Heath Hoody of Lawrence, co-owner and brewmaster of Barnyard Brewing, inspects a gauge on the far side of a hot liquor tank, which heats water to 180 degrees Fahrenheit before it is transferred into a mash tank tun, where grain is added to the water until it is evenly saturated.
continued from page 11
Barnyard Brewing is participating in a tasting on Friday in Ottawa. It's the Ottawa Main Street Association's annual fundraiser at the Carnegie Community Center. It's featuring Barnyard beer, along with wine, cheese, food and an auction.
Katy Boothe, executive director of the Ottawa Main Street Association, already has three state representatives and one state senator on the guest list; one of the leading pieces on auction is from artist Jack Sorenson, who has done work for production companies such as Warner Bros.
Tastings also give craft brewers the chance to find investors. Making beer is not cheap. Hummell says that to get a full blown microbrewery going, with a bottling operation, would require an investment of $300,000—after that he shook his head, chuckled and said that they could work with less, and they are, but that's the ideal set up. Hummell works at the Wonder Bread factory in Lenexa and Hoadley works in the kitchen at Zig & Mac's.
Change in taste
Brewing is an all-day process. Hoadley heads over to the barn at 7:30 in the morning to prepare for the brewing process. Some days he stays there late into the night, depending on how many batches of beer he is making, but this day he is there until early in the afternoon.
Many microbreweries are known for their often-zany beer flavors, but Barnyard doesn't want to start out that way. Originally, he planned to make just three beers, and has now moved on to five.
"It isn't about what we like.It's about making sure that we have an accessible product," Hummell says.
But it turns out the craft beers that are selling the most are Indian pale ales or the seasonal beers with intense flavors that are often made only one time, or become available once a year. There is demand from drinkers to have a special beer that they may only be able to get for a limited amount of time.Herz says.These beers often feature local ingredients and reflect the season.
"Seasonal beers are ever-changing, and there's a halo effect from a loyal following; people are into taste, flavor and feeling of the moment of these not always available beers," Herz says.
This gives Hoadley a chance to really play with the flavor and style of Barnyard's beers. By manipulating the natural ingredients and using different techniques, he can effectively change the overall experience people have when drinking the beer. His techniques and style have been built over the years through trial and error and tasting a ton of beer.
"I like to work backwards," Hoadley says. "Get the flavor in my head. This is what I want. Well, how would I get this flavor?"
People who buy craft beers are looking for brewers who focus on taste.The prices of raw material and ingredients have increased over the past year, which has placed a price increase on beer buyers. Imports have been losing sales with American beer drinkers and craft brewers have been gaining an audience. People shopping
for a craft beer are looking for quality over quantity. You can't buy 30 packs of an Indian pale ale like you can Natural Light or Miller High Life.
"In this economy, what consumers are increasing to use as a point of decision are what products have value across the spectrum. Value doesn't mean low price. They're getting an experience that they're looking for." Gatza says.
Hoadley lights up a cigarette and takes a drag and a sip of the Irish red ale. The guy likes beer. Water stands at our feet from a night of rain. Small "cornie" kegs, like the kind that Pepsi and Coke use for soda fountains, sit full or waiting to be filled with yet another batch of beer.
"Want another?" he asks.
I stop and wonder how many other times in history that exchange has occurred. "Want another beer?" It just so rarely happens that the person offering you the beer made it himself. JP
12
April 16,2009.