Memorial Day 2026 is first and foremost a day to thank God for the American Heroes who gave their everything for us and this nation. One day isn’t enough to commemorate the multitude of sacrifices made. If you haven’t ever visited a national / veteran cemetery, you need to do so. The row upon row of marble markers move you.
The WWW indicates: “An estimated 1.2 to 1.3 million American service members have lost their lives in all U.S. wars and military conflicts combined since 1775.”
In addition, Memorial Day was an opportunity for the Fieldpointe South guys to take a much needed break from the routine of life for friends, fellowship, food and beer. (feer?) During the days events, we took a moment at 3 pm local time to listen to taps and think about those who made the moment possible. Our deepest gratitude and thanks to our United States military – past and present veterans and those currently serving. Thank You!
Supervisor Mark was given the task to name this commemorative brew since this is a first timer for Fieldpointe. He did well. Taps to Tapped: WCRIS (Wisconsin Coconut / Cacao Russian Imperial Stout). {Editor’s Note: WCRIS may be an acronym for the Wisconsin Council of Religious & Independent Schools. This is purely coincidental.}
The inspiration for this beer is a favorite of both Mark and myself: 3 Floyds Brewing Cocomungo. Mark has been able to secure this a few times now and has graciously shared with those deemed worthy. Never mind that he may have had to take out a loan to purchase it. It is worth the expense. At the time of this editorial, there is 1 remaining bottle at Fieldpointe North. Fieldpointe South inventory is unknown. (Most likely at zero.)
Not having insider information on the actual recipe and procedure for replication, this is rendition #1 of a projected many to improve and perfect Fieldpointe’s rendition of a somewhat similar beer. The goals for this version is to get an abv close to 12% and get the coconut and cacao notes to make themselves known. Future renditions will focus on other aspects if we can get these down. The downside for this is that the beer will age for one year. Memorial Day 2027 will bring the team back together for analysis and suggested improvements.
The BMB opened at 11 am to get the brewing portion of the day started. By that time Supervisor Mark had some time well spent at the grill. Per the usual, he did well and was proud of his presentation.
OK. I know the suspense is killing you. That’s all fine and good but what about the Dorothy Doors??? You can tell from the above presentation that the weather was fantastic. Therefore, the DDs were in summer open mode status. The DDs are such a blessing giving easy access to the Man Cave brewing process and taps.
As previously stated, these Fieldpointe South brewing occasions are times for friends and fellowship. Lone Cedar and C.F.W. Malther once again supported the Fieldpointe cause.
Good thing these folks were around as I’m prone not to remember the important things: such as hot scotchies. Thanks guys and Mr Boston!
Getting a higher gravity wort took a few additional steps due to the larger grain bill. Mark of Littleport Brewing of Racine was gracious and lent the use of his cooler mash tuns. Thanks Mark! The trick was to collect the wort from the coolers and boil down to concentrate. For most previous Fieldpointe brews actual measurements were not taken. Close counts. The numbers usually presented here are the calculations from the brewing software. Lately I’ve taken a renewed interest in OG /FG numbers and invested in a Tilt Hydrometer. In addition, I dug out the refractometer to monitor the sparge. At 3 brix it’s time to quit drawing wort. 8 gallons were collected and were boiled down to the usual 6. At that point it was transfer time to the fermenter. Here is the transfer in progress and the resulting Tilt OG reading.
This OG reading is lower than what was expected but should give an abv of at least 10% or slightly higher. Cocomungo is around 15.5% so there is room to improve. Mash temps, time and recirculation will need to be given attention to monitor (improve) efficiency.
All that being said, here is what went into Taps to Tapped: WCRIS.
Grains
- 14# Maris Otter
- 1.5 # Munich 20L
- 1# Brown Malt
- 1# Flaked Oats
- 0.5# Carafa Special III
- 0.5# Carastan
- 0.25# Chocolate
- 0.25# Roasted Barley
Hops
- 2 oz Cryo HBC 472 (16%) at 60 minutes
Adjuncts
- 1# Corn Sugar at 10 minutes
- 1# Lactose (Milk Sugar) at 10 minutes
- 4 oz Coconut Extract (keg)
- 12 oz Cacao Nibs (Vodka Extract – keg)
- 1 Oak Spiral (Bourbon Infused – keg)
Yeast
- 2 packs Ferments Safale US-05 (primary)
- Turbo (secondary)
According to the brewing software the following may be expected:
- OG 1.110 (measured 1.080)
- FG 1.029
- Color 32 SRM
- ABV 11.6%
- Bitterness 73 IBU
Thanks to Mark at Littleport for giving his suggestions and advice on brewing this beer. He has brewed a similar beer called Northern Lights which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Until next time – Salute!
