I want to brew a special beer

[ENS]

for a camping trip that I am doing the weekend before Halloween. The beer must be bottled and ready to drink by then.

The campsite is in an old ghost town that was a sawmill town in the early 1900s and vanished around the great depression. All that is left are a few foundations, old rail beds and a few houses that are now hunting camps. The town is in a very remote spot deep in the mountains, not easy to get too.

This is an annual trip and is a lot of fun. I thought it would be cool to make a beer for it this year.

I want to make something that has high drinkability, but unique and will make people go wow! I want it to reflect the scene. It was a lumberjack town and had two railroads coming into it, plus logging railroads. It was quite bustling compared to what it is like today.

I was thinking of brewing something that reflected the cultural background of the people that lived there, but am not sure what that is. I would guess either German or Irish.

I was thinking of making a German Pale ale, not a kolsh, but a pale ale that has german malts and noble hops.

It has to be an ale because I cannot lager.

 

[Brew_4iT]

octoberfest style ale, or pumpkin is always good for fall.

 

[asterix404]

Irish red is wonderful, a German Heff would be great too, everyone loves heffs.

 

[TipsyDragon]

i vote for pumpkin ale

 

[ENS]

I brewed and bottled a pumpkin hmmmm

 

[onipar]

Well yeah, I guess the first thing I thought of was pumpkin ale too. Mainly because the trip is near Halloween, and the place is an old ghost town. Or you could brew something new and give it a creepy/Halloween name.

I've been thinking of creating a recipe for a chocolate cinnamon stout, and calling it Black Cat. Haven't written the recipe yet though.

Or maybe you could do a wit, and because of the whiteish color, call it something like Ghost Town Wit Beer. You could probably play around with the spice additions of the wit if you want it to be special/different in some way.

Just some ideas.

 

[ENS]

I am going to make my

German Pale Ale

recipe

specialty grains
quarter pound of victory
quarter pound of carahell
half pound of crystal

fermentable
7 lbs of light malt extract

hops
1 oz German Opal 1 hour AA 6.3%
1/2 oz German Tettnang half hour AA 3.7%
1/2 oz German Tettnang 15 minutes AA 3.7%
1/2 oz German Hersbrucker 5 minutes AA 2.3%
1/2 oz German Hersbrucker flame out AA 2.3%
-
dry hope Czech Saaz AA 3.3%
-
Yeast
German Kolsch

 

[Brew_4iT]

didn't even know they had a German pale ale, interesting.

 

[ENS]

It seems like they should. I never heard of it before and googled it and only thing that comes up is kolsch and I am not looking for this to be a kolsch even though I am using kolsch yeast. I want this to be an English (IPAesque) inspired pale German Ale, using german yeast, hops and grains.

I went to the home brew store to get the supplies and the store owner was there. He has been brewing for 30 years. He said that I was on to something when I told him what I was intending to create. He said he has never heard of anything like it. It doesn't seem like it should be that rare.

 

[unionrdr]

What's the name of the ghost town? there's one near where we lived in Harmony Township between Tionesta & pleasantville PA. Trying to remember the name of it. Not much left but foundations & the like,being an old boom town that went back into the 1800's. I like the German pale ale idea.
I made an APA with English plain light DME,& a can of cooper's OS Draught. The hops were US Perle (us version of German),& Czech Saaz. It'd be pretty good by replacin g the Saaz with Haulertauer & maybe add some Tetnang. Or even German Tradition hops. I have a pic of my Sunset Gold APA in my gallery. The recipe in my profile if you'd like some reference.

 

[ENS]

the name of the town is Masten. That is all that is left behind, foundations and a lone chimney, railroad beds and other relics if you know where to look. It has long been reclaimed by mother nature. It is the trailhead of the Old Loggers Path, which is a great hiking trail. You can camp right in the middle of the old town center.

The trip is always alot of fun. It's a bunch of hikers and backpackers. There are usually some dayhikes and cook offs and one time we had a bluegrass band. not sure if we will have the bluegrass band this time.

If anyone is interested in going, send me a message or post here. I would like to have a brew off, so it would be neat to get some other homebrewers up there.

 

[mikeysab]

Whatever kind of beer you make, I think it should be a test batch and you should call it masten beta.

