Holy Brew on Jerry Doyle’s Radio Show
We were first introduced to Holy Brew Brewing Company at the Northern Virginia Summer BrewFest in June. On Thursday, Holy Brew founder Scott Kasper was interviewed on the Jerry Doyle show. Scott spoke on a number of topics, including how the name Holy Brew come about, contract brewing, the company’s progress so far and plans for the future, and even some thoughts on the recent “beer summit” at the White House.
It’s a interesting interview. You can listen here.
(There’s a small recording gap near the beginning – hold on, the audio will continue after a short pause.)
[ Original content posted at http://www.musingsoverapint.com ]
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A Cold One at The White House
Yes, folks, the moment you’ve all been waiting for has arrived. The White House has revealed which beers will be consumed during President Obama’s mediation session tonight with Henry Louis Gates of Harvard University and Sgt. James Crowley, the Cambridge police officer who arrested him.
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Final Mo’ Betta Bretta Clone 2 Tasting
About two years ago when this blog was still getting 20 hits a day I brewed my second attempt at Pizza Port’s Mo’ Betta Bretta. The batch was split three ways with half bottled plain, one quarter aged with sour cherries and pinot noir, and the final quarter getting the same cherries and wine with the addition of a vanilla bean.
Last night I enjoyed my last bottle of each of those beers (actually there may be one final bottle of the plain hiding somewhere). It was interesting to taste the three beers back to back to back, they differences were remarkable. As 100% Brett beers they do not have the same aging potential as mixed culture sours, but I have been impressed by how my first attempt at Mo’ Betta Bretta has aged, so I had high hopes for these as well.
I wrote up some tasting notes and posted them last night, but when I checked back this morning they seemed to be gone from the site (I blame blogger, and not the fact that I was sampling three beers while posting…). What follows is a recreation of my thoughts to the best of my recollection.
Mo’ Betta Bretta 2
Appearance – Clear golden, with a puffy, stark white head. The considerable carbonation keeps the head inflated for several minutes before allowing it to fall to a thin ring. A bit of lacing sticks to the sides of the glass.
Aroma – Candied fruit is the first thing that comes to mind. There is some sherry notes as well that do not meld well with such a pale beer. It almost smells like an old ale, but without the dark malt component it is very off-putting.
Taste –The flavor has a bit of white wine character, but not in a good way, more like old wine that sat out too long. It needs a touch more sourness or bitterness, as the sweetness is just overpowering. I really liked the flavor when this beer was young, but clearly two years in the bottle is too much for this one.
Mouthfeel – The beer does not have the lightness that it once had despite the strong carbonation. It has lost the acidic edge that really brought it together.
Drinkability/Notes – Sad to say that I had to dump this one. The character just did not hold up over time despite being stashed at my parents’ house in pretty optimal conditions.
Cherry Mo’ Betta Bretta 2
Appearance – A beautiful “cherry” red body topped with a head that has just a touch on pink.
Aroma – Really bright cherry aroma up front, but there isn’t much behind it. Hopefully the cherries prevented the oxidation and aren’t just covering it up.
Taste – The cherries again take the lead, still fresh and juicy. There is a little bit of earthy funk as well, but not much. The wine has continued to mellow, at this point I couldn’t call it more than a distant complexity.
Mouthfeel – The acidity from the sour cherries really makes the beer. The strong carbonation really compliments the acid, giving it a lightness that is very refreshing.
Drinkability/Notes – I know cherries are high in anti-oxidants, so that may have been enough to stave off the oxidation that has ravaged the plain beer in just over two years. This is a very nice lightly funky cherry beer, but it lacks a bit in the beer department, it may have done better with some more assertive malts.
Cherry-Vanilla Mo’ Betta Bretta 2
Appearance – Not surprisingly it looks exactly the same as its vanilla-less brother, although maybe the head has just a touch more pink. The head looked to of had more color in the picture from last year, but I’m not sure what would have caused the head color to change over time (might just be the photo).
