I saw a program on Discovery, I think it was, back around the holidays about the privately owned breweries and how they are making an impact on the industry. It mentioned that Bud Light is the #1 beer sold in the world. I never realized that getting all the different tastes was so scientific.
Barley, hops and yeast...contained in the food pyramid.
Oakspear, you are "the man" and although we have never met, and you have no idea of my credentials, my empowerment, I do appoint you MAN OF THE MONTH for GSC. You have, in my opinion, transcended and sit on the moutain, looking down yet apart from the "Vally of Average Beer".
Rumrunner gets second place, sitting at your feet, popping tops for your selections, still a place of prominence on the mountain, after all, brewing his own beer is a place of honor.
I started getting into beer while living in Seattle, at the start of microbrews, that is, microbrews taking off in the market place. I would go down to the Fremont area of Seattle, to the Redhook brewery and get live beer. I started on the delicate tastes, Wheat beer with a little lemon. Redhook, allowed you to bring in a thermos bottle with a lid and they would fill you up on a per ounce cost basis. I would take my thermos of beer and a hearty bread and cheese sandwich and walk the 30 feet from the brewery down to the canal, have a picnic and watch the sailboats power down to the locks to Puget Sound...ya, my place in the sun...
Oh, years have passed since then, tried a lot of brews. Seems like the germans make some good brews, always the purity standard with them. Dutch, Belgian, Italian, Japanese, even went down to Mexico and as the old saying goes...while in Rome, da, da...so I sampled the different brews down there while watching the bullfights...
Anyway, my conclusion is Sam Adams is doing some great work in beers. I actually haven't had a beer in some 6 or 7 months, but if I feel like it, Sam Adams is always there. And stouts are great, Guiness, a brown and tan, yep great beverage. There are some other stouts, pub stouts, that are a bit more mellow with the same creamy top, but I am sure you know all about that...I will have to look for the one you talk about with the vanilla tone....
Have you tried, you did not mention this, Irish Ales? The ones that are around 12 percent alcohol? Those are pub drinks, I have only been to a couple places that ever had them, but its a good diversion.
If you are ever in Seattle, the one stop, you have to, absolutely have to make is to the Pike Street Market. You go halfway, that would be like a right where the main entrance is, past the big stall where that guy is always throwing fish, big fish...you go right, and oh, like what 75 feet, and there is a small restaurant and bar on the left...pretty old place, from the old days before WWII, anyway, you go past the counter stools on the left, on the right tables...all the way to the windows and make a left...there is an area there, of like enough space for 30 people...and ya order a frosty mug of Alaska ?? ale, that is your homework, fill in the blank, have a brew at this little hideaway from the real world...
regards, and enjoy your elevated "symbolic" status on GSC...michael
So far my favorite home made was an oatmeal stout.
I think I have that name right
IT i s a rich amber color and has this molassasy flavor very very good.
Yep, that is the right name.
Some of your microbrews have all sorts of flavor, I am not referring to your oatmeal stout, just in general. Anyway, I believe these flavors whether its cherry, blackberry, apricot, and so on are not due to ingredients, but the "healthy microscopic organisms" that break down the mix into alcohol and other things, like flavor. The flavors have something to do with the "specificity" of the organisms. So, that goes into rocket science science to me, I am just the consumer. Maybe roadrunner and his brewing has some things to say about how to get special flavors into brews...
Well those fruit flavors come from a couple of sources depending on how authentic the brew is. A lot of breweries use fruit essence (perfectly safe and organic) to add the flavor since it means less filtering when bottling up for secondary fermentation. It also allows them to use flavors that are non-traditional.
The origin, or at least where it became common, of the fruit beers/ales was Bavaria. In Germany there is a definite concept of seasonal beverages. Summer is for pilseners or lagers, late fall through early spring is for heavier ales. It was/is common to make a winter ale that actually had cherries or apples in it during primary fermentation. This is then filtered carefully before bottling but the essence of the fruit (chemicals called esters) are in the beer and leave that slightly fruity smell. In beer made this way the smell of the fruit is stronger than the taste...really nice.
Yep, that is the right name.
Some of your microbrews have all sorts of flavor, I am not referring to your oatmeal stout, just in general. Anyway, I believe these flavors whether its cherry, blackberry, apricot, and so on are not due to ingredients, but the "healthy microscopic organisms" that break down the mix into alcohol and other things, like flavor. The flavors have something to do with the "specificity" of the organisms. So, that goes into rocket science science to me, I am just the consumer. Maybe roadrunner and his brewing has some things to say about how to get special flavors into brews...
