The Bubbles!

We did it! We made our first beer. Well, it's in the first stage of fermentation right now. But, it's bubbling and it's alive!

After battling through the bizarre Iowa weather, we decided not to make the beer outside. It was cold and it would just be easier inside. The girls went off to use their recently acquired gift cards and the boys were left to stink up the house. We read and reread all of the instructions, discussed what we had learned outside of those instructions (gleaning tips from my future father-in-law for example).

The pot I purchased to make the wort in was much too big, but the plan is to work our way up to bigger batches, so whatever. After boiling the water, we added the grains in their little sock to the mixture. This created what could be the most incredible teabag effect ever. The grains steeped for a while, the we took those out and added the malt extract. This came in two very large cans, filled with what can only be described as a thick, sweet molasses-like syrup. My brother was kind enough to stir all of this in while I tried to keep everything clean.

Then that had to boil. For quite a while. So, we decided to open a beer. I had brought down a few favorites from the Ommegang Brewery. One of these was their namesake brew, Ommegang. This beer is quite possibly my favorite drink ever. It pours with an amazing clarity and a rich, red-hued head. My brother had gotten some new beer glasses for Christmas (Thanks Kimmy!) and we were able to use the "proper" glass. This beer has a rich complexity at the beginning, without any overwhelming single characteristic. After you swallow, there is a secondary explosion of flavor in your mouth. A fruity, sweet afterthought, like the beer wants you to remember it.

We also tried the Ommegang group's Hennepin ale. This is a very good ale also. It's a lot crisper and less fruity than the namesake brew, but it's definitely tasty. It pours a clear golden color with a light head. A little heavier on the hops, this beer still retained that complexity that makes it difficult to pin down a single ingredient. We also sampled a brew from Amsterdam, which was amazingly caramelly, but I have no idea what it was called. I studied German and the label was aggravatingly close to German, but not enough that I could actually understand it. And we had another Belgian ale. Mind you, this is over the course of nearly ten hours, not just in the hour it took for the wort to boil...

So, the wort has boiled, we've added the finishing hops and we're getting ready to add it to the bucket of cool water. How, exactly, should we go about pouring this vat of bubbling liquid into the bucket? My brother, always the hero, grabs a coat so he can pour the thing without burning his arms (although as a plumber he has managed to burn most of his arms anyway). After he successfully poured it, I filled it to the five-gallon mark and then began to wait until the temperature was correct for adding the yeast. It was a bit over 90 degrees initially and we didn't want to kill the pour little buggers.

After adding the yeast, we realized how tense we had been. It was a very stressful experience. As it was our first go at brewing, we didn't want to muck it up. However, when would we know if we had mucked it up? A week? Two weeks? Three weeks??? No, we just had to wait for the bucket to bubble. 24 hours. So, we sat down to play some video games and watch some television. After a night of this and a feast prepared by my sister-in-law, my girlfriend and I prepared to leave. It was at this point that we saw the bucket bubble.

That was a memorable moment. It meant that we hadn't messed up the yeast process and that the beer was fermenting. Whether or not it will taste good is still up in the air, but by God it will be BEER! Next weekend, we will bottle it and store it so that it can carbonate properly. So, now I have to figure out what type of bottle I want to use. I'm thinking the bigger "Grolsch" type bottles would be cool. Also, I have a lot of bottles around here that I am thinking about cleaning up and seeing if they will work. Either way, I know the name of the beer. Baby Bock. In honor of my buddy who just found out his wife is pregnant.

Here's a link to me and the Bubbles.


Prost!

Hurray Christmas!

I got the rest of the homebrewing equipment for Christmas. So guess what I'm going to do Saturday!!!

Brew beer. That's what... duh...

Making an American Style Bock with my brother in his garage, because the boiling of the wort stinks. Sweet.

Less money = Less good beer

With the holidays taking hold, and my job cutting me back to part-time, my finances are a bit tight. So, until further notice, I will be drinking my fall back. Pabst Blue Ribbon. Please don't judge me too harshly. It's a comfort food. Like, mashed potatoes and gravy with roast beef. Something that reminds you of better times. It's not the most flavorful item on the menu, but you can't beat it for lifting your spirits. The posts might continue, but the reviews of interesting beer will probably be done mostly from memory, or include large quantities of news from the beer world, as opposed to reviews.

Prost!

