Leaky Spicket

Stylistically Speaking - London Porter

2011-11-26T22:01:00.000-06:00

No, not BJCP or Brewers Association Beer Style Guidelines, but historically a true beer style in its own right. Now, if you're a regular reader of Zythophile (Martyn Cornell) or Shut Up About Barclay Perkins (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).

Obviously, since I conducted the interview with Steve Schmidt at Meantime Brewing in London for TheBrewingNetwork's The Jamil Show - Can You Brew It?, my first inclination was to just brew the recipe that Steve gave us for Meantime London Porter. 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 Meantime's London Porter but also Fuller's London Porter, 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 Stone Brewing's Smoked Porter again just as an additional reference point.

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 Meantime 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 Fuller's 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 Meantime but is certainly sweeter as well. I'd say the Fuller's 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 Stone Smoked Porter. I think this one is thrown off historically mostly by its hop profile which comes as little surprise given that it is Stone 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 Weyermann that Meantime uses and definitely much more pronounced. The aroma and flavor of the Stone porter reminds me more of a German Steinbier (stone beer) made by throwing super heating stones into the wort. It is a quite distinct flavor.

I ultimately decided to go with the Meantime 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 Amber, Gold and Black. The grist for Meantime's London Porter includes two malts related to historical London porter from before the mid-18th century, Brown Malt and Weyermann's Smoked Malt (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 Malt and Malting, 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.

Obviously, no 'blown' malt is made today. Neither are modern Brown Malts very similar to their predecessors used to make London porter. Meantime's use of modern Brown Malt along with the Weyermann Smoked Malt 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...

Yours Aye!
Neil

Cascadian Dark Ale

2011-08-27T20:05:00.002-05:00

Many 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.

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 Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) Style Guidelines. 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 "Cascadian Dark Ale: A Rose By Any Other Name" at CraftBeer.com, "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 "Amber, Gold & Black: The History of Britain's Great Beers". 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 read it.

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 Pitch Black IPA. 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.

Next on the list of ones I tried is Stone Brewing's Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale. 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.

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 Samuel Adams Longshot contest for his Blackened Hops. 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.

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 Deschutes beer I didn't like.' Deschutes Brewery's Hop In The Dark 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.

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.

Yours Aye!
Neil

Brew Day and Whirlpools

2011-05-21T23:29:00.000-05:00

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 BJCP guidelines 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 Thomas Fawcett Maris Otter came in time or I would have had to postpone.

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 Thomas Fawcett, some from Simpsons and one from Bairds.

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 The Brewing Network (including the one I help interview for, 'Can You Brew It?'), and now soon to become a professional owner/brewer at Heretic Brewing. 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 More Beer as it was designed specifically for the massive immersion chiller of theirs that I already have; however, I saw one at my local shop, Austin Homebrew, 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.

I was not so much interested in the increased efficiency of the immersion chiller using this method as I already have a Blichmann Therminator 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.

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, "Brewing Better Beer". 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 Blichmann BoilerMaker 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?

So, I did. My first batch used solely pellet hops and my second batch used solely whole hops. I used the same MoreBeer immersion chiller with the Jamil whirlpool tube for both batches. For the first, I left the screen out of the BoilerMaker but left the dip tube and the second was just as normal other than the fact that I did not use my Therminator 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, BoilerMaker 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 Therminator; however, I've leave that for another post.

The proof will be in the drinking; unfortunately, that won't happen until about three weeks from now. Stay tuned...

Yours Aye!

Neil

Life On Mars

2011-05-06T21:41:00.003-05:00

No, 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.

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. "Life On Mars" was a great series on BBC television in the UK a couple of years ago that was thankfully re-played here in America on BBCAmerica. 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).

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 Campaign For Real Ale's (CAMRA) 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 What Is Real Ale? 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 Amber Gold & Black, 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 Zythophile blog, and Ron's Shut Up About Barclay Perkins blog.

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 Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) 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.

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.

So where does this leave us? Well, I know where it leaves me - time to watch more episodes of "Life On Mars" 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.

As a postlude, what is the connection between "Life On Mars", 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.

Yours Aye!
Neil

Stewart Brewing 'St Giles' - The Final Care Package Beer

2011-03-16T19:37:00.000-05:00

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. St Giles, from Stewart Brewing 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 Hollyrood, a pale, light and hoppy beer, and Embra, an amber beer.

St Giles 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.

Steve Stewart, the brewery's founder, obtained a degree in Brewing from Heriot Watt University and worked previously for various groups within Bass. He spent some time Stateside at the Harpoon Brewery in Boston where the impetus for Stewart Brewing 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. Stewart Brewing 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.

Yours Aye!
Neil

'Grozet' Scottish Gooseberry Beer - Care Package Beer Three

2010-12-29T23:46:00.002-06:00

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, Grozet, from Williams Brothers Brewing in Alloa, Scotland, had it not been for having imbibed their flagship, Fraoch, on a number of occasions (best in cask, by the way). Fraoch is the world's benchmark for heather infused beer and assuredly the first to be produced commercially. Like Fraoch, Grozet is a modern interpretation of an historic Scottish ale, this time brewed with Gooseberries, Grozet being Scots for gooseberry. Fraoch and Grozet are part of Williams Brothers' Historic Ales From Scotland line that also includes Alba, brewed with Scots Pine and Spruce sprigs, Ebulum, brewed with Elderberries, and Kelpie, brewed with seaweed; yes, seaweed!

Grozet 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 Grozet 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.

Today's William Brothers Brewing Company started in earnest in 1988 when Bruce Williams began brewing Fraoch, 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 Fraoch 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 Strathaven Ales. 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!

FINAL NOTE: The brewery description on the website, ScottishBrewing.com, is incorrect. This will be addressed very soon.

Yours Aye!
Neil

Orkney Brewery's Northern Light - Care Package Beer Two

2010-12-09T20:22:00.000-06:00

Finally, I'm finding the time to say something about the second beer in my recent 'care package'. This one is Orkney Brewery's Northern Light. 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 Red MacGregor 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.

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.

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.

The Orkney Brewery 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, Highland Brewing Company, also in Orkney. In 2006 the brewery was purchased (along with Atlas Brewery, 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.

Yours Aye!
Neil

Roddy Beveridge - A Fallen Comrade

2010-11-29T22:00:00.005-06:00

I 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 Scottish Craft Brewers and CAMRA's Edinburgh and South East Scotland branch. 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.

Roddy Beveridge

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.

At the time of his death Roddy was Head Brewer at Fowler's Ales, a microbrewery attached to the Prestoungrange Gothenburg 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 Scottish Craft Brewers 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 East Lothian Courier. 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.

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.

Please consider a donation to Diabetes UK as requested by the family. My thoughts and prayers are with Roddy's family.

Rest in peace, Roddy. You will be greatly missed.

Yours Aye!
Neil

(Roddy's picture was shamelessly taken from an article in the East Lothian Toun Crier that was posted on the 'Goth's website. I sincerely hope they won't mind).

The Highly Coveted 'Care Package' and Houston's "Crystal"

2010-11-23T18:17:00.000-06:00

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.

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.

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, Crystal, from Houston Brewery 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.

Anyway, back to topic. Crystal 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.

Yours Aye!
Neil

Oktoberfestbier and a 400 Pound Monkey

2010-10-07T22:07:00.000-05:00

I recently rediscovered Colorado's Left Hand Brewing Company. Their Oktoberfest 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.

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 Leinenkugel's Oktoberfest and our own Real Ale Brewery's Oktoberfest 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.

However, the subject of this post is not Oktoberfest bier per se but rather Left Hand's 400 Pound Monkey. '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).

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.

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!

Yours Aye!
Neil

A Pondering Of Brown Ale

2010-09-10T17:40:00.011-05:00

It'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).

The inspiration (probably more of a catalyst than an inspiration) for this post comes from sitting here enjoying Sierra Nevada's fall seasonal called 'Tumbler'. '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.

'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.

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?

Brewing historian, Martyn Cornell, writes in his excellent book, Amber, Gold & Black, 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).

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 BJCP style guidelines, Mann's beer would be classified as a 'Southern English Brown'.

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.

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 Pete's Wicked Ale. 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 Samuel Adams Lager, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, and Anchor Steam 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.

If you want to know more about the history of brown ale, I'd highly recommend getting a copy of Martyn Cornell's book, Amber, Gold & Black. Martyn also has a highly successful and always enlightening blog, Zythophile. Another great and highly detailed source of historical information on English brown ales (and a plethora of other styles) is Ron Pattinson's blog, Shut up about Barclay Perkins.

Yours Aye!
Neil

Save Our Shores - Through Beer!

2010-08-19T00:20:00.000-05:00

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.

Abita Brewing Company 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 "Save Our Shores" (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.

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.

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.

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.

Yours Aye!
Neil

A couple old friends, a great new beer, and a great new website

2010-07-22T20:32:00.002-05:00

I'm sitting here enjoying one of my favorite beers (the first old friend), Morland's Old Speckled Hen. 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 Top Gear 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!

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 Tam Cowan here as well as the great sports journalist, Graham Spiers (again, Alan told me who Graham was).

Well, part two of Alan's IM was to tell me about a great new ale from Marstons, 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!

Finally, I got an email through my website, ScottishBrewing.com, from Terry Dicks, Managing Director of a firm that has launched the UK website, Your Round. 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!

Yours Aye!
Neil

Strangford Lough - New Irish Beer Both In Ireland And In America

2010-06-27T23:08:00.002-05:00

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, Strangford Lough Brewing Company, 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.

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!

St Patrick's Best Ale

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.

Legbiter Ale

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.

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.

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 Facebook and Twitter.

Yours Aye!
Neil

Distracted but brewing and beer research continues...

2010-06-04T19:34:00.005-05:00

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.

I've also been quite busy with airing of my most recent appearances on The Brewing Network's "The Jamil Show - Can You Brew It?" as a British brewing correspondent. There have been three programs to date, the first being Black Sheep Brewery's "Riggwelter" 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, Brewing Classic Styles, whether you are a homebrewer or not.

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 ESB and London Pride. I had no idea how great this assignment would be. Just visiting the historic Fuller's Griffin Brewery 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.

Speaking of books on beer styles, for British style beers, there is no better book than Martyn Cornell's "Amber, Gold and Black". 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 BeerInnPrint in the UK. And one of Martyn's other books, "Beer The Story of the Pint" is also fabulous.

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 Caledonian Brewery's "Deuchars IPA". 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!

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.

Yours Aye!
Neil

Beer and Brewing in Michigan.

2010-04-16T00:21:00.004-05:00

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).

The first beer I tried was Atwater Block Brewery's "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.

The next one was Michigan Brewing Company's "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.

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 Real Ale Brewery (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.

Finally, the kicker to this particular beer tasting, was old friend "Two Hearted Ale" from Bell's Brewery 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.

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.

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 Kuhnhenn Brewing Company, Dragonmead, and Founders Brewing Company. There is also the Michigan Brewers Guild 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!

Yours Aye!
Neil

Irish Red Ale - Really A Beer Style?

2010-03-12T20:32:00.027-06:00

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.

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?

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.

So, is this really a beer style? If you consult the Beer Judge Certification Program Style Guide, the one by which all legitimate homebrewing competition styles are judged in the US, yes, "Irish Red Ale" 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 Carlow Brewing Company, 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 George Killian's Irish Red, a lager. I suspect this was left out due to the fact that it was conceived of and is brewed by Coors.

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 Harpoon Brewery's Celtic Ale, Boulevard Brewery's Irish Ale, and the aforementioned O'hara's Irish Red.

Harpoon's Celtic Ale 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.

Next is the one actually brewed in Ireland, O'hara's Irish Red. 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.

Finally, Boulevard Brewery's Irish Ale. 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%.

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:

     "May the road rise up to meet you.
      May the wind always be at your back.
      May the sun shine warm upon your face,
      and rains fall soft upon your fields.
      And until we meet again,
      May God hold you in the palm of His hand."

Happy St Patrick's Day everyone, no matter where in the world you are.

Yours Aye!
Neil

I Really Miss Young's

2010-02-26T19:08:00.002-06:00

As I sit here early on a Friday evening sipping a pint of Wells' Bombardier 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...

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?

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 Wells & Young's Brewing Company Limited. 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.

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.

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.

Yours Aye!
Neil

China - A Real Beer Wasteland?

2010-02-04T21:06:00.003-06:00

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.

