Tuesday, March 31, 2009
St. Peter's Old-Style Porter
Last night I enjoyed St. Peter's Old-Style Porter with dinner, and despite the green bottle (see 2 posts ago), I was pleasantly surprised. Though rarely made this way today, traditional porter is a blend of an older, more mature ale and a younger, lighter one. This process allowed porter brewers to save only a portion of their batches for aging and blend the other portion with older batches for immediate distribution.
St. Peter's Old-Style Porter is brewed in this traditional manner, which provides a unique character to the beer. There are hints of "age" in the beer--a very mild sourness, some oxidation, etc--but the blending mellows these aged notes with a fresher brewed beer, allowing for an incredibly complex flavor profile. There was even some skunkiness from the green bottle, but I purposely chose a bottle from the back of the shelf at the store (where it's darker) to minimize the chance of the beer being light-struck. The nice thing about a darker, more robust beer is that these skunked flavors and aromas quickly dissipate and are overwhelmed by the beer's true character. I'm definitely looking forward to trying a few more of St. Peter's beers...!now if only they would drop the green bottles!
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Monday, March 30, 2009
Skunked (or "Light Struck") Beer
When beer has been exposed to light for a period of time, the light interacts with hop-derived molecules called isohumulones. Isohumulones are the bittering compounds in beer that are created when the female flower of the hop plant is added to the boil during brewing. Light breaks down these isohumulones into a molecule called 3-methylbut-2-ene-1-thiol (according to the ever reliable Wikipedia). This new molecule is almost identical to the chemical a skunk produces, hence the term "skunked". Basically, Beer + Light = Bad. So, how does bottle color play into all this?
Colored glass actually absorbs light to some extent, and different color glass absorbs different parts of the light spectrum. The graphs that follow are from a study I found online entitled "Light Absorption by Various Beer Bottle Glass" by Dr. Bradley Sturgeon at Monmouth College in Monmouth, IL. The study measured the intensity of light at different wavelengths after being filtered through clear, green, blue, and brown glass. First off, the graph below shows the intensity of light from a standard 40W tungsten light bulb. Notice the light intensity when filtered through brown glass as opposed to green, blue, or clear.
Think about a retail store now--the lighting in most retail stores are not standard light bulbs, but rather fluorescent bulbs. The next graph measures the light intensity of fluorescent bulbs. Notice some of the large spikes in intensity and how the brown bottles filter those spikes compared with the other colors.
Lastly, we've all drank a beer in the sun on a hot summer day. This last graph, measuring the light intensity in natural sunlight, is especially telling since one of the worst parts of the spectrum for beer is UV light (less than 400 nm). Notice how the brown bottles almost completely filter out these harmful UV rays.
To make a long story short, brown bottles are the best choice for bottled beer. So why do breweries continue packaging their beer in green and clear bottles (e.g. Heineken and Corona)? The simple answer is marketing--it looks nice. Ever wonder why Corona is always served with a lime? It's because 9 times out of 10, that beer has been light struck already and the lime rounds the flavor out a bit. One interesting thing to note is that Miller uses a pre-isomerized hop extract in their beers instead of using real hops. The bittering compounds in this hop extract do not react with light, and thus Miller can bottle beer in clear bottles (like MGD) without worrying about skunking. Truth be told, the best packaging for beers is kegs or cans because the beer can't be light struck. Unfortunately, canning is expensive and only the major breweries can afford to do it--there are a few microbreweries that have started using cans, which is great (if you pour the beer into a glass there is no "metallic" taste--the cans are lined inside; it's when you put your mouth on the can that you get some metallic flavor). So now you know. And knowing if half the battle. GI Joe!!!
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Lancaster Brewing Company Amish Four Grain
The Lancaster Brewing Company Amish Four Grain is a slightly malt-balanced English Pale Ale. There is some hop flavor and aroma, but I think the malt is a bit more present than in an American Pale Ale. I'm not gonna do full tasting notes, cause it's Sunday and I'm lazy, but it was an excellent beer. I picked it up because I enjoyed Lancaster's Rare Rooster Rye so much, and I was equally impressed with the Amish Four Grain.
In other news, I had some great beers over the weekend in NYC at both the Heartland Brewery (I had their Red Rooster Ale) and at The Rabbit Club, one of my favorite beer bars in the city. They have a great selection of Belgian, German, and English beers and the ambience is unique to say the least. They had the Rodenbach Grand Cru on tap, the premiere example of a Flanders Red Ale, which was awesome! I also had Brauerei Pinkus Mueller's Organic Munster Alt, an easy-drinking German Altbier, as well as Hambleton Ales' Hambleton Nightmare, which is described as a Yorkshire Porter (they also make an Extra Stout Porter under the same name). I'm still hurting a bit from the weekend--I spent all day drinking yesterday during a scavenger hunt in the city to raise money for Relay For Life, and we got extra points for every shot we took. Awesome.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Belgian & French Ales--BJCP Study Group
Yesterday was Belgian & French Ales nighy at my BJCP (Beer Judge Certification Program) study group. This was our second to last styles class. We're finishing up the Belgians in 2 weeks. Next week we're doing an off-flavors class up in Pearl River, NY at the Defiant Brewing Company. It all comes down to the BJCP exam on April 18, an intensive 3-hour exam testing your beer knowledge and judging abilities.
