Following up on the notion put forth last week by Ron Jeffries about “beer moments” and echoed by Andrew Mason take a look at Lew Bryson’s post about “discovering” Orval.

This particular Orval was just five weeks past bottling (at the monastery pictured to the right). Given that Orval undergoes refermentation in the bottle it might have tasted different two days later, surely would have two weeks later . . . and then realize this is a beer that people lay down like wine, eventually hauling out bottles they may have cellared for many years.

The moment Orval is at it best not only differs from bottle to bottle, but depends upon the drinker. For Lew, the revelation was a quite young bottle.

A couple of years ago I asked brewers just back from the “Extreme Brewing” trip Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head led to Belgium to suggest beers that a newcomer to more assertive beers might try. Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River Brewing had this answer:

“At first glance it might seem to extreme for a beginner, but, here is my thinking: When the beer is young there is little Brettanomyces (wild yeast) character, yet lots of hops. In my mind, the hops are more complex than your typical American IPA or Double IPA. As the beer ages, the Brettanomyces comes forth and melds with the hops. Over time, the Brett can come and go.

“I was amazed when we tasted several vintages of Orval. The two-year old Orval was so full of Brett. At five years the Brett had diminished, yet at seven years it was even more bright than the two-year old. This is what I like about Orval; it is a beer that can age. Orval can age with the best of wines. Orval elevates beer to a level of wine in that it can age, and change, and be a different beer. In a way that is what we are trying to do with a lot of our beers.”

– Having written in some length about the Samuel Adams glass developed by Boston Beer it seems fair to mention report hat Pilsner Urquell plans to distribute more than one million of its newly designed glasses to restaurants and bars throughout its Czech homeland.

Those bothered by the unusual shape (or perhaps we should say shapes) of the Samuel Adams glass will be glad to know that this one looks more like you’d expect. And for good reason.

Designer Ronny Plesl explains, “Czech customers are very traditional, and for a designer, this is a big challenge. I am a modern designer, I design a lot of very modern things, but for Czech beer, this is not possible. It must be something in the middle. A modern design, with a traditional face.”

The Sam Adams glass was designed to present Samuel Adams Boston Lager at its best. Is this one meant to make Pilsner Urquell taste better?

“Well the taste of beer is dependent upon many things, and this new glass has not been designed to change the taste, but instead to preserve the foam on top of the beer for much longer. So that is the main advantage of the new glass from our point of view, and indeed that’s the thing that will improve the experience of our consumers the most.”

Remember what Charles Bamforth said about foam.

– A list of the “Best American Beer Bars” at ForbesTraveler.com has received plenty of blogosphere attention and comment so I’ll pretty much pass on the latter.

Clearly an impossible task to do in 10 verses. Who you gonna leave off to get the Horse Brass Pub in there? (I’d venture that Chris Black of the Falling Rock Taphouse, which is on the list, would volunteer to pull his own pub to right that wrong — telling us something about the owners of both the Horse Brass and Falling Rock.)

Anyway, among the discussions online is why no place in Philadelphia gets a mention, particularly Monk’s Cafe and Standard Tap. Then, in conjunction with Philly Beer Week (now in full swing) Philadelphia Weekly compiled its own list of Philly’s Top 50 Bars. Standard Tap is sixth on that list, Monk’s is 14th.

No. 1? Grace Tavern.

And what I failed to mention yesterday about Green Lakes Organic Ale is that it poured with a billowing head that left elegant lacing on the sides of the glass. That certainly added to an impression the beer was fresh and alive.

I thought of this yesterday evening while I was reading “Grape vs. Grain,” a book by Charles Bamforth due out in May. It is subtitled “A Historical, Technological, and Social Comparison of Wine and Beer.” Once I finish it and then “He Said beer, She Said Wine” I will review the two of them together.

