Idle Hands

As you can see, I’ve taken some time away from sitting behind the computer screen and posting my beer ramblings. Some would call this a healthy step to becoming a normal human being. Whatever that means.

At any rate, I haven’t been completely idle, and I do in fact have a life outside of beer. That being said, I confirmed that the Dogfish Head beer dinner at Capital Ale House will offer vegetarian options for those interested, but be sure to request that when purchasing the ticket online.

Furthermore, I’ve got my second all-grain batch fermenting as we speak (this time with Whirlfloc added for clarity!). On the suggestions of some readers and friends, I cooked up a late-hopped American Pale Ale. I went with Maris Otter as the base malt – because I like it, that’s why. But I opted for a decent amount of Magnum hops for bittering and a classic American combination of Cascade and Centennial for flavor and aroma toward the end of the boil.

I’m hoping this one will be more aroma-heavy with the hops, but we’ll see. I’m still getting used to my new system, especially as it relates to hop utilization, brewhouse efficiency, and all that other nerdy crap. If it’s any good, I may do a dry-hopped version down the road. But for right now, baby steps. Besides, I’ve still got some other interesting tricks up my sleeve that I may employ in the near future.

As for my first all-grain attempt at an ESB, it’s currently in bottles, conditioning away. Should be ready for consumption by Sunday at the very earliest. That is if I didn’t completely botch the thing. At bottling time, I picked up what almost tasted like Budweiser, and am worried I may have leached some astringent tannins from the grain by missing my mark on the water temperature. After lurking around homebrewing messageboards and the like, I discovered that this kind of thing may wane with conditioning. So I could be in the clear. If not, then you will know me by the trail of dumped beer.

Play it Again, Sam

Capital Ale House has just recently released the menu for their Dogfish Head beer dinner featuring Sam Calagione. It’s going down on Monday May 11 at 6pm in their Downtown location. Tickets are $75 a pop, but in addition to tax and tip that includes a 22oz. Dogfish Head snifter, 6 courses, and 7 beers. Their expected dishes are as follows:

• 1st course
  Belgian Endive with Fois Gras stuffed figs - Raison D’être
• 2nd course
  Ceviche of Conch with toast points and avocado butter – Aprihop
• 3rd course
  Soft shell crab on a fried bread raft in a spicy Bouillon - 90 Minute
• 4th course
  Rabbit Tenderloin with fiddlehead fern and white asparagus - Black and Blue
• 5th Course
  1 and 2 year aged gouda with liquid malt - Palo Santo Marron
• 6th Course
  Midas Touch Gelato
  World Wide Stout chocolate espresso (served warm)

Again, not much on the menu for the leaf-eaters such as myself, but it sounds delicious nonetheless. Sometimes these soirees will offer vegetarian options. I’ll check on that and get back with you. But for now, go buy your tickets!

The Potential Danger of Spent Grain

This day and age, it seems that nearly everyone is taking some steps, large or small, toward becoming environmentally friendly or “eco-conscious.” Businesses that operate on a variety of scales are figuring out new ways to recycle, reduce, and reuse waste or byproducts from their facilities. But brewers have been doing this for quite some time.

Peering back into the days of early brewing history, it’s no surprise that many brewers were also farmers, and were able to use their resources to the fullest extent for their purposes - be it cheese, meat, beer, bread, you name it. Breweries have been tapping into this agricultural spirit by offering up their spent grain as livestock feed to local farmers, one way of recycling and keeping things local. But there is a safety and health concern that should be addressed regarding spent grain and farm waste.

On July 2, 2007, four family members and a hired farmhand were killed on a dairy farm in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley due to asphyxiation in a manure pit. Covered pits for animal waste are common for smaller farms, which are often times at a technological disadvantage in comparison with their larger, industrial farm counterparts. The cause of the deaths was related to the accumulation of hydrogen sulfide, a compound released from this waste that can collect in the manure pits. However, as the investigation of the accident discovered, the concentration had been accelerated by spent brewer’s grain.

It appears that a delivery of spent grain had been unloaded onto the manure pit cover, and rain had washed some of the sugars, gypsum, and organic materials from the spent grain into the pit. While hydrogen sulfide is already found in animal waste, it is believed the combination of the spent grain run-off and manure caused this deadly compound to be produced at a high enough rate that exposure led to immediate asphyxiation. The farm workers had been trying to dislodge a blockage in a transfer pipe, and while this had happened before without incident, this particular time it proved to be deadly.