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 British Bulldog Pub, 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 Brooklyn Brewery, Rogue Ales and one other that I cannot recall. I am a big fan of beer from both of these breweries but not on this night.

It was then on to O'Malley's Irish Pub, 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 Hofbrauhaus. Also, there are three locations of Paulaner Munchen 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.

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.

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.

Yours Aye!
Neil

BrewDog - The Final Round (for now)

2010-01-19T21:42:00.012-06:00

Down to my last two BrewDog beers (for now). And, for something completely different, or so I thought.

"Dogma" is a strong amber colored ale brewed with Scottish heather honey, poppy seed, kola nut and guarana. According to BrewDog's website the grist is Maris Otter, Caramalt, Roasted Barley, Dark Crystal Malt and Munich Malt. The hops are Bramling Cross (one of my favorites) and Amarillo (probably my least favorite hop). Not knowing what to think of all this stuff (I've never had kola nut nor guarana, to my knowledge) I kept an open mind as I took my first sip. The beer has only a very slight aroma suggesting to me that the amount of Amarillo, at least as a late copper hop, must be slight as this is a very dominant hop with a very strong grapefruit flavor and aroma and I don't get a lot of its character in the beer. I was initially intrigued to see how all these flavors melded but I have to be honest, this is not a beer for me. Although the initial nose and flavor suggest a pleasant amber ale, the finish is harshly bitter and dry and continues to linger. I really don't care for the flavor at all and I struggle to put it down to any one thing. To me, any essence of sweet heather honey is lost in the bitterness of, I think, overused hops and roasted malts and likewise it clouds any nutty flavor from the kola. But, not every beer from every brewer pleases everyone so I'll give them credit for trying something a bit different. It just doesn't work for me.

In an earlier post I mentioned BrewDog's joint brew with Stone Brewing Company in California. They have since gone on to do at least one other but the one available to me is "bashah". From the description on the label, "The Black Belgian Style Double India Pale Ale", I'm already thinking that again, this one is not for me. I think I've mentioned previously, while I appreciate Belgian style beers, I personally do not like them - at least not the ones I have tried. Yes, yes, I know I'm going against the grain (no pun intended) as Belgians are all the rage but they just aren't for me. But, on to "bashah".

"bashah" has an aroma of darkly roasted malts with the black color to match and is totally opaque. I have had a few black lagers, even a few black IPAs but I can't recall having anything mixing black, Belgian and IPA - Double, Extreme, Imperial or not. Even on the first sip I knew this was also, sadly, not one for me. I just don't like the flavor of Belgian yeasts and I can't get past it. I slightly taste the roasted malts, get the finish of bitter dark roasted grains and hops, but overwhelmingly for me is the dominance of the Belgian yeast. If the yeast is not what makes this Belgian then I have definitely lost my mind and my taste buds as well. If it weren't for this (the Belgian notes), I think I would actually like it quite a bit. Much like BrewDog's "Hardcore IPA", which, at this point I would have to say is my favorite BrewDog brew, I think the hopping is not overdone and the roasted malt definitely comes through in the aftertaste thus justifying the "Black". Again, not for me but I really applaud them both for the collaboration and the imagination to try something totally different.

Parting Thoughts:
A number of Scottish brewers have tried American inspired beers, some to great success, some not so great. However, none have followed the lead of the Colonies as greatly as BrewDog. Now, I'm not going to knock any Scottish brewing interest that is brewing with integrity and with a goal to brew the best beer they can. However, BrewDog, to me, is a completely American, not Scottish - or British - influenced brewery. I've heard differing views of this approach, nearly all from very reputable sources in the U.K. and there are people on both sides. In my opinion, BrewDog will go over very well in America. For me, however, BrewDog represents a difficult dichotomy. On the one hand, I appreciate that few breweries in the U.K. are doing brews such as these and that in and of itself brings variety and, possibly, excitement to the British brewing scene. However, I personally am a traditionalist, something the guys at BrewDog don't think highly of. I disagree with them that most British beer - if we confine ourselves to cask conditioned, or real, ale - is bland and boring. My recent visit to London screams to the contrary. However, BrewDog is a young and exciting brewing enterprise that is making waves on both sides of the pond and for this, I have no issue with their approach. If you're a traditionalist like me, give them a break and the benefit of the doubt and embrace their enthusiasm and guts, even if you're not totally sold on their approach. If you're really into their beers, please support them to the fullest. Either way, their success to date speaks for itself and, if I were a betting man, I'd say the odds are highly stacked in their favor for greater things to come!

Yours Aye!
Neil

BrewDog Round Two

2010-01-15T19:33:00.015-06:00

OK, BrewDog (remember, that radical brewery from Fraserburgh, Scoland?) tasting number two. In a big departure from the 'twisted merciless stout' of a couple of days ago, today it is two more BrewDog beers (assuming I make it through the first one), both on the hoppy side.

The first beer, "Hardcore IPA", is described by BrewDog as an "explicit imperial ale". I'm not sure what is "explicit" about it but it would seem it fits the Imperial style, as defined by the BJCP Style Guidelines, due to its alcohol level. With idealistic (only) ties to Russian Imperial Stouts, British Stouts brewed originally for the Baltic region with higher gravities, this Imperial style is mostly an American invention with terms like "Double" and "Extreme" IPA all being used interchangeably.

With a starting gravity of 1.085 and an ABV of 9.0% this is a big beer, but it sure doesn't taste like it. What I mean by that is normally, with beers of such high gravity, the taste of alcohol is quite dominant. Here, it is very subdued for this gravity and if I hadn't read the label I would have guessed more like upper 5% to 6% ABV, if that. Don't get me wrong, this is no gulper, it is quite a full beer and but very well balanced, I think. Despite having a quoted bitterness of 150 IBU using Simcoe, Chinook, Amarillo, and Warrior hops, due to the higher content of Maris Otter malt the hops don't over dominate. Plenty of citrusy flavor, no doubt, but I think pretty well done with the malty sweetness coming through quiet well in palate and aroma. It is not quite as malty as many of the American "Double" or "Extreme" IPAs in the way of colored malts as I think BrewDog only uses Pale Ale malt. This, I like! Too many American versions use Munich Malt or similar German or Belgian colored malts and I'm just not a big fan of this in Pales or IPAs. The hops are American through and through though, no doubt about that one but again, they are not overdone. I have used all these hops and it does take skill to keep them in check as they all like to grab their bit of the spotlight (all very assertive if used in very big quantities). All in all, I'm really pleased with this one.

Next is BrewDog's "Punk IPA", described as a "post modern classic pale ale". Well, I wouldn't call this one a straight Pale Ale, it is definitely an IPA, but it is quickly becoming a classic. It has a starting gravity of 1.052, 6% ABV and is brewed with Chinook, Ahtanum, and Nelson Sauvin hops, the latter a New Zealand hop, one I had never heard of. Again, I think this one is brewed solely with Maris Otter malt, synonymous with traditional IPAs. With a quoted IBU of 65, I find this one a lot hoppier in flavor than the "Hardcore". It is also a bit more pale in color, beautiful color in fact. The aroma, bitterness and flavor of the hops dominate. It finishes pretty dry but not overly so. Lots of citrus flavor from the hops with floral and grassy notes in the aroma. Yes, this one gets a real Thumbs Up from me!

Closing note. Although it is my intention to up the frequency of posts this year and to try and keep them focused on beer, I do not intend to turn this into a beer rating or review blog. There are plenty of them out there already. And anyway, here's my feeling on this ilk. Craft beer is a very complex beverage and everyone's tastes are different. I simply don't believe in beer rating scales primarily due to this subjectivity in the human palate. When I feel like it, I will describe new beers I try - especially if they are Scottish! - but by and large (for a really interesting take on the origin of this phrase read this), I merely mean to bring them to your attention and hope that you have the opportunity to try them and assess them for yourself.

Yours Aye!
Neil

BrewDog And A Tale Of Two Stouts

2010-01-13T21:34:00.024-06:00

This is the first in a series of posts about BrewDog beers. Yes, finally BrewDog beers are available in my area. I can't help but think that this is due to BrewDog's recent association and collaboration with Stone Brewing Company in California but I don't know nor do I care. I'm just glad I've finally been able to sample some of their beers to see for myself what all the fuss is all about.

However, this particular post is not solely about one of the BrewDog beers but also about a much more local (to me) recently introduced Stout from Southern Star Brewing Company, a great new brewery here in Texas.

If you haven't heard of BrewDog, I'm very surprised. They are a relatively new brewery in Fraserburgh, Scotland in Scotland's northeast not far from Aberdeen. James Watt and Martin Dickie, the founders of BrewDog, have been making a lot of noise in Britain of recent getting themselves a lot of press for some of their more radical ideas and products. To say that they are an unconventional British brewery - Scottish or not - would be an incredible understatement. They are a whole lot more like an American micro than a British one, without doubt.

Anyway, enough of that. I bought a few samples of different BrewDog beers at my local beer mega-mart (Thanks for the term, Alton) and will be giving my impressions in the next few posts.

First up, only because I'm more in the mood for it today, is "Rip Tide", described by BrewDog as a "twisted merciless stout". Well, it rings in at 8.0% ABV so maybe that has something to do with the "merciless" but frankly, I think it is incredibly smooth and enjoyable and so flavorful that it masks the ABV level. As I like all of my ales, it is not heavily carbonated, pretty much perfectly I would say. Although very dark and roasty, it has a very smooth silky texture with more chocolate and slight toffee notes than a number of other stouts that are more in the Dry Irish category. This is a brilliant, highly drinkable stout with what I'd say is medium body. It has a wonderful aroma of roasted malts with almost espresso notes. This Stout is a winner and I'll be picking up more of this one, for sure.

Now, a different kind of Stout. Southern Star's "Buried Hatchet Stout" is indeed quite different. If you've not had any Southern Star beers, they are all packaged solely in cans. I'm not stating this as a negative and indeed, it is a positive, especially here in Texas. Their beers are perfect for the lake, camping, whatever and wherever you can't take glass and the beer does not suffer in any way proving once again that great beer can come in cans. I digress...

The label of Buried Hatchet says it is "...brewed with a large quantity of brown malt reminiscent of a traditional pre-Industrial Revolution malt profile". Without doubt, the Brown Malt lends a very different flavor to the beer and, in my opinion, helps to separate this stout from other "American Stouts" which Southern Star classifies this beer as. They use a bit of Rolled Oats in this beer so it has a really nice creamy head. The aroma is of the Brown Malt, much like Dark Chocolate, rather than the typical Roasted Barley or Black Malt smell. This is also a very "stout" beer clocking in at 8.5% ABV. The Brown Malt lends a very roasted nut flavor like a more heavily roasted Nut Brown Ale. It is medium bodied with a very burnt-roasty element both in initial flavor and in finish, the latter of which is quite dry. Fortunately or unfortunately, I was not around in the "Pre-Industrial" era, but from what I know of classic London Porters, Scottish and English Brown Stouts and Double Brown Stouts, I think this beer would fit in perfectly. Maybe I should send some to Ron Pattinson for some further verification? I encourage you to try it if you are a lover of Porter and Stout style beers. Well done again, Southern Star, another winner!

What's to come? I have 3 more BrewDog beers in the 'fridge so more on the way...

Yours Aye!
Neil

Beer Blogging - A New Year's Resolution

2010-01-13T21:20:00.005-06:00

OK, New Year's Resolution: turn this into a proper beer blog. Inspiration: I've only recently started regularly reading two great and, I think, very important beer blogs which I've added to my Links section at the right. This got me to thinking, I started this blog primarily to talk about my love of and all things beer with an obligatory slant toward Scottish beer and also the great art of homebrewing. Well, although there have been some good posts which I've received positive feedback on, I wouldn't say it has reached beer blog status. So, 2010, much more emphasis on talking about all things beery.

By the way, the beer blogs I'm referring to are Martyn Cornell's "Zythophile" and Ron Pattinson's "Shut Up About Barclay Perkins". For those of you who don't know, Martyn is without doubt, at least in my humble opinion, the best historical beer writer in the world right now and in like manner, Ron is one of the most knowledgeable brewing historians in the UK at present. How Ron finds the time to not only dig through but post so much incredible information on classic historic British breweries is beyond me but my sincere thanks goes out to him for doing so!

Yours Aye!
Neil

That Time Of Year Again

2009-11-29T20:40:00.004-06:00

Yes, it's that time of year again. No, not Thanksgiving (in the U.S.), nor Christmas but rather Winter beer time! This is one of my favorite times in the seasonal beer calendar. Winter Warmers and other winter ales, winter lagers, Christmas beers, beers with spice, oh, the wonderful flavors.

