As I enjoy a Victory Prima Pils I picked up in PA a while back (mmm), I thought I'd post a handful of updates for today.
Looks like Founders isn't coming to MO until some time in June. The waiting continues.
Free State has a new website AND a blog. Their first (and, currently, only) post details a trip to Belgium last year for the brewers. Their full list of beers has also been updated and is so much easier to use (and drool-inducing). Speaking of beer - in addition to their regular lineup, they also have a porter and maibock on tap.
Waldo Pizza has Avery's Maharaja IIPA on tap. Had a glass of it last week and it was just as delicious as I'd remembered. And if you go on the right night, the new bartender might just serve it in a 16oz glass. ;)
Anderson Valley is taking KC by storm. They sure make some good beer, and now you can get more of it at Barley's in Shawnee. They've got Brother David Double & Tripel, as well as a handful of other new ones now and forthcoming (including Great Divide's Dunkelweiss, which I'm also very excited about). It's about time, Barley's - your beer list was getting a little stagnant (or is it just that I was going too frequently?).
Looks like Odell is coming out with a couple of seasonals soon. Woodcut #2, an oak-aged pale, will be in stores this month and their new Extra Pale Ale will be out this June.
Boulevard's Two Jokers Double Wit should be hitting stores soon... Remember that Boulevard is pairing up a Smokestack release with a seasonal. The Wit's partner is ZON, which is already in stores. I've been looking for Two Joker and have yet to see it, but expect it'll be there any day now.
And, while I'm definitely a dyed-in-the-wool hophead, I am VERY excited for Sierra Nevada's Kellerweis. "Kellerweis is one of the only American Hefeweizens made using the traditional Bavarian style of open fermentation. This difficult and labor-intensive technique adds uncommon depth and flavor complexity. Our hazy-golden hefeweizen is deeply flavorful, refreshing and perfect for a sunny day." AHH!! I love German styles and I love Sierra Nevada's beer. This one is bound to be a winner. (And speaking of Sierra Nevada, if you enjoy their stuff, check out their Brown Saison at Flying Saucer while it lasts).
That's it for now. Hopefully that'll keep everyone busy for a while.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Monday, May 4, 2009
Conferences - 1 down, 2 to go, and many more to come
Some of you may have followed the Craft Brewers Conference this year on Twitter. While the beery tweets filled up my “Twitter” folder (thanks OutTwit!), I found myself increasingly jealous of the attendees. I found this today while browsing through another beer blog at lunch. This is a shortened version of the intro to the keynote speech by Stone Brewing’s Greg Koch.
It’s a little over-the-top, but it was fun to try to identify as many breweries/brewers as I could while watching the video. ;-) Same game we played while sitting at the Saucer this weekend – identifying the beer bottles on the wall from the back of the pub. Good times.
The homebrewer's version of the conference is coming up next month - The National Homebrewers Conference in Oakland, CA. Looks like most of it is sold out, but some tickets are still available. The schedule is finally available, and it looks like there will be a lot of informative sessions. Interestingly enough, it's taking place at the same time of the American Craft Beer Festival. Of course, most people will be interested in one more than the other - but it sure would be fun to go to both.
I Am A Craft Brewer from I Am A Craft Brewer on Vimeo.
It’s a little over-the-top, but it was fun to try to identify as many breweries/brewers as I could while watching the video. ;-) Same game we played while sitting at the Saucer this weekend – identifying the beer bottles on the wall from the back of the pub. Good times.
The homebrewer's version of the conference is coming up next month - The National Homebrewers Conference in Oakland, CA. Looks like most of it is sold out, but some tickets are still available. The schedule is finally available, and it looks like there will be a lot of informative sessions. Interestingly enough, it's taking place at the same time of the American Craft Beer Festival. Of course, most people will be interested in one more than the other - but it sure would be fun to go to both.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Weekend of the Craft Beer Trifecta
Saturday was a great day for beer lovers and makers. First, there was the 6th annual Parkville Microbrew Festival. Second, Flying Saucer's 1st anniversary in KC. And finally, National Homebrew Day. As we were too busy with the first two, we did not participate in National Homebrew Day. Perhaps we'll create our own "National Homebrew Day, Redux" in the near future.
The Parkville festival was an overall win, and the selections were plentiful and varied. Upon arrival, we were handed a flyer listing all the breweries and 2 beers for each one. As it turns out, most breweries had at least 3 on tap - several offered at least 5. There were two breweries that impressed me - Little Apple out of Manhattan, KS and Empyrean out of Lincoln, NE. I will definitely drink my fill of their beer given another opportunity to do so, and recommend you do the same. 75th Street offered their IPA pumped through Randall, which contained 100% Simcoe hops (yeah!). It was my #1 favorite at the festival, though not by a large margin (and I will fully admit a bias for Simcoe hops). I asked if they'll be using Randall much at the brewpub and was told that it's a real pain to set up and clean, so they tend to only set it up for special occasions. I will definitely keep my eye out for such occasions and will post about them here.
