Poll: Percentage of Your Beers That Are Lagers?

Like all our prior poll posts, this post takes a moment to memorialize the results we recieved on the most recent blog poll.  The readers' responses to the question "In the last year, what percentage of the beers you brewed were lagers?" are presented below.

Total Votes: 31

These results show the unfortunate trend in homebrewing where lagers are, for the most part, forgotten about.  Whether they are more difficult for most homebrewers to attempt, take too long for homebrewers to create, or require more equipment than what most homebrewers have, lagers are not a preferrential set of styles folks like to brew (except for the 3 of you who indicated >50% of your beers are lagers - a real kudos to you!!). 

Reflecting these results on my own personal brewing, I brew somewhere between 10-30% of beers are lagers.  The time committment it takes to turn around a lager is probably the biggest mental hurdle I run into.  However, some of my best beers have been lagers (i.e. a German Pils getting HM in BoS, our collaborative Frosty Fool Eisbock).  Its just unfortunate that these beers always seem to take a back seat to the APAs and IPAs that always wedge their ways into my brewing calendar. Something I'll need to mentally address moving forward....

Let us know where you stand on lagers and what prevents/hinders you from brewing more of these beers.  And if you are reading this, our next blog poll is up and awaiting your participation.

Slainte!

-JW

"I'm a lager lad."
Michael "Mufasa" Ferguson

Poll: Favorite Homegrown Hop Varietal?

Like all our prior poll posts, this post takes a moment to memorialize the results we recieved on the most recent blog poll.  The readers' responses to the questions "Growing your own hops: what's your favorite varietal?" are presented below.

Total Votes: 14

I  knew when I put this poll up that it was going to be a bit hit-or-miss with participation.   The question is only applicable to those homebrewers (or brewers) who specifically have the land and interest in planting their own hops.  The interest level has spiked up in a few years, but the number of homebrewers that put rhizomes in the ground is a small fraction of the population.

Initially, the question was originally posted as a way to get suggestions about what type of hops I should plant.  A few years back, I had purchased some rhizomes and planted them in pots at my old house, which did particularly well in their first season.  However, the move to our new house and the lack of attention I was able to give them the first summer caused the plants to die off. But with the impending thaw coming (it is coming, right?), I got interested again in trying it again.  However, I ended up jumping the gun and purchased rhizomes (Sterling and Centenniel) before the poll could give me any suggestions on way or another.  Oh well - if I had waited, I would have been the proud owner of Centenniel and Willamette hops, but Sterling will just have to do.

Let us know if you've got hops in the ground at your home, and if so, what varieties?  I'm sure I'll write a bit more about the new rhizomes and their progress in the future, but I'm curious to hear what everyone else has.  And if you are reading this, our next blog poll is up and awaiting your participation.


Slainte!

-JW


"When the pilgrims, seeking religious freedom, landed at Plymouth rock, the first permanent building put up was the brewery."
-Jim West

Poll: Favorite Season To Homebrew Beer?

Like all our prior poll posts, this post takes a moment to memorialize the results we received on the most recent blog poll.  The readers' responses to the question "What's your favorite season to brew homebrewed beer?" are presented below.

Total Votes: 18

Granted this poll was put out during the autumn, but unless folks just prefer to brew during the season they are currently in, it looks like autumn was the clear winner amongst seasons.  Winter was a distant second, which is a bit of a surprise to me (but then again, I'm biased by fact that I brew outdoors that this winter has been particularly snowy for us in New England). 

The biggest shock had to be that summer got completely shutout - not a single respondent prefers to brew during the summer months.  This may be because folks have less free time in the summer with all the outdoor activities and chores clog up schedules, or the heat plays hell on their fermentation (assuming they don't have temp control).  But apparently those lazy summer days are just not days for brewing.

Let us know what your favorite brewing season is and why.  And if you are reading this, our next blog post is up and awaiting your participation.

Slainte!

-Jeff


"I'm very picky about my people and my beer."
-Shelby Lynne

Poll: Thoughts on Cask Conditioned Beer?

Like all our prior poll posts, this post takes a moment to memorialize the results we received on the most recent blog poll.  The readers' responses to the question "What's your attitude / preference / outlook on Cask Conditioned Beers?" are presented below.

Total Votes: 21

There is no ambiguity about how the readers feel about cask beer - it's a hit and for many, the more the better.  The very skewed result may be the result of a growing trend in cask beers offered by commercial breweries (and the bars/pubs that sell them).  Or it may be that the majority of our readers are homebrewers and anyone who is bottle conditioning their homebrew, is basically making the equivalent of cask beer anyways.

