Session #62: What Drives Beer Bloggers

Welcome to The Session - a collaboration of bloggers writing on a common beer-related topic.  For the month of April, members of Brewpublic chose "What Drives Beer Bloggers?" as the collective topic to explore.  A round-up of all the blog posts will be posted in the near future.  You can read more about Beer Blogging Friday ("The Session") over at the Brookston Beer Bulletin.

This Session topic immediately grabbed my interest.  The large majority of beer bloggers do not write posts to generate income, as only the largest of blogs pull the traffic that allows advertisements and donations to earn substantial revenue.  I would venture to guess that the major beer bloggers pull in larger chunks of their income from guest columns and articles that their blog's popularity allows them to garner.  But, these individuals are few and far between.  I think the majority of beer bloggers are fueled by passion.  Passion and enjoyment of the beverage and, more importantly, for the craft beer culture.

The craft beer culture is an unique place to immerse yourself in these days.  With interest in craft beer skyrocketing over the past few years, more and more people are drawn to its interesting flavors and the back-stories of the companies that make it.  Beer is a very social beverage, with roots in the working class, and it has long been more approachable than wine or spirits.  Beer is associated with pubs and larger social events, with drinking sessions and joy in the company of friends and peers.  While the craft beer movement is elevating beer's status and the limits of what the beverage can be, the common socially-binding nature of beer can be seen in the collaborative nature of the craft brewing industry.  Stories of breweries going out of their way to help other "competitors" abound in the industry and collaborative beers are all the rage.  Many beer bloggers, too, believe that they are sharing information and contributing craft beer's good and this collaborative culture is what drives them forward.

Here at Lug Wrench Brewing, that basic cooperative tenant is true, but with a focus on a shared hobby and a homebrewing bent.  Jeff and I are brothers who grew up in Upstate New York.  We have long shared hobbies and interests together and have been close since childhood.  With both of us living far apart and having families of our own, it has become more difficult to maintain this bond.  We both discovered we have a love of homebrewing and craft beer and randomly thought that it would be great to share the hobby across a distance of more than 500 miles.  The internet allowed us a free mechanism to write about our interests and co-author a blog, so Lug Wrench Brewing Company was born.  In addition to writing about beer, we also collaboratively brew a batch of beer designed to age whenever we are together, with the goal of fostering a library of interesting aged beer to try again when we next meet.

Lug Wrench has been a fun project for us, and one that we hope lasts for many years.  It has provided us the opportunity to share a common interest and grow our friendship, despite the distance.  In many ways, Lug Wrench embodies the cooperative spirit and enjoyment of craft beer, for two brothers, as we share our interest with others.

I would want it no other way.

Cheers,

TW

Session #57: Beery Confession - Clear Beer

Welcome to The Session - a collaboration of bloggers writing on a common beer-related topic.  For the month of November, Steve Lamond, from Beers I've Known, chose "Beery Confessions: Guilty Secrets/Guilty Pleasure Beer" as the collective topic to explore.  A round-up of all the blog posts will be posted in the near future.  You can read more about Beer Blogging Friday ("The Session") over at the Brookston Beer Bulletin.


Reading this topic immediately started my mind thinking about experiences in college.  I attended Allegheny College, in Meadville, PA, during four wonderful years in the mid 1990s.  Like many others, my college life was enhanced by alcohol and the camaraderie of friends at parties and bars.  But, my college days house a dark secret, especially given my current passion for homebrewing and beer blogging.  In college, I loved Zima!  That's right, Zima!

Many people do not know that Pennsylvania has an old law that requires distributors to sell beer by the case.  Residents cannot purchase beer or malt-based beverages by the six-pack or bomber unless they are bought from bars or special bottle stores, both of which charge a hefty mark-up.  Being a poor college student, that meant my friends and I usually stuck to bottom-shelf liquor or cheap beer like Keystone Ice ($8.00 a case at the time).  However, we soon discovered that a case of Zima could be purchased for close to the same price, and that a greater number of people preferred it.  More people sharing the cost means less cash outlay per person, which makes a college student quite happy.

Zima also offered excellent "mixing" opportunities.  You could mix it with a number of different juices for interesting results, such as orange juice that made a screwdriver "lite."  However, my all-time favorite way to drink Zima was with a Jolly Rancher chaser.  By sucking on the Jolly Rancher hard candy at the same time as drinking Zima, you effectively flavored each sip.  The possibilities were endless and I was particularly fond of using the grape and cinnamon flavors.  Given that Jolly Ranchers were relatively cheap, they extended Zima's flavor flexibility in a manner that really stretched the dollar, which also makes a college student quite happy.

So that is my deep dark Beery Confession.  I loved Zima in college.  I have not had one in quite a while, and I do not really feel the pull to do so now, even if I could.  But, at that time in place in my life, Zima was much more prevalent than the craft beer I enjoy today.

Cheers,

TW

The Session #53: The Return of Harpoon

Welcome to The Session - a collaboration of bloggers writing on a common beer-related topic.  For the month of July, John Holl of John Holl's Beer Briefing chose "Beer Redemptions" as the collective topic to explore.  A round-up of all the blog posts will be posted in the near future.  You can read more about Beer Blogging Friday ("The Session") over at the Brookston Beer Bulletin.

After reading the description for the July topic for the Session, one beer experience became crystal clear in my mind.  Harpoon IPA.  The beer is now a staple in the New England market, but the very first time I tried the beer, it was a novelty and something exotic.  And it was god-aweful on my palate.  My first taste was back in the college days where beer was predominately an alcohol delivery mechanism.  But Harpoon IPA (along with Brooklyn's India Pale Ale) was my first IPA experiences.  I can almost vividly remember thinking "what the hell was wrong with this beer?".  "Who would drink this stuff?"  I was certainly not a fan.  But it was alcohol and its what we had, so we choked it down hoping the buzz would come fast to alleviate the bitterness.

