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July 1, 2004
Welcome to American Beer Month, a celebration of the wonderful
diversity that is American Beer. The campaign is sponsored by several breweries, and has organized a list of events taking place throughout the country during July.
This week, the campaign celebrates American Pilsners.
Congratulations to the winners of this year's 26th Annual National Homebrewer's Conference! This year's event drew over 4,443 entries from 1,058 homebrewers
in 46 states. The final round of judging took place at the National Homebrew Conference June 19 in Las Vegas. Special congrats go out to:
Jamil Zainasheff of Elk Grove, CA, who won the Ninkasi Award for winning the most ribbons.
Rod Romanak of Kaulua-Kona, HI, who won Best of Show Beer with a Robust Porter.
Joe Formanek of Bolingbrook, IL, who won Best of Show Mead with a Varietal Mead.
Bruce Franconi of Red Hook, NY, who won Best of Show Cider with a Specialty Cider.
June 30, 2004
A homebrewer's beer is now on tap at Barley's Tap Room in Columbus, OH:
"I think most home brewers would feel honored to be able to brew their own beer on a professional system and have it offered commercially for the public to enjoy."
Jay Wince, a homebrewer since 1995, won the pub's annual homebrew competition this month. His winning beer recipe, a Russian Imperial Stout, was subsequently brewed for sale.
How can I keep my fermentors cool in the hot weather? The Wine Wizard explains.
Here's a little history of Yuengling's, America's oldest brewery. From Inc magazine:
"But for all its charm, the old brew house at Fifth and Mahantongo, in the heart of this former coal-mining town about 100 miles northwest of Philadelphia, has emerged as an unlikely player in today's beer industry.
A remnant of a time when hundreds of tiny local breweries dotted the American landscape, Yuengling now somehow finds itself the nation's fifth-largest brewer, churning out 1.3 million barrels last year and bringing in more than
$100 million in annual revenue. All this as it celebrates its 175th anniversary, a milestone very few family businesses ever reach."
March 30, 2004
Getting your homebrew in the door.
Two New York actors use their homebrewing skills to make an impression on casting agents. From the New York Times (subscription required):
"Temperature is an issue — the issue — for Adair Moran and Nicholas Little, two young actors living in a studio apartment on West 73rd Street.
They're brewing beer there, and beer likes to ferment at a cool 65 degrees.
Mr. Little, who grew up in Vermont, where 65 degrees, he said, is considered "normal room temperature," is happy with the kitchen window wide open — and
is a stern monitor of its position. Ms. Moran, who grew up in Kansas City, Mo., and whose own body temperature runs cold, she said, is invariably sneaking the sash down.
"Actor Ale" is the end result of Ms. Moran and Mr. Little's beer making and window wrestling. In a city teeming with actors, Actor Ale is the couple's novel effort to
brand their faces into the memories of casting directors and agents."
March 22, 2004
The 2004 National Homebrew Competition...
...is just a few weeks away. Last year, this event drew 3,340 entries from all over the U.S. If you have a few bottles of especially
good homebrew, we encourage you to send two to this one. The window for entries is April 7 to 16. See the AHA website for details.
Proving once again: one skilled homebrewer will always make a better beer than a
brew by committee.
The Boston Marathon ain't got nothin on these folks.
Horst Dounbusch makes a strong case that a good brewer makes a good politician.
Problem is, neither Bush or Kerry look to be good brewers.
March 17, 2004
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
"And may you be half an hour in heaven before the devil knows you're dead."
And while you're quaffing a stout tonight, don't forget to toast a few other saints.
March 15, 2004
Don't worry, we have people working on that.
Scientists from Stanford University and the University of Edinburgh have confirmed what many beer drinkers have always claimed: that beer bubbles sometimes fall in the glass, as well as rise to
the top. From the Stanford Report:
"The answer turns out to be really very simple," Zare explained. "It's based on the idea of what goes up has to come down. In this case, the bubbles go up more easily in the center of the beer glass than on the sides because of drag from the walls. As they go up, they raise the beer, and the beer has to spill back,
and it does. It runs down the sides of the glass carrying the bubbles particularly little bubbles with it, downward. After a while it stops, but it's really quite dramatic and it's easy to demonstrate."
But I want more bubbles going up! What can I do to create more head retention in my homebrew? Mr. Wizard explains.
March 9, 2004
Some enterprising students at the University of Cincinnati have formed their own brewers guild. Their goal is to spread the homebrewing craft
on campus, and progress to all-grain brewing. From the News Record:
"The story begins with four college friends who, according to co-founder and president Frank Noel, fourth-year industrial engineering student, developed an interest in the beer brewing process from weekends of hanging out and trying different beers.
"We like beer," said Noel.
Noel said he and the founding members started drinking beer like many others.
"Drinking the 'Nati or whatever," he said. "Through the years we branched out, trying different beers and figuring out what tastes identify certain types."
After many weekends of doing home brewing experiments, Noel and the other three co-founders decided to make a go at forming a student organization."
What do you drink after climbing the Himalayas? Tongba, of course. From Time magazine:
"Upland Nepalis are avid home brewers, and nowhere is this more apparent than in the shadow of Kanchenjunga, the world's third highest mountain. Any self-respecting village north
of Dharan brews tongba, and the thirsty are welcome here. "One time I had tongba: after only two I tried to get up and walk and I couldn't," warns security guard K.C. Prakash Kumar.
"It's very strong."
March 8, 2004
New brews on the way. From the Merced Sun-Star:
"It’s the perfect blend of science and art,” Hall, 37, said from beneath a ball cap. “I just get all excited on the first brew day. I could hardly sleep last night.”
So what are these rumors we keep hearing? Is Saskatchewan barley really an aphrodisiac?
"
A series of Molson USA print and radio ads points out that the zinc in Saskatchewan barley is also common to oysters and truffles, known for their amorous properties.
"Here at Molson, we're constantly asked if our Saskatchewan barley is an aphrodisiac," one print ad states. "Those rumors are unfounded," the ad concludes.
Dwayne Anderson, who grows barley on his farm near Fosston in northeast Saskatchewan, said he likes the attention the campaign is giving his crop and province, although he was skeptical about whether his crop has special powers.
"We've never made it over a million people in Saskatchewan, so either we've been exporting a whole pile of people or this beer isn't working worth a hoot!" Anderson said.
Just to be sure, Ale has ordered a 55 lb bag. He hopes to organize a scientific test soon.
So what is Guiness's secret elixir? Anybody got a clue?
The Cobra offers some friendly advice on removing those pesky labels from your bottles. Thanks Cobra!
