Whalers Brewing Company

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Bahamas - Day 4 : Bahamian Brewery

After a much needed and well deserved good nights sleep we awoke to another glorious day on the island of Grand Bahama. Famished, we made our way down the brick path once more to the resort restaurant for breakfast. Chatting while enjoying the breakfast sampler, we decided we would try to avoid the sun for one more day and planned to check out the Bahamian Brewery.

After finishing breakfast we returned to the room to shower, since the night before we were so burnt that the idea of a hot shower didn't appeal to any one of us. Feeling clean and refreshed, we packed up for the day and took to the road once more in our Nissan March. The more I drive the "little shitbox" as we have become accustomed to calling it, the more I'm convinced it's just a riding lawnmower with 4 doors and at any minute we might loose a wheel.

When we arrived at the Bahamian Brewery, we paid for our tour and were greeted by our tour guide, Chrissy. The Bahamian Brewery is unique in that it is a 100% Bahamian-owned company, owned and operated by Jimmy Sands, who grew up on Long Island, Bahama. Chrissy immediately lead us to the sweltering loft above the factory floor, where we witnessed the newly made bottles of Sands, the Bahamian Brewery's trademark beer, being filled, capped, and labeled. Passing the assembly line, Chrissy lead us to the brew house, where the ingredients are mixed and fermented to make beer. 

 Bahamian Brewery's beers are made with the four traditional beer ingredients: hops, malted barley, yeast and water. They begin with the malted barley, milling it and adding it to warm water in the mash tin where it will be allowed to sit for three or four hours to allow the release of sugars from the barley. Following the steeping process, the mash moves to another tankard to for boiling and adding hops to the mix, with varying flavors added for the different types of beer. After the third tankard, the mixture moves back to the middle tankard, where a whirlpool is utilized to spin the mixture, separating the grains from the liquid and cooling the mixture so the fermentation process can begin.

After showing us the brewing process, Chrissy walked us through the loft that looked out onto the assembly line; where bottles of Sands from their bottle recycling program and from the factory are sterilized, filled, pasteurized, and sealed. Above the assembly is the laboratory, where inspectors take various bottles from beer batches and test the product for consistency and bacteria. Running 5 days/week, the Bahamian Brewery produces 18-40k bottles of beer each day, making for an average of 7.5 million bottles per year. After seeing the extent of the brewery, Chrissy took us to Jimmy's Top Bar, the brewery's tasting room.

Once inside the air conditioned tasting room, we were provided with samples of each variety of beer made at the brewery. We began with their light beer, the Sands Light, which contained only 90 calories and had an ABV of 4.2%. This was an exceptionally light beer, and our group had trouble tasting any beer flavor at all. Following the Sands Light was a sampling of the original Sands brew, with an ABV of 5.3%. Though the original was said to have more bite, courtesy of the extra hoppy flavor, the four of us could hardly taste the difference between the Sands Light and the original Sands. After the Sands, we sampled their malt liquor, Bushcrack, which had a lighter, sweeter taste. Chrissy made sure to inform us though the beer looked and tasted light, it was not, as the beer had an ABV of 5.8% and only comes in 16 oz cans.

Following the Bushcrack was their amber ale, which was commissioned by Atlantis resort on Nassau Island, as an exclusive beer to the resort. The amber ale is named Virgil's, after the person who commissioned it for the resort, and Chrissy informed us that the ale's smooth texture and higher ABV of 6% makes it a surprisingly strong beer. The last beer we tried was their dark stout, called Strongback. Similar to a Guinness in color, the Strongback was less bitter, a little lighter, and hinted at molasses. As an added bonus, Chrissy had us try the non-alcoholic beer made at Bahamian Brewery, called Triple B. Triple B is a malt drink, dark like a stout, and incredibly sweet. Our group tasted hints of raisin, sweet potato, molasses and Coke, ultimately deciding that the drink was not to our tastes. We were allowed to hang out for another hour and have full glasses of the beers we had tasted, with most of us sticking with the Virgil's and the Bushcrack.

Upon leaving the brewery, we decided to check out Deadman's Reef in the west end of the island for a future snorkeling trip. As we drove past the harbour, we entered the small west end towns of Bartlett Hill, Hannah Hill, Russell Town, Jones Town and Holmes Rock. The streets were crowded with youth dressed in a variety of school uniforms showing the islands religious tendencies. These town's also showed the abject poverty that many people on the island endure. 