Aroma – The vanilla compliments and mellows the cherry and makes it seem a bit duller. The vanilla smells rich and sweet, it is a very nice character. Not much else going on in the aroma, even as it warms up a bit.
Taste – The flavor has that great vanilla bean complexity with hints of cigar and fresh leather. This is the sort of character I have always wanted in a vanilla porter or stout but have never really gotten. The cherries are playing back-up, and the wine flavor is completely covered up. The vanilla also mutes that hint of funk and any lingering beer-ish character.
Mouthfeel – The vanilla gives the beer a slightly fuller/sweeter impression. The light tannic quality I noted a year ago has completely dissipated with age.
Drinkability/Notes – The vanilla certainly adds complexity and helps to balance out the brash cherry character, but it comes at the expense of taking away any beer character. It is an interesting drink, but I think I prefer the plain cherry on a hot night like this.
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Could the Recession Change the Taste of California Wine?
The recession has had a brutal effect on the California wine industry. Cash flow is down to barely a drip, and everyone in the business is anxious. But the economy might just bring some welcome stylistic changes, too.
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Mo Betta Bretta 2 – Final Tasting
The cherry and cherry vanilla beers both held up well, but the plain batch did not age gracefully. This was a bit surprising because my first batch of Mo Betta Bretta when I cracked a bottle a few months back (I am down to my last bottle or two of that one as well).
Mo’ Betta Bretta 2
Appearance – Beautiful clear golden body with a puffy, stark white head. Good retention, with some solid lacing.
Smell – The aroma is surprising, candied fruit is the first thing that comes to mind. There is a hint of brett, but it smells like an old ale than anything else.
Taste – It has a very white wine-ish character, fruity, with some almond character. The flavor has an oxidized sherry character that just does not compliment such a pale beer.
Mouthfeel – The beer is sort of flabby, the hint of acidity can’t stand up to the candy sweetness. The carbonation is medium-high, which worked well when the beer was young and bright, but now seems like overkill.
Drinkability & Notes – It isn’t the beer it was a year ago, the flavors are muddled and oxidized. Sad to say I had to dump it.
Cherry Mo’ Betta Bretta
Appearance – Clear “cherry” red, the head has just a hint of pink (the head used to have much more color). Similar lacing and head retention to the plain batch.
Smell – Big sour cherry nose, seems to be covering up the weird fruitiness from the plain batch. Not much else going on, but it still smells fresh and juicy.
Taste – Moderate sour cherry with some light bready complexity. The Brett provides a hint of earthy funk, but it is not really funky. The wine character is now just a complexity that compliments the cherry, it has slowly faded and integrated over time.
Mouthfeel – Medium body with enough acidity (from the cherries) to really make it pop. The carbonation is about the same as the first, but in this one it compliments the acidity and freshness.
Drinkability & Notes – Head and shoulders above the plain version at this point, but it has lost some complexity over the last two years. I can’t tell if the cherry is simply covering up the oxidation, or if the acidity or “anti-oxidants” provided some extra protection.
Cherry Vanilla Mo’ Betta Bretta
Appearance – Not surprisingly it looks and acts exactly the same as the previous beer (except that the head has a tiny bit more red).
Smell – I really get that almost tobacco-ish vanilla bean aroma, a bit leathery (exactly what I have always wanted, but never tasted in a vanilla porter). The cherries are muted a bit, but still present.
Taste – The vanilla really smooths out the acidity, giving it an impression of being sweeter than it is. This one is more complex than the other two, well balanced (although maybe a hair sweet) and mellow. That said I miss the brightness of the cherry character.
Mouthfeel – It seems pretty much like the other two, but maybe just a half a degree thicker. It has lost the tannic quality that I talked about a year ago.
Drinkability & Notes – It is a solid beer, but between the cherry and the vanilla there isn’t much beer character. I wish I could get the same vanilla character in a dark beer where it would compliment the beer more.
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Good News for West Virginia
Our neighbors in West Virginia should soon be seeing an expanded craft beer selection on their retailers’ shelves. The Charleston Gazette reports that in just three weeks since a new state law allowing higher alcohol craft beers to be sold in West Virginia went into effect, steps are being taken to bring the newly permitted beers into the state.
