Jordan Fleetwood of Twain’s
By Tom Maicon at July 7, 2010 | 7:36 pm | Print
Jordan Fleetwood has enjoyed a long brewing career here in Atlanta. He’s a humble guy who brews with good sense and strong technique. He currently mans the brew side of things at Twain’s Billiards and Tap in beercentric Decatur. Every time I sit down with Fleetwood I learn something new. I recently caught up with him … here’s what he had to say.
Q: Nearly all great brewers have a signature or flagship beer that defines their career. What would you consider your flagship beer?
A: Geez, that’s a tough one. I’m not sure I can say I have a flagship beer. At different times, I tend to go through periods where I focus more on one style than an other. Not to say that the other beers in the Twain’s lineup will suffer, just that at one time I might be concentrating on how the Brown Ale can be improved. Or maybe I’m interested in how the Pale Ale will turn out using different hops. When often asked what is my favorite beer, I rarely have an answer. That answer changes so frequently and to define a career with a flagship might only detract from the freedom of brewing in an environment such as Twain’s. (Although I do really enjoy a well made Pale Ale)
Q: What is the biggest challenge you’re currently faced with brewing at Twain’s?
A: Well, I think this question might have answered itself. The biggest challenge I am currently faced with is, well, the challenge I am currently facing. That’s always my biggest! It doesn’t really matter what the current one is because there will always be another. Once one is tackled, hopefully it is no longer a challenge. But I guess one might be just overall equipment sizing. Sometimes that mash tun just won’t fit all the malted barley that I wish to stuff in there! And that can be a challenge! All in all, being faced with hurdles is part of the fun in brewing. It can force me to become inventive and keeps the daily grind interesting.
Q: Last month your brewed Choco-nut, a fun bold cask-conditioned brown ale that screamed food. Being the food and beer lover I am, I wanted to sneak it out the door and take it to a Buford Highway Vietnamese noodle house. Can we expect more fun food beers out of you in the near future?
A: Absolutely, you can expect more. Many times I will do cask-conditioned beers including ingredients that pair very well with food. One of the great things about doing these cask-conditioned beers is that they are small batch beers and I often don’t know what I’m going to do until the day I fill the firkin. I like to take an inventory of what beers are in the fermenters, and just walk around the farmers market trying to come up with ideas. I usually brew a Gingerbread Ale during Thanksgiving time which includes fresh ginger and cinnamon. The Gingerbread Ale is brewed as a full sized batch and might even stand alone as a dessert beer. Another great food beer is the Cocoa Stout. That usually comes around during the colder months and is also brewed as a full sized batch. As far as in more recent terms, I will have a Double I.P.A. out in mid July which has a big citrus character from the hops. We have used this beer in one of the beer dinners at Twain’s and found it can pair very well with food. It can be paired very nicely with dishes that have a bit of kick. Maybe a nice curry dish or even the habanero wings at Twain’s. I’m also thinking of taking our Wit & Humor Wheat and using a little citrus peel and maybe some coriander later in the summer. This beer might go great with a side salad and our mussels.
Q: I.P.A. has been the beer style du jour over the past few years. Do you believe we’re finally starting to see a move away from the I.P.A trend?
A: You would be correct in that I.P.A. has been a staple beer for many breweries in the past few years but I don’t think they are going away necessarily. I would say that I see brewers looking for other styles to concentrate on. And therefore, bringing other styles to the market for people to try. Or maybe just the concentration on other styles will expand the number of options we all have for a quality beer. I like the thought of brewing many different styles. As they say, “variety is the spice of life”, and a variety of different beers by different breweries can only be good.
Q: With beers latest big move American craft brews seem to be leading the way. Being an American craft brewer I imagine this makes you proud. Did you ever think we’d see American brewers leading the way in the latest beer revolution?
A: Yes. I don’t think I ever questioned it. I am proud of it and look forward to being a part of it for years to come! American craft beer comes with less tradition than many of the other brewing cultures. That has allowed a more “no holds barred” approach. All brewing traditions are still very well respected by most American brewers, it’s just that those traditions have not been our boundaries. Beer and craft brewing is still pretty young in America. So I see some great beers coming from American brewers in the future.
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