Kiuchi Brewery, producer of world class sakes, spirits, wines and the famous Hitachino Nest beers, have recently finished a great expansion to their facility and would love to show you around! Enjoy!
b. united
From Nordmat.no: The Forgotten Beer Culture – Vossaøl
This article originally appeared in Norwegian on nordmat.no. For the original article, please click here.
I had a pilgrimage that really made me understand beer’s magic.
When Norwegians are asked what Norwegian beer culture is, many probably think of lagers and rattle off brands like Ringnes, Hansa and Aas. Others might want to mention micro breweries that the new banner carriers for brewer art. Both answers are correct in their own way, but how did the Norwegian beer culture exist before this?
Looking for beer. To dig in our inheritance of beer culture I took a trip to the village that is most famous for adventure sports, television personalities and Vossakorv. My desire was to experience a centuries-old Scandinavian farm brewer tradition and then divide this family silver with the new generation ølfrelste Norwegians.
After some research I got in touch with Jon Gjerde of Vossaøl who brews traditionally Heimabrygg. He welcomed the next brew round, where it should be made properly gårdsøl to a local barn dance. Otherwise brewed beer Vossa usually a couple times a year, and at feasts. Such has been tradition for hundreds of years.
Jon turned out to be a man of many talents. He has lived a life as self-sufficient animal farmer and simultaneously made their mark in sports. In 2006 he became world champion in Aerobatics with hang glider. But now he focuses on brewing. In addition to being an engaged tradition brewer he started the modern microbrewery Voss brewery with extreme colleagues Dag Jørgensen and Jeanette Lillås. With one foot in the traditional and the modern, they have a unique opportunity to end up in the company of the best and most interesting microbreweries.
Elde house. The fireplace is lit, and the smoke pouring off the over 300 year old building. I am more than a little excited to finally be a part of real gårdsbrygging, and going over the threshold with a certain awe. The hearth is the heart of the room, and we see the flames licking up the sides of the large copper cauldron. The smoke confronts us almost like a wall. The opening in the roof takes off for a bit of smoke, but it is easy to understand that Jon also can smoke food in this house. He explains that tear the house was not only used for brewing, but also to flat bread baking, washing, smoking and curing. In fact, my coat as well innrøkt during the visit that it smelled for weeks afterwards.
For six generations, the family used the aging house, and Jon is proud to lead the tradition. It feels like being led far back in time. The mood is set.
The Nordic common denominator. All the surviving gårdsøltradisjonene around the Nordic countries have one thing in common; Juniper twigs is an important ingredient both for the taste and the antibacterial effect. We took the walk across the field and into the woods, equipped with burlap sacks, to pick sprig. Jon and piers mate Sturle Holstad ruining effectively by branches while explaining that only the freshest and greenest copies are good enough to make beer. The undersigned jumped enthusiastically into a bush and began to help. Jon, who even picked without, offers me a pair of gloves. I thank nicely no, and pieces of me all needlestick palm. What does well some discomfort when it should be brewed good beer?
The rest of the evening goes to recharge for tomorrow. In good company, we are served beer and smoked sheep’s head in the new premises of the modern micro brewery, Voss Brewery. Vossa Brygg and Smalahovetunet is a culinary combination that I recommend everyone to try. Remember that an open mind provide rich rewards.
A gårdsøl are born. We think we are early same story all over, but Jon has already fired up under the big copper boiler. First point is to make einerlåg. Sturle using a rod made of a suitably thick branch to stir into juniper twigs in the boiling water into the pan. Smoke river well in both eyes and nose, and the fresh scent of juniper turn evident throughout. Lagen is slightly herbal tea-like with a delicate and elegant taste.
With juniper Lagen at 80 ° C, it is time to nosh into the grain. Jon has prepared 2/3 minced pilsner malt and 1/3 minced münchenermalt. This is a good mixture to emulsify the corn as was done when the malted even on farms in the past. The mashing is done by Sturle pours einerlåg from the witch’s cauldron to a milk pail where Jon nor in malted. After slightly shaking mash is poured into a larger insulated container. The process of milk can be repeated until it is empty for malt. Mashing on Voss often hold on for up to four hours, but Jon tend to settle with two. Then the wort silt of back in the pot via milk cans, a fairly time-consuming process. Sturle takes the job of firing up a little hell under the boiler. Wort climbs
the temperature, and when soon boiling point. The black copper cauldron with the golden wort in full boil is a wonderful sight and the smell is wonderful. Slightly smoky flavor from the air also draws into the wort.
