Posts Tagged ‘beer’

Thoughts on the Sale of Magic Hat and Pyramid

Thursday, August 26th, 2010

Several recent news stories have reminded us once again of how much growth and change the craft beer world is constantly undergoing, in particular the purchase of Independent Brewers United, the producers of the Magic Hat, Pyramid, and MacTarnahan beers, by North American Breweries (NAB). NAB is the company responsible for such questionable “brews” as Labatt Blue lager and Seagrams’s Escapes wine coolers. Understandably, many in the craft beer world are a bit concerned over this news, as Magic Hat and Pyramid are  the 8th and 5th largest craft breweries in the country, respectively. Some are also reading the resignation of Magic Hat’s president and co-founder following this deal as another bad sign.

And while I agree that the signs don’t look great, this may actually turn out to be a good thing. If NAB changes the recipes to existing beers I will be the first to be outraged, but I haven’t seen any evidence that that’s their intention. Like many, I would prefer to see craft brewery ownership remain local and independent as much as possible, but it’s going to be tough to maintain that business model as craft beer continues to grow. The fact of the matter is that as craft beer continues to gain in popularity, larger business interests are going to increasingly take note and want part of the action. The influx of money-driven investors could easily go poorly, but it could also provide growing craft breweries like Magic Hat and Pyramid with more money to expand and continue to produce amazing beers. The better bargaining power that comes with consolidation is after all probably one of the main reasons that Magic Hat and Pyramid  created the Independent Brewers United in the first place. This is extremely important with the Three Tier distribution system currently in place, the pitfalls of which were covered extensively in the movie Beer Wars.

My bottom line is that change is inevitable, and I’m strongly opposed to drinking or not drinking a beer simply because of who made it. I try to judge my beer not by the label but by the taste. In my experience  independently owned craft breweries are almost always tastier than the corporate stuff, and that trend may continue, but I’m trying to keep an open mind. The sale of Magic Hat and Pyramid is uncharted territory, there are few precedents to reference for guidance so we are all going to have to be patient and see how this plays out.

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Sugar & Spice: An Intro to Beer Spices

Friday, August 20th, 2010

The history of spices in beer is as old and varied as beer itself. Despite the fact that hops have become the predominant spicing agent used in most contemporary styles, that was not always the case.  In areas where hops are not native or easily grown the role of hops was frequently played by another bitter and/or mildly anti-septic plant, such as marigold, burdock, juniper, or heather. In fact, during the Middle Ages, a substance known as gruit (a mash-up of various herbs and spices) was used to provide the same preservative and flavoring benefits that hops can provide. As recently as the Renaissance, spicing beer was still fairly common all across Europe. Grains of Paradise (a peppery member of the ginger family) was particularly popular and was most likely used to cover over the stale or sour flavors of beer that had been improperly made or stored.

However, as regulatory practices worked towards more standardized beer production, spiced beer remained traditional in some regions and was legislated, regulated, and even shamed out of popular use in others. For this reason, spices are a much more common element of styles produced in regions like Belgium than they are in Germany (where the Reinheitsgebot limited beer ingredients to the big four) or England (where for a while even the use of hops was forbidden in certain ales.)

Though spices are uncommon to many beer styles, if you’re both a beer-lover and a spice-enthusiast (like me) there are still lots of styles you can explore. For the purposes of keeping it simple, I want to talk about three of the spiciest beer categories:

Fall & Winter Seasonals (Pumpkin beers, Winter “Warmers”, Holiday beers, etc.)
Cooler weather means warmer beers, so these seasonals combine the natural warming effects of alcohol with the natural warming effects of certain spices. Pumpkin beers tend to spice with the same ingredients that we know and love in our pumpkin pies. In fact, the core spices used in most cool-weather brews will be things you could find in any given kitchen: cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, allspice, and vanilla. among others. In addition to these types of warming spices, Winter beers frequently add fruit flavors to mimic the classic Wassail experience.

For a Pumpkin Ale try Dogfish Head’s Punkin Ale, Brooklyn’s Post Road Pumpkin, or Smuttynose’s Pumpkin Ale – all of which feature a subtle (instead of overwhelming) pumpkin-spiciness.

For Holiday or Winter Brews try the Sam Smith Winter Welcome, Anderson Valley Winter Solstice, or the Dubuisson Bush de Noel.

Belgians
As legendary beer writer Michael Jackson noted, “the Belgians are the greatest users of herbs and spices in beer.” And you don’t have to be a serious beer expert to feel the truth of this statement. A wide range of Belgian brews feature spice as a prominent ingredient -most notably, Belgian witbiers and saisons. Traditional spices include coriander, sweet and bitter orange peel, black pepper, grains of paradise, and sweet gale – all of which provide the sweet, spicy, and summer-y flavors that you except from those styles.

