| Steve Gale: | | OK, lets being formal mode. Till Neil gets here Ill try to fill in. Bryan, you had a good run of questions going, care to start?
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| Bryan Klinck: | | Randy - do you have to sign up to get some, or will Grisette be generally available?
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| RandyThiel: | | Not sure yet how we are going to market this, we have a bunch of ideas brewing.
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| Steve Gale: | | anything worth sharing?
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| RandyThiel: | | It will definitely be available directly from the brewery. Not through distributors...
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| Mark McAndrews: | | Can you ship to all states?
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| RandyThiel: | | No, unfortunately, currently NY state laws prohibit us from mailing out of state. But the same cannot be said for wine makers in NYS.
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| Steve Gale: | | any follow ups?
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| Steve Gale: | | GA Kenny.
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| Tripbock: | | Most beers are meant to be drank fresh. But Ommegang's are meant to be cellared. How long and when is peak flavor?
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| RandyThiel: | | Good question. Oviously, peak flavor is subjective...
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| Tripbock: | | true
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| RandyThiel: | | Personally, I prefer Ommegang anywhere from 5 months to 2 years. Hennepin also cellars well.
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| Tripbock: | | Does any one age better than the other?
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| RandyThiel: | | Again, that is subjective. These are some of the taste evolutions... Ommegang tends to age rapidly with malt characteristics building as it ages. It develops a raisiny datey plummy port like quality that I absolutely love. (I'm a port fan). Hennepin also develops accentuated malt qualities. The ginger and orange peel fade over time. RV doesn't fare as well. But it is a young beer to begin with; so who knows what the future holds for RV?
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| Steve Gale: | | First Mark - follow up?
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| Mark McAndrews: | | Yep.
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| Steve Gale: | | Mark GA
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| Mark McAndrews: | | At what age do you release the beers? ar the times you quote from release date or from brewing date?
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| RandyThiel: | | Do you mean the date on the carton?
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| Mark McAndrews: | | Yes
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| RandyThiel: | | The date stamped on the cardboard box is the packaging date from brewhouse to packaging is ~ 6-7 weeks.
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| Steve Gale: | | GA Kenny
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| Tripbock: | | Mark kind of asked my follow up. But I didn't notice any dates on my bottle. I was wondering how I could tell how old it was.
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| RandyThiel: | | Unfortunately we do not date code the bottles, we are in the process of getting such a device though for QC purposes.
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| Steve Gale: | | GA Bryan
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| Dana Edgell: | | ?
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| RandyThiel: | | Is this the same Dana from Madison WI?
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| Dana Edgell: | | Yep, How's it going randy
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| RandyThiel: | | Good! It's been a looooong time.
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| Bryan Klinck: | | Randy, I'm a little confused about 6-7 weeks from brewhouse to packaging. Do you mean from pitching to packaging with cellaring afterwards, or am I missing something?
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| RandyThiel: | | The primary fermentation takes one week, then we lager for two weeks after filtering & bottling we 'warm cellar' it for another two weeks and then it's held at the brewery for two weeks.
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| Bryan Klinck: | | OK, thanks.
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| Steve Gale: | | OK, is this a follow up Dana?
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| Dana Edgell: | | yes
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| Steve Gale: | | OK, last folow up,
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| Dana Edgell: | | What's the difference between the warm cellering 2 weeks and the holding 2 weeks?
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| RandyThiel: | | Warm cellaring is performed at 75-80F while the remainder of storage is much cooler. GA
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| Steve Gale: | | All set Dana?
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| Dana Edgell: | | yes
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| Steve Gale: | | GA Kenny
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| Tripbock: | | I'm ashamed to ask such a stupid question, but what does the term "brabant" mean?
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| RandyThiel: | | That's not stupid! Brabant is a region of Belgium surrounding Brussels. It's a very generic term used to encompass amber ales such as Palm, De Koninck, Vieux Temps, etc. GA
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| Tripbock: | | thankyou
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| Steve Gale: | | In comparing a spiced Belgian beer to a standard US pumpkin ale, that tends to taste more like all spice than pumpkin, it is clear that Belgian spicing seems very different from ours. What do you think the philosophy differences are?
