Titletown brews up classic beers Titletown's Beer Cellar located upstairs where beer is stored/tapped. The beer is kept at an even 43 degrees (photo by Tina Gohr). By Brenda Erickson News-Chronicle Cinnamon-colored liquid spills into a glass, foam rising to the top like a creamy, whipped-cream cap. Cool and slightly bitter, this old-world beer, a cask-conditioned Boxcar Brown Ale that has been brewed in a traditional beer-making method, is one of numerous specialty ales and lagers created at Titletown Brewing Company, one of Green Bay's most popular microbreweries and upscale restaurants. A few weeks ago, this richly-flavored, nut-brown ale was nothing more than water, malted barley, hops and yeast, all waiting to be merged into a flavorful brew. Titletown opened in 1996 in the former Chicago and Northwestern Train Depot, and was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. Since it opened, Titletown has paid tribute to that rich history, not only in its decor, but also in its beers, many of which, like the specialty Boxcar Brown Ale, are brewed using traditional methods. According to Titletown vice president Brent Weycker, a variety of malted barleys, purchased from Breiss Malting Company in Chilton, are the bases for the microbrewery's many beers, from the popular 400 Honey Ale, a golden ale brewed with Wisconsin clover honey, to the specialty Boxcar Brown Ale that is now ready for tapping. Ranging in color from pale yellow to nearly black, the malted barley (or rye, corn, rice oatmeal and other grains) sets the tone for the final product. The darker the malt, the richer the beer. The malting process, Weycker said, is simple. After it's picked, the barley seed is moistened, which starts the germination process. The seed splits open, exposing the sweet starches, and it is then dried and roasted. That roasted seed, roasted a short time for lighter coloring, a long time for darker, more chocolately shades, is then ready to be part of the beer-making process. "You can malt anything," said Weycker, who focuses primarily on barley and wheat beers, although Titletown uses "malted oatmeal in our stout, and a little rye in our malted rye. "Each one adds a different dynamic to that style of beer," he said. The process is fairly simple as well. Malted barley is ground into a grist, which is then mixed with hot water in a process that filters the water through the grain mixture, where it picks up the sugars from the grains. "It smells and tastes like oatmeal," said brewer Richard Stueven. The process is about as easy as whipping up a batch of the breakfast treat, as well. "If you can make oatmeal, you can make beer," he said. After about an hour and a half, the unfermented liquid, called sweetwort, is transferred to a brew kettle, where it is boiled in batches of 500 gallons or so. "When it starts boiling, we throw in the hops," said Stueven, who boils the two together for about another hour and a half. The resulting liquid, called bitterwort, is pumped into a whirlpool so hops and liquid are separated, then chilled to a cool 65 to 70 degrees, "a nice, comfortable environment for the yeast," Stueven said. Now called coldwort, the liquid is transferred to a fermenter, where yeast is added, beginning the fermenting process. "Fermentation runs about seven days," said Stueven, who works with brewer Bill Mullins to create the fresh, distinctive beers that have made Titletown such a popular Green Bay establishment. Then, the beer is transferred to tanks housed upstairs in a room chilled to about 40 to 45 degrees, where it is carbonized using either a carbonating stone, which difuses carbon dioxide into the brew, or the old-world method, which involves adding more yeast and surgars, allowing the beer to continue to ferment for several months. The resulting beer, cask conditioned, tastes far different from its contemporary cousins, Stueven said. "It's like two totally different beers," he said. From the tanks, beer is piped through hoses at the bars, where is served up to customers who regularly praise the fresh, locally brewed beer. "That's another thing I love about this job," said Stueven. "The instant gratification. To go out into the restaurant and hear Ôwe love your beer.' It feels good." At Titletown, about two to three batches of beer are brewed a week, or about 1,000 times a year. The beers find their way into many of Titletown's restaurant menu items, including a beer batter for the fish and chips, a beer bread for the bison melt and a beer-braised beef pot roast. Titletown favorites include 400 Honey Ale, a golden ale brewed with Wisconsin clover honey; Railyard Ale, a malty, copper-colored ale that pays tribute to Green Bay's German heritage; Johnny "Blood" McNally Red Ale, a bold red brew featuring caramel and rye malts; Old Fort Howard Pale Ale, featuring Northern Brewer and Cascade hops; and Bridge Out Stout, a rich, chocolate-sweet stout made with 1,000 pounds of malt per batch, as well as a touch of oatmeal. Specialty ales and lagers, such as the seasonal Princess of Darkness Porter, which will be tapped on Halloween, are also served throughout the year.