S U N D A Y , N O V E M B E R 1 , 2 0 0 9

Departing Denmark: Nørrebro Bryghus/FanøBryghus, Grassroots Brewing, and Hill FarmsteadBrewery...

This is likely to be my final writing from my 20 month tenure in

Denmark as Head Brewer at both Nørrebro Bryghus and the

relaunched Fanø Bryghus. One full week from this expatiation I'll be

moving onward (both forward and backward, in a sense...) -

returning to Hill Farmstead with an ever more worldly perspective

and, perhaps, a more settled ability to continue the Hill legacy in

Greensboro. This generation, however, as a brewer rather than a

dairy farmer...

I'm sitting on the island of Fanø, listening to Wilco, and dry hopping

my latest IPA. Fanø Bryghus is back on track - our Christmas Porter is

receiving great compliments (Chocolate, Coffee, Cinnamon, and

Vanilla) - and I suspect that an American Pale Ale will soon be added

N E X T : T H O U G H T S O F H O M E . M Y

D I S S O L U T I O N .

The freshly fallen snow in

Greensboro, Vermont. Hill Farmstead

Project continues.

T H E F U T U R E ?

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H I L L F A R M S T E A DT HE E V O L U T I O N A N D D I S S O L U T I O N O F S HA U N E . H I L L

to the year round catalog. Ryan Witter-Merithew (formerly of Duck-

Rabbit Brewery in North Carolina) seems to have settled into life on

the island. His 'Chug" (Chihuahua/Pug mix) "Hamburglar" has been

making rounds on the Copenhagen beer scene - and has gained a

reputation as a magnetic force to the opposite gender... thus,

earning him the nickname "P. Mag." Multiple visits to the island by

Mike Murphy and Michael Jordan over the last month have brought

much needed respite from a hectic work schedule and we all attended

the Esbjerg beer festival together last weekend.

The fermenters at Nørrebro Bryghus are full of beer in the wake of

my departure. Søren Parker Wagner (famed bartender of Lord Nelson

and Orsted and creator of Croocked Moon brewing in Denmark) is

going to be working part time at Nørrebro in order to keep the gears

running smoothly and Rasmus Broge will effectively become the

senior brewer at Ryesgade (while maintaining his position at

Hedehusene's production brewery...)

So... what have I left behind at Nørrebro Bryghus? Many beers which,

sadly, I'll never have the pleasure to consume! But, hopefully will be

savored by the discriminating palates of the Copenhagen beer scene.

Over the last months, I've brewed a beautiful american pale ale called

"Hop Something." 10 kilos of Palisade and Glacier went into the

whirlpool of a 1,000L (that's 264 gallons for the metrically challenged)

batch. I have teamed up with the pinnacle of the coffee craft to

create two new beers - The Coffee Collective - located on

Jægersborggade in Copenhagen: http://www.coffeecollective.dk/).

Kasper from CC and I put together a wonderfully subtle beer - 4.8%

and full bodied- called Kenya Coffee Stout. The next beer in the

coffee series will be a new version of La Granja Stout - brewed with

an abundant addition the Coffee Collective's Guatemalan coffee.

We were joined by Eric Wallace of Left Hand Brewing Company in

Colorado on October 17th. Eric shipped over 25kg of hackberry

smoked malt (smoked at their brewery!) for our version of a Smoked

Baltic Porter. The beer finished out at 7.2% abv, 35 ibus, and has a

beautifully smooth and subtle smoke character the compliments the

"THE" Hill Farmstead Brewery: A long

way from Denmark.

S U G G E S T E D R E A D I N G

My Friend Ingrassia's Blog

My Friend Mike Murphy's Blog

F O L L O W E R S

B L O G A R C H I V E

► 2010 (6)

▼ 2009 (9)

▼ November (2)

A quiet return home...

Departing Denmark: Nørrebro

Bryghus/Fanø Bryghus, ...

► July (1)

► June (1)

► May (2)

► April (1)

► January (2)

► 2008 (3)

A B O U T M E

SHA UN E. HILL

I began this blog as an American

Brewer living abroad and brewing

beer in Copenhagen, Denmark. I've

traveled the world in pursuit of life,

love, and libation - which is perhaps

how I've ended up here. Hill

rounded malt character of the beer. This beer should debut sometime

around Christmas and is tentatively named Eric's Smoked Baltic

Porter. 200 liters of this limited batch will be aged in an Islay whiskey

barrel throughout the winter months and hopefully through next

summer... Hopefully someone can carry a sample to the states for

Eric and I to taste?

