n June 12th and 13th, the 9th Annual St. Louis Brewers Guild Heritage Festival will showcase expertly crafted products from 33 different local breweries. Beers specifically selected for the event were determined by a blind draw, much like a fantasy football draft. Throughout multiple rounds, each brewery chose up to four styles based on GABF parameters to contribute to the Fest.
As the largest brewery in St. Louis (and one of the oldest), Anheuser-Busch is especially proud to be partaking in such an important community gathering. And no one at the company is more excited than Rob Naylor, Head Brewer at A-B’s Research Pilot Brewery. The experimental RPB facility can easily produce unique, innovative beers in highly limited quantities, making it the perfect playground for brewing some one-off contributions to the Festival. Naylor gave us the scoop on each of the four beers he’ll be bringing to the event, and how they came to be.
Belgian Saison
The beer Naylor selected in the first round of the draft was a surprise to some: “I know a lot of people were expecting me to go traditional with a lager, and I really stirred the pot a little bit with a French Belgian-style Saison,” he says. When asked about the inspiration for the unconventional selection, Naylor explains, “I wanted to make a splash. And I wanted to highlight and showcase the capabilities we have at the RPB.”
Commonly called a “farmhouse ale,” the Belgian Saison originated as a summertime beer brewed in the winter months. Slightly fruity in aroma and flavor, the saison features spicy notes and a dry finish. Upon closer review, the decision to brew such a highly refreshing beer for a warm-weather outdoor festival makes a whole lot of sense!
American Style Amber Lager (Faust)
A-B’s next pick would be an American Style Amber Lager: a historical style first brewed by Adolphus Busch in the late 19th century. Busch’s version was named “Faust” after a popular St. Louis institution: “Adolphus literally made that beer to be served at a restaurant called Faust,” Naylor explains. “The restaurant has since been destroyed, but the beer really brings back the heritage of Anheuser-Busch and in St. Louis.”
Faust is the sole A-B beer that was developed before the Festival, available to the public only in 100 bars and restaurants in the St. Louis area. It was brewed with two-row and caramel malts along with some rice, as suggested by the handwritten recipe found in Adolphus’s book — but Naylor dry hopped his adaptation with Hallertau (an aromatic German noble hop) to put his own modern twist on the delicious beer.
Belgian Dubbel
For their third selection, Naylor and his team chose a Belgian Dubbel, primarily because the RPB had already been aggressively exploring Belgian styles since last year. As Naylor describes it, “The beer was inspired by the recipe from last year, but I mixed up a few of the malts to add a more biscuit-y aroma and give it a malty/chocolate taste.”
At around 6% – 8% ABV, Belgian Dubbels are fairly strong, malty, brownish Trappist beers (originally brewed by Trappist monks). They often feature spicy clove-like phenols and banana flavored esters which are byproducts of certain Belgian yeast strains. Although Naylor used an authentic Belgian Trappist Ale yeast to make the beer, he adjusted the fermentation to specifically reduce the clove and enhance the banana notes.
Fruited American Sour
Naylor kept things interesting by selecting a Fruited American Sour in the fourth and final round — but the choice wasn’t difficult for the brewer: “I had completed some trials last year here in the Research Pilot Brewery, and I was pretty happy with what we’d come up with.”
Unlike many sours produced today, Naylor waived any lactic acid-producing bacteria such as Lactobacillus or wild yeast such as Brettanomyces to make the brew. Instead, he used the Belgian Saison yeast once again: “I was able to get the pH down just with the acidulated malt, which has that lactic note in it. And using cranberry juice as my fruit also gives you that tart, acidic note.”
BONUS BEER: Dark American Rye Lager (Collaboration with Griesedieck)
As a bonus contribution to the Festival, Naylor worked with Griesedieck Brothers Beer, a family-owned St. Louis brewery that has been in and out of operation for over a century. A family reunion of sorts took place when Griesedieck’s Brewmaster came over to collaborate with an A-B employee who happens to be a Griesedieck family member as well.
The historical-style beer is traditionally made with 6-row grits, caramel malts, and rye, but Naylor and the Griesediecks updated the recipe by dry hopping it with El Dorado hops. “We’re trying to bring the old and the new together,” Naylor explains.
Taste all of these rare, one-of-a-kind beers this June 12th and 13th, 2015, at the St. Louis Brewers Guild Festival in Forest Park. Tickets are on sale and available for $30 at STLBG.com.
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