Some of my early seasonal favorites are Breckenridge Christmas Ale from Colorado, Full Sail Brewing's Wassail from Oregon, Anchor Brewing's Christmas Ale from California (always a favorite), Boulevard's Nut Cracker Ale from Missouri, and probably tops right now in my book is Brooklyn Brewery's Winter Ale from New York.

Now, if I haven't stated it before here, I'm not a big fan of high alcohol beers. To the contrary, I love the taste of good beer and therefore, much prefer lower alcohol, flavorful beers to higher gravity ones. Brewers in the UK have long understood this and, thankfully, continue to produce incredibly flavorful cask-conditioned ales (as well as bottled ones). However, this time of year, I do make an exception. Of these this year, I'd currently put Great Divide's Hibernation Ale from Colorado as my favorite. I think they have really nailed the English Old Ale style. I do need to pick up some of Avery's Old Jubilation, also from Colorado, as in years past I've really enjoyed it as well.

As we enter December, perhaps I'll run across more to sample and find some additional favorites.

Yours Aye!
Neil

An Allowable Exception To "The Rant"

2009-10-16T23:27:00.003-05:00

Having just posted "The Rant" (again, not that anyone is listening), I have to note one recent exception.

One of the beers I picked up in the mega-store today was Sierra Nevada's Estate. A slight digression...

Sierra Nevada, in my opinion, defined what American microbrewery beer was supposed to taste like. The first real micro I had was Samuel Adams Boston Lager and it is still one of the finest beers the world over. Also, I think Jim Koch did it right. Sam Adams was everywhere before anything else was really everywhere, and still is today. And, no doubt, Fritz Maytag at Anchor Brewery in San Francisco, was THE American microbrewery pioneer. I don't think anyone would doubt this fact. And, Anchor beers are also world class and totally unique in their own right. However, once the micro and home-brewing obsession really hit America and started to mature into what it is today, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale reigned supreme. I cannot count the number of home-brewers I've talked to that started out simply to clone Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. They are the ones that made Cascade hops famous!

OK, enough digression. On to "Estate". As the label claims, at least in America, this must be the only beer ever brewed (at least commercially) using only ingredients grown on the lands associated with the brewery. "Estate" is brewed using only barley and hops grown at Sierra Nevada. How cool is that?! And the taste? Absolutely fabulous! Heavily hopped (I almost wish they would have backed off a bit, but), really fresh hop taste. This is a great beer and the first year they have done it. Make sure you try it and I really hope they keep it up. This needs to be a regular beer in their lineup.

Yours Aye!
Neil

My Rant On The State Of American Micros

2009-10-16T22:55:00.006-05:00

Anyone that knows me very well knows that I have a Scottish, actually, let it be said, British obsession. This was only reinforced, perhaps more than ever, having just returned from London. I sampled some of the finest beers I have ever tasted the world over in London and the worst of it is, that craving for the taste of these fine cask-conditioned ales can not be satisfied on these shores. Some of the bottled versions - what few are still available in my area - only remotely come close but are better than not having them at all.

So, I happened into two beer mega-stores here in Austin today looking to pick up some beer for the weekend. As always when I go into these stores, I keep an open mind though I usually have a taste for something in particular. I knew I wanted something British but, nevertheless, I always look for something new too. The good news is there usually IS something new. But now, to my rant (brace yourself, this will come as sacrilege to many).

I love the American microbrewery industry. I think there are some of the finest brewers in the world in this community and, I believe, among the most creative. Not being one to ever stifle creativity I do honestly embrace all the new styles they have created. However, I have to say, I am sick to death of two movements in this community that disturb me greatly. One: the "extreme beer", or as I say "double everything possible" movement. Two: Belgian inspired beers.

To clarify, you can ignore number two. I know there is a huge, huge appreciation, at least in America, for Belgian style beers. However, I, for the most part, can't stand any of them. I've met very few that I like but I without doubt appreciate the style and do know a good one when I have one - I just don't like it.

It is number one that disturbs me most. Not because it has happened. It needed to happen. Some of the world's finest beers have come from this pursuit of "more of anything and everything". My argument now is twofold. One, this seems to be all everyone is focusing one: more hops, more malt, more alcohol. There comes a point where more is not better. Of course, this IS American. This country was founded on this and is defined by this, as Americans (and I'm not un-Patriotic, despite what some may think). But two, what disturbs me even more is that everyone has lost sight of: beer. Where are the Pale Ales? Where are the Bitters, Best Bitters? I crave low-to-mid strength, well balanced ales. Where are they? Very few are left. If you don't believe me, go look at your beer mega-mart shelves. What do you see? How many Pales and Bitters are left? They are facing extinction (and American IPAs don't count).

I guess what I'm saying is that I'm a session beer guy. I don't drink beer for the alcohol. I drink beer, good beer, because I love the taste of beer. And, what I value most in a great beer is one simple thing: balance. And, believe it or not, it is one of the hardest things to achieve, especially in a lower alcohol beer. But, one taste of a 3.8% cask-conditioned Chiswick Bitter will change your opinion forever - I almost guarantee it.

So, my challenge (not that any of them are listening): how about a new American beer movement? Well-balanced, highly drinkable, character-filled session style ales? These are the only beers now on my homebrewing list for a long time to come!

Yours Aye!
Neil

Day 6 - Back to London for the final day

2009-10-16T21:16:00.006-05:00

Well, this is it, the final day. Too bad we get to spend most of it in airports and on planes. That is the price of getting cheap plane fare. We had to fly through Geneva with a couple hour layover but the flights were thankfully uneventful. We arrived back in London about 5PM and headed back to the hotel (once again by the brilliant Heathrow Express) to drop off our bags.

We had one final mission. Actually, not a mission but a pilgrimage. Not so long ago I waxed lyrical in this very blog about an amazing IPA from Meantime Brewing in London that I purchased in Austin. Well, Anthony being a frequent reader of this blog also sought it ought and he and Chad were equally impressed. So, no trip to London would be complete without a Meantime. I had contacted the brewery prior to the trip to try and arrange a tour of the brewery but they responded that they were not really set up for tours but were moving to a new brewery soon and please come and see them next year. Well, I'd love to, for sure, now if only I can convince my wife another trip is warranted. :) Since we couldn't go to the brewery itself, the next best thing was to visit their one and only pub, in Greenwich, South London, the Greenwich Union.

We initially tried to make this excursion after the Spurs match but the DLR (Docklands Light Railway), like many other Underground lines were closed that day. Undeterred, we set out first thing from the hotel determined not to be defeated this time and it was more than worth the effort. Not only were we able to get the DLR, it was a delightful ride out on this completely new railway through what is mostly recently reclaimed and renovated office buildings and flats. Upon leaving the stop at Greenwich, we once again had to consult what Anthony had dubbed "The Oracle" (my iPhone) for which direction to go upon leaving the station. Walking through what, at first, looked quite a desolate neighbourhood (to use the King's English), soon the street brightened and livened up. The poor punter sitting outside the pub as we walked up was probably quite disturbed by us shooting pictures and quietly celebrating the fact that we were actually here. We entered the quite quaint pub with certainly myself (and probably Chad and Anthony too) thinking "oh, to have a pub like this near home." No, unlike most of the pubs I seek out, this is not necessarily a historic pub but it has that great non-tourist, neighbourhood local feel about it.

One additional great thing about coming to this particular pub is the fact that nearly all Meantime beers are available. In Austin, in particular, we can only get IPA and London Porter. Here, they had all of Alastair Hook's amazing creations. For those not in the know, Alastair is somewhat unique as a brewer. Not only did he study at the prestigious Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh but also in Germany, so he is equally suited to do outstanding British and German beers. I stuck with Meantime's London Pale Ale as I can't get it in the U.S. but Anthony tried it and then branched out to their Kolsch, which was excellent. However, the real story here, astonishingly, was not the beer. No, don't get me wrong, there is no demeaning of the beer in any way. The Greenwich Union has, at least at this point for all of us, THE best chips in the world! Chad and I both ordered Fish and Chips and the fish was outstanding but the chips were beyond compare. They were served in some sort of metal cup and were so good Chad had to order another cup despite already being full. Yes, they were THAT good!

Given the long journey time back to the hotel and not wanting to miss the Underground before it closed, we headed back to the DLR but not without buying some Meantime bottled beers to go. Once we got back to the hotel, Anthony and I had our beers but Chad, poor sod, still feeling somewhat ill, went to sleep pretty quickly after we had packed everything up for the morning as it was an early rise to catch our plane back to the States.

With the windows open, fans going, bags backed and beer drank, it was lights out for the final time. I must say, as I started to drift off to sleep, I really had to pinch myself to be sure this had all really happened. What an outstanding vacation. A beer lover, football lover, food lover, Man's Man of a vacation if ever there was one. And two of the best traveling companions I could have asked for. And, let it be re-stated, this was actually Anthony's trip but there is little doubt it was really "our" trip. As always when I travel I missed my family terribly but this was without question a trip of a lifetime.

Again, I thank my incredible wife, Valarie, so much.

Yours Aye!
Neil

Day 5 - Munich

2009-10-16T20:44:00.004-05:00

After a pretty sleepless night, not so much due to the drink as to the heat in the room (simply no air moving), we got up fairly late. This is amazing, however, as at sometime around 7AM a workman decided to drill into the concrete right outside our window. This went on and on and on...

Now comes one of my most vivid memories of the trip, don't ask me why. Brian was kind enough to make me one of the finest cups of coffee I have ever had (maybe I just needed it that much). It was wonderful and may have changed my never taking milk with my coffee if it could always be this good. Brian was home sick as a dog from work so I felt equally bad imposing on he and Bridget and their two little ones. We sat outside on the patio that morning in the fine sunshine enjoying the coffee and conversation. It was great. Brian then gave us all the full tour of the flat. Again, amazing. My thanks so much to Brian and Bridget for their hospitality!

Soon, we headed out. Chad was looking for an umbrella for his youngest daughter, so we went to this particular toy store, can't tell you where exactly, but to no avail. We headed to Weisses Brauhaus for lunch, always a great place for food and the best of the Bavarian Weiss biers. Had a great lunch and then headed out for some more shopping although little was actually purchased. Chad had picked up a bug the day before and was feeling really, really poorly. I felt terrible for him. Somehow he soldiered on (I guess it helped him to be in perhaps his favorite city in the world).

I had arranged to meet another friend and former colleague from Munich, Horst and his wife Annemarie. To make things simple, we headed back to Oktoberfest even though we honestly were not quite sure we were ready for it again (that's what old age does to you). We sat outside at a Hacker-Pschorr tent until Horst and Annemarie showed up. Had some bier and they had some food but mostly just catching up with them. During the conversation I mentioned that I was on the lookout for this fabulous Bavarian pork roast dish that I had had once on a previous trip to Munich. I could remember where I had it but not what its name was. Annemarie seemed to know what I was talking about and eventually we looked the restaurant up on the handy, dandy iPhone and headed there for dinner. The restaurant is the Wirtshaus in der Au. I had this dish here, we believe it is called Spanferkel, on a work dinner arranged by my good friend and also former colleague, Hans-Georg Haeck. I was so impressed, I had to have it again. However, I don't think I got exactly what I had had before but the dinner was absolutely fabulous. We basically had a Bavarian family feast and it was just wonderful. The bier was really great too as although it was Oktoberfestbier, it tasted as though it was fresh from the cask.

As we left Wirthaus it quickly dawned on me by the smell that we were very, very hear to the Paulaner Brewery. We could smell the incredible aroma of sweet malt and I have never smelled it so strongly near a brewery as it was that night. What a wonderful science is brewing!

After a fairly early night having had so little sleep the night before we soon retired for the evening ready to head back to London the next morning.

Yours Aye!
Neil

Day 4 - Munich for Oktoberfest

2009-10-15T20:24:00.006-05:00

Yes, it is finally here. The day we head off to fulfill one of the items on my "Life List" (e.g. things I want to do before I die) - visit the real Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany. We were up early, took our very brief walk in the brilliant morning sunshine and air to Paddington Train Station and on to the Heathrow Express. Checked in for our Lufthansa flight to Munich and soon we were off.

