Beer Draft Kits

Story Published: Dec 29, 2011 at 7:56 PM EST

Story Updated: Dec 29, 2011 at 7:56 PM EST

You've heard of micro-breweries, right?

They're small scale efforts to make beer. They tend to be labors of love, done by beer enthusiasts who get deeply interested in the process of making beer.

Apply that same spirit to coffee, and you get Tim Gardner.

Gardner, of Baker Road in Lisbon, has turned his garage into a 'micro-roaster' business, making small runs of coffees with names like 'Jazzy Java' and 'Jamaican Me Crazy,' and marketed under his brand, 'St. Lawrence Valley Roasters.'

Gardner started about as humbly as you can imagine: he used a popcorn popper to roast his coffee. He graduated to a small, but 'real' coffee roaster, and with a small loan from St. Lawrence County's local develoment corporation, he now has a larger roaster.

It goes with his larger business.

Gardner told 7 News reporter John Friot the business is making money, though he wouldn't talk specifics.

Bags of unprocessed coffee beans line Gardner's small garage. The beans are then placed in the roaster and heated to a specific temperature. Once the roasting process is complete the beans are either ground, flavored or left as is and then vacuum packaged for delivery.

He's selling wholesale to grocery stores in Jefferson, St. Lawrence and Franklin counties, and under his brand to several north country stores, including Nature's Storehouse in Canton, the Potsdam Food Co-op, the Wanakena General store and the Mustard Seed store in Watertown.

Gardner is also doing business on line at www.stlawrencevalleyroasters.com.

In the past year Gardner produced between 12,000 to 15,000 pounds of roasted coffee with his sales up 25 percent over what they were in 2010. He has shipped to customers as far away as Hawaii, California and Georgia.

Gardner describes micro-roasting as both "a science and an art".

Reporter: Jeremy Mills l Videographer: Ira Quillen

Lexington, VA - One of the charter members of Nelson County's Brew Ridge Trail is set to begin sending its beer all over Virginia. Devils Backbone Brewery has built a new production center in Lexington.  Brewers are staying busy making beer and filling hundreds of kegs. In a few weeks, they'll be sent to restaurants and bars in Lynchburg and Roanoke.  And this is just the first step for one of the country's fastest growing beer companies.

It's Nathan Olewine's job to make sure the batch of beer comes out just right.

"For me, it's kind of a dream come true because I've always wanted to brew beer in Virginia," said Olewine.

The former Virginia Tech Hokie just returned to the area after working in breweries up north.  He plans to make 12,000 barrels this year but could pump out up to 50,000.

"It's the consumer that ultimately drives how much we're going to end up making here and so far people are really interested in what we are doing here," said Olewine.

Devils Backbone could eventually go national but one step at a time.

"Right now we need to be able to own Virginia first and be able to get that notoriety out there and start expansion down the Atlantic Coast," said Brian Coe, Devils Backbone Pathfinder.

Starting in March, the brewery will begin bottling six packs that will go to area groceries.  They say it's another step toward their goal.

"Sell good beer, brew good beer and make people happy," said Coe.

Olewine believes people will like what he is making.

"If people are drinking it, then we're making it and that's a good thing to see some growth in the industry," said Olewine.

Devils Backbone has several kick-off parties for its introduction to the local market.  That includes a January 17th tasting at The Cavalier on Rivermont Avenue.

Want to Go?

River and Rail is located at the corner of 11th Street and Veterans Memorial Boulevard in Huntington. Open 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday to Friday; 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Call 304-399-1247 or visit riverandrailbakery.com. NOTE: The bakery will be closed for vacation until Jan. 11.

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- It's the Friday before Christmas and Lisa Williamson stands at the counter and asks what freshly baked breads are available at River and Rail Bakery.

She certainly won that day's prize for the customer who traveled the farthest. Williamson drove more than an hour from her farm in Martin County, Ky., after hearing something about a recently opened Huntington bakery on a public radio station.

"I wasn't sure where it was, so I called them yesterday: 'Where are you?!' " she recalled asking a bakery employee.

She had her arms full as she headed home with a holiday haul of three baguettes, two Moroccan olives loaves and a loaf of moist but chewy bread made from "spent" grains used in making beer.

The search for good bread will do that to you.

