When I started this blog, it was mostly just an outlet to share my thoughts on beers that I've tried and whether or not I enjoyed or disliked them. As time went on, I took notice that beer readers actually wanted a bit more than just beer review after beer review. That's why you rarely see more than two on this blog each week.
I've tried to write about different issues and happenings in the craft beer world other than just writing beer reviews. The beer reviews have been shoved to the back burner, so to speak.
In my usual internet musings, I come across a few things that inspire these rants each week. I found a post via Focus on the Beer concerning whether or not beer reviews were BS.
It actually hits the nail on the head concerning something I've brought up consistently. The concept of not liking a beer that a lot of people tend to is an alright thing. Hey, it's a free country. Just like politics, it's important to see both sides of things. The same can be said for beer. You might like all of the hop-centered brews, but be sure to take in those of us on the other side of the fence.
That post has a paragraph that puts it all into perspective. Taste is subjective. Just because any one of us loves a beer to the point where it should be the greatest ale in all of the land doesn't mean that it is. It's just the greatest in your land. Thus, I conclude that beer reviews can be of some importance in the blogging world.
Showing posts with label craft brewing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label craft brewing. Show all posts
May 13, 2013
February 4, 2013
Monday Rant: Plenty More Football Than Beer
I'll try my best to not talk football on this mournful day following Super Bowl XLVII, but I do need to let a few frustrations off of my chest. In case you haven't figured it out by now, I'm a Pittsburgh Steelers fan. If you can throw some simple addition in there you'll figure out that I don't like the Baltimore Ravens either.
The last two years of the NFL Playoffs haven't been comfortable to watch for me. Each year three of the last four teams have been teams that if they win the Super Bowl it would be a punch to the stomach of any passionate Steelers fan.
If the San Francisco 49ers would've won either of the last two the team would have tied Pittsburgh with six Super Bowl championships (I know Green Bay has more NFL titles, but that argument isn't so convenient for me). If the New England Patriots happened to win the combination of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady would have tied Chuck Noll and Terry Bradshaw with four Super Bowls as a coach/quarterback pairing. With the Ravens, the reasoning is somewhat obvious.
I especially don't care for how a certain Baltimore linebacker and his tendency to proclaim how his practice of religion is somehow better than other people that happen to play the exact same sport that he does and this is coming from someone that's a terribly inconsistent Catholic.
As you can see, yesterday's big game was a no-win situation for me. The best possible solution? Look at it as a competition between beers. My favorite brewery in San Francisco is Anchor Brewing, whose flagship is Anchor Steam Beer. In Maryland I narrowed it down to Flying Dog. If I had to pick a favorite from Flying Dog it would have to be Raging Bitch IPA.
In terms of beer, this is an easy choice for me. I believe Anchor Steam Beer is one of the truly great beers in existence. I have Raging Bitch ranked up there pretty high as well and my girlfriend literally lives a two minute drive from the brewery, but I from a strictly beer perspective I love Anchor Steam Beer.
So, maybe I was actually rooting for the 49ers last night? I'm not really sure. Anyways, if you're a Ravens fan congratulations. Enjoy it. I sure enjoyed the two my Steelers gave me.
The last two years of the NFL Playoffs haven't been comfortable to watch for me. Each year three of the last four teams have been teams that if they win the Super Bowl it would be a punch to the stomach of any passionate Steelers fan.
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| One of my favorite labels, too. |
I especially don't care for how a certain Baltimore linebacker and his tendency to proclaim how his practice of religion is somehow better than other people that happen to play the exact same sport that he does and this is coming from someone that's a terribly inconsistent Catholic.
As you can see, yesterday's big game was a no-win situation for me. The best possible solution? Look at it as a competition between beers. My favorite brewery in San Francisco is Anchor Brewing, whose flagship is Anchor Steam Beer. In Maryland I narrowed it down to Flying Dog. If I had to pick a favorite from Flying Dog it would have to be Raging Bitch IPA.
In terms of beer, this is an easy choice for me. I believe Anchor Steam Beer is one of the truly great beers in existence. I have Raging Bitch ranked up there pretty high as well and my girlfriend literally lives a two minute drive from the brewery, but I from a strictly beer perspective I love Anchor Steam Beer.
