The Brew Dudes

First ESB Tasting

TheBrewDudes@gmail.com (The Brew Dudes) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 08:39:40 PST

2008 Dark Lord Adventure

TheBrewDudes@gmail.com (The Brew Dudes) — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 20:44:37 PDT

We had a great time! We're glad to bring you all another unique view of the Craft beer world. Happy Drinking!

TheBrewDudes@gmail.com (The Brew Dudes) — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 18:04:37 PDT

The Brew Dudes are headed to Dark Lord Day! One of the most infamous beer festivals in the US, Dark Lord day is the only year the Three Floyd's Brewery sells their highly renowned Dark Lord Imperial Stout, which in some places is rated the best beer brewed in America!

Of course we'll be filming and taking pictures so we can show you what you're missing out on if you're not there.

Until then, happy drinking!

Second Double IPA Tasting

TheBrewDudes@gmail.com (The Brew Dudes) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 10:07:02 PDT

The Main Beer Review

Unibroue Anniversary Ales Vertical Tasting

TheBrewDudes@gmail.com (The Brew Dudes) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 05:46:32 PDT

The Main Beer Tasting

Brew Dudes Home Brewing IPA Lesson 1

TheBrewDudes@gmail.com (The Brew Dudes) — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 10:17:16 PDT

Lesson 1: Malt, Hops, and Yeast

First Oatmeal Stout Tasting

TheBrewDudes@gmail.com (The Brew Dudes) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 05:45:21 PDT

The Main Beer Tasting

First American Pale Ale Tasting

TheBrewDudes@gmail.com (The Brew Dudes) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 05:42:40 PDT

The Main Beer Tasting

Second German Hefeweizen Tasting

TheBrewDudes@gmail.com (The Brew Dudes) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 05:39:14 PDT

The Main Beer Tasting

First Belgian Wit Tasting

TheBrewDudes@gmail.com (The Brew Dudes) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 05:34:03 PDT

The Main Beer Tasting

First American Double/Imperial Stout Tasting

TheBrewDudes@gmail.com (The Brew Dudes) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 05:32:58 PDT

The Main Beer Tasting:

Tastes Like Summer: Hefeweizen

TheBrewDudes@gmail.com (The Brew Dudes) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 17:13:25 PDT

Try to drink just one. I dare ya. These are some of the most sessionable beers ever created, so stopping at one can be challenge. In German, “Hefe” means yeast, and “Weizen” means wheat, which is exactly what these beers are. Made with 50% or more wheat and top fermenting ale yeast, these beers have three prevalent flavors: Phenols, cloves, and bananas. With an extremely low quantity of hops (< 15 IBU’s) and high carbonation, these are fantastically refreshing on hot summer days. The origin of this beer can not be precisely pin-pointed, but one of the earliest Hefeweizens was without a doubt the Weihenstephaner Hefeweizen, as the Weihenstephaner Brewery has always been renowned for its Hefeweizen, and it is the oldest brewery in the world.

American restaurants have the habit of serving lemon wedges with their Hefeweizens. We at the Brew Dudes do not support this heinous act, and not just because in Germany they are traditionally served without one. This is not a strong beer, and adding an acidic fruit wedge completely clouds the intricacies that these beers offer. The argument for it is that the citrus cuts the sharp edges of the phenols provided by the yeast. It may do that (though the phenols in these beers are hardly what one should call “harsh”), but it also masks the wonderful clove and banana notes, turning the beer into a citrus-wheat-water. These beers are also served in arguably the most aesthetically pleasing glassware, the Weizen glass. Few beers are as beautiful as a properly poured Hefe into a Weizen glass, with a beautiful crown of head barely protruding over the edge of the glass. The acidity of the lemon destroys this presentation aspect of the beer as well, dulling the head to the point where it is no longer presentable. Just say no to lemons.

Hefeweizen Variations:

Hefeweizen:
4-7% abv
The traditional Hefeweizen. The yeast gives it a very cloudy look to it, as well as the phenolic,
clove and banana flavors. When pouring this beer into a glass, first pour 2/3’s of the beer, then swirl the bottle to dislodge the yeast at the bottom before pouring the last 1/3. This will maximize the flavor and help to give it a luxurious head.

Try the: Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier, Franziskaner Hefeweissbier, Paulaner Hefeweizen

Hefeweizens reviewed by the Brew Dudes

Kristalweizen
4-7% abv
The filtered version of the Hefeweizen, the Kristalweizen lacks the yeast that gives the Hefeweizen its cloudy look and phenolic flavor. The cloves and banana notes are also subdued in this version, giving it a very clean wheat flavor.

Try the: Weihenstephaner Krystalweissbier, Tucher Krystalweizen, Erdinger Weissbier Krystalklar

Dunkelweizen
4-7%
With darker, more complex malts, this beer is a large step away from the simplicity of the Hefeweizen. Phenols are still present, but the banana and clove notes are still there, but they are frequently overpowered by the new malt profiles these have. They are still on the sweet side, and remain drinkable.

