Poll: Next Lug Wrench Collaborative Beer?

Like all our prior blog polls, this post takes a moment to memorialize the results we received on the most recent blog poll.  The readers' responses to the question "For the next Lug Wrench Collaborative Beer, what beer should we brew?" are presented below.

It looks like we'll be lagering!  The race was awefully tight between Baltic Porter, Eisbock, and Flanders Brown Ale.  Just about every day, Tom and I would be checking the results and one of those three would edge up a vote, keeping it a close race.  But it looks like we'll be brewing German this weekend after all.

The recipe for the beer will most likely be from Jamil's book Brewing Classic Styles, as its pretty much the only trustworthy recipe I've been able to come across (does anyone know any others)?  Additionally, I've spent some time listening to Jamil's description of the style on the Brewing Network's Jamil's Show to get a better feel for how the beer will be 'iced' after the lagering process.

Wish us luck!  I'll likely be posting on the brew day in the coming week or two.

Slainte!

-JW


"Nothing ever tasted better than a cold beer on a beautiful afternoon with nothing to look forward to than more of the same."
-Hugh Hood

Help Lug Wrench Pick The Next Collaborative Beer

It will have been almost 18 months since the last time Tom and I were able to brew a Lug Wrench Collaborative Beer.  That dryspell is coming to an end, as it looks like Tom and his family will be taking the 500 mile trek to Rhode Island fir a visit at the end of March.  And you know what that means - its brew time!

Like the majority of our prior collaborative beers, we've typically focused on darker, high alcohol beer styles - beers that can cellar well for long periods of time.  When we are lucky enough to be in the same town again, Tom and I will often open one or two of these beers from the growing library as a way to look back at our collaborations. 

In planning for this upcoming brew in March, Tom and I threw around several different options and were able to narrow the list down to these six possibilities:

• Russian Imperial Stout
• Strong Scotch Ale
• Baltic Porter
• Eisbock
• Flanders Brown Ale
• Imperial Smoked Porter

Of course, picking which style to brew from the list is never easy we love too many of them.  So we thought - Why not let the readers decide?!? As a result, we put up a poll (on the right side of the page) and are asking all our visitors to let their voices be heard for what style of beer we should brew next.  Give it some thought.  Don't give it any thought.  Flip a coin.  Either way you do it, vote and help us out.  The results will be in our brewpot at the end of the month!

Slainte!

-JW


"I'm gaining weight the right way: I'm drinking beer."
-Johnny Damon

Zymurgy's Best Beers in America Poll

Every year in the one of the summer issues, Zymurgy magazine presents its Best Beers in America poll.  Zymurgy is the journal of the American Homebrewers Association (AHA) and is produced six times a year for the benefit of AHA members.  The poll, in its ninth year, asks all AHA members to submit a list of their 20 favorite beers.  The only rule in the poll is that selected beers must be commercially available in the United States.  In 2011, Zymurgy received 3,259 votes for 1,306 different beers from 433 breweries.  The results are captured in the July /August 2011 issue, along with some analysis, additional rankings, and clone recipes.

I have listed the top 10 beers in America below.  For a full list, along with the other rankings (best brewery, best portfolio, top imports, and spirit of homebrew), please see the Zymurgy article.  [T indicates tie]

1. Russian River Pliny the Elder
2. Bell's Two Hearted Ale
T3. Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA
T3. Founders Breakfast Stout
5. Bell's Hopslam
6. Stone Arrogant Bastard
7. Sierra Nevada Celebration
T8. Sierra Nevada Torpedo
T8. Stone Ruination
10. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Russian River's Pliny the Elder, a double IPA, took top honors for the third year in a row.  This beer has gained a cult-like following in the United States and abroad, that when combined with the difficulty in finding it, helped propel it to the top of the list.  A member of my homebrewing club got to try the beer at the National Homebrewers Conference this year in San Diego.  He said the beer's citrus character was so strong that it reminded him of a glass of grapefruit juice, but went down smooth and was very tasty.

The most prevalent trend in the Zymurgy poll, to me, is the overwhelming popularity of IPAs.  Of the top 10 beers, only one does not possess a significant hop load - Founder's Breakfast Stout.  The rest of the beers, although not all IPAs, all have strong citrus hop character and could be argued to fit into the West Coast hop-centric beer recipe pattern.  Don't get me wrong, I like hoppy beers.  But what happened to all of the other popular styles that do not feature hops?  What about saisons, sour beers, barrel and wood-aged beers, and Russian imperial stouts?  I would have expected more beer style diversity from a group like the AHA members, who I would think have such a wide range of tastes.  Maybe it will be different next year.

What do you think about the latest Zymurgy poll?  Do you think that IPAs reign supreme in the United States beer culture?  Let us know.

Cheers,

TW