tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-843670089010798222024-03-13T03:40:43.255-07:00Perm's Brew Picks and Morebeer tasting, food pairing, homebrewing...Mark aka "Perm"http://www.blogger.com/profile/11147303993167664393noreply@blogger.comBlogger101125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84367008901079822.post-2969753658019980792009-10-09T09:27:00.000-07:002009-10-09T09:28:09.420-07:00We've Moved!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Come see us at</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://permspicks.wordpress.com">Perm's Brew Picks on Wordpress</a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:180%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:180%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div>Mark aka "Perm"http://www.blogger.com/profile/11147303993167664393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84367008901079822.post-11618760677824002772009-09-07T06:42:00.000-07:002009-09-07T06:46:10.975-07:00The Blog It Is A-Changin'(with apologies to Dylan).<div><br /></div><div>In honor of the Second Anniversary of the St. Cecilia Brewery this month, and in ongoing frustration with Blogspot, expect some major-overhaul changes around these parts. </div><div><br /></div><div>Consider yourselves warned!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Mark aka "Perm"http://www.blogger.com/profile/11147303993167664393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84367008901079822.post-35346965167273639102009-09-06T10:30:00.001-07:002009-09-06T12:58:55.852-07:00And now it is....September?!?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Never let the silence fool you. We here at Perm's Picks have been quite busy with all things zymurgical, even if these e-pages have been silent over the past 4 months. Beer happens; life intervenes.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">On the homebrew front, we last left you, O Sparse Readership, with the Beach Gaelic Symphony in its aging stage and the Weiss-bier in the fermenter. Some updates are owed: The Gaelic Symphony Ale is no more. All has been consumed. And it was good. Probably one of the most pleasant, all-around Good Beers that I've brewed. It might be due a reprise in months to come. The Weiss-Bier (Opus 2) turned out nicely, but is not my favorite. I've about decided that a good, authentic German-tasting Hefeweizen is quite difficult to achieve in the extract-brewing world. My first round in '08 was nice, but quite plain and boring, and lacking in the banana-clove quality that I was going for. I attempted a manipulation of the process this time around, and ended up with clovey banana bread in a bottle. Also not ideal. I take great consolation, though, in the fact that some folks loved it. Good for them -- they keep me brewing!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Following the Silvius Leopold Weiss (still the best musicologically-inspired name for a beer EVER), I tried my hand an an American-style IPA. With a twist, though, because I had a stash of Czech hops on hand and wanted to use them. So, I devised the</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Antonín Dvořak New World IPA</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">,</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">inspired (of course) by the great Symphony No.9 ("From the New World") of Dvořak: a piece of music written in America, with American-inspired themes, by a Czech composer. Seemed fitting to me. </span></span></span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre; font-family:Arial;font-size:10px;"><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mVERlJgghOY&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mVERlJgghOY&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The brew's success is in its exquisite flavor and high drinkability. Its failure, though, is twofold: continental noble hops lack the citrus zing and bittering punch of New World (West Coast) hop varieties, the ones that we have come to expect in our American IPAs; and I had a mysterious under-carbonation pandemic affect quite a few of my bottles. So, reluctantly, I must consign my New World IPA to the ranks of homebrewing mediocrity. Although, I am sampling one, as I write this, which is perfectly carbonated and quite tasty. With the hop identity, though, it leans more toward a strong Amber Ale. (ABV ~ 7%)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">On the horizon (in fact, happening this very afternoon) is a leap of faith: my second foray into the world of fruit beers. My first, nigh on a year ago, was the ill-fated Colonial Pumpkin Ale, now known in the Perm household as the "cooking beer." I'm confident, though, that I now possess the knowledge-tools to make this one a success. I have in my freezer about 5 pounds of local-grown (VERY local), organic blueberries, and on my table an American Wheat Beer kit. The hopeful result: </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Rhapsody in Blue</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">a blueberry-wheat ale tipping its hat to the great (but tragically short-lived) George Gershwin. It will also feature my first experiment with brewing into </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">tertiary fermentation: </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">most of my brews undergo primary fermentation (after the yeast is pitched into the vat/carboy with the ingredients) and secondary (the wort is racked [transferred] to another carboy to filter and reduce sediment, and in all the excitement the yeast sometimes wakes up from its nap and goes to work again). Teritary will simply mean racking it an additional time -- I'm going to add the blueberries to the secondary, and don't want all that organic pulpy gunk in my finished product, hence an additional filtering step. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Finally, some Gershwin fun (the man himself, from a rare 1920s recording): </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial;font-size:7;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre;font-size:48px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:10px;"><object width="445" height="364"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1U40xBSz6Dc&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00&border=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1U40xBSz6Dc&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="445" height="364"></embed></object></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre; font-family:Arial;font-size:10px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;font-size:16px;">George comes in on the piano at 1:02.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre;">Next Post: Some Perm's Brew Picks from the summertime!</span></div>Mark aka "Perm"http://www.blogger.com/profile/11147303993167664393noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84367008901079822.post-74427830949699848212009-05-05T17:39:00.000-07:002009-05-06T09:12:53.453-07:00May Homebrew News<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; ">Looking back....