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Now it’s time for the hop monster. Yesterday we brewed the Kryptonite. I little history: the name came from Paul Rutherford and it totally fits.  There are enough hops in this beer to make even the mighty Superman buckle at the knees. On paper this year’s batch is 155 IBUS, will have over 3 pounds per barrel (35 total pounds…we use 3 in light lager), and it will be about 9%ABV. Giddyup!

If you’ve been following the beer world you may be aware the hops have suddenly become a fairly scarce / expensive commodity. Normally that would preclude the brewing of such a hop laden beer. It’s just way too expensive for us to sell. Last week as I was considering this dilemma a friend sent me an email. So it turns out his company has about half a BALE of whole leaf Columbus hops they didn’t know what to do with….turns out they don’t like it. For a brewer that is sort of like hitting the lotto.  Actually that’s not like hitting the lotto…that IS hitting the lotto. Nice. Photo is of our mash tun being used as a hop back. Yum. Status updates as the beer matures.

Here in West Chester, we are conveniently situated a mere 10.5 miles
from one of Pennsylvania’s finest (not to mention largest) Wineries.
Chaddsford Winery has been producing fine fermented grape juice for
nearly 40 years now, and we are very lucky brewers to be that close to
so much good wood. Allow me to explain.
As you all know, we have been aging beer in barrels at Iron HIll for
some time now. For the most part, most of the barrel aging has been
conducted in bourbon barrels. This, of course, has its exceptions.
Bob in Media and Brian in Wilmington make killer, world-class,
medal-winning, lambic bier in used wine barrels. For the past couple
years in West Chester and now in Maple Shade, Chris has perpetuated
his “Heywood” series (various beers aged in a funkified used wine
barrel).
Well, let’s just say that Larry and I began to get really antsy for a
serious barrel aging project here in West Chester, and about two
months ago, we began to contact local wine makers. We needed about a
dozen freshly used wine barrels, and we needed them soon. What seemed
to be a daunting task was made infinitely easier with a simple e-mail
to Chaddsford Winery. Cellarmaster, Jim Osborn, returned my initial
e-mail with a simple response, “I’m your man”, it read, “let me know
how many you need”. What a relief! Given their proximity to the
brewery, we were able to pick up all 18 barrels (Paul in Lancaster got
6 of ‘em) in less than half a day. Beats the heck out of paying
shipping charges to get them sent from California!

A whole 10bbl batch of lambic is on the horizon for sure, as is a new batch of GABF 2008 silver-medal winning, Cherry Dubbel. We also
plan on picking and choosing specific types of wood (we have
Hungarian, French, and Western Pa oak) for aging specific beers. The
Hungarian seem to be the heaviest toast, and according to Jim, it
imparts spicy caramel notes. Sounds like a great candidate for some
porter aging, eh?

Do any of you, our loyal readers, have barrel aging ideas?

-Jean

Here’s a pic of the cellar at Chaddsford!

This is my friend, Ryan.
For the last 5 years Ryan and I have enjoyed drinking,
creating, and talking beer together. During my time at Weyerbacher
Brewing Co, Ryan was working for Tanzo’s Beverages, and would
regularly be in and around the brewery picking up deliveries, dropping
off special beer for us to taste, pestering us for a job, etc, etc…
From these encounters, Ryan and I became close friends, and after
about a year and a half with Tanzo’s, Ryan finally got a “real”
brewing job in North Carolina at the Duck Rabbit Brewery. For the past
two years he has been making a go at it, crafting dark ales of all
sort (Duck Rabbit IS the dark beer specialist, after all), and
representing N.C. brewing to the fullest. Recently, a mutual friend,
Shaun Hill (of the Shed fame), offered Ryan a job at his current digs
in Denmark. Never one to pass up a beery adventure, Ryan jumped at
the opportunity, and I am happy to report that he is now the brewer at
Fanø Bryghus.

Two days before Ryan left, he stopped by Iron Hill, W.C, for a little
collaborative brew, if you will. Ryan and I have always been fans of
Farmhouse style ales; saison in particular. We also love love love
citrusy American hops. After a bit of back and forth, we settled on a
red Super Saison consisting of 25% flaked rye malt, with a pronounced
bitterness from the heavy handed use of Columbus, Amarillo, and
especially, Saaz hops. We fermented it with a blend of two yeast
strains; the Dupont strain, for its black peppery phenol production,
and the Ardennes (LaChouffe) strain for its chewy, chewy juicy fruit
ester notes. The beer is named Røde (pronounced “Rude”), which means
“red” in Danish (but, if you’ve ever met Ryan, the rough English
pronunciation may strike you as a more appropriate name for this
beer), and should be on tap sometime in late October. We allowed Røde
to free rise, meaning we didn’t set a fermentation temperature, and as
of yesterday, it hit 28c. Røck and ør Røll!
After knocking out, we filled a freshly used wine barrel (more on the
wine barrels later!) with the inoculated wort, tossed in some KILLER
heather honey that Ryan had brought back with him from Denmark, and
pitched some additional wild yeasts. We hope to have this 100% wood
fermented beer, named Tuff Ghost, on tap next to Røde (or at least
shortly thereafter!) for your organoleptic enjoyment.
What a great way to send off a great pal. Tot wij opnieuw samenkomen!
- Jean

Here is a shot of what we saw upon opening the delivery truck. Look at all of that wood! Oh, the possibilities are endless!

-Jean

So, I begin mashing in on Friday morning. I’m hitting my temp, the consistency is spot on, and the mash looks great. About 5 minutes into mashing in, the phone starts ringing. Usually, Lacey, our administrative assistant (and all around renaissance woman) answers the phone; but then I remember, we started early today, and she hasn’t arrived yet. The phone keeps ringing, and ringing, and ringing, and I begin to get annoyed. “Okay”, I think to myself, “since we have installed the new hydrator, the mash temp. has been totally predictable and consistent; I guess I’ll just put down the mash paddle, and answer the phone.” I rush over, pick up the phone, and a thin, crackly voice begins to speak over the line. “Greetings earthling, we’ve come from Mars in an attempt to more fully understand your most technically advanced brewing methods”. Click. The phone goes dead. I stand there for a second staring at the receiver, and think to myself, “Either this is Larry’s idea of an early morning prank, or E.T. is having diacetyl issues.” I hang up the phone, turn around to get back to the mash, and, well, let’s just say I think this will be the most authentic batch of Biere de Mars ever brewed on planet earth. Here is a photo that I was lucky enough to snap before the Martian was beamed back up! Jean