RIBCO (Rock Island Brewing Company) in the District in Downtown Rock Island will be hosting their next special tapping night on December 7th at 8pm. This time around they are featuring the local guys! With tappings of Blue Cat's Count Magnus Belgian Strong, Bent River's Jingle Java Stout and Great River's 7 Reverends Abbey Ale and of course they will be served in logo glasses that you can keep. Make sure to come out and support your local favorites and enjoy some really good seasonal brews. A big plus is that representatives of each brewery are scheduled to be there to discuss the brews and answer your questions.
As well RIBCO will be offering a $1.00 off on their selection of micro brew in bottles and cans. Also on Wednesdays they feature a special on wing baskets. To find out more info please go to http://www.ribco.com/ or http://beeradvocate.com/events/info/50137. I am looking forward to this one and plan to be present if I am in town. Hope to see a lot of people there enjoying some local craft brew!
QC Beerguy
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Hops: The soul of a beer
As the German Beer Purity Law states beer can only be made of four ingredients: malt, water, hops and yeast. Beer is not beer without hops. True there were fermented malt beverages before the use of hops, but drinking a Gruit is not the same as enjoying an IPA. As many of you may have, I have had the opportunity to have a gruit or two and can readily say that I am glad that the simple little hop cone was introduced into the brewing process. Beer would not be nearly as good nor would it be in as many varieties. Could you imagine an Imperial Stout bittered bog myrtle or wormwood, I can't either.
Earliest mentions of hops were by the Romans and Babylonians and eventually made it into Europe and over the years became an integral part of beer. The "noble" hops are all of European origins; also the largest hop growing region is in Central Europe. There are four hops that are considered to be "noble" hops Hallertauer Mittelfrüh, Tettnanger Tettnang, Spalter Spalt and Saaz. A number of other hops make it into the discussion of "noble" hops, but not everyone agrees.
Noble hops are far from the only hops used in the beers styles of Europe and around the world. Hops are grown around the world; the leading hop growing areas are in Europe, North America, New Zealand and Japan. Different growing regions lead to different characteristics in hops, so that means if a certain hop variety is grown in Europe and in New Zealand they could be totally different even though it is genetically the same.
Also hop varieties are broken up into bittering and aroma hops. Usually hops that are high in alpha acids, the thing that makes beer bitter, they are labeled as bittering hops. Hops that are labeled aroma hops have unique aroma characteristics. As craft brewers and homebrewers become more daring the lines between bittering and aroma hops have become blurred. An example of this is the Hydra Kolsch I helped brew this year; we used Sorachi Ace as a bittering hop. It is usually used as a flavor hop in most beers.
There are numerous varieties of hops grown around the world, too numerous for me to list here. Probably the most complete list I know of is at Hop Union, http://www.hopunion.com/17_HopVarietyHandbook.cfm?p3=open, the hop variety handbook goes into great detail of hop varieties.
The numerous hop varieties lead to being used to make numerous styles of beer, different beers utilize different hops. Most beers are brewed with regionally available hops, ie, Saaz hops in a Pilsner, Cascade hops in a West Coast IPA.
Hops are the soul of beer, without hops beer would be bland and lifeless. They go beyond the mere physical presence in a beer and become almost mystical. A soul is sad to be nearly weightless and in the scheme of a beer a few ounces of hops is the equivalent. The end result of hops in a beer is greater than just the addition into the brewing process. The introduction of hops at different times in the brewing process lead to different characteristics emphasized and shining through in the final beer.
Without hops, beer is not beer. A big thank you goes out to those first intrepid brewers that decided to throw some hop cone into their beer.
QC Beerguy
Earliest mentions of hops were by the Romans and Babylonians and eventually made it into Europe and over the years became an integral part of beer. The "noble" hops are all of European origins; also the largest hop growing region is in Central Europe. There are four hops that are considered to be "noble" hops Hallertauer Mittelfrüh, Tettnanger Tettnang, Spalter Spalt and Saaz. A number of other hops make it into the discussion of "noble" hops, but not everyone agrees.
