White Birch Brewing Co. Interview (Part 2)

While most of us have just toyed with the thought of starting up a nanobrewery, others have taken the plunge. To find out who these people are and what makes them do what they do, Tom and I embarked on a series of interviews with regional nanobreweries to get their stories.

White Birch Brewing Co. (Part 2 of 2)

Hooksett, New Hampshire

http://www.whitebirchbrewing.com/

As a follow-up to the first half of our Q-n-A with Bill Herlicka, founder of White Birch Brewing Co., this post presents the conclusion of our White Birch interview.  Bill started brewery production at White Birch in June 2009 and self-distributes to “enthusiast” beer stores around New Hampshire (and hopefully Massachusetts soon).

*   *   *

Lug Wrench (LW): What are your plans for growing White Birch Brewing Co. in the future?

Bill (BH): My plans to grow White Birch are to focus on a slow sustained growth. I make a very different beer than most breweries and I like the idea of finding my audience in a managable way. I love having the flexibility to make a wide range of styles and don't want to give that up by jumping into an expensive 10 or 15 barrel system where I can only afford a few fermenters. As people enjoy my beer and want to see it in more places I'll keep doing my best to add new stores and new markets while working to keep the stores I have today stocked with our flagship, seasonal and new beers.

LW:  What are the biggest hurdles you see for White Birch?

BH: The biggest hurdles I see facing White Birch Brewing is maintaining quality and growth. I started brewing in a 2500 square foot warehouse space and I’m quickly filling it to the roof with fermenters, oak barrels and supplies to keep the process going. Growth is great and necessary, but moving to larger space means a lot of big expenses and attention which will challenge me while trying to keep the day to day operations going.

LW: If you were speaking to an individual who is considering the prospect of opening their own nanobrewery, what advice would you give them?

BH: Ignore the term nanobrewery. Decide on your vision of brewing and purse that. There are far easier ways to earn a living that a brewery. You have to want to do this and know it’s a lot of hard work. Don’t try to create someone else’s vision of a brewery. Labels, assumptions of how “normal” breweries start and even what to start with don’t matter. Do what you love and do it with passion. You’ll find your audience.

LW: What’s the most interesting thing that has happened to you since you started the brewery?

BH: I’d have to say a big one for me was doing the BeerAdvocate Belgian Beer fest in Boston and having people excited to meet me as the new brewer. What I really find rewarding though is having the flexibility to make anything I want and then getting to share that with enthusiasts and hear their thoughts. There’s nothing like meeting someone new at a tasting and seeing that smile on their face as they try and enjoy a new beer.

LW: Is there anything else you think readers might enjoy learning about you or White Birch?

BH: I brew beers I enjoy. I don’t worry about style guidelines in terms of trying to meet a style. When I make something with a style in mind, I’m making my interpretation of that style, not a clone of a ‘best of style’ or worrying about hitting style parameters. Other beers I make are because I enjoy their taste and there is no style intended.. I’m a big fan of the “specialty other” category if I have to pick one to define my beers. Oh, and please let me know what you think of what I’m making. I’m always happy to trade emails or chat at a tasting.

* * *

Part 1 of our interview with Bill Herlicka can be found here.

If you want to find out more about Bill or White Birch Brewing Co, check out the Yankee Brew News cover story on the brewery, or listen to Bill speak on the April 11th Sunday Session internet radio show produced by The Brewing Network.

Slainte!

-JW


"Beer ... a high and mighty liquor."
-Julius Caesar

The Session #39: Collaborations – The Mad Fermentationist and Lug Wrench Brewing

Welcome to The Session – a collaboration of bloggers writing on a common beer-related topic. For the month of May, Mario Rubio over at Brewed for Thought chose Collaborations as the collective topic to explore.  A round-up of all the blog posts can be found here.  You can read more about Beer Blogging Friday (“The Session”) over at the Brookston Beer Bulletin.

Collaborations are certainly a hot topic these days, permeating breweries and other peripheral beer communities – The Session being a prime example.  For beer bloggers, the concept of collaborating ... about blogging ... about beer ... many times ends up being an exercise in abstraction. What really gets accomplished?  What's the output?

A few months back, Tom and I were kicking around ideas of how to structure a blogging collaboration where we actually “do something” as opposed to just talking/writing.  The thought was to develop a collaborative gig which forces us to step away from the keyboard and go create something tangible.  Armed with the concept and a few ideas, we reached out to Mike Tonsmeire over at The Mad Fermentationist - a beer blog that both Tom and I admire.  While Mike was chest-deep in other projects, the “do something” notion must have resonated with him and a collaboration was born.