So it’s time to add a little hops. Jon has selected the German Hallertau Perle, he adds half of the start of the cooking time, and the remainder when the remaining half hour. After a few hours’ cooking approaching brewing its end, and the wort to be introduced for the local Vossa yeast.
Ancient Vossings. Voss of beer soul called kveik. So this is the type of yeast you use here at Voss. You buy it from laboratories in England or USA like most other yeasts to beer brewing. You buy it in fact not at all. For generations, farmers in Voss kept alive in this yeast strain by brew with it.
– This is basically wild yeast. It is alive and always changing.
Jon says that if anything were to happen, it is just to knock on a neighbor. As natural as it is to borrow a cup of sugar borrower Voss liked a cup kveik each other. Traditionally the yeast dried and preserved for the next brew, which easily could be six months away. They did this by inserting a stick with holes through yeast cake, which they then hung up to dry. Today it is more common to have kveiken on a Norway glass stored in the refrigerator. These are hardy yeast that can withstand prolonged storage. We borrow yeast of neighbor and piers veteran Brynjulf Nordheim who are happy to share. Kveiken needs no yeast starter, and can be dumped straight in brewing. Perhaps the most amazing with kveiken is it to ferment at 40 ° C, which is about twice as much as a normal hot real ales. This is an absolutely insane temperature to ferment for most other than Voss. The beer ferments quickly and efficiently and is finished in two days. Jon tells of a friend who witnessed the temperature fell to 37 ° C, which caused great concern.
Kveiken is perhaps the most unique aspect of home brewing in Voss. So unique that one of ølverdenens author legends, the late Michael Jackson, made a visit to Voss in 1993. Afterwards, he wrote that Voss beer is one of the oldest surviving beer in Europe, and represents a “missing link” in the European brewer culture.
Vossa Brygg and Smalahovetunet is a culinary combination that I recommend everyone to try. Remember that an open sinngir rich rewards.
So, how tastes home brewed from Voss? The first thing that struck me was that it was an incredibly delicate and elegant fruity beer with a hint of fresh acidity. Then came the depth and complexity into with hints of caramelized malt and forest flora. Together was exciting flavors and seductive in the way that only a good handmade farm product can be.
My pilgrimage to Voss, to become better acquainted with the traditional Norwegian beer culture, is one I can recommend all ølnysgjerrige Norwegians. For the future I hope these traditions will be brought forward from the darkness and made available through modern interpretations, so that we can all be proud depreciation and enjoy the genuine Norwegian great traditions.
Text: Amund Polden Arnesen Photo: Tommy Andresen
Look for Vossaøl kegs in your area starting late March to early April!
Solera System No. 1 – Filled December 2015!
Solera is a complex way of aging liquids, whereby the finished product is a blend of different ages in barrel aged liquid.
Structure:
4-3-2-1 – We have structured a stack of barrels, with the base consisting of four barrels at the bottom, three on the second level, two on the third level and finishing with one on top level.
Fermentation Pit Project – Part I
Fermentation is both a very fascinating and a very complex process. It will therefore not come as a surprise that different countries and cultures use very different fermentation methods to create the beverages they love!
One of the most intriguing methods was invented in Kenya/Central Africa to create an alcoholic beverage called Urwaga. Urwaga is an effervescent, slightly sour alcoholic beverage made from bananas, sorghum, millet or maize. The most unusual part of the brewing process takes place in a pit (around 70 cm in diameter, around 70 cm in depth). ***
The Reason: To allow participation of wild yeast, lactic acid bacteria and a wide range of other microorganisms. To create special conditions of temperature and humidity, but in an absolutely natural way.
As Kenya is over 7,300 miles away we decided to create our own version of the Urwaga Pit at our place in Oxford CT:
Part I: To dig our own pit in Connecticut soil.
Next time you come to our Tasting Room we will show you our “Pit”.
In Part II we will describe how we move two empty Zymatore barrels into our Urwaga Pit, fill them with some special brews, fill up the pit with highly aromatic leaves and branches, close the pit and let nature take over the fermentation and maturation process.
When will we open our pit to taste & keg these Urwaga inspired brews? Stay tuned!
*** For much more information on the Kenyan Urwaga and other rich fermentation methods please see “Handbook of Indigenous Fermented Foods” Second Edition, by Keith H. Steinkraus.
