Front Street Brewery

Kevin Kozak, Head Brewer at FSB speaks.

Today millions of people around the world will celebrate all things Irish by consuming all things Irish.  Irish beer, Irish whiskey, Irish food and a good ole’ fashioned Irish hangover the following day.  I often find it fairly amusing that Saint Patrick was not Irish.  He was born in Britain to a Christian family, but did not have any interest in the christian faith until he was kidnapped and sent over seas to tend sheep as a slave.  While doing this in the cold, chilly mountains he became very, very Christian. 

Another funny thing about St. Paddy’s Day is that Patrick was known for banishing snakes from Ireland.  It’s true that there are no snakes in Ireland in present day.  It’s also true that there were no snakes in Ireland ever.  Cold and icy waters prevent the migration of snakes from Britain. 

One thing is for certain on St. Paddy’s Day.  People drink a lot of Guinness.  I enjoy a pint of the black stuff now and again, but the one thing that drives me crazy is when people refer to Guinness as a heavy beer with loads of alcohol.  The truth of the matter is this.  Guinness, although dark in color, is a very light beer.  I’m dead serious people.  I’ll start from the top.

Why do people think that Guinness is a thick heavy beer?  I’m willing to guess because of it’s thick, creamy head.  You see there are two ways to carbonate a beer.  The most traditional is our good friend Carbon Dioxide. Carbon Dioxide is responsible for the tiny bubbles you see in any beer served at Front St. Brewery.  The other way to carbonate a beer is with Nitrogen.  Nitrogen is far less soluble than carbon dioxide.  This allows the beer to be put under a higher pressure without making it fizzy.  Guinness is still carbonated with a portion of carbon dioxide, but much less than any other typical brew.  A high concentration of Nitrogen allows this beer to be pushed through the tap(the Guinness tap has tiny holes on the end of it) which allows a surge of nitrogen, thus creating the well known Guinness cascade effect and thick creamy head.  Experiment next time you’re drinking a Guinness.  Try to do this in a corner so you won’t be noticed and made fun of.  Take your freshly poured Guinness and scoop the head off the beer.  Once the head is all gone have a drink.  You’ll be surprised to notice that Guinness is a very light bodied beer.  Trust me on this one.  I’m not making it up.

On to another myth about Guinness.  I often hear people saying that they were drinking Guinness all night and got way more drunk than drinking what they usually drink.  This notion that Guinness has an extremely high alcohol content exists on in their head.  Guinness in fact has only 4.1 to 4.3 % ABV.  This is right on par with Miller Lite, Coors Lite and Bud Lite. Regular Budweiser is actually higher in alcohol content compared to Guinness. Look it up.  So if you’re looking to get a good buzz from drinking less beer, then Guinness is not the way to go. 

My final myth I’ll cover about Guinness is that it’s a meal in a glass.  The calorie count of a Guinness is around 195 calories per pint.  Blue Moon rings in around 175.  Budweiser around 145 and Sam Adams around 160.  So Guinness is not that high in calories contrary to popular belief.  In fact, a pint of orange juice or a pint of milk has a higher calorie count compared to a pint of Guinness. 

So there are a few Guinness myths that have been disspelled.  We won’t be serving Guinness at FSB, but we do have plenty of Irish Red to go around.  Be sure to stop in and enjoy a few pints.  Besides, everyone is Irish on St. Paddy’s Day.  Enjoy the holiday and be safe out there!!  I’ll be brewing Scottish Ale.  Not exactly Irish, but most Scots and Irish share the same sentiments about the English.  Cheers.

