Daily Archives: February 12, 2008

Membership has its privileges

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So, I’ve been a member of F.O.A.M. for the last year and a bit. I’m still not brewing as much as I would like*, but they’re a good bunch of guys (and gals) who love to talk about beer and brewing, and would never deign to make fun of anyone still using extracts.

Anyway, last night was our (postponed) February meeting, which for the last few years has been held at the Wild Goose Brewery. E.T. behind the bar was cheerfully passing out samples of several labels from Wild Goose and Flying Dog, as well as a tap for Backfin Pale Ale. Bob the head brewer came ’round to let us know that their Belgian Trippel (made with Westmalle yeast) and Biere de Garde would be coming out within the next four to six weeks.

I got to sample the last of Test Batch #69. They were very coy about whether this might become a commercial product or not. I thought it was interesting. The Gonzo Imperial Porter and Double Dog Double Ale were popular (and delicious) but I limited myself to one sample of each. (At ABVs over 9 and 10 percent respectively, it’s for the best.) I didn’t get to sample everything they have on tap. Good thing, too, or I wouldn’t have gotten home until the wee hours of this morning.

I also got to wander around the brewery a bit. One of the brewers—just moved out from Colorado—was showing some other folks around, so I tagged along and learned a few interesting things.

Afterwards, fellow F.O.A.M.er Rick and I stopped in at Barley and Hops. They had their new Barrel Aged Jim Stout on the hand pump (Oatmeal Stout aged in Jim Beam barrels), which was quite good. I also had a couple of glasses of the Schifferstadt Stout, a nice dry stout that was just smooth and creamy. It was excellent, and just what I want when I think “stout”.

A good meeting.

* Heck I’m not writing here as often I would like. I’ve been darn busy.

Packs a Punch (Part 1)

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guinnessbeer.jpgIt has happened more than once where an uninformed beer drinker has said something to me like, “wow, that’s dark. I bet that packs a punch”. Unfortunately, I knew what they meant and it wasn’t that it packs a punch of flavor; rather, they assumed that the darker the beer, the more alcohol.

I usually just give them an inebriated smirk and reply, “You know it! You better stick to that Bud Light, this is real potent stuff!”

Of course, color has nothing to do with alcohol content. As a matter of fact, my Guinness has less alcohol by volume than my friend’s Bud Light. The color in beer primarily comes from the malted barley, the amount used, and the varying degrees in which it is roasted. (Note, there are other factors such as adjuncts, water, steep times, etc… also play a role in color)

A brewer does not even need much of the darker roasted malts to alter the color which allows them a lot of flexibility in altering the color while only imparting as much of the flavor as desired. For instance, Paulaner’s Oktoberfest is a beautiful medium amber colored brew, but has the taste of a malt river. Conversely, if you have ever had a Killian’s Red, it does have a nice, deep red hue, but the beer is fairly weak in malt derived flavors.

bud-light.jpg“Packs a punch.” I recently heard that comment from a “Bud Light only” friend of mine where we now have a running joke to make fun of the other’s beer. Who, by the way, poured out a Sam Adams because he couldn’t choke it down, but also poured out a Corona for the same reason… I just don’t get it.

Maybe he meant “packs a punch of calories”…? Nah…but, he has inspired me to blog more about “how” color, calories and alcohol come about in beer.

More to come in my “How” series… stay tuned.