</span><br /></div>I. The Stammerer is Stammer-pendous. It is a remarkable brew that, if I were doing a blind tasting, I would swear were a top-dollar Real Article. It's amazing. And there's not a lot of it, so I'm definitely hoarding this one. Although another is going to need to be popped open soon, so that <a href="http://permspicks.blogspot.com/2008/06/june-review-by-mrs-perm.html">Mrs. Perm</a> can write her review!<div><div><br /></div><div>II. The Josquin Saison is quite pleasant -- same yeast strain as the Stammerer and the APA, making a nice trio of Belgian-themed ales. It's not quite as spicy as if I had used a specifically Saison strain of yeast, and not quite as dry as I was hoping for, but it still delivers the goods.</div><div>It's also stee-rong. I was hoping for 7% ABV, and ended up with closer to between 8 and 9. Not sure how or why that happened, since most of my brews end up UNDER the projected gravity. I can only point to a vigorous, warm primary fermentation: I stuck that puppy in a closet with a space heater and it went to TOWN.</div><div>It's a winner with an array of foods (as any saison worth its salt should be) and is also great on its own -- I'm fond of sitting in the solo hammock-chair on the front porch during these spring/early summer rain showers, Josquin in hand, and letting the moment soak in. (Or, as the great <a href="http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail39.html">Strong Bad</a> once quipped, "On certain evenings in late spring, a <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Cool One</span> can be very refreshing...")</div><div>I'm also holding a few back, as this one is sure to be an all-star in the cellar.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Looking Sideways...</span></span></div><div>I. The Gaelic Ale clone is in the bottle and will come forth for its tasting in a couple of weeks. And it has a St. Cecilia name --</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Amy Beach Gaelic Symphony Ale</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div>Had to cast about just a bit for this one, but I like the result. Amy Marcy Cheney Beach (self-called in her American-published compositions, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amy_Beach">Mrs. H.H.A. Beach</a>) (1867-1944) was a late-19th century pianist and composer of New England stock with a penchant and flair for the Celtic Romanticism that was all the rage in those days, penning a number of piano solos with Scottish allusions, as well as the Symphony in E Minor, "The Gaelic." She was a wonderful composer.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre; font-family:Arial;font-size:10px;"><object width="445" height="364"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Mn2aB-u3_6g&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00&border=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Mn2aB-u3_6g&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="445" height="364"></embed></object></span><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Much like the ale from which this recipe takes its cue, Beach's music was solidly American, but firmly rooted in the classic European tradition, and often took its romantic inspiration from the mythology and poetry of Scotland. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SgGxA0NXhMI/AAAAAAAAAjU/QX4oNFCbHxA/s1600-h/amy+beach+001.jpg"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SgGxA0NXhMI/AAAAAAAAAjU/QX4oNFCbHxA/s320/amy+beach+001.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332738061356205250" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 290px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>II. I've just started the next brew: a reprise of the Silvius Leopold (Hefe) Weiss, with a reformulated recipe courtesy of Alex at <a href="http://www.hopsandvines.net/">Hops & Vines</a>. I'm feeling good about this one, and think this recipe will be an improvement over last year's. </div><div>Just for fun, here's another couple of great moments from Weiss:</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre; font-family:Arial;font-size:10px;"><object width="445" height="364"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/owsoMY_8oyk&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b&border=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/owsoMY_8oyk&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="445" height="364"></embed></object></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre;font-family:Arial;font-size:10px;"><object width="445" height="364"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ap1iHNvkbO4&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01&border=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ap1iHNvkbO4&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="445" height="364"></embed></object><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre; font-family:Arial;font-size:48px;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-weight: bold; white-space: pre; font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Looking ahead...</span></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> I'm getting excited about incorporating some local ingredients into my </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">upcoming brews: in addition to the hops that I'm growing in my friend </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">CW's garden, I've also been given the green light to avail myself of his </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">plenteous blueberry (and raspberry) bushes. I'm seeing a blueberry </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">wheat ale in my future, probably in July (and already have a name picked </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">out!). I'm also looking ahead to trying my hand at a Gruit Ale. What's </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">that, you may ask? Well, come back to a future post and find out! Suffice </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">to say, my version will involve juniper, rosemary, and whatever other crazy </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">herbs I can get my hands on.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre;font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre;font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: normal; font-family:Georgia;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SgGu5AOIJ4I/AAAAAAAAAjM/TmpxB7E7wmo/s1600-h/IMG_3400.JPG"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SgGu5AOIJ4I/AAAAAAAAAjM/TmpxB7E7wmo/s200/IMG_3400.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332735728118409090" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px; " /></a></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre;font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">hoppin' to it! A baby Cascade. They've more than doubled in size since this shot was taken.