The 15th Annual World Brewers Forum
Featuring talks by beer experts:
Matt Brynildson, Brewmaster, Firestone Walker Brewing Co. and Kristin Zantop, Brewmaster, Anheuser Busch, Inc.
Sample 15 homebrews from the Keg Ran Out Club
Cost: FREE! Please RSVP to wbf@kroc.org
When: Thursday, September 24th, 2009 8pm to 12am (1st day of GABF)
Where: Denver Marriott City Center, 1701 California Street
Additional Info: wbf@kroc.org or visit www.kroc.org
or download the informational poster (288kb JPEG)
Seattle Beer Week - Results of Elysian Firkin Throwdown WA vs. CA
Elysian Firkin Throwdown Results
May 13th, 2009 ·
So, it’s a bit of a split decision. California got more votes (484 vs. 476) in the individual category voting, but Washington got more votes (75 vs. 45) in the “Overall Winner” voting. Thanks to Elysian for throwing such a great event, and thanks to the breweries for supplying us with some fantastic beer!
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BEERS |
Some Notes On Upcoming Seasonal Release - Lil Opal
Lil’ Opal is a low alcohol small farmhouse style wheat beer fermented with Saison yeast – a bit outside of the real style guidelines – just simple easy drinkin’! We did play around with barrels the first time around utilizing used Firestone Walker Union barrels and spent bourbon barrels. The nature of Saison yeast is a slow and lazy fermentation. Rather than have the beer sit in our tanks for an extended period of time, we thought it would be fun to allow the secondary fermentation and maturation happen in the barrel. The increased surface area helps maturation and the flavors imparted by the barrel bring complexity.
This year the new twist is that we racked the Lil’ Opal to French Oak / White wine barrels that we collected from three outstanding Central Coast Wine producers: Domaine Alfred Chardonnay barrels, Bernardus Winery Sav Blanc barrels and Justin Winery Viognier barrels. Lil’ Opal will rest there until the release. I’m hoping that we are able to pick up some of the wine character, but I am really excited about the barrels themselves. These are some beautifully crafted, French oak beauties that were very well cared for by their original owners. These barrels were pretty clean so I’m not expecting a lot of additional critter activity. There will be a slight tartness to the beer that is more a function of the Saison yeast than anything else. The primary fermentation resulted in a very fruity, almost mango flavor and aroma. The barrels should bring about some mellowing of that and the addition of some wine like flavors with a touch of spicy oak… all that is just theory at this point.
Regards,
Matt
Props and Thanks to the “Homebrew Chef” Sean Paxton.
Our friend Chef Sean Paxton went above and beyond all of our expectations recently at “A Night of Ales” beer dinner during SF Beer Week. Special thanks to him and Dave “Big Daddy” Keene of the Toronado for all their efforts in putting that event together. It was amazing.
Another one of our friends, Rick Sellers from DRAFT magazine, was there and captured it best. Enjoy!
-Matt
A Night of Ales
If you’ve got a running list of things to do before you die, I’d seriously consider adding “go to a Sean Paxton beer dinner.” As part of San Francisco Beer Week Paxton worked with Firestone Walker and Toronado to put together a beer dinner that exhibited imagination and skill like few meals I’ve been privy to enjoy. I’ll admit I’m a bit bias here — after all I consider Sean a good friend and have been enjoying his work in the kitchen for several years. With that in mind I wanted to get some other opinions of Paxton and his dinners. I first called Dave “Big Daddy” Keene, owner of the world-famous Toronado and host to Sean’s most recent beer dinner. His words echoed my own: “imagination” and “his ability to infuse beer and food.” Keene went on to say how impressed he is with Paxton’s ability to wow folks who aren’t even “beer people.” He told a story of a couple who are more interested in cocktails, but are huge fans of Sean. “They came to his Belgian beer dinner [at Toronado],” Keene says. “When they heard he was doing another dinner for us, they were among the first to buy their tickets.”
There was also a gentleman named Birk who I met at the dinner. While he likes beer and food, he certainly wouldn’t put himself in the uber-beer-geek category. He wanted to do something “different” for his birthday and while having a pint at his local bar (Toronado), he found out about the dinner. He came and was utterly blown away with the food and how well each dish went with the selected beers. He told me before leaving that he would certainly do something like this again, hopefully with Paxton in the kitchen.
