Update:

TVBG Followers & Fans:

Sorry I haven't been posting as much as I would like to.  I am currently pursuing an MBA and have been extremely busy balancing full-time employment, my MBA program & beer blogging.  Unfortunately it looks as if beer blogging has been sidelined.  Please stay interested and patient.  I will be doing guest articles and interviews periodically throughout the summer, but the majority of my blogging will be on Instagram, because it is easy and quick.  Follow me there @thatvermontbeerguy.

Cheers,
TVBG

Meet The Brewer Monday #1 - Mike Czok

Mike Czok is the owner of Bent Hill Brewery located in Braintree, Vermont. Bent Hill is currently producing on a 1/2 barrel system, but Mike is looking to upgrade to a 2 barrel system by opening.  The soft opening for the brewery is early May 2014.  They plan to offer 22oz. bottles and growler fills at the brewery to start, but Mike plans to distribute to the community and restaurants once the paperwork and capital is available.  Below is our conversation.  Enjoy this first installment of Meet The Brewer Mondays.

When did you first start home brewing beer, if ever?

I first started home brewing back in 2011, I was a senior in college at the University of Maine, I started with a single 10 gallon kettle, doing my first all grain batch. I believe it was a centennial blonde. Which is similar to the Vienna Blonde that I brew today as one of my flag ship beers. It is funny to look back on the mess I used to make in my small college apartment kitchen, and how I always made the house host the smell of the grain and hops. It was a great first experience and I was sucked in.

When did you know you wanted to open a professional brewery?

I knew in the fall of 2012, I was coming into the winter of 2012/2013 and my first idea's started to take hold. I had some serious encouragement from my family and friends to go for it. I started designing the brewery, talking with people and attempted to start to get the idea out about what I had planned to do. This was was a huge task, being just turned 23 the idea of starting a business was enormous. But now we are here only a few months from opening.

Any idea when consumers will be able purchase your brews, bottles or growlers?

We will be exclusively selling 22oz bombers and growlers from the brewery for the first month or two from opening our doors. This is to allow sometime for us to do more local tastings, to showcase what  is Bent Hill. The business plan from there will be to self distribute with the proper permitting to sell bombers to stores within 30 miles of the brewery. We plan to sell limited amounts of log kegs to local bars as well as possibly to a restaurant in Burlington that I have worked closely with since this project started taking shape.

Tell me a little bit about your business name, what made you decide on Bent Hill?

My business name represents exactly where I am, which is Bent Hill, in Braintree Vermont. When creating it I wanted it to be something simple that was a part of who I am. I spent a great amount of my childhood on Bent Hill in Braintree with my friends and family, and in the end these are the people who have contributed to my life thus far and I believe have given me motivation and support to continue my career in brewing. Its great, its something that when I walk into the brewery on the weekends it reminds me why I started this project and where I plan to bring it.

What styles of beer do you plan to sell?

I am currently into the artisanal style ales. I use a lot of natural herbs and spices in my brews to bring out slight flavor profiles that compliment the most important aspect of the beer which is the MALT. Malt is by far the most important choice in my brewing process, and what I care about the most when a consumer is drinking a Bent Hill brew. I like to use these natural ingredients to bring out a slight recognition of diverse flavoring into the beer, while making sure first and foremost that you actually taste the beer and not the additional ingredients through out the entirely. I love it, the places you can bring your beers is endless with this style, and its how I have really developed myself as a brewer.

With all that said our four flag ship beers that we will be offering in 22oz and growler sales will be:

- Bent Hill Vienna Blonde Ale

- Bent Hill India Pale Ale

- Bent Hill Coconut Porter

- Bent Hill Maple Irish Red Ale

If you could give one piece of advice to an up and comer, whether it be home brewer or professional, what would it be?

The one piece of advice I would give is READ. The knowledge that is available is unbelievable and endless. The best thing you can do is pick up a book about brewing every night and read it. I myself do not have the certificate of a Master Brewer however I do have a love and passion for learning. Its what drives me when creating a new recipe or even doing maintenance on equipment.

The next thing I will say is brew how you like doing it, every brewer does is different and not one way is 100% correct, its what makes all of these brewery's different. If you have found success doing it your way, do not be swayed by all kinds of outside opinions. I trust my instinct on lots of things when brewing, which just comes with time and a feel for being a part of the beer you are creating.

What is currently your favorite Vermont beer or brewery?

I love Steve Parks at Drop In Brewery in Middlebury. He has been kind of enough to sit down and speak with me, and has always been a resource. Their beer is top notch, and they have the knack for wanting to progress the industry further rather than looking to make a large stack of cash. I really like how that place is run, and they are a part of how my brewery is now.

Why are you running a kick starter campaign?

