Schlafly Brewers' Blog

The First Collaboration Beer

2009-12-06T11:12:00.003-06:00

This past week Schlafly was happy to host brewers from New Albanian Brewing of New Albany, Indiana and our local brethren O'Fallon Brewing for a collaborative brew day.

The project? A smoked rye IPA.

A long, somewhat serious, somewhat joking, conversation, during road-trips and beer festivals, plans were eventually made to jump in with a collaborative batch of beer.

After the grain and hop bills were agreed upon, a small test batch was brewed up by O'Fallon. Happy with the results, the recipe was prepared for the 15bbl brewhouse at the Schlafly Tap Room.

Despite several stuck mashes due to the two (count 'em, 2) varieties of rye (it helps to have extra brewers around to take turns stirring the mash), the smoked rye IPA was cast out, pitched and set to ferment. After fermentation is complete, the beer will be dry hopped and aged on oak.

No doubt that part of the conversation when we tap this beer early next year will be, "What do we do next?"

The smoked rye IPA will be available only on draft at several locations and in several markets. As we get closer to its release date, we will update where you will be able to try it. You can expect we'll also have a cask or two of this as well...

Augusta Bottoms Beer Fest

2009-10-04T17:35:00.006-05:00

We're back from the Augusta Bottoms Beer Festival. A slightly chilly but successful event in gorgeous Augusta, MO. The event is hosted by the gracious crew at Augusta Brewing and the proceeds went to H.I.S. K.I.D.S, a group that supports families dealing with childhood cancer.

For those who were there, we appreciate everyone's positive comments. The best compliment, of course, is returning with empty kegs!

We were pouring Oktoberfest, Indian Brown Ale, Pumpkin Ale, a cask of APA dry-hopped with simcoe hops and we were also pouring what may have been the final few pints of American IPA. The pumpkin disappeared first followed closely by the IPA.

It's always good to meet with our fellow Missouri brewers and share some pints with Missouri beer fans.

Mark your calendar for next year. We'll be there, will you?

Kolsch Takes the Cake at Indiana Brewer's Cup

2009-07-14T23:20:00.004-05:00

For the second year in a row, Schlafly's Kölsch has beer awarded first place in the Light Hybrid category in the Indiana Brewer's Cup.

The competition has been going on for several years now as part of the Indiana State Fair. The contest has two tiers, one for home brewers and one for professional breweries. Keep an eye out for photos.

The Schlafly Kölsch has been a proud member of our lineup for many years. We have been brewing it with a traditional German Kölsch yeast at temperatures lower than normal ale temperatures to allow it to develop the unique, crisp and clean flavor that typifies a Kölsch. Once you've tried the National Beer of Cologne (the German city where the style originated) you'll recognize it as an ale apart.

Originally distributed as the seasonal Summer Kölsch, we are now happy to provide Kölsch year-round. The response we have received from our customers led us to bring it on full-time. Not to mention, Kölsch is a beer that is always in season. Refreshing when it's hot and satisfying when it's cold.

While the brewers back in Cologne may dispute hanging the "hybrid" label on their beloved Kölsch, there just aren't that many Kölsch beers being submitted to the Cup, although the overall interest is growing. That said, Kölsch shares the category with Blond Ale, Cream Ale and American Wheat or Rye Beer, a potentially crowded field.

Hot Liquor Lager

2009-07-07T00:35:00.005-05:00

The first in line of a new series of "on-premise only" Brewer's Choice beers is the eponymous Hot Liquor Lager, designed by the lead singer of the Schlafly House Band The Hot Liquors. Brewer Eric Roy wanted a beer that blended the best of two worlds, a well-hopped, easy-drinking lager.

Weighing in at 49 ibu's and 6.0% abv, Hot Liquor Lager is a delicious hoppy lager fermented at 45 deg F has a big hop aroma and a rich hop flavor that satisfies without being overwhelming. Despite the high OG, the beer's great attenuation allows the malt to shine but finish clean and dry, necessitating another.

