The Mad Fermentationist

This past holiday season, my wife gave me a great gift, a homebrew kit. With absolutely no homebrewing experience, I needed to do a lot of online research and reading of homebrewing books to become competent with the equipment. Through all this research, the one online resource that I kept referring to was the The Mad Fermentationist. The Mad Fermentationist documents homebrewing recipes, brewing methodology, and tastings of Michael Tonsmeire's outstanding collection of homebrews. Much of this outstanding beer collection revolves around his fondness of sour ales. Since I developed an affinity for sour ales, I was instantly drawn to keep reading and I have never missed a new post.

With very few "human" resources, I have sent Michael multiple questions via twitter and he always responds promptly with thorough answers (yes, I know there are only 140 characters. He's clever). Recently, Michael posted that he has accepted the position of beer consultant for a new upstart brewery in San Diego, Cal, Modern Times Beer. I wish him all the best with his new beer venture on the west coast. 

Cheers to the Mad Fermentationist!

PandaMack

 

Saturday at ABCF 2012

After volunteering for the Friday evening session, I was super amped to attend the Saturday afternoon session with SouthernEM, Baumbusch and RandumInk. With the possibility of a torrential downpour, we decided to get the Seaport very early hoping to be covered by its colossal overhang. We succeeded and an added bonus, we were extremely close to the front of the line... SUCCESS!! During the next hour, we developed a minor game plan to hit the booths that really sparked our interest. The following are the highlights of this plan and its ultimate demise in the face of delicious craft beer.

As soon as we stepped upon the festival floor, we headed straight for Lawson's Finest Liquids. With all other booths clear of attendees Lawson's already had a line for fifty drooling and salivating beer drinkers. Between the four of us, we were able to try all four offerings: Double Sunshine IPA, Maple Tripple, Knockout Blonde and Permagrin Rye Pale Ale. I sampled the, Maple Tripple, winner of the World Beer Cup silver medal for Specialty Beer in 2012. It was absolutely AMAZING! This brew was a concoction of maple syrup, brown sugar, earthy bitterness and balanced malt character. At 12% ABV, this beer is extremely smooth and surprisingly drinkable. In my opinion, Sean Lawson is among the greatest brewers in the United States with a beer portfolio that must be envious of American brewers. If you ever the chance to buy, drink or sample his products, do so and they wont disappoint.

After multiple sounds of, "That's amazing!" or "Try this," we found DC Brau Brewing Co. on our floor plan and quickly headed in their direction before a line formed. Having returned from DC two weeks prior to the festival, I had already sampled The Citizen and The Public Ale, so I decided to select, On the Wings of Armageddon. This Imperial IPA had a hazy orange hue with a pungent aroma of citrus with a hint of spice. Even in my small sampling glass, the head and its retention were remarkable. This very hop forward ale was an excellent contrast to the sweetness of the Maple Tripple. I have come to really appreciate this brewery and their offerings. I wish them all the best during SAVOR week in DC!

After sampling from these two booths, our plan fell apart, so here are my highlights from the rest of afternoon.    

I was very lucky to find two amazing summer beers Apollo from Sixpoint and Gold Standard Export Kellerbier from Brooklyn Brewery because neither brewery was included in the original "plan." Apollo, a Kristalweizen, was very light, crisp and refreshing. It burst with banana and melon with excellent backing from the light wheat malts. Gold Standard Export, a Keller Bier, had a very nice grain quality that worked extremely well with the lemon zest and tartness.  Garrett Oliver et al. hit a home run honoring this rare and unique beer style.
During the middle of the fest, we noticed that the Cambridge Brewing Company line was very short, so we decided to stop allowing @Baumbusch to sample multiple brews. To our astonishment, the 2010 vintage of Arquebus was still available for tasting. This "summer" barleywine is like none other with its cornucopia of fruit flavors thats includes apricot, pear, melon and apple. These fruits are coupled with subtle oak and vanilla notes creating a very pleasant initial taste. Once these fruits and barrel-aging characteristics wash over the palate, a wave of tartness finalizes the taste profile of this amazing interpretation of the barleywine style.
The biggest surprise of the festival came when we stopped at the Enlightenment Ales booth. Head brewer, Ben Howe, formerly of Cambridge Brewing Company, is now producing three styles of beer, Biere de Champagne (Brut), Table Beer and Saison. While his table beer and saison are well crafted beers, the brut was simply amazing. The labor intensive process of creating this beer style shone with every sip. It was hard to believe that something so refreshing with such a light mouthfeel could reach 11 ABV. White fruits, apple, melon and pear created a fruitiness that worked on levels. WHAT A BEER!   

