Brewpubs Not Bottles
We all know that one of beer’s greatest enemies is time. Fresh beer has a much higher probability, on average, of being good beer than a beer that has been sitting around for a while. For that reason, many beer drinkers adhere to the idea that brewpubs — a combination of brewery and public house — are the ideal place to drink beer. You don’t get much fresher than “brewed-in-house-and-pumped-directly-into-that-bright-tank-over-there.” In fact many brewpubs are making some of the best beer in America . . . which is a bummer because brewpubs, by definition, are only serving a local audience. A massive majority of craft beer lovers can’t get this stuff without traveling. Even with beer tourism on the rise — I’m certain that many if not most of you reading this have planned travel stops based on which breweries and brewpubs are in striking distance and routinely find yourselves on Google Maps searching for “brewery” — beer lovers are shut out of thousands of beers that they might rightly love. This is why I love being a homebrewer: Because we can have these beers, so long as we know how to make them!
Oddly enough, the notion of brewing and selling on the same premises isn’t new — it only seems new. For millennia, most brewing was done in the home, for consumption by one’s own family and friends. Later, brewing on-premises in a commercial establishment became commonplace in Germany and Britain in the Middle Ages. Even in Colonial America, Dutch and English settlers brewed beer for their own pubs, and in many cities (*cough* Philadelphia *cough*) it was safer to drink the beer than the water, and William Penn was greeted by the site of a number of brewpubs lining the river of the largest city in his new colony. Production brewing existed as well, of course, but the notion of selling one’s own beer out of the back of the bar was hardly a novel idea. However, the economies of scale and institutionalization of the brewing industry led to an inevitable decline in brewpubs as large breweries began to corner the market. The American brewpub didn’t catch on again until the 1980s, and the increase in their numbers has tracked along with the increase in the number and popularity of craft breweries: According to the Brewers Association, there were 1,525 brewpubs in operation in the US at the end of 2014, and the growth shows no signs of stopping.
I would argue that brewpubs do far more than ride the coattails of an expanding craft beer scene: They help create that very expansion, and far more handily than your average craft beer bar. Consider the case of a macro beer drinker walking into a bar with a healthy craft beer presence: One of two things is likely to happen. First, the thirsty individual may default to their old stand-by macro lager, which is usually an option, as nearly all such bars keep at least one or two taps for those products (or at least keep them in bottles under the bar); second, the same person may decide to take a flyer on one of the interesting taps on display. Now, if it’s option one, our friend can safely return to the warm-if-boring embrace of an old favorite and be content. But even if our friend is adventurous and it’s option two, then consider what could hit that glass: Market pressure being what it is, a great many craft beers trend towards the extreme and the exotic, so if left in the hands of the wrong bartender, our potential craft beer lover may well end up with an aggressive double IPA — and may very well spit said beer clear across the bar. Neither choice yields a great outcome.
Now consider the same macro beer drinker walking into a local brewpub. Option one (the safe, standby macro lager) is no longer on the table. Our friends asks about the availability of Macro Ultra Light, and is told that said beer is not available, as the pub only serves house-made beer. The brewpub bartender, though, used to hearing such requests, offers our friend a Kölsch — and upon tasting the difference in an approachable and fresh beer, is converted to a craft beer lover. Knowing they have to serve customers who may not be the beer-hunting, “white-whale” seeking, IBU-immune beer geeks that craft beer bars often see walk through their doors, the brewpub owner (as Barren Hill owner Erin Wallace told me) tends to keep a range of simple, clean, “substitute” beers on hand — and in the process acts as the best craft beer recruiting tool we can imagine. In addition, the same brewpub — usually brewing on a smaller scale than many production breweries — is free to experiment and explore and push the boundaries of craft beer without risking the house. In that way, brewpubs are also outstanding incubators for new variations, techniques, and ingredients that lead to ever-greater creativity in the craft brewing sphere.