After such a negative experience, I must have had gone a decade before going back and trying an IPA.  It wasn't until my palate had developed and I was able to associate IPAs with other flavors (i.e. grapefruit, citrus, floral, etc) as opposed to just liquid bitterness that I began to crave something hoppy.  Call it maturity. Call it an evolution in taste.  The things we find repulsive sometimes return to become desired. 

So why is this a beer redemption?  Since blossoming into a craft beer fan over the last several years, Harpoon IPA has passed through my pint glass innumerous times.  It's a go-to-beer for me when the draft selection is just macro lagers.  It's a favorite.  The kicker is that the overly-aggressive and bitter beer of my youth is now timid compared to other IPA offerings in today's market.  That's the redemption.

Thanks for John Hull for hosting this months Session!

Slainte!

-JW

"There is more to life than beer alone, but beer makes those other things even better."

-Stephen Morris   

The Session #46: Unexpected Malt Discovery

Welcome to The Session – a collaboration of bloggers writing on a common beer-related topic.  For the month of December, Mike R. Lynch of Burgers and Brews chose "An Unexpected Discovery: Finding Great Beer in the Last Place You’d Look" as the collective topic to explore.  A round-up of all the blog posts will be posted in the near future.  You can read more about Beer Blogging Friday (“The Session”) over at the Brookston Beer Bulletin.


One of the things I love best about The Session topics is their breadth.  Mike's comments on the topic end with "Write about a beer experience that took you by surprise."  This statement got me thinking about one of Lug Wrench's favorite topics, homebrewing, and a strange place that I found some homebrewing ingredients.

A beautiful summer day in June of 2009 found my family taking a scenic drive through the Virginia countryside.  On our list of things to do were to enjoy a picnic lunch, stop at a couple of wineries, and tour two distilleries.  There are two operating distilleries in Central Virginia near my house and I had not visited either of them.  The second distillery was the real gem, and the most fun stop for me on our entire trip. I first saw mention of The Copper Fox Distillery on the Mad Fermentationist's blog.  Copper Fox is located in Sperryville, VA in an old apple processing facility.  The owner, Rick Wasmund, and his "Master of Malt" (Mom) operate the distillery and provide very personal and educational tours. They have an innovative aging process where they age the whiskey in contact with apple and cherry wood, which imparts an interesting color and taste to the whiskey. But, the coolest thing of all is that they malt their own barley.

Copper Fox uses 6-row barley as the sole ingredient in their whiskey.  They get the barley from one farmer, who lives about 3 hours from the brewery, and bring the raw grain directly into the distillery.  Then, during the cool times of the year, they soak the barley in giant vats and then lay it out on the floor of a special section of the building.  They let it germinate and then they kiln it right there on site, using apple and cherry wood.  This imparts the malt with a interesting smokey note that helps make the whiskey distinctive.  At the time, Rick thought they are the only distillery in North America that malted their own grain.

Rick was kind enough to send me home with a sample of this special malt.  The malt was a very special gift and it created a wonderful back story for the German-style rauchbier I made from it.  The story behind that beer made it far more memorable for me than other beers I have made since, so much so that I clearly recall it more than a year and a half later.  Something as simple as the gift of a raw ingredient by a generous distiller resulted in my unexpected beer discovery.

In short, the last place I ever expected to find good beer was from small Virginia distillery.

Cheers,

TW

The Session #44: Frankenstein Beer Costumes

Welcome to The Session – a collaboration of bloggers writing on a common beer-related topic.  For the month of October, Ashley Routson a.k.a. The Beer Wench chose "Frankenstein Beers" as the collective topic to explore.  A round-up of all the blog posts will be posted in the near future.  You can read more about Beer Blogging Friday (“The Session”) over at the Brookston Beer Bulletin.


One of the best attributes of posts for The Session is that they can range all over the map.  Some posts follow common themes and can be grouped well with other posters, while others venture into areas that can only be labeled "off topic."  This month's host, The Beer Wench stated "there are no rules about how to write this topic . . ."  I intend to take her at her word.

One of the most fascinating things about Halloween is how inventive people can become when designing their costumes.  The tradition of dressing in costume on Halloween dates back to the Middle Ages, possibly from the practice of "souling," where the poor would go door to door on Hallowmas (November 1) and receive food in returns for prayers for the dead on All Souls Day (November 2).  Dressing in costume, and arguably the entire Halloween holiday, has become commercialized in modern times.  This has resulted in costume inspiration coming from a variety of commercial products, including the Lug Wrench favorite - beer.

In this mode of thought, I decided to link beer related costumes with this month's Session topic of Frankenstein Beers.  Below are several of the more humorous and surprising costumes I could find on the web, along with brief commentary one each.

Beer Man and Beer Woman - Who could resist wearing a beer-inspired super hero outfit, especially with a utility belt that can hold canned craft brew?

Beer Pong Table - It is easy to be the hit of any party when you bring this popular game "to life."

Flying Dog Six-Pack - It is truly creative to go out as a variety six-pack of your favorite craft beer with your closest friends.  I would imagine the six-pack holder for these people was an exercise in invasion of personal space.

Coors Light Gladiator - Speaking of homemade, this defender of the American light lager is ready to battle, all for the low price of - FREE.

Human Breathalyzer - Beer related - yes.  Inappropriate - YES!!!

I hope you have enjoyed this journey into a world tangentially related to beer.  If you have seen your own humorous or horrendous beer-related costumes, be sure to leave a comment and tell us about it.

