XI. Brooklyn Brewery (★★.5) Toured March 13, 2011

Well, since Brooklyn Brewery didn't distribute to Wisconsin, I didn't quite know what to expect with this place. Moreover, we were all in quite a sleep-deprived shock upon arriving into NYC. We had to leave Cleveland at 5 in the morning which really meant 4, kudos to daylight saving's time, and none of us had ever driven through NYC traffic before. Frankly, I was just relieved we even made it to Brooklyn in time for a tour. 

Beer (★★★) - On tap at the brewery was their Lager, East India Pale Ale, Brown Ale, Winter Ale, and Local 2. The winter ale was subpar, lager and brown ale were okay, east india pale ale was pretty darn good, and the local 2 was thoroughly enjoyable. I got to talking with one of the assistant brewers who was serving up beers and somehow managed a trade of my six-pack of Spotted Cow for three bottles of their Local 1 and three bottles of Local 2. It was pretty magnificent. I have concluded that just about any beer served in a champagne bottle is almost always going to please my taste buds.

Tour (★★) - In 2005, the owners of Brooklyn Brewery published a book called Beer School: Bottling Success at the Brooklyn Brewery, of which I was a proud owner. So perhaps I came into the tour too knowledgeable, and this could account for my boredom with what the overly enthusiastic tour guide had to say. I learned the most from my day at Brooklyn Brewery from the assistant brewer I had befriended over my Spotted Cow trade. Since I am quite the anomaly in the brewery tour world, though, I have to make sure to state that I am sure the handsome tour guide did more than a sufficient job for everyone else.  

Brewery (★★) - When we first walked in, I was honestly a little intimidated. I had read about the mob encounter the brewery had when they started, and the guy who stood at the entrance of the brewery checking for IDs reminded me of someone straight out of The Sopranos. Inside, all around, The Sopranos family seemed to be watching all corners of the brewery. I don't know if it was just my sleep-deprivation, but I wasn't entirely comfortable with the place. Something just seemed off. The fact that the brewery was just a massive warehouse and that there was a wandering cat named Monster also didn't quite add positively to my feelings about the place either. Nonetheless, my conversation with the assistant brewer serving beer proved informative. Among other things, I found out that the brewery was in the midst of a massive expansion, with a goal in mind of 120,000 bbls in 2012. 

X. Great Lakes (★★★.5) Toured March 12, 2011

From Munster, Indiana we drove the six hours to Cleveland, Ohio to visit Great Lakes Brewery. Had it not been for my friend from Cleveland who had already visited the brewery, we would have had no idea where to go and when. Thanks to her guidance, we waited in the gift shop with our ticket stubs, just in time for the last brewery tour of the day. 

Beer (★★★) - Back in Madison, there was a place called Blue Moon, located on Old University Ave., which I frequented because I could order myself a pitcher of the Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter. It has always been among my favorite midwestern porters. As it turned out, though, the other brews I tried on the tour were just subpar: the Dortmunder Gold (their flagship, a lager), Burning River (Pale Ale), and Eliot Ness (Amber Lager). I do however remember thoroughly enjoying Conway's Irish Ale, and have heard good things about their Christmas Ale, which I have yet to try.

Tour (★★★★) - The tour was definitely something interesting. Our guide was this swashbuckling Irishman who gained my adoration with sayings like "two pints are an Irishman's handcuffs." The whole time our group was being followed by a drunken fellow who couldn't quite figure out where he was and where he had to go, despite the numerous phone calls he received all throughout the tour. As a result, the tour was a heck of an adventure -- and the best kind of adventure, since it was led by an Irishman. 

Brewery (★★★★) - As the first brewpub in Ohio, this place isn't doing too bad. Great Lakes distributes to Ohio, 12 other states, and Washington D.C. It was started by Irish brothers Pat and Dan in 1988. Of the two, Pat is said to be the crazy one; our tour guide told us of how he once moonwalked in the middle of a meeting. Whatever these guys are doing in their meetings though seems to be working. Never before had I seen that many fermentation tanks all in one place. And it makes sense that they need that much equipment -- since they're producing 100,000 bbls/year. 

IX. Three Floyds (★★) Toured March 12, 2011

The much awaited East Coast Brewery Tour Trip Reviews start here.