And here you thought they were just a nice, quaint place for a sandwich. Given their unique place in the brewing and restaurant world, brewpubs are in a position to contribute greatly to craft beer. They keep alive a stable of “simple” beers (Pilsners, bocks, and bitters, oh my . . .) that craft beer neophytes can understand (and craft beer connoisseurs should appreciate) but that many breweries don’t have the time or the profit margin for. They also promote the freedom and independent spirit that has made craft beer what it is today. The brewpubs profiled starting on page 92 are unique, but share many attributes with each other, and with your local brewpubs. Go find them — these and others. Invite your non-beer-geek friends to lunch there. Go there on dates. Invite their brewers to talk to your homebrew clubs. I’m confident that you’ll find that most brewpubs embody what we love about the craft beer community: A love of beer, a sense of fellowship, and a belief in community. And if you’re not lucky enough to have a number of brewpubs near you, you can brew the brewpub beers I’ve gathered for you in the meantime and wait: They’re coming to a neighborhood near you, soon!
Iron Hill Brewery (Phoenixville) Bridge Street Bock clone
Iron Hill Brewery was opened in 1994 by three homebrewing college buddies (Mark Edelson, Kevin Finn, and Kevin Davies), and rapidly became one of the premiere brewing operations in the Mid-Atlantic. The brewery has medaled at every GABF since 1997 and every World Beer Cup since 2002. They now operate twelve brewpubs in New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania. Each location has a significant degree of brewing autonomy, brewing six house beers common to all locations and a wide range (10–12) of seasonal, specialty, and one-off beers of their own choosing. Tim Stumpf has been the Head Brewer at Iron Hill Phoenixville since it opened in 2006, having started out with the company as a waiter and moved on to the brewing side of the house after attending an American Brewers Guild course. Iron Hill is located at 130 Bridge Street, Phoenixville, Pennsylvania and at eleven other locations in the Mid-Atlantic.
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.076 FG = 1.016
IBU = 24 SRM = 18 ABV = 8.4%
Ingredients
8 lbs. (3.6 kg) German Pilsner malt
3.6 lbs. (1.6 kg) light Munich malt
3.6 lbs. (1.6 kg) Vienna malt
10 oz. (0.3 kg) Caraaroma® malt (130 °L)
6 oz. (170 g) pale chocolate malt (200 °L)
7.5 AAU Perle hops (60 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 7.5% alpha acids)
Wyeast Labs 2000 (Budvar Lager) yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Mill the grains and mix with 5 gallons (19.2 L) of 162 °F (72 °C) strike water to reach a mash temperature of 150 °F (66 °C). Hold this temperature for 60 minutes. Vorlauf until your runnings are clear. Sparge the grains with 4 gallons (15.1 L) and top up as necessary to obtain 6.25 gallons (24 L) of wort (this increase will help account for the additional evaporation caused by the longer boil). Boil for 90 minutes, adding hops according to the ingredient list.
After the boil, turn off heat and chill the wort to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 50 °F (10 °C). Aerate the wort with pure oxygen or filtered air and pitch yeast. Ferment at 52 °F (11 °C) until about 2⁄3 of the way through fermentation (when gravity reads approximately 1.036). At that point, allow temperature to rise to 63 °F (17 °C) to encourage complete fermentation. Once the beer reaches terminal gravity, bottle or keg the beer and carbonate to approximately 2.5 volumes. You may want to cold-crash the beer prior to packaging to 35 °F (2 °C) for 48 hours to improve clarity. After carbonation is achieved, lager for at least four weeks at 35 °F (2 °C) before drinking.