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre;font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">So where's the Perm's Pick? It has been quite a while, has it not. Never </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">fear, I've not given up that pursuit: it's simply been a goodly while since I've </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">partaken of anything new (to me) that's quite worthy of the distinction. My </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">recent beer-purchasing/quaffing forays have involved tried-and-true favorites </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">such as Bell's Two Hearted Ale, Anderson Valley Boont Amber, and a mighty </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">fine Hefe-glass of Weihenstephaner. Oh, and Harpoon's Raspberry Wheat Ale </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">gets a solid honorable mention. Don't worry, though, I've got a bottle of something </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">over here that I'm eager to break out, and think just might make Pick standards. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Stay tuned....</span></span></div></div>Mark aka "Perm"http://www.blogger.com/profile/11147303993167664393noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84367008901079822.post-51170661908279641862009-04-07T09:53:00.000-07:002009-04-07T10:05:03.927-07:00Gah!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SduHm5WUoGI/AAAAAAAAAjE/0Uj9eWb8fwM/s1600-h/Hop%2520Rhizome.jpg"></a><br />So, a self-annoyance: I make meticulous notes on my homebrew sessions, only to lose the sheet upon which said meticulous notes have been made. That being the case, I am not entirely sure the exact time of primary and secondary fermentations, nor what the final ABV of the Josquin des Prez is! My estimate (based on numerical recollections, never my strong suit) is between 8.3 and 8.5%. At any rate, STRONG.<div><br /></div><div>That can, however, be countered with two bits of GOOD news:</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); "><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SduHm5WUoGI/AAAAAAAAAjE/0Uj9eWb8fwM/s200/Hop%2520Rhizome.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321996486967599202" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px; " /></span><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>1) I have procured three hop rhizomes (two Cascade and a Willamette) from my favorite <a href="http://www.hopsandvines.net/">Homebrew Supply Store</a>, and the hope is to get them in the ground soon! My landlord (and gardening buddy) CW is erecting some trellises at his place, where they should flourish. Here's hoping.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>2) I took a sneak-peak at the Stammerer Quadrupel Ale and it is GOOD. Damn good. Amazingly, I'd-pay-nine-dollars-for-a-bottle kind of good. If this is any indication what we could do on a regular basis, then JT and I are brewing geniuses. Stay posted for a review sometime soon, but believe you me I'm going to try to nurse these precious bottles for a long, long time.</div><div><br /></div><div>3) New homebrew *hopefully* getting started this evening -- a clone rendition of our very own backyard Highland Gaelic Ale.<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Mark aka "Perm"http://www.blogger.com/profile/11147303993167664393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84367008901079822.post-56119046031776744632009-03-20T20:04:00.001-07:002009-03-30T11:33:53.947-07:00Some Updates: Tasting Notes and Homebrew<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">I. New Belgium lands in NC</span></span><div><br /></div><div>As of March, <a href="http://www.newbelgium.com/">New Belgium's</a> (CO) oft-touted beers are available in the great state of North Carolina. Off the bat, three 22-oz bottles are being distributed, and I managed to get my grubby hands on all three fairly early on at the new, neighborly, nice <a href="http://saludawine.com/">Saluda Wine & Cheese Market </a>up the road. So early, in fact, that *I* was actually the person to open up the cases and take out the first bottles of two of them. </div><div>That very same day (March 7) was an unseasonably warm 70+ degrees F, so I decided the first to be sampled, on our porch, would be the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Mothership Wit</span> (<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Mothership</span> is what NB employees affectionately call the brewery), a classic Belgian white/wheat ale.</div><div><br /></div><div>Appearance: 4/5. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Very </span>pale...the color of straw, or cloudy fresh lemonade, or ginger beer. A nice billowy white head floats on top. </div><div><br /></div><div>Aroma: 4.5/5. Divine, summery goodness. Rich and complex while still light. Notes of cereal, hay, chamomile, coriander, light citrus (grapefruit?), grass.</div><div><br /></div><div>Taste: 4/5. A delight, if ever so slightly thin at first blush. As it lingers, though, complexity comes out: grain, citrus zest, coriander, chamomile, honey, lots of wheat. A tangy finish.</div><div><br /></div><div>Palate: 2.5/5. Too damn watery at the beginning, almost salty at the end.</div><div><br /></div><div>Overall: 4/5. A great beer to welcome the first warm day of March -- and also to welcome NB to my NC palate. This beer stands up to many Belgian wits I've had (Wittekerke, for example) and certainly is better than most American versions in my recent memory. Here's a curiosity: when taken in small sips, it comes across as unpleasantly watery -- but when gulped, it's rich and creamy.</div><div>This would be excellent with -lightly herbed/grilled whitefish with pineapple salsa</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> -salted almonds or cashews<br /></div><div> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> -ceviche</div><div> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> -goat cheese omelet with dill</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> -lighter Greek/Lebanese fare<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Combined score: 3.95/5 (B+)</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">II. Homebrew follow-up, as promised.</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div>Here's the brew recipe for the saison:</div><div><br /></div><div>0.5 lb Durst pilsner malt</div><div>0.5 lb wheat malt</div><div><br /></div><div>soak 60 minutes (hey, why not?)</div><div><br /></div><div><div>6 lb Northwestern Gold LME</div><div>2 lb Gold DME</div><div>1 lb corn sugar</div><div><br /></div></div><div>1 oz Hallertau hops (start of boil)</div><div>1 oz US Golding hops (last 20 minutes)</div><div>1 oz Styrian Golding hops (end of boil)</div><div><br /></div><div>boil 60 minutes</div><div><br /></div><div>Yeast: 4th generation cultivated Bastogne Yeast (originally from the Stammerer Ale)</div><div><br /></div><div>Per Alex's suggestion, I'm trying a warmer, longer primary fermentation on this one, which I'm calling</div><div><br /></div><div>Josquin des Prez</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SdEOcP-BDrI/AAAAAAAAAi0/uWM3cVqhyK4/s1600-h/josquin+001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SdEOcP-BDrI/AAAAAAAAAi0/uWM3cVqhyK4/s200/josquin+001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319048513387040434" border="0" /></a></div><div><object width="500" height="405"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/55ImcX8SCe0&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00&border=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/55ImcX8SCe0&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="500" height="405"></embed></object><br />Josquin, who himself hailed from the rural borderland between France and Flemish Belgium (the political map, of course, very different in the late 15th century), the very home of the Saison style. And, really, as Josquin is one of the truly great composers in the history of Western Europe, it seemed fitting to pair his name with one of the truly great beer styles. And given the fact that this brew is on its way to being a whopper -- I was aiming or 7% ABV, but we're pushing 9 last I checked -- one of the Giants (Josquin) seems to be called for. <br /><br />And, following bloggy tradition, I feel the need to finish off with a few musical <span style="font-style: italic;">homages </span>to the great man. He was as instrumental as any one person in completing the stylistic transition from the late Medieval aesthetic into that now known as the Renaissance. Here are some of his best:<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><object width="340" height="285"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/wOmA6ZGy-k0&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b&border=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/wOmA6ZGy-k0&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="340" height="285"></embed></object><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><object width="340" height="285"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Uj8GPdKttGw&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Uj8GPdKttGw&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="340" height="285"></embed></object><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><object width="340" height="285"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/aG37eSAV5bs&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6&border=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/aG37eSAV5bs&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="340" height="285"></embed></object><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><object width="340" height="285"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZD4MPHsSAWE&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01&border=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZD4MPHsSAWE&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="340" height="285"></embed></object><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Mark aka "Perm"http://www.blogger.com/profile/11147303993167664393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84367008901079822.post-67598475846848744232009-03-20T05:13:00.000-07:002009-03-20T05:45:37.388-07:00New Digs, New Homebrew...and the Man in Black<div>So on March 1 we made the move to our new place, just up the road from our previous residence - and, given the fact that it's still a rental, we love it! Slightly smaller (more appropriate size) and in MUCH better condition. Lots of character. </div><div>And still lots of space for brewing and cellaring. Photos will come soon...we only found the camera battery charger yesterday.</div><div>And speaking of finds, the landlord had 3 boxes of swing-top Grolsch bottles in the basement: "you can have 'em, just give me some of the beer, man!" I believe were his exact words. </div><div><br /></div><div>I unleashed the "Appalachian Pale Ale" yesterday and it is de-licious. Probably my favorite homebrew creation thus far. This one will be worth posting tasting notes, for sure. This more than makes up for the failed attempt at this same basic recipe a couple of months back, and the re-used Bastogne yeast (harvested from the joint project with JT) makes it go down REALLY smooth. This is something of a celebrity brew for another reason, as well -- it moved to the new apartment with us, mid-ferment! I'll admit to being quite apprehensive about hauling the carboy up the road, but it seemed to work out just fine. I left it in secondary for an extra week, just to give it more settling time. </div><div><br /></div><div>And I've got a Saison bubbling away in the closet (started it last Friday). This is my first foray into the farmhouse genre, so we'll see what happens. Also using some harvested Bastogne yeast for this go-round. Thanks to the aforementioned closet and a little space heater, I've attempted the warm-ferment that is often recommended for a Saison. At this point, it looks nice and cloudy. </div><div>Name, brew recipe, and label to be unveiled soon...but with a centuries-old origin in the rural borderlands between Flanders and France, I've got a great idea for the nomenclature on this one.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>In other music-meets-beer news, I stumbled across this:</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/ScOMwHtgc2I/AAAAAAAAAis/vUamEOjhBWc/s1600-h/johnny_cask.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 186px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/ScOMwHtgc2I/AAAAAAAAAis/vUamEOjhBWc/s200/johnny_cask.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5315246743558845282" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.dogfish.com/community/news/press-releases/dogfish-announces-75-minute-ipa-simul-cask.htm">This</a> looks pretty exciting to me. If I were in NYC on the 26th, dog(fish)gone it if I wouldn't make it out for that!</div><div><br /></div>Mark aka "Perm"http://www.blogger.com/profile/11147303993167664393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84367008901079822.post-52499547143011883162009-02-10T06:29:00.000-08:002009-03-13T23:07:32.843-07:00What's This? A Homebrew Post from Perm??<div style="text-align: left;">Don't let the e-silence fool you. St. Cecilia brewing has been at work and it's time for some updates.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">I. The Big Quad</span></div><div><br /></div><div>My Asheville buddy JT Southbound and I have collaborated on a clone brew of proportions that, if not quite epic, are at least horizon-stretching for both of us. I refer to a homebrewing take on the illustriously famed <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westvleteren_Brewery">Westvleteren Trappist 12</a>, courtesy of my beloved book <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Beer Captured</span>. </div><div><br /></div><div>Westvleteren is the smallest of the seven brew-producing <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trappist_beer">Trappist</a> monasteries (Chimay, Orval, Rochefort, de Koningshoeven, Westmalle, Achelse Kluis, Westvleteren), yet produces arguably the most sought-after and highly regarded beer of them all. They also don't export their product -- it is officially for sale only at two locations, the monastery itself and a small pub across the road. In my personal cellar, I do proudly claim a single bottle of a Westy yellow-cap (the "12") which I'm hoarding fiercely.