Back in Cottage Grove’s pioneer days, with refrigeration all but nonexistent, brewers in the old German style found themselves fermenting their lagers at room temperature.
The result – a quick, intense fermentation time – led to lots of what looked like steam when carbon dioxide escaped the fermenters.
“It was so effervescent, so bubbly,” explains our brewer, Stephen Mathys, who sought to bring some of that pioneer brewing spirit to Coast Fork during this year’s Bohemia Mining Days celebration. “I designed a recipe based on the style of the era to try to show our customers what it might feel like to drink a beer in this town back in the day.”
Christened the Calico Queen Saloon Beer, Stephen’s latest creation clocks in at a very drinkable 5 percent alcohol and 40 IBU, and it should be on tap following Saturday’s Grand Miner’s Parade, and for as long as it lasts.