After about 20 minutes we saw a sign for Deadman's reef and a small dirt road heading towards the water. The sandy/dirt road was flanked by mangroves and finally ended at a small parking lot next to a small building. We walked along the boardwalk to the check in window where we learned that since we had our own equipment it was $3.25 to have admission and access to all the facilities. With that information in hand we would surely return.

While early for dinner we were all hungry and decided to stop by Pier 1. Everyone we have spoken with described this place as the nicest restaurant on the island. It is also widely know for its daily evening shark feeding which unfortunately we were much too early to see. The menu was heavily stacked with seafood and I decided to pick Mahi Mahi with seasoned rice and fresh vegetables paired with a tropical piña colada. Grace followed suit, duplicating my order while Dan and Chris each picked the Chicken Parmesan as their entree. Waiting for the entrees, we had an opportunity to enjoy the view which included many Margaret fish, a lone sand shark, and countless other small tropical fish swimming below.

The entrees were served quickly since we were the only ones in the restaurant. The mahi mahi was so tender and delicious I could have easily had more. We were all fairly quiet during dinner which is typical for us when the food is so delicious. After we all greedily scarfed down dinner it was time to review the dessert menu. The dessert menu showed just as much promise with my favorite key lime pie listed and it definitely didn't disappoint. When the bill came I was surprised when the group decided not to let me pay my share and call it my Birthday dinner even though my birthday isn't until Saturday.

When we finally made it back to the resort we decided to don our bathing suits and enjoy the pool, hot tub and shuffleboard. Chris and Grace showed great improvement and e finished with a tied score of 2:2 when we decided to take a dip in the pool. The pool was refreshing and we all enjoyed a good long soak with great conversation before we shifted to the hot tub. While still recovering from the sunburn we all managed to enjoy the warmth of the hot tub.

After a long day we head back to the room for some tv before turning in for the night. 

Boston Beer and Cheese Festival

This Saturday we decided to take part in some local libations at the Boston Beer and Cheese Festival. Sponsored by Drink Craft Beer, this excursion has been a recent addition to the Boston festival circuit. The festival centers around the support of local craft breweries and creameries. In total, there were 20 beer and cider brewers ranging in location from right here in Massachusetts to Portland, Maine, as well as 8 creameries based throughout New England. After making our way through the cold streets of Boston, we were definitely ready for a few samplings to warm ourselves up!

Our tasting began with Bantam Cider, a hyper-local brewery that started only three years ago in Somerville, MA. We sampled their original cider, Wunderkind, which is made from a variety of apples grown in Massachusetts, champagne yeast, and local flower blossom honey. The Wunderkind was followed by their newer blend, Rojo, which is a tart cider flavoured with sour cherries and black peppercorns.

Following Bantam was a sampling of aged soft cheeses from the Vermont Creamery. The cheeses are all sustainably produced from goat's milk, and we sampled such varieties as the coupole, bouche, and cremont.

 We proceeded to make our way around the perimeter of the festival, where there was a plethora of local brews and cheeses for us to indulge in. Halfway into our exploration, we happened upon Mayflower Brewing Company. Mayflower is a microbrewery, founded in historic Plymouth, MA by the tenth great grandson of John Alden. Alden was a beer barrel cooper aboard the original Mayflower, thus the namesake for the brewing company. We sampled their red Spring Hop Ale, Porter, and Golden Ale, all of which are made using water from the brooks surrounding Plymouth, where the original pilgrims landed.

Following Mayflower Brewing Company, we made our way to Cellars at Jasper Hill, a Vermont creamery specializing in cow's milk based cheeses. Jasper Hill utilizes Ayrshire cows for their cheeses, resulting in high-solids cheese with an exceptionally creamy texture. The cheeses we sampled were mostly made from raw cow's milk, meaning that the milk was not pasteurized before being turned into cheese. Though there is much debate over the effects of bacteria on cheese flavor, and how pasteurizing can remove that bacteria, our group was quite enamored with the variety of cheeses we sampled, which included bleu, brie, and alpine cheeses.

The end of our festival samplings took us to the Wormtown Brewery. This brewery, based in Worcester, MA, is listed as the only brewery that uses Massachusetts-grown ingredients in every one of their beers. This company is known for their Hop Back and Double Dry Hop brewing proccesses, which give their beers extra hoppy flavor. Wormtown was voted the 2014 Grand National Champion at the U.S. Open Beer Championships, and won this year's Boston Beer & Cheese Festival award for the King of Hops. Even with these accolades, the bitter taste of this hoppy beer was not a favorite amongst our group.

