Ales to Lagers

Opening a Wine, Beer, and Spirits Shop

2011-11-03T13:32:00.000-07:00

I posted a few weeks ago somewhat about my transition from working for the devil to being asked to come on and help open a new shop specializing in unique wine, beers, and spirits. This won't go fully in depth into the whole opening process, more of the planning and "opening" side rather than the monetary/legal side as I am not the owner and I am just on payroll like anyone else. I just want to share the experience of opening up something special.

freesourcecode.com

In the beginning of August this year I quit my old discount liquor store job knowing that in a few short weeks I would be hired on to run a smaller more upscale boutique liquor store. There was something about choosing to leave running 26 beer doors and a walk in to run a shop with 6 beers doors. Without going in specifics it was becoming so miserable with the new boss that I knew I wouldn't ever regret it.

About mid August we started planning out the layout of the store. The location had previously been a Liquor store but it was old and out dated and the inside needed to be gutted. Everything from the floors to the ceiling was replaced.

kaynou.files.wordpress.com

The old Beer/Wine cooler was the only thing that was kept the same, although only having 6 beer doors there is a good sized walk in behind the cooler shelves that allow space for a huge amount of bomber beer which I was very excited about. This is a more upscale area and it caters to more unique finds. I do not have any Busch, Keystone, Colt 45, etc. A few BMC facings and that's about the lowest I go.

Luckily I had been in the business before, well obviously I probably wouldn't have gotten the job if I hadn't, but I already knew the ins, outs, and what have yous. Meg (Wine/Liquor) and myself (Beer/Liquor) set up our office at a table outside the Starbucks and started contacting distributor reps to decide our opening orders. For the next few weeks we talked to reps, looked over item/price lists, and tasted a ton of wine. Some days all we did was taste wine. One of the perks of this industry is that in order to sell the buyer a product you pretty much need to know about what you are buying for the store. Reps come in, you bust out the glasses and get down to business. On the beer side of things it's even better, instead of just a little pour the reps bring in whole bottles and I can take them home and drink the whole thing. That's the thing about beer, you have to be able to swallow the whole taste to get an idea and I am happy to take home anything and try it once!

www.activebeergeek.com

After thoroughly doing the "research" we got down to business making up our opening orders. We decided what was right and what was wrong to have in the store and adhered to the budget constraints of filling the store but not over filling for the slower first few months of business. The waiting game was a head of us for the racks, registers, and all the other odds and ends to arrive and to get put in there proper places. We ordered custom wine racks and they arrived in pieces, luckily the contractor was still around to help us assemble them as Meg and I could have probably succeeded in doing it but it would have taken us a month rather than 3 days. The next set of pictures shows the three days of assembly.

We had a few days for a breather and then after the long labor day weekend it was back to business finishing up and trying to get open. We had to wait around for the computer guys to install our components and software. When we knew it was time to set some delivery dates we went ahead and had our reps punch the opening orders and then it was go time. This wasn't my first store opening so I was prepared for the work to come. Luckily in this business most suppliers will come in and help you do the dirty work of getting things on the shelves. Obviously they want to get their products in the most shopped areas on racks and so forth.

As you can see I had my dog Ellie help out in the process.

After getting the store set, obviously with a few set backs and other issues which don't need mentioning as any start up business has it's share of issues we were faced with the most daunting task...It was time to enter all of the new product into the POS system. Yes that's right, we had to enter all 1000+ facings into the computer system so we could ring up and do all those fancy things like sell product. This took us about 3-4 14 hour days but we did it and we were ready to open.

So I must say, this was the short, short, short version of opening up a shop, I guess I should add a disclaimer that there is A LOT more that goes into it and this shouldn't be used as a template. I just wanted to share some of the experience. So then of course I must "plug" the store. Anyone in the Denver area come in and say hi! You can find the address, phone, etc from the links below. Check us out at:

Cherry Hills Wine Shop Website

Cherry Hills Wine Shop Blog

Facebook

Twitter

Yelp Listing

Beer Review: Rogue Brewing John John Juniper Pale Ale

2011-10-10T10:13:00.000-07:00

Rogue John John Juniper

Style:

Barrel aged Food Pairing: Pork, Hot & Spicy

Tasting Notes:
A hint of cucumber and a Sprucey note in the aroma followed by a Juniper bite mid palate finishing with a soft oakiness.
11 Ingredients:
Harrington, Crystal, Triumph, C-15 & Rogue Micro Barley Farm Dare™ malts.
Styrian, Golding, Amarillo & Rogue Hopyard Willamette hops.Juniper

Berries Pacman Yeast & Free Range Coastal Water.

Specs:

13º PLATO
34 IBU
77 AA
3.2º Lovibond

Appearance: Pours a hazy gold with a very small amount of head. Slight white ring around the glass.

Aroma: Sweet citrus fruits like orange and tangerine. A slight pale malt and a hint of ginger ends it out. As the beer warms a bit of juniper/pine comes out of the aroma.

Flavor: Great up front balanced bitterness strong on the grapefruit. Hints of caramel and nuts fill the middle leading into a piney goodness that ends pretty soft.
Mouthfeel: Very smooth, medium body with medium carbonation.

Overall: This is my first time trying this and I must say it is spectacular. I am not huge on the juniper usually but I thought it complimented a great pale ale very well. What I liked most is what the spruce barrels brought to the picture. The end pineyness always goes well with American hops. hops. The additions are not too over the top however, and it is not like you are sipping on a bottle of gin. The pale ale component is well balanced and has the right amount of malt and hops. I give this one an A.