The ABCF is a great beer event and one that I look forward to every year. I can't wait to see what the Alstrom Brothers and American craft brewers have up their collective sleeves for next year!

Cheers,
PandaMack

Top three beers:

1. Weizen Stout - Rising Tide Brewing Company
2. On the Wings of Armageddon - DC Brau
3. Maple Tripple - Lawson's Finest Liquids

Friday at ACBF 2012

Sadly, the American Craft Beer Fest has come to a close. It was an amazing two-day experience volunteering Friday for session A and then attending session B on Saturday with SouthernEM, Randumink and Baumbusch. Here is a rundown of my highlights from Friday.

Friday:

I arrived at the festival quite early, 3:00pm, to help set up brewer booths and stations. I know this is weird, but I was both in shock and intimated by these amazing craftsmen and craftswoman. Once I overcame this middle-school giddiness, I spent much of time running around collecting an endless supply of ice and tubs for brewers and district representatives. With tired forearms and a thirsty palate, I decided to scope out the floor hoping to talk with brewers about their products.

My first stop was at Gardner Ale House located in Gardner, MA. Attracted by the name, Downtown Smokey Brown, I starting asking questions focusing on the "smokey" part of the beer's name. The head brewer, Dave Richardson, explained how he experimented with many types type of wood and smoked malt settling with Cherry Wood because he felt it imparted a subtle smoke quality that complimented the malt backbone of this delicious brown ale. Cheers to experimentation!!!

Next, I ventured to the section of the floor that I would visit time and time again, the DC Brau Brewing booth. Their four beers, The Citizen, Penn Quarter Porter, On the Wings of Armageddon, The Corruption and The Public were perhaps the best overall portfolio at the festival. Later, during the festival on a break from pouring, I talked for ten minutes with the crew about their beer and beer culture in DC. What a great experience!

These amazing experience continued as I meandered through the convention center. With one volunteer standing at the Cambridge Brewing Company booth, I ventured over to view what they would be pouring during the festival. I was stroked to see that Mass Appeal, Ozymandias and Arquebus 2010 were available for sampling. As I read the signs, assistant brewer, Sean Nolan and the volunteer began discussing the brewing intricacies of Mass Appeal. Sean Nolan's enthusiasm about this beer was contagious, so I politely waited to enter into the conversation. We conversed about the citrus that went into the beer and the fact that he and colleagues learned that zesting/peeling a kumquat (I think...) is much more difficult than they initially envisioned. The conversation finished with Sean giving us a rundown of the five yeast strains that were used to ferment the official Boston Craft Beer Week beer (one yeast strain from Idle hands, Night Shift, CBC, Mystic and Enlightenment), which I wish I could remember more of because his knowledge was staggering.

My one of final stop before tickets holders entered the floor was at Night Shift Brewing. Here, I had the opportunity to finally taste Viva Habanera, an ale brewed with agave nectar and habanero peppers. The combined spiciness from the rye malts with the addition of habanero peppers to secondary fermentation provided an excellent level of spiciness without the vegetable quality of the pepper. I am a huge fan of Night Shift and I wish them all the best in the coming months.

After sampling this amazing pepper beer, I quickly returned to my booth, Left Hand Brewing for the arriving festival goers. The five beers that we, Brain Sweeney and I, poured were Juju Ginger, Smoke Jumper, 400 Pound Monkey, Fade to Black Vol #3 and the absolutely amazing flagship, Milk Stout. Our booth was slammed for the entirety of the session. It was great to talk with patrons about their beer tastes and to see their reactions to this well crafted beer. I especially enjoyed when patrons asked for my opinion and I got to delve deeper and explain various nuances of the beer to help them make a selection for sampling.

It was a welcomed sight when my "pour replacer" arrived because this meant I had thirty minutes to sample more delicious beer. I walked directly to Rising Tide Brewing Co where I started a conversation  with head brewer, Nathan Sanborn. Much of conversation revolved around, Ursa Minor, an amazing weizen stout. I asked about the recipe, percentage of wheat malt and why he decided to use wheat rather than oatmeal. He was extremely personable offering very thorough answers which I really appreciate. Cheers to Nathan and his crew! Can't wait until their beer reaches Boston.

