tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44556067185674691322024-03-14T00:24:58.933-05:00Leaky Spicket Brewing BlogBrewing and blogging in Austin, Texas wishing I were somewhere in Scotland.Neil Spakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079950052853787227noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455606718567469132.post-47421629389628694342017-06-14T09:14:00.002-05:002017-06-14T09:14:57.676-05:00Homebrew Con 2017 Day One (for me)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well, it's here. 2017 Homebrew Con (previously known as the National Homebrewers Conference) in Minneapolis, MN. I arrived quite late last night but still sampled a couple of the local brews in the hotel lobby bar before crashing. A bit of a lie in this morning but up around 9A and started studying for my BJCP Written Exam this afternoon.<br />
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My partner in crime (and beer/mead), Matt Chrispen is due in later today, as is my good friend and BN icon, Mike "Tasty" McDole. My other crazy friend, Ricardo, must be out of his mind as he is taking three, count 'em, three BJCP exams today! I couldn't cope. Best of luck, Ricardo. Especially since UPS lost your final round entries - total bummer.<br />
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Time for some lunch to get the day going. I'm meeting up with famous author, Peter Symons (well, maybe not so famous, but a great guy, and a great book,"Bronzed Brews"), along with good friend and founder/co-owner of <a href="http://www.meridianhive.com/">Meridian Hive Meadery</a> in Austin, TX, Eric Lowe. Eric is proctoring the BJCP Mead Exam this afternoon. My exam is after the Mead exam - definitely need some fuel for the brain. That Written Exam is grueling, no matter how many times you've taken it. Headed to Brit's Pub, as recommended to Peter by Kristen England. The Steak & Ale Pie that I had was awesome! Steak, mushrooms, puff pastry, chips, and peas, what more could one ask for? In addition, they had a Mild Ale on from Fulton here in Minneapolis, great beer, will possibly try to visit them this evening. Also had beers from Fullers on, the BritHop was sublime!<br />
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A bit more studying then the Exam... Tough, as usual. Again, I say, I don't like being tested on how quickly I can write rather than what my real knowledge is. Alas, them's the rules... After the exam, headed to Surly Brewing Co with Ricardo, Matt, Eric, and Toby, the latter two crammed in the back of a Chevy Cruze with me in the middle. :-o Food was great, beers were hit and miss, but let me clarify that, the ones they are known for, great, a little disappointed in the 'interpretations' of some lager biers. Met three other Texans at Surly too, from the DFW area. Early night and all in all, a great day!<br />
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Yours Aye!<br />
Neil<br />
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<br />Neil Spakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079950052853787227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455606718567469132.post-67919161808412215672017-06-01T21:46:00.002-05:002017-06-01T21:46:55.665-05:00Two Years, Seriously?Man, have I fallen off the edge when it comes to blogging. Actually, I'm finding it harder and harder just to keep up with all the social media updates let alone keep up with the blogs I follow or find time to blog myself. Well, it's time to attempt to get back to it. Part of the issue for me, personally, is what do I post about? There's so much beer stuff out there already on a daily basis, both homebrew and commercial, and there seems to be no end to the number of breweries opening up... everywhere across the planet.<br />
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I'm going to try anyway, mainly as a bit of further self indulgence and maybe, someone else will find the forthcoming comments and thoughts interesting. Some things to come quite soon...<br />
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I had the great pleasure to spend the day with Mike "Tasty" McDole recently which included a visit to <a href="http://www.hereticbrewing.com/">Heretic Brewing Company</a> in Fairfield, CA catching up with my great friend, Jamil Zainasheff. Jamil has made Heretic a serious brewing concern and the ideas in his head for the future are incredibly exciting. Tasty and I had some interesting discussions (as one can imagine) throughout our other stops and I'll comment on at least one quite soon.<br />
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The <a href="https://www.homebrewcon.org/">National Homebrew Conference (Homebrew Con)</a> in Minneapolis, MN is just over a week away. Once again Leaky Spicket Brewing and <a href="https://accidentalis.com/">Accidentalis Brewing</a> (aka me and Matt) will be heading up and rooming together for the third year in a row. Maybe this time I'll find the time to actually post some things. Really looking forward to seeing all our friends across the country again at this great annual event.<br />
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So, until my next motivation... Cheers!<br />
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Yours Aye,<br />
NeilNeil Spakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079950052853787227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455606718567469132.post-31942382279721940142015-05-07T18:51:00.001-05:002015-05-27T21:02:38.101-05:00Test BlogHello Everyone...<br />
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This is a test post for the new look Leaky Spicket Brewing Blog. Trying out a completely new look, some serious HTML template and CSS edits, seeing how it all renders.<br />
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Getting ready for posts from the <a href="http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/">American Homebrewers Association</a>'s <a href="http://www.ahaconference.org/">National Homebrew Competition</a> in San Diego, California in early June.<br />
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Stay tuned for all the Leaky escapades from the conference along with the likes of <a href="http://accidentalis.com/">Accidentalis Brewing</a>, who will be rooming with me.<br />
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Yours Aye!<br />
NeilNeil Spakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079950052853787227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455606718567469132.post-64233850058522492622013-08-14T17:55:00.000-05:002013-08-14T17:55:32.317-05:00The Joy And Frustration Of HomebrewingI still remember brewing my first batch of home brewed beer. The wife of one of my friends had bought him a homebrew kit for Christmas; however, not knowing whether he would stick with it or not, he enlisted myself and another friend of ours to split the cost of the remaining equipment under the proviso that we would brew together. The first batch was an extract clone of Bass Ale and we split the batch after bottling among the three of us. I can still vividly recall the smell of the hops as they went into the boil! This was in early 1997. Little did I know what was to transpire from this simple beginning.<br />
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My son (and first child), Evan, was born in August of 1997. I put my wife through the wringer during most of that year. While still pregnant, we were building our first house and at the time I was traveling quite frequently for work, particularly to Scotland, and it fell on her to deal with much of the issues of the house. Then, during the summer of 1998, after months of planning and uncertainty, I sealed the opportunity to do a job rotation in our office in East Kilbride, Scotland for three months. It became one of the highlights of my life.<br />
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I had a very nice flat in Glasgow's West End just off Great Western Road and a stone's throw from Byres Road, the main artery in the West End. My wife and newly born son spent six of the weeks with me and I still remember it fondly. Every weekend I/we traveled around Scotland visiting primarily castles and other historical sites as well as a few breweries and distilleries. During this stay, I widened my appreciation and obsession for Scottish brewed cask-conditioned (or real) ales under the tutelage of my long time Scottish friend, Alan McRobb, himself a real ale enthusiast for many, many years. Needless to say, I brought back an incredible desire to brew those beers I came to love so much from Scotland (and England) in my home in Austin since they were not (and still aren't) available locally.<br />
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At the time, one beer in particular drove me to pursue homebrewing with an unbridled passion - Edinburgh's <a href="http://www.caledonianbeer.com/">Caledonian Brewery</a>, <a href="http://www.caledonianbeer.com/beers/deuchars-ipa">Deuchars IPA</a> (I even stated as much during my first appearance on the "<a href="http://thebrewingnetwork.com/shows/618">Can You Brew It?</a>" show on <a href="http://thebrewingnetwork.com/">The Brewing Network</a>). In recent times, this beer still has a huge following in the UK but has also accumulated a number of slaggings. Personally, I think this is primarily due to the fact that, historically, IPA was of a very high gravity (alcohol level) as well as very heavily hopped to sustain it for the long voyage to India. In addition, the availability in the UK of many of the over-the-top IPAs from the New World haven't exactly helped the case either. This beer is quite far from either of those so I would ask everyone to ignore the "IPA" moniker in this case. It is no more associative to this particular beer than the "Deuchars" name (Duddingston, at the south of Edinburgh once had a brewery owned by Robert Deuchar). However, the beer is perhaps the finest session ale I have ever tasted. And there begins the saga...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Real Ale Almanac</td></tr>
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I returned to Austin from Scotland armed with three of Graham Wheeler's homebrewing books as well as the indispensable (at least to me anyway) "Real Ale Almanac" and set about trying to clone <a href="http://www.caledonianbeer.com/beers/deuchars-ipa">Deuchars IPA</a>. By this time I had already moved from extract brewing to all grain. At the time, Graham Wheeler's "Brew Your Own British Real Ale" did not have a recipe for Deuchars so I built up my own based on the information in "Real Ale Almanac". The first attempts were drinkable but not even close, really. Long story short, over the years I've sourced as much information as I possibly could find including my notes from when I visited the <a href="http://www.caledonianbeer.com/">Caledonian Brewery</a>, a forum thread that had detailed information supposedly from one of the brewers, and seeking the advice of my good friend John McGarva, owner and head brewer at <a href="http://www.trystbrewery.co.uk/">Tryst Brewery</a> in Larbert (Falkirk), Scotland. Through all of this I have tried many, many recipes varying malts, hops, yeast and water profile and achieved improvements in some areas but have never hit the mark to my satisfaction. One of the longer term issues is of course the fact that I am now relying on my memory of what the real thing tasted like as it is still not available in the US and even the bottles/cans I've been fortunate enough to have brought to me don't come close to the beer, properly kept and appropriately served in cask-conditioned format.<br />
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This week I tapped yet another attempt using a small tweak to what has become my most stable recipe. Sadly, this one is off too in a different direction that previous batches (too much Crystal Malt). However, as frustrating as it is at times, every batch of beer offers a learning experience and that is one of the reasons I'm still home brewing. As I continue to train my palate through beer judging I am getting better at identifying aspects that need to be tweaked and this latest attempt is no exception. This beer is all about flavor and balance and at 3.8% ABV it can become quite difficult to achieve the desired result. Surely one day (and hopefully soon) I will hit what I'm wanting and move all my frustration to true joy!<br />
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Yours Aye!<br />
NeilNeil Spakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079950052853787227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455606718567469132.post-40478130313502532662012-07-21T18:35:00.002-05:002012-07-21T18:35:56.149-05:00Beers: "Southern Cross", "Blood of Emeralds", and "Revolution Ale"Often with tragedy or a bit of rough going, time brings clarity. So it goes with beer clarity as well. If you read my last post, the beer that was giving me fits did indeed clear up with finings and a bit of extra time. So, given that, here's a rundown of the three beers in question.<br />
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Revolution Ale</h4>
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This is a fairly basic American Pale Ale brewed mostly as a 4th of July beer but also with the theme of Assassin's Creed 3 that is due to come out late October and is based in the U.S. Revolutionary War. My son, Evan, has been an Assassin's Creed fanatic for years and is really excited about this newest installment. Anyway, back to the beer. The beer is brewed using Maris Otter pale ale malt, Crystal 45°L malt, Munich Malt, and a little bit of Torrefied Wheat. Bittering hops are Brewers Gold and the late-copper hops are Simcoe with a calculated IBU of about 50. It is supposed to have an original gravity (OG) of 1.042 but I got a little more efficiency out of the mash than normal and wound up at 1.045. It finished out at 1.009 for an alcohol by volume (ABV) of about 4.7%, again a little higher than the target. The yeast was 'Chico', <a href="http://www.whitelabs.com/">White Labs</a> WLP001 California Ale.<br />
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The aroma is earthy and piney with only a hint of maltiness. The color is light brown to amber and it finished quite clear after fining. It is medium bodied but with a somewhat dry and bitter aftertaste. The flavor is dominated by the Simcoe, almost a bit of bubblegum flavor as my friend Chad describes it. There is quite a nice malty sweetness with some caramel notes to balance the bitterness and hints of caramel/toffee linger in the finish.<br />
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Blood of Emeralds</h4>
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OK, this is quite a stretch but I've wanted to do some sort of tribute beer to my favorite guitarist, Gary Moore, who sadly died last year. I've been checking out some new hops and recently ordered a fairly new German variety, Smaragd, that I wanted to try. I couldn't pronounce the word let alone know what its translation would be so I consulted the internet. Turns out it means "Emerald". Perfect, Gary Moore, Emerald Isle (he was from Belfast) and one of my favorite tunes of his was "Blood of Emeralds" so on I went. The beer is also inspired by a cask-conditioned lager brewed by <a href="http://www.harviestoun.com/">Harviestoun Brewery</a> in Alva, Scotland called 'Schiehallion'. I intend to do another beer that is a little closer to Schiehallion but I love the concept of a 'cask lager'. The point here is that the beer is fermented at lager temperature with a lager yeast but is not actually lagered (does not undergo an extensive period of conditioning at near freezing temperature). I have enough people that like lagers that I wanted to find something with lager like qualities that I didn't need to wait for weeks to drink. This beer did not dissappoint.<br />
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The beer is brewed with Belgian Pilsener malt and a touch of Bairds Caramalt and some Torrefied Wheat. Bittering hops are German Hallertau Hersbrucker and multiple late-copper hop additions of Smaragd were used for flavor and aroma for a calculated IBU of 40. The original gravity is 1.040 and this one finished at 1.012. The yeast is <a href="http://www.whitelabs.com/">White Labs</a> WLP838 Southern German Lager. I really like the Belgian Pilsener malt as it is well suited to a single temperature infusion mash program which this beer had - again, trying to minimize time and effort.<br />
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The first and most striking aspect was the beer's clarity, amazingly clear. The color is light golden, very similar to a Czech/Bohemian style Pils. The aroma is of Pilsener malt and noble hop notes. Not sure if Smaragd would be considered a noble hop or not but it certainly has those qualities in both flavor and aroma. The beer is light to medium bodied and has loads of malt character, who many would claim cannot be done without decoction mashing let alone being done with a single temperature infusion. I do understand the merits of decoction and have done it in the past. I'm all for tradition and would do decoction much more regularly were it not for the time and effort involved. Bottom line, I'm not making a statement about decoction one way or the other, that was not the point with this beer anyway. The flavor is grainy and malty sweet Pilsener malt with a very balanced bitterness. The finish is quite dry and bitter but the malty sweetness lingers despite this. This is an absolutely lovely summer beer for the Texas heat. I could not be more pleased (well, actually I could, I am a perfectionist when it comes to beer, after all) and I think this is a fitting tribute to Gary. I could have done a Dry Irish Stout but believe me, I can drink a whole lot more of this, for sure!<br />