March 4, 2004
Nothing like a little bread wine from Grandma! From the Jamaican Gleaner:
"While most of the crowd flocked around the main entertainment area and the food tents, Grandma was perched under the gazebo on the top tier of the site. With her wines, créme de menthe, ginger beer and a titanic-sized pan of
sweet potato pudding, she attracted a steady stream of people who came for the pudding and stayed for the wine. A few, including Keisha Bowla and Lillian Davis from Meadowbrook Estate in St. Andrew, intoxicated by Grandma's brew and smitten
by her old-time charm, stayed for a spell to help her out. Slowed by age, and shuffling on her feet Grandma, dressed in a cosy pink and cream sweater and black and blue tunic, needed help to quickly slice and serve her pudding ($50 per slice)
and provide samples of wine (sold at $250 per small bottle). "We just came by and she appeared like she needed help," explains Bowla. "She's also nice and pleasant and very open, that's what drew me to her."
Grandma's bread wine recipe is included.
For a complete list of upcoming homebrew competitions, visit AHA's competition registry.
The second annual Hickory Hops festival takes place Saturday, April 3, in downtown
Hickory, NC. According to the website:
"Although Asheville and Charlotte have had fests for years, in only its second year this is already an up-and-coming event for our humble burg. Hickory Hops is being planned and organized by the Hickory Downtown
Development Association and hosted by Olde Hickory Brewery.
A beer festival is a celebration of beer, a gathering of the brewing clans. With brewers on hand to answer questions, it’s an opportunity for the beer neophytes and curious to learn and enjoy. A variety of beer, spanning
almost every style, will be available. Don’t let the selection overwhelm you, there can be a method to this tasting madness."
For a complete list of upcoming beer festivals, visit BeerFestival.org.
March 1, 2004
Lew spews forth on Ultra.
Somebody buy that man a beer.
BYO has just published an article on getting the most from your homebrew recipe kit.
To be honest, any kit bought on the Swami's advice adhere's to each of the points BYO mentions.
Here's a story of a very cool competition.
A group of homebrewers bring their best beers to the "BigFish", where they are judged by a trained panel. The winning beer is then brewed by the Midnight Brewing Company and put on tap at Humpy's
First there was Cold Spring Brewing. Then there was Old Stone Brewing.
Then there was Stone Brewing. So now, of course, comes Stone Cold Brewing.
Higher beer prices in Britain are not the result of higher hop prices, according to British hop growers.
February 24, 2004
Here's another article on the increasing number of college students who are taking up homebrewing. From The Orion Online:
"Because the shop does not sell alcohol, people of any age can legally buy the equipment to brew.
Junior Jeff James took advantage of that.
"We brewed a lot before we turned 21 so we could drink beer," James said.
He and his roommate split the initial cost of $150 in June and spend $30 to $40 for each five-gallon batch they make.
James said he started with the basic pale ale and then tried different recipes like pumpkin ale, where the recipe called for actual chunks of pumpkin.
"It's just fun to make a unique-tasting beer you can't find in a store," James said. "It's a very special feeling to get smashed off your own beer."
As in smashing pumpkins? Sorry, couldn't help myself.
A group of brewers in New York are working to revive the hop industry in the Northeast U.S., where hops have not been grown commercially since before
Prohibition. From Syracuse.com:
"Over the last few years, a small but dedicated group has worked to reinvigorate New York's hops. That group, the Northeast Hop Alliance, has had input from brewers, farmers and experts from places such as Cornell University.
There have been limited success stories already. Wagner Valley Brewing Co., in Lodi, Seneca County, introduced an India Pale Ale last year that uses New York-grown hops along with hops grown elsewhere. The Syracuse Suds Factory in Armory Square has used local hops in its Pale Ale.
Ithaca Beer Co. owner Dan Mitchell has been working on the idea since he wrote a paper on Upstate's hop industry several years go for a class he took at Cornell. He has been aided in his efforts by Duncan Hilchey, an agricultural development specialist at Cornell who did a marketing study on New York's hop industry.
Mitchell opened his microbrewery on Route 13 across from the entrance to Buttermilk Falls State Park in 1998 and sells his beer, including an Amber Ale and a Nut Brown Ale, across Upstate.
He's been itching to make a beer using New York hops, but he waited until he was sure he could use only New York hops."
For more info on this group, visit The Northeast Hop Alliance website.
February 23, 2004
Meet Lyle C. Brown, Virginia's first beer judge and accomplished homebrewer. From Fredericksburg.com:
"You have to get your nose down in there and get a good, long sniff," said Brown, who has a special flair for uncovering diacetyl, a butterscotch quality that is considered a flaw in most styles of beer.
"And then, of course, you have to taste it."
Unlike wine judges, who sip, swish and spit, beer experts must swallow their drink, in order to rate its "tail" or aftertaste.
Congratulations to John Marioni of Bothel, WA for winning the much-coveted Beerdrinker of the Year Award for 2004.
The annual competition, sponsored by Wynkoop Brewing of Denver, CO, features a panel of 11 judges and a nationwide contestant pool.
February 20, 2004
Stone Brewing recently announced its first ever "clone brew" homebrew contest. Dubbed the Stone Vertical Epic Challenge, the bastards are soliciting entries from
homebrewers everywhere, to be judged by Stone's staff for closeness to the real thing. How arrogant of them to think of such a thing!
Siebel has announced a new Master of Beer Styles and Evaluation course, to be taught by Ray Daniels and Randy Mosher, March 30 to April 1, 2004 in Chicago.
According to the announcement:
"...This three-day course builds on your knowledge of brewing techniques to expand your
mastery of recipe formulation and advanced brewing practice. Students are introduced
to each of the major beer style groups and sub-groups
with in-depth evaluation of the techniques used to create them. Not only
will you learn how to play by the rules in meeting the benchmarks that define
over 100 international beer styles, you will also learn how to break the
rules, creating exciting variations in your beers using unique
ingredients, yeast selections and alternative brewing techniques. In fact, this program will change
the very way you think about brewing. Extensive tasting of dozens of beer styles will train students in the
defining characteristics of ales, lagers, and specialty beers. Students
will also experience sensory evaluation of a selection of rare and unusual
ingredients that can give your products the unique character that
separates a good beer from a great one."
A good brew makes its own friends.
February 19, 2004
As noted on The Jack, beer is a food group all its own. Especially for college students. That's why he's advocating that
everyone homebrew.
"It's so easy, everyone should do it," Todd Stagnaro, a religious studies major senior, said. At 16, Stagnaro took up homebrewing and has cooked mead, hard cider and beer over the years. "We didn't get caught in the trap of
drinking Budweiser at an early age," Stagnaro said.
Great quote.
As found on the Brewboard, Thomas has put together a great little online tool for determining how much dry malt extract to use for a yeast starter.
