Two Months of Silence

A One-Hundered Year Rain
The heavens opened up and flooded the brewery at the end of March. Rebuilding required a little time, a bit of money, but most of all, it took a lot of beer. One of GCBC’s biggest fans stepped up and offered to help. Perhaps it was his good heart, but we like to think that the prospect of working next to three open taps may have made it too hard to turn the job down. Floor boards were laid, molding was cut, paint was applied and pints were gulped. Many pints. Tall, 20oz full-pour imperial pints. Alright, so maybe an entire keg was consumed during reconstruction. But we make beer for our friends and its most gratifying to see them enjoy it. Thanks again, Clem.

Around the same time, a couple of old friends visited for the weekend. They were quite intrigued to learn of the Raspberry Milk Stout sitting idle in the storage closet. Being a sweet dessert beer, it did not kick as quickly as a session brew might and was taken off the lines to make room for another keg. Seeing as a tap line just opened up, it was put back on CO2. These two gulped it down warm and then asked for more. They loved it!

RIP RDP
As expected, the final keg of our RDP (Ril Dil Pils, batch #22) didn’t last long. Lagered since November, post-ride and post-workout rehydration sessions put a quick dent in the supply. RDP established Czech Pils as a definitive GCBC style. Looking forward, we have considered investing in dedicated lager fridge so that we could brew these beers all year round.

Back on the Horse
Sensing an approaching beer shortage, we fired up the burner in late April and took to the brewing the Golden Fleece (batch #30). Just tonight I kegged the East Coast variety. Smooth and refreshing; a gulper sure to rival it’s predecessor (batch #17) in drinkability. It’ll be ready for the weekend, as will be the lagered version of our Smoked Blonde (batch #28) which was also kegged just a couple of hours ago.

Hop Crop
Finally, I have yet to post about the GCBC home-grown hop field which was started last year. Given all the rain and nature of a first year growth, the yield was disappointing. However, growth has been impressive so far this season. The Cascades and Glaciers have both breached the wall (over 10ft high) while the Horizon vines struggle in comparison. Up top, we planted five new varieties: Newport, Sterling, Zeus, Magnum and Nugget. Expect a harvest ale in late August with fresh & sticky hop cones — direct from the vine to the kettle.

What’s Next?
Citra Pale Ale. More on that later.

Posted in Brewer's Notes.

By Adam

May 14, 2010

1 comment

Seventeen-B, Please!

While our Oktoberfest suffers a yeasty onslaught, supplies have been procured for the next brew. Batch #30 will be an American style Golden Ale (#6B Blonde) utilizing an interesting assortment of malts never before exploited at GCBC.

Malts: Simpson’s Golden Promise, Simpson’s Golden Naked Oats, Weyerman Carahell, Carapils
Hops: Hallertau, US Goldings
Yeast: WLP060 American Ale Blend, WLP008 East Coast Ale

“Sweet berry-nut flavor. Use to add a deep golden hue, light caramel flavors, and a creamy, satiny finish.”

Our last Golden Ale, batch #17, was a delicious post-ride gulper and a tourist favorite. Ten gallons disappeared a little too quickly. Some speculate that a case was taken into evidence at the CPD for being too tasty.

Posted in Brewer's Notes.

By Adam

March 15, 2010

5 comments

Batch #29 – ECHO’fest

Giles was not only a husband, farmer & brewer* — he was a strong, stubborn son of a bitch that was claimed to have beaten a boy to death in a violent rage. Suffice to say, he was a busy man and busy men have vices. After a trying day behind the plow (or beating his farm hand), Giles often enjoyed a jigger of lager. When it was available, he preferred traditional Märzenbier. Today we brewed a batch in his honor for our friends to enjoy when the summer ends and the leaves once again paint New England in a cornucopia of color.

Batch #29 brings together eight malts, three hops and a five heaping pounds of sweet potatoes to blend both the traditional and the colonial.

Two distinct yeasts were pitched: a strict bottom fermenting lager, and a hybrid that can ferment across a wide range of temperatures. Named “Cry Havoc”, this unique strain has much in common with old Mr. Corey: unsettling and uncompromising; unforgiving and unwilling to accept false truths. We like to think of each cell as a little Giles — billions upon billions, slowly yet surely, beating the life out of the sugar rich wort with defiance and unwavering resolve. Or maybe in just another violent fit.

* unverified; citation needed

Posted in Brew Day.

By Adam

March 13, 2010

1 comment

Giles Corey Oktoberfestbier

Preparations have been made for GCBC’s 29th batch: Oktoberfest. This is the maltiest beer we’ve ever planned — the weight and diversity of the grist would surely force a false confession from Giles.

Malt: Pilsner, 2 Row, Munich, Vienna, Aromatic, Carapils, Victory, Caramel
Yeast: WLP862 Cry Havoc, Wyeast 2633 Oktoberfest Blend
Hops: The noblest Hallertauer, Tradition, and Saaz direct from the hop fields of Bavaria

5.61%, 27.6 IBU, 10.2 SRM

In other news, Spring is quickly approaching. Our Coming of Age Pale (Batch #27, CALI001) has been kegged and was enjoyed by all at ECHO’s group ride last weekend. Stop by the brewery for a pull this week and try a sample of Transatlantic IPA (#26), set to go on next.

Posted in Brewer's Notes.

By Adam

March 8, 2010

6 comments

Batch #28 – Smoked Blonde

Our Smoked Blonde turned out to be more like a Deviant Redhead. Old Giles would no doubt take one of each.

Malts: Pale Two Row, Cherrywood Smoked Malt, Caramel (20L)
Hops: Saaz & Syrian Goldings
Yeast: Wyeast American Ale 2, Wyeast California Lager

Enjoying the last of our Ril Dil Pils on a warm winter day.