Big Ditch Brewing - The Monthly Mule: November 2013

[ne...@bigditchbrewing.com]

 

	Hard to believe that fall is nearly over and we're heading into the beautiful Buffalo winter. If the next few months keep us as busy as we've been it will be spring before we know it - and that much closer to the opening of our brewery! Where we've been: We've been lying low for the past few weeks and will most likely continue to do so until the brewery is open. We've been buckling down and are working very hard to get to our ultimate goal! That being said, we still like to get out there and 'work the shovels' so to speak. Here's what we've been up to.   Every month the Twentieth Century Club gathers at the mansion on Delaware. They exchange some friendly conversation, eat some excellent food, and learn something new from local businesses.  This past month Matt along with Ethan Cox from Community Beer Works were the key note speakers. Both speakers described the process of making beer, from raw materials to operations. Afterwards, we shared some of our beers, and then found ourselves wrapped up in great conversation with the group.   The Buffalo Beer League started out as just a couple of buddies that would get together and share some beers. As their palates became more refined, so did their meetings. We had the opportunity to sit down with the group in our pilot brewery (aka my garage) and talk about beer.   We sampled prototypes of our Cinnamon Apple Ale, Belgian-style Blonde Peach, and Saison. The guys brought a Pale Ale (that BBL founder Scott brewed), and Ommegang Take the Black. It was a fun time.  We encourage you to follow Buffalo Beer League’s adventures on Facebook.   What's in the fridge? WHO: Bell's Brewing   WHAT: American Stout – 6.0%   WHERE: Kalamazoo, MI   WHY: With the temperatures dropping as well as the recent introduction of Bells Brewery to the Buffalo area, this is a perfect time to review the Kalamazoo. The appearance is jet black with a light, long lasting, tan head. The aroma is inviting and features significant dark roast with some dark chocolate/cocoa character. The flavor is like the aroma, with heavy roast/slightly burnt flavor up front, fading into a nice and rich finish. The mouthfeel is creamy and full. OK, we’ve said enough. Go pick this up on cold evening, and share with some friends in front of a fire.   Blogging: Dotting the "I"S. Crossing the "T"S. Since Buffalo Beer Week ended, we’ve been a bit on the quiet side.  Why? For one thing – we needed a rest! We attended 7 different events that week and recorded a podcast for Buffalo Eats in the middle.  So – needless to say – we were pretty whipped by the end. Read More           What's brewing? We've been busy, but it's back to brewing... now with some new toys! As we've traveled down this path, we realized that brewers are only as good as the instruments at their disposal. So, we purchased some high quality tools: a new pH meter, a refractometer, and a new temperature probe. We couldn't be more excited to use them!   Imagine you’re in a dense, dark forest, when suddenly the sun breaks through the leaves.  As it shines down on you, it feels like you’re the only one in the universe.  You reach into your bag and grasp a magical elixir brewed with mysterious spices, which you sip while you sit back and enjoy the beauty of the forest.  At least that’s what I was imagining when I wrote the recipe for our experimental German Hefeweizen spiced with pearls of jasmine. It will be bottled soon - we'll be sure to let you know if it lives up to its magical expectations.   The next beer we brewed was our IPA. If you’re familiar with brewing, you know that some hops are just hard to come by. We’ve had to make some adjustments to our recipe based on hop availability. We’ve been experimenting with the timing of hop additions in order to maximize hop flavor and aroma. In this recent version, we moved the essential flavor and aroma hops to the dry-hop step. We can't wait for this one to be done – we’ll be sure to report back the results!   The other beer we recently tweaked is our Cinnamon Apple Amber Ale. We refined the process to more closely represent how it will be made at full scale by varying the amount of apples and spices used and how they’re added to the beer.  We’re hopeful the changes we’ve made will make it the perfect beer for the fall season. Dear Sam Mule: Dear Sam,   As the temperature begins to drop and a chill is in the air, it’s my favorite time of the year. Not only do I enjoy the holiday feel around the corner, but I really love the beers that come out this time of year. What winter beer are you looking forward to most?   Dear Reader, There are only two things I look forward to during the winter: the holidays and the wide variety of delicious seasonal beers. I could list all the beers I love this time of year (because, truthfully, there’s no clear favorite), but that list would be extremely long. One beer that I do enjoy year in and year out is Sierra Nevada's Celebration Ale. This beer is a hop head's delight. It’s always a sad day when I’m unable to find these beers at the end of the season, but then again it gives me something to look forward to next year!     follow on Twitter | friend on Facebook To unsubscribe from this newsletter, please reply with STOP in the subject line.