Thoughts on Beer This week...

Was just thinking what an incredible week for beer this is. The Great American Beer Festival is kicking off, Oktoberfest is in full swing, and tomorrow is the 250th Anniversary of Guinness signing the lease on the St. James Gate Brewery. Sadly I am not at any of those events!!

But that's ok, I bought a couple bottles of Sierra Nevada's Estate Harvest 2009 and am enjoying that this evening while reading and living vicariously through all those at GABF and Oktoberfest who are tweeting and blogging about the fun.

By the way, I highly recommend the Sierra Nevada Estate Harvest. They brew with hops and barley grown on site at the brewery in Chico. This beer actually tastes like it was just harvested. Something about it just tastes so fresh and clean. Makes me excited to hopefully have enough homegrown hops next year to use in my own brew.

Dogfish Head Chicha

Dogfish Head Brewery is known for creating ancient beers based on cultural traditions or archeological finds.  They have just announced their newest brew which is Chicha.  Chicha is a South American, mainly Peruvian brew that is mostly made from corn.

Check out Dogfish Head's video about the Chicha - it's very cool.  The thing I find most interesting as a homebrewer is that we get so caught up in things like PH measurements, gravity, color, and other details.  And here we have native Peruvians brewing in their traditional way to make Chicha - they chew the corn in their mouths prior to the boil instead of germination!! It just reminds me that as a homebrewer I need to remember that you can make great beer by experimenting with different techniques and ingredients.

It's too bad the Dogfish Head Chicha is only available at the pub, I would love to be able to try some but don't think I'll be getting out to Delaware any time soon.

2009 Hop Crop

Well, not really a whole crop of hops.  More like a dozen hop cones on my Nugget Hops.  But I am optimistic for next year!  I planted new rhizomes this year in a couple different places in my yard.  In the spring I planted 2 Cascade, 2 Willamette, and 2 Northern Brewer hops varieties.  Last year I had tried to grow in pots, and that didn't work well at all, so this year I put them in the ground.

Here is a picture of the planter I made for Willamette and Cascade:

Both Willamettes sprouted up within a couple weeks, then only one of the Cascades.  Here is a closeup of the Willamette at about 4 weeks (in April).

Initially the Willamette got to about 6 feet then stalled out.  The Cascade went to about 12 feet and stalled as well.  I'm pretty sure that I over watered due to the heat, and got root rot.  The leaves turned yellow then dried prematurely.  But the Cascade is having a late summer resurgence with new side shoots.  I think one other problem is that the stone I used to outline the planter gets real hot in the sun.  I think it is just baking the hops.  For next year, I may have to switch out the bricks with wood, or widen the planter so the hot bricks aren't right next to the hops.

In the front side yard, I originally planted a couple Northern Brewer hops, but they never sprouted.  I dug them up and they were rotten.  Again, I probably over watered. So I planted a Nugget rhizome in mid May and it really took off.  I decreased the watering schedule a bit and added a drip to it.  It seems to really like the Southern California heat because it is up to about 15 feet now, and I even got some hops cones.  Not bad for the first year.  Here is a picture of the Nugget hop that I have strung up to the top eaves of my house:

And here is a closeup of the hop cones.  They are not real big yet, but have great aroma to them already.  Next year when this hop plant is established I hope to have enough of a yield to actually brew some beer with my own hops.

Tweet!! Tweet!!!

Let's see how this works. I have been very hesitant as I have little time as it is to update my blog as often as I would like. But I went ahead and joined Twitter. So please follow me on Twitter, and whenever I update the Blog, I will send out a Tweet. Click on the link at the top of my blog or just go here: http://twitter.com/karlisbeer and start following my posts. Thanks for your support!!

Cuidado con el chupacabras!!!

Last night we had an excellent dinner. My all-time favorite mexican restaraunt (and the first mexican food I ever ate when I was a kid back in 1978 or so) opened a new restaurant in my city. They are called Carmelita's and I used to go to their original place in Roseville back in the day. What a coincendence that they open up a new place 500 miles away in my city. The food gods must have been smiling on me.

http://carmelitas.homestead.com/

Anyway, I ordered their Coloradito Burrito which is what I always had when I was a kid. It tasted exactly as I remembered it to be 20 years ago! Burrito Heaven! They slow cook the beef in chiles and onions and tomotaoes. I have never had a burrito that tasted like theirs. Very unique.

So when ordering our food, I was expecting the usual mexican beers to be on the list: Tecate, Corona, Negra Modelo, Bohemia. But there was a new one: Cucapas Chupacabras Pale Ale. It is brewed out of Mexicali, MX. I really wasn't expecting it to be very good, but I'm always up for something new so I gave it a go.

