As an aspiring brewer I have been trying many angles to make myself more marketable as a prospective employee. I am currently enrolled in the American Brewers Guild but I'd like to put what I am learning into practice. I wanna get my hands dirty. Many of you know that I eventually want to open my own brewpub... but not before I know what I am doing. The best way to do this is to spend some time in both a restaurant and in a brewery. Right now I am working at Punch Pizza. As a smaller restaurant it is very easy for me to see all the different aspects of the operation. I work closely with the manager and it has really been educational. Now if I could just find a part time job or volunteer opportunity in a brewery. I have sent many letters to local and not so local breweries and brewpubs in hopes that I could at the very least join them for a day of brewing. We are learning so much in the ABG program, it would be fun to see some of the equipment and procedures in action. So far of all the letters and emails I’ve written I’ve only heard back from one. Perhaps I should try follow up calls to the others. The one that I did hear back from was Viking Brewery in Dallas, Wisconsin.
Viking started turning out beers in 1995 in a time when craft brew was just hitting the radar. Located in the old Dallas creamery building this small family owned and operated brewery has been creating beers for nearly 15 years. And they’ve been doing it all on standard dairy equipment. The mash/lauter tun? Milk tank. The kettle? Milk tank. The fermenters? You guessed it, milk tanks. The beer, mostly lagers, is then aged in refrigerated milk storage tanks. It was a great experience and I got to see a whole brew process from mash in to yeast pitching. I also got to see and participate in keg cleaning, filling and beer transferring. Oh, and there was a tour while I was there so I got to partake in that as well. As a thank you for some of the help I was able to provide, I was graciously offered one bottle of everything in the beer cooler. This included eight 12oz bottles of their current seasonals and year round beers and a bomber of Berserk their Barleywine. The barleywine is young so I will age it a few years before diving into it. The others however I will taste over the next few days or weeks and share my thoughts. Before my visit I had only tried one of their beers so most of these will be new for me. In addition to some personal reviews I will try to include some pictures and stories from my day in the brewhouse.
Viking started turning out beers in 1995 in a time when craft brew was just hitting the radar. Located in the old Dallas creamery building this small family owned and operated brewery has been creating beers for nearly 15 years. And they’ve been doing it all on standard dairy equipment. The mash/lauter tun? Milk tank. The kettle? Milk tank. The fermenters? You guessed it, milk tanks. The beer, mostly lagers, is then aged in refrigerated milk storage tanks. It was a great experience and I got to see a whole brew process from mash in to yeast pitching. I also got to see and participate in keg cleaning, filling and beer transferring. Oh, and there was a tour while I was there so I got to partake in that as well. As a thank you for some of the help I was able to provide, I was graciously offered one bottle of everything in the beer cooler. This included eight 12oz bottles of their current seasonals and year round beers and a bomber of Berserk their Barleywine. The barleywine is young so I will age it a few years before diving into it. The others however I will taste over the next few days or weeks and share my thoughts. Before my visit I had only tried one of their beers so most of these will be new for me. In addition to some personal reviews I will try to include some pictures and stories from my day in the brewhouse.
I thought I would start with their flagship beer the CopperHead Marzen style lager. This one, I hate to say was a little bit off. For a Fest style beer I was expecting big malty flavors and aromas. Instead I got papery, floral, honey, perfumey aromas and a very dry light easy drinking flavor. I really didn’t get a whole lot of malt or hop aromas or flavors. It was certainly drinkable but I would like to give it another chance. I have read many reviews much better than mine and I’d like to experience what those guys were getting. Perhaps I just got a bottle with a little oxidation. The next beer I tried was Whole Stein and this was a totally different story. Of the ones I've had so far this one is my favorite. The label calls it a Coffee Oatmeal Milk Porter and it is delicious. It reminds me a lot of a good sweet stout, something with lactose (unfermetnable milk sugar). This I am sure has some lactose because of the flavor and well, the name kinda gives it away, too. In my imperial pint glass this opaque monster sat up straight with a great tannish brown head, fluffy and light. 
Speaking of light, there would be none getting through this beast. Just check out the picture held up directly in front of the sun... nothing! Getting great aromas, like candy sweetness accompanied by espresso, dark chocolate and the like. Flavor mimmicks the aroma but much more dark coffee flavors than in the aroma. I don't believe this is brewed with coffee or has any added later, the dark roasted malts contribute to this perception. Body is big and creamy, low but appropriate carbonation and no acrid bite from the roasted malts. Despite descriptive words like monster and beast, this beer drinks criminally smooth. Must be the oatmeal. I will be looking for this one again. They no longer distribute to Minnesota but I'm sure I'll be back to Hudson before long.
Speaking of light, there would be none getting through this beast. Just check out the picture held up directly in front of the sun... nothing! Getting great aromas, like candy sweetness accompanied by espresso, dark chocolate and the like. Flavor mimmicks the aroma but much more dark coffee flavors than in the aroma. I don't believe this is brewed with coffee or has any added later, the dark roasted malts contribute to this perception. Body is big and creamy, low but appropriate carbonation and no acrid bite from the roasted malts. Despite descriptive words like monster and beast, this beer drinks criminally smooth. Must be the oatmeal. I will be looking for this one again. They no longer distribute to Minnesota but I'm sure I'll be back to Hudson before long.Many thanks to Randy Lee for letting me come and be part of his life for a day.
Cheers!
3 comments:
Derek, very nice post. I'm not actually familiar with these guys, very cool of them to let you come out and take part in the process. Like most home brewers, I daydream endlessly about what it would be like to make the jump to commercial. Alot of work, and not as romantic as it seems, but it beats sitting at a desk all day!
(Following from a comment you made on Kris and Mag's blog)
Funny, I was sitting at Rock Bottom when you were talking to the other Derek, and overheard you talking about wanting to open your own brewpub(I think? I was drinking) and at the time I thought it was drunk talk, but come to find out it was not. Cool!
Annnnnnyhow, I'm now following your RSS. Good luck!
Thanks for the comments guys.
Aaron, it was very nice to meet you at ABR this past weekend.
IMS, thanks for checking out the blog. You'll have to introduce yourself next time. Where were you sitting? I have enjoyed reading past issues of your blog.
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