Cayuga Cluster Pale Ale
srm: 8 ABV: 6.0% IBU: 47
Description: The BWB “Cayuga Cluster” is a variation of an American Pale Ale. Local Chinook Hops provide the bitterness to balance the malt character while massive amounts of Cluster hops give this brew a spicy and citrusy hop aroma. What’s the twist? We tried to give this pale ale the body and malt character of a dry stout. Large amounts of torrified wheat (similar to puffed wheat) and flaked oats provide this beer with a full and smooth body.
Je ne Sais Pale Ale
srm: 5.8 ABV: 4.7% IBU: 30
Tuesday March 29th Brew of the week:
Description: The BWB “Je Ne Sais Pale Ale” is a cross between an American and Belgian Pale ale. The malt bill is composed of mainly Pilsner Malt with a touch of honey malt for sweetness, and a bit of acidulated malt which adds a subtle tartness. Belgian yeast contributes a slightly fruity taste while local Chinook and Cascade hops add a citrusy hop character.
In case you’re interested… Acidulated malt is also known as Sauermalz or Sour Malt. The kernel of this barley is made up of 1-2% lactic acid (by weight). This lactic acid occurs naturally and is produced by lactic bacteria in the malt. Typically this specialty grain is used to adjust the PH of the mash water but it can also be used to contribute a sour character to the beer.
Mr. E Wheat Ale
ABV: 6.0% SRM:53 IBU: 16
Tuesday March 22nd Brew of the Week
The BWB “Mr E Wheat Ale “ Is an American Wheat ale brewed with a simple malt bill composed of pale barley and wheat malts. Centennial hops balance out the malt character while a splash cascade hops provide a citrusy aroma. We added a small amount of lemon and orange zest to enhance the citrus flavor. By using neutral American ale yeast, the flavors of the hops can be tasted more prominently. . This yeast is also the difference in flavor between this Wheat ale and our Hefe-Wheat (a German Hefewezien)
Sully’s Irish Stout
srm: 32 ABV: 4.0% IBU: 42
Tuesday March 15th Brew of the week:
Description: The BWB Sully’s Irish Stout is a traditional dry Irish Stout. A high percentage of flaked (unmalted) barley gives the malt body a creamy and smooth texture while a generous helping of roasted barley contributes the dark color and roasty, dry taste. Kent Golding hops help to balance out the malty body of this beer so that you can enjoy pint after pint!
Muddy Waters “Steamish Porter”
srm: 29 ABV: 8.5 IBU: 28
Tuesday March 8th Brew of the week:
Description: The BWB Muddy Waters started out as a baltic porter but we added a litle twist. The malt bill includes a large amount of Munich, CaraMunich and Dark Crystal malts to give this beer a robust malt character perfect for those nine below zero days. Early additions of Sterling hops balance out the malt character. Typically a Baltic Porter is fermented with a lager yeast at cool temperatures. We tried this brew as a steam style beer meaning it was fermented with a lager yeast at warm temperatures. This fermentation technique lends a slightly fruity flavor. This brew’s mojo is working full steam and its ready, I hope you’re ready for it!
Ryeson
srm: 9.5 ABV: 6.7% IBU: 22
Tuesday February 22nd Brew of the week:
Description: The BWB Ryeson is a variation of our saison. We added rye malt to the mash to contribute a layer of spiciness to the malt character. To play off of the rye flavor, we added caraway seed to the boil along with a touch of cinnamon. Last but not least, we added raisins to the boil, just because we like raisins…
Incase you’re interested… You’re probably wondering why our brewers are in a slightly grumpy mood after they brew the Belgian rye Blonde, The Heavyweight 2x rye IPA, the Rye son, or the Highstep Hefeweizen. You guessted it, it’s the rye (or wheat). These grains have no husks and are therefore diffifult to handle in the mash tun. The husks on barley act as a natural filter bed which allows the wort to be easily drained from the spent grain. The sparging process for beers with a large amount of unhusked grains is similar to filtering water through cooked oatmeal instead of a bed of pine needles. Rice hulls are sometimes added to the mash to help decrase the “stickyness”, but they don’t always solve the problem. So next time you see our brewers after they’ve brewed these beers, give them a smile to cheer them up (and a cup of coffee never hurts!)