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I do need to add one nod of inspiration here. That is to brewer Will Golden of <a href="http://austinbeerworks.com/">Austin Beerworks</a>. I've spoken with Will a couple of times about the mash program issue and he encouraged me to go for the single temperature infusion that he also uses on their outstanding <a href="http://austinbeerworks.com/beer/">Pearl Snap</a>.<br />
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Southern Cross</h4>
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This is a session strength, light bodied Bitter style beer that I would suggest is fit for a summer ale due to the light body, very pronounced citrus hop character and somewhat dry finish. It is brewed with a grist of Thomas Fawcett Maris Otter pale ale malt, Belgian Pilsener malt (although next time I will move to Baird's Lager malt), Baird's Caramalt, and Torrefied Wheat. Bittering hops are organic New Zealand Hallertau Aroma and it is heavily late-copper hopped with multiple additions of Australian Galaxy. I used one of my favorite yeasts, <a href="http://www.whitelabs.com/">White Labs</a> WLP023 Burton Ale, which I think contributes a great character to the beer. The original gravity was 1.040 and it finished out at 1.009 for an ABV of right at 4.0%. The calculated IBU level was about 50. The name comes by way of two of my Australian work colleagues, one of which is my boss - cheers Vim and Brad - and the star constellation that is visible in the southern hemisphere and used in many Australian and New Zealand images and logos. <br />
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The aroma is of citrus - orange, lime, a hint of lemon, and passion fruit - with an underlying bready and malty base. The color is light golden, very much like a summer ale. The initial flavor is full-on citrusy fruit leading to a caramel-like malty sweetness and yeasty bread notes. The finish is very dry and quite bitter - almost harshly so. I had some of my discerning beer loving friends over during the week and we debated this latter point. It was 50/50 with myself in the half that thought the aftertaste was a bit too harsh while the other half thought it was just fine. My theory is that the Galaxy hops at 13.0% AA contributed too much bittering during the 20min charge and I would drop the quantity of hops or eliminate this addition altogether next time. Overall, this is one that I will definitely brew again.<br />
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That's it this go around. A bit about Oktoberfest-Märzen and Munich Oktoberfest biers in general next time.<br />
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Yours Aye!<br />
NeilNeil Spakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079950052853787227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455606718567469132.post-8813627181646920392012-07-09T21:00:00.000-05:002012-07-09T21:00:06.006-05:00Back On TrackIt's high time I get back on track. I started this blog mainly as an outlet for my home brewing but I've somehow allowed myself to get off topic too many times. Time for a re-focus.<br />
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Since moving house back in early 2011, I have brewed over thirty 5-gallon (US) batches of beer, probably the most consecutive run I've had in doing this for over 15 years. I still have yet to enter any contests but I have started going to some of the <a href="http://www.austinzealots.com/">Austin Zealots</a> (the local homebrew club) meetings and happy hours and attended <a href="http://dixiecup.crunchyfrog.net/">The Dixie Cup</a> homebrew competition in Houston last year, one of the largest in the US.<br />
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I'd like to say that I am a fairly style centric brewer but I experiment a lot with different grist profiles, hop varieties, hop schedules, types of yeast and mash programs. Perhaps this is one of the reasons I haven't been contest focused. I like to brew what I like to drink as well as what my friends like. If they're happy, I'm usually happy. I do prefer Scottish and English style ales far and above any other types of beer but do brew a few German styles that I like a lot (Helles, Kölsch, Altbier, and Oktoberfest-Märzen) as well as the odd Czech style Pilsener.<br />
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I have worked out the majority of problems in my brewing equipment and process and with the aid primarily of input from my friend John McGarva, founder of <a href="http://www.trystbrewery.co.uk/">Tryst Brewery</a> in Larbert, Scotland (near Falkirk) as well as all the fine work that Jamil Zainasheff and John Palmer do at <a href="http://thebrewingnetwork.com/">TheBrewingNetwork</a>, my beers have improved immensely in the last few years. If one were to ask me to pick one thing that had the biggest impact on improving my beer quality, without hesitation I would say doing a proper yeast starter. Using a yeast nutrient in the copper and oxygenating the wort prior to pitching are also key factors. There are a number of other items but this has certainly been the most significant. I encourage anyone that has not done so already to read Jamil's articles on the <a href="http://www.mrmalty.com/article.php">Mr Malty website</a>.<br />
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I do still face the odd issue, however, and as of late it has been beer clarity. I've made some improvements in this area but certain beers still give me fits. My friend and award-winning homebrewer, Kerry Martin, turned me on to the use of gelatin finings and that handles the majority of the beers. Recently, I've also tried BioFine but as yet, I've not had very good results with it. Of course, I have used Whirlfloc as a copper fining agent for years but clearly, in lieu of filtering (which I care not to do), post fermentation fining is an important aspect for clearing up the beers.<br />
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A few weeks ago, I brewed three hop heavy beers that on the face of it are all quite different. One is even a "cask lager" if I may use that term, modeled loosely after <a href="http://www.harviestoun.com/">Harviestoun Brewery</a> Schiehallion which is a great lager that is cask conditioned (the first of its kind that I was introduced to). In the next post, I'll discuss these beers in a little more detail - as soon as the one that is giving me fits clears up.<br />
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Yours Aye!<br />
NeilNeil Spakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079950052853787227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455606718567469132.post-56738964077009899572011-11-26T22:01:00.000-06:002011-11-27T00:21:05.628-06:00Stylistically Speaking - London Porter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4WYubznrrVw/TtG8FnotrPI/AAAAAAAAARo/LiJ8iHLUhKo/s1600/meantime-london-porter.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4WYubznrrVw/TtG8FnotrPI/AAAAAAAAARo/LiJ8iHLUhKo/s1600/meantime-london-porter.png" /></a></div>
No, not <a href="http://www.bjcp.org/index.php">BJCP</a> or <a href="http://www.brewersassociation.org/pages/publications/beer-style-guidelines">Brewers Association</a> Beer Style Guidelines, but historically a true beer style in its own right. Now, if you're a regular reader of <a href="http://zythophile.wordpress.com/">Zythophile</a> (Martyn Cornell) or <a href="http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/">Shut Up About Barclay Perkins</a> (Ron Pattinson) you may have heard much of the information in this post and may care to stop reading. My motivation for the post is due to some background I looked into while formulating a homebrew recipe for said style, London Porter, that I will be brewing tomorrow (well, now today since it's just gone past midnight in Austin).<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O_-856MJt0A/TtG8YqUgO-I/AAAAAAAAARw/U7EmFtmEqJ4/s1600/fullers-london-porter-bottle.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O_-856MJt0A/TtG8YqUgO-I/AAAAAAAAARw/U7EmFtmEqJ4/s1600/fullers-london-porter-bottle.png" /></a></div>
Obviously, since I conducted the interview with Steve Schmidt at <a href="http://www.meantimebrewing.com/">Meantime Brewing</a> in London for TheBrewingNetwork's <a href="http://thebrewingnetwork.com/shows/721">The Jamil Show - Can You Brew It?</a>, my first inclination was to just brew the recipe that Steve gave us for<a href="http://www.meantimebrewing.com/our-beers/meantime-london-porter"> Meantime London Porter</a>. However, I wanted to try some of the real thing along with other interpretations of the style before I completely settled on my own recipe. So, I gathered a few bottles of not only <a href="http://www.meantimebrewing.com/our-beers/meantime-london-porter">Meantime's London Porter</a> but also <a href="http://www.fullers-ales.com/london_porter.php">Fuller's London Porter</a>, these being the only examples from the UK that I could get my hands on. Knowing that at least before the late 18th century porters had a woodsmoke flavor to them, I decided to also try <a href="http://www.stonebrew.com/porter/">Stone Brewing's Smoked Porter</a> again just as an additional reference point.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Pm-QBanE6G4/TtG_cybigOI/AAAAAAAAAR4/r7HIEbV-lHM/s1600/stone-smoked-porter.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Pm-QBanE6G4/TtG_cybigOI/AAAAAAAAAR4/r7HIEbV-lHM/s1600/stone-smoked-porter.png" /></a></div>
One thing was pretty obvious to me as soon as I started sampling - I really do like porters, a lot! There were quite distinct (almost drastic) differences between all three beers. I tried the <a href="http://www.meantimebrewing.com/our-beers/meantime-london-porter">Meantime</a> first (though far from the first time that I've had any of these) and the first thing I picked up on was the smokiness in the flavor and aroma. My first sample that had come right out of the refrigerator certainly had a fairly strong smoke note in the flavor. However, I later sampled another bottle that I had let rise to proper serving temperature for beers from the British Isles and in the flavor, the notes of toffee, caramel, and chocolate were the most dominant and the smokiness was really quite subdued. This sample was also much more flavorful, creamy and luscious than the cold one. I then tried the <a href="http://www.fullers-ales.com/london_porter.php">Fuller's</a> version. This is one lovely beer but is certainly devoid of any smokiness whatsoever (in fact, Martyn Cornell finds it too sweet). When I checked the website for its ingredients, it does, in fact, lack any smoke-flavored malt. Its flavor incorporates caramel, toffee, and a bit stronger chocolate malt flavor than does the <a href="http://www.meantimebrewing.com/our-beers/meantime-london-porter">Meantime</a> but is certainly sweeter as well. I'd say the<a href="http://www.fullers-ales.com/london_porter.php"> Fuller's</a> version falls more into line with mid- to late-19th century porters only without the sour notes (more on all this later). Now to the <a href="http://www.stonebrew.com/porter/">Stone Smoked Porter.</a> I think this one is thrown off historically mostly by its hop profile which comes as little surprise given that it is <a href="http://www.stonebrew.com/">Stone</a> we're talking about. However, it is not so much the hopping rate as the varieties used. I don't think any 17th-19th century porter brewer would have had access to hops remotely similar to Columbus or, to a lesser degree, Mt Hood. I don't know what smoked malt they use either but it is certainly vastly different from the flavor of the <a href="http://www.weyermann.de/eng/index.asp?umenue=yes&idmenue=36&sprache=2">Weyermann</a> that <a href="http://www.meantimebrewing.com/our-beers/meantime-london-porter">Meantime</a> uses and definitely much more pronounced. The aroma and flavor of the <a href="http://www.stonebrew.com/">Stone</a> porter reminds me more of a German <a href="http://www.germanbeerinstitute.com/Steinbier.html">Steinbier</a> (stone beer) made by throwing super heating stones into the wort. It is a quite distinct flavor.<br />
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I ultimately decided to go with the <a href="http://www.meantimebrewing.com/our-beers/meantime-london-porter">Meantime</a> recipe. Still, I wanted to know more about this world changing style of beer. Since it is an intrinsically British style of beer, naturally I sourced the definitive guide on the subject first - Martyn Cornell's <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/zythophile-20">Amber, Gold and Black</a>. The grist for <a href="http://www.meantimebrewing.com/our-beers/meantime-london-porter">Meantime's London Porter</a> includes two malts related to historical London porter from before the mid-18th century, Brown Malt and <a href="http://www.weyermann.de/eng/produkte.asp?idkat=16&umenue=yes&idmenue=37&sprache=2">Weyermann's Smoked Malt</a> (Rauch Malt). No, London brewers didn't use German smoked malt, for certain. The historical tie is actually with Brown Malt, also known at the time in question as Blown, Snap or Porter Malt. This is probably best described by quoting Henry Stopes in <i>Malt and Malting</i>, published in 1885 - "Slight differences only are made in the processes of manufacture of this article [Brown, Blown, Snap, or Porter Malt] from ordinary or pale malt in all stages except the final one of drying." "The corn is then laden upon the kiln at a thickness rarely exceeding one and a-half inches. The fire consists exclusively of wood, generally oak, but occasionally beech." "Moderate heat is maintained at first until the moisture has been largely dissipated, then the fire is made up, and flares and blazes...". "The sudden and intense heat causes all the grain that has been properly grown to swell to the extent of twenty-five per cent., and the nature of the fuel employed communicates, very agreeably, the empyreumatic [roast, burnt and probably smoky (Cornell)] properties that distinguish this class of malt." The malt was referred to as 'blown' because the heat became so intense that the kernels actually burst, exploded like popcorn. They picked up the woodsmoke flavor from the oak/beech wood used to fire the kiln. Hence, these original porters did have a smoky element to them.<br />
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Obviously, no 'blown' malt is made today. Neither are modern Brown Malts very similar to their predecessors used to make London porter. <a href="http://www.meantimebrewing.com/our-beers/meantime-london-porter">Meantime's</a> use of modern Brown Malt along with the <a href="http://www.weyermann.de/eng/produkte.asp?idkat=16&umenue=yes&idmenue=37&sprache=2">Weyermann Smoked Malt</a> is a practical, contemporary attempt at reproducing the flavor of these London porters prior to about the mid-18th century, the original porters. One element missing from any of these modern interpretations of London Porter is the stale/sour element of certain aged porters. However, I leave this for the next post. More to come on the history of this once number one beer style in the world...<br />
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Yours Aye!<br />
NeilNeil Spakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079950052853787227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455606718567469132.post-191567854676778472011-08-27T20:05:00.002-05:002011-08-27T20:14:21.284-05:00Cascadian Dark AleMany have written about a supposed new beer style. It is black in color, has a somewhat malty sweet body with notes of caramel, toasted or roasted malt, and it is hopped to the teeth with citrusy and piney hops from the American pacific northwest. I've seen at least three different names attached to it: Cascadian Dark Ale, Black IPA, and (the worst of the lot in my opinion) India Black Ale.<br />