Iron Hill Brewery (Phoenixville) Bridge Street Bock clone
(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.076 FG = 1.016
IBU = 24 SRM = 18 ABV = 8.4%
Ingredients
5 lbs. (2.3 kg) Pilsner liquid malt extract
5 lbs. (2.3 kg) Munich liquid malt extract
10 oz. (0.3 kg) Caraaroma® malt (130 °L)
6 oz. (170 g) pale chocolate malt (200 °L)
7.5 AAU Perle hops (60 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 7.5% alpha acids)
Wyeast Labs 2000 (Budvar Lager) yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Bring 5.8 gallons (22 L) of water to approximately 162°F (72 °C) and hold there, and steep milled specialty grains in grain bags for 15 minutes. Remove the grain bags, and let drain fully. Add liquid extract while stirring, and stir until completely dissolved, and top up to 6.25 gallons (24 L). Bring the wort to a boil. Boil for 90 minutes, adding hops according to the ingredient list.
After the boil, turn off heat and chill the wort to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 50 °F (10 °C). Aerate the wort with pure oxygen or filtered air and pitch yeast. Ferment at 52 °F (11 °C) until about 2⁄3 of the way through fermentation (when gravity reads approximately 1.036). At that point, allow temperature to rise to 63 °F (17 °C) to encourage complete fermentation. Once the beer reaches terminal gravity, bottle or keg the beer and carbonate to approximately 2.5 volumes. You may want to cold-crash the beer prior to packaging to 35 °F (2 °C) for 48 hours to improve clarity. After carbonation is achieved, lager for at least four weeks at 35 °F (2 °C) before drinking.
Tips for Success:
This is a “big” bock, and at lager yeast fermentation temperatures you want to be sure that your yeast pitch is large enough to do the job. Brewing a low-gravity lager to step the yeast up to a bock is a good way to get an appropriate yeast pitch. Brewer Tim Stumpf also notes that he likes to add a sprinkle of calcium chloride to promote round, smooth maltiness in this beer, which was a World Beer Cup bronze medal winner in 2014.
The Grumpy Troll Belgian IPA clone
The Grumpy Troll Brewpub is located in downtown Mount Horeb, Wisconsin, about 20 miles west of Madison and the University of Wisconsin. A broad selection of 12 house-brewed taps (and a house-brewed root beer) complement the main-floor dining menu and the upstairs pizzeria. The award-winning beers run the gamut from American lagers to seasonal specialties like this Belgian IPA. Grumpy Troll is also homebrewer friendly (Brewmaster Mark Knoebl, like many pro brewers, started out as a homebrewer), and each year in the spring the Grumpy Troll Challenge takes place. Two winning brews from a local homebrew competition are selected to have their beer made at the brewpub, with the homebrewers getting the chance to play pro for the day. Stop by their location at 105 South 2nd Street, Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin.
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.093 FG = 1.024
IBU = 44 SRM = 6 ABV = 9.9%
Ingredients
17 lbs. (7.7 kg) Belgian Pilsner malt
1 lb. (0.45 kg) clear Belgian candy sugar
8 oz. (0.23 kg) acidulated malt
5.5 AAU Target hops (80 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 11% alpha acids)
7.5 AAU Styrian Aurora hops (30 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 7.5% alpha acids)
14 AAU Columbus hops (3 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 14% alpha acids)
1 oz. (28 g) Cascade hops (0 min.)
1 oz. (28 g) Columbus hops (dry hop)
1 oz. (28 g) Cascade hops (dry hop)
Wyeast 3522 (Belgian Ardennes) or White Labs WLP550 (Belgian Ale) yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Mill the grains and mix with 5.5 gallons (20.7 L) of 164 °F (73 °C) strike water to reach a mash temperature of 152 °F (67 °C). Hold this temperature for 60 minutes. Vorlauf until your runnings are clear, and lauter into the kettle. Sparge the grains with 4 gallons (15.1 L) and top up as necessary to obtain 6.5 gallons (25 L) of wort. Add half of the Belgian candy sugar to the wort and boil for 90 min-
utes, adding hops according to the ingredient list.
