502 Beer

Here we go again on our own...

2009-09-14T19:29:00.000-07:00

Well, after a 6 month layoff, we're back. Summer has been crazy. Beer Festivals galore. I'm not complaining, but they do get a bit old by the end of the summer. So, here we are at the end of the season and I'm ready to get back into this. Lots of really great things have been going on in the world of craft beer. Unfortunately, its sort of too late to give details on them right now. I'll try and work them in later in various ways.
The biggest thing to start since the last post are the tastings my wife and I have been hosting at our house. The first one was in a fairly small affair that was very Imperial Stout-centric. I was able to get my hands on a number of the country's finest examples of the style, including Three Floyds Dark Lord, Surly Darkness, Deschutes The Abyss and Sexual Chocolate (the name of the brewery is escaping me right now). That's not all that we had though. My friend Clay had recently returned from Belgium and brought back some treats. About 2 dozen treats to be exact. However, the pinnacle of his finds were all three Westvleterens, 6, 8 and 12. These beers are extremely rare and are not distributed anywhere in the US. So, to get to try all three together was quite a pleasure. This was the fourth time I had the "Westy" 12 and it remains one of my favorite beers of all time. It has never disappointed.
The second tasting was a dramatically different affair. There were twice as many people and many of those people didn't quite realize what we were in fact trying to do. This was evidenced by the person who brought a 12 pack of Bud Light Lime. Anyway, it was still alot of fun. We tried some great beers, but once again I failed to keep any sort of record of the beers I tried. So pictures from the next morning are really the only way for me to remember what was consumed. I do remember that New Glarus' Enigma, Dogfish Head Squall IPA, Green Flash Imperial IPA, DFH Chateau Jiahu and Three Floyds Behemoth Barleywine were some of my favorites of the night.
I am planning another tasting around my birthday. Hopefully it will be a smaller, perhaps more focused, affair. I am sure that anyone interested in reading this blog will probably be there. For those of you who weren't there, here are a few pictures to whet your appetite.

Impys Aplenty

2009-03-19T19:26:00.000-07:00

Man, I am not sure what it is about spring, but two of the best Imperial Stouts in the world come out in the spring. Not exactly the time of year one would associate with a rich, heavy style of beer, but nonetheless...

Anyway, this past Tuesday, Founder's Brewing released KBS to the delight of the Kentuckiana Beer Geeks. This beer's actual name is Kentucky Breakfast Stout. For some reason, it was changed to just KBS this year. I have a sneaking suspicion that the government, be it state of KY or the Feds, had something to do with the change. As you might have guessed, this is yet another Bourbon Barrel-Aged Stout. However, I would say the base beer of KBS (Breakfast Stout) is one of my favorite stouts around. So, throw it in a barrel for a couple months, and you get something special. Of course, special comes at a cost. I believe Whole Foods is charging around $25 for a 4 pack. They also have singles of it for $6.49. I haven't heard who else has it in town, although I am sure that all of the usual places will have at least some (Liquor Barn, Old Town, ValuMarket). Also, I know that Todd at The Keg has some. However, he only got one case this year, so he will be selling it as singles only. If I get a price, I'll update you all. If you can get your hands on a bottle, definitely give it a shot. Its worth the money.

The other big stout to come out at this time of the year is Three Floyd's Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout. This beer is HUGE. The final gravity of this beer is higher than most beer's original gravity. The big appeal of this beer is that it is only available on one day a year, Dark Lord Day, and it is only at the brewery in Munster, IN. They have the DLD party every year, and they get their hands on some really great guest beers from all over the country. Also, you can try their Oak Aged Dark Lord, and their Vanilla Bean Dark Lord. This year, as a bonus, they will be releasing Popskull too. Popskull is FFF's collaboration with DogFish Head Brewing, out of Delaware. Not alot is known about the beer right now, other than it is a big, probably hoppy, brown ale. Hopefully I'll get my hands on a bottle or two and I can tell you all what it is like.
So, I will be going, and this will be my first festival I have covered for this blog.

For this year's festival, FFF changed up the process a little bit. In years past, you showed up, tried to get as close to the front of the line as possible, and hoped they didn't run out of beer. Every year there were hundreds, if not thousands, of people who went home empty handed. In order to try and rectify this, FFF instituted the "Golden Ticket" lottery. You registered your name on the Dark Lord Day website, they sent you an e-mail when tickets went on sale, and for $10 you could buy a "Golden Ticket." Every person was able to buy up to 2 tickets. Then when DLD gets closer, FFF will let us know how many bottles we can get with each ticket, based on the yield of the brew. I would guess it will be anywhere between 2 and 4 bottles per ticket. Tickets went on sale this past Tuesday, and all 4,000 tickets were snatched up in about 4 hours. So, I got 2 tickets. Now, I know what some of you are saying. "Why do you have to pay $10 just to get the right to buy DL?" Well, I look at it this way; The money goes to charity, so the brewery isn't pocketing the cash. Also, I can take the time to travel up there secure in the knowledge that I won't be coming home empty handed. I think that that alone will make the day exponentially more fun. If anyone reading this has tickets too and they want to carpool, just let me know.

So, what if you can't afford KBS, or didn't get tickets for DLD? Well, there are lots of great Imperial Stouts that are readily available in Kentucky. Bell's Expedition is great. Avery's The Czar is another one. I recently tried Night Tripper from New Holland Brewing and found it to be a breath of fresh air. Full bodied and rich with a slight dusty cocoa quality that would have been overwhelmed had the brewers decided to barrel age the beer. This beer is a proof that sometimes simpler is better.

Well, that's about it. When I get back from DLD, I'll set up a tasting and we crack open a bottle of Dark Lord. I love to share. Until later, cheers all.

Homebrew Update - 3.4.09

2009-03-04T19:34:00.000-08:00

I have never posted about my homebrewing adventures on this blog, but I figured I'd include it.

Today, I racked my Raspberry Lambic into a new carboy and added some new oak chips to it. I have a new batch of Brettanomyces (sp?) on its way, so I'll start a secondary fermentation with that. For those that don't know, "Brett" is one of the cultures that is used in brewing sour ales. It adds what is best described as a "Wet Horse Blanket" quality to a beer. Now, I know that alot of you probably don't think that that sounds good, but trust me, when it works with the beer, it can be divine.

I started the beer as a basic wheat beer, using a combination of wheat and pale malt extract. I also used artificially aged hops for it. You want to use aged hops so that their bittering qualities have died down. For this style, you want the hops more for their preservative qualities than for their bittering qualities. To do this, I baked the hops in an oven for 30 minutes, then left them out in the open for a couple of days. Not the best way to do it, but if you don't have a couple of years to actually age the hops, its at least quick.

Then, in primary fermentation, I used a Belgian Witbier yeast strain. It added some fruity esters, but not a whole lot. The lack of coriander and orange peel definitely kept those qualities to a minimum. Anyway, after primary, I racked into secondary. In secondary I added 6 pounds of Raspberry puree, oaks chips that had been soaked in Sherry for a week, and a Lambic culture blend that included Brett and three others. That was in October.

So, today I racked over to yet another fermenter. I'll add the next Brett strain on Sunday when I get back home from Saint Louis. Then, the beer will age for another 6 months or so. That will make this beer, all told, about a year long project. But, I grabbed a small "barrel sample", and I think after those six months, this beer could be something very special. It is starting to get a very nice tartness and a very, very earthy nose to it.

So, that's it. I'll keep you all updated on the progress. And, if anyone wants to try it once its done, I will have plenty. Also, hopefully Fitz and I will get back in the swing of brewing soon and I'll more brews to report on. Until later, cheers, all.