Noble hops are far from the only hops used in the beers styles of Europe and around the world. Hops are grown around the world; the leading hop growing areas are in Europe, North America, New Zealand and Japan. Different growing regions lead to different characteristics in hops, so that means if a certain hop variety is grown in Europe and in New Zealand they could be totally different even though it is genetically the same.
Also hop varieties are broken up into bittering and aroma hops. Usually hops that are high in alpha acids, the thing that makes beer bitter, they are labeled as bittering hops. Hops that are labeled aroma hops have unique aroma characteristics. As craft brewers and homebrewers become more daring the lines between bittering and aroma hops have become blurred. An example of this is the Hydra Kolsch I helped brew this year; we used Sorachi Ace as a bittering hop. It is usually used as a flavor hop in most beers.
There are numerous varieties of hops grown around the world, too numerous for me to list here. Probably the most complete list I know of is at Hop Union, http://www.hopunion.com/17_HopVarietyHandbook.cfm?p3=open, the hop variety handbook goes into great detail of hop varieties.
The numerous hop varieties lead to being used to make numerous styles of beer, different beers utilize different hops. Most beers are brewed with regionally available hops, ie, Saaz hops in a Pilsner, Cascade hops in a West Coast IPA.
Hops are the soul of beer, without hops beer would be bland and lifeless. They go beyond the mere physical presence in a beer and become almost mystical. A soul is sad to be nearly weightless and in the scheme of a beer a few ounces of hops is the equivalent. The end result of hops in a beer is greater than just the addition into the brewing process. The introduction of hops at different times in the brewing process lead to different characteristics emphasized and shining through in the final beer.
Without hops, beer is not beer. A big thank you goes out to those first intrepid brewers that decided to throw some hop cone into their beer.
QC Beerguy
Monday, November 21, 2011
Bohemian Pilsener 2B
Next on the BJCP guideline is Bohemian Pilsener 2B. This is the original version of a Pilsener (Pilsner), first brewed in 1842 in Pilsen, Bohemia. Pilsner Urquell, the original Pilsener, is still produced in Pilsen today! Also another famous pilsener is Budweiser Budvar, the original Budweiser, which is sold as Czechvar in the US, due to an ongoing legal battle between Anheuser Busch and Budweiser. These were some of the first mass produced lager beers, being that most beers before them were ales. A lager is made with a bottom fermented yeast and fermented in cool caves for an extended time.
Aroma: Complex malt and spicy, floral Saaz hops. A slight presence of diacetyl is acceptable. Otherwise clean, no fruity esters.
Appearance: Pale gold to deep gold, brilliant to very clear, with a dense white, long-lasting, creamy head.
Flavor: Rich, complex maltiness combined with a pronounced yet soft and rounded bitterness and spicy flavor from Saaz hops. Some diacetyl is acceptable, but need not be present. Bitterness is prominent but never harsh, and does not linger. The aftertaste is balanced between malt and hops. Clean, no fruity esters.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, medium carbonation.
Comments: Crisp, complex and well-rounded yet refreshing. This was the original clear light-colored beer. Uses Moravian malted barley and a decoction mash for rich, malt character. Saaz hops and low sulfate, low carbonate water provide a distinctively soft, rounded hop profile. Traditional yeast sometimes can provide a background diacetyl note. Dextrins provide additional body, and diacetyl enhances the perception of a fuller palate.
Numbers: IBU (Bitterness) 35-45, SRM (Color) 3.5-6, OG (Potential) 1.044- 1.056, FG (Finish) 1.013- 1.017, ABV4.2- 5.4%
Examples: Pilsner Urquell, Budweiser Budvar, Czech Rebel, Golden Pheasant
Soft water with low mineral content, Saaz hops, Moravian malted barley, Czech lager yeast. The first batch of this style has been attributed to Burger Brauerei on October 5, 1842 brewed by Josef Groll. As I mentioned this is probably the first and some say the best style of lager beer. Unfortunately here in the US we do not have a readily available source of fresh Bohemian Pilsener, since they are shipped from Europe to the US. As I have mentioned on other styles if a beer is good here in the US after coming over on a ship, it must be excellent in Europe! The two best examples in my opinion are Pilsner Urquell and Budvar, both are best on tap since they both come in green glass bottles. The tap versions avoid the problem of being light struck and becoming skunked.