Upon pouring I was surprised to see that for a pale ale, it was actually very dark copper/amber color. Had a good foamy head, though not much aroma. Had some definite hop taste and was actually a bit more malty than I would expect from a pale as well. But overall it was a very good beer that actually tasted a bit like a homebrew rather than commercial brewery. It paired real well with my burrito and salsa roja. Find out more about the brewery here:

http://www.cucapa.com/eng/eng.html

¡salud!

Sam Adams Longshot 2009: Vanilla Baltic Porter

I just received my results from the Sam Adams Longshot homebrewing competition. I had entered a Vanilla Baltic Porter which was my own recipe using extract and partial mash. I used whole vanilla beans added during secondary fermentation. Pretty satisfied with the results as my final score was a 37.5. That's right between ratings of "Very Good" and "Excellent".

The funny thing is that I didn't think this beer would fair very well because I thougth I used WAY too much vanilla. It almost tasted like medicine to me. But the two judges said "light vanilla flavor" and "just enough vanilla". One judge said that it just needed a few "tweaks" and that I would have a winner.

One other thing that both judges said was that there was a hint of astringency. This seems to be a recurring theme with my beers. This is proabaly from sparging too hot or too long. Also they said there was just some slight phenolic/estery characteristics. I guess I need to get serious and get a fridge for my fermentation so I can control the temp better.

So overall, another encouraging competition result.

Obama Beer Summit

President Obama will be hosting Harvard professor Henry Lewis Gates, Jr. and Cambridge police Sgt. James Crowley at the White House for a beer in an attempt to smooth things over after the incident in which the professor was arrested (and later had charges dropped).

While I have to give the President credit for hosting the two for a beer after inserting himself into the drama, I have got to say what a disappointing choice of beverages by all three!!!

In Robert Gibbs' press briefing found here, he stated he believed the beers served would likely be:

President Obama: Bud Light
Gates: Red Stripe
Crowley: Blue Moon

Are you kidding me? Bud Light? I will cut Gates and Crowley some slack on their poor choices, as they are private citizens and are free to drink what they please thanks to this great and free nation we live in. (Though I suspect Gates' choice is a political choice, especially since his lawyer previously stated that the professor doesn't drink beer). But for Obama to choose Bud Light is just wrong on so many levels.

First, Bud Light is just plain awful. That's like inviting your friends over for dinner for Top Ramen. There is no way you can convince me that the President LIKES Bud Light. Nice try.

Second, Bud is no longer even an American beer. The company is now owned by Belgian InBev. OK, I know the arguments here, that Budweiser employs alot of Americans and is an American tradition, so in some way the President is supporting America and its working class. I would assume Rahm Emanuel and the President's other advisers probably chose Bud Light for the President to hopefully appeal to the working class and to try make him look like a regular guy. And they chose "Light" because they need to uphold the President's image as healthful.

Actually, there is a tradition in the White House that only domestic beers are stocked. So, Bud shouldn't even be on the list, nor should Red Stripe (Jamaican). And some may want to even argue that Blue Moon shouldn't be either since that is made by Coors, and Coors is part Canadian now.

But what about our country's rich tradition of small craft brewing?
According to beertown.org , in the US there are:
65 Regional Craft Breweries
446 Microbreweries
990 Brewpubs
1,501 Total Craft Breweries

What a great opportunity this would have been for the President to publicly show support for small business owners in America! And especially a $6.3 billion industry that is growing 10.1% in dollars! (Again, according to beertown.org)

How many better choices could there have been for the President? Sam Adams, Sierra Nevada, Stone, Shiner, Dogfish Head, New Belgium, Anchor, Flying Dog, Rogue, etc. The list is long in better options to support a great American industry.

I know the focus of this event is not beer, and that there are more important issues. However, the White House made a point to emphasize what beer the President would be drinking. They wanted to call attention to it for whatever reason. So since they brought it up, we can critique the decision. I think here the President falls flat in his PR stunt - as flat and tasteless as his beer.

UPDATE!!!

It looks like Vice President Biden joined the Happy Hour Party!!! Welcome Joe!!! Though sadly he chose to drink Bucklers which as far as I know is a low alcohol or no-alcohol beer. I'm fairly certain Biden doesn't drink alcohol, which is perfectly fine and can't fault him for that. But he couldn't find an American non-alcoholic beer? (Actually, maybe there isn't an American non-alcoholic beer.) Funny, out of all those guys, the one I would probably most enjoy having a drink with is Biden, and he doesn't even drink.

Anyway, congratulations to Professor Gates for dropping the Red Stripe (maybe he couldn't get that at the White House) and choosing to support his local brewery by having a Sam Adams Light. Sgt. Crowley had a Blue Moon as previously expected, and sadly President Obama stuck with his Bud Light.

New Wife Beers

I found a couple beers finally that my wife likes. Yay!!! The first being New Belgium's 1554 Enlightened Black Ale. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised she would like this given the chocolaty profile, but she usually isn't into the dark beers at all. The 1554 though dark and malty is actually very drinkable. Not heavy at all.