Let’s talk about the dinner for bit. This six-course affair had everything working: the dishes were beautiful, aromatic, flavorful, and perfectly prepared. It started light, sort of, with a warm prawn dish served with lightly dressed arugula. I’ve eaten a lot of prawns in my time and often find they can be rubbery or mushy, but these were crisp and gently spiced. The salad came with a garnish of quail eggs that the Homebrew Chef had aged in a pillow of Simcoe, Amarillo and Cascade hop cones for one week. The porous eggs allowed just a hint of hop flavors and spice to seep into the egg and led to an unbelievably good flavor. In fact, as good as the prawns were, the delicate quail eggs stole the show in this first act. Stunning really. The first course was paired with Pale 31, an assertively hopped pale ale that matched well with the arugula and eggs, which seemed to cut through the hops and made the beer wonderfully creamy.
Up next was the cheese course where Paxton put three delectable fermented dairy products on top of a sweet honey-wort sauce made of Firestone Walker wort (unfermented beer) that was shipped overnight to Sean by Matt Brynildson and then reduced to half, then combined with local Sonoma blackberry honey. The sauce was sensational, but couldn’t steal the spotlight that belonged on the reserve cheese from Point Reyes (Reserve Blue), Yellow Buck Camembert, and Cowgirl Creamery’s Red Hawk. Returning to Paxton’s imagination, the guy had the nerve to pair this dish (with home-roasted nuts and beer-soaked grapefruit) with Union Jack IPA. I was more than a little leery at this pairing, but it worked remarkably well, especially with the Camembert, which had the uncanny ability to cut through the bitter hops to create a delightful palate experience.
At this point my table started chatting. We were impressed by Sean’s ability to make each course better than the last and even more impressed with his ability to make each dish come alive with his personal tales of inspiration and the process he followed to get each plate to us. He clearly wasn’t just pairing a beer with a food item, but was focused on creating a memorable experience for each of us — even though this is a harder road to follow. The effort and thought put into every dish seemed over-the-top, even outlandish, but the results were more than appreciated. It’s safe to say Sean was doing a good job of inspiring those at the table to rethink what food and beer means.
Next up was a dish that I find nearly indescribable, Sean’s deconstructed Reuben sandwich. To begin, Sean found it appropriate to make duck pastrami (no, that’s not a typo). Seriously, duck breasts cooked to perfection with a slightly acidic, smoky taste. Then there was the fresh bread, crisp fermented cabbage, pickled mustard seeds and a topping that consisted of (I kid you not) slow-cooked duck tongues in a duck sauce! The sauce employed four pounds of duck tongues and 10 gallons of stock that was reduced to 1 gallon for the dish. I don’t know what four pounds of duck tongues looks like, but that had to be a sight to see. When Sean announced this not-on-the-menu topping I was admittedly leery, expecting the tongues to be chewy and, well, less than spectacular. I was wrong. The combination of the duck pastrami with, cabbage, bread, and duck-tongue topping created a palate experience that had people begging for more, even though we were getting quite full.
As good as the flavors were in this dish, it was around my fourth bite that I finally understood the genius of Sean Z. Paxton: he gets texture. I know photos can’t convey this, words won’t do it justice either, but along with exceptional flavors we all expected in a great dinner, Sean gave us texture in every bite. Tender meats, crisp veggies, chewy breads, creamy cheeses, and sparkling fruits all created something more than just great flavors, they provided memories. Very good memories, too.
NEXT!? Sean, are you kidding me? I’m about to waddle like that duck in his prime here…
Next Sean did something I’m sure you’ve thought of doing with a Russian River beer at home: blending it with liquid nitrogen. What’s that you say? You were going to do that last night, but you were fresh out of liquid nitrogen AND Russian River beer? OK, so none of us are likely to make this dish at home, nor will we likely see it anytime soon at any local or chain restaurant, but trust me when I tell you this rocked in every way. For starters Paxton made this himself, table-side, for everyone in attendance (a type of flair you can’t find anywhere else). On top of the excitement the presentation generated, this sorbet-type-thing was sensational and made short order of cleansing palates. Unreal.