The Brewer's Choice beers are small batches-15 barrels or less-that will only be available at the Schlafly Bottleworks. This line of beers will allow the brewers a change to flex their creativity and give visitors a chance to try something unique.

Hot Liquor Lager
IBU: 49
ABV: 6.0%

First Wort!

2009-03-18T10:53:00.004-05:00

We have had the brewhouse off-line for the past two weeks as we upgrade it to accommodate the demand of the thirsty Schlafly fans. We have added a new, larger kettle that will utilize an internal calandria to provide a more efficient and effective boil.

We are also automating much of the process utilizing Siemens technology and their Braumat Compact software. It will allow our brewers to focus on producing the best beer possible with the new tools, rather than juggling valves and connections.

Well, the first batch of beer has made its way through the new brewhouse yesterday (Saint Patty's Day, appropriately enough). Here James "Otto" Ottolini, our production manager and resident engineer, and brewer Eric Roy examine and taste the first batch, sampled from the whirlpool. This is just prior to being transferred to the fermentation cellar.

I am happy to report the first batch is happily fermenting away...

Schlafly Photo of the Day

2009-03-17T01:09:00.004-05:00

The ultimate in last minute dry-hopping; or how to make your beer pals jealous.

*Note: a small vial of isomerized hop extract may be easier to transport than a bale of whole leaf hops. But a hope head must do what a hop head must do....

Schlafly Photo of the Day

2009-03-16T00:57:00.001-05:00

Nalgene sculptures.

All you need is an autoclave and Nalgene bottles that refrain from indicating whether they are autoclave-friendly polypropylene or the more pliable polyethylene.

Schlafly Photo of the Day

2009-03-13T17:00:00.001-05:00

Ahhhh....The Friday tasting panel.....

Schlafly Photo of the Day

2009-03-01T21:41:00.003-06:00

A look at the brewhouse as it once was. This photo is actually from this past summer. We are beginning the final phase of our brewhouse upgrade this weekend. The upgrade includes: a new, larger kettle with an internal calandria; an integrated CIP system; and automation provided by Siemens and their Braumat software.

The kettle is actually in place already, it was installed after the above photo was taken. It's located between the whirlpool and the existing kettle, which will become a hot wort receiver, allowing us to collect sweet wort from the next batch before the prior batch has finished boiling.

By integrating a wort receiver, automating the remaining mechanical systems on the brewhouse (most of the valves are already run using air-powered actuators-and using the Braumat computer control system to seamlessly drive the process, we hope to increase our efficiency greatly, allowing the brewer to produce more wort per shift.

This will help us keep up the growing demand for Schlafly beer. We thank everyone who made this upgrade necessary. Cheers!

Schlafly Photo of the Day

2009-02-28T09:30:00.000-06:00

In order to sample our fermenting beer in an aseptic fasion, we have to bring the heat....

By hitting the sampling port with some flame from a hand-held butane torch after spraying it with ethanol (which is why the blue flame seems to spread so far), we can be assured that the port is free of any airborne contaminants that may have alighted upon it.

Schlafly Photo of the Day

2009-02-27T19:21:00.002-06:00

Some fresh oak barrels we are testing out...

Schlafly Photo of the Day

2009-02-26T20:11:00.000-06:00

A Spundaparat. Otherwise known as a bunging device. It allows us to capture the CO2 generated in the fermentation process in order to naturally carbonate the beer. It's set to a vent only when the tank reaches a pre-determined pressure.

2009-02-25T20:55:00.000-06:00

Schlafly Hefeweizen wizzing by, just about to be packaged in pink packaging for Breast Cancer Awareness month last year.

Tanks are in place.....

2008-12-20T19:09:00.004-06:00

Let the brewing begin....

The two new tanks are in place and plumbed with glycol. The inaugural batch, a 200bbl batch of Schlafly Pale Ale, is fermenting away.

Up till now, the largest fermenters in the cellar were a quartet of 125 bbl tanks, two of which are visible from the parking lot through the windows.

