The Science of Brewing

Last week (May 16th) the NPR program "Science Friday" dedicated its second hour to discussing some of the science behind beer and brewing. Since it was in Milwaukee, they also spent some time talking about the early years of Wisconsin brewing. It wasn't as technical as I personally would have liked, but they do a good job of covering many subjects and providing a general overview of the state of beer brewing today. If you missed it here is the link to the MP3:

http://podcastdownload.npr.org/anon.npr-podcasts/podcast/510221/90543718/npr_90543718.mp3

Portland represents at the World Beer Cup

On April 19th the World Beer Cup published the winners from each of the 91 beer style categories that they were judging this year. Out of the 2,864 beers entered from 644 breweries in 58 countries Oregon walked away with 16 metals, the winner of the Small Brewpub category (Bend Brewing Company, making Tonya Cornett the first woman brewer to win this award), and the winner of the Large Brewpub category (Pelican Pub & Brewery, which they also won in 2006 at the Great American Beer Festival)

Portland was able to snag 7 of the medals, 4 golds and 3 silvers:

BridgePort Brewery got a gold for its Beertown Brown in the English-Style Brown Ale category and a silver for its Blue Heron Pale Ale in the Ordinary Bitter category.

New kid on the block Hopworks Urban Brewery won gold with its IPA in the American-Style Strong Pale Ale category and silver with its Organic Lager in the Bohemian-Style Pilsener category.

Laurelwood Brewing Company's Organic Deranger won a silver in the Imperial or Double Red Ale category.

Widmer Brothers got two golds, one for their Hefeweizen in the American-Style Hefeweizen category and the other for their Pale Ale in the American-Style Pale Ale category.

Find the compleat list here: http://www.beertown.org/events/wbc/index.html

Barons Black Wattle Superior Wattle Seed Ale

I had no idea what wattle seeds were when I saw this, so naturally I had to check it out. As an extra special bonus I had a flimsy excuse to use my really bad Australian accent while purchasing it and listening to Men at Work's opus "Down Under" over and over again on the way home.

Stats:
Brewery - Barons Brewing Company in Woollahra, Australia
Style - Seems to me like a spiced version of a Northern English Brown
ABV - 5.8%
Serving type - 12-oz bottle

Apparently, Wattle Seeds are native Australian versions of Acacia. Of the 1300ish species of Acacia, around 960 of them come from Australia. It has been used in food stuffs for awhile. The aborigines would eat the seeds raw or cooked or made into "bush bread". Today it shows up in Barq's Root Beer and Altoids. It was only a matter of time until it made its way into beer.

I have no idea what Wattle Seeds smell or taste like so it may be difficult to judge how it impacts the beer. According to what I found on-line Wattle Seeds tend to add a nutty, chicory and/or coffee flavor to the foods it is added to.

Glass - Tied house pint glass

Aroma – When I first poured this beer there was a distinct cider aroma. This quickly gave way to a delicate balance of flowery (almost like lavender, but not as pungent) hops and nutty/bready malts. As the beer warmed it became muskier.

Appearance – It pours with a small, short lived off-white crown. There is no lace. It has a light ruby color.

Flavor – The beer starts off delicate and balanced enough with sticky sweetness in the front, malty and nutty down the middle and the floral hops down the sides. In the back the flavor a bold spiciness jumps out. Then, from out of nowhere, dark chocolate appears in the aftertaste amongst the lingering spices.

Mouthfeel – The body is light and refreshing, probably do to the prickly/fizzy carbonation. It finishes dry.

Final Thoughts - Not what I would call an "Everyday Beer" and it might even be difficult to knock back a couple of these in a row. However, it is a unique and flavorful beer that I'm glad I found. I am curious to add a few milliliters of Wattle Seed extract to a macro-beer and see what that tastes like.

6th Annual Hard Liver Barleywine Fest

I have been dreaming of attending this week-long festival for years. Unfortunately, something always seems to get in the way. First, it takes place three hours away in Seattle, which means I would need to spend the night up there. Second, since 8% ABV is considers a weak barleywine, I would really prefer to have someone there, to "watch my back", but finding someone who can take off on an overnight trip in the middle of the week just to support my drinking habit has been difficult. However, this year was different, and by 5 p.m. Wednesday Noelle and I were walking into Brower's Café (unquestionably one of the greatest beer drinking establishments I have ever seen).

Sampling the 50+ barleywines reminded me a lot of ordering food at a Chinese restaurant. In order to keep things as simple as possible I would pick out several 3 oz sections from the menu and order based on the number next to that beer. The 60+ taps behind the bar all had masking tape wrapped around the handles with a number that corresponded to the menu.

First up was a very special Old Bawdy from Pike Pub & Brewery in Seattle that was kegged back in 1996. It looked dark brown but showed its ruby highlights when held up to the light. The aroma was all about the dark fruit (figs mostly) and molasses, although once it warmed up the smell of brown sugar became apparent. The bold taste of coffee and heavily roasted grains danced in my mouth. There was roasty bitterness down the sides and in the back but it was strangely sweet (molasses) down the middle of my tongue. As you might expect from a 12 year old beer, it finished dry and left and a little astringent.

