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BREW REVUE: Pils Jay's Way
Triumph brewer Patrick Jones mashing in. Photo l Felicia D'Ambrosio
BREW REVUE: Pils Jay's Way
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| Triumph brewer Patrick Jones mashing in. |
| Photo l Felicia D'Ambrosio |
Jay Misson, former Director of Brewing Operations for Triumph Brewing Co., was working at Gordon Biersch in San Francisco in 1996, when his intern Peter Kruse asked him how he would brew a classic German pilsner. Scratching out a quick recipe, he handed off the paper and forgot about it. In June of 2008, Misson suddenly passed away.
Though Misson is no longer with us, his spirit — and his recipe — is. After Jay's death, Peter Kruse got in touch with writer and Malt Advocate editor Lew Bryson through his blog, Seen Through A Glass, where Jay had been eulogized by both Bryson and many friends. He mailed a copy of the hand-written recipe to Bryson, who passed it along to Patrick Jones, head brewer at Triumph's Philadelphia location, and Casey Hughes of Flying Fish, who decided to pay tribute to their friend by collaboratively brewing his Pils Jay's Way.
Meal Ticket arrived at Triumph at the crack of 9 a.m. to photograph Jones and Hughes mashing in for the first-ever batch of Pils Jay's Way. The scrawled-on-a-napkin sort of recipe had never been brewed until Feb. 3, 2009, and will debut at Triumph's Klash of the Kaisers on Thu., March 12. This Philly Beer Week event will feature up to 10 local pilsners subjected to both expert and audience judging to determine the finest in the land. The contest will have entrants from Sly Fox, Dock Street Brewing, Nodding Head, Earth Bread + Brewery — and of course, Triumph. Any type of pilsner is welcome, from a classic German or Czech style, to modern American or Mexican interpretations. "Anywhere else in the country," says Hughes, "you couldn't even find 10 local pilsners." Any guest at the event may purchase a sampler of all entries and submit a ballot with their vote for the People's Choice Award.
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| Casey Hughes of Flying Fish adding hops |
| Photo l Felicia D'Ambrosio |
Jones expects that Pils Jay's Way will exhibit the key characteristics of a German pilsner. "Plenty of early hop additions will give this significant bitterness in the back of your throat, with a malty flavor on the tip of the tongue and some residual sugar," he says. "Alcohol should be in the low fives."
When I asked Jones and Hughes why they wanted to make Pils Jay's Way, they both looked sad. "We all worked in Florida at the same time," said Hughes. Jones and Misson were both employed by Gordon Biersch in Miami, while Hughes was working at Key West Brewery. "We've all been friends for a long, long time," added Jones.
Misson was a beloved pioneer of the craft beer scene. The guy was brewing German lagers by strict Reinheitsgebot standards since 1978 (in a German brewpub attached to Action Park in NJ, of all places!). He trained many brewers, including Jones. By all accounts, he was a brewer devoted to classic German styles — Bryson even called him a "lager chauvinist." At Klash of the Kaisers, those who were influenced by Misson's teachings on brewing proper lagers and pilsners will have a chance to raise a glass of the man's beer, to the man himself.
Pils Jay's Way will debut at Klash of the Kaisers, Thu., March 12, at Triumph Brewing Co., 117 Chestnut St., 215-625-0855
[...] America’s Most Beloved Beer Writer (© Liquid Diet - the Blog, 2008 ) , who plays a key role in the tale, told the story on his site yesterday, about the same time that further background was provided here. [...]
Pils Jay's Way made number two on my list. Number one was Earth, Bread + Brewery's Ober Spliner. Rounding out my top three was Manayunk Brewery's Kellerbier.
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