grittyblog

August 11, 2009

Once again summer has meant that it’s so busy in the brewery there’s not enough time for blogging. In Auburn they’re brewing more than ever, in Freeport the brewers are already making lots of Halloween Ale, and here in Portland we’re as busy as ever, too (and we’ll be doing Halloween soon as well, so don’t worry).

Despite the hectic pace, we did have time a couple of weeks ago to fit in a special brew we’re calling Panhandle Pale. It’s a hoppy American pale ale single-hopped with Amarillo (named after the city in the Texas panhandle), an American hop with a strongly grapefruity taste and aroma. Its light golden color looks summery and the hops are refreshing, but the Panhandle also packs a bit of a punch, at 6.2% alcohol by volume.

That’s about it for now – keep an eye out for Halloween Ale around September 1st, and hopefully for a special treat or two before then as well.

May 16, 2009

Despite being busy stocking up for Memorial Day weekend, in the Portland brewpub we’ve found time for another single batch beer. If you’ve been sampling any of our cask beers over the last few weeks you may have tasted some Centennial hops. We don’t usually use Centennial, but we put them in the Strive Rascal Red Ale a couple of months ago and had some left, so we’ve been gradually using them up by dry-hopping Pub Style and IPA casks with them (dry-hopping is adding hops directly to the serving vessel, which gives lots of hop aroma).

Well, we’ve been liking those casks so much that we decided to do a single-hopped beer using only Centennial. It’s basically an American-style pale ale, fittingly called Centennial Pale Ale (or CPA for short). We did 4 additions of Centennial during the boil, and dry-hopped with Centennial in the conditioning tank, using a total of 7 pounds, so while it’s a hoppy beer, it’s not over the top. The malt bill is quite simple, with mostly pale ale malt and a little bit of Munich and caramalt- the idea was to showcase the hops and have just enough malt to balance them. The CPA came out at about 5.8% ABV, so it’s stronger than most of our beers (in keeping with the American style), but still drinkable.

What to expect from all those Centennial hops? They’re American hops, like the Cascade we use in the IPA and Vacationland Summer Ale, so the notable feature is a strongly citrusy flavor and aroma. Centennial is famous for its grapefruit and orange character, and you should taste plenty of that in the CPA.

By the way, although the name of the beer refers to the hops, if you’re looking for a centennial of something to celebrate while drinking the CPA, in May 1909 Walter Reed Medical Center was opened, the Preakness Stakes moved to Pimlico, the town of Concrete, WA, was incorporated, the first Giro d’Italia bicycle race was run, a meteor crashed through the roof of a house in Texas, and the 1912 Olympics were awarded to Stockholm. 1909 is also the centennial of the Chicago Cubs not winning the World Series.

The CPA went on tap this weekend and with a little luck should last through Memorial Day. So, what’s next in Portland? Shortly after Memorial Day we’ll have the Old Port Fest (June 7), one of the busiest days of the year, so we won’t have time for anything new before then. But later in June, look for the return of an old favorite…

Cheers, Ben

April 7, 2009

The last of the Scottish Ale ran out last weekend, so it’s time for another single batch beer before Vacationland Summer Ale comes out (soon, don’t worry!). This week in Portland we’re tapping a brew we’re calling Pumpernickel Ale. It’s loosely based on Altbier, a German ale style that’s been a big hit in many parts of the US. The Pumpernickel is a deep brown, malty beer, with lots of Munich malt and a large dose of CaraAroma, along with a touch of Chocolate Rye malt (that’s where the Pumpernickel name comes from). There’s plenty of bitterness from Magnum hops and a hint of hop aroma from Saaz (a German “noble” hop variety), but hopheads will probably want to stick to 21 IPA and Pub Style Pale. The Pumpernickel is just about 5.5% alcohol, and we slightly altered our normal fermentation schedule for a crisp, German-esque cleanness, so it’s going to be quite drinkable for such a dark beer.