Saranac Variety Pack

This winter is set to be a snowy one here in Iowa. So, what better to do than get your hands on a winter beer variety pack? Nothing beats it. I recently picked up a variety pack from Saranac, or the Matt Brewing Company. Saranac has been a perennial favorite for me because of their willingness to experiment. Also, it's one of the first craft beers I ever picked up. Their IPA and Black & Tan are readily available at most stores in the area and provide a flavorful beer at a reasonable price. Anyway, my sordid affair with Saranac can be left to another day. Today is about their variety pack.

When Saranac labels something "variety," they aren't kidding. This twelve-pack comes with six different types of beer, two of each (sometimes I struggle with math, so bear with me.) There were a few old favorites with their E.S.B. and Belgian Ale, along with their Season's Best. The pack also included three NEW beers. These are the Vanilla Stout, India Brown Ale and Bohemian Pilsener. I had never even had a vanilla stout before and the concept of an India Brown Ale instead of Pale intrigued me. So, I merrily toted this beauty home with me for a nice, relaxing, fireside drink to match the book I'm reading - The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon, an interesting detective story set in an alternate history of the Jewish people.

I'm a sucker for an E.S.B. so that's what I started with. While it doesn't quite come up to the standards of Bluebird E.S.B. or Fuller's version, it comes damned close! As far as American E.S.B.s, this is definitely one of my favorites. You can tell they used Fuggles and Saaz hops for the finish, delicious. The E.S.B. name can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different brewers. So, it's like an extra special beer (which seems like a term that a five-year old would come up with super-extra-special-awesome-beer!!!) This beer has enough of a hoppy flavor to please me without overwhelming your average drinker. It makes a really great session beer due to its crisp, light flavor. I would definitely recommend this beer for holiday gatherings.

Brewer's Description:
Beer Style: Extra Special Bitter
Malt Selections: 2 Row, Biscuit Malt
Hop Selections: Fuggle, Saaz
Color: Amber
Mouthfeel / Body: Medium Full
Alcohol By Volume: 5.3%
Original Gravity: 13.5

Okay, I proceeded on to the IBA... India Brown Ale. I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this one. Like I said, IPAs are my favorite style of brew, with brown ales a close second. So, combine them and what do you get? Delicious? Confusing? It was really a more malty version of an IPA. It's a very impressive balance between a delicious hoppiness that one would expect from an India ale, while bringing in the aromatics and delightful malt flavor associated with brown ales. It has a very full body and I wouldn't recommend it to someone who is used to lighter, blander beers. This IBA would make a great way to introduce a friend to craft beers. It's very complex but enjoyable at a basic level also. Easily one of my new favorites from Saranac.

Brewer's Description:
Beer Style: Strong Brown Ale
Malt Selections: Marris Otter, Crystal
Hop Selections: Fuggles
Color: Dark Brown
Mouthfeel / Body: Full
Alcohol By Volume: 6.0%
Original Gravity: 14.5

On the subject of introducing people to better beer, Saranac's Bohemian Pilsener would be a great baby-step. This beer is much more flavorful than American pilseners, but not overwhelming like some other craft offerings. Saranac did a beautiful job with this beer. It's light but flavorful, not overly hopped and easily one of their best session beers. This beer would be great for watching the big game with friends or just for relaxing after work. I'm surprised it made it into their winter pack, because it seems like it would be pretty friggin' good in the summer months too.

Brewer's Description:
Beer Style: Bohemian Pilsener
Malt Selections: Pilsener
Hop Selections: Saaz
Color: Straw
Mouthfeel / Body: Medium
Alcohol By Volume: 4.8%
Original Gravity: 12

I move on now to the Vanilla Stout. Now, I was a bit concerned about this one because I have had some pretty bad luck with beers being overly sweet in the past, and the term "vanilla" scares me. I did try it and I did greatly enjoy it. It had all of the traditional characteristics I associate with a tasty cream stout but none of the overly-sweet that ruins so many otherwise good beers. There was the familiar chocolate, almost coffee, flavor. It was a beautiful dark color. It made my detective novel seem even more dark, dreary and cold. Definitely not a session beer by any means, but if you like stouts and you're adventurous, this beer's for you.

Brewer's Description:
Beer Style: Flavored Sweet Stout
Malt Selections: 2 Row, Chocolate Malt
Hop Selections: Willamette
Color: Black
Mouthfeel / Body: Full Body, Sweet
Alcohol By Volume: 4.8%
Original Gravity: 14

Ok, the pack also included a Belgian-Style Ale. I'm always wary of "Belgian-Style" because sometimes it means the brewer just dumped orange flavor into a light wheat beer. They balanced this beer quite well though and it left me wanting another one. It really epitomizes a Belgian style to me. It has a complexity that you really have to dig for, making it much more tantalizing. There was a hint of something to it that I couldn't quite put my finger on and it kept me thinking for a while. I'm still not sure what that little something is. The best part? This beer is just plain tasty!