Fermentation Pit Project – Part II
This article is part of a series, please read the previous articles here: “Fermentation Pit Project – Part I”
Just in time as winter is starting to hit the NorthEast part of the USA we finished our experimental setup:
- We lowered two red-wine barrels into our “earth-hole”. Both wine barrels were acquired from the local McLaughlin Vineyard in Newtown, CT.
- We filled both wine barrels with our chosen liquids. One of lower gravity (Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Wheat, Germany), the second one with a proven record of being able to transform itself in such complex microbial and flavor/aroma environments (Birra Del Borgo Maledetta Saison IPA, Italy).
- We filled up our experimental hole with highly aromatic material we found around our area: cedar wood, branches of Scotch pine trees, and branches & leaves from our own small citrus trees.
We are quite eager to learn how such aromatic compounds can interact with our liquid through the porosity of the wooden barrels.
- Finally we closed our “Urwaga Project” and secured it with a plastic liner and black rubber outer cover to protect it from excessive rain and other winter-weather related potential “hazards”.
Nothing further left for us to do for now… The process of transformation by completely natural mechanism is on its way. We will check in with nature sometime later in 2015!
UPDATE: Jan. 2016!!!
We have unearthed one of these fine barrels! Tucked away underground for over a year, resting in a gorgeous Rioja barrel, we present Aecht Schlenkerla Weizen, Zymatore/Urwaga edition. This complex liquid will be served here at the OEC Brewing tasting room (7 Fox Hollow Rd, Unit B, Oxford, CT 06478), this Saturday, 01/30/2016. It will be available on draft and for take home in growlers. Supply is extremely limited!
Nuova Mattina – Two Days at Del Ducato
“Meet me by the Lamborghinis” he said. Indeed, what better rendezvous in the airport of Bologna, birthplace of the Raging Bull? The man I found gazing at those gleaming masterpieces was Giovanni Campari, founder of another uniquely Italian albeit less glamorous venture— Birrificio Del Ducato. A little weathered and with crow’s feet crinkling around his eyes, Giovanni still has a boyish grin and gestures with irrepressible excitement. That enthusiasm has taken him far: since establishing the brewery in 2007 with partner Manuel Piccoli, his diversely decorated portfolio and international advocacy for better beer have propelled Del Ducato to the forefront of Italy’s craft revolution, now 1,000 breweries strong.
Giovanni is not one to rest on his laurels, though, and on the road back home to Parma he enumerated a dizzying list of projects: scaling down mainline production at the original brewery in Roncole Verdi; transferring equipment and scaling up at a much larger new facility in Soragna, about 5 kilometers down the road; remotely administrating The Italian Job, England’s first all-Italian craft beer bar in Chiswick, London; handling Italian distribution for at least one other brand; consulting with others on the challenges of the export market; grappling with Italy’s bureaucratic bias against beer (compared to wine, whose lobbyists are far more moneyed and entrenched); and, back in Roncole, learning how to restore, maintain, rotate, and keep full a barrage of newly acquired cooperage. Cellarmanship is hardly new to Del Ducato, but more dedicated management will be necessary now that their arsenal numbers nearly 100 barriques (aka Bordeaux barrels, each 220L). Most of the barrels were used for renowned Italian red wines (e.g. Amarone and Brunello di Montalcino) while others held such renowned Islay scotches as Caol Ila, Ardbeg, Bowmore, Macallan, and Laphroaig. Del Ducato’s largest barrels are also relatively recent additions: two each of 44, 54, and 80 hl, selected from a Nebbiolo producer in Piedmont. Altogether they are enough to turn the Roncole facility into a 100% sour/wild small-batch barrel works once mainstay production there ceases. It was, I could tell, going to be a busy two days in Parma.
My first destination was a Del Ducato-sponsored homebrew competition held at one of the premier craft destinations in town, Birreria Le Vecchie Maniere (Bar of the Old Ways). Giovanni had pulled a couple last-minute strings to place me on a judging panel proctored by senior brewer Danilo Troianiello, a burly fellow with the full beard and perpetual hoodie native to most brewers but also delicate eyeglasses and polished English (none too common in Parma). As night fell outside we sipped and sniffed through an array of American-style strong ales, ultimately selecting a winner who would spend a day scaling up his recipe at Del Ducato itself.