</div><div><br /></div><div>Our homebrew version deviates ever so slightly from the printed recipe, but certainly maintains the spirit and overall effect of the Abbey Quadrupel. It breaks down like this (you can see where we slightly modified the recipe to make it our own):</div><div><br /></div><div>1 lb Cara-Munich malt (recipe: 18 oz)</div><div>1 lb Belgian Biscuit malt (recipe: 8 oz Belgian aromatic; 7 oz Belgian biscuit)</div><div>4 oz Special B malt </div><div>4 oz British Chocolate malt (recipe: 2 oz)</div><div><br /></div><div>3 lb Extra Light DME</div><div>1 lb Pilsen XL DME</div><div>6.6 lb XL LME (recipe: 10.75 lb XL DME; we had 10.6 total)</div><div><br /></div><div>1 lb light candi sugar</div><div>4 oz turbinado sugar (recipe: 4 oz Amber candi)</div><div>6 oz Malto-dextrin</div><div><br /></div><div>1 oz Organic NZ Hallertau hops (AA 7%): flavor/aroma</div><div>1.25 oz Cascade hops (5.9% AA): bittering (recipe: Styrian Goldings)</div><div>1 oz Irish moss</div><div><br /></div><div>White Labs Bastogne Ale yeast</div><div><br /></div><div>We ended up a bit closer to 6 gallons than 5, which lowered the OG from the projected 1105 down to about 1085. The final gravity was right where it needed to be, around 1020 or so, so our estimated ABV is more along the lines of 9.1% than the hoped-for 10.6. Still, formidable and nothing to shake an asperges at. Plus, more bottles for us.</div><div><br /></div><div>But I get ahead of myself....we brewed on December 19, then JT transferred it over to secondary on Dec.27. There it sat and happily did its thing until February 4, when JT pitched a second dose of the same yeast strain (captured at the time of racking) and got it chugging again. On the 6th, we reconvened, threw in the priming sugar (I believe it was corn sugar), and bottled away, mostly in corked 750 mL Belgian bottles (it only seemed fitting). Each of us made off with half the batch.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now the great waiting game begins. We agreed to not break any out until we were together again, provisionally looking at mid-March for the first sampling. These bad boys should be good to go until at least 2012, though! </div><div><br /></div><div>On my end of things, for St. Cecilia purposes I'm calling it "Notker Balbulus Stammerer Quadrupel Ale" -- managing to squeeze in another mostly-appropriate <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">double entendre</span>. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notker_Balbulus">Notker of St. Gall</a> was a late-9th/early-10th century Benedictine monk and composer/theorist who was known as <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">B</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">albulus</span>, or <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">the Stammerer</span>. He's also one of the very earliest Western composers for whom we have both a name <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">and </span>surviving music connected with that name (900AD!) Great name for a strong Quad, if you ask me -- too much of this and you're sure to be stammering! I also was pleased to find a monastic composer (I know, Benedictine, not Cistercian -- are we going to split hairs here??) for this tribute brew. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SZH7EXDGwUI/AAAAAAAAAiA/eU3UxOrY5w8/s1600-h/Notker_der_Stammler.jpg"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SZH7EXDGwUI/AAAAAAAAAiA/eU3UxOrY5w8/s400/Notker_der_Stammler.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301294288716874050" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 312px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">contemplating the proper hop additions?</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">II. RVW's </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Down Ampney </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Coffee Porter</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The <a href="http://permspicks.blogspot.com/2009/01/oy-vey.html">December brew</a> is, actually, almost all gone! It was a wonderful success and the fact that there are just a handful of bottles left is testament to that. I will say, a mere ounce of coarse-ground beans added to the wort went a LONG way. I could have done a half ounce and it still would have been plenty coffee for the end result. I'm glad I didn't follow my initial hunch and and more during the secondary. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">III. Pisgah Pale Clone, Take Two</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">My November batch was to be a rendering of <a href="http://www.hopsandvines.net/homebrew.php">Hops & Vines'</a> <a href="http://pisgahbrewing.com/index.php/beers/">Pisgah Pale Ale</a> clone recipe, which (as reported) went strangely south. I've kept the bottles, and a recent tasting suggested to me that all *might* not be lost, but I'm going to let them sit for a good 6 months before I try any again. Odds are, there's no salvaging. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I thought this kit had so much potential for greatness, though, I just had to try again. So, in the fermenter now is the seedling of my <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Swannanoa Appalachian Pale Ale.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SZIBUUXWGxI/AAAAAAAAAiI/FowwsXqZH5w/s1600-h/fiddle_and_banjo+belgian.JPG"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SZIBUUXWGxI/AAAAAAAAAiI/FowwsXqZH5w/s400/fiddle_and_banjo+belgian.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301301159944133394" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 285px; height: 307px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">It varies most significantly from both the source kit and the November attempt in that I'm using a second-generation batch of the same Bastogne Ale yeast from the Stammerer Quad. This will mark the first time that I've brewed using saved yeast from a previous batch. (If all goes according to plan, I'll use this yeast yet again next month in my projected Saison.) </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So, what we'll have is an American Pale Ale with a decidedly Belgian twist, which I am inclined to think will be nothing short of lovely. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Here's the bill:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">1 lb. Crystal malt (60 L)</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 lb. Munich malt</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">6 lbs. Gold LME</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 lb. Gold DME</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">1 oz Chinook hops (bittering)</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 oz Cascade hops (bittering)</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 oz Chinook hops (aroma/flavor)</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 oz Cascade hops (aroma/flavor)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">1 tsp Irish Moss</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Bastogne Ale Yeast (2nd Generation, harvested from December 19th brewing)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I may or may not dry hop at the end of the process; I'll leave that to my mood come secondary time. The Original Gravity was 1050, so as long as there's a good yeast feeding frenzy we should be on track for something in the 6% department.</div><div style="text-align: left;">I also did something a bit different this time in that I added more water to the boil -- 3 1/2 gallons, as opposed to my usual 2 or 2 1/2. I'm hoping this will result in a greater depth of character in the end result.