This will give Schlafly the potential fermentation capacity to brew more than 30,000 bbl a year.

We might not tap into the full potential yet, but given the support we have received from the growing numbers of thirsty Schlafly fans, having the extra head-space gives us room to plan for the future.

These photos were taken just prior to the first batch being cast into the tank.

New Tanks!

2008-12-03T09:50:00.002-06:00

Schlafly was the welcoming recipient of two 200 bbl fermenters yesterday. Provided to us by JV Northwest in Oregon, the two tanks are about as large as we can accommodate in the building. The addition of 400 barrels of capacity will allow us to continue to grow and make sure that there is a pint ready for every thirsty beer fan.

The Post-Dispatch's Jeremiah McWilliams and a photographer were in attendance for the fly in. Williams wrote up a short piece about it on his P-D blog Lager Heads.

New Skin....

2008-10-24T06:37:00.002-05:00

Just kidding. Sierra Nevada's Ken Grossman has just unveiled the Chico,Ca brewery's foray into the glassware world. They join the much-talked about glass developed by Jim Koch at Sam Adams, as well as the mostly unmentioned glass developed at Anheuser-Busch-a tall, almost Weiss-glass shaped vessel with thin glass around the top as well as an etched bottom to create nucleation sites for the release of co2.

The interest in the beer industry in developing new glassware designed specifically for the enjoyment of beer is an exciting advance. Some may have seen it as a conceit, that brewers shouldn't adopt the wine industry's demand for proper glassware.

That may have been a more valid point in the past, beer was meant to be drank from a bottle or a can, and that's the way we liked it.

But as consumers begin to develop greater interest in investigating the inherent qualities of beer-it's aromas, the different flavors created by hops, yeast and malt (and now spices) the relative turbidity and color-and the variety of beers now available, a proper glass is just what the brewer ordered.

In fact, rather than the brewing industry adopting wine culture, proper glassware is a brewing throwback. There is a reason the denizens of Cologne enjoy their thin-walled 50 centiliter glasses. Those Bavarian masses have their place. Belgium, of course, has always had a great variety of glassware to enjoy its draught.

However you quaff your pint, just make sure it's beer-clean.

Indian Summer Kolsch

2008-10-14T11:38:00.001-05:00

We may be slipping into fall, but you wouldn't know it for the temperature. Therefore we bring you Indian Summer Kolsch!

Our homage to the official beer of Cologne, Germany, has been so popular this year we brewed another batch, late in the season. It may not be summer any longer, but we have fresh Kolsch just the same....

STL Hops August Bottoms Photos

2008-10-09T12:43:00.003-05:00

Mike Sweeny over at STL Hops posted some photos from the Augusta Bottoms Beer Festival.

Angie and Natasha keep the beer fans' glasses full.....

Beer Drive

2008-10-09T12:37:00.002-05:00

Our friends over on Pestalozi have come up with a way to take it with you to the office.

Hey, even if the backup fails...you've got a shot of relief!

Pumkin Ale Review

2008-10-06T14:30:00.004-05:00

The Louisville Courier-Journal's freelance food writer penned a piece on Pumpkin ales. happily, Schlafly seems to be his favorite. It's ours too...

Fine Day In Augusta

2008-10-05T23:20:00.005-05:00

The 6th annual Agusta Bottom's Beer Festival kicked off with near-perfect weather. Sunshine and not too warm. Schalfly was among the many participating brewers pouring at the event, including the Garage Brewers a group of dedicated and talented home brewers.

For those who were able to make the trip and joined us for a glass or two, we thank you as do our fellow brewers and H.I.S. K.I.D.S., a charitable organization helping kids which benefits from the event.

We should have some photos up on the blog soon.

Hello to all who stopped by the table to say hello.

Oktoberfest!

2008-08-16T13:41:00.001-05:00

As September draws to a close and October's chill is around the bend it may be time to stock up on Oktoberfest! Yes..that delicious, seemingly-misnamed brew that brings to mind oompah bands and pretzels on a cool Bavarian evening.

