Month: November 2009
Brewing with corn and potatos
Thank goodness for Google books. Otherwise if you wanted to read The theory and practice of brewing, from malted and unmalted corn, and from potatos it would cost you $602.75 plus shipping.
But you can read this argument for brewing with potatoes, apparently spelled “potatos” in 1829, for the price of your Internet connection. Author John Ham (not that John Hamm) makes an elegant case for the spud.
“This root contains, intermixed with its fibrous part, a juice which is not pleasant to taste, (although a great detergent or substitute for soap) and also a large quantity of fecula, or starchy matter, a great part of it to no degree inferior to the finest arrow-root. It is this fecula alone that constitutes the value of the potato in brewing . . .”
Time to add another category at the Great American Beer Festival?
The business of beer
Perhaps it’s because stories about how beer is made and the people who make it are so interesting but if mosey on over to Rate Beer or Beer Advocate you’ll find plenty of enthusiasts discussing the business of beer. Quite often pricing, to the understandable chagrin of brewers since some participants don’t bother with facts.
In that spirit a couple of links this morning.
First, from Neal Stewart, ex of Flying Dog Ales and before that central to the revival of the Pabst brand: 10 Key Ingredients for Craft Beer Success.
Second, from Harry Schumacher of Beer Business Daily: Beer Veterans Speak On Big and Small Brands. (The second link courtesy of Jack Curtin.)
One quick quote, from JB Shireman, formerly in sales at New Belgium brewing and now a bar owner in Fort Collins, Colorado: “Bud Light Golden Wheat has been on fire. The other day there were six totally different types of customers in the bar, and all were drinking Golden Wheat. I don’t know if mega-brand strategy is a good or a bad thing, but if they’re trading Bud Light drinkers up to Golden Wheat, at least they’re drinking higher priced beers. It’s across the board: The young guys who were drinking Bud Light on tap are drinking it, the ladies who normally drink margaritas are trying it, two guys playing darts, even bikers are drinking it, but they’re the type of bikers who trailer their bikes to Sturgis and wear Rolexes.”
There’s an image for a Tuesday morning.
Glee Club Hops
We’re almost done unpacking stuff we stuck away during our grand journey.
Yesterday I hauled out small beer items that decorate the tops of book shelves in the guest bedroom and office, including boxes of hops from the Prohibition era and before. In the 18 months the Glee Club box spent in hiding it became more topical, so here’s a photo.
What did people do with these hops, most sold in boxes that held two to eight ounces? Here are the instructions from a box of Rose Hops packed by E. Clemens Horst Co. in San Francisco, “Largest Hop Growers in the World.”
TO START YEAST-Boil one-half pound Rose Grand Hops in one gallon water, half an hour; strain, and stir in one-half pint fine malt flour, strain again through a coarse cloth, and boil for ten minutes; when lukewarm, stir in one-half pound brown sugar, place in a jug, and keep in a warm place until it works over, then cork tight and keep in a cool place for use.
HOP YEAST-Boil one ounce of Rose Brand Hops in three pints of water, twenty minutes. Strain into a jar, and stir in one teacupful flour, one tablespoonful brown sugar, one teaspoonful salt. When cooled to blood heat, ad one gill yeast. After standing for or five hours, put away for use in jugs, with cork securely tied.
Session #33: Some days you frame the beer
This is my contribution to Session #33, and the theme is “framing beer.” Check out I’ll Have A Beer for an explanation and to see what other bloggers are writing.
It’s been a long, busy day and I’ve finally made it to a beer, Great Divide Hibernation, a beer I wrote about for Session #10. Just as good as it was two years ago. (A point of order: I’m drinking the 2009 vintage.)
Still lots of chocolate and spice early, with roasty character (both nuts and hints of coffee beans) on the nose and in the mouth. Caramel and dark fruits, also, their sweetness nicely balanced by an earthy/husky mouthfeel.
At this point in the day — which is already yesterday in the Eastern Time Zone — I have only one thought.
Some days you frame the beer. Some days the beer frames you.