So, maybe I was actually rooting for the 49ers last night? I'm not really sure. Anyways, if you're a Ravens fan congratulations. Enjoy it. I sure enjoyed the two my Steelers gave me.
January 2, 2013
A Very Beery 2013
It usually takes me at least three weeks or so to correctly write the current year in dates once the new year begins. It looks as if I've successfully overcome this first obstacle of 2013 by getting it right in the title of this post.
A year ago I was one of those many New Years resolutionists that promise themselves that they will frequent the gym in the coming months. I've read a ton of users in my Twitter timeline complaining about the throngs of these folks in their health clubs already. I'm sure the numbers out there show that a good portion of these people don't fully keep up on their promises to themselves. Thankfully, I wasn't that type of statistic. I tried to drag myself to the gym at every possible time. I kept up on my visits and as a result I had to retool my wardrobe this Christmas.
As long as I indulge on a few craft brews here and there, I hope to be able to continue to visit my health club to burn some more calories up. Beerwise, my 2013 is already off on the right foot. My girlfriend is making it a habit to get me a mixed six pack of beer as part of my Christmas gift. It's been almost a week since my last post and that's because I was away visiting her and receiving that six pack of beer!
In it, I had two cans of Maui Brewing products (Coconut Porter and Bikini Blonde Lager). A brewery whose beers I've been trying to locate for a while. I've finally come across some and I'm excited to eventually crack these two open. Here's to hoping you have a wonderful new year. Oh yea, she obviously knows I'm a huge Star Wars geek as well.
A year ago I was one of those many New Years resolutionists that promise themselves that they will frequent the gym in the coming months. I've read a ton of users in my Twitter timeline complaining about the throngs of these folks in their health clubs already. I'm sure the numbers out there show that a good portion of these people don't fully keep up on their promises to themselves. Thankfully, I wasn't that type of statistic. I tried to drag myself to the gym at every possible time. I kept up on my visits and as a result I had to retool my wardrobe this Christmas.
As long as I indulge on a few craft brews here and there, I hope to be able to continue to visit my health club to burn some more calories up. Beerwise, my 2013 is already off on the right foot. My girlfriend is making it a habit to get me a mixed six pack of beer as part of my Christmas gift. It's been almost a week since my last post and that's because I was away visiting her and receiving that six pack of beer!
In it, I had two cans of Maui Brewing products (Coconut Porter and Bikini Blonde Lager). A brewery whose beers I've been trying to locate for a while. I've finally come across some and I'm excited to eventually crack these two open. Here's to hoping you have a wonderful new year. Oh yea, she obviously knows I'm a huge Star Wars geek as well.
Just a few of the characters I picked up during my travels. twitter.com/BurghBeerSnob/…
— Bill K. (@BurghBeerSnob) January 1, 2013
December 19, 2012
A Little Bit About Pie Theory
You might have read a few of my beer reviews and came across a reference to something called "Pie Theory." Don't be alarmed. It's not something that's included in the vernacular of the beer community. Like Rocky Balboa said on the news while punching meat in a cooler: "I think I invented it."
Pie Theory is something I came up with that best describes an experience you can have with a variety of beers out there. In my book, Pie Theory comes into play mainly with fruit and pumpkin beers.
I believe that in order to fully enjoy a fruit beer, that beer needs to resemble some form of a dessert. I guess you can say that the fruit resembles the filling inside of a well-crafted pie. As for the crust, this is where the yeast/bread presence comes into play.
If you understand the facets of beer history you know that beer is pretty much known as liquid bread. This is also a big part of the reason we enjoy pairing cheese with different types of beers. In ancient times, pairing these two items provided a multitude of nutrition. Beer combined water and bread. The cheese was the dairy. We still enjoy much of the same today.
Amazingly enough, beer can be used in similar, but different ways. Pie Theory is what I decided to get out of drinking fruit beers. When my family gathers, my favorite course is usually dessert. I always love a good slice of blueberry or cherry pie. There are a lot of fruit beers out there that have a lovely fruit presence and a good yeast/crust character as a good backbone. Think of it this way. Beer can be a bit less filling than pie and a bit healthier. The sugar is eaten by the yeast and converted to alcohol!
Pie Theory is something I came up with that best describes an experience you can have with a variety of beers out there. In my book, Pie Theory comes into play mainly with fruit and pumpkin beers.