I'm not going to provide tasting notes on all these beers, but I will provide links to their pages on BeerAdvocate.com, so you can see the beers and read other people's reviews. These are the beers I sampled last night (and you can imagine how wonderful I felt this morning):
Saison
Saison Dupont
Biere de Garde
Jenlain
Saint Sylvestre 3 Monts
Belgian Specialty Ale
Orval
Weyerbacher QUAD
Bush (Scaldis)
Church Brew Works Quadzilla (Cherry Quad)
Belgian Blond Ale
Leffe Blonde
Belgian Dubbel
Westmalle Dubbel
Affligem Dubbel
Chimay Premiere (Red)
La Trappe Dubbel
Belgian Tripel
Chimay Cinq Cents (White)
Tripel Karmeliet
Belgian Golden Strong Ale
Duvel
Belgian Dark Strong Ale
Chimay Grande Reserve (Blue)
St. Bernadus Abt 12
Homebrewed Belgian Dark Strong Ale
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Thursday, March 26, 2009
Climax Brewing Company Hoffmann Helles
I had the privilege of sampling Climax Brewing's Hoffmann Helles straight from the carbonation tank at the brewery. Dave Hoffmann, owner and head brewer, was nice enough to come in one evening, give me a tour, and let me sample some of his beers. There's nothing quite like fresh beer straight from the tank! Since I had the beer last night, these notes are from my memory.
Aroma: Bread baking is the first thing that comes to mind. The beer has an intense malt aroma, slightly biscuity and some toasty notes. There's a background German hop aroma as well.
Appearance: Medium gold color. The beer has excellent clarity and a beautifully thick white head. The head was extremely large at first cause it was coming straight from the carbonation tank, but once the beer settled, it was the perfect pint.
Flavor: The biscuity sweet malt flavor is delicately balanced with the hop bitterness. Little detectable hop flavor, but that's appropriate for a Helles.
Mouthfeel: The thing I really loved about this beer is that the carbonation wasn't overwhelming. A lot of light lagers (especially the macros) have way too much carbonation in my opinion. The Hoffmann Helles had decent carbonation, but not over the top, leaving a creamy medium body that I wasn't expecting in a lager.
Overall Impression: I finished half a pint of this in like 3 minutes and easily could've drank a few more glasses. The Helles is incredibly easy drinking and a refreshing change from some of the "extreme" beers on the market. If anyone gets a chance to try some of Climax's beers, I'd highly recommend them. They're only sold in half-gallon growlers now (but through retail stores), but Dave indicated they're hoping to expand to 12oz bottles at some point.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
JJ Bitting Brewing & Climax Brewing
I haven't decided yet whether to try their O'Halloran's Irish Red, Barley Legal Barleywine, or Coal Train Porter. It's all gonna depend on how I'm feeling after work. I'll hopefully post some notes about whichever beer I choose later tonight when I get home
Following what's hopefully a great meal and a great beer at JJ Bitting, I'm heading over to the Climax Brewing Company for a personal tour of their brewery.
Dave Hoffmann over at Climax is being extremely generous and opening up the brewery tonight to give me a tour. I've never had any of their beers before either, so hopefully I'll get to taste some and/or buy some for later. Their ESB and Nut Brown Ale sound especially tasty as do their seasonal Doppelbock, and I think it may be Doppelbock season! I'll post some updates on the Climax tour tonight or tomorrow as well.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Beer and Your Health
Tuesday is one of the few days each week (OK, the only day) that I don't have a beer. Why? Well, for one thing, I've self-designated Tuesday an official LRP (Liver Recovery Period). I also play tennis on Tuesdays after work, and I can't seem to bring myself to have a beer after doing something good for my body.
So, is beer actually bad for you? I'd like to think not. In fact, there's been quite a bit of research done that beer (in moderation of course) actually has some health benefits. Yes, beer has calories, but not as many as most people think--you'd need to drink something like 4 beers to equal the number of calories in a fast food burger. To put it concisely, having a beer a day is not bad for you and actually has some benefits--it's really no different than having a glass of wine with dinner each night, which no one seems to have a problem with (I'll save the Beer vs. Wine argument for another time though). This article from All About Beer Magazine by Gregg Glaser has some interesting beer health info...check it out:
You're Better Off With Beer, Beer and Your Health
Monday, March 23, 2009
Diet Peach Snapple Iced Tea
Unfortunately I'm in the office today, which means I can't have a beer with lunch. What it does mean is that I can have a Diet Peach Snapple Iced Tea (DPSIT, which is surprisingly close to DIPSHIT). I promise that this will be one of the few times I do this, but here it goes:
Aroma: Pleasant tea aroma with hints of peach and other white fruits. Smells sweet and inviting--this will go great with my French dip (the sandwich...I'm pretty sure "French dip" could mean skinny dipping, but there's a chance I'm just making that up).