Refreshment came afterwards in the form of white bread jelly sandwiches—or so I thought at first. As it turns out Parma is among the world’s leading consumers of horse meat, and what had looked like mere jelly from afar was actually pesto di cavallo, a minced horsemeat tartare often served between bread with spritzes of lemon citrus, salt, onions, or olive oil. After two fistfuls of hoppy 7+% ABV ales it was a welcome if unexpected interlude, especially once paired with a draught of Vecchie’s house ale. Brewed by Del Ducato, 40/A (the bar’s street address) is a straightforward, Chinook-hopped pale ale with a medium light body and pleasant balance between floral hop aromas and a little leafy bitterness towards the finish. A worthy nightcap pairing.
The next morning Giovanni and I drove out to the rough and tumble Roncole facility for the first of two tours. From its sticker-spattered bottling line and partially-matured barrels of Chrysopolis stored alongside bags of malt to the paperwork scattered across virtually every flat surface, Roncole obviously developed as much out of necessity as preference. It should make for a perfectly cozy souring facility once repurposed, but clearly has become too small to accommodate Del Ducato’s expanding needs. Brewing operations continue there for the moment, however, and at the time of my visit a batch of Koji il Riso was steaming merrily away. The new building in Soragna, meanwhile, was triumphant—several times as large, it’s stocked with glistening new fermenters, a vaulted wood-beamed ceiling, in-house grain milling, and updated brewing equipment and software to help improve yields and consistency.
Despite these updates Del Ducato has no aspirations to become a mass-production beer factory. This was the vow of their one-man marketing team Filippo Storgato, who led me through a private tasting while Giovanni and Danilo prepared a test batch of Winterlude on the new system. Filippo shares the glasses, beard, and Del Ducato hoodie with Danilo, but is younger, more slight of build, and an absolute natural in presentation, describing each beer with lyrical passion and pouring with smiling grace. And though he is tasked with the brewery’s social media and marketing, Filippo is no common commercial/business school cutout. Instead, he comes to the brewery by way of agriculture and food science, which is reflected in his earnest appreciation and underlying commitment to the brewery’s handcrafted values. His first taste of VIÆMILIA several years ago was his beer awakening, and since then he’s spent his time proselytizing and helping define the brewery’s three distinct ranges: ‘Ricerce’, ‘Stile’, and ‘Tempo’. Our tasting spanned all three—the experimental ‘Research’, modern and more straightforward ‘Style’, and the nuanced middle ground of ‘Time’. The range of flavors on display was remarkable, but even more so was the consistency of character. Across Kellerpils, Rauchbier Märzens, robust porters, balanced English pales, full-bodied Tripels, bright saisons, and myriad wild/sours, Giovanni’s beers possess a smoothness of texture and balanced depth of flavor that reflects their careful composition. Some highlighted tasting notes:
- VIÆMILIA (Kellerpils – 5%): Fresh, semi-pungent floral/earthy aroma from Tettnang hops hand-selected in Germany each harvest (70% whole cone, pellets used only for bittering). Unfiltered for a somewhat rounder mouthfeel, edged with honey, moderate carbonation. Refreshing yet restrained bitterness in the finish.
- Winterlude (Tripel – 8.8%): Lavender, lemon shortbread, vanilla wafer, light slickness from the alcohol, not as phenol spicy as some but still sparkling in character. Slightly fuller body balanced by elevated hop character—selections Poperinge chosen for a touch of chive flavor.
- Wedding Rauch (Rauchbier – 5.2%): Smooth interplay of Speck/Landjäger, black pepper, whiff of medicinal, then caramel malt, maybe Carafa, and subtle dryness in the finish. Smoke is an envelope around the richer malt core, but indeed bottom-fermented for a refined finish.
- Vielle Ville (Brett Saison – 6%): Lemongrass, white pepper, coriander, zesty Brett Brux character offering some tang and a bit of must, but mild bitterness and higher carbonation scrub the funk out cleanly across the palate. Very articulate.
- Oud Brunello (Oud Bruin – 7%): Done in tandem with Oxbow in Maine, partially leveraging house bacteria cocktail from Chrysopolis barrels for fermentation, then racked to freshly dumped Brunello barrels for an Italian tweak to the style. Virtually flat, deeply layered tartness and complex toffee malt/tart berry core beneath overtones of leather, balsamic, and nose-twinging acidity.
- Beersel Mattina (Saison/lambic blend – 6.2%): Part Ducato Nuova Mattina, part oude lambik, albeit ultimately more akin to young lambic for the lower CO2 level and slightly gummier mouthfeel (starches left to break down?). Orange tang, honey-lemon tea, slightly herbal, edges of tartness and some barrel tannins, but modest and softly lactic with a slight cidery twist. Very balanced.