Before wandering off on a discourse about what constitutes a good head on a beer and why it happens, Bamforth writes:

“There is no question that foams impacts drinker’s perception of a product. Show customers images of beer with good or poor foam and those with superior foam are declared to be better brewed, fresh, and better tasting. All this is based solely on appearance; not a drop has been drunk in making this evaluation.”

(In the interest of honesty, the photo is not Green Lakes. It’s a picture of nice beer lace I happen to have on hand. No, I do not carry it around in my wallet.)

This might not go over well in Belgium. I pick Belgium because that is notoriously the land of non-styles, and although the Brewers Association does not define any additional styles in the 2008 Beer Style Guidelines there are 11 new categories.

Before getting to the list, a few words from Carl Kins, a Belgian beer enthusiast who judges at the Great American beer festival and world beer Cup: “We Belgians do not like categorization that much.”

Also, I hope Ron Pattinson is looking on and has some comments on the Leipzig-style Göse (maybe even a post I can just link to). So I’ll also drop that in before the list of what’s new.

The original versions of this style of beer were spontaneously fermented, similarly to Belgian style gueuze/lambic beers. No current German Göse breweries introduce any other microorganism into the fermentation other than pure beer yeast strains. This style description is indicative of traditional and original Göse. Complexity of acidic, flavor and aroma typical of original-style Göse should be contributed by developing acidity through introducing appropriate wild yeast and bacteria into the fermentation.

Göse is enjoyed fresh, carbonated, and cloudy, with yeast character and may have evidence of continued fermentation activity. Light in color, negligible malt and hop character. Some versions may have the spicy character of added coriander. Salt (table salt) character is also permissible in low amounts. Character of lactic acid is evident. Horsey, leathery, earthy aroma and flavors contributed by Brettanomyces yeasts may be evident but have a very low profile, as this beer is not excessively aged. Overall complexity of flavors and aromas are sought. Balance between acidity, and yeast-enhanced, spice and refreshment is ideal.

Original Gravity (ºPlato):
1.040-1.046 (10-11.5 ºPlato)
Apparent Extract/Final Gravity (ºPlato):
1.008-1.012 (2-3 ºPlato)
Alcohol by Weight (Volume):
3.5-4% (4.4-5%)
Bitterness (IBU): 10-15
Color SRM (EBC): 3-6 (6-12 EBC)

Now, the other new stuff.

Fresh Hop Ale
Ales which are hopped exclusively with fresh and un-dried (“wet”) hops.

American-Belgo Styles Ales
These beers portray the unique characters imparted by yeasts typically used in fruity and big Belgian-style ales.

Belgian-Style Blonde Ale
Belgian-style blonde ales are characterized by low yet evident hop bitterness, flavor and sometimes aroma.

Australasian-Style Pale Ale
This style is a mild, pale, light-bodied ale with a color varying from light to amber. Hop bitterness and flavor range from very low to low.

Out of Category- Traditionally Brewed Beers
There are many excellent and popular beers that are brewed with traditional ingredients and processes, yet their character may vary from styles currently defined or included in these guidelines.

Wood- and Barrel- Aged Beer
Any lager, ale, or hybrid beer, either a traditional style or a unique experimental beer that has been aged for a period of time in a wooden barrel or in contact with wood.

Wood- and Barrel- Aged Pale to Amber Beer
Any classic style or unique experimental beer that has been aged for a period of time in a wooden barrel or in contact with wood.

Wood- and Barrel- Aged Dark Beer
Any classic style or unique experimental style of dark beer beer can be wood or barrel-aged for a period of time in a wooden barrel or in contact with wood.

Wood- and Barrel- Aged Strong Beer
Any strong classic style or unique, experimental style of beer can bee wood or barrel-aged for a period of time in a wooden barrel or in contact with wood.

Wood- and Barrel- Aged Sour Beer
A wood- or barrel- aged beer is any lager, ale, or hybrid beer, either a traditional style or a unique experimental beer that has been aged for a period of time in a wooden barrel or in contact with wood and has developed a bacterial induced natural acidity.