Front Street Brewery

Kevin Kozak, Head Brewer at FSB speaks.

When Summer time comes to Wilmington it brings many things with it.  Visits to the beach, suntans, new sunglasses, new flip flops, baseball season, scantily clad women, afternoon thunderstorms which lead to instant nap time and of course tourists.  June 21st is the actual first day of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, but summer starts earlier here in Wilmington.  The weather is a factor of course.  It will usually start to warm up here in early April.  The other reason summer starts earlier in Wilmington is that the Kolsch is on tap as of yesterday.  It’s sort of an inside joke that summer starts with the tapping of the Kolsch.  We run the Keller Pilsner in the fall and winter and the Kolsch in the Spring and Summer.  A few of my friends and I decided that summer begins when the Kolsch is tapped and summer is officially over when the last batch runs out and the Pilsner is tapped.  So this year Summer officially started on April 13th according the to Front St. Brewery calender.  So if I kept Kolsch on year round would that mean that we would have an endless summer?  It may be worth a shot.

Also I’m going to do an experiment.  I know there’s a lot of people that are in love with our Raspberry Wheat and that’s good, but with this experiment I plan to make it even better.  I just ordered some fruit puree from Oregon and plan on trying out a batch of Raspberry with the puree.  I’ve used the puree before and had great results at other breweries so I think that our diehard Razz drinkers shouldn’t have a problem enjoying the new and improved Raspberry Wheat.  It is a slightly more expensive product than what I’m using now, but we don’t mind here at FSB.  We would rather bring you a better product since we’re that passionate about our beer.  So keep an eye out for the new Raspberry Wheat in about a month or so.  I’ll be sure to save some of the older Raspberry so some of you can compare each beer side by side and let me know what you think.  Happy Summer!!!

Cheers,

Kev

I’m happy to announce that Front St. Brewery won a Silver Medal at the first annual WAHA Restaurant Olympics.  There were 8 events in total and teams had around 6 members each.  Competition was tough but we held our own against some great teams and ended up coming out with a Silver medal.  We won two events outright.  Aaron Blakely and myself rocked the fish toss and beat all comers.  I guess my outfielder experience along with his fish expertise helped us win that event.  Aaron and Justin Lamott won the mine field challenge.  It was a two man event where one person(Justin) was blindfolded and Aaron had to talk  Justin through the minefield without letting him step on a mine.  I’m pretty sure Justin did it in world record time.  He was clocked in at 11 seconds.  Most people were doing the event in a little over a minute.  Rachel, Kara, Justin and Aaron did an amazing job with the server/bartender obstacle course where they had to carry a tray one handed with two full wine glasses through some cones and hand it off to each other.  I smartly stayed out of that event.  I’m still sore from the dodgeball event.  Out of all the people there I was one of five left on the court when I got knocked out with a ball to the elbow.  I really wanted to win that event.   I’m glad we took home a medal, but overall it was just a great day for some of our staff to get away from work for a day and enjoy themselves, which I’m certain they did.  We’ll be back next year to defend our medal and hopefully come home with the gold.  A big thanks goes out to the Blockade Runner for holding the event at their awesome facility.  I hope there wasn’t too much damage to the place.

As for some beer news……we’re getting ready to ship a few of our beers out to Hickory for the Carolina Championships of Beer.  Hopefully we’ll bring home some medals.  As for new beers on the horizon we have an Irish Red coming out fairly soon and a Belgian Golden that will be on tap in the next few weeks.  A lot of people have been asking for the Biere de Garde………don’t fret……..I’ll be brewing one up soon so keep an eye out.  I hope all of you are doing well out there in Internetwebland.  Keep drinking good beer!!

Kev

About a month ago or so my assistant brewer Tim was dry hopping a beer.  After finishing up the job he then realized that his wedding ring was no longer where it should have been.  We scoured the brewery looking for it with no luck at all.  We then came to the realization that it must be at the bottom of the fermenter.  Unfortunately there was really nothing we could do until the beer was transferred out of that tank into the serving tank which would be about a month.  It was a bummer, but his wife did not kill or castrate him for this mistake.  As long as it would be recovered everything would be fine.