- La Luna Rossa (Kriek-style grand cru – 8%): Chimera/Chrysopolis/wheat mash blend. Very tart cherries underscored with caramel malts, woody and fruit skin tannins, lasting but refreshing acidity in the gums, just a touch of acetic (harkening to its Flemish red inspiration). A little soda or sparkling rose, semi-sweet up front. Touch of ABV roundness helps temper its assertiveness, gentle effervescence after an initial eruption. Exemplary blending technique.
- My Blueberry Nightmare (Barrel-aged sour blueberry/pepper imperial stout 9.4%): A true mouthful. Black pepper dryness, overripe blueberry skin, red pepper flake heat. Mouthfeel a little like saturated wood, rich and gamey in the middle before loam/black earth emerge, finish like a finely structured red wine. Dominates the palate start to finish, but layered enough to not exhaust any one flavor receptor.
- Brett Peat Daydream (Barrel-aged Brett/Peated barleywine/Rauchbier blend– 7%): Iodine, some peat/funk/foot interplay on the nose, but more restrained on the palate. The ample body of the barleywine base is like fluid in the gearbox, helping to mate the distinctly separate gears of smoke and Brett. Tangy, but still somewhat round, balance in finish and a true confluence of all flavors in retronasals.
Most of my visit was spent at the new facility: tasting California Sun (their Common-style hybrid) from the fermenter or wort samples destined to become Winterlude; watching Danilo sift through different grists produced by their new mill; and poring over the computer systems that will bring more order to their large-scale production. As much as Del Ducato is celebrated abroad for the likes of Beersel Mattina or Verdi Imperial Stout, it is more straightforward beers like Via Emilia and Machete DIPA that comprise the majority of their production in Italy.
Still, even amidst those shiny new brew kettles I could tell that Giovanni was equally excited by Roncole’s rebirth as an experimental playground, where uncompromising flavors and unconventional blends will run wild. This is, after all, the same brewer that put lobster meat in a Saison and Brettanomyces in a peated Rauchbier/barleywine cuvee. Finally equipped with the resources to explore his creativity and stretch his brewers’ expertise, a Nuova Mattina is indeed dawning at Del Ducato.
From Fuj On Tap: B. United / OEC Brewing
B. United / OEC Brewing | Oxford, CT
“Wow.” That’s all I can say about my visit to B. United and OEC brewing this past weekend. Going from one industrial park brewery after another after another, most breweries start to look the same, even with the nicest transformation of their tasting room. B. United and OEC’s space is something truly different, and they’re going way, WAY above and beyond to bring some really unique beers and methods of brewing and fermentation to the Northeast.
They’re growing an incredible amount of fruits, spices and herbs on their property. Just about any space that isn’t taken up by a barrel room or production facility has some sort of greenhouse, grapes, honey bees or something else growing there. OEC even has a line of beer where only fruits, spices, and herbs grown on their property can be used, and those ingredients can only be used in their most natural form, meaning they must be freshly harvested, and used without washing off precious flavors, aromas and microbes. More info on that series can be found here.
Walking into the brewing space is striking. No cement floors with drains and hoses all over the place here. Everything is self contained, (almost) full automated, and drops through the floor for cleanup. When we first saw it, we asked where the real system was because this area was so clean it looked like something out of a brewery museum. Wort is cooled via two methods: a beautiful copper coolship where beers are rested anywhere from 45 mins to overnight depending on style, then further cooled and aerated on this ridiculous beaudelot cooler.
Next the wort is fermented in either stainless, or one of their more experimental fermenters like the open, square concrete one they currently use. Other fermenters like the terracotta and granite fermenters had just arrived and were not being utilized yet, but I’m sure they’ll add some interesting characteristics to the finished product.
Located behind OEC is another fermentation technique they’re experimenting with: their own version of a Urwaga Pit. Wine barrels from McLaughlin Vineyard are filled with wort, laid to rest in the pit covered with pine tree branches and other aromatics, then sealed up for the duration of the fermentation process. More info can be found here.
Several different barrel houses occupy the property, some located in their building built into the side of the hill for natural temperature control, some are outside and utilized explicitly for creating eisbock and other ice beers, and another had this absolutely badass late 70s Land Rover Defender that’s used a rolling jockey box.
The tasting room is as elaborate as the rest of the facility, and I imaging on days they are open it gets quite bustling. OEC drafts are available, as are their bottles to go, and guest bottles from B. United’s catalog. A deck with some picnic tables extends towards the back of the tasting room with a view of B. United’s beautiful grounds.
