Truckstop Honeymoon – In The Barnyard Stable

March 2nd, 2010

Here at the Barnyard we listen to a lot of music, whether we’re brewing beer, or drinking it.  We pretty much never listen to today’s radio stations because they all feature just add water music, rock, country, rap, whatever, it all sucks.  The only radio station that has a chance at the Barnyard is Country Legends 106.9 from Topeka because of it’s focus on 50’s and 60’s country, We spend most of our time with CDs from local or regional bluegrass and Americana music. We have created ‘Barnyard Stable of Bands’ as a way to drum up some local support for our favorite bands and CDs. We will update the Stable regularly, especially when new bands or CDs catch our attention.  First up…

Truckstop Honeymoon

Mike West and Katie Euliss are some of the most talented songwriters this side of the Mississippi. The stories and experiences they share are as real to me as if I had been there. The first time I heard ‘Mama Cried‘ I thought “How do they know my mom?” Midwesterners such as Heath and I  can truly relate to songs like ‘Capital Hill‘ and ‘Wichita’, which both hit  a little too close to home. Yeah, you’ll smile and chuckle but remember this, it’s your life they’re singing about.

It would be too easy to call them a bluegrass band. They effortlessly infuse cajun, rockabilly, old-timey, and classic country into their songs. Coupled with years of recording they have a song list that will keep your attention and draw you back for the next show.

They are a husband and wife duo with a commitment to family that shows through their music and live performances.  I have on many occasions taken my wife and children to see them at all-ages shows at the Replay Lounge, not to mention the Wakarusa Music Festival. At the Replay you have to watch your step so you don’t trip over one of the dozens of children running around the joint, three of which belong to Mike and Katie. These shows make it possible for us to go out, no babysitter needed. Thank you Truckstop. The lyric ‘There’s no finer place for a family, than along the Lost Highway‘ couldn’t be truer.

These two spent many years producing music in New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina flooded their home in the 9th Ward. They were on tour at the time (with their kids) and were unable to gather their belongings for several months. They are the subject of a documentary film about their return home for the first time after the flood. Eventually they decided to set some roots in Lawrence, KS and make run of it. And you thought George W never did anything good for Lawrence. I’m gonna  send him a thank you card. They now operate the 9th Ward Pickin’ Parlor where they record the music of others along with their own here in Lawrence.

Truckstop Honeymoon tours the world and are currently in Australia until April. Their next show in Lawrence will be at the Bottleneck on May 15th.  It won’t be all ages so I may not make it but I’m certainly going to try.  Please swing by their website and show some local love.  And in case you were wondering, they really did have their honeymoon in a truckstop. That’s what you get for marrying a musician.

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Recesssion and the Craft Brewing Industry

February 21st, 2010

Beer is not recession proof. Just ask the imported and domestic beer distributors. In the first half of 2009 imported beer sales were down 9.5%. The beer industry as a whole saw sales go down by 1.3%.

American Microbrew has a

different story to tell.

Micro and craft brewers continued to grow in 2009 at an impressive rate despite the recession. Microbrewers produced 5% more beer, 62,000,000 gallons, in the first half of 2009 compared to the same period in 2008. This led the way for a 9% growth in total sales dollars for microbrews. Handcrafted beers remain the fastest growing segment of all alcohol sales in the U.S., out pacing wine and spirits. Microbrew has proven not only resistant to the recession but capable of sustained growth.

This is not to say the recession hasn’t affected microbrew. On the contrary it has slowed the rate of growth dramatically. In 2006, the last full year prior to the recession, micro sales saw an increase of 17.8% in one year alone. This was the peak of a three year period that saw an overall increase of 31.5%. As the economy emerges from the recession, microbrew is well positioned to return to these higher rates of growth.

Growing regional microbrewers such as Sierra Nevada and Boulevard Brewing reach out with new products to an increasingly curious beer drinking public. As first time customers are won over by hand crafted products they become more likely to experiment with other microbrews, expanding the consumer base. This article about Sam Adams illustrates a coming reality for a few of our greatest microbreweries.

American alcohol consumers have clearly embraced microbrew as the beer of the future. With a new record of over 1500 brewpubs and microbreweries with literally thousands of handcrafted beers in the U.S. for the public to try, it is easy to see the growth potential for the industry.

