I've been invited to do a pro/am brew. I'm stoked!

[MaxStout]

FREE MALT!

As I mentioned upthread, I was given several bags of malt from the brewery. This malt was destined to be thrown out or given to someone to use as animal feed. From what I brought home I kept a bag for myself, and gave some to a buddy, but I still have some left sitting in the trunk of my car and would like to give it away to someone who could use it.

EDIT: What I have left on hand to give away:

2 unopened 55 lb. bags Weyermann Pilsner.
1 open bag with 15 lbs. remaining of Weyermann Munich I.

I have two unopened 55 lb bags of Weyermann Pilsner malt, one opened (and zip-tied) bag of the same with about 35 lbs. remaining, and an open and zip-tied bag with about 15 lbs. of Weyermann Munich I. In all, 145 lbs Pilsner, 15 lbs. Munich I.

The use-by dates are Feb 2024, but if kept sealed, this malt should last a while longer. We used some of the same Pilsner in our brew Tuesday and it was fresh.

If anyone in my area would like any of this, please PM me and we can arrange for pickup. I live in the north suburbs of Minneapolis.

I'll update this post after it's gone.

 

[Cool_Hand_Luke]

That’s so cool you got to brew with them! I’m in the twin cities area also. Would be happy to buy you a pint or two of your beer for some Pilsner malt!

 

[MaxStout]

That’s so cool you got to brew with them! I’m in the twin cities area also. Would be happy to buy you a pint or two of your beer for some Pilsner malt!

Send me a PM and we'll arrange a pickup.

 

[MaxStout]

Matt just texted this. Fermentation almost done. Less than 72 hours since pitching.

 

[MaxStout]

We stopped in to the brewery to try a pint of their new oatmeal stout. Got a taster of the <3 day old Grodziskie from the FV. The smoke flavor is definitely there, not overpowering.

 

[MaxStout]

Waiting to hear when Forgotten Star will release the beer. It's currently cold-crashing. All of their serving tanks are in use right now, and I'm told the next one that kicks will be filled with the Grod. Matt thinks it will be just before Xmas.

 

[MaxStout]

OK, folks. It's here!

The Grodziskie/Grätzer has been released and is now on tap at Forgotten Star. We're calling it Smokestack Lightning, like the Howlin' Wolf song. I was just in for a pint and a growler today, and some pictures. (They're going to have my fugly mug on their social media pages.)

It's coming out the tap a little hazy right now, but will clear up in a few days as the Biofine and chilling do their thing. The beer tastes great, wouldn't change it a bit. It's 5.0% ABV, and around 10 IBU. The smoke flavor and aroma are definitely present but not in-your-face. Good malt backbone and just enough Saaz to balance it. A good refresher.

I'll be hanging out there this Friday, if anyone wants to stop by for a pint and say hello (no, I'm not buying ). They open at noon.

They'll have a good food truck on site, Brick Oven Bus, serving pizza from noon-8. The brewery is cool with outside food, as well.

They're also doing Bierstacheln (beer poking), and there's a happy hour 3-5PM.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

If I was closer I'd stop and buy you a beer!

 

[day_trippr]

Very cool! Congratulations!

 

[Velnerj]

I'm a bit late to this party but congratulations @MaxStout. That must have been a pretty cool experience. Keep us updated when the beer is on tap and how well it is received.

Being originally from MN myself it's cool to see stuff like this happening around there.

Cheers!

 

[BenBrewin]

Over the past few years I've made friends with the head brewer/co-owner of a local brewery. Sometimes I bring in some bottles of HB for feedback. One in particular that he liked was a Grodziskie I brewed 2 summers ago.

This summer, he asked if I wanted to do an autumn pro/am brew at the brewery after they finish their run of O-fest, and he made it clear he wanted to do that Grodziskie. He's been intrigued with the style and thinks it would be a good seller. He wanted a tweak: bump it up in ABV, as he doesn't think a 3% beer would sell. Apparently, he's not too risk-averse, as this is kind of a niche style. However, he thinks it will sit well for a refreshing autumn beer, especially if it's not too smoky like a rauchbier.

In August, I brewed a 5-gal test batch, and brought some bottles in for him and his coworkers to try last week. It is 5.1% ABV, so more in line with the strength he's looking for. He liked the test batch and wants to move forward on this! This is a 15 bbl brewery, so in mid-late Oct we will brew 450-ish gallons of smoked wheat beer. I get to come in for the entire brew day--something like 7 or 8 hours. I'll probably be lugging some sacks of grain, etc. But I'm excited to learn about how a real brewery works, first-hand, as I have never done this before.

Then the brewery will do a roll out, probably early Nov, so it will be fun to be there for the unveiling of this brew. AFAIK, no one has brewed a Grodziskie/Graetzer in this area. We have to brainstorm a way to promote it. He asked me to think of a name. They like to do pop music references for some of their beer names so I thought of "Smoke From a Distant Fire." (The song was a one-hit wonder. Hopefully, the beer won't be.) Maybe someone here has an idea for a name...I'm open to suggestions.

My recipe is not true-to-form for a historical Grodziskie. Per the style it's all Weyermann oak-smoked wheat, with a little acid malt for pH adjustment. But I bittered with Perle, and pitched US-05. He liked the flavor and aroma, but thought that it may need a bit of color, so we could add a little melanoidin or toasted wheat.