The Perks of the Job

2011-10-08T13:45:00.000-07:00

So as some of you know, or that have been following know, that I pretty much took my passion for something and made it into a job. For those of you that don't, about a year and a half ago I started this blog while I was sitting in a cubicle at a finance company in downtown Denver. I was so sick and tired of going into work and staring at a computer screen doing something that wasn't interesting or anything near amusing in any way. I decided to take a chance, (and a paycut) to take on a job at a larger format liquor store in the beer department. In a little over 4 months I was promoted to Beer Manager and our store moved to a new location where I was able to manage 26 beer doors and a walk in beer cooler. I was flying high, I got to go to work and talk about beer all day!

All of a sudden the GMs that hired me quit to persue other ventures and the new guy came in. I would call him Lucifer but that would be too nice. Being the owners brother there was really nothing I could do to change the situation. The man took away everything fun about working in this industry. No more tastings, no more events, no more handselling, and no more fun. I was starting to regret taking the pay cut.

But then ALAS light at the end of the tunnel. A former co-worker at my store, that "Imperial Lucifer" had pretty much hired to fire, called me up and asked if I wanted to run a new smaller scale upperclass liquor store. More money and benefits now? Sign me up!

So where am I going with all this? Well after about a month or so of doing everything there is to do to open up a store (I will have a post on this at some point in the near future) we opened and my brewery representatives started coming in. As beer geeks should know the Great American Beer Festival is held right here in Denver, Colorado. Oskar Blues Brewery was putting on an event and being in the position that I am in, I was invited to take part in this amazing ride. Camera crews were present for the local news/magazine and captured our drunken escapades. Check it out:

Here is another article from Metromix with a slideshow:

http://denver.metromix.com/bars-and-clubs/standard_photo_gallery/the-oskar-blues-ordeal/2841920/content

Great find: Buying a Chick a Beer

2011-10-05T13:04:00.000-07:00

Isn't it every guy beer geek's ultimate woman if she can slang them back with the best of em? Or even better if she goes up to the bartender and orders a Maharaja IIPA or an Old Rasputin Imperial Stout, hell it doesn't even have to be an imperial just anything that doesn't have a TV sized marketing budget...

Well I came across this lovely little number with some good tips on taking that first step....ENJOY!

http://foodbytes.blogs4businesses.com/wp-content/uploads/howtobuyachickabeer.pdf

Beer Review: Plank Dunkler Weizenbock

2011-10-04T18:38:00.000-07:00

yes, tis true people I am back....it's been a good while but now with a new job its time to start putting some posts up again. Today I am posting about one of my favorite German Breweries distributed out here in lovely Colorado.

Plank Bier Dunkler Weizenbock

Appearance: Pours a clear brown with a fluffy off white head. Head retains at about 3 to 4 fingers.

Aroma: Very malt driven aroma with a lot of bread. Slight undertones of pepper, toast, and a slight nuttiness. Raisin and currant also present.

Flavor: Malty sweet up front leading to a bit of toast and pecan. The middle of the sip has a drying quality sweetness lingers throughout. A strong presence of bread covered in caramel. Dried fruit present but not over powering. Raisin and fig dominant in these dried fruit flavors.

Mouthfeel: Low carbonation with medium to high body. Very smooth beer. Glides over the tongue like silk.

Overall: An excellent beer; what I have come to expect from Michael Plank. Esters and phenols not present as you would expect from a german unfiltered wheat beer. This is a perfect beer for the fall as the leaves change and the temps start to drop.

Send Grant to Germany!

2011-06-20T08:15:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time dream of mine to head to one of the brewing capitals of the world. I am planning a trip to Germany in early spring to discover the roots of brewing. My whole trip will be documented and posted on this blog. Alas though, this will be an extremely expensive trip, one that I will be asking friends and family to help me out with. If you would like to see this come to fruition I have created a donation link. Anything helps! I will post periodically about the trips progress! Thanks!

Beer distribution

2010-10-29T12:54:00.000-07:00

I ran across a great article on a fellow beer lover's blog. It deals with beer distribution and how it really hurts the little guy. Check it out and complete the survey, we need to join together to get the three tiered system changed.

http://www.softwareadvice.com/articles/distribution/wheres-my-beer-1102610/

I want to add, obviously I haven't been posting much at all recently. I want everyone to know that I am trying to get back on track but I recently was promoted to Beer Manager at my store. I pretty much go to work then do some "research" when I get home. I'm lucky to do this job in a state where it is allowed that breweries can self distribute to liquor stores but things still need to change.

Great American Beer Festival - From the Other Side

2010-09-22T12:18:00.000-07:00

So over the weekend I did something that I had never done before. Don't get me wrong, living in Denver I have been to the Great American Beerfest plenty of times, but this time I volunteered. If you are unfamiliar with the GABF then I am guessing that you're probably not much of a beer geek.

The GABF is the largest beer festival in America; where American breweries can showcase their beers and compete against other breweries around the country. It is not only for the little guys, the big three compete as well. The only stipulation is that the brewery must be located in our great nation.

Imagine a large convention center filled with rows and rows of tables. Upon those tables are pitcher after pitcher of beers brewed from coast to coast. Upon entry you are given a tasting glass where you can taste as little or as many beers that you want. You get the idea...

I was chosen to pour in the Rocky Mountain region and wound up standing in front of New Planet Brewing out of Boulder, Colorado. I am not gluten intolerant nor do I follow a gluten free lifestyle, however I found it quite the perfect match seeing as I want to bring in more gluten free variety to my store and I had never run across their beer before.

About 15 minutes before doors opened our team captains came by and said we could start filling the pitchers and taste some of the beers from our region. Quite a necessary step when hundreds of people are going to come up to you and ask about a beer you may have never even tasted before. I was expecting something not quite up to my liking with what I was pouring but was greatly impressed with my tasting of the New Planet offerings. Tread Lighty was a nice light summery ale that was much better than some of the other gluten free offerings I have tasted before, and their 3R Raspberry Ale was a fruit beer that was perfectly done. The raspberry flavor was fresh and slightly tart and didn't leave a syrupy sweet feeling as a lot of fruit beers tend to do. This is a beer that would easily sell to the masses that can consume gluten. I tasted some others around my area and got ready for the crowds to rush in.

