Before I get too far into style profiles, ingredient contributions, or just bore you with my brewing experiences, I wanted to do a short piece on an essential question of those who are beginning to explore the world of beer.
"Where do I get nice beer and how do I know if it's good?"
The first location anyone in college looks at beer is at a store. I'm sure most of you are familiar with the alcohol aisle at your local grocery store (often guarded by security cameras). Well, even if you aren't 21, you can still peruse the beer selection in this "forbidden" aisle, you just can't personally buy it. For all of my underage buddies out there, become good friends with someone who is 21, because the drinking age is among the many questionable "state" laws and is virtually mandated by the federal government.
Quick Profile of a Typical Beer Aisle
95% of the viewing space will be dominated by the big 3 (Miller, Coors, Bud) and their various knockoffs. You're looking for the spaces that don't contain these beers. A good rule of thumb: If it's sold in a can, it's not good brew. This rule doesn't work both ways, though. Just because a beer is in a bottle or a keg doesn't mean it is a nice beer. Corona and Pacifico might also take up quite a bit of space, but while these beers are refreshing, they are not very high quality beers.
A good starting place is a Sam Adams variety pack, which change with every season. This pack will expose you to 6 different styles of beer and allow you to experience the most beer for the least amount of money. Sam Adams is right over the line between commercial beers and microbrews in my opinion, because the beer they produce does not match up to the expertly crafted brews that many microbreweries produce.
Any other 6 packs or 12 packs are also fair game. Larger breweries such as Fat Tire and Blue Moon will also put out seasonal varieties that are worth trying. The bottom line is to pay attention to the styles you enjoy and read the bottle, because it usually gives you some information on how the beer was brewed.
BevMo = the Mecca of Quality Beer
If you are 21, or can manage a ride to Bevmo, I highly recommend it. Bevmo has an amazing selection of imported beer, as well as the largest collection of American microbrews that I've ever seen in a chain store. Read the bottles and ask questions to find the styles that you think will best fit your tastes. All the beer is purchased at room temperature, but it will be well worth the wait when you crack open your first 22oz bottle of quality brew.
Brewpubs and Gastropubs
A brewpub is a restaurant where most, if not all, of the beer served is brewed on site. These restaurants are the BEST place to go to drink high quality beer. Talk to the waiters or the bartenders, ask questions, or just spontaneously order a brew! Some restaurants also have "Sampler Platters" of beer, which is the absolute best way to taste different beers for an affordable price. Unfortunately, there is severe lack of brewpubs in the LA area, but look up San Pedro Brewing Company and Eagle Rock Brewery. I've also heard word of another opening in the Santa Monica area, but we'll see
A "gastropub" is a term that refers to a restaurant that prides itself in quality food and quality brew. The beer isn't necessarily brewed onsite, but most of these restaurants offer a wide selection of beers on tap. The Yardhouse in Downtown LA is an excellent example, as well as The Library Alehouse in Santa Monica. My brother even lives near a quirky gastropub called "The Surly Goat" on Sunset. I love these types of bar/restaurants, because they make a huge effort to provide quality microbrews and imported beer on tap.
I hope this helps those who are interested in beer to find good brew. At the very least when you taste these beers, attempt to identify what you like and don't like about each one, but KEEP AN OPEN MIND. There are few people in this world who have enough knowledge to be acceptable beer snobs, and you're probably not one of them.
Todd
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Style Profile: IPA
"Give a man a beer, he wastes an hour. Teach a man to brew, he wastes a lifetime"
I saw this quote last time I walked into my favorite homebrew store. Really pretty true, although I have a couple problems with it.
1) If it takes you an hour to drink a 12oz beer, let's be honest, you're nursing it.
2) Brewing is a pretty scientific, enlightening, and just downright awesome process. Hardly a waste. Although it probably seems like a pretty alcoholic, wasteful hobby. Shit. Maybe it is.
Alright now to the informative stuff. What is an IPA?????
History
IPA stands for Indian Pale Ale, but the style originated far from India. Like the Russian Imperial Stout, the IPA originated in England and was given its name with regards to the geographic location it was originally produced for. The malt background of an IPA originates from the English pale ale style, but IPAs are known for high bitterness and hop content. Originally, hops were added to beer as preservatives, and the trip to India was a long one. This long trip called for increased hop additions during brewing, creating a hoppier version of the popular English Pale Ale style. While the style was first brewed in the 1800s, it actually became popular within England during the 1840s, but by that time it had already been labeled Indian Pale Ale
Today
The IPA is a style that is readily adopted by American microbreweries for many reasons. The IPA itself is a complete contrast to the tasteless, watered down brews of the American giants, and seems to be a style that serves to protest the commercialization of the beer industry. The key to understanding the label of "IPA" lies in the history of the style. Any highly hopped brew that isn't black can be considered an IPA. In today's beer industry, IPAs don't necessarily have to be "pale" in color. Some IPAs approach a color that is closer to red, while others are more amber in color. IPA is more of an indicator of hoppiness than color today.
