Archive for May, 2009

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The Mirror Is Here

Sunday, May 10th, 2009
Last night on my way home from work I had to stop by the store to pick up ingrediants for veg curry. As usuall I decided to go down the beer isle on the off chance that they had any new beers. Before I even got on the isle though I could see the object of my desires at the end. The Mirror Mirror Barleywine.

I was so excited I ended up getting two bottles which I have set aside in a quiet out of the way place to age. Without further ado here’s some beer pron of the bottles.

 

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Posted in Good Beers | 2 Comments »

Results Of Beer City USA Poll

Friday, May 8th, 2009

Charlie’s poll for “Beer City USA” has closed, and the winners have been announced. Of course accusations of cheating have been leveled, mostly in Portland’s direction, and the trash talking has started. Perhaps more interesting then the results are some of Charlie’s comments about it. Check them out here. Also here are the results in case you don’t want to read the whole thing in an attempt to find them.

Who gets top honors?  I’m honoring both Portland, Oregon and Asheville, North Carolina this year.  They are number one in the east and number one in the west with about 6,000 votes apiece.   What, no definitive Number 1 and Number 2?  Correct.  Is that a cop out?  I don’t think so, but of course beer drinkers are an opinionated group of individuals and may beg to differ. 

Will I conduct a Beer City USA poll next year?   I haven’t decided that yet. 

Now I have to get myself to Asheville for a first time visit and revisit the delights of Portland.

Cheers Charlie,

We may not like your poll much, but we respect you none the less

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Posted in News, Ramblings | 1 Comment »

Falling In Love With A Comment

Thursday, May 7th, 2009

Back on the 6th my blog, and some other blogs I read were twitted in part because of our responses to the I Am A Craft Brewer vid on Vimeo. This led to an avalanche of comments on all these blogs, and some were more interesting then others. One in particular had an effect on me, and it takes alot for someones words to stir me into a Passion. It was submitted by David Berg of August Schell brewing. Strangely it was meant for the blog of a lady named Maureen who happened to be on the Beer Wars panel (she was the infamous El Guapo who said “see me in ten years”). It couldn’t have fallen in better hands though as he accidentally posted it at Jeff Alworths blog Beervana. Jeff has written a bit on this quandary facing the brewers association (here and here, oh yeah, and he talks about Widmer getting kicked from “craft beer” here) to see Jeff’s post on David’s comment click here.

Without anything further on my part here is what David wrote.

Hey Maureen-

“I was a craft brewer.” That’s the movie I want to make. Because, I was at one time, according to the BA and the video. But alas, I work for August Schell now, and we are not craft brewers (just ask the BA). Never mind the fact that we will celebrate our 150th year in 2010 as the second-oldest family owned brewery in the US. We survived prohibition, a Native American uprising that burned New Ulm to the ground, and the vanishing of regional breweries in the 70′s and 80′s. Forget the fact that we sold a tree on our grounds in the 80′s to pay the bills. Discount that we brewed a German Pilsner and Weizen in 1986.

Because, the fact is, the bulk of our production uses corn as an adjunct. And even if you discount that beer, we would still produce a larger volume of non-adjunct beers than most of the top craft breweries. But hey, what does that matter?

No, I am not a craft brewer, and I’ll happily be that for another 150 years.

Cheers!

David Berg
August Schell Brewing

 

Cheers David

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Posted in Beautiful Words, Ramblings, Rants | 2 Comments »

Rethinking The Rose

Thursday, May 7th, 2009

rose20swirls_cd011107faThe score sheets for my Rose Red Ale came in a couple days ago. With life being what it is one thing and then the next pushed it back further in my priorities so I’m sorry it’s taken so long to post them. My final assigned score was 33.3 out of a possible 50. Prior to these sheets arriving I had no idea how the scoring system worked, so to find out my first place beer got a D for a score didn’t sit as well as I thought it would.