Cheers,

TW

Summary Round-Up of Session #41: Craft Beer Inspired by Homebrewing

Welcome to The Session – a collaboration of bloggers writing on a common beer-related topic. For July, we at Lug Wrench Brewing Co. had the opportunity to choose the topic: Craft Beer Inspired by Homebrewing as the collective subject for everyone to explore and write about. You can read more about Beer Blogging Friday (“The Session”) over at the Brookston Beer Bulletin.

With another "Session" come and gone, it was time to round up all the contributions and put them together as closure for 41st edition of Beer Blogging Friday.  Listing the contributions in the chronological order they came in, here is what was said ...

• Mike at Beer Made Clear contributed his take on the topic by talking about the Letter of Marque homebrew competition - a comp put on by Heavy Seas Brewery (formerly Clipper City), where the winning recipe gets put in a Heavy Seas bottle.  "(Heavy Seas') Letter of Marque is both an homage to the crazy creations of home brewers AND a way to lend legitimacy to brewers who never believed their recipes would be bottled and shipped across state lines to a wider audience."
• Greg at the Pour Curator takes a spin on the topic and wrote about "craft beer art inspired by homebrewing".  Selecting the Rube Goldberg-styled artwork of Jason Roberson featured in Sierra Nevada's Beer Camp marketing, Greg discusses the advantages how "it's actually a fairly astonishing amount of work for a side project to which many breweries would not devote an entire (Beer Camp) site, let alone an artistic undertaking of this size". 
• The Beer Nut give us the Irish perspective of homebrewing's influence on craft beer.  Weaving in a review of Nøgne Ø Imperial Stout Highland Edition, The Beer Nut also provides a wonderful lament on the misconception by some on homebrewing.  "I always find it strange that someone would turn their nose up at a homemade beer ... while regarding anything else homemade to be of superior quality to the pre-packaged factory-made alternative".
• Nemsis at BeerTaster.ca took a linguistic approach to the topic.  By examining several brewering terms from historical times, the post states "so many words that are commonplace today and are not used to describe beer or brewing anymore have their origins in those most revered areas of life."
• Joe over at the Thirsty Pilgrim discusses the inspiration for one of his recent homebrews - and speculates all commercial beers that were once probably homebrews themselves.  "It's got German pilsener malt and British and American hops. Certain Belgian and British ales inspired its low alcohol and high drinkability. In its conception it were equal parts Taylor's Landlord, Taras Boulba and Sierra Nevada."
• Sean at Beer Search Party describes his theory for how to normalize the gender discrepancy seen in commercial brewers.  "My theory is that home brewing is the minor leagues for the craft beer world. That means the more women brewing at home means the better the chance that they might go pro."
• Derrick the Beer Runner uses the title "How Jimmy Carter Unwittingly Created the 'Disruptive Technology' That Launched the Craft Brewing Revolution" to remind us how the obscure tax bill Jimmy Carter signed into law in 1978 has had such an effect on today's beer market.
• Stan at the Appellation Beer blog brings forth and discusses one of the winners of the 2009 Sam Adams LongShot contest: Ben Miller's American Barleywine.  "I’ve had the homebrewed version, the batch that Boston Beer brought to the (GABF) when it was announced Ben Miller’s recipe was one of the two winners, right when it was released in April and just the other day. Never quite the same, but that’s an aside."
• Over at the Reluctant Scooper, the homebrew origins for Thornbridge Brewery's black IPA ('Raven') is described.  So what does a professional brewer who turns their homebrew recipes into a commercial success do next?  Keep homebrewing of course.  "Because homebrewers don't stop being homebrewers just because they turn pro. Here's the experimentation, the craftsmanship."
• Brian at the Beer Odyssey reminds us that beer companies, whether small or large, were most likely were started from homebrewing.  "Somehow, in these people's eyes, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Widmer Hefeweizen, and New Belgium Fat Tire are so far removed from small batch craft beers ... beyond a shadow of a doubt, these beers were first brewed on systems smaller that most mid-sized craft breweries' pilot systems."
• Thomas at Geistbear Brewing Blog reflects on the craft beers that still inspire him to homebrew.  Specifically focusing on "one style in particular that remains elusive ... dark Czech lagers that are more like dark bread and less roasty than their German cousins", the post offers rare commercial examples and a few tips on brewing these hard-to-find beers.
• Jay at A Beer In Hand tells the tale how craft beer has inspired him to try his luck with homebrewing.  With a bit more space now available, he's eyeing his first batch and wrestling with which style he'll start his journey with.  "To some people homebrewing is their life. To me it is the start to a new life." 
• Alan over at A Good Beer Blog describes a good dichotomy about homebrewing being the testing grounds for those destined to be pro brewers.  "It is where I expect the future pro brewers who earn our hard currency to have made their mistakes ... I am not interested in paying for craft brewer' experiments even if they are called "extreme" or the hot new trend from Italy.  Work that stuff out on your own time." 
• Tom at Yours for Good Fermentables reminisces about his own brewing journey from catching the homebrew bug, to enrolling in Siebel, to apprenticing in a Baltimore area brewery and beyond.  "From there, I would go on to brew at several other breweries, opening two, and owning one."  And while he has been out of the brewing business for several years, all it takes is a pint of Scottish porter to bring back the memories.
• Jon from The Brew Site describes several brewers in the Oregon beer scene (John Maier, Shawn Kelso) who started in their kitchens.  "Oregon, craft beer, and homebrewing are inextricably linked, and the beer industry is benefiting enormously from it."
• Jay at the Brookston Beer Bulletin points out that one of the admirable traits exemplified by American Craft brewers is probably a legacy influence from the homebrewing community.  "The one (contribution) that always resonates with me is the way in which the sharing of knowledge and technical assistance that is the hallmark of the homebrewing community has translated to commercial brewing".  
• And lastly, our contribution from Lug Wrench Brewing centers around a discussion with White Birch Brewing and the inspirations for their Berliner Weisse.  "What better way to talk about commercial beers influenced by homebrewing than to talk with Bill Herlicka, owner and brewer of White Birch. Bill ... a long time homebrewer before taking the plunge last year."

