MBC Brew News February 2008 Love the Earth. Recycle! From my desk… Love and good will are in the air here at MBC. Jr. is closer to becoming a father (we’re all dying to know if it’s a boy or girl), Amy’s wedding plans are in full swing for this fall, and Daniel is in the process of buying his first home (with a basement perfect for home brewing). As for me, I’m about to get a taste of what will probably be my favorite Stout, Mark’s Black Heart Stout (due out Valentine’s Day). I just love my job! If you are in need of that last minute gift for your someone special, and they’re a beer or wine fanatic, check out the supply down the hall at thingsBEER. Choose from crystal wine glasses, gift stopper sets, pint glasses that go well with a case (or three) of our beer and even the gift wrapping. If you need assistance putting together a wonderful gift basket, we’ll help you choose gifts to fill it. So, from all of us at MBC we wish you a month filled with love and cheer. Happy Valentine’s Day! Cheers, Lisa Heaney Inside This Issue 1 From my desk, What’s New, Who’s Who at MBC, MBC Contest 2 For the Love of Celis, What’s wrong with my mead? 3 Pub Grub – Porter Chocolate Truffles 4 Calendar of Events, Beer on Tap, Specials, Hours/Contact Info  What's Happening at MBC We will be releasing our Black Heart Stout just in time for Valentine’s Day. Join us in the Pub for a special release party on February 14th. The Stout has been described by Brewer Mark Marsden as, “Hoppy, roasty, black!” Old Chicago Pizza in Okemos now has our Russian Imperial Stout on tap for a limited time. They will also continue to carry our IPA. Join us for the 3rd Annual Winter Beer Festival in Grand Rapids February 23rd. For tasting, you will have over 150 beers to choose from. Tickets are available at the Pub for… $35.00 or $40.00 at the door. For more details go to www.michiganbrewersguild.org. Due to popular demand, we will be hosting another Home Brewers course in the brewery, Saturday February 9th from 10am to 5pm. Check with thingsBEER or the Pub for more details. We now accept secure e-payments online at www.thingsBEER.com. Cards accepted are Visa, Mastercard and Discover. Many good things will be happening in the future at MBC. The stills will be up and running soon, and we will continue the trend of aging a few of our beers in oak bourbon barrels. Expect to see the new batch of aged beer early in 2009 (or sooner hopefully). The Gov’t of Sweden still continues to purchase our beers for distribution. In addition to their current purchases, June ’08 will see a shipment of 1900 cases of our Mackinac Summer Ale. The Webberville Business Park has been given the certification of Certified Business Park by the Michigan Economic Developers Association. This top notch certification means that our park is poised to attract new businesses. For more information go to www.medaweb.org. LAH “thingsBEER, What’s wrong with my mead?” Well, yes, it does happen. You have followed directions, recorded, tested, and weighed. In spite of all that, you find yourself gazing at a five gallon jug of grumpy goo that refuses to bubble or brew. Mead making is an art – even when science is employed to enhance the process. Remind yourself that honey is a forage crop and that the yeast cells are living organisms, which have their own agenda. So, what has gone wrong? Stuck Fermentation When bubbles no longer rise to the surface of the brew, the fermentation should be complete. Sometimes, however, the lack of activity is an indication of an incomplete or stuck fermentation – meaning the yeast has quit working for one reason or the other. If it is too cold (below 40 degrees, for instance) and the yeast has become dormant, move your carboy to a warmer location. Very often, even when the mead has cleared and does not appear to be throwing additional sediment, there may still be live yeast cells present. In this case, before you bottle, move your carboy into a warm environment. You may notice a secondary fermentation taking place as the yeast begin working again. Cloudy Mead Protein molecules suspended in solution cause cloudy mead. This is by far the most common problem in mead making. The fermentation is complete but the mead is still unappealingly murky. One solution is to simply wait it out. In many cases the mead will clear naturally after a few weeks or months. You can sometimes speed the process along by placing the mead in an extremely cold environment – out in the snow or in a refrigerator overnight. If nothing works or if you are just plain impatient, a fining