Fun with Firkins!

Part of the joy of cask conditioned ale is the experimental aspect.

I changed up the Mariner Nut Brown ale a bit, and have replaced it with what I'm calling the Brighton Brown.  This is a Southern English Brown Ale.  It differs from the Mariner in that it is sweeter and maltier. 

I also decided to make up a cask of the Brighton and I got a little crazy. 

I went to Pick 'n Save and bought three coconuts.  I got about one cup of coconut milk from them which I boiled for a few minutes to sterilize it.  Then I shredded the coconut meat and toasted it in the oven.  I then put all the coconut into a firkin along with the milk, to which I added some priming sugar.  Finally, I filled the firkin with Brighton Brown Ale. 

It is presently third in line for tapping.  Currently we have the "Primus Pilus" IPA (an extra-hopped version of the Dark Lord IPA) and the yet-to-be-cleverly?-named Raspberry Weisse on deck.

Miscellany

A few short notes--

The "Dark Lord" IPA was tapped last Wednesday and it's selling well.  Come and try some before it's gone!

I've replaced our Stout with a Rotating Dark.  This does not mean that the stout is disappearing.  In fact, the Cowtipper sold very well, so it will make a return.  However, I'd like to get some other dark styles into the rotation.  Currently I have the "Smokey the Beer" smoked porter.  I made a robust porter and added some smoked malt.

Our cask-conditioned ale series is in full swing.  We currently have on cask our BOSS P--the Bourbon Oak Soaked Smoked Porter.  I took some of the aforementioned porter and cask-conditioned it with a bourbon soaked oak spiral. 

There are also some cask conditioned ales on deck.  Last week, I pulled some of the Dark Lord IPA and dry hopped it in the cask with some more Centennial hops.  This one might be a hop bomb!  Today, I just tossed some crushed frozen raspberries into a Firkin and racked some Weisse on top of it for a cask-conditioned raspberry weisse.  The next time I brew a Kolsch, I think I'll make a cask of that with strawberries to make a Strawberry Blonde.

Finally, the weather is perfect (depending on when you are reading this) for our outdoor patio.  The hops I planted last year have come up again and a few are really taking off.  Hope to see you here!

WI Craft Brewing Is In Danger

The good folks at Tyranena Brewing have put together a wonderful article about some pending legislation in Madison.

While the rich history of Wisconsin craft brewing has seen some wonderful gains of late, it is at the expense of certain Mega-Brewers who have seen their market share slip.  It is believed that their influence has helped quietly push this new legislation along.

I would implore you to take a few mintes to read this well thought out article, and then contact your state representative.

Thank you!

http://www.tyranena.com/BadNewsMotion414.pdf

The Belgian Inversion

No, this has nothing to do with the Beatles or the Stones.

If you've been following my blog for some time, you may recall:  http://stfrancisbrewery.blogspot.com/2010/06/saison-day.html

Yes, I'm brewing the Summer Night Saison again, and yes, I am still inverting the sugar myself.

But let's digress, shall we?

Many of you may never see me.  I tend to get to the Brewery early, get the job done, and leave.  However, my absence from the brewery does not necessarily mean I am not working.  For example, sometimes I am representing the St. Francis Brewery at local festivals:

This was from the World of Beer event put on by the Beer Barons of Milwaukee every year. 
Sometimes my workday is much more demure.  Tonight I was inverting sugar for my planned Saison.  To refresh your memories, Belgian beers often call for Belgian Candi Syrup.  This is a fancy way of describing inverted sugar. 

So what is inverted sugar?  Easy.  Table sugar is sucrose.  The Belgian monks found that yeast had an easier time eating a simpler form of sugar.  So, by taking simple table sugar, mixing it with a little water, bringing it to a boil, and adding a little acid (in my case, citric acid), you can break sucrose into two simpler sugars:  glucose and fructose.  Yeast has an easier time eating these simpler sugars.  You can see the steps here:

This is simply sugar mixed with water.

Once it boils and the acid is added, you can see how it clears up.

 



Last year's Saison was a learning experience for me.  Saisons call for bitter orange peel in the brew.  Last year, I tossed the orange peel into the brew kettle thinking they would whirlpool out nicely.  Unfortunately, they didn't.  I ended up clogging my heat exchanger with little pieces of orange peel.  This year, I'll pull about a gallon of wort and boil the orange peel separate from the main boil, strain it, and then reintroduce it to the main boil.