And that, as they say, is that. 

It was a great pleasure to host this month's session and to be able to collaborate with so many others as part of the experience.  Our thanks to all who participated.

Mark your calendars for August 6th, when Derrick Peterman (a.k.a. the Beer Runner) will be hosting the 42nd edition of Beer Blogging Friday.  The topic: "A Special Place, A Special Beer."

Slainte!

-The Wallace Brothers


"The brewery is the best drug store."
-German proverb

The Session #41: Craft Beer Inspired by Homebrewing with White Birch Brewing Co.

Welcome to The Session – a collaboration of bloggers writing on a common beer-related topic. For July, we at Lug Wrench Brewing Co. had the opportunity to choose the topic: Craft Beer Inspired by Homebrewing as the collective topic for everyone to explore. You can read more about Beer Blogging Friday (“The Session”) over at the Brookston Beer Bulletin.

This month’s topic was the perfect opportunity to collaborate with one of the many small regional breweries in the New England area. During a recent trip up to New Hampshire, I nabbed a few bottles from White Birch Brewing Co.  Driving back to Rhode Island, the lightbulb went off in my head as I contemplated topics for this month.  What better way to talk about commercial beers influenced by home brewing than to talk with Bill Herlicka, owner and brewer of White Birch.  Bill, who has been a prior guest on this blog for our Nanobrewery Interview series, was a long time homebrewer before taking the plunge last year and founded White Birch.

The beer that I was most interested in talking with Bill about what his Berliner Weisse - an unique German sour wheat ale that is perfect for summer.  And also one that is not commonly found on most shelves.  Bill graciously agreed to talking about the beer and its influences, the summary of which is provided below.

Lug Wrench (LW): In general, how does what you learned as a homebrewer helped you as a commercial brewer?

Bill Herlicka (BH): I have only homebrewed prior to opening White Birch so I guess you can say it is a major influence as a commercial brewer. For example, I make the beer the way I want regardless of materials cost or time to age. It’s how I approached my homebrews and I have no interest in changing. The thought of trying to shave costs by shorting grain or hops in the hopes that the consumer won’t notice to me makes no sense.

My beers are hand made, hand bottled, hand labeled and a bit esoteric. I like that and find going into the shop fun every day. I contrast this to a conversation I had with another brewer who had to justify any new beer and some continuation of popular new beers with a cost benefit analysis. He says his brewery owners were more interested in profits than a new beer that was proving popular with local drinkers (it cost more and took longer to make). Brewing is a business and an art. We all have to live with our choices and for me I want to make what I enjoy, not what a "bean counter" would enjoy.

LW: Where did the recipe for the Berliner Weisse come from?

BH: It’s my take on the style. I researched as many examples of the style as I could find, the history of the beer, and what recipes were out there online. From my research and tasting I found that the basics of this beer were a light wheat based beer and that it was made with either a sour mash or through the use of lacto bacillus. From my tasting notes I found I prefer the softer body of a lacto based Berliner over a (sour) mash. Sour mashes seem to have a sharper range of tart and additional flavors that either work or in some examples are a bit more than what I’d expect in the style.

LW: Is there anything from your homebrewing days that influenced the Berliner Weisse recipe?

BH: Yes, I’ve always brewed bigger beers. Making something this small took so little grain that I found myself pushing the grain bill up so it “looked” right. My hope is that people enjoy the beer and style purists let the higher ABV slide.

* * *

White Birch Brewing's Berliner Weisse

Brewed: June 2, 2010

Batch: 1; Bottle: 786 of 1458

After chatting with Bill about the beer, my taste buds were primed and ready to crack open bottle I had in possession. With the recent heatwave we've been experiencing the past few days, this was a great complement to relaxing on the back porch enjoying the thermometer returning to more tolerable levels. 

The beer pours a faint straw color, but remains cloudy with a haze.  It produces a billowing white head which dissipates quickly down to the bubbling gold liquid.  A lactic burst is the first thing that hits the nose followed by a subtle wheat/malt undertone.  Hidden amongst the lactic is a faint wheat twang as well as a minor notes fruitiness and a slight hint of shellfish.

The taste reveals a citrus-like acidity and tartness with an underlying wheat and malt flavor.  A clean sourness, but not pungent, with no funk detected.  The wheat/malt resides until the mid-palate where it falls off leaving a pleasant tartness that slowly evaporates away.  The beer finishes very clean with a dryness and a lingering hint of citrus and lemon. 

Overall, the beer is a very refreshing, light, sour ale with enough tartness and clean sourness to cleanse the palate without fatiguing it.  Dry and clean, it leaves little behind other than a pleasurable essence of lemon sourness.  One sip just asks for another.

If you happen to be homebrewers like us, Bill offered these tips and tricks for those interested in trying their own interpretation of a Berliner Weisse:

I’d suggest 60% wheat malt, 40% pilsner, a very light hand with the hops and lacto. Don’t be afraid to step into the real wild bacteria. If you can make more than one style of beer at a time with different yeasts you can use wild “critters”.

I do recommend dedicated plastic for bottling and stronger bottles than standard 12 or 22oz bottles too.. Heck, if you think about it, wild yeasts are in the air and on everything. If basic sanitation lets us brew a beer without an infection then why not use a cultured “critter”.

I would certainly recommend anyone who find the beer to pick it up and try it.  If you've been fortunate to have any of White Birch's beers, let us know what you thought.

Slainte!

