BEERS OUTSIDE

One of the more pleasant aspects of this summer was re-discovering how delicious a cold beer is when consumed outdoors.  Because of the myriad restrictions on indoor seating at virtually every eating and drinking establishment in the USA, I spent my summer under a tent or tree or out in the sun eating and drinking.  I hope you did the same.  

A perfect beer garden site.

Autumn Arch set up a tiny “beer garden” in the parking lot this summer.  We never planned to do this other than for beer festivals a couple times a year, but due to the COVID situation, we (and every other business that depends on people gathering socially) were forced to pivot our approach to seating.  And thus, the Autumn Arch Biergarten was born.

The first “biergartens” popped up in Munich in the 1800s.  They were the result of crafty Bavarian brewers, who wanted to keep their underground beer cellars (where lagering was taking place) as cool as possible in the warm summer months.  So they started planting densely canopied trees to shade the ground above their subterranean beer storage.  This is the kind of good quality control practice that I can get behind.  #green

It wasn’t very long before loads of Bavarians were hanging out under the shade of said trees tipping back liter steins of Helles or Pilsner while enjoying the summer afternoons with family and friends (sans social distancing of course….while these brewers were ahead of their time in terms of beer quality, modern germ theory was still fringe science).

Zoom to the present day:  we East Coasters tend to spend all our time indoors within temperature and humidity controlled environments.  But the summer of COVID19 provided an opportunity to get back outside, 1800s style.  I certainly didn’t waste it.

A pretty decent biergarten.

Sure, the sweating while sitting is a little annoying, but there pleasant coolness that comes with sitting very still and sipping a cold beer.  Condensation hugs the glass, cicadas buzz in the surrounding trees, and I take a small measure of pleasure in the moment despite the most bizarre/tragic/unforgettable summer of our lifetimes.

UNTAPPD EXPLAINED

We’re going to get brutally honest about Untappd here.  Don’t know what I’m talking about?  Get on your smart phone and download it.  Then continue reading.

The premise of Untappd is amazing - a social app combining craft beer, friends, and stats.  This is the same winning combination that makes sports so appealing, so obviously the creators were on to something.  

But there’s one flaw to the whole beautiful thing.  All the inputters are massively biased.  

Untappd users (myself included) look at a rating for a given beer and make a lightning fast, implicit assumption that the 3.5 star beer is exactly and unequivocally that.  But that’s the piece I have a problem with.  Those 3.5 stars represent what?  Quality?  Your taste?  Your friends taste?  Overall level of outrageousness?  Clarity/color/mouthfeel/aroma?  An amalgamation of all the above?

It’s difficult to say because we all have our own individual scale for what any number of stars means. For example, I liberally give out 5 star ratings for superb beers, regardless of style, but I know others who only give 5 stars for beers that literally alter their lives. That’s a high bar.  

But I have a theory on this particular matter.  Let’s be bold and call it the Universal Theory of Untappd.  

Collectively, enthusiasts rate a beer primarily on how interesting we find said beer, and only beer enthusiasts rate beers.

The data fits the theory.  Beers with tons of flavor potential like Imperial barrel aged stouts, triple-dry-hopped hazy IPAs, and fruited sour beers generally get higher ratings than their less interesting siblings (Helles, Pilsner, Wit, Pale Lager, etc).

Example:  From the Top Rated Beer list per Untappd
Top Double IPA: King JJJulius, Tree House Brewing Co.
4.75 stars, 13,000+ ratings

Top Vienna Lager: Fourth Wave, Breakside Brewery,
4.04 stars, 3,000+ ratings

Are you kidding me?! The top vienna lager, a style consumed in 1000 times the quantity of double IPA, has only 4 stars? I wonder if any of those 3,000 people knew they were drinking the highest rated Vienna lager in the world? 

Probably not, but I guarantee that 4-star Vienna Lager is better than most 4-star IPAs (and there’s plenty of those in the world).  In fact, whenever you find yourself with a 4+ star “working class beer” in your hand, raise your arms in victory because you are about to enjoy a beverage of the highest quality.  Yes, this is my biased opinion, but it’s primarily based on my knowledge of your bias.

Let’s take it a level deeper and look at some of Autumn Arch’s more complex beers (i.e. interesting) compared to their more humble counterparts.

Figure 1 - Untappd Ratings vs All Autumn Arch Styles

Check out Figure 1. Surprised?  I’m not.  Because Autumn Arch brews a fairly wide variety of beer, our brew history is a perfect little microcosm of Untappd.  We have the complex beers on one end, and the “working class” beers on the other.  And I’m not so naive to ignore the fact that some of those low scores were just beers that deserved a low score (#learning), but some are low because they’re just a lager/pale ale/brown ale (insert your working class beer of choice).