One of the more interesting things you hear about with B. United is their use of tank containers to transport beer and wort from breweries around the world to their facilities. This eliminates the need to fill and dispose of key kegs or return cooperage. Each of the compartments of the container hold about 35 hectoliters of beer, which is kept at 32-33F during transport. More volume to less exposed surface area means less oxidation of the beer as well.
This was an eyeopening experience. B United is importing some really great beers and doing some very cool things with them. OEC is doing some incredibly experimental stuff that other breweries just can’t take the risk to attempt, and they also have the luxury of B United’s portfolio to blend their beers together where the sum is truly great than its parts (Oudilis may be my best beer of 2015). A huge thank you goes out to Tony for taking time out of his day to show Derek and I around the grounds. If OEC is on tap in your area, it’s absolutely worth seeking out, and if you can, visiting the tasting room is a must.
For the original artical, please click here.
A Visit to Thisted Bryghus
I arrived from Hamburg, Germany after a five-hour drive, and was ready for a quick nap and food, but fuelled by the adrenaline of visiting northwestern Denmark, and Thisted Bryghus for the first time I pushed onward. Nestled within the seaside town of Thisted, just a stones throw away from the water, sits the historic building of Thisted Bryghus. Dating back to the late 1800s the building has undergone few changes. Here is where you find the brewing of the Scandinavian style porter, Limfjords Porter.
The current Brygmesteren, Antoni Madsen, graciously welcomed me to his office with a cup of coffee and pastries. Here we sat for sometime sipping coffee and snaking on pastries discussing his road to brygmesteren, the history of the brewery and Limfjords Porter. Anotni spent many years outside the brewing industry only to enter it later in life. After spending sometime at a local brewery, Antoni took the position with Thisted Bryghus just a few short years ago.
Initially going bankrupt within one year of operations Thisted officially opened in 1902 as a pilsner brewery. Brewing continued with additions of other familiar styles until the 1980s. Under the new brewmaster, Peter Klemensen, came a new way of thinking and the creation of their first “experiment” the Porse Guld. The Porse Guld is a golden beer with local; sweet gale used a replacement of hops. The next step towards expanding their portfolio came the Limfjords Porter.
The Limfjords Porter recipe of today was perfected in 1997 after many years of testing. The recipe was purchased along with the label, and name in 1989 with the closure of the Urban Bryghus. This Scandinavian style porter is spiced with the ever so popular Danish spice, licorice, but it is the use of smoked malts where I find the beer to be most favorable. Pouring a deep rich brown and at 7.9%ABV be careful, as this “double brown stout” does not drink with the heat of most at that level. Along with the Porse Guld, Thisted Bryghus produces a wide range of beers under Antoni’s watch. American style brews such as Boston American Pale Ale and Seattle Coffee Stout are a hit with the Danish market or the new organic line with spices from the National park.
Unfortunately the brewery was not in production during my visit, but from here Antoni gives me a quick tour of his facilities. Thisted’s brewing process is controlled manually; using hand cranks to control temperature. Three batches a day are produced here five days a week. Just 5,000hl per year is produced of the Limfjords Porter. From brew-house to malt and hop storage we walked up four flights of narrow stairs, past two empty floors to the top of Thisted’s grain silos. Antoni mentions that they are currently in research for what to do with those two empty floors, possibly apartments. I’m ready to sign my lease! Quite the view from the grain silos, one can see the city of Thisted and its beautiful cove. He leads me back down the stairs to the fermentation tanks, bottling and kegging lines, brand new bottle sanitizing equipment and finally to package storage.
To my surprise the tour did not end at the brewery. A thirty-minute drive just west of Thisted Bryghus to Klitmollter, a small seaside summer village surrounded by the National park. Locals and tourists flock here to view “Cold Hawaii” a nationally acclaimed surfing destination. We drove trough the National park to view small fishing houses and then in search of a birch tree dating back to 1860. Thisted Bryghus collects from this birch tree to use in their new organic line. Their organic beer, Thagaard uses a blend of white birch and pine.
My visit ended at a seaside hotel and restaurant located within the National park with a traditional Danish dinner of beef stew and of course, a glass of Limfjords Porter. Be on the look out for the arrival of 500ml bottles or draft of Limfjords Porter at your local store or craft beer bar!
For more info on Thisted Bryghus or Limfjords Porter click here.