Next week I'll be brewing an Oatmeal Brown Ale for the draft calendar

at Nørrebro as well the new La Granja and a (now not so much of a)

surprise "farewell" beer that shall rest nicely in the tanks for a month

or two until a gap opens up in the draft list at the pub.

There are also at least 2 new IPAs ahead for Nørrebro. I brewed

"Hoppier Something" (though the name is likely to change before it

hits the draft lines) - a bigger, hoppier brother to Hop Something -

mostly dominated by Simcoe hops.

And, lastly - next Saturday, November 7th, at 4pm, we'll debut a new

Double IPA at Nørrebro Bryghus named Hill Spawn Double IPA. This is

my reincarnation of a beer that I brewed at The Shed (in Stowe, VT

and the brewery that first gave me creative freedom!) named Hell

Spawn. I brewed Hell Spawn back in June of 2006 specifically for the

Hop Head Throwdown at the Publick House in Brookline,

Massachusetts. My attempt was 220 theoretical ibus and the beer

finished out around 10.5% abv. Analyzed, Hell Spawn was 87 ibus. Hill

Spawn is a bit more over the top. I wanted 300 theoretical ibus in

hopes of breaking the 90+ *real* ibu level - the beer is finished nicely

at 10.8% abv and required more than 20kgs of hops for a 900L batch.

After dry hopping and kettle loss, I am hoping to keg 500 liters of

beer.

On Sunday, November 8th, my last full day in Denmark as a

'temporary resident', I'll go to the Royal Danish Theater, sit in the 4th

row, and watch/listen to Wilco play a fantastic set of music. Which

will carry me home...

But not without leaving something behind.

For nearly a decade now I have been dreaming of starting my

Grassroots Brewery - my original plan was to find a brewing space

somewhere in Northern Vermont and conduct brewing operations long

enough under the title of Grassroots in order to raise funds to move

all operations to Hill Farmstead. At that time, I would have two

brands or lines of beer - Grassroots and Hill Farmstead (this was

several years before Tomme Arthur launched the Port Brewing/Lost

Abbey brands under the same roof). I registered the tradenames,

LLC, and bought the domain names for Grassroots Brewery nearly 5

Farmstead Brewery in Greensboro

Brewed its first beer on March 30,

2010!

V IEW M Y COM PLETE PROFILE

years ago. Now, as I transition into my last days in Denmark - I have

finally found a means of starting Grassroots Brewery here on Danish

soil.

Last weekend, here in Fanø, I brewed my first American Pale Ale

under the Grassroots name - I am contract brewing the beer (for

now, myself, and after I leave, Ryan will take the reins) here at Fanø.

The focus is American style IPAs, Pale Ales, and hop-forward beers.

For now - draft only - and the first batch will be divided between

Copenhagen, Sweden, and Italy. The first batch has been effectively

pre-sold and tomorrow I'm brewing another 1,000L of this winter pale

ale - here in DK - HumleJul (hoppy christmas). Each season will see a

different variation on the IPA - whether more flavor forward or

bitterness oriented - all beers will be round and elegant - with soft

bitterness and flavor forward hop profiles. Look for them on draft in

Copenhagen (at the usual beer bars) in about 3 weeks. Beer #1 is a

Simcoe forward IPA - 5.5% abv and 120 theoretical ibus and

predominantly late hopped. The bitterness is relatively unexpressive

and the hop character builds on the aftertaste into a resiny and

pleasant linger. It's quite dry and highly drinkable. Think 3 Floyd's

Alpha King meets Hop Something meets Bell's Hop Slam...

Grassroots Brewery in Denmark means permanent ties for me in this

country - and it will keep me coming back. Anders (Kissmeyer) and I

have been steadily entertaining the notion of a yearly guest brew at

Nørrebro - laying beers down in oak - and possibly coinciding my visit

with the arrival of another American brewer for a three fold

collaboration. Alesmith/Hill Farmstead (Grassroots)/Nørrebro, for

example? (Damn, this IPA, that I am dry hopping, is almost too

pleasant to sip...)

