SudsPundit

weapons of mash destruction

2008-09-12T13:30:00.002-07:00

Most people that know me know fairly well that I like to brew my own beer. As of this week, I've also made my first batch of root beer. Yay me, right? Most people that know home-brewers also know that they like to make other stuff, too. For example, I also like to make desserts and bake homemade bread. But the obsession with creating stuff for most brewers doesn't stop in the kitchen. It also lends itself well to other projects that involve lots of milling around in The Home Depot looking for parts that can suit some new equipment project. And sometimes it also involves a little bit of woodwork like my project today.

A lot of home-brewers start off by brewing with malt extracts. *nerd alert!* This is where barley, or other grains, has had its starches converted into sugars (the stuff yeast likes to turn into alcohol) and the resulting liquid then has its water evaporated off leaving behind a solid "sugar" that is further processed into powder. Keep in mind that other non-volatile compounds remain as well. You take this extract, dissolve it in water, add some other ingredients like hops, boil it for a while, and then cool it for the yeast to have a fun time. And voila, a few weeks later, you've got beer!

But the more you get into brewing, the less and less that this approach with extracts seems to satisfy. You read about how starting with the grains themselves and doing the starch to sugar conversion yourself is way more satisfying and some say it produces better beers. Something to do with preservation of nutrients for the yeast, yada yada yada, blah blah. So, a few trips to The Home Depot and a couple hundred bucks later, you've got yourself a "real" brewery! Now the fun begins.

Well, if you're like me, you start off relatively inexpensively. One of the best attributes of a home brewer is to be able to do more with less. It takes some improv skills, but not the acting-type. More of the engineering-type improvisation skill. But acting is okay, too, as long as you're brewing with a few friends. Anyhow, back to the point about being on the cheap... A fairly cheap way to make a vessel for converting the starches into sugars, called a mash tun, is to use a 5-gallon cooler, of the variety that you see on construction trucks that are commonly orange like mine. Change out the button-style spigot with a ball-valve (handled) spigot and like magic, you've got a nice insulated mash tun. Did I mention that mashing occurs at about 150 degrees Fahrenheit and that holding that temperature is important for good conversion? Well I have now.

Well, the only real problem that I've had with mashing has been stirring the mash, which is not easy to do with about 12 pounds of grain and only three gallons of water. The mixture is a lot like a fairly firm mud. It takes some effort to get down to the bottom of the mix. And stirring is essential to get water into the nooks and crannies of the grains to convert more starches plus to even out the temperature of your mash to avoid hot and cold spots. Those natural enzymes only work in a fairly limited temperature range. I had been using a long plastic spoon, but it started bending way too much due to the heat. Plus it was kind of skinny and was difficult to get down to the bottom of the mash tun. Then I was using a kitchen spoon that had a metal handle with a plastic spoon end with some luck, but it just wasn't long enough. I did mention that this stuff is at 150 F! Ow, fingers!

So, I was looking for a solution. They had a nice long metal spoon at the homebrew store, but it just didn't look as durable as I would like. The metal was rather thin, probably less than 1/32". And barely long enough. I asked about a wooden mash paddle, like the ones you see on the internet for about $40, and the owner said that his suppliers don't sell them. So, it looked like another project time! Yay!

After reading up on the Internet and in a homebrew magazine that I subscribe to, it looked like the best wood choice was a nice hard wood like maple. So, off to The Home Depot to find a suitable piece of wood. The only problem was, the one I went to only had pine, red oak (too porous), and poplar (which was too grainy/pitted), and cheap "whitewood". Disappointed, I sulked off. Looks like I have to go elsewhere.

So, today, I headed out to another Depot, hoping their wood selection would be better. No such luck. I guess it doesn't sell well enough for them to keep it in stock. Since it was just a quarter mile down the road, I figured I'd try my luck at BLowe's. I avoid it as much as possible since it don't pay my bills but sometimes, it's worth the try if El Depot de la Casa don't carry stock. And guess what. They had maple boards. So I bought one. It only cost me $8.50 for a 1x4x48" plank. A far cry from the $40 bucks or so to order one pre-made!

I got it home and started measuring and marking. I'm not a stickler for perfection on simple projects where the only consumer is me so I marked some guidelines and free-handed a few curves and cut-outs then headed down to the garage to drill/cut/router/sand. About an hour and a half later, my masterpiece was complete! I didn't think to take pics during the construction so you'll just have to imagine from the jigsaw puzzle of scraps. I also took a picture with it resting in my homemade mash tun so that you could see perspective. There are a few places where it isn't perfect, chipped edge and bad drill placement on the upper handle, but the business end is pretty decent.

*cross posted at Illiteracy Rules!

2008-05-18T14:52:00.004-07:00

It is probably superfluous to point this out, but we aren't really posting here anymore. Speaking only for myself, I don't really feel like I have a great deal of beer writing left in me...it isn't that I've lost interest in the subject so much that there are now so many people out there doing what we've attempted to do here--and doing it exceedingly well--that I just don't really feel that I have much add at this point.

Also, I frankly have a great deal less spare time on my hands than I did when Chris and I got this started nearly 4 years ago (!)

I am genuinely humbled by the kind words and insightful comments left over the years, and that we still have the occasional visitor wandering through. I have no plans to take the page down; indeed, one of the beauties of a blog like this is that it is somewhat timeless. But I also don't think I have a great deal more to say.

All the best,
Brian

blue in georgia

2007-12-09T21:52:00.000-07:00

It's been a trying week. Most of the hassle had to do with the fact that the robotics team had a competition at Auburn this weekend. That even had its own trials and tribulations thanks mostly to a stowaway from another team on our bus.

What's the cure for these ailments? You guessed it, a cool brew with lunch on Sunday. Especially after two full days of abstinence due to my job as a "role model" for a bunch of teenagers. Whoever wrote the rule that trip chaperones can't drink obviously hasn't actually chaperoned a trip.

So you can imagine that the last thing I needed was someone telling me I couldn't have a beer. But that's exactly what the waitress told me. She's lucky I knew it wasn't her just being a jackass. It just wasn't 12:30 PM yet in Georgia on a Sunday.

Blue laws in Georgia can kiss my grits.

And to the politicians that stand by this nonsense, what makes you so sure I didn't take my ass to the early service so I could beat you to the good restaurants? Or is it that you just don't want me to beat you to the well? I respect that you don't drink until after your service. You're so good that you don't even have real wine with communion but rather substitute unfermented, government Juicy Juice (which seems to be a downright sacrilegious act in itself). But that doesn't mean that you have to simultaneously worry about what I'm doing with my personal time and personal money.

Besides, it seems like I'm the least of your worries before 12:30.

2007-10-08T06:57:00.000-07:00

Brewer's Art, Baltimore
October 5, 2007
(photo by [m])

it's in the primary!

2007-10-04T20:28:00.000-07:00

Brewed another batch of the coffee imperial porter. When I find out more about the event it was created for, I'll try to fill you in on the details. I'm strictly working through my "agent" at this point and didn't think to ask him more about it while we were brewing this afternoon. We were too busy watching for boil-over and talking about how awesome it smelled. And stuffing our faces with pizza and wings. Yay health foods!

I'm really excited because I'm trying out my new temperature controller on the fermentation fridge. I think I'm going to have to eventually change out the bottom glass shelf in the fridge with a more durable structure. It is holding up about 40 pounds of liquid, a glass carboy, and a plastic Home Depot bucket (which fits a 5.5 gal. like a glove and gives you a rim to catch on the sides to pick it up. wouldn't recommend using the built-in handle, it is shitty LDPE).

i have an agent?

2007-10-02T18:15:00.000-07:00

My friend that occasionally brews with me here called me up earlier this evening. He had apparently been talking with the owner of a local establishment about the legal issues of serving free beer. Free as in we give it to him and free as in give it away, not sell it. What is there to tax if no payment is received? I'm a little wary of the seemingly easy "loophole" which is why I'm simply referring to it as "a local establishment."

I think I'm going to do it. I have until essentially the 27th to brew, ferment, and carbonate. The guy thinks it'd be fun to try at a private party he's having on Halloween. Even better that it's a private party. I'm not particularly excited about trying a new recipe for such an event so I think I'm going with the tried and true porter recipe that got me a third place prize in my first ever homebrew contest. That one gives me the advantage of knowing what pro judges thought could be better about the next batch. And it seems like it might be the right time of year to start drinking porters.

The drawback is that I won't be able to attend. I'll be in Belgium having even better beers. Woe is me. I guess I can send my agent on my behalf.

Wish I had known a few months ago. I could have made the more appropriate Oktoberfest.

Triangle Brewing Company, Takes 2 and 3

2007-09-30T07:50:00.000-07:00

Please see the update to my post on the Triangle Brewing Company.

I see that they are pouring a Dubbel at the World Beer Festival in Durham this weekend...sadly, I will be out of town at a wedding (my friends really need to stop getting married during beer festivals), but I look forward to finding it on tap in the neighborhood soon.

Beer Hunter, RIP

2007-09-03T13:05:00.000-07:00

It completely escaped my attention until just moments ago that Michael Jackson, aka "The Beer Hunter" and arguably the most important and influential beer writer ever, died on Thursday.

NYT obit here.

Much has been said and will be said about his legacy, so suffice to say that if you enjoy good beer, you need to raise a glass in his memory at the first opportunity. Among other things, no one would be writing (or reading) anything called a "beer blog" without Mr. Jackson's body of work to inspire and inform.

Slainte.

Triangle Brewing Company

2007-08-15T19:55:00.000-07:00

UPDATE Sept 30--I had occasion this weekend to try this off of two other taps (one at Piedmont, and another at Bull McCabe's) and the beer is 100% better. Per Barry's comment below, the word is the tap at Satisfaction is fine now, too.

My working theory is that we either got a bad keg or it was just too damn young.

Needless to say, I am glad to report this...as I mentioned in the original post, I am very happy to have someone brewing in Durham, and I want to do everything I can to support the business in my neighborhood.

As far as a revised review goes: golden and slightly cloudy with a light and lacy head. Fruit and flowers on the nose, and a palette well-balanced among crispness, sweetness, and alcohol. Refreshing and quite drinkable; wine-like, in that it is probably better with food (hearty salads, roasted vegetables, fish, poultry, and maybe even pork) than without--at least for me. (Necessary caveat: I am a bit of a hophead, so my preferences for session beers tend towards pales and IPAs, especially in warmer weather.)

As to where this falls on the continuum of North American brewers doing "Belgian" beers--I'd say they're not quite up there with the well-established specialists, but significantly better than most NA microbreweries that are just dabbling. Which is to say that with some time and refinement, they have the potential to be known as one of the specialists.

Nicely done, gentlemen. Let's have a dubbel this winter, shall we?

----original review below----

OK, this one is hard for me to write. Seriously.

I'd heard rumblings about the Triangle Brewing Company, which was allegedly setting up shop here in Durham, for a few months now. They have finally gone public with their "flagship" Belgian Style Golden Ale, which I went to Satisfaction's tonight to try.

I'll just rip this band-aid off: it isn't very good. As much as I want to boost the local guys, if I'm not willing to give a negative review when it's deserved, I have zero credibility when I rave. This ain't Rachel Ray's beer blog, is what I'm saying.

Now, a Belgian strong golden (or pale) is a pretty ambitious style to launch with. Many good examples exist, and achieving the proper balance between grains, fruits, yeast, sugar and alcohol is really quite an art. The brewers that really know what they are doing with this have a few centuries of experience to fall back upon...and the North American brewers that have had success in this style include heavyweights like Unibroue, Allagash, and Russian River.

So sure, it sucks when your first beer is getting compared to Duvel and Fin du Monde, but that's the choice that TBC has made here. I applaud their moxie, but they are just way off the mark. The glass I had poured golden with virtually no head, fruit (pineapple, maybe?) on the nose, biscuit at the front followed by a pretty overwhelming (almost sickening) sweetness. Alcohol became more prominent as the beer warmed. Hops nowhere in sight. To tell the truth, it tastes too young--maybe they rushed this batch out the door too quickly? And really--it needs more carbonic acidity to balance the sweetness and more head to stir up the aromatics that I assume are there but buried in sugar and alcohol.

All of that said, I wish the guys at TBC nothing but success, but I do hope that they consider producing something a little easier to pull off, and soon. Personally, I will loyally consume even a merely good pale ale if it's brewed down the street from me.

And many other Durhamites will too.

Oregon Brewer's Festival 2007 -- Top Five

2007-07-27T10:30:00.000-07:00

If you're a fan of pale ales and IPAs, you're not going to be disappointed by the beer selection at this year's OBF. If you aren't a fan, you may have some issues. Especially if you're not a fan of fruit beers either. Ambers? Darker beers? Pretty limited.

We went last night. Thursdays are great -- small lines, all beers are still flowing, port-o-potties still clean. I know they always run out of some, but I was suprised that at 5:30 on Thursday they were on their last keg of the collaborator (don't know if it was for the night or the weekend). My tasting notes are at home, but here are my picks based on memory. Quotes are taken from Exploration of Portland Food and Drink, where I did a little research beforehand (what can I say, I'm a nerd and love reviews/stats).

Disregard if you have no interest in this, but here are my picks below.

Cheers,
Lisa

Loved
1. (tie) Diamond Knot Brewing Co Mukilteo, WA Industrial IPA Imperial IPA Buzz: "They put Columbus hops *in the keg* . Industrial IPA looks to be an ‘over-the-hop’ kind of beer, and at 8.2 ABV you had better take the MAX home." Not what you think of when you taste an ipa, Asa agreed. Darker and different. Ken's favorite of the IPAs.
1. (tie) Green Flash Brewing Co Vista, CA West Coast IPA West Coast IPA "very floral hop nose and a dry finish add up to a beer both bitter and refreshing. 95 IBU’s might overpower the slight body." – nope, it was fabulous. Great IPA.
3. Collaborator Portland Rawkin Bock Bock my favorite non IPA/ESB beer of the festival.
4. Golden Valley Brewery McMinnville Red Thistle Quercus Pinot oak barrel aged red/ESB Not overpowering pinot flavor and definitely different. Enjoyed. Contrast to the nasty bourbon aged beer below (see under yuck).
5. Standing Stone Brewing Co Ashland Standing Stone Double IPA Double IPA Buzz beer: "5 types of hops and a hair-raising 95 IBU, yet somehow I feel that it will be both fresh-tasting and balanced." Totally right. It was fresh tasting and balanced. Great beer.

Honorable mention: Alameda Brewhouse Portland El Torero Organic IPA American Style IPA Buzz: "90 IBUs"

Good
Silver City Brewing Co Silverdale, WA Whoop Pass Double IPA Imperial IPA "Silver City brought its Whoop Pass imperial IPA to the festival last year, and it was a big hit. No wonder considering the beer’s 9.1 ABV!"
Boundary Bay Brewery Bellingham, WA Galena Single Hop Pale Ale Pale Ale
Ram Restaurant and Brewery Salem Double Exposure IPA Double IPA "Hitting 100 IBUs is Ram Brewing’s Double Exposure IPA, crafted especially for the festival"
Rogue Ales Newport Rogue Imperial Porter Imperial Porter Buzz beer
Terminal Gravity Enterprise, OR TG Triple Abbey Triple hoppy.

OK
Deschutes Brewery Bend 19th Anniversary Golden Ale Belgium Style StrongGolden Ale Full Sail Brewing Co Hood River Full Sail LTD 02 Pale Bock
Laurelwood Brewing Co Portland PNW Pils Strong Pilsner "Imperial Pilsner + Laurelwood = winner. Plus, people love the flavor of Saaz hops. If they can’t locate this tap, there’s also Prima Pils at the festival." eh, ok
Ninkasi Brewing Co Eugene Believer Double Red Ale Wanted to try; loved at holiday but I found this batch to be flat.Spanish Peaks/BlackDog Polson, MT Black Dog Ale Amber Ale
Stone Brewing Co Escondido, CA **Stone 07/07/07 Vertical Epic Saison/Belgium Farmhouse ale
Butte Creek Brewing Co Chico Organic Pilsner Pilsner Revolution XI anniversary beer

YUCK
Bison Brewing, Berkeley Organic Chocolate Stout Dry Foreign Style Stout (great head, good start, bad finish. Not full bodied)
Flying Fish Brewing Co Cherry Hill, NJ Bourbon Barrel Abbey Dubbel Belgian Style Dubbel Buzz beer. "produced for the OBF from a New Jersey Belgian specialist, the malty, bourbon barrel aging could provide the perfect je ne sais quoi to their already exemplary, fruity, malty dubbel. " Overpowering bourbon flavor, yuck.
Fifty Fifty Brewing Truckee Donner Party Porter Porter weak body
Dick's Brewing Co Centralia, WA Dick's Lava Rock Porter English Porter
Lompoc Brewing Portland SummerAid Golden Ale Way too light.
Kona Brewing Co Kailua-Kona, HI Wailua Wheat Wheat Ale brewed with tropical passion fruit. Way too light. Terrible flavor. This may be the worst of the bunch.
Old Market Pub & Brewery Portland A Midsummers White Belgian Wit "Belgian Wit called A Midsummer’s White that looks to be a lacy lovely" Or this one. I actually poured it out. Citrus and light. but not in the good way.