Kim Baker, who opened the bakery and coffeeshop last March in Huntington's revitalized Heritage Village shops beside the Ohio River, could only smile as she made ready to deliver more loaves to the counter display.

Customers like Williamson are yet more affirmation she had made the right call when she took a left turn in her life. That was when she decided not just to be named 'Baker,' but to hang out her shingle as one.

"When I started the bakery, I was looking for something to do that would be a little more fulfilling than anything I had done before except for being a stay-at-home mom, which is definitely fulfilling," said Baker, who raised three children.

After her children were grown, she worked as a lobbyist and office manager for the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition and the West Virginia Citizens Action Group and managed Ken Hechler's 1999-2000 run for Congress.

"So, I've been dabbling in politics for a long time. Then I got burned out -- is probably the best way to describe it. Which is very easy to do in the political realm."

She worked at Amazon.com for a while, then "semi-retired," after which she un-retired to open River and Rail. The bakery and small coffee shop is in a historic train depot building, sharing the building with the Cabell Huntington Convention and Visitor's Bureau and the Red Caboose Regional Artisan Center.

A lifelong, self-taught baker, she was inspired to open the business after attending the weekly "Chat and Chew" sessions of the group Create Huntington, Baker said.

Want to Go?

River and Rail is located at the corner of 11th Street and Veterans Memorial Boulevard in Huntington. Open 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday to Friday; 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Call 304-399-1247 or visit riverandrailbakery.com. NOTE: The bakery will be closed for vacation until Jan. 11.

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- It's the Friday before Christmas and Lisa Williamson stands at the counter and asks what freshly baked breads are available at River and Rail Bakery.

She certainly won that day's prize for the customer who traveled the farthest. Williamson drove more than an hour from her farm in Martin County, Ky., after hearing something about a recently opened Huntington bakery on a public radio station.

"I wasn't sure where it was, so I called them yesterday: 'Where are you?!' " she recalled asking a bakery employee.

She had her arms full as she headed home with a holiday haul of three baguettes, two Moroccan olives loaves and a loaf of moist but chewy bread made from "spent" grains used in making beer.

The search for good bread will do that to you.

Kim Baker, who opened the bakery and coffeeshop last March in Huntington's revitalized Heritage Village shops beside the Ohio River, could only smile as she made ready to deliver more loaves to the counter display.

Customers like Williamson are yet more affirmation she had made the right call when she took a left turn in her life. That was when she decided not just to be named 'Baker,' but to hang out her shingle as one.

"When I started the bakery, I was looking for something to do that would be a little more fulfilling than anything I had done before except for being a stay-at-home mom, which is definitely fulfilling," said Baker, who raised three children.

After her children were grown, she worked as a lobbyist and office manager for the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition and the West Virginia Citizens Action Group and managed Ken Hechler's 1999-2000 run for Congress.

"So, I've been dabbling in politics for a long time. Then I got burned out -- is probably the best way to describe it. Which is very easy to do in the political realm."

She worked at Amazon.com for a while, then "semi-retired," after which she un-retired to open River and Rail. The bakery and small coffee shop is in a historic train depot building, sharing the building with the Cabell Huntington Convention and Visitor's Bureau and the Red Caboose Regional Artisan Center.

A lifelong, self-taught baker, she was inspired to open the business after attending the weekly "Chat and Chew" sessions of the group Create Huntington, Baker said.

"Their goal is to get together and talk about what's good about Huntington and what we can make better. It was through meeting those people I got the idea to come down to Heritage Station and look at it as a possibility for a place for a business."

Back in the kitchen, Melissa Oliver and Shelly Keeney make the pastries, cookies and scones, while Baker produces a wide range of homemade rustic breads, cinnamon rolls and French macarons.

Breads range from the ones the woman from Kentucky purchased to a nine-grain loaf with sunflower seeds, a Siciliano featuring olive oil and sesame seeds, a Moroccan loaf with olives and Greek oregano, various pumpernickel, sourdough and rye breads and a Rosemary Pecan Pugliese (pool-YAY-zay).

The story behind that last loaf offers a glimpse into the kind of community-based bread culture Baker had in mind when she opened River and Rail.

"Pugliese is a rustic Italian bread from the region of Italy called Puglia. The rosemary pecan combination came from a question I asked my sister. She lives in Portland, Ore. I was getting ready to open the bakery, and I said 'What kind of bread do you like to buy in a local bakery in Portland?' She said she bought these little rolls that had rosemary and pecans.