Beer Updates - 3.3.09

2009-03-03T15:52:00.001-08:00

I spoke to Brennen from Whole Foods today for quite a bit, and he informed me of some cool things going on. First and foremost, they now have a kegerator. At some point in the future, I think they will be doing some growlers. But for now, they are trying to get people to drink while in the store. This may seem a bit unorthodox, but I would love to down a pint while shopping. Then again, I hate shopping. First on tap, they have BBC's APA. A Louisville staple, it is a great way to kick off the new system.

Brennen also mentioned that they will be getting a few pallets of Genesee Bock Beer in a couple of weeks. Now, I haven't had this beer, so I can't vouche for it. But, a 12-pack of what I assume will be 12 ounce cans will only set you back $7.99. So, as the weather warms up and cookouts start happening, this will be a welcome alternative to some of the macros. Brennen says they have some 12-packs available right now, but the bulk of it will be arriving by the end of the month (ish).

Finally, a huge cheer erupted today from the KY beer geek community, as Founder's Brewing, out of MI, has finally landed in the Bluegrass. Brennen got his first cases of Centennial IPA, Red's Rye and Double Trouble IIPA today. I assume that you will start seeing it in all of the usual places soon, such as Liquor Barn, ValuMarket and Old Town. I also spoke to James at the Nachbar. He got all three Founder's beers in bottles, and he also got a keg of Red's Rye. Do yourself a favor and check it out. Being a fan of anything Rye, this beer is one of my favs.

Finally, be on the lookout for Stone's Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale. Word is that it will be on the next shipment that Beer House gets from Stone. For anyone who has read this blog before, you will remember that I am huge fan of Stone's 11th Anniversary beer. Well, the SSRA is the 11th Anniversary gone year-round. I have a couple of bottles of 11 in the cellar, so I am excited to taste it against a fresh batch. Hopefully some draft of it will show up here and there as well.

Alright folks, I don't want to get you all to the point where you expect all of this good stuff so often, so I'll sign off for now. Cheers, all.

Welcome back!!!

2009-03-02T17:28:00.000-08:00

Man, where the hell have I been? Well, things have been crazy. I am sure that most of you can relate. While I haven't been updating the site regularly, don't think that I haven't been drinking some good beer.

First and foremost, a kind gentleman from MN sent me some Surly Furious to help me curb my almost incurable jones for the stuff. Seriously, if you've never had it, seek some out. I am down to only 3 cans, but two of those have been promised to out of towners. Guess I'll have to cook up another trade pretty soon.

Let's see. What else has happened? Oh, that wonderful nectar called Hopslam was released. A 10% IIPA that is, as I see it, an ode to the Simcoe hop. If you ever have someone question your description of grapefruit in beer, just have them stick their nose in this bad boy. Every year beer geeks everywhere await its release, and they couldn't have been disappointed by this year's edition. While perhaps a tad sweeter than I would have liked, the ruby red grapefruit character is back in full effect. I love it. I can't drink alot of it, but if it is a one or two beer night, there is no better option for a guy like me. I tried to find a picture of the label to post on here, but I'm sure you all know what it looks like.

I also discovered a new beer recently. Troegs Brewing, out of Harrisburg, PA, releases a Wet Hop Ale, called Nugget Nectar.

Now, I had this beer in February, so I didn't know how well the hop character had held up since it was brewed. Yeah, I know, its only a few months, but with wet hop ales, fresh is always best. Anyway, this beer did not disappoint. Rich and well balanced, this was one hoppy monster. In spite of my previous show of affection for HopSlam, I actually would drink the Nugget Nectar over it any day of the week, and twice on Sunday. That's how good it is. They don't sell it here in KY, or even in IN. I found mine in Cincy at Jungle Jim's. It is a bit of a hike, but they have one fantastic beer selection, full of lots of beers you can't find here in KY.

Speaking of beers you can't get in KY, I visited Todd at The Keg in Clarksville, IN today. Todd had a beer geek field day last week. He got in some new, very hard to find beers. First is the Nogne O Dark Horizon 2nd Edition. I won't spend too much time talking about it, because the case he got was gone in a matter of days.

However, he got two other beers that I, for one, never thought I'd get to try. First is Black Albert, a Belgian Royal Stout from De Struise out of Belgium. This beer was originally brewed for Ebenezer's Pub, in Lovell, Maine, and that was where US distribution began and ended. However, a few months ago, I heard rumblings of a couple cases hitting the IN market. Before I could get to those places, the bottles had all disappeared. Then, I heard Rich O's was getting a keg for Gravity Head. I wasn't sure I'd make it up before the keg blew. So, once again, I thought I'd miss out.

Then, I went to The Keg. I now have a bottle of BA in my cellar, just waiting for the right time to enjoy. I'll be sure to let you all know just when that is.

The other beer that Todd got in was from Mikkeller. Mikkeller is a pretty cool operation. Mikkel, the now lone brewer, doesn't have a brewhouse. He rents out space wherever he can find it, whether its Struise, or Nogne O, or whoever. So, if you try one of their beers, be sure to check the label to see where the beer was actually brewed.

So, this beer is called Beer Geek Brunch Weasel.

It is a bigger brother of their Beer Geek Breakfast, a beer that I have never been shy about criticizing. BGB is a 7.5% Oatmeal Stout brewed with coffee, and BGBW is a 10.9%Imperial Oatmeal Stout, also brewed with coffee. The major difference is the coffee that was used. BGBW uses Kopi Luwak. For those not in the know, here's what Wikipedia has to say about it: "Kopi Luwak is the most expensive coffee in the world, selling for between $120 and $600 USD per pound...Kopi is the Indonesian word for coffee, and luwak is a local name of the Asian Palm Civet. The raw, red coffee berries are part of its normal diet, along with insects, small mammals, small reptiles, eggs and nestlings of birds, and other fruit. The inner bean of the berry is not digested, but it has been proposed that enzymes in the stomach of the civet add to the coffee's flavor by breaking down the proteins that give coffee its bitter taste. The beans are defecated, still covered in some inner layers of the berry. The beans are washed, and given only a light roast so as to not destroy the complex flavors that develop through the process." So, poop coffee. Anyway, I love many of the Mikkeller beers I have had, and I can't wait to try this very rare beer. If you feel so inclined, Todd has some bottles left. It will set you back about $11, if memory serves, but I have a feeling it will be well worth it.

In that same trip, I also picked up a bottle of Mikkeller's Single Hop Simcoe IPA. As I stated before, I LOVE Simcoe hops. So, I am very anxious to try this one. The only other all Simcoe beer I've ever had is Weyerbacher's Simcoe IIPA, and I love it. So, I have high hopes.

I guess that'll be about enough for now. I promise to try and update more regularly. Also, we'll have some more tastings coming. First, I think, will be a four beer tasting of all of Oskar Blue's beer. I am very excited about that. I haven't had the Old Chub yet, but Gordon might be the best IIPA (ish) being brewed in America.

Until next time, cheers everyone.

Beer 101: Styles - California Common

2009-01-05T18:19:00.000-08:00

For this week's beer style, I decided to do a style that I like very much. It is the California Common, also known as Steam Beer. This is one of the only styles indigenous to the United States. It started when immigrants wanted to make lagers, but didn't have refrigeration to get the beer down to proper lagering temperatures. Therefore, it is a beer that uses a lager yeast strain, but ferments at temperatures closer to those found when fermenting ales. This higher fermentation temperature produces fruitier esters than would normally be present in a traditional lager.