QC Beerguy
Aroma: Complex malt and spicy, floral Saaz hops. A slight presence of diacetyl is acceptable. Otherwise clean, no fruity esters.
Appearance: Pale gold to deep gold, brilliant to very clear, with a dense white, long-lasting, creamy head.
Flavor: Rich, complex maltiness combined with a pronounced yet soft and rounded bitterness and spicy flavor from Saaz hops. Some diacetyl is acceptable, but need not be present. Bitterness is prominent but never harsh, and does not linger. The aftertaste is balanced between malt and hops. Clean, no fruity esters.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, medium carbonation.
Comments: Crisp, complex and well-rounded yet refreshing. This was the original clear light-colored beer. Uses Moravian malted barley and a decoction mash for rich, malt character. Saaz hops and low sulfate, low carbonate water provide a distinctively soft, rounded hop profile. Traditional yeast sometimes can provide a background diacetyl note. Dextrins provide additional body, and diacetyl enhances the perception of a fuller palate.
Numbers: IBU (Bitterness) 35-45, SRM (Color) 3.5-6, OG (Potential) 1.044- 1.056, FG (Finish) 1.013- 1.017, ABV4.2- 5.4%
Examples: Pilsner Urquell, Budweiser Budvar, Czech Rebel, Golden Pheasant
Soft water with low mineral content, Saaz hops, Moravian malted barley, Czech lager yeast. The first batch of this style has been attributed to Burger Brauerei on October 5, 1842 brewed by Josef Groll. As I mentioned this is probably the first and some say the best style of lager beer. Unfortunately here in the US we do not have a readily available source of fresh Bohemian Pilsener, since they are shipped from Europe to the US. As I have mentioned on other styles if a beer is good here in the US after coming over on a ship, it must be excellent in Europe! The two best examples in my opinion are Pilsner Urquell and Budvar, both are best on tap since they both come in green glass bottles. The tap versions avoid the problem of being light struck and becoming skunked.
QC Beerguy
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Land Of the Muddy Waters Homebrew Competition
Friday night and all day Saturday the homebrew club I belong to held its annual Homebrew Competition called Land Of the Muddy Waters. A very fitting name for our event, since we are a bi-state club that has members from both sides of the Mississippi River, the Muddy Waters itself.
This year we had 325 entries into our competition, which was a sizable jump over last year's number of 276 entries. Thankfully we were able to pull in judges from the Bi-state area of Iowa and Illinois as well as a couple from Milwaukee and even one judge from California. This made sure that all of the entries were judged by at least one Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) ranked judge.
Over all the competition went well with only some minor inconveniences that come up with any event. I know the event organizer and the assistant event organizer, me, were very thankful for that. From my recollection the event was a success. I hope that the judges and stewards felt that way as well at the end of the day.
A big thank you goes out to Dan brewer/owner of Blue Cat Brewpub for allowing us to use the upstairs area for our contest. I would be very difficult to hold a contest without a willing host and a place that has a refrigerated area large enough to handle over 600 bottles of beer. Also a big thank you to all of the sponsors and raffle item donors, again we could not do it without them.
The results are available at http://lotmwhome.brewcompetition.com/index.php; congratulations to all of the winners in each category. Also big congratulations to the best of show winners: Phil Sullivan with an Oktoberfest from Underground Brewers (Detroit, MI) and Rich Harris and Joe Weitlispach with a Sweet Mead from MUGZ, members of the homebrew club I belong to.
