For my first post, I figured it only fitting that we cover some home brewers who are, as I say, “Living the Dream”. They are turning their love for brewing beer at home into a real commercial enterprise. Based out of Lorraine Mills in Pawtucket this nano-brewery operation is a welcome addition to the Rhode Island beer scene. I had the pleasure of meeting the gang and talking about all manners of old syrup tanks, grist, and filtered water.
During the open-house event on Saturday, they had two maple stouts on tap and a Kolsh in bottles for sampling. The first maple stout had great body, mouth feel and taste. It was very well balanced with a slight hint of maple at the end. And it definitely was not too overbearingly sweet. The second maple stout had a very different character compared to the first despite it being a very close recipe. This maple stout didn’t feel quite as heavy as the first but had a much cleaner crisper taste. If I had to choose one of them it would definitely have been the first. As we taste tested the two I spoke to Erik, one of the brewers, about the differences in the two beers. He noted that the only difference between the recipes was the switching of a half pound of roasted barley for crystal malt. Wow, what a difference.
The Kölsh was a completely different animal from the maple stout offering. Clean, refreshing and tasty were all hallmarks of this beer. This Kölsh was a nice surprise for a person like me, who up until recently had not been a fan of Kölsh.
The key to this operation getting off the ground will be it’s ultra compact size. With only 4 65 gallon fermenters they will be able to concentrate on quality over quantity while demand builds. Working on the weekends will ensure that all involved in the brewery won’t have to quit their day jobs….yet. The fermenters themselves used to hold syrup for Coke soda at a now defunct fast food restaurant. We jokingly said that the first brews may taste of Coke. Cola-weisen anyone?
But before you go running out to your local bar to sip this sweet sweet nectar of life, keep in mind they are still sorting out the various legal processes before they can sell to merchants. They hope to be in some of the Providence and Pawtucket bars by Spring 2012.
For more information visit their website at http://www.bucketbrewery.com/