Grassroots is a subsidiary of Hill Farmstead in Vermont - a purposeful

connection -in light that my friends and investors can never question

my intention and focus...

Look for a sessionable stout in mid-winter and possibly some bottles

of the IPA once the bottling line here in Fanø is up and running.

And Hill Farmstead? Almost immediately upon my return, my first

weekend home, I am off to Montreal to brew with the crew at Dieu Du

Ciel!... The style is still undecided but I can imagine it to be

relatively hoppy and abundantly late hopped. As our great friend, and

one of the most influential figures on my brewing career and

understand of beer - Greg Noonan - passed away several weeks ago -

I suspect that Stephane and JF and myself will want to pay some sort

of tribute to the man that inspired all of us to brew better beer. In

fact, it's pretty easy to follow the lineage of my brewing education

and inspiration: Noonan --> John Kimmich (owner/brewer of The

Alchemist, worked for Greg as a brewer for many years...) --> Me.

I'm leaving too many friends behind in Denmark. Every day I am

divided - leave/stay... leave/stay... but I must continue to follow my

passion and share my experience with the world. Annual returns to DK

are certainly in the cards - and the future of Hill Farmstead remains

to be written. I've assembled a pretty amazing support team to help

me launch - between my investors (who may or may not want to be

named... yet), my graphic designer, my distributors, my brewing

colleagues, friends, family, ... We'll see how it progresses. Worst

Case Scenario: I return to Denmark as a brewer and finally attempt to

learn the language. Things could be worse, right?

There remains an uphill battle back in Vermont. But I have found my

investors, the money, the equipment, and maintain the spirit. Hill

Farmstead now... a brewpub in a few years... maybe a longer term

return to Denmark...as long as the energy and the consciousness of

those involved in this project (that has ever become greater than my

microcosmic 'I' ) continues to grow and sustain, then I suspect that

we can expect further projects to evolve...

POSTED BY SHAUN E. HILL AT 11:10 PM 5 COM M ENTS:

S A T U R D A Y , J U L Y 2 5 , 2 0 0 9

2 weeks... Into the Wild.

The hours are turning into weeks and my return to Vermont, my

adventure into the folds of dream-destiny , is just two weeks away .

My return to the wilderness with which I identify ... the connection

between place, spirit, and passion, is glowing like a beacon at the

end of an exhausting journey . Some people follow their passion

and allow things to fall into place...and others... just want to follow

the sun. I'm no longer sure what I'm following - perhaps I'm lost in

my own confusion, my crazy loneliness, and reuniting with my

sense of place. I miss liv ing in Vermont (I do not miss liv ing in the

United States). The most organic farms, the most breweries, and

the most artisan cheese makers per capita in the United States...

The area in which I live has been named the #1 Food Town in

America by Eating Well Magazine. Is there any doubt as to why I

would feel more connected to my landscape, more at peace with

my self in Vermont, than any where else...? Considering more than

two hundred y ears of heritage upon Greensboro soil... My

forefathers (and mothers) are the very agrarian ancestors that

settled (17 81) and worked the soil that is now heralded...(by the

New Y ork Times, for example...)

Reflections upon time spent in Copenhagen - my tenure at

Nørrebro Bry ghus, enduring friendships, and impossible romance

- shall never cease to find a place in my heart...

Best to enjoy my remaining moments...

Last weekend, Peter Sonne (Halsnæs Bry ghus) and I guest brewed

a Black Ry e IPA at Svaneke Bry ghus in Bornholm with

brewmaster, Jan Paul. 7 0 ibus of Simcoe and Columbus in the

whirlpool. To be named Black Hill IPA (the hills behind my home

in Vermont are called the Black Hills...) Also, sitting in the

fermenters in Ry esgade are Hill Pale Ale, Seven Russian Imperial

Stout, North Bridge Extreme, Double Knot Brown, Skargaards

Porter, Biere de Miel, and some misc. barrels - such as an

american oak barrel with Skargaards Porter, cocoa nibs, and

coffee beans...

Today I'm on the island of Fanø (just 10 minutes off the

southwestern coast of Denmark and 3 hours west of København) at

Fanø Bry ghus - where I have assumed the position of "consultant"

to their restructuring and launch of brewing operations. Kasper

and I just finished drinking (well, taking a sip and then spitting out)

an infected bottle of 2008 Alesmith Decadence. Strange. Very . In

the meantime...

