CT Column 22/06/2011: Milestones

IT takes a lot of work to make good beer. The day to day running of a busy brewery can sometimes obscure a brewer’s view of the bigger picture and so miss marking the achievements and milestones that other businesses would celebrate.
Back in 2005 I visited Emerson’s Brewery for the first time. At that point they were looking forward to brewing their millionth litre, a significant achievement. Several years later they realised after the fact that they had already passed the two millionth litre mark and had been so busy they hadn’t even noticed at the time! In April this year Emerson’s brewed their three millionth litre and while this time they certainly noticed they were too busy to mark the occasion. A party is planned for later this year.
At the other end of the spectrum Marlborough craft brewer Søren Eriksen originally intended to brew something celebratory to mark the 8th batch of beer to be released under his 8 Wired label. However when it came to the 8th batch the demand for his existing beers was so great that it ended up passing without fanfare. At the end of last year the 18th Batch loomed and Søren decided he could afford to do something special. The result was Batch 18, a strong specialty Imperial Stout. Batch 18 started its life as an imperial stout crafted from seven types of malt, a special Brazilian raw sugar called Jaggery, three varieties of hop and two different yeast strains. The resulting beer fermented out to a chest thumping 12.5% ABV! The beer was then infused with fair trade organic coffee and aged in oak barrels. The resulting beer pours a viscous pitch black with a tan creamy head just as an Imperial Stout should. The aroma is huge and complex combining rich dark chocolate, warm espresso, oaky vanilla, dark berry fruit and toasty malt. In the mouth the beer is incredibly decadent and rich with some warming alcohol, dark fruit, espresso and rich malt before a slightly tannic oaky finish. Batch 18 is a rich and intense beer designed to be shared with friends, preferably at the end of a hearty meal on a cold night, a near perfect nightcap! I for one can’t wait to taste what Søren brews for his 28th Batch!
Cheers