The Mystic Brewery inhabits the Mystic Valley in Chelsea, Massachusetts. Although the Mystic Valley has served as the backdrop to many winter New England traditions, including sleigh races and the Jingle Bells song, Venture Café has procured a taste of summer from the Brewery as a juxtaposition to the wintery weather – and beers brewed for darkness – of the past week.

The Mystic Brewery focuses its attention on history – that of its home Valley, and that of brewing beer. The Brewery takes pride in its location in the path of Paul Revere’s ride across the Mystic Valley to warn the Minutemen that the British were coming, and named its house yeast – Wigglesworth – after a 1600’s best-selling Mystic Valley author (and relative of the Founder) who wrote Puritanical doomsday pieces that contained rants about everything but beer. The Mystic Brewery preserves the brewing methods practiced before modern industrial processes became preferred by most its peers. Inspired by Belgian brewers who still adhere to historical traditions, Mystic makes “living beer,” stepping out of the way to allow microbes to do their job in creating flavor, aroma, and complexity.

Mystic Brewery’s dedication to the “living beer” tradition is embodied in its mashing step, which converts the starches in grain to sugar. The brewer pours water into crushed, malted grain and allows it to steep, releasing sugars from the grain. Because highly uniform malts are available today, modern mashing often requires nothing more than the addition of carefully temperature-controlled water to the malt. This infusion mashing can be accomplished all at once or through a stepwise process by adding water of different (generally increasing) temperatures over time. However, Mystic Brewery, like many Belgian farmhouse breweries, prefers more variance in its mash, resulting in a more complex, multidimensional product. Mystic brewers light a fire under a pot containing malt and warm water and stir it for over an hour until the conversion is complete, a technique known as gradient mashing. While gradient mashing requires the brewer to relinquish some control over the process, Mystic believes that it sets its beers apart.

The Renaud Saison currently in our kegerator is an example of a Mystic Belgian style beer, from a line that Mystic designates as 16°. 16° refers to degrees plato, which is an historical measurement of the amount of sugars in an unfermented beer, still popular in Central Europe. The 16° beers tend to be strong at approximately 7.0% ABV and thus pair deliciously with food. The Renaud is a summery beer made with pilsner malt and Saaz hops, resulting in Belgian beer with notes of spice and fruit.

This Thursday, journey through the Boston winter to Venture Café, to take advantage of old traditions and a delicious taste of summer.

This Thursday we are looking forward to enjoying some Fade To Black at Venture Café. No, Metallica is not our Special Guest, but I would like to think if James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich were to drink some of this delicious beer from Left Hand, they would have found life slightly less dark.

Dick Doore and Eric Wallace started the Left Hand Brewing Company in the early 1990s, after several years of homebrewing and roaming the Earth in pursuit of tasty beers. They incorporated in Colorado as Indian Peaks Brewing Company, in honor of the nearby wilderness area that is the historical home to several Native American tribes. Doore and Wallace converted a former meat packing plant on the St. Vrain River near downtown Longmont into their dream brewery. They hit a bump in the road when they discovered that “Indian Peaks” was already being used by another brewery for a beer name, but again found a solution rooted in the Colorado land and its history. They decided to change the name of their brewery to honor Chief Niwot, whose tribe had once frequented the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area, and whose southern Arapahoe name can be derived to be mean “left hand.” They opened their Colorado doors on January 22, 1994.

Fade to Black is a seasonal beer at Left Hand, and refers to “that time of year when the light fades away. Brewed for the darkness, Fade to Black speaks in volumes.” The current brew is Volume 4, a Rocky Mountain Black Ale that pours pitch black with an off-white head. It offers aromas of citrus and roasted malts. The taste is balanced by sweet malts (2-row, Munich, Dark Chocolate, Crystal and Carafa), citrusy hops (Centennial), bitter hops (Columbus), and Italian herbal Amara. The result is smooth, complex, and perfect for the dark months of winter.

While Metallica’s song may focus on the fading of life itself, the beer’s name reflects the quickly fading light of the winter sky. However, since the beer is seasonal, its closing line is the same as the song: Now I will just say goodbye. Thus, come to Café this week to sample this beer before its winter song ends.