We arrived at the brewery, located essentially right on the Illinois-Indiana border, an hour before they opened. Thankfully, we had a lot of things in our car to keep ourselves occupied, including the professional video camera we borrowed for the trip. When the brewery finally opened at noon, we sat ourselves down at the bar to wait for the brewery tour that started at 1. Rather than asking us what we'd like to order, an intimidating man with a shaven head began grilling us about why we had a camera. We said we were videotaping our road trip. He didn't like this one bit, and unkindly told us we weren't allowed to film any of his employees. The way he approached the situation, you would think that somehow somewhere he was once assaulted by a cameraman. 

Beer (★★) - The flight we paid for at the bar consisted of Pride & Joy (American Ale), Robert the Bruce (Scottish Ale), Alpha King Pale (their flagship, an APA), and Dreadnaught (IIPA). Unimpressed that I was only receiving their year-rounds, I requested to try their Behemouth on tap. Just like the name, it was a pretty intense beer, brewed to wine-strength. Everyone in Wisconsin of course knows (or should know) Three Floyds' Gumball Head -- it's their most popular beer. I never was a huge fan of Gumball, although I had friends who were, so it was pleasant for me to discover other brews the brewery made. But frankly I was as equally unimpressed as I was with Gumball. It felt like the brewery was doing 70% of what it could with these all-amazing-sounding beer names. When I drink a beer called Alpha King, I expect it to taste like an Alpha King, and I expect to feel like an Alpha King as I'm drinking it. 

Tour (★★) - Our tour guide, who got hired because, as he said, "If you hang around anywhere long enough, they will put you to work," just took us to the center of the warehouse-turned-brewery and began telling us about the history of Three Floyds. We didn't have to move much because from that center spot we could see the entire brewery, which was fairly unimpressive and in fact quite dungy. It took some prying but I got to learn some things that were unique and interesting about the brewery. I was informed about Dark Lord Day, which sounded more like a gimmick than anything, the collaborative beers with DogFish Head, and the house artist, Chris Berg. Overall, the tour was somewhat informative but not at all memorable. Saddest of all, there was no free beer. 

Brewery (★★) - The brewery opened in 1996 and has been, as our tour guide stated, in a perpetual state of expansion ever since. It was started by Michael, Nick, and Simon Floyd. Michael is the father of the two; Nick is the president/brewmaster; and Simon is the silent partner. In the past four years, the brewery has grown at a rate of 30% -- in 2010 they produced 16K bbls; in 2011, 19K. Currently their beer can only be found in Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, and parts of Wisconsin, because they just simply can't meet the demand. Their goal, like any other brewery's, is to grow at a rate that doesn't sacrifice their quality. Currently, the brewery consists 4 full time brewers, 2 engineers, 2 keggers, 5 bottlers, and of course zero advertisers.  The brewery itself has plenty of room for more equipment -- it's just a matter of when. 

Latest Update: At 23, I have toured 24.

I finally made the count. At my ripe age of 23, I have thus far toured 24 breweries: 

I. Stevens Point (Stevens Point, WI)

II. Leinenkugel (Chippewa Falls, WI)

III. Sand Creek (Black River Falls, WI)

IV. Minhas (Monroe, WI)

V. Capital (Middleton, WI)

VI. Granite City (Madison, WI)

VII. Lakefront (Milwaukee, WI)

VIII. New Glarus (New Glarus, WI)

IX. Three Floyds (Munster, IN)

X. Great Lakes (Cleveland, OH)

XI. Brooklyn (Brooklyn, NY)

XII. Yuengling (Pottsville, PA)

XIII. Victory (Downingtown, PA)

XIV. Yards (Philadelphia, PA)

XV. Dogfish Head (Milton, DE)

XVI. Flying Dog (Frederick, MD)

XVII. Ale Asylum (Madison, WI)

XVIII. Vintage (Madison, WI)

XIX. Great Dane (Madison, WI)

XX. Ottakringer (Vienna, Austria)

XXI. De Halve Maan (Bruges, Belgium)

XXII. Deschutes (Bemd, OR)

XXIII. Rogue (Newport, OR)

    XXIV. Sierra Nevada (Chico, CA)

I have been meaning to post my reviews of the breweries I visited since New Glarus but, as it turns out, some of my notes are missing and so I have been hesitating. Good news is that I still have the plenty of pictures I took! :)

So, hold on, ladies and gentlemen, the reviews will be coming sometime this month. I promise. 

