Sneak Peek #2 - Beers Made By Walking (COS/Monument)
I thought I'd give you all another sneak peek at the upcoming Beers Made By Walking on Sept 22nd at Pikes Peak Brewing. Check out what Carol White, Zenia Brink, and Lefty have made for the event!
Carol White and Zenia Brink
 |
| Wild hops going into Carol and Zenia's beer! |
What kind of beer are you two making for Beers Made By Walkin?
We're making a Belgian Style Pale Ale with Rose hips, Clover Honey, and Wild Hops. I guess you could also say it's wet hopped since we added some of Woody's very freshly picked hops. We're adding some Orange Bitters for an added kick.
On the hike, what ingredients stood out to you and what did you choose?
The sunflower really intrigued me. Especially when Liz mentioned it could be malted. I was interested in seeing if that would add a nice nutty flavor. I look forward to trying Lefty's beer to see what flavors he achieves. Rose hips not only stood out for me on this hike, but also on some of the hikes from last year. I had never really noticed them before, but once they were pointed out I started seeing them everywhere! I try and lead a pretty healthy and organic life style so I am always really interested in natural remedies. I have long known the great health benefits of Rose Hips and am excited that we could incorporate them into our beer. I can see the commercial now. Rosie's Wild Hips and Hops, drink it for your health! Now with more vitamin C!
Carol and I wanted to make a beer that we would enjoy drinking. We're both huge hop heads so we wanted something with a pretty strong hop profile. We also like the idea of using honey, based on the wild clover found on the hike, but didn't want too much of a honey presence. We felt like the wild hops and citrus peel would help balance that out. When Grant Goodwiler, who helped us along, suggested the Belgian Pale Ale style, we were sold.
We brainstormed a bit, but to both of us the rose hips stood out almost right off the bat. We went over to Sage Woman Herbs and sniffed a few ingredients to try and get a better idea of what they smelled like, looked like, what they might taste like, ro do in a beer etc. We bought a little bit of the rose hips and took them back to the office to steep in hot water to get a better idea of their flavor profile. It was delicious!
Anything else you'd like to add?
Hopefully it will be quite drinkable and enjoyable. I'm hoping that it'll be well balanced, yet complex in flavor and aroma. A pleasant surprise. And also I have to give a huge shout out to Grant Goodwiler! Without his help, this would never have come together for us. His willingness to help and his knowledge of beer has made for such a great experience!
 |
| Lefty having a good look at some plants on the trail. |
What kind of beer are you making and what are some of the ingredients that you are using?
I made a Malted Sunflower Honey Ale. There were so many choices of ingredients on our hike, it was tough to narrow it down. The temptation for me was to use multitude of ingredients, but I dicided that it was best to keep it simple, going with one extra ingredient - Sunflower seeds.
Why that adjunct ingredient?
I liked the Sunflowers, because being a seed they could be malted. I liked the idea that the bees interacting with the flowers produce honey. The synergy between bees and the sunflower showcase how all of life is dependet upon each other. To me, the Sunflowers and Honey are the perfect choice of ingredients for this beer
What can we expect with your beer?
I think It will be an easy drinking beer, with a floral nose from the wildflower Honey and Sunflower seeds, finishing with an almost nutty malt flavor contributed from the Sunflower seeds as well.
Beers Made By Walking (Monument/Colorado Springs)
- - -
Stay up to date with Focus on the Beer. You can receive email updates and join us on our Facebook page.