BREW HOUSE BACKSTORIES

Fabled Brew Day Bock Again 

I home brewed this beer once many years ago. It was sort of ad lib from leftover grains and a yeast strain I couldn’t recall. It wasn’t a complicated bill, but not carefully considered either.

An acquaintance had asked if he could come over someday and participate in a home brew day. As it turns out, he brewed with me on this very day. I couldn’t have imagined the effect this scenario would have cascading into the future. This one batch turned out to be a family favorite! Every drop was savored, and when there were only a couples bottles left, they were treated like family heirlooms.

Finally, the entire batch was consumed and it felt like the end of an era. The trouble was, I didn’t write this recipe down. In fact, I wasn’t in the habit of writing any recipes or brewing notes down. I spent a couple years attempting to recreate this beer from memory. but never quite reached the expectations.

Years later, after this whole episode had long been forgotten, I was packing some brewing equipment to move to our new brewery by the creek. There was an old but still sturdy-looking cardboard box on a shelf that hadn’t been moved in a long while. When I opened the crisscross top I found an ingredient list and brief but adequate brewing notes penned on the inside flap. It was the recipe for our fabled brew. It didn’t look like my handwriting, nor was it dated. But there was no mistaking what the inscription represented.

I don’t really want to ask my friend if he took the notes, he may not remember, anyway. Putting reality aside for a moment, I rather like to think something more mysterious is at work here.