agent can be used to clarify mead. From the folks at thingsBEER you can purchase a variety of fining agents such as sparkolloid (seaweed), bentonite (clay) or isinglass (sturgeon flotation solution). Allow the agents to do their work, and then rack the clear mead off the sediment. Yucky Mead This is the ugly little glitch that no one likes to talk about. You can do everything right. The fermentation finished out within a reasonable time, the mead clears, you bottle it, age it, taste it, and throw up. Perhaps oxygen has insinuated itself and oxidized your mead into liquid rust. Sometimes people overage the mead. They keep it around long after it has reached its peak and is now in a slow, ugly decline. Sometimes there is a taste suspiciously reminiscent of gasoline or crank-case oil. This off-taste can sometimes be traced to pollen in the honey. Not all pollen does this, mind you, just some pollens in some circumstances. In the spirit of all the undaunted meadmakers of history, don’t let the failures warp you. Keep good records, use common sense and don’t weep over spoiled mead. If you’ve got room, let the stuff age; sometimes it will actually get better, sometimes it won’t. You can always make more. If you experience troubles in your meadmaking, fortunately you have expert advisors available to you at thingsBEER. Calendar of Events Home Brewing Class MBC brewery – February 9th. Check with thingsBEER for details, prices and future courses. Black Heart Stout Release Party The Pub - February 14th 3rd Annual Winter Beer Festival Grand Rapids, Mi – February 23rd (we’ll be there!) Pub Grub Throughout the ages and around the world, we have been fascinated with chocolate. We cook with it, bathe with it, use it for art, package it to woo lovers, and even use it when brewing beer! It is no wonder that the chocolate market is one of the largest in the food industry. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, I received a recipe submission from a visitor here at MBC. Adam Ochs stopped in with a friend for the first time and was hooked on our beers. Adam is currently living in New York and is attending the Culinary Institute of America – the prestigious culinary school that has trained many of the world’s finest chefs. He is also a contributing member of his local home brew club. His recipe for Porter Chocolate Truffles sounded heavenly to me so I thought I would share with you. Porter Chocolate Truffles By Adam Ochs Yields about 1 quart of ganache. 1 pound Valrhona (French) bittersweet chocolate, 70% cocoa solids 1 cup heavy cream 5 Tbsp. MBC Peninsula Porter, reduced by half ½ cup cocoa power to coat Over medium heat, reduce about 1 cup Porter until it is about half a cup. Chop the chocolate into small pieces, no larger than about the size of your small finger, and place in a large bowl. Heat heavy cream to a quick boil and quickly remove from heat as not to burn the cream. Add the 5 tablespoons of Porter to the cream and pour over the chocolate. Let set a couple of minutes to melt the chocolate. Gently whisk the chocolate to a smooth texture. If all the chocolate is not melted use a double boiler to heat the chocolate, whisking the entire time. Pour the chocolate into a 1 quart container and set in a cool place to reduce in temperature. Refrigerate overnight to firm it up before rolling the truffles. In a small bowl, place a small amount of cocoa powder to coat the truffles and remove from cocoa before serving. Serve immediately or refrigerate, covered, for later. *To make a smaller batch cut the quantities in half. Thanks Adam! The truffles are simply delicious! To all of our patrons, if you try this at home do make sure you bring us some samples. LAH For the Love of Celis Most of us know a few details about the Celis brand beer we see served at the Pub. But many still ponder its history and the path it took to finally rest in the hands of the MBC patrons. I discovered that the beer Pierre Celis formulated seems to have been more for the people than for the profit. In the European region of Flanders (now Belgium), Belgium brewing was born in the 15th century at a Benedictine Monastery near Hoegaarden (Birthplace of wit, or white, beer and Pierre Celis). That area was settled because of its natural limestone spring water and rich soil, which made it fertile for the growing of grains, especially wheat… the main ingredient of white beer. Exotic flavors were imported from the Spice Islands, and the mix of these ingredients soon gave Belgium brewers the beginning of over 300 styles of specialty beers. By the 