"I thought, OK, I can do a rosemary pecan bread. I incorporated fresh rosemary and toasted pecans into the pugliese. It's a delicious bread -- it's got crunch, it's got earthy flavor. It's perfect for dipping, for sandwiches. For all sorts of things."

Her loaves range in price from $4.50 to $6 while the whole French baguettes cost $2 or $1 for a mini-baguette.

But River and Rail is not solely about the bread, pastries, cookies, coffees and teas on display, but also about the place itself, said Baker.

"The people who work here interact with our customers, we get to know our customers. It's a way of sort of bringing that personal touch to a business, something that you don't get very easily at a big box or a big chain store."

Every Saturday, there's a daytime open mic from noon to 4 p.m., plus the occasional poetry jam and book signing. And, of course, there is the simple yet substantial pleasure of just hanging out for awhile with a friend, a book, a laptop, a cappuccino and a slice of German shortbread or a cranberry-orange scone.

"People get together, they meet each other. It's just a variety of activities that are not just about selling bread, they're about building community."

Reach Douglas Imbrogno at doug...@cnpapers.com or 304-348-3017.

Silverton resident Josiah Kelley is old enough to handcraft beer but occasionally finds he's not perceived as old enough to buy it.

An owner of Seven Brides Brewing in Silverton, Kelley recently stopped at a grocery store to pick up a few six-packs of Emily's Ember that he needed as samples to take on sales calls to a few restaurants.

"The clerk asked me for my I.D.," he said. "I told her it was on the back of the bottle and I was one of the beer makers."

Kelley, 37, said he laughs whenever he gets carded, which happens more often than not. A sense of humor and a sense of adventure, friendship and a commitment to making great beer are a few of the ingredients that inspired five men to start Seven Brides Brewing in 2008.

At the time, the name was a nod to the number of daughters among the business partners, as well as the hope they could make and sell enough to pay for their weddings. Since then, two more daughters have been added, co-owner Jeff DeSantis said.

Kelley is a brewer, salesman and "whatever else needs to get done;" Phill  Knoll is the head brewer and a chemistry teacher at South Salem High School; Karl Knol, his brother, is the associate brewer and plant manager, and an electrical engineer; Ken DeSantis, head of accounting and owner of a landscape company, and Jeff DeSantis is the sales and marketing director. Only Jeff DeSantis and Kelley are employed full-time at the brewery.

Phill and Karl Knoll started making beer more than 17 years ago as a hobby. They invited Kelley to learn the craft, which lead to the DeSantis brothers joining the Saturday brew-making crew.
 

"I got interested in making beer because I enjoy drinking it," Karl Knoll said. "In the early '90s microbrews were starting to take off in Oregon and it was fun to go try the new latest beer coming out. I enjoy brewing different kinds of beer so that fellow beer drinkers are not subject to drinking watered down yellow beers."

Making beer is like just like following directions for a chemistry experiment, 41-year-old Phill Knoll said.

"I made my first two batches of beer on my mom's stove until she kicked me off it," Phill Knoll said. "The process itself is the same whether I am making 10 gallons of beer or 1,000 gallons. It takes the same amount of time, just the equipment is bigger."

Sharing the beer they crafted with friends and family led to requests that they should start a brewery.

In April 2008, they got their business license and decided to name the brewery. Glance at the chalkboard with the beer list at Seven Brides Tap Room and you'll find a beer named in honor of each of the daughters including Ellie's Oatmeal, Lauren's Pale Ale, Emily's Ember, Abbey's Apple Ale and Maggie's Marzen. The 'brides' range in age from 5 to 18 years old, with the oldest a freshman in college.

"My daughter Eloise is only five and she already knows all the ingredients that go into making beer," Kelley said.

Since starting the company, the brewery has moved three times -- from a home workshop to a 1,100-square-foot facility in April 2009 and finally to a 12,000-square-foot manufacturing space, that includes a tap room, offices and meeting space in 2010. The company, Jeff DeSantis said, prides itself on using local products in its beer and in its restaurant. They also hire local employees to work in the Tap Room.