February 16, 2004
Happy President's Day!
Here's a homebrewing recipe that George Washington wrote out in a notebook around 1757, when he was just a colonel and a
farmer in Virginia. The original document is archived at the New York Public Library.
To Make Small Beer
Take a large sifter full of Bran Hops to your taste.
Boil these 3 hours. Then strain out 30 gallons into a cooler.
Put in 3 gallons of molasses while the beer is Scalding hot,
or rather draw the molasses into the cooler and
strain the Beer on it while boiling Hot.
Let this stand till it is little more than bloodwarm,
then put in a quart full of yeast.
If the weather is very cold cover it overwith a blanket
let it work in the cooler 24 hours then put it into the cask
leave the bung open till it is almost done working
Bottle it that Day Week it was brewed.
Should I be concerned with fluctuating mash temperatures due to outdoor brewing? The Wizard explains.
Dr. Fermento ponders an afterlife filled with beer. From the Anchorage Press:
"If I step away from Christian beliefs for a moment, I can imagine an afterlife that includes cherished worldly effects, which for me would include beer. In Greek mythology, if I were noble or heroic, I might expect respite in Elysium,
the beautiful fields where those favored by Zeus realize dreams unfulfilled as mortals. The Elysian Fields were well described in the Aeneid, but my vision includes not chariot maintenance and semi-clad goddesses, but free-flowing taps,
oceans of brew and the lingering scent of hops - my reward for earthly deeds."
February 13, 2004
This Valentine's Day, be sure you pick the right beer to go with your chocolate. From the Alameda Times-Star:
"The right beer and the right chocolate or chocolate dessert can be a mind-blowing marriage that far exceeds the combination of chocolate and wine.
In fact, one of the hottest kinds of beer tastings these days is a beer and chocolate tasting.
Pete Slosberg, the Los Altos entrepreneur who created Pete's Wicked Ale in the 1980s, then sold the brand for a bundle in 1998, now makes chocolates under the "Cocoa Pete's" label.
Lately, he's been holding beer and chocolate tastings around the country. One happened recently at Pyramid Ale House in Walnut Creek.
But the American pioneer in these unusual pairings is Portland, Ore., beer guru Fred Eckhardt.
Eckhardt puts it this way: "The winos have been matching wine and chocolate forever. But I know that whatever wine can do, beer does a better job," he says.
"I thought it would be a great idea to make a study -- and deduct all the chocolate (and beer) off my taxes."
According to their press release, the 2-hour radio show will air on syndicated stations every Saturday from 11AM to 1PM EST. It is sponsored by the US Beer Drinking Team (USBDT):
"With an open "beer talk" format and great guests, Beer Radio draws on the hidden passion of beer drinkers. Each caller is greeted with, "cheers!', then tells of their favorite beer on the best day with their
beer buddies. Segments include; Beer & Fitness, Beer & Sports, Travel, Homebrew Report, Draft Report, USBDT Coach’s Report, USBDT News, Think B4U Drink! and more."
For more info, visit the USBDT website.
What do Potatoes, Limericks and Beer have in common?
February 12, 2004
A big Congratulations goes out to the state of Georgia, for passing HB 645 last week, eliminating the
alcohol limit on beers sold in state! That's awesome!
Now, if only North Carolina can get its act together...
It's not exactly Bridget's Love Potion, but these
herbalists are hot on the trail for some homebrewed love potion this week for St. Valentine's...
Emptybox makes some great observations on a recent article about Fritz Maytag, founder of Anchor Brewing in San Francisco. Couldn't agree with you more.
February 11, 2004
Have you tried brewing sake? Check out this story from Australia's The Age:
"When it comes to sake, I defer with the utmost reverence to John Gauntner, the man behind sake-world.com.
Any non-Japanese (he's American) who writes a regular newspaper column on sake in Japan and a book titled Things About Sake That Even Japanese People Don't Know has to be a fount of information. And he is.
He can tell you how many sake breweries there are in Japan (about 1800), how many brands (about 10,000), how many varieties of rice can be used in its production (65) and whether it is best chilled or warmed (chilled)..."
Be sure to bookmark Sake-World.com. We did.
"There's a public outcry about the health risks of home-brew, and governments are called to ban the offending substances.
The problem is that home-brewed alcohol is so widespread that it would be virtually impossible to stamp it out.
Fortunately, these words describe some of the brews made in Uganda, not the US.
Cheers to Chuck!
February 6, 2004
Winemaker magazine has done an article on the hardy and tasty Concord grape:
"Concord is widely grown in the northeastern part of the United States. It is also grown
in California and Oregon. An estimated 50% of the grapes harvested in the western New York and Lake Erie region are Concord. Much of
that crop is destined to be Welch’s grape juice, jelly and jam. Concord is also grown throughout Pennsylvania, Ohio and parts of Canada and Brazil for similar purpose. Grapeseed oil, a byproduct of the grape, is extracted and sold, often in health food stores,
for its beneficial anti-oxidative properties and bracing tart, woody flavor.
Concord grapes are high in flavor, pectin, acid level and usually low in sugar. To the winemaker, this means that amelioration
(dilution by water to reduce acidity) is an option without sacrificing flavor. Pectic enzyme should also be added to the grapes or juice and chaptalization (sugar addition) is almost always necessary to make an 11–12% alcohol wine.
Winemakers have learned to craft many styles of well-made wine from this bountiful, flavorful grape — from a deep, dark purplish full-bodied wine, to a red medium-bodied wine, to a pinkish blush light-bodied wine."
We recently received notice that the Number 72 car will make its season debut this month in the online Pro Stock gaming series. Go Team Homebrew!
Meadllenium VII is now over. The Central Florida Homebrewers Club has published the winners to this annual Mead-only competition.
Congratulations to all winners!
Speaking of competitions, the First Annual Brewboard Open has now been set! Through the hard work of Casey and IrishJny, the much-talked-about homebrew competition for Brewboard members will
take place in Charlotte, NC on May 22. The Carolina Brewmasters homebrew club has agreed to judge this event. So get your entries ready!
To see how this competition came into being, check out these topic threads from the Brewboard:
Looking to Organize a Contest
Who and How Many Would Participate
February 3, 2004
Ale's weekly chat should be a lot of fun this Sunday night (Feb 8). His guest this week will be Charlie Papazian, president of the Association of Brewers
and author of the homebrewing bible, The New Complete Joy of Homebrewing.
Meet the new brewing capital of the USA: San Diego, California.
I've used champagne yeast to augment my beer after primary fermentation, but now it's too dry. What can I do to correct? Mr. Wizard replies.
