In installment number two, I share a beer with Brain McConnell of Rock Bottom, discussing inspiration, plans, IPA, and other brewer nonsense.

Prism Beer Company received their brewery license, so expect to see their beer in your local tavern any day now.

Also, we are proud to pour the delicious Saison Vatour from McKenzie Brewhouse.  It recently won GABF Gold!  Come in a try some.  You won’t be disappointed.

Bad news/good news.  Scheduling issues and the release of the Philsner have precluded production of Oktoberfest and our Sly Fox collaborative brew.  The Philsner is not far from what Brian O’Reilly and I had planned to brew, though (a hoppy session beer with German roots brewed with German and English ingredients, fermented at ale temperature).  Some good news is that our Harvest Ale is sort of a hoppy festbier that is tasting fine and Novemberfest is in the fermenter (another hoppy-ish fest-like brew with more bready, biscuit flavors than the Harvest Ale – higher ABV and lower IBU’s).  We are also going to be tapping another Prism Beer Company prototype next week – a spiced Amber Ale.  But, the really good news is that a grain shipment should be delivered Monday or Tuesday that includes ingredients to brew The Emperor’s New Clothes (Tripel), The Loch Ness Monster (strong Scotch Ale) and, after much too long a delay, Raspberry Mead Ale.  We’ve been experimenting with the low alcohol beers for a while, but it’s clear that many of our fans miss the stronger beers that had become our forte over the years.  I expect to keep the ABV’s up for a while, following through the winter with East Coast IPA, Holiday Cheer, Winterfest, an , if things go as planned, a 2009 Barleywine.  Also, I’d like to brew Double Thunder, the Grim Reaper, the Weizenheimer and a Belgian Quad in 2010.  Feel free to post a comment with any suggestions for long, lost GLI specialty brews (Olde Curmudgeon, XSB, Hopeweizen, Malted Oat Stout, for example).

Cheers!

Are things easy?  Of course not.  But nothing worth earning ever is.  I was fortunate enough to welcome some new blood on the ownership side of things here.  It has helped energize us.  That, along with an entire new menu concept (mussels, flatbreads, pretzels, incredible burgers, all house made – simple, fresh, and delicious), has opened up some new opportunities here.  Heck, we even have digital HD television now.

Look for us to expand our bar area into our (mostly) empty dining room, creating a warm, comforting, atmosphere with booths, tvs, and, hopefully, a second bar.  Hard wood floors are the next addition and we hope to see more folks returning for casual meals, great beer, and good times.  Damn, this sounds like a commercial.  So, I’ll wrap it up.

I just wanted everyone to know that I’m not going anywhere anytime soon.  After many phone calls, I finally got a return call from a woman who had paid a deposit to host her rehersal dinner here tomorrow night.  We had not heard from her and needed her menu.  She told me, “we were under the impression that you were going out of business, so we found another place”.  Well, you can imagine how deflating that can be.  True, I brought these rumors on myself by making a public request for help.  Well, we did get some.  Now, I must quash the backlash of that unconventional approach and get this thing back on track.

If the Phillies hold up their end, we’ll have Philadelphia Philsner on tap in time for the NLCS.  Fugazi Lager is pouring now, with Octoberfest on-deck.  The Phils are battling and so are we.  Please don’t think we’ve given up and are anything but going strong!

Cheers!

Cheers!

Speaking of collaborations, we haven’t forgotten about our Sly Fox beer.  Scheduling delays have pushed the target brew date to the second week of October.  However, the beer Brian O’Reilly and I developed is a “beer for all seasons”, so the delay is simply a complication trying the patience of our eager patrons.  Look for our hybrid English/German pale ale/lager sometime around Halloween.  This is appropriate, as it’ll be something of a “Franken-brew”.  There is still some SLy Fox Pilsner on tap, so come in and polish it off.

Cheers!

Without giving too much away, I’ll tell you the beer is approximately 6.5% ABV and 65 IBUs.  Technically, it is a very dry beer.  Whether that translates in the glass is up to public interpretation.  Whether that’s even a desirable characteristic is the type of input Rob wants.  I believe it is – but I’m just the guy who brewed it.

As someone who instinctively dissects every beer I taste (I never seem to “drink” beer unless I’m in a foreign country – don’t ask), I’m neither the most objective nor the most typical consumer.  I believe I’m too close to the project to be able to give Rob input that will help him with the subjective aspects of the beer.  What I want in an IPA is not necessarily what he should be offering.  I’m trying to keep in mind that my job is to provide him with the beer he wants to brew, without letting my own personal tastes interfere.  Anyone who knows me will understand that this is not that easy for me.  Brewing “someone else’s beer” is something I haven’t done in more than 10 years.  Even after they offered to “sponsor” a beer by paying for the ingredients, I still steered our homebrew (GLUB) club’s brew into something that I found more appropriate for my draft lineup.  I do plan on brewing them the Witbier they wanted, but not until next spring.  So, the challenges of contract brewing, for me (and Russ) are more emotional than I had thought they would be.  I feared the flow of beer through our tiny brewery would be the biggest hurdle.  I was mistaken.  Russ seems to be having an even more difficult time accepting and adapting to our new role than I am.  Of course, I look at our books every day.  Wait until we brew the next Prism Beer.  It’s an intriguing concept, but nothing the General Lafayette Inn would ever brew.  I guess that’s the point.  We’ll make it the best it can be given Rob’s specs, and leave our own beer designing agendas out of it.  My desire to be true to myself artistically while being responsible to the needs of the business have never clashed quite like this before.  Hey, times change, tastes change, and the competition hasn’t stood still.  Anyone who looks at our P&L can see that.  If we don’t adapt and act proactively to survive in this tempestuous economy, my artistic integrity will be good for wiping my ass and not much more.

