I wasn't entirely sure what kind of beer they wanted me to make so with some questioning I found out they really liked Blue Moon. Although Blue Moon is a "gateway beer" for many to start exploring craft beer, and it was also the first beer I ever had on draft at a bar after turning 21, I was not going to make a Blue Moon clone. They deserved better than just a clone of a commercial beer! I assured them I would make a crowd pleaser and I would use Blue Moon as an inspiration, but I was going to give them a more flavorful interpretation.
I settled on an American wheat beer but to make it a little more accessible and show a toast towards Blue Moon I decided to add a little sweet orange peel at the end of the boil. You can see the full recipe and tasting description here.
In order to pull off brewing 10 gallons of this beer and having it ready and carbonated in the kegs I wanted to have a little extra time just in case something went wrong. I brewed about 2 months before the wedding, and it's a good thing I did because as I told you about before, I royally screwed up half of this batch with only 2 weeks to spare! The future newlyweds had no idea at the time I had an emergency brew session and quick keg carbonation in order to have it ready for their special day. I was thrilled to have it all ready to go in time - but getting it to the wedding would be a bit of a challenge in and of itself.
You see I was going to need to leave straight from work - and I'm not allowed to bring alcohol on site. So... the day of my traveling I parked off site and walked through the gate to get to work. I had both kegs in my large cooler that was loaded down with ice. Didn't want them to get hot sitting in the car all day. Oh yeah and this was also a test for my new little subcompact car. Can this much stuff really be fit in the back?
Well the car passed with flying colors - but would the beer pass the mass appeal test?
I made it to Charlotte with beer intact and still cool enough to be drinkable. I pulled up to the rehearsal dinner just before the wedding couple got there and so I offered to let them sample the beer. This was a really critical test - as they slurped a little of "Newly Wedded Wheat" right out of the picnic tap from the back of my car their eyes lit up with delight. This is amazing the groom declared! Mmmm this is so good Hacksaw, the bride said as soon as she grabbed the tap from his hands and got her own taste. I was fairly confident the beer was good, but getting the thumbs up from the bride and groom was exactly the encouragement I needed before the beer was served!
With help from another wedding attender and Down the Hall brewing we were able to get the beer to the wedding in optimal condition. Down the Hall even provided a backup C02 tank just in case mine ran out of gas. What could be worse than having delicious homebrew in the keg and no way to serve it! This wouldn't prove to be a problem, but something you might keep in mind if you're in this position. There was some competition craft beer at the wedding - but I saw that more as a great taste test comparison than true competition.
I was stoked to find they had made a little sign so wedding attendees would know what beers were available. Down the Hall and I posing in front of the Newly Wedded Wheat sign below.
I decided to have a little fun and ask random people what beer they were drinking and what they thought of it. I love surprising people by telling them I made the beer. The questioning looks as people take another sip to see if it really tasted as good as they initially thought. Some people who simply can't understand how it's possible. I'd love to refer them here if I could go back in time. Alas, but getting on the spot reviews was still exciting and as I looked around I saw many people with Newly Wedded Wheat in their cups. Shortly after they started serving the bar tender found me to get some more information. You see apparently people had not heard of Hacksaw Brewing (as was listed on the sign) and were wondering where the brewery was and what kind of beer was being served!
I explained the beer was brewed in Wilmington, NC and was an American Wheat with orange peel. I'd be happy to answer any questions people may have about the beer. I headed towards the bar area and overheard the response of one enthusiastic wedding guest when asked what he would like to drink.
"I'LL HAVE THE HOMEBREW!"
A quote like that combined with the fact that 9 out of 10 gallons of Newly Wedded Wheat were consumed as compared with only 5 out of the 15 of the competition is why I'd say this was a very successful showing and a thrilling experience for me personally.
--Ben
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