The Long Haul (American Cask Beer In England, Part 1)
July 28th, 2010
A cask of 3 Lions Ale bound for England
You may recall from an earlier post that, for the first time, I have sent a firkin of Oliver Ale to the Great British Beer Festival. Here’s the story so far….
The Great British Beer Festival, held at London’s Earls Court between August 3rd and 7th is without doubt England’s largest beer festival and will be serving over 700 Real Ales, Ciders and beers from around the world. This year 82 firkins were shipped to the festival from the U.S., up from 54 in 2009, a reflection of the increasing importance of American craft beer in the world marketplace. It’s been a long time since I’ve had the opportunity to attend the GBBF (I last visited in 2000) and the last time I had beer at the festival was when I poured my Blonde Ale for my former employer, The Firkin Brewery in 1999. It was with great interest therefore that I read last year of the efforts of the folks at “Soft Spile”, responsible for the task of shipping American casks to England. I contacted Mike at Soft Spile to express my interest in sending a firkin to GBBF and in early April Mike started to contact breweries to invite their participation. Local co-ordination was provided by Mike Roy at Franklin’s Brewery. Soft Spile began shipping empty firkins to participating breweries in May. Regional consolidation points were organised from which casks were shipped to New England, the local one being the Heavy Seas brewery at which filled firkins were required to be in place by June 18th. I decided to send a cask of 3 Lions Ale aged with American White Oak largely because I thought that, being relatively high in alcohol, it would be best suited to the long journey! 3 Lions Ale, gyle # 3289 was brewed on June 3rd and a firkin filled on June 12th (oak being placed directly in the cask). The cask was sent over to the folks at Heavy Seas and from there was shipped with the other local firkins to New England for forwarding to the UK by the 3rd week of June. Unfortunately, over carbonation of some casks led to failure of keystones / shives which resulted in the shipment being refused at port and the shipping deadline (first week of July) being missed. This is not totally unexpected of course. Remember, cask conditioned ales contain living yeast and are subject to further fermentation (a vital part of producing a well conditioned beer). In a situation such as this, where the casks may be subject to prolonged agitation and excessive temperatures, casks with high yeast counts and/or high amounts of residual fermentable material may undergo an unusually active secondary fermentation, causing high volumes of CO2 to be present in the beer, and this may lead to the internal pressure of the cask causing beer to leak from the shive or keystone or, in the worst case scenario, for the shive or keystone to be blown out of the cask! A quick clean-up response from the folks at Soft Spile saved the day and a rescheduled shipment was loaded on July 17th and the shipment arrived and cleared customs in Liverpool on July 27th. From there the beer was bound for London and the expert hands of the bar managers of CAMRA. The American Beer will be showcased in the Bieres Sans Frontieres which is comprised of 3 bars, the German & Czech Bar, the Belgian & Dutch Bar and the USA & Rest Of The World Bar (sponsored by Sierra Nevada). I’ll post an update following the festival’s conclusion.
read more about the GBBF at http://gbbf.camra.org.uk/festivalinfo and for an English take on the American craft beer at this year’s festival see http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/features/american-craft-ales-brewed-in-the-usa-2036768.html.
Cheers
Steve
Lazy Sunday
July 25th, 2010
No brewing today, just had to stop by the brewery for a short while to check fermentations and prep for tomorrow’s brew. I’ll be brewing an Irish Red tomorrow and also moving Jacob’s Summer Celebration to conditioning tank. I’ll be filling firkins of course, some dry hopped with Liberty and some with Kent Goldings and some will be aged with American White Oak. In an ideal world I’d put the whole batch into cask but, regrettably we don’t have enough available so I’ll be filling about 6 or 8 depending upon how many empties are returned tomorrow. On the way back home I stopped by the Wine Source in Hampden … OMG … how have I walked or driven by it so many times in the past and never been in there before? Definitely my new favorite destination to buy beer (and wine, and gin …). I stopped there to pick up a bottle of something for a Friday Question prize. A few weeks ago Scott won a growler of our Bulldog Bitter and “a couple of bottles of something from the country that won the World Cup”. By common consensus we decided to get him something from the runner-up rather than the winner … he wasn’t excited about the prospect of beer from Spain and I was so disgusted by the way Spain played in the final that I flat out refused to spend money on Spanish beer. So, the Netherlands it is … here’s a little teaser for Scott ….