What’s my favorite beer?  I’m often asked that question by customers and I can honestly say in my 5 years of brewing I have never had a solid answer.  Sometimes it’s a nicely made German beer……..sometimes my Scottish Ale………sometimes a refreshingly dry Belgian beer.  You see what’s my favorite beer is a very loaded question.  There are many things that go in to what my favorite beer is at that particular moment.  What’s the weather like?  Am I inside or outside? Are the Phillies or Eagles playing?  What music am I listening to?  What book am I reading?  All of these questions go in to what my favorite beer is.  My favorite beer changes daily.   I can give you a  list of a few beers that I’ll go back to on a regular basis.  The beers I make………Scottish, IPA, Pilsner, Kolsch and the American Amber when we have a batch pouring.  Beer I buy……..Sierra Nevada(beer geeks may give me crap about it, but it’s a wonderful, consistent beer), Ayinger………actually anything Ayinger makes will likely end up in my fridge.  Ommegang Hennepin and Victory Lager.  Last but not least since I’m a PA native my parents are always willing to bring me some Yuengling Lord Chesterfield(in cans) and Straub whenever they make the trip down.  Two nice session beers that make me miss cold, gray PA. 

For a brewer I know my list may seem a bit bland to craft beer fans.  I know, I know………where’s the big bad Double IPA’s,  Quads, Barleywine’s and other  extreme beers?  I’m not knocking these beers at all.  They’re great in their own sense, but I enjoy more than one pint of beer from time to time.  These big monsters can sometimes cut your intelligent conversation with the person sitting next to you shorter than you want it to be.   I’ll enjoy an extreme beer now and again and I have definitely tasted some great extreme beers.  Pliny the Elder comes to mind, but extreme beers is not where my passion lies.  I truly enjoy a nice clean, well made beer.  A Session beer comes to mind.

Session Beer???  In a craft beer world that is heavily dominated by “extreme beers”, there is another movement taking place.  The session beer movement.  A session beer, in brief, is a beer that typically under 4.5% ABV, flavorful enough to be interesting, balanced, conducive to conversation and reasonably priced.  My session beer description comes from my friend Lew Bryson and his session beer project blog.  Lew is a pretty well known beer writer from PA.  Although I have never met Lew in person, I consider him a friend based on the fact that he answers emails promptly and enjoys a good session beer.  One day I’m sure we’ll cross paths and have a few pints together. 

Why do I love session beers?  For starters they’re hard to make.  It’s all about balance.  Making a beer that is 3.8% ABV with a nice body, mouthfeel and balance is a tough thing to accomplish in a small brewery.  It’s fairly well known that I tend to look at beer differently than most.  I look at it from the technical side of things.  I don’t care what’s on the label, who made it etc etc.  If I enjoy it then I will most certainly care who made it, but I’m going off on a bit of a tangent…………I digress.  Session beers are also a joy to drink.  Having 5 flavorful beers that are 3% ABV doesn’t ruin your night or next morning.  Nothing is nicer than sitting outside on a nice warm evening drinking a few session beers and having great conversation with friends.  Isn’t that what makes life wonderful?  Friends, a good beer and good conversation?  I know plenty of people who will agree with me.  Some may not, but they’re not much fun to have a beer with and maybe that’s why we never call you. 

 All this talk about session beers has me inspired.  Don’t be surprised if you don’t see a few session beers show up on tap within the next few months.  Maybe a nice 4%  Organic Hefeweizen???  Sounds perfect for summer time.  What do you think?  Cheers.

                Kevin

We have all been there. You wake up and it feels like Motorhead played a nine hour concert in your head. Your teeth feel like they have grown hair and you can’t figure out why you decided to get a tattoo of the kid from Calvin and Hobbes taking a leak on a stapler with the words “STAPLE THIS!!!” in a large graffiti-like font.

You try to remember the night, but your memories are a fuzzy conglomeration of cheap shots, plenty of beer, going to Taco Bell at 3 in the morning and possibly hanging out with Emilio Estevez. You reach for your wallet only to find 47 receipts from last night totaling $468. You only HAD $37 dollars in your checking account, but you’ll worry about that later. Who is Sandy and why did you put her number in to your cell phone as 910-T8J-677PE9-ROcK-oN?