I believe that in order to fully enjoy a fruit beer, that beer needs to resemble some form of a dessert. I guess you can say that the fruit resembles the filling inside of a well-crafted pie. As for the crust, this is where the yeast/bread presence comes into play.
If you understand the facets of beer history you know that beer is pretty much known as liquid bread. This is also a big part of the reason we enjoy pairing cheese with different types of beers. In ancient times, pairing these two items provided a multitude of nutrition. Beer combined water and bread. The cheese was the dairy. We still enjoy much of the same today.
Amazingly enough, beer can be used in similar, but different ways. Pie Theory is what I decided to get out of drinking fruit beers. When my family gathers, my favorite course is usually dessert. I always love a good slice of blueberry or cherry pie. There are a lot of fruit beers out there that have a lovely fruit presence and a good yeast/crust character as a good backbone. Think of it this way. Beer can be a bit less filling than pie and a bit healthier. The sugar is eaten by the yeast and converted to alcohol!
December 5, 2012
Such Important Issues
I was leaning towards doing a small write-up concerning sandwiches paired with certain beers, but over the past two weeks I've kept seeing the Charlie Papazian "Do You Care Who Makes Your Beer?" polls/articles/tweets. I figured that the subject would hold much more importance over beer consumed with few sandwiches. In case you're really interested in what I was going to initially write about, you can head on over to CraftBeer.com to see my inspiration for what I originally wanted to write.
I've also constantly seen a lot of bickering over the purchase of Goose Island through various social media entities. While, I don't know all of the details to involve myself in such an argument, I will share the Papazian article (with a link to his semi-annual poll) I came across to spread word of this.
It all does come off as a pretty important issue. We've seen some local breweries be purchased by the big American major companies i.e. Latrobe Brewing (I know a Canadian company bought it in the 1980's, but you get my point). So, we have a gist in this area of the issue of who actually brews our beer.
I do care who makes my beer - to an extent. I am partial to some breweries and that includes some local ones due to the fact that I'm proud to be from this area and I want them to do well. On the other hand, beers like Leinenkugel Sunset Wheat and Hoegaarden were some of my favorite beers during my transition of typical beers you come across on college campuses. Those were gateway beers, so to speak, before I found more craft-like offerings and I still hold them in high affinity.
I do realize that they are owned by some of the American majors in some form, but those beers are still part of my story as a fan of beer and if you know me I'm not one that believes we should erase/forget history.
Again, I'm not an expert on beer economics, but I sometimes lose sight on what this craft beer fight is for. Isn't it just a pursuit of great beer? At least that's what I thought it was. I agree, that most of the beers the big companies make are produced for just the sake of mass production and not quality, but I sometimes enjoy trying their seasonal offerings just to check things out.
Sometimes I get a good laugh because I know that the company exists strictly for putting a product out there (regardless of it's quality) and bringing in money. Sadly, there are just bland beers out there like Bud Light and Coors Light, etc. Even worse is the fact that they somehow sell like hotcakes. Then again it's still possible to find a beer you enjoy and have it made/owned by one of these dominant companies. If you ask me, this will be one of those battles that will never end. Many views out there could be different than my take, but this is just how I see it.
I originally intended this post to just be a few paragraphs, but it ended up pouring out onto the page like this. Much apologies. Thanks if you actually spent time reading until this point.
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| My only mission is finding good beer. |
It all does come off as a pretty important issue. We've seen some local breweries be purchased by the big American major companies i.e. Latrobe Brewing (I know a Canadian company bought it in the 1980's, but you get my point). So, we have a gist in this area of the issue of who actually brews our beer.
I do care who makes my beer - to an extent. I am partial to some breweries and that includes some local ones due to the fact that I'm proud to be from this area and I want them to do well. On the other hand, beers like Leinenkugel Sunset Wheat and Hoegaarden were some of my favorite beers during my transition of typical beers you come across on college campuses. Those were gateway beers, so to speak, before I found more craft-like offerings and I still hold them in high affinity.
I do realize that they are owned by some of the American majors in some form, but those beers are still part of my story as a fan of beer and if you know me I'm not one that believes we should erase/forget history.
Again, I'm not an expert on beer economics, but I sometimes lose sight on what this craft beer fight is for. Isn't it just a pursuit of great beer? At least that's what I thought it was. I agree, that most of the beers the big companies make are produced for just the sake of mass production and not quality, but I sometimes enjoy trying their seasonal offerings just to check things out.
