The Pour: You can see for yourself (above) how lovely the pour and head really were.  Of course, I picked a glass that was particularly conducive to maintaining head and was evocative of a lambic glass.  The head was well retained and had a nice, creamy, off-white hue. I’d call the body, which had a nice touch of haze,  a copper-orange.  I’d also like to note that there was some nice lacing on the brew.

The Nose: Sour all the way.  I personally feel that I got a sour bubbly gummy quality in the brew.  Powdery yeast strains were another aspect.  Hints of metallic iron and an almost rubber quality made themselves known, as well as smoky tobacco and hints of a vinegar sour.

The Taste: Perhaps this is where the brew began to spin a bit out of control.  I can certainly say that this is a unique beer, there’s no questioning that…but is it good?  The beer was truly sour and had hints of vinegar.  The finish gave a strange tobacco smoke with an almost cigarette butt quality.  Sounds odd, right?  In it’s sourness, it had a bit of rubber and was effervescent.  For what it was, the beer wasn’t actually bad.  It dried out nicely, was intense and unrelenting.  However, the sourness was more of a burning acidity than a playful sharpness.  It was acidic in a way that most Flanders tend not to be.  The smoky barrel char was also evident and could have been a bit more restrained.

Overall, the beer was okay.  I wouldn’t purchase it again for $11.99.  I’d be interested to taste it on tap because of how different the qualities can be.  To me, the beer seemed a touch disparate in its qualities.  It seemed to just fall short from coming together–it was just a bit off target. I’m interested in tasting the Perseguidor 5 that Nate picked up for me.

Mike’s Rating:

Overall Satisfaction: ★★★¼☆ 

Among Other American Sours: ★★★¼☆ 

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That being the case, we wanted to encourage more opportunities for participation.  As a result, we are going to do a “Something You’ve been Saving Sip with us Saturday” (say that seven times quickly).  I’m being coy and not telling you what I’m drinking, but I’d love to see multiple reviews generated at once.  So if you want to participate using your chosen format, then send me your review through the contact page and your review will be posted along with mine.  Crack something you’ve been saving…and make it part of our (I’m mean “you,” too, when I say “our”) site.

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The Pour:  I’m assuming it’s due to darker rye malts that this beer was a slightly darker version of an IPA.  Not black or brown, just deeper.  A touch of haziness was part of the overall appearance of Hop Rod, while the body was active and propped up a stable head, which incidentally, left very nice lacing as I drank it.

The Nose: Ever ubiquitous and perhaps starting to grow on me (to an infinitely tiny degree), grapefruity hops were a part of the nose. The citrusy nose was under-girded by a touch of tropical fruits, and the 8% ABV was a touch noticeable.  A slight caramel and rye pop made its way through the clusters of hops.  Also, an iron-like hint of metal emerged to the surface as well.

The Taste: Honestly, I expected quite a bit of spicy rye on the palate.  The bottle indicates that 18% rye was used.  Almost 1/5 of the grain bill is a notable amount, but it simply didn’t make the rye readily apparent.  Perhaps the hops stifled the impression.  Speaking of the hops, they dominated with high amounts of grapefruit qualities and a very nice and firm tropical fruit undertone.  The sharp bitterness and metallic tones cuts through the tongue like a razor while the bits of caramel malt and medium mouth-feel held the brew in check. This is very much and American IPA.

Overall: Truthfully, the beer was better than I expected.  It’s still not something I’d go after on a normal basis, but I enjoyed it as an occasional sipper.  Personally, a bit more mouth-feel and residual sweetness would benefit this beer.  This is, of course, a common criticism I have of U.S. IPAs.  That being said, I would recommend that those of you who like IPAs (not that I don’t) to try this one…if they don’t sue you for drinking it.

Mike’s Rating:

Overall Satisfaction: ★★★½☆ 

Among Other American IPAs: ★★★¾☆ 

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In their article, the Brewer’s Association states:

In 2009, craft brewers represented 4.3 percent of volume and 6.9 percent of retail dollars for the total U.S. beer category. With the total U.S. beer industry representing an estimated retail dollar value of $101 billion, the Brewers Association estimates the actual dollar sales figure from craft brewers in 2009 was $7 billion, up from $6.3 billion in 2008.