The hoards of beer lovers began to show up in front of the table and the pouring began. 1 ounce and 1 ounce only was really the only rule to follow and it was one of the easiest jobs I have done. The best part about volunteering is that you are allowed breaks where you can go and try beers from different regions.

I was able to meet some great people. Not only the costumed masses, (above was a couple completely covered in denim) but was able to network with some of the brewers competing at the event. Pedro and Seneca Gonzalez, the owner/brewers of New Planet were probably some of the nicest people I have ever met. Pedro being extremely sensitive to gluten, left his former life as a non-profit accountant to live his dream of brewing great beer for the people who share his love of beer but cannot drink it. Not even a year in they have grown greatly. Not too long ago they were selling the beer out of the back of his truck but now have established themselves with a local distributor and are growing greatly in this region. As I can attest to, good things happen to great people. Pedro and Seneca walked away with a Bronze medal for their 3R Raspberry Ale in the Gluten Free category. The most amazing part is this beer was only released to the public in the last few months. I am excited to try to gluten free pale ale they were telling me about; it is being developed and will be released shortly.

It was a great experience and will probably only volunteer at the GABF from now on. My favorite beer from the day was probably The Lost Abbey's Red Poppy Ale but I pretty much enjoyed everything I was able to try. The only disappointment about the festival is I think the medals should be a little bigger (Seneca is wearing theirs in the above picture).

Click here for a list of winners at the GABF

Beer Review: Left Hand Brewing Co - Oktoberfest

2010-09-15T10:25:00.000-07:00

Oktoberfest

This beer is available each autumn in celebration of the great Bavarian festival season. Brewed in late spring and cellared throughout the summer, our Oktoberfest is produced through traditional methods as it has been for centuries in Germany, This copper-hued lager owes its rich malt flavor to a generous combination of select Vienna and Munich malts. Cool, open-fermentation develops a subtle elegance and drinkability suited to any festive occasion.
2000 to 2009 vintages - 6% abv
2010 vintage - 6.6% abv

Appearance: Pours a crystal clear and perfect copper color. Head starts at about one finger but reduces to just over the head leaving a nice thick white layer over the top. Carbonation bubbles dance their way up sustaining the head.

Aroma: Very rich malt aroma highlighting toasty, bready, and subdued caramel malts. Some earthiness is evident but no hop nose can be found. A tiny bit of sweet fruit can also be picked up in the nose. A very nice smelling malt driven beer.

Flavor: Flavor is a bit more subdued than I expected after smelling this beer. Malt and bread are the most dominate profile in this beer. Toastiness makes itself present near the middle of the sip, while caramel malts and noble hops are the undertone throughout. Slight hop bitterness drys this beer out as the sip ends.

Mouthfeel: Low body with medium carbonation. Somewhat watery but broken up with a carbonic bite.

Overall: Seems like a pretty typical American style Oktoberfest. The beer is malt driven and showcases the profiles of Munich and Vienna malts. The body is a bit low for the style and would benefit somewhat from a little more residual sugars. I like that this beer is pretty dry, which may be a small reason why the body lacks. Something I would probably pick up over Sam Adams Oktoberfest but have tasted better festbiers from other American breweries.

Beer Review: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co - Tumbler

2010-09-14T09:24:00.000-07:00

Tumbler

As the nights grow cool, the leaves on the valley oaks begin to turn and fall. In honor of this yearly dance, we bring you Tumbler Autumn Brown Ale and invite you to enjoy the show. We use malt within days of roasting at the peak of its flavor to give Tumbler a gracefully smooth malt character. So pour a glass, and grab a window seat to watch as the leaves come tumbling down.

alcohol content: 5.5% by volume	yeast: Ale Yeast
beginning gravity: 13.6 Plato	bittering hops: Challenger
ending gravity: 3.5 Plato bitterness units: 37	finishing hops: Challenger & Yakima Goldings
malts: Two-row Pale, Crystal, Chocolate & Smoked

Appearance: Pours a nice brown, a little bit lighter than a Hershey bar. Crystal clear with a slightly off white head that sticks at about one finger. The lacing is stupendous and sticks around the full rim of the glass.

Aroma: The aroma is a little light but malt driven. Roasted, nutty, and some sweet caramel show themselves. A tinge bit of smoke reminds me of sitting by a wood burning stove.

Flavor: Flavor very much resembles the nose. There is more flavor than the aroma would suggest, starting off with rich roasted malt and some sweet caramel. Toasted nuts covered in slightly burnt sugar start to come forward near the middle of the sip. Earthy somewhat herbal hops are also present which balance very very well with the profile of this beer. The sip ends with a touch of sweetness and a touch of smoke.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with low carbonation. Feels fluffy in the mouth and goes down smooth.

Overall: I was once angry with Sierra Nevada for discontinuing their Spring ESB for the (not as good) Glissade bock. They have redeemed themselves to me with this new Fall offering. Out of every Fall seasonal I have reviewed these past few days, this is the one that really exemplifies the Fall season. With each sip I can imagine the trees starting to turn and the neighbors starting to burn their leaf piles. The touch of smoke is what I really think puts this beer over the edge. Smoked malt is a touchy thing to play with but they really got it right in this beer. I highly recommend going out and getting yourself a 6 pack of this, so you can try it for yourself.

Beer Review: Boulevard Brewing Company - Bob's '47 Oktoberfest

2010-09-11T10:55:00.000-07:00

Bob's '47 Oktoberfest

Our fall seasonal beer, Bob’s ’47 Oktoberfest is a medium-bodied, dark amber brew with a malty flavor and well-balanced hop character. With this Munich-style lager we salute our friend Bob Werkowitch, Master Brewer and graduate of the U.S. Brewer’s Academy, 1947.

