Help me understand this. We've all probably said at one point or another, "It's five o'clock somewhere." So, how early is too early.
Here is what starts this argument. Last week I was mowing the yard, always a hot and sweaty job, especially in late June. The high temperature for the day hit 100 plus the humidity. I finished mowing the yard at 8:30, that's a.m. not p.m. What I wanted more than anything after finishing was a cold, fresh beer. Is that wrong?
A few days before I had bottled a German Kolsch beer. Now, needing at least three weeks in the bottle to be ready to drink it certainly wasn't ready and that's probably what kept me from having a beer. Had it been ready I most likely would have had a beer at 8:30 in the morning. Well, I didn't but I'm curious to hear your take on whether early morning beers are politically correct.
Speaking of breakfast time beers, how about this selection from Buffalo Bill's Brewing - a Blueberry Oatmeal Stout. Wow, haven't tried it but I'm ready. Also, New Belgium Brewing out of Colorado does a beer called Giddy Up with espresso infused into the beer. Between the two I think we may have created the beer lover's breakfast.
Now, back to mowing the yard. As an exclusive craft beer drinker - not a beer snob - I have a refrigerator full of American craft brews and my homebrews. However, after spending a day in the heat keeping the yard looking 'neighborhood appropriate' I don't mind having a light beer. Yes, that's right, there are always a few macrobrewed light beers hiding in the back of the fridge that taste awfully good in the heat. Most of them found their way to the fridge when friends came over to spend a weekend afternoon and left beers behind. That makes them free beer, also, which is even better.
Finally, and a bit off topic, I am preparing for a 'beer and barbecue adventure'. My wife and I and another couple are heading out on an RV trip from Kerrville, Texas to Memphis, Tennessee - about 10-12 hours driving. We intend to eat barbecue at every BBQ joint and drink beer at every opportunity between here and there. We've established a BBQ scorecard in order to rank the best to worst along the trip. We haven't done a scorecard for the beer because we haven't found many beers that we don't like. Here's to the upcoming adventure - Cheers!
Hullabaloo,
Blake
Monday, June 29, 2009
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Think for a moment about what it is that you love about beer? For me its the 'whole enchilada'. (Texan slang for everything about it.) I love the taste, the diversity, the irreverence and the fellowship.
For me the taste and diversity of beer go hand-in-hand - the malty sweetness of an English Pale Ale (think Old Speckled Hen) or the over-the-top hoppiness of an American Imperial India Pale Ale (think Victory Hop Wallop). Also, I can't wait for the coffee/mocha/bitterness of a Russian Imperial Stout. And on a hot day outside the crisp, refreshing coolness of a Kolsch or Lager. If experimenting with any of these styles it's best to enjoy the lightest beer first and the darkest beer last. Hard to taste the smooth complexities of a pale ale after sipping a dark, bitter porter.
With names like Rogue's Dead Guy Ale and Unibroue's Maudite (translates to Damned) you have to appreciate the irreverence in naming many beers. Flying Dog's Doggie Style Pale Ale and In Heat Wheat are a couple of other fine examples of the tongue-in-cheekness of the craft beer industry. Most craft breweries began when someone who had enjoyed brewing beer at home took their passion to the professional level; people who walked away from careers in medicine, engineering, sales, etc. to chase their dream of serving great beer to their friends and customers. So, no more suits, ties, and meetings just overalls and wading boots and dry-hopping their lastest creation.
Now, I'm not saying I'm above enjoying a beer alone because I have on many occassions. However, another great thing about beer is the time spent in fellowship with others who appreciate a fine beer. Many times I've saved a great bottle of beer (one I've spent way too much money on) to share with friends. Just think of all the great memories from backyard barbecues, golf trips, and ski trips all served up with a cold craft beer.
As an ending I must describe what has been an amazing beer week. I've tasted several of the hard-to-find or limited release beers over the past few days. If you haven't had these go and find them soon. All of them are available, or soon will be, in Texas. You won't be disappointed.
Roque (Oregon) Double Dead Guy and Santa's Private Reserve
Cisco (Nantucket) The Grey Lady and Whale's Tail Pale Ale
Effes (Turkey)
Flying Dog (Maryland) Double Dog Pale Ale
Sierra Nevada (California) Celebration - saved it from last holiday season
Old Speckled Hen (England)
I would be remiss without mentioning a few of my own homebrews:
Downtown Brown
2-Bagger (a Belgian dubbel)
Simcoe Pale Ale (very piney hops)
Anyway, enough ramblings for today. I'll post again soon so stay in touch.