For months, Venture Café searched high and low to find and procure the Spice of Life.  After much networking, negotiating, and yes, begging, it now lies in wait, in our very own tiny kegerator.

The Spice of Life comes to us from Sixpoint Brewery in Brooklyn, New York.  It was founded in 2004 but traces its true origins to the beginning of history, as the “Sixpoint Brewers’ star” (also called Bierstern, Brauerstern,  or Zoigel Star, depending on where said history was taking place) has served as a code of brewing for centuries.  While the origins of the association between the Sixpoint and beer are unclear, many agree that the brewer’s star was intended to symbolize purity, advertising that a particular brew was free of additives, adjuncts, and other beer “contaminants.”  Thus, the six points of the star may represent the six aspects of brewing most critical to beer purity – the water, the hops, the grain, the malt, the yeast, and the brewer – but other accounts associate it with the three “elements” involved in brewing (fire, water and air) and the three ingredients known to early brewers (malt, hops and water).  Today, the Sixpoint Brewery maintains these traditions with a “mash-up of professional brewing experiences, global brewery influences, and unbridled homebrew proliferation.”

The Spice of Life Series at Sixpoint is a controlled experiment focusing on one agreed point of the star: the hop.  Hops are the dried ripe cones from the female flowers of the twining plant of genus Humulus.  These cones contain signature oils and acids that impart particular aromas and tastes on different beers.  More oil typically results in a stronger aroma, whereas more acid increases the bitterness of a beer.  To demonstrate how the hop may influence a beer, Sixpoint has been producing a different single-hop IPA each month: except for the featured hop, the other ingredients and processes remain the same.  The brew is fermented dry to accentuate the hop flavor and aroma.  The Spice of Life in our kegerator features the Nelson Sauvin hop from New Zealand, said to offer notes of tangy fruit and white wine, along with moderate bittering.  In this second year of the Spice of Life series, the Nelson Sauvin hop is part of an effort to showcase lesser-known hop varieties to American craft beer drinkers.

The long-awaited Sixpoint Spice of Life featuring the Nelson Sauvin hop will be on tap this Thursday at the Café.  I advise you to carry on a centuries-old tradition of brewers and imbibers everywhere: spice it up.

While some like to experiment and explore beyond the tried and true, the Germans prefer to keep it pure.  Thus, in 1516 in the city of Ingolstadt, Duke Wilhelm IV of Bavaria enacted the Reinheitsgebot, or the German Beer Purity Law, to protect the purity of German beer through government regulation.   The Law dictated the ingredients for beer as well as its prices, and those who brewed impure beer were subject to uncompensated confiscation of their product.

The original Law stated that the only ingredients that could be used in beer were water, barley and hops.  At the time, Germans knew that the barley provided the color and some sugars while the hops balanced the brew with bitterness and served as a natural preservative.  Blind to the world of microorganisms, they did not yet know about yeast and its role to the fermentation process.  Before Louis Pasteur’s work with microorganisms in the 1800s, brewers typically transferred sediment from a previous fermentation to the next without understanding that the process provided the microorganisms necessary to perform fermentation.  In addition to the original three natural ingredients, the 1993 revision of the Purity Law specifies that yeast may be incorporated into bottom-fermented beer (lagers), and that different kinds of sugar and malt may be used for top-fermented beer (ales).

Throughout history, there have been various reasons for enacting and maintaining this Law:

• Brewers had a tendency to use cheap grain substitutes in beer, which resulted in an inconsistent and lower quality product.  The Law ushered in a new era of pride and enthusiasm for German beer.
• Bakers complained about competition with brewers for basic ingredients like wheat and rye, and consumers wanted to ensure that they they could buy affordable bread.  The wheat beers brewed today (hefeweizen) are not compliant with the original Reinheitsgebot, but are allowed under the 1993 revision.
• In 1871, Bavaria asserted the Reinheitsgebot as a precondition to German unification, to prevent competition from other regional brewers who used a broader selection of ingredients.  This protectionism led to the extinction of many German brewing traditions, including the North German spiced beers and cherry beers.  The broad reach of German beer protectionism ended in 1987, courtesy of a ruling by the European Court of Justice stating that beer imported into Germany does not have to abide by the Purity Law.

