Wedding Beers, good to go!

Best man Jason and I had a great time finishing the image transfers on to the bumble and pot & kettle wood beer cases that will help transport the beers from Boston down to Ct for the wedding (2 weeks?!).

Just need to give the wood a coat of oil, apply the labels to the bumble and the 2nd half of the pot&kettle, and the task is finished. Ok, so maybe I'm not completely done...

We also had our hand at waxing the pot & kettle (thanks to all that voted for the oatmeal stout) bottles to finish the could-be-a-commercial beer appearance for our momentous day.

I really enjoyed this process...of course, I love to make beer, but knowing it was going to (hopefully) be enjoyed by our guests, involving and getting help, feedback and recommendations from so many of my closest friends and family, and the full support of Esther on this project...well, that is what I'll remember most about it.

For more details, tasting notes, and pictures, head on over to:
http://www.trilliumbrewing.blogspot.com/

Wit Wedding

Our wedding brewing has begun!

And, the first beer is a Belgian style: a honey witbier. Esther's favorite of my homebrews, to date.

This recipe was formulated to create a traditionally spiced, light bodied beer that has a good portion of wheat in addition to the standard malted barley. Sweet orange zest, coriander and grains of paradise will compliment the spiciness derived from the Belgian yeast that was used to ferment it.

In our effort to try to use as much local food as possible in our wedding, I snagged 4lbs of Boston area honey when we went apple picking this past fall with the maid of honor. Here's some pictures from that day:

The honey will add yet more depth of flavor and, contrary to what you might think, make the beer drier vs. sweeter as all the sugars in honey are 'fermentable'...in contrast to beer made with 100% malted barley, which would result in a sweeter taste. So, when all is done, this first beer will be a thirst quenching choice that should be pretty enjoyable on its own or with food, after conditioning for a few months in the bottle. 

Stay tuned for more wedding brew news! And don't forget to vote (even if you have already) for the third wedding beer option. 

Cheers! JC+E

Cato Corner Cheese tasting

We brough some samples back from Cato Corner to sample with our friends, who we know would have a vested interest in our ultimate choice. But, to be honest, it would be difficult to make a 'bad choice' when it comes to Cato Corner.

I paired each cheese with Belgian style beers from my 'cellar', which is almost spilling off the shelves. Esther artfully arranged the cheeses on a plate. The beers included selections from California, Belgium, Maine, and New Hampshire. The baguettes were warm from the oven, homemade from dough I started fermenting the night before. I made a nice, simple rustic roasted chicken and root vegetable dinner to follow the cheese and beer pairings.

What a nice way to spend a cold Sunday evening in February.

wedding beer(s)

We have the green light from Saltwater Farm and our caterer to serve my (our) beer at the wedding! For those of you who are not aware, I make, among other things, beer.

We'll go with three different styles for our special day to ensure adequate variety for our guests, #1 Esther's favorite belgian honey wheat (a sort of hybrid witbier),
#2 an american pale ale, which will essentially be a toned down version of my IPA (pictured...the carapils malt and heavy hand with the hops contribute to the mighty head retention)
#3 will be voted on by ...YOU

Since we've already chosen crisp and clean beers, the options for the third have a bit more of a malty and roasted character, but will still be quite 'drinkable'.

So, click on this link, to vote for your preferred style, and check back to see the vote results, the pictures of/details on the brewing, and eventually some sneak-peak tasting notes. You can also leave your email address, and I'll send you updates, if you like.

Cheers! JC+ E