So we waited and waited and waited and then had a beer………then waited a little bit more.  It was finally time to transfer that beer to its serving tank.  Hopes were high…spirits were up…..and then they were crushed when we realized that the ring was neither in the bottom of the fermenter, nor in any of the hop bags that we dry hopped the beer with.  We were crushed.  We figured he might have dropped it in the alley or somewhere outside……thus most certainly being picked up by a gypsy where it was most certainly then melted down and turned into a medallion that could cast evil spells on people.  Or maybe he lost it elsewhere.  Either way it was nowhere to be found and we were both sad.  So we had a beer.

Yesterday I was brewing our American Amber.  It’s a fairly hoppy beer with a nice helping of American hops.  As I was adding a bucket of the hops I heard a strange clank on the bottom of the kettle.  I thought little of it.  After emptying the kettle I was spraying out the kettle getting rid of all the excess hops when I spotted what looked to me like treasure.  I was ecstatic.   Finally it was my turn.  I could get this treasure and melt it down into a medallion that could cast evil spells on people……or take it to the pawn shop and get some quick cash for it.  So I looked around to make sure noone saw me and jumped in the kettle to claim my precious.  When I picked it up I realized what it was.  This ring would not turn me invisible, nor would it make me rich beyond my wildest dreams, nor would it make me supreme leader of the gypsy realm.  It was in fact Tim’s wedding ring.  Apparently he must have lost it in one of the open bags of hops that we store in the walk in cooler.  While opening a bag to dry hop that beer a month ago it must have fell in there and sat for another month until I used that particular hop again.  After returning the ring to Tim he was pleased.  His wife was more pleased and his mom was most pleased.  It was a happy ending.  One day hopefully I’ll find treasure that I can claim as my own.

     First and foremost I want to thank everyone who attended or helped out with the Jim Beam dinner.  We all got to meet Fred Noe and he was a terrific guy.  Very personable and he seemed to enjoy himself.  A huge thanks goes out to Pat Gaynor and his kitchen crew.  They did a fantastic job with the food.  I could probably eat that duck dish everyday for the rest of my life(although it would probably be a short life).   I really learned a good deal about bourbon as well.  My favorites had to be the Booker’s and the Knob Creek.  The beers also turned out really well too.  The Scottish and Spring Brew with Raspberries seemed to be the crowd favorites.  All of the beers will be released December 5th in growlers on a first come first served basis.  We’ll probably be opening the doors a little bit early that day, but I will be sure to let everyone know exactly what the plan is when we get a bit closer.

As for new beers on the way.  I will be transferring a Baltic Porter soon.  10 kegs of that will be going to the St. Stan’s Polish Festival  on November 7th.   I’m of Polish heritage so I’ll be sure to be out there enjoying some of the beer and food.  I’ll have a Double IPA coming out within the next two weeks as well.  Both the Baltic Porter and Double IPA are firsts for Front St.

It’s been a while since I last wrote and I blame all of you people.  I have been making beer constantly and am still having trouble keeping up.  So all of you folks that come in to FSB and drink my beer………or all of you people that go to the hammerheads or sharks games and drink my beer……..or any of you that drink my beer at another restaurant or bar………you’re to blame for the lack of blog updates.  It’s not a bad thing…….I’m happy to be brewing and even happier that I am making folks happy with my delicious adult beverages.

Good news is that I did manage to find a bit of time to socialize.  Socializing this time of the year is probably my favorite because it’s the beginning of the Wilmington Sharks games and the start of the Hammerheads season.  Life is good.  I love the Hammerheads and especially love the Sharks games.  Sorry I’m a bit partial, but I played baseball in college, so my heart and soul loves baseball.  This year I even get to drink my own beer at the Shark Tank.  Scottish and Raspberry are pouring at the ball games.  The best news yet is that there is a free trolley running from FSB to the Sharks games and back for any games thursday through saturday.  It really doesn’t get any better than that.  So come on down and join us for a few beers at the brewery then hop on the trolley with us and enjoy a few more beers at the ball game.  Heckling the opposing teams right fielder is encouraged as long as you keep it clean.  So come on out to the ball game and cheer the Sharks on.  There’s an 85% chance I’ll be on the trolley with you, so introduce yourself and make friends……..because I like new friends.   My friends also like new friends. 