-The Wallace Brothers


“Don’t try to create someone else’s vision … do what you love and do it with passion. You’ll find your audience.”
-Bill Herlicka

The Session #40: Session Beers

Welcome to The Session – a collaboration of bloggers writing on a common beer-related topic.  For the month of June, Erik Lars Meyers from Top Fermented chose Session Beers as the collective topic to explore.  A round-up of all the blog posts will be posted in the near future.  You can read more about Beer Blogging Friday (“The Session”) over at the Brookston Beer Bulletin.

Session beer in the American Craft Brewing scene today is in a strange role-reversal position; they are almost a countercultural product.  Historically speaking, session beers were the drink of the masses.  They sat at the center of pub life and were the reason for the success or failure of public drinking establishments.  Their low alcohol strength and lower cost appealed to blue-collar workers slaking their thirst after a long day.  While brewers also made higher-gravity special beers, these were reserved for special occasions or special people (i.e. royalty).  But, the judge of a brewer’s success was the ability to produce quality session beer, as it paid the bills.

Here we find the enigma.  In the present day Craft Beer scene, brewers are judged by what was once only a special occasion beer - higher-gravity products.  Today's Craft Beer fans are typically most interested in bigger beers.  The brewers who recieve the most praise and accolades are those who are constantly pushing the boundaries ahead, looking for the next bigger and better beer.  This can be seen through obvious exapmles such as Brew Dog's  and Schorschbrau's  battle who has the title for the world’s strongest  beer, which at the time of this post is currently held by the 43% version of Schorschbock (43% ABV).   It is also visible on a less obvious scale, such as the massive increase in popularity in imperial and oak-aged beers.

To like full flavored session beers is counter to the current beer culture.  To actively pursue them and enjoy them makes you almost a rebel os sorts.  How is that for a role reversal?

Session beers have a rich history and importance in our collective beer culture.  They are challenging to brew and enjoyable to drink.  I hope that the session beer rebels can help brew masters remember the importance of the session styles and help pull the extreme and imperial beer trend back towards the middle.

Go out and be a rebel.

Cheers,

The Wallace Brothers


PS - Don't forget to join us next month as Lug Wrench Brewing hosts Session #41 where the topic is Craft Beers Inspired by Homebrewing.

Announcing Session #41: Craft Beers Inspired by Homebrewing

Welcome to The Session – a collaboration of bloggers writing on a common beer-related topic. Co-moderated by Stan Hieronymus at Appellation Beer and Jay Brooks at the Brookston Beer Bulletin, the Session takes place on the first Friday of each month. You can read more about Beer Blogging Friday (“The Session”) over at the Brookston Beer Bulletin.

While we are thrilled at the opportunity to host the 41st “Session” and enamored at the number of participants each month, we approached the act of selecting an appropriate topic with some trepidation. To us, the topic needs to be specific enough to give direction and inspiration, but not be overly constraining. It needed to be focused, but also general.  Demanding, yet welcoming.

As demonstrated in prior Sessions, topics typically come from the host's area of passion – something they have a strong affinity towards. For Tom and I, the real pathway in our appreciation of Craft Beer has been through the hobby of homebrewing. Not only has this hobby fostered yet another reason for two geographically-separated brothers to collaborate (the core concept for the Lug Wrench blog being “a fraternal bond over beer”), it was through homebrewing where we learned what makes a marginal beer and what makes an exceptional beer.  It was the lauching pad for how we came to admire (and sometimes fanaticize) about "good" beer.  So during our discussions of potential topics, the debate kept coming back to homebrewing and how craft beer is connected to the amateur brewing community.

In the end, it wasn't until we got a little friendly nudging by Stan and Jay that our topic for the 41st Session coalesced.  The chosen topic: Craft Beers Inspired By Homebrewing. How has homebrewing had an affect on the commercial beer we have all come to love?  Feel free to take the topic in any direction your imagination leads you.

Write about a beer that has its roots in homebrewing.  Write about a commercial beer that originated from a homebrew.

Write about a professional brewer you admire who got their start in homebrewing before they went pro. Write about a professional brewer who still homebrews in their free time.

Write about a Pro-Am beer tasted either at a festival or a brewpub. Write about an Amateur / Professional Co-op you’ve had the pleasure of experiencing (such as The Green Dragon Project).

Write about commercial brewers using “Homebrewing” as part of the marketing. Write about the Sam Adams LongShot beers, whether good or bad.

Write in the first person. Write in the third person. Have someone else write it for you.

Just write about it.

And on July 2nd, share your contribution with us (either as a comment to this announcement or to our post on that day).  If you don't have a regular blog, no problem - email your story to us and we'll be happy to post it for you.  Then after the first Friday in July has passed, we’ll round up all the contributions, add a little commentary, and post the collection for everyone to enjoy.

Don't just be a passive reader - be a contributor.

Lastly, a quick thanks goes out to Stan Hieronymus and Jay Brooks for organizing, instigating, and directing the Session for the past 3+ years.  Your guidance and perseverance are appreciated more than you probably know.

Slainte!

-The Wallace Brothers


"May your glass be ever full. May the roof over your head be always strong. And may you be in heaven half an hour before the devil knows you're dead."
-Old Irish Toast

The Session #39: Collaborations – The Mad Fermentationist and Lug Wrench Brewing

Welcome to The Session – a collaboration of bloggers writing on a common beer-related topic. For the month of May, Mario Rubio over at Brewed for Thought chose Collaborations as the collective topic to explore.  A round-up of all the blog posts can be found here.  You can read more about Beer Blogging Friday (“The Session”) over at the Brookston Beer Bulletin.

Collaborations are certainly a hot topic these days, permeating breweries and other peripheral beer communities – The Session being a prime example.  For beer bloggers, the concept of collaborating ... about blogging ... about beer ... many times ends up being an exercise in abstraction. What really gets accomplished?  What's the output?