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| RandyThiel: | | Great question! Belgians have a very strong tie between food & beer. In this sense they treat beer as if it were food. Spices tend to be used more for background flavor than for the 'main' ingredient. I find that spices are used best when they accentuate yeast characteristics and malt flavors. Rather than masking these flavors. Part of the philosophy is that Belgians are very individualistic. They are the least copy-cat nation in Europe. On a technical side brewers in Belgium tend to be very open minded about flavors & 'off-flavors'. They look more at subjective balances. Also, Belgians seems to really appreciate the differences between beer & beers that is, they realize that some beers change over time and aren't hung up over it. GA
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| Steve Gale: | | cool answer thank you!
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| Steve Gale: | | please type ! if you have Rare Vos
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| Steve Gale: | | OK, lets start the tasting, RV is the lightest (right Randy)?
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| RandyThiel: | | Yes that's right. It's 6.5% ABV
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| Steve Gale: | | Lets do RV - Steve will be MCing while I step away for 10 minutes, pop em!
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| Tripbock: | | popped
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| Steve/Atl: | | So no big change - it's Steve instead of Steve
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| RandyThiel: | | OK, mine is 'brewery fresh'...
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| Steve/Atl: | | Randy, do you want to start us off by talking about RV a little, and then we'll post followups?
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| RandyThiel: | | Sounds good. First, I'm serving mine at ~40F. Pretty cold. This is our 'session beer'. Still a tad intimidating at 6.5%. There is a slight sulfur note, not unpleasant. Kinda adds to the freshness. Young Rare Vos has tremendous notes of orange peel too much for my taste, but, this is a flavor note that diminishes with time. More precisely, it changes over time from a harsh orange flavor to a very soft one. We use Styrian Goldings only in this beer. The malt flavor is derived from imported Belgian caramel & aroma malts. No, we do not use DeWolf/Cosyns.
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| Bryan Klinck: | | OG?
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| Steve/Atl: | | So, are you going to leave us hanging on the grain? :-)
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| RandyThiel | | We use Dingemans malt from Stabroek Belgium. It's a small independant maltster.
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| Steve Gale | | Not to sound like a broken record, but Hennepin?
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| Bryan Klinck | | Yep. To Hennepin, that is.
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| Steve/Atl | | (can we do a quick wrapup on RV?)
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| RandyThiel | | OK, a wrap up on RV...
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| Neil Tolciss | | Steve T ga, if you still have a Q
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| Steve/Atl | | So, what's the concensus on RV? I like it, altho I think mine is a little warm, so the alc is biting a bit. Good mix of malt, alc, yeast funkiness, and a touch of hops. Randy, you mentioned orange - I thought I tasted a little orange at first sip, but not afterwards.
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| RandyThiel | | When young I notice a nice peachy ester quality to it. But as it ages, it seems to take on a very ripe nectarine note. It is the hoppiest of our beers. But like most Belgian-styles that is not very hoppy when compared to British styles. Should we move onto Hennepin or are there any more Q's on RV?
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| Steve/Atl | | The hops are still well reigned in. Thx. BTW, beautiful bottle!
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| RandyThiel | | thanks
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| Neil Tolciss | | Ready for the Hennepin?
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| RandyThiel | | OK
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| Steve Gale | | I am!
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| Bryan Klinck | | Born ready...
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| Steve/Atl | | we never would've guessed, Steve!
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| RandyThiel | | Hazy gold in color I'm getting initial whiffs of ginger & grapefruit. No we do not use grapefruit!
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| Steve/Atl | | LOL!
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| RandyThiel | | It IS interesting how our yeast develops different ester qualities depending on which beer it is fermenting.
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| RandyThiel | | This could very well be an interplay between the spices & the yeast.
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| Neil Tolciss | | Steve G go
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| Steve Gale | | I wish our other visiting saison buffs were still here. I have always thought this was more like a "small" Duvel - maybe like an abbey single in many ways. Can you comment?
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| RandyThiel | | Good observation. I never really thought it was much like a saison as it seems more like a spiced strong golden ale. But that gets us into the notion of styles...which is problematic in Belgian ales.
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| Steve Gale | | Your predicessor developed the recipe?
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| RandyThiel | | Yes, Bert De Wit designed Ommegang & Hennepin.
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| Neil Tolciss | | Steve T GA when Randy finishes
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| RandyThiel | | He was working for De Smedt & UK Leuven before he came to Ommegang.
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| Steve/Atl | | Are all of your beers spiced? Can you divulge what you use? (understandable if not)
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| RandyThiel | | Yes all of our current beers are spiced and no I cannot divulge all of the ingredients, but I can walk you thru the predominant spices.
