December 22, 2009

Happy Holidays!

Join us at the Foundry Christmas night for our first annual Ugly Sweater party! Just ask for manager Candice - if your sweater's uglier than hers she'll buy a pint of McCoy's craft beer!

Things continue on New Year's Eve with DJ Charlie Burt at the Foundry & Buckoff live on stage at McCoy's. $5 gets you access to McCoy's, the Foundry & one80 and includes complimentary champagne toast at midnight. We're also giving away a $100 bar tab to the most glamorous person of the night!

December 21, 2009

January Brewmaster's Dinner

Apologies for the late notice on this, but we wanted to remind everyone that there will be a Brewmaster's tasting in January. The dinner, like all other Brewmaster's dinners, will take place the first Tuesday of the month - January 5th in this case - but will be a smaller, lower-key affair. For only $25 we're featuring 4 strong ales accompanied with 4 small plates in the old cigar room at McCoy's, in between McCoy's & the Foundry . Here's a quick run down of the menu:

Pumpkin-walnut bread, P'tit Basque cheese and roasted butternut squash with Boulevard's Harvest Dance Wheat Wine - 9.1% ABV.

Smoked duck confit in pastry with sherry soaked raisins and Arcadia Cereal Killer Barleywine-style ale - 9% ABV.

Bourbon-braised pork over white cheddar cheese grits with McCoy's 10 year Anniversary Ale (3 year old "triple IPA"!) - 13% ABV.

Raspberry "beer-a-missou" paired with Avery's Mephistopheles Imperial Stout - 15.1% ABV.

Further apologies are in order as the dinner is already at capacity - we actually sold out the night of December's Brewmaster Dinner! Sorry for the taunt if you don't already have reservations... We'll be back in full swing for February and tickets will be on sale January 6th.

December 09, 2009

Now on Tap - Wee Willy Scotch Ale


Scotch ales are strong ales, also known as "Wee Heavy." In the 19th century Scotland, they'd also be known as 160/-, a nomenclature based on the now obsolete shilling currency. Scotch ales traditionally go through a long boil in the kettle for a caramelization of the wort. This produces a deep copper to brown colored brew. Compared to Scottish ales, they'll be sweeter and fuller-bodied, and of course higher in alcohol, with a much more pronounced malty caramel and roasted malt flavor.

Our Wee Willy Scotch Ale uses Peated Malt in the mash. A “peaty” malt flavor is the result – kind of smokey and sea-salty. Hopping is low but malt flavor and body is pronounced. Beer lovers (or Scotch lovers!) will really enjoy this robust & smoky strong ale!


Brewers’ specs:

55% Pale malt
15% Carapils malt
10%Vienna malt
5% Munich malt
5% Biscuit malt
5% Wheat malt
3.5% Peated malt
1.5% Roasted malt

Hops are a blend of English Goldings and Fuggle, American Willamette and German Spalt

Fermented with McCoy's house ale yeast; cellared 2 months

OG: 20.2 Plato
8.3% ABV

December 08, 2009

Now on Tap - Winter Warmer

These malty sweet offerings tend to be a favorite winter seasonal. Big malt presence, both in flavor and body. The color ranges from brownish-reds to nearly pitch black. Hop bitterness is generally low, leveled and balanced, but hop character can be pronounced. Alcohol warmth is not uncommon. Many English versions contain no spices, though some brewers of spiced winter seasonal ales will slap "Winter Warmer" on the label. Those that are spiced, tend to follow the "wassail" tradition of blending robust ales with mixed spices, before hops became the chief "spice" in beer. American varieties may have a larger presence of hops both in bitterness and flavor.

Ours is loosely based on the Samuel Smith Winter Welcome Ale. Big malt and low hopping. Big alcohol yet restrained alcoholic warmth. This year, 40 pounds of Italian Plum was added during the boil which added fermentable sugar and carried some flavor through, perceived as citrus sweetness.
We are serving it in a snifter to keep in all the yummy flavor and aroma. This beer was not filtered and has a slight haze at cold temperatures. If let to warm up a bit the haze fades and all the juicy malt aroma comes to the front.

Brewers specs:

Malt:
75% Pale malt
10% Vienna malt
10% Carapils
5% Malted wheat

Hops:
English East Kent Goldings
German Spalt

Fermented with McCoy's Ale yeast for 2 weeks at 18.5 C

OG: 23.5 Plato
9.6% ABV

Strong, semi-sweet flavor with malt & background fruit accents and a tawny color. Cheers!