I also had the pleasure of meeting Miss U.S.A last week.  She and her entourage came in to FSB for some early dinner and they really seemed to enjoy themselves.  I know that she’s supposed to be nice for a living, but she really seemed like a genuinely kind hearted person.  She took a few photo’s with us and was on her way full and happy.  We’re really glad she came in. 

As for the beer world seasonal’s are going to be turning over pretty quickly now that the season has begun.  We have Altbier, Kolsch and Chocolate Stout pouring as seasonal’s right now.   Chocolate Stout is almost out and a Dark Mild will be following that.  Perfect session beer for the summer months.  We’ll also be tapping an Organic Hefeweizen on June 11th.  We partnered up with Cape Fear River Watch and will be donating a portion of the sales of that beer to their cause.  So come on out and drink an Organic beer and help save the river.  The Organic Hefe will be pouring all summer and will most likely be a hot seller.  Just remember there’s no need to put a lemon in the Hefe.  There aren’t any lemon trees in Germany so why would you ruin a delicious Hefeweizen with a lemon?

The pace is starting to pick up tremendously around the brewery lately.  We’re flying through batches of Scottish, Raspberry Wheat and Lager.  Ahhhhhh………the fun has begun.  More and more tourists are starting to show up around the brewery.  Summer is close.  We love it.

Some new beers will be showing up fairly soon.  It’s almost Kolsch time!!!  The Pilsner is going to be gone very soon.  Kolsch is one of my favorite styles of beer.  It’s light, thirst quenching and perfect for summertime.  It’s a tough beer to execute the right way.  Light, a very small touch of the hops,  some fruity aroma’s from the yeast strain yeast, backed up with a nice clean crispness.  I’m excited and I hope you are too.  Altbier will be showing up soon, which is Kolsch’s Amber colored cousin.  The same yeast strain is used.  Kolsch orginates from Cologne, Germany and Altbier comes from Dusseldorf, Germany.  Both are great styles of beer.  I also have a Dark Mild in the works as well as an Organic Hefeweizen.  The Organic Hefe will be around all summer. 

All the Jim Beam barrels are slumbering away downstairs with beer in them.  I put the finishing touches on one barrel today, by adding 30 lbs. of Red Raspberries to the Spring Brew.  That’s all she wrote for them.  Now we just sit back, let them age and wait for October to roll around when Fred Noe will be joining us for a Bourbon and Beer dinner.  For those of you who don’t know about Fred Noe I suggest you look at a bottle of Jim Beam next time you’re around one.  His picture is on the side of it.  He is in fact the head distiller and I’m very excited to meet him and spend some time with him.  Apparently it’ll be his first time in Wilmington.  The dinner is scheduled for October 14th.  Keep checking back for details. 

Cheers,

           Kevin

A quick update from the Brewery happenings.  It was a great weekend for FSB. Our GM along with 3 other lucky staff members got to attend the World Beer Festival in Raleigh.  I unfortunately was stuck at the brewery making some Scottish Ale.  Boo.  From looking at some of the pictures it seems they had a great time.  I’m glad they enjoyed themselves. 

Also  our beer debuted at the Hammerheads game, which I was lucky to attend.  The Hammerheads won and the FSB beers were recieved well.  I had a few Scottish Ales just to make sure they were tasting good while enjoying the game with a few friends.  I look forward to going to all the home games this year.  It really is a fun event.

We also had some beer at the Junior League’s Mint Julep Jubilee.  I was told the crowd did a great job of drinking a lot of beer……….A LOT!!!!  Derby hats were out in force and apparently the line was longer at the beer tent than it was at the Mint Julep tent.  That would make any brewer proud!!  Who needs Mint Julep’s when you have Scottish Ale flowing???

Finally, I had a day off on Sunday, which was spent at the beach with friends.  A few hours of body surfing, or “Tummy Rumbling” as it’s now called wore me out and it was time to head to the Fat Pelican for a few beers.  If you have never been to the Fat Pelican at Carolina Beach then check it out.  As usual a dance party broke out in the van ride back.  It was a nice relaxing day off, but the sunburn today hurt just a bit. 