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| Steve/Atl | | suyper
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| RandyThiel | | First, RV: strong characteristics of orange peel & coriander. Many people say that orange & coriander do not make a beer 'Belgain'. That is true, but, it really is such a wonderful combination...
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| Steve/Atl | | It truly is!
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| RandyThiel | | almost as good as spicing beer with hops :)
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| Steve/Atl | | It's not just for wit anymore!
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| RandyThiel | | And the varietal sources of these spices are as variable as different strains of hops. The coriander we get seems to be less 'vegetal' than some I've tried from domestic suppliers.
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| Neil Tolciss | | Dana GA
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| Dana Edgell | | Randy, Can you tell us the type of orange peel you use?
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| RandyThiel | | Sure, we prefer to use sweet orange peel rather than Curacao, at least for the current beers! Not sure what orange variety it is obtained from.
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| Dana Edgell | | thanks
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| Neil Tolciss | | Bryan GA
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| Bryan Klinck | | Coriander: whole, ground, or the cilantro leaf itself?
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| RandyThiel | | We use fresh whole spices whenever possible. The coriander is ground immediately before use.
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| Neil Tolciss | | Steve T
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| Neil Tolciss | | GA tripbock!
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| Steve/Atl | | An ingredient followup - do you use other grain beside barley? (eg, wheat, oats...)
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| RandyThiel | | Steve, yes we do, but I've been asked not to say what; Sorry!
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| Steve/Atl | | No prob
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| Tripbock | | You commented that Rare Vos has notes of sulphur. Since all of your beers use the same yeast, why more noticable in one than the others?
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| RandyThiel | | That is something we are investigating currently, It seems that we get more SO2 in Rare Vos & Hennepin and almost none in Ommegang. A recent article review by Charlie Bamforth noted that SO2 may prevent staling flavors from occuring during extended shelf life. I have noticed that it disappears (as expected by Charlie) over time.
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| Neil Tolciss | | Any f/u questions
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| Steve/Atl | | boy, that sounds bad...
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| RandyThiel | | haha
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| Steve/Atl | | I have a hundred, but am trying to be nice.
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| James / BRLA | | ?
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| Neil Tolciss | | Hey, I AM from Brooklyn!
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| Steve/Atl | | We like you anyway!
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| Neil Tolciss | | James, bail us out... GA
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| James / BRLA | | Curious about this strange name Hennepin, what does it mean?
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| RandyThiel | | It is named after Father Hennepin, a Belgain missionary who travelled with La Salle (?) and documented much of his exploration of North America. Hence all the streets in the Midwest named after him!
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| Neil Tolciss | | Go Paul
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| Paul Tamburri1 | | Have you noticed any genetic drift in your yeast strain?
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| RandyThiel | | YES!
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| Paul Tamburri1 | | I understand that you pitch from the previous batch
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| RandyThiel | | This happened tragically, the first generations used at Ommegang lasted ~60 generations before it required repropagating.
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| Paul Tamburri1 | | I see.
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| RandyThiel | | This is incredibly long...
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| RandyThiel | | The ester profile completely changed and the attenuation dropped off.
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| RandyThiel | | We now repropagate on a more regular schedule.
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| Neil Tolciss | | Larry on the follow up, then Joel
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| Larry Bryan/TN | | Shipyard uses Ringwood yeast and with open fermentation has brewed 600 batches with that yeast is this because the yeast is more hardy?
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| RandyThiel | | Not being really familiar with the Ringwood strain that is hard to say,...
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| Larry Bryan/TN | | I believe you use open fermentation and that repropagation was not necessary?
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| RandyThiel | | It might be because it IS hardy AND it is used for lower gravity beers (?).
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| Larry Bryan/TN | | At least that was the brewers expanation for using open fermentors
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| RandyThiel | | Open fermentation provides us with a good method of reharvesting yeast before it gets beat up by the harsh environment of a 18.5 Plato fermentation.
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| Larry Bryan/TN | | Thanx GA
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| RandyThiel | | GA
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| Neil Tolciss | | Joel, are you a follow up or a new topic?
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| Joel King | | Followup
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| Neil Tolciss | | GA
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| Joel King | | Your 60 generation repropagation - so that was skimming yeast off the top crop? Do you do that manually? Do you remove the first crop and harvest the 2nd? Any sanitation measures you think homebrewers could follow?