While cask beer equipment is predominately sold to pubs and other professional venues, homebrewers are not left out in the cold.  Places like UK Brewing Supplies have complete lines of firkins, pins, bungs, and beer engines if you're looking to serve traditional cask beer out of your home brewery.  However, make sure you have plenty of thirsty drinkers on hand, as the 5-10 gallon casks should be turned over in about a week, or else it might start going downhill.

Let us know the best place you've ever had cask beer.  And if you are reading this, our next blog poll is up and awaiting your participation.

Slainte!

-JW


"Beer is a living product"
-Michael McDole

Poll: What Book To Recommend to Homebrewers?

Like all our prior poll posts, this post takes a moment to memorialize the results we received on the most recent blog poll.  The readers' responses to the question "What book would you recommend most to a fellow homebrewer?" are presented below.

Total Votes: 37

The poll question was specifically setup not to ask what book you would give to a "new" brewer, as we felt that question has been overdone.  However, because we did not specify this explicitly, the results indicate that most readers took the question in that light - what would you recommend to someone starting out in the hobby.  "How to Brew" by John Palmer has become the go-to book for folks entering the hobby and one that just about everyone has in their collection.  Even advanced brewers refer back to it from time to time, so the fact that it was the clear winner is no surprise.

So assuming the "fellow" homebrewer already has Palmer's book - what next would you recommend?  My vote, hands down, was for "Brewing Classic Styles" by Zainasheff.  To me, it is a must-have for any brewer as a recipe book reference.  I've spoken of it multiple times on this blog (including a number of visual charts generated from it) and the recipe book is the most page-worn reference in my brewing library.  With an award winning recipe for every style, its typically the first place I start when exploring a new style. 

If you favorite brewing book is not listed above, leave us a comment and let us know the title.  And if you are reading this, our next blog poll is up and awaiting your participation.

Slainte!

-JW


"Everybody has to believe in something ... I believe I'll have another drink."
-W.C. Fields

Poll: How Many Entries Did You Have for NHC '12?

Like all our prior poll posts, this post takes a moment to memorialize the results we recieved on the most recent blog poll.  The readers' responses to the question " How many entries did you place in the 2012 National Homebrewing Competition?" are presented below.

Total Votes: 11

As much as I am a supporter of the National Homebrewing Competition, I am certainly not much of a participant.  In the last 3-4 years, I believe I have sent in only one entry to be included in the first round judging.   My interest always seems to be after the fact: prior to the deadline, I find myself too distracted to get together the registration and entry.  After the first round results have been released, my interest level skyrockets, but at that point, all I can do is kick myself and mumble "next year....next year". 

What I found compelling about this month's poll is that it looks like I am not alone.  Taking aside those that made the choice not to participate, nearly twice as many folks have an interest in the competition but just can't seem to get their regstration/entries in on time.  Why is that?  Is it just the procrastinator in all of us, or something else?

With regards to the large population that do not participate in NHC, I'm sure there is a multitude of reasons behind their motivations.  Many people are not into "style-based" competitions and would rather brew unabashed by the constraints of styles.  Kudos to you folks.  Others, I am sure, believe the NHC is too large of a venue and wonder why bother.  With ~750 entries in each region, its too easy to get lossed in the crowd.

Let us know what you think, or if you did particpate in NHC, how were your first round results?  And if you are reading this, our next blog poll is up and awaiting your participation.

Slainte!

-JW


"Everybody has to believe in something.....I believe I'll have another drink."
-W.C. Fields

Poll: How Many BJCP Styles Have You Brewed?

Like all our prior blog posts, this post takes a moment to memorialize the results we received on the most recent blog poll.  The readers' responses to the question "Of the 80 BJCP Beer Styles, How Many Have You Brewed?" are presented below.

Total Votes: 18

More than a majority of the voters have only tried homebrewing a handful of beer styles.  If we setup another poll that asked which styles people have brewed, the prototypically styles would be the most prevalent (i.e. APA, IPA, ESB, English Brown, etc).  The other question that is bouncing around my mind is whether the voters who voted are relatively new to homebrewing and hence the 1-15 styles brewed, or if they are old hands at homebrewing and prefer only brewing their favorite styles.

On the other side of the coin, I was surprised that the maximum number of styles anyone who voted was 31-45.  I was certain there would be folks in the 46+ range, but we never got a single vote.  It made for a very skewed result.

After rolling up my own "Styles Brewed" list, the idea of expanding my styles has weighed on my brewing plans.  Let us know what styles you may want to try in the near future.

Slainte!

-JW


"No soldier can fight unless he is properly fed on beef and beer."
-John Churchill

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

Poll: Most Important Thing for New Homebrewers?