A few months back, Tom and I were kicking around ideas of how to structure a blogging collaboration where we actually “do something” as opposed to just talking/writing.  The thought was to develop a collaborative gig which forces us to step away from the keyboard and go create something tangible.  Armed with the concept and a few ideas, we reached out to Mike Tonsmeire over at The Mad Fermentationist - a beer blog that both Tom and I admire.  While Mike was chest-deep in other projects, the “do something” notion must have resonated with him and a collaboration was born.

But what to collaborate on?  After several emails, we settled on Lug Wrench picking from Mike’s vast collection of recipes, brewing one or two beers on our system(s), and having all of us (Mike, Tom, and I) evaluate the result. How did our version compare against the original? How did the recipe hold up in another brewer’s hands? Mike further trumped the collaboration by offering to ship samples of his original beer (if it was available) for inspiration and side-by-side comparison.  The plan was set.

While the Pannepot clone was at the top the list, Tom and I delayed that brew until the next time we are able to brew together.  The inaugural beer would be the Foreign Export Stout – a recipe modeled after Pelican Pub & Brewery’s Tsunami Stout, which uses no crystal malts, focusing on base malt, roasted grains, and some flaked barely to tie it all together.  Mike's original batch unfortunately fell victim to an infection resulting in the whole batch being dumped.  As such, we're all interested to see how it would turn out.  

Lug Wrench’s attempt at the Foreign Export Stout was brewed back on April 10th with the recipe and notes are provided below.  After 18 days of primary fermentation, the jet-black nectar came out of the fermentor ready to be bottled.  Possessing a tremendously pleasant dark chocolate nose (think high-end boutique chocolate), the beer was still a bit 'green', requiring some more conditioning time to mellow and meld together.  However, the initial taste (albeit, warm and uncarbonated) revealed a complex dark malt character with a lot of potential.  Only time will tell.

At the time of this post going live, I've been able to ward off the temptation of cracking open a bottle and sneaking a taste.  Look for the first tasting results sometime at the end of May, when the three of us will be able to make a determination about how the beer came out.  I'm particularly interested to get Mike's thoughts and feedback from the bottles being mailed to him - did our version of his recipe live up to his original expectations?  Would a recipe tweak be warranted based on the results?  Was it worth all the effort?

With regards to our collaboration concept, I won’t speak for Mike, but from the Lug Wrench perspective the “do something” project has been worthwhile.  The cooperative effort sparked a considerable amount of healthy communication and we’ve got something tangible in the end.  The odds are very favorable of another Mad Fermentationist recipe being brewed and discussed again here in the future.

The Mad Fermentationist’s Foreign Export Stout - Our Take

Recipe Specifics

----------------
Batch Size (Gal): 5.5
Total Grain (Lbs): 14.51
OG: 1.068
FG: 1.020
SRM: 36.7
IBU: 67.5 (Rager)
ABV: 6.3%
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75 %
Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Grain/Extract/Sugar
---------------------
12.0 lbs. Maris Otter Pale Malt
1.00 lbs. Flaked Barley
0.75 lbs. Roasted Barley
0.38 lbs. Black Patent Malt
0.38 lbs. Chocolate Malt

Hops
-----
All hops are pellet hops
1.75 oz Northern Brewer (8.9% AA) at 60 minutes
0.80 oz Williamette (4.8% AA) at 20 minutes
0.80 oz Williamette (4.8% AA) at 10 minutes

Extras
-------
1.0 Tab Whirlfloc at 15 minutes
2 tsp Yeast Nutrient (Fermax)at 15 minutes
28 drops of Foam Control in the boil

Yeast
-----
WLP005 – British Ale Yeast (2L starter from slurry)

Mash Schedule
-------------
60 min at 152-3° F

Notes
-----
Brewed on 4/10/2010 by JW

No additions were added to the water.

Aeration accomplished via an aquarium pump and sanitary filter for ~30 minutes.

4/11/10 – Pitched entire yeast starter at 3am with fermentation temperature set at 61 degrees F. Added 7 drops of foam control into fermenter to prevent excessive blow off. Kicked off visible fermentation activity in < 12 hours.

4/14/10 – As activity showed signs of slowing, the fermentation temperature was ramped up 2 degrees/day until 66 degrees F to help finish the beer out.

4/25/10 – No real fermentation activity visible. Ramped fermentation temperature up to 68 degrees F in preparation for bottling.

4/28/10 – Racked beer onto priming sugar (~2.2 volumes CO2) and bottled. The beer is still a bit edgy/rough at bottling, so some conditioning time in the bottle is needed.

5/24/10 - After recieving several bottles, Mike (a.k.a. Mad Fermentationist) was able taste the results and give us feedback on the beer.  His comments, posted on his blog, can be found here.

5/30/10 - We had the opportunity to taste the beer allowing us to scribe these tasting notes.

* * *

Slainte!

-The Wallace Brothers


“This is grain, which any fool can eat, but for which the Lord intended a more divine means of consumption…Beer.”
-Friar Tuck

The Session #38: 'Fictitious' Cult Beers

Welcome to The Session – a collaboration of bloggers writing on a common beer-related topic once a month. For April, Sean Inman over at Beer Search Party chose “Cult Beers” as the collective topic to explore.  A round-up of all the blog posts for this topic can be found here.  You can read more about Beer Blogging Friday (“The Session”) over at the Brookston Beer Bulletin.

The topic du mois for April’s Beer Blogging Friday covered Cult Beers, or as Sean mused, “what beer or beers that I would get up at 4:00 in the morning, drive across state lines, stand in a long unmoving line in the cold and rain for a change to taste with a crowd the size of Woodstock?” The short answer for both Tom and I would have to be No - there isn’t such a beer out there that engender such a fanatical quest. Sure I get excited when I get my mitts on a Black Albert or a rare bottle of Cantillon, but not enough to go on an Easy Rider-esque road trip.  As we ruminated on last month, what excites us the most about beer is not neccessarily the contents of the bottle, but the intertwined social connections that result from the love of beer.

