Are beer drinkers really the crux of the DUI problem?

I am usually behind any reasonable program to educate people against drinking and driving. With that said, I was a little insulted by the latest publicity stunt pulled off by the Bennington Vermont Police Dept.

They have decided to employ "Profiling" this holiday season by distributing beer glasses emblazoned with the Bennington Police Department logo. A friendly reminder to all of us heathen beer drinkers, the scourge of society, to not drink and drive. Why not wine glasses which are smaller, easier to drink and contain the same amount of alcohol as a beer pint, or the cocktail glasses that deliver the strongest dose of alcohol per serving?

This is just one more example of the ongoing bias against beer and beer drinkers in our society. Why does it exist? Did we earn it? Even the big three US brewers apparently think the same way about us. Look at the way they market to us. They use mindless sophmoric characters, dogs, twins, bikinis and of course it's less filling so drink more!

So, I guess since beer has been the drink of the common man for over 6000 years, and common men are the perpetrators of DUI, then we earn the scrutiny? That is the internal logic that must be going on in the minds of the police in Bennington.

The money would have been better spent on simple education about body weight, relative alcohol strength in beer, wine and cocktails. I find that most adults do not understand simple alcohol by volume, nor do they know how many drinks of certain ABV they should consume for their weight. Then there are those who just know they are hammered, like Mel Gibson, who was drinking a bottle of tequila (not Tequiza) when pulled over and arrested for DUI recently.

The offense is DUI, not DUIB (driving under the influence of beer). It is a serious issue in this country, and it can ruin lives. Singling out beer drinkers on this issue is short sighted and ignorant of the real issues.

Taste Beer!

Blues Etc. ("BEER BAR REVIEW #1)

I have been to Blues Etc. a few time since they opened in the old "Chef Dan's" location. It is one of the better beer bars (and a pretty good wine selection) in the Charleston area w/ at least 15 bottled micro brews, 20 or so bottled imports and a few surprises on tap. Kay the bar manager is actually a former wine sales specialist with a respect for beer. She is trying to do it right, and Jay the owner is willing to do what it takes to get the right products in.

Blues Etc. is first, a restaurant with pretty decent food. I am here to talk about the bar...

The bar is "non-smoking", which makes for a good place to hang out and actually taste what you are drinking. A few notable items on tap are Appalachian Ale from WV Brewing, and Cold Trail Ale from Mountain State Brewing in Thomas. Cold Trail tastes like an underwhelming version of Kolsch style beer. I would classify it as a "transition beer" to convert macro lager drinkers.

Another tap space is taken by Harpoon "IPA", which is an OK beer, but by no means has kept up with the "Hophead" movement in this country.

Of course, Blues features the obligatory Guinness and Bass taps for making "Black & Tan".

My Fav's on the bottle list include Ayinger Altbarisch Dunkle, Great Lakes "Edmund Fitzgerald" Porter and Shiner's 97, a nice Schwarzbier (Black Lager).

The bar staff will always give you a cold glass with your beer, they are amply stocked with room temperature beer glasses when asked to provide one. Kay also keeps many of the bottles at "back room" temperatures instead of freezing them tasteless.

Overall It's a decent place to go for a beer.

Highs: Good beer selection for CRW, Friendly & knowledgeable staff, Free music, Great wine selection

Lows: Really not a late night bar (closes at 11pm on weeknights)

"The Gazz" picks up my "Bubbly" post

My Blog on "Bubbly" for New Years has not only been accepted by The Gazz, it's running as a front page feature on the web and I am told it will be printed as well!

This really makes me happy! I hope to be able to keep posting articles like that one, which appeals to the average person with some curiosity about beer.

The Beer Snob Blog is a place where I can rant and rave and also provide some interesting information on the subject of craft beer, but the Gazz posts need to be designed to capture attention and promote interest in beer without some of my self serving rants and discussions on beer in my brewery.

Check out the Gazz article at: www.thegazz.com

"Beery Booty" for Christmas

Well it's Christmas morning. The wife and kids made out pretty well with clothes and makeup and all that kind of stuff. Our really good friends from Florida sent a few packages as always.

I opened mine to find a pair of brewing related books. One is a classic called "Designing Great Beers" by Ray Daniels, of which I already own a well used & tattered copy. I may see if the Library would take a copy to add to the meager collection of beer related books they offer.

The other book is sure to become a classic, It's called "Brew Like A Monk" by Stan Hieronymus. I have borrowed this one from friends during the year to read on one of my many plane flights.

"Brew Like A Monk" has always struck me a silly title, but you cannot judge a book by it's cover for sure. For anyone interested in Trappist and Abbey style beer, this is a must read. The book tries to deliver something to every reader, whether you are a brewer or just a beer geek. Every reader will come away with a basic understanding of these great beers, who brews them, and what makes them so wonderful. The brewer will be able to come away with many new ideas for recipe formulation as well as new techniques to employ in his or her home brewery.