Like all our prior blog polls, this post takes a moment to memorialize the results we recieved on the most recent blog poll.  The readers' responses to the question "What is the most important thing for a new homebrewer to focus on?" are presented below.

Total Votes: 43

This was one of the more enjoyable polls that we have done in a long time.  It was a real get back to basics topic.  Many times, we are guilty of focusing on advanced or peripheral topics in homebrewing, but the fundemental building blocks are way more important than anything else when it comes to brewing beer.

Focusing on the poll results specifically, its really no surprise that good sanitation practices is considered such a critical element for homebrewers.  Without the ability to control microbe populations in and around our beer, the resulting beer would be a crapshoot - a completely random beverage that would be more times undrinkable than drinkable.  For begining homebrewers, learning to properly sanitize equipment and how to handle the wort on the cold-side is the first step in producing repeatable results.  But sanitation is certainly not something just for beginers to consider.  It is a concept that everyone should strive to improve.  If you've been brewing for years and have a set process, ask yourself "how can I improve my brewing sanitation?".  Where is the most likely place an infection might jump into my beer?  Continuous improvement should be the mantra homebrewers adopt - make small improvments whenever you can and your brewing will continue to improve right along side.

We will likely return to this topic in future polls, so let us know what you think.  And if you are reading this, our next blog poll is up and awaying your participation.

Slainte!

-JW


"What contemptible scoundrel has stolen the cork to my lunch?
-W. C. Fields

Poll: New Year's Beer-Related Resolution?

Like all our prior blog polls, this post takes a moment to memorialize the results we recieved on the most recent blog poll.  The readers' responses to the question "What Beer-Related New Year's Resolution Is Most Appealing To You?" are presented below.

Total Votes: 23

Bring on the new kettle, march pump, temp control, etc .... it seems everyone is looking to improve their homebreweries this coming year.  I'll have to admit that I fell into this category too.  With any homebrew mail order, I find myself always trying to add one or two items that will improve my process.  Whether its an oxygenation kit, a diffusion stone, or a refractometer, I can never pick up just a few ingredients.  However, as I mentioned in my 2011 wrap-up, my next homebrewery improvement needs to be a second chest freezer so I can keep beer on tap when I'm fermenting a new one.

One of the categories I was hopeing to see get a bigger turn out was for "Take a beer-related trip", as this was a close second for me.  I am sure most beernuts are like me and unconsciously do this anyways (heading to city X?  What breweries/brewpubs/beer bars are there?), but taking a serious trip to beer-meccas like Belgium or Germany have always been on the short list.  I've got to move that up on the priority list for sure. 

Let us know what your thoughts are on the topic.  And if you are reading this, our next blog poll is up and awaiting your participation.

Slainte!

-JW


"If God intended us to drink beer, He would have given us stomachs."
-David Daye

Poll: Ideal Beer for Holiday Feasts?

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 "What Is Your Ideal Beer To Pair With Holiday Feasts?" are presented below.

Total Votes: 21

Cold weather always seems to make the taste buds yearn for something a bit stronger than the rest of the year, and that is certainly apparent here. Belgian ales, which are typically a bit more potent by nature, or Stouts were the clear winners in this poll, with the occasional barelywine coming in third. Cheers to the season for sure!

The popularity (or lack there of) for Spiced Ales was a bit of an outlier from my expectations.  All the "Noel" style beers are mulled or spiced for the most part, but yet they do not seem to nake it to the tables of those who responded.  As long as these offerings are not overspiced, the seasonal beers always seem to pair well with the robust and favorable foods of the holidays, in my opinion.  I would have expected them to be more popular.  Huh.

Let us know what your thoughts are on the topic.  And if you are reading this, our next blog poll is up and awaiting your participation.

Slainte!

-JW


"A wise son brings joy to his father, but the wiser son brings beer."
-Mad Mordigan

Poll: How Often Do You Homebrew?

Like all our prior blog polls, this post takes a moment to memorialize the results we recieved on the most recent blog poll.  The readers' responses to the question "How Often Do You Brew Beer At Home?" are presented below.

Total Votes: 25

This past year, my brewing frequency has dropped from being in the majority (ever 2-3 weeks) to once ever 2-3 months.  While the number of open kegs used to drive my brew days, it seems the new house and other life activities have moved me to the right on the above chart.  Certainly more so than I would like.

In rolling up the poll results, I wanted to hear what people are doing to make their brew days more efficient, and therefore more frequent.  We've all had one or two brew days that never got off the ground as the 'effort' to pull out all the equipment and dedicate ~6 hours was enough incentive to procrastinate.  That seems to be happening to me more than I would like.  So how do you make the brew day easier?  What tips or equipment have made your brewing more efficient?