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| RandyThiel | | Yes we manually harvest the yeast off the top. We used to use sanitized/dedicated buckets for this activity...
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| Steve/Atl | | Since someone got us back on yeast, may I ask what the desired ferm temp range is? (since I have access to it!) Thx. Also, that is interesting that they can pitch Ringwood that much - I heard it was a vicious mutator!
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| RandyThiel | | But have recently switched to sucking the yeast off with a retrofitted dairy vacuum pump. I've heard rumors (not to be a gossip)...
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| Joel King | | Too cool.
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| RandyThiel | | that it was a multistrain yeast. Anybody? Ringwood, that is.
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| Steve/Atl | | I have heard a little of that too. I have never plated it, tho so, what about temp?
| RandyThiel | | Oh yeah...
| | RandyThiel | | Our yeast needs a minimum working temp of 25C.
| | Neil Tolciss | | Steve Gale GA
| | Steve Gale | | Is anyone ready to do up the Ommegang?
| | Mark McAndrews | | that's 77F, right?
| | Steve/Atl | | what about the other end? What's too high? 77!?
| | Bryan Klinck | | That's 77F south of the 49th.
| | Steve/Atl | | MINIMUM?!?!
| | RandyThiel | | We have gone as high as 30C(!) Not intentionally though...
| | Dana Edgell | | Sounds good for my garage in the summer
| | RandyThiel | | There were no adverse effects as one might expect with autolysis or fusels.
| | Steve/Atl | | yow!
| | Neil Tolciss | | Anyone else before the Ommegang comes out?
| | Joel King | | I'm done. GA
| | Steve/Atl | | thx.
| | RandyThiel | | I have one more comment...
| | Neil Tolciss | | I've already started..tough day at work
| RandyThiel | | The ratio of esters to fusels is an important parameter that many Belgian breweries try to measure (HPLC). When working with high temp yeasts that have a significant ester profile this is especially important to monitor. It is controlled by pitching rates, O2 content, fermentation temp, carbohydrate profile, etc.
| | Neil Tolciss | | anyone?
| | Steve/Atl | | I'm still dubfounded by 25C minimum...
| | Neil Tolciss | | Dana, GA
| | Dana Edgell | | I think I have heard of the efect of the first 3 factors but how does carbohydrate profile affect the ratio?
| | RandyThiel | | This one I do not completely understand myself but was relayed to me by a Belgian brewer. I think he was trying to explain the importance of amino acids in the wort, but then spoke generically about carbohydrates. With beers of this 'size' one should have more than enough aa's.
| | Dana Edgell | | thx, GA
| | Neil Tolciss | | Bryan GA
| | Bryan Klinck | | Still in awe over 25C..
| | Steve/Atl | | heh
| | Bryan Klinck | | Is this true for all the beers?
| | RandyThiel | | Yes, for all of our beers.
| | Bryan Klinck | | Also, spices/ingredients in Hennepin?
| | RandyThiel | | The predominant spices in Hennepin are ginger, orange peel, & coriander. Its bitterness is from Styrian Goldings and its aroma from Czech Saaz.
| | Bryan Klinck | | Grains?
| | Neil Tolciss | | On to the Ommegang?!
| | Steve Gale | | yes!
| | RandyThiel | | Mostly Belgian pilsner malt and a little pale malt.
| | Bryan Klinck | | Already there...
| | RandyThiel | | Onto Ommegang...
| | Neil Tolciss | | Just drained the bomber!
| | RandyThiel | | YES, I'm getting a nice big whiff of bananas (which I love)///
| | Neil Tolciss | | still have a glassful
| | Neil Tolciss | | Steve G ga
| | Steve/Atl | | I don't have any other Omm cold, so I am "slumming" w/ Ichtegem's...
| | RandyThiel | | WHAT!?!?
| | Neil Tolciss | | you dog!!
| | Steve Gale | | what is the point of using pilsner malt and a little pale malt too?
| | RandyThiel | | Geez I haven't had Ichtegem's in a while.
| | Steve Gale | | BTW - Itchegems IS NOT slumming!
| | RandyThiel | | True.
| | RandyThiel | | Steve G, the pale malt gives a bit of color and a tad of breadiness.
| | Bryan Klinck | | Umm, nice warm, nutty aroma. Yum.
