Four years ago the U.S. Congress established American Craft Beer Week (ACBW) with the passage of House Resolution 753. "The Mother of All Beer Weeks" takes place this year from May 17-23 and is a celebration of all the 1400+ small and independent craft brewers in the nation.

Three years ago I visited one of my favorite craft breweries, Russian River Brewing Company during a family wine vacation. Having brewed clone versions of a few of their beers in the past, this was a bucket list type of visit. Owner and brewmaster Vinnie Cilurzo exemplifies craft brewing. Despite now brewing world class beers as a professional, Vinnie embraces the homebrewing community that he once was a part of and readily shares scaled down versions of his recipes. He also responded back to me personally by email before our visit and ensured my family and I received a private tour of their Santa Rosa facility.

Two years ago The Ferm only existed in the minds of our humble motley crew of beverage enthusiasts. Now we are like the greatest source for adult beverage talk on the entire Interwebs… in our minds.

One year ago Two Pints and I celebrated American Craft Beer Week on this blog by opening up a bottle of beer we had been saving for some undetermined occasion. We shared our thoughts in a celebratory rather than pedantic fashion with a little He said/She said.

Please join us in celebrating by supporting American Craft Beer Week by enjoying a craft beer or attending some of the special events being held in your city. You can also show your support by "liking" ACBW on Facebook and signing the Declaration of Beer Independence. Cheers!

Day 1
May 17, 2010
Russian River Blind Pig (Santa Rosa, CA)
Bottled 07/23/09

Website/Bottle Information:
Ask for a "blind pig" in a saloon during prohibition and you might just get a beer… During prohibition, using the term "blind pig" discretely meant many different things. Sometimes it was the secret code given to a bartender to receive a beer. In other places, it meant that you paid a small fee to see a "blind pig," and along with the viewing you'd get a beer, or something else... And what type of glassware would your "blind pig" be served in? An unmarked mason jar of course. In those days, a mason jar was known as a pig, and an unmarked mason jar was known as a Blind Pig.

Use the term discretely today and you'll get Russian River's Blind Pig IPA, a bold IPA packed full of hop aroma, flavor, and bitterness. Please keep Blind Pig IPA refrigerated and consume fresh to experience the immense hop character. Unlike many of our other beers, Blind Pig IPA is not meant to be aged.

Serving: 1 Pint, 0.9 fl.oz. (500 mL) Bottle
Style: American IPA
ABV: 6.10%
72 BUs

He Said:
Blind Pig is a perfect way to kick off ACBW '10. When we visited Russian River three years back, this beer was not available by bottle. Since, the brewery has acquired an additional brewing facility that they utilized to increase their production and to begin bottling Pliny the Elder and Blind Pig. We acquired this bottle as a gift from my parents during one of their California wine excursions last year. For those of you that haven't experienced Blind Pig IPA, the aroma and flavor is pure hop heaven. The nose almost exactly matches the taste, with citrus and pine flavors dominating, but not destroying your palate. Like any good story, this beer has a beginning, middle, and an end... but they are hops, hops, and hops. Not so surprisingly for those familiar with Vinnie's work, Blind Pig is incredibly drinkable and a beer even my wine drinking mother loves.

She Said:
Oh the aroma! It is like I've died and been buried in the freshest and most pleasant hop bed any craft beer drinker could imagine. The carbonation is light to medium. The taste is crisp, and not sweet. Blind Pig is down and dirty hoppy! Delicious – I give it a 4½ hops out of 5.

6:31AM - Baby alarm... ugh, I'm up.

6:35AM - Oh good, it's *only* 80.3F outside right now. That means it'll only be like 115F in the garage/driveway this afternoon.
(NOTE: actual forecast high is 101F)

6:42AM - What is it about Cheerios that babies find so delicious? I wish I loved Cheerios like babies do.

7:23AM - After fighting with the stir bar and my stir plate for an entire day, it decides to start cooperating this morning. Maybe this is a sign of a good day. Anyway, the yeast should be in a happy place by this evening's pitching.

8:32AM - Still pulling out equipment and supplies... *fingers crossed* that I did a decent job of cleaning before putting the brew stand up last time.........

9:19AM - Cleaning situation wasn't bad... just going to need to rinse and run hot water through everything to be safe. I've got the B3 1550 out and ready to get things going. Temperature update: Garage = 99F, official OAT (from nearby elementary weather station) = 83F.


9:56AM - Found a problem with the pump during cleaning/testing of the brewstand... if there wasn't an "oh bleep" moment during brew day, then it wouldn't be a real brew day.

9:58AM - Halloweenhead by Ryan Adams... jam.

10:20AM - ...but Int'l Players Anthem by UGK... infinitely more jammerific.

