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Monthly Archives: April 2011
Matt’s Big Announcement
I have an announcement to make, and it directly affects all of our readers. So….
Okay, so it might not be the royal wedding, but I do want to clue our readers into some changes with the web’s best comic strip, “Beef ‘n Beer,” namely, the name. I am changing the title of my comic strip “Beef ‘n Beer” to properly reflect the direction my characters have been taking for the last six months. As I myself have settled into married life and fatherhood, so have the characters of “Beef ‘n Beer.” Also, when I began the cartoon, my wife Alisa and I didn’t know what kind of baby we were going to have, so I guessed. I guessed wrong. Lilly has been our fictional child up until now, but in real life we had a boy, and his name is Lucio. Therefore, not only am I changing the title of the comic strip to HOMEBROOD, I am also changing Lilly to Lucio. I figure if I am going to make fun of a baby, it should be mine.
So don’t be confused at the new title, HOMEBROOD, and don’t think you’ve had too many beers when you see the baby is in blue onesies, even though you probably have. Say hello to Lucio, but don’t say goodbye to the same beer humor you’ve been used to.
Frederick Beer Week Events
Frederick Beer Week is fast approaching. As you may have heard on episode 2 of our nascent podcast, there are five days/nights worth of events planned. Some require that you book ahead of time, so don’t delay. (The Brew Fest in particular is expected to sell out.)
Sadly, the laws of physics prevent me from attending all the events being as they are the same time in different places, but I’m going to attend as many as I can.
Here’s the list of events with information updated as of today:
Tuesday, May 10
Flying Dog Kick-Off with Chef Bryan Voltaggio
VOLT Restaurant in downtown Frederick, Maryland
6 to 9 pm
$45 per person, includes 4 beer samples and small-plate pairings
Reservation through VOLT required
Battle of the Bubbles Homebrew Competition Judging
Barley and Hops in Frederick, Maryland
7:30 pm
$5 per person
Heavy Seas Loose Cannon Cask Night
Bushwaller’s Irish Pub in downtown Frederick, Maryland
6 to 8 pm
Free Heavy Seas pint glass with your first beer!
Wednesday, May 11
Beer Judging Certification Program Tasting Class
Location: TBD
Time: TBD
Cocktail Beer Pairings
Brewer’s Alley in downtown Frederick, Maryland
Time: 7:30
Price: TBD
Enjoy cocktail-style beer pairings with locally-sourced food from Dorsey’s Meats, Palmyra Cheese, and The Perfect Truffle
Thursday, May 12
Carroll Creek Amphitheater in downtown Frederick, Maryland
5 to 8 pm
$5 cover, featuring Brewer’s Alley beer (added cost)
Heavy Seas Firkin Night
Mt. Airy Inn in Mt. Airy, Maryland
Time: 6 to 8 pm
Free Heavy Seas pint glass with your first beer!
Alive @ Five After-Party with Flying Dog
Greene Turtle in downtown Frederick, Maryland
7 pm to close
Flying Dog on draft and on cask
Featuring an in-bar scavenger hunt with prizes
Friday, May 13
Flying Dog Sampling
Ye Old Spirit Shop
5 to 7 pm
Frederick Tap Takeover
Bushwaller’s Irish Pub in downtown Frederick, Maryland
5 pm to close
Only Flying Dog, Brewer’s Alley, Barley and Hops, and Heavy Seas beer on tap!
Friday the FIRKteenth
Hollow Creek Golf Club in Middletown, Maryland
6 pm to close
Heavy Seas firkin and live music from Paul Pfau
Saturday, May 14
Beer Brunch
Mt. Airy Inn in Mt. Airy, Maryland
11 am to 2 pm
FBW Brew Fest
Stillpoint Farm in Mt. Airy, Maryland
Noon to 6 pm
Admission: $20 for 21+ (includes 4 beer tokens), $10 for designated drivers and 21-, Children under 13 free
Beer from Flying Dog, Brewer’s Alley, Barley and Hops, and Heavy Seas
Featuring live music by The Jug Band, The Polka Dots, and The Fieldhands; artisanal vendors; food; hay rides and more.