 

[unionrdr]

That's another one then.I'll have to do some research. I just can't for the life of me remember the name. Same time period. It's between Harmony Township & pleasantville. Old mining town if I remember right.

 

[Brew_4iT]

It seems like they should. I never heard of it before and googled it and only thing that comes up is kolsch and I am not looking for this to be a kolsch even though I am using kolsch yeast. I want this to be an English (IPAesque) inspired pale German Ale, using german yeast, hops and grains.

I went to the home brew store to get the supplies and the store owner was there. He has been brewing for 30 years. He said that I was on to something when I told him what I was intending to create. He said he has never heard of anything like it. It doesn't seem like it should be that rare.

Well pale ales or english bitters originated in Britain. The style worked based upon local ingredients and the water which ran through the rivers their. Many styles are origin specific that's why a pale ale german beer would be different... for one thing they didn't even do ales they lagered.

 

[Brewpastor]

I suggest naming your beer "Short Bus Beer". It is where all the "special" beer rides.

Wood aged and dark in recognition of the ghost town sawmill site.

 

[Brewpastor]

OK, maybe call it "Short Train"

 

[unionrdr]

Lagers didn't come along in Germany till much later. Ales were the order of the day there for centuries. Study your German history more. Paulaner's Salvator doppel bock has been brewed as an ale since something like 1569. And it's an amber to light copper colored ale. 7.2%,but tastes medium bodied.

 

[ENS]

lol Short bus is a funny idea. I was thinking of calling it Ghost of Masten Pale Ale, but not very funny. My hiking group as always been known as the boneheads and I was thinking of calling it something to do with boneheads. I have been wanting to make a German style pale ale and Pennsylvania has a lot of German history. I am not sure what the people were like who resided in Masten. They were lumberjacks, railroaders and sawmill workers, probably german, irish or scottish.

If any of you are interested in coming, let me know. It is a good time. If you google Ghost of Masten, you will see pictures of trips past. It's always a party. One year we had a blue grass band. I am hoping this year will be the best party yet.

 

[unionrdr]

I also found it on wiki. How about a contraction,like Mastenhead ale? They also had pics of Masten back in the day different from these. Pretty cool. It comes up on a search of "ghost towns of Pennsylvania". Just thinkin maybe the one near where I lived was taken off the list of historic places since I was a kid?... It was either Venenago co,or Forrest county.

 

[ENS]

There is one I heard of in western PA that is under a lake on the Allegheny River and sometimes when there is a drought, the town is exposed.

 

[unionrdr]

Where I lived in Harmony Township,Forrest county (1 of 3 same named towns) Tionesta was on the Allegheny river 10 miles ride down the mountain east of me. Pleasantville (venenago co),was about 8 miles west of me. The ghost town was on the way to Pleasantville. If I remember right. We used to go through there to Titusville shopping for various things. That was on the Drake highway (old 76) down the hill in front of the house. Tionesta 10M left,Pleasantville 8M right. Then Titusville. That old ghost town is there. Guess I'll have to load up the .303 & camera,& go find it myself. Bear & cougar up in the area.

 

[ENS]

Do you have links to the pictures you found?

 

[unionrdr]

Here ya go...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ghost_towns_in_Pennsylvania
Just go down the list to "Masten". **Funny the pic link isn't there this time. Gotta search more.***Here's another link with pics;http://pictures.insanart.com/v/ghosttowns/masten/

 

[ENS]

thanks

here are some pics of trips past
http://family.webshots.com/album/568164964dlUuPv
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/555263148oiiAPa

It's amazing how it looks now compared to what it looked like then.
One of the most ironic things about Masten, is that back when it was a town, alcohol was not allowed and during our trips there is has been consumed in mass quantities and now I am brewing a beer in its honor.

 

[Brewpastor]

Great Hardwood Mill photo. Hardwood Ale is a great name.

Oak aged German Pale Ale

"Nothing beats depression like some Hardwood."

"Hardwood: the anti-depresent"

Hardwood: The thing to have when you have nothing else

 

[Brewmiser]

Unionrdr, are you talking about Pithole city? It's a gost town down that way. Not much there anymore just a bunch of signs where the buildings once stood.