Next, I couldn't resist the allure of a barleywine from Anderson Valley Brewing Co. in Northern California. This beer, called Horn Of The Beer, was a beautiful dark crimson color with a thin light tan crown. It was just as pleasant to smell as it was to look at. Plums, raisins and toffee combined with the faint smell of alcohol to make me a very thirsty camper. In my mouth, flavors of apples and plumbs swirled around in what was a surprisingly light bodied beer (for the style). I could also detect the faintest hop bitterness on the top of my tongue.

Curiosity then got the better of me and I ordered up a 2007 vintage of Pike's Old Bawdy for comparison's sake. In almost every way this was the yang to the '96s yin. This was much lighter in color, more of a medium ruby. The aroma was similar to the '96, but each individual facet seemed to blend much more easily together. I got the impression the aroma was comparatively muted. It was almost sticky sweet after having it's dried out older brother. The "lighter" flavors stood out in this one. Apple and caramel were predominant and there was a little hoppy bitterness down the middle.

It was about this time I started to let slip my attachment to sobriety. I also noticed that most of the flavors seemed to be similar from beer to beer, not so surprising since they are all the same style. So, for the rest of the tasting I only wrote down the things that stood out.

Shiver Me Liver from Skagit River Brewery in Mount Vernon, WA was up next. This too was sticky sweet and I could swear I was tasting brown sugar on my teeth. It was mellower and less bitter than the previous beers, but did seem to have more of a fusel alcohol taste. It also had more of a pear flavor rather than that of an apple.

My inner-geek (maybe not so inner sometimes) convinced me to try Old Wookie from Water Street Brewing in Port Townsend, WA. It had a pleasant floral aroma, but the flavor was incredibly bland. I didn't realize it was possible to make a virtually flavorless barleywine. I was so disillusioned that at the bottom of my notes in bold capital letters I wrote "Never drink Water Street beer again!"

Then I realized that I could just be suffering from "taste bud fatigue" and maybe the Old Wookie wasn't as bland as I thought it was. I decided on another beer just to make sure (funny how once I get a few drinks in me all my decisions tend to lead to more beer). Walking Man Brewing Co was a brewery I trusted and they just so happened to bring Old Stumblefoot up from Stevenson, WA. Turns out I was right the first time, Old Wookie just sucked. This beer had all the flavors and aromas I had come to expect from my early beers other than it was slightly sweeter and had a mild bitterness to it.

To mix things up, I next chose the Harvest Ale that J.W. Lees & Co. brought over from jolly old England. This sort of reminded me of the '96 Old Bawdy with it's dark molasses and brown sugar aromas, but it was much softer and the fragrances blended together much more playfully. As with most heavy beers from across the pond, raisin flavors dominated the palette. Some brown sugar flavors peaked out in the back and lingered in the aftertaste where they were joined by some dark fruit flavors. There was absolutely no bitterness at all.

For my final beer of the evening I decided on Widdershins from Left Hand Brewing Co. in Longmont, CO. I wasn't able to pull much out of the aroma; however, this beer stood out because there was a strong smoke flavor component. It's not something I normally enjoy, but it was just so different and unexpected that I couldn't help but appreciate it.

Overall, the evening was a blast. I hope I can go back someday and stay for multiple sittings. Maybe I'll even get there on opening day and participate in the judging.

The Abyss (’06 & ’07)

After the “Abyss-O-Mania” (as John Foyston put it) where all bottles of The Abyss in Portland sold out in less than three days, I wasn’t expecting to get any this year. Then, last week, my buddy Dave and I went to “Deschutes Night” at the Moon & Sixpence where I got to do a vertical tasting of this year and last years beer.

Stats:

Brewery – Deschutes Brewery, Inc. in Bend, Oregon

Style – Russian Imperial Stout

ABV – 11 % ABV
IBUs – 65
Serving Type – Draft

The Abyss is the second beer in Deschutes’ “Reserve Series”. The first beer was an oak-aged barley wine called Mirror Mirror launched back in 2005. In 2006 The Abyss was released and became so popular, and won so many awards, that they decided to mix up another batch of ’07. However, it didn’t actually get released until mid-January of ’08, which may have had something to do with the über-hyping of this beer.

The popularity of may have something to do with the fact that it is aged in French oak, pinot noir, and bourbon barrels for 9 months. Also, Cherry bark and vanilla bean were added during the fermentation staged (dry-hopped).

Glass – Both were in a 10 oz. snifter glasses

Aroma – The ’06 had a very pronounced smell of dark roasted grains, coffee and dark chocolate. The ’07 was more subtle and rounded. The dark aromas blended, and complimented, the more delicate vanilla and molasses notes.

Appearance – This is where this beer earns its name. The color is so dark; you might as well be gazing into the hart of a black hole. This void in reality, from which no light can escape, is so enveloping that men have gone mad from staring into the nothingness. It also has a wispy dark tan crown.

Flavor – As in the aroma, the flavors of the ’06 were more jagged and aggressive. The younger was roasty, with hints of chocolate down the sides of my tongue. In he back it was a coffee or dark chocolate like bitterness, which got sweeter as the beer got warmer. Right down the middle was the pronounced taste of alcohol. The younger brother was once again smother, less bitter, and sweeter. The alcohol was more subtle and I was also able to pick out some licorice and floral flavors.

