With Memorial Day on Monday many of you may be planning to host or attend a celebratory cook out or barbecue to usher in the start of the summer season. Besides hamburgers and hot dogs there is nothing more essential for a great barbecue that a some refreshing beverages. Here’s our recommendation on five tasty brews that will go great with your next barbecue:
Five Great Beers For Your Next BBQ
Thursday, May 27th, 2010Style Profile: Berliner Weisse
Tuesday, May 25th, 2010
Now that the warmer weather is finally here it’s a great time to start drinking wheat beers. The light, yet full-bodied flavor of most wheat brews make it the perfect way to chill out on a hot day. While most fans of craft beer are familiar with hefeweizen and other popular wheat styles, there’s a good chance you’ve never heard of Berliner weisse, an oft over looked wheat beer. Today we take a quick look at this tasty brew.
What is Session Beer?
Thursday, May 20th, 2010
Happy American Craft Beer Week
Tuesday, May 18th, 2010
This week is the 4th annual American Craft Beer Week – a yearly celebration of the culture, people and brews of American craft beer. The holiday was begun in 2006 and has since become recognized by Congress.
The week is put together by the Brewers Association, the official organization of American brewers and beer drinkers alike. This year looks to be the biggest year ever – there is special beer tastings, dinners and brewery events all week long throughout the country. Check out the ACBW website for details on what’s going on in your area. Also be sure to also check Beernews.org’s run down of other events going on. For the homebrewer there’s also a planned debut of the Amercan Craft Beer Wheat, a beer brewed by many on
National Homebrew Day this May 1st. Of course you’re certainly welcome to brew it this week instead if you missed the chance earlier this month.
If you’re unable to make it to any of the events this week or brew your own craft beer another great way to show your support for American Craft Beer is to read and sign the Declaration of Beer Independence, an online document put out by the Brewers Association to define and spread the ideas of craft beer. Don’t forget to check out and like the Facebook page for the event to let all your online contacts that you support real craft beer.
To do our part the Beeriety crew is hosting an event this Thursday in Boston at Charlie’s Kitchen. If you’re in the area be sure to stop by!
A Brief History of Homebrewing
Thursday, May 13th, 2010
Prohibition era "Malt Syrup"
It’s well known that craft beer has become a major force in the world of beer. Here in America it is the fastest growing segment of consumer alcohol. While beers sales overall were down 2.2%, craft beer actually grew 10.3%. What a lot of people don’t realize is that today’s craft beer movement is largely the product of a whole generation of homebrewers who preceded it. The fact is that without homebrewing there would be no craft beer to speak of; almost all craft brewers got there start through homebrewing. It’s just one of the many reasons you should give homebrewing a shot yourself.
Some of the best beer is America is produced in Colorado. It’s second only to California in number of craft brewers, which is why it should come as no surprise that the modern homebrewing movement was started there by Charlie Papapizan, who helped legalize the practice through a bill signed by President Carter in 1978. Home wine making was legalized at the end of Prohibition, but due to a clerical error it took an act of Congress to extent the same distinction to homebrewing. Papaizan has since led the Brewers Association as president, and thanks to his leadership we have seen homebrewing and craftbrewing grow to what they are today.
However, homebrewing didn’t start in 1978. It’s of course been around for much longer than that. Papaizan himself credits an older friend who brewed beer at home during Prohibition teaching him the hobby. Although alcohol was illegal during Prohibition, there were still plenty of ways to get alcohol. Many people brewed it in their homes. Some brewing companies during the period would sell cans of malted grain syrup, one of the key ingredients of beer, as a food condiment, but that’s rarely how most people used it. On the label of these cans would be very curious warnings, instructing one to be sure not to boil this syrup in water with hops, and then once it cools add yeast to it.
Following these steps is of course more or less how you make beer, which is why most people bought the cans in the first place. Almost all accounts of Prohibition-era homebrew indicates that it was foul tasting stuff, consumed almost exclusively for the alcohol rather than the taste. Frequently it would be combined with other illegally produced alcohol, creating perhaps some of the earliest American beer cocktails.
Thankfully homebrewing has come a long way since those days, and it’s now incredibly easy to make really great taste beer right in your kitchen. Head over to the American Homebrewers Association website for details on how to get started with this delicious pastime.
Have you ever brewed your own beer? Do you know any friends who have? What topics about it would you like to see us cover? Let us know on Twitter, or in the comments.
The Vortex Bottle: Miller’s Latest Gimmick
Tuesday, May 11th, 2010
We’ve discussed the unfortunate business decisions made by the big corporate brewing companies many times. I really thought I’d seen it all when it came to dumb and gimmicky ways to sell watery, tasteless beer, but I never saw this coming. MillerCoors has unveiled a new bottle for Miller Lite, dubbed the “Vortex Bottle,” which has specially designed grooves in the neck to “create a vortex as you’re pouring the beer.” This might be the dumbest idea I’ve ever heard. I haven’t been able to get my hands on one of these beauties yet, but I have to assume it’s suppose to twist and spin the beer as it comes out, therefore somehow making it taste better . . . or something. It seems to me all it will do is make for a foamy pour and momentarily distract for the fact that what’s in the bottle is the same tasteless stuff it always has been.
