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Brewed for the first time in the winter of 2012/13, Maple Breakfast Stout brings together all of the things that we associate with cold, wintery mornings in Vermont.

The stout starts with a smooth malt backbone and very little hop bitterness, which is true to style (odd for one of our beers, I know!). A generous helping of oats in the malt bill adds mouthfeel while the chocolate and black patent malts contribute a bit of burnt toast and chocolate.

To this base we add 100% Pure Vermont Maple Syrup from right here in Franklin County. These sugars increase the alcohol content of the beer some, but also help provide some complexity to the malt sweetness, making this beer much more interesting to drink.

We use a flavor-neutral yeast for primary fermentation, as we didn’t want to impart any yeast character into this stout. After fermentation is complete and the beer is racked (moved) to the conditioning tank, we add cold-brewed Vermont coffee, accentuating the burnt toast and chocolate flavors from the malt with some roasted coffee flavors.

3 weeks or so after brewing, this beer is ready for the draft line or bottle. It pours a dark brown to black with a persistent tan head. A bit less creamy than beers utilizing nitrogen, our stout aims to capture the character of the original stouts and blend that character with modern flavor components.

A favorite at the brewery, we recently received permission to license the painting “Sugaring with Pepere” by Ann Allen as the artwork for our bottles. Ann, a local artist, painted this in honor of her father, my Pepere (french for grandfather), doing one of the things he loved doing: tending to the maple evaporator.

Pepere and Memere (grandmother) Ferland were craftsmen in their own right. Besides sugaring, they would make wooden crafts and toys – many of which are on display in the homes of their children (they raised 14!). I also have to mention that a staple of every Ferland family Christmas was the jams, jellies, and pickles that they would make in their kitchen. Since their passing, I honestly can’t say that Christmas feels the same without sunshine pickles and strawberry-rhubarb jam.

Our Maple Breakfast Stout, therefore, honors our city as “Maple City USA”, our families to whom we owe so much of who we’ve become as people, and to artists like my Taunte (aunt) Ann who capture moments like these so deftly that they take our breath away – no matter how many times we see this painting. We aspire to do the same things with our beers.

Cheers.

We’re very happy to announce the hiring of Prescott “Spoons” Stanton. Formerly of Los Angeles where he was a video editing guru, Prescott brings plenty of drive and passion to the job every day.

We’re very fortunate to have someone as dedicated and driven as Prescott assisting Dan at the brewery.

Some people see this and think it’s a mess. We see it as an opportunity. We see the future of 14th Star Brewing…

We came to an agreement with Mr Pomerleau to expand the brewery into the former bowling alley. Construction starts upon receipt of the permits from the city… Look for 14th Star all over northern Vermont, summer 2014!

Big thanks to Pomerleau RE, Farrell Distributing, the City of St Albans, and to all of our supporters – without all of whom this wouldn’t be possible.

Many of you have tried our hoppy amber ale, named “Valor”. Some of you may even know the origins of the name. For the rest of you, however, here’s a quick primer on how Valor came to be and why it is so near and dear to us:

As many of you know, we (Matt and Steve) have over 32 years of combined service in the Army, including 4 combat tours and 6 total deployments between us. As we inch toward retirement, 14th Star serves as the proverbial “light at the end of the tunnel” – keeping us focused on the tasks at hand and on building the brand. It also causes us to reflect on the last two decades of our life and all of the people who we’ve shared them with.

While many are still with us to laugh and reminisce about days gone by, far too many are no longer with us. Memorial Day is a day on the calendar, conveniently nestled into a long weekend, to remind folks to think of those who have gone before them – those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in our names. For Matt and I, memorial day is not a day, rather it has become one of the founding principles for our brewery.

One of the greatest fears a Soldier can have is that his sacrifices will be for naught. We pledge that every day we’re in business is a day to remember, honor, and show our appreciation for those who ask so little, yet give so much.

One of the ways in which this philosphy manifests itself is in our production of Valor Ale. A portion of the proceeds of Valor go to supporting the Purple Hearts Reunited foundation (www.purpleheartsreunited.org), a non-profit foundation dedicated to returning lost or stolen Purple Hearts, America’s oldest medal which is awarded for wounds sustained in combat, and other medals of valor to the servicemen and women who earned them or their families.

Captain Zac Fike, a Purple Heart recipient himself, founded PHR and has spent the last three years, and tens of thousands of his own dollars returning these medals. Receiving no more than the thanks of a veteran or their families, Zac does what he does to ensure that the actions of these brave men and women never goes unnoticed or forgotten. 14th Star Brewing is proud to sponsor his efforts.

This Memorial Day, take a moment to crack open a Valor Ale – not just because it’s one of the best beers available in Vermont, but to say thank you to those who have given everything they could give so that we can enjoy a fresh craft beer whenever we choose.

We’re proud to be Vermont’s Veteran Owned Craft Brewery and invite you to join us in making every day a memorial day. Cheers!

14th Star Brewing is proud to announce the hiring of our first official employee – Dan Sartwell of Franklin, Vermont.

Dan is an accomplished brewer who has worked in several of the State’s more well-known breweries and brewpubs. With our continued growth, Dan will take on much of the day-to-day brewing operations.

We feel very fortunate that Dan decided to join our growing team. Look for great (and delicious) things from him in the future. Feel free to send Dan a note: dan@14thstarbrewing.com.

Cheers!
– Steve – 14SBC

Our first (limited qty) run is in the bottles and labeled. Now you can take home multiple flavors without lugging around all of the growlers and not worry about losing carbonation if you only feel like a glass or two. Check out our Facebook page for flavors and availability.

As many of you know, we recently “completed” our expansion and are brewing again!

In technical terms, this means we grew from producing 1 barrel (31 US gallons) at a time, and about 93 gallons a month, to 3.5 bbls (about 108 gallons) at a time and about 620 gallons a month!

In non-technical terms, it means we’re producing enough beer to ensure that we always have some on tap when you come and visit us. Also, it means we can take our time and carefully brew and age our beers – not rushing them to the tap, ensuring that we’re putting out the best beer we possibly can.

For the brewery enthusiasts out there, feel free to ask for a tour of our brewery when you stop in for a growler fill. Just about everything at our brewery is hand-made, re-purposed, and/or innovative: from our hand-made brewhouse which started life as tanks for the maple sugaring industry, to our keg washer fabricated from a stainless buffet table, to our hand-made walk-in cooler.

Drop me a line at steve@14thstarbrewing.com and let me know what you think of our beers, what you’d like to see next, or just to say hello. We’re so proud to bring brewing once again to St Albans and thankful to everyone who have supported us thus far.

Cheers!

Steve
Owner/Headbrewer/Keg Washer/