Stan Hieronymus

Session #137: ‘It’s like sex and Champagne, worth the bother’

Josef Schneider, Brauerei Gasthof Schneider
The SessionThe topic for The Session #137 today is German Wheat Beers. Head over to Roger’s Beers to see what other contributors are writing.

It’s been almost 10 years since we stayed at Brauerei Gasthof Schneider in Bavaria, owner Josef Schneider (pictured above) gave me a tour, and later I talked with his son, Matthias. Matthias attended brewing school and worked for Paulaner in China before returning home in 2008. What I learned appeared in Brewing With Wheat, so here’s an excerpt, with a brief update at the end.

Listening to Josef Schneider talk about brewing wheat beers could make you start to think it is simple.

Does he worry about haze stability?

“You brew the beer right, you serve it fresh, it is not a problem.”

Would he consider making a beer without using a decoction mash? (The look on his face indicated just how crazy he thought this question was, but he answered anyway.)

“Bavarian beer must have more malt flavor. You must cook it long to make it that way. Otherwise you have Warsteiner . . . or American beer.”

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Monday beer links: Culture, tasting rooms, and criticism

BEER AND WINE LINKS, MUSING 07.02.18

Greetings from Asbury Park

Indeed, this week’s links were compiled in Asbury Park, the Jersey Shore town that Bruce Springsteen fans associate with the post card pictured above, and one working on a comeback.

Behind the Curtain — Dissecting American Resistance to Modern British Beer.
I cannot disagree with the notion that Americans are less than great at appreciating the breadth of other cultures. But this statement: “America has helped transform the world’s beer culture without diluting the value of its history or tradition.” That I can disagree with. Or put it in the form of a question: Why would you expect us to be good at appreciating the past and present of other beer cultures when we don’t respect our own history?

What Does It Mean to Build Craft Beer Culture in 21st-Century Bhutan?
If nothing else, take a look at the stunning photo at the top of the story. Of course I’m a sucker for breweries that embrace local, but the let’s get practical about hops side of my brain reads “they did try to grow hops here and it was a success” and think it is time to check the latitude. 27.5142° N, so forget the hops. But they apparently have something of a farmhouse brewing tradition. Perhaps that’s what they should build on.

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Monday beer links: Nostalgia, selling (out), & a mystery

BEER AND WINE LINKS, MUSING 06.25.18

Esslinger's Repeal Beer
The Art of Repeal: Exploring America’s Post-Prohibition Beer Labels.
Save this link, and any time you need a smile this week feel free to click and scroll.

Can’t Think Straight.
Wearing my optimist hat while reading this. “Slowly but surely, the beer world is becoming safer for anyone who struggles to feel like they belong somewhere, anywhere. To be seen, heard, and valued. To be themselves, without judgment, expectation, or assumptions. It’s a change that’s made me proud to be both a woman and an LGBTQ individual in beer.”

The Rise and Decline of the “Sellout”
Takeovers: Another Football Analogy.
Up close, the Heineken/Beavertown news last week was as devastating as the Anheuser-Busch/10 Barrel news was once in Oregon. That these two are no longer unique — after all, it has been seven years since A-B take control of Goose Island (see below) — does not make them less painful for those involved. But right now, and by that I mean since the Goose Island deal, we are in the moment. Give this some time before suggesting what history will have to say.

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Monday beer links: Cicerones, distribution, Rosé

BEER AND WINE LINKS, MUSING 06.18.18

Over a Decade in, Have Cicerones Actually Made Beer Pairings Relevant?
“The Cicerone program has certainly been valuable. But the future of beer and food pairing is not Cicerones. It’s not competing with wine, either. It’s being wine.” True some of the time, I agree, but there are other times — say when you are in a crowded bar watching Spain versus Portugal with a bunch of people you didn’t know when the match started — you just want beer to be beer.

It Was Then That I Carried You — A Defense of Distribution.
Reality check. “Own premise” means nothing to most people. If they are drinking local beer it is because they bought it at the grocery story or a similar outlet. “The economic impact of breweries on their local communities is massive, which means ceding wholesale to the unimaginably large conglomerate breweries is limiting the benefits of local breweries.”

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Session #137 announced: German wheat beers

Gose in Leipzig
The SessionHost Roger Mueller has announced the topic for The Session #137 is German Wheat Beers.

He writes, “I’d love to read about the distinctions all you brewers and beer researchers know about regarding the various ‘styles’ of weissbeer, experiences in brewing and drinking the beer, it’s history. Yeah, whatever you’d like to say about German wheat beers will be great.”

It turns out this is a topic I could write a book about. I will try to keep it shorter July 6.