Why Blog?

If you have done any searching on the ol' net these days, you're sure to come across a blog. People have documented everything on-line from food lovers to brewery planners and from wine enthusiast to star-gazers. Everyone's got a spot on the www. (make sure you check out our links on the side-there are some great beer blogs-and many more we haven't yet linked too.)

Why did WE start ours?(Andrew, asst. brewer at Flossmoor Station, to be exact) Well, those of you who are new to the site may not have seen early posts where we told you that like most company's websites, ours was not really up to date, and we weren't/aren't using it as a good marketing tool. We wanted a place where we could not only tell you what was on tap, but what was coming up. We wanted to make it a window into the brewhouse. Along the way we have added pix and documents on our trips, competition, and other misc. meat eating adventures!

I think we(and by we I mean Andrew) have done an adequate job of keeping a taplist on here and trying to post various pieces of info so you can see what is going on. However, I have dropped the ball on keeping you updated on what is coming down the road. As much as I try get on-line and put something on this blog, time always seems to slip away. I struggle to carve out that quiet moment to sit down and do this. In fact right now I'm trying to get my kids to settle into an afternoon nap before their mom gets home so I can get into work (real glamorous life of a brewer, right?). Well, instead of continuing to tell you how pathetic I am, let me look into the brewing telescope and let you know what to look for as we head through the second half of 07:

First the current:
-We put on XIPA Tuesday night. This will go FAST. Don't wait b/c we don't have another IPA available til well into the fall.
-Our newest stout is an American Rye Stout. Black and hoppy. Yum!
-FRIDAY, FRIDAY, FRIDAY-11th Anniversary Beer called, 11, will be on tap. Milk Stout on raspberries in a bourbon barrel. $6.00 snifters. Beauty. Limited supply.

Now for the rest of the sumemr:
-We made an American Red Wheat two days ago. Is it a style? I don't think so-but we don't mind making one up. Maybe we can be the pioneers the way Vinnie Cilurzo is to the Double IPA?? meh...maybe not. So it's a hoppy wheat beer with a red tint. Should be good.
-Next Wed. we will be making Black Wolf Schwarzbier in an attempt to repeat as champions at GABF this Oct. This beer will be on tap in late August.
-We will be making an Oktoberfest and a Zwickelbier(unfiltered helles/pilsner type beer) from this yeast, but you won't see those until Sept. or Oct.

Pushing on to the fall:
-OCTOBER is the month Andrew decided to get married. CONGRATS to he and Meg. We will try to brew a Bride-Ale type beer. More info on that later.
-I would like to get a Barleywine or an Imp. stout in the tank, but that surely won't be ready until late fall to early winter. If I get a chance we'll make a small beer off of the second runnings if we can.
-I will try hard to make a pumpkin ale as many of you clamored for it last year. However, Andrew's wedding beer takes priority and we'll see how it falls. It also depends on how fast the lagers turn.I can't serve the pumpkin ale in Dec. It usually doesn't work.
-I'd like to make a wet hop beer as well, but I don't think there will be room in production. For those who don't know, a wet hop beer is when the hops are pulled directly out of the field and overnighted to the brewery before they are allowed to be dried. Fresh and aromatic, it's a wonderful fall beer.

So, that should keep you interested for a bit. We've got tons of barrel aged beers hanging in the cellar as well, so when the snow flies, we'll crack those out too.
If you are reading this, I have to assume that our posts have been entertaining or at least of interest to you that you keep checking back. I hope you will continue.
As much as I can make time, I'll keep you up to date on where we're going. I hope!
If you have any suggestions on how we can serve you better through this blog(don't say, make more xyz beer), please leave a comment and let us know.
Cheers,
Matt