January 28, 2004
Congratulations to Big Woody, Big Nugget and Arctic Devil! These three barleywines took top honors at last week's Great Alaska Beer and Barleywine Festival. As reported by Dr. Fermento:
"The festival is a reward to beer drinkers because it combines big, heavy, mostly nocturnal beers from all over the nation under one roof for an awesome sensory experience. I consider this particular festival to be the most consumer oriented. Although it's designed to showcase Alaska beer,
brew from all over the world is there for tasting. Many of these beers make only fleeting appearances here, even though there's no intention of selling them later across the counter or bar."
Spephen Beaumont, of the webzine World of Beer, has proposed that we celebrate 2004 as the Year of the Lambic:
"I propose that beer aficionados around the world declare 2004 to be the Year of Lambic and go forth to spread the word about these wonderful beers. If you have already discovered the beauty of traditional lambics from Cantillon,
De Cam, 3 Fonteinen, Hanssens, Girardin and a handful of others, including the now-closed Oud Beersel, then become a lambic missionary and introduce others to the experience. If you have yet to try one yourself, then find a good beer retailer
in your area or get a friend to bring a bottle or two back from some place where they are available, forget everything you know about beer, and have a taste.
The crafting of a classic, labour-intensive and unapologetically artisanal beer is in many ways a thankless job, especially when said brew cannot command the high prices of more universally recognized gastronomic treasures, such as truffles and vintage
Bordeaux. For their perseverance, Belgium's dedicated brewers of lambic deserve all the support we can give them. So I invite you to join me in toasting the arrival of 2004 not with Champagne, but with its barley and wheat-based cousin,
lambic, and to continue celebrating this magnificent beer all year long, and well beyond."
Should you be so inclined to celebrate this wonderful idea by brewing a lambic-style beer this year, you may want to give yourself a Liddil Lambic Lesson first.
Brewing a lambic-style beer is, as Jim Liddil puts it, an anachronistic process:
"The grist is made up of 30-40% raw unmalted wheat with the remainder being malted barley. The mashing process is carried out using a technique called turbid mashing. Unlike decoction mashing the liquid portion of the mash is removed and boiled, leading to
poor conversion and large amounts of unconverted starch ending up in the finished wort. Whereas most brewers want the freshest hops, lambic brewers use hops that have been stored in the open for 2-3 years. The wort itself is not inoculated with a pure strain
of yeast. Instead the brewer allows the wort to cool overnight in open cool ships. This way any microorganism in the brewery can get into the wort and grow. These organisms include various bacteria and wild yeast. And finally, the beer is fermented not
in stainless steel but in oak casks for upwards of 3 or more years before bottling. So as you can see lambic is not your ordinary beer."
Long live Lambic!
January 27, 2004
Over at TexanBrewer, there's a nice recipe called SW Cream Ale with Oats that's in the fermentor. Leave Tex a comment or question about this recipe. It looks like a good one.
Over at Emptybox, the next brew on the agenda is an Oak-Aged Stout. Hopefully it'll be ready for St. Pat's Day...
Over at brew blog (lower case) an Extra Dumb Blonde Ale has just been kegged for the Super Bowl party. With any luck, the pale, lightly hopped brew will convert a few non-believers. And the Cats will win!
Here at BrewBlog (upper case), we're racking to secondary five gallons of Eine Klein Vienna Rocks Lager tonight. Can't wait to tap it.
January 23, 2004
A mead-making homebrewer builds a meadery in his yard and goes pro. From the Daily Tarheel:
"As a member of one of the area's many home-brew clubs, Bailey has made alcoholic beverages privately since about 1995. He chose mead because of minimal competition and the ease with which its main ingredient, honey, can be stored.
As one of five mead makers on the East Coast, Bailey is the sole in-state supplier of mead for local natural food stores."
We beg to differ.
January 21, 2004
The World Brewing Academy is offering a Concise Course in Brewing Technology over the Internet. This
web-based school:
"allows students around the globe to participate in English-language professional brewing training without having to travel. Our World Brewing Academy WBT Concise Course lets students study as their schedule permits, and allows them to
utilize the resources of their own brewery for practical application of their course materials. Our WBT program will use state-of-the-art Internet tools including audio conferencing, instant messaging, and "white board" facilities that will allow
our students to consult with our world-class brewing industry faculty."
The spring course runs February 9 thru May 5. Cost is $2,925.
C'mon, get hoppy, with a India Pale Ale.
January 20, 2004
BYO has published an interesting article on beer blending, which is a technique many commercial brewers in the U.S. and Europe employ:
"High-gravity brewing (or blending) is a technique the big US brewers use. American Pilsners are brewed with an original gravity (OG) around 14–16 °Plato (SG 1.056–1.064). After fermentation, the strong beer is diluted to a virtual OG of around 10–11 °Plato (1.040–1.044).
The big breweries brew this way because they can produce more beer with high-gravity brewing than if they brewed it all at working strength. A fermenter that holds 500 barrels of beer will end up producing 700 barrels of beer.
For homebrewers, a 5-gallon (19-L) batch of strong beer can easily be diluted to yield 6–6.5 gallons (23–25 L) of finished beer, more if you’re careful.
In order to successfully practice high-gravity brewing, you need to be able to produce a decent strong beer as the base beer. If you can do that, the dilution technique itself is very simple."
But hey, who's counting? :)
January 19, 2004
New York Press recently published a great little story on the New York Homebrewers Guild:
"They arrive to Brewsky’s stag, their dates for the evening the big bottles of beer they’ve toiled over and tweaked during the previous weeks. It’s a rowdy bunch that comes to this East Village haunt each month to swap
brews and discuss ingredients like car junkies looking under their hoods. Encased in brick and beer paraphernalia, Brewsky’s is the perfect headquarters for the New York Homebrewers Guild.
The Guild has been coming here for over 15 years. Barrel-shaped chandeliers hang from the ceiling, and beer iconography festoons the walls. A model train skirts the interior, each of its wagons displaying a different beer brand.
Blue and yellow streamers pay tribute to the owner’s Ukrainian roots, a nationality better known for harder stuff.
Tonight the place is packed and dimly lit like a speakeasy. Members pass around generic bottles of home-brewed hickory stouts and oatmeal ales. Somebody’s handing out a yeasty, dark Belgian-style ale called a Spinecracker.
They fill up their steins with gusto, nibbling at the graveyard of fries on the bar while talking shop and trading brewing adventures."
"The brew’s main ingredients are thermal brine water from the nearby health resort Bad Saarow, as well as spirulina, an algae,
and flavonoide, a plant extract commonly used in anti-wrinkle creams. Flavonoides are also known to protect against arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure and cancer.