Sean disappeared back to the kitchen, which could only mean we weren’t done.
Have you gotten the impression that every dish Sean prepared was better than the last? If not, I should just point out that was the basic sentiment felt by everyone. At this point, we wondered if Sean could actually pull out one more magic bullet. Silly us.
Our next plates arrived with something straight out of a magazine: veal cheeks braised in porter. At this point I have run out of ways to say just how good this plate really was, except to say it brought an entirely new meaning to the trope “melt in your mouth.” Because of the way Sean cooked the veal, there was simply no need for chewing; just enjoy as the savory, sweet meat fell apart in your mouth. Again, his ability to play with the textures in the dish couldn’t be overstated.
Right about now I have a bittersweet feeling. I was getting extremely full, feeling happy and satisfied, but the event was a roller coaster for the palate and I wasn’t quite ready for the ride to end. End it must, however, and for dessert Sean plated cake made with Velvet Merkin and chocolate next to two chocolates filled with Firestone Walker XII caramel (you read that right) served with THREE beers: XII, Saucer Full of Secrets, and Velvet Merkin. The dessert was lovely, the beers off the hook. Sean poured us the Saucer Full of Secrets himself, relaying the story that the beer was the original homebrew he got to brew on Firestone Walker’s big system. Again, Paxton made the meal come alive, giving us more than good tastes and a full belly.
This was a dinner that will not soon be forgotten.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out the great service and pacing the meal had. The kitchen staff was made up largely of beer bloggers and friends of the Homebrew Chef, and they kicked ass with the platings and their ability to get the food out to all of us in a timely manner. Very courteous folks poured the beers at the table, and the whole staff made each of us feel welcome and wanted. What a treat it was for everyone there.
I don’t know when or where the Homebrew Chef will pop up next — could be back in San Francisco, it may be back in Lovell, Maine, but if you ever see him coming to a town near you I suggest you save up and make a Homebrew Chef dinner something you experience first-hand. When you do, be sure to check in with us and tell us what you think of Sean Z. Paxton.
X, Eleven, and XII - The Vertical Tasting
Check out Matt’s podcast with our friend James Spencer from The Brewing Network. Matt walks James and guests through a vertical tasting of X, Eleven, and XII in January of 2009. Matt also talks about the barrel aged, blended program that birthed Firestone Walker’s annivesary series and the process of blending these beers.
Click here to download the podcast from The Brewing Network website or copy paste http://www.basicbrewing.com/radio/ into your web browser.
Matt is Featured on Cover of “The New Brewer”
(text of article to come)
A Little Press From Matt’s Recent Trip To Portland
Firestone is the Way of the Walk
Despite what you might think about Pale Ales, they still warm a special corner of our hearts. One brew company from Paso Robles, California reminds us of why we gravitate toward beers like MacTarnahans Amber, Mirror Pond Pale, and BridgePort IPA in Craft Mecca. And on top of that, we have evolved to unapologetically viscous beers like the Deschutes Abyss, Three Floyds Darklord (they still need to pipe that in), Pike Entire, and, yes, the Firestone XII. Like Brian Wheeler, announcer of the Portland Trailblazers, can be found saying these days “Boom-shaka-lakah!”
Firestone XII. The Perfect Cigar Beer?
Firestone XII Mania! The $25.00 price range was obviously steep, but the blow seemed cushioned when considering the brew flew away in the first 40 minutes it went on sale at Belmont Station. It’s obvious that the people want it. Portlanders will pay the extreme pricetag for extreme beer. Firestone Walker currently features a line-up of bonus beers such as the currently Oregon-available the chocolaty, robust Robust Porter and bountifully banquetable Union Jack IPA, as well as a spectrum of award winning Anglo-American pales such as the saluta tory Double Barrel Ale and the Pale 31.
Travis Widdifield with the XII
Travis Widdifield (aka “The Pale Pounder”) poured the line-up of Firestone Walker beers from 22-ounce bottles. He even let our palates in on a sample of the XII. Quite scrumptious to say the least. Firestone Walker head brewer Matt Brynildson, a major force behing the beers, happily held a beer related discussion. Brynildson expressed a great liking for Portland and as well as a deep passion for craft brewing.
