Pilot Batch Release: Bitter Milk Biscuits by Rich Ruelle

We're releasing a pilot batch of beer every week at The Bruery Tasting Room during the month of February!

Meet Rich and try his pilot batch of Bitter Milk Biscuits on Friday 2/14/14 from 6-8PM!

Our team of brewers have been working on their own 3 bbl brew on our pilot system. Each brewer had full creative control over his own batch, and we're releasing these very limited, experimental brews all month long.

Our second beer in this series is Rich Ruelle's Bitter Milk Biscuits. If you've been a patron of The Bruery for a couple years now, you've seen Rich work in just about every role here. It's pretty convenient he happened to be an excellent brewer!

This aptly named, subtle twist on the American Red Ale boasts a big biscuit malt base, moderate bitterness, and a very silky texture thanks to the addition of lactose, which also contributes to the sweetness and full body of this 6.5% ABV beer.

Rich shares some tasting notes on his creation:



According to Tasting Beer, the American Red Ale is one of the earliest craft beer styles. Here's what the specs for this style look like:

Flavor: plenty of caramel malt, delicate hop finish
Aroma: clean caramel malt plus a hint of floral hops
Balance: malty to somewhat hoppy
Pair with: wide range of food; chicken, seafood, burgers, spicy cuisine
Gravity: 1.048 - 1.058
Alcohol: 4.5-6% by volume
Attenuation/Body: medium
Color: 11-18º SRM, pale to dark amber
Bitterness: 30-40 IBU, medium

If you had a chance to try our infamous Or Xata, a horchata-inspired beer we came out with for The Bruery Preservation Society last year; or Tout Mais Le Coller, our creamy orange and vanilla ale made in collaboration with Noble Ale Works, then you're familiar with flavor and mouthfeel that lactose can contribute to a beer.

Rich will be at the Tasting Room on 2/14 to debut his brand new brew to the public from 6-8PM. The rest of our schedule for pilot batch releases during February is as follows:

Thursday 2/20 Walt by Andrew Bell:
Dry-hopped funky saison. Brewed in memory of Walt Powell, who passed away on June 4th, 2013 at the age of 33.

Thursday 2/27 Chupacabra Quinceañera by Sean Flannery:
A refreshing 100% Brett fermented blonde beer bursting with clean tropical aroma from the unique brett strain used for fermentation. These notes are complimented with the subtle use of Simcoe and Amarillo hops, which add layers of tangerine and passionfruit.

Past pilot batch releases from this month:
Pilot Batch Release: Saison Garni by Matt Becker -- on tap now!