Brew Biscuits gives dogs a taste of brewery fun

A LITTLE SNACK. HERE’S TED REINSTEIN. COME HERE BUDDY, YOU WANT A BISCUIT? COME ON. DID YOU KNOW THAT YOUR DOG CAN ENJOY A TASTE OF YOUR FAVORITE BREWERIES? ARE YOU DOWN? GOOD BOY. YES, YOU HEARD THAT RIGHT. YOU LIKE THAT? I THINK THERE’S CINCH APPROVED BREW BISCUITS IS TREATING YOUR PUPS MINUS THE ALCOHOL OF COURSE, IN MASSACHUSETTS, ESPECIALLY IN MASSACHUSETTS, YOU’RE NOT ALLOWED TO AS A BREWER, JUST THROW YOUR GRAINS AWAY. SO THE BREWERS ALREADY HAVE TO SPEND TIME, ENERGY, AND MONEY TO GET RID OF THE SPENT GRAIN. CHRIS YERKES IS A CRAFT BEER LOVER AND THE FOUNDER OF BREW BISCUITS, WHICH TAKES THE LEFTOVER GRAINS FROM NEARLY 20 NEW ENGLAND BREWERIES AND UPCYCLES THEM INTO DOG TREATS. MY MOM IS A BAKER. SHE BAKED ALL THE TIME, AND I LOVE BAKING, AND IT’S REALLY FROM HER, YIRGA SAYS. LATE CHOCOLATE LAB WILSON WAS THE INSPIRATION. WILSON’S OUR LOGO. BEFORE HE PASSED. HE WAS OUR CHIEF TASTING OFFICER. HE’S HELPING TO MAKE HAPPY DOGS FROM UP ABOVE THE BISCUITS ARE A LABOR INTENSIVE PROCESS FOR YERKES AND HIS FAMILY. IT’S A VERY COORDINATED EFFORT WHERE I AM IN TOUCH WITH THE BREWER AND I PICK UP THE GRAINS THE SAME DAY AS THE BATCH IS BREWED. ONCE PICKED UP, IT’S TIME TO GET COOKING. IN HIS HOLDEN, MASSACHUSETTS, HOME. IT’S PEANUT BUTTER, FLOUR, EGG, AND THE SPENT GRAINS WITH FOUR LEGGED FRIENDS NEARBY READY TO CATCH PRETTY MUCH ANYTHING THAT DROPS THE DOUGH IS ROLLED AND CUT BEFORE HEADING INTO THE OVEN. I DO THE LABEL WORK. THE PACKING OF ALL THESE BAGS WITH A LENGTHY SHELF LIFE. THESE DEHYDRATED BISCUITS CAN BE SCOOPED UP AT PARTNERING BREWERIES FOR VERY DOG. FRIENDLY. THERE’S DOGS THAT SIT RIGHT UNDER THE BAR HERE. IT’S FUNNY BECAUSE I OFTEN JOKE THAT A LOT OF OUR STAFF KNOW. PEOPLE BY THEIR DOGS NAMES. ONE OF THE KEY PARTNERS IN THIS SUSTAINABLE MISSION IS. GREATER GOOD. IMPERIAL BREWING COMPANY IN WORCESTER. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE GREATER GOOD. THEY ARE OUR LONGEST STANDING PARTNER. GREATER GOOD, A NAME THAT CAME FROM DOING GOOD IN THE COMMUNITY, IS A UNIQUE BREWERY. IN SOME WAYS. WE HAVE A NICHE IN A MARKET THAT THERE’S NOT MUCH NICHE IN THESE DAYS, SO WE SPECIALIZE IN ALL HIGH ABV BEERS FOR US HERE AT GREATER GOOD. EVERYTHING IS 8% AND UP. THAT’S WHAT IMPERIAL MEANS TO US. ABV OR ALCOHOL BY VOLUME MEASURES HOW MUCH ALCOHOL. IS CONTAINED IN ANY GIVEN BEER. WHEN YOU THINK OF LIGHT BEERS, THAT’S TYPICALLY 4 TO 5%. REGULAR BEERS ARE IN THE 5 TO 6% RANGE, AND CRAFT BEERS ARE OFTEN A BIT NORTH OF 6%. OUR FOUNDER IS PAUL WENGENDER. HE WANTED TO SET OUT TO SOLVE A PAIN POINT, WHICH WAS HE LIKED BEING THAT GUY THAT HAD JUST ONE BEER, AND IT WAS A FLAVORFUL BEER AND IT GOT THE JOB DONE. KIND OF THING. SO HE SET OUT TO BUILD RECIPES THAT HAD THAT HIGH ALCOHOL VOLUME, BUT DIDN’T HAVE THAT BOOZY BERNIE KIND OF FLAVOR THAT HE WAS FINDING WITH A LOT OF BEERS ON SHELVES. SEVERAL