Brewer's Description:
Beer Style: Belgian Style Ale
Malt Selections: 2 Row, Belgian Aromatic Malt
Hop Selections: Hersbrucker & Tettnang Hops
Color: Amber
Mouthfeel / Body: Medium Body, Dry
Alcohol By Volume: 5.9%
Original Gravity: 14.5

Finally, we come to Saranac's Season's Best. This beer is magnificent. It's a Vienna style lager, which normally means the beer will be heavily malted and barely hopped. This beer doesn't disappoint on the malty goodness. It has a very strong, heavy body that wraps itself around your tongue when you drink it. I know, weird analogy, but that's just how it feels. That's not the best part though. They managed to use hops to perfectly compliment the malt. It doesn't override the thick smooth malt flavor, but lends to it ever so slightly that just makes it pop. Really impressive stuff.

Brewer's Description:
Beer Style: Vienna - Style Lager
Malt Selections: Munich & Biscuit Malt
Hop Selections: Tettnang Color: Dark Amber
Mouthfeel / Body: Heavy
Alcohol By Volume: 5.3%
Original Gravity: 14.0

Okay, that does it for their twelve-pack. I've only had one of each so far, and I might decide to update this post. Saranac has reaffirmed my love for them and I imagine I will pick this treat up again. Check out their website for updates and more info.

http://www.saranac.com/home/

Oh Happy Day!

Today I got to try Big Sky's Powder Hound. This is their winter release. Having just discovered Big Sky, I feel like I am still in the honeymoon stage. This is a time of exploration for me. So, when I noticed that my local Hy-Vee finally got this brew in I couldn't help myself. Also, it timed out that my girlfriend was out of town, so I had nothing better to do.

The beer is difficult to classify as its brewers openly admit. So, we can dispense with the idea of trying to place limitations on it as per style. As I pour it, I notice it is not as dark as many winter beers. It also appears to be a little lighter in overall style than I expected. The clarity allowed the light to shine through showing the full red-brown wonderment that is Powder Hound. The beer held a decent head that didn't immediately fizzle out. The beer's flavor has wonderful depth while avoiding an overabundance of complex flavors. It's not a beer that makes you contemplate deeply what that one flavor is you can't quite put your finger on. It strikes a balance between malts and hops that is difficult to find. The malt added an almost caramel flavor to this beer without making it overly sweet. The hops matched this perfectly and led an amazingly balanced, flavorful beer. Rating: 5/5

Oh, and my birthday passed recently and my brother got me a starter kit for homebrewing. He happens to be a plumber, so if I decide to make my setup more complex, I'm sure I can count on him for help. The starter kit is for an American style Bock and came with everything I need other than water and the equipment. Now I just have to convince my girlfriend to let me stink up the house to make my beer. If only I had that stupid garage...

I am still waiting for more seasonals to crop up. Luckily my local Hy-Vee store has a good selection. Also, the downtown scene here in Des Moines offers some great locations to get craft brews. For example, El Bait Shop or the Royal Mile. I am still exploring but hope to find even more great spots. We also have a nice selection of brewpubs downtown, which I hope to get to soon.

Out on a limb

The girlfriend was out of town again, and what's a boy to do? I finally broke down and purchased Widmer Brothers Hefeweizen. Prior to last night, I had avoided the drink as a craft beer because Anheuser-Busch owns a minority stake in the company. To me, a craft brew should also be an independent brew. The sovereignty of the brewer matters almost as much as the flavor of the beer... almost.

However, I was able to gallantly put my prejudice aside and pick up a six-pack. I felt a bit odd the whole way to the check-out. Old men with sixers of Left Hand staring at me with accusing eyes. They know. I paid in cash to avoid a paper trail and let the girl put the six-pack in the bag (before you freak out, I use those reusable bags compulsively). Luckily, my parking spot was rock star so I was in the car and on my way home quickly.

When I got home, I shut the blinds to hide what I was doing. My neighbors shouldn't have to see this... As always, pasta was for dinner, and what's the best thing to do when waiting for pasta to cook? Drink a beer. Very good! I grabbed one out of the fridge and looked at it. It looked like a craft beer. I poured it into my favorite tasting glass and analyzed it.