The final cheese tasting we enjoyed was with Crystal Brook Farm, a creamery based in Sterling, MA, specializing in cheese made from goat's milk. The soft cheeses they provided were both decadent and unique in their flavors. Crystal Brook sampled their Australian Ginger, Chive, and Lemon-Lavender cheeses. The favorite amongst our group, and seemingly the majority of the festival attendees, was the Australian Ginger Cheese. This particular cheese was brimming with the typical flavors you find in cheesecake, making it a sweet ending to our samplings.

In the end, the festival was an entertaining way to spend a Saturday night, and provided some much-needed exposure for local businesses. Sampling the many craft brews, ciders, and cheeses allowed us to try products that we would not normally know of, and sample brews that we wouldn't typically be inclined to purchase. I would recommend this festival to anyone wishing to experience a taste of New England in a fun, casual setting.

Cheers!

Sam Adams Brewery Morning Mash In Tour

Sam Adams Brewery Tours usually start at 10:00am and go until 3:00pm but if getting up early isn’t a big deal you can join them for what they call their Morning Mash Tour. They occur on Saturday mornings at 9:40AM and are by RSVP only and feature a special tour experience that includes a specialty tasting.

That sounded right up my alley so I registered a small group of us for the first Saturday I could get tickets for. There was a 5 week waiting time for tickets. When we arrived they were preparing for Octoberfest and we learned that our tour was the only tour that day. Our tour guide Eric handed out bottle labels which would serve as our tickets and he explained that later in the tour he would tell us how those labels could get us each a free beer glass.

While we waited for the remainder of the ticket holders to arrive we explored their showroom where banners for the Best Beer in America hung for many of their different brews. They also had all kinds of other interesting things like the anatomy of a beer can & the anatomy of a barrel. 

It was a very cool space and all it was missing was a bartender to pour us a pint or two while we waited.  One of the coolest things was the wall of a bottle beer. Each bottle represented their different brews that make up the Sam Adams Beer Family. It included everything from you IPA’s, Pale Ales, Rye Beers to your Wheat Beers, Stouts, & Porters. 

 

 

As all the other tour participants arrived he rounded us up at the mouth of a vintage glass-lined tank used in the “Bad Old Days’ of brewing. That vintage tank was the portal into the Brewery. As we were lead into the brewery Eric apologized for the Octoberfest preparations going on and explained that the tour would be abbreviated slightly as a result but that he would make sure we learned everything we needed to know.

Eric went on to explain that the brewery opened in 1989 and before it there were only 44 breweries operating in the United States who made nothing more thing light beers. Sam Adams opened in response and operated obeyed a German purity law that there were only four ingredients in beer. Today there are more craft breweries in the US than anywhere else in the world.

There are only four ingredients in Sam Adams’ Flagship brew; Boston Lager. Those ingredients are malted barley, hops, water and yeast. Eric then explained that the malted barley give the body, texture, color & sweetness of the beer. The hops give the beer its spice, aromatics & bitterness. The water gives it liquidity and the yeast makes it alcoholic.

When we brew beer there are special steps that Sam Adams does that most other breweries don’t do because of cost and time. All of the barley, and make a grist and put it in a mash ton where the water activates the enzymes and breaks down the starches and simple sugars creating mash. One of those special steps is next. They take extra barley and put it in the mash kettle where they boil it where the more complex sugars are unlocked which are left over by the yeast at the end giving the beer more body, texture, viscosity & ultimately flavor. Both are then blended together and filter them in the lauter tun where it’s filtered producing wort. 

That filtered wort is what they brew into a beer. They boil the wort for roughly 90 minutes in a copper vessel where the wort is purified. They add the second ingredient called hops at this stage. It gives the wort its spice and bitterness. Its filtered, fermented and then its bottled, canned, and kegged.

In the fermentation tanks its fermented once. Then we pour 20% more malt/wort on the then dormant yeast which revitalizes yeast and a secondary fermentation occurs and then they crash the tank to leave more sugar. That creates a beer with more layers and complexity. It is for that reason that Sam Adams has won more awards than any other brewery.

Next we headed to the tasting room where they handed each of us a tasting glass as we entered the room. The tasting room was a large room with cafeteria style tables. We found a spot we liked and got ourselves settled in for the 4 different brews we would taste.

The first beer we tasted was the award winning Boston Lager. It started the craft beer revolution and is the most award winning beer on the planet. It is brewed in pre prohibition style. They handed out pitchers to fill our sample glasses. Before handing those out he asked us to wait until he explained what to look, smell and taste for. 

