John Holl has announced the topic for The Session #53: Beer Redemption.
No, he not suggesting everybody track down a bottle of Russian River Brewing’s Redemption.
Holl explains by offering a story about why refused to drink beer from Smuttynose Brewing for nine years, and ultimately how silly that decision was. It his story of redemption and he’d like participants to tell their own July 1.
Evan Benn writes today about the rush to buy bottles of Goose Island Sofie the brewery recalled because “… Goose Island Sofie uses natural products and the hallmark of Belgian-style beers — wild fermentation. This particular natural variation was new and resulted in flavors that weren’t what we expected so we implemented a method for controlling for that variation.”
When he visited the Wine and Cheese Place in Clayton (a store I can now walk to) he was a little surprised that he wasn’t the only one looking for bottles from the tainted batch.
He turned out not to be impressed, writing: “Real Sofie tastes slightly fruity, slightly spicy, with a zesty carbonation that results in a champagnelike finish. The Feb. 11 sample had muddled aromas and flavors, including some rancid butter and vaguely sour elements, and dull carbonation. I couldn’t choke down all of the contents of the 22-ounce bottle, leaving about half of it for a beer-loving friend to try.”
But I’m sure there are drinkers who just love the alternative version.
And a few weeks ago Daria (my wife, for those of you new here) poured beer for Boulevard Brewing when she volunteered at the St. Louis MicroFest. They weren’t serving the recently released the Smokestack Imperial Stout, but festivalgoers wanted to know where you could buy Batch #2. Boulevard is offering a refund for those who purchased that batch, because . . .
Prior to the March release our tasting panel sampled several bottles of the new barrel aged beer. Some turned out as expected, while others displayed the unique characteristics of wild Brettanomyces yeast. We immediately posted tasting notes to our blog, announcing the deviation and noting the differences in flavor profiles. Because our tasting panel very much enjoyed both versions, we decided to proceed with the release as usual.
It is Batch #2 of the 2011 Imperial Stout that exhibits the Brettanomyces trait. In retrospect, we should have called attention to this Brett character on the label. Because we didn’t, and because some consumers got a beer that was different from the one they had a legitimate right to expect, we’re offering a refund to anybody who feels shortchanged, and who can reasonably demonstrate that they did in fact buy a bottle of Batch #2 of our 2011 Imperial Stout.
I had Batch #1 and it was delightful, rich and decadent. But what set it apart was its texture; a combination of mouthfeel and layers of flavor not unlike the Firestone Walker anniversary beers. Brettanomyces will literally chew away at that texture.
I like many of my favorite styles, including saisons and IPAs, drier than most (perhaps why once when I was judging saisons in a competition a friend said, “You’re Mr. Attenuation”). And I’m curious about a lot of things. But were I to find Smokestack Imperial Stout in a store I’d buy Batch #1 rather than #2. Sometimes you just want a sure thing.
This video in which Summit Brewing founder Mark Stutrud talks about the Moravian 37 barley his cousins Jim and Todd grow for the brewery isn’t overproduced and gets right to the point.
“This family homestead, in its fourth generation, produces some of the best barley in the country,” Studrud said. “We’re proud that they are committed to providing Moravian 37 barley specifically for our Pilsener.”
At 4.8 per abv and moderately hopped (Vanguard and Saaz, 25 IBU) Summit Pilsener nicely showcases the malted barley.
Brian Stechschulte has posted the roundup for Session #52: Beer Collectibles & Breweriana. I was AWOL, not just because most our collectibles were on a big truck rolling from New Mexico to Missouri. Moving, granted on a shorter term basis, turned out to be just as disruptive as traveling around in an RV for 14 months.
Unpacking since Saturday had included more pots and pans than beer collectibles, but I’ve come across several items that would have fit perfectly in Session #52. Oh, well.
Brian picked out two quotes to kickoff his roundup:
The things others reject or throw out there for nerds to pick up or get stuck with. It is all crap. – Alan McLeod, A Good Beer Blog
Brewers like to think that the flavor of the beer is the bottom line, but I would argue that one has to consider all aspects of beer enjoyment to have a truly great product that sees longevity. These items remind me that every beer has a story and I like to think about the entire process when I try a new beer or an old favorite. – Beer PHXation
Back to unpacking. To be followed, eventually, by posts about beer.
Brian Yaeger asks if “consistency is the fifth ingredient in beer” (the first four being those specified in Germany’s beer purity law).
I find it easier to think about time as an ingredient. It adds to cost of production, and it influences the quality of the resulting beer, just like barley or hops. A beer that lagers six weeks occupies tank space that could have been used to produce three two-week lagers. Decoction makes a longer brew day. Beer properly bottle conditioning in a warm room is beer that could already by bringing in money were it otherwise carbonated.
In all fairness, Brian’s post is really intended to be more about the importance of consistency. There’s a New Beer Rule (#4: The god of beer is not consistency) about that, but he’s reminded me of the need for further discussion about the difference between quality control and blind devotion to “consistency.” That’s going to have to wait a couple of weeks, because there are comments from brewers somewhere in these boxes (or others) I want to include.
But a quick hint where I’ll be going. I’m far less bothered when a brewer changes the blend of hop varieties in a particular beer based on the quality of a particular crop than when he or she is dry hopping a beer and she or he doesn’t understand how that can affect diacetyl reduction. A little more or less marmalade on the nose this month is OK. A little more butter in the mouth is not.
Back to filling boxes.