Sometimes I get a good laugh because I know that the company exists strictly for putting a product out there (regardless of it's quality) and bringing in money. Sadly, there are just bland beers out there like Bud Light and Coors Light, etc. Even worse is the fact that they somehow sell like hotcakes. Then again it's still possible to find a beer you enjoy and have it made/owned by one of these dominant companies. If you ask me, this will be one of those battles that will never end. Many views out there could be different than my take, but this is just how I see it.
I originally intended this post to just be a few paragraphs, but it ended up pouring out onto the page like this. Much apologies. Thanks if you actually spent time reading until this point.
December 3, 2012
Monday Rant: How Much Glassware Is Enough?
About a year ago, I stopped collecting empty beer bottles. The stop in which I held my collection was the back of my dresser, which is somewhat old-fashioned hence its length (I don't really know for sure if there's a technical name for this type of dresser, but I'm far from a furniture aficionado). I had a decent amount of room to display the bottles that I had saved over time.
It got to the point that as I tried more and more beers and procured bottles I wanted to keep that room to store said bottles became less and less. I eventually ended up throwing them away to save myself from appearing on a certain show on TLC.
I've came into my next phase of super collecting and that's the phase of being obsessed with different types of beer glassware. I keep finding new ones and lack the actual room to harbor more. I just find it fascinating to have different glasses from different breweries (sometimes regardless if it's a shaker pint or not) along with different styles of glassware. It just makes for a slightly different experience with different beers.
I mean I really love having a few of the glasses that I do. I enjoy finally having found my Hoegaarden hexagonal glass. My Samuel Adams "Perfect Pint" glass is pretty darn close to being perfect for any beer. I have a Belgian Tulip from a Libbey glassware set that I use for pretty much any type of beer. It's always fun. There are also a few more out there I have my eye on like a Hofbrauhaus stein. Now, where to put all of these.
It got to the point that as I tried more and more beers and procured bottles I wanted to keep that room to store said bottles became less and less. I eventually ended up throwing them away to save myself from appearing on a certain show on TLC.
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| Different glasses help in creating images like this one! |
I've came into my next phase of super collecting and that's the phase of being obsessed with different types of beer glassware. I keep finding new ones and lack the actual room to harbor more. I just find it fascinating to have different glasses from different breweries (sometimes regardless if it's a shaker pint or not) along with different styles of glassware. It just makes for a slightly different experience with different beers.
I mean I really love having a few of the glasses that I do. I enjoy finally having found my Hoegaarden hexagonal glass. My Samuel Adams "Perfect Pint" glass is pretty darn close to being perfect for any beer. I have a Belgian Tulip from a Libbey glassware set that I use for pretty much any type of beer. It's always fun. There are also a few more out there I have my eye on like a Hofbrauhaus stein. Now, where to put all of these.
November 28, 2012
Rogue Beard Brew Set for 2013
Remember that beer that was supposed to have yeast from a Rogue Ales brewer's beard in it? Well, that beer that sent ripples across the craft beer world a few months ago finally has a release date associated with it (as far as I can remember there wasn't a date attached previously.
It's not much more than a ballpark figure, but you can expect this beer at some point in 2013. Which month exactly? Well, I can't find anything just yet.
I'm still not sure as to how excited I am for this beer. I mean it's yeast from someone's beard. That's not entirely appetizing for me. still, we've seen many weird things put into new beers. I just sent a link on my Twitter feed about a brewery putting old pages of Moby Dick into a new concoction. Obviously, the possibilities are endless.
It's not much more than a ballpark figure, but you can expect this beer at some point in 2013. Which month exactly? Well, I can't find anything just yet.
I'm still not sure as to how excited I am for this beer. I mean it's yeast from someone's beard. That's not entirely appetizing for me. still, we've seen many weird things put into new beers. I just sent a link on my Twitter feed about a brewery putting old pages of Moby Dick into a new concoction. Obviously, the possibilities are endless.
November 16, 2012
A Long Time Ago in a Brewery Far, Far Away
I sure hope you get the reference in the title I chose for this post. If you don't, we might have to have a sit down and watch a few of my favorite movies. It wasn't that long ago that Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Owner Sam Calagione went off on a few Beer Advocate message board geeks about overrated breweries.