Cheers!
Blake
For me the taste and diversity of beer go hand-in-hand - the malty sweetness of an English Pale Ale (think Old Speckled Hen) or the over-the-top hoppiness of an American Imperial India Pale Ale (think Victory Hop Wallop). Also, I can't wait for the coffee/mocha/bitterness of a Russian Imperial Stout. And on a hot day outside the crisp, refreshing coolness of a Kolsch or Lager. If experimenting with any of these styles it's best to enjoy the lightest beer first and the darkest beer last. Hard to taste the smooth complexities of a pale ale after sipping a dark, bitter porter.
With names like Rogue's Dead Guy Ale and Unibroue's Maudite (translates to Damned) you have to appreciate the irreverence in naming many beers. Flying Dog's Doggie Style Pale Ale and In Heat Wheat are a couple of other fine examples of the tongue-in-cheekness of the craft beer industry. Most craft breweries began when someone who had enjoyed brewing beer at home took their passion to the professional level; people who walked away from careers in medicine, engineering, sales, etc. to chase their dream of serving great beer to their friends and customers. So, no more suits, ties, and meetings just overalls and wading boots and dry-hopping their lastest creation.
Now, I'm not saying I'm above enjoying a beer alone because I have on many occassions. However, another great thing about beer is the time spent in fellowship with others who appreciate a fine beer. Many times I've saved a great bottle of beer (one I've spent way too much money on) to share with friends. Just think of all the great memories from backyard barbecues, golf trips, and ski trips all served up with a cold craft beer.
As an ending I must describe what has been an amazing beer week. I've tasted several of the hard-to-find or limited release beers over the past few days. If you haven't had these go and find them soon. All of them are available, or soon will be, in Texas. You won't be disappointed.
Roque (Oregon) Double Dead Guy and Santa's Private Reserve
Cisco (Nantucket) The Grey Lady and Whale's Tail Pale Ale
Effes (Turkey)
Flying Dog (Maryland) Double Dog Pale Ale
Sierra Nevada (California) Celebration - saved it from last holiday season
Old Speckled Hen (England)
I would be remiss without mentioning a few of my own homebrews:
Downtown Brown
2-Bagger (a Belgian dubbel)
Simcoe Pale Ale (very piney hops)
Anyway, enough ramblings for today. I'll post again soon so stay in touch.
Cheers!
Blake
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Please Give Real Beer a Chance
OK...so I don't know everything about beer, but enough I'd like to talk about it. Please stop in often to check on my ramblings about all things beer. I hope to discuss regional beers in Texas, beers brewed elsewhere but available in Texas and lastly my personal homebrew adventures.
“Those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who could not hear the music.”
Well, I've danced...and I've heard the music. The sweet melodies of kolsch, pale ales, ESBs, RISs, brown ales, and barleywines just to name a few. More on these later.
Do I like beer? Well, if you consider the Bud Lights, Miller Lites, etc. to be beer, then "Hell, no!" However, if you, like me, have been brave enough to consider exploring craft beers and what they can be then "YES!" A resounding "YES!"
A hundred years ago beer was bought locally, from whoever was creative enough to brew beer. Styles varied not by dark, medium, light, but by the influence of the brew master. It was only a few years ago (OK, maybe more than that) that Anheuser-Busch and MillerCoors began to dominate the BEER WORLD. What a shame! Not real beer. Too corporate, too $$$ driven, too many corners were cut, too many dollars were saved to brew real beer. My mission here is to help educate you, should you choose to hang around, about REAL BEER. Beer brewed for the passion, beer brewed for the love of the liquid, beer brewed simply with malted barley, hops, yeast and water.
I'm not saying there's not a place for the macro-brewed beers because there is. If the intent is to drink as many as possible and fall down then go right ahead. Be my guest. No flavor, no body, easy-drinking. However, true beer is to be enjoyed and appreciated for its complexities, its layers, the witty names, the truly thousands of styles much like fine wine.
Here's my advice. If you've read this far then maybe, just maybe, there is enough interest to begin sampling better beers. Start slow. Don't go straight for the Russian Imperial Stout or the over-the-top hopped IPA. A good entry beer, one to ease you into enjoying finer beers, is a hefeweizen. It's light enough to be enjoyed year-round. The yeast in the beer will provide a fruity quality that makes it great for summertime - sitting by the pool, after mowing the yard, washing the car, whatever excuse you need to enjoy a beer. "Hefe" means yeast and "weizen" means wheat. In the brewing of a hefeweizen a portion of wheat is substituted for barley.
