I thought mother nature was going to continue her wet ways and rain out another weekend. But alas, the hurricane weekend turned out to be fairly nice in our area. So I took the opportunity to repair some small engines (mower and chain saw) and close down the pool for the summer. This is actually the first time I closed the pool during the astronomical summer (i.e. before the fall equinox). It took me four years to confirm that no one swims in October, even if the day is warm. But when all was finished, I realized the late September afternoon was the perfect time to open up a Kellerbier recently delivered by a German associate of mine. Now I would love to say that I’m no stranger to new styles, but I actually cannot say this - I have tried nearly every style of beer out there. So new styles and me are strangers indeed!
But what is a Kellerbier? I actually had to look it up after the first taste (which was delicious). Apparently, Kellerbier is an unfiltered Helles lager or Kolsch ale, usually enjoyed in beer gardens during the summer months (and my backyard is a sufficient beer garden for about 4 weeks out of the year). The BJCP style guide was vague on defining this style, but it was smooth and clean, typical of a German lager, and very cloudy. So why the heck haven’t I had this before?*
One of the reasons we are starting Autumn Arch Beer Project is so that this particular event isn’t left to random chance and a German friend. We think it’s quite nice to have a brewery with new and different beers every week, and this is where Autumn Arch delivers something unique. We love trying new things - this is the experimental part of our venture. We’re engineers, so the experimentation is not shooting from the hip, but instead a purposeful effort to craft the highest quality beer. We’re small, so there’s no pressure to make the same four beers every week (I loathe the very thought of doing this). And we’re human; meaning we love sharing stories with friends and family over beers.
And thus, we can conclude (because this blog is composed by an engineer**):
Autumn Arch Beer Project = Experimental, Small Batch, Communal Brewery
*Actually, I have not had this beer for two reasons. 1. my brother and I have never brewed it at home, but we probably should have, and 2. I have never been to a brewery daring enough to have it on tap (and I fully acknowledge the ones that are daring enough only do so in the summer time, so there’s a timing component to this as well).
**Apparently, nearly all the owners are engineers, which I had not thought about until writing this post. I think this makes us incredibly exciting and boring at the same time.