Of course, no one wants to be the sour mash that stinks up the mood of the collective effort, so we thought we’d take a bit more of a lighthearted approach as our contribution to Session #38. Here is a look at some of the fictitious “cult beers” that have become part of American popular culture. These are beer brands that have never truly been available for public consumption, but they have still engender a cult-like following.

Pawtucket Patriot Ale (Family Guy). Maybe it is because I live 40 minutes away from the location of this fictitious brewery (Pawtucket, RI), but I’ve always had a love for the brand. Sure it is a knock-off of Sam Adams, but anyone who is a fan of Family Guy would recognize and appreciate this label. Hell, you can buy T-shirts, pint glasses, boxer shorts, etc – all for an imaginary product.

BenderBrau Cold-Fusion Steam Beer (Futurama). While it doesn’t have the same brand recognition as the other fictional beers on this list, Cold-Fusion is a cult favorite amongst the die hard fans of Futurama (rivaled by the likes of Olde Fortran Malt Liquor and a certain other beer making an appearance below).  Besides, what a great freakin name.

Girlie Girl Beer (Married With Children).  The favorite suds of the legedary Al Bundty, Girlie Girl Beer was also the official beverage of NO MA'AM - the National Organization of Men Against Amazonian Masterhood), a pro-male activist group whos meetings were held in Al's garage.  As a symbol of protest for oppressed, suburban husbands in Bundty's neighborhood, Girlie Girl and NO MA'AM gave the guys a glimmer of hope that the free-willed bachelors they used to be had not been completely driven from them.

Löbrau Beer (Futurama). Yeah, another Futurama ‘product.’ While not as popular as the Futurama beers listed above, this one has such a great ‘give the finger to industrial beers’ attitude that it had to make the list.

Bender: Ahh beer. So many choices, and it makes so little difference.
Fry: How about Löbrau? It has dots on it.

Butterbeer (Harry Potter). Ok, while there is a bit of a nerdy side to this reference, Butterbeer is featured during many of the important events in the Harry Potter series giving the beer a sort of brand recognition for fans of the books.  The beer itself  is the low alcohol drink favored by students at Hogwarts School of Wizardry.  

Duff Beer (The Simpsons). Arguably the king of fictitious beer brands.  Its one of the few fictitious beers that have crossed over and been brewed in the real world, even if it was just a gimmick.  Beyond just the beer, Duff has generated a merchandising arm that generates millions of dollars.  And beyond that, it has a brand identity that trancends almost any beer seen in today's craft beer market.  Sad really...


There are probably hundreds of other fictional beer brands out there that have enough of a fan base to be considered ‘cult’ beers. Let us know your favorite.

Slainte!

-The Wallace Brothers


“I’m going to drink till I reboot!”
-Bender

The Session #37: When To Drink The Good Stuff

Welcome to The Session – a collaboration of bloggers writing on a common beer-related topic. For March, Greg Norris over at The Ferm chose “The Display Shelf: When To Drink The Good Stuff” as the collective topic to explore. A round-up of all blog posts for this topic can be found here.  You can read more about Beer Blogging Friday (“The Session”) over at the Brookston Beer Bulletin.

Let’s face it, we all have at least one – an uber special bottle hidden away. We guard it. We brag about it. But when do we actually drink it? There’s this drawn-out enjoyment of holding onto that special treasure; a lingering anticipation for the day it will be sampled.  But the build-up can overshadow the contents of the bottle.  So much so that finding the appropriate moment to memorialize this treasured brew can take on a life of its own.

If we peel back the layers of this materialistic obsession, it seems as if we are more afraid to lose our prize then to actually enjoy it – only the most memorable occasions are worth breaking it's seal. Is this how its supposed to be?  No. The priority should be just the opposite: to celebrate the event, not the bottle.  Celebrate being surrounded by good friends and family. Celebrate making it through the day without getting a flat tire.  Just celebrate.

There is a scene from the movie Sideways that examplifies this misdirected obsession we can all be guilty of.  Paul Giamatti’s character, a depressed wine aficionado, has a cherished bottle of 1961 Chateau Cheval Blanc wine (valued at >$1000 per bottle) that he has been holding onto for a monumental occasion – an occasion his life has yet to yield. He laments about finding the right occasion that would justify uncorking such a bottle. In the end, the main female lead convinces him that just possessing such a treasure is reason enough to celebrate.  Nothing more is needed to justify opening and enjoying it. This thread in the movie ends with the scene of Giamatti sitting alone in a no-name fast food joint drinking the ultra expensive wine out of a foam coffee cup.  And his character couldn't be more content. 

Family and friends have always been a staple reason for celebrating. As many readers may know, the two authors of this blog are brothers who, unfortunately, live more than 500 miles from each other. Due to this geographical handicap, only once or twice a year are we able to get the families together and question why we really do live so far apart. But during these visits, we live it up. We break out the goodies from our cellars. Old, new, good, bad – it all comes out to be shared with the best of friends. Neither of us live affluent lifestyles, but it’s during these visits that we get to experience some of the true treasures of life.

It’s also inevitable that we strive to get in a brew session during these visits (much to the chagrin of our wives) as a means to collaborate and brew up a souvenir. Not only is there enjoyment in the actual brewing, but the fruits of the labor give us something hold onto and cherish. We typically focus on higher gravity, cellar-squatter type beers for these sessions, as the intent is to lay them down for a long period of time – to add them to the library of 'Good Stuff' that we’ll raid and taste the next time we are fortunate enough to be in the same town again.

How to sum up this little rant: life is about the experiences and memories that are accumulated along the way, not the material possessions - celebrate those moments whenever you can.

Slainte!