Matt Brynildson of Firestone Walker (left) and Chris Ormand of Belmont Station
“XII”: Blending Notes
Since founding our brewery in 1996, we have specialized in the rare art of brewing beer in oak barrels. In the fall of 2006, we released a limited edition oak-aged strong ale called 10 to commemorate our 10th anniversary. The experience was greater than any one of us could have ever imagined. We now present XII, our third release in what has become an annual autumn rite at our brewery. The Vision Behind Quecus Alba (our Barrel Aging and Blending Program)
The Goal: To create complexity centering on oak, in a multitude of forms, by brewing high gravity beers in complementary styles, aging them in different barrel formats and then blending them together to achieve harmonious new flavors.
The Puzzle: To blend these various components (or lots) to create a synergistic whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. This is done with the help of a few of our neighboring Paso Robles winemakers who are practicing experts in the art of blending.
The Inspiration: Firestone Walker’s oak brewing tradition and our connection with winemaking. Of course until the advent of stainless steel, brewing was intimately linked to wood barrels and vessels. Brewing has a deeply rooted history in the alchemy of blending.
The Barrels
The individual lots were aged in oak barrels, most of which were hand selected from premium Kentucky spirits producers by Tom Griffin, who is extremely passionate and knowledgeable about bourbon barrels and beer. Each barrel lends its own unique influence to the final blend. Tom continues to hand deliver some real treats to us, including some 20+ year old Rip Van Winkle Barrels! Barrels freshly dumped from the distilleries and hand delivered by Tom Griffin:Rip Van Winkle Bourbon Old Fitzgerald Bourbon / Old Fitzgerald Wheat WhiskeyHeaven Hill Bourbon / Heaven Hill Brandy / Heaven Hill Rye Barrels purchased directly from American Coopers toasted to Firestone Walker’s specifications:New American Oak produced by World Cooperage / medium and medium plus toastRetired Firestone Union Oak produced by World Cooperage, and Barrel Associates (water bent staves)
The Aging Cellar – The Components
Following are descriptions of key components with their original code names: Final Blend % Parabola (13% ABV) - Aged in New American oak, bourbon and rye barrels
(44%) - Russian Imperial Oatmeal Stout (brewed02-09-06 and 01-18-08)OG=28P FG=7.5P IBU=80 Color=Black / Hopped with Simcoe, Bravo, Styrian Golding and East Kent Golding
Opal (11% ABV) – Aged in rye barrels (28%) -Wheat Wine (brewed 2-25-08)OG=22.4P FG=6.2P IBU=45 Color=17 / Brewed with torrified and malted wheat, lightly hopped with Saaz
Rufus (11% ABV) – Aged in rye and bourbon barrels
(18%) - Continental Imperial Amber Ale (brewed 8-17-07) OG=22.5 FG=4.5 IBU=40 Color=15 / Brewed with Belgian Dark Candi Syrup / Hopped with Styrian Goldings and Saaz
Saucerful of Secrets (9% ABV) – Aged in Brandy Barrels
(9%) - Belgian Strong Ale (brewed 10-30-07) OG=23.4 FG=6.1 IBU 25 Color=39 / Brewed with Belgian Dark Candi sugar and everything else but the kitchen sink
Union Jack IPA (7% ABV) - Aged in stainless steel
(1%) - American Style IPA (brewed 10-28-08)OG=17 FG=3.5 IBU=75 Color=12 / Brewed with massive amounts of hops and a very kind attitude - continued on back -
A Note from Brewmaster Matt Brynildson
Our 12th Year!It is hard to believe that our little brewery, which started fermenting beer in barrels on the back 40 of the Firestone Vineyard in 1996, has grown up so fast. Time truly flies when you are having fun. Things have changed a great deal from those first days which seem so long ago. For one thing, there were originally eight oak barrels in the Firestone Union. Today there are 42 barrels firing away seven days a week producing our beloved Double Barrel Ale. We still remain the only brewery in the United States and one of two in the world that continues the nearly extinct Union fermentation program. The other brewery who practices this art is Marston’s in Burton on Trent in England, makers of Pedigree. They started brewing in 1843… so they are the masters and we are still an infant in the world of barrel fermentation. I had the amazing honor of traveling to Burton on Trent this year and brewing at the Marston’s brewery. Seeing their Burton Union in person was nothing short of amazing!