I'll keep dreaming... Hoping that the glass will find its way to half

full...y earning for peace of mind...tranquility ...answers...

(purpose). Any one?

POSTED BY SHAUN E. HILL AT 11:44 PM NO COM M ENTS:

M O N D A Y , J U N E 1 5 , 2 0 0 9

8 weeks...

8 weeks from yesterday I will set down upon American soil for theduration of what will likely prove to be a difficult and painstakingexperiment in passion and dream fulfillment... and I can't help butwonder why we hold onto some dreams and allow others to fade...how it is that some dreams manifest our entire being, become ouridentity, our ontology - simultaneously limiting and freeing us all atonce. What would this Danish experience have become without HillFarmstead?

I gave my resignation more than a week ago and am nowundergoing the process of preparing Nørrebro for my departure. This includes a great deal of hand bottling, writing/documentation ofprocesses, and training/questioning of what is to follow. Thehighlight for me will be tasting the North Bridge Extreme Extreme(not a typo) in three or four weeks. Just Eight Weeks...

I spent most of yesterday in some sort of wilderness/deergarden/park 30+ minutes or so outside of the city. A picnic and anap in the sun atop a hill beneath a grove of beautiful beech trees. Ifelt at peace, once again. Home amidst nature. As if all of thechaos within me is unleashed within the city - psychological clutterand stress within the pavement and unfamiliar faces of this uniqueculture... I feel more alone in the city, surrounded by a millionstrangers, than I do in the woods. It will be beneficial to return tomy own sanctuary. A walk in the woods and chirping birds, asunset over Barr Hill, and hay fields in August are meditative bliss...

I have also booked the tickets for Peter Sonne (my former assistantbrewer and now the owner of Halsnæs Bryghus) and KristofferWolff (brewer at Herslev Bryghus) to come to Boston/Vermont for10 days during the time of the Backwoods Brewdown. Theyactually arrive in the US two days before I do. Alex will pick me upat the airport on Sunday night, and hopefully we'll meet Peter andKristoffer that evening (in Burlington?) or the next day. I'll besurrounded by a half dozen friends for an entire week, 200 friendsby the following weekend... and then emptiness. And the weight andresponsibility of preparing my brewery. As all things contain theiropposite, I can't deny that my fear/anxiety currently outweighs myexcitement.

The fermenters have arrived and have been unloaded. I've signed

on to attend the Kennett Square Beer Festival in Pennsylvania onOctober 10th - I'll bring along some one offs - like a 2 year oldFlemish Red, Fresh/Wet Hopped IPA, Smoked Sour Wheat beer(loosely based on a Lichtenhainer - a suggestion by Loren (akaVenom)) - 50% home smoked malt, fermented with Brettanomycesand conditioned with Lacto). And a saison, of course...

On another note, today Kasper and my new inter/assistant Simonand I hand bottled 1300 bottles of the Niepoort (Port) BarrelSEVEN Russian Imperial Stout. All bottle conditioned in 375mlchampagne Grand Cru bottles (think Russian River and LostAbbey). Tomorrow we'll be bottling the Bordeaux Barrel SEVEN,Wednesday we'll brew the North Bridge (NEX) andThursday/Friday we'll brew a double batch of Skargaards Porter. Busy week, indeed! But it feels great to take these beers out of theirtemporary home and commence their entry to the marketplace sothat other folks can appreciate consuming them as much as I'veenjoyed producing them... and... waiting... for... them... Next weekwe'll try and bottle the Oud Bruin (Funky Viking) and also blend theSaison Vermont with more of the 2 year old Drie Fonteinen andbottle it off... Busy weeks ahead! And I'm glad that I'm not doing itall alone. Hopefully some of these bottles will find their way to VTfor the Brewdown...

POSTED BY SHAUN E. HILL AT 10:27 PM 2 COM M ENTS:

S U N D A Y , M A Y 3 1 , 2 0 0 9

And so it goes...