Well those fruit flavors come from a couple of sources depending on how authentic the brew is. A lot of breweries use fruit essence (perfectly safe and organic) to add the flavor since it means less filtering when bottling up for secondary fermentation. It also allows them to use flavors that are non-traditional.
The origin, or at least where it became common, of the fruit beers/ales was Bavaria. In Germany there is a definite concept of seasonal beverages. Summer is for pilseners or lagers, late fall through early spring is for heavier ales. It was/is common to make a winter ale that actually had cherries or apples in it during primary fermentation. This is then filtered carefully before bottling but the essence of the fruit (chemicals called esters) are in the beer and leave that slightly fruity smell. In beer made this way the smell of the fruit is stronger than the taste...really nice.
I have a question, rumrunner, when you are making beer, how important is/are "hops"? There are all these references to hops in the sam adams commercials. My comment to waysider about Corona, is more about hops than anything else, I was told Corona beer has no hops and is actually made from corn syrup...anyway, do you buy hops, processed hops in pellets, or freeze-dried hops? And lets say, I wanted to grow hops out in my garden, do able, not do able?
Brewing beer without hops would be like eating a hot dog with sauerkraut. Hops come with different aromas and levels of bitterness. They are a whole science unto themselves. I don't know how Corona is made nor do I drink it so I won't make any comment either for or against it. I prefer dark and very very bitter ales myself. The stories behind using corn sugar instead of malt go back to WWII when malt was used to make cereal products for US troops. Brewing companies could not afford malt (besides it was rationed) hence some turned to corn sugars/syrups. This was the genesis of the yellow pi$$y stuff you now buy from the big breweries.
You can buy hops at any store that sells home brewing supplies. Indeed you can grow them but be advised the hop plant is 1st cousin to cannabis and looks similar - you don't want the local authorities busting your house down just to find out you are growing beer supplies.
Now when it comes to home brewing the real purists do everything from scratch - they malt their own grains etc. The beers of course are excellent but I have a secret for ya. There are plenty of kits available. They usually ship a can of malt extract (syrupy), hops, yeast, finishing sugar, anything special for that recipe, etc and they turn out perfectly fine beers and ales.
If you are serious, the absolutely best book on home brewing is, "The New Complete Joy of Home Brewing " by Charlie Papazian. I just checked availability on Amazon and you can get it used in very good condition for as low as $1.73 (USD) and new starting at $36.00 (USD). You can do a simple web search on "home brewing supplies"+<your city> and you'll find some shops. You can also search on mail order and find plenty of mail order places.
I have a question, rumrunner, when you are making beer, how important is/are "hops"? There are all these references to hops in the sam adams commercials. My comment to waysider about Corona, is more about hops than anything else, I was told Corona beer has no hops and is actually made from corn syrup...anyway, do you buy hops, processed hops in pellets, or freeze-dried hops? And lets say, I wanted to grow hops out in my garden, do able, not do able?
Thanks, rumrunner for your reply. My father, has been brewing for some years, has a refrigerator just for I believe the finished product, a keg, and it stays good for some period of time. Last time I visited him, I tried a glass with him and I was very, very pleasantly surprised on the taste. So, I have thought about jumping in and seeing if I can follow instructions and give it a go, thanks for the reference....its off to piratebay - lol But seriously, I appreciate hearing about the history and background of brewing.
I don't drink beer too much anymore ..I like wine but when I do have an occasional nip of the hops and barley elixir I try to drink Belgium Ale. My two favorite are:
Ommegang Ale : Brewed in Cooperstown, NY by Brew masters from Belgium. They actually cork the bottles like wine because of the added cherry lambic base.
Grimbergen Beer is a piece of Belgium’s history and yet remains part of it’s culture today. With 800 years of Brewing tradition, it uses time-honored skills of craftsmanship to produce a selection of quality beers for your enjoyment. There are three styles of this popular Abbey beer. Blonde, Double and Triple. The beer was once brewed by monks but was sold under license to a brewery who kept the style alive. Double has undergone two fermentations, which gives this ale a chocolaty, toffee taste with a warming brandy-like finish. YUM !!
I don't drink beer too much anymore ..I like wine but when I do have an occasional nip of the hops and barley elixir I try to drink Belgium Ale. My two favorite are:
Ommegang Ale : Brewed in Cooperstown, NY by Brew masters from Belgium. They actually cork the bottles like wine because of the added cherry lambic base.