The People: We once again celebrate the year’s accomplishments and the talented group of people who make it all possible with this barrel-aged beer. As the brewery grows and our beers reach further out, our core brewing team and their passion for producing great beer remains solidly intact. Our staff continues to pull down award after award in competition, but more importantly, they continue to produce better and better – world class beer! The one key foundational piece of this team and its unsung hero, who has been a constant since the very beginning, is Miguel Ibarra. Back in the early days, Miguel would run the brewhouse on Mondays, cellar beer on Tuesdays, filter beer on Wednesdays, bottle beer in Thursdays, load trucks on Friday and work the tasting rooms on the weekends. Miguel is still the hardest working man in the beer business and he put each and every bottle of this beer in the box which you now hold. Miguel has seen it all develop and grow here at Firestone Walker. If ever you want to hear the story from the man who lived it, come visit the tasting room in Paso Robles some weekend.
The Barrels and the Beer: XII is once again a blend of beers produced by our brewing staff and blended by our winemaking friends. We maintain between 80-100 barrels in the program. Many of these were left to rest after the previous years’ blends were produced. We have yet to fully realize how long a beer might last and improve over time - we only know that we are very happy with how thing are progressing. We now have beers that have been with us for more than three years. This year’s blend resulted from harvesting 32 barrels, leaving a nice amount for subsequent years and the opportunity to watch things develop. But please remember- this isn’t a Belgian freak show - this project is about clean fermented beers, produced with water, malt, hops, cultured brewing yeast and oak barrels. No Critters, No Fruit. It’s not that we have anything against such things. We hold no prejudices when it comes to beer. We simply wanted to explore a piece of the brewing world that concentrates on what we know best and what our brewery is all about. The foundational beer for this year’s blend is our bourbon barrel-aged Imperial Stout Parabola. This beer was originally formulated three years ago for this project, and some of that original beer is in this blend. The beer was brewed again in January of 2008 by James Cibak, my very good friend, with whom I learned how to brew back in Chicago at Goose Island Brewing. He went on to become the Head Brewer at Three Floyds and then came to work at Firestone Walker for a short stint… long enough to lend his expertise to this fine brew. James now is back in the Mid-West heading up the Crown Brewing Company in Crown Point, IN. Parabola is massive yet refined, and is responsible for all of the roasty, chocolate, and assertive dark malt character in the blend. This year we did take things a little out of our comfort zone and added some twists to the beers that we produced for this project. Sean Paxton (a.k.a. the Homebrew Chef) came to the brewery and brewed his Saucerful of Secrets, a tribute to the late Syd Barrett. This is this first time that we have brewed a full scale beer utilizing Belgian yeast (not wild, mind you.) The recipe is far removed from anything we have ever produced and definitely showcases what happens when a chef steps into the brewhouse. This beer just keeps getting better and better as it ages. The beer was awarded the 1st place gold medal at the California State Fair - quite an honor for a homebrewer and his recipe. It was amplified and brewed on our 50bbl kettles, producing a winner on the first try! It’s a homebrewer’s dream, I would guess.Another first was Opal (or Big Opal), a Wheat Wine formulated to be a big malty beer for blending down aggressive oak astringency and other rough edges. By itself, it never really worked for me, but as a blending piece it is a perfect beer. It became the big jammy Zin for our blend. As we formulated this beer, we realized that a substantial amount of the second runnings would be lost to make this massive first runnings beer. We chose to save these tailings and fermented them with Saison yeast creating Lil’ Opal, which became a favorite summer session beer around the brewery… a Central Coastal twist to partigyle brewing. Rufus was the final big beer to be added to the fold. This Imperial Amber Ale (is there really such a thing?) had been in rye whiskey and bourbon barrels for a year and a half, which pushed the mature barrel character of this beer to a beautiful place.