Eric went on to explain that before beer is distribute they check every beer for a few things. First is visual. It should have a nice caramel and amber color. Next you check for clarity. It should be clear. All Boston Lager is filtered. Aroma is the third thing they check for. You should be smelling the pine/citrus smell from the hops. If you smell the hops that means its fresh. Fours is taste. It should have an even flavor with a nice viscosity. Boston Lager is a medium beer and should be a perfect balance of bitter and sweet.

Octoberfest was our second sample brew. It is heavier on the malt and less on the Hops making it a sweeter beer. The style was born in Germany 204 years ago at a wedding party for the crown prince of bravaria. The village people brought their beer and drank for 14 days. The following year they celebrated the wedding and repeated it the following year. It became a tradition and is known as Octoberfest in Munich Germany.

Every year a competition is held in Germany to decide what brewery makes the best Octoberfest Beer. In 2010 Sam Adam’s entered and won. It’s a little heavier in body and a little sweeter and has 5 varieties of malt including a Munich malt which gives it its distinctive Octoberfest taste.

Next Eric explained the unique perfect pint glass. In 2008 Jim Cook was in Germany to select hops and while there he stopped in a pub and picked an obscure style but the bartender wouldn’t pour one because he didn’t have the proper glass for that beer. Jim decided that he wanted to develop the perfect pint glass. It took 2 years. It features a specific design.

A bulbous shape called the hop aroma catcher. It bels back in at the top where it creates a ledge that holds the head. The head helps give off the proper aroma. That ledge helps suspend the head at the top of the glass. The inside lip of top is called the turbulator. It creates turbulence when you take a sip of the beer. The next feature allows the beer to stay cooler longer. It does this because the glass tapers in at the bottom and the glass is thicker. It’s double thick and reduces heat transfer. The final design element is at the bottom of the glass. It is there they create a nucleation site. That intentional imperfection is where carbonation bubbles will burst. Putting on at the bottom of the glass causes the beer to rotate and maintain the perfect amount of head.

He went on to explain that the beer label he handed out earlier if brought to Doyles where Sam Adams was first carried on draft. They will let you keep the glass if you order a beer if you provide the beer label.

Our third sample was Harvest Saison. It’s a French flavor/style of beer full of aroma. It has a distinctive clove taste and has a very malty aroma with a golden amber color. It was my least favorite one.

The Morning Mash In Tours gets one more sample. It’s a special beer called Fat Jack which is an Imperial Double Pumpkin Ale. He explained that it takes 28lbs of pumpkins to brew one barrel. I would describe the taste as sweet with a good deal of spice and a smokiness.

Before leaving Paul who I would guess is the manager got up and explained that as an apology for an abbreviated tour everyone would get a 2014 Octoberfest Beer Steins on the way out. With 28 ounces of craft beer consumed we made our way for the gift shop and picked up our complimentary beer stein. They graciously provided paper to warp our new glasses.

Typically this tour included a more in-depth explanation of the brewing process. Since it was cut short or more accurately accelerated to move us through so they could prep the brewery for the day’s festivities we got the opportunity to drink more beer in the tasting room. No one complained and it was a great experience. Eric our guide was both knowledgeable and very funny. His comedic delivery of the information created a light and playful mood that easily made every participant want to join him at the bar for another round. I don’t think the accelerated speed of the tour affected his delivery of the information. He was eager to interact with the guest and able to answer every question sent his way.

Wachusett Brewing Company Tour

We arrived at a very non-descript building located off a rural road in Westminster, MA. This 
building is home to Wachusett Brewing Company. Parked in front was a vintage fire truck emblazoned with the logo and Wachusett Brewing Company name.
Admittedly we were a little early for the 12:00 opening and knew we would need to wait. It wasn’t long before employees started to arrive and customers began filling the parking lot. Many had their own growlers with them and were there to have them re-filled. Others like us where there for the tour.

Those of us there for the tour gathered in the tasting room where we meet Heather our tour guide for the day. She started us off the right way by offering us a sample of one of the 11 of their different brews on tap.

I selected their newest brew the Strawberry White and Dan selected their trademark brew the Country Pale Ale. The Country Pale Ale was the first of their many different brews. After picking up our complimentary samples we took a seat at one of the many high top tables.

Heather started with a quick explanation of how Wachusett Brewing Company was founded. We learned that it was founded by three WPI students who all had an appreciating for home-brewing. The founders Ned, Kevin and Peter who were either engineering or biology majors put their education to work experimenting until they got the formula just right.