Let us know what you think.  And if you are reading this, our next blog poll is up awaiting your participation.

Slainte!

-JW

"Beer, if drunk in moderation, softens the temper, cheers the spirit, and promotes health.

-Thomas Jefferson

Poll: What's Your Favorite German Lager?

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 "What's your favorite German lager?" are presented below.

Total Votes: 16

Given the time of year this poll was active, its no wonder that Oktoberfest is on everyone's mind.  With Marzens being a favored style of mine in particular, the fall seasonal line ups from breweries is always a welcome site. 

What surprised me the most about the results has to be the stand out performance of the Schwarzbier.  There are very few commercial examples of the style here in the US, which leads me to the question of where this love for the german black lager comes from.  A regional breweries special tap handle?  A homebrewer's favorite recipe?

Let us know what you think of the results and if you voted, let us know the origin of why you prefer your favorite style.  And, if you are reading this, our next blog poll is up awaiting your participation.

Slainte!

-JW


"No matter how rich you are, you can still only drive 17 tp 18 liters of beer a day"
-Anonymous German nobleman

Poll: Social Media for Beer Information?

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 "What social media sites do you get the most beer-related information?" are presented below.

Total Votes: 10

Twitter and Facebook were the only two sites the voters seem to use for beer related information.  In fact, about a third of the voters indicated they don't use social media for beer, which we found to be interesting.  Furthermore, this poll had one of the lowest participation rates of most of our recent polls, which can be interpreted as a lack of interest by the readers in social media related topics.  Who knows...

Let us know what you think.  And if you are reading this, our next poll is up awaiting your participation.

Slainte!

-JW


"Beer kills brain cells."
-Homer Simpson

Poll: Brewing Ingredients From Farmers Markets?

Like all our prior blog polls, this post takes a moment to memorialize the results we recieved on the most recent blog poll.  The reader's responses to the question "How often have you bought brewing ingredients from a local farmers market?" are presented below.

Total Votes: 13

I was a bit stunned when these results began coming in.  Farmers markets are thriving these days and people can buy many interesting and curious items at the stalls and stands the line these markets.  During the late summer, such as this, fruits and vegtables of all types are starting to show up (at least here in New England), which creates an even larger bounty of opportunity for brewing. 

Even with that all said, I'll admit that I am one of the 'Never' voters as well.  I'm not sure why, but I have yet to cross my farmers-marketing (if that's a word) with my brewing like so many other voters.  Maybe I don't associate the two.  Maybe processing raw ingredients into brewing ingredients is just enough additional work that I just shrug my shoulders.  I really don't know.

While I resort to the latter, I really do believe in the former.  I would challenge any brewer to think about it the next time they are wandering the rows and aisles - what flavors could I use in my beer/mead/cider that can be found at this particular local market?  Who knows what will come out of it.

Let us know what you think!  And if you are reading this, our next poll is up awaiting your participation.

 

Slainte!

-JW

"Mmmmmm...Beer!"

-Homer Simpson

Poll: What's The Ultimate Summer-Time 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 reader's responses to the question "What's the ultimate summer-time beer?" are presented below.

Total Votes: 26

When we did a similar poll last year, IPAs, Pale Ales, and Wheat Beers won first, second, and third respectively.  However, this year the results were much more bioptic.  Wheat Beers (American Wheat and Hefes) ran away with the vote followed by IPAs with no other style arising out of the noise.  Granted, in hindsight, Pale Ales were accidently omitted as a category, so either voters considered it as 'Other' or the simply did not consider it when voting.

What I always love about these seasonal polls is that there are always a few individuals that like to rub their nose at the accepted standard and do their own thing.  These are the people that think a lawnmower beer should be a Stout and a Hefeweizen would go great with Christmas Dinner.  God I love those individuals...

We'd love to know what you think of the results and how they can be interpreted.  And if you are reading this, we've put up our next poll, which awaits your response.

Slainte!

-JW

"Drink to the point of hilarity."

-St. Thomas Aquinas

Poll: Have you grown hops at home?

Similar to what has been done for all our prior blog polls, this takes a moment to memorialize the results we received on the most recent blog poll.  The reader's responses to the question "Have you ever tried growing your own hops at home?" are presented below.

Total Votes: 20

There is little to discuss with this one - hops are on everyone's mind.  Only 10% of the responders did not have an interest growing their own hops.  Everyone else is either interested or already put some rhizomes in the ground.  And interestingly enough, anyone who decided to plant hops planted more than one.