View attachment 830083

Congrats, that is an under appreciated style. I hope all the tastings go amazing

 

[MaxStout]

Alright, let's do this...



Creedence Clearwater Revival fans will recognize that guitar riff.

 

[MaxStout]

Had a fun afternoon at Forgotten Star Friday, sampling some more of our pro/am brew, Smokestack Lightning. Met up with @Cool_Hand_Luke--thanks for the pint, and taking the rest of that malt off my hands!

Now I'm delving into a growler I brought home. Once you open it, gotta drink it all, amirite? It's only 3 glasses when you pour into a 22 oz glass.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

I'd pour your growler into a 12 ounce glass, feels like you're drinking more.

 

[MaxStout]

I'd pour your growler into a 12 ounce glass, feels like you're drinking more.

I'm trying to cut back. Three is my limit.

 

[ba-brewer]

Did they say how well it is going over with the general public, selling fast enough to brew it again?

 

[Hoochin'Fool]

Had a fun afternoon at Forgotten Star Friday, sampling some more of our pro/am brew, Smokestack Lightning.

Gonna be in that neighborhood tomorrow with a little bit of free time, so finally going to stop in there!

I've got 2 questions:

1. I think I remember reading that they made some tweaks to your recipe*, and I'm wondering if you were happy with those changes, or if you preferred your original recipe (as in, when you rebrew it for yourself, would you stick with their tweaks, or stick with the more traditional)?
2. How good is that Dark Skies Baltic Porter?

*subbing some of the wheat for 2-row, a little lighter on the "smoke", and a little heavier on the abv.

 

[MaxStout]

Gonna be in that neighborhood tomorrow with a little bit of free time, so finally going to stop in there!

I've got 2 questions:

1. I think I remember reading that they made some tweaks to your recipe*, and I'm wondering if you were happy with those changes, or if you preferred your original recipe (as in, when you rebrew it for yourself, would you stick with their tweaks, or stick with the more traditional)?
2. How good is that Dark Skies Baltic Porter?

*subbing some of the wheat for 2-row, a little lighter on the "smoke", and a little heavier on the abv.

1. Yes, we made 3 adjustments: Instead of 100% smoked wheat, we mashed 50/50 smoked wheat/German Pilsner to avoid a stuck mash. We didn't use any 2-row. The smoke aroma/flavor did not suffer due to the substitution. We bumped up the ABV from 3-ish percent to 5% (low-ABV beers can be a hard sell for customers). And we force-carbed to 2.6 vols for serving instead of the usual 3.0-plus for the style, to avoid excess foam issues. IMO, those tweaks do not diminish the quality or enjoyment of the beer at all. It may not be exactly true-to-form per BJCP parameters for the style, but it is so close that the differences are negligible.

2. Dark Skies won 2 GABF Gold Medals and a Minnesota Brewers Cup Award. It is absolutely delicious. I highly recommend it.

 

[MaxStout]

Did they say how well it is going over with the general public, selling fast enough to brew it again?

I'll ask Matt this week how much Smokestack Lightning was served. When I was there Friday I saw a lot of patrons buying pints of it.

 

[Hoochin'Fool]

2. Dark Skies won 2 GABF Gold Medals and a Minnesota Brewers Cup Award. It is absolutely delicious. I highly recommend it.

Thanks! Definitely gonna order a pint of the smokestack, but my real motivation has been that baltic porter!

 

[MaxStout]

Thanks! Definitely gonna order a pint of the smokestack, but my real motivation has been that baltic porter!

 

[Hoochin'Fool]

Sadly, will probably have to get the baltic "to go", long drive home

 

[MaxStout]

Sadly, will probably have to get the baltic "to go", long drive home

They have growlers and crowlers. Enjoy your visit there. Wish I could join you for a pint, but I have a full day tomorrow.

 

[Hoochin'Fool]

They have growlers and crowlers. Enjoy your visit there. Wish I could join you for a pint, but I have a full day tomorrow.

Today's timing ended up being not-so-great, only had time for a small pour of each. The Smokestack Lightning was good! I would have never tried it without the connection thru HBT, and the Baltic was very tasty too! Very cool taproom, will be going back.

 

[MaxStout]

Having a 750ml squealer of Smokestack Lightning at home.

Time to go refill it and the 64oz growler that's sitting empty.

 

[BeerAndTele]

Super cool. Congrats!

”… a mesmerizing brew that dances on the palate with a harmonious blend of smoky notes and subtle wheat sweetness.”

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

This may be of interest, I know I would love to get this typ of feedback on the one I brew. https://beerawardsplatform.com/grod...ggpE764c5f5lRfwbav_dZjwBkFR2brCh5a9pAxgM2OMDo

I’ve done some very preliminary investigation of shipping alcohol to Poland with DHL, so far, it seems they only accept from businesses that are approved by DHL though an application and probably a fee. Right before the pandemic Live Oak in Austin was organizing a shipment for this competition. Well, I don’t need to tell you what happened to that. I reached our to them last year, but nadda. Disappointing but understandable that they may still be recovering financially.