The Quest for the Imperial Goose

When Goose Island Brewpubs announced "The Quest for the Imperial Goose" homebrew competition last October I couldn't help but be intrigued. The charge was to brew a Russian Imperial Stout, per BJCP Guidelines and submit for a chance to win a day brewing with the Pub Brewmaster as well as have your recipe on tap at Goose Island Brewpubs. 

By no means would I expect to win, since I had never brewed this style before - but knowing that I work well under pressure I decided to sign up and accept the challenge. If nothing else it would be a great learning experience that would hopefully result in some helpful feedback. 

The Russian Imperial Stout is a huge beer, with a complex grain build. Per the guidelines the beer had to be brewed subsequent to Nov 1st, 2012 which left just enough time for fermentation and bottle conditioning (according to the general beer fermentation schedule), knowing that it would still be a very "young" beer at this stage for the style. I had the pleasure of working with Larry from Brew & Grow to craft a rich recipe using some beautiful crystal, chocolate and specialty German malts as well as some roasted barley and wheat.

I had been holding on to a lovely bag of 100% Kona coffee beans brought back from Hawaii, waiting for the right opportunity to incorporate it into a recipe and this seemed to be the perfect occasion. Harvested in tropical conditions and volcanic soil, pure Kona is deemed to be one of the highest quality coffees. With hints of chocolate and just enough fruit and acidity to round out the flavor it sounded like the perfect compliment to my RIS. Upon further research of exactly how and at what stage to add the coffee I decided on a cold extraction approach I found in a really helpful blog post by Brian Cendrowski (of Untamed Beer) called How To Put Coffee In A Coffee Stout. Per Brian's suggestion I coarsely ground 8oz of my Kona beans and soaked in 24oz of cold sanitized water for three days. I then filtered the coffee and added 2 cups to the secondary fermenter, adding gradually and tasting to see how much impact it had on the flavor.

When I started thinking about the label the idea of using burlap fabric instantly became the perfect tie in to coffee. I was able to cut strips of burlap to be used a full wrap label. As it turns out "goose" in the Hawaiian language (Nēnē) represents a species exclusive to the islands and is the official state bird - suddenly the plan was coming full circle. I illustrated a tiki/totem style goose that I turned into a custom stencil and painted onto the burlap fabric.

The Imperial Stout itself is coming along nicely. Quite rich and flavorful, ringing in just shy of 10% ABV. Results of the Goose Island competition will be announced this Sunday at the Wrigleyville location. Details can be found here. Until then Chicago homebrewers will wait with baited breath...

           

Chicago's 10th Annual Festival of Wood and Barrel-Aged Beer

The Illinois Craft Brewers Guild’s 10th Annual Festival of Wood and Barrel-Aged Beer (FoBAB) was one of the most impressive beer fests we've been to yet. The innovation and quality of the beer offered was undeniable. The sold out festival, which has grown exponentially each year had the largest attendance yet. Over 2,000 people arrived at the Bridgeport Art Center on Saturday to sample over 173 beers from 60 breweries. The layout was set up according to style rather than brewery, which was an exceptional way to taste your way through the ten categories.

It was no surprise that Goose Island left a bold and sizable impression on festival goers showcasing a first taste of the Cherry Bourbon County Stout, which launches in stores on Black Friday. Also making an appearance was the rare and beloved 2011 King Henry Barley Wine. Another highlight from Goose Island was the “Blending Station” in which paddles holding four different barrel aged Bourbon County Stouts could be sampled - BCS aged in Koval, BCS aged in wine barrels, BCS aged in Buffalo Trace barrels and BCS aged in Low Storage barrels. Our favorite was the Koval barrels which added more toasted oak and fruit characteristics.

Bourbon County Stout "Blending Station"

Even without the breweries having assigned tables the brewers had a strong presence and were eager to talk and share a craft beer. We had the opportunity to meet some fantastic and talented folks from around the country.

Devon from The Lost Abbey and his 4 medals

Our new buddy Bryan from Great Divide Brewing. We love his tshirt!

Here are just a few of our favorites (it was VERY tough to narrow down!)

Kim’s FoBAB picks:

Barrel Aged Abraxas (Perennial Artisan Ales) - This Imperial Stout with flavors of chocolate, ancho chile, vanilla and cinnamon was high on my list for the day. Aged in Rittenhouse rye whiskey barrels, it embodied the perfect combination of sweet & heat with a smooth, full body finish.

Bourbon Barrel Holiday Spice Lager (Lakefront Brewery) - If Christmas Day was a flavor - this would be it. A perfectly balanced, moderately spiced Doppelbock with brightness of honey & orange peel, aged in bourbon barrels - it will be my holiday go-to beer of the season.

Track #11 (The Lost Abbey) - This Strong Ale had a beautiful pour with a slight orange hue. It had big fruit-forward peach and bourbon aroma as well as flavor, with hints of black tea that created a slightly bitter finish.

Mayan Gold (Goose Island Clybourn) Chocolate + Bourbon = a match made in heaven! Formerly known as XOCOLATL, this Mayan spiced Barley Wine was sweet, rich and flavorful with mild notes of cinnamon, toffee and toasted wood. YUM, yum, yum!!

Pappy Van Muckle (Sun King Brewing) - I have to admit I am a sucker for Scotch Ales and Sun King’s Wee Heavy aged in a Pappy Van Winkle barrels did not disappoint. It was smooth as can be and a solid, traditional execution which was a nice treat after all of the bells and whistles we encountered.


Dave’s FoBAB picks:

King Henry (Goose Island Beer Co.) Goose Island’s Barley Wine aged in Pappy Van Winkle barrels was astounding. Such a simple idea with incredibly complex flavor's, ending with a smooth finish. I felt honored to be able to taste greatness.

Humidor Peach IPA (Cigar City Brewing) - This IPA brewed with peaches and aged in cedar. The cedar left a dry, white pepper finish that was balanced by the slight sweetness of the peach's. This was the first cedar aged beer I've had and I'm looking forward to trying many more.

Sex Syrup (Rock Bottom Brewing Chicago) - Breakfast in a glass! Rock Bottom’s Imperial Oatmeal Stout brewed with bacon, maple syrup, coffee and then aged in bourbon barrels had to be one of the most intense beers at the fest. Despite the copious amounts of flavors waging an epic war in your mouth, everything settled into a harmonious balance on the finish. Needless to say I went back for seconds (...and thirds).

Rumpkin (Avery Brewing) - Avery's Imperial Pumpkin Ale aged in Gosling’s dark rum barrels was the one beer I was looking forward to trying the most. Despite the heat (17%), the pumpkin and spices married so well with the vanilla and brown sugar notes from the rum. One of the most ambitious and delicious pumpkin ales out there.

Smaug’s Breath (New Holland Brewing) - Dragon’s Milk Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels with chiles. In my opinion the best chile beer I've tasted. Silky, smooth mouthfeel that leads into smoky vanilla. You feel a subtle bite of heat and spice from the chiles, very balanced.

We hope you had a chance to try some of these as well - and if not, keep an eye on illinoisbeer.com for ticket announcements on all events. Those suckers sell FAST!

Results of the judged competition can be found at http://www.illinoisbeer.com/fobab-2012-winners/