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So the first question that comes to mind for me is do we really need yet another beer style classification? There are already 23 styles (most having 3-5 sub-styles) in the <a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/catdex.php">Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) Style Guidelines</a>. Is this beer so unique and, more importantly, so well defined as to call for a new category? Personally, I think not. However, that is really only the formality side of the question left to those obsessed with categorizing beers. I really don't want to get hung up on that, this type of beer intrigues me. If I'm going to throw my hat in for a name, the only one I think is suitable is Cascadian Black Ale. These beers taste nothing like an IPA and as Matt Van Wyk of Oregon's Oakshire Brewing stated in a very politically correct way in his article "<a href="http://www.craftbeer.com/pages/stories/craft-beer-muses/show?title=india-black-ale-a-rose-by-any-other-name">Cascadian Dark Ale: A Rose By Any Other Name</a>" at <a href="http://craftbeer.com/">CraftBeer.com</a>, "Using the term "black" and "pale" in the beer name is awfully confusing to the consumer." No, I would call it more along the lines of moronic and far worse is associating "India" with this beer at all. It bears absolutely no resemblance to the true, historical India Pale Ale. If you want that real definition I encourage you to read Martyn Cornell's excellent "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Amber-Gold-Black-History-Britains/dp/0752455672/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314486768&sr=8-1">Amber, Gold & Black: The History of Britain's Great Beers</a>". Sure, it's hoppy but that really is where it ends. I think Matt did a great job summing his arguments for what the beer is all about. I encourage you to <a href="http://www.craftbeer.com/pages/stories/craft-beer-muses/show?title=india-black-ale-a-rose-by-any-other-name">read it</a>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9LGlxRW4zCo/TlmPl-ggGPI/AAAAAAAAAPg/n-GO5c0kGds/s1600/widmer-pitch-black-ipa.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9LGlxRW4zCo/TlmPl-ggGPI/AAAAAAAAAPg/n-GO5c0kGds/s1600/widmer-pitch-black-ipa.png" /></a></div>In the last couple of weeks I have tried four commercial interpretations of this beer, call it what you will. Of the four, there is really only one that I personally would deem as a definitive example (I'll get to that in a minute). Starting at the bottom of the list of ones I have tried sits, somewhat surprisingly to me, Widmer Brothers <a href="http://widmerbrothers.com/beer/#pitch-black-ipa">Pitch Black IPA</a>. I say surprisingly because I've really enjoyed most of the Widmer beers I've had. There is nothing wrong with this beer at all, let me state that right out. I just think of all the ones I tried it has the least amount of the characters that I anticipated and is, in my opinion, the most commercially acceptable version. It is black, it is somewhat hoppy, but the toasty/roasty malt flavor is very subdued and the hops are not as assertive as most of the others. Don't let me discourage you from trying it, like I said, it is a good beer in its own right and very drinkable. It is brewed with Pale Malt, Caramel Malt, Carapils, Special Roast, and Carafa Special II and hopped with Alchemy and Cascade. The quoted IBUs are 65 and it is 6.5% ABV.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span id="goog_1339899990"></span><span id="goog_1339899991"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c2KzRowk3ow/TlmTqOpw3nI/AAAAAAAAAP4/eiUGysO5jV0/s1600/stone-sublimely-self-righeous.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c2KzRowk3ow/TlmTqOpw3nI/AAAAAAAAAP4/eiUGysO5jV0/s200/stone-sublimely-self-righeous.png" width="100" /></a></div>Next on the list of ones I tried is Stone Brewing's <a href="http://www.stonebrew.com/sublimely/">Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale</a>. Like all Stone beers, this one is dominated by hops and this is my problem with it. The hops overwhelm nearly everything in the beer with respect to flavor and aroma. The hops are very citrusy and smell of freshly mowed grass and subdue any aromas of malt. There is an underlying flavor of malty sweetness with notes of caramel, coffee and dark chocolate but hops are still at the forefront. It finishes very dry with a strong bitter aftertaste of dark roasted malt. The company's website doesn't list the grist bill for the beer but the hops are given as Chinook, Simcoe and Amarillo with a stated bitterness level of 90 IBUs and a strength of 8.7% ABV.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Pp8c4B8T4KA/TlmQhbOf7BI/AAAAAAAAAPo/oOzsR5Sg7FY/s1600/Samuel-Adams-Blackened-Hops.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Pp8c4B8T4KA/TlmQhbOf7BI/AAAAAAAAAPo/oOzsR5Sg7FY/s1600/Samuel-Adams-Blackened-Hops.png" /></a></div>Second to best of the beers I've tried so far is from a homebrewer from Illinois, Rodney Kibzey, one of the three winners of the 2010 <a href="http://www.samueladams.com/index.aspx">Samuel Adams</a> Longshot contest for his <a href="http://www.samueladams.com/promotions/LongShot2011/past_winners.aspx">Blackened Hops</a>. Being a homebrewer myself for nearly 15 years, I'm always glad to see another gain recognition. The website doesn't give any statistics on Rodney's beer (or any of the other previous winners for that matter) which I find very annoying and somewhat inconsiderate. It does clock in at 7.0% ABV. I'd say this one is the sweetest and most malt driven of the lot by far. The hop level really only serves to keep the maltiness from being overwhelming. I guess in this respect, the beer actually falls quite short in matching the hop characteristics expected by this new style. It is, however, a very enjoyable beer to drink and has loads of caramel, toffee, and subtle chocolate notes.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DJNfzhkWijE/TlmQtaAxHnI/AAAAAAAAAPs/HQ2y8UTH4zo/s1600/deschutes-hop-in-the-dark.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DJNfzhkWijE/TlmQtaAxHnI/AAAAAAAAAPs/HQ2y8UTH4zo/s1600/deschutes-hop-in-the-dark.png" /></a></div>The best beer in the lineup and the one I think will be hard to top should I try any more interpretations of this style can be summed up with the phrase 'I never met a <a href="http://www.deschutesbrewery.com/">Deschutes</a> beer I didn't like.' Deschutes Brewery's <a href="http://www.deschutesbrewery.com/brew/hop-dark">Hop In The Dark</a> is classified by the brewery as a Cascadian Dark Ale. This beer is incredibly complex with loads of maltiness, caramel, and roasted malt notes coming through. It is heavily hopped but not to the level that it subdues the malty, toasty, and roasty character of the beer. If the style calls for the citrusy and piney character of northwest hops, this beer more than delivers. Frustratingly, the brewery's website leads one on with a homebrew link but the page only lists the malts and hops used in the beer with no mention of mash temperatures, hopping levels or any meaningful instructions for a homebrewer. It does, however, list the malt bill as having Pale Malt, Flaked Oats, Munich Malt, Dark Crystal Malt, Chocolate Malt, Chocolate Wheat Malt (never heard of that one), Black Barley, Toasted Oats, and Dark Candy Sugar. Now that's a complex malt bill! The hops are given as Northern Brewer, Nugget, Centennial, Amarillo, Cascade and Citra. My guess is they use Northern Brewer and Nugget for the main bittering hops and the remaining for that northwest hop flavor and aroma. It is 6.5% ABV and has a quoted hop bitterness of 70 IBUs. I really encourage you to try this beer if you can find some. Note that it is a seasonal beer for Deschutes so if you see it get it while you can.<br />
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I do find this 'style' very intriguing but I'm still on the fence (mostly on the opposite side) as to whether it is really a new beer style classification. It really is worth trying all of these beers and I, myself, will continue to seek out further interpretations of this very American of beers.<br />
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Yours Aye!<br />
NeilNeil Spakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079950052853787227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455606718567469132.post-57807640548105487712011-05-21T23:29:00.000-05:002011-05-21T23:29:03.506-05:00Brew Day and Whirlpools<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-n_IOPwDCfvA/TdiGG41KakI/AAAAAAAAAPI/ZvBKn6HUJWo/s1600/taps.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-n_IOPwDCfvA/TdiGG41KakI/AAAAAAAAAPI/ZvBKn6HUJWo/s1600/taps.png" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Yes, it is brew day again at the Leaky Spicket brewery. And, no, I'm not talking about a relaxing whirlpool bath, although with the humidity such as it is today here in Texas I might as well be in a sauna! Two batches today so quite a long day. I am excited about these two brews not only because they're newly created recipes of mine but also since they are both going to try a new technique. The first of the two beers is kind of my take on something similar to a west coast red ale (I know, not a real style according <a href="http://www.bjcp.org/stylecenter.php">BJCP guidelines</a> but many will understand what I mean) but with a distinctly British slant. The other is a straight ahead Standard or Ordinary Bitter but a recipe a bit different from ones I've done in the past. It is a good thing my new 55lb. sack of <a href="http://www.fawcett-maltsters.co.uk/">Thomas Fawcett</a> Maris Otter came in time or I would have had to postpone.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D26c_j5k-p0/TdiGW-EAR1I/AAAAAAAAAPM/5rQu-LedCVU/s1600/grain_cabinet.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D26c_j5k-p0/TdiGW-EAR1I/AAAAAAAAAPM/5rQu-LedCVU/s1600/grain_cabinet.png" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">First, let me give you an idea of what the conditions are like in the 'brew house' (the garage). Today, my inside thermometer says 88F, 75% relative humidity according to the hygrometer, and the barometer is off the scale on the low side. Lovely, like I said, sauna. To the left is a quick peak at the grain storage cabinet. Obviously, this is the starting place for any beer. I make a point to purchase ingredients that are appropriate to the type of beer I'm brewing. Right now that means exclusively British malts; many from <a href="http://www.fawcett-maltsters.co.uk/">Thomas Fawcett</a>, some from <a href="http://www.simpsonsmalt.co.uk/">Simpsons</a> and one from <a href="http://www.bairds-malt.co.uk/">Bairds</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jF4jJli4J7g/TdiGh8wULMI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/wEbrR5qiWFs/s1600/whirlpool.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jF4jJli4J7g/TdiGh8wULMI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/wEbrR5qiWFs/s1600/whirlpool.png" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So, what about this whirlpool thing? Well, it is something I picked up from Jamil Zainascheff, you know, that guy that has won tons of homebrewer awards, does two shows on <a href="http://www.thebrewingnetwork.com/">The Brewing Network</a> (including the one I help interview for, '<a href="http://thebrewingnetwork.com/shows/The-Jamil-Show">Can You Brew It?</a>'), and now soon to become a professional owner/brewer at <a href="http://hereticbrewing.com/">Heretic Brewing</a>. Jamil is a firm believer in immersion chillers with a whirlpool and he created a modification to his chiller that allows just that using a high-temp pump such as a March pump. I whimped out and bought my whirlpool kit at <a href="http://morebeer.com/">More Beer</a> as it was designed specifically for the massive immersion chiller of theirs that I already have; however, I saw one at my local shop, <a href="http://www.austinhomebrew.com/">Austin Homebrew</a>, the other day and I'm sure others have them as well. If you're handy, one could easily be made by bending a bit of copper. After attaching the "Jamil tube", I'll call it, this is what the chiller looks like.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I was not so much interested in the increased efficiency of the immersion chiller using this method as I already have a <a href="http://www.blichmannengineering.com/">Blichmann Therminator</a> so chilling wort quickly is not an issue. No, what interested me was a couple of things. Most importantly, some claim that by late hopping and whirlpooling more of the hop flavor and aroma gets taken up by the beer. In particular, aroma similar to a commercial beer is something that homebrewers struggle to achieve due to the differences in scale. If this technique helps, I was game to try it. Secondly, Jamil at least swears that this also helps to run off clearer chilled wort into the fermenter. I have to say my first experience did not yield this but it was likely due to my disturbing the whirlpool when I should have just left well enough alone. We'll see in the next batch with pellet hops (more on this in a minute). Finally, and this is not of much use to me except during Oktoberfest because I rarely do lager style beers but Jamil also uses this technique to chill the wort low enough for lager yeast pitching.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Az7hIFRsmsA/TdiG4b1X5II/AAAAAAAAAPU/q5RzmqQ1ho8/s1600/brewing-better-beer-gordon-strong.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Az7hIFRsmsA/TdiG4b1X5II/AAAAAAAAAPU/q5RzmqQ1ho8/s1600/brewing-better-beer-gordon-strong.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Now, one issue that bothered me about Jamil's technique is that he only uses pellet hops. No, there is absolutely nothing wrong with this; however, there are a couple of things that present a problem for me at the present time. Most importantly, I have quite a stock of whole hops and I'm not willing to just chuck them out but more than that I have a preference for using whole hops even though there is much greater loss of wort and I've had to adjust my batch size to compensate for this. However, it is true that whole hops just don't keep as well not to mention the fact that they take up a lot more storage space. Anyway, around the same time that I contacted Jamil for some details about this, I was also reading Gordon Strong's new book, "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Brewing-Better-Beer-Advanced-Homebrewers/dp/0937381985">Brewing Better Beer</a>". Gordon is a big proponent of whole hops too, as I found out. So, I got in touch with Gordon to ask him about how he achieves a whirlpool using whole hops. Long story short, Gordon has a somewhat unique brew kettle that has a very heavy false bottom in it; therefore, he can run off into a counterflow chiller or use an immersion chiller as in Jamil's technique and whole hops are not a problem because they are blocked from getting to the pump. Well, that got me to thinking, I always use the screen in my <a href="http://www.blichmannengineering.com/">Blichmann BoilerMaker</a> pot when using whole hops, so unless there are just SO many hops that the screen gets plugged (something that can just as easily happen even when not using a whirlpool) why not give it a try too?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OdNcbmYcdds/TdiH1gHpksI/AAAAAAAAAPY/FNKhTEDTnCo/s1600/yummy.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OdNcbmYcdds/TdiH1gHpksI/AAAAAAAAAPY/FNKhTEDTnCo/s1600/yummy.png" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So, I did. My first batch used solely pellet hops and my second batch used solely whole hops. I used the same <a href="http://morebeer.com/">MoreBeer</a> immersion chiller with the Jamil whirlpool tube for both batches. For the first, I left the screen out of the <a href="http://www.blichmannengineering.com/">BoilerMaker</a> but left the dip tube and the second was just as normal other than the fact that I did not use my <a href="http://www.blichmannengineering.com/">Therminator</a> as I normally would. As mentioned, I had some trouble with hop trub getting to the fermenter with the pellets - more than I wanted at least - but I doubt it will have a detrimental effect on the beer. And, I think the next batch that I use pellets I will be more careful. All in all I was pleased. What surprised me a little was the whole hop technique. I had no issues whatsoever with the whole hops, <a href="http://www.blichmannengineering.com/">BoilerMaker</a> screen in place, and pump through the immersion chiller tube to whirlpool. But, more importantly, the clarity of the wort was really clean for which I was very pleased. There are also some positive effects in chilling the entire wort as quickly as possible as opposed to quick chilling using a counterflow chiller such as the <a href="http://www.blichmannengineering.com/">Therminator</a>; however, I've leave that for another post.<br />