| | Steve Gale | | Really? I always thought of breadiness as a yeasy thing
| | RandyThiel | | Ommegang's spice profile is dominated by star anise & licorice root. A great combo for this type of beer.
| | RandyThiel | | Hold on a second, I gotta let the brewery cat inside...
| | Steve/Atl | | Is that a euphamism?
| | RandyThiel | | OK I'm back. No, really I had to let the cat inside...
| | Neil Tolciss | | any more questions?
| | Neil Tolciss | | My turn then... Having not read the press releases, at least not recently how was it decided that a Belgian-style brewery woud work commercially, and why put it in Cooperstown,as beautiful as it is up there?GA
| | RandyThiel | | Well...the brewery idea was started by Don Feinberg & Wendy Littlefield. They started imported Belgian beers over seventeen years ago after they had travelled to Belgium. When they first got to Belgium they were dyed-in-the-wool wine snobs (not hard to imagine given the state of American beer at the time). Anyhoo, They fell in love with the Belgian beers mostly because of the gastronomic quality that is associated with them (much like wine). A couple of years ago they thought it would be a great idea to promote the imported beers and Belgium as a whole by making Belgian-style beer here in the US more affordably. This would present less of a sticker shock to the average consumer and hopefully get them interested in other Belgian beers (of the imported variety). Their clients in Belgium agreed with this philosophy and thus we had three Belgian breweries investing in Ommegang. The Cooperstown connection came about because Don & Wendy had moved up here from NYC to enjoy a more simple, bucolic lifestyle. The brewery fits in like a charm with the rural landscape.
| | Neil Tolciss | | Thx- Dana, your turn
| | Dana Edgell | | In a similar vein, how did you get from Madison WI to being the brewer at Ommegang?
| | RandyThiel | | Oh geez... Uhmm... I was doing microbiological lab work in Madison for six years before I really got sick of it (the lab work, not Madison). I was homebrewing at the time (that's how I first met you Dana) and it proved to be an obsessive hobby. Eventually I went to Siebel & UC-Davis (after slave work at JT Whitney's!) to make it a career.
| | Steve Gale | | Neil, to add to Randys explaination of why Ommegang in Cooperstown, I understand there is no shortage of Belgian-related history in Cooperstown. Dons a big history fan.
| | RandyThiel | | Yes, Don & Wendy like to tie in history & culture whenever possible.
| | Dana Edgell | | "it proved to be an obsessive hobby" truer words were never spoken, GA
| | Neil Tolciss | | Was the Cardiff Giant really Belgian?
| RandyThiel | | hahahaha Haven't heard that yet. He is made out of gypsum though...
| | Neil Tolciss | | Steve T GA
| | Steve/Atl | | Since Don first promoted the brewery, it has been the wallpaper picture on my laptop! It's a beauty! Thanx for the Q, Dana - I was going to ask him how he ended up at Omm too.
| | Neil Tolciss | | who's next, James GA
| | James / BRLA | | I can't get Ommegang down here in south Louisiana, but a friend just returned from a trip to Belgium and brought me back two bottles of Belle-Vue a Gueuze, and a Kriek. Are these beere similar to what you make?
| | RandyThiel | | No, not at all...I haven't had Belle-Vue in quite a while. But recall it being one of the more mainstream lambics, ie., sweeter & not as tart as a typical lambic like Boon, Cantillon, Drie Fontienen, etc. Is Belle-Vue in cans, or did I dream that?
| | Steve Gale | | it is
| | Steve/Atl | | WOW!
| | Steve Gale | | I have one
| | RandyThiel | | Are you gonna cellar it?
| | Steve Gale | | want it?
| | RandyThiel | | YES!
| | Steve Gale | | its yours...
| | RandyThiel | | I'm not kidding!
| | Steve Gale | | plus an Ichtegems...Im not either...
| | Steve/Atl | | You deserve it for putting up with us for an evening...
| | RandyThiel | | Depending on what you think of these beers, I can take that two ways.
| | Neil Tolciss | | OK, anyone else? Joel, break them up!
| | Joel King | | Did I miss the main question? Any plans for brewing lambics in the future?
| | RandyThiel | | No, I would love to try, but it really needs to be a singular endeavor, given the time, space, and artistry that goes into those fantastic beers.
| | Neil Tolciss | | Anyone else?