I highly recommend the IPA style, but be warned that these brews are very bitter, and may taste bad to drinkers who are unaccustomed to darker/hoppier beer styles
Excellent Contemporary Examples
-Stone Brewery of San Diego almost solely brews IPAs (although they recently released a Pale Ale). Arrogant Bastard is the popular version, a reddish brown ale that is very strongly hopped. Buy a bottle and be prepared for any other beer you taste that night to be without flavor
-Sierra Nevada brews several seasonal beers that are considered IPAs. Torpedo IPA is the most indicative of the style, but Celebration Ale could also be considered an IPA
-Dogfish Head Brewing Company brews a 60 minute IPA, a 90 min IPA, and an 120 min IPA. The minutes refer to the length of the boil. Essentially, the longer the boil, the more alcoholic the beer and the hoppier the IPA. I've only tried the 60 minute and it was excellent.
Always sippin' a homebrew when posting
Todd
I saw this quote last time I walked into my favorite homebrew store. Really pretty true, although I have a couple problems with it.
1) If it takes you an hour to drink a 12oz beer, let's be honest, you're nursing it.
2) Brewing is a pretty scientific, enlightening, and just downright awesome process. Hardly a waste. Although it probably seems like a pretty alcoholic, wasteful hobby. Shit. Maybe it is.
Alright now to the informative stuff. What is an IPA?????
History
IPA stands for Indian Pale Ale, but the style originated far from India. Like the Russian Imperial Stout, the IPA originated in England and was given its name with regards to the geographic location it was originally produced for. The malt background of an IPA originates from the English pale ale style, but IPAs are known for high bitterness and hop content. Originally, hops were added to beer as preservatives, and the trip to India was a long one. This long trip called for increased hop additions during brewing, creating a hoppier version of the popular English Pale Ale style. While the style was first brewed in the 1800s, it actually became popular within England during the 1840s, but by that time it had already been labeled Indian Pale Ale
Today
The IPA is a style that is readily adopted by American microbreweries for many reasons. The IPA itself is a complete contrast to the tasteless, watered down brews of the American giants, and seems to be a style that serves to protest the commercialization of the beer industry. The key to understanding the label of "IPA" lies in the history of the style. Any highly hopped brew that isn't black can be considered an IPA. In today's beer industry, IPAs don't necessarily have to be "pale" in color. Some IPAs approach a color that is closer to red, while others are more amber in color. IPA is more of an indicator of hoppiness than color today.
I highly recommend the IPA style, but be warned that these brews are very bitter, and may taste bad to drinkers who are unaccustomed to darker/hoppier beer styles
Excellent Contemporary Examples
-Stone Brewery of San Diego almost solely brews IPAs (although they recently released a Pale Ale). Arrogant Bastard is the popular version, a reddish brown ale that is very strongly hopped. Buy a bottle and be prepared for any other beer you taste that night to be without flavor
-Sierra Nevada brews several seasonal beers that are considered IPAs. Torpedo IPA is the most indicative of the style, but Celebration Ale could also be considered an IPA
-Dogfish Head Brewing Company brews a 60 minute IPA, a 90 min IPA, and an 120 min IPA. The minutes refer to the length of the boil. Essentially, the longer the boil, the more alcoholic the beer and the hoppier the IPA. I've only tried the 60 minute and it was excellent.
Always sippin' a homebrew when posting
Todd
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Ale vs. Lager....What's the difference?
"Pale Ale," "The Great American Lager," "Refreshing Pilsner Taste," "Brown Ale," "Belgian Style Wheat Ale," "Bavarian Lager"
On a daily basis, the American public is bombarded with these terms, but how many beer drinkers actually know what they refer to? This post seeks to address THE fundamental difference between beer styles: Ale vs. Lager. I won't profile all of the beer styles within these categories, but I do want people to be aware of the differences. I'll try to keep it short and simple, but as with most things beer related, it could prove to be a difficult task.
ALE
An ale contains the same basic ingredients as a lager (malted barley, hops, water), but the fundamental difference lies in the yeast. Ales are brewed with a strain of yeast known as "Top fermenting yeast," that ferments at temperatures between 60-75 degrees. Although the origins of this magical strain of bacteria are not entirely clear, the regions of Europe that are renown for these styles are Great Britain and Belgium. Ales typically ferment faster and more robustly than lagers. They tend to have fruitier, sweeter tastes (which can be nicely balanced by a good dose of hops).