For a twist on the style, and the only beer style indigenous to Kentucky, try New Albanian's Phoenix Kentucky Kommon. Roger told me the whole story one time, but I don't want to get it wrong. If I can get him to type it out, maybe I'll post it here on the site. (By the way, NABC also makes a pretty kickass Common as well, called Mt. Lee) Anyway, here is the California Common. Enjoy.

California Common Beer

Aroma: Typically showcases the signature Northern Brewer
hops (with woody, rustic or minty qualities) in moderate to
high strength. Light fruitiness acceptable. Low to moderate
caramel and/or toasty malt aromatics support the hops. No
diacetyl.

Appearance: Medium amber to light copper color. Generally
clear. Moderate off-white head with good retention.

Flavor: Moderately malty with a pronounced hop bitterness.
The malt character is usually toasty (not roasted) and caramelly.
Low to moderately high hop flavor, usually showing
Northern Brewer qualities (woody, rustic, minty). Finish fairly
dry and crisp, with a lingering hop bitterness and a firm,
grainy malt flavor. Light fruity esters are acceptable, but otherwise
clean. No diacetyl.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium to medium-high carbonation.
Overall Impression: A lightly fruity beer with firm, grainy
maltiness, interesting toasty and caramel flavors, and showcasing
the signature Northern Brewer varietal hop character.

History: American West Coast original. Large shallow open
fermenters (coolships) were traditionally used to compensate
for the absence of refrigeration and to take advantage of the
cool ambient temperatures in the San Francisco Bay area. Fermented
with a lager yeast, but one that was selected to thrive
at the cool end of normal ale fermentation temperatures.

Comments: This style is narrowly defined around the prototypical
Anchor Steam example. Superficially similar to an
American pale or amber ale, yet differs in that the hop flavor/
aroma is woody/minty rather than citrusy, malt flavors are
toasty and caramelly, the hopping is always assertive, and a
warm-fermented lager yeast is used.

Ingredients: Pale ale malt, American hops (usually Northern
Brewer, rather than citrusy varieties), small amounts of toasted
malt and/or crystal malts. Lager yeast, however some strains
(often with the mention of “California” in the name) work
better than others at the warmer fermentation temperatures
(55 to 60°F) used. Note that some German yeast strains produce
inappropriate sulfury character. Water should have relatively
low sulfate and low to moderate carbonate levels.

Vital Statistics:
OG: 1.048 – 1.054
IBUs: 30 – 45
FG: 1.011 – 1.014
SRM: 10 – 14
ABV: 4.5 – 5.5%

Commercial Examples: New Albanian Mt. Lee, Anchor Steam, Southampton Steem
Beer, Flying Dog Old Scratch Amber Lager

Hoppy New Beer!!!!!

2009-01-05T17:42:00.000-08:00

Hey all!!! Sorry for the long time since the last post. Things have been crazy with the holiday season. Hope everyone had a great couple of weeks. So, alot of things happened since we last caught up.

First, Todd at The Keg hosted his annual Holiday Beer tasting. A great time was had by all, but there were a few standouts. First, was Three Floyd's Alpha Klaus. This is an Imperial Porter that is hopped to hell and back. This was one very fresh and had a distinct catty quality. Very good, but will probably be better in a couple of months after the hops meld into the beer a little bit more.

The other beer that stood out was an '06 Delirium Noel. Anyone who says that beer doesn't age well needs to only try this beer to be swayed. Complex with lots of candied fruit/sherry qualities, it's one of the best beers I have had in a while.

I also decided to take a couple of bottles from my cellar to share with the fellow geeks that would be attending. First, I took a bottle of Smuttynose Imperial Stout. This one was a pleasant surprise, as it is the rare Imperial Stout these days that is not Barrel Aged. This allowed a sort of dusty cocoa quality to come through. A very nice beer to be sure, and one that I wish I a few more bottles.

The next beer I brought was AleSmith's Winter YuleSmith

offering. AleSmith releases two different versions of this beer. One comes out in the summer for the 4th of July Holiday. It is a straight up Double IPA. Their winter edition is described as an Imperial Red Ale. I had this beer last year in April or so, so it was a few months old. I thought it was good, but nothing too special. Boy, was I wrong. Having this bad boy young is like straight up hop juice. Amber in color and sticky as hell, this beer simply oozes hop goodness. I enjoy sharing new beers with people, but I wish I could have had this one all to myself.

Also, over the break, I had the chance to try what was the last of what I call my "Holy Grail Beers." For the last year or so, this list has consisted of Pliny the Elder from Russian River brewing, and this beer, Westvleteren 12. I was fortunate enough to get a bottle of Pliny a couple of months ago through a trade with a guy on RateBeer.com. My overwhelming thought on the beer was "Eh." I've certainly had worse IIPAs, but it didn't come close to meeting my expectations. So, that experience was disappointing. So, you can imagine my trepidation when my buddy Clay invited me over for a "Westy 12." I wanted more than anything else for this beer to be great. Not just good, but great. I didn't want all of my yearning to be in vain. Well, I am happy to report that it wasn't. Westy 12 earns every one of its accolades as one of the world's great beers. Lots of dried fruit/fig qualities. The beer was amazing. It took me an hour to drink 11.2 ounces of it, because I didn't want it to end. Thanks so much to Clay for the beer. Sorry, Justin. I promise, we'll have one together soon. I don't care what it takes.

I am gonna call it a day for this post. I don't want to bombard you all with too much at once. I have some ideas for some new content this year. Hopefully you all will enjoy it. Happy drinking all. Cheers!

The Keg's Holiday tasting lineup

2008-12-16T13:32:00.000-08:00

This info from Todd at The Keg was lovingly stolen off another site. But, I am sure Todd won't mind.

Just in time for the holidaze:
Join us as we hold our 4th Annual Holiday Insanity beer tasting at Keg Liquors
Wednesday, December 17th from 5 - 8. (That's tomorrow people!!!)

How is this for a lineup:
Schlafly Christmas Ale
Schlafly Winter ESB
Schlafly Biere de Garde
Schlafly Barleywine (2007 Vintage)
Schlafly Imperial Stout (2007 Vintage)
Delirium Noel (2007 and 2008 Vintage)
Harpoon Winter Warmer
Avery Old Jubilation
Brooklyn Winter Ale
Samuel Smith Winter Welcome
Anchor Merry Christmas/Happy New Year 2008
Three Floyds Alpha Klaus
Orval
Chimay Grand Reserve
Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence
Redstone Vanilla & Cinnamon Mead
Great Divide Hibernation Ale
Breckenridge Christmas Ale
Boulder Never Summer Ale
Struise Tsjeeses
N'ice Chouffe (2005 and 2007 Vintages)
Left Hand Snow Bound
Ølfabrikken Winter Porter
Scaldis Noel
Harvey's Christmas Ale (2001 Vintage)

We will also have Belgian cheeses and chocolate for sampling as well.
There might be a few more surprises beers from the secret stash that will show up as well.

Seriously, anyone at all interested in good beer has to try and make it to this event. It is a guaranteed good time. Cheers, all.

That "A-Ha" moment

2008-12-15T15:38:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd share a little bit about myself and my journey with beer. After all, it is that journey that has led me to this point. Beer is my life. I fall asleep thinking about it, and it is what I think about when I wake up. Part of that is because I work in the beer business. But, mostly it stems from the fact that I am obsessed with it on every level. So, where did all of this begin? Well, it all started in 2002 when I worked at Azalea.