My final stop of the night was NoDa Brewing Co, which conveniently, was located adjacently with Rising Tide. Here, I sampled Coco Loco Porter, Ghost Hop White IPA and Monk's Trunk. All of Chad Henderson's products were exquisitely balanced allowing all components of the beer to shine through. As I was sampling my last selection, Monk's Trunk, I noticed Chad blended it with Ghost Hop for himself. I asked if I could also try a sample and he obliged and am I sure glad that he did. This blend of hops, Belgian esters, and the creamy mouthfeel of a Witbier was one of my favorite things that I tasted over my two-day experience.

Cheers,
PandaMack

American Craft Beer Fest 2012

For the last five years, the Alstrom Brothers, Todd and Jason of BeerAdvocate, have hosted the American Craft Beer Fest on the picturesque waterfront of Boston, MA. This year, according the Courtney Cox (no, that Courtney Cox), approximately 15,000 attendees will meander through the Seaport Convention looking for the next great beer or perhaps an old favorite. Either way, this beer festival has much to offer for the hardcore beer geek and the relatively new craft beer drinker.
Luckily, I will attend the festival in two capacities, volunteer and drinker. On Friday, June 1st, I will volunteer for the second year in a row helping out anyway that I can. Last year, I had the privilege to pour for Maine Beer Company. David and Daniel Kleban were amazing hosts, answering any questions that I or the attendees had about their beer. They have developed a great portfolio with the Lunch IPA being the most sought after prize. Hopefully, I will have have the same luck again this year, pouring amazing products for a great brewery.
On what has become an annual tradition, my wife and I will attend the afternoon Saturday session of the 2012 festival. If this day wasn't already going to be full of jovial merriment, my brother-in-law, Jamey is making the trek from DC to join us for a day of great food and great beer. I can't wait to see his reaction when we walk onto the convention floor with all the breweries and winding booth lines. My guess is this, "Holy F$*K!".
Today, Emily and I picked up a handbook and after perusing through the festival handbook, one cannot help but notice the representation of local Massachusetts breweries. You have the big boys, Sam Adams and Harpoon with many outstanding brewpubs like Cambridge Brewing Company (recently named the best brewpub by Chow.com), Gardner Ale House, The People's Pint and Amherst Brewing Company. Massachusetts nanobreweries are also well represented with Idle Hands, Night Shift, and Enlightenment Ales. Although Massachusetts craft beer is lagging behind many states, it is great to see the industry beginning to blossom and flourish within the commonwealth.

A beer festival of this magnitude will attract many of the major players in craft beer from around the country such as: Bear Republic, Lagunitas, Flying Dog, Brooklyn, Great Divide and Ommegang just to name a few. However, upon closer inspection, I noticed that two states, North Carolina and Maryland, are well represented. North Carolina has an excellent beer culture and it is great to see Big Boss Brewing, Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery (one of my wife's favorites), Olde Mecklenburg Brewery and NoDa Brewing making the journey north for the festival. I know very little about Maryland, let alone its beer culture, but I am looking forward to getting to know Franklin's Brewery and Restaurant, Flying Dog and Heavy Seas Brewery.
One of things that I love about this festival are those breweries that appear to be anomalies at the festival. For example, Jackie O's from Ohio, miles away from any New England craft beer drinker, attended last year's festival and stole the show. Their beers, Dark Apparition and Berliner Weisse are some of the finest interpretations of their respective styles produced in the United States (IMO). This year's festival is no different with breweries representing West Virginia, Wisconsin, Kentucky, District of Columbia and Utah. Last week, I had the privilege of watching Jamey graduate from The George Washington University, which allowed me to sample multiple ales from and DC Brau, which I believe could be this year's Jackie O's.  
All-in-all, the American Craft Beer Fest is an amazing event and I am very fortunate to live in its home state having the luxury to sample amazing craft beer from around the United States! If you have the opportunity to attend this year's festival or those to come in the future, the ambience and beer are outstanding and I highly recommend experiencing this festival.