Didn’t try (bold indicates beer still on my list to try):
21st Amendment Brewery San Francisco Watermelon Wheat Fruit Beer +/-
Alaskan Brewing Co Juneau Alaskan IPA IPA
Amnesia Brewing Portland Dry Hopped Dusty Trail Pale Ale Pale Ale
Anderson Valley Brewing Co Boonville, CA Summer Solstive Cerveza Crema Cream Ale
Ballast Point Brewing Co San Diego Yellowtail Pale Ale Kolsch
Bayern Brewing Missoula, MT Bayern Pilsner German Pilsner Lager
Bear Republic Brewing Co Healdsburg, CA Racer X Double IPA
BJ's Brewing Portland c'est bon blonde Belgian Blonde
Boulder Beer Co Boulder Sweaty Betty Blonde German Weiss Beer
Brewery Ommegang Cooperstown, NY Hennepin Farmhouse Saison Farmhouse Saison
BridgePort Brewing Co Portland Haymaker Extra Pale Ale TBD
Calapooia Brewing Co Albany, OR Yankee Clipper IPA IPA
Cascade Brewing at the Raccoon Lodge Portland Razberry Wheat Fruit Beer
Eel River Brewing Co Fortuna, CA Organic IPA IPA
Elysian Brewing Co Seattle Prometheus IPA West Coast IPA
Eugene City Tracktown Ales Eugene Honey Orange Wheat Wheat/Fruit
Fearless Brewing Co Estacada, OR Fearless Scottish Ale Scottish Export
Four + Brewing Co Salt Lake City Wildfire Organic Extra Pale Ale
Grand Teton Brewing Co Victor, ID Bitch Creek ESB ESB
Great Divide Brewing Co Denver Titan IPA IPA
Hale's Ales Brewery Seattle "El Jefe" Weizen Ale Bavarian Style Hefeweizen Expected to like more than I did in the past
Hazel Dell Brewpub Vancouver, WA Red Zone Pale Ale
Hopworks Urban Brewery Portland Hopworks Organic IPA Organic American IPA Buzz beer: Everybody wants to try Christian Ettinger’s latest, even before his new pub is open. (But it) may be too balanced for the extreme hopheads and too hoppy for the rest.
Klamath Basin Brewing Co Klamath Falls Crater Lake Golden Ale Golden Ale
Lucky Labrador Brew Pub Portland Triple Threat IPA IPA
MacTarnahan's Portland MacTarnahan's Amber Ale Northwest Style Amber Ale
Mad River Brewing Co Blue Lake, CA Steelhead Double IPA IPA
Max's Fanno Creek Brew Pub Tigard Farmer's Daughter Belgian Saison Golden Strong Ale
McMenamins Fulton Pub & Brewery Portland Monkey House Northwest IPA
Michigan Brewing Co Webberville, MI Celis White Belgian Wit
New Belgium Brewing Co Fort Collins Skinny Dip Summer Lager
North Coast Brewing Co Fort Bragg, CA **PranQster Belgian-Style Golden Ale Belgian-Style Abbey Ale
Oregon Trail Brewery Corvallis Oregon Trail Wit Belgian/Oregon Style Hefeweizen Pelican Pub & Brewery Pacific City, OR Heiferweizen Belgian Style Witbier
Philadelphia's Steaks and Hoagies Portland Betsy Ross Imperial Golden Imperial Golden Ale
Pike Brewing Co Seattle Pike IPA IPA
Pyramid Breweries Portland Thunderhead IPA American Style IPA
Redhook Ale Brewery Woodinville WA Long Hammer IPA IPA Rock Bottom Brewery Portland Velvet Pale Ale Pale Ale
Russian River Brewing Co Santa Rosa, CA Pliny the Elder Double IPA
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co Chico Summerfest beer Pilsner Style Lager
Siletz Brewing Siletz, OR Spruce Ale Other Snipes Mountain Brewery Sunnyside, WA IPA IPA
Sprecher Brewing Co Glendale, WI Mai Bock Blonde Bock
Steelhead Brewing Co Eugene Full Count Pale Ale American Pale Ale Trumer Brauerei-Berkeley Berkeley Trumer Pils Germany Style Pilsner Victory Brewing Co Downingtown, PA Prima Pils Pilsner
Widmer Brothers Brewing Co Portland Noggin Grog Imperial Wit takes the Belgian Wit to the extreme with its 9% ABV Noggin’ Grog

Oregon Brewer's Festival

2007-07-26T13:09:00.000-07:00

Opened today. About 69 minutes ago -- not that I'm counting. Soon, my precious, soon.

I have a list of beers that I want to try first. Can't wait. I heard Ninkasi's was amazing. I liked their Believer at the Holiday Ale Fest; so I can only imagine what they did with their Total Domination IPA.

closing time

2007-07-09T17:22:00.000-07:00

This is only tangentally beer-related, but deserves a mention nonetheless...

It appears that the Atlanta's once-great Buckhead bar district has finally succumbed to the fatal blow dealt it by Ray Lewis in 2000.

I went "clubbing" in Buckhead exactly twice: on my 21st birthday, and on the night I graduated from college. (I'm not counting the many, many nights I went to the long-gone Atlanta Beer Garden for trivia, frequently winning bar cash and underage for nearly all of it.) So I guess I can't really claim a huge deal of personal nostalgia for what once was, but still--back in the day, Buckhead was a hell of a lot of fun. It was about as close as you could get to Bourbon Street without going to New Orleans--last call wasn't until 4, and you had to be doing something really stupid to get in any trouble with the police.

The next time I'm in town, I'll have to make it a point to drive by the shiny condos rising at the corner of Peachtree and Pharr, and try to remember what it looked like there that fateful Sunday afternoon when Vikings kicker Gary Anderson sent the Falcons to the Superbowl and every bar emptied into the street, pitchers and pints still in hand, and the APD showed up...

...to divert the traffic around us.

Beer in Melbourne and Tasmania

2007-06-29T14:22:00.000-07:00

I am heading off to Australia tomorrow afternoon, and there will be plenty of time for drinking beer while I am there (I know it's rude to brag, but I don't care). If there is anyone out there in beer land who could recommend a few (or many) great places to drink beer in Melbourne and in Tasmania, I would be very grateful.

wild yeast

2007-06-28T10:11:00.000-07:00

I brewed last weekend, a practice run with my equipment for an all-grain run. There is another post about that adventure already.

Like any other time, I drew a sample to measure the original gravity. When the temperature settled, it ended up around 1.040. A little lower than desired, but oh well it was just a practice run.

Well, unlike other times, because I was letting the temp settle out for a more accurate reading (rather than an estimate based on temp. adjustment) I left the test cylinder full. I didn't empty it out. I just let it sit. Unpitched, sitting there on the counter-top, minding it's own business.

Here is what I find today.

Not exactly what I expected. Looks like someone has a case of the wild yeasties.

I think I'll let it go until it subsides and then pitch yeast sediment into a starter. I was thinking of making a small one gallon batch to test the yeast out, see how it turns out. I know that wild yeast are supposed to be ooh, bad, nasty but who knows? It's not like lambic is bad and that follows a similar principle.

adventures in all-grain

2007-06-24T21:36:00.000-07:00

What an adventure. It's still not over.

I had purchased some grain back in November to try my hand at all-grain brewing. I thought I was ready then. I was wrong. Lesson: Don't buy until you are fully committed and absolutely sure you are ready, otherwise the milled grain will sit until late June and won't be any good really at that point. But what the hell, might as well use it for a practice run, eh? It don't cost nothing. And if it sucks balls, you can just dump the corny.

Seven months later, I've finally gotten a 30-qt. stainless steel turkey fryer set-up (this is after buying an aluminum one and realizing that it's aluminum after opening the box when you get home and realize that the stainless-steel ad on the box cover refers to the burner stand. oops!) I got an old propane tank from a buddy for a couple of six-packs (he'd probably have given it to me for free) to trade-in so I wouldn't have to pay the tank deposit fee.

I used the scale to get started on grain weights for water calculations. I lost the receipt, so I can only guess as to what I intended to make 7 months ago. There are some dark roasted malts, 2 varieties, so I'm guessing it was a porter. That sounds right for that time of the year. 11 pounds of grain total, 8 base, 3 specialty. Figure out the water needs, or at least I thought.

Turns out, 11 pounds of grain and 2.75 gal of water takes up quite a bit of space in the 5-gal mash tun for just the protein rest. Don't think I'm going to be able to fit 5.5 qt. in to bring up to starch conversion temp. Must try using hotter water than literature recommends, will add until temp is suitable.

Ooops!! Mash tun is full and I'm only at 145, seven degrees shy of target. Looks like it's time to decoction mash!

Four or five decoctions later, I've ramped up about 3 degrees at a time to finally end at 158 F. Iodine test somewhat confirms starch conversion, can't really tell thanks to dark wort color. Looks good enough. Time to sparge.

Sparging went okay, only problem was I lost too much heat between the HLT and the lauter tun so I only ended up lautering at about 146 F. Kind of crappy. Really crappy. Tried upping the temp in the HLT (another 5-gal cooler, actually the one I used for the mash tun) to fix it, but still didn't get it where I wanted. But, didn't end up with a stuck sparge (my worst fear) so things end up better than expected and the remaining wort in the lauter tun when the brew pot is full (about 7 gal) is starting to run light. Finally, something went right. I think.

For anyone thinking about all-grain, keep in mind all work up to this point has taken about 3 hours. Part of that is my fault, but prepare for the unexpected.

I had to meet someone at 3 pm, how convenient that I'm done sparging at 2:50. This means that boiling will not happen until after the wife's birthday party that starts at 8 pm. Put a lid on it. It sits there in the kitchen for about nine hours until 11:40 pm.

So now I'm boiling on the back deck. I'd like to do it on the concrete pad downstairs, but that requires too many stairs to the rest of the equipment and the kegerator. It'd be worth it if I had a buddy and we set up the captain's chairs and shot the breeze, but unfortunately I don't have many friends (at least in the metro-Atlanta area) willing to do that at 1:30 am on a work night.

Now I get to figure out how to crash cool it. I might have to straighten a tube on my homemade immersion coil. No, I'm not cool enough to have a counterflow chiller. And you can read that really as "I am on a budget based on a teacher's salary." Yes, technically between the household it's a little better financially but I like to do things the hard way. It makes way better stories and tends to cost less, leaving more money for the important things in life such as strippers, fishing lures, and beer ingredients. (I really only spend money on one of those items. Your mom strips for free and I fish like a real fisherman with beer, not bait)

I'll be sure to update when we actually get to taste it. I expect it to be uber crappe after letting cracked grain age for months in a non-hermetically sealed container. But who knows? It might end up being the best damned beer I've ever made.

Update #1: Here we are at 3:30 am and wort is cooled and in the primary fermenter and sealed up. Made a 1 pint starter and will pitch as soon as it seems ready. The yeast was bought at the same time as the grain. O.G.: 1.039 (not as high as I wanted, but I probably should have let it sit a little longer before lautering and I should have maybe had some extract on-hand to up the gravity)

Belgian brewpub in the Bull City?

2007-06-07T07:45:00.000-07:00

The mere thought that something like this could happen in Trinity Park makes me so happy I could weep.

[Residents of Trinity Park] ended up hearing an intriguing proposal from local beer-crafter Sean Wilson to transform the Trinity Community Church at the corner of Lamond and Gregson -- on the very border between the neighborhood and the Brightleaf district just a couple of blocks down...

Wilson proposes a seven-barrel brewery for on-premises consumption only (as opposed to a brew plant like Holly Springs' Carolina Brewery, which would require an industrial zoning.) The remainder of the concept, however, is still open to some interpretation. Wilson noted he was considering a restaurant concept around a Belgian or farmhouse theme, both of which would go well with both the church architecture and your favorite beer. Intriguingly, a second possibility would be to de-emphasize the dining and turn it into a brewpub-theater that could show classic or arthouse films or host music performances. Even with the entertainment possibilities, Wilson projects closing at 10pm on weeknights and midnight on weekends.

Traffic accessibility issues aside, I think a business of this sort could thrive in that location. It is completely walkable for residents of Trinity Park and West Village (both disproportionately populated with youngish BoBo types who go to brewpubs and such), and easy bike ride along the greenway from Northgate Park (i.e., for me) and Duke Park, similarly close to Old West Durham/Watts/Hillandale (similar to the aforementioned neighborhoods, but slightly more afluent) and two blocks from an area that more outlying residents already drive to for food and drink (Brightleaf Square).

I also hear there's a university of some sort a mile or two away...

(crosses fingers)

Favorite Hops?

2007-05-24T13:28:00.000-07:00

I finally have room to grow hops of my very own. However, there are many varieties -- which have been your favorite varieties in making beer... because, come on, why would I grow them if I couldn't use them.

PS I can use them, right?

first beer judging

2007-05-14T21:11:00.000-07:00

Back in December, my buddy Bernardo and I had intentions of brewing an imperial stout but ended up with a beer more reminiscent of a porter. So we called it an Imperial Porter. I don't think there really is such a thing according to BJCP guidelines, so I entered it into the BrewMasters Open at a local brew shop (several hundreds of entries total) as a "robust porter."

Actually, I read about the competition in April and decided it sounded interesting. The due date for entries was May 2. Guess when I remembered. Yep, on May 2 when I took note of the date in the morning. No way I was going to make it over to the brew shop to drop it off after work with Atlanta rush hour. Guess I get to go during lunch. But I have to go home to grab 2 bottles first. There goes an hour and a half. Good thing I have two consecutive hours for lunch/planning. Got to the store, or where I remembered the store being. I stopped going there when I realized I save gas money by paying shipping charges, not to mention that a guy closer to home started carrying a decent selection. Guess what! They've moved! Not far, but when you go the wrong way on the road to the new location the first time, you add an extra twenty minutes instead of five. Finally get to the place and drop off the entry. Pay the $6 entry fee and get the obligatory shop owner's good luck wishes. Make it back to work with six minutes to spare before the next bell.

So, the event was this past weekend. They finally posted results today. In our category, 11 entries. There we are at 3rd place in Category 12B with the Three Decade Imperial Coffee Porter. Sweet!! Pretty good turnout for a beer that was probably placed in the wrong category in the first place. Guess what the secret ingredient is. Yes, it is love.

Can't wait to get a copy of the tasting notes later this week.

Beer will save the world

2007-05-04T08:08:00.000-07:00

Here's how.

Bull McCabe's, Durham, NC

2007-05-03T06:55:00.000-07:00

Last night M and I took in the recently (April 24) opened Bull McCabe's, an Irish Pub in downtown Durham. Occupying the site of neighborhood favorite (to be fair, neighborhood only, but a very cool place nonetheless) Jo and Joe's, which closed last fall.

We just had a couple of pints, so I can't attest to the food (yet), but the taps, decor, and service are fantastic. At this point, I'd say this is probably the best overall place to grab a beer in Durham (I remain very fond of the Joyce and the Federal--Tyler's is great if you want to try 45 different beers, but I find it too fussy for my mood most of the time and the food is mediocre at best.) The 18 taps (plus 2 not in operation) had a nice distribution of selections from Ireland, England, continental Europe, and the States. None of the "Big Bad 3", which is always a plus. Off the top of my head: Guinness (naturally), Harp, Smithwicks, Belhaven IPA, Speckled Hen, Newcastle, Bass, Young's Double Chocolate Stout, Carlsberg, Weihenstephaner Hefeweissen, Stella Artois, Pilsner Urquell, Brooklyn IPA, Highland Gaelic Ale, Yuengling, Shiner Bock, and a porter and cider that escape me at the moment.

We chatted with Malachy, one of the owners, most of the time we were there. Great guy--a born barman who can carry on a good conversation while monitoring the fluid levels all up and down the bar (there were probably a dozen or so patrons last night.) He hails from Sligo; I find Guinness just tastes better when the man or woman pulling it has the accent for it.

Bull McCabe's has also done a great job assembling (Malachy's words: "mashing togehter") a great atmosphere without resorting to shipping in the ready-made Irish pub kit from Ireland like so many do. The bar was bought on eBay from a place in Oswego, NY (it is 120 years old and beautiful), most of the seating was assembled from local antique dealers (old church pews, chairs, and tables) and the lighting also came from a local dealer. There are the standard Irish road signs and a big bookcase. The old tin ceilings are about all that remains of the previous occupant...and it all comes together very nicely.

Check it out:

Bull McCabe's
427 W. Main St
Durham, NC (one block from the Carolina Theater)

(in which Brian peeks out from his hole and doesn't see his shadow)

2007-03-03T08:54:00.000-07:00

And just like that, it's been almost six months since M and I pulled up stakes in Tucson (though she still spends about half her time there) and moved to Durham.

On the beer front, I am actually trying something really dangerous: seeing if I can replicate myself. Currently doing their thing in the basement are another batch of Ollie's Darwinian Dubbel (you don't need a link to scroll down 7 posts do you?) and another I've dubbed Shenandoah Pale Ale (in honor of the street we now live on) which I also brewed in October. Both turned out really well (and were consumed very quickly, except for a few mags of ODD I've reserved for cellaring) so I figured this was worth doing.

They won't be exactly the same...the ambient temperature in the basement is about 15 degrees cooler than it was in October/November (though this is rapidly changing now) and the dubbel in particular is fermenting much, much more slowly and steadily as a result. Also, I left the British Ale yeast out this time. I had to make a couple of ingredient substitutions on the pale ale as well due to availability, but this actually seems to have brought the color closer to what I was aiming for in the first place anyway.

I'll post a recipe for the pale ale when I decide which version is better.

