A New Hop Processing Process

It’s not that I work for these guys, it’s that I’m excited about what they’re doing for the craft brewing industry and specifically the organic craft brewing industry.

Some backround: Indi Hops is a small hop farm in Oregon that has decided to dry, package, and ship their own hops rather than growing and shipping them hundreds of miles away to have them dried, packaged, and shipped around the world.

Indi Hops has also created a new way to dry and pelletize the hops for export. Check this out for more information, but basically they dry and pelletize hops at 110 degrees as opposed to the typical 130 degree temperature. The result is a pellet hop that has the aroma and character of a whole hop, but the convenience of a pellet hop.

In addition, because of their small business model, they can create custom hop requests for any brewery that requests a certain hop combination. And, as I mentioned earlier, they are dedicating 20 acres for organic hops. Woohoo!

Photo by kopretinka

Working on New Beers and Tweaking the Originals

I’ve been working on some new recipes and tweaking the original line up. Take a look and tell me what you think!

Photo by mccun934

Great News on the Organic Hop Front

There’s a hop farm in Oregon called Indi Hops who has recently committed to growing organic cascade and centennial hops on 20 acres.

Want to know more and want to better understand why growing hops organically is such a challenge? Check out this blog post which is written much better than anything me write here. Favorite quote: “You can’t just spray for peace.”

North American Organic Brewers Festival

Portland Oregon will host the 6th North American Organic Brewers Festival June 25 – 27. Here’s a bit about the festival:

Two of Portland’s beloved industries – organic beer and sustainability – come together in an annual celebration designed to raise awareness about organic beer and sustainable living. We serve up organic beers and ciders from around the world, accompanied by live music, organic food, sustainability-oriented vendors, non-profits and a children’s area – all in a beautiful tree lined setting that overlooks downtown Portland. Come visit the North American Organic Brewers Festival and see why we’re Portland’s best kept secret of beer fests!

If you ever wonder how many organic beers are out there, the festival maintains a list of what you can expect to sample. This is by no means an exhaustive list of organic beers/breweries in the United States. Missing are those from the Midwest and Northeast. But it is eye opening to see just how many breweries produce organic craft brewed beer.

Sadly I won’t be able to make it this year, but I will for 2011. Until then, I plan to attend the upcoming Great Austin Beer Festival. Maybe I’ll see you there. I’ll be the guy drinking beer.

Moonlight Tower Brewing Mentioned in Austin Chronicle

Lee Nichols of the Austin Chronicle recently wrote a round-up of all the new breweries set to tap into the Austin beer scene in the next few years.

And in case you’re wondering if Austin and central Texas can support this many new breweries, Nichols covers that topic as well.

Shrooms man, shrooms!

Don’t you just hate it when after a long brew day you have pounds and pounds of wet grain to deal with? You could give it to livestock, but grain doesn’t do well with a cow’s digestive system. So instead you can use the grain to first grow mushrooms, then feed it to livestock! Hooray beer! Hooray mushrooms! Hooray less cow-flatulence!

Photo by anemoneprojectors.

Why Moonlight Tower?

As mentioned elsewhere, it all started on a run. But why did the name "Moonlight Tower" stick like whole hops rubbed through your hands? Well…I’ve always noticed the Moonlight Tower in Zilker Park, especially when they light it up during the holiday season. And I noticed a few others around town. But I never realized how many we had here in Austin and never really knew the history behind them.

Hopstory

(Yes I try to put hops in everything…even words.) The Moonlight Towers are really a reflection on what makes Austin unique and weird. You might even say they "illuminate" a unique part of Austin’s history. You see kids (reaching for my corncob pipe) one story is that back in the early 1890’s crime in these here parts was rampant. The law could only do so much. The people of Austin were furious and scared. They demanded a solution and turned to the city council for an answer. The council determined that if the city was illuminated throughout the night that would curb crime. So the city proposed Austin purchase these illuminating towers and have them erected throughout the city. Other cities around the country and world were already using them. So the city of Austin bought 31 of these towers from Detroit and they were all installed within a couple years after the purchase.

Critics feared the constant light throughout the night would cause their gardens to grow out of control. They’d need to cut their grass with an axe. Their roosters would crow all night.

Fortunately, none of those concerns came to life.