10:33AM - I just killed a 2+ inch roach in the garage with Raid. I hate those things, but when they get sprayed, it is kinda sad. They slow down and start twitching. I don't think I could ever be a game hunter... or a gangbanger.

11:04AM - Got everything hooked up and ready to go. Heating the Hot Liquor Tank (HLT) water. 12+ gallons from ~80F to 165F is going to take a while. I think I've lost several gallons of water through the sweat pores already.


11:15AM - Adjusted water chemistry to the recommended 5.2pH using 5.2pH Stabilizer. It's a powder you just dump in the water, and pow! 5.2pH. Scary.

11:18AM - And there I was... typing about pH and jamming to Timberlake when it occurred to me: It's kinda quiet. The burners had turned off... gas ran out. Backup propane is now on duty.

11:58AM - Mashed in 29lbs of delicious malts. I bet you are wishing you had smell-o-net right now. Aroma is heavenly. Timer is set. Mash time is 1 hour.

Grain bill:
26 lbs 2-Row Brewers Malt (1.036)
1 lb Cara-Pils Malt (1.035)
1 lb White Wheat (1.040)
1 lb Crystal 40L (1.034)


12:18PM - Meanwhile, inside the house, apparently my baby girl found some super glue and got it all over her hands and feet. Sweet.

12:22PM - All of baby girl's appendages and digits are unstuck from themselves. Odds are pretty good that won't be the first time she glues herself together with super glue. Mash nearly half done.

12:33PM - Getting a late start with the drinking. Starting with an Abita Harvest Wit. It is a middle of the road Wit, but tasty and accessible enough to hit the proverbial spot in this 94F (100F heat index) weather.

1:01PM - Mash done. Raising the mash temperature to 168F before sparging (helps with efficiency). Once there, I'll start the slow rinsing of the sweet wort from the grain and collect it in the brew kettle.

1:08PM - Beer #2: Harpoon UFO.

1:34PM - Arg! Broke a rubber o-ring on mash tun valve. Sweet wort leaking on the ground! After a mad scramble around the garage, I found some replacements I had the foresight to purchase in advance (well, to be honest, I had an o-ring problem during a previous brew session with no backups... but after that I was smart enough to keep backups in the brew supply box).

1:49PM - Here is the scoop on the sparging: This is an 11 gallon batch (split into 2 5.5gal batches). Boiling and equipment losses should a little over 2 gallons. My plan is to collect just over 13 gallons in the kettle before starting the boil. This should take another 45 minutes.

Here is the scoop on the temperature: OAT = 97F, Heat index = 101F, Garage Temperature = Nearly boiling.

Cold War Kids - Hang Me Out to Dry... just reading the words "cold" and "dry" off the iPod makes me happy.

1:59PM - Beer #3: Victory Prima Pils. If you don't know, you better axe somebody.

3:04PM - Took a specific gravity reading with my refractometer "toy." I missed my targets a bit (73% efficiency vs the target 75% efficiency, not bad!). No worries. Dumped 4.5 oz of some light dried malt a bought for just such an occasion.

Chances of boil over: Is there something more than 100%?

3:23PM - Boil started... 60 minutes on the clock. 6 oz of Galena hops added to wort.

3:25PM - Smart money was on the boil over.


3:49PM - Beer #4: Victory Prima Pils again. Don't question me.

3:52PM - 2oz Cascade hops added. Wort revolts and threatens boil over. I threaten to turn off the heat and we agree to continue.

4:04PM - I just had a mini Butterfinger from one of the kids' Lunchables. It may have been more than a decade since I've had a Butterfinger. I forgot how much they stick to your teeth! I have what feels like a mouthgaurd of peanut butter flavored sugar on the tops of all my teeth now.

4:09PM - 2oz Liberty hops added. This time, my disapproving stare keeps the wort and it's boil overs in check.

4:17PM - Tossed a Whirlfloc tablet in there. It is supposed to clear the wort (coagulates wort proteins). Boil almost over.

4:20PM - OPP. I was very pop culture "aware" in the early 90s. I was in high school in the early 90s. I'm pretty sure that before that time, during, and since that time there is pretty much only 1 other meaning, other than the literal meaning for Treach's ad lib opening to the song. No, not the command to "harm me with harmony" (whatever that means). It's what he asks his homie to do to us listeners. "Dave drop a load on 'em."

Now *what* now!?

4:46PM - Pumping the wort into 2 carboys for primary fermentation.

5:10PM - Time for some cleanup outside... ugh.

7:08PM - 2 hrs later... everything is clean. My temperature controller for my my custom built fermentation box broke, leaving me with 2 non-functioning controllers. How-evah, I broke both of them apart and mix and matched parts until I got 1 to work. *whew*

The carboys have been put away in the fermentation box... located in what used to be my office, but is now the kids' playroom. I figured I could give up my office if they could deal with me having a 4'x4' corner for my brewing supplies.