There aren't many good things that came out of my experience at Azalea. Two things, though, stick out. I met one of my best friends, Justin, there. We bonded and became great friends, and he is now my partner in just about all things beer that I do. The second thing was that I was introduced to La Fin Du Monde.

Azalea, for the most part, had a fairly pedestrian beer menu. But, towards the end of my time there, they started to up their beer game. One of the first beers they added that was different and interesting was La Fin Du Monde from Unibroue. LFDM is a Belgian-style Triple, refermented in the bottle to give it a great champagne-like effervescence. At the time it was brought in, I didn't really drink beer. If I went out for the night with people from work, I nursed a Bud Light and mainly did shots. I loved tequila at the time. But, since we were selling LFDM at work, I thought I should at least taste it. It sounded interesting, and alot of people I worked with said that it was really good. So, I tried it and fell deeply in love. I knew it was modeled after Belgian beers, so I sought out every Belgian beer that I could get my hands on. When I would go over to friends houses and they would buy a bottle of wine to drink, I would buy a 750ml bottle of Chimay Blue. I quickly fell in love with the Trappists beers, such as Orval, Westmalle and, of course, Chimay. For the next year, this is what I drank. Then, someone, I don't remember who, told me that I should try Anderson Valley's Hop Ottin IPA.

Now, as much as I loved Belgian beers, I didn't know what an IPA was. But, I was given a free bottle, so, I gave it a shot. Well, that really was the beginning of the end. Nothing I had ever drank tasted quite like that. I loved this beer dearly, and still do to this day. On the back of the bottle, it is described as a Hophead's dream (or something to that effect). So, I decided that I must be a Hophead. From that point, it was all hops all the time. You couldn't cram enough hops into the beer for me.

And, that was it. Two beers and about a year settled my fate. To this day, my passion for beer is one of the only things in my life that has never wained (Beer and my love for my wife and my dogs).

The passion was there at that point, but I would have to give Len Stevens credit for alot of my growth in terms of my knowledge of beer. Len intrusted L&N's beer list to me, and it was that duty that introduced me to alot of different styles and started my knowledge of how to pair beer and food. My knowledge, as well as my passion, more than doubled in the three years that I did their beer list.

So, there it is. After L&N, I took a job at Whole Foods as their Beer Buyer, and from there I landed at Schlafly where I am today. This is all that I want to do. I will always be employed by something involving beer. I imagine being with Schlafly for quite a while. But, if I were ever to leave, it would be for a different job in this business. Beer has been very good for me and to me. I guess that this blog is just a way for me to give a little bit back. If this site inspires even one person to give craft beer a chance, I will count it a success.

If anyone else would like to share any of their stories of their awakening to craft beer, I'd love to hear them all. Shoot me an e-mail at 502bber@gmail.com. I will post them as they come in.

Long live craft beer. Until next time, Cheers all.

Beer 101: Styles - Witbier

2008-12-14T20:19:00.000-08:00

It's not really the season for it, but this week I thought we'd go to one of the world's most classic and, currently, one of its most popular styles, the Witbier. Now, don't mistake that cloyingly sweet crap that comes out of Golden, CO for a true Belgian Wit. Sure, there are good American examples of the Wit, that just isn't one of them. Ommegang and Allagash, two breweries that specialize in Belgian style ales, make great examples of the style.

However, Wit's selection as style of the week was inspired by a trip I took last week to visit Upland Brewing in Bloomington, IN. Upland Wheat is the flagship beer of the brewery, and it is a great take on the Wit style. It pours a hazy straw yellow with a fruity nose that comes up out of a fluffy off white head. The spice in this beer is not as domineering as it is in some of the other examples of the style. You definitely get the orange peel and the coriander, but they are not standouts. They are simply two parts of the whole. It is that balance that makes this beer so damn drinkable. Some may turn up their nose because it is a session beer in the age of extreme. But, that'll just leave more for me to enjoy.

Enough of my yapping. Here are the specs for this style:

Witbier
Aroma: Moderate sweetness (often with light notes of honey
and/or vanilla) with light, grainy, spicy wheat aromatics, often
with a bit of tartness. Moderate perfumy coriander, often
with a complex herbal, spicy, or peppery note in the background.
Moderate zesty, citrusy orangey fruitiness. A low
spicy-herbal hop aroma is optional, but should never overpower
the other characteristics. No diacetyl. Vegetal, celerylike,
or ham-like aromas are inappropriate. Spices should
blend in with fruity, floral and sweet aromas and should not
be overly strong.

Appearance: Very pale straw to very light gold in color. The
beer will be very cloudy from starch haze and/or yeast, which
gives it a milky, whitish-yellow appearance. Dense, white,
moussy head. Head retention should be quite good.

Flavor: Pleasant sweetness (often with a honey and/or vanilla
character) and a zesty, orange-citrusy fruitiness. Refreshingly
crisp with a dry, often tart, finish. Can have a low wheat flavor.
Optionally has a very light lactic-tasting sourness. Herbalspicy
flavors, which may include coriander and other spices,
are common should be subtle and balanced, not overpowering.
A spicy-earthy hop flavor is low to none, and if noticeable,
never gets in the way of the spices. Hop bitterness is low to
medium-low (as with a Hefeweizen), and doesn’t interfere
with refreshing flavors of fruit and spice, nor does it persist
into the finish. Bitterness from orange pith should not be present.
Vegetal, celery-like, ham-like, or soapy flavors are inappropriate.
No diacetyl.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light to medium body, often having a
smoothness and light creaminess from unmalted wheat and
the occasional oats. Despite body and creaminess, finishes dry
and often a bit tart. Effervescent character from high carbonation.
Refreshing, from carbonation, light acidity, and lack of
bitterness in finish. No harshness or astringency from orange
pith. Should not be overly dry and thin, nor should it be thick
and heavy.

Overall Impression: A refreshing, elegant, tasty, moderate strength
wheat-based ale.

History: A 400-year-old beer style that died out in the 1950s; it
was later revived by Pierre Celis at Hoegaarden, and has
grown steadily in popularity over time.

Comments: The presence, character and degree of spicing and
lactic sourness varies. Overly spiced and/or sour beers are not
good examples of the style. Coriander of certain origins might
give an inappropriate ham or celery character. The beer tends
to be fragile and does not age well, so younger, fresher, properly
handled examples are most desirable. Most examples
seem to be approximately 5% ABV.

Ingredients: About 50% unmalted wheat (traditionally soft
white winter wheat) and 50% pale barley malt (usually Pils
malt) constitute the grist. In some versions, up to 5-10% raw
oats may be used. Spices of freshly-ground coriander and Curaçao
or sometimes sweet orange peel complement the sweet
aroma and are quite characteristic. Other spices (e.g., chamomile,
cumin, cinnamon, Grains of Paradise) may be used for
complexity but are much less prominent. Ale yeast prone to
the production of mild, spicy flavors is very characteristic. In
some instances a very limited lactic fermentation, or the actual
addition of lactic acid, is done.

Vital Statistics:
OG: 1.044 – 1.052
IBUs: 10 – 20
FG: 1.008 – 1.012
SRM: 2 – 4
ABV: 4.5 – 5.5%

Commercial Examples: Hoegaarden Wit, St. Bernardus
Blanche, Celis White, Vuuve 5, Brugs Tarwebier (Blanche de
Bruges), Wittekerke, Allagash White, Blanche de Bruxelles,
Ommegang Witte, Avery White Rascal, Unibroue Blanche de
Chambly, Sterkens White Ale, Bell’s Winter White Ale, Victory
Whirlwind Witbier, Hitachino Nest White Ale

Upland's Wheat, and other beers, including Dragonfly IPA, Bad Elmer's Porter and their Lambic series are all available in Louisville at your better beer places. Pick up one soon and give them a shot. Or, next time you're in Bloomington, stop by for a pint. The crew at Upland is as good as they come and I am sure they will welcome all with open arms. Cheers, all.