Modern German regulations allow for a broader range of ingredients (at least in ales), but those with a penchant for experimentation have searched for ways to escape their remaining purity shackles.  One team of scientists at the Technical University of Munich has focused on yeast as a “loophole” to even the Reinheinsgebot of 1516 (although I am sure that genetically modified ingredients also would have been verboten, had regulators known about them).  Their team created a process wherein they insert different genes into various strains of yeast to create substances like caffeine (stimulant) and limonene (lime flavor) during fermentation.  So far, their experiments have shown that their genetically modified yeast can grow in the relevant environment of hops, malts and water in sufficient amounts necessary for their experiments.  Further, they discovered that they may need to take steps to preserve the genome integrity of the yeast strains in their “SynBio Beer”: first brewing attempts revealed no difference in limonene content between the beer with genetically modified yeast and the control beer, perhaps due to loss of the plasmid that encodes limonene synthase.  Regardless of their experimental results, the scientists’ main goal is to “involve, interest and inspire people to reconsider preconceived ideas and encourage them to openly engage in a broad discussion weighing pros and cons of genetic engineering in foodstuff.”

In summary, some like it pure, some like to mix it up, and some like to circumvent the issue by applying scientific principles.  Like Venture Café, the world of beer caters to a diverse range of tastes and perspectives.

Last week in the Café we had a “Second” and a “First,” with the same beverage at the same time.  Due to its popularity on its debut night in the Café, we featured Bantam Wunderkind Cider for the second time.  For the first time, co-founders Dana Masterpolo (Co-founder and Head Storyteller) and Michelle da Silva (Co-founder and Head Taster) joined our session to share their story of how they created their very American small business and their very Massachusetts “Modern American Cider.”

With day jobs in insurance and architecture, the co-founders spent about 18 months experimenting with batches of home crafted ciders and enlisting their friends and families as tasters.  Insisting on blind tastings, they compared different recipes of their own as well as other ciders on the market.

Their end product is a dry, crisp cider, with a focus on local ingredients and local production.  They chose to use a blend of four varieties of apples, each adding a different element to the cider: McIntosh (aroma), Cortland (body), Empire (spice), and Green (tartness).  The apples are grown at five farms across Western Massachusetts, and then pressed at Carver Hill Orchard in Stow, Massachusetts.  The fermentation and blending process takes place at Westport Rivers Winery in Westport, Massachusetts.  Westport Rivers Winery is specially suited to produce cider – which some drinkers consider the middle ground between beer and wine – because these wine makers also operate Buzzards Bay Brewing, a brewery focused on local agriculture and farm fresh ales.

In addition to apples, Bantam incorporates into the mix a sparkling wine yeast and organic flower blossom honey to create a dry, balanced taste and mouthfeel.  These characteristics make the cider pair especially well with cheeses and spicy foods, including Indian and Thai dishes.  The co-founders also encourage cooking with the cider, particularly in marinades and with pork.

The Bantam Wunderkind Cider will be on tap at the beginning of the Café session this Thursday.  Please stop by and give it a try. You can rest assured that it will be tasty, locally sourced in Massachusetts, and quintessentially American.

Whenever we serve a Belgian-style beer at Venture Cafe, I very helpfully use the term “Belgiany” to respond to inquires regarding the taste of the offering.  While my descriptor is often met with skeptical (or annoyed) expressions, invariably guests will smile after that first sip, cock their heads to the side with a purse of the lips, and agree, “Yeah, that is Belgiany.”

This oft-repeated exchange raises the question: what makes a Belgian beer Belgiany?  It’s a tough question, because there are so many types of Belgian beer, and no one style in which Belgian beer is brewed. Compared to their peers, Belgian beers tend to have higher alcohol content, and are more often bottle-conditioned, or re-fermented in the bottle, which results in an almost champagne-like effervescence when the beer is poured.  However, these characteristics are not what create that signature “Belgiany” taste.

The credit for the unique taste of Belgian beers goes to the wild card of beer ingredients: the yeast.  Yeast are the micro-organisms that transform sugar (the malt) into alcohol and carbon dioxide.  They also create phenols and esters, chemical compounds that produce the flavors and aromas that contribute to the character of a beer.  While yeasts for some beer styles, like lagers, are cultivated to reduce these phenol and ester by-products, ale yeasts are often selected for their characteristic output.  Esters commonly have a fruity aroma (like berry, banana, or orange), while phenols produce more spicy elements (like pepper, cloves, or herbs).  Brewers choose specific strains of yeast for their aroma and flavor offerings, and even highlight them by raising fermentation temperatures.  One popular strain of yeast for Belgian brewers is called Brettanomyces bruxellensis, which may lend hints of fruitiness, spiciness, or earthiness to a beer depending on conditions.