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Buffalo Sweat- Should it stay or should it go?

February 15th, 2010

Tallgrass Brewing wants to know. And if so, which other brew should loose it’s seat at the bar?

At Barnyardbeer.com we believe that Buffalo Sweat is the finest beer yet out of this relatively new brewery. It would be a shame to see this creamy smooth Midwestern stout disappear. We also understand that they have limits as a small business and choices like this must weigh heavy on the heart.

A buffalo stampede

Barnyard Brewmaster Heath says “Buffalo Sweat is an ideal creamy stout that reminds me of some of the finest West Coast micros. But the grain  combination creates a smooth Midwestern style stout that’s not as abrasive as other regionals.”

Tallgrass Brewing is one the great stories of an unsatisfied man deciding to do something bigger with his life. Jeff Gill left the exciting world of Geology to pursue his dream as a microbrewer and Tallgrass has been growing ever since. Now you can find Tallgrass beer in every county in Kansas and all over Nebraska.

Owner Jeff Gill, center, has a beer with Mike and Heath

We toured their facility and met their brew team in Manhattan. They have many products to choose from but our favorites were Buffalo Sweat stout and their IPA, which is made with choice American hops.

Tallgrass has done a great job of representing the Midwest with quality beer on the national stage. Barnyard is proud to have them in our home state, helping to raise the standards and expectations for Midwestern microbrew. We will be waiting patiently to try any new seasonals they release.

Show some love and buy a case of Buffalo Sweat from Tallgrass Brewing.

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The Barnyard Brewery Setup

February 8th, 2010

We have received loads of emails about our brew-barn thanks to this article. http://allaboutbeer.com/live-beer/brewing/brewing-features/2010/01/nanobrewing-does-size-matter/?singlePage

Here is a photo gallery of our brewing equipment.

Brewmaster Heath with the brewery right before we moved it to the Barnyard.

The top barrel is the liquor tank where we boil water. The bottom left barrel is the mashtun where the wort is filtered through the grain. The bottom right barrel is the kettle, where the wort is boiled with hops.

A peak into the mashtun at the false bottom.

Two propane powered Banjo Burners from turkey fryers are all we need to boil.

The false bottom creates a filter bed with the grain for the wort to flow through during sparge. Afterwords it allows for easy cleanup.

There are few rushes in the world like watching a foam eruption caused by a powerful fermentation.

This colorful Rooster Red trube pile is left over in the kettle after draining the wort to the fermenter. The whirlpool feature in the kettle allows the trube, hop and grain particles, to gather in the bottom center.

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All About (Barnyard) Beer

February 8th, 2010

We have been featured in an article about nanobrewers in the January issue of All About Beer magazine.

“If I were to spend 13 hours doing something,

it would always be brewing.”

http://allaboutbeer.com/live-beer/brewing/brewing-features/2010/01/nanobrewing-does-size-matter/?singlePage

Nanobreweries are small  microbreweries that have taken the  homebrewers setup to the next level. The article addresses the stories of three different breweries at different stages and sizes.

We have used this magazine as a source of information before and we highly recommend this magazine to anyone interested in microbrew or beer in general. We consider it an honor to be included in their publication.

This is the day we finished preparing the barn. We brewed our first batch the next day. Dwight (middle) is the mechanical genius who built our nanobrewery.

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Barnyard Cross 2009 with Bad Goat Racing

November 24th, 2009

It turns out that mountain bikers like beer. Who knew? In the spring of 2009 a new pro-am mountain bike racing team, Bad Goat Racing, approached the Barnyard Brewers about a team sponsorship. After a tour of the barn and a few beers with new friends, the races were on. For the last year Bad Goat has raced all over the Midwest while sporting the sexiest logo on the tour.

Now it’s time for the final race of the year- Barnyard Cross 2009 in Manhattan, KS.

http://barnyardcx.blogspot.com/

Barnyard Cross

We offer our thanks to the team for the honor of having the race named after us. This event will have many of the premier Midwestern racers and we plan to show all of them our love. Our friends from the Devil Dog Brew coffee company will be there to keep the riders caffeinated. Rumor is the stuff is so good it counts as a performance-enhancing drug.

We are cross-posting some of their stuff so you can take a look at them. Don’t forget to visit their site http://badgoatblog.blogspot.com/.