December 07, 2009

"WHAT'S ON TAP:"

Just to the right, you'll notice a list of handcrafted beers we currently have on tap. This can be your "go to" resource for knowing exactly what we have on tap at any given moment. Be sure to check back often to see if anything's changed. Recently we put the Belgian Dubbel & California Uncommon back on (and Ursa Major's gone...for now) - which doesn't really warrant a full post, but a quick glance to the right and you'll know what's on tap!

Cheers!

December 02, 2009

Pics - Christmas Ale Dinner

Yet another incredible evening of food and beer! Last night's Brewmaster's Dinner featured holiday-inspired dishes carefully paired with 'winter warmer' style beers, holiday ales and even a little wassail. Many thanks to those of you who made it out, for those that didn't, here's what you missed:

People crowded around the Foundry bar before dinner began.

The reception course: warm Brie phyllo cup with cranberry-ginger chutney & toasted almonds paired with Delirium Noel - 10% ABV.

Owner James Westphal (left) & McCoy's Brewmaster Keith Thompson welcomed the guests as they took their seats.

Mr. Pauwels donned his fanciest outfit for the night.

Chestnut soup with Porcini mushrooms, maple glazed onions & sage croutons with Boulevard's extra-hopped "Nutsack" ale - ? ABV. Looks like a pretty happy bowl of soup...

Diners filled the Foundry for our largest Brewmaster's Dinner yet - 64 people!

Cornish game hen, spiced apple prune stuffing, maple-pecan Brussels sprouts with McCoy's Winter Warmer - 9.8% ABV.

Keith preaching the gospel of beer.

Beef Wellington with Mushroom Duxelles served with St. Bernardus ABT 12 - 10.5% ABV.

James going over January's Dinner menu - 4 strong ales paired with 4 small plates for only $25! More info very soon.

Christmas plum pudding with eggnog whipped cream & Samichlaus Bier - 14% ABV.

The first rule of Ugly Sweater Night: you do not ask about Ugly Sweater Night.

Here we go a-wassailing!

White chocolate pretzel bark with McCoy's homemade wassail: our Winter Warmer simmered with spices, port wine & cider ale. I'll be posting the recipe soon...this stuff was incredible!

Happy holidays!

November 19, 2009

Now on Tap - Toddy Oatmeal Stout

Oatmeal stouts are generally medium to full bodied & have an unreal smoothness to them due to the addition of oats to the mash. The oats not only add a lot of smoothness to the mouthfeel, but give a touch of sweetness that is unlike any other type of stout. Ours is a very smooth and delicious, malt forward stout that is nitrogenated to make it even more smooth & creamy. This time around our good friends at Broadway Cafe put together a very special roast to compliment and enhance our tasty oatmeal stout.

Brewer's specs:

Pale malt
Carapils malt
Munich malt
Roasted malt
Black malt
Honey malt

Oats

Bravo & Willamette hops

Fermented with McCoy's house ale yeast

Cold extracted Broadway Cafe Toddy added after maturation

OG 15.5 Plato
45 IBU
6.1% ABV

A great way to start your day!

November 18, 2009

Back on Tap - Double IPA

That's right - the 3rd batch of our big & bold Double India Pale Ale is back on tap since we polished off the Cask IPA. This keg has been resting for a few months and I think the hop bitterness has mellowed substantially and the honey flavor has become a bit more balanced, making this a sweet & smooth, big DIPA. Check out the original post with more detail and brewer's specs here.

Cheers!

November 17, 2009

Now on Tap - California Uncommon


Introducing the California Uncommon - our Imperial Steam beer. Steam beer may be defined as a highly effervescent beer made by brewing lager yeasts at ale fermentation temperatures. It has two distinct but related meanings:

- Historic steam beer produced in California from the mid-1800s to mid-1900s;
- Modern California Common beer, the official name for the beer family which includes Anchor Steam beer.

Historic steam beer, associated with San Francisco & and the U.S. West Coast, was brewed with lager yeast without the use of refrigeration. It was an improvised process, originating out of necessity, perhaps as early as the Gold Rush. It was considered a cheap & low-quality beer as shown by references to it in literature of the 1890s & 1900s.

Modern steam beer, properly known in the brewing community as California common beer, was originated by Anchor Brewing Company, which trademarked the name Anchor Steam beer in 1981. Although the modern company has corporate continuity with a small brewery which was still making traditional steam beer in the 1950s, Anchor Steam is a craft-brewed lager. The company does not claim any close similarity between it and turn-of-the-century steam beer.