You crawl out of bed and venture to the living room. If the world had ended this is what a post apocalyptic living room would look and smell like. The song What’s New Pussycat by Tom Jones is on repeat at a deafening level. The room smells of burnt cabbage, baby powder and hot trash. Your friend Aaron is passed out face down on the kitchen table. He’s wearing a dress and snoring so loud that your dog is cowering in the corner shaking. Why are there bright blue streaks all over the walls? Your roommate Rob has managed to find comfort by sleeping standing up in the corner of the room. He’s wearing a white tuxedo, a dunce cap and has enough makeup on to make a red light district girl jealous. An unlit cigarette is firmly planted between his lips. Tommy and Drew were last seen drunkenly boarding a plane for Davenport, Iowa, wearing jean jackets that they bedazzled earlier in the night with butterflies and Bull Durham quotes. Davenport is home of the Class A Quad Cities River Bandits minor league baseball team. They were planning on trying out for the team. Both never played a day of baseball in their lives.

You look at yourself and realize that you’re also wearing a dress. The dress used to be white, but now has bright blue streaks all over it. You don’t know who the guy sleeping in the bathtub is, but you’re fairly certain it’s Emilio Estevez. He’s wearing a large Native American headdress, combat boots, thermal underwear and a shirt with a large stapler printed on it. A large Super soaker filled with some kind of blue liquid is nestled in his lap. You’re 7 hours and 34 minutes late for work and your headache is making your eyes bleed. Seriously, there’s a tiny bit of blood leaking from your eyes. Although this has not happened to me in at least 2 weeks we have all been there………haven’t we??? Life’s worst enemy…….the dreaded hangover.

I make beer for a living. I enjoy beer and drink it often. Honestly, if I didn’t drink a good bit of beer then what kind of brewer would I be? They always say never trust a skinny chef. Well, never trust a brewer that can’t handle a hangover. In my line of work I’m often asked the question how does one get rid of a hangover? What’s the trick? What’s your secret beer guy? This question has been pondered by mankind since the creation of alcohol. When some people complain about having to go to the office with a hangover think of how some Egyptian’s felt when they were hung over and had to build the pyramids. I have heard plenty of present day hangover cures during my 5 years of brewing. Some say a triple cheeseburger from Wendy’s and a lemon lime Gatorade will do the trick. Others have proudly backed Pedialyte . That’s right. Pedialyte. The stuff they give kids so they don’t dehydrate when they’re sick. It doesn’t taste that great. Trust me. Chicken livers and gizzards was a sure fire way to battle a hangover according to one friend of mine. Others have always gone back to old reliable………the hair of the dog that bit you. Why does drinking more booze make you feel better? Because it gets you drunk again right? Yes it sure does, but there is science at work. There’s always science at work.

First let’s examine the term “hair of the dog”. Where does it come from and what does it mean? The term hair of the dog originated in England and comes from an erroneous method to treat rabies. Apparently if you lived in jolly old England back in the day and got bit by a rabid dog they would treat your wound by taking some of the hair from the dog that bit you and putting it in your wound. Good idea folks. I would imagine that most rabid dogs, especially hundreds of years ago were not too worried about their personal hygiene. Not only would you have rabies, but now you’re definitely on your way to living out your lifelong dream of having an extremely painful, if not life threatening infection. Our Polish speaking brothers and sisters provide us with a word called klin. The rough Polish translation means to dislodge a stuck wedge with another wedge, or in other words making no progress what so ever. Nicely said Poland.

So now we know where the term originated. So how does it work? Here comes some science. Pay attention class because you will be quizzed on this next week. When one drinks booze they are typically consuming two types of alcohol. Ethanol, which is the purest form of drinking alcohol and Fusel Alcohols, which are higher order alcohols produced during fermentation. Ethanol…..good. Fusel Alcohols………bad. When you drink, enzymes in your body break down the alcohol. Since Ethanol is easier to break down, the enzymes will concentrate on these first. Once all of the ethanol is broken down the enzymes will move on to the fusel alcohols. The byproducts that result from the breakdown of these fusel alcohols are quite toxic. The toxins are responsible for your hangover. Expensive liquors such as Diaka Vodka have more pure ethanol due to the fact that they are distilled more times than cheap liquor. On a quick side note Diaka Vodka is filtered through diamonds. I’m not kidding. Look it up. Cheaper liquors such as Relska have more fusel alcohols, which is why you feel like the crap after drinking 14 cranberry and Relska’s.