We are running this campaign to show the greater Vermont area what I am doing. I have spend close to the last two years of my time building this project. I have invested my own savings as well have obtained loans from outside sources to build our building and obtain half the equipment we need to run at full capacity.

I don't want people to feel like they are opening our business, we will open regardless. I want them to know that we are trying to create something different and special on Bent Hill and we want everyone to be a part of it. Its just as I know that everyone I have met thus far in my life has taken a part in this project whether it be big or small, they helped shaped it. 

So we are seeking help for funding part of the last pieces of the puzzle we need which are some of brew kettles to allow us to run at full capacity. I have striven to make this a community concentric business that cares about the communities that don't have the options of these other great breweries in Vermont, and we will add to the list and will show case our talents and be successful. 

This is my love, passion, and drive and I work on it every single day of the week and sometimes at night when I should be sleeping. It means more to us be able to showcase our talents then to just open another brewery, this is why we are putting on this campaign.

Lastly how can your fans reach you?  FaceBook, Twitter, Instagram, etc?

People can always reach out to me by email, cheers@benthillbrewery.com, or Facebook. I am around both quite a bit through out the day. We also do have a twitter that we courage people to follow for updates on our opening. We love hearing from anyone with questions. 

Meet The Brewer Mondays

Good Morning TVBG followers!
I just wanted to provide you all with a little update.  Starting in the coming weeks I will be releasing a new chapter in my journey through Vermont beer.  It will be a bi-monthly interview series, titled Meet The Brewer Mondays.

These interviews will highlight up and coming breweries around Vermont and their stories.  It will also highlight their beers, where to buy them and some other fun facts to get to know who brews your beer. Throughout my journey I have started to realize that every brewery, brewer and beer has their story.  Their stories add substance to the beers you drink and enjoy; they create they warm fuzzy feeling when you finish that last sip in your pint...well maybe that is the alcohol.

Stay interested and keep your eyes peeled for the first interview in the beginning of March.

Cheers,
That Vermont Beer Guy

The Church Brew Works

Good Evening Fellow Beer Lovers!

Happy New Year to you all and I hope everyone had a safe and beer filled holiday season.  It's cold up here in Vermont so I have been enjoying some of my home brewed Vanilla Coffee Porters, nicknamed Hazards Porter, to warm my belly and mind tonight.  I have just returned from a fun filled week in Pittsburgh.  I was able to try some new beers and even visit The Church Brew Works.  If you haven't been there, and live within the area, I would highly recommend it.  Check out my instagram tab to see some of the photos of from inside.  This place is massive!  Pictures can't display it's beauty.  No wonder this place won the 2012 GABF Brew Pub of the year.

I sampled 8 beers (their flight) while at the Brew Works.  4 flagship beers and 4 seasonal beers.
- #1: Celestial Gold (German Pilsner, 4.1%)
- #2: Pipe Organ Pale Ale (English Pale Ale, 4.3%)
- #3: Pious Monk Dunkel (Dunkel Munich Lager, 4.3%)
- #4: Blast Furnace Stout (Oatmeal Stout, 4.8%)
- #5: Thunderhop IPA (American IPA, 8%)
- #6: Black & Brett (Stout, 7.6%)
- #7: Sleigh Wrecker (Winter Warmer, 7%)
- #8: Rye IPA (Rye IPA, ??)

11:11 IPA

Happy 11:11 Friends!

Today marks another great day of brewing here in Vermont.  I've decided to embark on a new adventure in the world of home brewing.  Today is the day I construct my first IPA.  Through word of mouth and local home brew guilds I have fallen upon BeerSmith 2, an excellent recipe builder, that I have used for the first time in this beer.

The question I have gotten most often is why 11:11?  Well it's pretty simple in fact.  I have always managed to find myself looking at the clock at 11:11, be it AM, PM or the date, and I usually send a text message out to friends.  What started as a little joke developed into a pretty interesting habit, better than smoking I guess.  The 11:11 IPA is being brewed on 11/11/13, I missed 11/11/11 by two year...shucks.  The whole premise behind the 11:11 IPA is that I will use 11lbs of malt, using both extract & speciality grain, and 11oz's of hops.  This thing is going to be a face puncher!  I have added my recipe below.  I hope you enjoy it!

11:11 IPA Brew Recipe & Hop Schedule: (5 Gallon)

Malt:

- 3lbs of Crystal Malt (10L - 10SRM)

- 8lbs of XL Malt Extract

Hops: (Pellet Form)

- 2oz. of Warrior (15% AAU) at 90min

- 1oz. of Chinook (13% AAU) at 90min

- 1oz. of Cascade (5.5% AAU) at 45min

- 1oz. of Chinook (13% AAU) at 45min

- 1oz. of Cascade (5.5% AAU) at 0min

- 1oz. of Mt. Hood (6% AAU) at 0min

Yeast:

- 1 package of #1056 Wyeast - American Ale

Dry Hop Schedule: (Pellet Form)

- 2oz. of Mt. Hood (6% AAU) for 7 days

- 2oz. of Citra (12% AAU) for 1 day

I will continue to update you throughout the process, most likely on bottling day.