In 2008, they made 50 barrels of beer; in 2009, 210 barrels; 2010, 800 barrels and in 2011, 1,200 barrels. They began bottling their beer in 2009. The owners declined to share their sales figures.

"We are a tiny, tiny brewery," Kelley said. "We want to be a little brewery one day. A large brewery like Bridgeport makes 60,000 gallons a year."

Jeff DeSantis said the brewery has a following of beer enthusiasts. They took the beer to events and festivals– including The Oregon Garden's Brewfest, where in 2011Seven Brides won the Brewfest People's Choice Award is for its Chocolate Stout.

"Making beer is a rewarding hobby," Kelley said. "We enjoy creating beer and we enjoy being involved in people's lives and getting to help them celebrate their milestones like weddings, birthdays and other happy events."  

Their beer is available in 21 Oregon cities in nine counties and has found shelf room at some Fred Meyer, Market of Choice and Whole Foods locations, In 2012, they plan to start selling their beer in Washington.
 

Taking a hobby and making it a business has meant long hours working at the brewery. For Phill Knoll, he leaves his teaching job to go to the brewery.

His wife, Jenn Knoll, is one of the "beer widows."

"Because we live in Salem, we don't see Phil as much because it's a 45 minute drive from our house to the brewery," Jenn Knoll said. "Still, it's a very exciting time and Phil is passionate about making beer. When you make a good product like they do, it sells itself."

What makes the partnership work, Jeff DeSantis said, is each partner brings a skill and talent to the table.

"We try to concentrate on each person's strengths," Phill Knoll said.

Using local hops, grain and barley, Phill Knoll enjoy making quality beer – even going so far as throwing out batches he deemed not good enough.

"I enjoy the creative side of making beer and coming up with new recipes," Phill Knoll said. "I like testing different grains and hops."

He's first to admit his brother is a better brewer than he is.

"He's an engineer so he's better at making sure everything is done correctly," Phil Knoll said.

From attending festivals to hosting events at the brewery, the partners see a promising future for their company, which hopefully they will hand over to one of their daughters -- one day.

Until then, they enjoy what they are doing and what they add to their community. For them, it's more than making a good pint of beer, Jeff DeSantis said, it's also about making a difference.

"When your company makes beer as its product, you end up with a lot of friends," Kelley said.

-- Kristine Thomas

Ohio craft brewers are hoping a new state law signed Wednesday will help boost beer tourism and bring breweries more in line with wineries.

The law allows production breweries to open tasting rooms and sell their beer by the glass without buying a second, costly permit.

That requirement — a $3,906 annual commitment — had deterred many small production breweries from opening their facilities to the public.

With many new breweries ready to start making beer in Ohio within the next year, the change is being hailed a boon to the industry.

Ohio wineries, which had no such restriction, have flourished by marketing themselves as tourist destinations and creating wine trails where visitors can bounce from one winery to the next and sample products.

“It’s a great day for Ohio microbreweries and the Ohio craft brewing industry because it allows microbreweries to showcase their products in a relaxed setting and put us on par with the wineries,” said Chris Verich, owner and manager of brewing operations at Ohio Brewing Co.

His brewery, located in the Selle Generator Works building downtown, will open a tasting room, he said.

Black Box Brewing in Westlake, Indigo Imp Brewery in Cleveland, Wooden Shoe Brewing in Minster, Mt. Carmel Brewing in suburban Cincinnati, Listermann Brewing in Cincinnati and Neil House Brewery in Columbus are among the breweries also looking to open tasting rooms. The law, signed by Gov. John Kasich, takes effect in 90 days.

“The wheels have always been rolling when it comes to the idea of building a tasting room, but we couldn’t justify the cost of the license,” Mt. Carmel assistant brewer Patrick Clark said in an email. “To those who have come for our tours, our saving grace has always been the depth of the explanation of our brewing.

“But let’s be honest — tasting is the most important part of the process. We can now offer the full Mt. Carmel experience.”

Brewers have long lamented they face restrictions and higher fees not imposed on wineries in Ohio. They have pointed to the inequity involving the sampling issue, and the cost of an annual brewing license ($3,906) compared to an annual wine license ($76).

Tired of waiting for the law to change, Thirsty Dog Brewing Co. in Akron last year opened a tasting room and paid for the extra permit. Co-owner John Najeway said he’ll now be able to invest that nearly $4,000 into the brewery and its employees.