While the practice of feeding livestock spent grain may be in question due to animal dietary concerns, it is still important to spread the word about its storage. If you happen to know anyone that owns a farm and receives spent grain as feed, or already offer it to local farmers yourself, be sure to handle delivery with care or give proper storage instruction to avoid these kinds of tragedies. Also, check out Chris O’Brien’s blog for more environmentally friendly ways to process and use spent grain.

Some Light Beer Reading

Just thought I’d throw in a post for levity’s sake.

Apparently, Hite is a South Korean beer company that teamed up with popular R&B/hip-pop supergroup Big Bang to do a promotional photoshoot. When I opened up my WordPress account to do some writing, there it was at the top of the popular posts list. Click on the promo photoshoot link above for more gems like this:

Enjoy.

Another Casualty of the Beer Wars

I haven’t read any other beer blogs last night or today, so I’m not up on the buzz that Anat Baron’s Beer Wars movie may or may not have generated. I was too busy enjoying good beer after viewing the film to write, and too busy getting up this morning and coming in to work to get something out right away. Regardless, I’m going to say a few things about it without having looked elsewhere. If you were part of last night’s event, then you should be able to follow my train of thought. If not, sorry you had to stumble upon this.

First, let’s get one thing straight:  America was not a better beer paradise prior to the invention of electricity, Prohibition, World War II, the 50s, or any other era; at least not in the sense that we think of it today. So for the creator of this film to bemoan the closing of regional breweries that were brewing all sorts of interesting beers that the public couldn’t get enough of is a silly deceit. Pale lagers were what Hamm’s, National Bohemian, Old Style, and all these other breweries were making because it was what sold. Sure, there were variances, but do you really think Americans in 1947 were walking around with their pinkies extended, sipping Framboise and Double IPA? 

When German immigrants came to the United States, the shiny, pale lagers they brought with them became wildly popular, just as they were in continental Europe when they were first introduced and poured into actual glassware so the consumer could see how shiny these beers were. To harbor the sentiment that Anheuser-Busch, Coors, and Miller were the only producers of bland, pale lager would be foolish. They just happened to come out on top of the beer industry due to their business savvy and aggressive marketing of the same pale lager that everyone else was peddling.

Don’t get me wrong - I’m not in favor of a homogenous beer market. I just prefer clear lenses to the rose-colored ones.

I’ll begin my second point with a disclaimer. My ticket to Beer Wars was provided free of charge by New Century Brewing Company, the business behind MoonShot and Edison Light beers, featured in the film. New Century and its products are the brainchild of Samuel Adams co-founder Rhonda Kallman. MoonShot claims to be the first beer with caffeine, which the film purports prompted Anheuser-Busch to develop its own caffeinated beer, B-to-the-E, in order to crush it and control the niche market. While that’s more than likely the case, the film also offers insight into Kallman’s everyday struggles with a job that never allows a moment’s rest and puts pressure on her family as she hits the streets and takes on the Big Boys with her brand of beer. Believe me, I have sympathy for working families and people trying to make ends meet, and have witnessed this type of stress first-hand.

But should my heartstrings be tugged by the co-founder of a successful beer brand that made a personal choice to move on to another venture and is not having success with a product that has limited appeal? What about those former Rolling Rock brewery workers and their families in Pennsylvania? We got a sound-bite from one or two, but didn’t really see the economic impact on their lives. And are they not in just as dire straits as the brewery workers at Anheuser-Busch who lost their jobs as a result of the InBev buyout? And why are we calling Budweiser bad beer, but reserving our judgment on Rolling Rock? Refer to argument #1.

The above illustrates the nature of capitalism. And I’m not saying that in an “I-told-you-so” tone in order to choke you with the “invisible hand” of the market. (Maureen Ogle made the point about the dog-eat-dog nature of the beer industry quite succinctly on the panel, might I add.) I’m sure New Century Brewing Company would love to take a huge chunk out of the national beer sales pie, and given the opportunity would become just as large as A-BInBev or MillerCoors. But for many other brewers/brewing companies out there, I have a feeling they’re not so concerned with market domination as they are with making good beer.