Cheers and happy home brewing,

That Vermont Beer Guy

______________________________________________
12/22/2013 Update:
Last night was I finally able to bottle the beer.  A bit longer than I wanted, but no complaints.  I final ABV of around 7.5%.  Dry hopping added a wonderfully flavor aroma and a big hop body.  Color was a deep orange/amber.  I bottled conditioned with 96grams of organic cane sugar into a yield of 4.5 gallons.  The finish beer count of 48, 12 ounce beers, and 1, 22 ounce beer.  I will probably wait at least three weeks to enjoy this one.  Very excited.  Happy drinking. TVBG

Hazards Porter (Vanilla Coffee Porter)

A good day of golf at West Bolton  continues with another great day of brewing.  Andrew helped out with this one and hopefully it will turn out a little better than the Maple Pumpkin.  I will keep this one short and post the recipe and hop schedule below.  I hope you try it and enjoy it.

Brewing Recipe & Hop Schedule:

Malts (Extract & Speciality Grains)

- 7.5lbs of Dark Malt extract

- 1lb of Crystal (40L)

- 3/4lb of Chocolate Malt (350L)

- 1/2lb of Black Malt (525L)

Hops (Pellet Form)

- 2oz. of Kents Goldings (5% AAU) at 60mins

Extras:

- 2 Medium Vanilla Beans at last 5mins of boil

- 1/4 cup Green Mountain Coffee Dark Magic Espresso Roast (used during secondary)

- 1/4 cup freshly brewed GMCR Dark Magic on bottling day

Yeast:

- One package of Wyeast 1056 American Ale

_______________________________________

10/17/2013 Update:

I racked the primary into the secondary.  It smelled a bit yeasty but had a delicious chocolate taste.  Didn't get much Vanilla, hopefully that will come in the bottling stage if I choose to use the Vanilla extract (which I didn't end up using).  To spice the brew up a little I decided to add 1/4 cup GMCR Dark Magic Espresso Blend.  I hope the bold and sweet bean will add to the flavor without taking away too much head retention.

Maple Pumpkin Ale

It's that time of year again.  I am brewing my first ever pumpkin ale, tweaked of course.  My Friend GS (we'll call him) is helping me out on this one.  There weren't any fresh local pumpkins available yet so I had to use canned organic pumpkin.  I also used conventional pumpkin spice mix from our local co-op, City Market.  The recipe I started with was "Brewing Classic Styles" Pumpkin Ale, but I tweaked it a little bit.  I am kind of nervous about that, but I figured since I tweaked my first beer it will be okay.  Instead of the adding 2lbs of Pumpkin and 4 teaspoons of pumpkin spice.  I reversed it to 4lbs of pumpkin to 2 teaspoons of Pumpkin spice (*side note...I think the additional sugar from the pumpkin messed with the ABV, cause it was certainly a high alcohol beer).  This combination should provide for an interesting flavor, plus a 1/2 cup of Vermont Maple Syrup should be delicious.  I also added an extra 1oz. of Mt. Hood hops at 30min in the boil.  I have written down the recipe below.  I hope you give it a try and enjoy it!

Brewing Recipe & Hop Schedule:
Malts (Extract and Speciality Grains)
- 7.75lbs of XL Malt Extract
- 1/2lb of Aromatic (20L)
- 1/2lb of Crystal (40L)
- 1/2lb of Crystal (120L)
- 1/4lb of Special Roast (50L)

Hops & Schedule (Pellet Form)
- 1oz. of Kents Goldings at 60min
- 1oz. of Mt. Hood at 30min

Extras:
- Four 15oz. canned organic pumpkin
- 1/2 cup of Vermont Pure Maple Syrup (Grade A)
- 2 teaspoons of Pumpkin Spice

Yeast:
- One package of Wyeast 1968 London ESB

_______________________________________
11/4/2013:
After quite awhile in the conditioning stage I've been able to sample some of my brews.  It seems I've added too much priming sugar.  Lesson learned, but some people have enjoyed it, but I think its a bit "champagne-y".  Still a delicious tasting beer with wonderful maple notes.  Not a whole lot on the spice front, but that's what I expected.

_______________________________________
12/2/2013:
Maple Pumpkin has continued to bother me.  Disappointed with the beer as a whole.  I'll need to focus my efforts next year and really dial in the beer to my preferences.