Brewing Big with Homebrewer Cale Baldwin

The tale of this week’s limited release on draft:
Henry’s Vienna Lager ABV 5.3% | 32 IBU

“My goal is to show people that great lagers can be produced using gluten free ingredients,” says homebrewer Cale Baldwin, host of the Zero Tolerance Gluten Free Homebrewers Group, a monthly virtual club. When Cale set out looking for a gluten free lager, he was left disappointed by what he found in the grocery store aisles and that led him to create his own.

Over several brews, he tweaked a Vienna Lager recipe to his liking on his homebrew system. “Over the summer I interviewed Ghostfish Head Brewer Reid Ackerman for an interview series and he mentioned that it would be fun to work on a brew together,” recalled Cale. “I was in!”

The process began with scaling the recipe. “A standard amount for a homebrew is 5-gallons,” explained Cale. “The pilot system at Ghostfish is significantly larger than that.” Reid assisted Cale in scaling the recipe to meet the desired style and flavor profile. “Also, every brewing system is different, so it takes some tribal knowledge to understand how equipment will function on brew day,” mentioned Cale. “I was thankful for Reid and his intricate knowledge of the pilot system.”

Since brew day, the beer has been “lagering”, which can take a while. Lagers are processed on a cool fermentation followed by maturation in cold storage. Now, the timer has gone off and it’s ready for the Taproom! 

But wait, there’s more. In this story, we’ve mentioned Cale and Reid, but who the h*** is Henry? You’ll need to stop by the Taproom to find out! 

Let us pour you a pint of this full-bodied malt-forward lager featuring warm flavors from a hand-selected grain bill of malted millet, rice, and buckwheat; accented with Mt. Hood and Saphir hops. ABV 5.3%  |  IBU 32

Release day is Tuesday, February 2nd – Ground Hogs Day!