There is a noticeable scarcity of ready to go recipes in this book, and I say that is a good thing. There are plenty of recipes already on the web. Good brewing books always provide information along with basic brewing science as to allow the brewer to formulate recipes; much like an episode of Alton Brown's Good Eats does this for food science.

You can find "Brew Like a Monk" and many other classic beer style books either on the web or at a nearby home brewing supply...

Skakespeare and "AA"

I thought you may be puzzled by the title of this blog. You are probably feeling a bit like I did last night while reading the label on a bottle of Rogue Shakespeare Stout. The wife and I stopped at the Vandalia Lounge for a round. She ordered a Cosmo (She is not a "Beer Person") and I the stout. Of course, the Stout was served at damn near freezing point. The bartender remembered me and gave me a non-frosted glass without me asking. He even offered to take one out to let it warm up in case I was going to have another; but I was only having the one 22oz bottle.

I commend Rogue for the fact that they actually try to appeal to beer geeks everywhere by listing the beer ingredients on the label. You can see all of the different malt and hops that are used to make the beer you are tasting.

They also list the specifications of the beer. This is either to appeal to brewers like myself, or to just say "we know stuff about beer that you don't". I look these specs over; things like IBU (bittering units), Original Gravity in Plato (The amount of sugar in the wort before fermentation).

Specifications like this are somewhat useful or just plain interesting. But then I saw it. For an instant I thought to myself "Uh Oh, they know something about beer that I don't". I am of "middle age" so, I was not sure if I was reading AA or RA???? I was puzzled. I asked the wife (w/ Bionic Laser Eye Vision), and she affirmed it was AA. I thought for a moment... Ahhh "Apparent Attenuation"! "Why are they listing that?" Giving this number to a beer geek/brewer is like issuing a challenge, a "throw down". It's like some sort of number sequence puzzle to a Mensa member. A normal beer spec would just list the final gravity of the beer (How much sugar is left after fermentation), but that's not the way Rogue wants to play!

I immediately whipped out the PDA, Phone, Calculator combo. Punched in a few numbers....

Take that Rogue! How would you like your final gravity? In degrees Plato or points SG???

You are gonna have to do better than that.... (77% AA! that's killer attenuation, by the way...)

Hangin in the Home Brewey...

I took a nice bike ride earlier today, after that I decided just to putter around my home brewery... (I named it La Brasserie Chatouiller) Which just means "to tickle"... Kind of a whimsical name inspired by the many small Belgian artisanal breweries I have visited.

On Tap:

Kolsch - Tasting really good
Robust Porter- Needs a little age, but tasting good
Belgian Strong Dark- Needs about 3-4 months (~8.2% ABV)
Czech Pils- Drinking very well
Southern English Brown- I used Windsor dry Yeast, A bit of acetylaldehyde (green apple) flavor.

I think I am going to make a Belgian Wit on the next batch. I have not had one of those on tap for awhile. Now that I am making 10 Gallon batches, I am not sure I want 10 Gallons of Witbier on hand.

I keep everyone posted if I am going to have an open brew day...

Some info on proper glassware for beer

It makes no sense for me to regurgitate information on beer which has been fully documented and explained by many other sites on the web...

With that being said, the proper glassware for beer is not as important as proper serving temperature, but it can help accentuate the aromatic aspects (good or bad) of the beer you are tasting or just "show-off" the beer's color or clarity. Sometimes it's just for tradition or for marketing (See the Kwak coachman's glass http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pauwel_Kwak)

Here is my Beer Snob Rant:

The only beer that I will drink out of a bottle or a can is the typical American Macro Brew due to the lack of any aromatic features. If I am drinking the stuff, you know I am somewhere being held against my will or there is a complete lack of beer options. I cringe when I see people drinking a well-crafted beer like a Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter right out of the 38 degree bottle (an all too common occurrence at the Vandalia Lounge). Please Get a Glass! They don't charge anything extra for them! Any respectable beer establishment will serve the beer in a clean, non-frosted glass.

Frosted Mugs are for Amateurs! ( I stole that from a beer bar in Raleigh, NC)

No matter what glass you use to serve the beer, MAKE SURE IT IS BEER CLEAN!

A Beer Clean glass is one that is squeaky clean with no residue of soap or oils. If you wash your glassware in the dishwasher, make sure you do not use a drying agent on your beer ware. I find that hand washing with a tiny bit of Dawn does a great job when thoroughly rinsed.

If your beer looks flat or has a quickly dissipating head, it's most likely due to a poorly cleaned glass. (Or you might just be drinking Bud!)

A good test to see if you are getting "Beer Clean" glasses is to wet the glass with water and then sprinkle salt on the inside. If the salt sticks everywhere, you are good to go. Another way is to simply view the glass full of beer to see if bubbles are clinging to the glass; if so, then those are unclean areas of the glass.