Spirulina, with more than 100 nutrients including beta carotene, chlorophyll, Vitamin B12, has been described as one of the healthiest foods. Meanwhile,
brine water aids in digestion and maintaining metabolism and healthy blood pressure as well as helping the body rid itself of heavy metals and toxins
like quicksilver, lead, arsenic, amalgam or even chalk build-up.
But it is still beer, and too much of it could undo the fountain of youth effect and, worse, bring on a nasty hangover. Fritsche warns that moderation
is essential when drinking his "Anti-Aging" beer. After all, each bottle does contain 4.8 percent alcohol."
January 8, 2004
Meadllennium VII is just 23 days away.
One of the US's premier Mead Only competitions is scheduled for Saturday, January 31, in Winter Park, FL. This annual event is sponsored every January by the Central Florida Homebrewers Club. Entries are due Tuesday, January 26th. Entry forms and
information can be found on the club's website.
Some recent news from the November meeting of the International Hop Growers in Nuremburg, Germany:
"The countries in attendance reported their intended production for the previous harvest. Of course, the biggest news by all of the European hop growing countries present was the draught and its disasterous effects on hop and alpha production.
An unprecedented heat and a lack of rain combined to create climatic conditions not seen in the 20th century. Many reports from European countries estimated production is roughly 40% reduced from the previous year. Shortages are primarily in aroma varieties,
but surplus inventories from previous years have supplemented the 2003 crop and for the time being all is well. Potential shortages in the spring may affect some brewers. Alpha inventories from previous years are being purchased in an orderly
fashion from American suppliers but there is no apparent rush for alpha hops. The market is quiet and does not appear to be headed for a price spike at this time. All eyes are focused on the 2004 crop and what it will bring."
January 7, 2004
It's no bock, but it will definitely pump you up!
Portland Brewing recently unveiled its new "Governator" beer, in honor of the new California governor:
"The commemorative beer is being sold only in California. It's an extra special bitter ale that comes in a 22-ounce bottle with a label bearing a muscular figure posing like a body builder.
Chicvara, meanwhile, promises the quality of the brew is excellent, with a smooth finish and bit of a bite.
"It's no 'girly-man' beer," he said.
Rivers Flows with Real Ale. We like the sound of that.
How Fresh is Your Beer? From the BeerAdvocate.com:
"Beer is a fragile product. It should be treated like any other perishable food. You do ingest it, right? Despite popular belief, beer does have a shelf life. In time, even if the brew has been
pasteurized and triple cold-filtered, there will come a day when the beer will kick its heels up and go sour. There is nothing worse than tasting a bad brew. It will ruin your drinking session when that
mouthful of bacteria hits your taste buds and then the floor when you spit it out. You will never forget the invisible ninja organisms that assassinated your beer months ago."
December 31, 2003
What a nice way to end the year!
The Charlotte Observer just published an article about CJ in J's visit to HBA last week (registration required to read). CJ in J is one of the moderators of the Brewboard.
Speaking of the year-end, from the looks of things, there was a whole lotta brewin' goin' on in 2003!
December 30, 2003
Here's a great story on one family's Christmas tradition: brewing a batch of homemade root beer. From the Bismark Tribune:
"A bottle of home brew is more than the liquid inside. It's love and tradition. It's the memory of having one in your hand when grandpa's neighbor Erland Erlandson came over dressed up as Santa. It's the face someone makes the first time they try it.
Homemade root beer only kind of tastes like the root beer you're familiar with. It's loaded with sugar and yeast, which can be a combination potent in both your belly and the hall closet, where a bottle or two always blows up.
This year, though, the bottles aren't in the hall closet at Grandma's house. They're in the bathtub in the basement of my house, under a wool blanket. After years of washing bottles, mixing a batch of brew and capping it tightly, Grandpa passed on the tradition this year.
For the first time, my wife and I are responsible for the Christmas root beer. To me, this is big."
"At the brewery, Koch, his brewmasters, and I taste-test a new hefeweizen recipe and a new limited-edition beer, Chocolate Bock, both of which hit local bars and package stores next month.
When I ask Koch (pronounced "cook") where Sam Adams goes from here, he shrugs his shoulders as if he's grown tired of that question. He's sick of commenting on third-quarter performance financials
and ad campaigns. He doesn't want to retread last year's decision to produce Samuel Adams Light after years of deriding light beers. (He does later anyway: "Good beer drinkers sometimes want light.
They had no good choices.") He gulps from his small plastic tasting cup of Chocolate Bock. The man once known for being pushy and arrogant, who grew famous as the in-your-face, all-over-the-place
symbol of his own overachieving startup beer company, whose very voice became recognizable from his ubiquitous radio commercials, seems to have accepted his much quieter place in the beer world."
December 23, 2003
Beer Emergency at the North Pole!
"After three weeks of being on the market, Yukon Brewing’s Midnight Sun Espresso Stout has sold out in the territory, it was announced last Monday.
The company is making more, but it won’t be ready until early February.
"We were really surprised,” Yukon Brewing president Bob Baxter said in an interview Tuesday.
The company had brewed what was thought to be a three-month supply of the specialty beer."
We suspect Santa's elves got a hold of most of it!
Top 10 Guy Gifts this Holiday. See number 4.
The Siebel Institute recently announced its spring schedule for the Web-based Concise Course in Brewing Technology. Check it out:
"The World Brewing Academy web-based training (WBT) Concise Course in Brewing Technology allows students around the globe to participate in English-language professional brewing training without having to travel.
Our World Brewing Academy WBT Concise Course lets students study as their schedule permits, and allows them to utilize the resources of their own brewery for practical application of their course materials. Our WBT program will
use state-of-the-art Internet tools including audio conferencing, instant messaging, and "white board" facilities that will allow our students to consult with our world-class brewing industry faculty."
There's more to Sake than you think. From the venerable Fred Eckhart, on RateBeer.com.
December 18, 2003
An oldie but a goodie.
Here's a Brewer's Wish List from 10 years ago, care of the Brewing Techniques' archives:
"True to the age-old pattern of wintertime introspection, the closing months of the year provide an ideal time to take stock of one's brewing operation and to make plans for system improvements and modifications
for the future. Although countless ways exist for improving any brewing operation, if you had the financial freedom to choose one piece of equipment that would help you up-scale your brewing setup, what would it be?"
Do the use of hop bags diminish hop utilization? Mr. Wizard explains.
December 16, 2003
A couple of home wine-makers try to turn their hobby into a business. From the Tri-Valley Herald:
"Although humbled by the workload and the difficulties of growing a small business, the couple said they have no regrets about turning their hobby into their profession by plunging into the wine business two years ago.
"The winery is our future," Michael Eckert said.