Once bottling is done (this weekend/week) it's time to look at the next round. Some things I'm thinking about doing next:

--I've never attempted a stout, though I am somewhat hesitant to do this in advance of warmer weather
--a tripel of some sort (I know, spring is for saisson, but whenever I drink a saisson I tend to end up wishing it was a tripel)
--a California common (aka "steam beer", until Anchor decided they owned the word "steam"). I have a recipe I made a few years back that might be worth revisiting.
--A kolsch, which is something else I've never tried, and the basement temp is nearly ideal if I can just get my hands on the right yeast (this may involve mail order).

Anyway, I know quite a few homebrewers read this page when we can be bothered to update it, so...what do you all have on tap for this spring?

For the Tucson Beer Drinkers Out There...

2007-02-25T18:22:00.000-07:00

You will be happy to know that Local Dough is open for business with a full food and beer menu! They are open for both lunch and dinner. You can get a cold pint of something wonderful along with a superb slice of pizza for around $6 to $6.50 at lunch time.

Local Dough is located on the south side of Speedway Blvd where the Eric's used to be. The owners are really friendly guys - go in for a pint and say hello!

serving pressure?

2007-02-18T15:26:00.000-07:00

I am fortunate to have a good friend that keeps Guinness on tap regularly. The best part is that he lets me have a key to his place so I can stop by anytime I'm downtown to pull a pint. This is especially useful after Georgia Tech football games because I can make "on the way home" include a trip by his house and it really is on the way.

But this week he went a little wild. Instead of Guinness, he ordered a keg of Boddington's. Equally delicious in my opinion and it doesn't require an equipment change. Well, except for the keg coupler which almost every source prior to the pick-up ensured was the same as the Guinness keg but really turned out to be the same as a Bass keg. After cleaning some scary looking stuff out of the one the store loaned to him, everything hooked up and beer ready to pour. Sort of.

First beer, too foamy. Pressure needs adjusting from Guinness pressure. The only problem is, what pressure should we set it to? No, seriously. I've been searching on the net for almost an hour while we're watching the hock-eh game and I can't seem to find a site that will provide information about recommended serving pressures, suggested volumes of CO₂, or anything remotely helpful regarding commercially available beers. Is this some sort of trade secret that distributors are wanting to keep
to themselves? If so, I want to know so I can get a site started where we start making the info available. Or maybe it's out there and I am just getting too old to use the Internet. Know where we can find this info?

Thanks in advance.

what can I say? yeast love me!!

2007-01-10T21:11:00.000-07:00

I've brewed twice in the last two months. Once was a batch of alt intended for the GT-Duke football tailgate party but that ended up not working out becuase I ended up not being able to go. So then it was supposed to be ACC Championship Alt but we ended up not really having space in the car when we were the only ones driving down and were supposed to bring back two people (which ended up changing at the last minute anyhow). We could have probably used it after that game, though.

I went away to work one morning and the fermentation was chugging along, pretty active. I'm one of those brewers that is constantly checking on the fermentation, several times a day, mostly because I like it. Yeah, boring to most, but there's something about the rythym of the airlock that I find relaxing. Or maybe it's more like the 6-year-old on Christmas Eve syndrome. I just like watching the process from beginning to end.

Well, I get home and like a good, little, obsessive-compulsive I go over to check the carboy. Here's a pic of what I find.

Not the most pleasant discovery, but they ferment in open containers in Belgium so it's nothing to get too worried about, especially since I was smart enough to put the carboy on a kitchen towel. Clean up the opening and reinstall the airlock. Make a note to put the fermenter on a towel every time, just in case.

On Dec 29, I got together with one of my buddies because he wanted to brew a batch for his birthday. He wanted a stout and we ended up making up a recipe for an Imperial Stout. We bought the stuff, brought it home, brewed and put in the fermenter. It was a bit high on the gravity so I took a bit of the wort, diluted it and made a starter to up the yeast count before I pitched. The yeast was pretty active a few hours later. I let it sit a while longer and there was a considerably sized foam on just the starter. Since we were going out of town the next morning bright and early, I went ahead and pitched and figured I'd just worry about whether the yeast made it or not when we got back a week later from our ski trip in Montana (which was awesome, by the way). It wasn't looking too promising when we left at 4:30 am but oh well, right. Nothing to lose sleep over.

Here is what I returned home the following weekend to find.

Holy shit! Once again, thank you towel! We moved it to a secondary tonight because I wanted my buddy to see what happened before I cleaned it up completely. If you look just left of the fermenter in the last pic you'll see the airlock. Much less violent than the first one which managed to get fermentation debris on the ceiling but a hell of a lot messier. To give you an idea about the spillage, imagine a six pack of wort absorbed by a towel and then evaporated. That towel was stiffer than a 13-year old with his first Playboy.

We tested the gravity and it's sitting at about a 6.5% ABV. Not bad for a recipe we made up in the homebrew store. He wanted to add some coffee so we made two 10-cup pots of Brazilian espresso. And I'm kind of uncommitted but I think we'll be naming it "Bernie's 30 Imperial Coffee Stout." The sample we drew for gravity measurements is most promising. Nice hops flavor and aroma, great coffee flavor and aroma and a surprisingly chocolately aroma. We bottle on Monday. I'll let you know how it is when it's a little bit carbonated.

PS - I think he was weirded out a little when I tasted the trub. It did kind of look like the contents of a baby's diaper.

Closer, my preshhhisss

2006-12-12T14:46:00.000-07:00

Beloved Belmont Station is moving! And just so happens to be closer to me. Here's the article below:

---------------------------------------------
Belmont Station is Relocating
Posted by extramsg on Tuesday, December 12 @ 11:47:24 PST
Contributed by www.extramsg.com

From PortlandFood.org...

We Are Moving!
Belmont Station is relocating just 3 blocks away to
4500 S.E. Stark St Portland, OR 97215
January 4, 2007

After grueling months of waiting on City Hall, construction is complete. On the first week of the New Year we'll be pleased to welcome you to a new, expanded and updated Belmont Station. What's going to be different?

THE STATION CAFE! The new Belmont Station is two spaces in one. On one side, a bottleshop. On the other, a great little bier cafe. On the menu: any of our bottled beers, plus a few very special beers on draught. It will be a comfortable, neighborhood place to while away the hours tasting the best beers on the planet. We will feature soups, sandwiches, and cheese plates for your nibbling enjoyment.

MORE SPACE MEANS MORE BEER! Lots more space! Our beer selection is just shy of 700, but we're looking to increase our selection to around 900!

SELF-SERVE COOLERS! No more waiting while we fetch your bottles. Our knowledgeable staff will continue to assist you with your selection and any questions you may have. We'll have UV protection on the cooler lights to prevent skunky beer, and we'll be religiously rotating and stocking as usual. Belmont Station will continue to be the place for the freshest beer in town.

Happy Repeal Day!

2006-12-05T19:40:00.000-07:00

On this date in 1933, the 21st Amendment repealed alcohol prohibition in the United States.

Raising a glass to toast the occasion is a given, but let me go one further and suggest that you enjoy one of the many fine American beers that we are so lucky to have nowadays. It took decades to recover from the damage Prohibition did to the craft of brewing in America--and I would argue that the beer/tavern culture so important in the founding and development of this country has never recovered--but still, we now enjoy the most diverse, innovative, and exciting brewing industry in the world, in spite of the fact that mass-produced crap still corners the vast majority of the market.

That is something worth celebrating.

UPDATE--More Repeal Day posts here, here, here, and especially here.

Holiday Ale Festival, 2006

2006-11-30T12:50:00.000-07:00

This weekend is the Holiday Ale Festival in Portland, OR. They throw up a giant heated tent in the center of Pioneer Square and we drink.

Here's the beer list and participating breweries:

Brewery (City): Beer Name (Style)
Alameda Brewhouse (Portland, OR): Papa Noel's Olde Ale (Olde Ale)
Alaskan Brewing Co (Juneau, AK): Alaskan Spruce Tip Winter Ale (Olde English)
Anchor Brewing Co (San Francisco): Old Foghorn (Barleywine)
Big Horn Brewing Co (Salem, OR): Freeride Winter Ale (Strong Ale)
Big Sky Brewing Co (Missoula, MT): Powder Hound Winter Ale (Winter Ale)
Brasserie Dubuisson (Wallonia, Belgium): Scaldis - 12% alc! (Strong Ale)
Brasserie St. Feuillien (Le Roeulx, Belgium): St. Feuillien Cuvée de Noël (Strong Ale)
Brauerei Schloss Eggenberg (Vorchdorf, Austria): Samichlaus (Strong Lager)
BridgePort Brewing Co (Portland, OR): Ebenezer Ale (Winter Warmer)
Cascade Brewing Co (Portland, OR): Defroster Winter Ale (Scottish Ale)
Chimay (Chimay, Belgium): Chimay Triple (Belgian Triple)
Collaborator (Portland, OR): Sled Crasher (Winter Warmer)
Deschutes Brewery (Bend, OR): Jubelale (Strong Ale)
Eel River Brewing Co (Fortuna, CA): Triple Exultation (Strong Ale)
Fearless Brewing Co (Estacada, OR): Fearless Strong Scotch Ale (Strong Scotch Ale)
Full Sail Brewing Co (Hood River, OR): Wassail (Strong Ale)
Golden Valley Brewery (McMinnville, OR): Tannen Bomb (Winter Warmer)
Hair of the Dog (Portland, OR): Jim K (Specialty Blend)
Hazel Dell Brewpub (Vancouver, WA): Weihnachten Fest Bier (Christmas Ale)
Klamath Basin Brewing Co (Klamath Falls, OR): Cabin Fever Stout (Stout)
Lagunitas Brewing Co (Petaluma, CA): Brown Shugga (Strong Ale)
Laurelwood Brewing Co (Portland, OR): Olde Reliable (Barley Wine)
Lompoc Brewing Co (Portland,OR): Lompoc Holiday Ale (Golden Ale)
Mad River Brewing Co (Blue Lake): Steelhead Double IPA (Double IPA)
McMenamins Crystal Brewery (Portland, OR): Liquid Cheer (Tripel)
New Belgium (Fort Collins, CO): 2 Below Winter Ale (Winter Warmer)
Ninkasi Brewing Co (new brewery! Eugene, OR): Believer (Winter Ale)
Off the Rail Brewing Co (Forest Grove, OR): Blizzard of Ozz (Belgian Specialty)
Pelican Pub & Brewery (Pacific City, OR): Full House Ale (Imperial American Brown)
Pike Brewing Co (Seattle, WA): Monks Uncle Tripel (Belgian Tripel)
Pyramid Breweries (Portland, OR): Snow Cap Ale (Winter Warmer)
Redhook Ale Brewery (Woodinville, WA): Winterhook (Winter Ale)
Rock Bottom Brewery (Portland, OR): Blitzen (Belgian Style Tripel)
Rogue Ales (Newport, OR): Santa's Private Reserve (Double Hopped Strong Ale)
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co (Chico, CA): Celebration Ale (Holiday Ale)
Walking Man Brewing (Stevenson, WA): Ho Ho Homo Erectus (Imperial double IPA
-- aged in rum barrels!)
Widmer Brothers Brewing Co (Portland, OR): Regifted Red, Northwest Red

As you can see from the list, there are a lot of strong ales this year. Here are the beers I'm most excited to try:

On my list to try:
1. Walking Man Brewing (Stevenson, WA): Ho Ho Homo Erectus (Imperial double IPA). They aged it in rum barrels! Yes, please.

2. Rogue Ales (Newport, OR): Santa's Private Reserve (Double Hopped Strong Ale). I love Rogues beers and try to taste all the stuff they make. I have rarely been disappointed.

3. Hair of the Dog (Portland, OR): Jim K (Specialty Blend). Hair of the Dog is the pate of beer lovers. It is fancy, exclusive beer and HotD has obtained this massive cult following with everyone fussing about how great they are. That said, we rarely see HotD at beer fests for the common folk -- I don't remember them at the Oregon Brewer's Fest (at least in the past two years) nor have they been to the previous two Holiday Ale Festivals either. So if they don't come to us, we go to them. Ken and I went to their warehouse sale where you got to taste and buy cases of their beer on sale. Sounds good, right? What if I told you that at 11 in the morning, the line was out the door. And a case of beer (on sale) was $45-60. Seriously? It was good, but not $60 good. But here they are at the beer fest with a beer I haven't had. Move over, pate beer lovers, my elbows are sharp.

4. Collaborator (Portland, OR): Sled Crasher (Winter Warmer). Every year, a group of home brewers get together to make a beer which has been, imo, excellent. I love trying whatever they bring.

5. Brauerei Schloss Eggenberg (Vorchdorf, Austria): Samichlaus (Strong Lager). I have never had a strong lager before. This will change.

6. Ninkasi Brewing Co (Eugene, OR): Believer (Winter Ale). The newest brewery in Oregon! From the Oregonian (11/28/06):

Jamie Floyd's Ninkasi Brewing Co. is one of Oregon's newest breweries, but it's already brewing great beer and a lot of buzz. Floyd was brewmaster at Eugene's Steelhead Brewing and Cafe before he started Ninkasi, which is named after the Sumerian goddess of brewing. His winter beer is a hoppy ale called Believer.

So those are my top six, but I'll likely be tasting (many) more. Any requests for beers you'd like me to try? I will be happy to whore out my tastebuds for the sake of you all.

Ollie's Darwinian Dubbel

2006-11-28T17:07:00.000-07:00

This was an experiment in mixing yeasts. Simply put, I wanted to know what would happen if you used both a Belgian and British yeast strain in the same brew.

I figured there were essentially 2 possible outcomes:

1) A sort of hybrid beer would result, ideally like an abbey-style beer (sweet, spicy, and fruity) but somewhat less so. Drier, per the addition of British yeast.

2) The yeast strains would compete for resources, and one will be much more successful at it.

Either way, I figure this would be instructive and in all likelihood produce a beer that I would like.

As the eventual name of the beer indicates, the result seems to have been the latter, with the Belgian yeast (in this case) the victor. There may be a subtle effect of the British stuff, but if you handed me the result and told me it was an abbey/dubbel style, I wouldn't question it.

Obviously, the control experiment* would be to repeat it without the British yeast and see if it tastes the same. And I may very well do this, as I really, really like this beer.

The result is reddish light mahogany with a creamy head that laces the glass nicely all the way down. Ripe fruit and a little spice on the nose, plums, candi sugar, cloves, and cinnamon on the pallate, and a pretty dry finish. Alcohol very much relegated to the background. Fantastic with Thanksgiving dinner, or as a nightcap.

Enough bragging. Here's the recipe, should you choose to try your own experiment.

Ollie's Darwiniam Dubbel

Grain:

0.5 lb 2-row Belgian biscuit
0.5 lb roasted barley (300L)
1.0 lb Weyermann Cara Red (15-20L)
1.0 lb Caramunich III (53-60)

Extract:

6 lb Munton's Amber

Everything else:

0.5 lb dark candi sugar
1 oz Tettnang, 4.9% alpha
2 oz Saaz, 3.8% alpha
2 cinnamon sticks
1 Tbs cloves
1 Tbs nutmeg
1 tsp lemon peel

Grains were steeped 30 minutes in about 2 gallons at 150ºF, sparged and brought to a boil. Extract and sugar were added and brought back up to a boil. Tettnang was added for 60 minutes, Saaz and the spices for 15.

The wort was cooled and diluted to approximately 5 gallons and pitched with "Propagator" packs of Belgian Abbey II and London ESB from WYeast. OG was 1.065. Ambient fermentation temperature was about 65ºF (hot damn I love having a basement now!) The beer was racked to secondary on day 7 and bottled on day 14. FG was 1.018, 6.5% ABV.

*Actually, the proper control experiment would be to divide the same batch of wort and pitch different yeast combinations into each vat side-by-side, but that would be a bit expensive and space consuming at this point. Did I mention this is just my hobby?

yup

2006-11-28T15:14:00.000-07:00

You Are Guinness

You know beer well, and you'll only drink the best beers in the world.

Watered down beers disgust you, as do the people who drink them.

When you drink, you tend to become a bit of a know it all - especially about subjects you don't know well.

But your friends tolerate your drunken ways, because you introduce them to the best beers around.

What's Your Beer Personality?

I have nothing to add.

Carolina Beers (so far)

2006-11-24T09:34:00.000-07:00

My favorites are currently Duck Rabbit Milk Stout, which I would say is probably my favorite milk stout to date, and Highland Gaelic Ale, which is a lovely malty session ale. The former is pretty widely distributed, the latter you might have to come for a visit to try.

I hope to pay a visit to the Carolina Brewery over in Chapel Hill very soon (perhaps even this weekend). Especially since I just now realized that it is not the same as the Carolina Brewing Company which is a regional bottling powerhouse with a solid Pale Ale and a decent IPA, which is also not to be confused with the Carolina Beer Company, which makes a pretty mediocre Blonde.

Durham, sadly, is lacking its own local brewery (a place called Bull City Brewing closed some years back), though I hear through the grapevine (hopvine?) that the owner of Joyce is looking into the possibility of opening a brewpub. Continue to watch here for more unsubstantiated rumor and wishful thinking.

UPDATE--The Carolina Brewery is a real treat. Had a flight, so we got to try their Sky Blue Golden Ale, Copperline Amber Ale, Flagship IPA, and Downtown Trolley Brown, as well as an Imperial Stout and Santa's Secret, which is their winter ale. All are good, but the Santa's Secret hit the spot. The IPA is also excellent. We will be back.