Stone 11th Annniversary returns!!!!

2008-12-13T07:41:00.001-08:00

Last night, I received the best news I have had in quite some time with regard to beer. In September of 2007, Stone Brewing out of Escondido, California released their annual anniversary beer. The commercial description goes a little something like this:

Our Stone 11th Anniversary Black IPA uses de-husked dark malt imported from Germany and American high alpha hop varieties, including Chinook, with Simcoe and Amarillo hops combined in the dry-hop. These ingredients combine to provide this beer with complex citrus and roast flavors, neither one overwhelming the other, but both intense enough to assure a totally unique and deep flavor profile. It's not a Porter, and it's not a Stout.

Upon release, I acquired a bottle, tried it, and proceeded to acquire at least an entire case worth of this magical nectar. Roasty, citrusy and hopped to Hell and back, this beer quickly became a favorite. In fact, most of that case worth of 22oz bombers was meant for cellaring, but the temptation proved too great. So, before the calendar rolled over to 2008, I had run through my supply, and I was heartbroken that this beer, a perennial top five-er, was gone...forever.

Then, upon visiting Liquor Barn in Lexington last night, I discovered, on the shelf, multiple bottles of Stone 11th Anniversary. I stopped for a few minutes, staring, convinced that my eyes were playing tricks on me. But no, Stone, apparently aged a certain number of cases of this beer and released it a year later. The best part is that you know these cases were cared for. They weren't "aged" in the back corner of some non-climate controlled warehouse. Stone cellared these themselves and released them.

Here is the "bad" news. I am not 100% certain if this is the case, but from what I understand, there are only 15 cases of this beer here in Louisville, and they are split up between the three Liquor Barn locations. That is not alot of beer, especially if the beer geeks, such as myself, catch wind of this soon. That allocation could be scooped up pretty quickly.

So, if you have never had this beer, do yourself a favor and grab a bottle. You won't be disappointed. If you have already had this beer, chances are, you didn't even read the rest of this post and you are already on your way to procure some bottles.

One final thing: I saw these bottles in Lexington. I have no guarantee that there are even any in Louisville, although I was told that there were. I will be confirming today and I will post an update either confirming or denying the legitimacy of what I was told. Cheers, all.

Tasting - Port Brewing

2008-12-09T17:06:00.000-08:00

Last week, I sat down with Meghann and Fitz to do the first official 502Beer tasting. We were first going to do a tasting of some Imperial Stouts. However, for a bit of diversity, we opened up four beers I procured in Chicago from the Port Brewing Company. We tasted Panzer Imperial Pilsner, Hop 15 Imperial IPA, Shark Attack Triple Red Ale and 2008 Santa's Little Helper Imperial Stout.

It was a tough job, but we muscled through it.

Panzer Imperial Pilsner 9.5% ABV

Meghann: Golden color, spicy nose.
Lovely Malt Presence
Long Finish with a little hop bitterness at the end
***

Fitz: Look - Light, Straw Color
Nose - Biscuit, Malty, Lavender, Bay Leaf
Mouthfeel - Nice Carbonation, Medium Body, Clean Finish
Taste - Floral, Crisp, Old World Hops, Nice Malt Balance with Clean, Spicy finish.
***1/2

Scott: Golden, Honey color
Grainy, cereal nose. Flowery quality (lilac)
Sweet but balanced. Slight Spice and grapefruit
Full mouthfeel, finishes clean
***1/2

Hop 15 Imperial IPA

Meghann: Medium Amber color
Nice Malty nose
Strong hop presence without alot of bitterness in the finish
***

Fitz: Look - Orange, Amber
Nose - Piney, Cat Pee, Sweet Malt
Mouthfeel - Medium bodied, crisp, good carbonation
Taste - Hops, Sweet Malt, Long Piney Finish
***

Scott: Orange Amber color
Honeysuckle, apricot, orange and slight alcohol on the nose
Very balanced caramel sweetness, pine and a slight soapiness from the hops.
****

Shark Attack Triple Red Ale

Meghann: Dark Amber color
Big malt presence on the nose
Molasses
Strong malt presence without lingering bitterness
***

Fitz: Look - Red, Amber
Nose - Rice, Malt, Barley, Grape Nuts, Molasses
Mouthfeel - Lighter than expected, flat finish
Taste - Unbalanced malt with hop finish. Muddled "uncool" finish
**

Scott: Hazy, unfiltered Red brick color
Burnt Caramel, grapefruit, slightly boozy nose
Grainy, Malty, Slightly out of balance. More like a Barleywine.
**

Santa's Little Helper Imperial Stout 2008

Meghann: Black in color

Coffee, dark, bitter chocolate on the nose
Nice smokey taste
Very well balanced. Great beer.
****

Fitz: Look - Black, Opaque
Nose - Coffee, Chocolate, MALT!!!
Mouthfeel - Rich, Full Bodied, Clean, Not Cloying
Taste - Bacon fat, Chocolate, Coffee, Anise. The best of the night!!!
****1/2

Scott: Jet Black pour, with a tan head.
Coffee all over the nose with some baker's chocolate
Full Mouthfeel
Smokey, bacon, dark chocolate taste
Great balance, fantastic beer!!!
****1/2

So, there you go. If you find yourself in Southern California, or even up in Chicago, I'd definitely seek these beers out. For the most part, you can tell that we liked most of the beers, with Santa's Little Helper being the consensus for the best beer of the night. We didn't taste it that night, but Port's Wipeout IPA is one of the best representations of the "West Coast IPA" I have found.

If any of you would like to be a part of any of these tastings, just drop me a line at 502beer@gmail.com. Any and all participation will be welcomed and encouraged. Cheers, all.

Beer 101: Styles - American IPA

2008-12-07T17:50:00.000-08:00

Initially, I was going to start at the light end of the spectrum, and move toward the fuller bodied styles of beer. However, I think we'll just kind of randomly hit the styles. It'll be more interesting that way.

This week, we are highlighting probably my favorite style of beer. I prefer the American IPA to the Double IPA, because I usually want more than one beer, and sometimes more than one IIPA is just too much. Plus, I discovered Surly Furious a few months ago and it is now my favorite beer EVER. Furious is an American IPA that comes in at 6.5% ABV and 100+ IBUs. They brew it with Scottish malts, that contribute a rich, never cloying, sweetness to balance out all of those Amarillo and Simcoe hops. It is simply divine. But enough about one beer, check out the American IPA as a style:

American IPA
Aroma: A prominent to intense hop aroma with a citrusy, floral,
perfume-like, resinous, piney, and/or fruity character derived
from American hops. Many versions are dry hopped
and can have an additional grassy aroma, although this is not
required. Some clean malty sweetness may be found in the
background, but should be at a lower level than in English
examples. Fruitiness, either from esters or hops, may also be
detected in some versions, although a neutral fermentation
character is also acceptable. Some alcohol may be noted.

Appearance: Color ranges from medium gold to medium reddish
copper; some versions can have an orange-ish tint.
Should be clear, although unfiltered dry-hopped versions may
be a bit hazy. Good head stand with white to off-white color
should persist.