The boys over at http://www.beeradvocate.com/ do a great job with "Beer 101" subjects and are obviously skilled at website construction. I met the Alstom brothers of BA while at the GABF in Denver. We did a pubcrawl together and had a blast.

Here is the BA guide to glassware: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/101/glassware.php

How about some "Bubbly" to bring in the New Year? "Bubbly Beer" that is...

Why not try something different this New Year's Eve? There are many great beers that will give you the same "Pop and Fizz" of Champagne, but offer much more in the way of flavor.

Belgian Lambic beers are spontaneously fermented beers which means they are fermented by the whims of the wild yeast that are limited to the region just outside of Brussels. This method of brewing pre-dates Champagne and is still produced by only 9 authentic breweries. Unlike Champagne, the yeast from bottle fermentation (Pop & Fizz) will remain at the bottom of the bottle.

Lindemans is the most recognizable in the U.S. (and available at The Wine Shop in Charleston). Athough I find the Lindemans products too sweet for my palate, they are indeed authentic. Many lambic brewers will add fruit to the beer. Lindemans offers several options like Kriek (Cherries), Framboise (Raspberry), Peche (Peach), Cassis (Black Currant) and now Pomme (Apple). The last two are made by Lindemans for U.S. consumption; Kriek being the most traditional of the fruit lambics.

If the fruit beer thing doesn't do much for you (Why Not? Real Men drink Fruit Beer!), then you should seek out Geuze lambic. This type of lambic is my favorite. It is very much like a dry champagne but with a sour kick. Even the Lindeman's version is a good one if you can find it.

Most of the other lambic beers are not available in WV, indirectly due to our franchising laws and the limited demand. If you happen to be in Columbus, Cincy or Pittsburgh before NYE, you can find more traditional lambics from Drie Fonteinen, Cantillon or Boone at most respectable bottle shops. If you happen to see a bottle of Giardin Kriek, please pick one up for me!

St. Bernardus Abt 12 (WV Forbidden Fruit Series-Review #1)

I picked up a 75cl bottle of "St. Bernardus Abt12" last week while in Philly. It's not the first time I have had this beer, nor will it be my last. St "B" beers are often considered the next best thing to getting the real Trappist beers of the brewery just down the road called "Westvleteren" of the Abbey of St. Sixtus. "Westvelteren 12" has been ranked the best beer in the world by many "beery" websites. It is nearly impossible to find unless you actually visit the area near the brewery, due to it being of limited production.

St. Bernardus is not a trappist beer; it's brewed by a totally secular brewery called Van Steenberge in Watou, Belgium. This brewery used to be the contract brewer for the monks at St. Sixtus prior to the abbey building their own brew house in the 1950's. It is believed by many that the recipe and process is similar to the current Trappist branded brew. I have had both and there are significant differences.

Abt 12 would fit into the BJCP style guideline as a Belgian Strong Dark ale. It weighs in at 10% ABV, which clearly makes it WV Forbidden Fruit, and a beer that deserves some contemplation and respect.

The beer is highly carbonated and is best purchased in the 75cl corked bottle. Make sure your "beer monger" stores such beer away from the intense heat and also natural or fluorescent light. These types of beer will sell for anywhere between 9 to 14 bucks a bottle. So buy with care!

It pours with a bubbly tan head, and a rich dark garnet color. It should pour fairly clear unless the bottle has been agitated. Behold the color by holding the glass (goblet is proper glassware) up to the light. Take some time to enjoy the aromas of plum, raisins and slight alcohol in the nose. If the beer is served too cold (below 50F), these aromas and flavors will be subdued. Ideally I would serve at 60F.

The first thing you will taste is the tickle from the high carbonation, then the interplay between the sweetness from the caramelized grains and candy sugar in the recipe. These flavors can taste of plum, pear and sometimes apple. Your palate should now be aware that this beer contains a healthy share of alcohol. A finely crafted beer like this will present alcohol via warmth with a touch of peppery phenols. Hops are there, but mainly to balance with the sweetness. St. Bernardus pulls this off fairly well. Complex flavors come through, but some of the rounder port wine flavors of it's trappist neighbor are not present and never has been in my memory.

Abt 12 is a fine example of a well crafted Belgian Strong Dark Ale. Just don't kid yourself into thinking you are drinking a Westy 12 or even a Rochefort 10.

These types of beers pair well with stronger flavored meats and stews and especially well with meat dishes that are glazed in fruit, such as lamb or venison.

Salut!

Blog Debut...

This is Blog Numero Uno for me on any subject, anywhere...

I plan on keeping this Blog updated with info and thoughts on craft beer and brewing.

I have just been given my first writing assignment from the editor of Mid-Atlantiv Brewing News. I am going to do a short article on the progress of HB4415, which would change the definition of "non-intoxicating" beer to allow the sale of craft beers up to 15% aBV.

I will keep the blog posted.