Until then, cheers! 

Belgian Bomb Stats Released

I just realized I never released the stats of the Belgian Bomb we brewed before I departed for Europe. So here they are:

Ingredients

Pale Malt (6.2 lbs)

Wheat Malt (3.2 lbs)

Crystal 20L Grain (2 lbs)

German Hallertau Hops (1 oz)

UK Challenger Hops (1 oz) 

Procedure

1.    Filled grain sock with Crystal grains

2.    Brought 2 gallons water to 150 degrees Fahrenheit

3.    Steeped grains for 20 minutes

4.    Removed grain bag and brought water to a boil

5.    Once boil began, removed pot from flame and stirred in all the malt then returned to flame

6.    Followed the hop schedule:

Start: 0.5 oz Challenger

10 minutes in: 0.5 oz Hallertau

20 minutes in: 0.5 oz Challenger

30 minutes in: 0.5 oz Hallertau

7.    Removed from heat and immediately placed in an ice bath/wort chiller, brought down to 70 degrees Fahrenheit

8.    Transferred to carboy and pitched two packets of belgian yeast

9.    Added fresh water to wort to bring it up to 5 gallons; initial gravity = 1.058

10.  Fermentation 9 days in: 1.018 (ABV = 5.44%); 14 days in: 1.014 (ABV = 5.96%); 27 days in: 1.012 (ABV = 6.22%)

11.   On day 27, transferred to second carboy for 7 days

12.   Carbonated for 3 days via forced carbonation inside a 5 gallon Cornelius keg

Final Stats

ABV = 6.1%

IBUs = 25.3

Calories (but who really cares?) = 205 per 12 oz.

Clarification on the Rating System

At this point, you are likely wondering what the rating system I implemented on the "Survey of Wisconsin Breweries" post is really based on. So it is time to clarify.

The stars were given on the basis of overall experience: the beer, the tour, and the brewery itself. In realizing that I was just rating on the overall experience, I also realized that I should probably break it down based on each of these three aforementioned components to give a better take-away message. Thus, I am now doing that for the breweries in that post, and will continue to do it for all other breweries I write about.

I. Stevens Point: Toured August 28, 2010

Beer (★★★) - They brew some pretty great beers (like the 2012), while others are just okay (like their lager). 

Tour (★) - I am not going to hate on anyone that got a little too drunk the night before and can't be the utmost functional human being (that is, our tour guide). However, if your job is to tell people about a product your company is trying to sell, you need to get your shit together before coming to work, and most definitely not take out your hangover angst onto your tour group. 

Brewery (★★) - With recent renovations, the place wasn't too shabby looking. 

II. Leinenkugel: Toured August 28, 2010 

Beer (★.5) - I don't think there's really anything that special about Leinenkugel beer. It's sad that sometimes people associate this with Wisconsin beer, because it's not a really good representation. The only beer of theirs I can confidently say I enjoy is Creamy Dark. 

Tour (★.5) - The tour guide was very friendly but the tour felt too fake. As I earlier mentioned, it felt more like Disneyland than a brewery tour. 

Brewery (★★★★) - It was a massive brewery, and all of it that I saw was sparkling clean. There were some parts of the brewery they didn't allow for us to venture into, so I can't speak for that, but I will give the place a thumbs up for all their employees' hard work. 

III. Sand Creek: Toured August 28, 2010 

Beer (★★★★) - Delicious! Love their hard lemonade (it's a B+ on BeerAdvocate). More people need to know of these beers and more places in Wisconsin need to have them. 

Tour (★★★★.5) - Amazingly informative and fun. The fact that it was just my friend and I getting a tour from a somewhat intoxicated tour guide probably helped the cause a lot. 

Brewery (★) - It's pretty much a hole in wall, which I actually kind of enjoyed. So this isn't necessarily a bad thing. 

IV. Minhas: Toured August 29, 2010 

Beer (★) - It's basic, cheap beer. 

Tour (★★★) - The tour guide was very accommodating, despite our somewhat late arrival. 