Since I was the assistant event organizer, I am learning to run the event in 2013 and 2014. This means I was a jack of all trades. Filling in where needed, I judged in the first round Saturday, running to get this or that, and just making sure everyone present was as happy as possible. Also since I have a loud mouth and a voice that carries, I became the official PA system. I look forward to next year when I will become more familiar with the nuts and bolts of running a successful homebrew competition.
Maybe next year I may even have a beer that will place in the event. For the past couple of years I have entered beers in this and other events and cannot crack into placing at my home event, but have placed in a few other events with the same beer. Someday my luck will change, I hope.
QC Beerguy
This year we had 325 entries into our competition, which was a sizable jump over last year's number of 276 entries. Thankfully we were able to pull in judges from the Bi-state area of Iowa and Illinois as well as a couple from Milwaukee and even one judge from California. This made sure that all of the entries were judged by at least one Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) ranked judge.
Over all the competition went well with only some minor inconveniences that come up with any event. I know the event organizer and the assistant event organizer, me, were very thankful for that. From my recollection the event was a success. I hope that the judges and stewards felt that way as well at the end of the day.
A big thank you goes out to Dan brewer/owner of Blue Cat Brewpub for allowing us to use the upstairs area for our contest. I would be very difficult to hold a contest without a willing host and a place that has a refrigerated area large enough to handle over 600 bottles of beer. Also a big thank you to all of the sponsors and raffle item donors, again we could not do it without them.
The results are available at http://lotmwhome.brewcompetition.com/index.php; congratulations to all of the winners in each category. Also big congratulations to the best of show winners: Phil Sullivan with an Oktoberfest from Underground Brewers (Detroit, MI) and Rich Harris and Joe Weitlispach with a Sweet Mead from MUGZ, members of the homebrew club I belong to.
Since I was the assistant event organizer, I am learning to run the event in 2013 and 2014. This means I was a jack of all trades. Filling in where needed, I judged in the first round Saturday, running to get this or that, and just making sure everyone present was as happy as possible. Also since I have a loud mouth and a voice that carries, I became the official PA system. I look forward to next year when I will become more familiar with the nuts and bolts of running a successful homebrew competition.
Maybe next year I may even have a beer that will place in the event. For the past couple of years I have entered beers in this and other events and cannot crack into placing at my home event, but have placed in a few other events with the same beer. Someday my luck will change, I hope.
QC Beerguy
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Everybody Has One, Gateway Beer that is.
I know when I was in college and at my fraternity I drank pretty much AB products, Bud, Bud Light and Busch, with the occasional Miller or Miller Lite. I had a friend that was a Phi Sig and their house beer was Old Style, since they were mainly from Chicagoland and that was a nasty hangover the next day after the uptown party. So as you can see in college I drank mainly mass produced beer. Until the import craze finally hit Macomb, IL in my senior year. I found the exotic taste of Corona with a lime stuffed in it; yes this was my gateway beer.
What exactly is a gateway beer you may be asking? Well a gateway beer is the beer that made the connection for you to good craft or import beer. It can be as complacent as Corona or something as exciting as Pliny the Elder. The gateway beer is the beer that opened the door to enjoying good beer. It may or may not be a good beer itself; it just leads you to find good beer. So don't worry that beer is not something you may be proud of, just look at mine. Corona, really?
Everyone probably has that beer that made the connection for them. Some people are still waiting to find their gateway beer. I have friends that probably will never find a gateway beer and will continue to drink their Busch Light. As I grow in my beerself, I have learned not to judge them. It has become a bit of a challenge to find a gateway beer for them. Like my neighbor across the street. My wife and I found out that he loves a good Kolsch, even though by choice he does buy Busch Light.
If you have or have not found your gateway beer, as Charlie says "Relax and have a homebrew", or in other words it is all good. There is no need to hurry and find that beer to be your gateway beer. If you are still drinking one of the mass produced beers you still have time to find your gateway beer.
It is no big deal if you are still drinking one of the mass produced beers. I know there are many craft or import beers that will give you the taste of your mass produced beers. The best way to find a gateway beer is just try a beer that is outside of your ordinary repertoire!