Next week, be on the lookout for a repeat performance of another special brew, and very soon, Vacationland…

Prost,
Ben

March 11, 2009

Since my last post we went through the Strive Rascal Red pretty quickly. But red ale lovers, have no fear. For St. Patrick’s Day – along with Black Fly Stout, of course – we’ll have an Irish Red Ale (we call it the IRA) on tap in Portland and Auburn. This recipe has been really popular the last couple of years, and people always ask me when we’ll have it again. Along with pale ale and Munich malts we use a touch of roasted barley and a special German malt called CaraAroma, which gives the beer a deep red color and a toasted malt flavor. Magnum and Kent Goldings hops round out the beer with a deep bitterness and subtle hop aroma. We serve the beer with nitrogen for a smooth creamy texture, which combined with the 5.4% alcohol by volume keeps this ale quite drinkable. If you’re in Freeport you won’t find IRA, but the busy brewers there will soon release their Strong Oatmeal Stout, which always gets rave reviews.

Cheers,
Ben

February 13, 2009

In case you haven’t had a chance to try the latest brew we’ve concocted in the Portland brewpub, you have one more week, at most, to sample Salty Pete’s Porter (named after the mascot of our own Portland Pirates hockey team). It’s a robust porter with lots of dark malt flavor and a noticeable hop aroma and bitterness. We used a lot of chocolate malt and a fairly large portion of Cascade hops in the brew, which gives the beer an American twist. At 5.8% alcohol it’s on the stronger side but still drinkable.

The reason we’ll only have it for another week is because next Friday (2/20) we’ll be tapping our next special brew, Strive Rascal Red Ale. This one’s extra special because it’s not only a great beer, but it’s also supporting a great cause. Strive helps young adults with disabilities in many different ways, and Gritty’s is helping them with this brew. A few months ago Mike Spadinger won the chance to be “Brewmaster for a Day” in a silent auction to benefit Strive. We came up with a recipe together and a couple of weeks ago Mike came in to brew it with us. He’s a long-time homebrewer, very passionate about beer, and we had a fun day in the brewery.

The red ale is quite different from others we’ve done in the brewery. It’s ruby red, and on the hoppy side for a red ale. We used some hop varieties that we don’t usually use, Centennial and Summit, so it’s got a unique hop character. We also added some chocolate rye malt, which gives the beer a distinctive malty flavor. So come down to the Portland brewpub and try Strive Rascal Red, and Gritty’s will donate 25 cents from every pint to Strive. And be sure to try the Porter before it’s gone next Thursday…

Cheers,
Ben

December 18, 2008

In a couple of days we’ll be throwing a big Beerthday party at Gritty’s in Portland (you can read all about that on Gritty’s main page). The star of the party will be our 21 IPA, brewed to celebrate Gritty’s 21st year. This recipe is really a company-wide collaboration, which is only fitting for such a special occasion. After all, 21 is an important number – Gritty McDuff is now officially a responsible adult (though he still knows how to have fun), and the 21st Amendment ended Prohibition, eventually leading to Maine’s first post-Prohibition brewpub. So this big anniversary calls for a big beer to celebrate it.

The 21 IPA is not your typical brew. It really bridges the divide between American and British beer styles. The hop character tends toward the American side, with plenty of bitterness and lots of citrusy flavor and aroma from Cascade hops (perhaps the quintessential American hop). But it’s also quite malty for an IPA, which brings it back over to the British style. That malty sweetness comes from generous amounts of Caramalt and Munich malts, along with our English Pale Ale and Crystal malts. At 6.8% alcohol by volume, the strength of this ale also fits nicely in between the lighter British IPAs and the new generation of “extreme” American ales. Since at Gritty’s most of our beers are inspired by classic British ale styles, and since we were in the vanguard of the American craft brewing renaissance, the 21 IPA is a great beer to celebrate what we’re all about.

Crafting this big brew stretches the limits of our traditional English brewery. All that malt in the mash nearly spills over the top of our mash tun, and there are so many hops in the kettle that emptying and cleaning it can be a struggle. It’s a long brewday when we do the IPA, but the great hop smells in the brewery and the anticipation of the fantastic finished beer make it totally worthwhile.

Hopefully Andy and I, and the rest of the Gritty’s crew, will see you on Sunday the 21st to try the 21 IPA and celebrate 20 years of great ales.

Cheers, Ben