Brew Q&A: Oktoberfest
Fall is just around the corner, and with it comes a seasonal favorite: Oktoberfest. Odell Brewing Company is looking forward to sharing its version, created by Head Brewer Bill Beymer and the rest of the brewing team. He chatted about the concept and the final product in this month’s Brew Q&A. We can smell the malt and bratwursts already.
Q: What was your role in creating this year’s Oktoberfest?
A: It’s my recipe, but I had some guidance from [Production Manager] Brendan McGivney on developing it. We’ve had demand for it in previous years, but with the new brew house being dialed in we thought it would be a great time to brew it. We wanted to brew a German-style Oktoberfest in our new German brew house.
Q: How does this brew differ from our past Oktoberfest releases?
A: We’ve done it on a small scale, usually 5-6 barrels, every year on the pilot system. But this time we brewed 300 barrels. It’s one of the first beers that we’ve done on the big system that we won’t be bottling. It’s draft only; it’s going to be available for about a month, and then it’s probably going to be gone until next year.
Q: What sets our Oktoberfest apart from others?
A: Normally when we do a beer there is that Odell influence—we put a lot of hops into it. This time we didn’t. We decided to go with a traditional malt-forward beer, so we used German malts for the main backbone. I think one thing people will find with our beers is that they are very balanced. It’s a very smooth, malty beer.
Q: Do you have any food pairing recommendations?
A: A bratwurst would be great with it. Bratwurst and pretzels.
Oktoberfest will be released in the taproom during our Oktoberfest celebration Sunday, Sept. 28. We will also be featuring it at the following events:
- Sept. 11: Tap takeover at Black Orchid Lounge in El Paso, TX
- Sept. 12: Oktoberfest kick-off party at Chester’s Kitchen in Rochester, MN
- Sept. 13: Oktoberfest celebration in downtown Breckenridge, CO
- Sept. 19: Oktoberfest celebration at Lowry Beer Garden in Denver, CO
- Sept. 27: Tapping at House of Brews in Gilbert, AZ
See a full list of events here.
Want to learn more about your favorite Odell beer? E-mail us a Brew Q&A request!
Game Day 90 Shilling Cupcakes
Football season is among us! At Odell Brewing Co., we celebrate one of our favorite sports with one of our favorite beers. This year, we decided to showcase that beer – 90 Shilling – in a cupcake recipe by Raspberry Eggplant. Behold, chocolate-90 Shilling cupcakes with caramel buttercream and crushed pretzels. One bite will have you reminiscing about football season long after the Broncos take the Super Bowl.
Chocolate-90 Shilling Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream and Crushed Pretzels
Recipe courtesy of Raspberry Eggplant
makes 12 regular size or 36 mini cupcakes
Ingredients:
For the chocolate-beer cupcakes
1 cup flour
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon good quality cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup 90 Shilling
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
For the caramel buttercream frosting*
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons heavy cream
Pinch of salt
3 large egg whites
2 sticks butter, room temperature
*Recipe calls for homemade caramel in the frosting, but we substituted a high quality caramel sauce.
For assembly
3/4 cup crushed thin pretzels
Caramel sauce
*****
Directions:
Make the cupcakes
1. Heat oven to 350F. Line a muffin pan with papers and set aside.
2. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl and set aside.
3. Add the beer, sugar, oil, vinegar, and vanilla to a medium bowl and whisk well to combine. Add this mixture to the flour mixture and gently whisk to combine.
4. Divide the batter among the lined cups and bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 18 minutes. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the caramel buttercream
1. Put 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons of the sugar in a small, heavy pot. Make an X in the center with your finger and pour in the 2 tablespoons water. Set the pot over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, swirling occasionally. Continue boiling and swirling until the syrup is a medium amber color. Remove from heat, then slowly pour in the cream and mix with a wooden spoon or heat-proof spatula until the caramel is completely smooth. Add the salt, stir, and set aside until the caramel is completely cool. [This is critical – if the caramel is even slightly warm, it will melt the butter in the frosting and you’ll be left with a mess of liquidy frosting.]
2. Put the remaining sugar and egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer. Set the bowl over simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and whisk the mixture until it reaches 140 F. If you don’t have a thermometer, don’t worry – the mixture will turn thick and white and all the sugar should be dissolved – this should take about 5 minutes.
3. Transfer the bowl to the mixer and, with the whip attachment, mix on high speed (8) until the whites are fluffy and cool, 10-12 minutes.
4. Once the mixture is cool, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Add the butter a few pieces at a time, mixing well before adding more and scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Once all the butter has been added, turn the mixer to medium-high speed and slowly drizzle the cooled caramel down the side of the bowl into the frosting until all of it is incorporated.
5. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Replace the whisk with the paddle attachment and beat on low speed (2) for 5-7 minutes – this gets rid of air bubbles, thereby making the frosting smoother and more even when you apply it.
Assemble the cupcakes
Use a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip to frost the cupcakes. Top each one with crushed pretzels and drizzle with caramel. If you’re serving them more than 4 hours after assembly, leave off the pretzels until just before serving (otherwise they’ll get soggy).
Enjoy!
**Photo credit: Odell Brewing Co.
Brew Poetry
We love to share our beer with friends. And sometimes, those friends thank us by posting photos of the beer on Instagram, accompanied by short poems expressing their gratitude.
Thus, brewer Kevin Bosley shares these 10 photos and poems from his pals in California. Thanks for the love!
There once was a man named Odell // Whose home brewing was really quite swell // Said his friends, “Doug, you tart!” // “You must follow your heart!” // And thus was the birth of #Odell
Valley is hot // Good beer and good friends brings smiles // Emptiness is loneliness
Drinking warm beer makes me queasy // Here at sir Trevor’s speakeasy // Fear not, there’s a fridge // You silly Aunt Midge // So partake beer Easy and breezy
Third beer // What would Kamiski do? // Backlight!
O Doug Odell // The beer you sell // Is loose on the leaf // And pairs with the beef // O hey here’s Mel!
I’ll go for a ride // On an elephant’s hide // This beer makes my day
Beer beer beer beer beer // Beer beer beer beer beer beer beer // Beer beer beer beer beer
I could go on and on about 90 Shilling // But I doubt you’d want me to // Just gonna say that if you are willing // It’s a pretty good brew
Trevor hates hashtags // I love beer // Bosley thank you // Winding river; sky
The honorable, great St. Lupulin // Sowed seeds of hope where’er he’d been// From grain to glass, when he came to pass // In his hoppy grave, he did grin
The noble man must always think // Of all the tasty beer he’ll drink // With every sip, a new friendship // Is forged in sudsy ink
I’m riding an elephant in life’s beer circus // As CO2 bubbles rise to the surface // This ain’t no Dumbo, it makes me say “Yum!” though // Without beer, these hops would be worthless
Beer River flows, wild and free// Through the forest, beyond the tree// The beacon calls, the loose leaf falls// My ale is now with me
