Brewer to serve Colonial-style porter at Baird's Tavern

Pine Island - One day Pine Island resident David Sherfey may turn his hobby into a full time business. But at the moment, just like other members of the Hudson Valley HomeBrewers, Inc., brewing beer at home is a challenge, an art and fun. Ever since a friend introduced him to the hobby, Sherfey has been an amateur brewer. That was more than 20 years ago. “It was perfect with me. I was always a beer fan and I love to cook,” said Sherfey, “And besides, I’m a recipe nut.” Today, Sherfey and his wife, Shelly, sell real estate for Keller Williams. They have two sons, Denver and Daniel, who are currently away pursuing degrees in higher education. “We’re just empty nesters right now,” he laments. Sherfey is also a member of the Historical Society of the Town of Warwick. “We realized that we had this great historical building, Baird’s Tavern, and decided that we ought to do something to reflect that part of its history,” he said. “We decided to have a ‘Tavern Night’ and I offered to make the beer.” Tavern Night, featuring beverages and samples of tavern food as it was served in Colonial times, will be celebrated at historic Baird’s Tavern on Saturday, Feb. 10, from 7 to 9 p.m. under the sponsorship of the Historical Society. And a highlight of the evening event will be serving porter, George Washington’s favorite beer, brewed by Sherfey. The brewer selected for that evening was a good choice. Sherfey employs basic equipment such as a 15-gallon restaurant kettle, similar to what might have been available in Colonial days. “I enjoy the process rather than modern commercial equipment,” he said. “I couldn’t do it exactly the way they did. They didn’t have refrigeration and they used copper pots and wood casks rather than stainless steel. But by referring to historic texts, I came up with a range of porters that are very close to those consumed in Colonial times.” There will be three versions of porter served at Tavern Night. One will be mild ale that is sweeter and less bitter than the others. There will also be a stock ale, like those intended for storage, that is stronger and with higher bitterness. And finally, there will be another stock ale that is very lightly sour and will be an example of one that has been in the barrel for a while. Sherfey explained that home brewing could produce beers that are identical to today’s commercial products. The ingredients such as hops, malt and yeast, he said, are widely available. “I enjoy doing this because I can produce quality beers with unique flavors and they are all different.” The basic brewing process begins by soaking malted barley in hot water to release the malt sugars. The malt sugar solution is boiled with hops for seasoning and then cooled. Yeast is added to begin fermentation. When the fermentation is complete, the beer is bottled with a little bit of added sugar to provide the carbonation. “Chilling must occur quickly to stabilize the mixture,” said Sherfey. “That’s when I use the most high-tech equipment I have.”