So you’ve made the mistake of drinking yourself in to a near coma on cheap booze. The three packs of Pall Mall’s didn’t help either. You wake up extremely hung over and you want to fix it. Time to use the science you just learned about. While you were consuming alcohol your body has already begun to break down the ethanol. When you finally fall asleep your body will continue to break down the ethanol. Once the ethanol was gone it was on to hangover land. You feel like crap because your body is breaking down the fusel alcohols. By having a nice Bloody Mary with good vodka you are reintroducing ethanol back in to your body. The enzymes will stop concentrating on the harder to break down fusel alcohols and move on to the easier ethanol. While breaking down the ethanol your body has a greater chance of releasing the previous fusel alcohols, unchanged, through breath, sweat and urine.

There it is. You just learned the basic scientific explanation of hair of the dog. It makes a lot of sense if you think about it. Although I just explained hair of the dog to you I really am not an advocate of it. In a pinch it can help out, but side effects may include severe liver damage, loss of job, loss of money, loss of friends, divorce, large hospital bills, restlessness, vomiting, dizziness, loss of driver’s license, hives, smallpox, unwanted pregnancy, body odor, loss of teeth, broken heart, long term debt, sleep apnea, diabetes, depression, scurvy, impotence and a definite loss of a positive self image. If you experience any of these side effects then maybe it’s time to stop drinking excessively. The moral of the story is that you should always consume alcohol in moderation. Well, unless you’re hanging out with Emilio Estevez. Be safe out there!!!

I trust everyone had a nice weekend, although it was a bit chilly. It seems to me that this was the first weekend in a long time that I was not out of town. I was kind of nice to actually sleep past 8 AM.

Last week I was introduced to a nice gentleman while I was enjoying a pint at Cape Fear Wine and Beer. We got to talking and he brought up that his two sons run a hop farm in western North Carolina. I was intrigued immediately. Typically hops in the U.S. are primarily grown in Oregon, Washington and Idaho. So the thought of North Carolina hops made me smile from ear to ear. Most Brewer’s that I know have the idea that local is better. If we plan to do a one off specialty beer with some weird ingredient, we would much rather get it from a local business rather than have it shipped from across the the country. When I did my Coffee Stout I was sure to work with a local Coffee shop to help me choose the right coffee beans and have it ready for me when I needed it. Unfortunately malted barley and hops typically have to be shipped in from the other end of the country or sometimes shipped from another country altogether. With that said a 6 hour drive to Western NC doesn’t seem that bad.

So we came up with the idea of possibly doing a fresh hop beer in the future. A fresh hop beer is as fresh as it comes. Basically the long and short of it is that a fresh hop beer uses hops that were picked just hours before being added to the Kettle. Think of it as adding fresh herbs that were picked from your garden rather than using dried oregano. For a lot of breweries having the chance to do a fresh hop beer is either non-existent or extremely expensive due to having fresh hops shipped overnight. I spoke with Rick and have since spoken with his sons through email a few times. I plan on going to visit the farm within the next month or so to check out what’s happening. Depending on the weather the harvest could vary quite a bit so I will keep you all updated on any progress we have with the fresh hop beer, although it may be a bit later in the year.

Also I would like to wish my former assistant brewer Brian good luck in his future endeavors. His last day at FSB was on Friday. He’ll be taking an assistant brewing position at Blacksburg Brewing Company. He’ll be working under my old boss and colleague John where he will surely learn a lot. Good luck to you Brian. You’ll be missed.