In the past we have run short, barely clearing October's first hurdles. This year, however, we are prepared.

So as we drag our washer sets back into the garage and roll out the fire pits, we can toast falls return with a glass of Oktoberfest.

Only $50 Billion to go!

2008-06-23T22:47:00.000-05:00

Schlafly Beer is dedicated to taking pride in our hometown brews. Not only do we enjoy beers brewed by our neighbors, but it allows us to give back to our community and our local economy. To that end we can not exclude one of our larger brewing brethren, the St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch.

So...the portending purchase of the storied business by InBev means that many of the beers quaffed in our fair city will no longer be from a local brewer.

In order to remedy that, Schlafly Beer is attempting to raise the capital to purchase the Belgian-based InBev.

We may have fallen short of our bid to purchase the St. Louis Cardinals when A-B sold the franchise in 1994, but maybe, just maybe, we can bring a St. Louis institution back to St. Louis.

Latest News on InBev Takeover Of A-B

2008-06-18T06:04:00.001-05:00

Here's a few recent articles looking at the–now potentially inevitable–takeover of A-B.

The most intriguing are unconfirmed reports that Warren Buffett is supporting the deal. If the Yoda of the investment world backs the buyout, it's likely shareholder support for the Busch family will evaporate.

Potential purchase of Modelo still out there. A-B may purchase Modelo in a move to try and put the company out of the reach, financially, of InBev.

A-B warned against the Modelo deal by InBev.

InBev will likely need to up its offer from $65 to $70 a share.

Missouri Governor Matt Blunt and Senator Kit Bond ask for FTC to intervene in the deal. Analysts quoted in the article doubt any action forthcoming because A-B is already the sole distributor of InBev products in the United States.

InBev Makes Its Bid

2008-06-12T08:02:00.000-05:00

The international beer conglomerate made it official this week that they are making a bid to purchase Anheuser-Busch. If successful, the new company would control approximately 1/4 of the world beer market.

News reports so far indicate that A-B may have a difficult time fending off the unsolicited offer.

InBev is offering $46 billion for the company, about $65 cash for each share of A-B's stock. When the market closed on Wednesday, A-B stock was selling for $58.35. An 11% return on the stock would be hard for the shareholders to turn down, especially a cash offer versus a stock swap or other instrument.

More coverage is available on the Post-Dispatch's website. P-D columnist Dave Nicklaus offers some first thoughts about the offer.

This is the beginning, not the end. The Microsoft-Yahoo drama took three months to play out — Microsoft launched its bid Feb. 1 and formally abandoned it May 4 — and it may not be over yet. The plot could take many twists and turns from here, so stay tuned.

Other coverage from the New York Times and the Financial Times.

Also, here's InBev's own take on their move.

"We have the highest respect for Anheuser-Busch, its employees and its leadership, who have built the leading brewer in the U.S. and grown the iconic Budweiser brand. Together, we would draw on the collective expertise of both companies' management and employees...The combination will create a stronger, more competitive, sustainable global company which will benefit all stakeholders."

And here is A-B's response to the unsolicited cash bid.

"Anheuser-Busch said that its board of directors will evaluate the proposal carefully and in the context of all relevant factors, including Anheuser-Busch's long-term strategic plan. The board will review the merits of the proposal consistent with its fiduciary duties and in consultation with its financial and legal advisers. The board will pursue the course of action that is in the best interests of Anheuser-Busch's stockholders."

Craft Beer Growing Strong, 12% in 2007

2008-06-11T20:30:00.000-05:00

The Brewer's Association detailed the 12% growth in the craft beer market, everything from the local brewpub over to the growing number of regional and larger breweries.

The print edition of the BA journal, The New Brewer, has the detailed breakdown. For a quick look at some of the stats, the BA has posted some of their numbers on the website.