Tom and I are both backyard hops growers.  While Tom has been at it more years than I have, my two hop plants are entering their second year.  I did get a handful of hop cones last year, but I'm looking forward to see what the plants yield this fall.

We'd love to know what you think of the results and how they can be interpreted.  And if you are reading this, we've put up our next poll, which awaits your response.

Slainte!

-JW


"Beer may cause you to digress - and lead a happier life."
-Michael Jackson

Poll: Where would you like to see NHC 2012?

Similar to what has been done for all our prior blog polls, this post takes a moment to memorialize the results we received on the most recent blog poll.  The reader’s response to the question “Where would you like to see the 2012 AHA Conference Located?” are presented below.  

With this year’s AHA conference in San Diego, CA coming up rapidly, we thought it would be fitting to see where our readers would like to see next year’s conference (which will not be announced until June).  As we have lamented in prior posts,  the conference has not been on the East Coast of the US in over 5 year and is overdue – apparently, our readers believe the same thing.

A criticism of this poll is that most people will vote for locations closest to them.  Therefore, this poll is more of a survey for where our readers (at least those that respond to a poll) are located in the US.  While there maybe a few who live to travel for conferences such as this, all things being equal, the less one has to travel, the more likely they will attend.  I can certainly buy this argument, given our readership (and our content) is very East Coast-centric.

Lastly, I’ll leave everyone with a bit of a rumor that I was privy to from a BJCP judge during a recent competition.  Apparently Gary Glass (Director of the AHA) was recently seen (by this judge) in Philadelphia scouting out potential venues.  This certainly doesn’t guarantee NHC 2012 being in Philly, but it certainly indicates the city is on the short list.  Let’s keep our fingers crossed.

We’d love to know what you think of the results and how the information may (or may not) be used. And if you are reading this, we’ve put up our next poll, which awaits your response.

Slainte!

-Jeff


"Everybody has to believe in something.....I believe I'll have another drink."
-W.C. Fields

Poll: Online Communities

Similar to what has been done for all our prior blog polls, this post takes a moment to memorialize the results we received on our most recent blog poll.  The readers responses to the question "Which online homebrewing community do you utilize the most?" are presented below.

Total Votes: 25

This month's poll most certainly ended up in a run-away win for the Homebrew Talk (HBT) forum - all the other options were left behind in the dust.  HBT is a vast resource of information for sure, with answers to just about any homebrew related question a reader might want (although navigating through the mass of opinions/comments can be challenging).  Just for kicks, type in three random words into the HBT search engine and I've always been amazed what turns up.

Lastly, as is the case in ever poll where we have the catch-all 'Other' category, I really want to know what those votes would have been.  If only the poll could be setup with a 'Write-In' block instead of just a generic 'Other' category...

Let us know your thoughts either as a comment or an email.  And if you are reading this, we've put up our next poll which awaits your response.

Slainte!

-JW


"Good beer is the basis of true temperance."
-The Daily Express, 1919

Poll: Homebrewing Recipe Sources

Similar to what has been done for all our prior blog polls, this post takes a moment to memorialize the results we recieved on our most recent blog poll.  The readers responsed to the question "Where do you get the majority of your homebrewing recipes?" are presented below.

Total Votes: 30

What I love about these results we received are twofold.  First, print media (whether magazines, books, fliers, etc) still account for a sizeable percentage of where people get their recipes.  In a nutshell, this may mean that people still like to feel paper on their fingertips when they are referencing recipes - more so than digital or online means.  I would conjecture that this may have something to do with the disposable nature of online media.   Recipes in paper-based publications may give the impression that the author would not have paid the publication costs unless the recipe was proven or 'good' - a sense that the recipe may have been previously validated.  Whereas anyone with a blog (...ahem...) can whimsically post a hair-brained recipe concept at anytime with no real implications as to whether the recipe is even worthwhile. 

The second point we can take from the results is that a very large contingent of responders are developing their own recipes, which is fantastic  It can be intimidating to begin building a recipe from scratch.  It took me a year or two before I was comfortable enough to being my own recipe formation, and even then I was just making modifications to existing ones.  Exploring the thought process and challenges of developing a recipe is the central premise of the Recipe Formulation Project that Tom and I have been exploring.  Not every attempt will be a success, but learning from mistakes and adapting as a result is what allows a recipe to improve from 'so-so' to 'awesome'.

Let us know your thoughts, either as a comment or an email.  And if you are reading this, we've put up our next poll which awaits your response.

Slainte!

-JW


"The best way to die is to sit under a tree, eat lots of bologna and salami, drink a case of beer, then blow up."
-Art Donovan