As for some other brewery news. The Chocolate Porter and Irish Red are selling extremely well so far. I have an American Amber that should be on tap by the weekend. It’s got a great hop profile that any hophead will surely enjoy.

Cheers,

Kevin

I returned last night from a weekend trip to the Blue Gray Show in Fredericksburg, VA.  My assistant brewer, Brian and my friend Aaron departed friday afternoon and made the 5 hour trip north to attend the best brewery collectible show in the country.  Spirits were high and excitement was in the air as we munched on some road food and listened to Common’s track “The Corner” on the Ipod.     After 5 hours of making fun of each other, dozing off and listening to good tunes we arrived in Fredericksburg.

The Blue Gray show is a brewery collectible show that is under the radar for most beer enthusiasts. I never heard of it until 4 years ago when a gentleman named Ray contacted me at my brewery asking for me to donate a keg for his event.  Now, if anyone ever becomes a brewer the first lesson they learn is that everyone wants a keg donation.  I was busy, sweaty, grumpy……..and busy.  Ray mentioned that he wanted a keg for the Blue Gray show. “Never heard of it” I replied.  He then explained what it was all about while my mind wandered on to the other 9 things I had to take care of before going home from the brewery.  I told him to call me back in a week and I would let him know.  I then proceeded to call my other brewing friends to ask if a crazy guy called about donating a keg.  They all laughed and explained what the show was about.  I then agreed to Ray’s request the next time he called.  I was sure in for a surprise.

When I arrived at the hotel I walked in and was shocked to see an entire hotel lobby full of breweriana collectors.  Beer cans lined the walls, beer trays and glassware lined the tables.  Old patches, old ashtrays, old anything brewery related could be found at this show.  I then found Ray at the hospitality room.  Much to my surprise 4 kegs were pouring……..2 from brewery’s I have never heard of.  So not only is this show a great place to buy old brewery collectibles, but it’s also a great place to taste beer from across the country.  I met up with some brewery friends and had a blast that weekend. I bought too much glassware and too many brewery patches.  I’ve only missed one year since.

This year was no different.  I got to hang out with some brewers that I don’t get to see too often.  I got to meet some new brewers and I got to meet some great people from around the country that just love everything beer!!!  At the Banquet I met a nice older couple that mentioned they’re retired and enjoy traveling around to different breweries.  After talking about Front St. Brewery they looked at each other and told me that they would be by to see myself and the Brewery on Monday evening.

A huge thanks goes out to all the organizers, especially Ray.  Ray had to battle Cancer last year, but it did not stop him from working hard to organize the best beer collectible show in the country.  Thanks again Ray and I’m looking forward to seeing you next year.  Once again I left with too much glassware.

After Fredericksburg we made a stop in Blacksburg, VA to have lunch with my good friend John Bryce.  He just opened up Blacksburg Brewing Company and we were itching to have a pint of his Blacksburger Pils.  Fish Taco’s and Pilsner go together like peanut butter and jelly.   The beer was outstanding and apparently John is selling more beer than they thought they would.   Not a bad place to be in at all for a new brewery.  Good luck with everything John.

As for news in the brewery, we’re still staying busy brewing.  We just released an Irish Red Ale last week, as well as the Chocolate Porter.  53 gallons of Scottish Ale will be entering its oak tomb tomorrow.  I’ll be busy brewing this week and possibly this weekend to do a bit of catching up.  January and February are typically a bit slower in the brewery, but you guys are obviously drinking a lot of beer!!!  Keep at it!!!  I’ll be brewing a Lumina Lager tomorrow and another Irish Red later this week.  The big Chocolate Stout is waiting on some ingredients that will hopefully show up this week so I may be brewing that one this weekend.  I’ll keep you updated on the progress.  As for me I’m going to get back to work.  I have the Chocolate Themed Beer Dinner tonight that sold out about two weeks ago.  Our beer dinners are always a great time.  I’ll let you all know what theme we decide on for the next one and be sure to post details.  I hope everyone has a great week.   Keep on drinkin’ my beer!!

