Image courtesy of The Fermentorium
Kristopher Volkman began home brewing in 2007 while working in the corporate world as a software developer. He had an eye toward opening his own craft brewery featuring mixed fermentation brews made with foraged ingredients. Although that vision changed slightly by the time he opened The Fermentorium, his passion for barrel aging is evident in the 24 selections available at The Fermentorium’s locations in Cedarburg and Wauwatosa.
Barrel-aging refers to beer aged in wooden barrels, with the intention of imparting flavors from the wood or from the previous contents of the barrels. “He throws caution to the wind when it comes to the right style,” says Maggie Skinner, director of sales and marketing for The Fermentorium. “Kris really loves doing traditional styles and paying homage to those beers.”
A prime example is Leather Bound Books, named in honor of the traditional third wedding anniversary gift. It’s bound from three Belgian-inspired styles—double, triple and dark ale, each aged in rum, port wine and bourbon barrels. One of their original styles, Golden Spiral Hefeweizen, is still on tap. Another one of his first creations, Manoomin (Ojibwe for “the good berry”) is a blonde ale that will likely make a comeback in the near future, Skinner says.
Playing with hops is one of Volkman’s passions, Skinner says, because there are so many different flavor profiles and hops now available from different regions. Their flagship beers include Juice Packets, a line of approachable IPAs that won’t overwhelm the palate.
Customer favorites include Sweater Weather, an imperial milk stout with chocolate and vanilla notes; Rainbows and Lollipops, with tropical and citrus flavors; and Underwater Panther, with Amarillo, cascade and cirta hops. The latter two are double IPAs, meaning that the brewer uses double or even triple the typical amount of hops, as well as more malts to balance the beer.
Skinner says she began receiving inquiries as early as January for The Fermentorium’s Strawberry Shandy, which they brew for their two taprooms and for the Cedarburg Strawberry Festival. The fest is usually held in June but was forced this year into a four-hour virtual event.
Operating a Tap Room in the Pandemic World
Each Fermentorium location features different Fermentorium beers. Customers can find to-go crowlers (a 32-ounce non-refillable aluminum can used for transporting draft beer) and growlers, a refillable vessel usually made of glass used to transport beer. There are coolers with four-packs and single cans. Both locations offered to-go sales during the shutdown.
The bar staff has returned, Skinner says, and tap room tables and chairs are comfortably spaced six feet apart. At the Cedarburg location, they’ve expanded their outdoor space to include a shady pergola with additional tables. They’re working with the city of Wauwatosa to develop a parklet on 70th Street. Staff wear masks and gloves. Tables, chairs and menus are sanitized before and after each customer. High-touch points like doorknobs, cooler handles and bathrooms are cleaned and sanitized every half-hour. Trivia night has returned to the Cedarburg location, with contactless options for players.
In a year fraught with a crippling pandemic, along with political and racial strife, The Fermentorium partook in All Together, an initiative in which breweries around the globe crafted an IPA to raise money for unemployed brewery workers. All Together was the brainchild of Other Half Brewing Company, in Brooklyn, N.Y.
In late July, Skinner says The Fermentorium had just finished canning Black Is Beautiful imperial stout, an initiative started by Marcus Baskerville of Weathered Souls Brewing in San Antonio, Texas. Weathered Souls shared the recipe with any brewer who was interested, with the intention of promoting awareness and raising funds for civil liberties organizations. Skinner says she’s friends with Baskerville and saw his Facebook post about Black Is Beautiful. “As a white woman, it’s important to work to become a strong ally for the betterment of our community and support something that, in our hearts, we believe in.”
For more information, visit thefermentorium.com.
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