QC Beerguy
What exactly is a gateway beer you may be asking? Well a gateway beer is the beer that made the connection for you to good craft or import beer. It can be as complacent as Corona or something as exciting as Pliny the Elder. The gateway beer is the beer that opened the door to enjoying good beer. It may or may not be a good beer itself; it just leads you to find good beer. So don't worry that beer is not something you may be proud of, just look at mine. Corona, really?
Everyone probably has that beer that made the connection for them. Some people are still waiting to find their gateway beer. I have friends that probably will never find a gateway beer and will continue to drink their Busch Light. As I grow in my beerself, I have learned not to judge them. It has become a bit of a challenge to find a gateway beer for them. Like my neighbor across the street. My wife and I found out that he loves a good Kolsch, even though by choice he does buy Busch Light.
If you have or have not found your gateway beer, as Charlie says "Relax and have a homebrew", or in other words it is all good. There is no need to hurry and find that beer to be your gateway beer. If you are still drinking one of the mass produced beers you still have time to find your gateway beer.
It is no big deal if you are still drinking one of the mass produced beers. I know there are many craft or import beers that will give you the taste of your mass produced beers. The best way to find a gateway beer is just try a beer that is outside of your ordinary repertoire!
QC Beerguy
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Lagunitas Undercover Investigation Shut- Down Ale and Brown Shugga Ale
Tonight I am tasting a couple beer from Lagunitas Brewery. First up Undercover Investigation Shut-Down Ale. The beer poured a light amber with a off white head, great clarity. The aroma was a mixture of sweet caramel and citrus hops. The flavor brought the hops and caramel to your mouth as well as noticeable alcohol notes. There was also a slight biscuity, graininess in the background. Overall the flavors intermingle and result in a great beer. It is a medium bodied beer with medium carbonation and noticeable alcohol warmth. The beer checks in at 9.87% ABV; so this is a beer to sit back and enjoy. I give this beer an "A-", I maybe biased since I like almost all of the Lagunitas beers.
Second beer up is Brown Shugga Ale; which upon visiting the Lagunitas web site I found some sad news for 2011. They did not have the brewing capacity to brew Brown Shugga this year. Luckily the bottle I have is from 2010. The beer poured medium copper with a off white head. The aroma is of brown sugar, slight caramel and light bit of citrus hops. The noticeable notes of aroma carry over into the flavor. As well there is a noticeable taste of alcohol present, with a slight hint of bready notes. The sum of the parts blend to make this a lively beer that is a wonder to drink. It is a medium full bodied beer with medium low carbonation. This beer is another big beer at 9.84% ABV, so another beer to enjoy and savor. I grade this beer with an "A-", another great beer from Lagunitas.
QC Beerguy
Second beer up is Brown Shugga Ale; which upon visiting the Lagunitas web site I found some sad news for 2011. They did not have the brewing capacity to brew Brown Shugga this year. Luckily the bottle I have is from 2010. The beer poured medium copper with a off white head. The aroma is of brown sugar, slight caramel and light bit of citrus hops. The noticeable notes of aroma carry over into the flavor. As well there is a noticeable taste of alcohol present, with a slight hint of bready notes. The sum of the parts blend to make this a lively beer that is a wonder to drink. It is a medium full bodied beer with medium low carbonation. This beer is another big beer at 9.84% ABV, so another beer to enjoy and savor. I grade this beer with an "A-", another great beer from Lagunitas.
QC Beerguy
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
How to find Beer Places
Those of you that have read my blog may have wondered a time or two how I find the breweries and beer places I go to. Well here is the low down. I use two main sources Beer Advocate http://beeradvocate.com/ and the Beer Mapping Project http://beermapping.com/. Both are a valuable source to my beer travels. They provide me with great information on finding somewhere to go when I am not overly familiar with the place I am staying. Each on has it's strong points, which I will cover in individual detail.