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div>Mark aka "Perm"http://www.blogger.com/profile/11147303993167664393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84367008901079822.post-6761692307355976622009-02-08T17:03:00.000-08:002009-02-08T17:13:57.069-08:00Our Founding Fathers, the Separatists<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dgjRDgAfCVE/SY-CBNqrL-I/AAAAAAAAAek/rrB5brWl7ic/s1600-h/pil1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 168px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dgjRDgAfCVE/SY-CBNqrL-I/AAAAAAAAAek/rrB5brWl7ic/s320/pil1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300598243798495202" border="0" /></a>And now, an important note on our American history, from <a href="http://www.straightdope.com/" target="_blank">thestraightdope.com</a>:<br /><br /><i>Dear Cecil:<br /><br />Is it true the </i>Mayflower<i> landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620 because the ship ran out of beer? I have been told that barrels of beer were the most voluminous and important item in the hold because water couldn't stay drinkable on a ship for that long.<br /><br />— James C., Massachusetts</i><p class="answer"> You heard right, more or less: The <em>Mayflower</em> colonists decided to settle at Plymouth because they were running low on beer. In an age when so many have lost their moral compass, it's comforting to know that people in the old days had their priorities straight. </p><p class="answer"> Pretty much everything you think you know about the Pilgrims is wrong (including their being called Pilgrims--that term didn't catch on until centuries later), so it's not surprising the beer angle slipped under the radar. Here's the story, assembled with the help of my doughty research assistant Bibliophage:</p><p class="answer"> On November 9, 1620 [November 19 by modern reckoning], after 64 days at sea, the <em>Mayflower</em> sighted Cape Cod. You may inquire: What sort of idiot would sail across the north Atlantic at the height of storm season? The voyagers probably asked themselves the same question. They'd initially left Southampton, England, in August, but one of their two ships, the <em>Speedwell</em>, sprang a leak. Repair attempts failed, and by the time the travelers had consolidated themselves on the <em>Mayflower</em>, a month had passed. Then they spent an extra couple weeks under sail due to bad weather, arriving just in time for winter. That was problem one. </p><p class="answer"> Problem two was that Cape Cod was not where the colonists were supposed to be. Their patent from the Virginia Company of London authorized them to establish a plantation between 38 and 41 degrees north latitude; the tip of Cape Cod was just north of 42 degrees. The group dutifully attempted to sail south, but shoals and contrary winds kiboshed that idea. Some now spoke of splitting up. Contrary to what we imagine, the colonists weren't united by religion. Of the 102 passengers, around 40 were Separatists (i.e., separated from the Church of England), a like number were regular folks recruited by the London merchants who underwrote the expedition, and the balance were hired men, servants, and so on. Finding themselves at odds in a legal no-man's-land, the colonists drafted the Mayflower Compact. The 41 who signed it on November 11 included no women but were otherwise pretty cool, consisting of Seps and non-Seps, masters and servants, all bound by the realization that has animated every republic since: If we don't stick together we're wolf chow. </p><p class="answer"> The question remained exactly where the colonists should set up shop. Looking at the map now, you'd think a little bird would have twittered: <em>Boston! You can found Boston!</em> Apparently not. The choice came down to someplace called Anguum (probably near the present town of Ipswich), or else what the ship's navigator called "Thievish Harbor," in the direction of what's now known as Plymouth Bay. The latter being closer, the colonists headed there and found the location promising, in part because the land had been cleared earlier by Native American farmers who then conveniently died due to European-borne pestilence. The voyagers weren't disposed to be fussy: "We could not now take time for further search or consideration, our victuals being much spent, especially our beer, and it being now the 19th of December" (<em>Mourt's Relation</em>, 1622, commonly attributed to colonists William Bradford and Edward Winslow). Plymouth it was. </p><p class="answer"> Beer was a dietary mainstay in those days. Chances are the beverage in question was "ship's beer," a not-very-alcoholic concoction that, along with the even weaker "small beer," was drunk in formidable quantities during the colonial era (upwards of a quart per day seems to have been a typical ration). Undoubtedly an advantage was that, unlike more perishable foodstuffs, ship's beer would keep during long voyages and, having been boiled, was likely purer than ordinary water. </p><p class="answer"> The colonists used up their beer by Christmas. At first the ship's captain gave them a little out of the crew's supply, but when sickness, possibly scurvy, began felling the travelers (about half died that first winter), things got ugly. "As this calamity fell among the passengers that were to be left here to plant, and were hasted ashore and made to drink water that the seamen might have the more beer, and one in his sickness desiring but a small can of beer, it was answered that if he were their own father he should have none" (Bradford, <em>History of Plymouth Plantation</em>, circa 1650). The captain relented when his own men began getting sick too, evidently not wanting it to be known to history that, in addition to being late, lost, etc, he was the SOB who hogged the beer. </p> <p class="answer byline">— <span class="name">Cecil Adams</span></p><br /><sup>Source: <a href="http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2625/did-the-pilgrims-land-on-plymouth-rock-because-they-ran-out-of-beer" target="_blank">http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2625/did-the-pilgrims-land-on-plymouth-rock-because-they-ran-out-of-beer</a>, accessed 2/8/09.</sup>AAKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08447283075459290675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84367008901079822.post-81526628194418447022009-02-07T16:58:00.001-08:002009-02-07T18:37:37.641-08:00Thinking local<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dgjRDgAfCVE/SY5FZGXX8CI/AAAAAAAAAec/FsJtwxjdpsI/s1600-h/LOCAL_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dgjRDgAfCVE/SY5FZGXX8CI/AAAAAAAAAec/FsJtwxjdpsI/s320/LOCAL_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300250108969349154" border="0" /></a>What is Brooklyn Local 1?<br /><br />Let us begin with the caption on the bottle:<br /><blockquote>In Williamsburg, Brooklyn, we forge barley malt and hops from Germany, aromatic raw sugar from Mauritius, and yeast from Belgium into Brooklyn Local 1. Behind the golden color, find a dynamic complex of flavors, Belgian flair, Brooklyn fortitude, and a dusting of yeast after 100% bottle re-fermentation. Enjoy it locally or globally, as an aperitif or with your favorite dishes.