Flavor: Hop flavor is medium to high, and should reflect an
American hop character with citrusy, floral, resinous, piney or
fruity aspects. Medium-high to very high hop bitterness, although
the malt backbone will support the strong hop character
and provide the best balance. Malt flavor should be low to
medium, and is generally clean and malty sweet although
some caramel or toasty flavors are acceptable at low levels. No
diacetyl. Low fruitiness is acceptable but not required. The
bitterness may linger into the aftertaste but should not be
harsh. Medium-dry to dry finish. Some clean alcohol flavor
can be noted in stronger versions. Oak is inappropriate in this
style. May be slightly sulfury, but most examples do not exhibit
this character.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, medium-light to medium-bodied mouthfeel
without hop-derived astringency, although moderate to
medium-high carbonation can combine to render an overall
dry sensation in the presence of malt sweetness. Some smooth
alcohol warming can and should be sensed in stronger (but
not all) versions. Body is generally less than in English counterparts.
Overall Impression: A decidedly hoppy and bitter, moderately
strong American pale ale.

History: An American version of the historical English style,
brewed using American ingredients and attitude.
Ingredients: Pale ale malt (well-modified and suitable for
single-temperature infusion mashing); American hops; American
yeast that can give a clean or slightly fruity profile. Generally
all-malt, but mashed at lower temperatures for high attenuation.
Water character varies from soft to moderately sulfate.
Versions with a noticeable Rye character (“RyePA”)
should be entered in the Specialty category.

Vital Statistics:

OG: 1.056 – 1.075
IBUs: 40 – 70
FG: 1.010 – 1.018
SRM: 6 – 15
ABV: 5.5 – 7.5%

Commercial Examples: Bell’s Two-Hearted Ale, AleSmith IPA,
Russian River Blind Pig IPA, Stone IPA, Three Floyds Alpha
King, Great Divide Titan IPA, Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA, Victory
Hop Devil, Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale, Anderson
Valley Hop Ottin’, Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA, Founder’s
Centennial IPA, Anchor Liberty Ale, Harpoon IPA, Avery IPA

My Favorites in this style:
1. - Surly Furious
2. - AleSmith IPA
3. - Three Floyds Alpha King
4. - Bell's Two Hearted
5. - Anderson Valley Hop Ottin

Beer in the News - 12/6/08

2008-12-06T15:24:00.000-08:00

Here are a few new newsbits from the world of beer:

-Some people do the dumbest things while on beer runs

-Here are some very cool bottle openers

-Stupid Blue Laws. Who wants to drink 3.2 beer anyway?

-Say what you will about Sam Adams, but they have done alot for the craft beer industry.

-Yeah, but what was the beer? If it was a case of Westy 12, wouldn't that be justifiable homicide?

Santa "Chlaus" comes to the Nachbar!!!

2008-12-06T15:20:00.000-08:00

Be sure to stop by the Nachbar tonight and grab yourself a pint of Samichlaus. This will be a one keg affair, and you don't want to miss it. For those who missed the previous post about Samichlaus, here is a refresher:

The once strongest beer in the world is back ! Brewed only once a year on December 6. Samichlaus is aged for 10 months before bottling. This beer is perhaps the rarest in the world. Samichlaus may be aged for many years to come. Older vintages become more complex with a creamy warming finish. Serve with hardy robust dishes and desserts, particulary with chocolates, or as an after dinner drink by itself. Brewed under the exclusive licence of Feldschlösschen-Hürlimann-Holding, Switzerland.

Remember, the beer was brewed exactly one year ago today. It would be rude to not stop by and drink it. A pint will set you back $8.50, but for a 14% beer, you could do alot worse.

I would be there myself, but I had too much fun last night with Nachbar's $2 Two Hearted promotion. My liver needs a break. Have good one, all. Cheers.

Nachbar Update

2008-12-03T19:46:00.000-08:00

James from the Nachbar has a few updates for us:

-First, they have a keg of Samichlaus that is waiting to be tapped. For those of you that don't know what Samichlaus is, it is a high gravity lager (no, not like Steel Reserve). Here is the commercial description of it:

The once strongest beer in the world is back ! Brewed only once a year on December 6. Samichlaus is aged for 10 months before bottling. This beer is perhaps the rarest in the world. Samichlaus may be aged for many years to come. Older vintages become more complex with a creamy warming finish. Serve with hardy robust dishes and desserts, particulary with chocolates, or as an after dinner drink by itself. Brewed under the exclusive licence of Feldschlösschen-Hürlimann-Holding, Switzerland.

They are considering tapping it on Saturday, as it would be exactly one year after it was brewed. But, no word on whether or not that will actually happen. We'll keep you updated if we find out one way or the other.

James continues:

We're also waiting on kegs of Schlenkerla Marzen, which we ordered in late August and kegs of Mahr's Christmas Bock. Supposedly Mahr's is the only microbrewed German beer available in the US.

Bottle-wise, we've ordered some Cantillon Geuze, Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast, Haandbryggeriet Dark Force and Norse Porter, Fantome Noel and Drie Fontienen Oude Geuze in bottles. (editor's note: this will be the first time that these beers will be available in Kentucky!!!)

That's what we got going on. Our drafts change weekly and our bottle list has met critical mass, yet continues to grow (I now understand federal budgeting...).

Finally, this Sunday the Nachbar welcomes Pokey LaFarge back to town. Never seen him live, but I hear it is a great time. Show starts between 9 and 10. Check it out.

Thanks James, for the info. Cheers, all.

Flanagan's Update

2008-12-03T05:51:00.000-08:00

Ashley Issacs, the Bar Manager of Flanagan's sent us this update on some upcoming events:

First of all, I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I'm sure spending all that time with family has got a few of you ready for a nice cold beer! Tomorrow, Dec. 2nd we are celebrating our 9 YEAR ANNIVERSARY here at Flanagan's, and what better way than with an exquisite beer? At 6:00, we will tap a keg of something very special, a one-of-a-kind brew... Double Barrel. BBC Brewery proudly reached deep within its cellar and dusted off a barrel that has rested for some 38 months. This dark liquid was laid to rest in a freshly dumped Bourbon Barrel from the first Batch of Bourbon Barrel Stout ever brewed. One year later, the Brew Crew brought her up and transferred the liquid into a twenty-seven year bourbon barrel freshly dumped that day. It has rested now in its final dominion for two additional years. This liquid started out as a gentle stout, and through time has transformed into a fiendish hellion, frenzied with big notes of oak, plum, raisin. Finishing hints of sherry, port, tobacco, and heat on the backside of the pallet keeps this stout ever changing throughout the experience. We really hope you can join in the festivities and wish us a happy anniversary!

Unfortunately, I got this update a day too late for you all to get over and try the BBC Double Barrel Stout. I could have kept it out, but I wanted everyone to be aware of it so that they can keep an eye out for any other kegs that might pop up. This beer is something special. Silky and slightly creamy on the palate, it shows notes of coconut, vanilla and dark chocolate. I was very impressed by it. Anyway, hopefully we'll see it somewhere else sooner rather than later. Who knows, maybe next year at Flanagan's 10th anniversary they'll have a 4 year old version.

On Thursday, Dec. 4th we will continue our Thursday Night Pint Night. We tap the keg at 7:00 and only the first 50 get to keep the glass, so get here early! This week is N'ice Chouffe, a strong dark beer that will warm you up during the winter months. It is spiced with thyme and curacao, and has a light hop taste. N'ice Chouffe is a well-balanced beer, unfiltered and re-fermented in the keg. Just the 10% abv alone will keep you warm!