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The proof will be in the drinking; unfortunately, that won't happen until about three weeks from now. Stay tuned... </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Yours Aye!</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Neil</div>Neil Spakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079950052853787227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455606718567469132.post-82713769385539200472011-05-06T21:41:00.003-05:002011-05-06T21:48:16.637-05:00Life On MarsNo, this subject is not the David Bowie song. It's the name I've chosen for my third brew in my finally active again Leaky Spicket home brewery (and the impetus for the name of the URL of this blog). The first two brews, my 80/- and my Scottish Pale Ale are very good given its been since June 2010 that I last brewed. These two brews have also been very elusive for me as well. I have brewed and tweaked and brewed and tweaked and brewed these two recipes more than any others that I've done in the last fourteen years of my all-grain homebrewing career. Anyone familiar with Scottish cask-conditioned beer can probably guess what two beers these are modeled after. I started homebrewing, afterall, because I fell in love with beers like these in Scotland and could not get them here. So, I had no choice but to try to brew them myself. And far be it from me to do anything half-way.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hISwD5u55fs/TcStcCZ2RjI/AAAAAAAAAO4/OatBXxIPEiI/s1600/life-on-mars.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hISwD5u55fs/TcStcCZ2RjI/AAAAAAAAAO4/OatBXxIPEiI/s1600/life-on-mars.png" /></a></div>But, that's not what we're here to talk about. Rather, its the third brew, "Life On Mars Mild Ale". Two questions possibly come to mind. One, why a Mild Ale and two, what is this Life On Mars thing all about? Let's deal with the latter first, if you will. "<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/lifeonmars/index_non_flash.shtml">Life On Mars</a>" was a great series on <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/">BBC</a> television in the UK a couple of years ago that was thankfully re-played here in America on <a href="http://www.bbcamerica.com/">BBCAmerica</a>. I was so hooked on it that I had to buy the UK DVDs for both series (yes, thanks to my friend Nigel Allison I have a PAL player). I've actually been re-watching them over the last week. This has to be one of the best series ever done, in my humble opinion. The main character in the show, Sam Tyler, is a modern day DCI who is involved in an automobile accident, goes into a coma, and while in it lives a life as a DC (yes, demoted one rank) in 1973 Manchester, England. Awesome! The soundtrack is great too; really makes the show. There was a US version too that was no where near as good but was actually quite OK until the ridiculous ending (not only it did it not match the original, it was a total farce).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V9375rrIFkA/TcSuFOnLvOI/AAAAAAAAAO8/SWWP0psj5Dw/s1600/camra-logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V9375rrIFkA/TcSuFOnLvOI/AAAAAAAAAO8/SWWP0psj5Dw/s1600/camra-logo.png" /></a></div>OK, now, why a Mild Ale, and, come to think of it, what on earth is a Mild Ale? This time, let's cover the former first. That's an easy one, because on the<a href="http://www.camra.org.uk/"> Campaign For Real Ale's (CAMRA)</a> calendar May is Mild Month. I've tried to sync up with this for a number of years now and never seem to manage it. This year, no excuses and hopefully that will be the case going forward. For those not familiar with CAMRA I'd invite you to check out their website and also their role in cask-conditioned, or real, ale in the UK as described in <a href="http://scottishbrewing.com/history/realale.php">What Is Real Ale?</a> on my website. I've been a member of CAMRA almost as long as I've been homebrewing (about fourteen years). The more difficult question is the latter, what is a Mild Ale? As with all British beer styles, I turn to Martyn Cornell and his excellent book <a href="http://astore.amazon.co.uk/zythophile-21">Amber Gold & Black</a>, in particular (Martyn's other books are well worth having too). I would turn to Ron Pattinson's book, Mild Ale, as well but I don't yet have a copy of it - my fault. You can glean what great British beer historians these guys are by visiting Martyn's <a href="http://zythophile.wordpress.com/">Zythophile</a> blog, and Ron's <a href="http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/">Shut Up About Barclay Perkins</a> blog.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eSRxNowzHB0/TcSuSFGkOiI/AAAAAAAAAPA/7m3y_YbBn88/s1600/amber-gold-black.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eSRxNowzHB0/TcSuSFGkOiI/AAAAAAAAAPA/7m3y_YbBn88/s1600/amber-gold-black.png" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As Martyn says, "Mild is Britain's most misunderstood beer" - notice, he does not say 'beer style', more on this in a bit. As Martyn describes, there was only one requirement for a beer to be referred to as "mild" and that was that it should be fresh, not more than a couple of weeks old. It would have been only matured for four to ten days after being racked to cask and then delivered to the pub. All other beers at the time, the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, would have been matured at least twenty-one days, most more, before being delivered to the pub. Without going into a lengthy dissertation on my part, in general, the majority of Mild Ales in Britain were sweeter and often of lower gravity and hence, strength of alcohol (but keep in mind, the strength is in relation to the strength of beers at any given period meaning that many were still high in alcohol by modern expectations). The increased sweetness was due to the lesser use of hops and also the increased amount of dextrins left in the beer due to the shorter maturation time. Both of these were an outcome of the fact that Mild Ale was meant to be a beer of rapid turnover and therefore didn't need the additional preservative qualities that higher hopping and alcohol rates provide. That is not to say that all Mild Ales were lesser in strength. Additionally, in the twentieth century, especially the latter part, most beers sold as Mild were darker than standard Pale Ales due to the addition of more highly roasted malts such as Chocolate Malt and Black Malt. These malts contributed more body and character to the beers to compensate somewhat for the lower alcohol and to give them a fuller flavor. In summary, I like how Martyn argues that "...mild was originally a description rather than a style..." and highlights that "...it was possible to find mild or freshly brewed, immature versions of any sort of beer..." These included mild bitters, mild porters and mild stouts. I do find it somewhat curious that the <a href="http://www.bjcp.org/">Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP)</a> Style Guidelines put "Mild" as a sub-category of "English Brown Ale". I've never understood this and it certainly flies in the face of Martyn's argument about Mild being a description of the condition of a beer rather than being a style of beer as we think of styles.</div><br />
Unfortunately, Mild Ales eventually began a rapid decline when Bitter took over in Britain as the beer of choice and by the 1970s there were only a few breweries still brewing beers labeled as Mild Ales. This decline in popularity was due in part to dubious practices by publicans. Mild Ales were delivered to the pub already bright (well attenuated) and contained little to no yeast. Bitters and Pale Ales, however, did contain yeast in the cask and needed to be conditioned further in the pub until they dropped bright and were ready to serve. The dubiousness comes from a practice some publicans indulged in by reintroducing the 'slop' beer back into the cask. If this 'slop' was added to a cask of Bitter it would again become cloudy due to disturbing the yeast; therefore, they added it to the Mild instead. This is not the only reason for Mild's decline, much is simply due to the changing tastes and palates of beer drinkers.<br />
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So where does this leave us? Well, I know where it leaves me - time to watch more episodes of <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/lifeonmars/index_non_flash.shtml">"Life On Mars</a>" and eagerly await the arrival in a couple of weeks' time of 'Life On Mars Mild Ale' on the Leaky Spicket taps. This is one beer 'description' that I certainly intend to explore further as a homebrewer and a beer drinker. I think it is well worth the effort.<br />
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As a postlude, what is the connection between "<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/lifeonmars/index_non_flash.shtml">Life On Mars</a>", the TV series and Life On Mars Mild Ale? Well, none really. Mild starts with "M" and I was simply thinking of "M" sounding titles for my Mild Ale. The two came together quite happily, at least in my mind.<br />
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Yours Aye!<br />
NeilNeil Spakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079950052853787227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455606718567469132.post-20258647675878271902011-03-16T19:37:00.000-05:002011-03-16T19:37:45.988-05:00Stewart Brewing 'St Giles' - The Final Care Package Beer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-bDKav23Wuws/TYFK6nlQ4RI/AAAAAAAAAOw/LQaQapbBFjk/s1600/stewart-bottle-logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-bDKav23Wuws/TYFK6nlQ4RI/AAAAAAAAAOw/LQaQapbBFjk/s1600/stewart-bottle-logo.png" /></a></div>I know, I know, WAY over due. I actually tried this beer way back in December but it has taken me until now to find the time to write about it. Anyway, this is the final beer from my Alan McRobb Care Package and I must say I saved the best for last. <a href="http://www.stewartbrewing.co.uk/">St Giles</a>, from <a href="http://www.stewartbrewing.co.uk/">Stewart Brewing</a> in Edinburgh, is described on the bottle as a 'dark, smooth and malty contemporary taste of Edinburgh.' It is one of a fairly recently released line of bottled beers that also includes <a href="http://www.stewartbrewing.co.uk/">Hollyrood</a>, a pale, light and hoppy beer, and <a href="http://www.stewartbrewing.co.uk/">Embra</a>, an amber beer.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-eI7Vko9Af7s/TYFVW1-rccI/AAAAAAAAAO0/svGAmgYFSAw/s1600/stewart-st-giles-front.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-eI7Vko9Af7s/TYFVW1-rccI/AAAAAAAAAO0/svGAmgYFSAw/s320/stewart-st-giles-front.png" width="184" /></a></div><a href="http://www.stewartbrewing.co.uk/">St Giles</a> is indeed dark in color, a dark brown with some ruby hues. The sample I had was of medium carbonation and had a malty and what I would describe as a vinous aroma not unlike that of a Barley Wine. It had a medium to light body and tasted of malty sweetness with hints of dark chocolate, treacle, and cocoa. There were also some slight notes of coffee or espresso but without any sort of burnt flavor, more a roasty flavor, from the addition of more heavily roasted grain(s). It finishes quite dry with a lingering bittersweet chocolate flavor. It reminded me somewhat of a Scotch Ale but lower in alcohol and body, not too far from some modern Porter interpretations I've had. I have to say I really enjoyed this beer quite a bit, it is a shame I only had one! All in all it was a great beer from a great brewer.<br />
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Steve Stewart, the brewery's founder, obtained a degree in Brewing from <a href="http://www.hw.ac.uk/">Heriot Watt University</a> and worked previously for various groups within Bass. He spent some time Stateside at the <a href="http://www.harpoonbrewery.com/">Harpoon Brewery</a> in Boston where the impetus for <a href="http://www.stewartbrewing.co.uk/">Stewart Brewing</a> began in Steve's mind. Steve and his wife, Jo, started initial brews in a mini brewery in Birmingham built by Steve and his father-in-law, owner of a steel fabrication company. Steve and Jo longed for a return to Scotland and by 2004 things began to take shape to make that happen. While doing the first batches in Strathaven, work commenced concurrently at the brewery's site in Edinburgh. <a href="http://www.stewartbrewing.co.uk/">Stewart Brewing</a> started the first mash in their premises in November 2004 and the company has grown steadily ever since. The brewery offers tours by contacting them.<br />
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Yours Aye!<br />
NeilNeil Spakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079950052853787227noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455606718567469132.post-11071369406852706362010-12-29T23:46:00.002-06:002010-12-29T23:55:06.888-06:00'Grozet' Scottish Gooseberry Beer - Care Package Beer Three<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TRwapFmqGlI/AAAAAAAAAOc/vNoBuOj83iI/s1600/historicales.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TRwapFmqGlI/AAAAAAAAAOc/vNoBuOj83iI/s1600/historicales.png" /></a></div>In the words of Monty Python - and now for something completely different. I might have been a bit apprehensive approaching the opening of my third Care Package beer, <a href="http://www.williamsbrosbrew.com/historicales.php?id=28#top">Grozet</a>, from <a href="http://www.williamsbrosbrew.com/index.html">Williams Brothers Brewing</a> in Alloa, Scotland, had it not been for having imbibed their flagship, <a href="http://www.williamsbrosbrew.com/historicales.php?id=30#top">Fraoch</a>, on a number of occasions (best in cask, by the way). <a href="http://www.williamsbrosbrew.com/historicales.php?id=30#top">Fraoch</a> is the world's benchmark for heather infused beer and assuredly the first to be produced commercially. Like <a href="http://www.williamsbrosbrew.com/historicales.php?id=30#top">Fraoch</a>, <a href="http://www.williamsbrosbrew.com/historicales.php?id=28#top">Grozet</a> is a modern interpretation of an historic Scottish ale, this time brewed with Gooseberries, <a href="http://www.williamsbrosbrew.com/historicales.php?id=28#top">Grozet</a> being Scots for gooseberry. <a href="http://www.williamsbrosbrew.com/historicales.php?id=30#top">Fraoch</a> and <a href="http://www.williamsbrosbrew.com/historicales.php?id=28#top">Grozet</a> are part of Williams Brothers' <a href="http://www.williamsbrosbrew.com/historicales.php">Historic Ales From Scotland</a> line that also includes <a href="http://www.williamsbrosbrew.com/historicales.php?id=44#top">Alba</a>, brewed with Scots Pine and Spruce sprigs, <a href="http://www.williamsbrosbrew.com/historicales.php?id=45#top">Ebulum</a>, brewed with Elderberries, and <a href="http://www.williamsbrosbrew.com/historicales.php?id=43#top">Kelpie</a>, brewed with seaweed; yes, seaweed!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TRwavpzl1aI/AAAAAAAAAOg/XLIumGD2aA0/s1600/grozet-label.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TRwavpzl1aI/AAAAAAAAAOg/XLIumGD2aA0/s1600/grozet-label.png" /></a></div><a href="http://www.williamsbrosbrew.com/historicales.php?id=28#top">Grozet</a> is brewed with malted barley, gooseberries, hops, boymyrtle, and yeast. (A number of historic ales from the British Isles used Myrica Gale - common name bog myrtle or sweet gale, in place of hops either prior to the arrival of hops from the Continent or due to the expense of hops). It is said to be fermented for a lengthy period at cold temperatures. When poured it is straw to light golden in color with a fruity aroma that I'm assuming is primarily from the gooseberries (I've never had gooseberries myself). It has a very light bodied mouthfeel and is very lightly carbonated. The flavor is unlike any beer I've ever had. Upon first taste I thought it quite harshly bitter although not a hoppy bitterness. However, after the next two or three sips I found it very nice and flavorful. As mentioned, I've never had gooseberries but if I am correct I would say they aren't a far cry from black currant, a flavor a do quite like. As <a href="http://www.williamsbrosbrew.com/historicales.php?id=28#top">Grozet</a> first hits the tongue the taste is kind of tart but still slightly bitter (not unlike black currant). However, once the initial bitterness settles the beer is pleasantly sweet and slightly malty. It reminds me of some fruit flavored wheat beers I've had in the past but unlike anything I've tasted before. The initial finish is slightly sweet, tailors off to bittersweet, but leaves a lingering sweetness in the back of the mouth. This is indeed a very unique beer; not one I would drink a lot of at one sitting, but very interesting nonetheless.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TRwa1ZKQijI/AAAAAAAAAOk/x29ufC0-LUI/s1600/williams-bros-bottle-cap.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TRwa1ZKQijI/AAAAAAAAAOk/x29ufC0-LUI/s1600/williams-bros-bottle-cap.png" /></a></div>Today's William Brothers Brewing Company started in earnest in 1988 when Bruce Williams began brewing <a href="http://www.williamsbrosbrew.com/historicales.php?id=30#top">Fraoch</a>, or Heather Ale, in the tiny five barrel West Highland Brewery in Taynuilt, Argyll. With the success of the beer more capacity was needed and brewing of <a href="http://www.williamsbrosbrew.com/historicales.php?id=30#top">Fraoch</a> was contracted to the sadly now gone historic Maclay Thistle Brewery in Alloa, Scotland, long a classic Scottish brewing center. In 1998, with the help of Historic Scotland, Bruce and his brother Scott refurbished for brewing Craigmill, an old mill in Strathaven, just south of East Kilbride. Brewing remained here until 2004 when the company adopted the Williams Brothers name, purchased the New Alloa Brewery in Killiebank, Alloa and moved all production to the new brewery. The Craigmill site was subsequently taken over by <a href="http://www.strathavenales.co.uk/">Strathaven Ales</a>. After moving to the new brewery, Williams Brothers expanded their range of beers beyond the Historic Ales line to a variety of interesting and excellent beers under the Williams Brothers name. I urge you to seek them out when and if you have the opportunity. You will be glad you did!<br />
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FINAL NOTE: The brewery description on the website, <a href="http://scottishbrewing.com/">ScottishBrewing.com</a>, is incorrect. This will be addressed very soon. <br />
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Yours Aye!<br />