Hel & Verdoemenis bottle # 596
from Brouwerij De Molen, Hel & Verdoemenis is 10.2 % abv, 99 EBu s and is a limited bottling of 1092 bottles. Brewed on 17/18 February 2009 this beer (it says on the label) will be good for 25 years! Congratulations Scott, enjoy! I picked up a few things for myself as well and this evening I’ve been relaxing with Kelly and Jacob and enjoying a 21st Amendment “Back In Black” (excellent) and Harpoon “Leviathan” (I love this beer).
Speaking of the Friday Question, there’s a growler of our Golden Glory (wheat ale brewed with root ginger) and a bottle each of Three Floyds “Black Sun Stout” and Bells “Batch 9000″ up for grabs, so have a stab at it. Now, I’m not saying that friend and local brewery guru Volker of the Brewer’s Art signed a pact with the Devil, but I noticed earlier that, for the first, time he’d posted an answer to the Friday Question and it just so happened that it is comment number 666 posted on the website! Coincidence or a sign of something more sinister, you decide! I picture Volker at a dusty crossroads signing a pact with Old Nick … not for the ability to play eye-watering blues as per Robert Johnson, but to propel Resurrection cans to the “most wanted” status in every beer store in Maryland (not that it needs any help and rightly so, it’s wonderful … the reason I ended up with Back In Black today is because they were out of Resurrection!)
Cheers
Steve
The Friday Question
July 23rd, 2010
Brew day 5 for the week sees me finishing with a Summer Light Ale, thankfully. It’s been unbearably hot in the brewery as you can imagine, so I’m very happy that the mash to be dug out later is minimal. I’ve also brewed a Bishop’s Breakfast, two batches of Ironman Pale Ale and an Old Habit. Next week looks to be equally busy as I’ll be brewing an Irish Red Ale, Strongman Pale Ale, 3 Lions, 3 Spires and Blonde Ale. Today I’ll also be racking firkins of Golden Glory, a 5.5%abv wheat ale brewed with root ginger which will be going to Metropolitan, Frisco Grille, ChurchKey and Meridian Pint so look out for those. The remainder will be transferred to conditioning and will be carbonated next Tuesday and on tap at The Ale House on Wednesday.
By-the-way, new on cask @ The Ale House today is the Pagan Porter with vanilla beans. There’s one firkin only so get it while you can. It’s soft and smooth with wonderful hints of chocolate, coffee and, of course, vanilla. I am in love with this beer!
On cask now ... Pagan Porter with Vanilla ... Glorious!
O.K., onto the Friday Question. Last week I asked how much Jacob (my baby boy) would weigh as of his doctors appointment on Wednesday. The prize is a growler of Jacob’s Summer Celebration (released in a couple of weeks), a bottle of ‘08 Fuller’s Vintage Ale and a bottle of ‘08 Stone Double Bastard …. a nice little haul, I’m sure you’ll agree. The little man turned out to be 9lb 14oz (and 22 inches long by-the-way) which makes Brandon the winner, congratulations sir. This week I’ll be giving away 2 more bottles from our stash, Bell’s Batch 9000 and Three Floyds Black Sun Stout as well as a growler of our Golden Glory.
you could be drinking these next week!
The question is this …. as I mentioned in previous posts, the Golden Glory, released next Wednesday, is brewed with root ginger (which is chopped and suspended in the boiling wort) … what you need to know is how much ginger is used in a 7 barrel brew? As usual, please submit your answer via the comment option below. Good luck…. sort of…. I’ll be honest with you here, I hope that nobody gets close because I really want to drink that Three Floyds Stout!
How to get this Englishman to a baseball game.