Saturday, Dec. 6th is St. Nicholas day. This is the one day a year when the Eggenburg brewery in Austria brews Samichlaus. Once strongest beer in the world, Samichlaus is aged for 10 months before bottling. This beer is perhaps the rarest in the world. It's an extraordinary synergy of scent and taste, with light malty notes of vanilla, apple cider, toffee, chocolate, oak, and spirited suggestion of matured brandy, sherry and port in its character. This intense flavor is lightened at the finish by a pronounced glow of peppery liquor, an exceptional flavor that lingers long after each sip. Come in for dinner and treat yourself to an early Christmas present, a glass of Samichlaus!

The following Thursday, December 11th, will be the WORLD PREMIERE RELEASE PARTY for Schlafly Bourbon Barrel Ale! We will be the only place to get this brew until March of 2009! I know how much you guys like trying new beers first, so I try to get them here for you. The Bourbon Barrel Ale will be tapped at 7:00, then at 8:30 we will tap a keg of their seasonal, Schlafly Winter ESB. Now, I'm not sure if you guys remember this brew from last year, but it was absolutely excellent! We will also have glassware with each of the brews. It's going to be an awesome night!

Don't forget, Brendan's does their Pint Night on Tuesdays at 6:00, and O'sheas does theirs on Wednesdays at 7:00, so you can get the entire O'sheas Family of Pubs experience!

In addition to these events, Ashley sent us a skeleton calendar for the rest of the month:

Saturday December 13th 2-10 p.m. - New Albanian Brewing Company Winter Release Party, 4 beers on tap including 2 exclusively here (Naughty Claus and Bonfire of the Valkaries), 4 bands playing

Thursday December 18th @ 7 p.m. - Gouden Carolus Noel (glassware and will have a rep here)

Tuesday December 23rd @ 7 p.m. - Delirium Noel (glassware)

Thanks, Ashley. Cheers.

Beer in the News - 12/2/08

2008-12-02T06:28:00.000-08:00

A few beer articles from around the country:

-Here's a nice article in the New Yorker about one of our favs, Dogfish Head and its founder, Sam Calagione

-An article on Holiday beers from the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

-Wow, some people are just plain stupid

-Can beer save us all?

-Also, I don't have a link to it, but check out the current issue of Louisville Food & Dining when you get a chance. Roger Baylor from the New Albanian Brewing Company wrote an article on winter seasonal beers. Roger's writing is always a good read.

-Finally, if you can catch it, Tonight (Tuesday 12/2) on Discovery, The show "Dirty Jobs" is harvesting hops in Yakima Valley, WA. If you can't catch it tonight, I am sure that they will re-run it into perpetuity.

Beer 101: How to read Style Guidelines

2008-11-30T16:41:00.000-08:00

In order to help you all better understand the style guidelines we will be publishing, here is a little bit of info on how to read the specifics of the beers.

O.G. - This number is the Original Gravity. This number lets you know how much sugar is present in the wort before fermentation.

F.G. - This number is the Final Gravity. This number tells you how much sugar is present in the beer after fermentation. You take the difference between the amount of sugar before fermentation and the amount of sugar after fermentation, and this tells you how much alcohol was produced during fermentation (During fermentation, sugar is turned into alcohol).

IBUs - This number is the International Bittering Units. This measures the bitterness of your beer. This number is related to the addition of hops during the brewing process. The more hops that are used, the higher your IBUs will be. Ideally, you will balance your malt with the hops, or the beer will be unbalanced and, potentially, undrinkably bitter. This is why most beers with high IBUs will generally be high gravity beers. You need that many hops to balance the massive amounts of malt, and vice versa. Lighter Lagers can be as low as 5 IBUs, and some beers can range up to 100+ IBUs, such as many Imperial India Pale Ales and Barleywines.

SRM - This number is a measure of color. The following is the BJCP scale for calculating SRMs
Straw................2-3
Yellow...............3-4
Gold ..................5-6
Amber.............. 6-9
Deep amber/light copper..................10-14
Copper..................................................14-17
Deep copper/light brown...................17-18
Brown....................................................19-22
Dark Brown..........................................22-30
Very Dark Brown................................30-35
Black......................................................30+
Black, opaque........................................40+

Hope this info helps. Let us know if there are any questions. Cheers, all.

New Beer update

2008-11-30T13:59:00.000-08:00

502 Beer's first retail update comes from Todd at The Keg Liquors in Clarksville. If you've never been over there before, you owe it to yourself to check it out. Here's what Todd had to say:

The day before Thanksgiving is always a huge delivery day for all of our specialty winter beers. This year was no different, check out what we got this year:
- Cantillon Geuze
- De Ranke Pere Noel
- De Ranke XX Bitter
- Mikkeller Big Worse
- Mikkeller Santa's Little Helper
- Mikkeller To/From
- Mikkeller Not Another Wit
- Mikkeller Black Hole
- Tripel Karmeliet Gift Sets (4 bottles and a huge tulip glass)
- Sunner Kolsch
- Geants Goliath Tripel
- Nils Oskar Imperial Stout
- Olfabrikken Winter Porter
- Struise Tsjeeses
- Two Brothers Bonfire (Dunkle Weiss)
- DEUS Brut des Flanders
- Podge Imperial Stout
- De Glazen Cuvee Angelique
- De Glazen Toren Saison D'erpe
- Einbecker Mai-Ur-Bock 5 Liter Cans
- Hanssens Mead the Geuze
- Dansk Mjod Viking's Blod Mead
- Meantime Coffee Porter
- Affligem Abbey Blonde
- Chimay Gift Set (1 bottle of each style and a Chimay Goblet)
- Dogfish Head World Wide Stout
- Rogue Yellow Snow IPA 5 Liter Can
- Wychwood Hobgoblin 16 oz cans

Also, we are holding our 4th Annual Holiday Beer Tasting on December 17th from 5 - 8 PM. I'm still working on the lineup for this, but will have it shortly.

We'll update the lineup for the tasting as soon as Todd gets it to us. Cheers, all

The Keg Liquors
617 East Lewis and Clark Parkway
Clarksville, IN

Beer 101: Styles - Munich Helles

2008-11-30T13:50:00.000-08:00

In order to help the beer community at large become a more educated base, 502 Beer presents the first in a series designed to make us all better beer advocates. With the "Styles" portion of the Beer 101, each week we'll feature a different style of beer and give you the BJCP (That's Beer Judge Certification program) guidelines for that style. Eventually, we'd like to have monthly tastings featuring the styles that were featured for the month. But, we'll save that for later.
For our first beer, we will be doing one of our favorite styles, the Munich Helles. An often overlooked style, our very own Browning's Brewery (RIP) made one of the best American interpretations of the style. Light, clean and malty, the Helles is more malt forward than your typical German Pilsener. Tasty stuff. Enjoy.

Munich Helles

Aroma: Pleasantly grainy-sweet, clean Pils malt aroma dominates.
Low to moderately-low spicy noble hop aroma, and a
low background note of DMS (from Pils malt). No esters or
diacetyl.

Appearance: Medium yellow to pale gold, clear, with a
creamy white head.

Flavor: Slightly sweet, malty profile. Grain and Pils malt flavors
dominate, with a low to medium-low hop bitterness that
supports the malty palate. Low to moderately-low spicy noble
hop flavor. Finish and aftertaste remain malty. Clean, no fruity
esters, no diacetyl.

Mouthfeel: Medium body, medium carbonation, smooth
maltiness with no trace of astringency.
Overall Impression: Malty but fully attenuated Pils malt
showcase.