YEARS LATER, GREATER GOOD, ALONG WITH ITS MOOSE LOGO, IS NOW SOLD ALL OVER NEW ENGLAND. THAT’S KIND OF PART OF THE BRAND STORY. GREATER GOOD AS AMERICA’S ALL IMPERIAL BREWING COMPANY, THE LARGEST BEERS IN NEW ENGLAND. SO WE WENT WITH THE LARGEST LAND MAMMAL IN NEW ENGLAND. HERE, THOUGH, IT’S NOT ONLY THE ABV PERCENTAGE IN THE MASCOT THAT ARE LARGE, IT’S ALSO THE LARGE AMOUNT OF GRAINS THAT ARE LEFT OVER POST BREW. IT’S VERY STICKY, SUGARY. IT’S VERY, VERY HEAVY. IT’S. ABOUT 1.5 TIMES THE WEIGHT THAT IT GOES IN AT. SO ABOUT 3,000 POUNDS OF GRAIN COMES OUT OF EVERY ONE OF THESE BATCHES. SOME OF THAT GRAIN GETS TRUCKED OFF TO FARMS TO FEED COWS AND SOME GETS LOADED INTO THE BACK OF THE BREW BISCUIT BAKERS CAR. WE WANT TO WORK WITH PEOPLE AND BREWERIES THAT WANT OUR PRODUCTS AND WANT TO DO THE SUSTAINABLE PART OF UPCYCLING THEIR SPENT GRAIN AND PROUD PROUDLY DISPLAY THE BAG THAT HAS THEIR BRAND ON IT IN THEIR TAPROOM. HERE IN SALEM, ALONG WITH HUNDREDS OF POLAROID DOG PICTURES, BREW BISCUITS ARE PROUDLY DISPLAYED ON THE SHELF INSIDE OF COUCH DOG BREWING. I THINK WE HAD 800 SOMETHING DIFFERENT DOGS, SO WE TRY TO GET A PICTURE OF ALL THE NEW DOGS THAT WE MEET. THIS IS A BREWERY THAT’S ALL ABOUT COMFORT, TASTES OF HOME, AND OF COURSE A LOVE FOR DOGS. THE NAME IS BASED IN LARGE PART ON OUR DOG KONA, WHO IS A TOTAL COUCH POTATO. THE ASIAN INSPIRED BREWERY BREWS MANY OF THEIR BEERS WITH SUBTLE INFLUENCES FROM ASIAN FLAVORS AND TRADITIONS. MY FIANCE IS KOREAN AMERICAN AND WE THOUGHT THAT THERE WAS SORT OF A GAP IN THE CRAFT BEER SCENE, AT LEAST IN THIS AREA WHERE THESE INGREDIENTS WOULD BE NEW AND ADD SOMETHING A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT. THINK SOUR BEER WITH A SICHUAN KICK OR A STOUT THAT IS INFLUENCED BY KOREAN COFFEE. IT’S INGREDIENTS THAT WE TRY TO USE REALLY THOUGHTFULLY TO COMPLEMENT THE BEER THAT ARE NOT TOO EXTREME OR DISTRACTING, BUT IT’S A WAY TO INTRODUCE THESE FLAVORS TO BEER DRINKERS. THE GRAIN USED IN YORKIES, COUCH DOG BREW BISCUITS COMES FROM A FIVE SPICE WHEAT ALE. WE HAVE A FIVE SPICE WHEAT BEER THAT USES THIS BLEND OF FIVE CHINESE SPICES, WHERE WHEAT BEERS OFTEN HAVE CORIANDER OR OFTEN HAVE A COUPLE OF SPICES BROUGHT IN FROM THE BELGIAN TRADITION. BUT WE THINK THAT FIVE SPICE IS A REALLY NICE COMPLEMENT TO THE WHEAT FLAVOR. A BEER, A COUCH, SHE COULD BE THEIR MASCOT FOR THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT WE’RE HERE, AND A COOKIE FOR THE DOGS THAT IS. IT IS VERY COOL TO SEE THE THE GRAIN GOING TOWARD A GOOD USE AND GOING OUT IN THE WORLD AND MAKING DOGS HAPPY. OH, AND COUCH DOG BREWING IN SALEM TRIES TO USE AS MUCH LOCAL GRAIN AS POSSIBLE IN THEIR BEER. YEAH. OWNER ADAM SHOEMAKER SAYS THAT 90% OF THE GRAIN THAT THEY USE IS GROWN IN THE NORTHEAST, AND THEN ALL OF IT IS MALTED, EITHER IN MASSACHUSETTS OR IN MAINE. SO THEY KEEP IT ALL LOCAL. AL

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