Appearance: Light brown with excellent clarity. No head on iced tea unfortunately, though it does foam for a brief amount of time if you shake the bottle really vigorously. There's some sediment at the bottom of the glass--I got excited for a minute cause usually when there's sediment at the bottom of my bottle it's yeast sediment. Sadly, this is just tea leaf sediment.
Flavor: A sweet and fruity tea flavor, with an emphasis on the fruit juice. There's an ever so slight bitterness on the finish from the tea, though it does finish rather sweet.
Mouthfeel: Light body with zero effervescence. The finish sort of dries my mouth out a bit, making me want to drink some more to "wet my whistle" again (that's what she said?)--they probably did that on purpose so you'd drink more.
Overall Impression: While it's certainly no fermented malt beverage, the DPSIT makes a find workday lunch drink. Sweet and easy-drinking, it's a nice way to kick off the afternoon...speaking of which, I have a meeting to get to :-(
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Fuller's London Porter
While brewing my first lager today (an oktoberfest/marzen), I had a couple pints of my homebrewed Belgian Pale Ale, but I finished the day strong with one of my favorite beers, Fuller's London Porter, a classic brown porter. Here are some distinct tasting notes that I took on the London Porter during one of my BJCP (Beer Judge Certification Program) study group (I'm taking the test in April):
Aroma: Sweet chocolate initially with some mild roastiness following it. Little to no hop aroma. The beer's aromatics are incredibly welcoming.
Appearance: Dark brown with the slightest ruby highlights on the edges. Relatively clear with a small, off-white head. The head retention isn't great (despite the picture I found), but there is some nice lacing on the glass.
Flavor: Roasty with notes of dark chocolate. A very slight fruitiness probably from yeast esters. Hop bitterness is mild, and there's no hop flavor detectable.
Mouthfeel: A creamy, medium-full body with mild carbonation.
Overall Impression: A wonderfully drinkable session-beer. The roastiness is not overwhelming and is balanced nicely with chocolate flavors some malt sweetness.
What a Beerkend!
After a day of judging beer, I hit up the 3rd Manhattan Cask Ale Festival at the Chelsea Brewing Company in NYC. I had some great beers there including 8 oz samples of the Cape Ann Fisherman's Navigator, the Chelsea Black Hole XXX Stout, the Nodding Head 60 Shilling Ale, and the Harvest Moon Abbey Brown Ale (my personal favorite).
And now, it's time to brew! I'm brewing a Marzen today and probably drinking my homebrewed Belgian Pale Ale while I "work." Relax, Don't Worry, Have a Homebrew!
Friday, March 20, 2009
Weyerbacher Slam Dunkel Double Dunkelweizen Ale
First Beer Post: Lancaster Rare Rooster Rye Ale
This is the inaugural beer post at The Blog-O-Beer! With lunch today, I cracked open a Rare Rooster Rye Ale from Lancaster Brewing Company. Since this is the first beer post, I figured I'd go balls to the wall and do some tasting notes:
Appearance: Light to medium copper with a very small white head. Little head retention and no apparent lacing. The beer has pretty good clarity, and looks like it will go well with my pizza lunch. There's also some yeast sediment in the bottle (I'm assuming it was bottle-conditioned).
Aroma: Grain is the first thing that I smell. The nose is malt-balanced and has little noticeable hop aroma. Some sweet caramel notes and a little spiciness from the rye.
Flavor: Sweet malt with low hop bitterness. No hop flavor. The rye lends a mild spiciness that balances nicely with some toffee-like flavors and coats your mouth on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Fuck--I finished my glass before I got here. Oops! From what I recall: Mild carbonation and a medium-full body.
Overall Impression: At 4.8% ABV, this brew makes an excellent session beer. Easy-drinking with a low bitterness (18 IBU according to their website), I could easily destroy a few pints of this rye ale. A perfect lunch accompaniment that'll make the rest of the work day much more bearable (I work from home on Friday's awesome, which means I get to drink beer).
Disclaimer: I'm too lazy to take my own pictures, so all the pictures I post are from the interwebs.
Welcome to the Blog-O-Beer!
Hi, I'm Mike, and I like beer. This is a place for me to keep track of all the beers I drink. Sometimes I'll just list them, sometimes I'll include pictures, and if I'm feeling especially feisty, I may even put some tasting notes. I'll occasionally post about other things as well, like my awesome ideas and random thoughts. In reality, this is just another thing to distract me at work (I don't particularly like my job...but it pays well, I'm holding strong for now). I ultimately would like to make a career out of beer--a beereer, if you will. In fact, my friend Seamus (not pronounced Sea-Moose) and I are working on opening a brewpub at some point in the future. I'll probably post about how that's going occasionally as well. I really don't expect many people to read this (if any), but who knows...stranger things have happened.