The second beer we discovered she likes is Sam Adams new Blackberry Witbier. It's a refreshing summer type beer that's a little tart. Very good. Even I can drink this.

Been a Long Time...

It has been a long time since I made any posts. Also has been a long time since I brewed any beer. Having a new baby girl sure does take alot of time. And today sadly marks one month after losing my father unexpectedly. My Dad was a big Sierra Nevada Ale fan. His recent favorite being the highly hopped Torpedo Ale. While up in the Chico area for his funeral, we had a last tribute to him and had some beers to toast him at the Sierra Nevada Brewery. Here is a picture of my daughter Lily and I at the hopyard at Sierra Nevada. We miss you dad.

Orange Bier

Not too long ago I bought a 6-pack of Oranjeboom lager from Trader Joe's. It is a Dutch beer that is very clean and crisp. The web site description says it is a strong yet mildly bitter beer. I didn't find it strong at all, and not that bitter either. But I really liked it. On a hot summer day it hit the spot. The beer isn't made with oranges and doesn't have an outright orangey taste, though it is a bit citrusy. The beer is named Oranjeboom due to the significance of the orange blossom as a symbol of the Netherlands and the royal family.

Drinking the Oranjeboom got me thinking about brewing a beer with orange flavor. I wanted to make something clean and crisp like the Orangjeboom, but I can't really do a proper lager here in the hot summer. So I thought I would give a try making a Kolsch style beer and adding some orange peels to secondary to give some orange taste and aroma. Kolsch yeast can withstand higher fermentation temperatures and still give characteristics of a lager. Here is my brewsheet:

Ingredients for Mashing Amount Item Type % or IBU 1.00 lb Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) Grain 14.29 %

Step Time Name Description Step Temp 40 min steep grains Add 8.00 qt of water and heat to 155.0 F over 2 min 155.0 F

Boil Wort
	Add water to achieve boil volume of 5.72 gal
	Estimated pre-boil gravity is 1.042
	Boil Ingredients Boil Amount Item Type 60 min 6.00 lb Wheat Liquid Extract (8.0 SRM) Extract 60 min 0.50 oz Hallertauer Mittelfrueh [4.00 %] (60 min) Hops 30 min 0.50 oz Hallertauer Mittelfrueh [4.00 %] (30 min) Hops 15 min 0.50 oz Tettnang [4.50 %] (15 min) Hops 10 min 0.25 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 min) Misc 5 min 0.50 oz Tettnang [4.50 %] (5 min) Hops

Cool and Prepare Fermentation
	Cool wort to fermentation temperature
	Transfer wort to fermenter
	Add water to achieve final volume of 5.00 gal
	Ingredients for Fermentation Amount Item Type % or IBU 1 Pkgs German Ale/Kolsch (White Labs #WLP029) Yeast-Ale
	Measure Actual Original Gravity ___1.042____ (Target: 1.048 SG)
	Measure Actual Batch Volume ___5____ (Target: 5.00 gal)

Fermentation
	8/24/2008 - Primary fermentation (10 days at 80.0 F)
	9/3/2008 - Secondary fermentation (5 days at 68.0 F) Add to Secondary Amount Item Type % or IBU 0.75 oz Orange Peel, Sweet (Secondary 5.0 days) Misc
	N/A - Tertiary Fermentation (0 days at 68.0 F)
	Prepare for Bottling/Kegging
	Measure Final Gravity: ___1.014______ (Estimate: 1.012 SG)
	9/8/2008 - Bottled beer at 75.0 F with 4.9 oz of corn sugar.
	Age beer for 28.0 days at 75.0 F
	10/6/2008 - Drink and enjoy!

For the orange peel, I took the zest from 3 tangelos. These are a cross between a tangerine and an orange I think. No real reason behind using the tangelos except that they smelled nice at the grocery. Oh, and I washed the tangelos and them gave them a few minutes in a collander steamer in order to kill any fungus or bacteria hiding out on the skin. Careful balancing act here to not steam them too much so that the oils are removed from the skin. But you don't want to introduce anything not sterile into your secondary if you can help it. I think some brewers will put the peels into the boil instead and I may try this sometime though I've heard that a vigorous primary fermentation can expel any aroma from the peels.

The beer has only aged about three weeks, but it has come out very interesting. It definitely has orange aroma and flavor, though not overpowering. I think the mouthfeel is a bit thin due to using all wheat extract. The Kolsch yeast adds a fruity character as well. And the beer is not as clear as I would like it to be, though I think if I condition it a few more weeks in the fridge it may clear up some. Right now it is almost like e hefeweizen, though not as tart. Overall, I am very satisfied with the beer. It is a great summer beer. I think next time I brew it though I will use some Munich Malt instead of pure wheat to give it a bit more color and flavor - more like a traditional Kolsch which isn't 100% wheat.