I’ve known from the first time I tried it that I wanted to reformat this recipe. The beer was malty, but had no distinct malt flavors, just a bland general maltiness. It was also overly sweet in my opinion. Even the warming character common to bigger beers just wasn’t there. The thing that bugged me most though was that the rose character didn’t come through the way I wanted it too. Strangely enough these were the same issues the judges had, and it’s what kept the beer in the very good category.

Judge 1

Aroma:Carmel malt, slight hops, rose is subdued, perfumy   7/12

Appearance: med brown, a bit cloudy (clears as it warms), low head   2/3

Flavor: interesting, low malt/hops, kind of woody/astringency, low bitterness  15/20

Mouthfeel:fairly astringent, a nice warming sensation but does not seem verry alcoholic   3/5

Overall Impression: interesting “beer” I would not have guessed rose without knowing it. Subtle but pleasent   7/10

Judge 2

Aroma: fragrant perfume, not flowery   8/12

Appearance: a bit cloudy   2/3

Flavor: this has a very lite rosehip flavor, but it is very subdued  13/20

Mouthfeel: crisp, clean, some astringincy   3/5

Overall Impression: a nice beer w/ a slight floral flavor, needs more character   7/10

Judge 3

Aroma: fragrant & floral, not finding rose hips, fruity esters, -light malt-, floral increases as it warms, light wood   8/12

Appearance: med brown color, slight haze   3/3

Flavor: sweet non discript malt, no hop, esters, -perfume or floral-, a touch of wood  11/20

Mouthfeel: med body, carbonation oil, non warming   4/5

Overall Impression: rose component is very lite, would like it more descript, beer is sweet slowing down on drinking pleasure   6/10

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When Seasonals Should Be Standards

Thursday, May 7th, 2009

Yesterday Greg Koch stopped by my blog and it has fried my brain in terms of writing. For those who don’t know me I like to poke, but abhore confrontation. So yesterday was a tense day. Not only that, but many blogs that I posted comments on in the morning were visited by him and his followers also. So even my comments that weren’t anti Greg Koch began to look like it to me. So while I’d like to write a reaction to yesterday, I’m going to refrain. I’m picking a nice safe topic that can’t get me in trouble.

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Last night I picked up a bottle of seasonal beer from Ninkasi which is fast becoming my favorite seasonal brewer. Sadly though it looks like my love for them will never move beyond their seasonals. Their main lineup consists of a couple Northwest IPAs and a double red. As a person who isn’t to big into overhopped beers it’s understandable that I’m less then thrilled with their main line. Their Spring Reign, Oatis, and Sleigh’R though are all awesome beers, and count for around half of their lineup.

Why is it that these amazing beers must be relegated to only a few months of the year?

I’ve noticed somewhat of a theme in some Oregon breweries (if it’s only occasionaly is it still a theme?) Breweries will have a few excellent beers available, and then round out their line with multiple over the top IPAs because that’s what sells here. That leaves those of us who don’t like IPAs much up Bitch Creek (joke for Northwestern drinkers). Instead I’m stuck buying Rogue, Deschutes, Widmer, and Anchor to round out the beer fridge and give me a break from homebrew. I guess I could just go out and buy a case of Spring Reign, and I guess I could do the same with Oatis. But doesn’t a case seem over the top for a great beers that on their own could carry your main line?

Posted in Good Beers, Rants | 1 Comment »

A Clarification/Reaction/Appology

Wednesday, May 6th, 2009

On April 30th I wrote an open letter to Greg Koch in which I accused him of being a “whiny jerk off” amongst other things. I’ll admit I was wrong in writing that letter the way I did. I have never met Greg and do not know what kind of person he is. That day Greg became the focus of all my annoyance with the craft beer industry and the beer snobs that follow it. I was wrong. I thought Greg would never read it and thought my vent would be good for a few laughs and some poking with sticks in his direction. Apparently I thought wrong though as Greg read it and even posted a link to it on his twitter today. While I’m sure Greg is a good guy if you know him personally I still stand by some of what I said and would like to clarify it in an attempt to address some of the comments I’ve received.