Explanations of the word "steam" are all speculative. The carbon dioxide pressure produced by the process was very high, and one possibility is that it was necessary to let off "steam" before attempting to dispense the beer. According to Anchor Brewing, the name "steam" came from the fact that the brewery had no effective way to chill the boiling wort using traditional means. So they pumped the hot wort up to the large, shallow, open-top bins on the roof of the brewery so that it would be rapidly chilled by the cool air blowing in off the Pacific Ocean. Thus, while brewing, the brewery had a distinct cloud of steam around the roof let off by the wort as it cooled, providing basis for the name. It is also possible that the name derives from "Dampfbier" (literally "steam beer"), a traditional German ale that was also fermented at unusually high temperatures and that may have been known to 19th-century American brewers, many of whom were of German descent.

In 19th-century California, not only ice, but even sources of naturally cold water, were probably unavailable to brewers. California brewers were forced to use lager yeast at higher ale temperatures.

Final flavors of beer are influenced by the strain of yeast and fermentation temperature. Lager yeast is best used at temperatures from 55°F down to 32°F. Classic lagering of beers takes place over a period of time from weeks to many months at a temperature of 45°F. Lager yeasts are bottom fermenting, which is to say that they ferment the wort while sitting on the bottom of the fermenter.

Ale yeast is best used at temperatures from 55°F to 75°F. Fermentation by ale yeasts produces a beer that has a distinctive ale flavor. Ale yeasts are top fermenting, in that they settle out on top of the wort after fermenting. Steam beer uses bottom fermenting lager yeasts at ale temperatures, which results in a very distinct flavor profile that includes both ale & lager characteristics.


While Steam beer is considered a specialty microbrew style of beer today, it was originally a cheap beer made for blue collar workers. Wahl & Heinus's American Handy Book of Brewing and Malting (1902) describes California steam beer as "a very clear, refreshing drink much consumed by the laboring classes." And while Anchor Steam is an all barley malt beer, additives were often used in the earlier days. According to the book, "malt alone, malt and grits,or raw cereals of any kind, and sugars, especially glucose, employed in the kettle to the extent of 33%... Roasted malt or sugar coloring is used to give the favorite amber color of Munich beer."

So...you take all of that and double it, and you have Imperial Steam Beer!



Brewer's specs:

Malt
90% Pale
5% Crystal
5% Munich

Hops
75% Northern Brewer
25% Cascade

Fermented at 18°C (64.4°F) with McCoy's house lager yeast

OG: 23.3 Plato
10.2% ABV

A postmodern twist on a modern revival of a classic American beer

November 11, 2009

Christmas Ale Dinner - 12.01.09


Oh yes, back at it once again! This month's Brewmaster's Dinner features holiday-inspired dishes paired with big "winter warmer" beers from Boulevard, Delirium, St. Bernardus, Samichlaus & McCoy's, concluding with our very own wassail! Tickets are only $45 including tax & gratuity. We are already over halfway sold out so please come by or call us at (816) 960-0866 to make your reservation today!

Six courses featuring:

Warm brie phyllo cup with cranberry-ginger chutney & toasted almonds with Delirium Noel - 10% ABV.

Chestnut soup with porcini mushrooms, maple glazed onions & sage croutons with Boulevard Nutcracker Ale - 5.9% ABV.

Cornish game hen with spiced apple-prune stuffing & maple-pecan Brussels sprouts with McCoy's Winter Warmer - 8.5% ABV.

Beef Wellington with mushroom duxelles & St. Bernardus ABT 12 - 10.5% ABV.

Christmas plum pudding with eggnog whipped cream & Samichlaus Bier - 14% ABV (!!!)

White chocolate pretzel bark with warm holiday wassail - our own Winter Warmer simmered with spices, port wine & cider ale.

November 04, 2009

Pics - Trappist Beer Dinner

Last night was yet another succesful Brewmaster's Dinner. This month's event featured beers from 6 of the 7 Trappist breweries, which are brewed in monasteries located in Belgium and the Netherlands under the control and guidelines of Trappist monks. Each dish featured autum-inspired ingredients that paired wonderfully with each of the bigger, bolder, higher alcohol beers. Many, many thanks to those of you who made it out, but for those who didn't, here's what you missed:

Guests began pouring into the Foundry around 6:30.

First course: hazelnut encrusted Chevre goat cheese truffles with rosemary honey.


A goat cheese truffle with Chimay Tripel - 8% ABV.