19th century Hoegaarden had 19 breweries all brewing white beer for a village of 3,000. Louis and Mary Tomsin were the last of the third generation brewers at Tomsin Brewery (1847 – 1967). Having no children, Pierre was soon an ‘adopted’ member of this brewing family. In 1945, at the age of 20, Pierre worked as an apprentice brewer at Tomsin, all the while attending to his family’s livestock business. With the market for white and specialty beers dwindling, the Tomsin Brewery, the last remaining brewer of ‘wit’ beers, closed in 1955 after 97 years. Louis Tomsin told Pierre, “Do not forget what you learned about brewing the white beer of our village.” Today the Tomsin Brewery can be seen at the Belgium National Brewery Museum. 1953 saw the marriage of Pierre and Juliet. Pierre moved the family business, run out of the home Pierre was born in, towards a new direction – milk production. Soon the outstanding quality of Celis milk became well known, and was sold to schools, hospitals, and clinics as far away as Brussels. In the summer heat of 1965, Pierre’s neighbors again clamored for the refreshing taste of Tomsin’s brews. With the help of a friend, Marcel Tomas (brewing director of the large Loriers Brewery), Pierre cobbled together the makings of a brewery (even using his wife’s copper wash tub) and single handedly reinvented the white beer again for the world to enjoy. Pierre, upon opening the brewery, said, “I must follow my customers as they grow up.” Pierre Celis and Marcel Tomas set up their small brewery in Pierre’s backyard, using two vintage copper brewing kettles purchased from an abandoned brewery. For the grand sum of $2,000.00, the first brewery in 60 years opened in Hoegaarden in 1966. In an abandoned soft drink facility, Pierre and Marcel built the ultra modern brewery highlighted by the 60 bbl. copper brewing kettles. By 1969 they added the bottling line to the brewery. In 1976, a new specialty style of beer, Grand Cru, at one time only available to royalty, was brewed for the masses. During the 1983 Atlanta International Specialty Food Show, Pierre made a special visit to the Anchor Steam Brewery in San Francisco. He realized that fuller-flavored beers could be brewed in America. (Note: Fritz Maytag started Anchor Steam Brewery in 1966 the same year Pierre became a back yard brewer.) Pierre’s 1985 trip to Atlanta was interrupted when daughter Christine called with distressing news—a fire destroyed the Belgium brewery. With not enough insurance money to build a new brewery on his own, Pierre entered into an agreement with large national brewer Stella Artois (later known as Interbrew) to build the new DeKluis Brewery. With the demand for “Celis-style” specialty beers growing, so came a demand for additional profits. In 1986, the new brewery was once again built around a spectacular brew house. Pierre anticipated the consumer appeal of his beer, converting an old abandoned stable next to his brewery into a tavern and restaurant called “The Kouterhof.” This was the place Pierre’s daughter, Christine Celis, and her husband to be, Peter Camps, would meet. In 1990, the financial department issued an order for Pierre to change the ingredient mix in his beers to decrease costs. Pierre responded, “If you change my beer and do not allow me to brew in the best way I know how, I will not be responsible for the beer or its sale.” In the second quarter of 1990, Pierre Celis and his family ended their relationship with the large Belgium brewer. At 65 when most men retire, Pierre Celis had a desire to start a brewery in America. He saw an emerging consumer taste for his special style of beer. Fortunately Peter and Christine shared his vision. In 1991 they selected a state that valued independent thinking, Texas, as the site of Celis Brewery Company. Austin’s vibrancy, it’s young people, the music industry, pubs and the Texas per capita beer consumption attracted the Celis family. But it was the natural resources of the Texas Hill Country that sold the Celis family on Austin. Austin’s limestone-filtered water and legendary hard winter wheat were surprising similar to ingredients found in Hoegaarden. Pierre finally found a gift he could give to America, his beer. In customary European fashion, the Celis brewery was built around the brewing kettles. Pierre and Marcel purchased three 85 bbl. handmade brewing kettles (commissioned in 1930) from an abandoned brewery in Belgium. During early construction they were illuminated at night, which drew people in to see these strange objects. They soon discovered a