It some ways it doesn’t surprise me that they are resorting to tactics like a “vortex bottle” or a Coors Light 12-pack box with a window in it. All of these are changes to the presentation and packaging of their beer, not the actual beer itself. With craft beer now the fastest rising segment of alcohol in America, the big brewers know that they can no longer get by claiming their taste is superior as more and more people are trying and enjoying quality craft beer that tastes good. Honestly, I’d be shocked if we don’t see more of these kind of scams. I’m going to take it as a good sign- the more ridiculous they get, the more desperate it means they are because craft beer continues to grow.
Kegerators: Draft Beer at Home
Thursday, May 6th, 2010
We all love draft beer, but sometimes you just can’t get out to enjoy it. One way around this dilemma is growlers, the jugs of draft beer you take home. However, there is another way to have an even more authentic draft experience at home. I’m talking of course about kegerators, a home draft system using a modified refrigerator, kegs and a pressure system. Here’s a look at their benefits and where to go to buy or make one yourself
Kegerators are the ultimate way to have the draft beer experience in the comfort and convenience of your home. It’s also great for the homebrewer who wants to have their own beer on draft. Personally, I find the process of cleaning and preparing 60-odd bottles to be filled with homebrew the most tedious and time consuming part of homebrewing, so the idea of avoiding that whole procedure seems amazing. There are many different setups and configurations your kegerator can have, from small single line systems to large multi-taps ones. It’s really only limited to how much time and money you want to invest.
There are several places online you can buy fully constructed kegerators that are ready-to go, all you need to add is a keg of your favorite beer. Head over to Kegerators.com to see all of the different options they offer. Prices vary considerably based on what kind of system you’re looking for, but a basic setup will probably start around $500.
If you’re looking to save some money you can also build your own kegerator by converting a regular refrigerator or mini-fridge. You can buy many of the parts you’ll need at your local hardware store, but Kegerators.com also offers several conversion kits with everything you’ll need. Finding the fridge is of course left up to you. If you don’t have one lying around, try combing craigslist for one.
Once you get everything you need be sure to check out some of the great tutorials online for building your own kegerator. Wired.com has a great guide with video on converting regular fridge into a single tap setup. If you’ll be using a mini-fridge check out this step-by-step from Livejournal member Brother Buford, who puts in a dual line system. Finally, if you’re going all out and building a multi-tap setup take a look at Steven Antoch’s converted chest freezer, which has five tap lines on it, including one for root beer for his kids to enjoy. Steven also left enough room to in the freezer so he could throw in a carboy of homebrewed lager to ferment, pretty impressive stuff.
What kind of setup would you like to see in your house? Let us know in the comments.
Happy Cinco De Mayo!
Tuesday, May 4th, 2010
Tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo, the yearly holiday which celebrates all things Mexican. The festival dates back to May 5, 1862 when Mexican Republic forces defeated the invading French military at the Battle of Puebla, despite being vastly outnumbered. Although the holiday is not currently celebrated through much of Mexico, it remains as popular as ever in the United States and other parts of the world. Along with Mexican food, a great way to honor Mexico tomorrow is to enjoy some tasty Mexican brews.
The origins of Mexican beer can actually be traced back to the events surrounding the Battle of Puebla. That battle was just one small part of the larger Franco-Mexican War, and despite Mexico’s victory at Puebla, the French would ultimately win the war, ending the Mexican Republic and establishing the brief Second Mexican Empire. In 1864 The French installed Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian Joseph of Austria as Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico, who brought with him much of the Austrian way of life, including brewing, which was previously unknown to the area.
Maximilian’s reign and the Second Mexican Empire were extremely short lived. The Empire was overthrown by republican forces just three years later in 1867 and Maximilian was executed. While the Mexicans clearly didn’t take kindly to Max, they did like his beer. Ever since then Mexican breweries have continued to produce the Vienna lager Max introduced to them.
Vienna lagers are a crisp and refreshing style of lager that’s primarily marked by its light to medium body and biscuity taste. Although most closely associated with Mexican beers such as Dos Equis, Modelo Especial, many common American beers, such as Sam Adams Boston Lager, are technically Vienna lager. Snake River Lager from Snake River Brewing in Wyoming is tough to find but universally regarded as one of the best in the style. Bohemia, despite its German name is actually made by a Mexican brewing company.
Corona is of course bound to show up at any Cinco De Mayo celebration. While unquestionably the most popular Mexican beer, we can’t recommend drinking it. Much like Budweiser is a poor imitation of a Czech pilsner, Corona is also a terrible approximation of what Vienna lager should be, so be warned. Drinking one tomorrow may be tough to avoid, but you should at least know what you’re getting yourself into.
¡Salud!