Try the: Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier Dunkel, Erdinger Weissbier Dunkel, Ayinger Ur-Weisse

Carry Me Home: Porter

TheBrewDudes@gmail.com (The Brew Dudes) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 16:40:43 PDT

History:

It’s 1750. After a long day of hard labor you stop in at the bar to make use of the five cents you can spare. What do you get? The strongest, most flavorable beer you can: the Porter. Named after the Porters (laborers who delivered kegs to the bars) in London who took a fancy to these strong, dark brews, Porters are one of the earliest recognized styles of beer. Though it originated in the UK, the actual origin of these beers remains unclear. The popular, yet highly debatable origin is that it was created from the mixing of 3 different beers: brown ale, pale ale, and old ale. The result was dubbed “Three Threads” or “Entire”. Later, to save blending time, a porter was created all on its own.

Until the 1800’s, Porters remained the most popular beer style in the UK and in the US, but it quickly lost popularity due to the birth of its offspring, the Stout. Though similar, the Stout’s even darker, fuller, roastier nature made it the preferred beer style, and the later emergence of lagers made the Porter obsolete by the 1930’s. Thankfully, just like IPA’s, the American Craft Revolution revived this long-dead British style and took the beer to new levels. Now an extremely diverse style in terms of the different flavors they possess, these dark beers are definitely worth a try.

With a usually medium body and 5-7% alcohol, these dark brown to nearly black ales possess an extremely diverse array of flavors. While Porters may use them occasionally, the use of roasted malts usually differentiates Porters and Stouts. Regardless, Porters often have a roasty character to them. Chocolate and coffee malts will also impart their respective flavors, but American craft brewers took the style even further. Smoked malts, vanilla, honey, or even adding wood chips during fermentation diversify the style. The hop count varies, so they can be bitter or sweet. Generally more drinkable than their heavier Stout brethren, these can also make nice cold-weather session beers. Give them a try! You won’t regret it.

Food Pairings: With such a diverse style, pairings need to be done from beer to beer, and no food will match all of them. For the Porters that do not advertise unique flavors or are on the sweeter side, dark chocolates and creamier cheeses are usually safe bets. For smoky Porters, smoked meats work well, and for more bitter porters lighter grilled meats pair nicely.

Porter Types:

American Porter
4-7% abv
Ah yes, the most innovative of the Porters, American Porters are the most diverse of the style. American Craft Brewers are constantly finding new ways to create new flavors in their beers, and these porters range from being smoked, flavored or just about anything else. The creativity never ends with these, so you’ll have to try them for yourself.

Try the: Stone Smoked Porter, Anchor Porter, Sierra Nevada Porter, O’Fallon Smoked Porter, Boulevard Bully! Porter.

American Porters reviewed by the Brew Dudes
American Porter and Chocolate Tasting by the Brew Dudes

English Porter:
4-7% abv
Not the most popular style over the past years, these beers still have something to offer. Not as creative as their American counterparts, these are more traditional. Chocolate and coffee are normally present, and usually they have an underlying sweetness to them, as not a lot of hops are generally used.

Try the: Fuller’s London Porter, Samuel Smith’s Taddy Porter, Arcadia’s London Porter

Baltic Porter:
7-10% abv
The strongest of the Porters, the Baltic Porter can almost be considered on par with Imperial-style beers. These were made to be shipped from London to different parts of the world, so they needed to be stronger to make the trip. Smoky or Roasty with the malts, these beers also have a decent amount of hops which gives them a nice bitterness.

Try the: Smuttynose Baltic Porter, Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter, Victory Baltic Thunder.

First German Schwarzbier Tasting

TheBrewDudes@gmail.com (The Brew Dudes) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 05:30:02 PDT

The Main Beer Tasting

Beers Reviewed:

Second IPA Tasting

TheBrewDudes@gmail.com (The Brew Dudes) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 05:26:02 PDT

The Main Beer Tasting

Beers Reviewed:

First Russian Imperial Stout Food Tasting

TheBrewDudes@gmail.com (The Brew Dudes) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 05:24:59 PDT

The Food Pairing Tasting

First Russian Imperial Stout Tasting

TheBrewDudes@gmail.com (The Brew Dudes) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 05:22:19 PDT

The Main Beer Tasting

Beers Reviewed:

50th Beer Reviewed: Sam Adams Triple Bock

TheBrewDudes@gmail.com (The Brew Dudes) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 05:20:58 PDT

The Main Beer Tasting

Beer Reviewed:

Stout Beers Need Love Too: Stouts

TheBrewDudes@gmail.com (The Brew Dudes) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 10:28:53 PDT

History

During the 1700’s porters were establishing themselves as an excellent beer especially for the working class. But for some people the status quo wasn’t enough. In the case of stouts it was the Irish, and more specifically a brewery called Guinness, who brewed a porter with more hops and more barley than any porter before calling it an “Extra-Stout Porter”, which was originally intended to ship to the Caribbean. So popular was this “Extra-Stout Porter” that breweries in America, Britain, and the rest of Ireland began to produce stout-porters, which eventually became their own style of beer called stouts. Interestingly stouts often then and now taste like other products brought to Europe during the same time period most importantly Chocolate and Coffee.