Color (EBC)	29.5
Bitterness (IBUs)	27
Original Gravity (Plato)	13.6
Terminal Gravity (Plato)	2.6
Alcohol (ABV)	5.8%
CO₂ - Bottles	2.6 vol. (5.1 g/L)
CO₂ - Kegs	2.5 vol. (5.0 g/L)

Appearance: Pours Amber to a very light brown with a head at almost a finger. Head quickly dissipates to almost nothing. Carbonation bubbles break the stillness at the top.

Aroma: Aroma is filled with caramel, toffee, and some nuttiness comes through. Bready notes are subdued with malt and butterscotch showing themselves.

Flavor: A very caramel malt focused beer. Toffee, butterscotch, peanuts, honey, maple syrup, and bread can all be detected. Bitterness becomes evident at the end and rounds out the high amount of sweet malt. The beer finishes lager crisp but sweet. A slight bit of noble and earthy hop flavor can be distinguished near the end.

Mouthfeel: Medium body. with medium to high carbonation. Creamy until carbonic bite breaks it up.

Overall: Not perfectly to style if judging by BJCP standards. Rather than bready/toasty/malty grain, this beer really showcases caramel malts. Carbonation is also a bit high for the style. When looking away from style this beer is quite interesting for those who like sweeter beers. Seems to me somewhat like an english brown without the dark malts and with crisp lager characteristics. I like it and think it is one of the better offerings from Boulevard.

Beer Review: New Belgium Brewery - Hoptober

2010-09-10T10:55:00.000-07:00

Hoptober

Five hops and four malts make Hoptober Golden Ale a veritable cornucopia of the earth. Pale and wheat malt are mashed with rye and oats to create a medium-bodied ale with a creamy mouthfeel.
Centennial, Cascade, Sterling, Willamette, and Glacier hops form a bonfire of citrus notes, fruity cheers and a bold finale.

Seasonal: August, September, October.
40 IBU
6% ABV

Appearance: Crystal clear and golden in color. Large rocky white head diminishes to a half of finger with around the rim lacing.

Aroma: Sweet fruit hop aroma touching on apricots and tangerines. Light touch of bread malt and wheat.

Flavor: Strong citrus hop punch up front. The bitterness is subtle and very nice. I taste exotic fruits like pineapple and something like mango on top of a strong citrus component of tangerine and orange. Smooth malt goodness is apparent in the middle of the sip. The beer finishes crisp almost like a lager. Very refreshing.

Mouthfeel: Low to medium body with medium carbonation. Somewhat creamy with a slight carbonic prickle.

Overall: Something out of the ordinary for a fall seasonal beer. Very refreshing and will get you through that transition period from Summer to Fall. The best thing about this beer is that it showcases hop flavor and not much of the bitterness. The malts accentuate the hop goodness and it leaves you wanting another bottle. Probably my favorite of all of New Belgium's beer lineup.

Beer Review: Avery Brewing Co - The Kaiser

2010-09-09T10:42:00.000-07:00

The Kaiser

Beer Style: Imperial Oktoberfest Lager
Hop Variety: Magnum, Sterling, Tettnang, Hersbrucker
Malt Variety: Two-row barley, Vienna, Munich 10L, m-100, aromatic
OG: 1.080 ABV: 9.3 abv IBUs: 24
Color: Copper
Availability: One vintage brewed and bottled August 1st of each year. 22oz. bombers, 1/6BBL and 1/2BBL kegs.

The Kaiser sonce said, "Give me a woman who loves beer and I will conquer the world." If the Kaiser and his significant other had tipped this bottle, we'd all be "sprechenden Deutsch!" We took all that is good in a traditional Oktoberfest - gorgeous, deep copper sheen, massive malty backbone and spicy, floral, pungent noble hops - then intensified each into this, an Imperial Oktoberfest.

Appearance: Pours a beautiful copper that is crystal clear. Off white head rises strongly but then falls to almost nothing with minimal lacing.

Aroma: Toasty, biscuity malt up front leading into faint floral and noble hops. Strong bread like component throughout.

Flavor: Toasted bread and thick malt dominate the profile. Hints of dark fruit and burnt sugar also present in the profile. Noble hop presence is there, slightly floral and pleasant. Focused towards the malt but the hop bitterness does a nice job of not making it too much.

Mouthfeel: High body with medium carbonation. Thick and chewy with a small carbonic bite at the end.

Overall: Such a great fall beer. Avery, known for taking beers to the next level, has succeeded in making a traditional Oktoberfest take steroids. I really would like to know what a German native would think of this. American's have already ramped up the traditional Oktoberfest that you can get on draft in Germany. I have set a bottle of this aside to age, and look forward to it next year.

Beer Review: Hofbräu München Oktoberfest

2010-09-08T10:55:00.000-07:00

So by American standards the end of summer is after Labor Day has passed. The winds start to bring in colder air and the corner stores start to put up there Halloween swag. And of course around this time of year breweries start to release their Fall seasonals. I began seeing these start popping up at my store a few weeks ago and had to explain that breweries can't sit on their stock and have to get this stuff out the door so they can start brewing up their winter seasonals. I figure this would be a good time to do some reviews of some of these great fall seasonals. The most widespread style would be Oktoberfest/Marzen beer but darker richer beers also come into play when the light and/or fruity lawnmower beers are making their way out. This will probably go into next week and I will finish up with a post of my favorites in order.

Oktoberfest

The Oktoberfest originated in 1810 in Munich, Germany, as a wedding celebration for the Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria. This product was created especially for the event and is brewed usually for the Oktoberfest, now the largest beer festival in the world. Hofbräu München is one of the selected group of breweries granted privilege of supplying the Oktoberfest with their products. Using the highest quality ingredients, HB's Oktoberfest Specialty has it's own distinctive and unmistakable taste.

