Photo by Lucie Monk Carter
The suds are flowing at this five-year-old’s birthday … after all, it is Tin Roof Brewing Company.
Baton Rouge’s first brewery, opened in 2010, has heralded this occasion with a single batch of the new 5th Anniversary Oatmeal Pale Ale, first released late last fall. The toasted sip benefits from a helping of rare, expensive hops. (“...it’s our birthday so we splurged,” notes the official description online.)
And when brewmasters get self-indulgent, craft beer enthusiasts come running. Tin Roof opened a taproom on the premises in fall 2014 where trivia nights, pop-up dinners, and private parties are the norm. The taps, pouring Tin Roof only, are a creative outlet for the brewers; while the flagship beers remain popular on the growing distribution list, at the taproom the pints are becoming more eclectic.
Nowhere is this more apparent than in the new House Beer Series. The second in the series, a Northern English Brown Ale, uses part of the yeast being grown out for the Smiling Ivan Russian Imperial Stout (to be released in February). “We’re getting the yeast ready for that bigger beer,” said brewmaster Tom Daigrepont, “so it’s fun to experiment with in the meantime.”
The stakes and general investment are lower too. “It gives us flexibility,” said Daigrepont. “If we do just one beer, we don’t have to worry about marketing it or sending it out there.”
After the Smiling Ivan stout, Tin Roof will ring in spring with the return of the Yonder Hefe, but the brewers are even more excited to try their hands at the tart, fermented gose style in coming months. After that, they’ll let creativity and ambition keep steering. “We sit around and say, What would be fun to do next?” said Daigrepont. “Stout, rye pale ale ... my goal is to start working on more and more dark beers.”
The Northern English Brown Ale and 5th Anniversary Oatmeal Pale Ale are both on tap at Tin Roof currently. Visit tinroofbeer.com for details on the beers and Facebook.com/TinRoofBeer to learn about Yoga on Tap, the complimentary yoga session held on Wednesdays at 6 pm.
Update: On February 26, Tin Roof celebrates the new release of two beers—the Yonder Hefe spring seasonal and single-batch Smiling Ivan Russian Imperial Stout—with a party-ful of beer, food, and music starting at 5 pm at the taproom.