After the boil, turn off heat, add whirlpool hops, and whirlpool for at least five minutes. Then chill the wort to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 65 °F (18 °C) before draining into the fermenter. Aerate the wort with pure oxygen or filtered air and pitch yeast.Ferment at 66 °F (19 °C) for 7 days, adding the remaining Belgian candy sugar after 1–2 days. At seven days, allow the beer to free-rise to 80 °F (27 °C), add dry hops, and age for seven more days. Once the beer reaches terminal gravity, bottle or keg the beer and carbonate to approximately 2.5 volumes. You may want to cold-crash the beer prior to packaging to 35 °F (2 °C) for 48 hours to improve clarity.
The Grumpy Troll Belgian IPA clone
(5 gallons/19 L, extract only)
OG = 1.093 FG = 1.024
IBU = 44 SRM = 6 ABV = 9.9%
Ingredients
9.5 lbs. (4.3 kg) Pilsen dried malt extract
1 lb. (0.45 kg) clear Belgian candy sugar
1 tsp. lactic acid (88% solution)
5.8 AAU Target hops (60 min.) (0.53 oz./15 g at 11% alpha acids)
7.5 AAU Styrian Aurora hops (30 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 7.5% alpha acids)
14 AAU Columbus hops (3 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 14% alpha acids)
1 oz. (28 g) Cascade hops (0 min.)
1 oz. (28 g) Columbus hops (dry hop)
1 oz. (28 g) Cascade hops (dry hop)
Wyeast 3522 (Belgian Ardennes) or White Labs WLP550 (Belgian Ale) yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Bring 5.2 gallons (19.7 L) of water to a boil. Remove from heat, then add dried malt extract while stirring, and stir until completely dissolved. Add half of the Belgian candy sugar and lactic acid to the wort and boil for
60 minutes, adding hops according to the ingredient list.
After the boil, turn off heat, add whirlpool hops, and whirlpool for at least five minutes. Then chill the wort to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 65 °F (18 °C) before draining into the fermenter. Aerate the wort with pure oxygen or filtered air and pitch yeast. Ferment at 66 °F (19 °C) for 7 days, adding the remaining Belgian candy sugar after 1–2 days. At seven days, allow the beer to free-rise to 80 °F (27 °C), add dry hops, and age for seven more days. Once the beer reaches terminal gravity, bottle or keg the beer and carbonate to approximately 2.5 volumes. You may want to cold-crash the beer prior to packaging to 35 °F (2 °C) for 48 hours to improve clarity.
Tips for Success:
Brewmaster Mark Knoebl notes that since Belgian yeast strains tend to scrub out a lot of kettle hop flavors and aromas, it’s important to use a healthy dose of dry hops. Also, being a rather high-octane beer, it is important to manage your fermentation processes and temperatures to ensure full attenuation and minimize hot alcohols.
Wrecking Bar Brewpub Boomslang IPA clone
The beautiful home of Wrecking Bar Brewpub, a Victorian mansion, was rescued by brewpub owner Bob Sandage in 2010. From the start, it was important to the team to control the message of their beers, from grain to glass, and to educate their customers in the fine points of craft beer. They take the same approach to their food, sourcing all produce and meats from local farms — including an organic farm that Bob and business partner Stevenson Rosslow recently purchased. They plan to use the farm to launch a sour and wild ale program, fermenting with local microflora and barrel aging. Head Brewer Gavin McKenna and Brewmaster Neal Engleman keep the pub’s 11–15 taps flowing. Visit the Wrecking Bar Brewpub at 292 Moreland Avenue NE, Atlanta, Georgia.
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.062 FG = 1.012
IBU = 62 SRM = 5 ABV = 6.8%
Ingredients
11.5 lbs. (5.2 kg) German Pilsner malt
18 oz. (0.5 kg) Munich malt
12 AAU Simcoe® hops (20 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 12% alpha acids)
11 AAU Nelson Sauvin hops (20 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 11% alpha acids)
12 AAU Citra® hops (5 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 12% alpha acids)
1 oz. (28 g) Simcoe® hops (0 min.)
1 oz. (28 g) Citra® hops (0 min.)
1 oz. (28 g) Nelson Sauvin hops (0 min.)