0666 Raspberry Jalapeno
srm: 16 ABV: 5.4%IBU: 3 Scoville: ~ 5,000
Tuesday February 15th Brew of the week:
Description: As you know at Bandwagon Brew Pub, we are blessed (sometimes cursed) with our beloved and small brew system which allows us to try new things constantly. We also are lucky enough to have brewed over 700 batches of beer in just over one year. It’s always fun to brew something special for a big mile stone and batch 0666 was no exception. To satisfy our dedicated Raspberry Jalapeno followers we decided to kick up the heat a bit to thaw you out after a long and cold winter. Three times the normal quantity of jalapeno peppers provide this beer with an especially spicy kick. To balance out the spiciness, we also added a few more raspberries during secondary fermentation.
Royal Hoppness
srm: 10 ABV: 5.8%IBU: “20”
Tuesday February 8th Brew of the week:
Description: The BWB Royal Hoppness is an “Untraditionally hopped” Pale Ale. Instead of trying to use traditional ingredients and techniques while brewing this beer, we decided to try something completely different… Hops are generally added while boiling the wort (beer before it is fermented). Instead, we used hops at every step in the brewing process other than the boil. We added a large amount of Hallertau hops to the mash tun just before draining the wort to the boil kettle. Aromatic noble hops were added to the kettle in hop bags (similar to a large tea bag) during the sparging process and were removed before the wort reached a boil. After boiling the beer without hops we put it in the primary fermenter with Kent Golding hops. When the fermentation was almost complete, we transferred it to a secondary fermenter and added local Chinook hops. By avoiding contact with hot and boiling wort, we extracted less of the bitter flavors from hops and were left with more aroma and flavor.
Midnight Milk Stout
SRM: 35 ABV: 5% IBU: 26
Tuesday February 1st Brew of the week:
Description: The BWB “Midnight Stout“ Is a milk stout, also known as a sweet stout. There is no actual milk in this beer. There is however lactose sugar, which is an un-fermentable sugar meaning it is not converted to alcohol during fermentation and lends a sweet flavor to the finished beer, it is similar to residual sugars in wine. A blend of crystal malts and a high mash temperature contribute to this beers sweet flavor and full body. Carafa Special De-husked barley gives this beer a dark color without the harsh, roasty flavor associated with most dark grains. A single addition of English Kent Golding hops helps to balance this beer’s body without overwhelming the malt character.
In case you’re interested… When husked barley is roasted the husk is often burnt which gives the resulting beer a bitter or astringent flavor. Weyermann’s Carafa Special Malt is barley that is partially de-husked before malting and roasting. Without the scorched husk, this specialty grain produces a dark and intensely flavored beer with a surprisingly smooth malt character.
C’est l’amour (encore)
srm: 7 ABV: 9.5%IBU: 28
Tuesday January 25th Brew of the week:
Description: We liked the “C’est L’amour” the first time we brewed it, so we decided to try it again and make a few changes. We decreased the bittering hop quantity and alpha acid content (the bitterness level of the hop) to subdue the hop character a bit. This brew is still a Belgian Golden Strong Ale. We also changed the yeast to a strain that is more appropriate for this style. The malt bill is very simple and is composed mainly of Pilsner malt with just a touch of Melanoidin Malt. A substantial amount of Belgian candi Syrup helps to increase the alcohol content and lighten the body.
Missus Citrus
srm: 12 ABV: 6.4% IBU: 70
Tuesday January 18th Brew of the week:
Description: The BWB Misses Citrus is an American “Steam IPA.” The malt bill is made up mainly of Pale Ale Malt with a touch of honey and Vienna malts to enhance the malt character and color a bit. Amarillo, Centennial and Sorachi ace hops lend a refreshing and citrusy hop flavor. Similar to the BWB Commons Ale, this beer is brewed with a lager yeast at an ale temperature.
In case you’re interested…. The Steam Beer originated in California when brewers attempted to ferment lager beers in a hotter climate without ice or refrigeration. When the yeast fermented at this higher temperature it produced more pressure than other ales when racked into the keg. When these kegs were tapped they would release a large amount of pressure in what some described as “steam.” This phrase spread so widely that during the 1850’s and 1860’s people in California would order a “glass of steam” at the bar. Due to its origin this style is also known as the California Common and one of the most famous commercial examples is the Anchor Steam beer.