Landed in Munich on another great sunny day, caught the U-Bahn to Ostbahnhof and meandered our way through the streets to our friends', Brian and Bridget, flat. Having guests of their own already (Brian's brother and entourage), they were all headed for Oktoberfest so we let ourselves in. What a fantastic flat! In a building dating from the 1800s that was recently gutted and fully renovated into flats, Brian and Bridget did it right. They got in early and got a sweet ground floor spot with a porch and a basement, of all things. Even cooler, it essentially has a its own small apartment in it that they rent out when they want and, thankfully for us, use for guests of their own. I can't say enough about their place. Really awesome!

After a quick drop off of the bags, Chad rang old friend and colleague of ours, Peter Broderick, an Englishman that has lived in Munich for a long time. We met up with Peter and headed to Oktoberfest. The weather was so nice we met at Marienplatz and just walked to Theresienwiese (Therese's Meadow), the location of Oktoberfest. Started outside at the Augustiner "tent" since Augustiner is Chad and I's favorite Bavarian brewery. Had some food and, of course, some bier. I say "tent" because if you've never actually been to the Oktoberfest, these so-called tents are a whole lot more like aircraft hangers and despite being put up and taken down each year look like permanent structures.

We visited a number of "tents" from different breweries. In one, we met an absolutely lovely young German couple who spoke great English and were, in fact, moving to Washington, D.C. soon. We all quickly became friends and we all stayed together the rest of the evening. Now, I could on and on about the bier but what surprised Anthony and I the most (Chad has been here before having lived and worked in Munich for some eighteen odd months) was the music. No sir, little to no Oompah to be had here! The most popular songs repeated by band after band were, shall I say, "interesting", to say the least. Peter told us that these bands - all very, very good - come from small towns all over Germany. Really cool! Obviously, most of the crowd thought so as well as in tent after tent folks were dancing on the tables and singing to their favorite tunes.

After closing down the Hippodrome, we headed back to the flat. However, our much younger temporary flat mates soon informed us they were heading out to a club. Little can be said from my personal perspective about the club. The bier was terrible, the music loud and thumping (and not in a good way) and, having not mentioned it before and worst of all, the smoke. Living in Austin which is pretty much a restaurant and bar smoke-free city, it was tough to be in so much smoke for so long, including the time at Oktoberfest. Someone really needs to apply their smarts and come up with a better system for ventilating indoor spaces where people smoke. Honestly, it never used to bother me and I've had friends that smoke nearly all my life but I can't really take it anymore.

In a haze (literally), we made it back to the flat and somehow into bed (except for poor Chad sleeping on the air mattress on the floor). And that was the close of a truly "Life List" day, indeed!

Yours Aye!
Neil

Day 3 - London: GAME DAY!

2009-10-05T21:27:00.009-05:00

Well, it is finally here, Tottenham Hotspur v. Burnley. The real reason for the trip and we're all pretty pumped up. After a bit of a lie in it being Saturday morning and all, we eventually got our act together and left the hotel about noon and headed for Paddington Station Underground stop. We decided the best course of action was to take the Hammersmith and City line (City direction) from Paddington to Liverpool Street to catch the train to White Hart Lane. We boarded the train but were quickly told there were problems with the line and it would stop at the next stop, Edgeware Road and go no further. I'm having difficultly remembering what happened next but eventually we gave up on the Underground and grabbed a taxi to Liverpool Street. We then quickly got the train to White Hart Lane and were there in plenty of time for the match. Once we arrived we just followed the crowd to the stadium.

If you would have told me we would witness such a great match in such an incredible atmosphere on such a brilliant sunshiny day - in London of all places, I would never have believed it. Don't get me wrong, I had high expectations for the match but little would I have guessed that it would have been quite so great. Non-stop singing and chanting and general good-natured badgering from the home fans along with an amazing 5-nil victory with a hat trick from Robbie Keane just topped this amazing experience. One I will not soon forget. (Sorry, Celtic, you're still my team, but this was really cool).

After Anthony and Chad hit the Spurs shop we headed back to central London. After a brief stop at the hotel to drop some things off we headed back out on another great pub quest. Our initial plan was to try and get to Meantime Brewing's only pub, the Greenwich Union in Greenwich. However, the hour was getting a bit late and with the earlier troubles with the Tube we opted to put this off until Tuesday evening and instead headed for a couple of pubs on my list near Notting Hill Gate.

We called in at the Cock & Bottle and sampled Hogs Back T.E.A. (Traditional English Ale). Unfortunately, for whatever reason, I can't recall what else we sampled here. On the way to our next destination, we stumbled across the Duke of Wellington on Portobello Road, a Youngs (now Wells and Youngs) owned pub. I have always been a big fan of Youngs beers and we used to get a really good selection in Austin. Sadly, since the merger, we no longer get any Youngs beers. So, it was my good fortune to run across this pub and actually get a cask Youngs Bitter. Anthony tried the excellent Wells Bombardier. This was a great pub full of lively, young and attractive people on a fabulous evening in Notting Hill.

We then moved on to the Uxbridge Arms, another fine pub where we tried the outstanding Cornish ale, Tribute, from St Austell Brewery. I have to say though, I nearly lost my pint due to laughter when Anthony was approached by a lad in a suit that reminded me - highly coincidentally - of the Welsh roommate in the movie "Notting Hill". He was pushing some cult philosophy (sorry, can't remember the name of the movement and it is hardly worth the mention as I would never promote it) but Anthony quickly headed him off by proclaiming that his implications would offend him as he was Buddhist (which he unabashedly is not). The poor fool was absolutely speechless after this and promptly left us alone. Thankfully, I was able to finish my glorious pint of Tribute in peace.

We then headed to what would be our last pub of the evening, the classic and historic Fullers owned Victoria, very near our hotel. On such a beautiful evening we sat outside and I enjoyed another couple of pints of Chiswick Bitter. Not surprisingly, hunger set in once again. On our way to the Victoria, we passed an Indian restaurant right across the road that smelled fabulous. Needless to say, the urge was overwhelming and we enjoyed an amazing Indian meal before we retired for the evening. An absolutely fabulous day indeed!

Tomorrow, up early, back on the Heathrow Express and off to Munich, Germany for Oktoberfest.

Yours Aye!
Neil

Day 2 - London

2009-10-04T15:51:00.019-05:00

Today, Friday, the original plan was for myself, Chad and Anthony to all head to the Fuller's Brewery in Chiswick. However, having discussed it further, this being Anthony's first time to London, he and Chad opted for the better option for themselves to go sight seeing and I went on to the brewery on my own. Did I mention the weather was absolutely incredible! Not a cloud in the sky, almost unheard of in London. Anyway, Chad and Anthony headed down to Westminster Abbey and that general area and took in a great many of London's sites.

I took the Underground out to Chiswick, a lovely neighbourhood, and walked the short walk down Chiswick High Street, down Chiswick Lane, and on to the Fuller's Brewery. I had an 11AM appointment with Head Brewer, John Keeling, primarily to interview him for the Brewing Network's "Can You Brew It" (hosted by Jamil Zainasheff) internet radio show, but also for a personal discussion on Fuller's Parti-Gyle brewing process. My interest in this is due to the fact that nearly all UK brewers used this process in the early 1800s and I have acquired a great many Scottish brewing records that employed it. To my knowledge, Fuller's is the only brewery in the UK still using this process.

The interview went great and John was a very accommodating interviewee. I extend my eternal gratitude to him for an amazingly fascinating hour and forty-five minutes. Did I mention, I believe it was John's day off too so I am additionally grateful that he was willing to come in just to speak with me. This was an experience I will never forget, for sure. I was then scheduled for the official tour of the brewery at 1PM. Though the brewery has been modernized to a great deal, they have left some of the original equipment in place so that one can get a real feel for what a classic Victorian era brewery might have been like. Great tour and then down to the tap room for tasting. I tried all of the Fuller's range as well as Gales HSB (Horndean Special Bitter) that Fuller's now brews having acquired Gales in December, 2005. This was also an amazing ale! Yet another new favorite of mine.

When I was sure this trip was going to happen, one of the first and highest priority things on my personal list was to stop by the late, great Beer Hunter, Michael Jackson's, local pub, The Andover Arms in Hammersmith. As luck would have it, the Hammersmith Underground stop was a short distance from Chiswick and the pub itself a short walk from the stop. So I made my way in the brilliant sunshine to the pub thinking along the way of how often Michael might have made this very walk. Being the middle of the afternoon, the pub itself was empty with the exception of a couple of locals. I ordered a pint of Michael's favorite tipple, Fullers Chiswick Bitter but unfortunately it was off. So instead I had a pint of Gales HSB, again, now brewed by Fullers, in his honor and sat quietly in the pub contemplating what an incredible writer and fascinating speaker he was. Truly one of the greatest losses the beer world has ever suffered.

I made my way back to the hotel to drop off my recording equipment and arranged to meet up with Chad and Anthony at Blackfriars pub near the Blackfriars Underground stop. After considerable delay due to it being Friday afternoon and the actual Blackfriars stop being closed, I eventually made it to the pub where the lads were fortunate enough to beat the crowds and get a table right out front near the street on such an incredible day. Anthony, in particular, really enjoyed the sunshine and people watching. We had arranged to meet up with a former colleague and friend of Chad and I's, Jim Walsh later that evening so we headed in the direction of our rendezvous point.

Having some time prior to the arranged meeting time, we headed to the historic Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese pub. We had some great steak pies but were all quite disappointed with the beer selection, the only cask beer on offer being Samuel Smith Bitter. None of us were very thrilled with this beer; nothing really wrong with it, just very little character. However, the pub itself was a great experience and the food was just what the doctor ordered. We headed on to our meeting point for the evening, The Cittie Of Yorke pub - unfortunately for us another Samuel Smith's owned pub. However, this did not diminish the grandeur and history of this amazing pub. Again, only Sam Smith's on offer but the atmosphere and architecture of the interior made it well worth the trip and a must visit for any fan of historical pubs.

Jim and his lovely wife, Jenn, showed up and the conversation, as is always expected with Jim, became very lively and entertaining. Chad had met Jenn before but neither Anthony nor I had. It was truly a pleasure to meet her and to be in the company of such a fun-loving couple. We had a couple of rounds and then headed out as Jim and Jenn had to catch a train back to Cambridge. As we walked toward the general direction I spied a Weatherspoon pub and they agreed they had time for a bit of a further nightcap. Wonderfully for me - and Anthony, as it turns out - they had Caledonian 80/-, always a great pint, one of my favorite beers in the world, and one of the only contemporary examples of the style still brewed in Scotland. I won't mention the whisky that Jenn insisted on Anthony having and I'll leave it at that. Jim and Jenn headed off and we were soon to follow heading back to the hotel. This brought our first opportunity for what every tourist to London must experience - the taxi ride!

So, back to Paddington and once again, hunger set in. Thankfully for us, the Upper Crust was open late and their baguettes truly hit the spot! Highly recommended.

And, off to bed as tomorrow is GAME DAY!

Yours Aye!
Neil

Day 1 - London

2009-09-25T03:00:00.014-05:00

The next few blogs will briefly, and I mean briefly, comment on the happenings of my trip to London and Munich with my good friends Chad and his dad, Anthony. The impetus for this trip was to see Tottenham Hotspur v. Burnley as Anthony is a huge fan. Chad and I are really just along for the ride. Somewhere along the line a short jaunt to Munich to attend Oktoberfest managed its way into the itinerary, but more on this later. Keep in mind many portions of this blog were noted but not published so the publish day will rarely match the actual day of the events. Such is life in a techo world.

We arrived safe and sound early Thursday morning having had an uneventful flight (a welcome thing, indeed). After an incredibly long wait through customs we made our way to the Heathrow Express having purchased tickets in advance via the web and were in no time transported to Paddington Train Station in Central London. A short two block walk and we were at our hotel, the Falcon Hotel in Norfolk Square. The staff at the hotel was very welcoming and accommodating and I think we would all recommend this hotel for the budget minded traveler.

Spent the better part of the afternoon at the White Horse Inn in Parsons Green in the great company of James McCrorie, founder of the Craft Brewing Association in Britain as well as a highly recognized Scottish brewing history expert and homebrewer. Needless to say the conversation was entertaining and fascinating. The White Horse Inn is an amazing pub steeped in history and a long time devotee to real ale. It is famed the world over for its cellaring and perhaps the most recognized cellarman of contemporary history, Mark Dorber. Mark has moved on and now Dan Fox capably runs the pub carrying on the great cellaring traditions. Mark was kind enough to give a cellar tour while we were there. Very education and our thanks go out to him and James for an incredible afternoon. Among the beers we tried were Harveys Sussex Best Bitter and Hook Norton's Old Hooky.