Stouts are one of the most popular types of ales in America and around the world and for good reason. They are a delicious, complex beer that can be enjoyed in a variety of settings and styles. Stouts typically have Roasted Malts as one of the key ingredients in the grain bill, thereby giving the stout a sometimes bitter, roasted character. Roasted malt and other specialty grains like chocolate malt, smoked malt, and coffee malt give stouts their complex malt characteristics and medium to heavy mouthfeel. Stouts are the perfect dessert beers, but don't limit yourself to that! Stouts can also be used to pair with stews, oysters, game, or smoked meat. Stouts are such great beers that many countries make them; each stout style reflects its history and heritage while adding a new dimension to the style as a whole. You can't know which is your favorite type of stout until you have tried them all, so here is your shopping list.

Export/Foreign Stout (Alcohol by Volume: 6-9%)

This is the Stout that came first. Very similar to the Irish Dry Stout, but has a bigger hop profile and stronger malt characteristics. Unfortunately this type of stout is very hard to get in many places.

Examples: Guinness Foreign Export Stout (The beer that started stouts), Ceylon Lion Stout, Cooper’s Best Extra Stout

Irish Dry Stout (Alcohol by Volume: 4-6%)

Probably the most commonly encountered stout. Has a dry, bitter character thanks to the hops and roasted barley found in this style.

Examples: Guinness Draught, Guinness Extra Stout, Murphy’s Irish Stout, Beamish Irish Stout

Milk/Sweet Stout (Alcohol by Volume: 4-7%)

The presence of unfermentable sugars either actively added (Milk) or left over after the fermenting process (Sweet) makes the Stouts slightly sweeter than their counterparts.

Examples: Mackeson’s Triple Stout, Young’s Double Chocolate, Bell’s Kalamazoo Stout

Sweet/Milk Stouts Reviewed by The Brew Dudes

Oatmeal Stout (Alcohol by Volume: 4-7%)

Similar to the Milk/Sweet Stout, Oatmeal stouts were originally brewed utilizing oats to sweeten the mouthfeel. This style has fallen in and out of favor over the many years it has been brewed. Only when the nutritional benefits of oats came to light did this style really catch on.

Examples: Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout, Young's Oatmeal Stout, Goose Island Oatmeal Stout

Oatmeal Stouts Reviewed by the Brew Dudes

Russian Imperial Stout (Alcohol by Volume: 8-12%)

Cold winters and long shipping times required brewers to make some super strong stouts for consumption in Russia and the Baltic region. Extremely popular in the Russian Court these beers are one of the most extreme-tasting beverages on the planet. Black as night and mouthfeel just this side of crude oil; this is the stout for people who are true lovers of stouts. Russian Imperial Stouts are one of the most complex beers to make but the effort is rewarded and these beers are well loved by stout lovers. Be warned these beers are not for the faint of heart.

Examples: Avery The Czar, North Coast’s Old Rasputin, Victory Storm King Stout

Russian Imperial Stouts Reviewed by Brew Dudes
Russian Imperial Stout and Chocolate Tasting by the Brew Dudes

American Stout (Alcohol by Volume: 4-7%)

American Craft Brewers did what they do best, take an established style, stout, and make their own. Utilizing new and different hops, malts, and other ingredients (like Chocolate) American Craft brewers have made beers with a European heritage distinctly American.

Examples: Rogue Chocolate Stout, Sierra Nevada Stout, Lost Coast 8 Ball Stout

American Stouts Reviewed by the Brew Dudes
American Double/Imperial Stouts Reviewed by the Brew Dudes

First Sweet/Milk Stout Tasting

TheBrewDudes@gmail.com (The Brew Dudes) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 05:17:25 PDT

The Main Beer Tasting

First Belgian Strong Dark Ale Tasting

TheBrewDudes@gmail.com (The Brew Dudes) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 05:05:13 PDT

The Main Beer Tasting

First Czech Pilsner Tasting

TheBrewDudes@gmail.com (The Brew Dudes) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 04:58:45 PDT

The Main Beer Tasting

First Double/Imperial IPA Food Pairing

TheBrewDudes@gmail.com (The Brew Dudes) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 04:52:57 PDT

The Food Pairing Tasting

First Double/Imperial IPA Tasting

TheBrewDudes@gmail.com (The Brew Dudes) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 04:49:24 PDT

The Main Beer Tasting

First German Hefeweizen Tasting

TheBrewDudes@gmail.com (The Brew Dudes) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 04:46:51 PDT

The Main Beer Tasting