State Rep. Casey Kozlowski, R-Pierpont, who co-sponsored the bill, said he sees plenty of potential for economic development with the growing craft beer industry, especially given the popularity of wine tourism. The state-run Ohio Grape Industries Committee estimates Ohio wineries and festivals attract more than 2 million visitors each year.

“Why can’t we see the same thing with the microbreweries?” Kozlowski asked.

The brewery issue was an amendment on the bill, known as House Bill 243. State Rep. Vernon Sykes, D-Akron, had made the original proposal.

“If you go to a vineyard, you can buy a glass of wine, but if you go to a brewery, you can’t buy a sample of their product. That just isn’t fair,” Sykes said in a prepared statement issued Thursday. “With so many microbreweries in Ohio, I want to let them showcase their product for people who visit the place where it is made.”

The main focus of House Bill 243 was on micro-distilleries.

The state now will allow more micro-distilleries — businesses producing less than 10,000 gallons a year — to open. Previously, only three micro-distillery licenses were available, and they were restricted to Cuyahoga, Franklin and Hamilton counties.

The state wants to provide an opportunity for artisan distillers and brewers to create and grow their businesses, said Lyn Tolan, spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Commerce, which oversees the Division of Liquor Control.

Those businesses tend to use and rely on local products “and that’s exciting when it can all happen here in Ohio,” she said.

Rick Armon can be reached at 330-996-3569 or rarmon@thebeaconjournal.com. Read his beer blog at www.beer.ohio.com.

There was a time when the tanks inside the glass-walled room at Peter B's Brewpub sat empty, providing a dusty illusion to a working microbrewery. The years the pub did use the equipment to mash grain and ferment beer, the result was substandard at best.

All that has changed, thanks to a former oenophile who first started making beer in his garage.

Kevin Clark is the current brewmaster at the pub inside the Portola Hotel and Spa, bringing a youthful enthusiasm, a creative spark and a Norm Peterson-like gusto for beer.

"I have the best job in the world, no doubt," said Clark, 29, a former wine-schooled server at Passionfish in Pacific Grove.

The hotel has handed over the brew program to Clark, allowing his passion and creativity to shine. He crafts five permanent house beers (a blonde, an IPA, an amber, a wheat and a stout) and "beyond that it's fair game ... whatever I can concoct."

Clark's experimentation is fascinating. His first move was to change all yeast strains, and he's currently working with aging beer in used chardonnay barrels. He's fashioned an all-organic blonde ale, he's experimenting with cask-conditioned beer (natural carbonation) and he just introduced something he calls Smoky the Beer, a smoked porter with a pronounced malt flavor.

What's more, he's launched a new program to grow local hops at Rancho Cielo, a Salinas educational facility for at-risk youth. Students will plant and care for cascade rhizomes, harvesting the fresh

hops for Clark's creations.

Working with Portola executive chef Jason Giles, Clark has set up a series of monthly brew dinners. Giles cooks using Clark's brew while Clark sets up appropriate pairings (check back here for details on next month's dinner).

Peter B's also puts out a vastly underrated happy hour (daily from 4-7p.m.), including beer-battered artichoke hearts and "brew-rings," deep-fried onions served with a stout aioli or IPA blue cheese (each priced at $5). And in a gourmet twist, the pizza dough at Peter B's uses Clark's grain mash as an ingredient.

It's nice to see Peter B's elevate its brew program, one of only two on the Peninsula (English Ales in Marina is the other). And now with Post No Bills pouring craft beers (Cannery Row Brewing Co. also has a nice selection), beer-heads have plenty of options for great suds.

Peter B's Brewpub is at 2 Portola Plaza. Find out more at www.portolahotel.com/dining/peterb.php.

New Year's Eve for foodies

The last party of the year used to center around alcohol, followed by a searing, bubbly-induced headache and a day-after of football. But now restaurants stay open for the year's final gasp, in anticipation of an evening of fine food and spirited entertainment.

Here are a few of my favorite flings:

· Tarpy's Roadhouse in Monterey has a special prix-fixe menu from 4-11p.m. Chef Michael Kimmel has written a menu with lobster bisque garnished with shrimp, wood-fired center cut New York steak, pan-seared Alaskan halibut with grilled prawns, roasted half pheasant with raspberry demi-glace and, for dessert, pumpkin cheesecake with candied pecans. Choose among several course items for $49.95.

