Smuttynose Brewers Notes: Why do Luna Moths live for about a week?

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Why do Luna Moths live for about a week?

Smuttynose Short Batch: Luna Moth

Available starting June 7, 2013

Most biologists would say it's because they don't have mouths, but we're pretty sure it's because they can't drink beer. Luckily, dear reader, you can drink beer and I assure you, we're all pretty excited about that.

Luna Moth is also the name of our next Short Batch. It's a hoppy saison, that features El Dorado hops, the only hop with it's own website (seriously, it's www.eldoradohops.com), as a dry hop. El Dorado infuses stone fruit, watermelon and pear characteristics when used as a dry-hop. Yum.

Why a hoppy saison? Pretty simple, really... Smuttynose only gets one pitch of saison yeast each year for our Farmhouse Ale (shipping on May 28). We wanted to do a second beer with this unique yeast and we had just gotten a whole shed load of El Dorado pellets. Everything really came together nicely with this one and we think you'll enjoy it.

See that? Wing-eyes, but no mouth...

We're stocking Luna Moth for brewery tours starting Friday, June 7 and it'll begin shipping to wholesalers on Monday, June 10. Don't forget you can stop by during the week to buy beer during regular business hours, not just during tours. Bottle allocations for the trade will be the same as every other Short Batch (~20 cases), which means the bottles will be on the shelves for the lifespan of a luna moth, if that. All bottles are bottle conditioned, but we don't suggest aging a nice hoppy beer like Luna Moth.

Our next Short Batch release is the return of Durty. More to come on that batch, but you can expect it in our tour nook on June 17...

Luna Moth Vital Stats

7.2% abv 15 IBU

Malts: North American 2-Row, Wheat, Munich 10L

Hops: Bittering- Magnum, Flavor- 01210 and El Dorado, Dry Hop- El Dorado

Yeast: White Labs WLP-565 Saison

Production size: 30 barrels

3 comments:

Steve said...: Heh, I crafted and brewed a saison recipe I named Luna Moth back in 2011, and have brewed it several times since. I'll have to try yours if I can get my hands on it and see if it is worthy of the name. ;-); August 1, 2013 at 12:33 AM
Steve K said...: Heh, I crafted and brewed a saison recipe I named Luna Moth back in 2011, and have brewed it several times since. I'll have to try yours if I can get my hands on it and see if it is worthy of the name. ;-); August 1, 2013 at 12:34 AM
JT said...: Thanks for your comment, Steve. We still have some bottles for sale here at Smuttynose, if that helps. What is your saison like?; August 1, 2013 at 11:07 AM

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Upcoming Beer Releases

These dates show when we expect to release these beers at our Smerch Store. Shipments to our distribution partners will coincide with their order cycles, so you'll see new releases a little bit after the dates you see below.
Pumpkin Ale - August
Smuttlabs: Brett & I - Shipping Now!
Big Beer Series: Tripel (brand new release!) August 16
Smuttlabs: Schmutzig - August 23
Now and Then Series: Cluster's Last Stand - (Stone Collaboration) August 30
Winter Ale - October 15
Smuttlabs: Oak-Aged Tripel - TBD
Smuttlabs: Strawberry Short Weisse - Fall 2014
Smuttlabs: White IPA - TBD
Big Beer Series: S'muttonator (double bock) - November
Full Time: Baltic Porter - 12oz Four Pack, Fall 2014
Full Time: Really Old Brown Dog - 12oz Four Pack, Fall 2014
Durty (we promise to brew more) - December 13

The Smuttynose Big Beer Series

Since 1998, Smuttynose Brewing has offered its Big Beer Series, specialty beers released seasonally in very limited quantities. Although some styles appear every year, others get dropped or added to the lineup, or simply take a sabbatical for a year or two. Adding to the free-form nature of this series, our brewers are encouraged to tweak, change and experiment with recipes from one year to the next, so that one year's edition may be subtly or dramatically different from the next (or it may be exactly the same).

Since 2002, our Executive Brewer, David Yarrington, has contributed notes on each new edition of the Series, as well as on other seasonal beers, such as our Pumpkin Ale. Sometimes the notes are extensive; sometimes, if little or no changes have been made to the previous year's edition, they will be brief.

By the way, all Smuttynose Big Beers are bottle conditioned and will age quite nicely if stored properly. Starting in 2005, we've "vintage" dated our Big Beer labels to help you keep your cellar organized.

Smuttlabs

“How many things are we upon the brink of discovering if cowardice or carelessness did not restrain our inquiries?” -Mary Shelley

We’re very proud of each of our Smuttynose beers, but our brewing staff has many ideas that can’t be done on a large scale; this is where Smuttlabs comes into play. From barrel-aging and beer souring to culinary collaborations and special projects that just don’t fit anywhere else, if a project is out of the ordinary, unique or time consuming, you can bet it’ll bear the Smuttlabs name.

In 2007, we began these experimental brewings, with a beer called “The Gnome” (which became Homunculus in the Big Beer Series), under the Short Batch Series name. As we’ve increased production and volumes of these eccentric beers, we’ve rechristened them “Smuttlabs,” to reflect the creative experimentation found in each batch.

Smuttlabs releases seek to bridge the gap between “rare” and “hard to find.” Brewing on these terms, success can take different forms. Some releases may have semi-regular production and others may never see a mash tun again. There will constantly be Smuttlabs beers in all phases of production from conception, to brewing and fermentation to aging and packaging.

We’ll announce Smuttlabs beers here on our blog, through social media as well as our website. We know you’ll have just as much fun seeking them out and drinking them as we do brewing them.

Smuttynose Brewers Notes

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Why do Luna Moths live for about a week?

3 comments:

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