| | Larry Bryan/TN | | Zymurgy just did an article on old brews. Any opinions on why the Belgians stayed with these "beers and techniques while the rest of Europe moved on to other practices. And do you see a connection in the recent interest in Belgian ales and the forgotten beers like Gose, Gruit, Heather, and Mumme? (sorry I was locked and loaded-waiting my turn).
| | RandyThiel | | OK... I think it goes back to their steadfast individualism. Belgium has always been the doormat for more aggressive European nations and it's in their blood to hold tight to their varied & rich cultural history; not out of spite but for pure appreciation of it. Beers like Gose, Gruit, Heather, and Mumme are definitely fascinating intellectually, and I can't wait to see people's interpretations of them especially since I am not familiar with them. Anything odd is intriguing and worth trying.
| | Neil Tolciss | | Steve T, then Steve G
| | Steve/Atl | | I think Fraoch is pretty tasty. (heather ale) I'm going to ask a soft, "Entertainment Tonite" style question: what's your fav beer that you don't brew
| | RandyThiel | | This might sound self-serving, but I really love Duvel. This beer continually knocks my socks off. The esters are so fantastic!
| | Neil Tolciss | | Steve G ga
| | Steve Gale | | There are some pretty big beers in Belgium - Chimay Grand Reserve comes to mind - that have a huge flavor profile but a very low finishing gravity. Do you feel the "size" of these beers in relation their finishing gravity is a unique thing to Belgium, and why do they do that?
| | RandyThiel | | Steve G, good question! Low finishing gravities are almost ubiquitously required for big Belgian beers. This is necessary from the gastronomic standpoint;
| | Joel King | | How so?
| | Steve Gale | | Cause they are "less filling"?
| | RandyThiel | | That is, high FG's over-satiate the palate and will fill you up (bloat). Low finishing FG's actually do not come across as thin-bodied because the ethanol content and malt billl will compensate for the mouthfeel.
| | Steve Gale | | thanks!GA
| | RandyThiel | | One more point... Try a beer like Scaldis (Bush in Belgium). This is a massive beer (12%abv). But it's FG is less than 2 Plato!
| | Steve Gale | | wow!
| | Neil Tolciss | | Steve T
| | Steve Gale | | thats 1008?
| | Steve/Atl | | I guess the real question here is how can you get the low TG on a beer with a high OG without it coming off real hot and offensive? You don't age it a year, so that's not it. I know if I do a real big beer, I've got to leave enough residual sweetness for balance, but the Belgians seem to be able to get around this. Is it fusels?
| | RandyThiel | | Fusels are a big no-no.
| | Steve/Atl | | Agreed.
| | RandyThiel | | They are hot and sometimes overly flowery.
| | Steve/Atl | | I mean, is it that your strains avoid them better.
| | RandyThiel | | Oh.. Not really... There's a fine line to balance with malt/sugar bills, temps, ester, & fusels. Typically for big beers one COULD use sugar up to 20-25% of the extract. But the remaining malt bill should compensate for the potential thinness that this might provide keep in mind that ethanol (pure ethanol, not fusels) has a sweet profile.
| | Neil Tolciss | | GA Mark
| | Mark McAndrews | | Big beers; high SG, low FG, fermented @ 25C -- in my preconcieved notions this isn't the formula for a classic beer. I'm amazed. GA
| | RandyThiel | | Ah, that's the beauty of Belgium.
| | Neil Tolciss | | Go Dana
| | Dana Edgell | | What is a typical mash schedule for such high og low fg beer?
| | RandyThiel | | I'm not really sure if there is a 'typical' mash schedule, but our mash schedule is designed to get as much fermentables as possible.
| | Neil Tolciss | | SteveT
| | Steve/Atl | | Do you use candi sugar?
| | RandyThiel | | No we do not use candi sugar... For many reasons... 1) It's too expensive for what it is (crystallized sucrose). 2) It sounds horrific when it does not dissolve and then rips thru a pump. 3) We use sugar adjuncts purely for fermentables and use malts for flavor.
| | Neil Tolciss | | Steve Gale is up again
| | Steve Gale | | There have been 2 schools of thought regarding this question here on CS... There has been some discussion here and more on my message boards regarding the maltiness of some Belgian beers (Westmalle and Grimbergen Double for example). How attributable would yeast related conditions be to this in comparison with grist make-up.
| | RandyThiel | | That's a tough one...
| | Steve Gale | | worth a can of BelleVue?: )
| | RandyThiel | | One thing to keep in mind, is the flavor evolution of strong beers; Kasteel is a good example (i think). This beer comes across as being very big & sweet.