In the grand scheme of things, craft beer is still the needle in the haystack, but these figures have some profound implications.  First of all, Americans are drinking considerably less beer.  A nationwide drop of two percent is no small margin.  Second, some are clearly transmigrating to different suds.  And thirdly, and most importantly to me, there is room for considerable growth in the craft community, and people are ready for it.

The beauty of capitalism (sorry Michael Moore…I do know it has its flaws) is that it is very responsive to market conditions:  A struggling giant inadvertently opens the door for the little guy.  An investor who reads these figures will be less inclined than before to get in bed with a company like inBev and more interested in getting in on the ground level with a micro brewery start up…perhaps the start up that Mike and I dream of every night.

Case in point, us beer geeks aren’t the only ones to take notice of our small victory:

The 2009 growth and popularity of beer from small and independent breweries did not go unnoticed by industry observers. The National Restaurant Association Chef Survey (see results), for example, cited “locally-produced wine and beer” among its top five overall trends to watch for in 2010. In the alcohol and cocktails category, the organization ranked “locally-produced wine and beer” as its top trend, while “food-beer pairings” came in at number five on the list.

Little by little, people are tiring of conglomorate.    Herd mentality is waning.   The same capitalistic system that grew some of the beer giants to their inflated sizes is now the force that is humbling them. This gives me hope.

In my opinion, craft beer will never completely overtake big beer as long as American’s continue to bow before the one eyed monster in our living room that boasts of the macro brewers marketing budget.  Besides this, the magnanimous nature of the craft brewer has little to no room for contested market space, dollar motivated mergers/takeovers, and all around consumerism.

At this point, while I rejoice over craft beer’s growth and will continue to do so in subsequent years, I don’t mind that it is still a part of the minority/margin (and not just because my arrogance craves the esoteric).  Should the big boys completely fail and we were to wake up tomorrow with InBev, Molson-Coors, etc. a thing of the past, I would hope that marginal mom & pop diversified nature of craft beer continued on.

Here’s to all the micro and craft brewers out there eking out a living for our sake!  Cheers!

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What is step mashing?  Step mashing is a variable temperature method of converting your grain’s sugars.  Step mashing requires you to have more than one mash temperature.  There is some debate about what it actually accomplishes.  Some people do it to help with the head retention or for a more thorough conversion of sugars via the longer wetting and stepping of grains.  There are those people who argue that modern malts are of such a quality and modified well enough so as to not require step mashing.  But certain styles lend themselves to step mashing.  Really, it seems based more on grain type than style of beer…whatever the case may be.  Also, it can be used as a viable alternative to decoction mashing (I’ll write on that one later).

Certain styles do truly benefit from this type of mashing.  For instance, anything with a fair amount of wheat or rye benefits from step mashing.  Grains that benefit from step mashing are those that lack enzymes, have high protein levels, grains and adjuncts with high starch, raw grains, or beers served at very cold temps (I’m borrowing from Stephen Snyder on this point). Temperature marks in step mashing target certain enzymes that operate best at specific temperature levels.

The first temperature of a typical step mash is 122° (all temps in Farenheit).  Of course, some recipes call for a stage at 95° as well, but this is more rare.  For me, a typical step mash involves mashing in at 132-135°, which will achieve a temp of 122°.  This (122°) is the ideal temperature for breaking down proteins that cause chill haze (a collection of proteins that appear as haze once the beer has been chilled) and also increases the amount of head retention by breaking down those same proteins.  Anywhere from 10 to 60 min is recommended.  Thirty minutes at this stage is typical for me.  One more point to remember is that a step mash will also increase amino acids levels, which are important for yeast nutrition.  Again, this is often important for grains with few surplus enzymes and for poorly modified malts.

How do I do it?   First of all, I explained how I get the 122°, but how do we get it to the range where sugars will be converted?  There are two schools of thought.  Either you make a thick mash in your mash tun and hold it at 122° for 30 min and then add 200° water one quart at a time until you reach the temp level that you want or you use your brew pot and stove to adjust temps.

I do the latter because I get concerned about temp control and watering down my wort.  I do my “rest” in my pot and raise my temp up to the level at which I want to mash and then put it in my mash tun.  Some suggest doing a lower end temp rest for mashing and then raising it to higher temps.  So, for instance, you do your 122° protein rest and then raise to 148° (the lower end of mashing temps) and hold for 30 min, which gives you a highly fermentable wort.  After the 148° rest, you raise it to the upper range (155-185°) which will give you dextrines (non-fermentable) that will increase fullness and mouth-feel.  As you might imagine, this could get tricky if you are using water in your mash tun to make these adjustments.  For simplicity’s sake, I use the stove and bottom heat to achieve these temps.  When I reach my last rest temp, I put the mash in my mash tun and let it complete conversion.