As the macro breweries are finding trouble expanding their share in the U.S. market, craft brewers are still growing. The difference? Education. As the consumer learns more about the craft beer available to them, they begin to expand their buying habits. There is no one brewer benefiting over others, a rising tide as it were.

How long can the craft industry experience double-digit growth? It's hard to say. Economic instability hasn't been felt too strongly in the industry yet, but if trouble grows, it just might.

For now, however, it's time to raise a pint of your favorite craft beer pint!

Top 50

2008-06-11T20:10:00.000-05:00

In the most recent edition of The New Brewer, the journal published by the Brewers Association, the association broke down the stats for the 2007 craft beer market.

Near the end of their detailed report is a list of the top 50 breweries by volume.

And....squeaking in at #50 is Schlafly with just over 18,000 barrels sold last year.

Thanks to all of our loyal fans and friends. If you didn't keep drinking it, we wouldn't keep brewing it! Although if we didn't brew it, you couldn't drink it, and on we spiral down an infinite circle.....yikes. It's time for a Kolsch to sooth my spinning mind.

First Day of Heritage Festival

2008-05-10T10:35:00.000-05:00

Following on the success of last year's festival, this year's Heritage Festival is off to a rousing start. Despite increasing capacity for the event from last year, the Friday evening session sold out.

Today's Post-Dispatch has the story.

For more information on the breweries and restaurants involved, check out the Heritage Fest website.

There are only two sessions left today: noon to 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. The forecast is calling for some rain to start in the evening, but that didn't dampen spirits last year, or slow down the enjoyment.

We will try and grab some photos of today's events. Music food and over 60 beers, what a day!

Fun Facts...

2008-03-22T17:01:00.001-05:00

Via the Brewers Association.

In Kansas, for in-state breweries of 15,000 barrels or less no less than 50% of the agricultural products going into their beer must originate from the state of Kansas unless they are given a waiver due to the fact the products are not available in the state. Also, their label must spell out the proportion of Kansas' products used.

A bill currently before the legislature would remove this requirement. (Bill Text in pdf)

While requiring a brewery to obtain a certain percentage of their ingredients from its resident state may seem heavy-handed, the idea of adding the origin of the ingredients may tweak some interest. There is a move to emphasize locally grown and harvested agricultural products and craft breweries and have been a part of that move towards local and sustainable products.

Previously I pointed out the fact that we were experimenting with wheat supplied to us from a local farmer. It hasn't moved beyond some basic tasting trials, but it's a step in an interesting direction.

As rising grain and hop prices force brewers to re-examine their approach, some brewers may begin looking at alternatives to what they have done in the past. Recently the references to gruit, meads and other malt beverage styles have gone through the roof.

As for brewers incluing the origin and makeup of their ingredients on the label, that probably falls on TTB's don't list when it comes to labeling regulations. The data-gathering and management that would likely accompany such a move would swamp most brewers. Best to keep it light, and to keep the sales folk educated.

Hops increase, so does the industry

2008-03-02T12:31:00.000-06:00

ProBrewer reports that hop production is up this year.

Hop production for Idaho, Oregon, and Washington in 2007 totaled 60.3 million
pounds, up 4 percent from the 2006 crop of 57.7 million pounds and 14 percent
above the 2005 production of 52.9 million pounds.

While not an enormous jump, the increase is a good sign that there is light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to the hop shortage.

The increase comes on the heels of continued growth in the craft beer industry. Also from ProBrewer:

Information Resources said craft beer sales rose 16.7 percent from $493 million in 2006 to $575 million in 2007, marking the second straight year of double-digit increases. IRI tracks sales only in the off-premise trade.

The report also notes that price increases made necessary by the jump in malt and hop prices is only now beginning to reach customers.

Increased prices hitting customers just as the economy dallies around the edges of recession may put a damper on growth as consumers look for bargains. That said, a slightly more expensive craft beer may still be perceived as an affordable luxury to those who have become craft beer drinkers.