Knowing this, have we changed our approach to the styles of beers we brew?  Not really.  We don’t chase after Untappd stars even though I do find the data fascinating.

Looking at a trend of our beers’ Untappd ratings over the last year, one will observe the gentle slope upwards (see Figure 2).  

Figure 2: All Autumn Arch Beers since the Beginning

I believe this response is occurring for several reasons, some of which are more significant than others:

1. We have learned to brew better beers #continuousimprovement

2. Barrel aged sour beers were released starting in January 2020

3. We canned popular styles of beers within the last 5 months

4. Customers who were not fans of Autumn Arch stopped buying our beer (and therefore rating it low)

Let’s break this down:

1 - Brewing better beer. Of course this is true.  Even the worst breweries tend to at least marginally improve their product.  #humannature  Dan and the brew crew at Autumn Arch have a constant eye towards improving product quality, and this takes the form of recipe improvement, equipment upgrades, collaboration with other brewers, and learning through experimentation. While I think this is a factor, it’s likely a smaller contributor than some others on this list.

2 - Since barrel-aged sour beers unequivocally fall in the category of “fancy/interesting beer”, I think this is definitely a factor.  When we were planning to open Autumn Arch, a barrel-aged sour beer program was always front and center in the plan.  Sour beers provide the most varied and diverse opportunities to create a truly unique and flavorful beer; thus far, I think our sour beers have been fairly solid, and I fully expect them to improve as we hone our craft.  Clearly, the release of several sour beers this year has provided a modest bump to our Untappd ratings.

3 - We have canned mostly IPAs since we began releases in December.  And since we know Untappd biases IPAs a bit higher than other styles, this is definitely a factor in the trend.  See the graph below which breaks out our canned beer….50% are IPAs.

4 - While I would like to believe that every customer falls in love with our beers immediately upon the first sip, that’s just not the way beer works. We don’t consume things that we don’t prefer. I think there were a few folks who gave us a shot when we opened but then moved onto their other brewery preferences.  That’s a loss for us, but a win for another brewery.  #circleoflife

So what’s next?

Autumn Arch will continue to focus on deep flavor profiles, edgy bitterness, and complex relationships. We do this with a fervent attention to fundamental brewing principles, a respect for traditional styles, and an entrepreneurial spirit.  Neither Untappd ratings, nor biases, nor White Claws will get in the way of our mission to deliver local/authentic/funky beer to Delaware.

THE FIRST BREW

Computer front and center? We obviously had our layout incorrect.

Our neighbor, How Do You Brew, recently held a “Learn to Brew” class, and that got me thinking about the first beer I brewed at home.  Starting any new thing is difficult, but starting to home brew is especially difficult because you have to put together the components of a tiny brewery and learn a new process.  

Luckily, when I started, I had a willing and knowledgeable partner to help put together the system and learn the process (all without consulting Google I might add).  If you don’t have that partner, taking the class is a good way to short cut some of the early learning and get to brewing good beer faster.

Prior to starting your first brew, you will feel an enormous obligation to produce a high quality beer, and this is due to the myriad of amazing and cheap beers just down the street at the retail liquor store.  You may ask yourself, “Can I brew a unique and high quality beer for <$70 (vol= 5 gallon keg, or 2 cases)?”

In most instances, the answer to that is an emphatic yes, albeit with no “labor” costs included. So basically, like with any hobby, don’t do it to “save a buck”.

So what did we make?  Well, my brother left the style of our first beer completely up to me.  IPA? Saison? Stout? Nope.  

We went with the somewhat obscure but definitely delicious “Winter Warmer”.  At the time, I was enamored with Lancaster Brewing’s Winter Warmer, and as winter was just beginning and we all needed to stay warm, it made sense.  

The brew day was a complete mess, and my patio basically looked like the aftermath of a hobo rodeo.  But we didn’t care, good beer was both created and consumed.     

Here is the recipe of our first brew: 

5 Gallon Batch Size

We ended up calling it a porter when this badass label went to “print”.

Grain
8lbs Pale Malt
2lbs Maris Otter
1lbs Black Malt
1lbs Crystal Malt 80L
1lbs Chocolate Malt
0.5lbs Chocolate Rye Malt
0.5lbs Chocolate Wheat Malt
1.0lbs Molasses

Hops
1oz Fuggle @ 60min
1oz Fuggle @ 15min

Yeast
English Ale Yeast (WLP002)

Recipe
Single Infusion Mash - 150F, 75min
Boil - 60 min
Target OG - 1.067
Brewhouse Efficiency - 65%

Full disclosure - the beer turned out okay.  Not great, not terrible. But like all respectable home brews, it was consumed with pleasure.  In hindsight, we could simplify the grain bill and adjust some process knobs to yield a more flavorful beer, but we’re saving that for a potential future Autumn Arch beer release.