microbrewery with the very latest technology. (However, the brewery still used the same electric grinder Pierre first employed in his back yard 25 years earlier.) Two days before Pierre’s March 21st birthday in 1992, three new beers were introduced. Original Celis White and two beers brewed specifically for Texan tasters, Golden Lager and Pale Bock. In December, a fourth new beer, Celis Grand Cru, debuted. In February of 1994, the ASCB Co. (Miller) and Celis formed a partnership to expand Celis beers. Pierre announced, “Our new alliance allows us to focus on what we do best, which is to brew specialty beers.” By 2002, Miller had closed down the Celis Brewery and was seeking buyers. Luck had it that MBC Owner, Bobby Mason, was seeking opportunities for expansion and purchased Celis from Miller. Today, thanks to the efforts of Bobby and his team, the authentic Belgium-style and award winning taste of Celis lives on. Who’s Who at MBC John Brockmiller, Sr. Brew Crew Who’s got a big heart, big responsibilities, and some big tires on that trike of his? That would be our Johnny! He should walk with a big stick too. Afterall, he’s been with MBC for over 7 years and is still more than happy to come to work (who wouldn’t be working in a brewery). You just can’t keep this man still, which you’ll discover after reading further. John was born in Milford, MI, but moved to Fowlerville, MI, in 1956 when he was 13. At that time he started working on his family’s dairy farm until 1964 when he took a position at the secretive GM Proving Grounds in Milford. (If you’ve ever driven by the facility you know what I mean by ‘secretive’. That place is like Ft. Knox!) While at GM, John worked at the Engine Development and Testing facility for “drivability, emissions, and cold starting” testing functionalities, to name a few. Fortunately, John was a ‘customer’ at MBC before the doors opened, where you’d catch him enjoying a pint or two of Superior Stout. So, when he retired from GM in 2001 after 36½ years, and knowing that retirement would not see him sitting in his easy chair, he jumped on the chance to work for MBC only after a few months. Besides enjoying all of the activities in the brewery, he is an avid Lionel toy train collector and travels to various toy train shows a few times a year. His favorite place to visit is definitely Colorado but would ultimately love to ‘retire’ to Florida. John retire? I think not. If all that wasn’t enough, John is an extremely devoted family man. He has been married to his wife, Arlene, for almost 29 years! Currently he has three children – Jeff (an MBC employee), Johnny & Jenna. He has 8 granddaughters, 1 grandson (Jr. who is also an MBC employee), and soon to be a great grandfather with Jr.’s child expected this spring. With all those kids around, no wonder he said his favorite holiday is Halloween. At one point he received over 200 kids, decorated his lawn with every scary detail, and went through 6 cases of M&Ms! John is truly an all American man as he is also a huge NASCAR fan and travels to MIS when he can. When asked who his driver was his answer was a definite, “Junior!” I would say that my favorite driver is the big guy on the trike. LAH DAILY SPECIALS 2·4·8 Monday $2.00 off 6 pack $4.00 off 12 pack, $8.00 off case Growler Tuesday $2.00 discount: New - $9.00, Refill - $6.00 (Russian not included) All Day, Every Day Celis Variety Pack, $16.00 and Big Mack Cases, $20.00 MBC Pub & thingsBEER Hours Mon-Thu 10AM – 10PM, Fri & Sat 10am-Midnight Sun 12PM-10PM Bobby Mason (Owner) Distributor Orders: Bob@MichiganBrewing.com Retail Manager: Joe@MichiganBrewing.com Marketing: Stan@MichiganBrewing.com Newsletter Submissions: Info@MichiganBrewing.com Trivia Can you count the number of times I have include the word ‘LOVE’ in this newsletter? Be the first to answer correctly and receive a prize! E-mail your answer and mailing address for the prize by February 15th to me at info@michiganbrewing.com. CAPITOL CITY DJs Weddings—Bars—Parties—Everything! Josh Rockey, Owner/DJ 517-281-5959 Brandon Denby, Event Coordinator 517-294-5234 CapitolCityDJs@Gmail.com www.CapitolCityDJs.com Home Loan Specialists, Inc. Fred Denby, Loan Consultant Locally owned and operated since 1996 Competitive programs & rates Weekend & evening appointments – No problem! 110 W. Grand River Ave. Office: 517-521-3137 Webberville, MI 48892 Fax: 517-521-4057 Equal Housing Opportunity Cell: 517-282-6019 Z Solutions Onsite Computer Repair *Home and Commercial* Joshua J. Rockey Owner/Technical Director 517-861-6567 ZSolutions@Gmail.com