For a classic Witbier, just pick up a Hoegaarden (unfortunately now owned by InBev) or an Allagash White.

For a Saison try Saison Dupont, Foret, or Ommegang’s Hennepin.

Experimental

Though the Belgians may be the reigning spice champs, the American craft scene is giving them a run for their money with a collective penchant for spices and other unorthodox ingredients. In addition to all the classics, many American brewers are using herbs, flowers, and even chili powder to play with styles and flavors.

Boston-based Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project makes a Rustic Stout with rosemary. Rogue offers us a a beer spiced with Chipotle peppers (their Chipotle Ale, which tastes exactly like what you’d think,) a few variations on Juniper beers (John John Juniper and the Juniper Pale ale,) and even a Chamomile Ale (of same name). Dogfish Head seems to use every spicing agent under the sun, including basil (Black Thai), lemongrass (Namaste), crystallized ginger (Pangea), chiles (Theobroma), and juniper & black tea (Sah’Tea).

Got a favorite spice-y beer? Let us know by tweeting with hashtag #mybeer!

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Brew School: It’s Not Rocket Science

Thursday, August 12th, 2010

For the past month I’ve been in charge of Saturday brewery tours at the Chelsea Brewing Company. Four months ago, I never would have though myself capable of giving an informative and in-depth brewery tour. However, the hands on education I’ve been receiving has really beefed up my beer knowledge and more importantly, it has giving me a real, physical understanding of the beverage I’ve spent the last several years studying while enjoying the occasional pint.

One of my favorite parts of giving tours is hanging around after giving my spiel and chatting. More than once, I’ve had the opportunity to educate curious beer drinkers about the suds in their glass and introduce them to new flavors. A few people have told me that they had no idea how complex brewing was and were amazed to discover the wide spectrum of flavors an accomplished brewer can achieve with just water, malt, hops and yeast.

When I first began brewing commercially, the process of achieving those various tastes overwhelmed me. Unlike many of the folks on my tours, I was fully aware of the variety of flavors that the basic beer ingredients could create and even knew a bit of the science behind it. However, the more I observed and experienced first hand, the more I felt lost in the process: I constantly fretted about variances in temperatures and time differentials; The threat of a boil-over stressed me out; I worried that I would never be able to operate the brew house alone would spent my off time pouring over brewing manuals and beer books.

As time wore on and I participated in the brewing process more often I learned to relax. I gradually began to understand the little nuances of brewing and things slowly started to click for me. Recently, I’ve found myself correctly identifying certain flavors and even brewing techniques found within the glass in my hand.

One event that really helped me put all of this in perspective occurred while I was running the hopback during an IPA brew. Basically, a hopback is a vessel that brewers use to stream hot wort (i.e. unfermented beer) through whole leaf hops. This process occurs at the end of the brewing process and allows the wort to take on a lot of the flavor and, more importantly, the aroma of whatever hop variety the brewer chooses to highlight in that particular beer.

As is the norm at the brewery, I was asking thousands of questions about the hopback. After about ten minutes I asked our head brewer how to tell whether or not the process was going smoothly. He took the paddle I was using to stir the hops from my hands and gave a quick stroke throughout the bud-filled hopback in front of us.

“Feels good,” he told me. “You don’t want it to thick, but you don’t want the wort running to thin.”

“So it’s all a feel thing,” I asked in reply.

“Of course it is. It’s not rocket science. It’s beer.”

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Confessions of a Miller High Life Drinker

Wednesday, July 7th, 2010

Here at Beeriety we’ve often expressed our frustrations with the biggest American brewers. Folks like Anheiser-Busch and MillerCoors, who collectively make up almost 95% of the US beer market. Generally we champion craft beer because we feel the little guys offer superior beer, and more honesty of what their beer is.  While we strongly favor craft beer over the other stuff we would be amiss if we here at Team Beeriety weren’t honest about how much cheap industrial beer we drink. It’s not something we’re proud about, but we’re don’t feel guilty about it either.

