Troegs Scratch # 19 – Major Spillage

Every beer tells a story, and some are longer than others.Consider Scratch #19; originally designed as an enhanced take on Scratch #15 with a slightly higher ABV, our brewers went to town to deliver a brew slightly more akin to our fabled Scratch #5, the Imperial Oatmeal Stout brewed for The Flying Mouflan Experience.

For Scratch #19, we teamed up with St. Thomas Roasters of Linglestown to create a special blend of espresso beans. They added Kenyan beans to the mix because of a strong citrus flavor that compliments the hops. Creating en environment akin a French press, the beans are combined with whole flower hops in the hopback, and the hot wort passes through the vessel on the way to fermentation giving Scratch #19 a lush coffee espresso nose and hints of coffee flavor. There is a silky quality to the mouthfeel and a citrus hop finsh coming from the Kenyan beans and hops.

Some stories have twists, and unfortunately a faulty valve in the fermentation cellar led to a dramatic beer tragedy one afternoon in the brewery. Risking life and limb (while keeping his mouth open to sample the beer), a heroic brewery team member took the dive reconnecting the valve and saving about half the batch of Scratch #19.

So for your amusement (and our final relief), we give you a draft-only release of a third-take on a style that demands continued research for the Troegs Brewery staff. Enjoy!