Proceeds benefit HandsOnFrederick.
Davidson Brothers – Business must be Good
Bill Dowd reported that Davidson Brothers brewpub headed for a fixup. This tells me that business must be good, which is a great thing for them, the city of Glens Falls, and us. Davidson’s has always been a favorite of mine for the beer and atmosphere. The city has put a good deal of effort into beautifying the streets and last fall I enjoyed a great evening meal out on their street side dining. As great as it was, I did note that while the streets have been improved, little has been done to the restaurant itself over the years.
Co-owner Rick Davidson says the project is ready to begin, with a $450,000 budget, once approvals are received for the exterior and interior spruce-up of the 15-year-old business. The plans call for replacing the wood facade on the front and side of the building with brick, repairing and painting existing brickwork, new windows and signage. Inside, new heating/air-conditioning and basement prep kitchen, and various touchups.
I hope it works out and I can’t wait to see the improvements. (perhaps I’ll bring the entire Hop-Talk crew at Oktoberfest!)
Dilution
Hop Talk Podcast #2 – The other Kevin Smith
What?! We did it again?
Yeah. Sorry. Well, not really. We had a great time. We might be getting the hang of this.
Download it here: Hop Talk Podcast ep. 2
Show notes:
Frederick Beer Week:
May 10-14, 2011 in and around Frederick, Maryland
For a complete list of events, visit frederickbeer.com (@fredbeerwk on Twitter, Frederick Beer Week on Facebook)
“Battle of the Bubbles”, the official homebrewing competition of Frederick Beer Week. For more information: bob.brewcompetition.com (Hurry! Entries must be submitted by April 30)
We talked to Kevin Smith, beer journalist and driving force behind Frederick Beer Week
Kevin covers Maryland for Mid-Atlantic Brewing News as well as a craft beer column for the Frederick based want2dish.com.
Companies/products mentioned in the podcast:
Flying Dog Brewing
Brewer’s Alley
Barley and Hops
Volt and Bryan Voltaggio
DuClaw
Heavy Seas
Stillpoint Farm
Distillery Lane Ciderworks
Orchid Cellar
What we drank:
Ron: Lagunitas Brown Shugga
Max: McSorley’s Irish Black Lager
Don: Sierra Nevada Torpedo
Al: Flying Dog Raging Bitch
Special guest, Kevin Smith: Flying Dog Snake Dog IPA
Spot a discrepancy? Something missing? Let us know. contact@hop-talk.com
Follow us on Twitter: @hoptalk and @hoptalkron
Charlie Bamforth on Mashing
I dabble in homebrewing, and the chemistry of brewing is very much a mystery to me.
However, the latest BeerSmith podcast (#14) has Dr. Charlie Bamforth going into some detail about what the enzymes are actually doing during the mash.
And it’s fascinating.
Dr. Bamforth is the Professor of Brewing Science at U.C. Davis, a chair that is endowed by Anheuser-Busch, and I think I could listen to this guy all day.
If you’re a homebrewer, or even remotely interested in how grain turns into this lovely concoction, give it a listen.
Mashing with Dr Charlie Bamforth – BeerSmith Podcast #14
Hop Stoopid
I don’t get to buy bombers very often, so beers sold in only the 22 ounce packaging I often miss out on. Not so this time.
It’s taken me a while to get around to having this. (So busy. But, not your problem.) My wonderful wife actually found it for me in a wine store.
They say:
For those mornings when you have to cut right to the chase, this is the one. Sure to blast through just about anything still lingering from the night before, this mouthful of Hops and huge rich Malt has a gaurantee[sic] built right into the name!
I say:
Golden in color with orange highlights, off-white head. I get a little bit of pineapple and apricot in the aroma. For 102 IBUs it’s not nearly as much of a tongue-stripper as I expected. How does one balance something like this?
I will gladly have this again.