And so it is. This life is such that fleeting moments are oftoverlooked. Unaware as we are, that distractions become theessence of liv ing and, when we are not distracted, boredom settlesinto our bones... at a y oung age, I had established a v ision of "whatit is to be thirty ." As such, this imaginary dreadful v isionproceeded as thus... that some mature level of cohesion and self-affirmed career obligations might be realized and achieved - withor without the hands of matrimony and child. Closer to death.Accomplished. Aged. Removed from y outhful tendencies...enlightened, even? The end of the 20s - a decade of liv ing thatinev itably is defined, for me, by travel, adventure, honesty , love. The pursuit of Hill Farmstead. Brewing. Airplanes. Paintinghouses. Dy lan. Europe. Tom Robbins. An enthusiastic departureinto a world of all things 'fine' and 'bey ond' (beer, food, thought).Localization. Vermont. Obsession. Damon. Family . And atendency to drown in the undercurrent of romance until finally Iresurface for breath and life once again... only to be pulled downunder.

The 20s were perfect. And, at four day s into 30, I am convincedthat the 30s will be even better...

And, let me just state that I can't stop listening to Bon Iver... andI'm blown away , captured, can't put it down... Shantaram byGregory David Roberts...

My fermenters are on the road from Seattle to Vermont -solenoids and temperature control panels included.

My brother is remodeling our house and the former garage. Fundsfrom investors should be deposited in the coming month. Wastewater permit will be in the mail within the next week. Environmental permit not far behind. The state of VT is going toallow me to have a small retail space at my brewery location -which will make the release of barrel aged and experimentalbottlings much more enjoy able.

And, I may have even found a full time brewing gig to carry meaway for several months while preparing and launching thefarmstead. An auspicious turn of events (for me, at least) has ledto a change of plans for a new brewpub startup 'somewhere' in NewEngland - and, accordingly , if all falls into place, shall allow me anopportunity for promised creative freedom and barrel aging... andan opportunity to be instrumental in the launching of a potentiallypremiere establishment. More to come...

Meanwhile, here in Bry ghuset, coming up: the bottles have arrivedfor the barrel aged beer series and I will begin bottling these beerssoon. Right after I call Peter Zien and ask him for adv ice on how tobottle condition my Imperial Stout. The end of June should seethe release of these beers - Funky Viking (sour brown), SaisonVermont/Lambic Blend, Port Seven, Bordeaux Seven, and threedifferent versions of Little Korkney Barley wine - Cognac, Bourbon,and Port. Several brews ahead of me, as well, throughout thesummer. Another batch of Hill Pale Ale, Skargaards Porter, andBrown Ale will allow me to prop the y east necessary for brewing asmall and very fresh batch of North Bridge Extreme, Triple Knot(bigger version of Double Knot - the collaboration with Nøgne Ø -only to be aged in Cognac and Port), another batch of Seven (toleave with Kasper and the gang here...) - potentially in a Bourbonedition, and a strong Sølbær (Black Currant) sour beer aged inCabernet barrels. I'll also be returning to Svaneke Bry ghus, inBornholm, sometime before August to brew a beer with my verygood friend Jan Paul. Perhaps one more brew with Jacob atAmager - a weekend trip to Cologne/Bonn - a weekend road trip toBelgium with some friends - and one more collaborative beer atNørrebro and then... going away party on August 2nd at a secretlocation. Whirlwind. =)

POSTED BY SHAUN E. HILL AT 3:17 PM 2 COM M ENTS:

M O N D A Y , M A Y 4 , 2 0 0 9

Vermont, Boston, and Copenhagen

Having just returned from the United States for a brief 10 day

sojourn, I must admit that I am amazed by the transition that beer

culture is undergoing. My local bar, Parker Pie (yes, local, as in a 10

minute drive on pavement TO and a 20 minute drive on dirt FROM),

might now possibly be the best watering hole in VT (based upon

selection and pricing). The stores are beginning to carry a staggering

selection of 22oz and 750ml bottles at affordable prices... all within

the stream of my few months abroad. BeerAdvocate shelf tags at

Stowe Liquor store? Stone IRS on draft at several locations. Nice.

Good work. Then there was Boston...

Dieu Du Ciel's Aphrodisiaque and Saint Lamvinus on draft at Daniel

Lanigan's "The Other Side." Pliny the Elder and Ithaca Brute on draft

at Deep Ellum. Witnessing the new beers from Dann Paquette (Pretty

Things) selling at a staggering pace while I was visiting Julio's

Liquors. The time is right, I reckon... The time is right... I hope

that Vermont will someday see such novelty in draft selection. Better

yet, I hope that Vermont will be responsible for creating such novel

products...