Round #2: Pumpkin ale soup with sage croutons, nutmeg whipped cream and Orval - 6.9% ABV.

Onlookers watch as Guffy is about to break into the Running Man while collecting empty glasses...

Third course: roasted duck salad with sun-dried cherries, candied walnuts, Roquefort cheese and Trappistes Rochefort 10 - 11.3% ABV.

Achel Bruin prefers it with the lights down... - 8% ABV.

Seared diver scallop over butternut squash with brown butter sauce, prosciutto & Achel Bruin.

Owner James Westphal explaining how flavorful some of the Trappist beers are: "they taste THIS big!"

Westmalle Dubbel - 7% ABV. Truly a remarkable beer; available at the Foundry.

Braised beef short ribs with shiitake mushrooms & parsnip-turnip puree, paired with Westmalle Dubbel.

Double-layer butternut squash pecan pie, apricot glaze and maple whipped cream with Koningshoeven quadrupel - 10% ABV. Koningshoeven is an absolutely incredible beer - find it & drink it!

Class in a glass, baby!

'til next time - cheers!

October 29, 2009

Hey!

Hey everybody - just wanted to remind you to grab tickets to the Trappist Beer Dinner if you haven't already! We've got just a few seats left and want to make sure YOU get them before anyone else. Stop by for a pint (or 4) and secure your spot on what is sure to be one of our best Brewmaster's Dinners yet! More info on that here.

A few other noteworthy items: more information on the bottling of Ursa Major coming very soon; the incredibly delicious Imperial Steam Lager will be on in the next week or so; and something I'm really looking forward to in the next couple weeks is the release of our Coffee Oatmeal Stout - our ridiculously smooth oatmeal stout infused with coffee beans from Broadway Coffee! Oh, and speaking of coffee beers, the Foundry is just dying to tap a keg of Founders Breakfast Stout once we polish off the Schlafly Pumpkin Ale...

See you soon :)

October 20, 2009

Now On Tap - Pilsener


A pilsener (also "pilsner" or simply "pils") is a type of pale lager. It takes its name from being developed in the 19th century in the city of Pilsen, Bohemia (Plzen in the Czech Republic). Until the mid-1840s, most Bohemian beers were top-fermented, dark & cloudy. The taste and standards of quality often varied widely, and in 1838, consumers dumped whole barrels to show their dissatisfaction. The officials of Pilsen founded a city-owned brewery in 1839, called Bürger Brauerei (Citizens' Brewery - now Plzensky Prazdoj), brewing beer according to the Bavarian style of brewing. Bavarian brewers had begun experiments with the storage (German: "lager") of beer in cool caves using bottom-fermenting yeasts, which improved the beer's clarity, flavor & shelf-life.

The Bürger Brauerei recruited the Bavarian brewer Josef Groll (1813 – 1887) who, using new techniques and the newly available paler malts, presented his first batch of modern pilsener on October 5, 1842. The combination of pale color from the new malts, Pilsen's remarkably soft water, Saaz noble hops from nearby Saaz (since 1918 Zatec) and Bavarian-style lagering produced a clear, golden beer which was regarded as a sensation.

Improving transport and communications also meant that this new beer was soon available throughout central Europe, and the Pilsner Brauart style of brewing was soon widely imitated. In 1859, “Pilsner Bier” was registered as a brand name at the Chamber of Commerce and Trade in Pilsen. In 1898, the Pilsner Urquell trade mark was created to put emphasis on being the original brewery.

A pilsener is generally regarded as different from other pale lagers by a more prominent hop character, particularly from the use of Saaz noble hops. While pilsener is best defined in terms of its characteristics and heritage, the term is also used by some brewers (particularly in North America) to indicate their "premium" beer, whether or not it has a particular hop character.

Our Pilsener follows the Bohemian tradition. We use imported Pilsener Malt and a lot of Czech Saaz hops to produce a refreshing crisp, hoppy lager that you’ll want to drink all day. This beer was brewed in July and has been lagering since. It is filtered to show off its brilliant golden color.


Brewer's specs:

Malt: Pilsener , Carapils & Crystal

Hops: 90% Czech Saaz, 10% Hallertauer

Fermented with McCoy's house lager yeast

OG 11.3 Plato
4.4% ABV

October 17, 2009

Random Photos

Yesterday we recieved over 200 lbs. of raspberry puree for our Raspberry Wheat:


The fermentation tanks in the alley behind McCoy's (named after Brewmaster Keith Thompson's kids):


GABF Medals: Newcomb's IPA (Bronze 2002 & 2004 - English Style IPA) and Ginger Shandy (Silver 2001 & 2003 - Specialty Beer):


The Brewhouse inside the restaurant:

Have a good weekend - cheers!