I’m proud to announce I have some session beers coming up within the next month of so.  I’m brewing an Organic Hefeweizen tomorrow that will weigh in around 4.4% ABV.    I’m using a new yeast strain this year than I’m excited to give a try.  My friend Pete of Gordon Biersch has been using it and it’s nice and tart, which is what I like in a Hefe.  This Hefe will have some great banana and clove aroma’s.  We’re going to keep this beer around all summer so come on down and check it out when it goes on tap.

I also brewed a Dark Mild last week.  This one is going to weigh in around 3.8% ABV.  Nice and dark with great chocolate and roasted aroma’s and flavors.  A dark mild is also a great beer for the summer months sitting outside enjoying a beer.  This beer carries on my quest to show people that dark beers don’t have to be heavy and high in alcohol. 

The Jim Beam beers are coming along nicely!!!  The chocolate stout with tart cherries is picking up a wonderful tart cherry flavor.  Balance that with some great oaky bourbon aroma’s and flavors and you have a winner in my book.  I’m very very very excited for these beers to show up around October.  These beers are going to be very limited so be sure to keep checking the website and my blog for details.  We plan on doing a short video this week that will be posted on the website so keep an eye out. 

That’s it for now.  Hope all is well for everyone out there in beer land!!

Cheers,

            Kevin

I just got back from attending the Hickory Hops beer festival this past weekend.  As always it was a blast!!!! In my opinion it’s one of the best run beer festival’s in the state.  I always enjoy participating and they really treat the Brewer’s well.  As usual we attended Bobby’s party on friday the night before the festival.  Great food and great beer.  I got the chance to enjoy some Pliny the Elder from Russian River, which is always a treat.  Nothing like going to a party where the host has a walk-in cooler in his basement full of great beers.  We also had the pleasure of winning some medals in the Carolina Championship of Beer.  We won a Silver for the Scottish, Bronze for the Lager and Bronze for the IPA.   Thanks again Bobby!!!

Saturday the Brewers were up early and moving just a tad slow.  That’s what happens when you go to Bobby’s house the night before.  Thankfully the guys from Duck Rabbit were quick to provide Bloody Mary’s for all the Brewer’s who were running at half speed.  Thanks Paul!!  After enjoying our Bloody Mary’s my crew and I were back on top and got the booth all set up for the 2,000 plus people who were about the come and enjoy some of NC’s best beers.  We were pouring Lumina Lager, Scottish, IPA, Pilsner and the Irish Red.   Thanks to Jim, Esther and Lindsay for helping out at the booth all day.  We made some new friends, drank some good beer and had a great time.

The drive back was a long one.  After refueling at Cracker Barrel in the morning we made the long trip back to Wilmington.  A small dance party broke out in the van and Lindsay and I invented at least three completely new dance moves.  If you see Linds tending bar ask her nicely and maybe she’ll show you the “Rocket Man”.

Well back to work for me.  We got a beer dinner tonight and I have to get my work done so I can go home and get cleaned up for the dinner.  Thanks again to everyone involved with this weekend.  You all know who you are and thanks again for making the Hickory Festival one of the best!!!!  See you next year!!!

Wow it’s been a hectic couple weeks.  Early last week a new draft system was installed.  It took two days, but the guys doing the work finally got it going with barely any glitches.  All the beers now pour perfectly every time.

Good thing we got it done early in the week because things got crazy around here for Azalea Fest.  Every year it’s one of the biggest weekends for us.  This year was no different.  Thousands of out of towners converged on to the downtown Wilmington scene to check out all the happenings.  The weather was great which led to people taking advantage of our new tables situated outside of the restaurant.  We have two standing tables, two tables that seat two and two tables that seat four.  It’s really nice to be able to be outside of the restaurant enjoying a few pints of beer and some grub.   I made it aware to a few tables on Friday that I was quite jealous that I was stuck inside brewing while they enjoyed my beer.  Some even got to meet Farmer Jimmy when he came to pick up the spent grain.

As for things coming up in the brewery.  Dobblebock should be tapped later this week.  I have a Chocolate Stout that will be tapped as soon as the Chocolate Porter runs dry, which should be any day now.  I have the Hickory Hops Festival coming up on the 18th.  We entered 6 beers in the Carolina Championships of beer.  Lumina Lager, Scottish, IPA, Keller Pilsner, Irish Red, and the American Amber were all entered.  Wish us luck and hopefully we’ll bring some medals home.