History: Created in Munich in 1895 at the Spaten brewery by
Gabriel Sedlmayr to compete with Pilsner-style beers.
Comments: Unlike Pilsner but like its cousin, Munich Dunkel,
Helles is a malt-accentuated beer that is not overly sweet, but
rather focuses on malt flavor with underlying hop bitterness
in a supporting role.

Ingredients: Moderate carbonate water, Pilsner malt, German
noble hop varieties.

Vital Statistics:
OG: 1.045 – 1.051
IBUs: 16 – 22
FG: 1.008 – 1.012
SRM: 3 – 5
ABV: 4.7 – 5.4%

Commercial Examples: Weihenstephaner Original, Hacker-
Pschorr Münchner Gold, Bürgerbräu Wolznacher Hell Naturtrüb,
Mahr’s Hell, Paulaner Premium Lager, Spaten Premium
Lager, Stoudt’s Gold Lager

Beer Geeking out in the Windy City

2008-11-25T18:15:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, the wife, myself, and one of her best friends descended on Chicago for a couple of days. Priority number one was that I was going to be taking the Certified Cicerone exam. Basically, the Cicerone program is the equivalent of a Sommelier program for beer. This test was the middle level of the program, with Master Cicerone being the highest mark one can reach.
Saturday morning we took off. The three of us piled into my Honda Civic, which was probably a little too small for three people to be comfortable, and headed for Chicago. Before we got there, we made a pit stop at Three Floyds' Brewpub in Munster, Indiana. One of the premier craft breweries in the country, the brewpub couldn't be situated in a stranger place. It is in the middle of what can only be described as a business park with lots of other warehouse type buildings surrounding it. You are greeted by the Alpha King/Calumet Queen statue at the entrance to the parking lot and immediately you forget about its awkward positioning. You know that you are in for something special. We went in and grabbed a table, although the place was quite full as FFF only does one brewery tour a week, and it is on Saturday at 3 p.m. We arrived at 2:45. We decided to pass on the tour, as we have seen our fair share of breweries, and we were here to do only one thing...drink.

The wife ordered a Kasteel Rouge to start (she skipped the extreme stuff as she was nursing a fairly severe cold), her friend went for a Dreadnaught (good taste!) and I got the Apocalypse Cow. It is an Imperial IPA brewed with Lactose. My initial plan was to have a couple different beers, but once I tasted the AC, I knew that it would be the only beer I drank during our lunch. Incredibly balanced, the lactose added some sweetness and little body that took the edge off of the hops. The citrus of the hops was almost juicy. Absolutely fantastic. For lunch, I ordered the pulled pork sandwich served on a pretzel bun. While it was good, the BBQ sauce reminded me more of Buffalo sauce, as opposed to traditional BBQ sauce. Just a little disappointing. Their fries that they serve with the chipotle aioli, on the other hand, are fantastic. The real star of the lunch was the wife's White pizza. Olive oil based sauce, roasted garlic, feta cheese, kalamata olives, rosemary and basil on a thin, perfectly crispy crust. Her friend and I stopped eating our own lunch at one point and helped her finish the pizza, it was so good.

Full and a more than a little happy, we pressed on to the big city. We hit downtown around 5 o'clock, right as the winter lights festival was in full swing. After an hour of circling within a few blocks of our hotel, but not being able to actually get there due to closed streets, we finally arrived at the Hotel Cass. Once we threw our stuff into the room, we realized that we needed more beverages. So, we headed to Rush street. We walked up and down Rush looking for a good place for a drink. We stopped at a place called MPXX @ The Whiskey, overpaid for three short poured drinks, and headed on. I'm sorry, I still to this day can't understand a bar that has 30 wines by the glass, over 200 different liquors to choose from, and the best beer I can get is Fat tire on draft?!? (FYI, for those who haven't had it, it's not all its cracked up to be.)

Anyway, we decided to go to the Rock Bottom brewery for dinner. For those of you who've never heard of the Rock Bottom, it is a chain brewery, but arguably one of the best of the chains. Also, Chicago's brewery is pretty much considered to be the best RB in the country. We settled in and ordered the drinks. A Chicago Gold (APA) for the wife and a Rye IPA for myself. Her friend moved on to Bourbon and ginger, so for all intents and purposes, she was dead to me at this point. I get my RIPA, and something is off. A sour quality immediately tells me that their lines are dirty. Either that or the beer is infected. But, dirty lines is the more obvious choice. So, I flag down the waitress and explain the problem and she tells me that that sour flavor is from the Rye. Not wanting to make a scene by decreeing to the entire bar that our waitress didn't know what she was talking about, I politely asked for the Terminal Imperial Stout instead. And boy was I glad I did. That is one mighty fine brew. This is evidenced by its multiple medals at both the World Beer Cup and the Great American Beer festival. Rich, jet black and loaded with dark chocolate and licorice notes. This was gonna be a one beer night. I had a test to take after all. After dinner, we decided to pack it in for the night.

I woke up early Sunday morning and headed up north to Lincoln Park, to the Siebel Institute, to take my test. I walked out of there at 3 o'clock happy and feeling like the weight of the world was off of my shoulders. And, more importantly, I was ready to drink. While the girls were shopping, I decided to check out the Clark Street Ale House. I have wanted to go here my last two trips to Chicago, but have never made it before. Well, I didn't make it this time either. Even though the door said they opened at 5 o'clock, and it was 5:15, the door was locked and all of the lights were off. Too bad. I hear they have three cask beers on at all times. Oh well, maybe next time.

Feeling a little defeated, I grabbed the girls and we headed back up north to go to the Piece Brewery for dinner.

We walked in and I was greeted by Surly Furious on draft. If any of you have never had this beer, you should make it your life's work to try it. It is simply divine. An American IPA that blows Two Hearted and Alpha King out of the water. On draft it is even better. At this point in the evening, things start to get a little fuzzy. I had 2 Furious very quickly and the alcohol combined with my state of utter relaxation and I was as mellow as I have ever been. As a result, I can't remember a lot of details about the beers I had the rest of the night. but, I do remember names. At Piece, I had their Dysfunctionale (6% IPA) and a glass of their Camel Toe (8% IIPA).
After Piece, we headed to The Map Room. One of the premier beer destinations in this country, it didn't disappoint. Here, I had a bomber of Flossmoor Stations IPA (A Belgian-ish IPA) and a 750ml bottle of Lost Abbey Devotion (A Belgian-style Fresh Hop Pale Ale). After that we headed home, drunk and very giddy.

The next day we had to depart. Man, I love Chicago. I have never failed to have a fantastic time, each time I go. Hopefully it won't be too long before we get to go back. Oh, and before we left town, we hit Sam's Fine Wines near Grant Park. I picked up bombers of Port Brewing's Hop 15, Shark Attack and Santa's Little Helper, and a 750 of Lost Abbey's Judgement Day. Two days, countless beers, and every single one something I have never had before. That is a beer geek-tastic weekend. Cheers all.

Welcome all...all two of you

2008-11-25T18:11:00.000-08:00

So, why in the world would I create a blog? Who in the hell cares about what I have to say? Well, it is my hope to follow in the footsteps of my friends at hoosierbeergeek.com and stlhops.com, and provide Louisville with a one stop access point for all things beer. What beer events are going on? What new beers are in the market either at a bar or on tap? I promise to keep this blog updated as much as possible as long as you all will tell me when I have officially worn out my welcome. Cheers all. Hang on, 'cause this ride could be a little bumpy.