Beer Advocate, as the name proclaims, this website is pro beer. This website was started by two brothers that really love beer and anything related to the beer industry. For locating a brewery or beer place I look down the left hand column under the heading Travel and Events, then click on Directory. This will lead you through a few levels to find where you maybe. First is country, click on United States, then you can click on the state you are in. It then leads you to choose the city your are currently in, when you select the city you are presented with a list of breweries, beer bars, beer stores and homebrew stores. The cool thing about this list is that each place listed is usually reviewed by other Beer Advocate users, so there is an opinion that you can base your choice off of. Also if possible they have a link to the establishments web site and a map showing the location of the establishment. This is valuable especially if you have not been to a place before. I have yet to really find a set of reviews that have lead me astray.
Also Beer Advocate has many other uses they have reviews of beers, an event calendar, a forum and an educational area. I use the beer reviews to see how my thoughts correspond or not with other people on the beers I am tasting. Also the event calendar is useful to find events in areas where you maybe in or soon to be going to. This is a cool website that has many uses besides locating a place to go have dinner and a beer at.
The Beer Mapping Project is predominately a website that lets the user search a region or country for breweries and brewpubs. On the left hand side under Map Selector there are two areas to make a selection in the first is Brewery Maps and the second is City Beer Maps. The Brewery Map allows you to select maps of 12 countries. If you choose the American Map it is further broken down into regions of the United States, so you can pin point the city you are in. If you choose one of the other 11 countries it provides a map overview of the entire country.
The City Beer Maps are a collection of the larger metro areas within the United States. Needless to say you can get a very good idea of the relation of establishments to each other, so it makes your adventure easy to plan out. Also there is a forum on the website and the user can review the places they go to. So this is another valuable tool to my arsenal in searching for great places to have beer.
Hopefully you will find these websites as useful as I do and you may have your own favorite site you use. I am not saying these are the only or even the best websites, but they work for me. If you do not like them no biggie, I hope you have your own way to find good beer and good food.
QC Beerguy
Beer Advocate, as the name proclaims, this website is pro beer. This website was started by two brothers that really love beer and anything related to the beer industry. For locating a brewery or beer place I look down the left hand column under the heading Travel and Events, then click on Directory. This will lead you through a few levels to find where you maybe. First is country, click on United States, then you can click on the state you are in. It then leads you to choose the city your are currently in, when you select the city you are presented with a list of breweries, beer bars, beer stores and homebrew stores. The cool thing about this list is that each place listed is usually reviewed by other Beer Advocate users, so there is an opinion that you can base your choice off of. Also if possible they have a link to the establishments web site and a map showing the location of the establishment. This is valuable especially if you have not been to a place before. I have yet to really find a set of reviews that have lead me astray.
Also Beer Advocate has many other uses they have reviews of beers, an event calendar, a forum and an educational area. I use the beer reviews to see how my thoughts correspond or not with other people on the beers I am tasting. Also the event calendar is useful to find events in areas where you maybe in or soon to be going to. This is a cool website that has many uses besides locating a place to go have dinner and a beer at.
The Beer Mapping Project is predominately a website that lets the user search a region or country for breweries and brewpubs. On the left hand side under Map Selector there are two areas to make a selection in the first is Brewery Maps and the second is City Beer Maps. The Brewery Map allows you to select maps of 12 countries. If you choose the American Map it is further broken down into regions of the United States, so you can pin point the city you are in. If you choose one of the other 11 countries it provides a map overview of the entire country.
The City Beer Maps are a collection of the larger metro areas within the United States. Needless to say you can get a very good idea of the relation of establishments to each other, so it makes your adventure easy to plan out. Also there is a forum on the website and the user can review the places they go to. So this is another valuable tool to my arsenal in searching for great places to have beer.
Hopefully you will find these websites as useful as I do and you may have your own favorite site you use. I am not saying these are the only or even the best websites, but they work for me. If you do not like them no biggie, I hope you have your own way to find good beer and good food.
QC Beerguy
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