Contrary to American popular belief, not all beers are meant to be served at a temperature just above freezing. In fact, if an ale tastes significantly worse at room temperature, it probably is not a quality brew. Any beer drinker who has traveled to England will tell you that many of the beers they serve on tap are served at around 50-60 degrees. Ales are meant to be served between these temperatures to maximize flavor and aroma. I'm not advocating that you don't refrigerate your brew, but just keep in mind that icing it down in a bucket isn't the best way to treat a well brewed ale.
Color is not an indication of an ale vs. a lager
There are many ale styles, such as stouts and brown ales, that are much darker than "pale ales." Some good mainstream examples of ales include: Sierra Nevada Pale, Newcastle, Blue Moon and Fat Tire
LAGER
A lager contains the same basic ingredients as an ale, but it uses a different strain of yeast commonly known as "bottom fermenting yeast," that initially ferments at temperatures between 50-60 degrees. The brew then undergoes a "lagering" period at 40-50 where fermentation is completed. Although brewing historians can't be positive on the origins of this strain, it is widely accepted that it originated in Germany, where brewers stored their fermenting beers in cold caves. The yeast eventually evolved to operate at these temperatures, fermenting slower and producing fuller, rounder tastes.
Lagers are meant to be served very cold. In fact, a lager served at greater than 40 will likely lose its intended flavor.
Miller, Coors, and Budweiser are all technically examples of a Czech subset of lagers: pilseners. Pilseners are excellent beers when they are brewed with quality ingredients, but the watered down crap that big beer companies refer to as "pilseners" dominating the American beer landscape of today are a terrible example of the style. The reason why there is so much "cold imagery" associated with Coors, Miller, and Bud is because these companies know that the only way their beer is "drinkable" is when it is ice cold.
Unfortunately, there aren't many well-brewed, commonly available examples of lagers, but any of the winter seasonal varieties of microbrew that contain the vocabulary "Lager" "Oktoberfest" or "Dunkel," and any imported German or Czech lager you can get your hands on are a good bet. There are not many American microbreweries that specialize in lagers because the market is dominated by the "Big 3."
Drink up my friends
Todd
Sunday, December 5, 2010
How is it made?
The first question anyone asks me when I tell them that I brew my own beer is, "How do you do it?" It's a pretty difficult question to answer without launching into a 2 hour lecture that I doubt many will pay attention to. Probably the best short answer to the question is as follows:
"It's like cooking a stew. Except it takes 6-8 hours to cook and then you can't eat the stew for another month, but it is a damn good stew when you do"
Essentially, homebrewing a beer is a small-scale, less precise version of what large breweries do on a regular basis. The process can be broken down into 8 "simple" steps broken up by periods of waiting:
1) The Mash
2) Sparging
3) The Boil
4) Cool off
5) Pitching
Waiting 24-48 hours
6) Fermentation
Waiting 2 weeks
7) Bottling
Waiting 2-4 weeks
8) Drinking
Ingredients: Water, Malted Barley, Hops, Yeast
1) The Mash
After grinding up the malted barley (usually between 7-12 pounds for a 5 gallon batch) to open the grain husks, the barley is mixed with water that has been heated to between 165-175 degrees in a "mashing ton." There are various homebrew versions of "mashing tons," but they all are insulated coolers that maintain temperature and allow liquids to be drained out through a filter or false bottom. The oatmeal-like mixture that is created sits between 145-155 degrees for 1-2 hours. A lot of scientific processes are happening during this period, but just think of the cooler as a giant tea pot. The hot water is soaking up all of the fermentable carbohydrates and flavors from the grain.
2) Sparging
After the mash, the brewer starts to drain the liquid from the "mashing ton" through the filter. The grains are continuously "rinsed" with 170 degree water to drain out all of the good stuff. Once around 6 gallons of liquid are collected, it is transferred to the boiling pot.
3) The Boil
The "grain juice"collected from the mash is then brought to a boil in a large brewing pot. The goal is to maintain the liquid at a full boil for 1-2 hours (depending on the recipe). Once it reaches a boil, hops are added at different intervals. The first hops to be added are "bittering" hops, which contribute the most to the bitter taste that is perceived in a particular beer. Other hops are added at different intervals to contribute taste and aroma.
4) Cool down
After boiling for 1-2 hours (depending on the recipe), the wort (funny word, means unfermented beer) needs to be rapidly cooled. There are various methods for achieving this feat, but the wort needs to be brought from 212 to about 70.
