The Worshipful Company of Brewers is once again upon us. The charter of this sanctified league dictates that each member of the Brooklyn Brewery brewing team will design and create a batch of his or her own draft-only beer, to be served exclusively at the Brewery Tasting Room until the last drop has been squeezed from the taps.
Beer #13: Mal Du Pays
Style: Kentucky Common
ABV: 5.5%
Notes: Dark and full-bodied with a zing of tart acidity to keep things more than interesting. There’s plenty to unpack in this beer, or to enjoy without overthinking things.
Availability: Friday, October 30 until it’s gone.
Brewer #13: Eric Brown, Cellarman
Mode of Greeting: Nod
Born: October 11, 1987
Started at Brooklyn Brewery: February 2014
Favorite Drinking Spot: The Brewer’s Fridge in our packaging driveway: “The price is right, and there’s a grill.”
Brewer’s Notes: Kentucky Common was a popular style from the settlement days of Kentucky. Eric puts his own spin on the style with Mal Du Pays, named for a French term describing homesickness for a particular region– in this case, his home state of Kentucky. The style shows the resourcefulness of the early settlers, who included barley, rye and corn in their mashes and sorghum syrup for color. They also used a sour mash starter, which they were familiar with from distilling. Eric’s take is based on a homebrew recipe he developed while president of the Homebrewing Club at the Culinary Institute of America after reading about the style in a “Forgotten Beers” column, and is now yours to enjoy.