1.33 oz. (38 g) Simcoe® hops (dry hop)
1.33 oz. (38 g) Citra® hops (dry hop)
1.33 oz. (38 g) Nelson Sauvin hops (dry hop)
White Labs WLP001 (California Ale), Wyeast 1056 (American Ale), or Safale US-05 yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Mill the grains and mix with 4 gallons (15 L) of 164 °F (73 °C) strike water to reach a mash temperature of 152 °F (67 °C). For those without hard water, add 1⁄4 teaspoon of gypsum to mash and sparge water, and add 0.9 mL/gallon (0.23 mL/L) phosphoric acid in mash water. Hold mash temperature for 60 minutes. Vorlauf until runnings are clear, and lauter into the kettle. Sparge the grains with 5 gallons (19 L) of water and top up as necessary to obtain 6.5 gallons (25 L) of wort. Boil for 90 minutes, adding hops according to the ingredient list. After the boil, turn off heat, add whirlpool hops, and whirlpool for at least five minutes before draining into the fermenter. Then chill the wort to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 65 °F (18 °C). Aerate the wort with pure O2 or filtered air. Pitch yeast.
Ferment at 68 °F (20 °C) for 7 days. At 7 days, allow the beer to free-rise until the completion of fermentation, then chill to 55 °F (13 °C). Add half of the dry hops and age for 2 more days. At that point, rouse the beer and initial dry hops, and add remaining dry hops. After 3 more days, bottle or keg the beer and carbonate to approximately 2.5 volumes. Cold-crash prior to packaging to 35 °F
(2 °C) for 48 hours to improve clarity.
Wrecking Bar Brewpub Boomslang IPA clone
(5 gallons/19 L, extract only)
OG = 1.062 FG = 1.012
IBU = 62 SRM = 5 ABV = 6.8%
Ingredients
5.25 lbs. (2.4 kg) Pilsen dried malt extract
2 lbs. (0.91 kg) Munich liquid malt extract
12 AAU Simcoe® hops (20 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 12% alpha acids)
11 AAU Nelson Sauvin hops (20 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 11% alpha acids)
12 AAU Citra® hops (5 min.)(1 oz./28 g at 12% alpha acids)
1 oz. (28 g) Simcoe® hops (0 min.)
1 oz. (28 g) Citra® hops (0 min.)
1 oz. (28 g) Nelson Sauvin hops (0 min.)
1.33 oz. (38 g) Simcoe® hops (dry hop)
1.33 oz. (38 g) Citra® hops (dry hop)
1.33 oz. (38 g) Nelson Sauvin hops (dry hop)
White Labs WLP001 (California Ale), Wyeast 1056 (American Ale), or Safale US-05 yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Heat 5.5 gallons (21 L) of water to a boil. Remove from heat then add all the liquid and dried malt extract while stirring, and stir until completely dissolved. Boil for 60 minutes, adding hops according to the ingredient list. After the boil, turn off heat, add whirlpool hops, and whirlpool for at least five minutes before draining into the fermenter. Then chill the wort to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 65 °F (18 °C). Aerate the wort with pure oxygen or filtered air and pitch yeast. Follow the remainder of the all-grain recipe.
Tips for Success:
More adventurous brewers might also consider making what Gavin calls “Hurricane” Boomslang IPA; substitute White Labs WLP644 Saccharomyces “bruxellensis” Trois yeast for the White Labs California Ale yeast, and ferment at a warm 75 °F (24 °C) for a more fruit-forward and tropical beer.