Free State's Bumper Crop Saison was fantastic as well (and note their new web site). I am not a big Saison person, but do appreciate good versions of them (Boulevard and Rogue included). At 35 IBUs, this one was hoppier than most in the style and definitely not for someone who shies away from hoppy beers. But if you enjoy a good Saison and are not scared by a bit of bitterness, I highly recommend it. This was my #2 favorite at the festival.
The loser of the day, by the widest margin imaginable, was Lucky Bucket's Concentrated Evil - a barrel-aged quad. I have no idea what they were trying to do here, but it was the strangest beer I think I've ever tasted (not including the wormwood beer some friends & I tried making years ago. Bad idea.). It was exactly how I would imagine watered-down rotten prune puree to taste. And, it was the ONLY sample I dumped out prior to finishing. Funny enough, it was KC Hop Head's favorite. I wonder if what I got was ruined or tampered with somehow (it was poured out of a plastic cup) - this should have been something I found delicious and warming, but it wasn't even close. I'd be interested in trying it again in a different environment - say, from a keg for starters.
That said, nearly all the beer I had there ranged from "I'd buy a pint of that" to "I can't wait to have this again." There wasn't one brewery there that I thought should look into doing something else. The only disappointment I had in the event itself was that there wasn't more seating. Some fest tables would have been great - drinking all that beer is hard work!
We headed over to Flying Saucer for their 1-year-in-KC anniversary and ordered a couple of beers. I got a Sierra Nevada Brown Saison (hey, Free State inspired me) which I also found highly enjoyable. This is a very drinkable beer, with a soft mouthfeel, sweet toasty aroma, and slightly spicy saison funk. We were watching the Kentucky Derby and was reminded that saisons are often described as "horsey" - this one is no different. But, true to Sierra Nevada style, it was also well-hopped for a saison - again at 35IBUs. We were there, though, for Bear Republic's Racer X which was tapped at 5pm. The big brother of Racer 5, this Imperial IPA is not to be missed. Not overwhelmingly malty, it provides just enough sweetness to back the citrusy pineyness of the hops. While it won't hit you over the head with bitterness, it is definitely a West Coast IIPA - less sweet and hoppier than its eastern and midwestern counterparts. If you are a hophead, you owe it to yourself to get a pint before they run out (if they haven't already).
In terms of trying new, solidly good beer, this was definitely one of the best beer weekends I've had in a while. I am already looking forward to next year!
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
XX-Rated Beer
I typically don’t (and won't) write about being a woman who likes beer, or who likes beer “despite” being a woman. It’s not that I intentionally avoid the subject; to be honest, it's never occurred to me to write about it. While I do hope that more people expand their experiences with beer beyond macro “light” beers, that desire is not directed to a gender. Beer is a passion of mine that I’ve been working on for about a decade now (since discovering Sudwerk’s Märzen in college) and something I want to share with everyone. I love talking about beer, tasting it, learning about it, and encouraging others to try new styles.
I do recall feeling a bit of gender pride when I found out Bend Brewing’s award-winning Brewmeister was a woman. The same feeling welled up when I found out Moylan’s Brewing, one of my all-time-favorite breweries, also employed a female head brewer. But, really, it's the same feeling of pride I get when I meet another person from Oregon, who went to my alma mater, or who enjoys gin. All I ask for is consistently good beer, an occasional risk in trying a new style or recipe, and respect for the varied tastes and preferences of beer drinkers worldwide - regardless of gender. They can keep their pink boots. I like the shoes I have, thanks.
Anyway, I do have a point. Candice Alström hits the nail on the head in her recent article in BeerAdvocate magazine about women and beer.
Like Candace, I love beer. And that’s all that matters.
I do recall feeling a bit of gender pride when I found out Bend Brewing’s award-winning Brewmeister was a woman. The same feeling welled up when I found out Moylan’s Brewing, one of my all-time-favorite breweries, also employed a female head brewer. But, really, it's the same feeling of pride I get when I meet another person from Oregon, who went to my alma mater, or who enjoys gin. All I ask for is consistently good beer, an occasional risk in trying a new style or recipe, and respect for the varied tastes and preferences of beer drinkers worldwide - regardless of gender. They can keep their pink boots. I like the shoes I have, thanks.
Anyway, I do have a point. Candice Alström hits the nail on the head in her recent article in BeerAdvocate magazine about women and beer.
Like Candace, I love beer. And that’s all that matters.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Parkville Microbrew Fest Coming Up...
