He was interested in them, not just because he likes beer (which he does) but also because for over a hundred and fifty years, the Wessingers have been one of the oldest brewing families in North America. His great-great-grandfather, Henry Weinhard, founded one of the most renowned breweries in the West and, for five generations, the family's dedication to brewing quality beers has never faltered. So it makes sense that in the 1990s Minott might take note of America's resurging interest in beer and have a few thoughts of his own on the subject.
One thing Minott noticed was that most of the new beers coming out seemed to be ales. He thought there was an opportunity to create some unique lagers which require a more involved method of brewing.
So the first thing we did was build a brewery that had all the integrity of an old-world brewery. Standing three stories tall, it includes a copper brew kettle, Lauter tun screens imported from Germany, a replica of the weather vane that once stood atop Henry Weinhard's brewery, and an old-fashioned brew-house tower designed so that our beers would be brewed with the traditional "gravity flow" method. The brewery also was designed to include a comfortable and friendly tasting room with an awesome view of the Big Mountain.
Well, we went to work, combining our brewers experience and education with Minott's own rather deep brewing knowledge. And together, after much brewing and much, much, much tasting (nice work if you can get it) we came up with the recipe for Black Star.
One of the secrets to Black Star lies in its double-hopping. The process is quite simple. Instead of adding hops just once, you add them at two different stages of the brewing process, first in the brewing kettle (like all conventional beers) then again in the whirlpool. Double hopping gives the beer a distinctively crisp and full-bodied taste along with a nice, aromatic character.
Combining double-hopped brewing with the finest ingredients available, including the purest water, premium hops from the Pacific Northwest and Zatec, the Czech Republic, and Western two-row barley malt, we have made a beer which we think is really good.
