As originally posted on the Amsterdam Brewery blog
– Calm Before the Storm –
So you might have heard of a beer we call Tempest – our Imperial Stout. A Tempest, by definition, is a violent windstorm, frequently accompanied by rain, snow, or hail – a furious event that leaves destruction and chaos in its wake. In the spring of 2012, we released a batch of Tempest that sold through our retail store like a 200km/h wind gust from such a storm, so we brewed it again – only this time on a larger scale and with a little experimentation. What resulted from this experimentation was Calm Before the Storm – an English Mild being released under our Adventure Brews Series. Coming from the same brew as Tempest, Calm Before the Storm gives beer drinkers a very unique chance to try two completely different beers that originally began as one. After transferring the wort for Tempest into the kettle, our brewers ran hot water over the same grain bed to collect the remaining residual sugars. These ‘second runnings’ were then fermented with a differenet yeast strain and hopped with Steering Goldings to give us Calm Before the Storm. Beginning with 9.5 degrees Plato and finishing at 3.6, this beer comes in at 3.2%ABV – a far cry from the storm at 10% – but once you taste the cocoa and rye and experience its pleasant noble hop aroma, you’ll understand where she came from. This is a good time to break out any cellared Tempest you might have and do a side-by-side tasting!
You can find Calm Before the Storm in our retail store today, August 28, and on tap at Rhino Bar, 3030, Victory Cafe, Nunu’s Ethopian Fusion, The Ship (Hamilton) and Bar Volo. Check our Facebook Page and Twitter for updates and look out for this beer during Toronto Beer Week too!
On Friday, August 31, Bar Volo will be doing a side-by-side tasting of Calm Before the Storm and Tempest. Check it out!
Cheers and happy drinking,
Blake
What's Brewing Ontario? 