July 20th, 2010
…. craft beer of course! In the absence of my son, William, with whom I’ve enjoyed many excursions to Camden Yards, my interest in baseball has waned somewhat. However, local beer blogger Baltimore Beer Guy, has lured me out for Saturday’s game against Minnesota with his idea of a craft beer themed group trip to the game. The group will enjoy pre-game beverages at The Pratt Street Ale House (happy hour pricing on select Oliver Ales for the group) followed by a visit to the Yards where we can enjoy craft beer by Flying Dog. Get all of the details and sign-up for the event at http://baltimorebeer.blogspot.com/2010/07/flying-dogpratt-street-bad-birds-good.html. It promises to be a fun evening and, who knows, maybe the O’s will surprise us and win!
The Friday Question
July 16th, 2010
Last night’s Brew At The National Zoo proved to be an excellent event despite the heat and humidity. The beer festival was excellently organised and had something for everyone in terms of beer, plenty of great craft beer as well as the generic big brands, as well as great food and live entertainment. I look forward to this being a regular event in our festival calendar and, of course, it’s for a great cause. Thanks to everybody who stopped by to sample Oliver Ales, we “sold out” 15 minutes before the end of the event!
Mike, our DC sales rep serves some Oliver Ale @ Brew At The National Zoo
Today I’m brewing our latest seasonal offering, Golden Glory. It’s a golden wheat ale (40% of the grain bill by weight is wheat) brewed with root ginger (chopped and suspended in the boiling wort) and I’m trying out the Liberty hops I bought for Jacob’s Summer Celebration as the finishing hop. Speaking of little Jacob’s brew, it’s fermenting nicely. I can’t wait to get this on tap, especially on cask, which will be dry hopped with Liberty and maybe Chinook also. I’ll be filling about 6 firkins so expect to see it at a few of your fave purveyors of cask conditioned ale.
O.K., onto the Friday Question. As I haven’t had any responses to “what’s in the fridge” (see earlier post), I’m going to offer up a couple of bottles from our stash, namely Fuller’s Vintage Ale (‘08) and Stone Double Bastard (also ‘08) AND a growler of Jacob’s Summer Celebration (when it’s released next month). Staying on the theme of Jacob, the question is this …. next Wednesday the little man will have his scheduled doctor’s check-up … at that time, how much will he weigh? As usual, post your answer via the comment option below …. the winner will be posted next Friday. Good luck.
Cheers
Steve
Mid Week Round Up
July 14th, 2010
It’s been a busy week so far. We’ve brewed a Pagan Porter and Jacob’s Summer Celebration thus far, an Ironman Pale Ale today and Golden Glory on Friday. The Golden Glory is a wheat ale brewed with root ginger, obviously a glorious golden color, 5.2% abv, a great Summer Ale. I’m taking a break from brewing tomorrow as I’ll be heading to D.C. in the afternoon for Brew At The Zoo (http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ActivitiesAndEvents/Celebrations/Brew/default.cfm) where we’ll be pouring Bulldog Bitter, 3 Lions Ale, Ironman Pale Ale and Summer Light Ale with vanilla. It should be a fun event, sold out already I believe. This weekend sees Christmas In July at T-Bonz Grille (http://tbonzgrille.com/images/xmas-in-july-2010.gif) with the return of their Pints & Pancakes extravaganza. We’ll have a firkin of Bishop’s Breakfast oatmeal stout infused with coffee beans there, a perfect breakfast beer! Thursday’s firkin at Frisco Grille will be our Three Spires Ale, a hoppy golden ale, 5% abv, a real thirst quencher. For those of you in DC we’re sending over firkins of Dark Horse, Bulldog Bitter and Three Spires to Meridian Pint, go get some!
Cheers
Steve
Jacob’s Summer Celebration Ale
July 13th, 2010
Hey Dad, breast is best but what about a kick-ass strong ale?