NeilNeil Spakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079950052853787227noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455606718567469132.post-75738456303106226432010-12-09T20:22:00.000-06:002010-12-09T20:22:59.343-06:00Orkney Brewery's Northern Light - Care Package Beer Two<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TQGK8Wlq_nI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/SvrpcxZ6dds/s1600/northern-light-bottle.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TQGK8Wlq_nI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/SvrpcxZ6dds/s320/northern-light-bottle.png" width="127" /></a></div>Finally, I'm finding the time to say something about the second beer in my recent 'care package'. This one is <a href="http://www.sinclairbreweries.co.uk/bottle_northern_light.html">Orkney Brewery's Northern Light</a>. First off, I must say that I've enjoyed all the cask versions of Orkney's beers that I've tried over the years. Prior to this, I think I've only had <a href="http://www.sinclairbreweries.co.uk/bottle_red_macgregor.html">Red MacGregor</a> in bottle form. One of the things that struck me right away about Orkney beers when I first tried them some years ago is the packaging. Orkney has always had awesome pump clips and bottle labels. But, enough of that, on to the beer itself.<br />
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I've had a few other Orkney beers but this is the first time I've tried Northern Light. Visually, it is very light golden, almost straw colored. The bottled version that I had exhibited little to no aroma when poured into a glass. Flavor-wise it has a nice upfront sweetness from the pale malt and a citrusy fruitiness from the hops and the yeast. According to Orkney's website, Northern Light is brewed with 'the very best pale ale malt' along with Hallertauer Hersbrucker, Saaz, and Liberty hop varieties. The beer is classified by the brewery as a Pale Ale but I found the body to be a little thin for a Pale Ale, in my opinion. The finish seemed a bit too dry and bitter with the flavor of the beer itself quickly disappearing.<br />
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Overall, I think this would be a great beer for hot weather (something Scotland has very little of) or with spicy food such as a nice Chicken Tikka Masala. It must be said, however, that this is not a beer I would order successively in the pub; Red MacGregor or Dark Island, yes.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TQGOXp_HclI/AAAAAAAAAOU/7AoljgApio4/s1600/orkney-logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TQGOXp_HclI/AAAAAAAAAOU/7AoljgApio4/s1600/orkney-logo.png" /></a></div>The <a href="http://www.sinclairbreweries.co.uk/home.html">Orkney Brewery</a> was founded in 1998 by Roger White and his wife, Irene, as a retirement project. Their initial brewer was the very talented Rob Hill, now running his own brewery, <a href="http://www.highlandbrewingcompany.co.uk/index.shtml">Highland Brewing Company</a>, also in Orkney. In 2006 the brewery was purchased (along with <a href="http://www.atlasbrewery.com/">Atlas Brewery</a>, who I think I read recently is no longer on the go, I could be wrong) by Norman Sinclair, a successful restaurateur, under Sinclair Breweries Ltd. I have to be honest, I think they struggled a little bit after Rob left as the consistency of their beers was not what it had been. I think they've regained this however and now continue to produce highly acclaimed beers.<br />
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Yours Aye!<br />
NeilNeil Spakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079950052853787227noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455606718567469132.post-30973824696559082232010-11-29T22:00:00.005-06:002010-11-30T05:56:27.835-06:00Roddy Beveridge - A Fallen ComradeI was all set to write the next post in the 'care package' series focused on Orkney Brewery's Northern Light but when I sat down to write all I could think about was the emails I received recently from various members of the <a href="http://scottishcraftbrewers.org/">Scottish Craft Brewers</a> and <a href="http://www.edinburghcamra.co.uk/">CAMRA's Edinburgh and South East Scotland branch</a>. Whenever I see an email description start with "Sad News" I know something is amiss and the news won't be good at all. I didn't realize until I read it how bad it really was.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TPR0x2CqHDI/AAAAAAAAAOE/Y2f9HnBcfVg/s1600/roddy_beveridge.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TPR0x2CqHDI/AAAAAAAAAOE/Y2f9HnBcfVg/s1600/roddy_beveridge.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roddy Beveridge</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Roddy Beveridge of Edinburgh, Scotland died suddenly and unexpectedly at his home on Friday, 19th November. Roddy was only 43 years of age. Apparently many close to him did not know of his health issues and struggle with diabetes, a horrendous disease that I believe is never treated with the amount of attention it deserves. Roddy's funeral was this morning, Scotland time, at Our Lady of Loretto RC Church in Newbigging, Musselburgh. He will be buried at Mount Vernon Cemetery in Liberton.<br />
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At the time of his death Roddy was Head Brewer at <a href="http://www.prestoungrange.org/fowlers/index.html">Fowler's Ales</a>, a microbrewery attached to the <a href="http://www.prestoungrange.org/gothenburg/">Prestoungrange Gothenburg</a> pub in Prestonpans just east of Edinburgh. He took over brewing duties at the 'Goth in late 2009 bringing back in-house brewed real ales after a down time of some 18 months. Roddy was an avid homebrewer and a previous Vice-President of the <a href="http://scottishcraftbrewers.org/">Scottish Craft Brewers</a> prior to taking the assignment at the 'Goth. Prior to this he had a "...successful career in management and IT..." according to an article in the <a href="http://www.eastlothiancourier.com/">East Lothian Courier</a>. I've heard nothing but great things about the real ales Roddy produced at the pub and microbrewery. I could go into more background about the pub as it has a great story as a pub and with its association with John Fowler & Co, a historic brewer in Prestonpans. However, that just doesn't seem appropriate, this information can be gleaned from the embedded links to the pub's website.<br />
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I have to say I never really knew Roddy, in person that is, but I sure would have liked to. All of his friends and colleagues that I've had associations with spoke nothing but praise of him. We homebrewers the world over share a common bond and have many similar characteristics that draw us to this great hobby so we all knew Roddy in some small way. That is not to diminish in any way the privileges that those that really knew him and were close to him had. I hope we all remember Roddy for his passion in this art and lift a pint in his honor at every opportunity. My sincere thanks to the members of the local CAMRA branch and the Scottish Craft Brewers for their timely communication of this truly sad event.<br />
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Please consider a donation to <a href="http://www.diabetes.org.uk/">Diabetes UK</a> as requested by the family. My thoughts and prayers are with Roddy's family.<br />
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Rest in peace, Roddy. You will be greatly missed.<br />
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Yours Aye!<br />
Neil<br />
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(Roddy's picture was shamelessly taken from an article in the <a href="http://www.touncryer.co.uk/">East Lothian Toun Crier</a> that was posted on the 'Goth's website. I sincerely hope they won't mind).Neil Spakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079950052853787227noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455606718567469132.post-44769142109563812412010-11-23T18:17:00.000-06:002010-11-23T18:17:37.985-06:00The Highly Coveted 'Care Package' and Houston's "Crystal"One of the great perks about my occupation is the number of acquaintances and friends that I've made in certain parts of the world. Nowhere is this more true than my beloved Scotland where I can honestly say some of my very best friends are from and live. Unfortunately, I don't get to travel there on business any longer simply due to my current role. However, occasionally one or more of my friends and colleagues travels to Austin as was the case recently when Bruce Robertson came here on business a few weeks ago.<br />
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Bruce was one of the first people I worked with in Scotland starting roughly twenty years ago and he has become one of my greatest friends. Having Bruce here was almost like being on holiday as he is simply one of the most fun people to hang out with that I have ever met. On many of these trips, my other great friend from Glasgow, Alan McRobb, is always kind enough to provide me with what I call my highly coveted 'care package'. I have extolled my praise of Alan before as he is really the catalyst for this Scottish beer obsession of mine. He introduced me to cask-conditioned ales and taught me many of the things that separate truly great ones from ones that need some help - most of the time due to poor cellaring, not the quality of the beer itself. These care packages include an ever changing mix of Scottish beers, most of which you cannot get anywhere in the United States and I always look forward to receiving them with great anticipation. Bruce was the lucky courier this time. My thanks to them both.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TOxPU9NFHfI/AAAAAAAAAN8/ypBTgM0TBEU/s1600/houstonlogo.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TOxPU9NFHfI/AAAAAAAAAN8/ypBTgM0TBEU/s1600/houstonlogo.gif" /></a></div>So, what does this mean for the blog? Glad you asked. Starting with this post, I'll provide my comments on each of the beers that I received in this particular care package. They will be separated into successive posts so as not to mix my palate on a given night and to give each beer its own attention. The first of these is the fine bottled beer, <b>Crystal</b>, from <a href="http://www.houston-brewing.co.uk/">Houston Brewery</a> attached to the Fox and Hounds Pub in the small town of the same name in Renfrewshire, Scotland, a short distance from Glasgow. I visited this pub on my last trip to Scotland with none other than the aforementioned Alan McRobb. Ally McCoist happened to be in the pub that evening, apparently a regular, and this was just before he was appointed to Glasgow Rangers coaching staff. I found it somewhat ironic as Alan and I are both Celtic fans but I recognized Ally from his appearances on the sadly gone Setanta Sports network for their coverage of the Scottish Premier League.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TOxVq7olUNI/AAAAAAAAAOA/Nw4cKBwm9lg/s1600/houston-crystal.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TOxVq7olUNI/AAAAAAAAAOA/Nw4cKBwm9lg/s1600/houston-crystal.png" /></a></div>Anyway, back to topic. <b>Crystal</b> is Houston Brewery's staple bottled beer. The brewery's classification as a Pale Ale fits well albeit on the strong side with an ABV of 5.0%. Despite the alcohol level, it has a session beer feel to it. It is dark golden in color and has a sweet and slightly fruity aroma with some hints of grassiness from the hops. The beer is medium to light in body and has a really nice malty sweet and fruity flavor, the latter provided primarily by the yeast (in my opinion) and to some degree by the hops. It finishes slightly dry but not overly bitter. I found the flavor of the hops to be quite earthy (my preference in hops) and with good citrus notes. For me, this is a highly drinkable beer with all the things I look for in a beer of this style. I wish I had some more.<br />
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Yours Aye!<br />
NeilNeil Spakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079950052853787227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455606718567469132.post-89118305000092339392010-10-07T22:07:00.000-05:002010-10-07T22:07:26.711-05:00Oktoberfestbier and a 400 Pound Monkey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TK6Fwtpp-ZI/AAAAAAAAANs/4gMKCZSv5eg/s1600/left-hand-oktoberfest.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TK6Fwtpp-ZI/AAAAAAAAANs/4gMKCZSv5eg/s1600/left-hand-oktoberfest.png" /></a></div>I recently rediscovered Colorado's <a href="http://www.lefthandbrewing.com/">Left Hand Brewing Company</a>. Their <a href="http://www.lefthandbrewing.com/beers/oktoberfest">Oktoberfest</a> this year was the reason for this renewal of favoritism of their beer on my part. Each year during the Oktoberfest season (September in Germany and stretching through the month of October in the U.S.) I sample as many Oktoberfest and Oktoberfest/Marzen biers as I can get my hands on, German and American. Having now been to the real Oktoberfest in Munich, I now 'judge' these biers solely on their authenticity to what is actually served at Oktoberfest. Most of the American interpretations and even some of the German imports that are labeled as Oktoberfest or Oktoberfest/Marzen biers are in the darker style than that served in Munich and are thus not authentic Oktoberfestbier to me.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TK6GHG6TZmI/AAAAAAAAAN0/Dutcu3Ythv0/s1600/real-ale-oktoberfest.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TK6GHG6TZmI/AAAAAAAAAN0/Dutcu3Ythv0/s1600/real-ale-oktoberfest.png" /></a>This year there were really only three American Oktoberfest biers that lived up to the scrutiny. They were the aforementioned Left Hand brew as well as <a href="http://leinie.com/oktoberfest.html">Leinenkugel's Oktoberfest</a> and our own <a href="http://realalebrewing.com/beers/oktoberfest">Real Ale Brewery's Oktoberfest</a> from a local brewery just west of Austin in the Hill Country town of Blanco, Texas. If I am correct, all of Real Ale's seasonal beers are now formulated by brewer Tim Schwartz, a legend in the Austin micro-brewery scene having brewed at one of Austin's finest brewpubs, The Bitter End, now sadly a distant memory. Tim is brilliant with recipes scanning all styles of beer so it came as little surprise to me that the Oktoberfest would be as good as it is.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TK6GcYPeKDI/AAAAAAAAAN4/y2TQ34-jOmg/s1600/400-pound-monkey.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TK6GcYPeKDI/AAAAAAAAAN4/y2TQ34-jOmg/s1600/400-pound-monkey.png" /></a></div>However, the subject of this post is not Oktoberfest bier per se but rather Left Hand's <a href="http://www.lefthandbrewing.com/beers/400-lb-monkey">400 Pound Monkey</a>. 'Monkey' is classified by the brewery as an English Style India Pale Ale and is brewed with 2-Row Pale Ale Malt, Crystal Malt, Munich Malt and Malted Wheat. It is hopped with Magnum, Boadicea, and Sovereign hop varieties. I have personally come to love Boadicea hops from the UK and use them quite often in my own beers and was elated to see their use in the Monkey. To me the beer has a lovely soft malt palate with plenty of earthy hop flavor without being overwhelming. The finish is soft as well and not overly bitter or dry. Don't get me wrong, there is plenty of hop bitterness and flavor in this beer but I really like the balance as the malt and caramel notes come through nicely as well which isn't often the case with an American style IPA. The aroma is of sweet malt and earthy hop with a tinge of alcohol. It is medium bodied and clocks in at 6.8% ABV (Alcohol By Volume).<br />
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My only reservation about the beer is the use of Munich Malt as I still struggle a lot with the use of a German malt in any English, Scottish, Welsh or Irish style beer. I know, I know, the use of Munich is very popular but I just can't bring myself to accept or to use it in these style of beers, I just don't think it belongs if sticking to tradition. Even to this day given all the influence America has had on the brewing scene in Great Britain, I have still not seen the use of Munich in their traditional beers styles. Nonetheless, this is a great beer and in my opinion definitely fits the style category, at least as defined by the BJCP.<br />
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Colorado is full of great breweries and Left Hand, in my book, is one of the finest. It is getting near impossible to find good examples of any beers from Britain (here used to include England as well as all three Celtic 'nations') in the U.S. It is great that some domestic breweries are producing very worthy versions and 400 Pound Monkey more than fits that description. Well Done!<br />
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Yours Aye!<br />
NeilNeil Spakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079950052853787227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455606718567469132.post-90391566283726890692010-09-10T17:40:00.011-05:002010-09-10T18:02:02.576-05:00A Pondering Of Brown AleIt's that time of year again. Time for all the legitimate and interpretive Oktoberfest biers to hit the shelves and the taps at your favorite watering hole. However, from a seasonal beer point-of-view, the end of summer and beginning of fall brings more than just Oktoberfest biers (although I believe these still dominate in the association of beer to falling temperatures and the arrival of the Munich Oktoberfest, which I was very fortunate to have been able to attend in 2009).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TIqnsvGhegI/AAAAAAAAANI/yHhFRUpuZT0/s1600/tumbler-bottle.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TIqnsvGhegI/AAAAAAAAANI/yHhFRUpuZT0/s320/tumbler-bottle.png" /></a></div>The inspiration (probably more of a catalyst than an inspiration) for this post comes from sitting here enjoying <a href="http://www.sierranevada.com/index2.html">Sierra Nevada</a>'s fall seasonal called '<a href="http://www.sierranevada.com/beers/tumbler.html">Tumbler</a>'. 'Tumbler' is described on the label as an "Autumn Brown Ale". I have to say this is a beer that is probably going to move into the upper part of my list of favorite beers. When I first tasted it a couple of weeks ago, I thought to myself, "now this is what a Brown Ale should taste like!" I love its smooth palate and flavor highlighted by caramel notes, a slight roasty character and just enough hop bitterness to offset the sweetness of the malts. This is one highly drinkable beer.<br />