The walking tour of the brewery begins every hour on the hour. The full brewery tour takes about 30 - 45 minutes and is offered on Saturdays. Your tour guide will give you a brief history of the brewery and walk you through our brewing, cellaring and packaging. Children are welcome, but of course may not taste beer during our tasting session, which follows the walking tour. Altogether, the tour and the tasting last for about 1 hour, and tastings are limited to two (2) 2oz. samples.

We learned that the red barn depicted in many of the labels represents Ned’s Family farm in Westminster where they first brewed their beer. They stopped brewing their beer on the farm after they produced so much that they ran the well dry. The well supplied not just the barn but Ned’s parents’ home. The parents decided it was time for them to move their operation out of the barn and they moved into a portion of the current facility.

Many of their equipment was re purposed from other things such as the shrimp steamer now used as their mash pit. In 1994 they started distribution with clear growlers which they cleaned sanitize, hand fill and deliver to the local package stores. When you purchased one you would leave a deposit of $5 for the growler which if you returned it you would receive back. Those empty growlers would be returned to Wachusett Brewing Co where the process would start again. They also started with bunk style keg’s which were hard to fill and dispense from. In 1997 they began bottling.  They changed their growlers from the clear glass and began using light block growlers imported from Germany in 2004. They will hold 5.5-6 beers. The beer lasts for about 1-1.5 weeks unopened once opened it will last just a few days. In 2010 they changed kegs to the straight walled kegs which are both easier to fill and pour from.

1994 Wachusett Brewing Co was producing 40 Kegs per week, today we do 3000 cases of bottles, 5000 cases of cans and 500 kegs in an 8 hour day. As a local craft brewery they brew roughly 30,000 barrels of beer in a year.

They are currently the second largest brewery in Massachusetts behind Harpoon. Sam Adam’s no longer brewed volume in their Jamaica Plain facility just specialty and small batches. They lead the way for Wachusett to take that No. 2 spot. They also have the only canning machine in the state and can beer for other brewers.

There are four things that make a craft beer. Water is the first and the founders are passionate about the area and they use the town water from the Fitchburg reservoir. It is triple filtered and they occasionally add salts. The second ingredient is the wheat and barley which affects the strength, smells, and taste. They also use a 2-row malt. The lower the number of rows the better the quality. There are 22 different varieties of grain used to provide different flavors in the many brews.

The third ingredient they use is hops which they get in pellet form from Washington State. They also grow a small amount locally which they occasionally produce special batches with. Hops grown on a vine up to 25 feet tall.

They fourth ingredient is yeast. There are two different types of yeast. Top fermenting of bottom fermenting yeast. Top fermenting yeast produces ale’s and bottom fermenting yeast produces lagers. The yeast eats through the sugars which then produces alcohol and carbon dioxide.

With that background of Wachusett Brewing Company we got a second sample. Dan and I both chose the Blueberry Ale. Once done with those samples we moved on to the production floor where we first entered the packaging area. This area serves as both as a shipping and receiving area. On one side newly brewed bottled and canned beer is palletized and then their newest tool the orbital wrapper shrink wraps those pallets to ready them for shipping. On the other side bottles and can’s are de-palletized and sent for cleaning and sanitizing.

The 22 different varietals are selected for which ever brew is being produced. Those selected grains are put in the grist grain mill where the wheat and malted barley are ground up and put in their modified shrimp steamer now mash tun. 600 gallons of water are flooded into the Mash and brought up to 160-165 degrees for 75 minutes. You don’t want it to boil you just want the sugars to steep.  This produces a product called wort which is then brought to the brew kettle. All of the grain is pulled off and is trucked to local dairy farms to feed the cows.

The magic happens in the brew kettle. It boils in the brew kettle and the hops are added and it stays in for 75 minutes. It’s too hot to go directly from the brew kettle to the fermenting tanks so it passes through the whirlpool. Once down to temperature it is ready to be moved to one of their fermenting tanks.  From the grist mill to the fermenter takes roughly 5.5 hours.

In the tanks the yeast is introduced at the bottom of the tank and it eats its way to the top. This is top fermenting yeast and produces ales. The yeast eats all the sugars and produces the alcohol and carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide bubbles out into buckets of water and is released and the alcohol stays inside the tank. Brews stay in for a pre-determined period of time based on the particular recipe. It is here that samples are brought to the lab to test and ensure that they brewed correctly and to determine if they are ready. This can take up to 2.5 weeks or as little as 1 week.