What styles would I do this for?  Wheat beers of all types lend themselves to this mashing method.  Here is a list of beers for which you should consider step mashing:  Altbier, American Lager (the real kind), Biere de Garde, Saison, Bock (although decoction might be better), California Common, Cream Ale, Pilsner, Double Bock, Belgian Double, Dunkel, Kolsch, Lambic, Marzen, Helles, Old Bruin, Pale Ale (based on your preference), Stout (with some wheat content or  certain types of grains), Belgian Trip or any Wheat beer.  Some of these are more important than others.  Stout and Pale Ale, for instance, are highly optional.  Some are better with decoction; Altbier and Bocks especially fit into this category.

I know that some of this is unfamiliar, but the process is straightforward enough.  Playing around with beer styles is the best way to start step mashing.

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“Absence makes the heart grow fonder…”

So the saying goes, right?  But is it true?  A little context before I answer…

For personal reasons, for a short spell I have had to cut beer (and all alcohol, but I rarely stray from beer) out of my diet.  That’s right.  That sweet and bitter nectar that makes us swoon, that divine gift of God, delicious and sustaining elixir I find myself abstaining from.  I have tried to replace it.  Ginger ale, root beer, and sparkling water fill my glass at night…and they are a disgrace.

The first week wasn’t too bad as I worked fervently to displace thoughts of beer with others.  But after eight days, I found my mouth moistening uncontrollably at the mere mention of anything beer related.  Tears fill my eyes as I read reviews of beers that should be filling my cup and mouth.  As I read, I shut my eyelids and swish imaginary  beer in my mouth and contemplate the mirage of flavors:  mmmm sweet taosted caramel malt, a hind of lemon grass and pine nuts…is that melon I pick up on?  Ooohhh, what a nice spicy and bitter hop finish.  But I open my eyes and it was all in my head.

I open my refrigerator, and there is beer in it, but I must resist the temptation.   My beer cellar calls to me, and the two kegs of homebrew in my basement are desparate for attention…but they must wait.

Now, my body feels no different.  My energy level remains the same with or without beer.  I sleep the same, wake up feeling the same, and my small gut has yet to recede.  It has been three weeks and I feel no chemically driven compulsion to drink a beer.  It isn’t the warm and fuzzy feeling, warm cheeks, or tingly tongue that I miss.  It is the delicious flavor that can come from no other source, alcoholic or not, that we call beer.

It is horrible.  It is a horror.

My only consolation is that soon, very soon, I will be reunited with a delectable pint of ale, and I daresay it may be the best glass I’ve had in years, regardless of style, origin, or general rating.

How about you?  Have you ever given up the bubbly stuff?  Did your heart pine like mine?  Am I the only crazy one here?

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I thought I had more time.  What do I mean?  When Brewdog released their beer, I thought to myself, “Why can’t I, as a homebrewer, go after the record?  Even if I don’t beat it, it will be fun to try.”  So, I embarked on the arduous task of making a huge Chocolate Vanilla Bourbon Imperial Stout and vacillated between the two names above as a fun tongue-in-cheek reference to taking down a Tactical Nuclear Penguin. Go for the gold, right?

Well, where did I end up?  The answer is still in the wings.  I didn’t get quite the yeast performance I wanted, but I’m still in the process of finding out.  I suppose the record seems a little moot at this point because a German company is about to release a 45% beer.  However, I had fun and I’m holding back a bit of information simply because I’m actually in the eisbocking stage of my beer, so I can’t tell you the end result.  Plus, I like being withholding about my pre-eisbock strength.  Let’s just say that I’ve got a submarine with which I’m trying to sink a Bismark.

I’m going to be posting more on the story along with details about the beer on the site in the coming week.  Stay tuned because I’m going to have some cool stuff to report.

