Russian River Publication is here!

Russian River's Publication has finally landed! Here is what brewer Vinnie Cilurzo had to say about it.

PUBLICATION

OG: 1.066 (16.5 Plato)
8% ABV
BU’s: 48
Style: Saison finished with Brettanomyces
Tasting Notes: Golden in color, strong yeast aroma with mild aromas of barnyard and leather from the Brettanomyces. Flavor’s of malt and spice dominate the palate with a dry nutty (malt) character mixed with a funky Brettanomyces finish. The hops are dominate but well placed with-in the brew.

Publication started out as a test beer we called Empirical 7 which was a blonde ale fermented with a Saison yeast I wanted to test out for the PNC beer. The Empirical 7 was extremely hoppy and very very dry and the use of Brett for keg conditioning was very heavy handed. The Empirical 7 was meant to be a test batch for the members of the PNC to taste and based on their feedback I would build the recipe for the first ever PNC beer. At about midnight the night before the brew, over a game of Washoe’s and 10 beers into the night we finally got around to talking about the beer. A higher ABV was requested with more characteristics from the yeast and fermentation were also wanted in the PNC beer. With that in mind I set out to tweak the test batch and brew the next day. In the end I did bump up the malt bill so we could reach an ABV of 8%. I also switched out some of the base 2-row malt for some pilsner malt which would add another dimension with the malt characteristic in the beer. We used the same hop bill as the test batch so with a higher ABV and more malt on the palate the hops would be a little less aggressive. In fermentation we fermented about 6 degrees warmer to get more yeast characteristic in the final beer. Once the beer was ready to keg we used a smaller amount of Brett so there would be more flavor from the fermentation coming through. At a young age, this beer drinks very well, but, there are still some rough edges which will round out nicely as the beer ages.

Vinnie Cilurzo
Brewer / Owner
Russian River Brewing Company

Secret Tap

We have a secret tap tonight for those of you in the know - Russian River Consecration. Ask for the secret tap!

Beat The Heat

The next couple of days are supposed to be scorching hot. So hot there has been a health advisory issued to stay out of the heat and drink beer! We're doing our civic duty to save lives in Seattle by cranking up the Air Conditioner, and dispensing some great beers this week. Save yourself, at Brouwer's

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Happy Hour Extended to 7pm

Happy Hour at Brouwer's Cafe now goes from 3pm to 7pm, 7 days a week. Happy Hour consists of $1 of all drafts and well drinks, and some great specials on food like Buffaloar Sliders (Wild Boar and buffalo mini burgers). With a $1 off on our drafts you can get many domestic schooners for as little as $2!

Beer in a Box

Today we just tapped our first "Beer in a Box." It's the new "Key Keg" system that allows us to get import beer without having to pay a keg deposit. Instead of shipping the empty keg overseas we just crush the box and put it out on the curb for recycling. This is what the manufacturer had to say:

"KeyKeg® The "sell and forget" keg

The revolutionary one-way KeyKeg®, suitable for any liquid and especially carbonated drinks, is developed according to the bag-in-ball concept. This lightweight disposable keg has been developed specially for beers and offers you extra protection, longer preservation, more sales and a clear reduction of costs.

The KeyKeg® is available in a 20 and 30 litre version and weighs only 1.0 and 1.4 kg respectively. The extreme low weight results in up to 25% more beer, wine or cider per transport and voluminous transport of empty kegs back is no longer necessary.

In export markets, KeyKeg® solves all the logistic problems connected to steel kegs, which disappear because of theft and losses. At low-volume outlets KeyKeg® provides easy use and long preserved quality after broaching."

If these kegs work as well as they say you can expect to see more imports arriving in these. This particular keg is of the Tilburg Dutch Brown Ale, brewed by Koningshoeven.

Schooner Exact Firkin Night

Tuesday, July 21st, we will be tapping a Firkin of Schooner Exact's 3-Grid IPA that has been Dry Hopping for nearly 6 months! Come join Matt, Marcus, and Heather for a pint!

http://www.schoonerexact.com/

Come out and celebrate...

We have an action packed Month ahead of us. First up, Wednesday July 15th, put on your Canadian Tuxedo and come out and celebrate with Oh Canada night. Food and Beer inspired by our friends to the North.

On Monday July 20th our neighbors from the Fremont Outdoor Cinemas will be celebrating "the Dude" by showing the Big Lebowsky as part of The Lebowsky Fest. Come on in for a Caucasian or two...

Next up, on Wednesday July 29nd its Great Scotts! night...haggis and the beers of Belhaven...

Then on Saturday August 8th the celebration of all things bike rolls in to town with New Belgiums Tour De Fat. We will be in attendance with a limited number of spoke cards that will entitle you to a free New Belgium beer here at the after party. After spending the day at Gasworks park and trading your car for a bike, roll on over for Gold Sprints (think head to head, man to man all out sprints on track bikes), a band and drink specials. This video link here gives you and idea...although we will not have the band playing at the same time as the sprints...

Firestone Walker's Double Jack

We have just tapped a keg of Firestone Walker's Double Jack, their Imperial IPA, those of you that missed it last night at Bottleworks now is your opportunity to try it. It was described today like this: "the brewer must have taken nine full hop vines and some how stuffed them in to my glass..." to say the least it is for the hop lovers out there. Travis, the Northwest sales rep, tells me it was dry hopped about 4 or 5 different times...the nose is spectacular... and at 9.5% abv how can you go wrong.
In other news Rodenbach and Rodenback Grand Cru are back on our shelves, both are 750ml bottles. They have not been available for quite some time and we are happy that they are back on our shelves.

Firestone Walker Parabola

So after the tapping of the Firestone Walker Double Jack over at Bottleworks @5pm,

we'll be tapping the Firestone Walker Parabola here at Brouwer's Cafe @7pm

Here's the details

An extension of Quercus Alba  —the Firestone Walker Barrel aged program. 

Russian Imperial Stout 

Aged in Bourbon Barrels 

ABV=13% 

IBU=50 

COLOR= BLACK 

15% OATS / HOPPED WITH 100% US GROWN FUGGLES 

100% Stainless steel w/2 year maturation in Heavens Hill bourbon barrels