The Craft Brewer's Conference was a social event, indeed.

Conference? Maybe. Social hour(s), moreso. The highlights for me

were the evenings spent at Deep Ellum with Anders, Greg Koch's

keynote speech, and the barrel aging seminar with Tomme Arthur

(even though Bourbon barrel aging is not my intended direction or

foremost desire...). Miraculously, I found my bed (a couch), most

evenings, no later than 11:30pm and rose in the morning before

8am. Responsible in 29th year? Almost. My greatest sense of

satisfaction seemed to come from morning or early afternoon

conversations with fellow brewers that were, seemingly, still

intoxicated and beginning their hangover. Oh, Boston, I remember

that feeling from too many BeerAdvocate festivals...

Most notably, while back in Vermont I spent nearly all of my time

doing something brewery related (surprised?). Darren and I hung

some insulation and, by the end of the weekend, my entire family

was participating in the activity... So, with funds committed by

investors (all friends) and the still steady momentum of tomorrow...

We continue to move toward opening day. Indeed, I think we will

finally open the 3 Liter bottle of 2003 Double Bastard at the

Brewdown. Who's coming?

POSTED BY SHAUN E. HILL AT 10:48 PM NO COM M ENTS:

F R I D A Y , A P R I L 1 0 , 2 0 0 9

things falling into place: Barrels, Brewdown, and

Brewery

Yet another much overdue post. Things are falling into place for Hill

Farmstead Brewery - after many years of visualization and concerted

effort, it appears that momentum and rhythm are finally leading

toward an epoch. Whether or not this new era will see brewing

activity at 403 Hill Road, is yet to be determined. However,

gauging by the last three weeks, I think it is fair to assume that I am

moving forward... toward... something.

I have purchased six 7 barrels fermenters which should arrive in

Vermont sometime within the next few weeks. Thankfully, my father

and brother will be there to receive them. I am still searching for a 7

barrel kettle and burner - but, again, I am sure that things will

continue to fall into place (can you sense the optimism?). Here is a

picture of one of the new fermenters:

Fortunately, I am also blessed with wonderful and ambitious friends.

Due to their ambition and generosity, there is also a 10 barrel Mash

Tun, formerly belonging to my very good friend John Kimmich and his

Alchemist brewpub, resting in my garage back home. 10 barrel mash

tun, seven barrel kettle,... Nice. Reminds me of Tom Baker and

Heavyweight Brewing Company - Tom used to have a 15 barrel mash

tun for a 7 barrel kettle. Certainly a great many options here. Mike

went into the Alchemist on a weekend morning and did the dirty deed

of removal. Pretty awesome - that's Mike with the sunglasses and

water hose:

I am still working on raising the remaining the capital (any takers?)

and the business plan is polished, initial brewing and release line-up

planned, and the financial projections actually show that I could earn

a living! Imagine...

In more news, I am continuing to place more beer into oak at

Nørrebro. Current oak aging includes Imperial Skargaards Porter in

Cabernet barrels, Triple de Lente in Sauterne, CCC in Pinot and

Merlot, Saison in Pinot, Oud Bruin, and SEVEN in Port and Bordeaux.

Within the next few weeks several more beers will be added to the

mix.

More pictures of the barrel aging room will be posted soon. Some of

these beers - especially the blended Saison/Drie Fonteinen beer, will

debut at the Copenhagen beer festival next month. I'm still trying to

source 375ml champagne bottles for the bottling of the SEVEN and

Oud Bruin.

In other news - I will soon begin mailing out invitations to this year's

Backwoods Brewdown. If you don't know what this is, or haven't heard

about it, then perhaps you should come out and join us this

year...the picture that opens this entry is a fantastic photo taken by

Alex at last year's event.

Lastly, for now, I'm going home next week and will be in Boston the

following week for the Craft Brewer's Conference. My first Craft

Brewer's Conference and I'm anticipating spending some evenings

with my friends at the Publick House as well as attending a few great

seminars and making more contacts with fellow brewers and industry

suppliers. Also, equally exciting, I'm going to be a judge at next

year's GABF. With my 30th birthday just six weeks away... things

seems to be moving in the right direction.