The first example to look for is Konig-Ludwig out of Bavaria - this beer truly defines the style hefeweizen. Creamy mouthfeel and a touch of ripe banana set this one apart from the rest. If you'd like to start with an American version try to find Flying Dog In Heat Wheat (recently moved from Colorado to Maryland) or UFO from Harpoon (from Boston). There are several other fine choices if you are unable to find these. If you are lucky enough to have a store nearby that offers mix-and-match six-packs its a good way to try several without committing to an entire six-pack of the same. However, get at least two of each beer just in case you like the first one. That way you have a second one to enjoy.
Check out the websites of these brewers of fantastic beers:
www.flyingdogales.com
www.ufohefeweizen.com
Both websites will require that you answer the question "Are you 21 years old?"
If at home serve the beer in the tallest, thinnest glass you have. Check out this photo - http://www.germanbeerinstitute.com/images/Weissbier_BBB.jpg. (Copy and paste into your browser). A slice of orange or lemon is a nice touch as well.
So we don't move too fast I'll stop rambling for now. Hopefully these posts will become more focused as we move along together. Any questions, comments, or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for stopping in and I hope you enjoy our ride together through the finer beers both brewed and available in Texas.
Cheers,
HopHeadTX
“Those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who could not hear the music.”
Well, I've danced...and I've heard the music. The sweet melodies of kolsch, pale ales, ESBs, RISs, brown ales, and barleywines just to name a few. More on these later.
Do I like beer? Well, if you consider the Bud Lights, Miller Lites, etc. to be beer, then "Hell, no!" However, if you, like me, have been brave enough to consider exploring craft beers and what they can be then "YES!" A resounding "YES!"
A hundred years ago beer was bought locally, from whoever was creative enough to brew beer. Styles varied not by dark, medium, light, but by the influence of the brew master. It was only a few years ago (OK, maybe more than that) that Anheuser-Busch and MillerCoors began to dominate the BEER WORLD. What a shame! Not real beer. Too corporate, too $$$ driven, too many corners were cut, too many dollars were saved to brew real beer. My mission here is to help educate you, should you choose to hang around, about REAL BEER. Beer brewed for the passion, beer brewed for the love of the liquid, beer brewed simply with malted barley, hops, yeast and water.
I'm not saying there's not a place for the macro-brewed beers because there is. If the intent is to drink as many as possible and fall down then go right ahead. Be my guest. No flavor, no body, easy-drinking. However, true beer is to be enjoyed and appreciated for its complexities, its layers, the witty names, the truly thousands of styles much like fine wine.
Here's my advice. If you've read this far then maybe, just maybe, there is enough interest to begin sampling better beers. Start slow. Don't go straight for the Russian Imperial Stout or the over-the-top hopped IPA. A good entry beer, one to ease you into enjoying finer beers, is a hefeweizen. It's light enough to be enjoyed year-round. The yeast in the beer will provide a fruity quality that makes it great for summertime - sitting by the pool, after mowing the yard, washing the car, whatever excuse you need to enjoy a beer. "Hefe" means yeast and "weizen" means wheat. In the brewing of a hefeweizen a portion of wheat is substituted for barley.
The first example to look for is Konig-Ludwig out of Bavaria - this beer truly defines the style hefeweizen. Creamy mouthfeel and a touch of ripe banana set this one apart from the rest. If you'd like to start with an American version try to find Flying Dog In Heat Wheat (recently moved from Colorado to Maryland) or UFO from Harpoon (from Boston). There are several other fine choices if you are unable to find these. If you are lucky enough to have a store nearby that offers mix-and-match six-packs its a good way to try several without committing to an entire six-pack of the same. However, get at least two of each beer just in case you like the first one. That way you have a second one to enjoy.
Check out the websites of these brewers of fantastic beers:
www.flyingdogales.com
www.ufohefeweizen.com
Both websites will require that you answer the question "Are you 21 years old?"
If at home serve the beer in the tallest, thinnest glass you have. Check out this photo - http://www.germanbeerinstitute.com/images/Weissbier_BBB.jpg. (Copy and paste into your browser). A slice of orange or lemon is a nice touch as well.
So we don't move too fast I'll stop rambling for now. Hopefully these posts will become more focused as we move along together. Any questions, comments, or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for stopping in and I hope you enjoy our ride together through the finer beers both brewed and available in Texas.
Cheers,
HopHeadTX
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