may distract from the raw flavors in the wild rice. I opted, instead, to play it safe by utilizing Wyeast 1056, American Ale yeast — a relatively neutral choice. The direction I took with my beer was instead in the form of an amber or brown ale. When the snow hits the ground, I want my beers to be a little darker. An ale with the malty backbone of something like a nut brown resonated well.

As I said I wanted the wild rice to shine, but I would need some malt character. Nuttiness and chocolate would be the aim. It wasn’t hard for me to imagine a beer like New Belgium’s Fat Tire to slip into place nicely as a base beer.

The Recipe

Fermentables

• 5.0 lbs Extra Light Dry Malt Extract (DME)
• 0.25 lbs Crystal 20? L
• 0.25 lbs Crystal 60? L
• 0.5 lbs Carared Malt
• 0.5 lbs Biscuit Malt
• 0.5 lbs Chocolate Malt
• 1.0 lbs Minnesota Wild Rice (more about preparation later)

Hops Schedule — (90 minute boil)

• 1.0 oz. Willammette (4.5%) @ 90 minutes
• 1.0 oz. Fuggle (4.0%) @ 60 minutes

Yeast

• 1 packet Wyeast 1056 – American Ale, pitched from a starter

Specifications

• Batch Size: 5 gal
• Original Gravity: 1.066
• Final Gravity: 1.029
• ABV: 4.9%
• Bitterness: 26.9 IBU
• Color: 17 SRM

Preparing Your Wild Rice

I think there are a few ways wild rice can be prepared for your homebrew successfully, but I followed the direct advice of Schell’s David Berg. He recommended that I boil the wild rice and add it directly in to my mash. For now I am an extract brewer, and I treated the wild rice much as I would specialty grains.

For my 5 gallon recipe, I started with one pound of hand harvested wild rice. Most recommendations have you consider using wild rice for about 5-10% of your grain bill to bring through the desired nutty characteristics. I rinsed it first in the sink and then soaked the wild rice overnight for about 8 hours in cold water. I wanted the wild rice to absorb the water in an attempt to soften the husks. Once I had strike water, I placed the wild rice in a strainer inside of the boil kettle. With that, I slowly raised the temperature of the water to boiling. I boiled the rice for about an hour before rinsing and removing the husks. I re-used the water I had been boiling the wild rice in and pitched it into my wort and began my regular extract brewing process. At this point I had both the wild rice and specialty grains in their own straining bags in my brew kettle.

The Results

When I was transferring the beer from carboy to keg, I was amazed by the intense nutty-aroma coming from the wild rice. However, somewhere between that transfer and the serving glass, most of the aroma was lost. When I was pouring the beer for Jimmy Carter Happy Hour in Des Moines, the reaction towards the wild rice was mostly because of its curiosity. It allowed me to start many conversations with other homebrewers and beer drinks that were not familiar with the ingredient. It definitely struck a chord with a number of the attendees. I think the resulting beer allowed the wild rice adjunct to stand alone, but I didn’t support it enough with the rest of the beer. I know that during my brew day that I had a bit of panic during the morning hours and felt more hops were needed. Again I was seeking a balance between making the beer right and not distracting from the characteristics of the wild rice. You will notice that I did a 90 minute boil, and that was a last minute decision to raise the bitterness of the beer by using the hops I had already added. As a result, whatever aroma the hops were meant to add was quickly boiled away. I will also add that the finishing gravity wasn’t as low as I had expected, but I was initially successful in hitting my target original gravity. To sum it up, there were definitely fans of the beer, but I felt that the flavors were a bit muddled and not as complementary as hoped.

I will be trying this beer again because I know that it could be awesome. I didn’t dislike my first trial, but I know it can be stronger and it will have its fans. I encourage anyone who has read this far to research using wild rice as an ingredient in recipes of their own. With some more trials we can create a unique and flavorful beer.

I have to admit that I have missed our conversations through the microphone but we are at it again. Our scheduled programming returns this week with an exploration of some delicious sour beers. We delve into a comparison of a homebrew sour versus a commercial sour beer.

Long overdue, Shawn and I share a bottle of homebrew blonde ale from project friend Peter Kennedy. The beer was aged on New Jersey sour cherries. Peter has written a post or two about this beer on his blog Simply Beer.

Our second beer up for discussion is from Avery Brewing Company. Quinquepartite is No. 5 in Avery’s Barrel-Aged series. It is an an American Wild ale with an ABV of 9.91%. The beer was split into five parts and aged in several different types of wine barrels. The breakdown is such: 37% Ale aged in Cabernet Savignon barrels, 25% Ale aged in Chardonnay barrels, 21% Ale aged in Port barrels and 17% Ale aged in Zinfandel barrels.

The Beer Genome Project #32 Show Notes Runtime: 59:41

Update: We received a message back from Peter Kennedy regarding his blonde ale

@MikeBGP @ShawnBGP enjoyed the podcast.It was my 1st sour, no barrel, used carbtabs (mistake) glad you enjoyed it.

— Peter Kennedy (@SimplyBeer) December 13, 2011

With the holiday season upon us, more family and friends are regularly hosting gatherings. With gatherings come food and beverage, particularly of the fermented nature.

