We have two new beers coming out. The first, as you know if you've been reading our blog, is the Bells Bend Preservation Ale. I am calling it a new beer, even though we released one the past two years, because this is the first year we've actually had enough hops to BREW with them. The last two years, we simply steeped the wet fresh hops in a batch of our Pale Ale. While those beers turned out great, I didn't feel like we would capture the true essence of the Bells Bend hops until we were able to use them as part of a full batch of beer.
But this year, we got three times what we picked last year, and were able to use the hops in the final hop addition. We steeped the fresh hops in the hot wort at the end of the boil, before cooling the wort and adding the yeast in the fermenter.
The result? A great, well balanced American Pale Ale, with a nice blend of biscuity malts and pleasant bitterness, and a great hop aroma. Will it blow away the hopheads in the crowd? No, but that was not the intent. We wanted to make a well-balanced beer that showcased a locally-grown hop, and that's what I think we did! (Hopheads - and I include myself in that group - we didn't forget you - see the next post!)
As last year, a portion of the sales of this beer will go back to the Sulphur Creek Farm, so that they can continue their mission. We hope to expand the hop field even more next year with these proceeds.
The bottle release party will be this weekend, Saturday Oct 5th, starting at noon at the brewery. After the release, we will continue selling the beer at the brewery, and we will also be sending cases of the beer out to our distributors as well. The 750 ml bottles of Bells Bend Preservation Ale will be selling for $4 each or six for $20.