Don’t worry; we plan to have a long talk with them about their choice in music.

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Breweries of Kansas: 23rd Street Brewery

October 23rd, 2009

For our second installment in the Breweries of Kansas tour, we’ll take a look at Lawrence’s 23rd Street Brewery.  This brewery, related to but independently operated from 75th Street Brewery in Kansas City, is the only other brewpub in Lawrence apart from Free State Brewery (showcased in the first installment of this series).  23rd Street Brewery beers are on tap at bars and restaurants across Kansas, but they currently have no plans for bottling distribution.

I was recently able to interview Bryan “Bucky” Buckinghamt, 23rd Street’s resident brewmaster.  Bucky shares a few similarities with Barnyard Brewing’s own brewmaster, Heath Hoadley.  They were both born in Oregon, and previously worked together at several other breweries.  Also, they both produce a top-notch Irish Red.  23rd Street’s Crimson Phog Irish Red Ale won a 2007 Silver Medal in the “Irish Style Red Ale” category at the Great American Beer Festival.

Bucky moved to this area in 1992 to attend college, and began working at Free State.  “I started working as a dishwasher and bussing tables at Free State, and kind of fell in love with the whole thing,” he said.  “I wanted to get into the brewing aspect and learn everything else about brewpubs.”

Buckinghamt moved to Kansas City at one point, and worked at all the different breweries there.

“I homebrewed, and most of the breweries I worked at I was good friends with the brewer, so I was always in the brewhouse and looking around,” he said.  “I did my time before I felt I was ready to go into the brewery.”

He began brewing at 75th Street Brewery in Kansas City, and did so from 2000 to 2006.  Bucky became brewmaster at 23rd Street Brewery in Lawrence in July 2007.  He said he has created about 15 new recipes in two years.  “We normally run nine beers,” Buckinghamt said.  “There are four flagships and five seasonals.”

Buckinghamt said one of the perks of the job, besides the obvious one, is that he has a lot of freedom.  “I work when the beer needs me to work, I go with how the beer is flowing,” he said.

“The owner gives me a lot of freedom, and I can pretty much brew whatever I want.  Obviously you have to make sure you’re not doing some crazy $200 barrel, and I always have the flagships on, and a couple seasonals I’m expected to have on, like our Octoberfest, and Oatmeal Stout,” Buckinghamt said.  “But I’ve got the time and space that if I decide I want to brew a new recipe I’ve usually got no problem whatsoever.”

When I visited 23rd Street Brewery last month, I ordered the beer sampler.  The waitress brought out six beers in a wooden plank like a pillory.  She suggested I drink from light to dark, in this case drinking through “Wave the Wheat” Ale, “Rock Chalk Raspberry Wheat,” “Sunflower Blonde Golden Ale,” “Bitter Professor IPA,” “Crimson Phog Irish Red,” and “Bartertown Brown.”

To my taste, the beers got better as they got darker.  The wheat and golden ales were refreshing and much lighter than the other beers.  The “Bitter Professor IPA,” is purely Buckinghamt’s creation, and is the second best seller.  He changed it to an American West Coast IPA, from an English IPA.  The waitress described its aroma as, “flowery.”  Buckinghamt also created the golden ale.  The award-winning Irish Red had a very nice caramel flavor.  The brown ale on the end was like the dessert beer of the progression, as it had a dry chocolate flavor.  It was a thoroughly delicious experience.

“I think a good brewer is going to be someone who’s willing, even if its beer styles they don’t like or care for, to still brew them and care about them and taste them,” Buckinghamt said.  “As a brewer you should know your craft.  Just like a cook, if you don’t like a certain flavor or spice you should still know a little bit about it.”

Bucky said even though there can be long hours, and lots of repetitive grunt work, there’s no other work he’d rather do.

“I can bust out a 14 hour day and it feels like I haven’t done six hours,” he said.  “I love what I do, I couldn’t imagine doing anything but brewing beer till I die.”

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Breweries of Kansas: Free State Brewing Company

September 25th, 2009

The following is the first installment in a series detailing local microbreweries.  If you’re going to talk about microbrewing in this area, it’s best to start with the flagship and granddaddy of them all, Lawrence’s very own Free State Brewing Company.