Since then, the state Alcohol Beverage Control Administration has approved for sale 54 beers with higher alcohol levels, from eight different breweries or distributors, according to ABCA beer administrator Cindy Clark.Approved labels include such items as Harpoon Leviathan Imperial IPA, at 10.05 percent alcohol; Samuel Smith’s Yorkshire Stingo Ale (8 percent); Trappistes Rochefort 10 Belgian Ale (11.3 percent); Rogue Double Dead Guy Ale (8.43 percent); Samuel Adams Imperial White (10.3 percent); Great Lakes Brewing Blackout Stout (9 percent); and Nosferatu Stock Ale (8 percent).
The new law, which the West Virginia Beer Wholesalers Association had tried to block, raises the allowable ABV level for beers sold in West Virginia from 6 percent to 12 percent. Of course, approval doesn’t mean these beers will instantly show up on store shelves. It’s up to distributors to carry the beers, and retailers to stock them. But that’s good progress in three weeks, and hopefully the beers will start showing up this Fall.
So, to all you craft beer fans in West Virginia I say: Cheers!
I was alerted to the Charleston Gazette story by a Twitter post from our friends over at beernews.org.
[ Original content posted at http://www.musingsoverapint.com ]
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Wines of Summer: Astoria Edition
A quick summer getaway to Astoria leads to grilled fish, and a Greek white that suits it.
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Dogfish Head Ale House
This weekend I finally had the opportunity to visit the Dogfish Head Ale House in Falls Church, VA. Our party arrived at the restaurant mid-afternoon Sunday, and had the place almost to ourselves. We were promptly greeted, but needed some time to decide on our selections as most of the year-round, along with seasonal and special DFH releases, are available. I’ve previously had, or have easy access to, most of the Dogfish lineup, but had never had the 75 Minute IPA. This is said to be a blend of the 60 and 90 Minutes IPAs. I understand it is only available at the DFH restaurants or the brewpub, so it seemed my logical choice.
I was very happy with my choice. I fact, I was surprised just how good was, perhaps being a bit skeptical beforehand about this blended beer. The beer poured a golden amber with a small head. The aroma was mild but the flavor was quite enjoyable. There’s a bit more hoppiness than one finds in the 60 Minute IPA, but it’s not as bitter as the 90 Minute, which is one of my favorite Dogfish beers. A friend who was with us is very particular (yea, that’s the word) about beer and there are limited beers he enjoys. (Our running joke is that the beer has to be “seasonal and expensive”.) He was enjoying a Dogfish Aprihop but tried a bit of the 75 Minute and declared “that’s good.” I neglected to ask if the 75 Minute is mixed from the tap or if it is kegged already blended. But that gives me a reason to go back for more research. I had a taste of Colleen’s Aprihop and found the draft version to be a bit more balanced, with a milder, less sweet flavor than I recall from the bottled version.Everyone in our party subscribes to the idea of three basic food groups; “meat“, “potatoes“, and of course, “meat and potatoes“. As such we all opted for burger and fries for our late lunch. While we waited, we shared a plate of Alehouse Wings. Wow, these suckers were hot. Both heat hot from the cooking, and spicy hot as well. Must be a ploy to sell more beer! Our son finished off the platter asking “Anyone want the last wing?” Of course, he gave us little time to reply! My Portobello Gorgonzola Burger arrived promptly and was accompanied by a side of fries. The burgers were quite tasty, with just a hint of wood grill smokiness underneath the portobello and gorgonzola toppings. The fries were a hit as well. The thin cut fries were cooked to a crispy crunchy outside. We debated whether or not there was some sort of additional coating on the fries.
There were other stops on our agenda that afternoon, or I could have easily stayed longer and enjoyed more of the Dogfish Head draft selections. I look forward to returning the next time I am in Northern Virginia.
BTW, while in Northern Virginia, I stopped in at Norm’s Beer & Wine in Vienna to pick up a few bottles of Clipper City DIPA. I’m told that Norm’s is one of the few stores in NoVa to get this limited release. I look forward to trying it out and sharing that review with you in the near future.