It has a nice hazy appearance, good sign for a wheat. It didn't quite have the color I would have liked. There was no sense that it was unfiltered by looking at it, and this is in basic comparison to brewers like Boulevard and Goose Island. Usually a hefe will have a nice aroma, faint bits of coriander and orange peel. This one did, but it was fainter than most. There was no body to the aroma. At this point, I am a bit concerned with my decision. I should have just got a mixed pack and grabbed ONE of these... I braced myself and took a drink. To be honest, it was good. By no means was it one of the best hefes I have ever had, but it does the trick just fine. As it rolled around my flavor receptors, I could pick out most of the characteristics of a good hefe, albeit in smaller amounts and a little unbalanced than normal. It had a nice crisp finish and didn't leave a bad taste in my mouth. It's light enough to be a good session beer.

So, I can honestly say that if this beer were a bit cheaper to reflect its heritage, I might recommend it. If it's all you can get, go for it. Widmer Brothers created a beer that would be best consumed at a bar, when there aren't many options. But, I did it, I overcame my prejudice. Will I be drinking Shock Top or Winter Bourbon Cask any time soon? No. To be honest, those are just icky lies. If I want to drink a craft beer from an Anheuser-Busch brewer, I'll get something from Michelob. At least their beer is inexpensive, easy to find and doesn't carry a lot of pretense. This could be an entirely separate post though.

Stay tuned for that one..

Hittin' Rock Bottom

The other night my brother, sister-in-law and myself went to check out Rock Bottom Brewery here in Des Moines. It's about five minutes from my apartment and my girlfriend was going to watch the new High School Musical movie. What better to do than check out the brewery?

As I had already eaten, I skipped the menu and began to examine the beer list. The variety of beers they offer there was about what I expected. Most of the microbrewers have the same samples: brown, red, pale, lager and wheat. They all of these and a couple of more. So, I decided to get the sampler, just to give 'em all a go. My brother followed suit, but my sister-in-law ordered a hefeweizen. They ordered their food and I got a bowl of chili.

The server brought us a complimentary sample of their Pumpkin Ale. In itself, it was not a bad little ale. The only problem was, well, they treated it like a margarita. The rim was laced with cinnamon-sugar, and that completely drowned out the flavor of the beer. Luckily, another sample came with our sampler pack, this time sugar-free. The beer had a nice pumpkin and cinnamon balance. It worked well for the rainy day atmo.

The rest of the beers came out and the servers lined them up and explained them to us. Despite mispronouncing Marzen, it was a decent explanation. I usually don't project an air of wisdom when it comes to beer, mainly because I look ten years old.

The first one I tried was their brown ale, because I really like brown ales. The aroma of this beer was faint. It had almost no smell, which turns out to be a characteristic for many of the beers they serve. The liquid itself was rather watery, but the flavor was still ok. It tasted much like a watered-down version of a good brown ale, like a Goose Island or something. I enjoyed it, but not as much as most browns.

I moved onto their red next. I always like to see how a brewer perceives what a red should be. To me, it has more play to it then a lot of beers. The red followed suit with the brown in that it was watery and lacked aroma. However, it tasted pretty good. Not very hoppy or malty, it went down smooth. The rest of the beers kept up the trend. Their dark beer wasn't nearly heavy enough.

All in all, it was a very fun time. A great place to hang out and have a few brews for gameday. The lightness of the beer makes it good for sessions. The servers were friendly, and the bar was overall very pleasing. Notwithstanding the "napkin incident" of course, it was a normal night out.

Still very excited about my Slow Elk and looking forward to finding more seasonals on hand at the local grocer.

...my only sunshine...

So, I had a bad day yesterday and decided to make it better by having a really good beer. I do this from time to time. My first thought was to pick up a reliable IPA and just relax on the couch. When I left work, at five, like everyone else in the neighborhood, I made the decision to go the grocery store with better selection. This led to me being in traffic for about an extra forty-five minutes. During this period my girlfriend called to say that she was starting dinner and to inform me that we were having steaks. My mood brightened.

When I got to the store, I walked straight to the craft section of beers. I grabbed a sixer of Fort Collins Rocky Mountain IPA, because it's a helluva beer. But I lingered. My gaze was caught by an unusual site. Something new in the Big Sky slot. But what was it...?