The bright spot there is that I felt the movie really portrayed the conviction of Dogfish Head’s Sam Calagione and Stone’s Greg Koch. Those guys were selected, no doubt, due to their colorful characters and business philosophies. In the live discussion following the movie, Greg responded to a question from Ben Stein about whether or not he would like to see Stone become as successful as Anheuser-Busch, and he gave a tactful reply. The focus, he said, was on the intent of the brewery and its internal philosophy. If the intent was to make good beer and growth occurred, great. If not, they’ll still keep plugging away and doing what they do best.

Third, I have a hard time with the fact that Beer Wars was made by someone that developed the Mike’s Hard Lemonade brand and is allergic to alcohol. Baron stated that her motivation for growing Mike’s Hard Lemonade was to take on big corporations in the beer world after her own experience with “corporate life”, but is that ambition enough to make good beer and a good film about beer? All beers are malt beverages, but not all malt beverages are beer. Furthermore, my personal opinion is that she felt enough of a connection to Rhonda Kallman to feature her in the film because of a similar career path:  successful brand/job gets old, time to move on to something else (an alcoholic beverage with a twist), aim slingshot at Goliath. Good story arc, but what if David is trying to sell me snake oil?

Fourth, the hackneyed Michael Moore tactics employed by the film’s creator were almost unbearable. While one may disagree with Mr. Moore’s methods, more often than not he is attempting to draw the attention of the audience and the subject in his crosshairs to a certain, often times uncomfortable, political point. Intermittently, Baron only draws the audience in to the awkward application of these tactics on a rather vague point, such as when she catches August Busch IV in a hotel on his way to some conference. This “gotcha” scene lacks any punch, as Mr. Busch stops to engage her as she explains she’s making a movie about the beer industry and he asks her for a business card. He’s polite and he’s got somewhere to be; what’s so evil about that? How can the audience take this kind of indictment seriously when the filmmaker is still able to sit down and have recorded conversations with executive representatives of these larger breweries? At least the corporate big-wigs always turn Michael Moore away at the door.

I also see the irony in the fact that Baron goes on a “search” for the Green Valley Brewing Company in Fairfield, California (an “organic” spin-off of Anheuser-Busch that includes the Wild Hop Lager brand) and belabors the point, finding only the A-B plant there, yet prominently features MoonShot, which is essentially a beer marketing firm without a brewery. Where is this mysterious New Century Brewing Company? Why don’t you ask people on the streets of Massachusetts where the New Century brewery is located? Oh, because it’s Rhonda Kallman’s house. But we didn’t get to see that side of the coin. Not to say all contract brewers are disingenuous, but if we’re shedding some sunlight on the room, let’s open the curtains all the way.

Lastly, I will say that Baron did a good job of featuring a couple of small, “craft” breweries in Dogfish Head and Stone, with a brief nod to New Belgium and others. But why didn’t we get more of say, Jim Koch with Sam Adams and the Boston Beer Company, or include Ken Grossman and Sierra Nevada? What about New Belgium’s market share out West, or Yuengling’s here in the East, and how they see themselves in ten years? Why don’t we hear more about these breweries’ humble beginnings and how they’ve grown so much they challenge the very definition of “craft”? These are the questions I would have liked to see explored.

Instead, I saw a scattershot approach of documenting a complex industry portrayed in black-and-white terms. If the point of the film was to spur discussion, then the objective has been achieved. If the point was to rally the troops for the beer wars, it may find its enlistment numbers dwindling.

All Aboard!

Let me set the record straight:  I’m no hop curmudgeon. But on the whole I’ve been steering clear of hop bombs as best I can because, more often than not, I end up disappointed. You see, it’s not the flavor and aroma I dislike, it’s the unbalanced bitterness found in several IPAs that get to me. But when I saw Steamworks Conductor Imperial IPA in the grocery store this week, I figured I’d let my guard down and give it a shot. There are some big, balanced IPAs out there, after all.

Just over two fingers of ivory foam creep up gently, showing good head retention and illustrating the effect of an appropriate malt backbone. The beer itself is a clear amber color.

In the nose, you get a bevy of citrus notes in that typical Western US fashion, but without the brutality some possess. The Warrior, Tomahawk, and Simcoe hops are definitely detectable, but also surprisingly muted for an imperial IPA.