Reservations: 647-1444 or www.tarpys.com

· The Sardine Factory always goes full-tilt, and this year is no exception. Enjoy a four-course dinner, midnight balloon drop, party favors and live entertainment for $65.95. The menu includes the likes of filet mignon Oscar, butter-poached Maine lobster and five-hour braised Colorado lamb shank. Reservations required at 373-3775.

· The C Restaurant+Bar at the InterContinental on Cannery Row pulled out all the stops with a true gourmet menu for the big night. Chef Jerry Regester starts the evening off with gougres with Boursin and smoked arctic char. It gets even better from there, with lobster bisque, kampachi sashimi, seared scallop salad, ricotta gnocchi with duck confit, grilled filet mignon, pan-seared duck breast with white corn polenta and sunchoke risotto. Then choose among three desserts.

Cost is $85. Call 375-4800.

· Restaurant 1833 plans to turn chef Levi Mezick loose on the big night, with all the beautiful people imbibing and lighting alcohol on fire in the parlor-like lounge of this Old Monterey hotspot.

There is a first seating from 5-6:45 p.m. ($75) and a special "luxury" second seating for the above-mentioned set ($125), including a sommelier's wine pairing for an additional $60. Vegetarians take heart: There is a special non-meat offering.

The early birds get blini and caviar, pan-seared foie gras with kumquats, bread-crusted branzino (seabass) and something I must have before I die: a grilled U.S. Prime New York steak with bone marrow bread pudding, glazed carrot and chanterelles. The second seating includes all of the first, plus a smoked Maine lobster and roasted squab with beets, baby leeks and black truffle.

Reservations at 643-1833.

Chocolate tradition

'Tis the season for the Yule log, a large and extremely dense piece of wood that is burned in hearths as part of Christmas celebrations.

The French, of course, have their own tradition, skipping the fire altogether and creating the Yule log (or Bžche de No l) out of chocolate. It's more civilized, and better for the environment!

Parker-Lusseau Pastries in Monterey embodies all that is sweet about a true French bakery, and the Christmas season brings Bžche de No l, Christmas stollen, handmade chocolate truffles, orange and pomelo brioches, candied citrus (Buddha's hand, orange rind dipped in chocolate) and King's cakes. For more visit www.parker-lusseau.com.

Quarter century of Fandango

Venerable Fandango Restaurant in Pacific Grove celebrates 25 years, an impressive feat in the brutal business of hospitality. On Wednesday, Jan. 25, diners will receive 25percent off their bill (including alcohol). Each Monday in January (there are five of them), Fandango offers a prix-fixe dinner for two (soup or salad, choice between two entrees and shared profiteroles) for $25. Add a glass of house wine for $5 more. The deal is available between 5-7 p.m.

Reservations: 372-3456 or go to www.fandangorestaurant.com.

Tidbits

Great option for a Christmas Eve crab fest is Liberty Fish Co. on Fisherman's Wharf. The huge crab pot has been boiling overtime, with fresh Dungeness delivered daily. Call Mary at 375-5468 to reserve yours ... Who knew, but apparently January is National Egg Month (makes sense, I suppose, given the idea of new beginnings). Wild Thyme Deli and Café in Marina will celebrate the wondrous egg all month with two specials: an egg salad sandwich and canned soda for $5; and a slice of quiche and side salad, also for $5. Call 884-2414 or visit www.wildthymedeli.com ... Remember to feed your pork obsession and bring home free bacon on the Grub Hunter blog. Just write your short bacon love story and submit a recipe and you could win two packs of Baker's Bacon. Oink!

Mike Hale is a food writer from Monterey. Write to him at grubhunter@comcast.net and read more at www.thegrubhunter.com.

By Danielle Sanzone
The Record
@DanielleSanzone

ALBANY — It seemed like any other school field trip with discussion of science vocabulary like enzymes, glucose, phenols, carbon dioxide and… beer?

A biotechnology class toured the C.H. Evans Brewing Co. Albany Pump Station Wednesday morning to learn more about the beer-making process for a project in which the sophomores at Tech Valley High School will make butter beer, a root beer beverage from the Harry Potter series.