Cheers,
PandaMack

Here is a list of some of the beers that I am looking forward to trying:

Amherst Brewing - Barrel-aged Black Friday Stout
                                St. Valentine's Day Massatucky
                                Pistachio Creme Pie

Big Boss Brewing - High Roller IPA
                                Monkey Bizz-ness

Boulevard Brewing - Test Saison Noir

Bridge Beer Works - Baltic Porter
                                  Black Lager
                                  Coffee Stout
                                  Pale Ale

Cisco Brewers - Island Reserve Lager
                          Island Reserve Russian Imperial Stout
                       
 DC Brau Brewing - On the Wings of Armageddon
                                 Penn Quarter Porter
                                 Stone of Arbroath
                                 The Citizen
                                 The Corruption
                                 The Public Ale

Duck Rabbit Brewery - Hoppy Bunny American Black Ale

Enlightenment Ales - Nip of a Cap

Lawson's Finest Liquids - BIG HAPI
                                         Double Sunshine IPA
                                         Knockout Blonde
                                         Permagrin Rye Pale Ale

NoDa Brewing - Coco Loco
                            Ghost Hop White IPA

Olde Mecklenburg - Captain James Jack Pilsner
                                 Rein Pale Ale

Pioneer Brewing - Pioneer Path of the Unknown
                              Pioneer the New Frontier

Rising Tide - Atlantis
                      Daymark
                      Ursa Minor

Thomas Hooker - Chocolate Truffle Stout

Throwback Brewery - White Heron Chai Porter

White Birch - Berliner Weisse

Wormtown Brewing - Hopulence American Double I.P.A

Bear Republic Brewing Company - Racer 5 IPA

Nestled in Heraldsburg, California, resides Bear Republic Brewing Company, creator of the award winning, Racer 5 IPA. This IPA pours a very light bronze with a small-frothy head that is one finger in height. This beer has impressive clarity imparting a welcoming brightness. After multiple sips, there are minor lacings that coat the interior of the tulip glass.
The smell of the Racer 5 is very aromatic. Both grapefruit and orange citrus notes dominate the aroma. Delving into the aroma further, the 4 C's - Chinook, Cascade, Centennial and Columbus - add a contrasting complexity. Finally, there is a malt sweetness that works very well with the abundance of hop varieties.
The Racer 5 IPA has a crisp and rich taste profile. Citrus notes of grapefruit and orange burst, but quickly dissipate into the second phase of tasting. This second phase was slightly dry with a touch of piney resin that was quite delectable. This lingering dryness swept over the back of my palate creating desire to quench my thirst, which I did again, and again, and again.
Bear Republic's website describes the Racer 5 IPA as, "full bodied beer brewed with American pale and crystal malts...", but I disagree. I found this IPA to be lighter than characterization on the website. It was medium bodied with a very nice level of carbonation.
I have had this beer so many times that I have lost count on the actual number. It is one of my favorite American IPA's with its amazing balance of hop character and malt sweetness; it is truly delicious. At 7.0% ABV, it is a little high for a sessionable beer, but I don't care. It is a great beer for any occasion. Try it and find out for yourself!

Cheers,
PandaMack

Chuck's Libations - Day #2

After a day of walking around Charlottetown, PEI and eating delicious sushi, Emily and I ventured to the provincially run liquor store. Here, we stumbled upon some amazing finds: Fuller's Porter and ESB in tallboy cans and a trappist ale, Orval. With great beer in hand, we left with an excited feeling, ready to begin tasting session number two.
After a long day of work, the old man was definitely ready to sit down and enjoy some full-flavored beer. Since Emily also wanted to take part, we decided to introduce Chuck to the Aprihop from Dogfish Head. He very succinctly stated that Aprihop for him had two very distinct tasting phases: an initial and final. During the initial phase, pine overwhelmed his palate. Being from the east coast of Canada, english-style IPAs overwhelm the market, so any beer that is hop forward may seem extravagant in comparison to these malty IPAs. As we conversed, while cooking supper, the beer had the opportunity to warm and open up leading to the final phase of tasting. The three of us were able to detect a very aromatic and fruity smell, which translated into a very pleasant tasting beer. Although this ale wasn't one of Chuck's favorites from week, he truly appreciated the innovative approach Dogfish employs to brewing their beer.
Next, I wanted to show my old man what a hoppy red ale could be, so I opened, Lagunitas Imperial Red. Upon Chuck's first sniff he exclaimed, "HOLY CRAP!" Moving past this initial wow-factor, the old man described the aroma of this red ale as if, "I was walking through a pine forest, immersed in underbrush when someone dumped grapefruit juice on me." All-in-all, a uniquely interesting, but somewhat accurate description of this extremely hoppy red ale.
Since my wife has discovered the great card game, Cribbage (one of last visits home), it has become a tradition that we play with my folks during each visit. For the first couple of hands, we enjoyed Oskar Blues' Old Chub. Instantly, Chuck picked up on a "grapey" quality that morphed into a caramel or butterscotch aroma as the beer warmed. The taste profile was much different than the aroma. We both discussed how the beer contained a slightly burnt  quality, almost reminiscent of bitter coffee that contained virtually no aftertaste, which Chuck really enjoyed. During the last few sips, we both were able to detect a nuttiness that wasn't present during the first couple hands of Cribbage. Delicious!