Mr Koch,

First off I apologize for the attributes I layered on you. I do not know you personally and had no right to characterize you as such. That being said please understand that the way you present yourself and your brewery is what has caused me to leap to these conclusions. I understand that part of it is simply how you market your beers. After all, I’ve grown up around Rogue who labels themselves as the beer that individualists drink. I get that it gives the product an air of being exclusive. My problem is that products and companies who characterize themselves in this manner annoy me to no end. I also understand that you were using mozzarella sticks and Kenny G in a humorous way, but in my mind that just pointed back to the problem I was trying to address. We’ve allowed and encouraged labels to be attached to craft beer that have made it more about the image then good beer. Also I don’t see how passion has anything to do with whetheror not someone can make a good product. I personally make beers I enjoy. Am I passionate about them? Well, I’m not sure I’d characterize it in that way. I just happen to make what I enjoy and am content with that. In my mind your version of passion conjurs the idea of being narrow minded about your own tastes.

To Everyone Else,

I’m not the Miller drinker I was describing. I have nothing against Miller, I just don’t happen to enjoy their beer. That Miller drinker I described happened to be a combination of two of my friends, both of whom are BMC drinkers. The one that likes Miller also happens to be my favorite drinking buddy. They do enjoy craft beer, but Miller High Life is just something they happen to enjoy more. Also my grandparents are Busch Lite drinkers. I don’t blame this on them being ignorant or dispassionate. They have both tried craft beer and usually try whatever homebrew I have and still prefer their Busch. They just happen to have different tastes. I don’t see how this makes them ignorant or dispassionate. The fact that I got comments about people being surprised that the person I described didn’t drink craft beer just goes to prove that we have attached ridiculous labels on craft beer drinkers.

Also when I talked about diversity I wasn’t refering to beer selection, but referring to the people that frequent craft beer pubs in Salem. Although I would rather go to these places and have a good local beer I find myself more often at local watering holes that serve BMC simply because the crowds are more diverse, and more fun IMHO. I’d rather kick back and relax without having to hear about Indy music, local foodie hotspots, and all those other silly things. I feel that craft beer has allowed itself to become so exclusive and snobbish that it is ridiculous. I still stand by my challenge to Greg and the rest of you. Rather then criticize others for their beer tastes buy them a Bud and have a conversation. Who knows, you may find a great friend, albeit one who drinks BMC.

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Posted in Ramblings, Rants | 4 Comments »

Mirror Mirror, Wherefor Art Thou?

Wednesday, May 6th, 2009

deschutes-mirrormirror-09

I have been hitting all the local specialty beer sellers alot lately looking for one particular bottle of beer. The 22oz Deschutes Reserve Series Mirror Mirror Barleywine (as a side effect of searching my consumption of 22oz bombers has gone up). On April 22nd the bottles were sealed with wax, and as of the 29th (the kickoff party) the beer has been released. Here’s the problem though. It has been a week, and still no Mirror Mirror.

I know a week isn’t a lot of time to get the beers to the stores, but darn it all. Not only is Mirror Mirror taking a long time to hit the shelves, but I’m still waiting for the day I can pick up a bottle of Red Chair, and longing for a sixer of Twilight. Come on Deschutes, get on the ball.

So why am I longing so much for this beer? Well there are multiple reasons.

♥ First off, Mirror Mirror is a barleywine. While I’m not normally a big fan of imperials, or other big beers, there’s something nice about a glass of a nicely balanced barleywine after dinner that makes it a treat.

♥ Secondly, Mirror Mirror promises to be that balanced barleywine. It comes in at 30 IBU’s which isn’t too bad, and at 11% ABV. Also Deschuttes didn’t loose touch with itself and kept up with their creative dry hopping when they made this. This means Mirror Mirror will have some great hop complexity. Also as an added touch this batch is going to have a nice oak aged finish to it.

♥ And lastly, the bottle will look darned good on my wall with all my other bottles from northwest breweries.