Sudspundit--now with more tarheel!

2006-10-21T13:17:00.000-07:00

Greetings from the Bull City, the City of Medicine, the rough edge of the Research Triangle, home of the perennial top-10 (in basketball) and top-118 (in football) Duke Blue Devils, Ft. Worth to Raleigh's Dallas, the other guy in Wham! to their George Michael...and now, home to yours truly...Durham, NC.

Communal self-deprecation aside, I am really starting to like it here. Rather than enumerate the ways all at once, I will stretch that out into several posts.

But I will start with a few east coast/Carolina-specific quickies, which have made the transition easier.

Magic Hat Jinx--toasted malt, light smoke, ripe fruit, and a hint of wine. Deceptively smooth, and perfect for sipping on a crisp autumn evening. A real beauty.

Yuengling Lager--or as I like to call it, "the PBR of the mid-Atlantic". Nothing special, but quite decent for a very reasonable price (often as low as $8 for 12 bottles). Tastes like college football, and will likely fill the role previously held by FS Session Lager in my rotation.

Carolina Pale Ale--again, nothing remarkable, but a solid offering from a local brewery. Crisp hops; like Sierra Nevada but not as malty or overpriced.

More to come. I found my beer store today.

Also, I hit up the local homebrewing shops. (I use the term "local" loosely--one is only 5 minutes away, but the other is more like 45. Guess which one is better.) Anyway, I now have a box full of various grains and extracts, three yeast packets, and a most of a fridge shelf is now devoted to hops. I suppose I got a little excited.

Pacific NW fire destoys hops

2006-10-03T13:20:00.000-07:00

A warehouse fire in Yakima, Washington destroyed 4% of the US hops supply. Read full article here.

Local Dough, Tucson, AZ: Part II

2006-09-28T10:20:00.000-07:00

Brian posted a few weeks back about a wonderful, magical place called Local Dough. They have kick ass beers on tap, excellent pizza and sandwiches, and it's owned and operated by some really cool dudes who know their beer. Brian and I spent as much quality time there as we could before moving to North Carolina.

So, I got back to Tucson on Tuesday. Myself and a few friends went over to Local Dough for a pint or two and some pizza after work. To our dismay, the place was closed. Then yesterday, one of these friends and I went to PLaza Liquors to mix a six and a friend who works there told us that 'the man' has been stickin' it to Local Dough.

THEY ARE NOT CLOSED. Just in city bylaw limbo.

Prior to this particular place opening up in there, another restaurant occupied the space. But the city has decided to stick it to the new owners - making them replace a sink because the old one had square instead of round corners. And other random shit like that.

Local Dough is not able to serve food just now. But their beer taps are still flowing. GO THERE. And don't forget to ask them about their ice cream, made with the Dogfish Head Pumpkin Ale. Delicious.

They are also hosting an Octoberfest celebration on October 8th that will kick some serious ass. I will post more details about that later.

Don't let stupid city bylaws about sinks and the like take this place down. It's way too cool, and the beer is far too good for that.

Black Cherry Stout = Yum

2006-09-12T13:47:00.000-07:00

Ken and I went out to dinner at Caldera Public House, a Portland neighborhood restaurant on 60th & SE Stark. We got sucked in by the big windows and rich-looking interior. We walked in to find deep rich red wall, hardwood floors, rich wood booths and an insanely beautiful ornate wooden bar. There were people of all ages there -- enough to not be empty nor full. Not bad for a Wednesday night at 8. We asked where we should sit and they said anywhere -- "I think there are even some seats left on the patio".

What? There's a patio. Bee-line.

And it was perfect. Secluded. Perfect lighting. Varnished picnic tables with umbrellas. Some small tables with chairs. Lights and lanterns hanging from the tree canopy. Very intimate.

They handed us drink and food menus (happy hour is 5-6 and 9-close -- daily. Good to know, a perfect happy hour place). I got the dark garnet (herradura reposado tequila, pomegranate juice and fresh lime served in a martini glass), which was awesome and smokey. Instead of a cocktail and true to this blog, Ken got Walking Man's Black Cherry Stout (which they had on tap. Per WM's website: ABV 7.2% IBU 35. Our stout combined with the richness of dark cherries. Chocolate and cherries – a perfect match.) They were right. It was killer. Great nose, not very fruity or sweet. But just enough of that cherry heaven.

So in sharp contrast to Marsha's yucky apple lambic, this beer was a winner. Plus, add on a secluded patio, comfortable weather and great company -- ah, the joys of summer.

Apple Lambic=YUCK

2006-09-01T12:48:00.000-07:00

I am probably the last person to know this. But there it is. I choked it back though because it was presented to me with love. I tried to taste the love instead of the sickeningly sweet yuckiness that it was.

I hope the person who served it to me isn't made at me for saying I hate it. Prior to the apple lambic I was served a Rogue mole beer. Delicious! Mix equal parts Rogue chipotle and Rogue chocolate stout and enjoy.

Local Dough, Tucson, AZ

2006-08-25T13:09:00.001-07:00

I wish more of our readers were located in Tucson, so that I could encourage you all to go to Local Dough en masse.

Local Dough opened up on Wednesday, after nearly a year of buzz among the beer-loving community in Tucson (which, as far as I can tell, consists mostly of myself and other patrons of Plaza Liquors and Brew Your Own Brew). They are on the south side of Speedway, between Campbell and Cherry (in the space that used to be occupied by Eric's).

Go there. Now. There is no other place like it in Tucson, and it MUST succeed.

The owners are young guys--still students--who clearly have a great appreciation for fine beer. There are 24 beers on tap, virtually all of which are American micros. Good ones, including: several from Dogfish Head (60 and 90-minute IPAs, Raison d'Etre, and a pumpkin ale), Speedway Stout, and several from Left Hand and Deschutes. I'm positive I'm leaving something out. The bottle selection is even better.

Prices are very reasonable--$4 pints of everything except high-alcohol beers (which are $4 for 10oz.), $3.50 for most bottles, with a few exceptions on really premium stuff (mosly Trappist Ales).

The lunch special is a slice of pizza and an pint for $6.50--a great deal considering the pints are all good and the slices are HUGE (approximately equal to 2 slices of NY-style thin crust). Other items on the menu include sandwiches, finger food, and burgers. I had the lunch special, and the pizza was very good.

Tucson needs a place like this. There have always been places here to get good beer here, but never so many in one place. If you are in town, do not miss it.

Sudspundit is my neglected stepchild

2006-08-18T15:53:00.000-07:00

So I doubt if anyone is still bothering to check. But if you are, then thank you.

I have been more than a little busy lately. After our trip to the OBF a couple of weeks ago (I will post about that this weekend I promise) Marsha and I were home for a week, then flew to the Research Triangle area of North Carolina to go house hunting (I am starting a job there next month). This will be our first home that we own, and we are moving ourselves, our cars, our stuff, and our dog 2300 miles to get there. Like I said--busy.

The great news about that is that the house we are buying sits atop a full basement that is more than big enough to serve as M's studio space with room to spare as a brewery/beer cellar. Year-round production and long-term storage simply aren't viable options if you are renting in Tucson, AZ, so this is very exciting for me. (The job promises to be pretty cool, too.)

As if that weren't enough, we also had a (long-planned and now more necessary than we realized) short vacation to Mexico this past week. The beer-related highlight of that trip was the blind taste test of Mexican lagers conducted among our housemates. I am proud to say that I was the only one who could tell the difference between Pacifico, Dos Equis Lager, Tecate, and Corona without error or hesitation. (If you're wondering--Pacifico has the most well-balanced and full flavor, Dos Equis is nearly as good as Pacifico but with a slight citrusy/carbonic "bite", Tecate has a much thinner body but a pretty strong aftertaste, and Corona tastes the most like water. Everyone has a talent and apparently this is mine.)

That's all for now. Aside from the OBF post promised, I anticipate that blogging will be extremely sparse until at least the end of September. Again, I do appreciate the readership of this humble corner of the Beer 'Sphere, and hope to "see" you all again very soon.

Beer Blogger Meetup This Friday

2006-07-25T08:56:00.000-07:00

See info at the top of the page. Mostly, I'm just posting this so it will show up on RSBS and all the other beer feeds, since I know that's where a lot of our traffic comes from. Hope to see you there!

Morbidly Obese Tire

2006-07-23T16:22:00.000-07:00

I like Fat Tire. It's one of my favorite American brews. But I have a problem. I live east of the Mississippi where Fat Tire is practically non-existent. So, being a home brewer, I figured it was up to me to make my own. Here's the recipe I used.

Morbidly Obese Tire

0.5 lb. Victory Malt
0.5 lb. Briess Caramel 60

6 lb. Northern Brewer Munich Malt Syrup
1 lb. Munton's Plain Extra Light DME

1 oz. Liberty Hops (60 min) 3.6% Alpha
0.5 oz. Hallertau hops (15 min) 4.2% Alpha
0.5 oz. Hallertau hops (5 min) 4.2% Alpha

1 tsp Irish moss
1 tsp gypsum

Wyeast 1762 Belgian Abbey II (125 mL)

Steep grains at 150F for 15 min in ~3 gal
Heat and remove grains when temp. reaches 170F. Heat to boil
Remove from heat and add malt extract. Heat to boiling
Add hops according to schedule above.
With 15 min. remaining, add 1 tsp. Irish moss, 1 tsp. gypsum
Remove from heat, remove hops. Steep for 15 min.
Transfer 1 quart of wort to sterile container, seal and place in fridge.
Cool remaining wort to about 75F, transfer to primary (about 2.25 gal), dilute to 4.75 gal with tap water (OG:1.066) and pitch yeast.

I decided to try something new this time and I saved a quart of wort to add for a second fermentation. But still, after doing this, I ended up with a gravity of 1.066. Doing some rough calculations and figuring on about 0.15 gal loss for each transfer, it looks like when I add the remaining wort for a second fermentation, I'm looking at a rough OG of about 1.070. And if I get good attenuation (~75%), I'm looking at an expected alcohol percentage somewhere between 6-7%. I wasn't shooting for a decently strong alcohol beer, but what the hell? Hence the name, Morbidly Obese Tire.

The good news is that when I racked for the second fermentation, the trub smelled slightly biscuity like Fat Tire, so we'll see what happens.

Update: The rough numbers I was working with didn't sit too well with me. It didn't make sense that adding a small amount of extra wort was almost doubling the quantity of sugar. So I found my mistake in my spreadsheet and fixed the problem. The edits are in red above.

Casta Milenia Cerveza Ale

2006-07-23T09:45:00.000-07:00

I like craft beer.

I like Mexican stuff (esp. food).

So, when I came across a Mexican craft beer tucked away on a bottom shelf at the local beer store, I had to try it out. Plus the bottle was really beautiful.

Milenia is an abbey-style ale, which of course can mean any number of flavor profiles. My first impression upon uncorking was of dark, ripe fruit, with surprisingly little yeast in the aroma. It poured a dark and cloudy amber, with very thin carbonation (aside from the cloudiness, it had the look of an English session beer.)

The flavor was a bit jarring--not because it was necessarily bad, but just radically different from what I expected based on the aroma. I had poured about half the bottle into an oversized brandy snifter--a great piece of glassware for tasting something for the first time, because you get a noseful before you take a sip. The best description I can come up with was figs and plumbs on the nose, but tannins and lime juice on the palate. Seriously--it tasted like tea.

What I really didn't like about it was the watery texture. It felt really thin and not at all like beer.

So I hesitate to give this beer a firm up or down. It might appeal to certain palates, and a good food pairing might make it better. I could maybe see it with a spicy, fairly rich seafood dish like one might get in coastal NW Mexico. And in fact, what we had with it was grilled shrimp salad with a more-or-less Thai twist on it, and as the beer warmed, the flavors started to work pretty well. But I just don't see it working standing alone.

Round 3

2006-07-20T08:53:00.000-07:00

Posted over at The Liquid Diet.

Day 2 Entry

2006-07-18T08:06:00.000-07:00

Posted over at The Liquid Diet.

It's On Like a Chicken Bone!

2006-07-17T09:22:00.000-07:00

The problem with having too much time on your hands is that you eventually have so much time that you start entertaining those way-too-crazy ideas. After reconsidering the costs of installing a fireman pole from the third story down to the garage I had to consider a project that would actually fit within my budget constraints. So an idea that I had last year (likely the child of a rumor I had heard) came to mind mostly due to the fact that I recently found part-time employment at the local brewery. So starting today, I'm following through on one of my craziest, self-endangering ideas to date. I'm starting The Liquid Diet. No, not the one where you drink health shakes as that topic has no place on a beer-related blog. Do you see where this is going yet?

Yes, it's The Liquid Diet. The one that you've dreamed of since you...well, never. The diet that starts and ends with beer and goes until one of the following criteria are met:

A verifiable gain/loss of weight is recorded.
I crave solid food so much that I'd actually win in a fight with a fat lady at the buffet.
I cough up my liver.
My sphincter blows out thanks to the lack of its usual semi-solid shock absorbers. There is a reason they're tapered at both ends.

Hopefully, condition #1 will be met first and I won't have to resort to numbers 3 & 4.

But I want to be somewhat intelligent and balanced about doing an all beer diet, if there is such a statement. For example, my first meal today is starting with a fruit beer. Fruit is a generally accepted breakfast food, right? So I'm starting with a Raspberry Tart from the New Glarus Brewing Co. that I visited last summer. And the other smart step I've decided is requiring an equal amount of water to be consumed after each beer. This should help to curb the diuretic effect of alcohol along with hopefully minimizing the negative effects on my liver, not that I'm a doctor or anything.

Not a lot to write about just yet as this only started about 15 minutes ago. So I wrap up this entry with a list of questions that our loyal readers and contributors may be able to help with:

Anybody know where I can find info on where this may have been done before?
Anybody know of a good site where one can find comprehensive nutritional info for beers?
Know of any relevant scientific studies regarding the nutritous benefits/detriments of beer?
Do you want to contribute a meal plan for one of my dieting days? Keep in mind that the beers have to be locally available and my ZIP code is 30060. The selection ain't great, but it's better than it was a few years ago before Georgia lawmakers repealed the 6.0% content law.

Cross-posted over at The Liquid Diet.

Still alive

2006-07-13T09:00:00.000-07:00

I've just been writing about other things lately. Mostly at work, but also here. My beer drinking has been less adventurous lately, due mostly to the aforementioned record heat (today--110° ). However, I am gearing up for some serious beer tourism in a couple of weeks at the OBF. I have my notebook ready, and plan to post every last detail that I can here.

On that note...the beer blogger meetup is still on, so come one and all. In any case, I'll be there.

Off for a bit

2006-06-23T17:50:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned previously, I'll be doing some work-related traveling this week. Blogging will be even more sparse, unless I get inspired and have access and time. Of course, there are other bloggers around here somewhere that might pick up the slack...

My one non-working night is tomorrow, and I intend to spend it at the Publick House in Brookline, Mass from about 9pm eastern until probably closing time. If you're in the neighborhood, feel free to seek me out. I'll be in the company of a merry Englishman and tossing back as many Belgian beers as I can handle.

Cheers!
B

Summer Beer

2006-06-15T09:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday it hit 106° in Tucson. Porter-drinkin' weather this ain't.

When it's so hot out that it hurts to breathe (and please don't start with the "it's a dry heat" nonsense...only people who don't live here in the summer say that...when the ambient temperature is higher than physiological temperature, you feel it) lesser mortals are often tempted to forgo flavor for sheer cooling ability. They head for "lite" beer.

Might as well drink water. (Which is not a bad idea, anyway.)

But when it's time to drink beer, real beer drinkers still drink real beer. Beer can be flavorful and refreshing. Recent offerings at the Tucson Chapter of the SudsPundit Lounge (aka, our patio) include:

--Session Lager from Full Sail. Proving that short and stubby can be beautiful, Session lives up to its name by combining solid flavor with sheer drinkability. This is the kind of beer our grandparents drank before we went crazy.

--Bridgeport Supris (that's "su-PREE", but don't give your bartender a hard time about it) I've already covered, but it bears repeating. The Big Lebowski of beers, I like this more and more every time I go back to it.

--Polestar Pilsner from Left Hand is, in my opinion, the closest thing I've had to a great German pilsner from an American brewer. Grainy and grassy, with a lovely aroma of noble hops. Bready in the back of the throat. Most importantly--and this is what sets the Germans apart from most of their American imitators--is the gravity-defying head retention. It pours HUGE and maintains all the way down the glass, keeping the aromas nice and stirred up for your nose with every pull. This one, as in Germany, is best when not ice-cold.

--Summer Solstice Cerveza Crema from Anderson Valley defies all notions of what summer beer ought to be, and does so in style. A copper ale with spice and hints of vanilla, this one just flat-out works. I had my first one last night, but I look forward to seeing how it pairs with burgers from the grill.

So...what's your favorite summer beer?

Travel Bleg

2006-06-14T14:42:00.000-07:00

I will have an occasion to spend one night in Boston soon, en route to a meeting in New Hampshire. I'm looking for one good beer joint, and by all accounts, I can't do any better than The Publick House, so that's the current plan. But I'm open to other suggestions, if you have any (especially if they are closer to downtown and/or Logan).

Also, I'll have three hours to kill at O'Hare, and I seem to recall that there are a few places there...if there's a place worth changing terminals for, let me know. Ideally one that will be showing the World Cup.