We also have the April beer Dinner coming up on April 20 and the menu looks great!  I’m really excited for this one.  May 2nd we’ll be out in Raleigh for the World Beer Fest.  It’s a huge festival that attracts thousands of beer drinkers.  Always a good time and plenty of beer to sample.  Tickets do sell out quickly so if you’re thinking of going I would reccomend getting a ticket soon!!

Back to brewing Scottish for me.  You guys drank a lot of beer at FSB this weekend so i’ll be busy brewing.  Cheers.

Kevin

The weather is getting warmer. People are out and about more often.  The birds are singing. I’m brewing more beer.  This must mean only one thing.  Beer Festival season is upon us. 

For those that have never been to a beer festival allow me to explain.  Most beer festivals happen in the Spring and the Fall.  This allows for nicer weather and less of a chance of falling over from extreme heat exhaustion during the stifling summer months.  With most festivals you pay a fee to get in(Usually $25 bucks or so), you’re given a small taster glass, a wristband and you’re unleashed in to the crowds to go sample beers.  Sounds like fun huh?  It most certainly is!!!!

I usually have fun at festivals, but it is still work for us brewers.  Allow me to list a few Do’s and Don’t’s of beer festivals to make it much more pleasurable for both the people working the event as well as the people attending the event.  Here’s my top 10.  

1. Have fun, but don’t be a troublemaker.  It will likely end your beer fest experience prematurely.  It booth workers see a troublemaker they usually alert the calvary and you and your friends will probably be escorted out. 

2. Remember that chances are the people pouring your beer are the ones that made it.  If you don’t like the beer you just sampled then that’s ok, but try to keep your negetive comments to yourself until you’re away from the booth you just sampled at.  We as brewer’s know that we can’t please everyone, but having someone drink your beer right in front of you and saying “that’s terrible and dumping it out” is a bummer.  We’re out there pouring beer while you’re having a good time.  Cut us some slack.

3.  If you want to talk to the brewer then ask him/her to step aside for a second.  Holding a 15 minute conversation with the brewer while 20 people are in line behind you can easily lead to you being taunted, yelled at or even tarred and feathered.  We don’t mind talking to you.  That’s why we usually bring staff members from the restaurant to help us pour.  Just ask us to step aside.  Maybe we’ll enjoy a few samples with you if you’re really nice.  It doesn’t help to bring us food either!!

4. No we won’t fill up your pint glass that you just bought.  It’s illegal.  Most festivals are required to pour 4 to 5 oz. samples.  If we fill up your pint glass then we’re breaking the law and both the brewery and you will be kicked out.  We’ll probably get a fine and have to go home with our tails between our legs and much poorer.  Enjoy the many samples that are offered!!!  That’s what a beer festival is all about.

5. If we have attractive girls with us at our booth helping us pour(many breweries do) please do not treat them badly.  Most girls helping pour are in fact bartenders from our breweries.  Trust me dude you, you don’t have a chance with her and you’re not the first guy to think that.  Don’t be a drunken buffoon and maybe she’ll laugh at your joke next time you’re up for a sample. 

6. Remember that most of the brewers there are friends.  We know each other, have hung out with each other and generally get along with each other.  So don’t bad mouth any other breweries beer in front of us.  It’s just bad Kharma.

7.  If there is funnel cakes at the festival please bring me one. You may get a pint glass or a shirt. 

8. Drink lots of water.  Sometimes festivals can run 4, 5, 6 or more hours.  If you’re sampling beer all day make sure you hydrate yourself.  Noone wants to go the hospital.  Trust me. 

9. If you’re really excited about trying a bunch of beers and are truly passionate about craft beers then get there early.  Typically when the gates open the crowd isn’t as bad as later in the day.  This will allow a bit more one on one time with the brewer’s if that’s what you want. 

10. Have fun and enjoy the opportunity to sample a wide range of beers that have been provided for you at the festival.  It’s a great chance to try beers from breweries that you may not have had a chance to visit yet. 

Our first festival is the Hickory Hops Festival on April 18th.  It’s always a good time and we hope to see you out there.  There’s a great brewerers party the night before so forgive the brewers if we’re a bit slow in the morning. 

Cheers,

         Kevin Kozak