I recommend picking up a few bottles of these if you can. Their suggested retail is around$12 which means it’ll probably cost around $13 a bottle, but multiple bottles are necessary. Barlywines are made to be aged, andMirror Mirror is no exception. In fact the bottle says best if drank after 2010 on it! With the wax dipping that Deschutes gave their bottles I get the feeling these can age for awhile longer and the multiple bottles would be necessary for this reason. You have to have a bottle or two to drink while that one sits in the cellar for a couple years after all.

For a fun drinking game  have a glass of barleywine every time you read Mirror Mirror.

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Posted in Good Beers, Ramblings | No Comments »

Capitol Brewers

Monday, May 4th, 2009

capitol_kh_725061Saturday night I went to my first meeting of the Capitol Brewers, and I wish I had had a camera with me. Capitol Brewers is a homebrew club in Salem. So why would I want a camera? Were the people there so attractive that I’d like to take a picture? Well here’s some perspective on why I needed a camera.

For awhile I’d been flirting with the idea of attending a meeting and had finally broke down and got the address from Doug Faynor at Homebrew Heaven. Doug had told me the meetings are potluck style, and people usually bring some beer also, but not to worry since I wasn’t a member and was just checking it out. I thought I’d be cool though and bring my new CPB stout for people to try… See what I did wrong there? I thought I’d be cool…. Anyway I showed up with a sixer and was told the meeting was downstairs and that the beer went around the corner. Well once I got around the corner my jaw dropped.

Capitol Brewers were the ones who put on the Homebrew Classic at the Oregon Gardens Brew Fest. They did the prizes, handled the bottles and storage, did the administrative work for it, and provided several judges for the event. As they were the ones in charge of storing the bottles before the competition they were also in charge of storing the leftover full bottles afterwords. So when I walked around that corner with my measly sixer there were like 7 or 8 good size coolers full to the tops with beer. So much for bringing beer for people to try eh? Not only did they have the coolers though, but when I turned around I noticed a bar at the opposite end every square inch taken up with beer bottles.

Now tell me, is there a greater form of nirvana for a beer lover then entering a room full of homebrew, in like 26 different categories and like 150 styles mind you, and being told to feel free to sample and drink all you’d like? I mean it was like being a kid in a candy shop. I just read and reread the category list trying to decide what style I wanted first. After I’d decided I bounced around and sampled three different styles, only filling my glass full once (with my own Bombay CPB). Then there was the meeting, bla bla bla, and then more beer!

So what was the general impression of the club, other then they had alot of beer at that meeting? The club didn’t seem very organized or structured. In fact it mostly just seemed like a hangout for brewers. This could be because with all the samples people kept drifting out of the room for more beer though. I had a good time discussing brewing, and relearned an important thing about brewing. You’ll never find someone who knows everything, and even then, just cause it works for them doesn’t make it right for you. In fact I couldn’t find anyone with experience in the kind of funky beers I like to brew. The people were knowledgeable and friendly though, and I had alot of fun sharing a few beers with them. At $24 dollars a year in dues I may just end up joining for the camaraderie.

Since I forgot my camera, please enjoy this video of beer bottle dominoes

Oh yeah,

In case my mother or someone reads this post I did stay sober. After all I was on a bike, and drinking too much would have been bad news with only two wheels to balance.

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Posted in Events, Good Beers, Ramblings | 3 Comments »

Small Beer

Monday, May 4th, 2009

smallbeerCurrently I have 10 gal of a modern attempt at a small beer bubbling away in both my carboys. I say modern because even at 2.5% ABV it’s still not a true small beer. In fact most small beers out there aren’t true small beers, even the ones made using the same process. So what is a small beer?

Small beers are deeply rooted in history, and the need to provide beer for ones household. Back then beer was made in the home, usually by a woman from the kitchen. In a small family this would usually be the wife, and in a larger household a servant. Beer was in integral part of society then and much of it was made. Unlike modern day brewing though the batches were often larger, and not as diverse. One day I may brew a small beer, and the next a nice roasty stout. When you’re brewing large batches for an entire household for a large space of time though you wouldn’t do this.