[ Original content posted at http://www.musingsoverapint.com ]
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Dogfish Head Ale House
This weekend I finally had the opportunity to visit the Dogfish Head Ale House in Falls Church, VA. Our party arrived at the restaurant mid-afternoon Sunday, and had the place almost to ourselves. We were promptly greeted, but needed some time to decide on our selections as most of the year-round, along with seasonal and special DFH releases, are available. I’ve previously had, or have easy access to, most of the Dogfish lineup, but had never had the 75 Minute IPA. This is said to be a blend of the 60 and 90 Minutes IPAs. I understand it is only available at the DFH restaurants or the brewpub, so it seemed my logical choice.
I was very happy with my choice. I fact, I was surprised just how good was, perhaps being a bit skeptical beforehand about this blended beer. The beer poured a golden amber with a small head. The aroma was mild but the flavor was quite enjoyable. There’s a bit more hoppiness than one finds in the 60 Minute IPA, but it’s not as bitter as the 90 Minute, which is one of my favorite Dogfish beers. A friend who was with us is very particular (yea, that’s the word) about beer and there are limited beers he enjoys. (Our running joke is that the beer has to be “seasonal and expensive”.) He was enjoying a Dogfish Aprihop but tried a bit of the 75 Minute and declared “that’s good.” I neglected to ask if the 75 Minute is mixed from the tap or if it is kegged already blended. But that gives me a reason to go back for more research. I had a taste of Colleen’s Aprihop and found the draft version to be a bit more balanced, with a milder, less sweet flavor than I recall from the bottled version.Everyone in our party subscribes to the idea of three basic food groups; “meat“, “potatoes“, and of course, “meat and potatoes“. As such we all opted for burger and fries for our late lunch. While we waited, we shared a plate of Alehouse Wings. Wow, these suckers were hot. Both heat hot from the cooking, and spicy hot as well. Must be a ploy to sell more beer! Our son finished off the platter asking “Anyone want the last wing?” Of course, he gave us little time to reply! My Portobello Gorgonzola Burger arrived promptly and was accompanied by a side of fries. The burgers were quite tasty, with just a hint of wood grill smokiness underneath the portobello and gorgonzola toppings. The fries were a hit as well. The thin cut fries were cooked to a crispy crunchy outside. We debated whether or not there was some sort of additional coating on the fries.
There were other stops on our agenda that afternoon, or I could have easily stayed longer and enjoyed more of the Dogfish Head draft selections. I look forward to returning the next time I am in Northern Virginia.
BTW, while in Northern Virginia, I stopped in at Norm’s Beer & Wine in Vienna to pick up a few bottles of Clipper City DIPA. I’m told that Norm’s is one of the few stores in NoVa to get this limited release. I look forward to trying it out and sharing that review with you in the near future.
[ Original content posted at http://www.musingsoverapint.com ]
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Testing the Alcohol Content of Ice Concentrated Beer
Awhile back I started a thread over on the Rate Beer forums to talk about my Dave Clone (a beer that I freeze concentrated), but it broke out into an argument over how much alcohol it REALLY contains. Normally you measure the gravity (density) of a beer before and after fermentation with a hydrometer and use a formula to tell you how much alcohol there was produced, but with freeze concentration this method doesn’t work because there is no way to know the effective original gravity.
After it became clear that no one really knew what the ABV was, I looked into getting it tested professionally to settle the argument. White Labs wanted $75 to run the test, which did not seem worth it to me. After talking to a couple of my nerdier friends to get some ideas I was directed to AJ deLang, the local brewing science guru. I had been over to his house last year for a talk he gave on brewing water as part of a BJCP class and was impressed (to say the least) with his huge brew system (yes that is an extra kettle for doing decoctions), tricked out lab, and command of brewing science.
