Stan Hieronymus

Lager diversity: Beyond pilsner and ‘lite’

The drumbeat supporting lager as the new new thing seems to be getting louder, but I’m pretty certain I heard such chatter before anybody suggested Juicy or Hazy IPA would become a defined style. And certainly before glitter beer began to glitter. Patience seems necessary. Nonetheless there is evidence of change almost hourly on my Twitter feed. For example (click on “talking about this” to read the conversations that followed):

But what comes after pilsners and light/lite beers? Burial Beer’s Ambient Terrain series looks encouraging. And there will be plenty of ideas to repurpose on display at the Urban Chestnut Brewing LagerFest in St. Louis.

Urban Chestnut Brewing Company LagerFest logo

Recipes for most of the beers that will be on offer came from Ron Pattinson’s wish list.

Firestone Walker Brewing, which you will recall makes a very popular pilsner (Pivo) and recently began shipping an all-malt lager (Firestone Lager) that is basically a helles, picked 1896 Munich Lagerbier. The only malt in the grist is Munich.

Read more

Monday beer links: Whimsy, weed & whatever

BEER AND WINE LINKS 04.02.18

Two Jacksonian Scholars Debate NEIPA.
Frivolous in a refreshing way. Some weeks it seems like most of the stories I see related to beer pretty directly involve the business of beer (for instance this, or this, but also several below). “Jacksonian Scholars” is not one of those.

Ah, as so often he presents us with a mirror reflecting our own prejudices.”

How should beer types and styles be organized taxonomically?
You know this will not end well.

When Craft Breweries Bite Back | Summit Brewing’s Unique Approach to its UnTappd Reviews.

Next up from Summit Brewing: A Glitter IPA that files your taxes.”

Read more

Making lagers cool again

Ron Pattinson posted a bit of history Thursday about lagers from Barclay Perkins, plus a recipe for 1932 Draught Lager. And Kristen England added notes about brewing the version from Bent Distillery he’ll pour April 22 in St. Louis at LagerFest.

Cool stuff. Also this week, I’ve been trading email with other brewers about the lagers they made for the event. More cool stuff. But the highlight of the week was discovering that the Bolzen Beer Band has been added to the program. Only the addition of Brave Combo and some sort of battle of the alternative polka bands could make it better. They might bring down the brick walls at Urban Chestnut Brewing Company.

Recipe for Kulmbacher Export, brewed by August Schell Brewing Co.

Pattinson provided most, but not all, the recipes used to make the beers that will be served. Here’s the log from the December day that August Schell Brewing in Minnesota brewed an 1879 Kulmbacher Export. When I asked David Berg at Schell’s why he picked this particular recipe he replied, “My love for Oberfranken.” Although the recipe targets 80 IBU this beer is closer to the high 40s and “pretty dang bitter.”

For further reading he suggests digging into “Beer Brewing in Bamberg, 200 Years Ago.”

Hops 2018

Johann Barth & Sohn, which today has grown into the Barth-Haas Group, was founded in 1794. Hopsteiner was incorporated in 1845. They sell hops. They are German. They are traditional. These are not flavors they talked about hops adding to beer a decade ago. But here we are now. Their advertisements in the current issue of The New Brewer.

Barth-Haas advertisement, The New Brewer

Hopsteiner advertisement, The New Brewer

Monday beer links: All that glitters isn’t hops

BEER AND WINE LINKS 03.26.18

Essential oils in hops
Something’s Brewing in the Lab: Beer Without Hops.
Industrial brewing yeast engineered for the production of primary flavor determinants in hopped beer.
I’ve written a bit about this in the next Hop Queries newsletter (which goes out Tuesday), so just three quick points. First, we’re not talking hopsless beer. The full report (second link) has the details. Second, the researchers have focused on two key compounds (linalool and geraniol), but hops contain more 500 compounds and scientists have not identified what (if anything) they all add to aroma and flavor. It is one thing to create a “hoppy” flavor. It is another to replicate Citra (not that folks aren’t trying; Hop Queries also digs into blending research this month). Third, genetically modified yeast.

Glitter Beer: The Full Report.
Glitter Beer Sparkles as Spring’s Craft Beer Trend.
Those who said “this too shall pass” about juicy/hazy IPAs may want to brace themselves. Jeff Alworth gives it the full Beer Bible treatment. A lot more details, for instance, about glitter here than sahti in his book, which allows for considerable comment about the food safety factor. This is not to suggest that breweries are adding anything that will harm you, but it reminds me that far too many brewers are casual about filing the proper government paperwork when a beer will only be sold on draft. They are legally required to obtain formula approval when adding any ingredient that is not on the TTB approved list. Some I have talked to think it is necessary only when seeking label approval for packaged beer.

Read more