POSTED BY SHAUN E. HILL AT 10:13 PM NO COM M ENTS:

T H U R S D A Y , J A N U A R Y 2 9 , 2 0 0 9

Onward into Spring...and Vermont?

Just returned from a 3 day adventure to Belgium with Peter and my

new Alaskan brewer friend, Ben Millstein from Kodiak Island Brewing

Company (he and I brewed a 27 Plato Braggot together a few days

ago...). Look up Kodiak Island on a map and imagine what this guy

must have to go through to produce beer... Managed to meet up with

Urbain Coutteau at 't Brugs Beertje, sample some great lambics, and

had an opportunity to taste and choose between barrels at Drie

Fonteinen (hauled back a few kegs of 2 year old lambic that I will use

for blending and serving later on. Possibly even a Backwoods

Brewdown surprise...?) Here is part of what I brought back with me:

In the fermenters right now, we have some particularly wonderful

upcoming beers. Two different versions of a Belgian Trippel (one

brewed with Orval yeast, a la La Rulles, the other brewed with

Rochefort yeast and Honey) - the La Rulles inspired Trippel is

destined for Tokay barrels and a marriage with Brettanomyces. We

also, as I mentioned before, just brewed a 27 Plato Braggot - 200kg

of Maris Otter/200kg of Orange Blossom Honey (Orval yeast and to

be finished with Champagne yeast). The intention is to barrel age a

fraction of this collaboration as well. Yesterday I brewed my

Brettanomyces Saison - not that any of the followers of this blog will

remember (nor have they ever attended...?) Belgium Comes to

Cooperstown but this last batch of Saison is loosely based on my

Substance D (from The Shed) as well as the Saison that I brought to

BCTC in 2007. And so forth... it is all too likely that I will blend a

fraction of this Saison (aptly titled Saison Vermont, I think) with 3-8%

of the 2 year old Drie Fonteinen that I just carried back with me over

the weekend (think of the Saison from Yvan at De La Senne - which I

tried at Poechenellekelder on Friday evening) and have it available at

the pub and the Copenhagen Beer Festival in May... also very likely

that I will debut the Oud Bruin and the Barrel Aged versions of the

SEVEN at the same festival and the pub (on the same weekend).

What else? Well, perhaps eve more importantly than all of this

rambling, is the fact that I have finally come to terms with a feeling

that I had upon returning to Copenhagen from Vermont at the end of

December. The feeling of which I refer is best expressed as a notion

that "this is what it feels like before the storm..." or "this is what it

feels like when you make the wrong decision to return to a location."

I somehow knew that I would not be able to make the move back

homeward to the country, to the bucolic woodland and serenity of

lonely Northern Vermont and Greensboro until I had tired of

population density - had my fill of asphalt, cars, foreign language,

consumerism, absence of trees, the subtle tones of alienation, and

the constant cough/congestion/and 'sickness' that has become so

very characteristic of my stay here (indeed, the very opposite of my

life in Vermont where health is normative).

What does this all mean? Well - I guess it means that, yet again, I

am sincerely considering *the* departure. A real going away party.

Listening and honoring those misanthropic tendencies within me that

are discouraged here... and... working for myself. Returning to the

life of impoverished artist. Struggling cynic. And, I dearly hope, the

rebuilding of a once abundant farmstead alongside the motivation

and vision of my brother. Anyone have a 7 barrel direct fired kettle

that they would be willing to part with? Foolishly, I am ignoring the

wisdom of my good friend John Kimmich (The Alchemist) and

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postponing any thought on opening a brewpub. Instead, I will launch

head first into a barely profitable, ridiculously consuming life as a

single employee owner/brewer/distributor. Why not?

Thus, onward with permitting and the remnants of work that needs

to be completed. I'll be living off of pasta and 50 bottles of Drie

Fonteinen (what is that? 2 a week?) for the next four months. Feel

free to send contributions in the form of solid foods, beer/libation,

or surplus brewing equipment. No licorice, please.

Cheers...

OH! And I almost forgot - Tomme Arthur will be joining me here at

Nørrebro for a guest brew the first week of March. Not quite sure yet

what we'll be brewing... but I'm pretty sure that it won't be too bad.

Only trouble with all of these barrel aged beers is that if I leave, I

won't get to taste them... and... who is going to look after them?

POSTED BY SHAUN E. HILL AT 3:33 PM 3 COM M ENTS:

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