The Northfielder

Pilsner is one of the few sacrosanct beers in the brewing universe and of course we are crazy enough to brew our interpretation as OUR VERY FIRST BEER.

Why would we choose to start with such an unforgiving style?  Two reasons: first, we love our hops and there is no better showcase for the noble subtleties of our very own Mt. Rainier than a Pale Lager. Second, Pilsners are demanding on equipment and process, so what better style to test drive the parameters of our new brew house.

What’s in it and how’s it made? The base for the Northfielder is pure German Pilsner malt which has a beautiful character all its own, subtle aromas of honey and bread with a balanced mouthfeel and exceptional performance in the brewhouse. That’s it, one malt. The well water we brew with here on the farm is soft, like so soft it borderline doesn’t have enough mineral content for healthy fermentation. We added a little CaCl and a little CaSO4 to punch up the mineral content as well as give some additional depth to the finished beer. The first batch of The Northfielder is brewed with 2019 Mt. Rainier, a bright, herbal hop with characteristics resembling the noble hops of continental Europe. One small bittering addition to 20 IBUs and then a small whirlpool addition and we have just the right combination. Fermented with a classic lager yeast in the low 50’s and then dry hopped with a ¼ lb/Bbl of more Mt Rainier for a bright aroma. Lagering time is the key to this beer and a process that is dear to us. At the tail end of fermentation, we transfer the beer into a horizontal cylindrical tank to relax and put it’s feet up (also to clean up a wide variety of flavors that mellow out during this long, cold lagering period).

The result is a crisp, pale lager that is exceptionally refreshing and drinkable.