Report from brewing on 11 July and Swedish Beer Day on 15 July

In July, we carried out two live brews outside the store at Roslagsstoppet - on Saturday 11 July and on Swedish Beer Day 15 July. Everyone was welcome to show up and participate on site, or to participate remotely on our Internet link. We brewed two different recipes from DrHans, one in Kölsch-style and one American Brown Ale. The 11th it was Dr. Doom Kölzch and at Swedish Beer day we brewed The Beast - American Brown Ale. As usual we brewed on Brewtools 80PRO. 

All participants on site were encouraged to get involved as much as they wanted in the brewing, and as usual there were good discussions where everyone shared their experiences, tips and tricks. We were quite lucky with the weather both brewing days, although for safety (which was good) we also set up the tent roof as protection from a little rain. 

At the first brewing we were back in the old world where Kölsch has its origins in the early 17th century, when they first started to produce bottom fermented beer in Cologne, and reached a rapid popularity. So much so that it threatened the traditional breweries that first tried to ban the manufacturing process and later closer to the end of the century, the sale of this beer style was banned.

Kölsch as a name has been protected by origin since 1997, and must be produced in a brewery that is a member of the Cologne Brewers' Association. The style can of course be brewed anywhere, and then it gives a light beer that is very reminiscent of light lagers to color and taste. But unlike traditional lagers that ferment cold, the fermentation takes place in a warm temperature. It is light in color with a light and mild taste with moderate bitterness. It should have a high carbonation and taste with the character of malt and no sweetness, but a little fruity tones from the fermentation. It must be clear and of course follow the Reinhetisgebot (purity regulations).

Brewing on Swedish Beer Day, we moved on to the American interpretation of English brown ale. Brown ale is traditionally a collective name for darker ale from England that is not porter or pale ale. The dark color comes from more roasted malt. The taste is malt-dominated with aromas of chocolate, syrup and dried fruit. The bitterness is small to moderate, and the alcohol content now rarely exceeds 5% in a classic brown ale (although until the 19th century they could be as strong as 9%). 

The American interpretations of the beer style, more aromatic hops occur, and the beer is generally more bitter and has a higher alcohol content than the English origin. However, there should be some caramel- and chocolate-like tones with medium intensity in both taste and aroma in American Brown Ale (sometimes referred to as ABA). Our recipe includes a small amount of dark chocolate malt that we grind very finely - think brew or espresso coffee. 

It should continue to have a clear but not dominant hop taste and clear bitterness. To be an American style, it has been around for a long time. There is no distinct date for the origin to refer to, but it arose from American home brewers who were inspired by English brown ales and porters. 

We feel humbled and grateful to all who joined us during one of these brewing days. It is very fun to take part in stories, tips and experiences from all of you, and very inspiring when new contacts are made among experienced and future home brewers and microbreweries in our vicinity. 

Finally, I mention the turnover of bottles that take place in the much appreciated beer exchange fridge we have in the store. Bring one or more of your own productions and exchange them for someone else's. 

Next opportunity is not planned, but we will return with time and theme.