It pays to read others’ beer blogs today (props to Mar for mentioning this on the KC Beer Blog!). I was reminded of two blog-worthy facts today: Founder’s will be available in Missouri soon, and the Parkville Microbrew Fest is coming up in just a couple of weeks. This will be the 6th year for the festival, which will be at English Landing Park from 1:00 to 5:00 pm on May 2nd, 2009. I don’t know about you guys, but 4 hours seems like a challenge.
Here’s the official site of the beerfest. Looks like the cost of admission ($20) includes a tasting glass, a little cheat sheet for tasting, and – of course – samples! Food will also be available (for an additional cost).
There'll be "26+" breweries there and some live music. Here's the list from their website in a bit more readable (and clickable) format:
I'm kickin it old school; that's my first HTML table attempt since 1994. Hope you guys like it. Or at least get a good laugh out of it...
Maybe I'll see you there!
Here’s the official site of the beerfest. Looks like the cost of admission ($20) includes a tasting glass, a little cheat sheet for tasting, and – of course – samples! Food will also be available (for an additional cost).
There'll be "26+" breweries there and some live music. Here's the list from their website in a bit more readable (and clickable) format:
I'm kickin it old school; that's my first HTML table attempt since 1994. Hope you guys like it. Or at least get a good laugh out of it...
Maybe I'll see you there!
Founder's is Coming!!
And YES I am excited. STL Hops recently posted that MoBev would begin distributing Founder's beers around Missouri in early May. Derek with MoBev verified that they'll "begin selling Founders in KC the same day we begin selling Founders in St. Louis, Springfield, Columbia, Jefferson City, Lake of the Ozarks, Joplin, Cape Girardeau, etc."
Time to celebrate. I can already taste that Centennial IPA...
Saturday, April 18, 2009
An idea from Down Unda' for all-grain brewers
Those Aussies come up with some pretty clever stuff now and then. Vegemite... wine in a box... boomerangs... we have one more to add to the list.
John recently found some Aussie homebrewers online discussing the use of a large grain bag that allows them to mash in your boiling kettle. This eliminates the need to transfer water to the mash tun then back to the boiling kettle. The bag needs to be large enough to wrap around the outside of the pot (see pictures below) but clearly not too big. A couple of weekends ago we went on down to Joann crafts and bought the following items:
I cut the voile in such a way that the bottom edge was at the fold of the fabric and the measurements were about 42" wide by 50" tall. I sewed up the sides & top hem (with a machine), strung the drawstring, and voila - brewing bag! I reinforced the bottom corners with several lines of stitching and double-stitched the sides, just to make sure it would be strong enough to hold some very heavy spent grain. This bag is big enough to use with a half-barrel keg if you like.
We've now made 2 batches with the bag, and it has cut off about 1.5 hours of our brewing time, inclusive of clean-up. We used to use the ol' Coleman cooler mash tun, but now we just mash right in the boiling kettle. Once the water is to the right temperature, we put the grain bag in and let the grain mash for about an hour. Once mashing is complete, we just remove the bag, squeeze as much liquid out as possible, then proceed with the boil. John's found that the mash efficiency has increased as well, so we'll be using less grain in the future as a result (our special bitter became an extra special bitter!).
Here are a couple of pictures I took right after we added the grain. The binder clips are just there to hold the bag in place while we ensured there were no grain clumps remaining prior to the mash. For reference, this is a 10-gallon kettle.
John recently found some Aussie homebrewers online discussing the use of a large grain bag that allows them to mash in your boiling kettle. This eliminates the need to transfer water to the mash tun then back to the boiling kettle. The bag needs to be large enough to wrap around the outside of the pot (see pictures below) but clearly not too big. A couple of weekends ago we went on down to Joann crafts and bought the following items:
- 2 yards of polyester voile (in the drapery section). It must be polyester - no cotton!
- 1 nylon drawstring, 2 yards long (the one I got was about 1/4" diameter)
- 100% polyester thread
I cut the voile in such a way that the bottom edge was at the fold of the fabric and the measurements were about 42" wide by 50" tall. I sewed up the sides & top hem (with a machine), strung the drawstring, and voila - brewing bag! I reinforced the bottom corners with several lines of stitching and double-stitched the sides, just to make sure it would be strong enough to hold some very heavy spent grain. This bag is big enough to use with a half-barrel keg if you like.We've now made 2 batches with the bag, and it has cut off about 1.5 hours of our brewing time, inclusive of clean-up. We used to use the ol' Coleman cooler mash tun, but now we just mash right in the boiling kettle. Once the water is to the right temperature, we put the grain bag in and let the grain mash for about an hour. Once mashing is complete, we just remove the bag, squeeze as much liquid out as possible, then proceed with the boil. John's found that the mash efficiency has increased as well, so we'll be using less grain in the future as a result (our special bitter became an extra special bitter!).
Here are a couple of pictures I took right after we added the grain. The binder clips are just there to hold the bag in place while we ensured there were no grain clumps remaining prior to the mash. For reference, this is a 10-gallon kettle.
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