| | Steve Gale | | On tap it tastes almost like wort then you stand up!
| | RandyThiel | | I can't help but wonder if this is attributed to its extended aging time or it's malt bill. From my own experience Ommegang has a fairly dry character to it when young, but a two year old bottle tastes much more sweet and thick. A beer such as Westmalle, hmmm,,, I would guess that it's a combo of ethanol, grist make-up, and yeast. For 10% it goes down easy without cramping the stomach.
| | Neil Tolciss | | Larry GA
| | Larry Bryan/TN | | As a brewer are you aloud to flex much and do other styles
| | RandyThiel | | Up until recently, we had to stick to the brewing schedule this was for business reasons. We only make ~4000Bbbls per year and they are distributed in ~30 states. So demand is high, and we're trying to pay the bills as fast as we can. We are now more 'safe' financially, and are looking to spread our wings. The list of potential beers is astounding but, that's all I can say for now.
| | Neil Tolciss | | Steve T, Your turn
| | Steve/Atl | | If you had your choice, is there any particular beer/style you would like to try your hand at?
| | RandyThiel | | Yes, a Flanders sour red. Insane on a commercial basis though!
| | Steve/Atl | | But great in the glass!!!
| | RandyThiel | | Hmmmmm
| | Steve/Atl | | Like Ichtegems!
| Steve/Atl | | I have 9 gals of Rodentbach in my basement if you'd like to study it...
| | RandyThiel | | 9 gallons? Kegs?
| | Steve/Atl | | 2 Primaries - made w/ slurry from the brewery. Started good, ended weak...
| | RandyThiel | | Was "Rodentbach" a typo?
| | Steve/Atl | | Haven't had the heart to pour it out... No - it is my clone, jus tlike my Orville's Trapeze Ale.
| RandyThiel | | haha
| | Neil Tolciss | | Joel, ga
| | Joel King | | Do you do all your own yeast culturing on premises, or contract out?
| | RandyThiel | | All on premise. We have contracted out in the past but the results were a pain. In fact as soon as I am done, I have some propagating planned. No sleep for yeast!
| | Neil Tolciss | | I think we've reached that witching hour...
| | Steve Gale | | we should let you get to your yeast
| | Joel King | | How do you store yeast samples for long term - liquid nitrogen? keep going from slant to slant? distilled water? 10% sucrose?
| | RandyThiel | | The vote is not in yet. Not sure what is the best method, and don't wanna find out the hard way that I picked the wrong one, so we are doing several methods. Liquid NO2, slant to slant, and I will be doing distilled soon.
| | Neil Tolciss | | This has been a fantastic evening....Thank you for being with us tonight
| | Steve/Atl | | THANX!!! This was great! This one's a keeper! Congrats on your success, and look forward to many more!
| | Joel King | | Thank you, thank you, thank you for a GREAT evening.
| | Larry Bryan/TN | | Thanks Randy!!
| | Steve Gale | | You were outstanding Randy!
| | Dana Edgell | | Sorry to jump in but I have to go home (I'm at work. Boss is away :-) ) and would like to thank Randy for everything, especially the beer. If you are ever coming to the San Diego area drop me an email (EdgeAle@cs.com). When Larraine and I get to Cooperstown (her father lives there, so it's bound to happen eventually) I'll look you up at the brewery. Good hearing from you again. Keep up the good beer! Bye.
| | Steve/Atl | | Thanx, too, to Steve G!
| | Mark McAndrews | | Great event.
| | RandyThiel | | My pleasure. It was fun and I look forward to chatting in the future.
| | Steve/Atl | | G'nite Dana!
| | Steve Gale | | Mark, do you have the whoel thing recorded?
| | Neil Tolciss | | Good Evening, everyone1
| | Mark McAndrews | | Yes
| | Steve Gale | | bye Neil - thanks!
| | RandyThiel | | Cool. See ya then Dana!
| | Steve Gale | | Great Mark!
| | Steve/Atl | | Steve - I have *almost* all if anyone else has holes.
| | Neil Tolciss | | I have from the time I took over!
| | RandyThiel | | Good night to all.
| | Neil Tolciss | | Let me know if you need it!
| | Steve Gale | | will do! good night all!
| | Mark McAndrews | | I've got it from when I've signed on.
| | Neil Tolciss | | Good Night, Randy
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