Appearance: Pours crystal clear with a large white head that dissipates to a half of finger. Golden straw to light amber in color.

Aroma: Malty/grainy aroma that seems a tinge sweet with a hint of corn. Rounding it out is a spicy and grassy hop aroma.

Flavor: Bready and what seems to be a graham cracker like sweetness. The middle of the sip is malty sweet with a little hop presence. Towards the end of the sip there is a slight noble hop flavor and bitterness. Finishes semi sweet with some mineral undertones.

Mouthfeel: Low body with medium carbonation. A little watery with a small amount of prickly carbonation.

Overall: This would be more towards a Vienna Lager here in America but a very nice version of a traditional German Oktoberfest. We tend to think of Oktoberfests' should be "in your face" malt but this is refreshing and gives a good lager character. This seemed to be shipped well even with the green glass. Great for a hot September day.

Recipe of the week: Pumpkin Ale - Brew Day

2010-09-01T12:01:00.000-07:00

So it is getting to the time of year to start thinking about fall beers. For the past 4 years I have been doing a Pumpkin ale cause that's the thing to do. Last year I pulled a 3rd place medal for this beer at the Peterson Air force Base Homebrew Competition. This is one of those recipes that is pretty much the same from the first time I designed it. There have been tweaks here and there but what I was going for in the first place is still the base.

Like most pumpkin ales I thought about pumpkin pie and what I liked about it. The best pumpkin pie is spiced, but not too much, and the crust brings and toasty, bready, graham like greatness to it. The most important part of all is that the pumpkin is evident and you are not just tasting spice.

I think I may be the first to use pumpkin in this way in the brewing process. I have not heard of anyone else using the process that I do and try to tell people that it seems to do the trick of giving you some actual pumpkin flavor.

Some people will tell you that using pumpkin is useless and it's the spice that gives a pumpkin ale it's characteristics...well, I am in the boat that says using actual pumpkin does give some sort of depth and if I am going to call it a pumpkin ale then I am going to use pumpkin.

This year there were a few tweaks from last year. One that I meant to make was that I changed the American 2-row malt to British Maris Otter malt in the same amount. One that was not planned is that instead of using plain pumpkin from the can, I had a few cans of Pumpkin pie mix in the cabinet that were bought by mistake for my dog's digestion problems, so I decided to use those instead. Basically it's canned pumpkin with the spices already mixed in. I think the Maris Otter malt will give me a better malty backbone to the beer, and I don't think the pumpkin pie mix will change the end product that much. I may just have to adjust the spice addition in the secondary a little.

So on with the show:

This first step is to cook the pumpkin. Whether using the pumpkin pie mix or the plain pumpkin, bake it in the oven at 350 degrees for about one hour. This will caramelize some of the sugars and give the flavor more complexity. Plus it makes your kitchen smell like thanksgiving day in August.

Next step is to heat up your mash water. I use the calculator on promash to decide for me where my water temperature needs to be to make me hit my mash temperature. One trick I learned rather than figuring out your mash tun's thermal mass is to heat the water up higher, then let the mash tun heat up and let the water cool until you have the temp you are looking for. I was looking for 162 so I heated the water to 170, dumped it in the tun, and let it sit for about 10 minutes, monitoring it until I got the temp I wanted to add my grain to.

I added my grain to the water and stirred away. Remember to do this slowly as to miss making grain balls. Grain balls will hurt your efficiency as they will not be converted since the insides will not be touched by the hot water.

After stirring all my grain in, I put the top on and let the temperature stabilize throughout the mash. After about 5-10 minutes I take the top off and check to see if I have hit the mash temp I wanted. For this beer I was looking at 152 degrees, and again the promash calculator has gotten me almost spot on.

While the mash is converting I heat my sparge water. When the sparge water reaches about 160 degrees Fahrenheit I add my pumpkin mix. This is the part of the process that I have not seen used before. I believe adding pumpkin straight to the mash does not give the final product any pumpkin flavor, and if you add pumpkin straight to the boil it makes the beer way too cloudy and seems to turn out too vegetable like. When using pumpkin in this way the sparge water soaks up the flavor and the pumpkin is easily strained by the grain bed when sparging. I guess this process would only be useful for batch spargers only, as this would probably clog up a fly sparging system.

The first runnings came out beautiful. Great orange copper color, exactly what I was looking for.

While my first runnings come out of the mash tun, my sprage water is stewing with the pumpkin mix picking up that great pumpkin flavor.

I add the sparge water and let it pick up the remaining sugars off the grain.When all the extra wort is collected I put it on the fire.

From the picture shown above you can somewhat see how the pumpkin mix is strained out through the grain bed. You are not left with a ton of pumpkin mush in the boiling wort.

When the worth reaches a boil the first hop addition goes in. Being a pumpkin ale this is not supposed to be hopped up, but these additions are crucial in balancing the flavors out.

With a small amount of time left in the boil I add the spice mixture (which I will show below), add it late so the aromatics are not boiled off.

This is pretty much the last step in this brew except for the cooling and transferring to the fermenter. I assume anyone reading this already knows these steps and can do it without pictures.

Here is the recipe:

Grain Bill:
6 lbs Crisp Maris Otter
2 lbs Weyermann Munich II
1 lb Castle Biscuit malt
1 lb Simpson Light crystal malt
4 oz Castle Special B

Mash w/ 14 qts water @ 152 degrees for 1 hour 30 minutes

2 - 15oz cans of pumpkin pie mix baked at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Let sit for 60 - 90 minutes.
Heated sparge water to 160 degrees and added pumpkin pie mix.