Well, we have yet another edition of angry craft brewers as Lagunitas Brewing owner/founder Tony Magee had a bit of a Twitter tirade towards Miller Coors and A-B InBev earlier this week. You can read all about it over at Beer Pulse.
I love it when someone in a higher position makes their voices be heard sometimes, but I'm not totally sure Magee has anything to stand on with this one. Maybe it's just my opinion. Who knows?
I'm not totally sure the big-time American brewing corporations are completely against the smaller craft brewers anymore. I think that they are fully aware of how fast some of these breweries are growing in size and popularity and that they know they need to maintain somewhat of a good relationship with them. It could be that or you could say that maybe all of the recent purchases of breweries by the big boys might mean the exact opposite.
I'm certainly not an economic expert on the beer industry. That's for sure.
Well, we have yet another edition of angry craft brewers as Lagunitas Brewing owner/founder Tony Magee had a bit of a Twitter tirade towards Miller Coors and A-B InBev earlier this week. You can read all about it over at Beer Pulse.
I love it when someone in a higher position makes their voices be heard sometimes, but I'm not totally sure Magee has anything to stand on with this one. Maybe it's just my opinion. Who knows?
I'm not totally sure the big-time American brewing corporations are completely against the smaller craft brewers anymore. I think that they are fully aware of how fast some of these breweries are growing in size and popularity and that they know they need to maintain somewhat of a good relationship with them. It could be that or you could say that maybe all of the recent purchases of breweries by the big boys might mean the exact opposite.
I'm certainly not an economic expert on the beer industry. That's for sure.
November 7, 2012
Troegs to Produce Another Interesting Scratch Beer
Are you one of the many out there fearing something odd is going to happen on Dec. 21? Well, it looks like Troegs might have you covered for the big day.
According to John Trogner's Twitter account, Troegs intends on adding a Russian Imperial Stout to it's fascinating list of Scratch brews. The tweet only says that it's nicknamed "Impending Descent" paying homage to the end of the Mayan calendar on the 21st. I'm not entirely sure if that's what the beer will end up being named.
Regardless, you now have reasons to celebrate the pending end of civilization as we know it, a massive shift in the earth's gravitational pull or whatever you think might happen by that date. Don't take my word for it. You can be the judge! I just think it means the Pittsburgh Pirates might provide us with a winning season very soon.
Brewing a huge Russian Imperial Stout nicknamed "?impending descent?" today to celebrate the end of the Mayan Calendar ..released 12.21.12
— john trogner (@jtroegs) November 6, 2012
November 1, 2012
Shaker Pint Removal Picks Up Steam
What I initially feared is starting to pick up a bit of steam. Thoughts that the usual shaker pint glass should be used less when tasting beer are continuing to be spread across the internet. It all started with an article via CraftBeer.com with thoughts from the founders of Russian River Brewing Company pertaining to how a pint glass is probably the worst thing to use for beer tasting.
I've now seen the link on Reddit/Beerit and now Beer Pulse, two big placers to seek important beer information. I've also sparked a small bit of conversation on twitter about the subject as well, but I was in no way endorsing the removal of pint glasses.
I enjoy the presence of pint glasses sometimes. I agree that different types of glassware enhance drinking experiences in different types of beer, but is it really that dramatic of a difference?
If we try to force out the pint glass, will people have their brewery pint glass collections become worthless or will they possibly become worth a bit more? Will it cost your local pubs more to bring in the more of the other types of glassware? There's still something aesthetically pleasing about a perfectly poured beer in a shaker pint. It just looks in good proportion and the top of the glass cradles the head of the beer. In my opinion, it's just very attractive. It's not the best glass out there, but I don't think we need to phase it out in any form.
I've now seen the link on Reddit/Beerit and now Beer Pulse, two big placers to seek important beer information. I've also sparked a small bit of conversation on twitter about the subject as well, but I was in no way endorsing the removal of pint glasses.
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| A classic, nostalgic look. |
If we try to force out the pint glass, will people have their brewery pint glass collections become worthless or will they possibly become worth a bit more? Will it cost your local pubs more to bring in the more of the other types of glassware? There's still something aesthetically pleasing about a perfectly poured beer in a shaker pint. It just looks in good proportion and the top of the glass cradles the head of the beer. In my opinion, it's just very attractive. It's not the best glass out there, but I don't think we need to phase it out in any form.