Ella Fitzgerald
srm: 21 ABV: 9.5% IBU: 24
Tuesday January 11th Brew of the week:
Description: The BWB Ella Fitzgerald is a Belgian Strong Dark Ale. The malt bill is relatively simply and is composed of mainly Pilsner, and small amounts of special B and crystal malts. In order to increase the strength of this beer we added homemade Dark Candi sugar to the boil which also contributes to the color and flavor. Styrian golding and Czech saaz hops were used as bittering additions to balance the malt body, but not over power the flavor of the malts and Belgian Yeast.
Brown Cow Ale
srm: 25 ABV: 5.4% IBU: 33
Tuesday January 4th Brew of the week:
Description: The BWB Brown Cow Ale is an American Brown Ale that is brewed with Crystal, chocolate, and brown malts. We also included a touch of smoked malt to add to the robust malt character. American Columbus hops, provide the bitterness to this brew while Nugget and Willamette hops provide flavor and aroma.
In case you’re interested… The BWB brown cow ale is an American Brown which is why it tastes quite different than our Lovely Jubbly Brown Ale which is a Southern English Brown. A southern English Brown utilizes a higher mash temperature which produces less fermentable sugars in the wort and therefore a sweeter malt character. Restrained hopping and use of roasted malts also helps to accentuate the sweetness in the Southern English Brown Ales.
Jack Frost Winter Ale
srm: 21 ABV: 6.6% IBU: 26
Tuesday December 14th Brew of the week:
Description: The BWB “Jack Frost” is a seasonal spiced beer. Munich, crystal and chocolate malts give this brew its rich malt character and dark color. We used magnum hops from Pompey Mountain Hops Farm (Syracuse) because of their neutral and clean bittering flavor. A neutral hops character allows the malt flavor to blend with the vanilla bean, cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon we used to flavor the beer. This special blend of spices will have you dressing up like Eskimos and roasting chestnuts before you know it.
Boggart’s Bitter
srm: 17 ABV: 5.0% IBU: 35
Tuesday November 23th Brew of the week:
Description: The BWB “Boggart’s Bitter” is an Extra Special Bitter. This beer style could also be described as English pale ale. The malt bill consists of Maris Otter and a blend of crystal malts which contribute to the darker color and richer malt character. The hop aroma and flavor come exclusively from Kent Golding hops, a well known English variety. Northern Brewer hops provide this brew with a bitter hop backbone.
In case you’re interested… Pale ales started out much darker than today’s typical pale ale. Most pale ales throughout the 1600’s and 1700’s would be considered brown ales by today’s standard. The name “pale” simply meant that they were lighter than other beers such as porters and stouts. This darker color is attributed to malting techniques that made it difficult to kiln malt without roasting it to some degree. Malt that was dried over a coke fire was of a paler color because these fires were easier to control than wood or straw fires. Because coke fuel was available only to private house brewers of the wealthy, pale ale was considered a “drink for the rich and prosperous.” So class it up tonight and enjoy a pale ale or bitter, you deserve it!
Belgian Pale Ale
srm: 11 ABV: 5.8% IBU: 27
Tuesday November 30th Brew of the week:
Description: The BWB “Belgian Pale Ale” is a…. Belgian Pale Ale. A simple malt recipe allows the wonders of Belgian yeast and the flavorful American and European hop varieties to show off their skills! The malt bill consists of mainly Pilsner malt with just a touch of Vienna and Melanoidin to add depth to the malt character. We used American Chinook hops for both our bittering and aroma additions. Czech saaz hops also contribute to the subtle spicy flavor and aroma. Invert sugar added during the boil helps to lighten the body of this brew so you can enjoy a few more rounds!
In case you’re interested… Invert sugars are commonly added to many beers, especially Belgian Beers. These sugars are used to increase the alcohol content of the beer while making the body lighter. Invert sugars are also known as Belgian Candi sugar or syrup. We make all of our own sugars in the brewery, so they are technically not Belgian. These sugars are made by heating normal table sugar (and sometimes caramelizing it to different degrees) with a small amount of citric acid. This breaks down the sucrose molecules into fructose and glucose which are more fermentable.
C’est l’amour
srm: 7 ABV: 9.5%IBU: 28
Tuesday November 16th Brew of the week:
Description: The BWB “C’est L’amour” is a Belgian Golden Strong Ale. Like most Belgian ales, this beer show cases the complex flavors of Belgian yeast. The malt bill is very simple and is composed mainly of Pilsner malt with just a touch of Melanoidin Malt. Likewise, the hopping of this ale is restrained and simple, Styrian Goldings balance out the malt character, and Czech Saaz provide a bit of aroma. A substantial amount of Belgian candi Syrup helps to increase the alcohol content and lighten the body. The yeast we used is quite similar to the strain used at the Rochefort Trappist Brewery.