Mouthfeel – Both had a full body. The ’06 finished dry, while the ’07 finished wet with a lingering bitterness.

Final Thoughts – The 2007 was a more complex beer and yet easier and more enjoyable to drink. I definitely got the impression the ’06 kept fermenting and dried out the beer while the hops naturally mellowed out and their subtle contributions were overwhelmed by the roasted grains. It’s amazing to see what a year can do to a beer. I can see why this beer has such a cult following.

Collaboration not Litigation Ale

The story of this beer is so beautiful it just might warm the cockles of your heart. Even if it is a year old.

Stats:
Brewery – Avery Brewing Co. in Boulder, CO (with a little help from Russian River Brewing in Santa Rosa, CA)
Style – Blended Belgian-style Strong Ale
OG: 1.079
ABV – 8.99%
Serving Type – 22 oz. (bomber) bottle

In the fast-paced world of craft brewing, beer names are bound to be repeated. In this case, "Salvation" became the moniker for two Belgian-style ales from two of the countries leading brewers. In one corner we have a Belgian Strong Dark Ale from Vinnie Cilurzo and the boys at Russian River Brewing dominating the flavor palette with sweet, complex malts and yeast flavors. In the other corner, with plenty of refreshing hops and spicy esters, Adam Avery from Avery Brewing enters the arena with a Belgian Strong Pale Ale.

In our overly litigious and adversarial culture no one bat an eye if these companies sued each other into the ground (although it would have been a terrible loss for the craft beer community). Instead they took a page out of Voltron's book when they had to battle the evil King Zarkon, and combined the two beers to form a new and even more powerful third beer.

In the spring of '04 Adam met with Vinnie at the Russian River Brewing pub where the two tried blending their individual beers together, in various concentrations, until they the ratio just right. As the story goes, they also found them selves more than a little "blended" by the end of the night. Vinnie's wife, Natalie, came up with the name that aptly highlights this (unfortunately) seldom used business strategy. In mid-November of aught-six Vinnie when to Avery Brewing and brewed his beer just as he would back in his own brewery. On December 11th, 2006 the two beers were finally blended together.

Glass – Thistle glass

Aroma – Definitely a Began beer. As soon as I opened the bottle I could detect a musky and yeasty aroma, which dissipated quickly. In the glass I got notes of apple and fig as well as a faint spicy and nutty scent.

Appearance – Pours with a big fluffy, stable white crown leaving big sheets of lace. The color is a crystal clear dark ruby.

Flavor – It starts off with a malty sweetness on the front of my tongue, turning slightly floral as it moves towards the middle. The apples are present in the taste profile on the sides. There is a subtle clove-like spiciness throughout. In the back it gets a little tart, and reminds me of a green apple Jolly Rancher.

Mouthfeel – It has a medium body with a dry, almost astringent, finish.

Final Thoughts – I really wish I had gotten this beer before it was a year old. After reading some of the other reviews I can tell this beer has mellowed and is a mere whisper of what it was originally intended to be. I also think it’s much drier than it would be if it was fresh. On the other hand, my bottle had a much bigger kick since the residual yeast has been working on the unfermented sugars for the past 12 months.

10 Unexpected Uses for Beer

This entry is blatantly plagiarized from here.

There are many useful uses for beer besides drinking it and having fun. Most of us just enjoy drinking beer, but the truth is, it can be used in a variety of different ways. Especially when you don't want to throw away any extra beer you have. Here are just 10 examples of what you can do with them.

1. Marinate meat in it - Use beer instead of wine to marinate your meat. Not only does it taste better, but it also makes the meat softer and more tender.
2. Help grass grow easier - pour beer on those irritating brown spots on your lawns to help your grass grow. The grass absorbs the nutrients, sugar and energy it needs to be able to grow.
3. Kill slugs & snails - Fill containers or wide-mouthed bottles or something of the sort with beer about a quarter to half way up. Then bury these in your garden. The slugs or snails will be attracted to them and drown.
4. Kill mice - This may sound a little far-fetched but fill a bucket or pail up about a third of the way with cheap beer with a board or something leading to the rim at the top. The mice, smelling this, will jump in, and not be able to climb out.
5. Calm a stomach-ache - Just sit down and drink a beer. This carbonated drink will settle your stomach right down. The alcohol helps reduce the pain as well. Don't use if you have an ulcer or gastritis.
6. Polish gold - Wet a piece of cloth with some beer and start rubbing your gold (no stones) to get the shine back. Use a second cloth to dry it.
7. Bathe in it - Add a few cans of beer into your bath. Believe it or not, it will do you good. The yeasts are good for softening and soothing the skin.
8. Polish wood furniture - Let some beer sit until it goes flat, then, dampen a washcloth with it, and rub your wooden furniture. This will polish it, and give it a more shiny and healthy look.
9. Cook with it - When boiling shrimp, try using beer for the cooking liquid. Season as you wish, but don't overcook.
10. Drink it!