The Winemakers: In a short three years, our barrel program has drawn some of the best winemakers from the Paso Robles region. This year, we had six very accomplished wine artisans helping us. Justin Smith (www.saxumvineyards.com) is one of the most talked about wine makers in the area. His family’s vineyards, Bone Rock and James Berry, consistently produce the most sought after fruit in the county. I have been wanting to have him on board since the beginning of all of this. He does a lot of consulting for the local scene. Scott Hawley (www.torrinwine.com) joined us this year as well. He is another exceptional wine maker who makes some incredible wines and does a good deal of vineyard and winemaking consultation. He was one of Steve Martell’s mentors. Chris Cherry (www.villacreek.com) is a long time local chef and, more recently, wine maker who draws a lot of his fruit from the James Berry vineyard mentioned above. He loves our IPAs and has been pouring our beer in his restaurant, in Riedel Beer Stems, for years… presentation is everything. Chris is the one who made Union Jack a part of the blend. Matt Trevison (www.linnecalodo.com) briefly joined us again this year to give his blessing on the final blend. Matt’s winery is enjoying wide success. He continues to push the envelope with non-traditional blends and continues to have my attention as an outstanding local producer. Steve Martell (www.kaleidoswine.com) also joined us for the third year in a row. He is a lover of beer as well as wine. His Kaleidos Wines are scoring well and are always in my cellar. Last, but in no way least, Neil Collins (www.lonemadrone.com & www.tablascreek.com) came by to once again participate in our adventure. Neil is a busy guy who heads the winemaking of two awesome wineries and produces a wonderful hard cider as well. We learned together, after a Friday afternoon of drinking, that Big Opal and hard cider makes the ultimate snake bite!As we have found in the past, winemakers speak another language when it comes to describing what they taste. This creation is a testament to these artisans and their abilities to create something that is greater than the sum of its parts. I owe them a great deal for their help… and as they say, “It takes a lot of beer to make a great wine.” I’m guessing I will be paying them back in beer.
The Finished Piece: As a finished beer, XII is in some ways more aggressive than any previous blend, but it maintains a great deal of depth and complexity. Everyone seems to get something different when they taste this beer- mocha, tobacco, toasted almonds, olallieberries… I leave the interpretation to you. It is best enjoyed in a half filled brandy snifter or wine glass. Allow it to warm to 55F to fully enjoy the pleasing and complex aromas. If left in a cool dark place, I suspect that this beer will age well. Only time will tell. If you find something you like- please contact us and let us know your thoughts. I truly hope you enjoy our third oak-aged blend. This crazy beer journey continues!
Dedicated to Bryan Pulido. May your next brew be your very best. Matt
Blending XII - article and photos by Rick Sellers of “Draft” Magazine
Blending Firestone Walker 12
By Rick Sellers • Nov 3rd, 2008 • Category: News
The drive down was luckily uneventful, a blessing given we were driving through San Francisco headed south on Highway 1. We made good time in the Prius and by the time we passed Gilroy we knew we’d make it to our appointment well ahead of schedule. The driver for this excursion was none other than the Homebrew Chef, Sean Paxton, and we were on our way to see a friend in the industry, Firestone Walker’s brewmaster Matt Brynidleson. We made the journey (a six hour drive for me) to be part of the final blending and tasting panel for XII, Firestone Walker’s much anticipated 12th anniversary ale. Eleven, for those who may have forgotten, was a blend of five barrel-aged beers that utilized barrels of American oak, rye whisky, barley whiskey, and brandy. The beer was phenomenal, with an up-front chocolate and nutty flavor that gave way to the spirits that once matured in the same vessels. There were hints of orange, vanilla, and cracked pepper along with a comfortable alcohol presence. It flew off the shelves and its quality merited its choice as a DRAFT Pick. This year the bar is being raised and to be part of the panel that has influence on the finished product is an honor.
We arrived as the sun was bidding farewell to another day. The tasting room that doubles as brewery entrance was softly lit with warm shades of yellow, while the wood bar and the red floors made the room cozy. The tap list was scrawled on a small black board and the day’s special beers included the GABF award-winning “Oaktoberfest” along with the coveted Unfiltered Double Barrel Ale (UDBA). We stopped only for a moment at the bar before walking through the metal door that led to the production floor where a bottling line was at rest and most of the workers had vacated.
