Hey all, hope everyone is recovered from Thanksgiving. We’ve got a lot going on at the brewery these days and I’m going to try to address a lot if it in this post….so without further ado:
1. We brewed the LAST EVER Double IPA the other day. Well, at least the last one which will be brewed with 100% NY hops.  Well, at least the last one for the foreseeable future. For those of you who cherish this beer and what it represents, we’re sorry-but the circumstances are beyond our control.  Our farmer was unable to bring a substantial enough crop to market this year, and because you guys love it so much we’ve already used all of the 2007 Hops! It’s been a great and worthwhile ride on this experiment, but the truth is that we’re a long way from re-establishing New York as a hop growing center.  We certainly aren’t giving up on the project, but it looks as if it will be impossible to offer this product as it exists today on the scale that we are now at with any kind of regularity.  What we will be doing with subsequent crops are more “wethop/harvest” beers and more “one-offs”.   We’re also focusing on getting more Empire State Brewers involved in supporting this movement, as the investment required to do it right is significant, and although we are growing quickly we are still not nearly big enough to fully support a serious operation. What does this mean for Upstate Hopheads? Well, stock up on this beer between now and New Year’s(which is when I predict our supplies will be exhausted) , and brace yourselves and your tastebuds for the NEXT BIG THING: our 10th Anniversary beer; which I will discuss in depth in another post soon. Suffice for now to say that it will make the Double IPA appear “tame” by comparison.
2. We also brewed the 2nd batch of “White Gold” last week. Many of you have tried this beer throughout this year and noticed how well it has aged (better than I ever expected that it could) and how *complex* it has become. It will be a staple (along with Old Habit) of the Excelsior! lineup. and we’re hoping to have this batch in the bottle, refermented and for sale before the end of the year. Some minor adjustments (carbonation higher, somewhat rearranged hop-bill, bitterness slightly lower), and I think this batch will really shine.  I’m missing it already, so let’s hope that our new filling setup can get this beer into the glass soon!
3. Since we had the Abbey yeast on hand for the White Gold, it made sense to change gears with this years “Winterizer.”  It’s been retooled as a dark Belgian Ale brewed with both Bitter and Sweet Orange Peel. Just a few days old now, it’s tasting great: spicy and sweet with a beautiful chestnut color. We’re really excited about this year’s Holiday Variety Pack. Between this beer, Gorges Smoked Porter and Flower Power IPA, there truly is something for everyone. Start looking for it the first week of December.
I hope that’s enough info for now, there’s a lot more on the horizon from us so stay tuned.
PS This Thursday will bring the 2nd batch of “Super Power Flower” at Pixel. Mike convinced me to dryhop it EVEN MORE. I predict it will be gone by 7:30, so get there early!