While returning from a beer tasting on Schweitzer in north Idaho late last summer, my girlfriend and I stopped in Sandpoint to grab a pint of MickDuffs Gnarly Nine because the keg at the tasting had blown before we got a chance to try it. We saddled up to the bar to find that the head brewer Mickey was the one slinging pints. As beer geeks tend to do, we got talking and by the end of the night Mickey had graciously offered to let me come in and help him brew from time to time, as my schedule allowed. Mickey learned how to brew while working at Scuttlebutt in Everett and he seeks to pass on the favor by imparting his knowledge onto numerous eager homebrewers and curious friends from around the region.
On Thursday of last week, I drove up to MickDuffs to help Mickey brew a batch of their Tipsy Toe Head Blonde Ale. We began the brew day at 8 am, and as the boiler was heating up, we got to work milling the grains. Mickey is quite handy (a trait that is quite useful in this industry) and had modified the mill himself, and while it produces uniformly crushed grain it is also quite messy. Due to space restrictions, the milling portion of the MickDuffs operation is a little less than ideal, but Mickey has developed a system that maximizes their ability to produce wonderful ales despite any limitations.
We lowered the boom on the grain auger and with respiratory masks in place, I began putting the milled grain into the hopper while Mickey stirred the mixing contents of the mash tun. I would never consider brewing to be “hard” work, but there are some physical elements that can be demanding and after picking up that many pounds of grain, I am now convinced that being a scrawny guy is no longer going to cut it for me. The buckets that we used to transfer the milled grain into the auger produce a nice dust cloud when you drop one into the other, so I did that outside.
With all of the grains into the mash tun, I returned the auger boom back to a resting position and got to work sweeping up the grain dust that (unfortunately) did not make it into the brew while Mickey worked the levers on his brewing system to get the consistency he wanted in the mash tun. Everything was running happily, so we began cleaning and sanitizing the fermentation tank we were going to put our brew into at the end of the day. Fully steeped, Mickey began the process of transferring the wort to the brew kettle and once that was finished, I got to work on cleaning the spent grain from out of the mash tun. The man-way into the mash tun is just a little taller than I would like, but with outstretched arms, I was able to get the job done. The spent grain went into large plastic trash cans that were pushed outside to be picked up by a local farmer.
The heavy labor done for the day, Mickey put in our lunch orders as the brew kettle was heating up and we ate while watching the clock to make hop additions at the proper times. We finished our food and checked the carbonation level of the Strom Hammer IPA in one of the other fermentation tanks just before the brew was finished so Mickey showed me how to flush the wort chiller and then we transferred the finished brew to the fermentation tank and cleaned out the brew kettle. After spending some time with the final clean up, we were finished for the day and headed to the bar to enjoy a pint of Mickey’s previous labors, which in this case was his seasonal brown ale.
Just as with our previous session, I enjoyed my experience brewing with Mickey. His brewing knowledge is quite formidable but his personality is anything but so I was able to learn from him comfortably and easily. Both of us being beer geeks made it so we got along well and both of us knowing the value of labor made it so we could work well together. Any questions I had were thoroughly answered in a friendly manner and although I had to do most of the heavy lifting, I was never treated as anything but an equal. And as for the heavy lifting, I know what it means to pay ones dues.
After Mickey left for the day, I stuck around to watch my Buffalo Sabres in the NHL playoffs and was glad I did. I got the chance to overhear some random conversations amongst the customers as they contemplated the beer they were imbibing. Mickey produces a fine line of ales that are greatly appreciated by those that try them and the local following is strong. When I couldn’t help myself, I did chat with a couple of the customers about their beers and they were quick to sing its praises.
That’s what craft beer is all about. Mickey puts a lot of hard, honest labor into creating his ales and the people from around the region gather at MickDuffs to enjoy them, shedding their worries and cares for a few minutes while sharing a laugh and ultimately strengthening the bonds of community. MickDuffs works hard to be a part of their community and that level of commitment is reciprocated by the many customers in and around Sandpoint. Local ales for local people; it’s a beautiful thing.
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