</blockquote>Now, a quotation from <i>The New York Times</i>:<br /><blockquote>Steve Hindy, the president and cofounder of the brewery, said he and the brewmaster, Garrett Oliver, “had always been fascinated by Belgian-style beers and knew we could produce them here” — here being North 11th Street, within sight of the Williamsburg waterfront. In the eight-week process, the ale comes out of fermentation tanks flat and is allowed to ferment again in the bottle.<sup>1</sup></blockquote>And what of the result? Read on, brothers-in-beer.<br /><br />It comes out of the bottle golden, almost exactly apricot-colored, with terrific carbonation, and pours up a bodacious head.<br /><br />The nose is very yeasty and hits all the right notes for a saison (even if I am drinking it in February and not at the late summer harvest, as is customary).<br /><br />In the mouth, it's malty and dry, with citrus (orange) notes, honey, some spices. When cool, it has a nice long finish. Nothing surprising, if you know your Belgians, but a very solid composition within the style.<br /><br />It is also 9% ABV and comes in a 750 mL bottle, so if you're not careful it will take you to school.<br /><br />Stay tuned: <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Oki6Tg0i_EI/SX8mRulp0jI/AAAAAAAAA8Y/lR3o9usN1yg/s1600-h/BrooklynLocal2.jpg" target="_blank">Brooklyn Local 2</a> comes out this month.<br /><br /><sup>1. http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/03/a-trademark-dispute-brewed-in-a-bottle/</sup>AAKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08447283075459290675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84367008901079822.post-6864923552991162452009-01-11T16:56:00.000-08:002009-01-12T07:39:02.604-08:00Oy Vey<span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">S</span></span>o, here it is January for crying out loud and I'm back-logged for posting like nobody's business.<br /><br />Here's my lame disclaimer:<br />1) Advent and Christmas seasons for an Episcopal Organist/Choirmaster = nuts. Blogging simply got shoved to the bottom of the priorities list.<br />2) As mentioned in my previous post, my laptop fried the week before Christmas (see #1). General mayhem and gnashing of teeth ensued.<br />3) Some homebrewing setbacks left me somewhat less than eager to chronicle my achievements -- much like the writers of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, I'm more keen to document my successes than I am my defeats (see below).<br /><br />But, culturally speaking, January 1 makes all things new (including an amazing new office computer), so here we go into the *third calendar year* for Perm's Brew Picks and More.<br /><br />So, a bit of housecleaning/catching up is in order from the tail-end of '08. Here we go:<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">I. Homebrewing News.</span></span><br /><br />When last I logged in, the Pumpkin Ale was in secondary and the APA was on the docket. Both went south in a big way. Beyond recovery? Only time can tell.<br /><br />For the <span style="font-weight: bold;">pumpkin ale</span>, I've decided my big mistake was to re-soak the bag o'pumpkin in the secondary. WAAAAY too much vegetable taste in the finished product: something akin to pumpkin juice mixed with amber ale. And an odd sour note that may or may not be foreign funk. I'm going to let these puppies sit in the bottle for a few months to see what sort of mellowing magic time can work. The silver lining: they're still perfectly fine for cooking with.<br /><br />As far as the <span style="font-weight: bold;">APA</span> goes, I'm still not quite sure what went wrong, but once again there's the possibility of a foreign influence (wild yeast, or even something more nefarious like mold) influencing the elixir. Possibly some unwanted diacetyl, too. I'm also going to let it sit for a severe quantity of time to see if anything evens out. This might be one for loss-cutting and moving on.<br /><br />In the wake of these two morale-crushers, 2008 appears to have ended splendidly, though. After a prelimiary tasting, my <span style="font-weight: bold;">December brewing project</span> can be counted a wonderful success:<br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Ralph Vaughan Williams' Down Ampney Coffee Porter</span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SWtOgQ_-CRI/AAAAAAAAAh0/b9qsNt9sdyo/s1600-h/rvw.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 280px; height: 365px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SWtOgQ_-CRI/AAAAAAAAAh0/b9qsNt9sdyo/s400/rvw.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290408503502833938" border="0" /></a>In addition to winning the prize for longest name yet, it's also named in honor of the 50th anniversary of the great man's passing from this life. Vaughan Williams, being quintessentially English, deserved a quintessentially English brew, of course -- and what can be more fitting than Porter?<br /></div></div><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/5y7nJL1hpUU&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/5y7nJL1hpUU&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">It doesn't get much more sublime than this...</span><br /></div><br />The coffee was a late-minute snap decision of mine, just for fun. I coarsely-ground 1 oz of dark-roast beans, and then tossed them into the cooling wort post-boil (5 gallons, mind you). For the next week or so, I was convinced that I had brewed 5 gallons of kahlua. By bottling time, though, the coffee had mellowed out and blended with the other elements.<br />An official tasting will come soon.<br /><br /><br />And my <span style="font-weight: bold;">January brew</span> (actually begun in late December) is a foray into the joys of co-brewing with a friend. I wish I could say that this is my first foray into joint brewing, but I must sadly recall the <a href="http://permspicks.blogspot.com/2007/09/homebrew-interlude.html">events of April 2004</a>.<br />JT and I have embarked on a pretty ambitious project: a clone of Westvleteren Abt 12 (the [in]famous Trappist beer -- the one that *isn't* exported to the US). We're set to bottle in a couple of weeks, then bulk-age the monster until March or later. Stay tuned for updates.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. Election Night Special</span></span><br /><br />Only 2 months late! No worries! <br />Mrs. Perm and I celebrated Election Night with a couple of premium <a href="http://www.thecarolinacigarcompany.com/index.htm">Carolina Cigar Company </a>Churchills, and for the occasion I broke out one of my bottles of <span style="font-weight: bold;">Harviestoun Ola Dubh 12. </span><br /><div style="text-align: center;">[photo to come]<br /></div>This is an incredible whisky-barrel-aged Scottish Old Ale from the makers of Old Engine Oil.<br />Limited-edition 330 mL bottles, each individually numbered.<br />Here's the run-down:<br /><br />Appearance: Black...black is the color of my true-love beer! A very thin tan head around the edge of the glass frames the goodness. 5/5<br /><br />Aroma: Tar, tobacco, peat, smoke, hops, strong malt, and molasses. Not for the faint of heart. Or the Miller drinker. 