On Tour at Urban Artifact

This past Saturday, I finally had a chance to get out and visit Urban Artifact which sits on the North Side community of Cincinnati. A spacious and currently being renovated old church is what is now this home for sour bases beers. The church was purchased last year and the brewery was able to open earlier this year. I was able to get a chance to tour the brewery and have a more reflective talk with Scott Hunter who is their Chief of Strategic Development and of course, finally get to taste their offerings.

First, before talking about the beers, I feel that I should describe the feel of the brewery as they have a lot of good things going on. Now, I am not one that usually goes to church, but this is the kind of mass that I can get into for sure. The church itself was built around 1873 and was active until 2008. I mentioned spacious earlier, and it is. There will be a floor that will act as a reception hall and is slated for completion for next year. And, they are currently in talks to have a restaurant on the premises. I mean this place is spacious.

















 As for the brewery, that is kept in separate building in the back and also bolsters a lot of room which is great for all the maneuvering done with the making of the beer. A good thing is that they are separated which helps for oversight as well as regulations. They also use a unique process for their sour mash which helps to balance out the acidity. They are careful to use all fresh hops and like to experiment with one off beers as well. While I was there, I was shown one planned for a Christmas release later this year, that was being aged in Bourbon barrels and will be a tart stout. I will be back for that one. Currently, there is no packaging for cans or bottles but that is in the works and in the tap room, one can get growlers to take home.


 But getting to the tap room, that is located in the basement, you will have a variety of things to do as well. Drink beer, obviously, but you also have various board games available and as I mentioned a location for live acts to play on stage.One thing that patrons like is to create their own beer experiences by adding various flavorings to their beer. Essentially, you are given the choice of various flavored liquid that you can add to your beer to enhance the tartness or even cut it as a hops blend liquid is also a selection. It can be kind of fun as people can customize and experiment to make their beer their own. There was also various artwork that was on display for purchase by local artists which was neat, but a thing that stole my eye was one their recycling of many things including the copper pipes for the bar taps. But the bar itself was a neat feature, it was wood that was had what seemed to be metal glass burnt into the cracks where under the class was malt seeds. It really added some character, so if you go then make sure to check that out.

Another key thing that I didn't even notice until it was mentioned was the lack of televisions there, and it was kind of refreshing as people actually communicated. Imagine that, conversation being the focus. As far as food, they don't serve any currently but there are advertisements for places that will deliver and during some events they will also have some of the food trucks on hand. All in all a great place to chill and hang out and look forward to coming back to check out an act as well.

Oh yeah, the beers, that may be important, lol. Well, they had six on hand although one was on its way out to be replaced by a double IPA which was being released tonight on June 30th. And two of the beers do have a nitro option to enhance them and of course were the ones that I chose. But the list was as follows:

• Finn (Nitro Version)
• Kodiak (Nitro Version)
• Harrow
• Keypunch
• Clothesline
• Axl (This one was ending and I believe will be replaced by the Double IPA)

I will be adding a review for each of these but the Keypunch is a key lime Gose and surprisingly ended up barely being my favorite over the Kodiak which was a great sour ale infused with coffee flavors.

Thank you to Scott for the tour and time to talk, as well as to Emily and Chris who were there to provide the refreshments and did a great job of sharing details as well.

***As a footnote

Since the time of this writing, I have also learned that not all beers will have a sour component at Urban Artifact as previously thought. Some beers are actually brewed as wild beers that use wild yeast. These beers complement the tart ones and are the two styles featured.

The Art of Cellaring Beer

A good many beer enthusiasts get into the habit of cellaring beer, which can be a great way to learn how to smooth out flavors over time. But in doing so, a person has to know the right kid of beers to cellar. For instance, a common rule is to choose beers that are at least 8% ABV. But, that is only a baseline as it should also be the right kind of beer. For instance, hop heavy beers such as IPA's will lose some of their bitterness over time and although they will be drinkable, they won't most likely be the expected taste that is desired.  But, cellaring more malty and lower IBU beers can create a more distinct taste as the flavors open up over time. For instance, here is one of the beers that I have cellared recently:

As indicated Voodoo Vator over time becomes much more smoother and in fact, the taste of the alcohol was lessened even more then when fresh. So what should you know about cellaring?