To understand this particular quality in beer, try some Allagash White this week at the Cafe.  It’s a wheat beer, spiced with orange and coriander, with a refreshing finish … but if you ask, I will just tell you that it’s “Belgiany.”

On tap at Venture Café is the delicious Blue Hills 3 Peak Holiday Stout.  Brewed in the milk stout style, it boasts strong flavors of vanilla, oak, and sweet lactose.  A few months ago, we served Opa Opa Milk Stout, which tasted of roasted malts, coffee, and chocolate.  Whenever the Café pours a milk stout,  the most common question at the bar is: “Hey – got any milk in that stout?”

It turns out that the “milk stout” style is a modern day misnomer.  Drinkers in the UK in the 1800s did indeed pour whole milk into their porters and stouts, and brewers at the time added milk to their fermentation processes.  However, the modern recipe does not call for milk, but instead requires lactose sugar, which is the sugar that is found in milk and gives it that creamy texture and taste.

Lactose sugar differs from other sugars in how it is affected by yeast.  In normal “non-milk” brewing, the yeast ferments most of the sugar in the brew into alcohol.  The leftover sugar that the yeast does not process imparts a sweet flavor to the beer, so brewmasters control this fermentation process to manage the sweetness of the final product.  Unlike other sugars, however, lactose sugar cannot be fermented by the yeast, so it all remains in the beer to create a fuller-bodied product with more rounded mouthfeel and added sweetness.  It also can balance the hoppiness and bitterness of some drier stouts.

These qualities make the milk stout an excellent introduction to darker beer styles – a gateway stout, if you will.  So, the next time you get the chance, try a milk stout.  I hear it does a body good.

A fellow participant at the American Craft Beer Fest asked me about the difference between styles of Trappist beers, particularly dubbels, tripels and quads.  I did know that what these beers have in common is that they are all ales, meaning that they are top-fermenting, and bottle-conditioned.  Beyond a vague notion of “strength,” I did not know the exact difference between the three, so I thought it would be helpful to do a little research for the blog.

I found that the different styles have their origin in the amount of malts added to the beer: twice the amount demanded from the basic recipe for a duppel, three times for the tripel and four times for the quad.  However, that characterization is no longer accurate in brewing these beers today; they are now distinguished by alcohol content and to a lesser extent by color.

I will start with the Enkel, which means “single.”  The Enkel was the lightest beer produced in the monastery and consumed by the monks themselves.  Today these beers are rarely offered for public sale, and the term Enkel is used more often to describe the basic recipe for a Trappist brewer.

Dubbels are relatively strong beers, with about 6-8% ABV.  They are considered brown ales, with slight bitterness, fairly heavy body, and balanced roast and dark fruit flavors.  Dubbels have a very small hop profile but a pronounced dry malt character.  Examples include Westmalle Dubbel, Chimay Red/Premiere, and Rochefort 8.

Tripels are cleaner and crispier than the other styles, with 7-10% ABV, but they tend to be more pale or blonde in color.  The aroma and flavor tend to involve powdery yeast and fruit notes with a sweet finish.  Tripels are on the complex side for a light-bodied beer, and involve a fair amount of hops and bitterness, spice, malt and fruit flavors.  Westmalle Tripel and Chimay White/Cinq Cents are two examples of Tripel beers.

Quads are similar to dubbels, but the alcohol is the most important part of flavor profile, giving quads a sweeter quality than dubbels.  Quads sit at 9%+ ABV, and range from amber to dark brown in color.  Quads are full bodied, allowing for a rich malty palate with low bitterness and pronounced fruit flavors.  Some examples include St. Bernadus Abt 12, Three Philosophers, and Pretty Things Baby Tree.

I have given you the basics.  However, the best way to discern the difference between these beers is to taste them, and to feel the difference in their effects.  So treat yourself to a taste test, and decide which one is your new favourite beer.