Contraband: The Name

In a prison setting, contraband is anything that an inmate is not allowed to possess.  This can cover a wide array of items, from too many books or too much toilet paper to tobacco or knives.  Anything forbidden by policy is considered contraband.  Most contraband is "soft contraband," nuisance items and things that are hoarded for various reasons.  Soft contraband will usually result in verbal or written warnings. Some contraband is "hard contraband," the bad stuff - weapons, drugs, and the like.  Hard contraband will result in time in solitary and a structured disciplinary procedure.  Either way, contraband is an ever-present problem in prisons and the game between inmates trying to get it in and staff trying to stop it is never-ending.

Over-the-Fence Wiessbier: The Name

Most prisons that people think of have high fences with concertina razor wire at the top and guard towers all around.  The prison I work at is a minimum security facility and has none of those things.  The only barbed-wire fence we have is to keep the cows in and the only razor-wire we have is around the facility generator to prevent sabotage.  The fence at our outer perimeter is a 4-foot pipe fence and the fence around the inmate living quarters is a 6-foot chain link fence with nothing on top. 

Needless to say, escaping from our institution is very simple - one only needs to go "over the fence" and one is free.  However, no one who has ever gone "over the fence" has been free for long.  And, once they are caught, their prison stay is usually lengthened and they are sent to a maximum facility with all the standard security - high razor wire fences, guard towers, and the like.  So, going "over the fence" is a bad idea.

Most inmates at our institution understand this and have reconciled themselves to knowing that, while supposed "freedom" is only a short fence or two away, greater freedom will come if they just stay put and finish out their time.  Once in a while, though, an inmate gets a burr under his saddle and goes "over the fence."

Goodtime Oktoberfest: The Name

Most states in the country recognize the use of "good time" in determining how long a prisoner remains in prison.  Good time is generally credit for time served on good behavior.  This means that an inmate who does time without breaking prison rules will often be given time off their sentence.  The amount of good time credited varies from state to state, but generally it is understood that inmates without any disciplinary infractions will get out of prison quicker than those who continue to have behavior problems.  Good time generally does not affect life sentences, but it is possible that enough good time accrued by a "lifer" might cause the parole board to recommend a sentence reduction.

Brevis Bock: The Name

Brevis is one of those obscure terms that someone who thought they were being clever came up with.  It is actually found most often linked with other terms in medical jargon and generally means "short" or "small."  However, since the corrections department by which I am employed got ahold of it, Brevis became a classification of inmate based on his predilection towards violence.  A "Brevis" classified inmate is on the low end of that spectrum and will most likely not cause much trouble in the prison setting.   Brevis inmates are generally the first to be cleared for minimum security as they are deemed less of a threat to other inmates or the institution as a whole.

My plan is to name three beers after this classification system.  Brevis, then, will be the beer with the lowest alcohol content of the three - Brevis Bock.  More on the others as I brew them.

Ad-Seg IPA: The Name

I just realized that I haven't updated the reason for the name of my Ad-Seg IPA.  So, here it is.

First off, I love Dogfish Head 90-Minute IPA.  It's in my top 5 beers, if not the top beer on my list.  So, this is my attempt at cloning it.  As such, it should come in around 9% ABV and have a nice hoppy flavor to it.  Since it's a little more hardcore than the previous beers I've tried, I decided to name it Ad-Seg.

Ad-Seg is short for Administrative Segregation.  This occurs when someone in the prison administration decides that an inmate needs to be locked in a holding cell to separate him from the rest of the prison population.  Administrative Segregation can occur for multiple reasons: the inmate may be in danger from other inmates; he may be a danger TO other inmates; he may be considered a flight risk; he may be under investigation; etc.  There are many reasons to Ad-Seg an inmate.  However, it is usually not a popular decision and most inmates do not like being in Ad-Seg. 

Rolled Up Irish Red: The Name

Since I am naming my brews after prison jargon, this post will explain the meaning of Rolled Up.

In prison, every time an inmate is moved his property is packed up by a property officer and stored for him until the inmate is settled in his new location, be it another institution or another cell.  Inmates NEVER move their own property.  Rolled Up is the slang used for an inmate's property being packed up because the way it worked in some prisons in the past was that the property was laid on the bedroll and literally "rolled up" before being taken to a different location.

Nowadays, property is placed in boxes not literally rolled up, but inmates usually use the slang when they refer to another inmate who 1) is leaving the prison, or 2) has been placed in a holding cell.  When a prisoner says "Jones got rolled up yesterday," it either means that Jones was put in holding for a rule infraction or packed up to be sent to another institution.

Off Paper Lager: The Name

Since I am the chaplain at a prison, I have decided to name all my beers after something prison related. As I produce beers and name them, I will explain the names here.

Off Paper is a prison slang term for being completely free. This means that an inmate will not be tracked by the state in any way for the crime for which he/she was incarcerated. Off Paper occurs when a prisoner either discharges his/her sentence, completes parole, or completes probation. Being Off Paper is the final goal of most prisoners, as that is when they are truly free and can move about without having to check in with anyone or worry about breaking parole/probation rules.