Indiana BrewHaus Radio Half Hour, Episode 7, Flat 12 Bierwerks

Hey all,

This weeks show was probably our best yet! We got the chance to sit down and talk to Rob Caputo from Flat 12 Bierwerks. Rob talked to us about the 12 beers of Christmas release they have going on right now. If you hear this in the next couple of weeks, head to Flat 12 to check it out!

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Show Notes:

Indiana BrewHaus Radio Half Hour
Episode 7
Flat 12 Bierwerks
Rob or Josh

Hello friends of the hop and grain, and welcome to our first holiday episode of the Indiana BrewHaus Radio half-hour where we talk about all things beer: tasting it, brewing it, and discovering new ways to enjoy it. This week we are proud to be on location at Flat 12 Bierwerks on 414 Dorman street in indianapolis! I am your host, Nate Shultz, drunk and belligerent mall Santa, sitting beside my little helpers and co-hosts for the evening, Mr. Jared Brown and Mr. Benjamin Sutton! How are we this evening gentlemen?

chat/banter among hosts

Before we introduce our guest for this evening lets talk about our IBH drinking Game! This week, every time you hear anyone on the show say the word Christmas or any variation of that word. Take a drink of your beer. Again, I feel the need to repeat our disclaimer that if you are in your car listening to this. Don’t participate in the drinking game...goes without saying, but I feel the need to mention that.

On to the guest! Our guest this evening is fresh off the release of their glazed ham porter which i believe is part of a larger release of beers, which i am sure he will get to later on in the show. From Flat 12 Bierwerks, Mr. (rob caputo or josh). How are you this evening sir/gentlemen?

Questions:

1. Speaking of your porter, what was your inspiration for this beer?
2. We spoke briefly before the show about a special release you are having leading up to the Christmas holiday. Explain that a little for our listeners.
3. Tell me a little about the brewery. Who’s idea was it to start a brewery here in indianapolis?
4. The three of us have varying levels of brewing knowledge. I have been homebrewing for about 8 years now; Jared just recently, within the last 1.5 years or so, has started brewing; and Ben just is an appreciator of fine ales...who’s addiction is partially fed by me. Do you still homebrew in your “free time”?

Style of the episode
Cask conditioned ale.

I realize this is more of a method of finishing a beer rather than a style, but let’s face it, cask conditioned beer can really add character to a beer that may not come from forced carbonation. Cask conditioned ales are a typically English phenomenon. First of all, before we get into cask conditioned ales, we should talk about CAMRA.The method conditioning was all but extinct in the 1960s when a group of purists was formed called CamRA or the Campaign for Real Ale. This English political group used pressure and lobbying to keep cask conditioned or “real” ale a viable choice in British pubs. Although you can’t get it in half the pubs in Britain, it is nice to see someone preserving some history...I digress.

Although we could go on for an hour or more about cask conditioned or “real” ales. It boils down to this: At the end or toward the end of the primary fermentation process, a beer is kegged and rushed to a pub where it is cellared until at it’s peak. By “at it’s peak” I am referrering to a combination of flavor profile and desired carbination. Once that is reached, the keg is tapped and drunk quickly to avoid spoilage.

Recently CamRA did a study that showed that if a device called a cask breather(a device that replaces air in the keg with a gentle blanket of CO2) was used, cask conditioned kegs would last longer. Ironically enough, they chose to ignore their own research and side with tradition... go figure.


Homebrew tip of the week
Cask conditioning at home

Cask conditioning at home is actually more prevelent than you might think. Every time a homebrewer uses priming sugar to carbonate their beer and then puts it in a dark, cool place so that it can carbonate, mellow, and age....they are, in the cruedest sense, cask conditioning their beer... most brewers call it bottle conditioning, though. I still do this because i feel like it adds character to my homebrew.

Another way to cask condition at home if you have a kegging system would be to do the following:
Some books that I have read suggest altering a keg so that the dip tube doesn’t go all the way to the bottom of the keg and suck up all the living yeast and sediment at the bottom. Others suggest laying the keg on it’s side so that all the sediment sticks when the keg is brought upright again. I am not sure how I feel about either of these, but i guess they are cheaper than buying all the necessary equipment which could run into the hundreds of dollars.

Whatever you do, make sure you beer stays roughly the same temperature when you serve it as it was when you fermented it, around 55-60 degrees. If you don’t do that, you might kill the yeast and end up with a “dead” beer.

Beer news

Flat 12 - 12 beers of christmas starting December 1 going all the way until ???

IBH apparel will be available for purchase before christmas. I will be putting the design up online and if you are interested, be sure to contact me at indiana.brewhaus@gmail.com.

What have you been drinking on this week?/ recommendations

Jared - Flying Dog: In Heat Wheat
Nate - Yuengling
Ben - Elector Imperial Red by New Albanian
Rob - New Albanian Keller Pils


Thanks everyone for joining us this week on the Indiana BrewHaus Radio Half-hour. Special thanks to my guest for the evening, Mr. Rob/Josh You can find them online at flat12.me, or follow Josh on twitter @flat12_josh. Also, be sure to stop by Flat 12 Bierwerks here in Indianapolis at 414 dorman street. Thanks to my co-hosts, Jared, which you can follow on twitter at @jaredbrown, and Ben which you can follow on twitter @thepact or at benjaminsutton.com.
You can also follow me on twitter @nshultz or go to indianabrewhaus.blogspot.com for more episodes of the IBH Radio Half-hour, blog posts, drinking games as well as updates on what isgoing on around Indianapolis. Also, be sure to check out indianabrewhaus.com!

cheers!