I chatted with owner and founder Chuck Magerl on the phone, because unfortunately I couldn’t leverage my position as a beer blogger into a free tasting.  However, I figure if you live in the area, particularly in Lawrence, then you don’t really need me to tell you what Free State beer tastes like.  You’re better off going down and finding out for yourself.

In November 1880, Kansas voted and adopted an amendment to the Constitution prohibiting the sale of intoxicating liquors, becoming the first “dry” state.  Nearly an eternity later in 1986, Kansans voted by a 59.9% to 40.1% margin to enact liquor-by-the-drink legislation.  Bars and restaurants in the 36 counties approving the bill could legally sell the sweet nectar to the public.  In 1987, state legislation adopted the microbrewery license type, and Free State Brewing Company opened in December 1988.

“In 1977 I was doing an article about the history of brewing in Kansas, in particular in Lawrence,” Magerl said.  “It prompted me to learn what had changed.  At that point there weren’t any small breweries opening in the U.S.”

There certainly was very little competition in the area at the time.

“When we first started,” Magerl said. “If you wanted to visit a brewpub operation, there was one in Chicago, one in Denver, some in Wisconsin, but otherwise there was nothing in between Canada and the Rio Grande.”

“Boulevard came in a little while later, and others have come along.  Now there are hundreds and hundreds of breweries out there.”

Free State successfully brewed the first legal beer in Kansas since 1880, named Ad Astra Ale – taking its name from the Kansas State Motto “Ad Astra per Aspera,” Latin for “To the Stars through Difficulties.”  As the first legal brewery in Kansas since before Carry Nation began hatcheting her way through brewpubs of yore, Free State has had wide reign to experiment and grow over the last 20 years.


“Ultimately the inspiration is nothing but selfishness, in that we brew the kind of beers we do because it’s the type of beers we like to drink,” Magerl said.

Maybe it’s the admiration for beer that drives so many diverse options onto Free State’s menu.

“We usually have eight to ten beers on tap, and seasonal options certainly vary over time.

In some of the colder months we’ll bring in the barrel aged, barley wines and imperial stouts. One of the joys of having a small brewing operation is the ability to make some changes, and have some different flavors seasonally,” Magerl said.

Did I mention that the folks at Free State like beer?

“We’ve made somewhere in the range of 75-80 different types of beer over twenty years,” Magerl said.

Currently Free State’s beer is only available on location at 636 Massachusetts Street.  Kegs can be purchased in 15.5 gallon, 7.75 gallon and 5 gallon sizes.  Another option is the growler, a 64 oz. refillable jug.  Most often the brews are poured into glasses and served with dinner (it is a restaurant, too, as you probably know).

However, Free State has been working on becoming a bottling operation for about a year.  This is good news for Free State fans that have wanted to savor a brew in classic 12 oz. bottles for years.

“We had built a production facility here in Lawrence,” Magerl said.  “Last fall we were three days away from the first brew there, and had a still-undetermined fire in the middle of the night that destroyed the operation.  So we’ve spent the last nine months rebuilding everything and getting back to where we were.”

As disheartening as that had to be, Free State has been determined to bring its beer to the masses.

“In July we brewed the first beers there at the new facility,” Magerl said.  “Things are working out great.  The facility has a lot of room for expansion, and room for potential.”

“We hope to have a bottled product on the shelves sometime by the end of the year.”

Free State has come a long way in the last 20 years, just as beer itself has had a long, strange trip in Kansas.  I think a big part of the new microbrewing trend is to make beer a drink that is accepted by a lot of demographics, to give beer a new identity.  Microbrewers are pushing creative, sophisticated and balanced beers into our palates.  It’s showing us that beer can be classy, and should be enjoyed in a variety of ways.  Beer can be imbibed responsibly, and often, and it should be.

“Part of the beer culture is being an every day enjoyment, not a special occasion,” Magerl said.

Cheers.

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Barnyard Beer Tasting August 15th

September 21st, 2009

For Barnyard Brewing, it was a night governed by Gene Autry’s Cowboy Code.  “It’s our code of ethics,” Mike Hummell said, who was wearing a cowboy hat like his business partner and brew master Heath Hoadley.  The event was a celebration of the community and everything a good cowboy stands for.