5) Pitching
Adding yeast to the cooled wort is referred to as "pitching the yeast." Not sure how good of a description that is, because it takes a very, very minimal amount of physical effort, contrary to the implication of its name. It literally involves taking a glass tube of yeast and pouring it into the giant glass jug that contains your beer.
Waiting 24-48 hours
Depending on the type of yeast, fermentation conditions, and a variety of other factors, the beer will start fermenting if you've done everything right. Yeast is a living bacteria, but it is relatively weak. After pitching the yeast, an airlock is applied to the top of the container, which allows gas to escape but not to enter. The airlock minimizes the amount of outside bacteria that can "contaminate" the beer and kill the yeast.
Fermentation
Fermentation is another very scientific/magical process that is a lot of fun to watch. As the yeast cells multiply, they start "eating" the fermentable carbohydrates in the beer, producing alcohol and CO2 as waste products. A nice head of white foam appears on the top of the beer, and the airlock starts bubbling as CO2 is released.
Waiting 2 weeks
Depending on the yeast and fermentation conditions, visible fermentation will be done in 1-1.5 weeks, but usually brewers transfer the beer to another fermenter to be completely sure the beer is done fermenting.
Bottling
Unless you have the equipment to keg your own beer, you have to bottle it. Around 1/2 to 2/3 of a cup of corn sugar are boiled with water and added to the beer before it is dispensed into bottles. Caps are folded over the tops of bottles to seal them. At this point, the yeast is still alive. As I stated earlier, yeast cells "eat" carbohydrates and produce CO2 as a waste product. During the 2-4 weeks before you drink the beer, the yeast eats away at the added sugar and produces CO2, which dissolves into the liquid. This is how beer becomes carbonated (at least homebrew.....not necessarily true for big breweries).
Waiting 2-4 weeks
DRINKING!
Easily the best part of the brewing process. Get out your favorite beer consuming glassware, pop open a bottle, and punish your liver with your magical, homemade, alcoholic creation.
Congrats if you made if through that novel. I told you it was a difficult question to answer in fewer than 50 sentences.
Todd
"It's like cooking a stew. Except it takes 6-8 hours to cook and then you can't eat the stew for another month, but it is a damn good stew when you do"
Essentially, homebrewing a beer is a small-scale, less precise version of what large breweries do on a regular basis. The process can be broken down into 8 "simple" steps broken up by periods of waiting:
1) The Mash
2) Sparging
3) The Boil
4) Cool off
5) Pitching
Waiting 24-48 hours
6) Fermentation
Waiting 2 weeks
7) Bottling
Waiting 2-4 weeks
8) Drinking
Ingredients: Water, Malted Barley, Hops, Yeast
1) The Mash
After grinding up the malted barley (usually between 7-12 pounds for a 5 gallon batch) to open the grain husks, the barley is mixed with water that has been heated to between 165-175 degrees in a "mashing ton." There are various homebrew versions of "mashing tons," but they all are insulated coolers that maintain temperature and allow liquids to be drained out through a filter or false bottom. The oatmeal-like mixture that is created sits between 145-155 degrees for 1-2 hours. A lot of scientific processes are happening during this period, but just think of the cooler as a giant tea pot. The hot water is soaking up all of the fermentable carbohydrates and flavors from the grain.
2) Sparging
After the mash, the brewer starts to drain the liquid from the "mashing ton" through the filter. The grains are continuously "rinsed" with 170 degree water to drain out all of the good stuff. Once around 6 gallons of liquid are collected, it is transferred to the boiling pot.
3) The Boil
The "grain juice"collected from the mash is then brought to a boil in a large brewing pot. The goal is to maintain the liquid at a full boil for 1-2 hours (depending on the recipe). Once it reaches a boil, hops are added at different intervals. The first hops to be added are "bittering" hops, which contribute the most to the bitter taste that is perceived in a particular beer. Other hops are added at different intervals to contribute taste and aroma.
4) Cool down
After boiling for 1-2 hours (depending on the recipe), the wort (funny word, means unfermented beer) needs to be rapidly cooled. There are various methods for achieving this feat, but the wort needs to be brought from 212 to about 70.
5) Pitching
Adding yeast to the cooled wort is referred to as "pitching the yeast." Not sure how good of a description that is, because it takes a very, very minimal amount of physical effort, contrary to the implication of its name. It literally involves taking a glass tube of yeast and pouring it into the giant glass jug that contains your beer.