Barren Hill Tavern & Brewery Justa Porter clone
Erin Wallace re-opened one of the oldest taverns in the United States two years ago, as a logical next step from her successes running some of the best craft beer bars in Philadelphia. You can’t visit Barren Hill without noticing a distinct Colonial American style, and the tavern comes by it honestly; there has been a brewery and tavern in this historic building since 1732, predating the Revolution by more than forty years. The three (documented) resident ghosts must be overjoyed to have the place full of life again, since it had sat vacant for nearly three years before Erin and company took on the challenge of reopening an historic institution. Her decision to do so saved the building from the developers’ wrecking balls, as other bidders were considering condos for the site, and local beer lovers are the real winners. Barren Hill’s beer lineup features everything from outstanding and simple classics (a recent visit provided me with a brilliant English bitter and a wonderfully bready Maibock) to more exotic sour and barrel-aged options, to say nothing of a variety of collaborations with local, national, and international breweries. Brewer Dave Wood keeps the taps full, and Barren Hill beer is also featured at another of Erin’s enterprises, a local beer garden. You can visit the brewery and tavern just outside the Philadelphia city limits at 646 Germantown Pike, Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania.
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.048 FG = 1.012
IBU = 27 SRM = 48 ABV = 4.9%
Ingredients
7.6 lbs. (3.45 kg) 2-row pale malt
1.25 lbs. (0.6 kg) black patent malt
10 oz. (0.3 kg) flaked barley
10 oz. (0.3 kg) crystal malt (40 °L)
6 oz. (170 g) chocolate malt (450 °L)
5.6 AAU Challenger hops (60 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g at 7.5% alpha acids)
3 AAU Bramling Cross hops (15 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 6% alpha acids)
Wyeast Labs 1028 (London Ale) or White Labs WLP013 (London Ale) yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Mill the grains and mix with 3.3 gallons (12.4 L) of 164 °F (73 °C) strike water to reach a mash temperature of 152 °F (67 °C). Hold this temperature for 60 minutes. Vorlauf until your runnings are clear. Sparge the grains with 4.35 gallons (16.5 L) and top up as necessary to obtain 6 gallons (23 L) of wort. Boil for 60 minutes, adding hops according to the ingredient list.
After the boil, turn off heat and chill the wort to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 65 °F (18 °C). Aerate the wort with pure oxygen or filtered air and pitch yeast. Ferment at 66 °F (19 °C) for 7 days. Raise to 72 °F (22 °C) for seven more days. Once the beer reaches terminal gravity, bottle or keg the beer and carbonate to approximately 2.5 volumes. You may want to cold-crash the beer prior to packaging to 35 °F (2 °C) for 48 hours to improve clarity.
Barren Hill Tavern & Brewery Justa Porter clone
(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.048 FG = 1.012
IBU = 27 SRM = 48 ABV = 4.9%
Ingredients
5.5 lbs. (2.5 kg) pale liquid malt extract
1.25 lbs. (0.6 kg) black patent malt
10 oz. (0.3 kg) crystal malt (40 °L)
6 oz. (0.17 kg) chocolate malt (450 °L)
4.35 AAU Challenger hops (60 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g at 7.5% alpha acids)
3 AAU Bramling Cross hops (15 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 6% alpha acids)
Wyeast Labs 1028 (London Ale) or White Labs WLP013 (London Ale) yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Bring 5.6 gallons (21 L) of water to approximately 162 °F (72 °C) and hold there, and steep milled specialty grains in grain bags for 15 minutes. Remove the grain bags, and let drain fully. Add liquid extract while stirring, and stir until completely dissolved. Bring the wort to a boil. Boil for 60 minutes, adding hops according to the ingredient list.
After the boil, turn off heat and chill the wort to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 65 °F (18 °C). Aerate the wort with pure oxygen or filtered air and pitch yeast. Ferment at 66 °F (19 °C) for 7 days. Raise to 72 °F (22 °C) for seven more days. Once the beer reaches terminal gravity, bottle or keg the beer and carbonate to approximately 2.5 volumes. You may want to cold-crash the beer prior to packaging to 35 °F (2 °C) for 48 hours to improve clarity.
Tips for Success:
Head Brewer Dave Wood notes that Barren Hill’s water is slightly on the hard side, with a generally neutral pH level, so a light mineral salt addition may yield better results if your water skews toward the softer side. Since this is a porter that lands more on the lighter side, brewers may also want to mash slightly warmer than usual to retain a bit more body
and mouthfeel.