A bit of tourist stuff after the White Horse. Stopped in at the Red Lion near Piccadilly Circus for another fix of great real ale and to soak in some more classic pub atmosphere. The Fullers owned Red Lion is a wonderful historic pub with great interior architectural detail, one of the finest in London. This is indeed a well run pub. Chad's pint of Fullers London Pride was a bit cloudy and a staff member took it straight out of his hand and got him another without him saying a word. My kind of pub. All the ales here were perfectly kept. Among the other ales we tried were Fullers Chiswick Bitter - my new favorite ale on the planet!, Fullers Honey Dew, and Fullers Discovery the latter of which Anthony loved.

We moved on to try to stop in at the Dog & Duck as we have a beloved pub of the same name in Austin. The pub was absolutely heaving outdoors and in so we gave up and went for a small Indian meal and then headed back to the hotel.

Tomorrow, off to the Fuller's Brewery for a tour and an interview with Head Brewer, John Keeling.

Yours Aye!
Neil

Oktoberfest 2009 Brews, well, hopefully

2009-08-09T18:32:00.005-05:00

Yep, it's that time again. About the only time of the year that I fiddle with German style biers. And, as usual, I'm reminded why. For this year's Oktoberfest - the 2nd Annual - I brewed up a German Pilsener and, like last year an Marzen/Oktoberfest. The Pils went well, very well actually, considering I did Noonan's Triple Decoction mash schedule for the first time ever. Not perfect but not a disaster - the Pils, that is! I've done decoction before and find it worth doing as I'm a purist. This schedule was just a bit different than what I've done previously.

The Marzen/Oktoberfest, however, is a complete unknown. So many things went wrong with this brew it will be a wonder if it turns out at all. Basically, it was SO popular last year that the 5 gallon keg was gone in no time. So, this year I decided, well, I'll use the same recipe but just brew 10 gallons. I've never done more than a 5 gallon batch and I truly exceeded the capacity of my equipment and it may have cost me the entire brew. We'll see in a number of weeks.

Well, I finished the batch, tasted the gravity sample and I think we're OK. Again, we'll see. One thing though - both of these came out over gravity so they are a bit potent!

Yours Aye!
Neil

REAL Sadness - In Memoriam.

2009-07-16T00:00:00.004-05:00

I read with great sadness today of the death of co-founder/co-owner of Fyne Ales, Jonny Delap. Apparently, Jonny had been in poor health in recent years but his death still came as a shock to those in the Scottish brewing industry as well as myself. I only just recently corresponded with Jonny via email. I deeply regret that I was not able to make it to the brewery in person before Jonny's passing. I would have loved to have met this great man.

My thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, Tuggy, the other co-founder/co-owner of Fyne, his surviving family and to his work colleagues and friends. He will surely be missed. Let us all lift a pint to his memory, a Fyne Ale pint if you are fortunate enough to be able to get one.

Yours Aye!
Neil

Stout, sadness, and utter panic

2009-06-30T23:16:00.007-05:00

STOUT:
I recently had what I consider to be, perhaps, the best Stout I have ever tasted and it came from an unexpected source. Having written an article on the history of Scotland's Belhaven Brewery for Zymurgy magazine some years ago, obviously I have a personal attachment to this brewery and to its head brewer, George Howell. Having visited what is perhaps Scotland's most historic brewery and having been given a lengthy, personal tour by none other than George himself, I hold this brewery quite dear in my beer allegiances. Here in Austin, Texas, Belhaven beers are the only stable Scottish beers on offer and while I enjoy them immensely, I have to say that I was totally blown away by Belhaven Scottish Stout, which just became available here. This is an absolutely wonderful creation based on a very old Scottish recipe overseen by George himself.

I contacted George via email to give my personal accolades and thanks to him for such a great beer and through this correspondence I found out how fortunate we are, for the time being, here in America (for a change!) as this beer is currently not available in the U.K. George assured me it soon will be but what a boon for the U.S.! This stout has an incredibly smooth, creamy finish with a wonderful balance of the flavors of chocolate and roasted barley but not as dry as an Irish stout. What surprised me most knowing George as I do is the alcohol content. George told me during my tour and my subsequent interview with him that he actually prefers a 3%-ish ale to higher alcohol beers. This might explain why Belhaven 60/-, that I waxed so lyrically about in my article, has so much character. This baby, however, clocks in at around 7% but trust me, you'd never know it. There's little hint of this alcohol content in the flavor. A truly great Stout experience and I encourage everyone to get ahold of a bottle or two right away.

SADNESS:
A week ago Friday, what I consider to be THE best sports network on the planet went bankrupt. Setanta Sports got into serious financial difficulty and couldn't make its payments to the Scottish Premier League or, far worse for them, the English Premier League, and subsequently not only folded in Britain with the loss of some 200 jobs but lost their rights to the games from both leagues. Apparently, none other than the U.S.'s ESPN bought Setanta's rights for some 46 or so English Premier League games. Very depressing news for all sports fans in the U.K.

UTTER PANIC:
While the loss of Setanta in the U.K. is horrible, I went into utter panic when I heard the news. Personally, I could care less about the English Premier League games and rights as I see it squeezing out more important coverage such as Magner's League Rugby, Guinness Premiership Rugby and all the U.K. and European rugby matches as well as my beloved Glasgow Celtic and all the other Scottish Premier League clubs' coverage on Setanta here in the U.S. My first thought was, "I might as well drop DirecTV and sell all my DLP and LCD TVs without Setanta". Thankfully, at least according to Setanta's U.S. website, the Irish and "International" businesses are still profitable and Setanta's coverage will continue in the U.S. including EPL coverage. I cannot say how relieved I am, for now. I only hope Setanta finds a solid financial foundation to keep the U.S. broadcasts well and truly intact.

Yours Aye!
Neil

Madness, The 'Duke, beer, the hoose, and the disturbing...

2009-06-15T22:32:00.010-05:00

Has it really been since mid-April that I've posted anything? Now that I think about it, it comes as little surprise. This seemingly never ending saga with the hoose has nearly done me in. Fear not, my son, all will be well soon (or so I'm told).

For early summer I have a short musical commentary as well as - you guessed it - a wee beer note. First, I have to say that once again thanks to both Tom Morton and Vic Galloway, those two highly underrated, world renowned, first class broadcasters for BBC Radio Scotland (among their many other talents), I've picked up some quite enjoyable new music. I've always been a fan of Madness but I have to say their newest is perhaps their best. What a great work. Being a huge Biffy Clyro fan, naturally I was very intrigued having heard Vic play a tune from Biffy side project Marmaduke Duke a few weeks ago. I picked up The 'Duke's newest and to little surprise like it immensely. Also, not related to either of their shows, out of curiosity I picked up Steve Earle's newest "Townes", a tribute to local Central Texas music legend Townes Van Zandt who is sadly no longer with us. This is a great piece of Central Texas Americana, for certain. Well worth checking out.

On the beer front. It seems that nearly every summer I wind up with some major home DIY project and usually find a "beer that built..." for each project. Saint Arnold's "Lawnmower" built my deck a couple of year ago and this year, for all the recent hoose renovation, the "beer that built..." is none other than Oskar Blues' "Mamma's Little Yella Pils". I think I've already extolled the name of the tiny Colorado brewery who makes perhaps the best beer ever produced in a can - "Dale's Pale Ale". "Mamma's" is also canned - perfect for summer, especially in the Texas heat which is pushing 100F every day already, mind you. I wouldn't personally classify it as a Pilsener beer in the truest sense as it is a bit sweet, not overly hoppy (which is a big surprise considering "Dale's") and bears little resemblance to anything from Pilzen. Nonetheless, it is a great tasting, very drinkable golden beer. Highly recommended.

On the hoose front, uh, no further comment at this time.

Now for the truly disturbing. Check out Vic Galloway and Jim Gellatly's "wedding" at the Rockness music festival near Inverness last weekend. Vic, Jim, I still love you...

Yours Aye!
Neil

Julie Fowlis AND Jenna Reid, I've died and gone to heaven!

2009-04-17T23:41:00.005-05:00

After what has shaped up to be one of the worst weeks of my entire 40+ years on this planet, a wee gig at the tiny Cactus Cafe in Austin, Texas - via South Uist and Shetland - made it all go away in less than a second.

Yes, mere moments into the first tune I was nearly in tears - quite literally. I never dreamed I'd get to see Julie Fowlis on these shores let alone in my own city and in such a perfect venue. I have been a huge fan of Julie since hearing her on Archie Fisher's BBC Radio Scotland Show "Travelling Folk" prior to the release of her first CD. What an amazing voice and musical talent! And then, to top it all off, there's Jenna Reid, Shetland fiddler extraordinaire, in the band. I really thought I was in heaven. The band played a fantastic two sets culminating in an encore with Julie playing the Pipes, much to the annoyance of the Dublin-based bouzouki player, who is world-class, I might add. And what a beautiful sound from such a wee lass playing the scurl!

Even though all the songs were in Scottish Gaelic it did not matter. What a beautiful language for music. The band's version of the Beatles "Blackbird" in Gaelic was absolutely amazing but far from the highlight of the evening. In fact, I can't pick a highlight. It was just a fantastic show from an incredibly talented band of musicians and I am completely honored that I could attend such a performance.

All is right with the world again so thanks Julie, Jenna... You're wonderful!

Yours Aye!
Neil

The Hoose Is Flooded!

2009-04-15T23:50:00.005-05:00

Hello from the La Quinta Hotel in South Austin, Texas! And, be forewarned, this has nothing, well, next to nothing to do with beer.

Yes, it is quite sad, but true, yesterday the entire lower floor of my hoose (Scots for "house") was flooded by a burst braided hose attached to the sink in the half bath. The only recently installed (2-3 years ago, I can't remember exactly) bamboo hardwood floors are destroyed as well as untold other things residing on this floor. (BTW, Tony, your favorite sofa - and mine - seems to have survived, thankfully). The recovery people pumped over 100 U.S. gallons of water out the house and that doesn't include the amount of water that flowed out of the hoose and down the street.

However, despite this hick-up and the fact that I am more stressed-out about my day-job than at any time in the nearly twenty years that I have worked in said occupation for said firm, a couple of much more significant things occupy my mind at present.

One, a man at my said firm died unexpectedly of a heart attack on Friday last, only soon to turn 49 years of age. He had four children and although I didn't know him personally and can't quite place him, he worked in the same building and floor as myself and also attended the church that I presently attend. The church had a Memorial service for him today, his name was Mr. Ron Spence. What I can't come to grips with is the anguish his wife and children must be going through right now and for far longer than they care to think about to come.

Additionally, I sent an email to Tom Morton this morning describing my water plight in a combined informational/sympathy-seeking mentality. So, as usual I tuned in the to show via the internet at 8AM my time to either hear mention of the email or just listen to the show to ease thinking about the mess. However, Tom wasn't on at that hour and instead BBC Radio Scotland was broadcasting live from Aberdeen at a Memorial service for the, in total, 17 men killed as a result of a helicopter accident related to the off-shore oil industry. What struck me most was that here was I, waiting for my normal Tom Morton show only to be pre-empted by a service consisting of a number of all too familiar hymns and scripture readings from both Protestant and Catholic faiths. Why would this strike me strange, you might ask? Well, in today's America, this would never, ever happen, in my opinion. I won't say any more but I sincerely applaud the BBC for halting their normal broadcasting - even if it is my beloved Tom Morton Show - to remind everyone that everyday people matter and that these types of tragedies are important to be not only aware of but empathetic too. We're all people and sorrows like this affect us all in one way or another; directly or in familiarity.

My heart, thoughts and prayers go out to all the families involved in both of these tragic events.

So, no, I haven't got around to any more to do with SXSW primarily due to my aforementioned stress with the job. Tape-out is approaching so hopefully things will improve come end of May!

Until the next time, All The Best!

Yours Aye!
Neil

SXSW 2009 Part 1

2009-03-23T21:58:00.005-05:00

Well, another South-By-Southwest Music Festival has come and gone in Austin, Texas. For the fourth year in a row I managed to make it to the Showcasing Scotland show hosted by the one and only Vic Galloway from BBC Radio Scotland. Vic was a busy man as always at this, his seventh consecutive SXSW! He also hosted a sold out show Friday evening at La Zona Rosa that I managed to somehow get into without a wrist band (and graciously, Vic had me covered by putting me on the guest list, just in case). I managed to grab Vic between sets for this quick photo. As always, he did an outstanding job as Emcee.