Grimbergen Beer is a piece of Belgium’s history and yet remains part of it’s culture today. With 800 years of Brewing tradition, it uses time-honored skills of craftsmanship to produce a selection of quality beers for your enjoyment. There are three styles of this popular Abbey beer. Blonde, Double and Triple. The beer was once brewed by monks but was sold under license to a brewery who kept the style alive. Double has undergone two fermentations, which gives this ale a chocolaty, toffee taste with a warming brandy-like finish. YUM !!
Er, just a question, is this the sweet style of beer? I haven't tried too many Belgian beers as they can be very, very sweet..and sweet doesn't go with spicy type foods, like Thai...I do tend to pass by beers with Monks on them, due to the sweetness....which ones of your list are drier? Inquiring minds want to know...thanks
I'm always up for trying any new kind of Hefeweizen. I'm from Oregon, and they have McMennamin's all over, which is a microbrew. They have many great beers. Ruby is my favorite.
Hubby and I went to the Big Island of Hawaii last October and went to the Kona Brewing Company. The make pizza dough from the yeast they use for the beer. They have excellent beer choices, and their Captain Cook and Thai Chicken pizzas are tod ie for! I liked their Wailua Wheat the best. I'm not a huge fan of dark beer, so I can't say how it was.
Belgian beers/ales tend to come in two flavors - very sweet and very dry. If you don't like a sweet ale try a Belgian called Cinq Cents - brewed by Chimay and yes it has monks on it. Very dry - very potent - I used to called it getting Chimay Faced.....
Er, just a question, is this the sweet style of beer? I haven't tried too many Belgian beers as they can be very, very sweet..and sweet doesn't go with spicy type foods, like Thai...I do tend to pass by beers with Monks on them, due to the sweetness....which ones of your list are drier? Inquiring minds want to know...thanks
There's two beers that I remember as being "off the charts" - and as I no longer indulge - memory is all I've got left.
One was "Black VooDoo" beer that was a seasonal sorta thing, brewed in (or maybe around) New Orleans. It was - as the name would suggest - a dark beer, but not overly heavy. Really tasty. But my favorite was "Watney's Red Barrel Beer" - ON TAP. You can find it in bottles at most good grocery stores, but it's just not the same. If you can find it on tap, it's really a treat. The Central Tavern (the oldest tavern still in operation in Seattle) USED to have it and I was known to imbibe in a bit of it from time to time. After an evening of indulgence, we'd usually start calling it "Watney's Wed Bawwoh Beeah". Uh, comes with the territory I guess...
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kimberly
I saw a program on Discovery, I think it was, back around the holidays about the privately owned breweries and how they are making an impact on the industry. It mentioned that Bud Light is the #1 beer sold in the world. I never realized that getting all the different tastes was so scientific.
Barley, hops and yeast...contained in the food pyramid.
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leafytwiglet
MY Hubby makes home made beer now and he was saying the other day he has a hard time drinking the store stuff now even the expensive kinds.
I not being a big drinker have to admit that many of our Home brews are really quite good and even I enjoy them
THe flavor is so much richer and more complex.
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RumRunner
I confess!!! I am a beer snob after brewing my own beer for 25 years. The only commercial beer I drink is from a microbrew named Stone Brewing Company
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dmiller
Go out back of the Budweiser brewery, and you'll see where their beer REALLY comes from.
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Twinky
I grew up in a brewing town. Hate the smell of the stuff.
But here's an ad for some beer (not brewed in my home town or even home country!):
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=1o9R6T4d4GU
This product's adverts have attained near-icon status...good fun.
PS I can't speak for the quality of the beer but that's probably not much to write home about
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mchud11
Oakspear, you are "the man" and although we have never met, and you have no idea of my credentials, my empowerment, I do appoint you MAN OF THE MONTH for GSC. You have, in my opinion, transcended and sit on the moutain, looking down yet apart from the "Vally of Average Beer".
Rumrunner gets second place, sitting at your feet, popping tops for your selections, still a place of prominence on the mountain, after all, brewing his own beer is a place of honor.
I started getting into beer while living in Seattle, at the start of microbrews, that is, microbrews taking off in the market place. I would go down to the Fremont area of Seattle, to the Redhook brewery and get live beer. I started on the delicate tastes, Wheat beer with a little lemon. Redhook, allowed you to bring in a thermos bottle with a lid and they would fill you up on a per ounce cost basis. I would take my thermos of beer and a hearty bread and cheese sandwich and walk the 30 feet from the brewery down to the canal, have a picnic and watch the sailboats power down to the locks to Puget Sound...ya, my place in the sun...
