The smell of wort wafts around the Twelve Percent Beer Project brewhouse, but it’s the dank, woodsy smell of the cellar that I’m in search of.
I pass the towering shiny fermenters and brite tanks and head to the back corner of the brewery, where the forest of spirit-soaked oak rests. I’m here to capture a few photos for a memory book. It’s an important day for Jason Stein of Timber Ales, as the beer from these barrels will soon result in a highly anticipated Barleywine, a first for his young brewery. The beer-in-progress, whose recipe was first trialed as a homebrew almost two years ago, is a collaboration made with Kyle Harrop of Horus Aged Ales and Dave Martin of Mindful Ales. Today, Jason is here with Dave and Zac Ross of Marlowe Artisanal Ales to check in on its progress.
Creating beer in this fashion is purposeful at the outset, but nature takes the lead in shaping the final product. With each carefully pulled nail, I position myself to capture the thick, dark stream of beer that gently flows outward. Once a satisfactory amount has been collected from each barrel, they begin sampling. I look on, my shutter clicking as they discuss the nuances of flavor, meticulously evaluating the beer from scent to taste. I’m struck by how lucky I am to be here, and to taste this manifestation of a dream taking shape. Someday—many barrels and bottle sales from now—I hope these captured moments become a fond reminder of the start of something wonderful.