These fermentation tanks range from 70 brewers barrels to 180 brewers’ barrels. One brewer’s barrel is equal to 2 kegs and a keg is 15.5gallons so each run produces 140 – 360 kegs.

Once fermentation is complete its filtered or left unfiltered before entering the Bright Beer Tanks to finish. ½ is filtered and ½ of the different brews are filtered. The filtering process takes place the DE filter or diatomaceous earth filter. It is very similar to a pool filter but it is food grade. Then it is placed in the bright tank where the beer is force carbonated. It is aged and conditioned in these tanks. Depending on the brew and alcohol content it can take 5 days to 1 week in the finishing tank.

The operation is a 24/7 operation. If it is ready to be bottled or canned it can take place at any hour. The employees are brought in and it is completed. As mentioned earlier they are the only canner in the state of MA and often other brewers ask them to can their beer. In one of the bright tanks we noticed that they had BBC Steel Rail which was soon to be canned.

Next is packaging. Wachusett can package their beer in can’s, bottles and kegs. They can keg 60 full kegs a minute when they are at full steam. The can’s come like a glass which is washed cleaned and sanitized. It is spun to remove any residual water before it is filled. Then the top is applied and seemed and sealed. Each can is x-rayed and checked for a complete fill.  They purchased their canning machine from Coca Cola when they closed down their Bermuda cannery. Once canning is complete they are bound into six packs and into cases then sent to the palletizer.

The bottling happens at the bottle fill station. They are cleaned and sanitized similarly as the can. They are shot with one drop of liquid nitrogen which not only cleans and sanitizes but forces all the air from the bottle. They are filled from the bottom to the top where it is capped and then sent to the label machine. Once labeled they are put into boxes and then cased and sent to the palletizer.

That is the whole process of making beer and distributing it to vendors for sale.

Task 5 - Pioneer Brewing Company Tour Review

(05) Visit a winery or brewery & take the tour

Activity: Pioneer Brewery
Location: 195 Arnold Rd, Fiskdale, MA 01518
When: June 30, 2013
Rating: 4-Stars

Touring the Pioneer Brewing Company located in Fiskdale, Mass was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.  We arrived at the brewery for our 2 o’clock tour about half an hour early.  Upon entering the brewery we were each given a glass, this glass entitled you to one free beer at the bar.  We went to the bar and placed our order, I ordered the Pioneer American Pale Ale, which was a very good IPA; while everyone else in my group ordered the rapscallion honey which was a lighter and sweeter beer.  The description of the American Pale Ale is:

PIONEER AMERICAN PALE ALE (5.3% a.b.v / 40 i.b.u.)
Our flagship brew. Brewed with 2 row malted barley, crystal 60 lovibond malt and Munich malts. Hopped with Phoenix and East Kent Golding hops. Fermented with an English ale strain. This beer was called "the benchmark of New England Pale Ales or perhaps a step or two above" by BEER ADVOCATE MAGAZINE.

When the tour began at 2, we all entered into the brewing area.  Here we learned from the master brewer, how Pioneer Brewing Company brewed their particular brew.  The master brewer went over how they take barley, yeast, and water which they heat.  These ingredients become what is known in the beer world as mash.  The mash is then cooled and piped it to the fermenting tanks which were located in the other room.  It was also here that we learned that they had a special batch brewed of Birch Beer from a tree that was recently cut down on the property.  This Birch Beer was then taken to a beer festival and wowed the crowed.  Taking note of this, we asked if we could try this special brew.  We were told we could try it at the bar at the end of the tour.

The next stop on our tour was to the fermenting tanks.  It was at this point that the glass we got at the beginning was being filled with cold fresh beer from these fermenting tanks.  The first beer we tried was a really heavy IPA which was really bitter and nobody in the group particularly enjoyed.  The second beer was a logger which was more to the groups liking.  After we finished this beer the tour concluded.

As we were leaving the tour and returning to the main building, we went back to the bar to get a sample of the Birch Beer that wowed at the beer competition.  This beer was really sweet and fresh; it had almost mead like qualities.  After the tour was over, we walked the grounds a bit because there were some goats and chickens which we wanted to see and say hi to.

All in all, the tour was really good and informative; however, the beer they brewed was a heavy beer and mostly geared to the beer connoisseur or the customer who enjoys really hoppy beer.  The tour guide was knowledgeable about their products and really enjoyed the art of beer making.  If you get a chance I would recommend a trip out to this nice brewery.

http://www.pioneerbrewingcompany.com/pioneerbeer.html