Oh, years have passed since then, tried a lot of brews. Seems like the germans make some good brews, always the purity standard with them. Dutch, Belgian, Italian, Japanese, even went down to Mexico and as the old saying goes...while in Rome, da, da...so I sampled the different brews down there while watching the bullfights...
Anyway, my conclusion is Sam Adams is doing some great work in beers. I actually haven't had a beer in some 6 or 7 months, but if I feel like it, Sam Adams is always there. And stouts are great, Guiness, a brown and tan, yep great beverage. There are some other stouts, pub stouts, that are a bit more mellow with the same creamy top, but I am sure you know all about that...I will have to look for the one you talk about with the vanilla tone....
Have you tried, you did not mention this, Irish Ales? The ones that are around 12 percent alcohol? Those are pub drinks, I have only been to a couple places that ever had them, but its a good diversion.
If you are ever in Seattle, the one stop, you have to, absolutely have to make is to the Pike Street Market. You go halfway, that would be like a right where the main entrance is, past the big stall where that guy is always throwing fish, big fish...you go right, and oh, like what 75 feet, and there is a small restaurant and bar on the left...pretty old place, from the old days before WWII, anyway, you go past the counter stools on the left, on the right tables...all the way to the windows and make a left...there is an area there, of like enough space for 30 people...and ya order a frosty mug of Alaska ?? ale, that is your homework, fill in the blank, have a brew at this little hideaway from the real world...
regards, and enjoy your elevated "symbolic" status on GSC...michael
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waysider
Had a St. Peter's Cream Stout the other day.
(On the house/ way outside my budget these days)
Very smooth and a pleasure to drink
A tad bit on the bitter side but I actually prefer my stout to be that way.
When I hit the Lotto---------
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mchud11
Waysider, as long as you don't say that Corona is a beer, I will remain peaceful - lol
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leafytwiglet
So far my favorite home made was an oatmeal stout.
I think I have that name right
IT i s a rich amber color and has this molassasy flavor very very good.
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mchud11
Yep, that is the right name.
Some of your microbrews have all sorts of flavor, I am not referring to your oatmeal stout, just in general. Anyway, I believe these flavors whether its cherry, blackberry, apricot, and so on are not due to ingredients, but the "healthy microscopic organisms" that break down the mix into alcohol and other things, like flavor. The flavors have something to do with the "specificity" of the organisms. So, that goes into rocket science science to me, I am just the consumer. Maybe roadrunner and his brewing has some things to say about how to get special flavors into brews...
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coolchef
we have a local micro brewery
i trie a blueberry ale and it was yummie!
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RumRunner
Well those fruit flavors come from a couple of sources depending on how authentic the brew is. A lot of breweries use fruit essence (perfectly safe and organic) to add the flavor since it means less filtering when bottling up for secondary fermentation. It also allows them to use flavors that are non-traditional.
The origin, or at least where it became common, of the fruit beers/ales was Bavaria. In Germany there is a definite concept of seasonal beverages. Summer is for pilseners or lagers, late fall through early spring is for heavier ales. It was/is common to make a winter ale that actually had cherries or apples in it during primary fermentation. This is then filtered carefully before bottling but the essence of the fruit (chemicals called esters) are in the beer and leave that slightly fruity smell. In beer made this way the smell of the fruit is stronger than the taste...really nice.
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mchud11
I have a question, rumrunner, when you are making beer, how important is/are "hops"? There are all these references to hops in the sam adams commercials. My comment to waysider about Corona, is more about hops than anything else, I was told Corona beer has no hops and is actually made from corn syrup...anyway, do you buy hops, processed hops in pellets, or freeze-dried hops? And lets say, I wanted to grow hops out in my garden, do able, not do able?
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RumRunner
Brewing beer without hops would be like eating a hot dog with sauerkraut. Hops come with different aromas and levels of bitterness. They are a whole science unto themselves. I don't know how Corona is made nor do I drink it so I won't make any comment either for or against it. I prefer dark and very very bitter ales myself. The stories behind using corn sugar instead of malt go back to WWII when malt was used to make cereal products for US troops. Brewing companies could not afford malt (besides it was rationed) hence some turned to corn sugars/syrups. This was the genesis of the yellow pi$$y stuff you now buy from the big breweries.
You can buy hops at any store that sells home brewing supplies. Indeed you can grow them but be advised the hop plant is 1st cousin to cannabis and looks similar - you don't want the local authorities busting your house down just to find out you are growing beer supplies.
Now when it comes to home brewing the real purists do everything from scratch - they malt their own grains etc. The beers of course are excellent but I have a secret for ya. There are plenty of kits available. They usually ship a can of malt extract (syrupy), hops, yeast, finishing sugar, anything special for that recipe, etc and they turn out perfectly fine beers and ales.