But what to collaborate on?  After several emails, we settled on Lug Wrench picking from Mike’s vast collection of recipes, brewing one or two beers on our system(s), and having all of us (Mike, Tom, and I) evaluate the result. How did our version compare against the original? How did the recipe hold up in another brewer’s hands? Mike further trumped the collaboration by offering to ship samples of his original beer (if it was available) for inspiration and side-by-side comparison.  The plan was set.

While the Pannepot clone was at the top the list, Tom and I delayed that brew until the next time we are able to brew together.  The inaugural beer would be the Foreign Export Stout – a recipe modeled after Pelican Pub & Brewery’s Tsunami Stout, which uses no crystal malts, focusing on base malt, roasted grains, and some flaked barely to tie it all together.  Mike's original batch unfortunately fell victim to an infection resulting in the whole batch being dumped.  As such, we're all interested to see how it would turn out.  

Lug Wrench’s attempt at the Foreign Export Stout was brewed back on April 10th with the recipe and notes are provided below.  After 18 days of primary fermentation, the jet-black nectar came out of the fermentor ready to be bottled.  Possessing a tremendously pleasant dark chocolate nose (think high-end boutique chocolate), the beer was still a bit 'green', requiring some more conditioning time to mellow and meld together.  However, the initial taste (albeit, warm and uncarbonated) revealed a complex dark malt character with a lot of potential.  Only time will tell.

At the time of this post going live, I've been able to ward off the temptation of cracking open a bottle and sneaking a taste.  Look for the first tasting results sometime at the end of May, when the three of us will be able to make a determination about how the beer came out.  I'm particularly interested to get Mike's thoughts and feedback from the bottles being mailed to him - did our version of his recipe live up to his original expectations?  Would a recipe tweak be warranted based on the results?  Was it worth all the effort?

With regards to our collaboration concept, I won’t speak for Mike, but from the Lug Wrench perspective the “do something” project has been worthwhile.  The cooperative effort sparked a considerable amount of healthy communication and we’ve got something tangible in the end.  The odds are very favorable of another Mad Fermentationist recipe being brewed and discussed again here in the future.

The Mad Fermentationist’s Foreign Export Stout - Our Take

Recipe Specifics

----------------
Batch Size (Gal): 5.5
Total Grain (Lbs): 14.51
OG: 1.068
FG: 1.020
SRM: 36.7
IBU: 67.5 (Rager)
ABV: 6.3%
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75 %
Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Grain/Extract/Sugar
---------------------
12.0 lbs. Maris Otter Pale Malt
1.00 lbs. Flaked Barley
0.75 lbs. Roasted Barley
0.38 lbs. Black Patent Malt
0.38 lbs. Chocolate Malt

Hops
-----
All hops are pellet hops
1.75 oz Northern Brewer (8.9% AA) at 60 minutes
0.80 oz Williamette (4.8% AA) at 20 minutes
0.80 oz Williamette (4.8% AA) at 10 minutes

Extras
-------
1.0 Tab Whirlfloc at 15 minutes
2 tsp Yeast Nutrient (Fermax)at 15 minutes
28 drops of Foam Control in the boil

Yeast
-----
WLP005 – British Ale Yeast (2L starter from slurry)

Mash Schedule
-------------
60 min at 152-3° F

Notes
-----
Brewed on 4/10/2010 by JW

No additions were added to the water.

Aeration accomplished via an aquarium pump and sanitary filter for ~30 minutes.

4/11/10 – Pitched entire yeast starter at 3am with fermentation temperature set at 61 degrees F. Added 7 drops of foam control into fermenter to prevent excessive blow off. Kicked off visible fermentation activity in < 12 hours.

4/14/10 – As activity showed signs of slowing, the fermentation temperature was ramped up 2 degrees/day until 66 degrees F to help finish the beer out.

4/25/10 – No real fermentation activity visible. Ramped fermentation temperature up to 68 degrees F in preparation for bottling.

4/28/10 – Racked beer onto priming sugar (~2.2 volumes CO2) and bottled. The beer is still a bit edgy/rough at bottling, so some conditioning time in the bottle is needed.

5/24/10 - After recieving several bottles, Mike (a.k.a. Mad Fermentationist) was able taste the results and give us feedback on the beer.  His comments, posted on his blog, can be found here.

5/30/10 - We had the opportunity to taste the beer allowing us to scribe these tasting notes.

* * *

Slainte!

-The Wallace Brothers


“This is grain, which any fool can eat, but for which the Lord intended a more divine means of consumption…Beer.”
-Friar Tuck

White Birch Brewing Co. Interview (Part 1)

Let’s face it – the concept of starting up a nanobrewery is an idea many of us in homebrewing have entertained at one time or another. While most of us have just toyed with the thought, others have taken the plunge and put their money where their mouths are. To find out who these people are and what makes them do what they do, Tom and I embarked on a series of interviews with regional nanobreweries to get their stories.