Henry Weinhard’s IPA
Henry Weinhard’s IPA, available April 1, 2011, is going to be a year-round beer added to their family of brews. It pours a copper penny in color with an abundant creamy head. Pleasantly hopped, lightly sweet with a mild body behind it makes this IPA go down easy.
The beer is a session IPA. At 6% ABV, it borders on “session” status, but from an IBU (43 to be exact) and drinkability standpoint, this a great session IPA. The hop bitterness is pleasant and won’t leave you waking up the next morning questioning that “I’ll have just one more” decision you made.
It is brewed with a blend of two-row and Caramel malts along with a blend of three different hops – Galena, Cascade and Citra, all from the Pacific Northwest.
Henry Weinhard’s IPA out of Hood River, Oregon, is in a limited distribution, available in Washington, Oregon and Alaska.
Top 50 U.S. Brewing Companies – 2010
The Brewers Association just released their list of the top Brewers and Craft Brewers.
Below is the list of Top 50 Brewing Companies (based on volume):
- Anheuser-Busch Inc. – St. Louis MO
- MillerCoors Brewing Co. – Chicago IL
- Pabst – Woodbridge IL
- D. G. Yuengling and Son Inc. – Pottsville PA
- Boston Beer Co. – Boston MA
- Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. – Chico CA
- New Belgium Brewing Co. – Fort Collins CO
- North American Breweries* – Rochester NY
- Craft Brewers Alliance, Inc.* – Portland OR
- Spoetzl Brewery* – Shiner TX
- Deschutes Brewery – Bend OR
- Independent Brewers United (IBU)* – Burlington VT
- Matt Brewing Co. – Utica NY
- Minhas Craft Brewery – Monroe WI
- Bell’s Brewery, Inc. – Galesburg MI
- Harpoon Brewery – Boston MA
- Boulevard Brewing Co. – Kansas City MO
- Goose Island Beer Co. – Chicago IL
- Dogfish Head Craft Brewery – Milton DE
- Alaskan Brewing and Bottling Co. – Juneau AK
- Long Trail Brewing Co. – Bridgewater Corners VT
- August Schell Brewing Co. – New Ulm MN
- Stone Brewing Co. – Escondido CA
- Abita Brewing Co. – Abita Springs LA
- Brooklyn Brewery – Brooklyn NY
- Lagunitas Brewing Co. – Petaluma CA
- Full Sail Brewing Co. – Hood River OR
- Shipyard Brewing Co. – Portland ME
- Summit Brewing Co. – St Paul MN
- New Glarus Brewing Co. – New Glarus WI
- Great Lakes Brewing Co. – Cleveland OH
- Anchor Brewing Co. – San Francisco CA
- Iron City Brewing Co. – Pittsburgh PA
- Kona Brewery LLC* – Kailua-Kona HI
- Rogue Ales – Newport OR
- Firestone Walker Brewing Co. – Paso Robles CA
- Winery Exchange Inc. / World Brews – Novato CA
- Sweetwater Brewing Co. - Atlanta GA
- Mendocino Brewing Co. – Ukiah CA
- Flying Dog Brewery – Frederick MD
- Victory Brewing Co. – Downingtown PA
- Gordon Biersch Brewing Co. – San Jose CA
- BJ’s Chicago Pizza & Brewery, Inc. – Huntington Beach CA
- Stevens Point Brewery Co. – Stevens Point WI
- Odell Brewing Co. – Fort Collins CO
- BridgePort Brewing Co.* – Portland OR
- Cold Spring Brewing Co. – Cold Spring MN
- Rock Bottom Brewery – Louisville CO
- Oskar Blues Brewery – Longmont CO
- Straub Brewery – Saint Marys PA
*Top 50 Brewing Companies notes: NAB includes IBU August-December; CBA includes Kona October-December; Spoetzl is part of Gambrinus Company; and IBU is January-August only (sale to NAB); Kona is January-September only (sale to CBA); BridgePort is part of Gambrinus Company. Flavored malt beverages are not considered beer for the Top 50 rankings.