Around a series of turns past fermentors we found Matt working with Firestone’s newest employee Jessica (aka the Thirsty Hopster). They worked in tandem: Matt would rinse and scrub the wooden barrels, making sure no dust or foreign objects were around, then he would jam a 10-inch stainless steel pry bar between the barrel’s bung and wood, working the tool back and forth until the bung was loose. At that moment, Jessica, who was standing at the ready with a long tube that blew compressed air, would stick the tube just inside the barrel’s cavity, which often led to dark and sticky beer flying out toward anyone within five feet. While Jessica kept the air on in the barrel, Matt quickly grabbed a wine-thief (doubling today as a beer-thief) and sample glass. Briskly extracting the beer-filled thief he transferred just enough beer for the four of us to sample and judge. Immediately after taking his sip and passing the glass, Matt then grabbed a large contraption that had a long stainless steel tube that would be inserted into the full barrel. At the flip of a lever or two the device quickly began pulling out the beer and transferring it to the stainless fermentor nearby. Matt and Jessica would repeat this process, stopping between each step to sanitize, 14 times in total.
After all this work, Matt was confident that he had about one-fourth of the beer he would need. You see, all those barrels had only one beer. The beer was aged in rye whisky, barley whiskey, and American oak barrels. These barrels also had a range in toasting that started at “dark” and finished at “deep,” changing the flavor and aroma profiles of the beer inside. Sampling each beer was an exercise in subtle perception. While all were roasted and chocolaty, some had notes of almond, coconut, orange, vanilla, and varying degrees of alcohol warmth. In the end, 12 barrels were selected for that session and once they were emptied they were again stacked and moved out of the way.
By this time, we were tired and needed food before calling it a night. Together we made quick order of cleaning and it wasn’t long before we were on our way for sushi and conversation.
The next day we planned to complete the blending process, but it wouldn’t be a quick ordeal. There were still several beers (each housed in several more barrels) to taste before they could be extracted. Once all the beers had been chosen we would sit with area vintners and begin the actual blending process, playing with ratios for each beer until we agreed on something exceptional. The brewmaster would diligently take notes and I completely expected to be questioned about what we smelled, tasted, felt, and thought about each combination. It would not be a quick decision, but if Firestone Walker expects to match and exceed Eleven, the work is worth the reward. I, for one, can’t wait.
DAY TWO
The morning had a brisk chill and an ominous feel, the wind was picking up and burly clouds were rolling inland moving quickly over the Pacific. Luckily inside the walls of Firestone Walker all was well, jovial in fact, as brewers and staff prepared for the day’s barrel tasting and blending session. When I walked into the brewery I saw that the 14 barrels we sampled the previous night had been moved out and that the nearly 50 barrels from the brewery’s “union system” had just been drained and were being steam cleaned in preparation for the next batch of beer.
The staff gave me free reign in the brewery, which allowed me to walk in the cool storage, peek in the kettle and mash tun, tour the offices and lab, and even enjoy a pint of unfiltered Double Barrel. The brewery is extraordinary in its efficient use of space with spattered stacks of wood barrels for various projects and many fermentors around-the-clock brewing. I also enjoyed spending time around the brewery’s keg cleaning and filling line and well-tuned bottling line. The DE Filter was bigger than I expected to see for a brewery of this size and overall the brewers at FSW made it clear that they were operating at a pace that mirrored the brewery’s success.
It wasn’t long before the next stack of barrels was brought out for sampling and we made quick order of tasting from barrel-aged imperial red, dry stout, Belgian strong ale and more imperial stout. Tasting from these barrels — any of these barrels — is a treat in itself, but to be able to try them all side-by-side is an experience that is difficult to describe. The difference between barrels of the same beer was even harder to convey. While most barrels seemed very similar, with only subtle differences in aroma and flavor, some were very dissimilar. The imperial stout, for instance, was mostly roasty with strong bourbon notes of vanilla and orange, but a couple bourbon barrel samples were extremely coconutty.
Eventually it was time for us to gather in the conference room upstairs where staffers placed graduated cylinders from the lab and glassware galore at each seat. Three vintners from local wineries — one was introduced to me as “the Jesus Christ of wine” — joined the panel, as well as Sean Paxton the Homebrew Chef and myself. Matt Brynildson, the brewmaster, was running the show but made it clear he wasn’t going to steer our conclusions. He put out five pitchers of beer and pretty much let us go. There were bottles of Firestone Walker 10 and 11 for sampling to help tune our palates, but we were advised to not replicate this beer. Matt wanted us to make something new and exciting with the components we had available.