-The Wallace Brothers


“I have taken more out of alcohol than alcohol has taken out of me.”
-Winston Churchill

Beer Blogging Friday Session #41 To Be Hosted By Lug Wrench

Just a quick note - it was announced today that the 41st Session (July 2010) of Beer Blogging Friday's (aka "The Session") will be hosted by the Lug Wrench Brewing Co.  We haven't decided on a topic yet for the collaborative blogging event, but we're both excited about the opportunity to host.

As we're discussing possible topics, if you happen to have any suggestions, we'd love to hear them.

Slainte!

-The Wallace Brothers


“It takes Beer to make thirst worthwhile.”
-German Proverb

The Session #36: Kellerbier – Cask Conditioned Lagers

Welcome to The Session – a collaboration of bloggers writing on a common beer-related topic. For February, Thomas Cizauskas over at Yours for Good Fermentables chose Cask-Conditioned Ales as the collective topic to explore. A round-up of all blog posts for this topic can be found here.  You can read more about Beer Blogging Friday (“The Session”) over at the Brookston Beer Bulletin. 

This month’s Session topic lines right up with an existing blog post that I had been kicking around in the background for some time. As part of our blog’s exploration of Niche Beer Styles, one particular style that I’ve had my eye on for some time was called out during Thomas’s announcement of the topic – “can lagers be cask-conditioned”. The answer: hell yeah! The Germans have been doing it since the Middle Ages in the form of Kellerbier.

Hailing primarily from the Franconian region of German, Kellerbiers are unfiltered, unpasteurized, cask conditioned lagers typically served via gravity pours in local German watering holes. In fact, the style has even been reported to be ranked as one of the most popular beers served in the beer gardens around Bavaria. But this of course begs the question, if it’s so popular over there, why is this German cask beer a relative obscurity here in the States? The reality is Kellerbiers are an unstable beer with a short shelf life and an aversion to traveling. Being unfiltered, the yeast will eventually break down causing the beer to deteriorate. As such, Kellerbier is typically reserved for the local market around the small, local breweries that produce it.

Kellerbiers are brewed to the similar strengths as a Marzen (5-5.5% ABV) resulting in a non-sweet malt character with hints of nuttiness. Liberally dosed with aromatic noble hops, the beer is both balanced and drinkable. After being brewed and completing primary fermentation, Kellerbier is traditionally placed in wooden casks where it lagers and matures for several months at cool temperatures. When ready for distribution, the beer is rolled out and served right from the cask it matured in. The casks are typically left unbunged resulting in minimal carbonation, and, like the other cask beers, it allows the ambient environment to work its way into the cask to add its unique character to the beer. The cask conditioning “mellow-ness” further adds to the beer’s perceived dry, drinkable finish.

The US market rarely sees a traditional Kellerbier – most examples have deviated from authenticity in the trade-off to reach the larger population. The quintessential imported Kellerbier here in North America is probably the St. Georgen Brau Kellerbier, brewed in the Buttnheim brewery since 1624. The St. Georgen Brau beer has been labeled as “a happy medium between authenticity and the dictates of modernity” (BYO, 2005). St. Georgen Brau cask conditions in oak casks the traditional way, but used a modern, oxygen eliminating bottling line to stabilize the product for long distance distribution.

Of course other examples can be found in the US, although most are reserved for limited or special release batches from the brewery or brewpub. Brooklyn Brewery’s Brooklyn Keller Hells, Harpoon’s 100 Barrel Series Kellerbier, and Devils Backbone Brewing Co.’s Natural Born Keller are all examples you could seek out, although you may need a little luck to find them.

For those of us who are of the homebrewing bent, brewing a Kellerbier yourself allows you to enjoy this beer style ‘gem’ while eliminates its biggest deterrents – the short shelf life. As a place to jump off from, we’ve listed below is slightly modified version of a Kellerbier recipe from the November 2005 issue of BYO magazine. Why not give it a try?

Caveman Kellerbier
(5 gallons, all-grain)

OG = 1.056, FG = 1.014, IBU = 35, SRM = 15, ABV = 5.4%

Ingreditents
8.0 lbs (3.6 kg) German Pilsner Malt
3.75 lbs (1.7 kg) Munich Malt
2 cups French oak chips (light to medium toast)
8 AAU Hallertauer Mittelfruh or Hersbrucker hop (bittering) (2oz of 4% alpha acid)
1.5 oz Hallertauer Mittelfruh or Hersbruker (flame-out)
Southern German Lager Yeast (i.e. WLP838, Wyeast 2206)

Step-by-Step
Prior to brew day, make an “oak chip tea” by mixing 2 cups of oak chips to 180°F water. Cover and let it cool off – keep refrigerated at least overnight. Save the oak tea until pitching time.

On brew day, either a traditional multi-step infusion mash (122°F dough in for 30 minutes, 148°F for 15 minutes, 156°F for 15 minutes, 170°F mash-out) or a 152 -154°F single infusion mash should be carried out. Sparge until adequate pre-boil volume (pre-boil gravity should be 1.050). Boil for 90 minutes, adding the bittering addition 15 minutes into the boil. At flame-out, add the aroma/flavor hops. Cool the wort down to pitching temp (48°F). Strain out the oak chips from the tea and add the oak tea into the fermentor. Pitch enough healthy yeast, aerate, and hold the temperature at 48°F for primary fermentation (~2-3 weeks). Rack the beer to a clean carboy and raise the temperature for 2 days to perform a diacetyl rest. Rack the beer again, but do not prime it. Let it mature unpressurized for about two months at typical cellar temperatures. Do not rack again – serve and enjoy.

If you’ve been lucky enough to have a good example of the Kellerbier style, please let us know about it.

Slainte!

-The Wallace Brothers


“Beer…because none of the world’s problems were ever solved with white wine.”
-Karl Wichmann