White Birch Brewing Co. (Part 1 of 2)

Hooksett, New Hampshire

http://www.whitebirchbrewing.com/

To kick off the nanobrewery interviews, Lug Wrench got the opportunity to speak with Bill Herlicka, founder of White Birch Brewing Co. Bill, a homebrewer for over 16 years and counting, started brewery production at White Birch less than a year ago in June 2009. Brewed primarily on two 26 gallon systems, White Birch beer is self-distributed to “enthusiast” beer stores around New Hampshire (and hopefully Massachusetts soon).   Below is the first part of our two part Q and A interview with Bill.

*   *   *

Lug Wrench (LW): What inspired you to start-up White Birch Brewing Co.?

Bill (BH): I’ve worked many jobs, but always had a passion for brewing. While watching my prior employer head down the same path of poor performance, loss of client confidence and clients I knew my job was going to be impacted. While discussing this with my wife, she said we’re young – you love to brew beer – why not see if you can open a brewery. Do what you love instead of another job. Thus began the earnest research and business planning to figure out how to start up my brewery.

LW: How did you gather the required capital to start White Birch?

BH: I used savings and current sales to fund startup costs and growth costs.

LW: Where did the White Birch name come from?

BH: My wife and I sat down and worked on names. We each had our lists. Mine were awful, she had some good ideas. We decided on White Birch Brewing because we love the white birch trees on our property and we felt it conveyed a sense of New England.

LW: How have you involved the community in your brewery? Do you interact with local homebrew clubs?

BH: I have stayed a part of my homebrew club – Brew Free or Die. In fact, some of my earliest beers were made in carboys that I borrowed from generous friends in the club. These days I do tastings in stores that sell my beer to help get the message out about good beer and what I’m doing at White Birch Brewing.

LW: With regards to selling your beer, what has been the biggest challenge you have faced in getting draft accounts or shelf space?

BH: Managing growth has been the biggest challenge. I’m very thankful that here in NH I seem to have struck a chord with beer drinkers and have had some great support in the areas I sell. As much as I’d like to grow faster and be in more stores, I’ve had to grow at a pace I can manage. Often this means I risk running out of beer at a store or I can only give one case of the new style to a store even though that store might want more.

* * *

Part 2 of our interview with Bill Herlicka can be found here.

If you want to find out more about Bill or White Birch Brewing Co, check out the Yankee Brew News cover story on the brewery, or listen to Bill speak on the April 11th Sunday Session internet radio show produced by The Brewing Network.

Slainte!

-JW


“… in life, there’s always room for beer.”
-Tom Ciccateri

National Homebrew Competition - First Round Results

The National Homebrew Competition (NHC) is the “world’s largest international beer competition recognizing the most outstanding homebrewed beer, mead, and cider produced by amateur(s)”.  The NHC has been conducted by the American Homebrewers Association every year since 1979, when 34 entries competed in the inaugural event in Boulder, Colorado.  Last year, 5,166 beers were entered by 1,310 homebrewers competing for 84 medals and other prizes.

Given the size of the event, it is divided into two rounds.  The first round is conducted on a regional basis, with homebrewers sending entries to 10 regional contests, which includes Canada.  The figure below shows the layout of the regions and where the actual competitions were held.

2010 NHC Regions and Competition Locations

The top three entries in each of the 28 Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) style categories advance onto the second and final round.  The finals are held in conjunction with the National Homebrewers Conference, which for this year, is being held in Minneapolis from June 17-19.  The second round judging is typically performed by some of the best beer judges in the world who evaluate the top ~30 beers in each category and award the respective winners.  In addition to style awards, the one homebrewer who wins the most medals in the NHC is presented with the coveted Ninkasi Award, which includes a number of prizes and fabulous bragging rights.  The 2009 Ninkasi winner was Gordon Strong, who also happens to be the current president of the BJCP board.  Gordon is a repeat winner, who had 16 entries go onto the 2009 second round resulting in seven medals.  With the 2010 first round already completed, Gordon again has 16 entries passing on to this year’s finals.  Will anyone be able to unseat him?

Here at Lug Wrench Brewing, we submitted two entries to the NHC.  Tom sent in a black raspberry and blueberry standard melomel (fruit mead) that scored a 35 out of 50 points, but the judges thought it a bit too acidic and alcoholic.  He also sent in a dry English cider that scored 32 out of 50 points, with the general feedback that it had too much “farmhouse” character and not enough apple essence.  Let us know how you did?

For complete information on the 2010 NHC, see the official rules and regulations.

Cheers,

TW