This week brings another Listener Submission from a very good friend of the show, Jack. Jack was kind enough to bring us back some very interesting beers from California wine country. Thanks Jack!
Related Links
Mad Fritz Brewing
393 La Fata, St. Helena, CA 94574
http://www.madfritz.com
Beer #1: The Lion and Other Beasts
Style: Grisette
ABV: 5.7%
IBU’s: 22
Flavor Text: This Belgian Style ale called a Grisette that is somewhat of a lost beer style named for the coal miners wives that would serve this up after the long work day in the mines. It is typically a low alcohol ale at 4 to 5% by volume with low bitterness and aromas of yeast-spice as well as subtle hop notes. The base malt on our approach was Full Pint 2 Row from Madras Oregon, water from St Helena, Amarillo hops from Yakima Valley then aged in French Oak for varying times. Our resulting beer is bright with light fruit tones, yeast spice, dry and clean. The first release of this beer will be a Members Only release and clocks in at 5.7% alcohol by volume and was aged in chardonnay barrels for one month.
Ratings:
- Mark: Pint
- Kevin: Bomber
- Justin: Growler
Beer #2: The Bear and the Bees
Style: Honey Ale
ABV: 5.6%
IBU’s: 19
Flavor Text: Our Honey Ale is a collaboration with Rob Keller of Napa Valley Bee Company and who lives and breaths with the Buzz of the Bees. He had foraged some honey from multiple wild hives from around the Napa Valley and offered us the opportunity to create a beer with it. We chose a clean and light base barley sourced and malted in Madras Oregon with very low color yet a with a distinct malt tonality from the variety Full Pint Barley. We used our relatively soft water from St Helena and Hallertau Hops from Yakima, WA as well as our French Saison yeast to create a beer that was dry and crisp on the finish. The honey was married with the beer at the end of boil with specific timing and technique to retain and boost the impact of its aromatics. After the primary fermentation and settling in stainless we racked to a new French Oak barrel (600 L puncheon M toast -Saury) and aged briefly for settling and light oak aromatics. This first release Lot 107 (160414107) is allocated for memberships Q2-16 although can be tasted at the brewery for a short time. Its flavor profile is somewhere between a chardonnay, dry mead-Hydromel style and a Belgian Strong Ale its soft spiced with round honey tones and oak notes. A focused and clean palate (TFG 1.000) with very subtle hop bitterness. Our second release lot 124 is crafted using Vince Tofinelli’s Honey from Calistoga where he grows organic wine grapes that are dry farmed as well. He is veteran of this valley as a 4th generation farmer and we are excited to show case this beautiful honey with our beer.
Ratings:
- Mark: Bomber
- Kevin: Bomber
- Justin: Bomber
Beer #3: Ringdove and the Hunter
Style: Porter
ABV: 7.9%
IBU’s: 32
Flavor Text: he Ring Dove and the Hunter is a beer I have been brewing for decades, once called ‘Peoples Porter’ , it has always been a Robust Style Porter and it has inevitably changed throughout the years (20+). This rendition is framed by the malty-rich and biscuity Full Pint malted barley, Black Patent malt, a pinch of Coffee malt and hints of Caramel 100-120. We hopped with US grown Goldings hops from Yakima Valley in WA, which were hit hard during set and yields were very low so we were lucky to get our hands on some. We aged the beer in a red and white wine barrel for three weeks prior to bottling. A spicy herbal nose balanced with subtle roasted malts and a mild bitterness brings this beer alive and should age gracefully in your cellar at 6.8. to 7.3% ABV.
Ratings:
- Mark: Growler
- Kevin: Bomber
- Justin: Growler