Scurry Kottbusser Style Beer

SCURRY packs big flavor from honey and molasses that make up about 10% of the fermentable sugar. The most important aspect of brewing this beer is temperature. Adding the honey and molasses post-boil helps the final beer retain the aromatics. If we were to add them earlier the flavor compounds would boil off and limit their final contribution to the beer.

Don't let the color and ingredients fool you, this beer finishes dry and smooth. With a significant amount of simple sugar, we have to be very careful the yeast doesn't throw fusel alcohols to the final beer. Fusel alcohols (or fusel oils) are caused by yeast being stressed out during fermentation and contribute "hot" or "boozy" flavors to beer in too high of concentration. Honey and molasses have a much lower in nitrogen level compared to malt extract and this can stress the yeast out. But by using a relatively cool fermentation temperature for an ale yeast we ensure that the beer finishes smooth.

The flaked oats added in the mash contribute a slickness to the flavor profile that aptly bridges the sweet flavors from the honey and the molasses and the dry finish. 

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SCURRY is inspired from the historical German beer style called Kottbusser. This style originated in the town of Cottbus, which was founded along two important trading routes. Located between Germany and Poland, the town was a hub for goods many other rural towns didn't have access to. Thus they started brewing a beer with honey and molasses.

Well, that was until the unification of Germany when the Reinheitsgebot (formerly only a Bavarian Law) was enforced throughout Germany. Many brewers have used the marketing claim that their beer is brewed "in accordance with the Reinheitsgebot." Well let me tell you, those brewers are jerks. In actuality beer would be impossible to brew according the original Reinheitsgebot as the only acceptable brewing ingredients were barley, hops, and water. The only problems is yeast is the only reason brewing beer is possible so when it wasn't included in the list of acceptable beer ingredients, maybe we shouldn't be listening to 16th century lawmakers. 

Once the law was enforced throughout Germany, many local beer styles fell to the merciless "German Purity Law." But screw that, we're in 'merica and we can brew with most anything we want.

Pairing Suggestions

SCURRY pairs well with hard cheeses as it's nuttiness from the malt rounds out the the fat content. Not to state the obvious, but SCURRY goes great with pizza. It's dryness can clean your palate after a cheesy slice. It also pairs well with dessert containing chocolate such as pies and cakes as it adds a bit of a roasty flavor.

What to Watch...

SCURRY is the perfect beer to drink while watching football. And at 5.3% you can drink it during the whole game... and the next one too.