(A side note here: Something simply has to be said about X and XI because they were unbelievably good! 10 was smooth as silk with chocolate overtones and toffee sweetness. The hops that were once assertive were gone, making this beer an absolute joy to drink. XI had a fuller body, but still had chocolate and coconut flavors and oh-so-soft carbonation and alcohol warmth. If you have a bottle of either, rest assured the beer can handle the time in the cellar.)
Once we’d sampled the past two vintages we dug in. It was a chore to pour beer into the graduated cylinders, as the opening wasn’t that wide, and more than once I spilled a bit on the table. (I still feel guilty about that foul). It was clear that the best base for this blend was the imperial stout because the coconut, vanilla, and orange notes from the barrel made it too good to not use in vast amounts. We attempted to find the perfect balance of four other beers and getting an exact measurement for our notes was tough. In the end we all landed on a blend that was very similar; it was actually quite telling how good the blends were when we realized we’d all pretty much made the same beer. I know that I made seven different blends myself and I assume the others made at least five. With six of us blending I can imagine we had made and tasted more than 30 blends, each passed around for others to taste.
At the end of blending we all wrote a random number on our favorite blend and pushed it forward for tasting. Then we tasted them all blind, took notes, and discussed the pros and cons for each. Finally it was time for Matt to sample our best blends. He did so quietly and professionally, quickly taking mental notes and moving onto the next glass. In the end he isolated his three favorites. Further discussion ensued with the blenders of each giving the percentages of the components used. Once the notes and ratios were shared, the panel’s job was pretty much complete.
It should go without saying that the FINAL version of XII will be slightly different. I have no doubts that Matt, who is one of the world’s best brewers, will make a final judgment call on the blend and may even add something extra, something secret, to cap off this already beautiful beer. By the time this posts, he will have pushed the beers in the bright tank in the ratio he thinks appropriate and the bottles will have been filled. When it is released this weekend at the brewery, people may gawk at the $20 price tag, but seeing first-hand what sort of time and effort went into the finished product, it’s clear that at the asking price this is a deal!
Firestone Walker Brewmaster To Brew In The U.K.
Firestone Walker Brewing Company’s Brewmaster, Matthew Brynildson, was recently invited to brew at Marston’s Brewery in the United Kingdom. Brewers selected from Japan, Australia and Denmark will join Brynildson to bring their talents and recipes to the U.K. for the JD Wetherspoon International Beer Festival.
“To think that we can bring our U.S. styles to the U.K., the home of pale ale, is a great honor in itself, but to be able to brew the Firestone Walker beer in the home of the original “Burton Union” is just an awesome privilege,” said Brynildson.
The trip has some additional significance as well. Marston’s and Firestone Walker share a unique link as they are the only two breweries in the world to still ferment beer in a union of oak barrels. The use of oak barrels for fermentation is a centuries old method of brewing all but forgotten with the advent of stainless steel.
Matt will be brewing a “California style” pale ale, based on his own recipe, at the Marston’s Brewery later this month. The beer will be exclusively featured at the 2008 JD Wetherspoon International Beer Festival happening October 30th through November 16th at 650 JD Wetherspoon pubs across the U.K.
Brynildson has been awarded with several honors in his career thus far. In both 2006 and 2004, Brynildson was named World Beer Cup Champion Brewmaster for Mid-Size Brewing Company. In 2003 and 2007, he was named Great American Beer Festival Brewmaster of The Year for Mid-Size Brewing Company. Brynildson was also the 2007 recipient of the Russell Schehrer Award for Innovation in Brewing.
Established in 1996 on California’s Central Coast, Firestone Walker a regional brewery committed to making the world’s best pale ales, Firestone Walker remains the only American brewery to ferment beer in a union of oak barrels. Firestone Walker Brewing Company was named “Mid-Size Brewing Company of The Year” at the 2007 and 2003 Great American Beer Festivals and “Champion Brewery” for the category of Mid-Size Brewing Company at the 2006 and 2004 World Beer Cups.