Bière de Garde is back

2008-02-23T11:38:00.000-06:00

Bière de Garde will shall return to store shelves soon.

Schlafly's first foray into the world of bottle-conditioned beers, the September 2007 release of the Bière de Garde, topped with its jaunty orange crown, has been well received.

This past week, a fresh batch of BdG was krausened and bottled at the Schlafly Taproom. This cousin to the Saison will now spend the next two weeks conditioning at about 70 degrees (give or take a few), before we cool it down to age.

Provided we hit the mark and the dash of freshly fermenting wort added to each bottle doesn't cause the CO2 to exceed the bottle's pressure rating, thus making small rockets out of the Bière de Garde bottles, we should have them back on sale within the month.

For those of you unfamiliar with bottle conditioned beer, a quick primer. A staple for homebewers seeking to carbonate their creations, the method has been used for centuries in brewing.

Bottle conditioning is often used as a finishing touch in the brewing process to provide carbonation, character or add stability to the beer.

The bottled beer is condition through the addition of yeast and sometimes priming sugar or wort to add carbonation.

By measuring the amount of sugar in both the fermenting beer and the amount of residual sugar in the beer to be conditioned, we know how much yeast/sugar mix to add to achieve our desired goal. In this case, a particular carbonation level as well as a certain finished character.

In addition to giving a well carbonated pour, the additional active yeast provides other benefits. The fermenting yeast consumes much of the remaining dissolved oxygen in the beer. Oxygen, of course, being one of the great enemies of beer quality. It can also consume some of the other compounds like diacetyl and acetaldehyde that may be undesired in a beer, depending on the style.

Bottle-conditioned beer continues to age and mature when kept at cellar temperatures of around 50° to 55°.

Schlafly Bière de Garde is ready to drink in a few weeks following bottling. While bottle-conditioning can give a beer the ability to age for some time, Bière de Garde is best consumed before too long. In the Belgian and French regions, the farmers would brew their Saisons and Bière de Gardes in the winter and then drink them while tending their fields from the late spring into early fall. Fortunately, Schlafly Bière de Garde will be available most of the year.

Anheuser-InBev?

2008-02-09T10:57:00.000-06:00

Probrewer.com is reporting that talks between Anheuser-Busc, the U.S.'s largest brewer, and InBev, the world's second largest brewer.

The Post-Dispatch's Jeremiah McWilliams has more on the background.

"Although this is speculation, we think the potential for an InBev bid (for Anheuser-Busch) will dominate the discourse on A-B," Bear Stearns analyst Justin Hott wrote Friday in a note to investors. He said he does not believe Anheuser-Busch's management wants to sell the company.

Though cryptic about the company's strategy, A-B executives say they would consider buying a foreign brewer if the right option comes along.

"We are interested in international beer acquisitions that would enhance our growth profile," W. Randolph Baker, A-B's chief financial officer, said Thursday in a conference call with analysts. "If we have an opportunity, we would certainly pursue it."

Hop In It

2007-09-10T10:22:00.001-05:00

In order to get the aroma and extra hit of hop in our dry-Hopped APA, we need, naturally, hops; and lots of them.

In this case, fresh Cascade hops. It's not exact, and sometimes we add more, sometimes less. It all depends on the quality of the hops. But the more the better.

It may not be the hop-bomb style that has developed a strong following the craft beer and homebrewer worlds, but its hoppiness is not to be denied.

The APA began it's life as a seasonal beer that was our version of a Hop Harvest. Being the hoppiest of our beers it soon developed dedicated fans who wanted to see it brewed more often.

A non-dry hopped version of the APA made its debut in 2004 as the Expedition Reserve APA, which was brewed to commemorate the Anniversary of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Again, the beer developed fans who wanted a pint of the hoppy brew year-round.

So, in 2005, the APA made its way onto the list of year-round beers.

The beer followed in the tradition of the highly-hopped American-style Pale Ales (where the APA's name originated). Over time, however, the desire for more hop flavor and aroma, propelled by our regular APA fans, led to some trials with dry-hopping in late 2006.