October 29, 2012
Monday Rant: To Friend or Not to Friend
The following has been a controversy on social media since American society began wasting hours of valuable time using it. The question is whether or not to add people as friends on a social media network even though you've never met or known them in real life.
Untappd has become it's own version of social media. You can network with other fans of beer and see what your friends are drinking (that's if you have friends that actually take the time to check-in the beers they're consuming. Untappd has also become a simpler way for beer bloggers such as myself to let your Twitter followers know what you're drinking as well as what your thoughts are on said brews.
The only complaint I have about using Untappd is the same thing I've had with any social media application I've associated myself with over the years. That's the people you've never met before trying to add you and others in an attempt to compile tons of friends.
I have a stack of people on Untappd that have requested to be my friend. I've let those requests sit in there for at least two weeks. I'm not totally sure why I refuse to respond. Maybe part of it is the feeling that the entire world doesn't need to know what I'm doing. This is the same reason that I don't post every single check-in to my Twitter feed. It's just a personal preference.
I've pretty much held the same policies when it comes to other social networks such as Facebook. If I don't know you, you're not likely going to get a friend request accepted when it comes to me.
In my early days of Twitter, I'll admit I was obsessed with gaining more and more followers. Now, I barely look at who is following my account.It really doesn't matter to me. Life is far less stressful. It's all about the exchanging of information.
Untappd has become it's own version of social media. You can network with other fans of beer and see what your friends are drinking (that's if you have friends that actually take the time to check-in the beers they're consuming. Untappd has also become a simpler way for beer bloggers such as myself to let your Twitter followers know what you're drinking as well as what your thoughts are on said brews.
The only complaint I have about using Untappd is the same thing I've had with any social media application I've associated myself with over the years. That's the people you've never met before trying to add you and others in an attempt to compile tons of friends.
I have a stack of people on Untappd that have requested to be my friend. I've let those requests sit in there for at least two weeks. I'm not totally sure why I refuse to respond. Maybe part of it is the feeling that the entire world doesn't need to know what I'm doing. This is the same reason that I don't post every single check-in to my Twitter feed. It's just a personal preference.
I've pretty much held the same policies when it comes to other social networks such as Facebook. If I don't know you, you're not likely going to get a friend request accepted when it comes to me.
In my early days of Twitter, I'll admit I was obsessed with gaining more and more followers. Now, I barely look at who is following my account.It really doesn't matter to me. Life is far less stressful. It's all about the exchanging of information.
October 25, 2012
Beer Review: Yuengling Oktoberfest
ABV: 5.4 percent
Appearance: Yuengling Oktoberfest pours a deep amber, which isn't typical of most Oktoberfests I've had the past few years. It reminds me of the amber color that Yuengling Traditional Lager has. It also features the bubbly white head we love with Yuengling's flagship beer. Already, we can see homage paid to one of the great beers of Pennsylvania. The only qualm I have is that you can somewhat see through the beer (If you look closely I have this in a Coors Light pint glass (Apologies, but it was a long day prior to drinking this) I prefer a darker color in this style.
Smell: This beer's aroma consisted of strong roasted grain. This is something I've come to adore in the Traditional Lager as well. Notes of sweet caramel dance in your nostrils too.
Taste: The caramel is sweet and spicy on the front of the tongue. The strong roasted grain helps out with a smooth finish. The grain taste is very similar to the Traditional Lager taste when it's consumed from the bottle. It's very close to a strong roast in a cup of coffee. It's slight, but you notice that it's there. (Yuengling on draft tastes different to me). I didn't get a good amount of hop character on the back of the tongue when drinking this one. The flavor was just a tad weaker than I prefer.
Overall Rating:
Overall, not a bad beer. I'm happy I have a case of this. I love that Yuengling decided to brew an Oktoberfest. Looked everywhere for it last year in pubs, but couldn't get a drop. I like that this beer is similar to the flagship, but would have preferred it set itself apart. The flavors need to come together a little bit more.
October 19, 2012
George Washington and Beer
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| Photo via Wikipedia |
It works out perfectly. Our nation has a profound enjoyment for beer as did our very first president. It's also been said that Washington made sure that soldiers in the Continental Army had beer as part of their food rations.