1. The beer should be a minimum of 8% ABV as a general rule. Although, I have done slightly lower and been okay. Only trying and tasting will let you know what to expect.
2. Make sure you choose a comfortable temperature. Usually, this may be the coolest place in the house and commonly this is the basement. But some will even use back-up refrigerators. I, myself, use a cool area in the basement.
3. Store the bottles in darkness and upright. There is no need to place bottles on their side, this is beer not wine. The ultimate goal is to keep them out of the light and sealed away to avoid oxidation. So if you buy a case, like I do, then leave them in the boxes. Get what you need and then close them back up.
4. Don't mess around and use brown. As I mentioned, you want to keep the light out, so it is best to use brown bottles. Often you see green, but they are not as good and can potentially skunk your beer.
5. Know how your beer tastes before cellaring. If you don't drink one fresh then how can you compare if the beer improves?
6. Understand there may be no change. There is no guarantee that the beers will get better with age, so know that going in and don't become frustrated. You may have some that stay the same, but you will be pleasantly pleased at some point as well.
7. It's only your opinion that counts.

These are just a few things to keep in mind and I hope you do decide to adventure out into the cellaring world. With some of the great things being done with  craft beer, it is definitely worth giving it a try.

Cheers and Happy Drinking!

Beer Review #50 Blue Moon Valencia Grove Amber ( 5.9% ABV )

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Beer Review #49 Blue Moon Rounder (5.6% ABV )

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Beer Review #48 MadTree Brewing BlackTart ( 8% ABV )

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Give Me Five with Braxton Brewing Company

One of the newer breweries now located in the Cincinnati region, Covington, Kentucky actually, is Braxton Brewing Company. They recently opened and have already created a nice buzz about their brewery located on West 7th. I had a chance to talk with Jonathan Gandolf who is their head of marketing about the brewery and make them the focus of the next Give Me Five!

1. What Makes The Brewery Unique?

"Braxton Brewing Company aims to combine the age-old technique of brewing beer with new consumer technology. We have a very diverse team with different brewing and business backgrounds. We want everyone on the team to bring something special to the table. Whether it be our Brewmaster, Richard Dubé, with 35+ years of brewing experience or our CEO, Jake Rouse, with experience building software partnerships at one of the largest tech companies in the world, we are now leveraging all of these experiences to create one cohesive brand and beer experience." 

2. How Did You Come About Starting The Brewery?

"Evan Rouse, our head brewer, started home brewing at the age of 16. In his very first competition, he won best in show. At 18, he was hired to work at Hofbrahaus in Newport as an assistant brewer. There, he learned how to make recipes that scale. At the same time, Richard Dubé was working at Moerlein in Cincinnati. After Evan decided, with his brother Jake's urging, that he could start his own brewery, Richard decided to join the team. Evan, Jake, Richard, and Greg Rouse (father of Evan and Jake) formed the Co-Founding team. It was a little more than 18 months in the making but the team that we have assembled, we truly believe it's the best in the business." 

3. How Many Beer Offerings Does The Brewery Provide?

"It depends how you define "offering" -- with 5 nitrogen tap handles we'll always have some fun with our "Nitro Series." We have four flagships: Storm Golden Cream Ale, Sparky Hoppy Wheat Ale, Crank Shaft IPA, and Dead Blow Tropical Stout. On draft right now we also have Blown Gasket Robust Porter." 

4. Where Do You Envision The Brewery Heading In The Future?

"We want to continue to make some of the best beer in Cincinnati and the Midwest. We also want to use beer as a catalyst for change in Covington. Beer was the first social network and it can be a vehicle for change. We've seen so many people collaborating, meeting, and building in our space. We truly want our space and our product to be a resource for the community that we call home."

5. When Did The Brewery Become Established?

"We announced that we were coming to Covington on April 7, 2014. 51 weeks later, we opened our doors on March 27, 2015." 

Jonathan, thank you for taking the time to share some of the Braxton Brewing story. As one that has visited the brewery, I urge others to do the same. Congratulations on the success of the new brewery and cheers to future success down the line!