Brewery Spotlight: TrimTab Brewing Company

“Something hit me very hard once, thinking about what one little man could do. Think of the Queen Mary — the whole ship goes by and then comes the rudder. And there’s a tiny thing at the edge of the rudder called a trimtab.

It’s a miniature rudder. Just moving the little trim tab builds a low pressure that pulls the rudder around. Takes almost no effort at all. So I said that the little individual can be a trimtab.

Society thinks it’s going right by you, that it’s left you altogether. But if you’re doing dynamic things mentally, the fact is that you can just put your foot out like that and the whole big ship of state is going to go.

So I said, call me Trimtab.” – R. Buckminster Fuller



Photo Courtesy of Jeremy Campbell

 

Simply complex, that’s how I feel about TrimTab Brewing Co. From the brewery and the Tasting Gallery to the sweet gravitational nectar that they serve, every aspect is simply complex. Everything about TrimTab embodies balance.

If you have never been to the brewery on the corner of 27^th Street and 5^th Ave S., then you need to change that. They may be Birmingham’s newest Craft Beer producer, but amateur they are not. Incorporating local art work, fantastic brews, a great bar staff, and community events, TrimTab is already a Birmingham staple.

Two years ago, before construction was even started on the brewery, we had the pleasure of meeting Harris Stewart at the Magic City Brewfest. We were running the gauntlet of interviewing different breweries for our sister site BhamRocks.com, when we finally made it to the TrimTab booth. Standing there with a huge smile on his face, like a kid on Christmas, was Harris. Maybe the smile was to cover a tremendous amount of nervousness, I know I would be. Either way, he couldn’t wait to start talking about his brewery.

Giving up the opportunity to become a lawyer, Harris enlisted the help of Brewmaster Will Crenshaw to assist in making his dreams come true. The taproom, or as they like to call it, the Tasting Gallery, is exactly how Harris described it.  A bar constructed from repurposed wood lends a rustic vibe, while the local artwork on display and modern seating help capture the essence of Birmingham. The Tasting Gallery, just like their beer, is simply complex.

Photo Courtesy of Jeremy Campbell

To focus on the whole idea of balance, one beer in particular demonstrates that the most. Their Rye Brown Ale, Pillar to Post, is one of my favorite Birmingham brews. The sweet nuttiness that you find in most Brown Ales is complemented perfectly by the light spice from the rye. That flavor paired with a respectable but not overwhelming abv, help to make this brew incredibly round and balanced. Visit the Tasting Gallery regularly and you might find an “enhanced” version of Pillar to Post. Two of my favorite beers of all time start out as the aforementioned brew, Cuba Libre and Bulleit Bourbon Barrel Aged Pillar to Post. Cuba Libre is a cask version of their Brown topped off with a touch of lime and oak, the complex pairing of simple ingredients make it a perfect summertime brew for those of us who like to drink something a little darker year-round. The bourbon barreled version may be the most balanced barrel aged beers out there. The Bulliet Bourbon barrels impart a mildly sweet, oaky flavor with hints of vanilla.

Those are just a couple examples of what may be available when you visit. From their IPA brewed with New Zealand hops, to the Cucumber Saison and Raspberry Berliner Weisse, there is a brew available to excite any palate. If you get lucky enough to visit when their Old Ale is on tap, try it!

TrimTab or Trim Tab, however you want to spell it, personifies that balance and simple complexity of Birmingham. We are not a hustle and bustle kind of city. We are a sit on the porch and drink sweet tea kind of city. We embrace community and celebrate local talent. TrimTab's "Spirit of Quality" does exactly that!

Photo Courtesy of Jeremy Campbell

Your Weekly Review - Red Planet from Horny Goat Brewing Company

    

 This being our first structured review, don’t get used to the formatting. We’ll try to stick with the basic steps of Craft Beer tasting. If you’re not sure, there are five basic steps we follow. First we check out the appearance, then the aroma, followed by taste and mouthfeel; giving a 1 to 10 rating to each step. Finally, we give an overall impression of the beer accompanied with a combined average of all ratings. That all being said, when it comes to drinking beer especially ones of the High Gravity variety, things are always subject to change. 

Red Planet from Horny Goat Brewing Company out of Stevens Point Wisconsin.

Horny Goat Brewing Company, you’ve probably seen them on the shelves of you favorite Craft Beer retailer. They’re the ones with the “sexy” cartoon goats on the labels. This week we will be reviewing one of their Red Ales named Red Planet. This 5.4% abv brew has the perfect Mars inspired label for any Sci-Fi goat lover.  Ok, on to the review.

Apperance…

Clear yet reddish, copper color with an off-white almost beige head that dissipates quickly leaving little to no lacing around the glass. I would like to see a denser head, but all in all, not bad. 8/10

Aroma…

Very malty. Light powdered cocoa notes followed by a mild fruit scent. Not very deep or complex. 4/10

Taste…

This is where I lose interest in this brew. There is a whole lot of nothing going on here. A light malty caramel base is present, but not much more. Not a foul flavor, just boring. 4/10

Mouthfeel…

Clean and effervescent with nothing residual lingering around. Again, nothing unpleasant just kind of boring.  5/10

Overall…

As an American Craft Beer fan, I like a beer with more character. I know this style doesn’t tend to be very robust or packed full of flavor, but I just want more. If I were at the park on a hot day, or maybe even in the back yard grilling, I may have enjoyed it more. Yet again, it’s not a terrible beer, just boring. I give this mundane brew a... 

5/10