In fact, this beer is rather drinkable, even at 9.24% abv. There’s not too much hop oil and a touch of malt sweetness keeps things in balance. The citrus bitterness is light on its feet and doesn’t blanket the palate, making it a beer you can keep picking up and enjoying, sip after sip. It’s much more like the kind of imperial IPAs I find myself gravitating towards – such as the Stoudt’s or Mad River Steelhead Double IPAs I’m so fond of. Although Steamworks has somehow made this more crisp and less oily, leaving those citrusy flavors at the forefront without the demolition of your tastebuds.

My advice? Seek out and drink up.

All (Grain) in a Day’s Wort

As of late, I’ve been on a brewing hiatus. What with everyday routines and life in general getting in the way, it felt like I’d lost some direction. I’ve brewed a couple of batches that turned out alright, but wasn’t able to find the inspiration for what to conjure up next. And that’s okay, because I believe I’ve found the remedy. I’ve given my brewhouse (well… apartment) an equipment upgrade and gone all-grain.

Following the instructions for converting a 10-gallon Rubbermaid cooler into a mash/lauter tun over at homebrewtalk.com, I was able to make my own in no time. It’s a simple concept really, just pop out the spigot in the cooler and piece together your own drainage system. At the bottom of the cooler sits a stainless steel braid supply hose with sturdy vinyl tubing on the inside that’s notched all along the way. Having tested it for leaks and cleaned it out, I was ready to get started.

Last Sunday afternoon, with some time on my hands, I conjured up a simple ESB recipe using Maris Otter, Crystal, and Biscuit malts. Still looking to brew something sessionable but a little paler than the Mild and Porter I did previously. With the weather warming up and all, the ESB seemed like a perfect fit. Hopefully I’ve solved the head retention issues of the past with this all-grain batch, allowing more malt protein to stick around by doing a full-wort boil. Also, I’ve scaled it down to 3.5 gallons so I can try more recipes and get a better feel for the all-grain process and the variety of mashing techniques. That’s the crucial part for still using the stovetop.

One issue I encountered, and had been wary about from the start, was temperature control in the mash. My fingers are crossed in the hopes that I didn’t leach too much from the mash, resulting in astringent flavors from husk tannins down the road. But that remains to be seen. With some on-the-fly decisions made, it kept me on my toes during the brew day, brought me back to the fun of homebrewing, and helped me get more technical. After reading up on the subject for the past few weeks, I felt fairly comfortable with the process and was itching to just get down to it.

Adding Northern Brewer, Fuggles, and Glacier hops to the boil at the appropriate times, I’m hoping for a fresh and versatile hop character that will complement the warmer days and nights we’ve been seeing lately. I used the White Labs English Ale yeast, which is the Fuller’s strain, and it seems to have already reached peak activity in the fermenter. Another week or so and this baby should be ready for bottling.

So now I play the waiting game, but already I’m trying to figure out what to brew next. Dunkelweizen? American Pale? Saison? Or revert back to an old extract recipe and see how it flies in all-grain?

Any styles or recipes you’d recommend, dear reader?

I’ll Get It Right One of These Days

My adoration for Indian cuisine is well-documented, and I’ve taken it upon myself to find more beers to pair with a variety of South Asian dishes. Recently I enjoyed some paneer makhani and rice with curried carrots on the side. The dish is composed of paneer cheese cubes in a spiced sauce, but is really milder than I had anticipated. That being said, I knew the carrots would provide a hotter side to the meal, as I had liberally applied curry and chili powder while cooking them up.

Having a general idea of what I was working with, I opted for the Schneider-Brooklyner Hopfen Weisse (as opposed to the softer, Belgian-esque Brooklyner-Schneider version). My companion decided to open a bottle of her beloved 1809 Berliner Weisse, which is another great beer – one that we picked up at a German beer tasting last month. Expecting the peppery hoppiness of my selection to go better with the spices, I felt confident in my choice while having a hunch the 1809 would at least do a sufficient job of matching the dish.

Turns out, it was the other way around. The Hopfen Weisse did alright, but it was a touch too oily from the hop presence and didn’t quite synch up with the flavors of the food, while a sip of the 1809 made me realize I didn’t quite have it pegged. The tartness present in the Berliner, combined with a much more diminutive hop character, worked much better with this particular meal, serving as an accent underneath rather than trying to commandeer the occasion.

For as much as I love Hopfen Weisse, modeled from a Bavarian weizen, the northern Berliner won the day. And had I learned anything from past experience, I would’ve followed the lady’s advice with the 1809. Instead, I swallowed my pride with my paneer and bothered her for another sip.