I’ve gotten to know Rob DeMaria fairly well during this process.  He has an incredible mind for marketing and does know a good beer when he tastes it, or brews it – his beers will be based on his own homebrews.  I’ve tasted a couple.  He uses non-traditional ingredients (not my style), but in ways that compliment the flavor profile, not overwhelm it.  I respect that, as it is consistent with my overall brewing philosophy.  I think that is why he chose us to help him develop his brand.  I have an underlying desire to produce nothing other than what meets my standards, regardless of the beer style.  I believe that is a solid foundation for any brand.

So, this entry started out as an invitation to help Prism with the final design of their new beer.  I, of course, choose to make about it my emotional and philosophical angst.  While I have never hid the fact that this blog began as a marketing ploy, its essence is to allow the reader a look into my world.  So, in the end, it’s all about me anyway.  That being said, Rob does truly want input on his IPA.  In its current form, the beer is clean and VERY drinkable (and the tap handle is quite fetching!).  I urge you to come in and help him design the final product.  More input from outside will give me less incentive to interject my own thoughts and help Rob develop his perfect beer.

Cheers!

For me, it’s a time of longing.  As a restaurant owner, I struggle each September with the fallout of a summer even slower than the previous one.  Let’s face it, who wants to spend time inside a dark 277 year old tavern that just seems dreary when the sun is shining in the middle of August?  I don’t, and nobody loves being in the General Lafayette Inn more than I.  This is a reality, not a complaint.  Unless we build a beach in the parking lot, I don’t think the summers in Lafayette Hill will change much for us. (Look for some more interesting things from us next summer, however, as I know we can do some cool things to bring you out to the old Inn & Brewery).  I digress.

What this leads me to is a nostalgic envy for my brewing bretheren who make the yearly trip to Denver to gather, cavort, sample, taste, bond, and experience the beauty of American craft brewing.  It’s been 9 years since I made that journey alone, scoring a Silver Medal for Alt! Who Goes There?  I remember it like it was yesterday.  I was elated, but somehow not surprised.  We brewers are more surprised when we DON’T win than when we do.  Most of us are perfectionists, and expect nothing but the best from ourselves.  That particular batch of beer was as close to what I wanted it to be as any beer I’ve made since. When we succeed in meeting our own expectations, we just assume everyone else will agree.

I recall that I had my lucky shoes on that day.  I also recall Paul Gatza, with the worlds least mullet-like mullet, draping the medal on me.  I tried to shake Charlie Papazian’s hand too soon, and felt foolish for doing so.  I didn’t take the medal off until I got off the plane.  It was pre-911, so you could do that then.  What a geek!  I drank beer at the Falling Rock the night I received that medal, hung out with some friends from brewing school, and slept like a baby.   So, I’m glad I soaked it all in and have those memories.  With a new baby, struggling business, no time to even brew, I doubt I will ever have another beer experience like that one.  The irony is that I thought owning the General would free me up to have even more time to do things like that.  I assumed that it was the first of many medals, trips to Denver, and a life of world beer traveling.  Boy, was I naive.  I don’t even have lucky shoes anymore.

Three years ago, I sent Russ to Denver, hoping to provide him with the same experience.  Alas, while we made the final round with a few of our entries, we received no medal.  Regardless, he got to experience all the other amazing things associated with the GABF, and some of the joys of being a craft brewer in the U.S.

So, while I see facebook posts from friends like Ric Hoffman and Chris LaPierre regarding their arrival in Denver, I wish them luck with their entries and ask them to taste something new for me.  I’ll be training a new front of the house manager today.  While I wouldn’t give up being the proprietor of The General Lafayette Inn for anything, I sure wish I could join those guys to enjoy the festivities and camaraderie instead.

Maybe next year.

Cheers!

We were pouring Union Jack ESB and Sly Fox Rt 113 IPA directly from the casks on the bar.  One of my newer servers did not know that the vessel is called a “firkin”.  She mistakenly believed that “firkin” was the name of the beer (the horror!).  So, I gathered my eager charges behind the bar to go over every piece of equipment.  The patrons sitting at the bar engaged themselves in the conversation, as I had peaked their interest as well.

So, the first item discussed was the spile.  I showed them a hard spile and a soft spile, describing the manner in which each is employed and for what purpose.  (I’ll leave that detailed discussion for a later entry, as the act of educating is the heart of this entry.)  Then, I moved on to the shive.  This is where it got interesting, as one of my staff mentioned she heard that it was the bung.  “Well,” I said, “the shive is inserted into the bung hole”.  (Giggles all around).  “We punch the spile into the shive hole to let the cask breathe.” (More giggles).  “Some kegs have bung holes into which are inserted bungs.  Because this is a firkin, we bang a shive into the bung hole.  Then we punch the spile through the shive hole.”  At this point, there were so many sophomorish chuckles and laughter, that it was clear the crowd wanted more “bung hole” humor.  I told everyone that bung holes existed long before Beavis needed “TP” for his.  I went on to dissapoint them by pointing out the keystone and saying, “what do you think this long pronged thing is that I hammered in through the keystone?  Sorry, it’s just called the tap.”  (some laughter anyway).  That’s when a patron chimed in, “yeah but after you do that you can open the tap for the money shot!”  I poured a half-pint for myself and said, “on that note, I’m going to quit while I’m ahead.”

Cheers