But over time, traditional street lights began to replace the towers. They were becoming no longer necessary. In the early 1990’s time had taken its toll on the towers and they were becoming dilapidated. The good people of Austin stepped in to save these towers because they reflected a piece of Austin’s unique past they wanted preserved. Enough money was raised and the towers were given a complete make over down to each and every bolt. They are now historical landmarks around the city. Seventeen towers still exist in Austin (the others were either damaged or dismantled to make way for construction). These towers are fully functional and are maintained by the Illumination Division within Austin Energy. Part of their job is to make sure that at least four of the the six lights on the towers are working. Austin remains the only city in the world that still operates these towers.

What’s the Pint?

The whole point here is that it wasn’t necessary to keep the towers, but Austin residents decided it was the right thing to do. And while it is not necessary to use organic ingredients to make beer, we feel using 100% organic ingredients is the right thing to do. Organic ingredients are better for you (more on that later) and they just taste better. 100% organic supports the farmers who spend more time, energy, and money in their fields growing crops without GMOs and pesticides. For us, being 100% organic is really a return to the land and a return to the traditional method of farming. Organic beer is not some new fad. All beer was once organic and Moonlight Tower Brewing Company plans to reunite the beer drinker with history.

So the next time you see a Moonlight Tower, raise a pint of organic ale (don’t do it while driving) to these unique Austin landmarks and reflect on history!

Photo by Diane S Murphy.

Hops Are Here…

Just received a shipment of the following organic hops:

• Fuggles
• Summit
• Palisade
• Cascade
• Centennial

The Cascade and Centennial are new organic offerings grown domestically. It’s always been a challenge to brew a 100% organic American IPA. But with Summit, Cascade, and Centennial in your toolbox, you can do it with ease.

Here’s the plan for the rest of the hops. The Fuggles will be added as a late hop addition in ESB. The Palisade will be used exclusively in our honey blonde. And of course, the Summit, Cascade, and Centennial will be used in our IPA, with a big dose added right at the end and for dry hopping. It should be a nice, organic, pesticide-free kick in the face. Who wouldn’t want that?

The Buzz Around Moonlight Tower

Taken by a friend at last week’s Zilker Park Kite Festival.

Photo by Mike Jablin

The Darker Side of Organic Beer

I will admit, I am a little nervous about posting this. I’m sure I’ll hear from many readers on both sides of the debate. But here goes: I embrace my inner dark side.

Whoa! Are you a Vampire or a Sith?

No. But I do drink dark beers all throughout the year. Meaning, I drink porters and stouts even in the hot Central Texas summers.

When it is 100+ degrees in Austin, I don’t think twice about ordering a dark beer. Sure, I also drink hefeweizen, IPA, and pale ale, but I never hesitate when ordering a stout and think, “Wait a minute, it’s July in Central Texas, are you sure you want a stout?!?”

I guess last week’s Snowmageddon 2010 in Austin is what made me analyze our love, fear, and seasonal cravings for dark beers.

I think we crave darker beers when it’s colder because they evoke those darker nights of winter, and the companion we seek is an ale that has the tone, mood, and in some cases, the alcoholic warmth, to buffer the frost. A dark beer, whether it be a porter or stout, often has a variety of malts and hops that weave a complex flavor throughout the drinking experience. We seem to be more accepting of complexity when we have nothing to do but sit inside by a fire and contemplate life, allowing whatever beverage to carry us down the road of introspection. It is in this matrix of flavor that we find comfort.

Whatever.

Seeing the Light

I’ll order 512’s Pecan Porter in July or Live Oak’s Hefeweizen in December. Because it comes down to drinking beers that are full of flavor and in some cases, ordering a beer that might pair well with whatever you are eating. One of my favorite beer/food combinations is imperial stout with chocolate cheesecake–enjoyed in August or January.

Porters and stouts can exist in a standard line-up and don’t have to be a seasonal offering for our Central Texas craft beer drinkers. Besides, if you’re not sure about drinking a porter or stout outside in July, then take it inside where the air conditioning will be set to 45 degrees.

Our Pennybacker Porter should do well here in Austin and I’m also looking forward to introducing Austin to its first 100% organic robust American stout soon thereafter. Maybe we’ll introduce it in the dead of summer.

So when that warm weather hits, embrace your inner dark side!

Photos by pasukaru76 and WTL photos