Beer Labels

2006-06-14T10:55:00.000-07:00

At Plaza, the place where Brian and I most often get our beer, you can mix your own six. I love being able to do this, and my six usually consists of some combination of Mexican lager (Pacifico, Tecate or Dos Equis), something yummy from Left Hand (Polestar Pilsner, JuJu Ginger, Milk Stout), and then sometimes I throw something into the mix that I've never tried before (if I don't like it, Brian drinks it).

For the unknowns, I either buy something made by a brewery I know/like, or I just simply pick based on the label. In fact, that's how I ended drinking Left Hand.

I recently came across these.

Neat!

Now they just need to actually put them on a beer. I'd buy it.

Chimay Grande Reserve (Blue)

2006-06-13T21:02:00.000-07:00

What can say? It's been too long since I tried and reviewed some new beers. So I dropped some change at the ol' beer store this past weekend, and have a few things on tap, so to speak...

Chimay is relatively ubiquitous in the American market (you can get it at Trader Joe's and Albertson's in Tucson, for example) so a lot of beer geeks are quite familiar with their products. What's funny is, I've seen Chimay Grande Reserve (as well as the "Red" and "White") so many places that I've never gone out of my way to actually, you know, try it.

Seriously.

My loss. This is a real beauty.

Upon opening, earthy, yeasty aromas drift upward. The beer pours a reddish mahogany color with a dark, cream-colored head. Holding it up to the light sets off a pinkish hue around the edges. In the glass, ripe fruit and sugary smells predominate. My first taste was a bit too cold to catch all of the subtleties in the flavor--I should have let it warm up a bit before opening it--but as it warmed in the glass, the true nature of this masterpiece became apparent.

I suppose I could try to dissect the flavor into its components, but I think the best way to describe this beer would be "symphonic". ("Symgustic" would actually be more correct, but this term has the decided disadvantage of not actually existing.) My point being that the flavors harmonize perfectly. You know that you are encountering many things at once, but it is the combination them that makes Chimay Blue such a pleasure to drink. So rather than do my best impersonation of a chromatograph, I'm just going to sit back and enjoy the rest of it as work on what I'm actually supposed to be writing right now...

As a footnote, I think this would be an excellent introduction to fine beer--even to people who "don't really like beer". The exquisitely balanced flavor would be accessible to almost any palette, I think. And for all its complexity and strength (9%--don't say I didn't warn you), it is an extremely drinkable beverage.

He's Back!

2006-06-13T13:26:00.000-07:00

Good lord, I've totally forgotten about this site. Good things the others were here to pick up my slack.

Not much happening lately in the brew house. Did a "Kitchen Sink Porter" in early winter and what was supposed to be a Witbier that ended up as more of an eclectic American wheat that I dubbed "Christie Beer" after the person that commissioned it back in March. Doing an interpretation of Fat Tire as soon as the ingredients get here. Ordering by mail is much cheaper for shipping than the gas would cost to drive to the nearest supply store. Anybody recommend a good online store that has competitive pricing? I've been using Northern Brewer but I'm not inflexible. Especially if it's a little closer to Atlanta. The reason for imitating the Fat Tire is because it's not for sale in Georgia and I've been jonesing for it for about a month. Hell, it's been almost a year since my last at Brian's wedding.

And damn it, now I've got to bust ass to try to make it up to Oregon for the brew fest now. Summer temp jobs, here I come!

Yes, I'll take a warm-up, please!

2006-06-13T09:19:00.000-07:00

Not that we encourage or condone excessive drinking here at SudsPundit, but by way of public service:

DRINKING coffee could help protect you from liver disease caused by alcohol, research shows.

People who drink one cup of coffee a day are 20 per cent less likely to suffer alcoholic cirrhosis than those who drink none.

And the protective effect increases with the more coffee you have: those who drink two or three cups a day are 40 per cent less likely to suffer cirrhosis, while people who drink four or more cups are 80 per cent less likely to get the disease.

A Sunday morning drive around the Beer 'sphere&trade

2006-05-28T08:54:00.000-07:00

The blogroll has been updated to include sites that have come to my attention lately, as well as (hopefully) all the beer blogs that link here. However, if you have a beer blog that links here, and you don't see it on the right, please let me know.

Some highlights from the new additions:

--Bridger talks about magical Mayan orange juice, enemas, and doing toad (aka lilly-padding, frenching the prince, and doing Kermit)--only tangentally beer-related, but worth reading nonetheless.

--Rob at Pfiff! writes about a damn good reason to care about deforrestation in northern Europe.

--Chris Gillis' Biere de Table is just a fantastic site from top to bottom. I'm still working my way through the archives.

An endorsement

2006-05-24T11:06:00.000-07:00

I try to keep beer reviews critical, though I tend to be very positive because I gravitate towards stuff I'm pretty sure I'm going to enjoy. (Duh, right?)

What I do try to avoid is actually promoting anybody's products. I'm just not in the advertising business and I don't intend to be.

But today I'll make an exception. If you can, go buy anything from Lagunitas.

Now.

Beer Blogger Meetup at the OBF (cont'd)

2006-05-23T11:39:00.000-07:00

We've settled on a time and place (see the big message at the top of the page.) We hope to see you all there.

Beer Blogger Meetup at Oregon Brewer's Festival

2006-05-14T11:00:00.000-07:00

Jon at The Brew Site saw my post about going to the OBF and wrote:

It got me thinking... this may be a year that I can actually go to the Oregon BrewFest, and if so, perhaps we should have a beer blogger meetup? Or even just meet up with anyone who reads this and other beer blogs?

I think this is a fine idea. So I'll put it out there:

1) Any PDX-based (or otherwise familiar with Portland) folks have any suggestions as to a good place to have an informal meetup for beer bloggers and beer blog readers? I'm thinking it might be good to do it outside of the actual festival, as I know I am going to be rather busily tasting my way around the place and I imagine other bloggers/readers will be, as well.

I think the ideal would be a pub that is not completely slammed, and that would lend itself to a meet-and-mingle-freely kind of gathering (i.e., not a restaurant where you get seated, necessarily). I seem to recall the Lucky Labrador having that kind of setup, but that's just off the top of my head.

2) If you'd be interested in doing this, speak up! Not just bloggers, but readers, too. Personally, I'd be thrilled to share a beer with anyone who takes time to read this silly little blog, and I bet most bloggers would feel the same way.

3) If you are a beer blogger--please, help spread the word!

Keep watching this site for details as they come together.

Cheers!
B

Just in time for the World Cup...

2006-05-12T16:54:00.000-07:00

My English boss pointed out that Spitfire Ale (AKA "The Bottle of Britian") now has a web page devoted to their, (ahem), somewhat provacative ads riffing on the defeat of Germany in WWII (the beer having been named for the plane that played a key role in that battle).

As it was explained to me:

"The English get much more jingoistic when football is involved".

Cooking with Beer

2006-05-09T15:31:00.000-07:00

A friend sent this to me, which doesn't seem so strange after trying chocolate stout ice cream floats.

Bon Appedrink!

Hittin' the Oregon Trail

2006-05-09T11:17:00.000-07:00

If you'd like to meet your favorite beer blogger live and in person--or if you'd like to meet me--head on out to the Oregon Brewer's Festival this July. Lisa and Ken have graciously offered to host M and I, and I have just booked our flights.

Leaving Tucson for Portland in July is exciting enough on its own...add a beer festival on to that, and even more so. Then I look at the entries so far, and see that going on half of them are Belgian and farmhouse styles, and I think I may need to take a cold shower. Seriously.

A quick homebrewing update...

2006-05-02T15:31:00.000-07:00

How the time does fly...

Since someone was so kind to ask, the chocolate cardamom ale ("Lune de Miel", see here and here) has aged fairly well. The chocolate flavor hasn't really come through, though I think it gives the beer a slightly thicker body and just a hint of non-hop bitterness in the background. The cardamom has become a bit more assertive, creating a mildly astringent sensation on the pallet (not unlike what can happen with chamomille, which is something I've also brewed with).

Personally, I think it's just a bit too sweet--or rather, it lacks the necessary depth of flavor to make the sweetness less overpowering. (Think, for example, about Ommegang, which is very sweet but sufficiently complex that you aren't overwhelmed by the sweetness.) However, it is still very refreshing, with a nice mild estery presence. A good warm-weather alternative to lagers and blondes.

I think if I revisit this ale, I will probably add some orange peel and maybe look at making the grain bill a bit "meatier". Any suggestions from folks with some experience in Belgian styles in particular (Ben, I'm looking in your general direction) would be welcome and much appreciated.

Hope all's well with everyone around the Beer 'Sphere...I've been busy looking for another job, and I think I have finally found one. More on that later...

Bridgeport Supris

2006-03-25T08:57:00.000-07:00

This week Marsha and I got to taste the new Bridgeport Supris on tap at No Anchovies. I am definitely looking forward to many more as the weather warms. I brought home a couple of bottles on Friday night that didn't last the weekend in our fridge.

When I had it at NA, I couldn't quite place the flavor, or for that matter, the style. It's light and fairly sweet, with hints of citrus and pineapple. Not too much grain or hops, but enough that you still know it's beer. Kind of an estery background, like a hefe, but less so.

A lemon slice was offered, but I found it completely unnecessary.

Further reading (see link below) indicates that Bridgeport is experimenting with a Belgian yeast strain cultured from an unspecified bottle brought back to the States, and that this is the result (which would explain the fruity character of the beer). I found this especially interesting, as I recently learned that Duvel (one of the great beers of Belgium) is the product of Belgium brewers cultivating the yeast from a Scottish import.

One of the many things I love about beer--there's always a story behind it.
More info at Portland Beer Blog.

Lune de Miel

2006-03-19T18:57:00.000-07:00

As promised, here's the recipe for my latest from the home brewery.

Lune de Miel
(a Belgian-style spiced ale)

3 lbs plain pale malt extract (Munton's)
1 lb plain amber malt extract (Munton's)
1/2 lb 20L crystal
1/4 lb Belgian biscuit
1/4 lb Belgian caravienne
2 oz Czech Saaz (3.0% alpha)
2 oz German Hersbrucker (3.2% alpha)
1 lb clear (0L) Belgian candi sugar
~6 oz 73% milk-free dark chocolate (I used Trader Joe's brand)
0.75 oz cardamom seed
0.5 oz coriander seed
White Labs Trappist Yeast (WL500)

1. Steep grains 30 min at 150F in ~2 gallons
2. Sparge and bring to a boil; add extract, candi sugar, and chocolate; resume boil
3. In the boil: 60 min w/ 1.5 oz Saaz, 30 min w/ 1 oz Hersbrucker and all the cardamom and coriander (spices coarsely ground with a mortar and pestle and added in a hop bag), 15 min w/ 1 oz Hersbrucker and 0.5 oz Saaz.
4. Cool and dilute to ~4.5 gallons (1.052 SG) and pitch yeast.

This batch was fermented at about 70F ambient temperature. It was moved to secondary on day 9, and bottled on day 14. Final gravity at bottling was 1.007, for 6.2% ABV.

First tastes (4 tasters) were unanimously positive. Light and spicy with citrus overtones. The chocolate seems relegated to the background at this point, and the cardamom leaves the slightest of tingles in your mouth. We'll see how it ages.

Beer wholesalers: it's all about the children

2006-03-15T19:14:00.000-07:00

Jay Brooks goes off in response to a press release from the National Beer Wholesalers Association re a response to the Surgeon General's request for a position on underage drinking. (Got all that? I'm trying to be concise here.)

The section of the press release that got his (and my) blood pumping:

... the statesÂ ability to effectively restrict the sale and distribution of alcohol is the key to keeping beverage alcohol out of the hands of our youth.

Effective state regulation is under increasing attack as various economic interests attempt to deregulate alcohol and otherwise weaken the statesÂ abilities to strictly control alcohol sales. As a result, some states have been forced to open their borders to Internet sales of all alcohol beverages. Such anonymous access presents a major challenge to the statesÂ fight against underage drinking, as consumers receive deliveries from out-of-state sellers who can not be effectively regulated by the state.

Indeed, in a study released last year, the National Academy of Sciences estimated that 10 percent of all minors have actually obtained alcohol over the Internet. [emphasis added]

Did you get that? Never mind the string of shaky premises at work here (including, but certainly not limited to, the very absurdity of setting the drinking age 3 years beyond the age at which one can be conscripted and--in some states--executed, that "underage drinking" is a "health problem" rather than a "consequence of a policy decision", or that an association of businesses that don't even sell to the general public ought to be weighing in on this matter at all), the NBWA is actually taking the position that internet sales are the greatest challenge to keeping underage "kids" from getting their hot little hands on alcohol.

OK, folks. Project yourself back in time to being, say, 19 years old. You want to drink. Which seems the path of least resistance?

A) Go to a party where the booze has already been purchased.
B) Get your slightly older friend/sibling/significant other to go buy something for you.
C) Go the bar where your friend works and won't ID you.
D) Go to the bar where nobody gets ID'd
E) Get a fake ID
F) Sign up for the Beer of the Month Club, which will require 1) the credit card of someone of age (i.e., not you), 2) that the credit card be tied to an address at which you can receive your monthly delivery, 3) that the courier company not have its own policies in place about checking ID when they deliver alcohol (which DHL certainly does, I can tell you--more on that in a moment), and 4) that you pay, after S&H, just over $3 per beer for 12 beers. A month.

If you answered, oh, pretty much anything other than F, you win the prize. It's a beer. That I will have shipped to you once I have conducted a complete background check and collected a urine sample.

As a semi-relevant aside, I recently canceled my subscription to a beer of the month club because the deliveries were such a hassle. Because they wouldn't deliver it to my house when no one was there (and my wife and I having the odd habit of working during the day), I had to have it delivered to work. I didn't get ID'd or anything when it came, but it was a pain in the ass to lug it home. Kind of defeats the purpose of having it "delivered", you know? Anyway, if it's that much of a hassle for someone who's been legal for the better part of a decade, I can't imagine that this is a common tactic among the "kids" these days.

And that 10% figure is just beyond ridiculous. (Jay does the math in his post.)

Jay says quite a lot about all of this, too. The best part:

I confess I’m really quite tired of giving up my rights as an adult so that children will be protected. Not only does it not ever work, but we should not be willing to create a society that’s fit only for kids on the off chance that a child will have access to something we’ve decided he shouldn’t see, or hear or taste. There’s already a mechanism in place to combat those problems and it’s worked pretty well for millenia — it’s called parenting. I’m an adult. I want to live in an adult world. I don’t want anybody telling me or my child what’s good and what’s bad for him. That’s my job.

That the NBWA is attempting to use this opportunity to squash some serious competition for its members is really not that big of a deal. They're acting in their perceived self interest, and that's ultimately their job. Fine.

What bothers me is that the government actually tends to take this sort of advice seriously.

More Beer Food

2006-03-15T18:49:00.000-07:00

NPR has a piece on cooking with beer today that includes an easy recipe for Belgian carbonnade of beef. I think I will try to make it in the very near future.

In other news, the chocolate cardomom ale is in the bottles and tastes very promising coming out of the secondary. Recipe is forthcoming...

"We thought we were in heaven"

2006-03-13T11:47:00.000-07:00

You know, if this is an example of the universal benefits offered under a Scandanavian-style welfare state, I could maybe be convinced about the merits of socialism.

Beer Cheese Soup

2006-03-11T23:24:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to write about "beer food" for a while now. That is, either food made with beer, or food that goes really well with beer. Ideally, both.

Anyway, it's raining buckets here in the Old Pueblo this evening, which prompted a pretty serious craving for comfort food. After poking around a bit for beer cheese soup recipes, I came up with the following. At the risk of being completely immodest, it kicks ass.

For 2 quarts:

1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup carrot, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, smashed and diced
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3/4 cup flour
1 tsp dry mustard
8 cups chicken broth
12 oz beer (I used my Christmas Caramale, but I think any full-flavored, moderately hopped ale will do.)
4 oz shredded swiss cheese
4 oz shredded cheddar cheese
pinches of nutmeg and cayenne, to taste

optional:
4-5 broccoli crowns per bowl

1. Saute the vegetables with salt and pepper in the butter until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a food processor and puree. Set aside. Reserve the butter in the pot.

2. Make a roux with the butter, flour, and mustard for a couple of minutes (I use low heat to keep from browning the flour.) Whisk in the chicken broth about 1 cup at a time, bringing it to a boil on high heat. Let it boil for about 10 minutes, stirring periodically.

3. Add the vegetable puree, beer, and cheese, stirring until the cheese is completely melted. Let it simmer for at least 15 minutes on low heat (longer is OK). Correct seasoning with salt, pepper, and (if desired) cayenne and nutmeg.

4. For more texture (and nutrition), steam the broccoli crowns just before serving. Place them in the bowl and ladle the soup on top.

Enjoy with the beverage of your choosing. Tonight I had a Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale, which was excellent.

Brick Store Pub, Decatur, GA

2006-03-08T22:43:00.000-07:00

I was back in Atlanta this past weekend. After watching the Thrashers beat the Capitols in OT, Chris and his wife Stephanie took me to the Brick Store, right on the courthouse square in Decatur.

The pub has actually been there for a while (since '97), but the recent repeal of Georgia's insane 6% beer law has paved the way for the addition of a "Belgian Bar" upstairs.