The temperature is still too hot for me to pitch the yeast. Post boil cooling is a problem I really need to solve.

Update (the next day) - I wanted to pitch the yeast with the beer in the mid 60's... at 2:30AM, I convinced myself that 72F was just fine. 1500mL of a 1.040 strength yeast starter (prepared Thursday evening) went into each carboy.

Original gravity target: 1.071
Actual gravity reading: 1.072 (not bad!)

This beer should be about 8% ABV.

The two guys are being stored at 68F where I'll let the yeast do their work for about 10-14 days. Once fermentation has nearly finished, I'll transfer them on top of some additional hops and some American oak cubes (simulating "barrel aging"). One 5 gallon batch will get wine soaked oak chips and the other will get whiskey soaked oak chips.

I'll update this post again if anything exciting happens.

sal·va·tion, n 1. deliverance from the power or penalty of sin; redemption. 2. The agent or means that brings about such deliverance.

In 2007, TwoPints and I tagged along with my parents and sister on a Santa Rosa, CA area wine trip. While I got schooled in some mind blowing wines (e.g. Pine Ridge, Verite, Havens, Lambert Bridge, and did I mention Verite?), I hooked the fam up with a scheduled visit and tour of the Russian River Brewing Company. While I had never had the pleasure of tasting a beer from Russian River (thank you TABC and the three tier system gangsters), I had brewed my own version of Pliny the Elder and Blind Pig (thanks B3).

Not only was Russian River a unanimous (near) favorite stop on a *wine* trip, it has got to be what every aspiring homebrewer wishes to achieve: World class beer, lively bar scene, exemplary brewery staff, and this crazy unusual idea that you can sell your own beer without the local Bud/Miller/Coors distributor involved. I brought one of everything they had in 750mL. We opened one tonight.

Day 2
May 12, 2009
Russian River Salvation
Batch 004

Website/Bottle Information:
This Belgian-style strong dark ale has a tawny brown color and strong notes of spice and candy sugar that dominate the initial aroma of the beer. Subtle malt flavors blend perfectly with fruit-driven characteristics created by the classic Belgian yeast used to ferment this ale.

The alcohol content is deceptively high, similar to its sister beer Damnation. 9.0%ABV / 1.081 O.G / 22 BUs

Silver Medal, 1999 World Beer Cup (Belgian Ale Category)

Available almost Year Round in the pub, and in 750mL cork finished bottles.





He Said:
This is a Belgian-style strong dark ale... and a good one. It has a great spice and candy sugar aroma and that fruity Belgian flavor. As an added bonus, its hefty, but nearly undetectable, 9% ABV is enough to get your eyelids buzzing. The first sip of this beer inspired a revelation. The Salvation experience can be compared (for the American craft beer drinker) to tasting a great pale ale after you've been stocking your fridge full of the hoppiest beers you could find. As it turns out, your beer doesn't have to kick your taste buds in the nads to be "good." Salvation provides this experience in the Belgo-American realm. I *love* me some Belgian pales, but clearly there is something to be said for some malty balance to that Belgian ale yeast flavor... and I'm board with it. I'm not saying to run out to your local liquor warehouse or watering hole and get the first dark Belgian you can find. Salvation Ale is possibly the best of its kind brewed here in the United States. Well done Vinnie!

She Said:
Let's start with HOLY CR@P! DELICIOUS!! This beer is OUTSTANDING. Okay I LOVE my shift key, can't help it, but seriously WOW!! I was way turned off to the coffee like color of the beer and didn't expect anything that would tantalize my buds. Then I took my first sip and Good Gravy Baby, it was AWESOME. (Did I mention I LOVE the SHIFT KEY?) So back to the beer. This is a dark Belgian and it was so tasty that I was disappointed to have to share the bottle with SirRon. Salvation has a rich chocolaty/coffee taste to it that is begging for another sip. Those of you that know me know I'm not big when it comes to chocolate, but for some delicious reason I couldn't get enough SALVATION. It HAS to be a sin to drink an entire bottle of this beer, so I guess pints up to SirRon for saving me or should I say for being my Salvation (Ha, you didn't think I could work that into a funny, did you!?!? He Said: you called your own joke, no points). I can't recommend this beer enough. If you are fortunate enough to be cellaring one of these bottles, think long and hard before you open it because when it's gone it's gone and chances are you won't find it anywhere outside of the left coast. The dark rich flavors (I know I said it before) are DELICIOUS! Two Pints Up to Russian River Brewery, right now you guys are my HEROES! I wish I had more adjectives for FANTASTIC (oh there's another one!). Thank you RRB... you ROCK. (Man I love the SHIFT KEY!)