Brewery (★★★) - Owned by 20-something year olds, which is pretty neat. The place is massive and the brewery art museum is a great homage. 

V. Capital: Toured September 10, 2010 

Beer (★★★) - I really am not a huge fan of Capital beer. It's not bad, but it's not great. Perhaps their best in my opinion is their Oktoberfest. I also enjoy their Supper Club -- it's a true-to-heart Wisconsin beer. 

Tour (★★) - Not bad but not all that memorable. 

Brewery (★★★) - Their beer garden is a great place to hang out when it's warm.  

VI. Granite City: Toured November 5, 2010 

Beer (★★) - Best thing is their two-pull. Their selection, however, is very limited. 

Tour (★★) - They don't really have tours so it was nice of the manager to show us the tanks. 

Brewery (★) - The Madison location isn't much of a brewery, just a couple fermentation tanks. 

VII. Lakefront: Toured December 21, 2010 

Beer (★★) - Meh. 

Tour (★★) - Meh. 

Brewery (★★) - Meh. Sorry, but that's really just how I felt about the entire experience. 

VIII. New Glarus: Toured March 11, 2011 

Beer (★★★★★) - Who in their right mind can't find a New Glarus beer they like? Moreover, this is the beer that everyone outside Wisconsin comes to Wisconsin for. In fact, I traded a 6 pack of Spotted Cow for a 12 pack of champagne bottles of Brooklyn Brewery's 1 and 2 beers; that's just how much everyone knows and loves New Glarus in the beer world. 

Tour (★★★★★) - I feel like five stars just isn't enough for this.

Brewery (★★★★★) - Everyone that works there, including the owners, is super friendly, down to earth, and willing to talk to anyone's heart's content-- even mine. Everyone knows the message they want to get across with their beer. And everyone works hard to brew the best beer and keep the brewery pristine so that all their consumers can have the best experience possible. 

Solidarity IPA - Stats Released!

I'm finally releasing the stats of the IPA that a lot of you have tasted and enjoyed. I have dubbed it the Solidarity IPA in honor of the events that surrounded the brewing of the beer.

There's approximately just over a gallon left so if you're still interested in trying it, let me know this week! Otherwise, feel free to venture to make it yourself:

Hops:

I. Warrior

- Form: Pellet

- Amount: 2 oz.

- Alpha acid: 17.2%

- Flavor profile: Bitter

II. Simco

- Form: Leaf

- Amount: 1 oz.

- Alpha acid: 14.1%

- Flavor profile: Piney

III. Amarillo

- Form: Leaf

- Amount: 2 oz.

- Alpha acid: 10.8%

- Flavor profile: Citrusy

Fermentables:

0.25 lbs Briess Caramel 20 L

0.75 lbs Briess Caramel 60  L

~13 lbs. Pale Liquid Extract

Yeast:

2 packets of 1332 Northwest Ale

- Produces a malty and mildly fruity ale with good depth and complexity

- Tolerance of ~10% ABV

- 67 to 71% efficient

Procedure:

1.    Filled grain sock with Crystal grains

2.    Brought 2 gallons water to 150 degrees Fahrenheit

3.    Steeped grains for 20 minutes

4.    Removed grain bag and brought water to a boil

5.    Once boil began, removed pot from flame and stirred in all the malt (~13 lbs.), then returned to flame

6.    Followed the hop schedule:

Start: 1 oz Warrior

20 minutes in: Another 1 oz Warrior

30 minutes in: 0.5 oz Simcoe and 0.5 oz Amarillo

40 minutes in: 0.5 oz Simcoe and 0.5 oz Amarillo

50 minutes in: 1 oz Amarillo and 1 teaspoon Irish Moss (for clarity)

60 minutes in: DONE

7.    Removed from heat and immediately placed in an ice bath/wort chiller, brought down to 70 degrees Fahrenheit

8.    Transferred to carboy and pitched yeast

9.    Added fresh water to wort to bring it up to 5 gallons

10.    Fermented for 14 days in first carboy

11.   Transferred to second carboy for 7 days

12.   Carbonated for 3 days via forced carbonation inside a 5 gallon Cornelius keg

Final Stats:

ABV = 10.5%

IBUs = 97

Calories (but who really cares?) = 332 per 12 oz.