|
by Shane Smith, Outreach Coordinator |
 |
| The Brewery |
I like beer. I have never brewed it myself, but
I’ve enjoyed the beers that many of my friends have brewed with home brewing
kits over the years. My co-worker Brad and I had been to the Canterbury Ale
Works several times since its grand opening in November to fill our growlers
(refillable 64-ounce glass jugs), but when we learned that Canterbury Ale Works
beer would soon be available in bombers (22-ounce bottles), we knew the Co-op must
offer these locally made beers on our beer section.
We arrived at the Canterbury Ale Works a little early for our
appointment for our interview with Steve Allman, the owner and brewer. So we
let ourselves into the tasting room on the bottom floor of his barn at Hidden
Wonders Farm. As we waited for Steve, we heard classical music emanating from
the fermenting room. When we asked Steve about the music, he explained that
playing Beethoven’s 6th Symphony – the Pastoral Symphony – helps agitate the
yeast to the correct levels for optimal carbonation and fermentation... in this
case for an India Pale Ale. This was the first of many curiosities about the
Canterbury Ale Works and its unique beer brewing process that caught our
attention.
 |
| CAW has 10 taps for sampling |
Canterbury Ale Works operates as a “nanobrewery,” which is
defined as a very small brewery operation. Steve says it’s important for him to
remain a small-scale brewery so he can continue to manage the operation
holistically as an extension of his organic farm. Steve explains his brewing
philosophy this way:
“I am frequently asked, `What are your plans for growth?’ or
told, `You could be the next Sam Adams!’ The reply is simple: No one mourns the
loss of a Walmart store the way we keen the passing of the third-generation,
creaky-floored, downtown hardware store with jumbled boxes of everything you
need actually IN an old kitchen sink. No, no one is going to buy fancy cars and
beach houses running a nanobrewery, but we can all commit to a more human
future by building and engaging in our own, unique, local beer community.”
To that end, the Canterbury Ale Works hosts tastings Thursdays,
Fridays, and Saturdays, which are usually attended by locals who love good beer
and are eager to share knowledge – whether it’s brewing, HVAC, refrigeration,
or a host of other things that go hand in hand with running a nanobrewery.
 |
| Allman's homemade rocket stove |
Steve as a brewer must be part mechanic, alchemist, and
mad scientist. Steve heats his brews in a wood-fired boiler in small batches.
He built this “rocket stove” himself because it was important to keep the wood
he used for the boiling process from his land, and he didn’t want to use fossil
fuels. He also laid the coiled copper pipe cooling system which quickly chills
the wort with cold water from a recently drilled well on the farm. The cooled
wort then can be put into the fermenter where yeast is added.
Last summer, Steve planted hop nurseries where he is
experimenting with 26 varieties of hops – including some locally discovered
heirloom varieties – which he hopes to soon transplant to other plots on his
farm. He eventually hopes to drastically reduce or eliminate the need to buy
hops for his brewing process. There are many challenges to growing hops in New
Hampshire, however, which includes the threat of mold developing on the hop
plants because of the high humidity of our summers. Hops are typically grown in
the western United States where the climate is dryer, although prior to
Prohibition, there were many varieties of hops cultivated in New Hampshire that
supplied breweries throughout New England. Steve will also be incorporating
elements from his on-going permaculture farm practices by running his A-frame
chicken tractors up and down the hop rows for insect control, fertilizer, and
preventing mature hop plants from spreading.
 |
| Steve with his fermenters |
He hopes that Brookford Farm, just down the road from him in
Canterbury, will be able to grow much of the grains needed to make the critical
wort in the future. The first step in wort production is to make malt from
dried, sprouted barley. The malt is then run through a roller mill and cracked.
This cracked grain is then mashed, that is, mixed with hot water and steeped, a
complex and slow heating process that enables enzymes to convert the starch in
the malt into sugars and eventually alcohol. Even if Brookford is able to grow
and supply Steve’s barley, the grain will still need to be sent to Hadley,
Massachusetts for malting. New Hampshire currently has no facility for
sprouting barley for wort.
As I write this article, Steve still needs
to overcome some minor bureaucratic hurdles and paperwork to bring his brews to
stores like the Co-op. However, we hope that by the time you read this,
Canterbury Ale Works will be tucked away on our shelves in several varieties.
Look for the Ale Man logo.
Learn more about Canterbury Ale Works at
www.canterburyaleworks.com.
In our past newsletters we have highlighted one of our unique
coffee choices in the bulk aisle. The biosphere reserve series from Equal
Exchange showcases coffee from some of the most wondrous and wild places on the
planet. Equal Exchange sources coffee from three national parks that are ecological
powerhouses in different corners of the globe. Coffee is an important part of
how communities buffering the parks preserve the protected ecosystems. This
series highlights coffee from each park - one at a time, over the course of a
year. At the Co-op, we are currently on our third coffee in the series, which is available now
until May. 
Equal Exchange's mission is to build long-term trade partnerships that
are economically just and environmentally sound, to foster mutually
beneficial relationships between farmers and consumers and to
demonstrate, through their success, the contribution of worker co-operatives and Fair Trade to a more equitable, democratic and sustainable world. 
