Hefeweizen ABV 5.3% IBU 10
In The Tank, Out The Tank (vol. 4)
I’d like to begin this installment by thanking my loyal readership. You’ve inspired my brewing, you’ve inspired my writing, and I owe a debt of gratitude to the both of you. It’s been a while since I last checked in – more than a month, in fact – and I suppose a lot has happened during that time. We closed out the year with the release of Collapsium barleywine. I have to say that it turned out really well, and it just might be my favorite beer of 2015. I …
One
One 2015 is in the books. Another holiday season behind us and a brand new year in front of us. This time of year often leads to reflection and a dedication to doing something better with the days that lay ahead. Too often we get so caught up trying to make these monumental changes from some missed steps the year before, we forget about the small victories that defined a year’s worth of progress. Over time, those small victories add up, thus making the big picture that much clearer. As …
CHOCOLATE TOWN
Cream Stout ABV 4.1% IBU 30 Fermentables: Maris Otter, Munich, Chocolate Malt, Roasted Barley, Dark Crystal, Flaked Barley, Lactose, Cocoa Powder Hops: Newport, Ultra A cream stout, or milk stout, is a dark and roasty ale brewed with lactose, which is “milk sugar.” Because lactose is unfermentable by brewer’s yeast, it adds body to the finished beer. Chocolate Town is a particularly small beer (low ABV), so the lactose prevents the mouthfeel from becoming overly thin. The lactose is also working against the bitterness of the roasted grain, cocoa, …
GOOD TIDINGS
Belgian Christmas ABV 7.1% IBU 26 Fermentables: 2-Row Pale, Pils, Special B, Candi Sugar, Cranberries, Cherries Hops: Santiam Good Tidings is a celebratory ale brewed with Belgian yeast, candi sugar, dried cranberries and cherries, and cherry juice. It’s hardly a fruit-forward beer, but the cranberries and cherries do impart a slight reddish hue plus a hint of tartness. The yeast esters enhance the beer’s subtle fruitiness, allowing a bit of cherry to shine through. And the Pils malt provides a gentle grain sweetness on the back end. I can’t …
Spoonwood In Motion: Find Us All Over Pittsburgh In December!
Spoonwood In Motion: Find Us All Over Pittsburgh In December! If there’s one thing that typically defines the holiday season for most people, it’s one word: busy. Shopping to be done, gifts to be wrapped, cookies to bake, parties to attend, family gatherings to coordinate and execute. Oh, and in the midst of all that…menial tasks like going to work and cleaning the house. It’s a world gone mad these 31 days. Personally, I try to keep things level and balanced by never forgetting the true meaning of the holiday …
In The Tank, Out The Tank (Vol. 3)
Turns out I was three for three on my predictions. We did, indeed, brew Good Tidings Belgian Christmas Ale, Chocolate Town Cream Stout, and Collapsium Barleywine. They will almost certainly be released in that order, beginning with Good Tidings on the first Wednesday in December. Barley Storm, our Winter Warmer, continues to rest patiently in the fermenter. It’s a big beer, in need of some extra tank time to mellow. Early samples indicate that the bottled version will age well, so we’ll definitely lay down a few cases. Barring any …
FIVE BELIEVERS
Extra Pale ABV 4.1% IBU 28 Fermentables: 2-Row Pale, Pils, Wheat, CaraPils, Honey Malt Hops: Bravo, Nelson Sauvin, Motueka Too hoppy to be a Blonde and not quite hoppy enough to be a Session IPA, this beer falls somewhere between styles. It has a light body, low ABV, and cleansing bitterness – all traits that make it highly sessionable. Which is to say you can drink several in a sitting without experiencing palate fatigue or exhibiting a vulgar display of public intoxication. Believers is bittered with Bravo, an American …
THANKSGIVING WEEK
THANKSGIVING HOURS & SPECIALS NEXT WEDNESDAY ______________________ -Extended Hours on Wednesday Nov. 25th (2:30 pm – 11 pm) with HAPPY HOUR AND $10 Growler Refills (2:30 pm – 6:30 pm) -CLOSED Thursday Nov. 26th -Nov. 27 – 29 Regular Hours
Bringing You Glad Tidings and a Killer New Menu!
Bringing You Glad Tidings and a Killer New Menu! That special time of year is upon us, friends. Before we know it, the ground will be covered with a blank white canvas of snow. Friends and family will gather around the table and share a home-cooked meal of turkey and all the fixings. Football will glow on TV sets as people slip in and out of tryptophan-induced comas. Stores will be overrun with folks looking to bust doors and elbow drop their fellow man in the name of low-cost bath …
Spoonwood Brewing to Collaborate with Caliente on BIG Imperial Stout
Spoonwood and Caliente to Join Forces A collaboration beer is a special brew designed and constructed by two or more entities that allows the talents of all those involved to shine. Working collaboratively exemplifies the camaraderie the craft beer industry has and presents a product to enthusiasts they don’t find on an everyday basis. Typically, collabs are born when multiple breweries come together. But, as we are about to learn, inspiration to build a great beer doesn’t just come from a brewhouse. Caliente Pizza & Draft House has become one …
HONEYDRIPPER
Saison ABV 7.1% 34 IBU Fermentables: 2-Row Pale, Wheat, Aromatic, Honey Malt, Honey Hops: Santiam, Ultra, Mosaic Honeydripper is made with the same yeast as Freemang IPA. It’s a yeast with a distinctive, over-the-top fruitiness, so the two beers have undeniably similar flavors. The additional wheat and aromatic malt in the Honeydripper recipe provide a richer, bready quality that moderates the yeasty fruitiness. And the honey (from Bedillion’s Farm in Hickory, PA) plays well with the amped up maltiness. However, the key difference is the hops selection. Freemang …
In The Tank, Out The Tank (Vol. 2)
Since our last little secret rendezvous here in blogland, Astrid and The Stache have both gone to print, and Good Eye Sniper has run its course in the fermenter. This batch of Sniper is promising as ever, with a slightly lower ABV (8.3%) and a properly dank hops bill (including Citra, Sorachi Ace, Mosaic, et. al.). It will flow forth from the tap this Wednesday 10/28. We’re twelve days late of the release of “The Color Before the Sun,” but you can still consider this batch to be my celebration …
In The Tank, Out The Tank
Thanks for tuning in to this first installment of In The Tank, Out The Tank. Sex, money, religion, and politics – all fine topics. But we’ll save those for our next beer pairing dinner. Instead, we’ll use this space to communicate the most compelling matters concerning the brewery… A few weeks ago, we acquired two 53-gallon barrels from Wigle Whiskey. These barrels held Wigle’s recently released straight wheat and straight rye whiskey, both aged for three years. We didn’t have anything appropriate on hand to put into the barrels, so …