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Shades of Pale brewery looks forward to bottling their own beer

Megan Yeiter, Of The Record Staff

The process of brewing beer can be complex and time consuming, but rewarding. Shades of Pale Brewery in Prospector, has mastered the recipes for six different kinds of beer since opening in October.

The brewery had a trial-and-error period during which they took time to perfect each batch, explained Shades of Pale Owner Trent Fargher. Some beer took longer to perfect than others, he admits. Head Brewer Matt Davis worked on perfecting the Belgian White for over four months, while the wheat beer only took three batches.

Shades of Pale beer can be found at Bistro 412 on Main Street Park City and Good Karma in Prospector. Fargher is currently brewing several different kinds of local beer including: Jackwagon, an American wheat, a porter called 4play, Publican Pale Ale, Parley’s Pale White Ale, Slippery Slope (an espresso stout) and a German Kolsch called Perfect Stranger.

The brewery will start bottling their own beer on site in about two months, explained Fargher. The brewmeisters are currently working on creating their own labels that they hope will inspire adventure in Park City.

For example, one label might give a brief overview of Round Lake and a website to go for a map. This particular ‘adventure’ might be worth two beers on a scale to five beers, explained Fargher. The idea behind the point system is to rate the adventure based on the number of beers you’ll want when you’ve completed it.

Eventually the brewery hopes to accept adventure suggestions from local outdoor enthusiasts to be featured on the labels.

Fargher explained that it takes about seven hours to brew at batch of beer from milling grain to just before the wort goes into the fermenting tanks. Ales take about 14 days to ferment, while darker lagers take at least 21 days, before they sit in a lager tank for an additional 30 days.

Shades of Pale anticipates brewing full-strength beer in 22-ounce bottles by the end of summer.

Fargher and his partners keep 15 grains on hand to add variety to their libations. For example, wheat grain adds a nutty flavor, while other grains add bitterness, he said.

After the grain is milled, it’s poured into a large tank with boiling water, "It’s like making porridge the process extracts the sugars out of the grain," Fargher explained. Essentially, boiling water, plus grain, plus time, equals the extraction of sugars.

After the sugar is extracted, it’s pumped into a kettle and boiled for 90 minutes. Hops are added throughout the boiling process to help flavor the liquid. The hops also act as a preservative and can instill a bitter, leathery or fruity flavor to the beer, Fargher explained. The end result of this stage makes wort.

That mixture is then pumped through hoses to the fermenting tanks. Ales ferment at 68 degrees, while lagers ferment between 45 to 48 degrees. After the fermenting period, the beer is moved to a Brite tank, where it pushes Co2 through the liquid, Fargher explained.

The brewery has five fermenting tanks and one Brite tank, which under pressure, carbonizes the beer. Fargher explained that the brewery is planning to get larger fermenting tanks so they can expand the amount of beer they produce in one batch. They’re also discussing the possibility of expanding the brewery into a neighboring building.

Trent Fargher

(720) 255-5122

http://www.shadesofpale.com

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