One of the greatest strengths of beer is its unparalleled adaptability. It ‘s equally at home at the ball game with a box of cracker jacks as it is a fancy meal at an expensive restaurant. While the former situation is more closely associated with the beverage, thanks to the efforts of the craft beer movement that image is slowly changing, and people everywhere are coming to recognize that there is no meal or  situation beer can’t handle. Here at Beeriety we want to celebrate all of the roles beer is able to play, from low brow to high brow. That means celebrating the beers both by Dogfish Head and by Miller. We may be most excited about the beers of craft brewers but we still regularly partake in cheap light lager like High Life, Pabst Blue Ribbon and the like, and we aren’t ashamed to admit it. Sometimes you’re not able to enjoy a nice craft brew, for reasons of availability, price or situation. Some may forsake beer all together if they can’t get a nice craft beer, but not me.  I’m interested in beer in all it’s forms, and sometimes that means something watery, thin and tasteless. If it’s all I can get my hand on at the moment I’m happy to have it.

When other people know you’re passionate about craft beer they may be a bit intimated by what that means. They may think you only drink expensive, imported beer in crystal chalices. I know that I’ve had of plenty of friends say they feel guilty drinking cheap beer around me, but the fact is I really don’t care, and frequently will gladly join them in a glass of whatever thin lager they’re drinking. It may not be my favorite, but I’m always happy the share a beer with someone, regardless of what it is. There is no beer that’s ‘right’ for a time, place or meal, only the beer you want to drink.  Don’t let anyone stop you from enjoying the beer you want to enjoy. I’ll continue to educate people about the beers beyond the light stuff, and drink craft beer when I can, but I’ll never dismiss someone based solely on what their drinking, or refraim from trying every beer I can get my hands on. That kind of snobbery and elitism is best left to wine drinkers.

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Style Profile: Trappist Ale

Wednesday, June 16th, 2010

Although beer making is mostly done commercially today, there was a time when it was a strictly domestic affair. Almost every sizable household brewed its own beer. Back then beer wasn’t consumed out of pleasure but necessity; it was much cleaner and safer to drink than water so everyone drank it, including monks.

Saint Benedict decreed in the sixth century that monks should live a self-sufficient lifestyle, with everything they would ever need available in their monastery. This would prevent them from ever having to venture into the secular world, where they might encounter sinful temptation. Because beer was a basic necessity of life at the time, most Benedictine monasteries had a brewery on premises.

Fast forward to the 17th century, when Abbaye de la Trappe, a Cistercian monastery, was founded in Normandy, France. The Trappists, as these monks would eventually be known, became famous for their discipline and craftsmanship. They produced a variety of high quality goods they sold to provide for themselves, items like beer. By the 18th century the Trappists were driven out of Normandy by the French Revolution, eventually settling in Belgium and the Netherlands, but not resuming brewing commercially till the  1830s.

Today just seven Trappist monasteries that brew remain: Chimay, Westmalle, Orval, Rochefort, Westvleteren, Achel and Brouwerij de Koningshoeven. These are the only breweries which can use the “Trappist” term on their beer. Other breweries who produce beer in a similar style usually use the term “abbey ale” or something similar.

Whether it’s made by actual monks or simply inspired by them, beers in this category usually fall into one of the following styles:

Dubbel - These ales are dark red in color with a sweet, malty taste that has notes of caramel or toffee to it.  Compared to other dark Belgian beers it has a fairly mid-range body, but it’s still pretty substantial. As with most Trappist ales, hop presence is fairly low.  Chimay Red is perhaps the wost well know variety, St. Bernardus Prior 8 is another really amazing version. 7-9% ABV.

Tripel – Pale yellow to golden in color, with a much lighter, but much sweeter body than the dubbel, these beers can be deceptively strong. Thanks to the use of Belgian candy sugar for some of the malt, the alcohol can be much higher than a usual brew without adding much to the body. Chimay White is probably the most widely available in the US. Westmalle Tripel is another delicious version. Also be sure to check out Victory’s Golden Monkey for a great American take on this style. 8-12% ABV.

Quadrupel – Originally developed at the Brouwerij de Koningshoeven in the Netherlands, the only Trappist brewery outside of Belgium. This style is known as one of the darkest and heaviest styles around. It’s extremely dark with rich, malty notes of plums or other heavier fruits. Over time the style has evolved a bit to become something of a catch all term for any exceptionally dark and heavy Belgian style ale, but the Trappist brewers still brew them the same way. Chimay Blue is a classic example of this style. St. Bernardus 12 is another great variety. 10-14% ABV.

The double/trippel/quad naming scheme refers to how much malt was traditionally used in each of these beers as compared to a “simple ale,” a now all but extinct term. Today malt levels vary considerably, but the names still provide a good indication of what to expect.

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Five Great Books on Beer

Wednesday, June 9th, 2010

When I’m not drinking beer one of my favorite things to do is read about beer. In the last ten years or so a number of outstanding books have been published on the subject of beer and brewing. Here’s five great ones to add to your library.