Unfortunately, I haven't had the time to process the band pictures but I'll be following up with a quick summary of the Showcasing Scotland gig with pictures of the performing bands. I'll have a wee note or two on the La Zona Rosa show as well.

Yours Aye!
Neil

Been Awhile, I Know.

2009-03-18T00:16:00.005-05:00

Yes, I'm painfully aware that it has, indeed, been awhile since I've posted anything. Brewed anything too, for that matter. The reason for the latter is twofold. One, I simply have not had the time. My "day job" has become quite hectic and important as of late. For the first time in many years, I'm working on a product that truly changes lives, and it is exciting but incredibly challenging. Hence, I've had to devote quite a number of weekends to it and will continue to do so for the next couple of months. I must add that this extra time is obviously (or not so obviously) not paid, as I'm on salary, but I really, really believe in this product and in my twenty years in the high-tech semiconductor industry, never have I wanted a product to be more perfect, on time, or successful as this one. Second, it has been incredibly pleasant, weather wise, here in Austin since the turn of the year; meaning, I'm set up for it to be HOT! and it hasn't been. Therefore, I can cool things for fermentation quite easily, keeping the ferment warm enough is not something I've done very successfully over the years (mostly because I rarely have to).

But, on the beer subject, I must enter this. I've just had the pleasure of trying two products from the London brewery, "Meantime", and I am somewhat in awe. Here in Austin, Texas, I can only get their "London Porter" and "India Pale Ale". I've tried both in the last week and I am, quite frankly, flabbergasted! The London Porter is dead-on for what I would expect if I had a time machine and could travel to Victorian era London. The IPA was an even bigger surprise. What an EXQUISITE beer! If this is really what IPA tasted like in the day, no wonder it was SO popular! The brewer, Alastair Hook, has really outdone himself here. What an incredible balance of malty sweetness and hop profile. Traditional British just oozes from this beer! If you can find it, try it. If you don't like it, you obviously don't know what a traditional IPA should taste like. Need I remind everyone, IPA is a British style, not American, despite recent history leading one to believe otherwise.

Case in point of the above. I love Widmer Brothers Brewery in the US Northwest. Their Wheat bier is absolutely my favorite outside of Germany and many of their others are very good. However, and I'll be honest, despite my being a bit of a hop-head, this is totally down to preference, but I recently purchased their "Original Drifter Pale Ale" and, if I'm right, the Amarillo hops are just overwhelming! This is so indicative of American brewers - and drinkers - right now. For me, it is just too over-the-top and lacking balance. I love hops, although I admit an aversion to Cascade and Amarillo, but this one is nothing but grapefruit to my taste buds.

OK, it is Spring Break week here in Texas, and also the obligatory South-By-Southwest Music Festival. So, on Friday, I'm off to it to try and run into my old "pal" Vic Galloway of BBC Radio Scotland. So, the next posting will hopefully be after a great day/night of Scottish music!

Until then, Yours Aye!

Cheers!
Neil

The Lengths We'll Go To For Real Ale!

2009-01-09T21:04:00.007-06:00

A Very Happy New Year to everyone! Yes, I know it's well after Jan. 1st but better late than never.

I received an email last week through the website from a CAMRA man in, I believe, Lancashire, England, about getting in touch with one David Orr of the An Teallach brewery way up in the Highlands of Scotland. He had tried without luck to get in touch with the brewery in order to line up a cask or two of their ale for a trip he and his CAMRA mates were taking north of the border for a hill walking excursion just north and west of Inverness. They had had An Teallach ale (as have I at my beloved Three Judges in Glasgow) on an earlier occasion and were very eager to procure some for their visit. Anyway, the Scottish real ale brewing industry being what it is, I got in touch with my most helpful contacts and, sure enough, I managed to get a mobile number for one Davey and pass it on to the CAMRA crew. I hope it all works out for them.

My many, many thanks first to Angus MacRuary, founder/owner of the Isle of Skye Brewery for getting me the phone number. But I would also be remiss not to mention the very kind help of my old friend Douglas Ross of Traditional Scottish Ales (founder of Bridge of Allan Brewery and impetus behind the Scotland's Real Ale Trail), Tuggy Delap of Fyne Ales, and my great friends John McGarva and John Muir of Tryst Brewery for passing on information as well. Cheers all and I wish you all the best for 2009!

It really is a small world. Proof that we real ale enthusiasts can stick together and help one another regardless of proximity!

Oh, and just a wee mention for my other friends across the water. My sincere condolences go out to my friend Ali Wilson, infamous semi-professional drummer and frequent Tom Morton Show commenter, who lost a good deal of equipment in a fire in Edinburgh. And, it must be said, sympathies for the sad end (temporarily, perhaps?) of Tom Morton's Radiocroft on Shetland, let down but the failures of technology. All we listeners bid a hopefully temporary farewell to the beloved croft but are all eternally grateful that you and the show go on, Tom, despite your traveling inconvenience once again. All the best for 2009 to you both and your families!

(Did I mention how good the Old Speckled Hen is tasting tonight?). :)

Yours Aye!
Neil

Mystery Beer Revealed

2008-11-08T09:06:00.010-06:00

After these many weeks, the Mystery Beer can now finally be revealed - A.J.'s Pale Rye Ale. This beer was brewed specially for my good friend, Tony (A.J.) Lerma, who lives in Detroit and visits us here in Austin just a few times a year. I met Tony years ago as he is the father of my close friend and colleague, Chad Lerma (now of Oktoberfest2008 fame). We all share a passion for beer and get together to imbibe each time he visits. Thankfully, he has been a big fan of my homebrews as well.

On his last visit, he happened to mention that he was currently really into Rye ales and asked if I had ever brewed one. I am also a fan of Rye and no, I had never brewed a Rye beer before. So, I set out to ensure that on this next visit Tony would indeed have a Rye beer worthy of a man of his stature. I referenced what little information there is available on Rye beers but in the end went with a recipe all my own. The result, I think, was well worth the effort. Not for the faint of heart, this beer is big and bold but yet still smooth enough to be consumed as a session ale. Even I was surprised by how well it turned out.

It was brewed with Maris Otter Pale Ale, Rye Malt, Crystal Malt, Crystal Rye Malt (good luck finding this one, if you need a source, drop me a message), Amber Malt, Torrified Wheat and a touch of Acidulated Malt to adjust the mash pH. I used U.S. Challenger hops for bittering and Belgian Organic Admiral whole hops for flavor and aroma. The aroma of the Rye in this beer screams of its spicy, bold flavor. The label emblazons Rubens' famous painting of the Duke of Lerma along with the Lerma family crest.

Tony, Chad and I got together this week and tried it out. This beer is not for everyone but we sure enjoyed it. It seemed to sit well with our usual stimulating conversation, the obligatory Tom Morton references and a bit of Elbow and Seasick Steve to close out the night. A great time, as always.

Again, here's to you, Tony! Thanks for all the great times and all the ones to come!

Cheers!
Neil

Brewing Day - Again.

2008-10-31T13:22:00.005-05:00

Basically, I'm using up my holiday time prior to the end of the year so that I don't lose it. So, I'll likely not be working any more Fridays for the remainder of the year, and yes, that usually means brewing.

Today is one of those days. Brewing up one I've done over the past three or four years, slightly tweaking it each time. However, I think this one is the final tweak. It's called "Lord of the Isles" and is loosely influenced by a couple of different Scottish cask ales brewed in the west coast of Scotland. It uses a pretty unique grain from Simpson's Maltings in the U.K. called Golden Naked Oats. They give the beer a beautiful golden, orangy color and semi-sweet berry-like flavor. This time around I'm using Glacier hops for bittering and New Zealand organic Pacific Gem for flavor/aroma. I've come to love the hops from New Zealand. They are all great to work with. Glacier I've never used before but it smelled brilliant.

Listening to the new Oasis. Whether you like them and or not, you have to admit they are masters of hook-laden pop/rock song writing. And I'm a sucker for it. This new one is outstanding! Really like the new Kaiser Chiefs too. Have stayed away from the new Snow Patrol so far although I like the single. The last one just didn't resonate that much with me. Unfortunately, as much as I love Travis, I'm not too keen on their new one. Not exactly sure why at this point but I'll keep giving it a go.

Out... for now.

Cheers!
Neil

The Work's Laptop's Gone Dead - Crisis: No Tom Morton Show!

2008-10-22T21:23:00.005-05:00

Yes indeed, yet again (this is the fourth time in as many years and over three laptops?) the hard drive on my laptop at the work is dead. What does this mean? CRISIS: no Tom Morton Show! Have missed the show all week but trying to catch up after hours using the fabulous Listen Again feature on BBC Radio Scotland. Listening to today's show just now.

An absolutely dire, dire situation!

Hopefully day off on Friday for, you guessed it, more brewing. Hope to do an 80/- and another unique golden ale with oats. The Maclay's Oat Malt stout, Boadicea and the still concealed identity mystery beer should be ready to be on tap in a week or so.

This worldwide hop shortage is still getting my goat. Some varieties are starting to be available but the prices are simply unbelievable. The lengths (and expense) I'll go to for good ale! Had an email exchange with John Peed up in Tennessee about reduction boiling for Scottish beers - he is quickly becoming the expert on this technique, I'm still not sold. He also asked again about my opinion of smoky character in Scottish beers. I had to yet again emphatically state: NO SMOKED MALT OF ANY KIND SHOULD BE USED IN AN AUTHENTIC SCOTTISH ALE!! I'll leave it at that.

Cheers!
Neil

Brewing Day!

2008-10-11T10:33:00.007-05:00

I'm excited. It's brewing day again. I'm actually doing a marathon today. Two full brews in order to rebuild the stock after Oktoberfest drained me. Trouble is, the first beer I simply cannot reveal any details about. I'd love to comment, but at the present time, I can't. Let's leave it at its something I've never done before and should be very interesting indeed. I'll comment on it later.

So, I've got the Seasick Steve fired up on the iPod (thanks, Tom for introducing me to someone I probably should have known about already. I just picked up Steve's newest after hearing him for the first time last week (was it?) on Tom's show) and the first brew is going.

The second beer is a bit interesting as well. Pretty much a straight ahead Strong Bitter but two small twists: I'm trying a new UK hop called "Boadicea" (and yes it reminds of the famous Queen of the Britains) and, with my loving oats so much, I'm adding some Scottish Pinhead Oats made by Hamlyn's, said to be made in the Highlands (HQ in Banff). I've used them before but with a darker beer. This should be cool.

Back to the brewing before I mess something up.

Oh, yeah. Happy Birthday! to the love of my life, my wife Valarie. Her birthday is tomorrow.

Cheers!
Neil

Oktoberfest, exciting week on the radio, Facebook and now the Sunday Herald

2008-10-05T09:41:00.005-05:00

Yes, been awhile since I've blogged. Busy, busy... The First Annual Oktoberfest party went brilliantly! Great food and, important for me, great bier. The Oktoberfestbier2008 was obviously the winner as the 5 gals. went in just a few hours. Dusseldorfer Altbier and the Hefe' were nearly drained as well. The root beer went down a storm with the young and the young at heart. Next year, I'll need more of everything. Not bad for 50 or so people.

Amazing series of events this week. It all started with a casual reply to one of Tom Morton's Twitters on his Facebook account by one Ali Wilson, regular Tom Morton Show listener and drummer from Peebles. Tom had, quite literally, briefly mentioned Deuchar's IPA, one of my top five beers the world over, in a Twitter update and Ali lashed out with an unbridled bashing of the IPA style (drummers, eh?). So, of course, I couldn't sit idly by while one of my favorite beers and styles (when done appropriately) were assaulted. I chimed in on Tom's Facebook in response to Ali. I missed Tom's show on Thursday due to too many meetings at work and found out on Friday that the whole exchange had been mentioned on the show and further comment ensued. Then, this morning to my shock, I noticed a comment from Ali about Tom's Diary in the Sunday Herald so I took a look (somehow I always forget Tom does this diary). And there, the exchange was mentioned yet again. And Tom had some really kinds words regarding my Scottish beer knowledge. Lot of mileage out of a completely off-handed Twitter topic.

One thing though. For some reason, Tom always has to mention that I'm American, why is that? Does it contribute to or detract from my credibility on the subject, or, perhaps, has nothing to do with it at all?

What on earth will next week bring?