In the meantime, both work other jobs to pay the bills. Michael works nights with Tri-Valley Community Television, filming various government meetings around the Valley. The work allows him to use some of his experience in the electronics
field. In fact, he met Vickie when both worked at Intel Corp. in the 1980s. To help cover expenses, Vickie continues to work as a management consultant for high-tech companies.
The winery consumes most of their time, however. "It is a job and a half," Michael said.
And on the 12th Day of Barleywine Celebration, what did your true love give you?
December 15, 2003
The Norwegians have a long history of brewing Christmas beers. From Reuters:
"In a tradition dating from Viking times, Norwegians celebrate Christmas with a mind-numbing range of yuletide beers.
Vikings used to drink bitter ale as a tribute to the Norse gods at the winter solstice in December and when Christianity reached the far north around the year 1,000, Norwegians started toasting Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary at Christmas.
Anyone who failed to live up to the ritual of mixing a special brew for Christmas -- and drinking it -- was ordered to pay a fine to the bishop or lose their property.
"This is serious stuff," said brew master Olaug Flakne at Norway's biggest brewery Ringnes. "You could end up being expelled from the country if you broke the beer traditions."
According to Ray Daniels, December is the perfect time to brew a traditional bock beer. From All About Beer:
"As cold settles into much of the country, a brewer's thoughts turn to beers with a bit more potency and bock is generally near the top of the list. December is a perfect time to brew bock beers because
you'll still be able to lager for about two months before the traditional mid-March tapping date."
December 12, 2003
Brew Your Own has just published several of the novelty beer recipes that were entered in the 1999 Dixie Cup, the homebrewing competition sponsored each year by the
Foam Rangers homebrew club of Houston, TX. Each year the Dixie Cup invites contestants to submit novelty beers, judging them in a separate, and often off-the-wall competition. For 1999, the novelty theme was Big and Stupid:
"Homebrewers who attended the 1999 Dixie Cup — The Fred Files — know that “The beer is out there.” The category description for the 1999 novelty category was also out there: Big and Stupid. The style guideline
described the style as: “Dedicated to those big and stupid beers that only a homebrewer could hope to love. Use your imagination, but it must be drinkable.” The brewer had to specify the reasons why the beer should be considered
stupid. As we found out, “stupid” is a relative term."
Buy your tickets now! The 2004 National Homebrewers Conference has been set for the weekend of June 17-19 at Rivera Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV.
December 11, 2003
Do you enjoy your homebrewed brown ales and stouts? According to a cardiologist at the University of Wisconsin, they are good for your heart. From Beer and Health:
"Dark beer will prevent the formation of blood clots better than lager-type beers. This is the conclusion reached by Professor John Folts, cardiologist at the University of Wisconsin, USA. The downside is that dark beer is richer in calories, and obesity is also a risk factor in heart failure."
Brewing tip: Be careful not to over-carbonate.
The BeerAdvocate recently sat down and interviewed Crawford Moran, Dogwood's founding brewer:
"Crawford Moran is living the dream of many homebrewers.
"I was talking to my best friend on the phone one night and asked him what he was doing and he was waiting for his oatmeal stout to ferment," he says. "I was shocked. I didn't even know you could make beer at home.
So I spent the next three hours on the phone with him, racking up a good long distance bill getting all the details and the next day I was brewing beer."
To hear Moran talk, that telephone conversation was probably the key event that turned him down the path of founding the Dogwood Brewing Company."
December 9, 2003
Happy Birthday, AHA! Yesterday marked the 25th anniversary of the founding of the American Homebrewers' Association.
"On Dec. 8, 1978, Papazian picked up the first copies of the group's magazine, Zymurgy, from DFK Printing in Boulder. He and a few members of his staff then distributed it to a thousand home brewers in Denver and Boulder and mailed it to another thousand around the United States.
"Sometimes it seems to have gone so very fast," Papazian says. "This was a long journey, but I am looking forward to the next 25 years."
The not-for-profit Association of Brewers started out in Papazian's home, where he would teach friends about the history, culture and art of brewing beer.
"My friends found out that I knew how to brew beer," he said. "Then over time I began teaching classes from my home."
For the holidays, perhaps you're wanting to brew something outside the box. Well, Randy Mosher came up with these
Twelve Beers of Christmas. A brewer's dozen from All About Beer.
December 8, 2003
This is the time of year when craft brewers shrug off the bonds imposed by marketing and accounting departments and brew the beers that show off their skill and imagination. From Oregon Live:
"Whatever their color, these are mostly big beers designed to stand up to the cold and damp, as you might expect from styles such as "winter warmer" and "strong ale." Summer beers are thirst quenchers -- lighter and generally brewed with less of the malted barley whose starches are converted into the sugars consumed by those industrious little yeast cells that make the alcohol in beer.
The grain bill for seasonal beers may include twice as much malt as that for a light ale or lager -- and the yield is often lower. To keep the resulting high-gravity beers from tasting like sweet, thick gruel, brewers toss in more hops, whose bitterness and aroma counterbalance the sweetness of malt. Double, triple or quadruple the amount of hops.
Which explains those sobs coming from the accounting department.
"This is our opportunity to make the beers we wish we could make all year," said brewer Christian Ettinger of the Laurelwood Brewery and Pub. "Flavorful, knock-your-socks-off beers. We sell big beers all year around but not very much of it. This is a great time to blow through a lot of big beers."
"Don Smith, who eschews titles but administers the UC-Davis program at OSIsoft, said the software "takes the minutiae -- temperature flows, pressure, etc.," recording it to levels of seconds and keeping it for many years.
Bringing this capability to bear at UC-Davis, OSIsoft has enabled the enology division to know exactly what's happening in all of its six fermenters at any time and from any place in the world.
The bar graph on each fermenter shows the level of liquid and the kind of grape that's being fermented, the amount of sugar and the temperature within.
"We measure fermentation curves and make models to interpret whether the yeast is growing fast or not," said Roger B. Boulton, professor of wine processing and fermentation chemistry."
December 3, 2003
According to Syracuse.com, many microbreweries are introducing bigger and bigger beers, many in excess of 10% alcohol by volume.
Drink less, drink better.
Raise your glass. Seventy years ago this week, Prohibition was repealed.
According to a survey conducted recently in Canada, baby boomers have the lowest Beer IQ.
Of course, the survey failed to ask about bitterness units or yeast attenuation, but that's another story...
Dr. Fermento expounds on cooking and homebrewing for the holidays:
"Until a couple of decades ago, it seemed beer was considered nothing more than a blue-collar drink consumed by fat guys on couches juggling TV remotes as they drifted into food comas awaiting the big game. Maybe that's when I started liking beer. It certainly made it easier to snatch a can or two with somebody snoring in the other room.