Cheers,

Kev The Brewer

I trust everyone had a good weekend.  The weather was beautiful and the sun was shining.  Too bad the 53 gallons of IPA I put in one of the Jim Beam barrels will never feel a warm Wilmington breeze on a sunny weekend day.  It’s almost masochistic if you think about it.  We take a freshly brewed, wonderfully hoppy IPA and put it in the dark confines of an oak barrel…….put the barrel in the basement………cross our fingers and wait until October.  Poor little IPA……….he just looks so sad down there all by his lonesome.  It’s a good thing he’ll have a friend in a couple weeks.  I’m brewing a batch of Scottish tomorrow and once it ferments out I’ll be kidnapping 53 gallons and placing the barrel next to the IPA.  Only two more to fill up after that.  I’ll keep you all updated on what joins the Scottish and IPA, but a big dark beer aged on Tart Cherries seems to be the hot topic of conversation around the brewery…….anyone got a line on some good tart cherries?

As for an update on me and the brewery we have surely both been busy.  It seems to me lately that I often find myself traveling to brewery related meetings, events etc etc on the weekends.   Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending a North Carolina Brewers Guild meeting at Foothills Brewery in Winston-Salem.  This newly formed entity will help promote NC Breweries and their beers.  It was nice to see some old friends, such as Jamie from Foothills, Mike Morris from Big Boss and Dave Gonzales from Rock Bottom Charlotte.  It was also great to meet some new faces in the NC Brewing scene.  I also became part of the Legislative Initiative Committee for the NC Brewers Guild.  I finally get to put my hard earned Political Science degree to use.  My mom is going to be so proud.   I’ll be sure to keep all of you updated on any happenings from the Guild.

This coming Friday I’m traveling up to Fredericksburg, VA for the Blue and Gray Show.  I have attended this Breweriana show a few times in the past and have always had a great time.  I get to see some old brewing friends…….sample their beer and have them sample mine.  It’s just a great way to get your beer sampled by people that may never even make it to Wilmington. I’ll be sure to post some pics next monday from the event.  A few years ago I remember one of my brewing buddies trying to do the “lumberjack log roll” on an empty keg at 4 in the morning in a hotel room.  All stunts are performed by professionals and should never be tried at home.

As for what’s brewing this week…….We’ll be tapping our chocolate porter this week.  I’ll be brewing Scottish tomorrow and an Imperial Chocolate Stout later this week.  What can I say…….I’m on a chocolate kick.  I have a new idea that will help this beer be more chocolatey than any I have brewed in the past.  More updates on that next week. Back to taxes, waste water reports and organic certification paperwork.  Yes, even brewers have paperwork to do.   I hope all of you out in beer land are well.  Keep checking back for more updates and keep on drinkin’ my beer.

Cheers,

Kevin

A bit of exciting news in the brewery this week.  We received four freshly emptied Jim Beam barrels!!!  So I plan to fill all four up and let some beer age in them for a few months.  The first beer to head in to the dark, woody, bourbony confines of the barrel will be our Port City IPA.  It will be filled friday and we’ll let it sit for around 4 to 6 months depending on how the beer matures.  Next in line will be our Dram Tree Scottish.  What goes in to the other two barrels is still up in the air, but I do have a few good ideas that I will fill you in on when the time is right.  I would love to use some beer and fruit in one of the barrels……maybe some sour cherries…….only time will tell.

My assistant Brian suggested we put my other assistant Kyle in one of the barrels and then steal his ipod and take his lunch money.  After much consideration I had to say no to that.  The logistics of fitting Kyle in to the barrel would be far too much to handle.  Maybe we’ll just steal his ipod and lunch money anyway.  Keep on drinking my beer.  The more brewing I do the happier I am.  No one likes a grumpy Brewer.  Until next time……………..Check out how the barrels are made here.

Cheers,

Kevin