The trials involved trying several methods to best impart the hope flavor and aroma we looked for. For the smaller batches the Tap Room brews we suspend weighted bags of hops in a unitank and then move the beer into the tank.

At the Bottleworks, however, the concern was that the much larger volume would not pick up the hops evenly. Several methods were tried including a variation on the hop-back which circulated the beer through a pressurized vessel (the "hop-coffin" as it was known) containing the hops.

The method finally decided upon is similar to what is done at the Taproom. the beer is moved into a horizontal tank in which has the hops on the bottom and covered with domed stainless-steel screens. This prevents the hops from floating to the top and provides for more even exposure.

After getting the thumbs up from hop-heads within the company and our hop-craving customers, the operation was ramped up and officially became the Dry-Hopped APA.

The new beer required new packaging and as such you will now see the Dry-Dopped APA label on tap handles around town, as well as new bottle packaging in the stores.

Rack 'Em

2007-09-07T14:52:00.000-05:00

If the aroma grew any stronger, folks might think Schlafly had gotten into the distilling business.

Yesterday, 33 bourbon barrels were filled with this year's batch of Schlafly's Special Reserve Imperial Stout. The beer will age in those barrels for the next several weeks with the specific date of bottling depending on how much flavor, and how quickly, the stout takes up.

Last year, the the beer took about two weeks to attain the desired character. A test barrel that was aged over two months knocked over even our most enthusiastic bourbon-aged brewer.

The aroma that flowed from the barrels as they filled was rich, sweet and far from delicate. A snoot-full of the stream blowing out as the barrel filled was potent, to say the least. Perhaps Missouri's decision to ban alcohol vaporizers was a wise move.

The imperial stout began it's life this spring as four consecutive 15-barrel brews knocked out into a 60-barrel fermenter. A brew that taxed our brewhouse's capacity, averaging 24° Plato. Our ever-voracious house ale yeast went to work on the malty giant, fermenting out in a few days.

Afterwards, the beer aged in the fermenter for months. We periodically sampled it to monitor the process. It's initial heat mellowed and rounded out; an important step as it is now introduced into barrels that bourbon formerly called home. We want to introduce a bourbon character, not set fire to the glass.

Peering into the barrels before flooding them with CO2 revealed a nice alligator-skin pattern to the char. As we went through filling the barrels, the entire cellar filled with the aroma of bourbon, roasted oak, and imperial stout. It drew several onlookers to whom the operation played "Pied-Piper." Though you wouldn't need a tucan's nose to figure out what we were up to.

After being bunged, the barrels went back up in the racks to age.

Bottles of the barrel-aged Imperial Stout will be available just in time to sip while Halloween goblins ring doorbells around the city.

Need a beer? Check the Brewfinder

2007-08-31T22:10:00.000-05:00

In a foreign locale, or perhaps just an unfamiliar part of town, and you need a beer? Well, the Beer Mapping Project might be your ticket.

The folks behind the project take advantage of Google's mapping ability to plot the exact location of pubs around the country.

Check out our hometown, St. Louis, right here.

Remembering Michael Jackson

2007-08-31T21:49:00.000-05:00

The Brewer's Association is hosting an online collection of remembrance for Michael Jackson. The compiling of messages is long so far. To add to our own thoughts send a message to mark@brewersassociation.org.

The Beerhunter Passes

2007-08-31T15:03:00.000-05:00

Pints will be lifted the world over today in memory of one of the great, if not the greatest, beer writer of the century: Michael Jackson. Ever prolific and ever loquacious about his favorite liquids, Jackson's wriging cronicled the resurgence of interest in beer beginning in the 1970's.

Though writers are nothing if not argumentative, Jackson's work was often considered to be among the best by his fellow sribes.

More than merely creating a travelogue of pubs and breweries, or a laundry list of beers from around the globe, Jackson's writing doumented the life and craft of the still growing beer culture.

