Sneak Peek: Wheat All About It
SLAH helps Whitman Brewing's Nick Meyer brew the first-ever Saratoga Living beer. PLUS: Whiskey Night in Saratoga pics, holiday shopping begins, and more.
I arrived at Whitman Brewing this past Tuesday just in time to witness the tail end of the sparge—an Old English word for sprinkling water over something. In this case, the thing being sparged was a mixture of barley and wheat, and looking down into the mash tun (the giant tank on the left in the photo above), the watery grain looked more like oatmeal than the beer it would become.
For those who haven’t been following us on Instagram, this was the brew day for Wheat All About It, the first-ever Saratoga Living beer whose name was voted upon by the people of the Spa City. We’ll be teaming up with Whitman and presenting sponsor Hunt Real Estate associate broker Helen Mastrion to host a beer release party at the brewery on November 29 from 6-9pm, complete with complimentary pints of Wheat All About It, signature take-home pint glasses, pizza by Whitman, and Live music by Paul Lambert; get your tickets now.
I soon learned that the oatmeal-looking stuff wasn’t what would become the beer—rather, it would be picked up by a local farmer and fed to pigs. What brewer Nick Meyer was interested in was the wort: the sweet liquid that was drained out of the mash tun and sent into another giant tank called the kettle to be boiled. Meanwhile, Nick got to work on the not-so-glamorous part of beer-brewing: clean-up. As some water from his hose splashed out of the mash tun and onto me, “Splash” by Action Johnson played on the speaker.
As cleaning up is not my strong suit, I made a quick getaway to the beer hall bar, where sales/marketing/events manager Sam VanDenmark had me sample the brewery’s Agrarian Society, the wheat beer that’s currently on draft. (Wheat All About It will have a slightly stronger citrus flavor than Agrarian Society.) But not before asking Nick what happens next for our beer-in-the-making.
After boiling in the kettle, the wort will move yet again to the fermenter, where yeast will be added. It’s when the yeast interacts with the sugar in the wort that alcohol will be formed. Nick will then check on the concoction daily, figuring out its alcohol content by how much sugar went into the fermenter and how much is left after the fermentation process. After 14-17 days, the then-finished product will be moved to a tank where it will be distributed into cans and kegs.
For those interested in the behind-the-scenes of beer-making, Sam will be bringing attendees on tours of the brewery at our November 29 event. For those like me who are more interested in drinking beer than making beer, I’ll meet you at the bar.
—Natalie
Brew Crew
It turns out I’m not the only one who’s been dabbling in beer brewing lately. Earlier this fall, Adirondack Brewery in Lake George welcomed a group of veterans to help brew this year’s batch of DD-214, a blonde IPA named for the document issued upon a military service member’s retirement. DD-214 was originally created to honor veterans in 2020 by Adirondack Brewery brewer Bob Shafer, who served six years in the Air Force. Today, veterans will receive a complimentary pint of the beer with the purchase of a food item at the brewery.
Quote of the Week
“Overall, I do well in general settings.”
—Overheard in Saratoga
Tasting Notes
There’s just something about high-end alcohol that brings out the awkward in just about everyone. Order a bottle of wine, for example, and watch the fidgeting and corny jokes about what you’re “supposed” to do commence. With whiskey, on the other hand…well, you simply had to show up to Saratoga Living’s grand bourbon and rye tasting this past Wednesday to learn from the very best: Holly Seidewand and Charles Grabitzky, co-owners of First Fill Spirits.
They knocked the awkward right out of all of us from the very beginning: “The first sip should be offensive,” Holly deadpanned.
As things smoothed out on the second sip (and beyond—more than one headache was reported the next day), the crowd was rapt. And quiet. “I encourage questions and comments,” Holly said. “But I probably won’t get any until the third whiskey, when people start to feel comfortable shouting out.”
Putnam Place was so packed for the tasting—the third annual Whiskey Night in Saratoga—that some newcomers were squeezed in at the last minute using some creative problem-solving. Guests were a mix of complete newbies, at-home whiskey drinkers who had never done a formal tasting, and bona fide pros.
Holly and Charles navigated the tasting like a boozy TED Talk. There were fun facts (“not all bourbon comes from Kentucky!”), whiskey translations (“interesting” means “I can’t keep drinking this but I’m being kind”), praise for New York State whiskeys such as the tasting’s New Scotland Helderberg Bourbon—and everyone was invited to the shop to taste (“most liquor stores don’t do that!”) whatever they have open.
So. Do I feel like a whiskey drinker now? Let’s just say I can’t wait until I find the right moment to casually smell a whiskey near-ish my nose (not all up in there, like with wine) and boldly declare that “the first sip is always rough. This will smooth out nicely.”
—Abby
See more scenes from Whiskey Night in Saratoga here.
Flower Power
Beginning this week, Samantha Nass Floral & Event Design Shoppe is using the power of holiday shopping for good. Every Thursday until Christmas (with the exception of Thanksgiving), Samantha will extend her Shoppe’s hours for late-night browsing and light refreshments until 8pm, and will choose a different local charity to spotlight each week. Shoppers (both in person and online) will be able to donate to the charities and have a chance to win three-month floral subscription, valued at $400. The featured charities are:
November 16: Wellspring
November 30: RISE Healthy Housing & Support Services
December 7: Franklin Community Center Food Pantry
December 14: SNACpack
December 21: Saratoga County Animal Shelter
You can donate now here. The drawing for the winner of the floral subscription will be on December 22.
Be Prepared
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Unfortunately, we live in a world in which Narcan—an over-the-counter opioid overdose treatment—is sometimes necessary. So the Saratoga County Department of Health is making sure residents know how to use it. Click the link above for a step-by-step tutorial on how to administer Narcan, and check out SCDOH’s TikTok for more helpful videos on opioid overdose and more.
The Customer Isn’t Always Right
This week, longtime Warrensburg Chinese restaurant Dragon Lee made national headlines for, yep, calling out their customers. Echoing sentiments often shared by Saratoga’s Broadway Deli Owner Daniel Chessare about rude customers, the family-owned restaurant gained the attention of The Atlantic for responding to nasty, one-star Google reviews with nastiness. To a review that said the food was “disgusting,” Dragon Lee responded that the reviewer should “learn to spell and use grammar” (he had misspelled “General Soe’s chicken”), continuing on to say “WE DO NOT WANT TO DEAL WITH CUSTOMERS LIKE YOU AND YOU DO NOT DESERVE OUR SERVICE!” Read the story that explores online review culture and the validity of the statement “the customer is always right” here.
ICYMI
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