If you are serious, the absolutely best book on home brewing is, "The New Complete Joy of Home Brewing " by Charlie Papazian. I just checked availability on Amazon and you can get it used in very good condition for as low as $1.73 (USD) and new starting at $36.00 (USD). You can do a simple web search on "home brewing supplies"+<your city> and you'll find some shops. You can also search on mail order and find plenty of mail order places.
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leafytwiglet
IF you really are interested in growing them
here are a few links for you
Keep in mind they like good drainage and they are vines and reach up to 30 feet long.
Different varieties grow differently and you should get a variety that works well in your climate
http://www.breworganic.com/tips/growing-hops.htm
On this site there is also a bit of Hops history and a nice picture CLick on the picture to link to the information
http://www.thymegarden.com/
About Hop growing for the small farm project
http://www.crannogales.com/farm.html
An excellent tutorial with pretty much all the info you would need to grow them for the home gardener.
http://brewingtechniques.com/library/backi....3/montell.html
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cheranne
my favorite
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mchud11
Thanks, rumrunner for your reply. My father, has been brewing for some years, has a refrigerator just for I believe the finished product, a keg, and it stays good for some period of time. Last time I visited him, I tried a glass with him and I was very, very pleasantly surprised on the taste. So, I have thought about jumping in and seeing if I can follow instructions and give it a go, thanks for the reference....its off to piratebay - lol But seriously, I appreciate hearing about the history and background of brewing.
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Jim
Sparkling rice water. It should not even be allowed to be called beer.
For me, the Alpha and Omega of beer are the German doublebocks, with Optimator my personal favorite.
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Hills Bro
I don't drink beer too much anymore ..I like wine but when I do have an occasional nip of the hops and barley elixir I try to drink Belgium Ale. My two favorite are:
Ommegang Ale : Brewed in Cooperstown, NY by Brew masters from Belgium. They actually cork the bottles like wine because of the added cherry lambic base.
http://www.ommegang.com/index.php?mcat=1&scat=2&yr=1
Another is Grimbergen Double Ale.
Grimbergen Beer is a piece of Belgium’s history and yet remains part of it’s culture today. With 800 years of Brewing tradition, it uses time-honored skills of craftsmanship to produce a selection of quality beers for your enjoyment. There are three styles of this popular Abbey beer. Blonde, Double and Triple. The beer was once brewed by monks but was sold under license to a brewery who kept the style alive. Double has undergone two fermentations, which gives this ale a chocolaty, toffee taste with a warming brandy-like finish. YUM !!
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mchud11
Er, just a question, is this the sweet style of beer? I haven't tried too many Belgian beers as they can be very, very sweet..and sweet doesn't go with spicy type foods, like Thai...I do tend to pass by beers with Monks on them, due to the sweetness....which ones of your list are drier? Inquiring minds want to know...thanks
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Nottawayfer
I'm always up for trying any new kind of Hefeweizen. I'm from Oregon, and they have McMennamin's all over, which is a microbrew. They have many great beers. Ruby is my favorite.
Hubby and I went to the Big Island of Hawaii last October and went to the Kona Brewing Company. The make pizza dough from the yeast they use for the beer. They have excellent beer choices, and their Captain Cook and Thai Chicken pizzas are tod ie for! I liked their Wailua Wheat the best. I'm not a huge fan of dark beer, so I can't say how it was.
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Watered Garden
I like Shock Top and also Alexander Keith's India Pale Ale.
WG
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RumRunner
Belgian beers/ales tend to come in two flavors - very sweet and very dry. If you don't like a sweet ale try a Belgian called Cinq Cents - brewed by Chimay and yes it has monks on it. Very dry - very potent - I used to called it getting Chimay Faced.....
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George Aar
There's two beers that I remember as being "off the charts" - and as I no longer indulge - memory is all I've got left.
One was "Black VooDoo" beer that was a seasonal sorta thing, brewed in (or maybe around) New Orleans. It was - as the name would suggest - a dark beer, but not overly heavy. Really tasty. But my favorite was "Watney's Red Barrel Beer" - ON TAP. You can find it in bottles at most good grocery stores, but it's just not the same. If you can find it on tap, it's really a treat. The Central Tavern (the oldest tavern still in operation in Seattle) USED to have it and I was known to imbibe in a bit of it from time to time. After an evening of indulgence, we'd usually start calling it "Watney's Wed Bawwoh Beeah". Uh, comes with the territory I guess...
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