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'Tumbler' is brewed with Two Row Pale Ale Malt, Crystal Malt, Chocolate Malt, and what is described by the brewery as "Smoked" malt. The latter really surprises me as I don't detect much of a smoky character. Maybe we've hit on something here - a way to add smoked malt to the grist without it overwhelming the flavor as is the case in so many beers using it (and don't get me started on the topic of using Smoked/Peated Malt in Scottish ales!). It is bittered with Challenger hops and finished with Challenger and Yakima Goldings hops. This may explain part of the reason I like this so much. Challenger is widely used today in all Scottish and English ales and Yakima Goldings is a derivative of perhaps the most widely used English hop, in the truest definition, East Kent Goldings. Both of these are mainstays in my own home brewery.<br />
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Now, while I sing the praises of this beer and continue to appreciate the mastery of its balance (balance having become my most sought after attribute of a beer) I ask myself, as I so often do upon first tasting a beer, is this a Brown Ale as advertised? Is it really true to style? In the case of Brown Ale, this innocuous question (or so it may have seemed) turns into a somewhat complex query. Exactly what is a Brown Ale?<br />
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Brewing historian, Martyn Cornell, writes in his excellent book, <a href="http://astore.amazon.co.uk/zythophile-21"><i>Amber, Gold & Black</i></a>, that brown ale or brown beer was the top beer style in London at the end of the seventeenth century. However, it's reputation was somewhat dubious and the style all but died out with the rise in popularity of porter and stout, to be followed later followed by pale beers. The brown beer style also traveled to America with the early British settlers and was brewed for some time but, like in the UK, died out for the most part (more on this in a bit).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TIqyKQ5gTZI/AAAAAAAAANQ/f7b33IzBNxQ/s1600/mann-crossman-paulin-brown-ale.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TIqyKQ5gTZI/AAAAAAAAANQ/f7b33IzBNxQ/s320/mann-crossman-paulin-brown-ale.png" /></a></div>Cornell tells us that the first 'modern' interpretation of brown ale was formulated and then bottled as Mann's Brown Ale in 1902 (possibly 1899) by Thomas Wells Thorpe of Mann, Crossman & Paulin's Albion Brewery in Whitechapel Road, London. This beer was sweeter due to a low attenuation even though it had an OG of 1.033. The beer style took awhile to grow but eventually many other British brewers had no choice but to follow suit. In the <a href="http://www.bjcp.org/index.php">BJCP style guidelines</a>, Mann's beer would be classified as a 'Southern English Brown'.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TIqyxony79I/AAAAAAAAANY/F5So-HdQ2Ls/s1600/newcastle-label.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TIqyxony79I/AAAAAAAAANY/F5So-HdQ2Ls/s200/newcastle-label.png" width="132" /></a></div>With little doubt, the most recognized brown ale in America (and many other places in the world) is Newcastle Brown Ale, developed in the northern England city of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne by Newcastle Breweries at the end of the 1920s. Newcastle would be classified as a 'Northern English Brown' beer and is more attenuated, maltier, and stronger than that of Mann's. Another example of the northern style is Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TIqzz7gc9PI/AAAAAAAAANg/u0XL6FH7o0w/s1600/petes-wicked-ale.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TIqzz7gc9PI/AAAAAAAAANg/u0XL6FH7o0w/s320/petes-wicked-ale.png" /></a></div>Now, back to America. It is generally accepted that a somewhat new style of brown ale began in the mid- 1980s when former silicon valley techy and homebrewer, Pete Slosberg, developed<a href="http://www.peteswicked.com/"> Pete's Wicked Ale</a>. Pete's new introduction to the US brewing scene was a big hit and the beer won many awards in a very short time. Pete first had the beer brewed under contract in California but it has subsequently been bounced from micro-brewery to micro-brewery at various locations throughout North America. I didn't start developing my appreciation for beer until about the time Pete's was introduced. In my mind, Pete's Wicked Ale sits up there with <a href="http://www.samueladams.com/">Samuel Adams Lager</a>, <a href="http://www.sierranevada.com/index2.html">Sierra Nevada Pale Ale</a>, and <a href="http://www.anchorbrewing.com/">Anchor Steam</a> as the elite in those early days of rise of the US micro-brewery scene. I remember tasting my first Pete's Wicked Ale and I was blown away with the depth of flavor. It is still a great beer to this day.<br />
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If you want to know more about the history of brown ale, I'd highly recommend getting a copy of Martyn Cornell's book, <a href="http://astore.amazon.co.uk/zythophile-21"><i>Amber, Gold & Black</i></a>. Martyn also has a highly successful and always enlightening blog, <a href="http://zythophile.wordpress.com/">Zythophile</a>. Another great and highly detailed source of historical information on English brown ales (and a plethora of other styles) is Ron Pattinson's blog, <a href="http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/">Shut up about Barclay Perkins</a>. <br />
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Yours Aye!<br />
NeilNeil Spakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079950052853787227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455606718567469132.post-66606351303303215262010-08-19T00:20:00.000-05:002010-08-19T00:20:42.427-05:00Save Our Shores - Through Beer!I'm sure there are few people anywhere in the world with any regular access to the media that aren't aware of the complete cock-up by BP in the Gulf of Mexico. This is perhaps the worst environmental oil disaster to date. And, as if they needed more of a kick in the head, yet again the fine state of Louisiana is forefront in the list of disaster struck coastlines. Well, one fine brewery is doing their part to help.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TGy8ecjFyBI/AAAAAAAAAMg/ccV8ehmEhoE/s1600/abita-sos-bottle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TGy8ecjFyBI/AAAAAAAAAMg/ccV8ehmEhoE/s320/abita-sos-bottle.jpg" /></a></div><a href="http://abita.com/">Abita Brewing Company</a> in Abita Springs, Louisiana, just north of New Orleans has launched not only a fund raising campaign to help clean up the Gulf shoreline but with this initiative comes one stellar beer. Abita developed the "<a href="http://sos.abita.com/">Save Our Shores</a>" (SOS) campaign to do just that - raise money to help the cleanup effort. They offer a fine T-Shirt and a baseball cap as well as some other small items but most importantly to we beer nuts is their "Save Our Shore - A Charitable Pilsner". Abita donates 75 cents from the sale of every bottle to help in the cleanup of the Gulf shores.<br />
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While the beer sells for quite a high price (at least here in Texas), it is worth it - it's a bigger bottle (22 U.S. ounces) and packs a wallop at 7.0%. The Charitable Pilsner is classified by the brewery as an "unfiltered Weizen Pils", a mainly Pilsner style beer with a good addition of Wheat Malt to complement the Pilsner Malt. Unlike most Pilsner beers, it is hopped as well as dry-hopped with Sterling (somewhat similar to Saaz) and German Perle hops. This is not a beer for the faint of heart. As one would expect, the beer is light golden in color with a smooth taste belying the amount of alcohol in the beer. The hop profile comes through but is not overly assertive. This is one fine, big beer. So go and get some and help clean up our shores.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TGy9VSqLd_I/AAAAAAAAAMo/BtqEKFehvko/s1600/abita-restoration-bottle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TGy9VSqLd_I/AAAAAAAAAMo/BtqEKFehvko/s320/abita-restoration-bottle.jpg" /></a></div>This is not the only beer Abita has produced related to the disasters that have befell Louisiana. Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc all along the Gulf Coast. Abita has produced "Restoration Pale Ale", to celebrate the resilience of the people of Louisiana in restoring their communities. Restoration is brewed with Pale and Lager (Pilsner) Malts, Crystal Malt, and CaraPils. It is hopped and dry-hopped with Cascade hops and fermented with a California style yeast which yields a very clean finish. It is golden in color and has a nice hop finish, again more subtle than overbearing.<br />
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I first fell in love with the Abita Brewery after having tried their "Amber" and "Turbo Dog" beers some years ago, both, at least in my mind, modern American classic beers. Whenever I go to New Orleans, outside of the occasion obligatory Hurricane, I always drink Abita Amber wherever it is available. To me, it ranks among the finest beers in the U.S. along side Anchor Steam, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, and a number of others. They also produce a great Root Beer and one the best Christmas Ales available anywhere. Go and check them out if you haven't already and be sure to get some SOS beer and other items.<br />
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Yours Aye!<br />
NeilNeil Spakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079950052853787227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455606718567469132.post-28745756352660001522010-07-22T20:32:00.002-05:002010-07-22T20:34:18.224-05:00A couple old friends, a great new beer, and a great new website<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TEjqmuJaJPI/AAAAAAAAAL8/57g2vseHJ34/s1600/old_speckled_hen.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TEjqmuJaJPI/AAAAAAAAAL8/57g2vseHJ34/s320/old_speckled_hen.png" /></a></div>I'm sitting here enjoying one of my favorite beers (the first old friend), Morland's <a href="http://www.oldspeckledhen.co.uk/">Old Speckled Hen</a>. In my opinion, there is no other beer that tastes like 'Hen, it is a classic. And thankfully, it is still readily available here in Texas which is becoming a UK beer wasteland as fewer and fewer brands and individual beers are constantly disappearing. Old Speckled Hen was first brewed by Morland to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the MG car factory in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England. It was named after the company's run-around car, a Featherweight Fabric Saloon (any fan of <a href="http://www.topgear.com/uk/">Top Gear</a> will know what a 'Saloon' is), that was often parked outside the paint shop. It acquired a lot of over-spray and become known as the 'Owld Speckl'd Un' which became Old Speckled Hen when the beer was launched. Lovely!<br />
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I received an IM the other day from one of my best mates, Alan McRobb, from Glasgow (actually it was Alan that first turned me on to Old Speckled Hen). At first I was a bit annoyed as he was winding me up by rubbing it in that he had recently visited Tennents Bar on Byres Road in Glasgow, one of my favorite pubs and a frequent hangout for me when I lived there for a short time. If I haven't mentioned it here, Alan is the one that got me started on this whole thing. When I first went to Scotland I had no idea what cask-conditioned ale, or real ale, was. On subsequent trips, Alan set me straight and helped to develop my appreciation and taste for some of the world's greatest beers. He taught me about how real ale needs to be properly kept and not to be shy in sending a pint back that was 'off'. I owe it all to him (do the accolades never cease?)! By the way, Tennents is also a place where some local celebs are to be seen on occasion. I met BBC Scotland radio and television personality<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/radioscotland/presenters/tam_cowan/"> Tam Cowan</a> here as well as the great sports journalist, <a href="http://grahamspiersdiary.blogspot.com/">Graham Spiers</a> (again, Alan told me who Graham was).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TEju32i7vJI/AAAAAAAAAME/atbnD_uvsT0/s1600/marstons_epa.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TEju32i7vJI/AAAAAAAAAME/atbnD_uvsT0/s320/marstons_epa.png" /></a></div>Well, part two of Alan's IM was to tell me about a great new ale from <a href="http://www.marstonsbeercompany.co.uk/">Marstons</a>, the long standing and historic brewery from Burton-On-Trent. The beer is EPA or English Pale Ale. Alan has always been a fan of a 'Burton and he was very impressed with this beer. It is described by Marstons as '...a refreshing lighter blonde ale with subtle citrus flavours and a delicate bitter aftertaste'. It is supposedly modeled after the famous pale ales of Burton-On-Trent, but it does use American Cascade hops along with Styrian Goldings which makes it kind of a hybrid between traditional and modern. Never one to question Alan's tastes, I'd bank on this one and if you are fortunate enough to be in an area where you can get it - do so!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TEjw1ZZ3TtI/AAAAAAAAAMM/aAS7ntuUES8/s1600/YourRound_Logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TEjw1ZZ3TtI/AAAAAAAAAMM/aAS7ntuUES8/s320/YourRound_Logo.png" /></a></div>Finally, I got an email through my website, <a href="http://scottishbrewing.com/">ScottishBrewing.com</a>, from Terry Dicks, Managing Director of a firm that has launched the UK website, <a href="http://www.yourround.co.uk/">Your Round</a>. This is a growing website that links everyone from the brewer to the publican to the drinker for real ale in the UK. Search for your favorite brewery/beer and find out what pubs have it on, or, search your local pub to see what they have on. Many pubs are signing up with webcams. This is a great thing so check it out!<br />
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Yours Aye!<br />
NeilNeil Spakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079950052853787227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455606718567469132.post-64149070174472590422010-06-27T23:08:00.002-05:002010-06-27T23:14:05.737-05:00Strangford Lough - New Irish Beer Both In Ireland And In America<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TCgTdrVv-VI/AAAAAAAAALc/ojHY-nwkC04/s1600/strangford-lough-logo-blog.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TCgTdrVv-VI/AAAAAAAAALc/ojHY-nwkC04/s320/strangford-lough-logo-blog.png" /></a></div>Just when I think no one reads this wee beer blog of mine, I'm surprised at receiving an email from a relatively new Irish brewery, <a href="http://www.slbc.ie/home/">Strangford Lough Brewing Company</a>, whose headquarters resides at Killyleagh, County Down. As one might imagine, I was at first a bit skeptical as to whether the offer of free beer from the brewery for the purposes of my simply reviewing was legitimate. Turns out, it was indeed legitimate and a very kind and generous offer.<br />
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Strangford Lough Brewing was established in 2004 by two 'marketing and business development professionals' with the aim to become the second most recognized Irish beer in the world. The company distributes the world over but has a special interest in North America. The two beers sent to me, 'St Patrick's Best Ale' and 'Legbiter Ale' are currently available in some 20 states. One somewhat unique business approach the firm has is to seek out licensees who will not only market and distribute their beer but also brew it locally. So, enough of the background, let's get to the beers!<br />
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<b style="color: #38761d;">St Patrick's Best Ale</b><span style="color: #38761d;"></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TCgVjWXJrDI/AAAAAAAAALk/FoP_cOTCYX8/s1600/Small-Best-Droplet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TCgVjWXJrDI/AAAAAAAAALk/FoP_cOTCYX8/s1600/Small-Best-Droplet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TCgVjWXJrDI/AAAAAAAAALk/FoP_cOTCYX8/s320/Small-Best-Droplet.jpg" /></a></div>The first of the two samples I tried was 'St Patrick's Best Ale'. The beer pours very clear with a slight amber hue. The aroma, to me, speaks of caramel maltiness with slight notes of lightly toasted colored malt and mostly void of any hop aroma (as I would expect with an Irish ale). At 4.2% ABV this is a enjoyable, easy drinking session ale (OK, maybe just a hair high in ABV for a true session but it certainly drinks likes one). The body is quite light and the flavor is of sweet malt with hints of lightly roasted grain. There is virtually no hop flavor but rather just enough to offset the sweetness of the malt. I have not had the pleasure of trying any of the smaller microbrewery beers from Ireland but I'd have to say this is very much in line with what I would expect. Definitely British in nature and right up my alley.<br />
