By Whitney Rabalais
The funding of signature events at Alys Beach is one of the primary roles of the Alys Foundation, along with the pursuit of cultural explorations within the town and providing support for local nonprofits within the larger community. With the launch of a brand-new signature event planned for this Fall, contributing writer Whitney Rabalais will chronicle Alys Beach Crafted from conception to execution, offering a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the soul of the production.
There are many quotes about beer. Take the high and mighty: “Wine is but single broth, ale is meat, drink and cloth” or “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” The truthful: “Give me a woman who loves beer and I will conquer the world.” And the just plain hilarious: “Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza” and this gem “Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.”
As many quotes as there are about beer there are even more types of beer to imbibe. But basically, beers start out as either an ale or a lager. The difference is in fermentation temperature and yeast. Lagers like a chilly fermentation where the yeast ferments the wort from the bottom of the vessel. Ales prefer a warmer environment with the yeast bubbling on the top of the wort. What’s wort you say? It’s the strained, sugary concoction derived from the brewing process usually comprised of water, malted grains and hops. After a wort has been cooled the yeast is pitched into the sweet liquid where sugars extracted from the grains during the brewing process are the buffet for voracious yeast. These residual sugars feed the hungry yeast who then convert the sugars to alcohol. Actually, it’s just magic.
Carbonation is another matter. Take the ultra special “real ales.” Also known as cask conditioned ales, real ales have no forced carbonation, the addition of carbon dioxide or nitrogen that give most commercial beers its fizziness. These beers are usually unfiltered and left to condition naturally, inside a cask, with still-active yeast allowing the beer to gently ferment over time. This fermentation produces a brew that is very lightly carbonated with a different mouthfeel. Brewers typically know exactly how a bottled, canned or keg beer will taste when served. But with a cask conditioned ale all bets are off as the natural conditioning within the keg has tremendous influence on the taste of the final product. No instant gratification here. That’s just part of the mystique and uniqueness of a cask conditioned ale. One cask type is a firkin, specifically a cask that is ¼ of a barrel or roughly 10 gallons. The smaller size allows a brewer to get creative—one base brew can be divided among multiple firkins and different ingredients added to each to create various uniquely flavored elixirs.
Enter Tyler White of Grayton Beer Company. Over the years Tyler forged a love of craft beer but specifically the special amalgamation of emotions that takes place when people share a beer together. While in college this fervor eventually brought him to Colorado where, while visiting a local brewery, he had an epiphany: this is what he wanted to do with his life. A creative man who has a deep desire to work with his hands, this visit lead first to homebrewing then eventually to a year-long deep dive study through the World Brewing Academy, a joint venture of the Siebel Institute of Technology in Chicago and Munich, Germany’s Doemans Academy. In 2013 Tyler put his ardent study into practice when he moved from Tennessee to the Florida panhandle where he began his career with Grayton Beer Company when it was in its infancy. At the time one of only two brewers, by 2016 this wunderkind had risen to become the head brewer of the company. Though now the COO for Grayton Beer Company he identifies first and foremost as a brewer.
Start drooling now because this Master Brewer hopes to bring a glorious creation to Friday night’s Firkin Fête event during the Crafted weekend. Prepare your taste buds, raise your steins and set your clocks because beer:30 is coming soon.
*Images courtesy of Ti Adoro Studios and Grayton Beer Company