October 14, 2009

Trappist Beer Dinner - 11.03.09


Join us Tuesday Nov. 3 at 6:30 for our most exciting Brewmaster's Dinner yet! We'll be offering a 6 course meal paired with beers from 6 of the 7 Trappist breweries. For those of you not familiar with Trappist beer, they are brewed under the control & guidelines of Trappist monks at their monasteries located in Belgium & the Netherlands. Of the the 7 Trappist breweries, all are available in the United States with one exception - Westvleteren, which is only available at their Belgium monastery. But we've got the other 6 - Chimay, Orval, Rochefort, Achel, Westmalle & Koningshoeven! These are full flavor, high alcohol brews that will go great with the cool weather and our Autumn-inspired menu. Tickets are only $50 person. Be sure to call us at 816-960-0866 or stop by to get your tickets ASAP as reservations are very limited.

October 13, 2009

Stout-oberfest!

Given the recent decline in temperatures, these seasonal brews couldn't have come at a more appropriate time. It is with much pride and excitement that we announce the return of Ursa Major - our Russian Imperial Stout (which happens to be my favorite McCoy's brew), as well as our nitrogenated Oatmeal Stout. That gives us a total of 3 stouts on tap right now - Ursa Major, Oatmeal Stout & our year-round offering, Thompson's Dry Stout.

Ursa Major Russian Imperial Stout

An Imperial Stout, or Russian Imperial Stout, is a strong dark beer that was originally brewed by Thrale's brewery in London for export to the court of Catherine II of Russia; known then as "Thrale's Entire Porter". Ursa Major is a rich, intense brew with big, complex flavors and a warming finish due to the high alcohol content. At 10.5% ABV, the "Big Bear" name is certainly appropriate. This beer has been recieved so well we're going to be bottling a small amount of it this year in our 30 oz. flip-top bombers. More info on that soon - check out the label art:

Brewer's specs:

Pale 2-row Malt
Crystal Malt
Roasted Malt
Chocolate Malt
Black Malt

Brown Sugar
Belgian Candied Sugar
20 lbs. East Kent Goldings hops from England
Fermented with McCoy's House Ale Yeast

OG 26 Plato
85 IBU
10.5% ABV

Oatmeal Stout:

Oatmeal Stouts are generally medium to full bodied stouts that have a remarkable smoothness to them from the addition of oats to the mash. The oats not only add a lot of smoothness to the mouthfeel, but also give a touch of sweetness that is unlike any other type of stout. Ours is very smooth and delicious with assertive dark malt flavors. This batch was nitrogenated to make it incredibly creamy!

Brewer's specs:

Pale Malt
Carapils Malt
Munich Malt
Roasted Malt
Black Malt
Honey Malt

Oats

Bravo & Willamette hops from the Pacific Northwest

Fermented with McCoy's House Ale Yeast

OG 15.5 Plato
45 IBU
6.1% ABV

October 07, 2009

Pics - Thai One On!

Wow, another great night of food & beer at the Foundry! Last night's Brewmaster's Dinner was incredible and the pairings were matched to perfection. These dinners truly are a treat and something to look forward to every month. Once again, many thanks to those who made it out but for those who didn't, here's what you missed:

Everyone gathered at the Foundry for reception drinks and conversation.

Kick-ass bartender Ethan preparing the Singha lager.

Executive Chef Mark Kelpe with a tray of Ahi tuna tartar "ice cream cone" with black sesame seeds, wasabi creme and flying fish roe.

Yum!

The dinner was hosted by owner James Westphal, who explained each food course, & brewmaster Keith Thompson, who discussed the beers.

Crispy curried crab "cannolis" with edemame bruschetta, mango relish & Hitachino Nest White Ale. The cannolis were definitely a favorite.

Nice shirt!

Hoisin BBQ pork spare ribs, rice wine cucumber slaw, chilled soba noodle salad with Rogue Morimoto Soba Ale.

Domo arigato Morimoto!

McCoy's assistant brewer Tobias explaining the Sake-cask aged Hitachino XH. That stuff was crazy!

Thai red curry with crispy roast duck, pineapple, tomato, basil and jasmine rice with the Hitachino XH. Wow!

Cheers!