I was hoping he had some simple do-it-yourself solution to figuring out ABV, but instead he invited me over to do the full ASBC Method test (which he just so happens to have all the equipment for). The first step was to measure out exactly 100 ml of the beer. To do this he put the beer into a flask which was placed into a circulating water bath to get it to exactly 20 C (the flask has a line that indicates exactly where 100 ml of 20 C liquid comes up to).
The testing rig consists of a heater (blue, top center) to boil the beer, a water jacketed condensation column (glass center), and a a 100 ml flask packed in ice to catch the distillate (it was placed below the condensation column on the scissor jack).
It took about 80 minutes to evaporate most of the beer, collecting basically all of the alcohol and most of the water (and leaving a thick syrup behind, but more on that later). AJ said it went faster than any other beer he had done this on (alcohol evaporates easier than water).
He assured me that the small size of the system (still) and its lab use make it legal. The distillate had a light toasted aroma, but as it was the product of a true distillation (unlike my ice concentration) it was illegal to drink.
This clear alcohol/water mixture was then heated in the water bath to 20 C.
AJ used a pipette to top off the flask with deionized water to get to exactly 100 ml (which gave us a solution that contained basically all of the alcohol from the beer, but with none of the sugars).
He then ran the diluted distillate through his Anton Paar DMA 5000 density meter (on the left) which actually does the analysis. The gist of the system (as I understand it) is that a pump (on the right) moves the liquid into a U tube where a magnet vibrates the liquid, the resonance allows the density meter to ascertain the density of the liquid, which in turn allows it to determine the alcohol by volume (since the liquid is composed of water and ethanol and the densities of each are known).
The verdict (after several trials to ensure we had all the water washed out of the tubing), 17.5% ABV (aka 35 proof). Not bad, but not quite as strong as I assumed it would be.
AJ then took the little bit of dark syrup that was left behind in the boiler, and did the same steps (20 C water bath, topped off with deionized water, and analyzed). This was the opposite of the previous test, all the sugar/dextrins from the beer but none of the alcohol.
The results? Nearly 17 P (1.069) of residual real extract. This is the amount of sugar that remained after fermentation/concentration without taking the alcohol (which has a gravity less than water) into account. This may even be a bit low since a bit of sugar had burned onto the flask. This is about the same amount of sugar that my Smoked Imperial Porter had before fermentation… wow.
Next he ran the ice concentrated beer (un-distilled) through the testing system (since this one did not have to be diluted to a specific volume he just used a mini-plunger to load it into the density meter).
The apparent FG was pretty close to the 1.049 I had measured with my hydrometer (correcting for the fact that I measured it at close to 32 degrees).
What all of this means is that despite increasing the FG by 2.08X (from 1.023), the freeze concentration only increased the alcohol by 1.75X (from 10% ABV) (so in this case the freezing selective concentrated the carbohydrates over the alcohol). Not too bad for a home freezer and a sieve. It also means that my effective OG for this beer is 1.175 (a real monster) with 73% apparent attenuation.
During a break in the action AJ took a few minutes to figure out the SRM of the beer. The first step was to dilute it (which took a 6X its volume in deionized water to get the beer pale enough for the test to work).
The diluted beer was placed into a small cube and then into a spectrometer which shot light through the beer ramping up the wavelength in nm increments to figure out the absorption across the visible spectrum.
AJ then took that output and did some Excel magic on it to figure out it is 93 SRM (aka midnight black, although AJ has measured an English stout more than twice that dark), with plenty more specifics to give a complete definition of the color. SRM only measures the absorption of light at 620 nm, so it doesn’t really give you a full picture of what color the beer is (red, brown, gold etc…). AJ produced the color swatches that the BJCP started giving to beer judges a year ago, so he knows a thing or two about beer color.
On top of the sweet brew system, and awesome lab (substantially better equipped than any we have seen so far while visiting pro-breweries for BrewLocal), AJ has a walk in cooler with taps coming out of the wall.
We celebrated a successful round of testing with a couple of samples from said taps, AJ’s Kolsch (crisp and clean), his Pils (beautiful bright hop character), and his Irish Dry Stout (on Nitrogen). Guess which one that is?
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