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<div style="color: #b45f06;"><b>Legbiter Ale</b></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TCgZuWh0WdI/AAAAAAAAALs/OUID6SFrYf8/s1600/Small-Legbiter-Drop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TCgZuWh0WdI/AAAAAAAAALs/OUID6SFrYf8/s320/Small-Legbiter-Drop.jpg" /></a></div>The second beer is 'Legbiter Ale', named after the Viking King Magnus' sword. More golden in color than St Patrick's Best, 'Legbiter' is also higher in alcohol at 4.8% ABV and more assertively hopped but not overly so. A review from Beer Advocate on the Brewery's website deemed it a hoppy ale and wavered as to whether they believed it was more English or American in influence. From a hoppiness standpoint, there is no doubt it my mind that at least the sample I tried was definitely English in nature. The Brewers' notes on the company's website states that American Cascade and Glacier hops provide a citrus aroma. Personally, I do not detect this and liken the aroma more to sweet maltiness with a very light hint of toasted malt. I'd almost put the aroma more akin to a Bavarian lager such as a Munich Helles or a true Oktoberfestbier (I'll comment on this in a future post as Oktoberfest draws nearer). Don't get me wrong, I'm not likening this beer to a German lager but rather just noting some similarities I detect in the aroma. Legbiter is more full bodied than St Patrick's Best and finishes somewhat dry and definitely more bitter. I can usually detect Cascade flavor right off but here it does not play as dominant a role as it normally does in American or American influenced beers and I applaud the brewer for not going overboard on their use. I have to say though that the malty sweetness and caramel notes still dominate to my palate and makes for a really lovely flavor.<br />
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In summary, these are two great new beers from 'over the pond' and both definitely carry a British dominated flavor despite the use of American hops in the case of Legbiter. I look forward to their availability in more states (especially here in Texas) as Irish beers are simply not well represented here in America. I think the current crop of Irish brewers has a lot to offer the world of brewing and Strangford Lough certainly delivers.<br />
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My personal thanks to Emma McCarey from Stangford Lough for seeking me out and giving me this fine opportunity to try their beers. You can follow the brewery on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/strangfordloughbrewingcompany">Facebook</a> and <a href="http://twitter.com/irishbeerman">Twitter</a>.<br />
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Yours Aye!<br />
NeilNeil Spakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079950052853787227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455606718567469132.post-25215259658764288842010-06-04T19:34:00.005-05:002010-06-04T19:48:53.013-05:00Distracted but brewing and beer research continues...Yes, that time of year again for those of us with smaller children - end of school. Why is it seems the last week or so of school is the busiest for the parents but the kids don't really do much of anything to do with school? This is one distraction that has kept me from posting for quite some time.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TAmZCJspdAI/AAAAAAAAAK8/wRTh-LyzkAc/s1600/jamilIcon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TAmZCJspdAI/AAAAAAAAAK8/wRTh-LyzkAc/s320/jamilIcon.jpg" /></a></div>I've also been quite busy with airing of my most recent appearances on <a href="http://www.thebrewingnetwork.com/">The Brewing Network</a>'s "The Jamil Show - Can You Brew It?" as a British brewing correspondent. There have been three programs to date, the first being <a href="http://thebrewingnetwork.com/shows/618">Black Sheep Brewery's "Riggwelter"</a> dark ale. Had a fabulous time doing a phone interview with Head Brewer Alan Dunn that was then aired on the program. Also really enjoyed my first "live" appearance on the program. Jamil is perhaps the most decorated homebrewer in America and his knowledge of brewing and beer styles is simply quite amazing for someone that does not brew as a profession. I highly encourage you to buy his book, <a href="http://www.thebrewingnetwork.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=12&products_id=26&zenid=05b8fd9901982ab887234f90c915a64e">Brewing Classic Styles</a>, whether you are a homebrewer or not. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TAmescC7wQI/AAAAAAAAALU/BZKIM8QEPeI/s1600/classicstylesFULL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TAmescC7wQI/AAAAAAAAALU/BZKIM8QEPeI/s200/classicstylesFULL.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>It is the best book on worldwide beer styles that I've read and, lucky for we homebrewers, is full of award winning recipes. The next two programs were for Fuller's <a href="http://thebrewingnetwork.com/shows/632">ESB</a> and<a href="http://thebrewingnetwork.com/shows/636"> London Pride</a>. I had no idea how great this assignment would be. Just visiting the historic <a href="http://www.fullers.co.uk/">Fuller's Griffin Brewery</a> in London last fall was exciting enough but sitting in Head Brewer John Keeling's office for well over an hour talking about parti-gyle brewing and Fuller's beers was a privilege and experience that I'm still pinching myself from that it actually did happen. John has been incredibly helpful since the interview as well with follow up questions and I have some great discussion via email with various folks since the shows. My thanks, John! And, thanks so much to Jamil Zainasheff and Justin Crossley at the BrewingNetwork for giving me the opportunity and helpful with technical details, respectively.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TAmaBEtWKoI/AAAAAAAAALE/GskO50pzV7Y/s1600/amber-gold-black-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TAmaBEtWKoI/AAAAAAAAALE/GskO50pzV7Y/s200/amber-gold-black-cover.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Speaking of books on beer styles, for British style beers, there is no better book than Martyn Cornell's "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Amber-Gold-Black-History-Britains/dp/0752455672/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1275696800&sr=1-1">Amber, Gold and Black</a>". Unfortunately, it is not yet available in the US. If you're too impatient to wait, I'd recommend ordering it from my good friend Paul Travis at <a href="http://beerinnprint.co.uk/description.php?prodid=2026">BeerInnPrint</a> in the UK. And one of Martyn's other books, "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Beer-Story-History-Britains-Popular/dp/0755311655/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1275698732&sr=8-1">Beer The Story of the Pint</a>" is also fabulous.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TAmcjJpOegI/AAAAAAAAALM/TRy8qm-1tE8/s1600/deuchars.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/TAmcjJpOegI/AAAAAAAAALM/TRy8qm-1tE8/s320/deuchars.gif" /></a></div>Also, on the homebrew front, I mentioned during the Riggwelter show that the whole reason why I started homebrewing some 13 years ago was in an effort to clone <a href="http://www.caledonian-brewery.co.uk/ipa_home.html">Caledonian Brewery's "Deuchars IPA"</a>. I cannot state how many different batches of this I've tried over the years constantly varying the recipe to try to get closer to the original. I figured other than moving to Scotland (which I would still do in a heartbeat if I could get a worthwhile job there), this is the only way I would get anything similar to this great beer as it is not available in the States. Well, an attentive listener from Glasgow, Geoff Traill, gave me a recipe he came up with. On brewing day after having already started I discovered I didn't have the hop variety I thought I had and I had to substitute. However, as I'm drinking this brew now, it is the closest I've ever come and I predict the next one will be really close. Thanks Geoff! This, my friends, is the beauty of homebrewing. I can't say enough about it as a hobby - and think of the fruits of your labor!<br />
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I've also regained momentum on my book on Scottish brewing history. Still a long way to go but I'm rolling again and finding some great historical insights. I'm just finishing up a chapter on monastic brewing in Scotland and ready to start medieval brewing. The best is yet to come.<br />
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Yours Aye!<br />
NeilNeil Spakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079950052853787227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455606718567469132.post-41490660190900122912010-04-16T00:21:00.004-05:002010-04-16T00:53:58.608-05:00Beer and Brewing in Michigan.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/S8fymsKSH7I/AAAAAAAAAKE/s2irypYgfGM/s1600/chad-tony-neil-munich.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/S8fymsKSH7I/AAAAAAAAAKE/s2irypYgfGM/s320/chad-tony-neil-munich.png" /></a></div>If you've followed any of my previous escapades before I made the decision to make this solely a beer blog, you will know about two of my best friends, Chad and Anthony Lerma. In fact, here we are on our recent trip to London and Munich, this being is Munich. Anthony is Chad's dad and they are both from Detroit, Michigan, Chad being an alum of Michigan State (a rival of my beloved Purdue Boilermakers). I grew up in northeast Indiana not far from the Michigan border but that was long before the beer bug hit me. Thankfully, now, Anthony is always kind enough to bring some "care packages" (beer) from Michigan when he can when he visits Chad here in Austin, Texas. In the latest 'package', I got to try two new beers as well as an old friend, one of the finest beers on the planet (more on that in a bit).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/S8fyrWyg42I/AAAAAAAAAKM/zEoAKbZq7yg/s1600/atwater-logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/S8fyrWyg42I/AAAAAAAAAKM/zEoAKbZq7yg/s320/atwater-logo.png" /></a></div>The first beer I tried was <a href="http://www.atwaterbeer.com/">Atwater Block Brewery's</a> "Michigan Lager". Atwater Block is in Detroit, was founded in 1997, and inhabits a warehouse dating from 1919 in Detroit's historic Rivertown district. This is the first Atwater Block beer I have tried. My honest impression was a bit mixed but probably only because of my preconceived notion of what a beer labeled "lager" should taste like. The beer was a golden-colored, quite fruity tasting beer with a huge head and medium body. It had some subtle sweet maltiness but that was overwhelmed by the fruity flavors. Now, I have no idea what the grist of this beer is but if I were to guess, I'd say it more belongs in the Kristal Hefe-Weizen category. It had a pronounced flavor of a high percentage of wheat and tasted much more like a 'hefe' than a Bavarian or northern Germany styled lager. I'm not saying it was a bad beer, just not what I expected given the moniker.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/S8fyx3hVdNI/AAAAAAAAAKU/0Q6c95bVyss/s1600/mbc-ipa.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/S8fyx3hVdNI/AAAAAAAAAKU/0Q6c95bVyss/s320/mbc-ipa.png" /></a></div>The next one was <a href="http://www.michiganbrewing.com/">Michigan Brewing Company's</a> "Pale Ale".I've had some of their beers before and, in fact, I'm drinking their "High Seas India Pale Ale" at the time of writing. First, a comment on the IPA. This is a beer I quite enjoy, but it is pretty far from a true IPA, in my opinion. It reminds me a lot more of Rogue's "Dead Guy Ale" and has that same amber color and a considerable percentage, I'm guessing, of Munich Malt. The brewery's description is that it is "assertively" hopped but I think even that is a bit far as I taste a whole lot more malty sweetness than any hop bitterness or flavor. Again, I really like this beer but I personally wouldn't call it an IPA, I think it is a great example of an American Amber and highly drinkable in quantity. Now, the "Pale Ale". I found this one a quite nice tasting beer but offering nothing really memorable. It has a decent hop bitterness and finishes quite fruity and dry. My notes actually say "...good plain old Pale Ale", and I think that sums it up.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/S8fz3ifUh8I/AAAAAAAAAKs/1SANoX2_KVA/s1600/celis.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/S8fz3ifUh8I/AAAAAAAAAKs/1SANoX2_KVA/s320/celis.png" /></a></div>It wouldn't be proper to end a discussion of Michigan Brewing Company without mentioning one of Austin's sorely missed breweries, Celis Brewery. Renowned Belgian Master Brewer, Pierre Celis, came to Austin in the early 1990s and brought the flavors of Belgian style beer to America. The brewery seemed to thrive when it was privately owned and offered great tours. Their "Celis White" was very well known and sought after being not a far cry from "Hoegaarden", also the name of the town where Pierre spent the better part of his brewing life. Somewhere along the way, like so many other micro-breweries of the time, Celis sold the brewery to Miller Brewing. That was the death bell for the brewery. Within a year or so, Miller closed the brewery, Pierre having gone back to Belgium. Pierre loved Austin and I think his daughter still lives here although I can't confirm that. A few years ago, Pierre came back to Austin to work with Blanco's<a href="http://realalebrewing.com/"> Real Ale Brewery</a> (no connection to cask-conditioned ales). Real Ale's current Head Brewer, Tim Schwartz (more on Tim and Real Ale in a future post), is obsessed with Belgian style beers and collaborated with Pierre at the brewery. At the time it was announced that Real Ale would be producing Celis style beers co-developed with Pierre but that has never materialized. So, what's that got to do with Michigan Brewing Company? Well, not so long ago, they purchased all the former Celis Brewery's equipment as well as the rights to brew and sell Celis beers. They now do so in conjunction with their own lineup. I think this was a great and bold move just showing what fore-thinking folks run MBC.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/S8fy5WAOQiI/AAAAAAAAAKc/zTrY4oT81Vk/s1600/bells-logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/S8fy5WAOQiI/AAAAAAAAAKc/zTrY4oT81Vk/s320/bells-logo.png" /></a></div>Finally, the kicker to this particular beer tasting, was old friend "Two Hearted Ale" from<a href="http://www.bellsbeer.com/"> Bell's Brewery</a> in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Bell's Brewery, formerly known as Kalamazoo Brewing Company, was founded by Larry Bell as a homebrew shop in 1983. It moved on to brewing its own beer for sale and sold its first beer in 1985. It is now a substantial regional micro-brewery and turns out some of America's finest (and most dangerous) beers. Larry gave a hilarious appearance in movie about American micro-breweries but I cannot recall the name of the movie. Anyway, back to "Two Hearted Ale". This is one of the finest beers I've had and in my top, whatever number, of great beers.It's also a big favorite of Chad's and Anthony's as well as my old friend Skip Keltner who lives in Fishers, Indiana (outside Indianapolis, just too bad he is a Hoosiers fan). It has a very upfront spiciness from the hops and finishes very dry. It has an orange and other citrus fruit aromas and a medium body. It has a great balance of sweet maltiness and hop bitterness with a tendency toward the hops but a very fruity flavor.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/S8f7Y_A3_1I/AAAAAAAAAK0/9F_QPv8UqU4/s1600/two-hearted.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/S8f7Y_A3_1I/AAAAAAAAAK0/9F_QPv8UqU4/s320/two-hearted.png" /></a></div>Now, an explanation for the comment about "most dangerous". Larry is one of these guys that has this knack of hiding the alcohol level of his beers. They are all so very drinkable, you never realize that they are quite potent. "Two Hearted Ale", for instance, I would put in the 'fridge for everyday drinking but it has an original gravity of 1.064 equating to an alcohol-by-volume of 7.0%. Very potent indeed but the worst thing is that you have no idea. All but Bell's most extreme beers drink like session beers but kick like a mule! From what I gathered from his movie appearance, I'd say that's a lot like the man himself.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/S8fztB85H2I/AAAAAAAAAKk/GQOoejye-hA/s1600/mbg-logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/S8fztB85H2I/AAAAAAAAAKk/GQOoejye-hA/s320/mbg-logo.png" /></a></div>Finally, Michigan has a bunch of micro-breweries for its population and a great brewing community. Anthony has brought me great beers from others such a <a href="http://www.kbrewery.com/">Kuhnhenn Brewing Company</a>, <a href="http://www.dragonmead.com/">Dragonmead</a>, and <a href="http://www.foundersbrewing.com/">Founders Brewing Company</a>. There is also the <a href="http://www.michiganbrewersguild.org/">Michigan Brewers Guild</a> that I think is just such a cool idea (I think Vermont has one as well). If you're ever in Michigan, be sure to hit the 'Guild's website before you go and seek out some great Michigan beer!<br />