Times have changed. For one thing, guys are doing a lot more cooking, and we're not just talking about Pop-Tarts and frozen pizza. I took on my first turkey dinner shortly after I started homebrewing. The sweet smell of hops rising from the stovetop opened a new cooking realm; the microwave suddenly didn't seem like the world's greatest invention.
It was in those early days of brewing that I decided that if I'm going to slave in my kitchen, beer's going to be served with meals. Wine doesn't hold center stage at my house, not even during the holidays, and not when there are so many great local beers."
November 25, 2003
Belgian beer - the taste explosion. Even children drink it.
The Brits have recently discovered the joys of backyard sheds, where they can get away and unwind.
"I love my shed. I brew my own beer and whiskey in it... my shed makes love like nobody else can!"
OK.
November 24, 2003
What to serve this Thanksgiving with your turkey?
"I am bucking the trend and going traditional this year. I am serving beer.
After all, when the pilgrims sought a spot for their permanent landing in America, they did so, according to their diaries, because they ran out of beer on the Mayflower: "Our victuals being much spent, especially our beer," one diary read.
Apparently, in addition to finding shelter and food, some enterprising pilgrims set out to refurbish the beer supplies when the group first landed at Plymouth Rock. Perhaps these inventive immigrants used roots or tree bark for this inaugural ale, since the pilgrims obviously hadn't yet started growing grain.
How much more traditional can you get than that?
So, it's with Pilgrim pride that I will be guiding my guests through an exploration of beer and turkey with all the trimmings on this most American of holidays."
"Some accounts report that a brewhouse was one of the first structures erected in the Plymouth settlement. Yet, Plimoth Plantation historian Carolyn Travers says that isn't so. However, she says, "they brought all the ingredients for making beer with them."
In Europe, even though beer had been in commercial production for a century or more, brewing was still apparently also part of a housewife's duties. So, it seems likely that the Plymouth settlers would have established domestic beer making as a matter of course in their new home.
They brought barley (the grain base of beer) from England and planted it among their first crops. There are no records of hops (the bittering herb in beer) being among the provisions on the Mayflower, so the settlers may have had to settle for oversweet, unhopped beer at the beginning."
November 19, 2003
One of the best ways to learn about homebrewing is by doing it with others, especially with others who've been brewing for a while. But where do you find other homebrewers in your area?
That question seems to pop up at least once weekly on the Brewboard. One of the best ways to find other brewers in your area is to browse
AHA's list of homebrew clubs. Chances are, there's a homebrew club within driving distance of where you live. Many of the clubs listed have been around for
a long time, and have stable memberships and active brewers.
If you don't live close to a listed club, maybe you could start one! One of the best ways to organize a meeting of like-minded brewers in your area is through a site like Meetup.com, one of the social networking websites that has grown in popularity. Meetup.com has
homebrewing meetup date set for Tuesday, December 2nd. Just enter your zip code, and Meetup.com will list the places in your area where you can meet other
homebrewers.
November 18, 2003
The San Leandre-based Draught Board Homebrew Club recently hosted a homebrew competition in conjunction with the Alameda (CA) County Fair.
From the Tri-Valley Herald:
"If you think you're good at sewing a quilt, pickling beets, decorating eggs or making bird houses, you can always get a second opinion by entering one of the dozens of competitive exhibitions at the Alameda County Fair.
It's also becoming a place where amateur brewers who make beer in 5-, 10- and 20-gallon batches go to have their home made lagers, ales, porters and stouts judged. Competing at the county fair is more about perfecting skills than
winning ribbons or prizes, said competition coordinator Bryan Gros of the Draught Board Homebrew Club. The San Leandro-based club has sponsored the Bay Area Brew Off for 16 years, and this is the second year the contest has been held in conjunction with the fair.
One thing that attracts many people to home-brewing is the ability to experiment with the basic ingredients in beer -- water, barley, hops and yeast -- and come up with something uniquely their own.
Jim Rossi of Oakley started brewing five years ago, and is now winning recognition at the national level.
"It's been a wonderful hobby," the 38-year-old electrical foreman said. "It's a lot of fun to take the grains, crush them in a big mill, boil them, steep them and ferment them. When it's done, you just go, 'Wow, I made this.'"
"Ahhh! You smell that," Collins said, lifting the lid where grains are being boiled during a recent gathering of the Tennessee Valley Homebrewers Club, formerly known as the Hillbilly Hoppers.
The five-hour process combines the key ingredients of malt, hops, yeast, water and specialty malted grains. After the brewing process, it takes a few more weeks of fermenting and settling before the beer can be guzzled.
"It's a waiting game, but there is nothing like the taste you get at the end," said Collins, an engineer by trade and president of the brewers' club.
"I can pour it into a glass and say I made this."
A molecular archaeologist traces the prehistory of our most celebrated beverage. From Time magazine:
"Long before grapes grew on Trellises in Napa and Sonoma, long before vineyards flourished in Bordeaux and Bourgogne, a sophisticated wine industry arose along the banks of the Nile.
From tombs, temples and palaces that date as far back as 5,000 years ago, archaeologists have uncovered clay amphorae stamped with seals that name not only the contents (irp, or wine) but also
the region in which the grapes were grown, the year in which the wine was produced, the owner of the estate and often some indication of quality, such as "good" and "very, very good." And who
is to say that wines like these cannot be made again someday, asks Patrick McGovern, a molecular archaeologist at the University of Pennsylvania Museum, including perhaps the mysterious elixir that supposedly drove Cleopatra mad."
Call it extreme wine making.
Amarone, a powerful dry, red wine from Italy, is slowly building a fan base. From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
"The popularity of this unique wine is inching up, Boscaini believes, because people are "starting to be bored with Cabernet, but they still want a big wine."
Heady Amarone boasts alcohol levels that reach 15% to 17%. But in the better examples, the astringent taste of alcohol is masked by the velvety richness of the wine."
November 17, 2003
It's that time of year again. The holiday ales are here.
What exactly is sake? Malaysia's The Star Online published this article yesterday on its history and its brewing:
"The term ‘sake’ has its origins in the word “sakaeru” meaning to prosper or flourish. sake, as we know it, is rice wine but it is really a brew. Like beer it is brewed from grain.
In the third Century, Korean migrants brought Chinese know-how to Japan and the first sake was made. But the Japanese introduced a peculiarity. In ‘bonding sessions’, all members of a village assembled
and began to chew up in their mouths, rice, chestnuts and millet. The mixture would then be expelled into a tub. Starches in the rice mixture, thanks to saliva, would be converted to sugar and so the brewing
(fermentation) process began soon after the tub was filled. If the process sounds unhygienic, take heart that only virgin girls were allowed to finish the brewing. Perhaps it was because sake was used in Shinto, the religious festival.