2nd Commandment: “He must never go back on his word, or a trust confided in him.”  The guys posted on twitter.com/barnyardbeer at 2:48 p.m. Aug. 15, “Rain or not we’re tasting beer.”  Social media, including Twitter, has been a huge boost to the local following of Barnyard Beer.  “It got us this big crowd tonight, in a thunderstorm,” Hummell said.  “We’re very excited about having new followers pop up.”

In addition to reaching out to She Swings, She Sways, Barnyard Brewing gave the Pieroguys a chance to showcase their pierogies.  Former University of Kansas students Frank Gazella, Jr. and Andrew Misak run the operation out of Independence, Missouri, but still do plenty of business in Lawrence.  The Pieroguys make eight different varieties of the boiled dumplings, stuffing them with potatoes, cheese, and meat or vegetables.  Although the pierogies are often fried after boiling, on this night they were not.  The Pieroguys have worked with Barnyard Brewing before, and the pierogies were a great snack between beers.

Of course, there was hardly a moment when I was between beers.  My first experience with Barnyard Beers confirmed everything I had heard or read about them:  they are fantastic.  Like many of the guests, when I emptied my cup I jumped back in line for a refill.  Every beer in Barnyard Brewing’s arsenal was on tap – Bonfire chocolate porter, Irish red (Barnyard’s “flagship beer”), Kansas Gold Ale, “Peachy Gene” (a beer fortified by fermented peaches), and Dunkelweizen.

The two beers I kept coming back to were the porter and Irish red.  The porter has an incredible balance – strong enough for one to appreciate its chocolaty essence, yet drinkable to the point that imbibing a bunch of porters wouldn’t be impossible.  The Irish red also blew me away.  I heard numerous people say it was the best Irish red they’ve ever tasted.  If you’ve ever tasted Killian’s Irish Red and thought, “I’ll never try any more of this,” don’t worry – Barnyard’s Irish red will change your opinion of the style.

As I was leaving the party, satisfied to no end by the music of She Swings, She Sways, and happily filled with pierogies and beer, I asked Mike Hummell for a final word on what the future holds for Barnyard Brewing.  “Someday soon,” he promised, “Heath and I will stand atop a vast alcohol empire.”  Judging by the quality of beer, generosity as hosts and commitment to the Cowboy Code, the future looks bright for Barnyard Brewing.  Gene Autry would be proud.

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She Swings, She Sways Brightens A Rainy Day

September 8th, 2009

To me, it was the hottest ticket in town. Others met it with no less anticipation, but presumably less giddiness. The event was a free beer tasting from the masters at Barnyard Brewing, with a performance by the Iowa-based Americana/folk pop band She Swings, She Sways. That’s enough to brighten any rainy day, and guests came out in droves despite the uncertainty of what weather was in store on Aug. 15. Because of damp conditions and the dubious notion of setting up drums and electrics during an on-again, off-again rain shower, She Swings, She Sways was limited to a four-piece acoustic set.

I chatted with drummer Jason Bolinger while four members played, at various times, acoustic guitars, bull fiddle, accordion and trumpet in a nine-song set list which began the moment the rain cleared. She Swings, She Sways is from Ottumwa, Iowa, and Bolinger said the band tours the Midwest and South at least three times a year. When they’re not on tour, “we’re weekend warriors all through the year,” Bolinger said. Troy Morgan, the man on bull fiddle – an upright, fretless acoustic bass – teaches at a local community college during the school year. The band tours in the summer and over winter and spring breaks. “We’re going into the studio for winter break,” Bolinger said. “Hopefully next spring we’ll get a new record out.”

The sound She Swings, She Sways creates, even as a limited four-piece acoustic edition, is good fun. The band produces sensible, folksy pop songs. Their pop isn’t of the “American Idol” variety, but they aren’t your uncle’s folk band outfit, either. They are catchy in the foot-tapping, head-bobbing, occasionally hand-clapping sing-along sense. And Bolinger assured me that they sound even better as a full ensemble. On this night, She Swings, She Sways played mostly original songs, such as “What I Wouldn’t Do,” and “Highway,” and they covered a few classic tunes, such as “Time After Time,” and “Ring of Fire.”

Unfortunately, the band had to pack up and leave after playing to make it to their next show in Iowa. Although the band admitted they weren’t heavy drinkers, they still missed out on some tasty brews.

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