Hops:
.75 oz US Perle (whole) 7.5AA 60 min
.5 oz US Golding (pel) 4.5 AA 30 min

Spice:
1 1/2 tablespoon spice mix:
     - 4 tablespoon Cinnamon
     - 3 1/2 Teaspoon Nutmeg
     - 3 teaspoon Allspice
     - 4 teaspoon ground ginger
     - 1 1/2 teaspoon ground clove

Yeast:
Safale 04 - English Ale - 1 packet (dry yeast, but it's worked the best in this recipe)
set fermenter at 60 degrees

After about 12 hours the fermentation has started nicely. I will post back with the next steps of this recipe.

Beer Review: Bitter Root Brewing - IPA

2010-08-26T12:15:00.000-07:00

India Pale Ale (IPA)

First brewed in England around 1800, for export to the British population of India, IPA was generously hopped as a preservative for the long sea voyage from Britain. Combining both English and Northwest brewing techniques, Bitter Root Brewing's IPA is light in color, high in hops, with a balanced malt flavor.

Appearance: Pours a dark gold to copper with a large fluffy head. Reduces to one finger with great around the rim lacing.

Aroma: Up front with bready and slightly toasted malt. A sour dough tang rounds it out with very faint earthy hops.

Flavor: Strong hop bitterness up front leading into bready malty goodness. The middle of the sip is filled with earthy and herbal hop flavor. Finishes slightly astringent and very dry. Fruitiness comes out as it warms.

Mouthfeel: Low to medium body with medium carbonation. Bubbles are a bit prickly on the tongue.

Overall: This is an American brewed English IPA. Up front bitterness plays nicely with the bready malts and is very easily drinkable for those of us that like hop bitterness. Cleansing on the palate. Nice beer to move into relaxation mode after work.

Beer Review: Bell's Two Hearted Ale

2010-08-25T12:19:00.000-07:00

Two Hearted Ale

India Pale Ale style well suited for

adventurous trips to the Upper

Peninsula. American malts and

enormous hop additions give

this beer a crisp finish and

incredible floral hop aroma.

Original Gravity

: 1.064

Alcohol by Volume

: 7.0%

Available Pakages

: 4/6/12 oz. bottles (case), 15.5 gal. keg, 5 liter

(1.32) gal. mini keg

Dates Available

: Year Round

January 1st through December

State Availability

: FL, IA, IN, KY, MI, MN, MO, NC, ND, OH,

PA, VA, WI

Appearance: Pours a dark gold to orange and is clear until the end of the pour when some of the sediment is picked up from the bottle. Rocky white head that reduces to one finger with great lacing.

Aroma: Sweet malt but is dominated by pine, citrusy grapfruit, pineapple, and some floral hues. Grapefruit/floral hops are the showcase of this beer.

Flavor: Complex hop bitterness and flavor. The taste matches the nose. A tinge of malt sweetness up front moving into big floral, citrus, and fruit hopiness. Bitterness does not overpower this IPA and it is in a perfect balance of malt and hops.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with low to medium carbonation. Velvety smooth on the palate.

Overall: I've said it before and I'll say it again, this is one of the best IPAs out there. This beer weighs in at 7% but it is so drinkable and flavorful they will catch up with you. This beer gives Pliny the Elder a run for it's money and I just wish Bell's would distribute to Colorado.

Trappist Beer - Holier than most

2010-08-23T13:08:00.000-07:00

Abbey Nortre Dame makers of Chimay

via Gourmet Girl Magazine

There are 171 monasteries in the world that follow The Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance, more commonly referred to as Trappists. Of these 171 monasteries 7 of them brew beer. In 1664 the Abbot of La Trappe began feeling that the Cistercians were becoming too liberal, because of this he enacted a strict new code of rules that these monasteries must live by. Since that time, centuries ago, many of these rules have been relaxed. However the rule that the monasteries must remain self sustaining is still followed today.

via Trappist beers and monks

In 1997, 8 Trappist abbeys became aware that other companies were trying to take advantage of the Trappist name. They formed the International Trappist Association which regulates against this. A logo was created by the ITA for beer, as well as wine, cheese, etc so a consumer would know that these strict Trappist production guild lines were followed:

The beer must be brewed under the supervision of Trappist monks and within the walls of a Trappist Monastery.
The brewery, the choices of brewing, and the commercial orientations must obviously depend on the monastic community.
The brewery must have an economic purpose that is directed towards assistance of the monastery, not for financial gain.

There are 7 breweries that are allowed to use the "Authentic Trappist Product" logo:

*Via Wikipedia

via Orval

Hop of the Week: Chinook

2010-08-19T12:44:00.000-07:00

Today's is another beautiful hop from the pacific northwest. Classically a pale and ipa hop but it is making it's way into other styles.

via The Full Pint

CHINOOK *info from Yakima Chief

Origin/History
Chinook is a bittering variety with aroma characteristics released in May, 1985. It was bred by crossing a Petham Golding with the USDA 63012 male.

Agronomics
Tolerant to downy mildew, Peronospera, with fair pickability of a large cone.

Maturity:	Medium to late.
Yield:	2200-2400 kgs. per ha.
	1900-2100 lbs. per acre

Brewing Quality
Used for its high proportion of bittering from alpha-acids plus its aromatic characteristics.

Alpha acids:	12.0-14.0%
Beta acids:	3.0-4.0%
Alpha:Beta Ratio:	4.0

Cohumulone (% of alpha acids):	29-34%


Total Oil (Mls. per 100 grams):	0.7-1.2
Caryophyllene (as % of total oils):	9-11%
Farnesene (as % of total oils):	0%
Humulene (as % of total oils):	20-25%
Myrcene (as % of total oils):	35-40%

Storability is fair

Commercial examples come from two nationally recognized breweries. Bridgeport's Hop Czar shows the bittering power you can get from them, and Stone's Arrogant Bastard shows the all around package Chinook hops bring to the table.