Waiting 24-48 hours
Depending on the type of yeast, fermentation conditions, and a variety of other factors, the beer will start fermenting if you've done everything right. Yeast is a living bacteria, but it is relatively weak. After pitching the yeast, an airlock is applied to the top of the container, which allows gas to escape but not to enter. The airlock minimizes the amount of outside bacteria that can "contaminate" the beer and kill the yeast.
Fermentation
Fermentation is another very scientific/magical process that is a lot of fun to watch. As the yeast cells multiply, they start "eating" the fermentable carbohydrates in the beer, producing alcohol and CO2 as waste products. A nice head of white foam appears on the top of the beer, and the airlock starts bubbling as CO2 is released.
Waiting 2 weeks
Depending on the yeast and fermentation conditions, visible fermentation will be done in 1-1.5 weeks, but usually brewers transfer the beer to another fermenter to be completely sure the beer is done fermenting.
Bottling
Unless you have the equipment to keg your own beer, you have to bottle it. Around 1/2 to 2/3 of a cup of corn sugar are boiled with water and added to the beer before it is dispensed into bottles. Caps are folded over the tops of bottles to seal them. At this point, the yeast is still alive. As I stated earlier, yeast cells "eat" carbohydrates and produce CO2 as a waste product. During the 2-4 weeks before you drink the beer, the yeast eats away at the added sugar and produces CO2, which dissolves into the liquid. This is how beer becomes carbonated (at least homebrew.....not necessarily true for big breweries).
Waiting 2-4 weeks
DRINKING!
Easily the best part of the brewing process. Get out your favorite beer consuming glassware, pop open a bottle, and punish your liver with your magical, homemade, alcoholic creation.
Congrats if you made if through that novel. I told you it was a difficult question to answer in fewer than 50 sentences.
Todd
Friday, December 3, 2010
There's a first time for everything
BEER!
I'm not talking about the Budcoorsmiller high light premium type of beers. I'm talking about REAL, good ol' fashioned barley pops. I'm talking about that 5% of American beer sales that Anheuser Busch and Miller/Coors are not profiting from. I'm talking about beers that are fashioned from 4 essentially ingredients:
-Malted Barley
-Hops
-Water
-Yeast
The truth is, beer can be made from any plant product with starch. For example, a significant portion of the "grains" in Budweiser/Miller/Coors is rice. A significant number portion of the "grains" in malted beverages (Mickey's, Colt 45, Steel Reserve) is corn. These substitutions save big beer companies lots of money, which, combined with a general lack of hops (more money saved!), produces the watered down junk that is brewed by those companies.
Here's a depressing game to play. You have a favorite beer out of these 3?: Bud Light, Coors Light, Miller Light. Pour 3 cups of ice cold brew, have someone label them with numbers so that only they know which is which, and try your best to guess! I'm guessing that unless you are an experienced beer drinker, you'll be wrong 80% of the time (I bet you $10).
Think that's too easy? Up the difficulty level by substituting the "cheaper than water" versions of these brews: Natural Light, Keystone Light, Milwaukee's Best.
I'm not advocating beer snobbery (which I think is highly annoying), I just think that among the many things that kids my age don't know anything about, beer ranks pretty high. Which is ironic because it also ranks pretty high on the list of things people (especially guys) pretend to know a lot about.
Todd
I'm not talking about the Budcoorsmiller high light premium type of beers. I'm talking about REAL, good ol' fashioned barley pops. I'm talking about that 5% of American beer sales that Anheuser Busch and Miller/Coors are not profiting from. I'm talking about beers that are fashioned from 4 essentially ingredients:
-Malted Barley
-Hops
-Water
-Yeast
The truth is, beer can be made from any plant product with starch. For example, a significant portion of the "grains" in Budweiser/Miller/Coors is rice. A significant number portion of the "grains" in malted beverages (Mickey's, Colt 45, Steel Reserve) is corn. These substitutions save big beer companies lots of money, which, combined with a general lack of hops (more money saved!), produces the watered down junk that is brewed by those companies.
Here's a depressing game to play. You have a favorite beer out of these 3?: Bud Light, Coors Light, Miller Light. Pour 3 cups of ice cold brew, have someone label them with numbers so that only they know which is which, and try your best to guess! I'm guessing that unless you are an experienced beer drinker, you'll be wrong 80% of the time (I bet you $10).
Think that's too easy? Up the difficulty level by substituting the "cheaper than water" versions of these brews: Natural Light, Keystone Light, Milwaukee's Best.
I'm not advocating beer snobbery (which I think is highly annoying), I just think that among the many things that kids my age don't know anything about, beer ranks pretty high. Which is ironic because it also ranks pretty high on the list of things people (especially guys) pretend to know a lot about.
Todd
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