WE OWN IT - SO SHARE IT

If you’re a reader of this blog, you may already be privy to my views on public property.  As a tax paying citizen and business owner, I own a small slice of a lot of things in this country (and so do you).  Parks, schools, fire departments, libraries, universities, fighter planes, museums…

And roads.

Sometimes I ride my bike on these roads.  Not as much as I wish I could (#priorities), but plenty enough.  It’s a healthy endeavor and gives one a liberating sense of moving unnaturally fast.  

In fact, the invention of the bicycle two centuries ago put humans near the top of the “Fastest Creatures on Earth” list.  #screwyoucheetahs Bikes are one of the most efficient modes of transportation ever invented, and some people say riding your bike makes you look more attractive and enhances your sense of humor...this is probably not scientifically proven but I’m inclined to believe it anyway.  

I tip my hat to those awesome folks who ride their bikes to Autumn Arch.  It makes my day when a group shows up and asks if they can lean their bikes against the wall (yes, you certainly can).  They obviously know how to have a good time. I have also noticed that these folks tend to be incredibly good-looking and hilarious….coincidence? Probably not.

But there is also a supreme risk to riding bicycles - cars.  And more specifically, the people who drive said cars. You and me included.

Two days ago, my friend was hit by a vehicle while riding his bicycle.  The driver fled the scene leaving my unconscious friend on the side of the road.

If this doesn’t get your blood boiling, I question your humanity.  In this particular case, my anger stems not just from the specific incident, but also the complete disregard for owning a mistake. It’s dishonest, selfish, and completely un-American.    

Taking a step back, all drivers own this mistake.  Sure, most of us have never injured another person with our car, but some of us inevitably will.  We accept this risk as a cost of participating in a modern society. It’s so easy to become complacent, but it is crucial for all of us to remember that we control the safety of those around us when we’re cruising around town at 50 mph in a 3,000 lb steel cage.  

Everyone finds it annoying to be stuck behind bike rider (especially when we have the power of an internal combustion engine at our toes!). But they own the road just like you and I do. The impatient alternative is this: you risk ending someone’s time on this earth.

So this short post is a simple plea:

Be responsible.  
Be patient.  
Be vigilant. 
When driving.
When riding.

ALT AND CATCH FIRE

Typically, Jimmy blogs and Dan brews, but on a rare occasion, Dan will put down his mash rake and type out a sagely post for the benefit of mankind.  This is one of those:

What the hell is an Altbier and why is it on tap at Autumn Arch?  Jimmy asked me the same thing, hence this blog post.

The BJCP (the definitive beer dictionary) defines the Altbier as an “Amber Hybrid”.  Altbier generally has more hop bitterness and is traditionally crafted with special ale yeasts that ferment at cooler temperatures (60-65F).  This may lead to the name “Alt”, the German word for “old”.

There is still debate on whether this refers to the older techniques of brewing with an ‘ale’ yeast (instead of the newer ‘lager’ strains that Europe is better known for), or if it referred to the longer aging time that was required for the colder ale fermentation. 

Personally, I think it refers to the rogue brewer who originated the style much to the dismay of his conservative friends who labeled him an “alt” personality. Joke’s on those friends because Altbiers are badass. This has no grounding in any historical record whatsoever, but since we’re discussing beer here, I am taking the liberty of postulating a reasonable scenario.

Reinheitsgebot….got it.

The Altbier originated in the town of Dusseldorf in the lower Rhine Region of Germany.  While on a work trip for my day job, I was staying in Dusseldorf and was able to sample these beers straight from the source.  For beer aficionados, Dusseldorf is a great town as long as you like Altbier and Pilsners. And if you are lucky and extremely persuasive, you may even be able to get a Hefeweizen.

I primarily stuck to the Altbier during my stay in Dusseldorf, sometimes by choice, other times by default.  If your server doesn’t understand English, you get an Altbier. Apparently, beer translates to beer in most languages.

I excitedly traveled back to the States with the hopes of replicating the beer I enjoyed so much in Dusseldorf.  After some recipe research, history reading, and the purchase of some rad leiderhosen (unfortunately just kidding about that one), I got to work on Autumn Arch’s version of the Altbier.

Even though we are a small batch experimental brewery, I still like to keep things authentic.  Hence the giant “Authentic” painted on our wall. True to style, our Altbier is a dark copper color, settles in with a mild bitterness, holds a prominent head of foam, and is quite sessionable. Since we are coming to the last keg of this batch, be sure to swing by the tasting room….grab your pint like a German, close your eyes, and imagine you’re sitting next to the Rhine.