Small Beer

ABV: 4.3%

Gravity: 10 dP

IBUs: 18

Malts: Pilsner, Munich, Wheat Malt, Einkorn Wheat Flakes, CaraHell

Hops: LIBERTY!

Secret Techniques: Parti-Gyle (last runnings)

Spring 2023

Beer for Commoners

TASTING NOTES

With the highest portion of grain sugar funneled up to Beer for Kings, the mid-palate of this second runnings small beer is as hollowed out as the modern middle class. But this is no low quality swill as the aromatics offer intriguing pomegranate and pepper character, while an acidic brightness prevents the lighter body from becoming flabby. Beer for Commoner is both refreshing and low enough in alcohol to prepare you for a second shift working the field.

SECRET TECHNIQUES

Brewed in collaboration with The Field Museum to celebrate the opening of the First Kings of Europe exhibit, Beer for Kings and Beer for Commoners are two different beers made from the same mash through an archaic brewing method called parti-gyling. To understand this method, it's important to understand how modern brewers extract sugar from grain into a liquid solution called wort. This is done in two phases: The first phase is mashing which simply means hot water is mixed with grain. The initial wort pulled out of the mash is called first runnings and contains the highest concentration of sugar in the process. The second phase is sparging, when additional hot water is added to the grain while progressively weaker wort is collected. This weaker wort is called second runnings.

Modern brewing takes first runnings and second runnings and blends them together to make a single homogenous wort and a single beer. Whereas parti-gyle brewing makes two beers: A strong beer out of the first runnings and a low alcohol beer from the second runnings. Our first runnings are reserved for our wheat wine, Beer for Kings which starts at over 20% sugar by weight and ends at 9% ABV; while our second runnings go to Beer for Commoners, which starts a little over 10% sugar by weight and ends at about 4.3% ABV. 

INGREDIENTS

Pilsner, Munich, Wheat Malt, Einkorn Wheat Flakes, CaraHell, Libery Hops