Oh. My. I'm ready to move back, I think.

The Belgian Bar at the Brick Store boasts a rotation of eight Belgian and Belgian-style beers on tap, and another 40 or so in bottles. If you're reading this blog, you don't really need me to say much more than that to tell you why any visit to Atlanta must include a trip to this little slice of heaven. It's worth pointing out, however, that they include cellared beers (at a premium price, naturally) and are so fastidious about proper glassware that they will not serve a beer if they don't have the appropriate glass available.

I had a St. Bernardus Abt 12 and a La Chouffe, both from the tap. Both every bit as good as what I got when I went here.

Brewing of a Different Kind

2006-02-27T13:21:00.000-07:00

I am pro-beer, but what I can't seem to get enough of lately is ginger ale. The kind of ginger ale that bites and gives me a sense of euphoria. Grocery-store-2-liter-bottle versions are too bland... the good stuff in 4-pack bottles gets too expensive.

So a girl must brew her own.

I think we forget that we can make our own soda. We're so apt to go to the store and buy it. It's easier and we know the taste. But those reasons are also lame and thus, so begins my experiment.

After I found this recipe online where kids were making it, I knew it had to be easy. So combine that recipe with one from a PhD in Chemistry and I figured I found a decent starting place.

First Attempt at Ginger Ale (makes two 2-liter bottles)
1/8 teaspoon of yeast (fleishman's as a first pass)
1/2 cup 105(degF) water
1T sugar

2 cups sugar
8T lime juice
10T fresh grated ginger juice (no pulp -- saved that for infusing vodka)
water
1T dried ginger powder (*did this only to one bottle)

Clean bottles thoroughly. Mix yeast with warm water & sugar and allow to sit around 10 minutes. Meanwhile, divide the amounts of sugar, lime juice and ginger juice between the bottles using a funnel (i.e. pour 1 cup of sugar to each bottle). Add a bit of water(~2c), cap and shake to dissolve sugar. Divide the yeast mixture into the two bottles, using water to rinse thoroughly (which is also added to bottles). If desired, add powdered ginger (I added to one bottle). Then add water to top (1 inch headspace) and cap. I left them at room temp all day yesterday and when I came down this morning they were pretty firm and I put them in the fridge. Seems you can let it rest anywhere between 24 hours and 6 days. Remember, ginger enhances yeast activity so keep an eye on it.

Started it yesterday; I'll keep you posted with how it goes.

Chocolate Cardamom Ale

2006-02-27T09:09:00.000-07:00

I just couldn't stay away from the brewery this weekend. Had to get something started.

I've been thinking that I should probably make something basic, work on fundamentals a bit. I should, but then I remind myself that I can get great "basic" beer any day of the week at reasonable prices, so to hell with that. I'll worry about basics if I ever decide to go into business.

No, I decided to try something fancy, again.

The following is a sequel, of sorts, to Matrimoniale, which I am calling "Lune de Miel" ("Honeymoon"). It's built on the basic elements of Matrimoniale, but it is flavored with (I guess I killed the suspense with the post title) chocolate and cardomom, a combination to which I was introduced at the Pierre Marcolini boutique right around the corner from our hotel, while on our lune de miel. Also, coriander, to give it a bit of citric acidity and spice, to balance the bitterness of the chocolate.

I may be making some additions to the secondary, depending on how the flavors are coming along. So I'll wait to post the recipe until I can describe it from beginning to end.

As of this morning, I didn't even have pressure in the airlock, though I know enough to know not to panic--yet. Depending on how much chocolate drops out of solution (I'm expecting a lot, actually), the color will likely be somewhere between burnt orange and orangey-brown. (At the moment, it just looks like brown sludge. As in hell of chocolate.) OG was 1.052, and I'm expecting 80-85% fermentation, so we're looking at a relatively mild 4.5-5.5% ABV.

Updates to follow. Estimated bottling date: March 12. First taste: as long after that as I can hold out. Probably March 19.

PSA for my Tucson-based readers

2006-02-25T10:31:00.000-07:00

We went to The Shelter last night (I hadn't been there in ages) and the Guinness on tap was astonishingly decent. I think they cleaned the lines in anticipation of the brewery's annual marketing stunt. More importantly...they served it at the proper temperature!

Not to raise expectations to unreasonable heights, I will point out that I've had better pints stateside (in particular, here), but not in Arizona.

Slainte!

Bidding Farewell to Beamish

2006-02-20T00:08:00.000-07:00

Beamish Irish Stout will soon no longer be available in the United States.

Neither will John Courage (which I am less sad about, but will miss nonetheless).

Beamish has always been the centerpiece of my more-or-less annual St. Paddy's Day party. I might have to see if I can buy up enough for one last hurrah...

I've got a new drinkin' buddy.

2006-02-19T16:44:00.000-07:00

Meet Ollie.

Happy V-Day

2006-02-14T12:23:00.000-07:00

This is getting a lot of linkage in the Beer 'Sphere, but in case you've missed Lew Bryson's great piece on women and beer, go read it. Now.

Snippets:

Why don't women drink beer? More to the point, why do brewers think women don't drink beer? They do, I've seen them. Smart, chic women, too, I might add...

I happen to believe that women are just like men when it comes to their tastes. That women, like men, have different tastes as individuals, and that they are not gender-selective for sweets and glop any more than men are. That women deserve to be treated with the same respect when selecting a beer that men do, not a patronizing assumption that they want something light, fruity, candyish, or wine-like. They, like men, may not even know what they like. But I believe that the best way to find that out -- for both of us -- is to offer them the same kind of choices that I would a man.

He also makes some excellent points about the condescending and sexist way beer tends to be marketed (especially by the merchants of mass-produced swill in this country) and how that probably plays a huge role in putting women off of the beverage. Which strikes me as a collosally stupid business practice...not to mention an excellent opportunity for craft brewers to expand their market share...

Wo ist das gute amerikanische Pilsner, bitte?

2006-02-13T11:38:00.000-07:00

The wife brought home a bottle of Left Hand Polestar Pilsner (link is a pdf), which was nice, because I was in a pilsner-drinking mood.

It's not exactly a complex feast for the senses, but it was an attractive (pale straw with excellent head retention all the way down the glass), clean, grainy, easy-drinking pils, with a nice grassy aroma and mild Saaz bitterness. Which is to say, exactly like a good German pilsner.

This got me thinking that I don't know of very many American beers that would fall into this category. I'm a huge fan of the style, and tend to buy quite a lot of the more reasonably-priced German imports in the spring, especially. But I'd rather give my business to American brewers, if the product is just as good. (Nothing against the Germans, mind you, but I don't think their brewers really need my help.)

I figure I might not be that familiar with the American-produced, German-style pilsner scene for any number of reasons, among them:

1) I've just been lazy, and going straight for the German imports.
2) Microbreweries in the US (and especially in the west) are definitely more geared towards producing ales than lagers...so there might not actually be that many easily available in these parts.
3) American micros might not bother so much with lagers, because the American market is already so saturated with mass-produced lagers (never mind that these tend to be incredibly inferior products)...i.e., micro ales are in less direct competetion with macro lagers.

Anyway, all of the above (well, with the exception of #1) is pure speculation on my part. Any opinions (or better yet, information) on these would be welcome.

More welcome are suggestions of good German-style pilsners made in the U.S.A. Polestar will definitely be going into my regular rotation, but I'm always happy to find more.

Dogfish Head Fort

2006-02-11T10:12:00.000-07:00

Last night we cracked open a bottle of the latest from Dogfish Head, which is quickly becoming one of my absolute favorite American breweries. (Incidentally--Founder Sam Caglione's book is on my wish list, if anyone is feeling generous.)

Fort is a flavored ale fermented with "over a ton of fresh pureed raspberries". Taking the notion of "extreme beer" very seriously, DFH has made what is probably the world's strongest fruit beer at 18% ABV. This hefty beer also commands a hefty price ($17 + tax in AZ, for a 750-ml bottle), making it also the most expensive beer I've ever bought, in case you count the 18EUR bottle of Carlsberg I had at a jazz club in Paris (which I drank very, very slowly!)

Anyway, on to the important stuff: mildly yeasty and aggressively fruity/citrusy aroma upon opening. Many reviewers have noted that this beer pours very foamy and is almost too effervescent--this was not my experience. Ours poured easy, a beautiful, strikingly clear golden-amber with a light, frothy foam that layered about 0.5 cm thick in a large wine goblet. The fruit in the aroma became much more apparent in the glass, along with floral and herbal overtones.

The flavor was truly astonishing...it tasted like beer. I was skeptical about this one, expecting it to taste like some sort of barley wine on crack with fruit mashed up in it. However, my man at the local beer shop has never steered me wrong, so I was willing to trust his (very enthusiastic) recommendation. I was not disappointed. At the front, complex malt, fairly assertive hop bitterness, and a slightly sour raspberry finish. The fruit is actually quite subtle in light of its predominance in the aroma, much more so than a Belgian Framboise. As it clears the palette, a warming alcohol presence becomes apparent--though again, it is nowhere near as powerful as you might expect from a beer that is nearly the strength of a port. About 10 seconds after leaving the mouth, a soft, mildly acidic/cotton candy aftertaste makes an appearance.

It takes about a minute to fully appreciate a sip of this beer, from smelling it until the aftertaste fades.

Best enjoyed on the couch with a good movie and a beautiful wife. Preferably your own.

More Beer Blogs!

2006-01-25T23:02:00.000-07:00

The beerblogging community continues to grow and diversify. Of note:

--The Brew Lounge is a PA-based group blog covering "Beer tasting, brewing, and culture".

--The Brookston Beer Blog is the product of Jay Brooks, a beer writer in northern California, and does a great job of tracking the goings on in the industry. Very well done, with a fantastic "blogroll" of brewery websites organized by region.

--For The Love of Beer is fairly new (it started in November), but Don Thompson has already compiled an impressive collection of reviews, focusing on American micros. Each review is in depth (typically 200-300 words each) and he always posts pictures.

Note to self, I need to do some more reviews...

Quick Links

2006-01-18T22:47:00.000-07:00

--Happy (belated--it was yesterday) 300th birthday to the First American, Ben Franklin, the man who among many great things, brought us the immortal words "Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." Over 100 brewers nationwide are commemorating the day by brewing Poor Richard's Ale.

--I'm kind of obsessed with maps. Maybe not quite as obsessed as I am with beer, but seriously...I can stare at maps for hours. Needless to say, when I first saw Beer Maps, I nearly exploded with joy.

--Just in case you needed a reason to not be in Alabama.

--(sigh)

Geek or aficionado?

2006-01-09T08:25:00.000-07:00

"I am a beer aficionado and a beer scholar and a beer historian," Brewer said. "The term beer geek originated about 10 years ago. People began describing themselves as beer geeks. It's someone who is so absorbed with beer. It's people who get over the top with anything..."

More here.

I don't think I'm as over the top about anything as I am beer. (Others may disagree.) So I guess I'll take "aficionado".

Via the super-cool RSBS (Real Simple Beer Syndication) put together by the good folks at Beerinator.

Not Dead (Yet)

2006-01-08T13:11:00.000-07:00

Has it really been over a month?

Things have been a bit crazy with work and life. In November I closed shop at my main (more general interest) blog, hoping I would (among other things) have a little more time and energy to put into this one. So far it hasn't worked out that way, but between the holidays and job-hunting, I've been a bit preoccupied, I guess.

Speaking of which, I have a BIG interview on Tuesday in California. This is the job I'm pretty sure I want. An offer will trigger a pretty quick relocation, so I probably won't be brewing again any time soon. In addition to all the homebrew I've made (though I have managed to consume and give away a good portion of it), I'm still sitting on about two mixed cases of beer left over from the wedding. I guess a few more boxes aren't that big of a deal if you're moving your whole house, but it just seems silly to be moving that much beer.

Holiday beer-oriented highlights:

--All of this year's homebrews have turned out well, in my estimation. This year's mole porter is the best so far, IMHO. Matrimoniale continues to mature...I will likely hold a bottle or two in reserve for at least a year, possibly more. The high alcohol content should make it OK for long-term storage. The Christmas Caramale, though it doesn't really taste like caramel at all, has turned into a very smooth, pleasant brown ale (in fact, I am having one now). The hops are very assertive on the nose, but very mellow on the pallate. Faint hints of nutmeg in the background...the description I can't seem to get out of my head is "grassy gingerbread" (it's better than it sounds). My wife completely disagrees with this description, but likes the beer nonetheless.

--Speaking of my beautiful wife, one of my Christmas presents this year was every seasonal ale on sale at our local beer merchant...which came to about 25 different brews. I've dutifully worked my way through these (with something of a, ahem, running start on Christmas day). Included were some old favorites of mine: Bridgeport Ebeneezer, Sierra Nevada Celebration, and Deschutes Jubelale, all of which are which are pretty consistent year-to-year. New to me this year included Alaskan Winter Ale, a tasty brew made with spruce tips, Avery Old Jubilation, a complex and very strong ale (probably my favorite if I had to pick one), and Samuel Adams' Old Fezziwig, which, being faintly sweet, went great with my mom's Christmas cookies. The only disappointment in the lot for me was this year's Anchor Christmas Ale--which is usually excellent, but I just didn't care for this year's edition. I can't remember exactly why, except that I thought the flavor profile was just too unbalanced--too much of something, or not enough of something else. Anchor's winter ales are usually among the very best though, so I'm sure this will turn out to be an anomaly. Or, I might have even gotten a bottle from a slightly off batch.

--New Years was in Pto. Penasco, Mexico, which had beautiful lager-drinking weather (mid 80s and sunny). Living through southern Arizona summers will teach even the stoutest of ale drinkers to love the lager. It's a well-known fact that Coke is better in Mexico...I think it's true of Sol and Dos Equis as well. Especially on the beach.

Pictures of the kids

2005-12-06T20:34:00.001-07:00

Beer is beautiful. At least it should be.

Whether it's the tiny bubbles settling in a well-poured Irish stout, Belgian lace coating the inside of a glass in snowflake-like patterns, or merely the the rich pallete of beer colors: obsidian, caramel, amber, red, gold, and straw--beer should be a feast for all your senses (I like the way it sounds, too).

So I thought I'd snap a few pictures of some brews near and dear to my heart while working on bottling this weekend.

Mole Porter, v. 3.0. Though beers tend to look darker in large volumes, this one is just as black in the glass.

Chris' hefeweizen, which I enjoyed while getting ready to bottle. Notice the excellent head retention. (Aside--this good beer, Muddy. I know it isn't what you were aiming for, but I think it's maturing into an interesting combination of flavors. Play with it a little and you might be on to a completely new style.)

Matrimoniale, my pride and joy. I was worried about this on the first few tastings, now it's all I can do to keep from drinking more than one at once. Not a beer for everybody, it's definitely more in line with the more aggressive Belgian trippels (think Westmalle, if you've ever had that). But I'm really, really happy with this one. I hope I can pull it off again.

A Drink A Day...

2005-12-05T20:45:00.000-07:00

...keeps the inches away?

So says a new study published in BMC Public Health.

Now, I am routinely merciless in my evaluation of public health "studies" in my professional life, so it would be hypocritical of me to be any less rigorous in my reading of this just because I happen to like the results. Among other things, their endpoint is BMI, which is used not because it is remotely relevant, but because it is easy*.

Still, I think the results of this are instructive. Though I don't for a minute think that there is a causal relationship between having a drink or so every day and avoiding obesity (and neither, to their credit, do the authors of the study suggest this), this may reflect a couple of general principles.

First is good, old-fashioned moderation in all things. People who drink moderately probably eat moderately, too. (The study also showed a correlation between heavy drinking and increased risk of obesity.)

Another, I think, is that a generally relaxed attitude about life is good for you. That may sound facile, but there is pretty good evidence that stress and the increased cortisol levels that go with it are positively associated with abdominal fat deposition (possibly an evolutionary artifact of a time when we had to survive periods of food scarcity, something that was no doubt rather stressful!)

Anyway, the all-or-nothing approach to anything strikes me as a pretty tough way to get through the day. Balance. Balance. Balance.

There are many ways to unwind...and for some of us, few things beat a tasty brew at the end of a long day. And I do have one pretty much every night...though in my case, it usually follows an hour or two at the gym...

...but I guess that kind of proves my point...

*Because BMI is calculated from only height and weight, you can simply mine charts for the data. A ~~trained monkey~~ medical student can do this. A vastly superior metric would be body composition, measured by skin impedance or even just the old-fashioned caliper method. But this requires actual work...

Inventions in Time

2005-11-30T15:23:00.000-07:00

I am conditioned to pour a giant head on beer. I've ruined (or delayed the enjoyment) of many of Brian's beers by my "distinctive" pour. Carbombs are no fun when they're 90% head before the shot even gets dropped. With extreme patience, I can get a good pour if I tilt just right. But then I get so excited by my great pour, that my next pour turns to shit.

Behold... the anti-Lisa.

I am in the job market at the moment...

2005-11-30T09:23:00.000-07:00

I don't know what is more astonishing...that the job of ale taster exists somewhere, that anyone would ever give it up, or that no one else would seem to want it.