<br />
Yours Aye!<br />
NeilNeil Spakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079950052853787227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455606718567469132.post-42152230731072415792010-03-12T20:32:00.027-06:002010-03-12T21:36:48.633-06:00Irish Red Ale - Really A Beer Style?It's March. In Austin, that means Spring Break, South-By-Southwest Film and Music Festival, and as most places in the US, St Patrick's Day. All over America, massive quantities of beer, primarily Guinness, will be quaffed during all kinds of gatherings from back-yard parties to huge festivals in celebration of the legendary Irish Saint. St Patrick's Day really is an American invention but with solid roots based deeply in the large number of Irish immigrants that have come here.<br />
<br />
Recently, this got me to thinking. No, not about Guinness, but that other Irish beer 'style' - Irish Red Ale. I began to recall all the fine beers I have had in my travels to the UK and parts of Asia that maintain at least a semblance of British influence and to ask myself, is there really such a thing as Irish Red Ale?<br />
<br />
Being the brewing historian that I am, the first thing that I expect for a beer type to be considered a style is some historical basis. I had my suspicions as to the answer but to be sure, I consulted one of Britain's most knowledgeable brewing historians, Martyn Cornell, to see if he knew of any such basis for this alleged style. As I suspected, Martyn replied that, no, there is no historical basis for Irish Red Ale, not in Ireland anyway.<br />
<br />
So, is this really a beer style? If you consult the <a href="http://www.bjcp.org/stylecenter.php">Beer Judge Certification Program Style Guide</a>, the one by which all legitimate homebrewing competition styles are judged in the US, yes, "<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style09.php#1d">Irish Red Ale</a>" is a style lumped in with Category 9 - Scottish and Irish Ale. Briefly, according to the BJCP's description, Irish Red Ale has "... moderate caramel malt flavor and sweetness..." and "...finishes with a light taste of roasted grain...". The "red" in the name comes from "...most examples have a deep reddish hue...", usually from a small quantity of Roasted Barley. Among the commercial examples from Ireland cited by the BJCP are Kilkenny Irish Beer, O’Hara’s Irish Red Ale, Smithwick’s Irish Ale, Beamish Red Ale, Murphy’s Irish Red (lager), and Caffrey’s Irish Ale. I've had Kilkenny on many occasions and always enjoy it but I've never considered it "red". Smithwick's is made by Guinness and although I like it a bit, also I've never really considered it "red". I've also had Murphy's but not the Beamish version, only Beamish Stout. O'Hara's is a relatively new introduction to the Irish brewing scene, brewed by the <a href="http://www.carlowbrewing.com/">Carlow Brewing Company</a>, more on them in a minute. However, I've had my fair share of Caffrey's on tap overseas and it is far from anything I would term "red", it is pretty pale and creamy not unlike draft Boddington's. Not sure why they included this one. Other US micro-brewed beers of this 'style' are also listed. However, the one missing and most synonymous with the style to most Americans is <a href="http://www.georgekillians.com/">George Killian's Irish Red</a>, a lager. I suspect this was left out due to the fact that it was conceived of and is brewed by Coors.<br />
<br />
So, from a purely historical perspective I say, "no", Irish Red Ale is not a beer style. From the perspective of the Irish brewers that brew beers called "red", do they really think of it as an Irish style? I doubt it. But the fact remains that, not unlike St Patrick's Day itself, Americans do consider this a style. And, I must say, many of the ones carrying this moniker I have really enjoyed. After all, it is not a far shout from a Scottish ale, sharing the reddish hue and frequently a touch of Roasted Barley. With this in mind, I picked up a few examples to sample again and to comment on. Three that I picked up on this occasion were <a href="http://www.harpoonbrewery.com/index.cfm?pid=28514">Harpoon Brewery's Celtic Ale</a>, <a href="http://www.blvdbeer.com/irishale.htm">Boulevard Brewery's Irish Ale</a>, and the aforementioned <a href="http://www.carlowbrewing.com/">O'hara's Irish Red</a>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/S5r5DpPevhI/AAAAAAAAAH0/fHdrZv0sJ8c/s1600-h/harpoon-celtic.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/S5r5DpPevhI/AAAAAAAAAH0/fHdrZv0sJ8c/s320/harpoon-celtic.gif" /></a></div><a href="http://www.harpoonbrewery.com/index.cfm?pid=28514">Harpoon's Celtic Ale</a> I really enjoyed and to my mind really represents what we think of as Irish Red Ale. Highly drinkable with caramel notes and a slight finish of roastiness, it is a beer one could easily drink a lot of at one sitting (although the ABV is a bit high for this at 5.4%). It is smooth, not heavy and brilliantly clear but maintaining that reddish hue. This is a great beer.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/S5r7nIT7onI/AAAAAAAAAH8/3qI2V4uNbX0/s1600-h/o-haras-irish-red.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/S5r7nIT7onI/AAAAAAAAAH8/3qI2V4uNbX0/s320/o-haras-irish-red.gif" /></a></div>Next is the one actually brewed in Ireland, <a href="http://www.carlowbrewing.com/">O'hara's Irish Red</a>. This is a relatively new beer to these shores but both this one and O'hara's Stout are excellent. The Irish Red has an ABV of 4.3% and is described as "A full bodied Irish red with a traditional hop flavour to balance a sweet malt finish". This one is uniquely different from any American interpretation I have ever had and, honestly, better than any of them. Distinctly British is flavor, it really tastes authentic if indeed such a style was truly considered as such in Britain. More roasty than I would have predicted almost to the point of having a smoky aftertaste. Still a lovely silky mouthfeel and nice caramel flavor.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/S5r-CXqWtMI/AAAAAAAAAIE/9zKdWyCAPMI/s1600-h/boulevard-irish-ale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/S5r-CXqWtMI/AAAAAAAAAIE/9zKdWyCAPMI/s320/boulevard-irish-ale.jpg" /></a></div>Finally,<a href="http://www.blvdbeer.com/irishale.htm"> Boulevard Brewery's Irish Ale</a>. I love Boulevard beers. They have been one of favorite US microbreweries ever since I received my first gift of a six pack of their Wheat beer some fifteen-plus years ago as a token for watching their cat while my friends, Scott and Sue Biederwolf, were out of town. As I recall, that was one of the incredibly few - and the worst that I can remember - ice storms we've had here in Austin since I moved here over twenty years ago. Only recently have we been able to buy their beer here in Austin and it has been a wonderful addition to the selection. One of the best things is - and pretty much unique in this country - all (I believe all anyway) Boulevard bottled beers are bottle-conditioned, the closest thing you'll find to true cask ale. More on this in a future post. To me, Irish Ale is pretty full-bodied and has more residual sweetness than other examples of the 'style'. As with all the Boulevard beers, it has a really smooth and creamy mouth-feel. It finishes with only the slightest hint of roastiness. Like Harpoon, this one needs care with an ABV of 5.8%.<br />
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So, there you have it, my take on Irish Red Ale and a few examples just in time for St Patrick's Day. As the old Irish Blessing says:<br />
<br />
"May the road rise up to meet you.<br />
May the wind always be at your back.<br />
May the sun shine warm upon your face,<br />
and rains fall soft upon your fields.<br />
And until we meet again,<br />
May God hold you in the palm of His hand."<br />
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Happy St Patrick's Day everyone, no matter where in the world you are.<br />
<br />
Yours Aye!<br />
NeilNeil Spakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079950052853787227noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455606718567469132.post-92032212178187350002010-02-26T19:08:00.002-06:002010-02-26T19:09:53.664-06:00I Really Miss Young's<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/S4hwITgg9jI/AAAAAAAAAHk/Q7KabVTwiNQ/s1600-h/bombardier.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/S4hwITgg9jI/AAAAAAAAAHk/Q7KabVTwiNQ/s200/bombardier.jpg" width="102" /></a><br />
As I sit here early on a Friday evening sipping a pint of <a href="http://www.bombardier.co.uk/">Wells' Bombardier</a> I can't help but lament the loss of a variety of Young's (of London) beers on the shelves in my locality. Obviously, I like Bombardier. It is a wonderful, classic English bitter. But why does it make me think of Young's? Well...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/S4hwVhsvigI/AAAAAAAAAHs/ddPfD_ZVsGk/s1600-h/young--s-sla-www.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/S4hwVhsvigI/AAAAAAAAAHs/ddPfD_ZVsGk/s320/young--s-sla-www.jpg" /></a></div>We used to have a regular supply of bottled Young's Ram Rod, Winter Warmer, Dirty Dick's, and the fabulous bottle-conditioned Special London Ale. Today, however, only Double Chocolate Stout adorns the beer section of the local supermarkets and beer mega-marts. It all seemed to end sometime in 2007. I don't know if this is how it is in other locations in the US, but it certainly is here. So, what might have happened?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/S4hvvCm7U2I/AAAAAAAAAHc/prtXCAqSxlM/s1600-h/history-1533.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/S4hvvCm7U2I/AAAAAAAAAHc/prtXCAqSxlM/s320/history-1533.jpg" /></a></div>Merger! That's what. A little background. In 2004, Young's Brewery in London began a "review" of their brewing operations at the historic Ram Brewery in Wandsworth, South London. Humphrey Langridge first started brewing at the site in 1581 with Young's acquiring the brewery in 1831. After a 2 1/2 year period of review, the decision was made in May of 2006 to sell the Ram Brewery site as it was deemed too outdated and too cramped to warrant further improvement or expansion. In addition to this decision, Young's entered into a partnership with Charles Wells of Bedford creating <a href="http://www.wellsandyoungs.co.uk/">Wells & Young's Brewing Company Limited</a>. The brewing of Young's beers was then transferred to Wells' Eagle Brewery thus ending over 400 years of brewing at the historic site in London. Additionally, it left only Fullers as the only major sized quality beer producer in the city. The new firm is partitioned with Wells having a 60% stake and Young's the other 40%. Brewing of Young's beers has been transferred and seems to have been successful but it doesn't remove the sense of loss of the once great London brewery.<br />
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So, shortly after this merger I noticed a surge of Wells' Bombardier and Banana Bread beers on the shelves with the Young's beers disappearing literally over night. I do not know reason for this. International beer importing, distribution and sales in the US - and especially in Texas - is difficult and strange in its structure. I will never understand it. Even Guinness' Pub Draft cans were not allowed into Texas until the company created a special can for the Texas market. Antiquated prohibition-era nonsense but somehow still in place.<br />
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I can only hope that the scene will change back again one day. I'm thrilled that Bombardier showed up here and has stayed but, I really miss Young's beers.<br />
<br />
Yours Aye!<br />
NeilNeil Spakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079950052853787227noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455606718567469132.post-52162942911001884022010-02-04T21:06:00.003-06:002010-02-04T21:11:10.809-06:00China - A Real Beer Wasteland?Last week I had the privilege to take my third business trip to mainland China. As like the last trip I flew to Shanghai and then on to Suzhou, about two hours by car inland from Shanghai. As with anywhere I travel, I always seek out the best beer I can find. Since I have a passion for British beer I always seek out the western pubs. I was only in Shanghai for one night so I had to make the most of it.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/S2uEr2UMwJI/AAAAAAAAAGc/GLffgR_Ox2M/s1600-h/brit-bull-dog-penguin.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/S2uEr2UMwJI/AAAAAAAAAGc/GLffgR_Ox2M/s320/brit-bull-dog-penguin.png" /></a></div>I dragged my work colleagues with me and after some unplanned wandering around due to having veered right when we should have stayed straight away, we gave up and went in to the first western looking pub we could find. I can't recall the name, unfortunately, but we ordered some appetizers and a round of Kilkenny, an Irish beer made by Guinness that is not available in the US. After asking for directions, we headed for the <a href="http://www.bulldog-shanghai.com/">British Bulldog Pub</a>, now just known as Bulldog, I believe. Guinness here for us and I swear even in China it is better tasting than in the US. I'm almost convinced it is watered down in the US. Although I didn't order any, I was very surprised to see bottled beer from <a href="http://www.brooklynbrewery.com/">Brooklyn Brewery</a>, <a href="http://www.rogue.com/">Rogue Ales</a> and one other that I cannot recall. I am a big fan of beer from both of these breweries but not on this night.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/S2uF7VB2hHI/AAAAAAAAAGk/015PwIKPDBI/s1600-h/omalleys.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/S2uF7VB2hHI/AAAAAAAAAGk/015PwIKPDBI/s320/omalleys.gif" /></a></div>It was then on to <a href="http://omalleys-shanghai.com/">O'Malley's Irish Pub</a>, one that I had visited on my last trip over and my favorite place to hang out. I discovered the place last time not really for the beer but because I was looking for a pub showing the rugby. The pub is run by a guy named Tam from Edinburgh and he turned me on to a great shop in Shanghai to get rugby tops very cheap. Here it was more Guinness for most of us, Carlsberg for some. For this trip, that was it. There is, incidentally, a bar across the road from O'Malley's that last trip was a brewpub called The Castle. It is now closed but it appears it is to reopen very soon as a <a href="http://www.hofbraeu.com.cn/">Hofbrauhaus</a>. Also, there are three locations of <a href="http://www.bln.com.cn/">Paulaner Munchen</a> owned restaurants with locally brewed bier. These are all worth a visit and the German food as well as the beer are great, almost like being in Munich.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/S2uJV0PSfDI/AAAAAAAAAGs/cW3brpR7s7g/s1600-h/garbos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5120z01h0-w/S2uJV0PSfDI/AAAAAAAAAGs/cW3brpR7s7g/s320/garbos.jpg" /></a></div>I spent the work week in Suzhou, almost a veritable real beer wasteland. For most of the time it was Tsing Tao Chinese beer or, if we were lucky, Carlsberg. There are a few places that have other beers but not many and most are in a questionable area of the city. I won't mention these places but if you'd like to know just drop me an email. Instead, I'd like to mention the pub I adopted as my local, if you can call two visits in six days a local. The pub is quite a distance from where I was staying, hence, the infrequency of further visits. Anyway, the pub is called Garbo's (named for Greta Garbo, the beautiful and famous Hollywood actress who was born in Sweden) in the Suzhou Industrial Park. It is owned and ran by a very colorful and quite friendly guy from Sweden named Lars. It is also probably the only place in Suzhou to get a pint of Murphy's Irish Stout and it sure tasted good! Lars also keeps liquors you likely won't find anywhere else in the city. If you're ever in Suzhou, I'd highly recommend you seek out Garbo's and say "hello" to Lars for me. Suzhou also has a Hofbrauhaus but other than that there's little going from a western style pub/bar perspective. What surprises me most is that there are almost none anywhere near the major hotels - perhaps this is a business opportunity? Suzhou is in the midst of building a subway system that is due to open in 2011. This should be a real boon to this great city.<br />
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In closing, this post is a bit delayed for a couple of reasons. First, blogspot websites are blocked in China unless you can find a way through the firewall. I could have done this through my work VPN but this is against company SOP so I avoided it. Also, even though I'm not feeling the jetlag like I have on previous trips to Asia, I'm not yet 100% either so I've been dragging my feet. In summary, I really enjoyed the Guinness and the Murphy's and although I don't think Tsing Tao is necessarily a bad beer, I have a new appreciation for Carlsberg, but only due to the circumstances.<br />
<br />
Yours Aye!<br />
NeilNeil Spakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079950052853787227noreply@blogger.com0