“We learned a lot about fermentation and I liked seeing the steps of making beer. It was interesting,” said Isaac Prentice, 15, of Scotia. His class was made up of about three dozen students.

Though Prentice says he plans to eventually be an architect or work in real estate, the Pump Station’s brewmaster George de Piro said there are a couple of colleges where undergraduate and graduate students in the U.S. can actually major in fermentation and making alcoholic beverages like beer. De Piro pointed out, however, that these college focuses are just gaining in popularity and most major universities that specialize in the alcoholic form of art are abroad in countries like Scotland and Germany.

“I’ve done similar presentations like this for college age kids and once before for sixth graders but usually it’s for adults who also want to taste the beer,” said de Piro, a biochemistry major who soon plans to leave the Pump Station restaurant and brewing operation and open a new brew pub in Saratoga Springs. That endeavor is expected to come to fruition around May 2012. “If the students were older, or we were in a different country, they too could try the beer here.”

The establishment’s brewmaster also used the opportunity to talk about beer being dangerous in excess and about state and federal drinking policies in the U.S.

The students’ butter beer project is about halfway done as the Tech Valley kids have learned about osmosis, cell respiration, and fermentation to eventually create their root beer experiment.

At the field trip presentation, the youths asked about how to make non-alcoholic beer and about bottling beer. They also tasted the non-alcoholic, oatmeal-like products that eventually make beer.

“It was a great presentation. Very informative for the students and hopefully it gave them a real-world example of how science works,” said Diana Weldon, the biotechnology class’ teacher. Continued...

Posted at: 12/14/2011 4:38 PM
Updated at: 12/14/2011 6:14 PM
By: WNYT Staff

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ALBANY - Students at Tech Valley High School took a science field trip to a local micro-brewery.

A 10th grade biotechnology class toured the Albany Pump Station this morning to learn about the fermentation process.   

Head Brew Master George Depiro explained the chemical reactions that take place in making beer.     

The students are making a non-alcoholic Butter Beer made famous in the Harry Potter books. 

For the first time in Pennsylvania history, legislation to privatize the state’s liquor store systems advanced to the House for consideration.

The House Liquor Control Committee Tuesday voted on a bill drafted by House Majority Leader Mike Turzai, R-Allegheny, but not without sweeping changes that legislators say will create more revenue, maintain jobs and expand consumer opportunities.

The bill is a departure from the original intent of selling off the state’s wine and liquor stores. It takes a broader approach by making beer and wine more accessible to consumers.

The revised version covers a variety of issues from permitting the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board to extend Sunday store hours from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. to allowing beer distributors to sell wine and six-packs of beer.

Under the bill, the LCB would continue to operate and maintain its stores selling liquor and wine. But, wholesale wine licenses would become available at price of $100 million each, ultimately creating a competitive playing field with the LCB.

In addition, enhanced distributor licenses would allow beer distributors to sell wine.

London SE1 website team

London SE1 community website

The Swan at Shakespeare's Globe has introduced its own label stout, ale and lager in time for Christmas.

All three, which come in a souvenir pack, were launched at the Globe's shop on Thursday evening.

Among those present was the brewer Andrew Hepworth who is producing the Globe's exclusive drinks at his own brewery in Horsham. He was head brewer at the town's 200-year-old King & Barnes brewery until it closed in 2001.

Andrew was considered sufficiently 'local' to the Globe's caterers, The Swan at West Malling in Kent, to be invited to supply the Globe.

"We have the ability to do a range of beers," said Andrew.

"Hepworth & Co is organic certified and prides itself in sourcing from nearby.

"The lager is brewed from barley grown at Goodwood," added Andrew. He also pointed out that hops were first used for making beer when the original Globe theatre opened in Elizabeth I's reign.

Ale was reputedly used to help put out the fire which destroyed the original Globe playhouse on Bankside in 1613 when a spark from a cannon ignited the thatched roof during a performance of Henry VIII.

The new labels join Horsham favourites such as Pullman, recalling the soon-to-be-relaunched Brighton Belle, and Iron Horse. Seasonal Noel Christmas Ale is available just this month in Sussex to enjoy with Christmas pudding.

But Globe Stout, Globe Ale and Globe Blonde are only available at the Swan at the Globe bar and brasserie or in a pack of three (£10) at Shakespeare's Globe shop.

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