After finishing our best of three series (which the old man and I won), we settled in front of the TV to watch the Stanley Cup Playoffs. As a night cap, Emily and I decided to introduce Chuck to wonders of Saint Bernardus from Watou, a small Belgian town on the Belgium-France border. Here, the brewmasters create exquisitely crafted ales, most notably the Abt 12, a quad with a whopping 10.0% ABV. I knew from the sip that Chuck absolutely loved this beer. After setting down his glass, almost  in a state of "beer shock" he said, "Wow that's smooth, WOW!" I showed him the bottle and he was amazed that the beer contained 10.0% ABV because there was no detectable booziness or "heat." Upon learning this information, Chuck enthusiastically sighed, "It is sneaky good, it will sneak right up on you if you aren't careful." He went on to describe how the aftertaste was very pleasant, lingering on his palate creating connection between each individual sip. This quad a must-try for all beer geeks, especially those who love authentic Belgian ales.

I'm proud of Pop for experimenting with the fruity, the hoppy, and the sneaky.

Cheers,
PandaMack

Chuck's Libations - Day #1

I got into craft beer about three years ago, tasting multiple Sam Adams and Dogfish products and ever since these initial tastings, I have wanted to converse and discuss craft beer on a regular basis with my father, Chuck. However, these discussions require overcoming two substantial obstacles: an 11 hour drive and an international border. My parents live on the rustic, picturesque province of Prince Edward Island, part of the east-coast of Canada. Here, my father doesn’t have the opportunity to imbibe Canadian craft beer, let only, American craft beer because there is virtually no distribution to Prince Edward Island. The province has many positives: wonderful people, amazing beaches, historical landmarks however the beer culture (and food culture for the matter) are leaps and bounds behind every Canadian province (except, maybe, Newfoundland) and without a doubt, every American state, yes, even Mississippi and Alabama. Due to these restrictions, I have gradually introduced my old man domestic and foreign craft brewers and the following blog entries are day-by-day tasting “sessions” during a recent visit home.

Enjoy!  

Chuck’s Libations – Day 1

After driving 11 hours, much of it by myself (wife fell asleep), I received a much-needed hug from my mother. Once we had exchanged pleasantries and settled in our room, we all ventured out to the deck to relax and converse about our past week. I decided to open a beer and since it was beautiful and I was feeling great, I decided on Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier. Little did I know that with all the beer we would taste over the week, Chuck would like this beer the most. Immediately following his first sip, he enthusiastically exclaimed, “NOW, that’s delicious. I think I could drink this everyday”. As we delved deeper into the beer, he began to pick up on the traditional taste profile of weissbier: banana and bubble gum, “I am getting this taste/sensation that reminds me of bubblicious”. Our conversation lasted for some time, which allowed the beer time to open up. After Chuck’s last sip, he emphatically stated, “That beer is so smooth, it is the perfect summer beer”, I couldn’t agree more. 

The beer we opened was Union Jack IPA from Firestone Walker. I bought this home because it is my favorite west-coast IPA and I wanted my old man to experience a very hop forward IPA. As I watched him take his first sip, I had this overwhelming feeling: Please Like It. Without saying a single word, I knew what he was thinking, WHOA!! Our entire conversation revolved around a pine forest, but we talked grapefruit, dryness, astringency, and crispness. Overall, Chuck’s palate didn’t jive with this west–coast IPA, but he appreciated what the people of Firestone Walker are striving to accomplished with this beer. He said that he was open to trying other west-coast interpretation of the IPA style. Right On! 

We decided to finish the night with Left Hand’s Milk Stout. Since my old man is an avid coffee drinker, he instantly tasted coffee notes along with bitter chocolate. I explained to him that, to the best of my knowledge, the beer is brewed without these additional flavor adjuncts, which surprised him greatly. My favorite quality this stout has, and Chuck’s as well, the insanely creamy mouthfeel. We discussed the effect of nitrogen versus carbon dioxide on the mouthfeel, which transitioned somewhat quickly into the significant differences between the three styles of beer: taste profile, color, and brewing country, a great way to end our first tasting “session”. 

Cheers,

PandaMack