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First of all, it really did take quite a bit of effort to post as much as we have.  I think about it sometimes. We’ve literally written the equivalent of more than a 1,000 page book on the site.  That’s a serious amount of writing.  As far as myself, I also do quite a bit of reading and thinking on the subject of beer aside from writing for the site.  So, for every hour of writing I do on the site, I’m doing at least a few hours of reading, thinking, and dreaming about beer.  I know that Nate does a lot in that respect as well.  But why do we write?  Why am I irritated when we don’t put up a post on a given day? Why am I happier when we have a couple of posts up?  Simple…you guys and girls.

I’m certain that writing for our humble site would have been a very difficult task without the encouragement, interaction, and sheer readership that you have given to us.  It makes it so much easier when you have fellow enthusiast around you. I could name, re-name, and re-re-name all the people who have supported our site.  I’ve written a post or two thanking them for their support, so I won’t go back into that aspect of the site right now.  At any rate, Nate and I would like to thank everyone for stopping by.  Our ardent readers, our new readers, and even our occasional ones deserve a ton of credit.  Thanks to everyone…I hope to be telling you about a million before too long.

Enjoy the picture of me plotting for more visits with my dastardly perv-stache.

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Sip with us Saturday and tell us all about how jolly this beer made you.

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At my usual bottle shop tonight I examined a 750 ml bottle of Brooklyn Brewery’s latest release of Black Ops, again, for the second week in a row.  There was a certain amount of hype going into the release of this beer, and rightfully so.  The ever respectable Garret Oliver put a considerable amount of TLC into this beer:  11.6%, aged in oak bourbon barrels, and bottle conditioned with champagne yeast.

I first saw Black Ops over a weak ago, but did not purchase it, simply because I am typically not partial to bourbon beers, and I was not keen on dropping $18.00 on a beer I was not guaranteed to fall head over heels for.  This week–however–I caved.  Here is why:

As I stood examining the bottle and reading the label an individual exclaimed incredulously, “That’s a lot of money for a bottle of beer!“  The man was not being rude…he was just quite shocked at the price.  He had been talking wine–not beer–with the store staff.  Nick, the knowledgeable beer geek on staff quickly explained that while there were only 1000 or so cases of black ops produced, his store chain had received only five cases of Black Ops statewide, and here in Toledo, only two cases had made it.  That’s 24 bottles of this one singularly unique beer for one metropolis of 651,000 potential Black Ops consumers.  Besides the finer ingredients and aging, it seems that obscurity (supply and demand) boosted the value of this beer.  After my wife pointed out that I hadn’t bought beer in several weeks, I purchased a bottle that will go into my cellar for a while.  The man behind me was quite interested, and perhaps may dabble in beer.

While Nick satisfied the shopper’s curiosity, as I peeped into his cart and saw several bottles of what appeared to be mid range wine, I considered engaging him in further conservation.  Is $18.00 really a shocking price for a 750 ml bottle of this quality of beer?  The few bottles of wine in his cart easily cost between $15 and $45 per bottle (I strolled down the aisle he had picked them from and eyeballed the price tags), and I doubt they were as obscure as the Black Ops.  I will give him that his wine most has age to weight the value; most likely it was aged three years.  But then again, respectively, my Perseguidor, also aged three years, was just over $20.00 for 750 ml ($10.00/12 ounces).

If Milwaukee’s Best is the moderate standard for determining a costly beer, than perhaps Black Ops is a tad pricey.  But is Boone’s farm the determinate for leveraging the value of a fine wine?  My boss, an experienced wine connoisseur, recently told me that a well rated wine runs a minimum of $75/per bottle; with Boone’s Farm as the standard, that well rated wine or even the $30 bottle in the inquisitive man’s cart is outrageous.  But if we are able to lump beer and wine in the same general family of “alcohol” and use the mid range $30 bottle good wine in his cart as the standard, the Black Ops is actually a bargain. The highly rated wine is $2.96/ounce (mid range about $1.50/ounce) while the highly rated beer is $.71 per ounce.

In perspective, even the pricier craft brews are actually quite inexpensive.

Like many of you, I am not in a position in life to fill my shopping cart each weekend with loads of craft beer.  Yes, it is more expensive than what the majority of American beer drinkers consume, but the trade off is I drink less.  But, compared to other fine beverages, like wine, I am able to drink more and, as per my preferences, I enjoy it more!

So next time you shell out ten or more dollars for that bomber or 750 ml bottle of special release or seasonal beer, I hope you cringe a little bit less as you consider the more costly alternatives in the vast world of alcohol.

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