By the 20th Century (the Meiji Period of 1868-1912), sake brewing had become an industry. Landowners began brewing sake, merchants bought into breweries and brewery hands even saved up to invest in the business.
How it’s made nowadays: Short grain pearled rice is husked and polished, washed, soaked, steamed and cooled. Then koji (fungus covered rice that helps fermentation), yeast and pure spring water are added to it.
The mixture ferments for about four weeks and is filtered, skimmed, pasteurised and bottled. As with wine grapes, the climate and soil in rice growing regions interact, exerting an influence on the quality of the rice
and ultimately, on the taste of the finished sake. How much the rice is polished and milled also determines its classification."
November 14, 2003
John Palmer, renowned homebrewer and author of the book, How to Brew, has recently designed
a slide rule tool for homebrewers. From Bodensatz:
"On one side of the heavy cardboard slide is a Hop Bitterness Calculator which uses both of the horizontal slides. First you adjust the top slide to line up your boil gravity with your boil time in minutes. Then on the lower
slide there are two windows showing through - and you can use them in one of two ways. You can line up your desired IBU bitterness level with your batch size in the top window, and read the amount of hops required to achieve it in the
bottom window. Or you can adjust the bottom windows first to enter the amount of hops and their alpha acid value first, then read from the top window the amount of bitterness they will contribute to your batch size.
On the other side of the device the two slides operate independantly of each other. The top one converts a specific gravity at one volume to a specific gravity at another volume. Let's say for example you ended up with 9 gallons of beer at
1.050, and wanted to know what the gravity would be if you diluted it to 10 gallons. Or perhaps you collect 13 gallons of wort at 1.044 and want to know what the gravity will be if you boil it down to 10 gallons. Both are very easy to determine."
"According to the Su Vino Web site, www.suvinowinery.com, customers start the wine-fermentation process by selecting the juices for the drink. Customers also get to design and purchase their own labels for their bottles of wine.
Su Vino co-founder Tim Weinheimer said the winery gets its grape juices from countries around the world, including Argentina, Australia, France and Italy. However, Weinheimer said that 80 percent of the juices used come from vineyards in
California. Weinheimer said that homemade wine-making has become very popular partially because of the high prices of bottled wine."
Good luck, Beerhound.
November 13, 2003
The Scientific American reports that new technology in beer taps is making possible a two-second draft beer:
"Thirsty crowds know that where there's a beer, there's a wait. That's because the average draft pint takes at least 25 seconds to pull. Any slower, and the beer comes out flat; any faster,
and a frothy lager latte results. In the past two years, with profits shrinking, brewers have become keen to serve more customers without sacrificing quality, and they have sought technology to help.
Pouring beer quickly does not mean simply using bigger spouts. Draft beer's ticklish nature requires a fine balance between temperature and pressure. Most dispensing systems rely on carbon dioxide
gas pumped down into the keg to push beer up to a tap. Higher CO2 pressure would speed delivery--but produce a river of foam. Every brew needs a slightly different pressure to be served well....continued at Scientific American Digital"
Number three in the poll was mobile phones, getting 7% of the vote
Number two was the Internet, getting 13% of the vote
Number one was the nitrogen-filled widget found in cans of Guiness and other beers. The widget got 48% of the vote!
A story like that restores your faith in human progress, doesn't it?
Where there's a will, there's a brew.
As reported on the BBC, prison inmates are very good at turning fruit into booze.
November 12, 2003
A scientist has determined that dark beers are better for your heart. From WebMD:
"John D. Folts, PhD, professor of medicine and director of the coronary thrombosis research laboratory at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, tells WebMD that dark beer is rich in flavonoids, which have powerful antioxidant effects.
"It's about color. You can see the flavonoids in products on the shelf," he says. The rich flavonoid content makes red wine more heart friendly than white wine and purple grape juice a better choice for toddlers than white grape juice, he says.
Folts presented his dark beer-light beer study at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2003. Folts and his colleagues fed dark and light beer to dogs that had narrowed arteries in their hearts, similar to the narrowing
observed in people with heart disease."
Earlier this month, in the Berkshire Mountain town of Colrain, MA, the Ninth Annual Cider Day was celebrated. From the New York Times (registration required):
"Hard cider, nearly eradicated by Prohibition, showed signs of a comeback 20 years ago on the heels of the microbrewing movement. Like many early microbrews, artisanal ciders are labors of love.
Cider makers — some still holding day jobs as orchardists, emergency room physicians and cattle farmers — have tirelessly promoted their product in restaurants, liquor stores and specialty-food shops.
The proselytizing has paid off, and producers are seeing a loyal (and finally expanding) customer base.
Producers have been inspired by the trend toward sustainable agriculture — these ciders rely on fresh juice from local sources. Cider makers are constantly fighting the consumer perception that their products
fall into the same category as mass-produced ciders made from the concentrated juice of nondescript apples.
"Once you taste an artisanal cider, which usually takes about a year from the time you start fermenting, versus the stuff that's made in under a month, it's like night and day," said one of the panelists,
Roger Mansfield, whose Traditional Company is based in Culver, Ore."
November 10, 2003
"Dr. Fermento", of the Anchorage Press, last week wrote up a great review of Glacier's Brewhouse Black Rye Bock, so we we had to share with you his description:
"The other hot ticket this week is Glacier's Brewhouse Black Rye Bock, one of the creamiest, smoothest big-end dark beers I've had in ages.
It combines a rye, a bock and a Schwartzbier, and, leaning toward the last, it's almost coal-black and clear. A deep roasted aroma with chocolate notes rises
from the glass, which is adorned with a tight, tawny head. German hops spice the beer and balance the big malt character. It has a malty sweetness, but the bitter
chocolate notes and the rye come through and linger in a clean, snappy finish. The chocolate sticks around after the swallow, making it almost like candy, albeit with six percent alcohol."
That sounds like an awesome beer for the holidays.
It's the 21st Century, and A Woman's Place is in the Brewery. From the Boston Globe:
"Sistahs are brewin' it for themselves, and running breweries, too. Did you think you had to be part of Spike TV's demographic to make beer? History is packed with babes in beerland: the Sumerian brewing goddess Ninkosi;
the 12th-century nun Hildegarde von Bingen, who wrote a treatise on using hops to keep beer from spoiling (she was later sainted); and the industrious brewsters or alewives, the women who made almost all the beer in Britain until the 1500s."
The Few. The Proud. The sake lovers.
November 7, 2003
Get yourself on TV! Win fame and admiration!
As reported on the Brewboard</ |
