It's time for warm weather (beers)!

Smuttynose Summer Weizen and Vunderbar Pilsner are both shipping out of our warehouse now and should be on shelves in your neck of the woods very soon!

Summer Weizen (5.3% abv, 15 IBU) is our unique take on a wheat beer.  Starting with a traditional German wheat beer grain bill (2:1 barley malt to wheat malt), our brewers veer from that well-traveled path by fermenting the beer with our Belgian Trappist-style yeast and infusing the soft, floral notes of chamomile just before the wort is cooled for fermentation.  The result is a relaxing brew that's perfect for your fishing trip, barbecue, softball game or back porch.   

Vunderbar Pilsner (5.1% abv, 15 IBU) returns to our "Now and Then" series, taking the place of Noonan Black IPA.  2013's release is the same as last year's; it's made from traditional old world ingredients (German Pilsner malt, Saaz hops, lager yeast, water and nothing else)  and is unfiltered.  While the liquid inside the bottle is unchaged from last year; we've expanded the package and are now offering Vunderbar in  now be available in six packs (rather than a four pack) at the same price you pay for the rest of our year-round and seasonal beers.  Try it and see why we can't keep it on tap in our hospitality nook

In addition to the many fine stores that sell Smuttynose beers (and there are a lot), you an always stop by the brewery to buy beer during our tours or during the week, between 9am and 4pm.  

We'd like to end this blog post by reminding you of the Vunderbar Pilsner theme song, which you can enjoy here or a spiffy video, produced by our friends at Good Beer NYC.  

Enjoy your summer and thanks for making yours a Smutty!

Portsmouth Beer Week Rare Kegs

We've got a number of special beers being tapped during Portsmouth Beer Week.  To help you plan better, here's a short list:

Tuesday, February 28 at the TJ's IPA Tap Takeover, we'll be pouring Finestkind IPA and Big A IPA.  The hops start flowing at 8pm.

Wednesday, February 29 (Leap Day) brings around the annual J. Lohr vs. Smuttynose Beer vs. Wine Dinner at The Blue Mermaid.  Our line-up features rarities like Satchmo, Bourbon Barrel-aged Robust Porter, and the newest batch of Vunderbar Pils.  You will need reservations for this seated, pairing dinner.

Thursday, March 1 will see the new batch of Brett and I, on tap at The Press Room along with 2006 Wheat Wine and Vunderbar Pils.  The show starts at 8 and your cover charge goes entirely to (H)Eat.

On Friday, March 2, The Flatbread Company will be tapping a log of 2007 Farmhouse Ale at 8pm. 

There isn't anything rare on tap for Saturday's Pub Tour, but you won't want to miss it.  The gathering begins at 1pm at The Press Room and the groups depart at 2.

The River House's Brunchfest on Sunday morning will feature another log of Brett and I, in case you miss the Battle of the Bands.

The full details can be found on the official Portsmouth Beer Week website, run by the 2BeerGuys.

We'll see you out and about in town!



 

Vunderbar! Short Batch #11

Guten tag!  Short Batch #11 is kegged and ready for delivery!  

Here are Dave's notes about the beer:

Ah, Vunderbar.  So simple.  So elegant.  The impetus of this beer was two-fold.   The first part stemmed from drinking a snot load of Sam Adams Noble Pils this spring.  Great beer.  The other was a visit by Cornelius Faust from Faust Brewery in Germany.  He brewed a pilsner with Tod Mott down at the Portsmouth Brewery that was also quite beautiful.  We, of course, couldn’t possibly let Mott show us up and so had to try our hand at the style.  We’ve made several lagers in the past but this was our first attempt at a beer this delicate.  Luckily, we stole Cornelius’ great idea of boiling the brewing water to soften it before use.  We bumped up the acidulated malt to balance the mash pH and were able to mimic a traditional pilsner quite well.  Hopefully you agree.  Prost.

The Stat Junkie Corner


Weyermann Pilsner Malt
Weyermann Acidulated Malt

Saaz Hops for all hopping

15 IBU, dryhopping at ½ pound per barrel.

5.11% Alcohol by Volume
Starting Extract 10.9° Plato
Terminal Extract 1.9° Plato.


Vunderbar Pils marks a departure from the last few short batches we have brewed.  It's not high in alcohol.  It doesn't use any kind of wild yeast, nor is it barrel-aged.  It's a beer in the classic, if not archetypal, sense of the word.  Best of all, it's blindingly delicious and drinkable.  The low bitterness and moderate body make the beer conducive to some serious elbow bending; we went through five gallons here in less than twenty-four hours. 

After all the kegging was done, we ended up with (27) 15.5-gallon kegs and (60) 5.16-gallon kegs.  Final allocations and destinations have yet to be determined.

We also have designed these swank Vunderbar t-shirts.  Wearing one tells the world "I'm formal, but I like to party," just in German.  Greg Blanchard, our Head Brewer, models one below just before going to the cellar to take some Zahm hits off of BB 8, while blaring side two of the Dio classic, "Holy Diver."

The run is limited and will be on sale soon through our website and retail store.  We'll let you know when they are available through the blog and Facebook/Twitter.