Cheers!
Neil

Oktoberfest 2008

2008-08-21T11:09:00.002-05:00

No, not that Oktoberfest. Two friends of mine and I have decided to hold our first annual Oktoberfest here in Austin, TX. Being the homebrewer of the bunch, I'm on for brewing the bier for the occasion. Myself and the rest along with applicable wives will be cooking German food and we're hoping for a great time.

This year's biers are "Oktoberfestbier 2008", "Dusseldorfer Altbier" and "Isar Hefewiesse". In my process, all three biers undergo a single decoction mash schedule that is very time, labor and resource intensive. I hope it is all worth it. "Oktoberfest" is two days into fermentation and I am in the middle of mashing the Alt. The Hefe will be probably next weekend.

Here's hoping for some great bier!

Cheers!
Neil

Maybe I Was Right About Elbow Afterall - and, Great Beer Coming?

2008-07-03T00:18:00.002-05:00

Anyone who listens to the Tom Morton Show on BBC Radio Scotland knows that I am a regular correspondent and, I would like think, long distance friend of Tom's, and Tom has generously promoted my website on many occasions. You will also be fully apprised of the on-going saga of my passion for the band, Elbow, and their newest CD that I put on par with Floyd's "Dark Side Of The Moon". Obviously, Tom thought I was nuts when I suggested this to him and he said as much on a recent show. Well, I haven't convinced him well enough for album of the week but I've converted my family and his to the Elbow cause and he has given them some rare and fine accolades. Personally, I think it is about time. Elbow has been doing great music for a long time. Certainly, however, this newest is the Holy Grail for them, so far. Anyway, if you're living in the dark and haven't checked out Elbow's "The Seldom Seen Kid" go out and get it... NOW! And, as I've warned everyone, KEEP listening to it. It is my opinion that the best albums are not the ones that grab you on the first play - those eventually get relegated to gathering dust on the rack. Instead, those that take a bit of time to get into stick with you for years to come. This new Elbow is no exception. Patience, Grasshopper... Check out their recent appearance at Glastonbury. My thanks to Cairan Norris for posting the video.

As of my last blog, the homebrew situation was dire. Well, a lot has gone on since. Nearly two weeks ago I brewed a hoppy British style ale using only organic New Zealand "Pacific Gem" hops. This is in an attempt to really taste the flavor and bittering qualities of this hop as it one of the few I can actually still get (at least in whole hop form). Did I mention that this worldwide hop shortage SUCKS? Anyway, at racking, the flavor and aroma was great so I have high hopes. For those lucky enough to have tried my "Welsh Dragon", "Pacific Gem" was one of three different hops used in that now infamous ale. So, this one could easily be another winner - let's hope. I'll tap the keg in about a week's time.

For all the Americans out there, Happy 4th of July!

Cheers!
Neil

Yes, You Can Brew Bad Beer With Great Pots!

2008-05-29T17:39:00.005-05:00

My last brewing session has turned out to be a disaster. Well, nearly, anyway. As anyone who knows my brewing knows, I usually stick to Scottish/English cask-conditioned style ales or German lagers and ales. I do do the occasional American influenced beer but never, under any circumstances, a Belgian influenced beer (try as I might, I just don't like them). Well, I recently did what I call a marathon brew day - two 5 U.S. gallon batches. This being all grain brewing, it literally takes all day and feels quite like a marathon (although, I can't say that from experience as I've never actually ran a marathon). And the styles? Well, both American influenced.

First, the disaster. I took my inspiration from a book I purchased recently, Jamil Zainasheff's Brewing Classic Styles. For those that don't know Jamil, he is perhaps the most award winning homebrewer in the U.S. Jamil also does an internet radio show that is really good (check out Jamil's Page on the The Brewing Network website). Now, I'm not knocking this book in any way - it is great and perfect for anyone wanting a basis for brewing a variety of styles. But, I did a take on what he calls a staple California/West Coast Red Ale. What I wound up with is undrinkable and perhaps the worst beer I have ever brewed. Two things definitely wrong. The biggest, the yeast - totally wrong for the style but I didn't know from the manufacturer's description. But please note, this was not a yeast mentioned by Jamil so no fault of his. The second is too much Pale Chocolate Malt making it too dark (I followed Jamil's recommendation but I think it is too much). If I didn't know better, I'd think the yeast I used was indeed a Belgian style ale yeast but it was never billed that way. Nonetheless, it was totally wrong for the grist and hop bill in this one. I'll say no more about this abomination.

Second, I looked at Jamil's American Amber Ale recipes and did a take on one that I saw but did change it quite a bit. I'm always on the lookout for a middle of the road type beer mainly for parties where we have not-so-beer-savvy guests and I think an amber usually fits that bill. This one I named "Auburn Amber" after the classic Auburn Automobile Company and put an Auburn Boattail Speedster image on the pump clip (label). I grew up near Auburn, Indiana where Auburns were made between the wars and my mother still lives there and is an avid volunteer at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum. Anyway, there's nothing really wrong with this beer, it just has no character - completely nondescript. Not really what I set out for and in this case, I'm not exactly sure why. I would have expected a bit more malt character but it is severely lacking and the hops lend no real flavor either.

So, what does this mean? Well, I need to redeem myself, and soon. So, back to what I know and love the most. Do I taste a hoppy, well balanced British Pale Ale/Bitter coming? You bet! Maybe I'll get another Welsh Dragon if I really get lucky.

Cheers!
Neil

Finally! The BoilerMaker Update.

2008-05-20T21:20:00.017-05:00

After endless harassment (OK, actually one casual comment) by my good friend, Tony Lerma, it's time to get the blog back to its main purpose - beer. Awhile back I complained about the wait for my new homebrew pots, Blichmann Engineering's BoilerMaker. I went on about how these should be the coolest brewpots on earth. Well, they arrived some time back now and I've had the opportunity to brew three batches of beer with them (15 U.S. gallons). Here is one of said pots in all it's glory.

As I mentioned in the previous blog, I purchased two 10 U.S. gallon versions of these marvels. They come standard in food grade stainless steel with a graduated high-temperature sight gauge to indicate the liquid level, the Blichmann stainless steel value assembly and the Blichmann adjustable face BrewMometer. Another feature is the beveled bottom with a lip to rest the optional false bottom on.

The first one serves as a mash tun with the uniquely designed false bottom. It is a combination of a manifold design and a "pizza pan". It is said to be optimal for mash efficiency. The jury is still out on this one for me due to other issues not associated with the pot.

The second pot serves as my new boil "copper" or kettle. It is seen here with the optional boil screen that is an improvement on the Bazooka screen, if you're familiar with them (I am, I've used two different ones in the past). It is indeed an improvement, in my opinion.

I am very pleased with the Boilermakers. As a brewing "copper", I could not be happier. The boil screen works great with little wort loss using my high-temperature pump. I use primarily whole hops and it does a fine job filtering them out. I haven't done a batch with a lot of pelletized hops so I cannot comment completely on how effective it is if one uses solely pellet hops.

As a mash tun, I'm pretty pleased. There is one fairly big annoyance, I have to admit. The probe for the BrewMometer (the finest brewing thermometer of its kind, I believe) is so high up on the pot that it renders the thermometer useless for an average 5 U.S. gallon batch of beer (assuming roughly 10-11 lbs. of grain in the grist). The probe sits too high to effectively measure the mash temperature. I emailed John Blichmann about this and his response was to increase the liquor-to-grist ratio (I have used 1.5 U.S. Quarts per Pound of grain almost exclusively). I tested this on two of the three batches I've done increasing the ratio to 1.75 Qts/Lb and it did improve it but it still doesn't put the probe in the middle of the mash where I think it should be. John said the design is as it is to avoid getting the BrewMometer too close to the heat source as to avoid exposure to excessive heat. That is fine for a boiling kettle, but, in my opinion, not necessarily so for the mash tun. The only situation a pure mash tun would be subjected to heat is for external heat applied during a step mash. In this case it is best to hit the mash tun with short blasts of heat, not prolonged heat so I would think the BrewMometer could hold up. Again, this is only my personal opinion and I'm not trying to deter anyone from buying one of these pots. I do understand that these are engineered for mass production and to be suitable for all uses but this, to me, seems an unfortunate consequence.

This fact, however, does not change my feeling about purchasing the BoilerMakers, I'm still very pleased and, despite their high price (at face value, anyway), I think for what one gets, the price is warranted. If unconvinced, price each of the Blichmann features such as the adjustable BrewMometer, the Blichmann stainless valves, the high temperature sight gauge and the food grade stainless pot itself and you should be convinced it is priced appropriately. In short, I am incredibly pleased with the BoilerMakers and don't regret purchasing them in any way. Finally, here is a photo of the Boilermakers in my now modified three tier brewery plant.

Cheers!
Neil

More Elbow and I Guess I've Always Been - British, Musically.

2008-05-09T23:03:00.007-05:00

OK, I've changed my opinion. "The Seldom Seen Kid" is THE best CD from Elbow, no question. I cannot stop listening to it. It is absolutely brilliant and one of those CDs that is great from start to finish. I've even inflicted my own ten year old son, Evan. He can't get "Grounds For Divorce" out of his head. Now, hey, wait a minute. I didn't pick which track he would latch on to - he did!

I just finished watching VH1's "Classic Albums" on Judas Priest's "British Steel" for the second time. I have to admit, I was an absolute Priest-head in my younger days. My cousin turned me on to "Unleashed In The East" and I subsequently went into all the back catalog of 'Priest and followed them until, I think, "Painkiller", at which time, I lost interest and/or they lost focus on what they were all about. Shortly after this Rob Halford left the band so I have my suspicions. Anyway, I'm glad he and the rest have mended the rifts and is back with the band. Frankly, they aren't the same without him and "Angel of Retribution" is certainly a return to real form.

Anyway, this got me to thinking. In my youth, I pretty much listened to Christian rock music from a very early age. Although this continued and does to this day (although I still only really listen to the stuff I grew up on as the new stuff just doesn't measure up), I have to say other than a short delusional period of peer pressure in elementary school to listen to Kiss, Rush was the first band I was really obsessed with. I guess I haven't lost that as I just saw them again a couple of weeks ago and I must say, they haven't lost anything. Absolutely incredible. But, that is not the topic of this blog. It is Britishness. Many folks ask me about this Scottish obsession of mine and as I state on my website, www.ScottishBrewing.com, I can't totally explain it. But, as I think back on my musical tastes once I actually acquired my own, I can truly say that they have, for the most part, always been British.

With the exception of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Robben Ford, and short stints long ago of REO Speedwagon and Kansas, everything else that I've maintained listening to has been British. Gary Moore is and probably always will be my favorite guitar player and I love nearly all of his albums (though there are some "clinkers" in the catalog) and I'm also a huge fan of Peter Green and his Splinter Group. Motorhead, Iron Maiden, Tigers of Pan Tang, Judas Priest, Saxon, Rogue Male, Anvil, all were my early heavy metal days. The only American bands worth anything then were (and still are) Metallica and Anthrax. During all this I also got hooked on Marillion while Fish was still with them and every album they recorded is worth every cent - incredible stuff!

Now, it is almost exclusively British bands and artists that occupy all my listening. Elbow, Biffy Clyro, Idlewild and Roddie Woomble, Emma Pollock, The Hazey Janes, Stereophonics, Frightened Rabbit, Trashcan Sinatras, the list goes on. I also thoroughly enjoy Amy Winehouse, Goldfrapp, and Duffy. In addition I'm a huge fan of traditional Scottish music of which the list is endless - Peatbog Faeries, Stuart Cossells, Red Hot Chilli Pipers, Old Blind Dogs, Karine Polwart, Julie Fowlis, Jenna Reid, Runrig, Karen Matheson and Capercaillie, Jim Malcolm, Battlefield Band, on and on.

So, I guess I've always been British...

Cheers!
Neil

What Is It About Elbow And Why Did Fish Have To Leave Marillion?

2008-03-28T20:44:00.004-05:00

I absolutely love Elbow. The band, that is. I just downloaded their newest 'album', "The Seldom Seen Kid", (not yet available in the States) and again, another fantastic musical journey from them. What is it that draws me in so much? Is it Guy Garvey's vocals? Is it the fascinating collection of weird sounds intermixed beautifully with flowing melodies? I think it is everything. So many unique and now easily identifiable 'Elbowescences' yet you never know what you're going to get next. Fantastic stuff!

So far, "A Cast Of Thousands" is still my favorite but "The Seldom Seen Kid" has tons of potential and could propel it upward in my obscure and ever-changing ranking of favorite recordings. If you've not heard them, I urge you to check them out as soon as humanly possible. I first heard them (and probably NEVER would have otherwise) on Vic Galloway's show, Mondays on BBC Radio Scotland, available both in real time and by 'Listen Again' for up to a week after on the BBC Radio Scotland website.

