Beer Terrain : October 2012

Monday, October 1, 2012

Hop Harvest and a Stray Dog Lager

Ah, kid free! The rare liberty afforded parents when not one child, but both children have been dropped off for birthday sleepovers. Glory be.

The youngest's friend happens to live outside Northampton and we bee lined it for the oldest New England brew pub, the Northampton Brewery where they were pouring a Hop Harvest made with hops grown at Four Star Farms in Northfield.

Our happily busy bartender (on a Saturday at 2:30) explained that this was a brew based on the recipe of an earlier pale called Four Star Harvest Ale. Only this was an IPA liberally dry hopped for more aromatic punch. The varieties used are Galaxy, Centennial and Nugget.

A golden yellow color, clear around the edges, but hazy overall, this beer gets in the nose like the spray from a peeling orange. It has a fruity, citrusy zing and an upfront bitterness that leaves me wanting more.

The malt stands on its own in this hop infused glass, providing backbone and a hint of soft French bread for balance.

In my eagerness, I'd neglected to relieve myself of the road coffee when I first arrived. Now, with this beer pressing, I made my move.

Normally restroom ritual wouldn't work its way into the blog, but as we make special note of brewers who value all local resources, not just grain and hops, it becomes important to mention that this place uses waterless urinals.

Not only does this appeal to my yankee frugality, but it shows respect for the most important ingredient in beer-the water, of course.

With another Hop Harvest in front of me, my collaborator Suzanne and I checked out the menu. Lo and behold, this place also includes fresh produce grown within 10 miles at a place called J.O.E.'s farm.

According to the brewery website, this food is sustainably grown without pesticides.

A few pints later, we went around the corner to Provisions where I had to lick my lips to prevent the drool from running onto the floor. A man next to me made a grunting noise that was a mix of awe and happiness. I felt the same.

Having only two hands, I selected a six pack of Brewmaster Jack's Stray Dog Lager as well as a pair of Jack's Abby concoctions I will try later.

As I write, I have a glass of Stray Dog in front of me. Caramel color, with off-white foam, malt is forefront here lacing the mouth with a medium to heavy body and flavors of winter squash and Anadama bread.

I suspect the hops are of the noble variety, as they provide an accent of bitter herbs.

On the malt side are two-row, crystal and Munich. The Munich having been grown locally and malted by the one and only Valley Malt in Hadley. Stray Dog could easily pass as a top notch Octoberfest, or maybe it's the leaves blowing by outside my window that have me thinking that way.

Mission

This is a blog about beer made in New England and New York featuring ingredients grown in the same region.

After all, importing hops from Bavaria and Oregon and grain from England and Wisconsin doesn't really make for a local beer no matter how close to home it is actually brewed.

Since local means fresh, it's obvious something must be lost when malt and hops undergo weeks of processing and travel. Looking closely into that bubbling glass of microbrew reveals a product masquerading as local when it is tenuously supported by events in Europe and rainfall in the midwest, fuel prices and the long term health of giant monoculture.

Instead of being at the mercy of long distance supply lines and global market swings, many brewers have enlisted local growers – and one vital piece, a malthouse right here in Massachusetts – to provide the fundamental ingredients of beer. In the process family farms are supported and the local economy gets a boost.

Even more importantly, locally sourced beer ingredients provide security for the regional beer supply. Is there a more noble and heroic endeavor?

With this for a premise, that fresh ingredients make for a better beer and a more secure world, we have been on a mission to drink only beer made with hops and grain grown in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and New York.

This region once grew abundant hops and grains, two precious resources that are – batch by batch – making a comeback. Beer Terrain will focus attention on the return to making local beer with local ingredients.

Along the way, we'll note the soil, the water, and the climate. We'll talk to the brewers, the growers and the maltsters. We'll map out where this truly local beer can be found on tap and in the bottle.

While other blogs have noted the use of local ingredients in craft beer, this one will focus exclusively on what winemakers have long called terroir.

Beer Terrain will face the facts, if we of the Northeast are to secure our economy, natural resources and most importantly, beer supplies for the long term, we must support the fledgling progress being made. To do that, we need to seek out local brew and drink it.

Mission accepted.

Background

WRITING – Cook began his writing career in 1996 with a guest column in the Charlotte Observer. Next, he penned a few stories for Yankee Brew News. With Maine Commons, Cook covered the governor’s election from a barstool. In 2003, he covered the $600 million casino proposal for the Sanford News and the Portland Phoenix. Moving to Worcester, Mass. he published TheWormtownSpy.com before joining Turley Publications from 2008 to 2011.

BREWING – Cook learned how to homebrew in 1996. From the beginning he used local ingredients including honey, lavender, sage, apples, pears and later, hops from the backyard. In 1998, Cook became the assistant brewer for Portsmouth Brewing working under Sean Navish, the world’s most patient teacher. Today, Cook brews with regionally grown hops and malted grain.

FARMING – Cook’s first garden broke ground in 1999. Soon after he stumbled into a job with Wolf Pine Farm in Alfred, Maine. After returning to Massachusetts, he sought and found work with several CSA’s, most notably Many Hands Farm. These days he is starting his own operation called One Acre Works.