Tomorrow we brew the test batch of Prism Beer Company’s Honey IPA. I expect that we will be able to produce an approachable, drinkable, and extremely flavorful beer that will hopefully find a niche in the local/regional craft beer scene. I’ll post my impressions of the beer as it moves through the brewhouse. The specs were for a 7-8% ABV, 60IBU IPA with a simple grain bill of 2-row pale and 25% Honey Malt. There is an addition of honey in the kettle also. Hops are Amarillo for bittering and flavoring, Cascade for favoring/aroma. We are using the house yeast that produced our successful (imho) version of my friend Chuck Silva’s Green Flash West Coast IPA. The PRISM beer will likely have a bit more sweetness and probably less of a pine quality. We’ll tweak the recipe as necessary, depending on the results of this batch and Robert DeMaria’s (PRISM Beer Company owner and beer “designer) impressions.
Archive for August, 2009
Prism Beer
Monday, August 31st, 2009Beeriodical
Saturday, August 22nd, 2009Amid the upheaval and challenges we face during the summer, we have some exciting things happening with our beer. We will be debuting our oak barrel sour brown ale aged with cherries next Saturday at the Beer Advocate Beer-B-Q (1-4pm, $31.99 all-inclusive, rain or shine). We will pour the always reliable Union Jack ESB starting September 1 (or sooner). As noted previously, we begin brewing beer for the new Prism Beer Company, starting with their Honey IPA (formal name TBD), next week or the week following. Look for a release party at the General Lafayette Inn sometime in September. We are also gearing up to brew Septemberfest this week – a brew sponsered by our resident homebrewers, the GLUB Club.
Last, but certainly not least, we have a collaborative beer in the works with Sly Fox. Brian O’Reilly and I kicked around a few ideas about how best to integrate the personalities of both breweries into one beer. While fun, it wasn’t that easy to agree upon a final combination. But, I’m thrilled to write that we’ve put together a design for a beer that incorporates English and German ingredients using brewing techniques and practices from both brewing heritages. It will have a pale ale quality, brewed with lager yeast, and should be an interesting “hybrid” style. I know I’m looking forward to making it. We plan to have it ready for a dual beer dinner September 30.
On the less beer-specific front, we are hosting Brian O’Reilly and Tim Ohst of Sly Fox on September 9 for a meet the brewers with Russ Czajka and me. We will share some pints and talk some beer. We’ll be pouring a firkin of Sly Fox British Pale Ale along side a firkin of either the aforementioned Union Jack ESB, or my current favorite, Griffin’s Mild. It will depend on whether we tap the Mild firkin at the Beer-B-Q next Saturday. Following that, as previously mentioned, we are planning a Sly Fox / General Lafayette beer dinner for September 30. Details should be available soon.
Russ and I are off to Citizen’s Bank Park late this afternoon for their summer beerfest. Because they deserve such a great night out, our wives are joining us. Actually, if push came to shove, Pat and Kristin would likely attend the fest without us!
Cheers!
Shoot myself in the foot again
Friday, August 21st, 2009Well, jumping the gun isn’t usually my M.O., but it killed me today. Lack of sleep, stress, stupidity, all of the above, led to another bad decision. When my manager informed me the chef had given two weeks notice, I took it as a fait accompli, that his lack of communicating with me meant he was set on it. So, I vented in my blog. He, of course came to work. He left soon after arriving, as anyone in his position with integrity and self-respect would have.
As he put it, I did this to myself. To an extent, I can’t disagree with that. I’m sorry if I disrespected him or sold him short. As I wrote, he was doing some very good things, worked hard, and I won’t forget that.