1. The Brewmaster’s Table – This tome by Brooklyn Brewery brewmaster Garret Oliver is at first glance a guide to pairing beer and food, but really it’s so much more than that. Oliver presents a thorough history and profile of many of the most popular and well loved beer styles along with well written stories and anecdotes of his many travels and visits to some of the world’s best breweries.  It’s a must for any lover of beer, food or both.

2. The Complete Joy of Homebrewing – This is the book that started it all.  Charlie Papazian is the godfather of the modern homebrewing movement and by extension the craft beer movement as well.  This book, now in its 3rd edition, remains all you really need to learn how to make beer yourself. Papazian breaks down every aspect of brewing to simple, easy to understand steps while keeping first time brewing jitters away with his motto – “Relax, Don’t Worry About It, Have a Homebrew.”

3. Designing Great Beer – Once you’ve learned the basics of homebrewing this book is a must. Ray Daniels takes a detailed look at a variety of styles, breaking down how they’re brewed and what ingredients they call for to make it easy for you to start creating your own recipes. The history of each style is also presented in amazing detail, which makes for a great read even if you’re not brewing.

4. Brewing Up a Business – In this book Dogfish Head founder Sam Caligone tells the tale of how Dogfish Head went from the smallest commercial brewery in the US to one of the most renowned breweries in the world. It’s inspiring stuff for anyone who’s daydreamed about making beer more than just a hobby.

5. Michael Jackson’s Great Beers of Belgium - This is the book that first got the craft beer world interested in Belgium and Belgian-style beers. Jackson was championing the brews from this tiny country long before they were popular, but thanks to his tireless efforts and books like this one, you can now find Chimay and other Belgian beer almost anywhere in the world.

What are your favorite beer books? Let us know in the comments.

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Hosting A Beer Potluck Dinner

Thursday, June 3rd, 2010

As the summer season rolls in now is the perfect time to get together with your friends and family and enjoy some good food and good brews. Hopefully everyone had a relaxing Memorial Day weekend with plenty of beer and barbecue. Barbecue is of course a great meal that goes great with beer, but it’s not the only one. As we’ve discussed before beer goes great with all sorts of food. One of the best ways to learn tasty new food and beer combinations is to have a beer potluck dinner. Just follow our three step guide to hosting one.

Step One: Everyone brings a dish and a beer that goes great with it. A basic idea to keep in mind when pairing food and beers is to keep the intensity of the food flavors consistent with the intensity of the beer flavors. If you’re having trouble coming up with a beer to go with your favorite dish, take a look at our introduction to beer and food pairing.

Step Two: Take turns trying the different beer/food combinations. It’s a good idea to start with the lighter fare and work your way towards darker and heavy food/brews. This will keep more delicate flavors from being overshadowed and buy the bolder selections. Also be sure that between each round you rinse out your mouth with a bit of water, this will ensure you are coming to each beer with a fresh palate.

Step Three: Talk about each pairing. Which ones worked? Which ones didn’t? Which did you like and what surprised you? Although there are many guiding principles to pairing food and beer, in the end there are no rules or “right” and “wrong” way to pair beers. The best pairing for a food is the one you like best. Don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise. That being said, you can still learn a lot from hearing what others thought of the same combos you’ve tried. You may even learn to like something you didn’t before. Above all else keep an open mind.

What are some of your favorite beer and food pairings? Let us know next time you try it by tweeting what you drank and adding the ‘#mybeer’ hashtag.

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Style 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.

Like many wheat beers Berliner weisse is cloudy, light and slightly citrusy with little to no hop flavors. What makes this style unique is the distinct tart and sour flavors that are also present. Much like unsweetened geuze lambic, Berliner Weisse has a refreshing tartness to it that can make your mouth pucker. Because many find the sourness too intense the beer is often mixed with fruit syrup just prior to serving. Raspberry and green apple are by far the most popular syrup flavors, but there are others out there. To get the sour flavors many brewers will now introduce certain bacteria strains to the brew, as with wild ales or geuze but traditionally the tart flavors were derived from a unique secondary fermentation process.

True Berliner Weisse is only produced in Berlin, Germany. Under German law only beer produced in the city limits of Berlin may call itself that. Although in the past the style was extremely popular today there are just two breweries that still produce traditional Berliner Weisse, Berliner Kindl and Schultheiss. In addition to these two breweries there are plenty of other foreign producers of the style. Dogfish Head produces a version of it known as Festina Peche, which has some peach syrup flavorings pre-mixed into it. A more tradition version by a American craft brewer is Hottenroth Berliner Weisse by The Bruery.

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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.

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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.

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