Not Trout Slayer... Not Moose Drool... Not the IPA... what the hell kind of picture is that...? Is that a cow... with antlers? By George it is! Something new from Big Sky Brewing!! A limited release of an oatmeal stout no less!!!


I might have let out a yelp at this point, you'd have to ask the cashier. It was the Slow Elk Oatmeal Stout Limited Release from Big Sky. The concept of experiencing a new brew brought me out of my funk and I grabbed a sixer of that too, not bothering to set my IPA down. I arrived home just in time to pour a beer and grab a plate stacked with steak, green beans and some mac and cheese thing. The beer came first when I sat down...

Amazing. Once again Big Sky left me smiling and wanting to move to Montana. I need to try it again to make a better, in depth assessment, seeing as all I could think of last night was my day was made better. By a cow in antlers and a mystical brewery in a land far, far away.

Also, let's not forget some of the upcoming releases for the winter months.

From Bell's:
Winter White Ale - Nov. 1st
Special Double Cream Stout - Nov. 1st
Third Coast Ale - Nov. 1st
Expedition Stout - Nov. 1st
Cherry Stout - Nov. 7th

From Flying Dog:
K-9 Cruiser Winter Ale

From Millstream:
Schokolade Bock - November

From Point:
St. Benedict's Winter Ale

It's not you, it's me...

Last night we were at the local grocer to get pasta sauce and chicken. My girlfriend wanted something a little different so we went with vodka sauce, decent enough stuff. I, of course, wanted to wander through the beer aisle to see if there was anything that struck my fancy. As I stood pondering the same choices, lo and behold my girlfriend pointed one out for me!

It was a new one, and she knew I had never had it before. It is Leinenkugel's Fireside Brown Ale. Being rather fond of most brown ales, I picked up a sixer of it and away we went. After a quick game of guess which cashier is fastest (which I usually win, but luck was not with me) we scurried home to make dinner.

We got the pasta going and indeed nothing is more boring than watching pasta cook, so I grabbed a beer. The color was a very deep brown (surprise right?) but had an almost red tint when held up to the light. There really wasn't any head to speak of and what was there didn't leave any lace behind. None of this was much of a surprise as I am never sure what to expect from Leinie's. The aroma was nearly non-existent. If anything, there was a faint hint of caramel.

The basic stats:

Malts: English two-row malts

Hops: Cluster

ABV: 4.9%

The drink: WAY TOO SWEET FOR ME!!! My girlfriend loved it though. I did try two just to see if it would grow on me. Not so much. The caramel and hazelnut tastes were completely overwhelming. While I understand that some people want their beer to have a hint of caramel, this was just too far out there for me to truly enjoy. If that's your thing though, by all means try this beer. If your looking for a nice English-style brown ale though, I don't see this beer as a qualifier. The fact that this beer isn't what I was looking for does not discourage me on it. It seems like it would be a good beer for a holiday party (and the pricetag helps with that, Thanks Leinie's!) I will leave the other four in the beer fridge for my girlie to drink at her leisure and next time I am at the store I will pick up a sixer of Leinenkugel's Red, just to remind myself and them that I do enjoy their beer.

Prost!

Good Stuff

I found a great local store for home-brew supplies. It's a small store but the guy was very helpful. He hooked me up with a magazine that outlines sort of the basics on what I need to do to get started brewing my own beer.

The research into good beers will continue, but I must study for my GRE. I hope to get my MA in History so I can teach at a local college. At some point the Ph.D. would be awesome, especially if I were brewing. It could be called Professor Brew or something stupid like that. I just think it would be awesome to be the professor with a brewery in his basement.

First things first, as always. I am going to try to brew just a simple home kit. Sort of like getting Sara Lee before you jump into from scratch baking. The store I found has a lot of different kits, but I think I am going to go with an Irish Red or a Pale Ale. Nothing too fancy yet. I don't want to start with an IPA because I want my first IPA to be good.

I don't think my apartment company would be down with me brewing beer in my bathroom... Or maybe they would, I don't know. But for sure, the excitement is building for me. I just have to get the GRE out of the way...

Starting Up

I am starting this blog to share my experiences with craft beer. This seems to be a good time for me to do so considering we are heading into the winter months. Bell's produces some of my favorite beers during the winter. I also hope to use this blog as a way to catalog other's blogs and helpful websites. In this way perhaps it can be used as an almost educational device for begginers. As I stumble my way through the world of breweries I will note what I have done and later someone else can use my guide as a shortcut. Or, I can use it to look back and jog my memory...