I also drug out Marillion's "Misplaced Childhood" again today. This and "Clutching At Straws" are my favorite Marillion 'albums' although I find no fault in "Script For A Jester's Tear" nor "Fugazi" - in short, I love Fish era Marillion. It is such a tragedy that that particular lineup could not stay together. I do not wish present day Marillion any ill-will but the music they made during the Fish years was second to none and in my opinion stands the test of time. It has not been surpassed by any band of this 'ilk', 'genre', whatever one wishes to call it. And Fish hasn't achieved anything anywhere near the quality of this music despite doing some decent stuff as a solo artist.

On a completely unrelated subject. Tomorrow (Saturday) is yet another Glasgow Derby between Rangers and Celtic at Ibrox. Rangers lead the SPL over Celtic by a mere 3 points so GO CELTIC!

Unfortunately, still no Boilermaker pots!

Out!
Neil

The Waiting Is The Hardest Part!

2008-03-24T22:33:00.004-05:00

Yes, I am as impatient as a small child when it comes to waiting for something I have been consumed with desire for. Yes, you know, that "I MUST have it!" feeling that grips one upon first seeing something new and exciting that will most certainly change one's life.

What is this newest something that has so captured my longing? Why, new brewpots of course! Not just any brewpots, no. These are (or had better be) THE coolest brewpots on the planet! They are called "Boilermakers" made by Blichmann Engineering in my home state of Indiana (pictured right). Now, since I also went to Purdue University, home of the Purdue BOILERMAKERS, this was one of the first things that gripped me about this new pot for homebrewing that reached out to me and said "you will be mine!". But, it is not the name that makes these so awe inspiring. It is the design and the 'all of the best features' aspect that makes these so compelling. The homebrew digests around the web all complain about the price but for the quality of what you are getting I don't consider it out of line. So much so that I've decided to replace my current mash tun and brewing 'copper' with two new Boilermakers. I already own just about everything John Blichmann has designed with the exception of a conical fermenter and have found everything to be of the best quality of anything I've purchased and all well engineered. I'm most eager to try out the mash tun false bottom design. This is the most unique one I have seen and is supposed to be the best of both the straight false bottom and the manifold false bottom designs. You can learn more about them at: www.blichmannengineering.com.

Now, the hard part, Tom Petty - The Waiting. I placed my order over two weeks ago and John responded to a recent email that it might be another two weeks before they are on their way to me. Apparently, demand has been high which is a good thing. This is very difficult for someone as impatient as me to deal with but, as Monty Python said "Wait for it!...". More to come, stay posted.

SXSW

2008-03-17T21:57:00.010-05:00

Well, another South-By-Southwest Music Festival has come and gone. Unlike most Austinites who flee the city during this week of mayhem, the last few years I've attended the Scottish Showcase promoted by the Scottish Arts Council and hosted by the one and only Vic Galloway (pictured here) of BBC Radio Scotland and BBC Radio One. This year I also attended showcases for new music from Wales and from Northern Ireland. While nearly all the bands were very good, I have to say in all honesty the Scottish bands this year were the best and perhaps the finest set representing Scotland sent to SXSW over the years.

All the British showcases were held at a club called Latitude 30, temporarily renamed the British Music Embassy (pictured right). In the New Music From Wales Showcase on Thursday I had really hoped to catch Duffy, the hot new R&B artist from Wales. Well, as I highly suspicioned, she was removed from the list probably due to her newly found fame. This happens quite often with SXSW for some reason. Many artists are signed on for the festival as virtual nobodies but a hit single or CD released just before SXSW propels them out of that status and they no longer perform in anything but exclusive gigs. I don't think, stylistically, she would have molded very well with the other Welsh artists, however. The other bands, in particular, People In Planes, were all really good. I also quite enjoyed Christopher Rees. Sincere congratulations to the Welsh Rugby team as well for their incredible Grand Slam in the Six Nations!

As for Scotland, I think the biggest buzz was surrounding Frightened Rabbit (pictured left). I was unable to catch their showcase gig and although their appearance at the Scottish Showcase was fraught with equipment issues and them being rushed due to the showcase being behind schedule, they were absolutely brilliant!

The other band I really enjoyed were The Dykeenies (pictured right). Again, unfortunately, I didn't make their showcase gig but their performance at the Scottish Showcase was one of, if not the, best and the crowd was really, really in to them. Outstanding performance.

All the other Scottish performers at the showcase were fantastic as well and all were real crowd-pleasers. It is not possible to say a bad thing about any of their performances. Sons & Daughters and Make Model were great and I really liked Inverness band Jyrojets.

I felt really bad for the opening act, Stornoway based Our Lunar Activities (pictured left). As if it wasn't bad enough that their equipment never made it to Austin and they had to borrow from their country-mates as well as a kind donation from Taylor Guitars, they were unreasonably delayed in starting due to equipment problems that ultimately put the entire showcase behind by about an hour. Cheers to them, they rolled with the punches and put in a great performance!

All in all, an outstanding showing from all the Scottish artists. I hope they enjoyed their time in Austin as much as we enjoyed having them.

Cheers!
Neil

Brewing, More 6 Nations, and Upcoming SXSW

2008-03-07T22:03:00.003-06:00

Well, it's a weekend of excitement. It's the next to the last weekend of the best Rugby tournament in the world - the Six Nations. For the weekend, the excitement will be Ireland facing undefeated Wales and Scotland v England at Murrayfield. I hope it is pishing rain and howling wind in Edinburgh! Go Scotland!

Brewing day tomorrow, exciting as well. Two all grain batches to be done so a full day. It'll be my signature IPA and a complete "wing it" I call "Welsh Dragon". Since Scotland has gone belly up in the Six Nations and Ireland already has a loss, I'm counting on Wales to be undefeated and this will be a celebration ale in tribute to Wales. If something goes wrong, it'll be a "drown your sorrows". As long as a Celtic team wins, I'll still manage. It will also hopefully be the last day for my current brewing setup. I have two new brewing pots on order - the Blichmann Boilermaker pots - to replace my current mash tun and brewing kettle. These are the most awesome homebrewing pots I've seen. When I first saw them advertised, I knew I had to have them. Besides being the coolest pots on the planet at present, I went to Purdue - a "Boilermaker", and I grew up in Indiana, where Blichmann Engineering originates. If you're curious:
Boilermaker Brewing Pots. Did I mention this worldwide hop shortage SUCKS!?

Next week brings what most Austinites dread: the South-By-Southwest (SXSW) Music & Film Festival. Well, I don't dread it, I look forward to it every year once I found out you don't have to only do the wee hour shows. BBC Radio Scotland host and friend Vic Galloway will be here again next week and I'll be going to the Scotland and Wales showcases as well as any gigs I can get to for Scottish acts. Looking forward to Frightened Rabbit, Sons and Daughters and The Law from Scotland this year and Duffy from Wales.

Music wise, up next is The Hold Steady at Emo's end of March.

More after tomorrow's marathon brewing session.

Well Done, Good and Faithful Servant!

2008-02-26T19:42:00.000-06:00

At the close of the weekend, I had planned to blog about when I thought the Six Nations could not get worse for Scotland - it did! However, after listening as I do daily to the Tom Morton Show on BBC Radio Scotland on Monday, it no longer seemed appropriate to say anything about rugby.

Thanks to Tom, I learned sadly that the father of Christian Rock, Larry Norman, had passed away on Sunday. Given Larry's long-standing health problems, all of his fans knew this day would come but it doesn't make it any easier. Growing up in a strong Evangelical Christian home, I was exposed to Larry's music at a very early age. At the time, I was far too young to understand the political aspects of Larry's lyrics but could easily relate to the religious ones. I've remained a fan of Larry Norman for nearly thirty years now and still listen to his music today - some of it as fresh and timely as it was when it was released. Whether you like or agree with the message, Larry was a brilliant songwriter and a tremendous musical influence to countless musicians in any genre.

I lost my best friend in life, my dad, shortly over a year ago. One of my final memories of he and I occurred when he came down to visit me in Texas and one day we hopped in my Ford F150 to go somewhere. Larry's "Only Visiting This Planet" was in the CD player at the time. I remember "I Wish We'd All Been Ready" playing at one point and my dad quickly started to sing along. He (my dad) was in his late sixties and I had just turned forty at the time. It was then that I realized how far reaching Larry's music went. I was the rocker, not my dad. He was a church hymn and gospel quartet man yet he recognized good music of all types - especially when it had a strong message.

Larry's wish was truly that, that we all would be ready. I'm sure Larry will be recognized as he spoke of in the theme of "I Am A Servant" and be told "Well done, good and faithful servant"!

Despite our loss, your fans, Larry, you deserve the peace and release that you now have from the weakness of your physical body. I know you're now in a better place. After all, you were "Only Visiting This Planet"!

Rest In Peace, Larry.

Miserable Six Nations - So Far

2008-02-13T22:14:00.001-06:00

Yes, it has been a miserable showing in my favorite of all sporting tournaments - The RBS Six Nations - for my team, Scotland Rugby. What is the problem? Is it coaching? Is it the infrequency that the players get to play with each other outside of their league teams? For many of us, we don't know.

Two things I'll state so far though. Number One, those of you knocking Dan Parks, lay off! He has proven himself to be a quality player for both Glasgow Warriors and Scotland. Number Two, I was wrong about Chris Paterson. After being subjected to the humiliating defeat of Scotland by Italy last Six Nations in person at Murrayfield, I thought he was overrated coming in to this season's competition. I was over 100% wrong. Chris Paterson is an outstanding player that simply must be part of the Scotland squad. I'd like to see Dan Parks stay too despite his couple of errors recently. My beef with Scotland Rugby is the lack of attack and focus on scoring tries. Every game seems to focus on field position and the kicking game. That's obviously not enough against a crafty young squad such as the new French team.

All I can hope for is improvement throughout the rest of the campaign. Come on Scotland!

A'Best and Cheers!
Neil

Launch

2007-12-07T23:43:00.001-06:00

This is my first foray into blogging, having ran my own website, www.ScottishBrewing.com, since 2004, as well as dabbling with MySpace and Facebook. I have to admit, I've taken my inspiration from Tom Morton, BBC Radio Scotland broadcaster, whisky writer and musician, of whom I am a huge fan. For some reason I just feel the need for a place to happily blog away on things that really interest me and hopefully share with others.

Why on earth the name "Leaky Spicket", you ask? Well, this is the name brilliantly coined by my lovely wife, Valarie, for my home brewery and in-house "pub". The name comes honestly - I've had endless struggles with leaking valves, tubing and pumps with my homebrew setup.

This is my passion - brewing and beer - Scottish in particular. Actually, I'm obsessed with most things Scottish although I have no Scottish heritage that I know of. I have simply come to love the country, its people, its landscape and its history.

So, what will one find here in the coming months/years? Anything to do with Scotland of interest to me, for sure. Mostly my blogs will focus on beer related topics whether to do with Scottish beer or my own home brewing escapades. I'm also a huge rugby fan focused on the Magners League in the UK supporting Glasgow Warriors but also internationally supporting, of course, Scotland. At the risk of upsetting any number of Glasgwegian readers, I'm also a big fan of the Scottish Premier League and avid Glasgow Celtic supporter. Why Celtic? Well, primarily due to my friends and colleagues in Scotland but I've really come to love the team. It must be said, however, that I watch any SPL matches that Setanta Sports plays on DirecTV in the U.S. and I honestly do not wish any SPL team any ill will. Finally, you'll likely find quite a bit of interjections related to music as music has been a passion of mine far longer than brewing or sport. I've played piano since I was about 8 years old and guitar since my early teens. At the present, I'm really into Scottish traditional music as well as many Scottish rock/pop bands. So, you can likely expect some comments on music as well.

In general though, much like my personality, expect to see anything and everything here.

In case you haven't figured it out yet, I don't live in Scotland. I live in Austin, Texas, born in Indiana and have lived in the States all my life. I have, however, had the great privilege to travel quite a bit through my day job as an engineer seeing many parts of the world. This is how I came to be obsessed with Scotland. Please don't misinterpret my blog subtitle, I love Austin, Texas. There's nowhere in the States I'd rather live but if I had my choice at this point in my life, I wish I lived in Glasgow instead, call me crazy...

For now, A' Best!

Yours Aye!
Neil