This week I had been in Iowa visiting friends when a message came across that Peace Tree Brewing Company had placed a recently finished apple cider on draft in their taproom. The Knoxville, Iowa based brewery is tucked away behind a 45 minute drive from Des Moines. I hadn’t been to the taproom since its beginnings about two years ago. The brewery is certainly an enjoyable space with room for entertainment including a bar with fresh offerings.

Peace Tree has been exploring their range of fermented opportunities since opening in 2009. They introduced one of the first Iowa produced beers that had an alcohol content higher than 6.5%,the Belgian-style Blonde Fatale. In 2010, Peace Tree brewed a farmhouse-style ale using sweet corn, and iterated upon it this past summer by infusing a batch with Brettanomyces. With Autumn fading, but in time for holiday gatherings, Peace Tree has now released a Champagne-yeast based cider, currently available only in their Knoxville taproom.

It sounds like this is the second shot Peace Tree has taken at creating a cider, the first having been only a 5-10 gallon batch. This time around Peace Tree has enough to serve on tap, and will as well sell about 200 bombers within the coming weeks. I stopped in for a pint in the taproom, but also took a home a growler to share with friends over dinner.

The cider was a rather hazy yellow and didn’t present itself as a light, refreshing drink. I think the cleanest looking cider I have come across is a Crispin Light, and Peace Tree’s entry looked more like a Crispin Honey Crisp. Again, this was not a cider looking at refreshment but I think rather attempting to produce a bit more daring flavor.

The cider has a big punch up front. I didn’t catch what the ABV of the cider was, but it led with the bite and followed with a residual sweetness. This cider was a sipper to best balance the flavors and prevent a clash across the palate.

Peace Tree is not the first Iowa brewery to make a cider in-house, but they’re giving it a go with one of the state’s best entries.

Every so often, something new comes along that really gets us excited to be a part of the craft beer community. We have an expanding craft beer market in Minnesota as more people are looking for high quality, locally produced beer. Today’s announcement marks an important step in the vision for our friend Tom Hill as he is joining his new Bemidji Brewing Company as head brewer.

Bemidji Brewing Company today announced their strategy to fund and build their microbrewery in northern Minnesota. They are beginning a 60-day fundraising effort through Kickstarter to secure a nano-brewing system. We have included their press release below, and we look forward to sharing more about the new venture in the near future.

Fresh, local craft beer. This is what the founders of the up-and-coming Bemidji Brewing Company hope to bring to Bemidji and northern Minnesota. But starting a brewery, even something as small as a microbrewery, comes with a hefty price tag, and in tough economic times, these young entrepreneurs are getting creative to source their start-up funds. Bemidji Brewing’s founders, Tom Hill, Tina Hanke, and Justin “Bud” Kaney are utilizing several grassroots start-up and funding strategies: from starting with a very small “nano” system of 25 gallons of beer per batch and renting space at a commercial kitchen, to looking to raise funds via online fundraising campaigns.

“The state of Minnesota is experiencing a craft beer boom–from the increased consumer awareness to the exciting number of new breweries opening, craft beer is no longer something for the coasts or big cities,”

says head brewer and Bemidji State Alum Tom Hill, “people everywhere are looking for a high-quality beer that is made locally.” This demand, especially in northern Minnesota, is what Bemidji Brewing hopes to quench. “In order for us to bring fresh, local craft beer to Bemidji and northern Minnesota, we hope to launch a pilot brewing system, basically a very small-scale system that will allow us to serve a few local accounts,” says Tina Hanke, one of the few female brewery founders in Minnesota.

“Then, when we have documented sales and demand data we will be able to approach more traditional capital raising entities such as banks and investors to build a larger production brewery.”

However, building even a small pilot brewing system is a pricey endeavor, so the founders are looking to the community to help make it happen. They are launching an online “Kickstarter” campaign that will run for 60 days in hopes of raising the $15,000 goal the founders have set to help cover the costs of securing a small brewing system. According to the Kickstarter.com website, “Kickstarter is the world’s largest funding platform for creative projects.” The concept is simple: someone with a creative project submits an online project campaign through Kickstarter and then folks can go online to view and donate to the project. If, and only if, the project meets its goal amount, is the project funded and the donors charged. It’s all or nothing. This is where the Bemidji Brewing Company is looking to local communities and northern Minnesota: to help them meet their $15,000 goal by Sunday, January 22, 2012. Bud Kaney, also a BSU Alum, stresses the founders’ commitment to providing locals with fresh, high-quality craft beer, and their hopes of having a production brewery and taproom in Bemidji someday where folks from all backgrounds can enjoy the community aspect of craft beer.

“For us, beer is more than just a beverage, it’s a passion, and we look forward to sharing it with our friends and neighbors.”

To learn more about Bemidji Brewing Company, its founders, and their Kickstarter campaign, visit: http://bemidjibeer.com. You can meet the founders, and chat about the Brewery at their fist public event on Friday, December 2, 2011 from 4-7pm when they present a one-night art show entitled “Beer: Beyond Taste” hosted by KD Floral and Gardens, located at 325 Minnesota Ave in downtown Bemidji.

Update: We are including a link to the Bemidji Brewing Company’s Kickstarter campaign.