Our newest beer is in its gestational phase. We spent yesterday hanging with Jim and John at Golden Bear Brewery, making the beer part for beerNgin, which will debut during Marchfest 2015.
Initial discussions with Jim Matranga, Golden Bear brewer, let us dial in the grain bill for beerNgin. Pilsner and wheat malts for the traditional crisp profile, Munich malt for a fuller, oak friendly character. Rye and roasted wheat provide complexity.
For hops, we wanted a mix of old and new world varieties generating a noticeable hop flavour and bitterness. On the day, our recipe needed adjusting for available hops, as the Nelson Sauvin had been recently used. We popped in some Amarillo instead. For more info on the beer itself, we have this backgrounder post.
The day started at 6 am, with the glow of the sun beginning to catch the water on the estuary. We were all done and dusted by 3 pm. It was a rare privilege to brew on what some have called the Cadillac of systems, built by Chris Little. In reality we tried to keep out of the way while the valves were fiddled with and switches toggled.
For more images of the brew we also have a gallery page.