His personal recipe for what he called "small beer" is currently on display at the New York Public Library. Keep in mind that small beer was known as a weaker beer in older times and was constantly mocked and wasn't given much value at all.
If what Yards used in the brewing of the porter I reviewed yesterday has anything to do with the recipe that's on display in new York, then that recipe was nothing to reckon with. It's almost a perfect beer with some awesome historic value.
October 18, 2012
Beer Review: General Washington's Tavern Porter
Serving Type: BottleABV: Seven percent
Appearance: General Washington's Tavern Porter pours a really dark black. By black, I mean black like the ocean abyss with the weird-looking creatures you learned about in elementary school. The body also featured a few slight brown highlights. The head was a dark beige and begins as the width of a half-finger and has a moderate dissipation rate..
Smell: Some strong and dark coffee is prevalent in this brew's aroma. Behind that came some roasted malt. What made me feel like I was in a colonial tavern somewhere was the presence of molasses. A lot of molasses, which I had no problem with at all.
Taste: That dark, roasted coffee was once again dominant. I got some nice zing from some black licorice as well. The molasses took over on the finish and in the aftertaste, which really lingered. You'll thank me for this later, but let the beer warm a bit. As it warms, there's a small alcohol warmth sensation that accompanies each sip.
Overall Rating:
This is a fantastic beer. I love the heavy use of molasses in this brew. It's something that I don't sense much in a lot of beers today. The zing I got from the licorice also added an awesome touch. If you get a good glass of this with a great head, it's a very attractive beer as well. Unfortunately, the photograph I took doesn't get that across as well as I would've liked.
October 16, 2012
Beer Review: Thomas Jefferson's Tavern Ale
Serving Type: BottleABV: Eight percent
Appearance: Thomas Jefferson's Tavern Ale pours a light copper and honey brown with a fair amount of orange hue elsewhere in the body. It also features a white head that's heavy at first, but settles down and leaves an appetizing and thin layer of foam. There's also plenty of ample lacing as you consume this brew. Altogether, this beer has a thick appearance to it and that's with the body being a lighter shade of copper/brown.
Smell: Initially, this beer smells very dark and toasty. I got a lot of caramel malt and toffee. In essence, it smells like this beer would be farther into dark spectrum given the strong notes I was taking in.
Taste: It's very strong on the front. The harshness was mostly due to the bitterness of the toffee and the strong hop character this beer had. The aftertaste is definitely pleasant, though. There's a subtle, yet sweet honey taste on the finish.
Overall Rating:
Tavern Ale is very appetizing in terms of look and aroma. I just wasn't expecting the harshness in the taste. Just a little bit too strong in the toffee and hops department for my preferences. Still, this is an excellent beer choice for a history buff.
October 15, 2012
Monday Rant: Clash of the Liquor Laws
I'm not a lawyer (although I have a cousin that's one). So, it's not like I'm one that knows every in and out of the liquor laws in the state of Pennsylvania. What I do know is that they're severely outdated. Aside from that, there has been recent progress. We can now purchase beer in some of our local Giant Eagles. That's one step in the right direction. There's only about 3,472 steps to go.
Being a citizen of Pennsylvania I've become used to having a plethora of beers in certain beer distributors across the area. Having a beer distributor makes it simple when searching for beer. You can look for a certain beer and if that distributor doesn't have it in stock at the very least you're going home with something of the very same style that you set out for.
If you're not one to settle very often, then there's a cog in your scheme. What I mean by that is that not every brewery distributes to every state. In essence, we sometimes have to try a bit harder to get some of the beers that aren't in our market.
This is where my girlfriend comes in. She lives outside of the Washington DC area. I know that a certain beer I've been looking for has been sold in that market.
Unfortunately, a Google search for "Washington DC beer distributors" doesn't turn up much. It looks as if most alcohol in the District of Columbia is sold from grocery store chains. I obviously didn't realize this because I'm so used to buying my beer in Pennsylvania.
I'm hoping she can seek out this beer for me in time for when we see each other next.
Being a citizen of Pennsylvania I've become used to having a plethora of beers in certain beer distributors across the area. Having a beer distributor makes it simple when searching for beer. You can look for a certain beer and if that distributor doesn't have it in stock at the very least you're going home with something of the very same style that you set out for.