Letting Go

2005-11-29T22:24:00.000-07:00

I bottled the Caramale tonight. Final gravity is 1.012, which brings the ABV to about 5.9%. It attenuated fast, and I didn't want to leave all the bottling to the weekend if I didn't have to (the Mole Porter is still going...it usually takes a while.) I'm not sure how it's going to turn out...usually, I tend toward beers with strong flavors, and this is a much milder brew. As a result, it doesn't taste like much of anything at the moment. Not bad, just not much there. Hopefully a little more age and carbonation will round it out a bit. I did end up dry hopping with one oz. of Chinook, so the aroma is quite nice at this point. Also, the color is gorgeous.

I poured out a few bottles left over from last year, something I've never done before. It felt pretty wrong, but I knew I wasn't going to drink any more overhopped/overgassed IPA. Plus, I needed the bottles...

It's good to let go sometimes. Life is just too damn short to drink substandard beer.

Weekend Brewing Extravaganza!

2005-11-21T18:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I decided to make beer. Twice.

I'll probably regret this when it comes time to bottle*, but I decided to make two batches yesterday. Though this meant being in the kitchen from about 3 in the afternoon to about 10 at night, it was totally worth it for no other reason than I only had to clean up once.

Plus, I got to spend most of the day making/drinking beer.

I figured with Christmas coming up, and the fact that (for once!) M and I aren't flying anywhere this year (I love both our families dearly, but seriously, I was starting to dread Christmas because of the traveling--and that's just not healthy), we should be well-stocked with seasonally appropriate homebrew.

The first batch was the 2005 edition of my nearly famous Mole Porter (recipe included in link). This year's batch is almost identical to last year's except I dropped the jalepeno and didn't split the dried chilies. The beer kept getting spicier as it aged, to the point where I didn't really think it tasted like a "mole" porter as much as "capsacin" porter.

Hopefully these modifcations will result in more nicely balanced beer.

Next up was a beer tentatively named "Christmas Caramale". Inspired by the many holiday offerings of America's great craft breweries, this is a pretty basic, lightly hopped mahogany ale, nothing too fancy, except I spiked the wort with some freshly made caramel (just sugar heated on the stovetop--hard work, but kind of fun). Also, I didn't clean the brew kettle between batches, leaving a tiny bit of the residue from the Mole Porter boil to go into the Caramale. I'm hoping that just the slightest hint of the smoky/chocolate/cinnamon/vanilla/spicy flavors of the porter will seep into the background...we'll see, I guess.

The recipe is as follows:

2 lbs 80L American Crystal
1/4 lb roasted barley
4 lbs plain amber malt extract
fresh caramel made from 2 cups granulated sugar (see below)
1 oz Cascade (4.9% alpha, in boil for 30 min)
1 oz Mt Hood (6.0% alpha, in boil for 20 min)
White Labs English Ale yeast

Grains were steeped for 30 min at 150 F in 2 gallons of water. I made the caramel during this time by putting 2 cups of sugar and maybe half a cup of water into a stainless steel frying pan, and heating it up. The water may have been superfluous (it has to boil away before the sugar can caramelize) but my theory was that it would help get all the sugar heated up at more or less the same rate and lessen the chances of burning it. (I may be completely full of it on this.) The key to this seems to be to keep the sugar moving, use moderate heat, and don't let it clump up. I did this with a pastry scrapper, but be advised that it will get pretty hot. A sturdy metal spatula is probably best. But I didn't have one handy. Anyway, you have to continually "cut" the sugar to keep big hunks of it from forming. Eventually, it will start to brown, and once it gets hot enough, it will liquify. (This took about 15 minutes on medium heat). Be VERY careful with that stuff--if it is in liquid form, it is REALLY hot, and if it gets on your skin, it will immediately harden, burn the living shit out of you, and not come off very easily. (I have a blister to prove it.)

Once the caramel is more or less homogeneous, you want to move it very quickly from the pan to the wort, which should be boiling or close to it by now. As soon as the heat comes off the pan, the caramel will start to harden, so you have to do it fast, and know that you won't get 20-30% out of the pan in time anyway. (I scaled up the amount of sugar to use with this in mind.)

After hop additions as indicated above, the wort was cooled to 75 F, diluted to SG of 1.055 (about 4 gallons total volume) and the yeast was pitched.

I'll let you know how it turns out. Depending on how it smells after the primary, I might add some dry hops for aroma to the secondary.

*I can already hear some of you out there saying "why don't he keg?" The answer is manyfold, but in addition to space considerations (our house is really quite small), I find bottles more convienient in the drinking stage. Much easier to transport and disperse among people. If I ever get to a point where I spend more time brewing than I do drinking, I might look into kegging.

Hefeweizen II Update

2005-11-15T15:52:00.000-07:00

First, too hoppy. Should have followed my original plan and kept the hops content lower. So I added about 60% more than origianlly intended. Very tempting when you're probably going to just throw the excess away. Guess I should have trusted that IBU calculator. Too much bitterness for a hefe, at least for me.

Second, not enough ester formation. Nowhere near as much aroma as when I used the White Labs Hefeweizen IV yeast. And a little more meaty, like an American hefe. Not cool. Widmer Bros. is okay, but I'll drink a Paulaner first any day.

So, lesson learned. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

But for the good news, my Puerto Rican taste tester seems to be absolutely in love with the stuff. And that's the true litmus test. Whether or not you can get your friends to drink it.

Beer Gas

2005-11-15T15:43:00.000-07:00

How dependent on gasoline are we? So much that it's becoming cheaper to buy a gallon of beer instead! As a matter of fact, that might not be a bad idea. It eliminates the need to drive. Unless you need more than a gallon in which case I'd recommend a designated driver. Unfortunately, these guys aren't talking about drinking it (or fortunately if it's extract of horse bladder beer).

How's that for some green chemistry? Of course, it leads me to the question of why they don't reclaim it to put it back in the beer. But without the numbers, I'm thinking that the yield is insubstantial when compared to the batch volume. But when you're making ten metric assloads of mediocre beer, it probably adds up quickly.

It's a Small World

2005-09-19T08:13:00.000-07:00

I've been lagging way behind on housekeeping here...among other things, I've been meaning to add links to some more beer blogs (especially those that have been kind enough to link to us). I may not get to that for a while yet, but I do want to give nod to Hunahpu, a fellow Tucsonan who has a very good beer and wine blog at The All-Grain Evangelist. Thanks for stopping by!

There's a new record...

2005-09-14T10:29:00.000-07:00

for the World's Strongest Beer.

Matrimoniale Update

2005-09-13T17:39:00.000-07:00

Day 16 (9 days after second yeast addition):

SG is 1.020. ABV is 9.0%.

And still fermenting...you'd think I was paying these guys by the hour...

I was really hoping to bottle tonight, but that's just not going to work. I'll probably have to wait until the weekend, which means it'll have only been in the bottle a week by the wedding. Nuts.

Anyhow, tasting notes: surprisingly smooth...definite estery flavor, very similar to a hefeweizen. Mildly spicy notes that I imagine will become more prevalent with carbonation and age. Finish is quite dry with a pretty assertive alcoholic presence (hopefully that will mellow a bit.)

Anyway, I hope my yeast finish their job before this weekend, because if it doesn't get bottled then, it isn't getting bottled for a while...

Hefe Update

2005-09-08T16:47:00.000-07:00

I didn't know it, but apparently my yeast love me. As in too much love. No, not in some sicko way, or even in some type of infectious way, but man are those guys really happy right now. So happy in fact that I've had my first case where the krausen foam has managed to overflow into the airlock located at the top of my fermenter. It looks absolutely putrid, but surprisingly it's actually a good thing.

Fermentation is still chugging along so I probably won't get to move into the secondary until Friday evening or Saturday after a good ass whippin' down at the glorious Grant Field.

UPDATE
Moved into secondary on Friday night. No, really. I had nothing better to do. Plus the plan was to get up early Saturday morning to tailgate our asses off, which we did. And there was much rejoicing.

Hefeweizen II

2005-09-06T19:54:00.000-07:00

My first attempt at a hefeweizen was at the beginning of last summer (2004). It turned out great and I ran out very quickly, mostly consumed by my wife much to my personal benefit. The only problem I had with it was a bit too much sulfur byproduct and not quite enough banana ester from my yeasties. Nice apricot smell, though.

I was planning on going straight for either an Oktoberfest style or a German alt for the fall season but a friend of mine pretty blatantly requested a wheat beer. Her personal favorite is Hoegaarden but I'm not quite ready for a Belgian white. I'll try that one in the early spring.

So, I went back with the recipe I started last year and decided to use a slightly different strain of yeast. Go figure that almost the exact "problems" I had with the last batch were exactly what the strain I used was supposed to do and it was still a tasty beer. I just figured there's always a bit of fun trying to tweak an old recipe. Besides, the old recipe is still in the book if it turns out to be the true winner.

So, without further ado, here's the recipe. I tried to stick to German purity laws, but I don't know if using malt extract counts against that. (I'm still working out the kinks on my lauter tun)

I'm assuming that you know general brewing terms. I've included links for some of the terms I've found decent info on.

Hefeweizen II: or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Yeast

Date: 4 Sep 2005

Ingredients
0.5 lb. Simpson's medium crystal
0.5 lb. Weyermann Pale Wheat
4 lb. Munton's wheat DME
1 lb. Munton's extra light DME
1.5 tsp. gypsum
2 oz. Hallertauer hops (leaf)

1.5 oz. boiling
0.5 oz. finishing

1 tsp. Irish moss
Hefeweizen Ale Yeast (White Labs #WLP300)

Instructions
-Heat 1.5 gal water to 150 F
-Add grains and steep for 30 min
-Strain grain water
-Sparge grains with 0.5 gal water
-Bring to a boil and remove from heat
-Add malt extracts and stir well
-Add 1 gal water and bring to a boil
-Add hops and gypsum
-Boil 45 minutes
-Add finishing hops and Irish moss
-Boil 15 minutes
-Strain into primary fermenter
-Sparge hops bag with cold water
-Add water to 5 gal total volume
-Cool to 75 F and pitch yeast

Original gravity: 1.047
Estimated IBU: 28.9

I got ambitious with the hops. It came in a 2 oz. pack and I figured why waste it? The style is traditionally about 8-14 IBU but I've felt like I lost a little too much during fermentation in the past.

Today, fermentation was happily chugging along. It'll probably get moved into the secondary in a day or two when initial fermentation pretty much nears its end.

Upcoming aspirations include kegging homebrew (thanks to the household addition of a nifty kegerator) and my very first all-grain batch.

Homebrewing Update

2005-09-05T14:40:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in the previous post, I'm making my first foray into the world of Belgian style beers.

After outlining the extract/grain bill, calculating how much of what kind of hops for bitterness, and deciding on a modest slate of "extras" (orange peel, coriander, and candi sugar), I had to figure out the what yeast to use.

I don't want to speak ill of my local brewshop, which is excellent 95% of the time (and one of the places I will truly, deeply miss when I leave this town), but the truth is I got some bad advice there this time around. It happens; the place is staffed by mostly part-time hobbyists--which is really the point of the store to begin with--and I should have done my homework. A visit to White Lab's very informative webpage would have sufficed.

To make a long story short: I described the beer I wanted to make to the guy working at the store, and he suggested that I use the Saisson yeast. Now according to this chart, this strain will work well at the temps I have to work with (I figure the average ambient temp in my house these days is about 78), and it does emphasize the spicier notes I was looking for, but the attenuation and alcohol tolerance are just too damn low for the beer I'm trying to make.

The result: after 24 hours of "off to the races" fermentation, it stopped dead. As in no pressure on the airlock whatsoever. I sampled a bit and found that it had only fermented to about 2.9% ABV, which considering I started at 11.8% potential ABV, was not good at all.

I gave it a couple of days, hoping to see a second phase of fermentation. No luck.

Time to call in reinforcements.

So on Day 7, I added the White Labs Trappist Ale Yeast, and it seems to be working well (it's now Day 9). I'm pushing my luck a bit on the temperature (hopefully it will end up much more "fruity" than "solvent"), but it's worth a shot. The Saisson certainly wasn't going to cut it.

On a positive note: the color is exactly what I was aiming for. And even in it's mostly unfermented state, I really did like the direction in which it was going.

Without further delay, here's the recipe. As always, this assumes a rudimentary knowledge of homebrewing techniques and terminology, but please don't hesitate to ask for clarification in the comments section.

Also, you might want to wait for me to see how this tastes before trying it at home.

MatrimoniAle*

4 lbs. plain pale malt extract (Munton's)
4 lbs. plain extra pale malt extract (Munton's)
1/2 lb. 20L American crystal malt
1/4 lb. Belgian Caravienne malt
1/4 lb. Belgian biscuit malt
1 lb. clear Belgian candi sugar
1/2 oz. sweet orange peel
1 oz. coriander seed (not cracked)
1 oz. U.S. Saaz (all hops are pellets)
1 oz. U.S. Hallertau
1 oz. German Hersbrucker

Grains were steeped in ~2 gallons, 150 degrees F, 30 minutes. After sparging, the pot was brought to a boil, extract and candi sugar were added, and brought to a boil again. Saaz were boiled for 60 minutes, Hallertau and Hersbrucker for 30 minutes, corander and orange peel for 15 minutes. After removing from heat and cooling, the wort was diluted to 4.5 gallons, specific gravity 1.085 (pot ABV: 11.8%).

The S.G. of the boil was 1.107, ~ 3 gallons. Estimated IBU (per Daniels, "Designing Great Beers") are 24.4.

Saisson Yest (White Labs WLP565) was pitched; vigorous fermentation occurred for about 24 hours, followed by rapid attenuation and "stuck" fermentation. Racked to secondary on Day 4, added Trappist Ale Yeast (White Labs WLP500) on Day 7. Fermentation resumed at a moderate rate ~24 hours later.

Wow--I just realized how much this reads like the methods section of one of my papers!

Update (2.21.06): Not to toot my own horn (which is to say, to toot my own horn), a friend writes:

Sweet nectar of the gods -- it was amazing. Absolutely fantastic. Clean yet strong. Not overpowering. The kind of beer you want to drink for the rest of your life if you only could pick one. Kind of like the marriage that inspired it -- go figure.

I'm blushing.

*The beer's name should be a pretty obvious reference to friends--Marsha and I are getting married on September 24, about the time I expect this beer to be ready. Also, "matrimoniale" happens to be the French word for "matrimonial", which is appropriate for a Belgian beer and because we are honeymooning in France. This also seems appropriate for a beer made with two yeasts instead of one, though I didn't plan it that way. Anyway, screw you if you don't think this is clever, because it is.

Homebrewing Again

2005-08-27T16:24:00.000-07:00

It's been entirely too long.

Brewing in Tucson in the summer just isn't a great idea, especially when your house is cooled by evaporative cooling rather than AC (the house can get a bit warm, and boiling a large quantity of water for an hour or more tends to make it worse.)

Anyway, it's still hot as hell here, but I just can't stand it anymore. I've decided to try my hand at a Belgian style beer, specifically something along the lines of a Tripel or a Belgian Strong Pale Ale (personally, I think the distinctions between these are a bit fuzzy). This has been inspired by basically two things:

1) A recent (but brief) visit to Amsterdam, where I got to go to the exquisite Cafe Belgique. I've been meaning to devote an entire entry to this place, but the truth is that it's kind of a blur. Imagine that.

2) Unibroue's absolutely amazing Edition 2004, which is possibly one of the most decadent beers I've ever tasted. I will write it up when I have another...I was just too busy drinking it the first time to take notes.

So my goal is this, stylistic specifications be damned. I'm aiming for:

--pale to golden in color
--fruity and spicy in flavor, with only a hint of bitterness
--herbal in aroma
--good head retention
--about 9-10% ABV

Zero hour when the sun is off the house and things start to cool off. Recipe will be forthcoming (I've already purchased the ingredients, but I'm still working on the timing of everything) and I will keep you posted.

Wish me luck.

Exhibit #5862 that the U.S. takes itself too damn seriously

2005-08-18T10:39:00.000-07:00

Can you imagine what the response to Kidsbeer would be here?

On a related note...does anyone remember Big League Chew and candy cigarettes?

Oregon Brewer's Festival

2005-08-11T18:52:00.000-07:00

There's a reason why Oregon Brewer's Festival gets so much press and people fly in for the event. Because it's so damn fun.

The OBF is a summer festival held along the riverbank in Portland, OR. A couple blocks are walled off from the rest of the city for the sole purpose of drinking beer. And admission is free. Did I tell you I love this town? Anyway, the OBF is the largest gathering of independent brewers in North America. 72 of them this past year to be exact. I knew it was a big deal when I heard how many people were flying in for it. Apparently it gets such an attendance that they added another day (Thursday), making it a 4 day festival.

Since I was leaving the next morning, Ken and I went on the Thursday after work. Rode our bikes, parked them and walked in to the glory that is OBF. First pour was at 4 pm. It was now 5:45 pm and we were expecting the worst. Nope. Barely a line anywhere.

Admission is free but you have to buy a $4 plastic mug. After that, 4 oz tasters are $1 each -- payable in wooden 'tokens'. Since I was only going to be there 1 day, I knew I had to pace myself and plan a strategy. I had been reading about some for weeks; they were on my definite list. Then some were chosen based on styles I loved (Belgian Blanche; Bavarian Hefeweizen) or had never tried (Schwartzbier; Bohemian Pilsner). Even my feared Pale Ales were on the list.