Hop Czar

IBU’s: 85 ABV: 8% Color: Deep Golden

BridgePort Hop Czar, an Imperial IPA brewed from our award winning IPA recipe, first introduced to rave reviews in 2008. It is a triple-hopped bottle-conditioned, Imperial-style IPA that carries a deep malt background with enthusiastic citrus and floral notes paired with high hop bitterness. The newest in our permenant 6-pack line, the Hop Czar recipe blends copious amounts of Nugget, Chinook, Cascade and Centennial hops.

Arrogant Bastard Ale

This is an aggressive beer. You probably won’t like it. It is quite doubtful that you have the taste or sophistication to appreciate an ale of this quality and depth.

That's pretty much all the information they give about the beer, however it is somewhat known that some of if not most of the arrogance comes from chinook hops.

Typical use: The most typical use for chinook hops are for bittering additions. This is what they were originally bred for and hence the high alpha acids. However, microbreweries have been using them more for flavor and aroma additions and have been successful. Chinook leave a decently harsh hop bitterness so use a light hand in the bittering additions unless you really want a bite.

Style use: Pale ales, IPAs, Porters, and Stouts.

Flavor/aroma: Resinous pine, herbal, woody, spicy, slight citrus and somewhat floral. They are a very complex hop when used for flavor and aroma additions. I have made some great beers with chinook only. Paler beers seem to bring out the floral, pine, and citrus qualities more, whereas darker beers bring out the herbal, woody, pine, and spicy qualities.

Substitutions: Columbus and nugget come to mind when thinking of a substitute. Northern brewer also would work if you are looking for a more woody, spicy character to your beer. A combination of all three of those would probably get you the closest for flavor and aroma.

Brewer's Ingenuity

2010-08-17T12:13:00.000-07:00

So like most homebrewers I do not like to waste anything and try to make the most of what I have. I have not brewed in awhile so I think it's time to make something up. Problem is, I don't really have the funds right now for a trip to the local homebrew shop. Always sucks when starting an new job that has a pay period 2 weeks behind. Luckily I have everything I need in the house that will give me one interesting IPA.

A few years ago I purchased a Mr. Beer kit for my brother. I was at my parents a few months ago and found it stashed in the basement untouched. Since I drove, I decided to take it back with me seeing as he wasn't going to use it and maybe I could do something with it. I opened up the box to find three liquid malt extracts that have expired recently. Well, not wanting something to go to waste I have decided to use all three in this next brew. They are not long expired and recently one of the brewing magazines published something about using older malt extracts. Plus, this is an IPA recipe so I am hoping the hops shine more than the malt. I have a Pale Ale, Vienna Lager, and Wheat beer LME and think they will do just fine in whatever I come up with. I will do the calculations in a few days but since each can is supposed to make a 2 gallon batch, 3 should work out perfectly for an IPA. I will just need to add some more sugar to bump it up and I think I have some dry malt extract lying around and might use some corn sugar.

*via Vancouver Seed Bank

As for the hops, my freezer has been stocked with at least 14 different varieties for a good while now. What I need to decide is what I want to use and how much of a hop bomb this is going to be. I have all the classic IPA hops like cascade, centennial, amarillo, chinook, etc. I will probably utilize at least 4 if not more of some of the older stuff I have in there.

The yeast is simple, I always have an extra packet of Fermentis Safale 05 in the fridge. As a homebrewer, you will at sometime come up with an issue with some yeast and need a saftey net, so I always keep an extra pack of dry yeast in the fridge. I use the Safale 05 because it is pretty neutral and can handle some big alcohol beers.

The point of this post, other than going through my thought process, is that one of the key skills to have as a homebrewer is being able to make something out of nothing. Maybe I shouldn't say nothing, but it's being able to assess what you have and make something out of it. There would not have been styles like the Cascadian Dark (black IPA), California Common, or even for that matter the IPA if there hadn't been a brewer somewhere willing to go away from the norm and experiment with what they had for what they needed. Brewing for style is great if all you do is competitions, but there is another type of accomplishment when you create something that no one has ever tried before. Go out there and make that hoppy oktoberfest or double imperial chocolate stout. Brew on!

Beer Review: August Schell Brewing - Pale Ale

2010-08-14T16:00:00.000-07:00

Ahh, the northwoods of Minnesota. Nothing like being out on a boat with a cooler of beer catching your sustenance. August Schell Brewery boasts that it is the second oldest operating brewery in America. My only guess is that Yuenling is #1.

August Schell Pale Ale

This beer was brewed in celebration of the 135th Anniversary of Schell's several years ago. It was so popular, we re-introduced it under the name German Pale Ale.

Pale Ale is really a hybrid—the best characteristics of an India Pale Ale's English malts and hops, combined with a German Alt yeast. It is medium in color, with a pronounced bitterness and a pleasant flowery hop aroma. Schell's is the only brewery that produces this particular beer style.

Beer Style: Pale Ale

Alcohol by Volume: 5.75%

Characteristics: Rich maltiness with a distinct hop bitterness.

Appearance: Pours a crystal clear golden copper color with a very thin white head that doesn't last long. Not much lacing.

Aroma: Bready malt with a slight tartness to it. Herbal, earthy English hop character.

Flavor: Bready malt up front with a very slight caramel undertone. Slightly tart that reminds me of sourdough bread. Bitterness lingers throughout with earthy, grassy, herbal flavor. Finishes dry and slightly mineral.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with medium to high carbonation. Carbonation is prickly at the end of the sip.

Overall: Not something I would call an APA. Tastes more like an English bitter with higher carbonation and more body. Crisp and tart. Overall a refreshing pale ale that the flavor lingers for a bit. A little bit of caramel malt would be nice to even out the tartness.

