WILK Friday BeerBuzz–15 June 2012 Shawnee Craft Brewing Belgian Tripel & Oude Bruin w/Pete Kirkwood

A few weeks ago I went on a great brewery visit.  The facilities were amazing, the barrel program impressive, and of course the beers were fantastic…but it was the philosophy of the brewery that really made it stand out.  “True to Nature…True to the Craft.”

Yes it’s on their T-shirts, but it’s also a part of everything they do at Shawnee Craft Brewing Co…including their beers.  Shawnee Craft is a special place and a unique operation.  From the blacksmith that makes the hinges on the doors, to the “glyph” that they brand on every barrel, Shawnee Craft is devoted to the craft of brewing and putting a hands-on personal touch in everything they do.  Check out their hop bines and you’ll see it, check out their hand made brewing paddles and you’ll feel it, check out their Apiary and you’ll hear it…and of course check out their beers and you’ll taste it.

Founder Pete Kirkwood was nice enough to not only show us the gardens, Apiary & Brewery, but also to talk to us about what makes Shawnee Craft so special.  Pete is an evangelist for Shawnee Craft Brewing as well as how their connection to the land and the place that is Shawnee on the Delaware makes them so special.  In wine making there is a term called “terroir” and it speaks to how the wine is connected to the land and how that connection is there in the flavors and characters of the wine…and this is no different for craft beer at Shawnee Craft Brewing.

We were excited to sample a brand new beer from Shawnee Craft called simply Belgian Tripel.

   This is an amazing beer that is loaded with flavor, body, character, and yes…the “terroir” of Shawnee Craft.  This beer is incredibly approachable for such a big beer, and the flavor is bold and complex.  Cloudy & unfiltered with notes of Belgian yeast and biscuit.  Pete walked us through the brew and outlined the process that goes into making this beer.  As Pete said, this isn’t an easy or fast beer to brew, but the guys at Shawnee Craft wouldn’t have it any other way.  Doing things right and keeping them “True to the Craft” takes time, and that’s exactly how Shawnee Craft Brewing works their art.

We were also honored to be one of the few to get to sample the bottled Oude Bruin from Shawnee Craft.  A very limited amount of this barrel-aged beer was literally saved form the flooding last year so these are rare & unusual bottles and we thank Pete and everyone at Shawnee who labored to save them and share them.

Be sure to try all of the brews available at Shawnee Craft Brewing’s brewpub, The Gem & Keystone…and see for yourself why Shawnee Craft Brewing is so special.

Thank you to Pete Kirkwood from Shawnee Craft Brewing

, Nancy, John, & Joe for yet another fun Friday.

The Friday BeerBuzz…bringing good beers and good people together.

As always you can check out the video on-line at the WILK Friday BeerBuzz page by clicking HERE.