Tuesday November 2nd Brew of the week:
American Licorice Stout
SRM: 30 ABV: 6.5% IBU: 40
Description: The American Licorice Stout is brewed with Pale and Crystal malts to give it a robust body. Additions of Chocolate Rye malt and Roasted Barley lend a roasty flavor that is characteristic of many dry stouts. Star Anise was added directly to the boil to give a back ground licorice flavor. In order to give this brew an extra boost of aroma, we added a house extract made from star anise steeped in Jameson Whiskey directly to the keg. We used Magnum hops for our bittering addition to balance the malty body. Mount Hood hops contribute a mild hop aroma to balance the sweetness from the Star Anise. Both of these hops come locally from our friends at Pompey Mountain Hop Farm! For more information visit their website www.pmihops.com
Tuesday October 26th Brew of the week:
Pumpkin Ale
SRM: 15 ABV: 6.0% IBU: 21
Description: The BWB Pumpkin Ale is an American Amber Ale brewed with Pale, Honey, and Crystal Malts. The medium malt body is balanced with subtle additions of US Willamette and Liberty hops. Of course, in true spirit, we added 15 pounds of pie pumpkins from Woodwind Farm in Trumansburg! We also added a mix of traditional pumpkin pie spices during the boil.
In Case you’re interested… The BWB Pumpkin Ale is different from most of our other fruit and specialty beers because the pumpkin is added directly to the mash tun. Whereas most fruits provide only a flavor addition to the beer, the pumpkin actually contributes fermentable sugars. Although the contribution is much less significant than the other malts, the pumpkin still contributes some flavor, color, and body to the brew. It was also once believed that pumpkins could cure freckles, acne, and snake bites…. So drink up!
Tuesday October 19th Brew of the week:
Cayuga Porter
SRM: 23 ABV: 4.0% IBU: 24
Description: The Cayuga Porter is a brown porter made with local grain from Cayuga Pure Organics! The grain bill consists about 10 percent spelt and 10 percent freekeh. Freekeh is a sun-dried wheat that is roasted over a fire resulting in a slightly smoky and roasted flavor. A blend of crystal and chocolate malts contribute to the colorful and roasted body of this beer. We used the mildly flavored Fuggle and Hallertau hops to allow malt character to shine through.
In Case you’re interested… The Porter is mentioned as early as 1721 in London and was the first beer to be aged at the brewery before distribution. Most porters were aged between six to eighteen months. However as a time saving method, brewers began to blend highly aged porters (minimum 18 months) with younger beers to achieve the desired flavor. Stronger versions of Porters were brewed and known as single, double, triple and imperial stout porters. Eventually the “porter” prefix was dropped and the distinct beer style “Stout” began to grow in popularity.
Tuesday October 12th Brew of the week:
Oktoberfest
SRM: 12 ABV: 5.5% IBU: 25
Description: BWB is proud to release our first Oktoberfest! A base of munich, Vienna, and pilsner malts gives this amber lager a malty flavor and a light body so you can enjoy a few more pints! A small percentage of Caramunich helps to contribute the darker color and sweetness. German Tettnang hops help to balance out this malt character while Czech Saaz hops contribute a bit of hop flavor.
In Case you’re interested…
The Oktoberfest beer was developed by Gabriel Sedlmayr in 1840, who adapted it from the Vienna style lager (BWB Lady Luck Lager). Similar to most lagers, it was historically brewed towards the end of the spring, stored over the summer, and enjoyed in the fall. The Oktoberfest celebration is a strong German tradition that last about 18 days and ends in the first few days of October ( we know, we’re a little late…) The festival originated as a horse race to celebrate the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen.
Tuesday October 5th Brew of the week:
Harvest Ale
SRM: 14 ABV: 5.6% IBU: ???
Description: The BWB “Harvest Ale” is composed of a typical Pale Ale malt recipe that includes Pale, Munich, Crystal and CaraAmber Malts. The specialty grains contribute to a slightly richer malt body to support the pronounced hop character. The hops are the star in this brew. We used over a pound of our homegrown nugget hops. However, because they are fresh, water accounts for a large amount of this weight. By adding the hops late in the boil, we achieved maximum amount of hop flavor and aroma.
I really like the format of this-description and in case you’re interested. Good (tasting) work.