Today’s the day … little Jakey is a little over a week old and I’m brewing the ale that will celebrate his birth (wet the baby’s head as we say). It’s going to be a big beer. Jacob weighed 8.8lbs at birth so I’ll be aiming for 8.8% abv. I’m also using his birth weight to determine the amount of hops used in the brew … 8lb 13 oz didn’t seem enough so I’ll be using 8lb 13oz of pellet hops in the kettle and 8lb 130z of leaf hop split between the hop percolator and dry hopping in tank. The hops used will be split between American and English varieties to reflect his English and American parentage and of course because he was born on July 4th! As another tribute to Jacob’s ironic birth date I’ll be using Liberty to dry hop with (and Liberty is derived from a cross of Hallertauer, so there’s a nod to his German Grandmother and his Great Grandmother … Jacob’s middle name, Evan, was chosen as a tribute to his Great Grandmother, Eva.) The beer will be released in about 3-4 weeks and then will be brewed for release on his birthday each year as is the case with William’s Winter Warmer. I didn’t have time to get any in time for this brew but next year we will also be using the American hop “Independence” (you see where I’m going with this!). We’ll have a low key release party at the Ale House, details will be posted in the near future.
Cheers
Steve
The Friday Question World Cup Winner
July 13th, 2010
Well it’s over, the annoying buzz of the vuvuzela fades into memory and it’s time for some of us to start looking forward to the 2012 European Cup. I’ve got to say, it’s a shame that the tournament finished with the final …. one of the poorest games that I watched. Sub par officiating and the Spanish predilection for diving and amateur dramatics really killed the game. The previous day’s game between Germany and Uruguay was infinitely more entertaining. Kudos to Paul the Octopus though, for correctly predicting the outcome of several games (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/africa/10569977.stm). Good job he wasn’t entering the Friday Question, he would have cleaned up! In last Friday’s Question I asked for the scoreline and goalscorer(s) of the final game. Peter came closest, getting the correct scoreline but wrong scorer and as such is deemed the winner and gets a growler of Bulldog Bitter, souvenir pint glasses and t-shirt, congratulations sir. You may recall that the winners of the Friday Questions posted throughout the World Cup were also entered into a random draw to win a team jersey …. cue drum roll as we perform the draw (the old numbered bottle caps in a bag scenario)…. and the winner is …
Dominic Cantalupo, come on down.
You get to choose a team jersey and, as long as it’s easily available, it shall be yours … cool, eh?
I hope that those of you who watched games at the Ale House enjoyed the Bulldog Bitter brewed especially for the tournament. We’ll be keeping it on tap for the rest of the month because, as I’m sure you’re already aware, we’ll be celebrating the forthcoming footie extravaganza that is Manchester City vs Inter Milan at M&T Bank Stadium on July 31st (http://www.baltimoreravens.com/Gameday/Tickets/Special_Events.aspx). Make the Pratt Street Ale House your pre- and post-game headquarters, we’ll have specials all day (details coming soon).
Cheers
Steve
The Friday Question
July 9th, 2010
get in there my son
Last week I asked how many team jerseys I own, both club (Coventry City) and country (England, of course). Special thanks to Moira for her mention of Coventry’s glorious win over Spurs in the ‘87 F.A. Cup Final (see the picture of Keith Houchen’s spectacular goal above)! As it happens, I haven’t got the 87 Cup Shirt (something I need to rectify methinks) although I do have the ‘87 -’89 home shirt on which the badge proudly declares the team the 87 Cup Winners. Anyway, on to the business in hand, I have 4 different England shirts and 7 different Coventry shirts giving a total of 11 and a winner …. Scott Scharf, come on down! Congratulations sir, you win a growler of Bulldog Bitter and a few bottles of beer from whichever country wins on Sunday (hmmm, Netherlands or Spain, I’m going to have to do some research for this one, unless anyone out there has any suggestions?)
On to this week’s question and the last of the World Cup. You’ve got until kick-off on Sunday to get your answer in … the question is, of course, what will be the final score of the 2010 World Cup Final at full time (this includes any extra time played but excludes any possible penalty shoot-out) and who are the goal scorers (all of them)? The winner gets a growler of Bulldog Bitter, a couple of Oliver pint glasses and a t-shirt. Have at it & good luck.
Steve
Homebrew Competition Update
July 9th, 2010
I had originally stated that I would accept only all grain brews for the competition ( http://www.prattstreetalehouse.com/2010/07/homebrew-competition-details/). However, I’ve had some feedback from extract brewers on the subject so I will bow to them and say that I would prefer all grain brews but extract brews will be accepted providing that the brewer provides both the original recipe and a conversion for all grain … fair enough?