Without further adieu:

Brewery (Location) -- Beer Name (Beer Style)

21st Amendment Brewery (San Fran, CA) -- Watermelon Wheat (Fruit Beer)
Yeah, I know what you're thinking. I just lost all credibility for starting off with a chick beer. But what if I told you this was the beer most often cited in local publications up until the festival as the beer to try. And seriously, how often does a person get to try a watermelon wheat? I was expecting the worst (have you tasted watermelon 'flavor'?), but what I got was the most subtle and sensuous fruit beer that I've ever tasted. None of this 'firehose to the mouth' impact that a lambic produces -- and none of the sugary sweet flavor that most fruit beers tend to have -- this beer was smooth through and through. I was impressed. I drank almost half of it before I remembered to let Ken taste it (he was too tough to get watermelon beer). His eyes lit up too. It was that good. Well done, 21st Amendment. I really didn't think you could pull it off. I would definitely buy a six pack, but I think I'd prefer it on draught.

Racoon Lodge & Brewpub (Portland, OR) -- Raspberry Wheat (Fruit Beer)
Again with the fruit beers? WTF? Again, also recommended by a local paper. Remember what I said about watermelon wheat? Yeah, this wasn't that. Blecht.

Golden Valley Brewery (McMinnville, OR) -- French Prarie Blanche (Belgian Blanche)
I like this style, it was definitely a must try. Apparently the guy behind me thought so too, because this was his favorite beer of the festival. And he was close to being right, in my opinion. It was good and easy to drink. Top five in my opinion. Popular too. Ken worked this tap on Saturday night... with someone else. Two guys running pitchers from the tap nonstop. And it still wasn't enough. 35 kegs. Wow.

Hale's Brewery (Seattle, WA) -- Hale's "El Jefe" Hefeweizen (Bavarian Hefeweizen)
Since I love the style, I expected to like this more than I did.

Russian River Brewing (Santa Rosa, CA) -- Pliny the Elder (Double IPA)
Cool name, blecht beer.

McMenamins (Portland, OR) -- Royal Oil Double Stout (Oatmeal Stout)
Ken got this one. Twice. I was turned off by the name.... sounded too heavy, too 'oil'y. Yeah, I'm a jackass. Top five. Easy. Great start, middle and end. I could drink this all night. What more could a girl want? Awesome, awesome beer.

Siletz Chocolate Porter (Siletz, OR) -- Siletz Chocolate Porter (Porter)
Ken got this one but I tried it. Eh. Okay. Where was that Royal Oil again?

Deschutes Brewery (Bend, OR) -- The Enigma (Pale Ale)
From the folks that made Black Butte Porter, Mirror Pond, etc. Yeah, I'm definitely trying this one. Especially since I read the beer was aged in Pinot Noir barrels. Are you kidding me? Where is the line? Where is my token? And then it came. And it was good. Really good. So much so that someone we were with stopped drinking all other beers for sake of this one. Exclusively. So round and full bodied; you'd think you were drinking a porter. But it was lighter in color with more of a spark. Wow. Thumbs up.

Laurelwood Public House (Portland, OR) -- Organic Deranger (Imperial Red Ale)
What does it say that I can't remember this beer yet I know I tried it? Hmmm. I want to say its strong, but have no idea.

Walking Man Brewery (Stevenson, WA) -- Flip Flop Pilsner (Bohemian Pilsner)
Again, ditto. I think it was okay but not great

Rock Bottom Brewery (Portland, OR) -- Kolsch 55 (Kolsch Style Ale)
Um, ditto. Nothing special. I remember being not too surprised when I found out who made it. (Note: I have a prejudice against 'chains', even though I know that they each make their own beer -- still having one menu coast to coast pisses me off)

Rogue Ales (Newport, OR) -- Scharzbier (German Style Schwartzbier)
I have no idea what this style is but I know if Rogue is making it, it's going to be good. And it was. Unfortunately, I don't remember too many of the details. So between this and the few beers above, where did this last half hour go?

Stone Brewing Co. (San Marcos, CA) -- Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale (American Strong Ale)
OK, I remember this one. The same arrogant bastard ale that we all know, but in oak. Eh, whatever. I already tried a beer today aged in wood.... only theirs was awesome. Next.

Widmer Bros Brewing Co (Portland, OR) -- Halo (Imperial IPA)
I read about this one.... supposedly twice as strong and it's an IPA. But it was good. Damn good. So good that I've rethought my entire IPA philosophy and actually just bought my first six pack of IPA (for myself). Well done, boys and girls... that beer is great.

Bear Republic Brewing Co. (Healdsburg, CA) -- Racer X (Double IPA)
After the beer above, I thought I could do any IPA and love them. Nope. This one was ok even though it got a lot of press. I'd rather have the Halo.

Main Street Ale House (Gresham, OR) -- Main Street Single Malt (Strong Ale)
I got sucked in based on the name. Single Malt? Is there whiskey in there? Well, just the same malt. I think this was more a novelty beer for me than anything else. It was okay.

Pizza Port Brewing Co. (Solano Beach, CA) -- Sharkbitten (Double Red)
And sometimes its all about salesmanship. I waited in line for the beer next door to this one. When I get to the front (with my one token left and 'last call' announced), I ask the guy how the beer was and if he got any return customers. He shrugged and said "I guess it's alright; I dunno". Hmmm, that's quite an endorsement. Then I turn to the guy from Pizza Port and ask him the same (keep in mind they're all volunteers and likely haven't even tasted the beers since it was the first day of the festival). "It's awesome, people keep coming back for more". And so my last token went in his box and I got to taste my last beer. And it was great. Awesome last choice. So that's why companies hire spokespeople.

So my OBF 2005 Top Five are:

Deschutes Brewery (Bend, OR) -- The Enigma (Pale Ale)
21st Amendment Brewery (San Fran, CA) -- Watermelon Wheat (Fruit Beer)
McMenamins (Portland, OR) -- Royal Oil Double Stout (Oatmeal Stout)
Golden Valley Brewery (McMinnville, OR) -- French Prarie Blanche (Belgian Blanche)
Widmer Bros Brewing Co (Portland, OR) -- Halo (Imperial IPA)

So mark your calendars for next year and the years after: the last full weekend in July. I know where I'll be. Definitely my favorite of the beer festivals I've attended up here.

Best. Beer. Ad.

2005-08-03T23:20:00.000-07:00

Ever.

(via To The People)

Homo Light

2005-07-21T15:35:00.000-07:00

Ok, so it's not beer. But it's soda, therefore fizzy, therefore sudsy, therefore too ridiculous to not comment on.

My first thought goes back to the trippy book Alice in Wonderland. Will I turn gay if I drink it? What's the antidote, a straight cake? If so, should it be substituted for crackers at communion services? Getting too far off topic... But I don't know what's funnier, that it's pear flavored, pink, or a light beverage. Who knew so many stereotypes could be exploited in a beverage?

Personally, I'd prefer to see Butt Buddy Beer, or Cornhole Cola, or Fellatio Fizz, or Lesbo Light. There's something more fun about alliteration. Damn, there I go again being all insensitive.

Portland International Beer Festival (part 1/2)

2005-07-18T11:17:00.000-07:00

PIBF is held in the park blocks of Portland. About 2 grassy, shady blocks are quarantined off by fencing (to keep underage drinkers out). There's an entry gate at the south end where you get your wrist band, 4oz taster glass and 10 tickets. As you walk in, you can hear the music playing and see the beer tents set up around the perimeter. There are many tables with umbrellas & chairs in the middle of the makeshift courtyard underneath the canopy of trees. Plus, plenty of food vendors interspersed. The layout is good... makes it feel like a beer garden rather than aisles of beer vendors where it feels like a big ordeal to wait in line, get beer, drink beer, wait in next line, repeat.

The $20 cover is steep. Very steep, but it seems to weed out the riff-raff. Beers are either 1, 2 or 3 tickets, depending on the cost of the beer to import. Most are one ticket. I checked in at the volunteer booth, got my Bruce Lee "Fist Full of Beer" t-shirt of him holding two pints and was asked if I prefer "tap or bottle". I replied it didn't matter and he sent me to station # 3. Um, ok. Turns out it was the Spaten on draft station... I started off pouring their Dinkelacker Dunkel, Spaten Optimator, Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse, and their Helles Bock. The Hefe-weisse was kicked in no time -- it was the last day and 92 degrees. Then another volunteer showed up and I was shifted down a couple taps to the Spaten Premium Lager, Oktoberfest (Ur-Marzen)& Spaten Pils where I stayed for the duration. (Description of these beers is here).

Short version: I would do it again in a second and make everyone I know do it too. Very fun. Awesome to see it from the other side. You get to talk and pour beer all day. See the cuties, the drunks, the know-it-alls and the hairy-armpit-moms-who-yell-at-you-for-not-pouring-her-enough-as-she-breast-feeds-her-baby-in-the-other-arm. aaaahhh. All in all, very fun. I loved the two people who came up for a beer, handed me their ticket & when I asked for their glass, they go "doh" and went back to their table for it, only to return embarrassed but happy.

Since I was working the last shift, no beer to drink after. That part was very sad. A guy in charge saw the big bottom lip on me and Jim (the 55 year old volunteer next to me) and gave us 1/8th of a pitcher of the Hitachino Nest Ginger Ale, a ginger-infused beer out of Japan, to taste as they were shutting down the taps. We cowered in the corner with our pitcher and toasted to our good fortune like it was the last beer on earth. It was good, but I'd like more of a bite at the end. I prefered Karl's ginger ale to this one.

So definitely volunteer at your local beer-fest (it's a blast) and pick an early shift so you can drink beer afterwards. Also, if you have a beer-loving friend... both of you should sign up -- things are pretty relaxed where you can ask to work together, making it even more fun. Apparently a whole women's roller derby team volunteered for Saturday night. I heard it was quite a sight.

As I left to pick up my gift certificate with Jim, we were told that the gift certificates were all gone. I guess cowering in the corner with our 4 oz of beer cost us each $20.

"But don't worry," said the guy in charge, "we'll go shopping. Wait here."

Jim and I stand there with one other guy who missed his gift certificate too. The guy returns about 5 minutes later with 7 cases of assorted imported beer.

"What do you like?"

...to be continued below.

PIBF: The Prize (part 2/2)

2005-07-18T11:16:00.000-07:00

When the guy came back with the 7 cases of assorted beers, our eyes lit up like saucers. Various sizes. Colors. Styles. Countries.

Straight off the bat, he pulled out a champagne-sized bottle and said "well this is a good start" and handed each of us:

Grand Cuvee Ale Brewed by: AleSmith Brewing Company San Diego, CA, USA Style:Belgian Strong Ale Abv:10.6% 750 ml, $10

We each take the gold-foiled beer, holding it like the pre-shess it is. He keeps digging. "Oh this is a definite":

Hitachino Nest Japanese Classic Ale (Aged in Cedar Cask) An English India Pale Ale (IPA) brewed by Kiuchi Brewery in Japan. Limited availability. $8.79

"If you've never tried a cedar cask-aged beer, definitely try this. Very unique." He keeps digging. "Oh, this one too. I prefer the brune to the triple, but you can take your pick.":

St. Feuillien Brune Style: Double Origin: Belgium Belgian double is one of my favorite styles. St. Feuillien Brune is a great example of the dry side of the style. It pours brown with some red color to it. Big, frothy, unrelenting head along with a high level of carbonation. Chocolaty in aroma with hints of spices and earthiness. The flavor is malty, chocolaty with raisin fruitiness and finishes with a light spiciness and a cleansing citrus rind hop bitterness. If you are looking for a sweet double this is not it; Feuillien is malty but dry and crisper on the finish than most. 750 ml, $8.70

St. Feuillien Tripel Style: Triple Origin: Belgium Golden yellow in color this Belgian beauty pours with a large rock head that stick well to the side of
your glass. The aroma is sweet and of tart tropical fruit. Pale malt and honey flavors dominate with sweet candy and mango flavors lingering. Spicy hops finish it out with just a little bit of an alcohol presence. Complex, and flavorful this one will keep you sipping and finding new nuance for some time. 750 mL, $8.70

"Actually, why don't you just take both to try." He could have stopped digging there, but he didn't. Looking around his boxes like Santa, next he finds a couple that he likes and just hands them out:

Schwelmer Alt An Altbier brewed by Brauerei Schwelm in Germany 500 ml, A slightly sweet and malty German Alt beer. $5.00

Waterloo Freeminer Brewery. Ale Special Bitter-England 4.50% England 16 oz. Waterloo has a rich malt character which gives an unexpected depth of taste. Brewed from an American hop variety, the beer has a wide spectrum of flavour. While the brewery refers to this as a "Red Ale", by all accounts it is the spittin image of a nice, robust, bottle-conditioned Special Bitter. The color might be a tad dark for the style, but the flavor profile is on the money and world-class. Don't know cost, couldn't find a price - say $3

Schneider Edel-Weisse A fairly unique wheat beer style. Higher in alcohol than most wheat ales, but not as strong as weizen bocks. Ale Hefe Weizen-Germany Manneken-Brussel 6.20% 18.00, 500 mL, don't know the cost, say $3.

"Oooh, this is a good organic one":

Samuel Smith Organic Ale, Style: Golden Ale Country: England Refreshing and delicate, the organically certified Samuel Smith's Organic Ale is a golden ale in which malt and hops interact to produce a brew of incredible flavors that last long on the palate. 550 mL $3.49

"Ah, well looks like you guys are doing pretty good. That should about do it," as he keeps sifting through bottles. The guy next to me mentioned earlier he liked dark beers. "Oh, dark beer, I almost forgot. Well if you like dark and chocolate, this is the beer":

Ayinger Celebrator Lager Doppelbock-Germany Ayinger Celebrator The chocolatiest of the chocolately. In a style where malt & dark is king (doppelbock),Celebrator takes the crown. , 12 oz $2.50

"Oh, this is a great one out of Chicago. If you haven't tried it, definitely take this one":

Goose Island 1800 Demolition Ale (Strong Golden) A Belgian Strong Ale brewed by Goose Island Beer Company Chicago, Illinois USA, 12 oz, $4.65

"Well, that about does it. Looks like you all made out better than the people with gift certificates." How right he was. We all thanked him profusely. He gave us each a box to carry our bounty and as he was consolidating beers, he pulls up one that had the most intriguing label. Bright yellow with pretty writing. Champagne top. My eyes sparkled with curiosity. "What is that one?", I asked. "Oh, that's a good one -- guess you'll have to try it too!" He hands me one last beer, the beautiful one:

Cuvee Euphorique, An Abbey Blonde brewed by De Proefbrouwerij Lochristi, Belgium. 750 mL Can't find a description online anywhere but I found descriptions of their Cuvee Diabolique & Angelique. ~$6.50 for Cuvee Diabolique

Wow. I took that last bottle like it was my long lost baby. He smiled and knew he had done more than his share for all of us. We thanked him again and walked out the gates, with everyone eyeing our beautiful bounty. Almost a case of beautiful beers each. I was on my bike and started scratching my head as to how I was going to get the beers home. As luck would have it, the box wedged perfectly into my rear bike basket. I put on my helmet and slowly rode my bike home, totally top heavy and awkward. I felt like a squirrel carrying the best bounty of nuts ever. But I made it. I put them on the kitchen counter, wrote down the names and sizes of each and went upstairs to read more about them. I found the above descriptions on the PIBF website and on various beer reviewing and supplier sites around. All together, he gave us roughly $64.33 in hard-to-get beers.

So ask me again if it was fun and would I volunteer again? A resounding "HELL, YES".

That's just the kind of helpful girl I am

2005-07-12T15:56:00.000-07:00

Yours truly will be pouring beers at the Portland International Beer Festival this Sunday. In lieu of working one shift (3-6:45), I get my $20 admission fee waived, a free beer mug, t-shirt and 10 free drink tickets worth 4 oz a piece. Awesome!

Oh, but imagine my sadness when I learned that by chosing to work this last shift (all but one were already filled) means that I don't actually get to drink the beer since volunteers aren't given the drink tickets until after duty is served. Did they think volunteers given tickets up front would just skip out or be too drunk?

How did they know?

They do give folks volunteering this last shift a $20 gift certificate to a local beer store. And maybe if I cup my hands and look extra pathetic and thirsty, someone will "spare a spill" for a girl who just wants to try some fancy euro beers.

Either way, I think it will be fun to see it from the other side. Here are my instructions:

Here’s your final reminder for pouring beer at PIB.

SHIFT: SUN JULY 17, 3:15-6:45pm

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY.

MOST IMPORTANT:
1. NO FREE BEER--NO FREE TASTES:
• This has been a big problem in the past. We will immediately dismiss any volunteers who do this.
2. TAKE TICKETS FIRST (BEFORE POURING BEER)
3. TEAR THE TICKETS
4. Do not pour over the 4 oz line (marked on glass). Foam above the line is OK.
5. ENJOY YOURSELF

IF YOU NEED HELP WITH ANYTHING, just ask the BEER POLICE.

Please check in 15 minutes prior to your shift at PIB’s main entrance (NW DAVIS & NW PARK AVE). We’ll give you a quick orientation. Then it’s off to pour the best beers in the world. After you’re done, we’ll set you up with your glass & beer tickets for you lounging pleasure. If you’re working the last shift on Sunday, you’ll get your gift certificate afterwards.

Any other questions? Write us or call the hotline:
800-301-7713. We'll call you right back.

WITHOUT YOU, PIB IS NOT POSSIBLE. THANKS!!!

Rick Carpenter & Tanya Weitz,
Pet Cross
Portland International Beerfest

You have been assigned to work Sunday 7/17 3:15PM-6:45PM