If you're not one to settle very often, then there's a cog in your scheme. What I mean by that is that not every brewery distributes to every state. In essence, we sometimes have to try a bit harder to get some of the beers that aren't in our market.
This is where my girlfriend comes in. She lives outside of the Washington DC area. I know that a certain beer I've been looking for has been sold in that market.
Unfortunately, a Google search for "Washington DC beer distributors" doesn't turn up much. It looks as if most alcohol in the District of Columbia is sold from grocery store chains. I obviously didn't realize this because I'm so used to buying my beer in Pennsylvania.
I'm hoping she can seek out this beer for me in time for when we see each other next.
October 10, 2012
Benjamin Franklin's Booze
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| Photo via Wikipedia |
Good God, was there something that he did that wasn't productive for the future of this country and the way we live our lives. He was among the many of our Founding Fathers in bringing on the American Revolution, he was the very first Postmaster General, invented bifocals and had a massive influence in the development of meteorology.
Poor Richard's Tavern Spruce is supposedly based on a recipe for spruce ale that belonged to Franklin. After checking under Franklin's entry in the Oxford Companion to Beer I learned two things. Franklin's first published book (as he did make good use of a printing press) had sections in it about three barley types: two row, six row and winter. Also, while he was ambassador to France he once returned to the colonies with a recipe on how to make spruce ale. Possibly the very one that Yards Brewing Company used in the brewing of Tavern Spruce, or at least close to the original.
Franklin was a fan of beer, this is true. Unfortunately, for most of you that like to sport a certain quoted t-shirt he liked wine more. Yes, that famous quote of Franklin's about how beer exists to make us happy possibly wasn't even said by him. in fact, it's taken from a letter to one of his personal friends in which he said something about wine. For more on that, head on over to Beervana. Aside from all that, he was a beer drinker as well. he also knew the importance of beer in our society.
October 9, 2012
Beer Review: Poor Richard's Tavern Spruce
Serving Type: BottleABV: Five percent
Appearance: Poor Richard's Tavern Spruce pours a dark amber with a thin, tan head. As I said, the head is thin, but has above-average retention. It's not overly foamy, nor is it way weak. With that calculated, I'd prefer a little bit more action in the head as well as a bit more carbonation.
Smell: This beer had me feeling like I woke up somewhere in the deep forest on a foggy morning. The spruce dominates. Notes of molasses and syrup mellow out the remainder of the aroma in a sweet, but subtle way.
Taste: The pine/spruce and syrup combine amazingly. while creating a spicy, sweet and smooth flavor. The molasses adds more sweetness, but a darker side of it. The flavors mix more as the beer warms a bit, only making the taste that much better. The alcohol is screened by the amount of sweetness in this beer. You can feel that the booze is there, but it's just as a warming sensation as this brew bathes your throat.
Overall Rating:
This is a top-beer in my book. Since I'm a history buff, I love the fact that this beer is somewhat based on Benjamin Franklin's (AKA Poor Richard in case you didn't know) personal spruce ale recipe. Franklin is one of my favorite individuals throughout history. Drinking this makes me want to do some meteorology, or at the very least just flip on The Weather Channel. I bought this beer as part of Yards Brewing Company's Ales of the Revolution sampler pack.
October 5, 2012
Beer Review: Bell's Pale Ale
Serving Type: BottleABV: 5.2 percent
Appearance: Bell's Pale Ale comes off as a straw gold. There are a few darker gold highlights throughout the body as well. A small tad of haziness prevents you from completely seeing through this golden spectacle. The head is thin, yet bubbly and frothy. There isn't much strength in the head's appearance. There's a decent, yet attractive rise of carbonation bubbles rising up the glass.
Smell: This beer smells very yeasty and grainy at first waft. There's subtle hints of grassiness and zesty citrus after a few more sniffs. Although, the citrus is extremely faint.
Taste: The citrus doesn't end up playing a role in the flavor at all. The grain is the most prominent flavor, along with the grassiness. The flavor is complimented wonderfully by a honey sweetness, which provides your tongue with a smooth finish. Very pleasant.
Overall Rating:
This was a very interesting drink. I expect some putrid bitterness sometimes when i consume pale ales, but not in this case. I was shocked, yet delighted by the honey-like finish. Great product from the state of Michigan. This beer is to be renamed Midwestern Pale Ale as of next year, so take note!
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