Jackson brought expertise without snobbery and love without question; he quaffed pints regarless of pedigree. From the finest craft brews wrought on moonless nights with closely guarded secrets or pulled from thousand-gallon tanks at the commercial level. No beer to was too pedestrian, nor too haughty. Each was appraised for what it was, not what others thought it should be.

Schlafly Features Local Wheat for Witbier

2007-07-13T15:11:00.000-05:00

Schlafly Beer is continuing its commitment to local purveyors with the inclusion of Alhambra Wheat in this year's Witbier.

The Alhambra Wheat Company is located just across the river in Alhambra, Illinois. The unmalted soft red winter wheat grown by John Gorenz and his partners is ideal for witbiers and other wheat ales.

So far they have provided several sacks of herbicide-free and pesticide-free wheat for the brewery at the Schlafly Taproom. Some the wheat was used for the witbier, but there is talk of possibly experimenting with the Hefeweizen to see if it could be more regularly integrated into the beer.

Early in June, owner Dan Kopman, chief brewer Steven Hale and quality control manager Christian Artzner took a trip across the river to visit the farm at harvest time.

While there, they shared a pint or two with the crew as they watched over some of the harvesting operation.

They were even given a chance to take the massive combine for a spin around the field.

"It's like riding on an oceanliner," said Hale.

The Alhambra-accentuated Witbier will be available beginning this afternoon with the kickoff of Schlafly's Mussel Mania at the Schlafly Taproom, at 21st and Locust streets downtown. The festival features mussels and belgian-style beers such as Witbier and Belgian Dubbel.

Raspberry Puree

2007-05-25T13:20:00.000-05:00

As the weather warms, requests for Raspberry Hefewiezen begin to pepper the bartenders.

Now, to their relief, and our customers, they can respond with a cool pint of Raz Hefe.

The Raz stands out in the Schlafly lineup, not only for its light tart note and its raspberry hue, but as the only fruit beer brewed by Schlafly.

As beers go, it's a straightforward affair. Not overly complex, but the addition of fruit contributes new layers to the beer.

The Raspberry Hefeweizen begins its life similar to the Schlafly Hefeweizen. Schlafly's Hefeveizen is a light, unfiltered wheat ale based on traditional german-style wheat ales, but fermented with our house ale yeast that minimizes the banana and clove character that are a signature of the traditional style. The result is a light-bodied beer drier than its forbearers with a wheat malt finish.

Apart from the tart and sweetness of the raspberry, malt is a dominant flavor character of the Raspberry Hefeweizen. The malt base comes from a mix of 2-row pale malt and wheat malt.

Hops are not a major player in wheat ales, but are added to balance the malt. A dose of Polish marynka hops are added for flavor and a few tettnanger just before the end of boil for aroma.

The signature of the Raz Hefe is the red raspberry puree which is added directly into the fermenter before the wort is pumped in from the kettle. The puree, supplied by family-owned Oregon Fruit Products and made from berries grown in Northwestern Oregon, adds flavor, color and even a bit of additional sugar to the beer.

Though the puree gives up a bit of its own sugar it does little to budge the beer's 9.7° Plato (approximately 1.039 for you specific gravity folks) starting gravity, which is a measure of relative level of sugar in the wort.

Fermentation takes a two to three days depending on the yeast's performance. The yeast converts the sugars in the wort into carbon dioxide (CO2, which is vented from the tank) and alcohol. Upon reaching he target gravity of 2.7° Plato, the tank's vent is closed, trapping some of the the CO2 which provides a base level of carbonation and an approximate ABV of 3.9%.

Before bottling or kegging, we rough-filter the Raspberry to reduce, but not eliminate, its yeast content. While it is an unfiltered beer we don't want the yeast to play as great a role as it does in the Hefeweizen.

The Raspberry Hefewiezen (or Raz) is available at the Schlafly Bottleworks, the Schlafly Taproom and stores throughout our distribution area. Raspberry Hef has been available on draft since 1994 and in bottles since 2004.