Beer Review: Founder's Brewing Co - Red's Rye Pale Ale

2010-08-14T12:31:00.000-07:00

Rye is a cereal grain that is up in coming in the microbrew world. It lends a smooth mouth feel, a rye spiciness, and helps with head retention. I highly recommend trying out some flaked and/or malted rye if you are a homebrewer. I have a recipe for Denny Conn's Rye brew in the recipe of the week section.

Red's Rye Pale Ale

6.6% ABV | 70 IBUs

Serious hop bitterness along with unyielding grapefruit bouquet from the Amarillo dry-hop. Balanced with the malty richness of four varieties of imported Belgian caramel malts. Pours a spectacular crimson with a creamy tan head. A generous addition of rye malt accentuates a spicy crisp finish.

Appearance: Pours a deep amber to ruby, a gorgeous color. A big pillowy head forms then reduces to one finger with beautiful lacing.

Aroma: Bread, spicy, rye goodness is present throughout. Also touches of orange peel, roses, and a hint of pine. Very fragrant, one of the best smelling beers I have had.

Flavor: Strong grapefruit present up front leading into a mellower orange peel. The hop flavor is rounded out with a bit of pine. Bready rye undertones are present throughout and show more of themselves near the end of the sip. The sip ends with a drying tartness that is very refreshing.

Mouthfeel: Very creamy as it slides across the tongue. Medium body with low to medium carbonation.

Overall: All I can say is WOW. This is an outstandingly balanced beer. The warmth and spiciness from the rye are the perfect compliment with the flavor and bitterness from the hops. I will give this one a big recommendation and only hope I can find it out here one day.

Recipe of the Week: Saffron Ale

2010-08-10T11:39:00.000-07:00

Continuing on with the historical sense the last few days I feel it is a good time to share a recipe from one of my favorite brewing books. This is not the typical home brewing book but more of a history book. It is called Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers, The Secrets of Ancient Fermentation by Stephen Harrod Buhner. You can find a list of merchants here and I highly recommend picking one up; it gives a great understanding of the brewing world in ancient times.

Saffron is one of the worlds most expensive and oldest spices. It takes over four thousands flowers to produce just one ounce of saffron. Luckily though, you can find it at almost any grocery store. However, you may want to find a spice market or a ethnic food store for a better price and fresher product.

It is said that you really can't describe the taste of saffron in words. Also, there are no known substitutes for saffron, cookbooks will tell you to use turmeric as a substitute but you will create something very different from the original recipe. An interesting read on the spice can be located here. This site describes the chemical properties of the spice and how best to utilize it.

Below is an excerpt from the book including the recipe:

"[Saffron] exhilarates the spirits to such a degree, that when taken in large doses, it occasions immoderate mirth and laughter." W.T. Marchant, 1888

I must state that that neither I or Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers can be held responsible for any actions under the influence of this historic recipe.

Saffron Ale:
Ingrediants
12 ounces molasses
8 ounces brown sugar
1/2 ounce saffron
1 gallon water
yeast

Boil molasses, brown sugar, and water; stir well. Add saffron, stir, cover, and let stand three hours. Pour into fermenter, add yeast at 70 degrees F, and ferment until complete. Siphon into primed bottles, cap, and store. Ready to drink in one to two weeks.

Take the recipe how you want it and adapt to your specific brewing ways. I would love to hear back from anyone that tries this and let us know if you were overcome with mirth...

Weird Ingrediants: Mustard

2010-08-09T12:09:00.000-07:00

There is nothing better to accompany a beer than a mustard slathered bratwurst, but mustard in beer?? Believe or not mustard has been used in beer recipes as a remedy for ague or malaria up until World War II.

"There used to be a lot of ague in them days in the marshlands, Marsh Fever as they used to call it, but I have not heard of a case for many a year, except in men comen home from India or some such part. The cure was hot beer with mustard seed boiled in it, which was counted a fine powerful remedy." Gabrielle Hatfield, 1994 - Country Remedies.

The most interesting part about mustard seed is that some have a naturally occurring wild yeast that will ferment beer. In many old world recipes it is suggested to spread some mustard on toast and let it float in the wort to ferment into beer.

Nowadays craft breweries are taking the opposite approach. Breweries like Stone, Abita, and Sierra Nevada have came out with mustard lines that feature their beer as an ingredient. Just recently Stone brewing had "MustardGate" where it was found out there wasn't actually beer in the mustard. Fear not though, I am sure they will come out with the real deal soon. (Story)

If you look hard enough though you will still be able to find the original. One that I hope to be trying soon is Wostyntje, by Brouwerij De Regenboog. There are pretty good reviews for it at Beer Advocate, and it seems that the mustard is not too over powering. It's good to know if I ever come down with ague there is still a remedy available to me.

Beer History: Smoked Beers

2010-08-07T12:01:00.000-07:00

Smoked beers were not something a brewer was striving for but a consequence of the world before the industrial revolution. Before there were alternative sources of energy there was fire, and with that fire there was smoke. Maltsters and brewers only available option to cure (dry) their malted grain was fire. Back in those times there would have been little the maltsters could do to shield the grain from the smoke, thus the grain was imparted with a smokey flavor that was then passed onto the finished product.

In different areas of the world different burning fuels were used which effected the finished beer. These fuels coincided with what was commonly used in the region. In Great Britain compacted peat was used, as was straw, which gave the malted grain a less smokey taste. In what we now call the middle east (the origin of beer) malts could be dried by the ever prevalent desert sun but was also dried in bread ovens that probably would have been fired by the most prevalent fuel source which was ox dung. In most of Europe however wood was the fuel of choice and this gave the malt the most pungent smokey flavor. Beechwood was chose not because of the flavor that it imparted but because of the high energy density per log and it's clean burning manner.

With technology came cleaner burning fuels that left trusty old wood in ashes. Brewers strived for cleaner tasting beers, well brewers in all areas with the exception of the tradition obsessed country of Germany. Today we see smoked beers in a resurgence as the craft brewing world meets the culinary word.