So what is a small beer exactly? From what I’ve gathered by reading books on the history of beer what we call a small beer nowadays used to be called a table beer. Malt extracts are a fairly new thing to brewing, and before them all brewing was all grain. When the grains were rinsed in the tun there were multiple runnings made. The first running is what we call now call beer. This was added to the pot, boiled with hops, and turned into what we often think of as a normal beer. Once the first runnings were pulled off they sent more water through the tun and got what was called a second run. We have now arrived at what we now call small beer. This beer is usually around 3% ABV and would be drunk throughout the day and at meals. If it was possible a third running would be made to produce a true small beer. This beer was loaded with tannins, and didn’t have much flavor. It was usually reserved for servants and children.

So is it possible to brew a modern small beer using old methods? Anchor Brewing has a small beer made from the second runnings of their barlywine, and Firestone Walker makes a small beer called lil Opal from the second runnings of their wheat whine Opal. Notice both these small beers are made from big malty beers. With a big beer like a barlywine your efficiency goes down and more sugars are left in the grains. This means that when you make a second running you’ll still get alot of flavor, without a lot of tannins in the wort. This makes big beers the perfect candidates for the homebrewer to experiment with when it comes to making small beer. So if you brew all grain, and your making a big beer like a barlywine then get out an extra fermentor and make some small beer.

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Posted in history, How To | No Comments »

The Cost Of Homebrew

Friday, May 1st, 2009

money_stackPerhaps the thing that’s gotten the most strange looks and questions is when I tell people I save money when I homebrew. Apparently no one believes that brewing your own can save you money. But the truth is it really can. My beer may not always be as cheap as a sixer of Budweiser, but it can definitely be cheaper then those craft beers in the store. Take the current summer rye I have bubbling away right now. The ingredients cost around $35 dollars for a 5 gal batch of 5% abv beer. That comes out to around 75 cents per a bottle. However I doubled the water in this batch in order to try and achieve a small beer of around 2.5% abv this has lowered the cost of this beer too around 35 cents a batch. How much does your Bud Light cost per a can? and I promise this has more flavor.

My Summer Rye doesn’t have alot of specialty ingredients though, so how does a bigger beer like my Rose Red compare? Well it came out to around $1.25 per a bottle, or $7.50 per a sixer. Not really that bad considering. Even if making recipes isn’t your thing it still can be cheap. Last time I was in the local brew shop I failed to find a 5 gal kit beer over $50, and these were nice, but spendy, kits like Rogues Dead Guy.

So we now know how much a batch costs, so what about start up? This is the part that intimidates people the most. After all where does one start? Do I need a glass carboy or a plastic food grade bucket for a fermentor? What about a pot? Do I need a propane burner like the guys online say? What is all grain? What is a lauter tun? Do I need a lauter tun?

As you can see it’s overwhelming when you start looking for equipment. Want to know a secret though to creating a free homebrewing kit? Back when I first started brewing consisted of the largest pot I had at the time (less then 3 gal), and several 2 ltr soda bottles for fermentors. There were no thermometers, hydrometers, bubblers or the like. But how this all worked is another post.

Let’s say you want something a little more substantial then the ghetto setup I started with. Let’s say you want to start where most hobbiests start, extract brewing using your cook top. For a pre-packaged starter kit your looking at a starting cost of around $50 to upwards of 2 or 3 hundred dollars. So what are the basics you need for your kit? For a person just starting you will need at least the following. Bottles aren’t listed since you probably have some lying around from all those beers you’ve purchased at the store.

Needed

•3 gal pot (5 or more would be better)
•5 gal food grade plastic bucket with a lid that has a spot to insert a bubbler
•bubbler
•racking cane
•siphoning tube
•capper and caps
•bottle brush
•thermometer

Optional things that will help

•bottling wand
•hydrometer
•wort chiller

If one were to scavenge their undamaged fermenting buckets from restaurants then you could theoretically have a brewing kit for under $50 easy. Considering how much other hobbies like golf, cycling, and the like cost brewing is a cheap hobby. Combine that with a good beer  that you made for cheaper then the cost of a sixer at the store and one can really appreciate the savings of brewing your own beer.

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Posted in How To, tutorials | 4 Comments »

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