5/5<br /><br />Taste: Malt, peat smoke, mild hops, treacle. It flows seamlessly from the nose to the taste, with wonderful whisky notes throughout. Dark-chocolate liqueur-like, to boot. 5/5<br /><br />Palate: Mellow, smooth, very slight alcohol tinge, thick, and viscous. 5/5<br /><br />Overall: Fantastic! A great Old Ale -- great sipping beer, and wonderful with that medium-blend cigar. It was a bit steep at $8.50 for a 330 mL bottle, but for a one-offer (And for a momentous event), it's definitely something special. And not a disappointment. 4.95: A+<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. New Years' in Beer Land</span></span><br /><br />New Years' 2008-2009 was not intentionally planned to be beer-themed, but combine Perm with Asheville (and haut cuisine) and it's hard not to have it end up being so. Here's a summary of the December 31 adventure:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">I. Jack of the Wood (Green Man Brewing's home)</span><br />Early supper here.<br />Green Man Imperial Stout (w/Surf & Turf)<br />Green Man IPA<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">II. The Thirsty Monk</span><br />Gouden Carolus Noel<br />(chocolate platter)<br />Off-license (in the US! I know!) bottle of Bell's Winter Wheat (wit), back to the hotel and the crazy-jet bathtub with this one<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">III. Barley's Taproom</span><br />The quest for the short-supply 2008 Pisgah Baptista (not bottled at all!) is finally successful, one hammock-taxi ride (for the ladies) later. 10-12 oz or so draught is well worth the hunt for this gem.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">IV. The Bier Garden</span><br />Appalachian Copperhead Ale<br />Allagash Dubbel (bottle)<br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:100%;">To follow: A trio of Perm's Monthly Picks, and a review of our New Years' Day multi-course feast.</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span>Mark aka "Perm"http://www.blogger.com/profile/11147303993167664393noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84367008901079822.post-52293270241161176862008-12-16T11:08:00.000-08:002008-12-16T11:11:22.761-08:00December Pre-updateThere are a few updates ready or near-ready to be posted...BUT, being an Organist in December ("AAAAGGGGHHHHH") AND having a computer death on my hands...I'll ask you indulge and excuse my lack of posting at the moment.<br /><br />Time now for some wise words of Charlie Papazian, dean of Homebrewing:<br />"Relax, don't worry, have a homebrew."Mark aka "Perm"http://www.blogger.com/profile/11147303993167664393noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84367008901079822.post-70868742282374638812008-11-28T16:45:00.000-08:002008-11-28T16:48:24.548-08:00Hooray Beer!An honorable mention from the annals of beer advertising:<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/BfGkhhm4vXw&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/BfGkhhm4vXw&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>AAKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08447283075459290675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84367008901079822.post-21688576015873571282008-11-04T08:36:00.000-08:002008-11-04T11:03:22.251-08:00Homebrew Updates 4 Nov. 2008I hope everybody is voting or has already voted. This month's <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">All About Beer </span>magazine had an interesting article about past US Presidents and beer, from Washington and Jefferson the homebrewers to Martin Van Buren the party animal to Rutherford B. Hayes the tee-totaller and his First Lady "Lemonade Lucy," to FDR who overturned Prohibition, and Jimmy Carter -- who signed into law the provision that makes homebrewing possible today.<div><br /></div><div>Last month's <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">William Billings Colonial Pumpkin Ale</span></span> is in the bottle and conditioning. Preliminary pre-carbonation taste tests hint that it's going to be nice. </div><div>Here's the run-down, since I didn't include it in the last post:</div><div><br /></div><div>1 lb Briess Caramel 20L specialty grains</div><div>6.3 lb NB Amber Malt Syrup</div><div>6 lb 9 oz fresh local pumpkin, oven-roasted and mashed into pulp</div><div>3 oz Cascade hops</div><div>7 oz wildflower honey and Grade B Vermont maple syrup</div><div>1/4 oz grated fresh ginger</div><div>1 cinnamon stick</div><div>4 whole cloves</div><div>1/2 ts allspice (ground)</div><div>1/2 ts nutmeg (ground)</div><div>White Labs Belgian Ale Yeast</div><div><br /></div><div>I soaked the grains and the pumpkin (in a mesh strain bag) in 1 gallon water @ 150F for 40 minutes, then rinsed both bags with another 1/2 gallon water.</div><div>Water brought to the boil: malt extract, honey/maple syrup, 1 oz hops, and 3 lb pumpkin (in bag) added to boil. Boil for 60 minutes, adding 1 ts Irish Moss and 1/2 oz hops at 45 minutes. Add final 1/2 oz hops and all spices at 60 minutes.</div><div>Topped up to 6 gallons (hence why a lower gravity) cold water and pitched yeast at 70F.</div><div><br /></div><div>Original Gravity: 1043 (if I'd left it at 5 gallons, would have been closer to my target of 1065, but I also had significantly less honey/maple syrup to use than the source recipe called for, which also brought the gravity down).</div><div><br /></div><div>Left in primary for 8 days, then racked to secondary, throwing in 4 oz brown sugar and 3.5 lb pumpkin pulp in a mesh bag. In secondary for 13 days.</div><div><br /></div><div>Final Gravity: 1007</div><div>Alcohol by Volume: 5.0%</div><div><br /></div><div>Primed with cane sugar and bottled. I'm going to leave it alone until Nov.24, for the first taste-test on Thanksgiving Eve.</div><div><div>I intentionally went light on the spice profile, following the recommendations of a few fellow brewers on beeradvocate.com, and also in order to let the natural flavors of the pumpkin have a chance to come through. I didn't want to make a pumpkin pie ale, which is what many end up being -- too much spice, and that's all you end up tasting.</div><div><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div>And, the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">November homebrew</span></span> is in the pot! I took a detour from my original plan (Belgian Dubbel) and got inspired by a <a href="http://www.pisgahbrewing.com/">Pisgah Pale Ale</a> clone kit from <a href="http://www.hopsandvines.net/">Hops & Vines</a> of Asheville. Pisgah is an excellent brewery, and their Pale Ale is one of the best APAs I've had, local or otherwise. And since Mrs. Perm always advocates for me to brew hoppy pale ales, it seemed like the thing to do. The pumpkin ale has a longer waiting period than my standard brews, and a Dubbel would have had an even longer hibernation period. </div><div><br /></div><div>For nomenclature, I wanted to pay tribute to the source inspiration for this recipe (Pisgah Brewing in Black Mountain, NC). I've decided to call it</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Black Mountain Appalachian Pale Ale</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div>Here's the photo for the label:</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SRCVU6_Tt8I/AAAAAAAAAY4/nfLZHaGmyxM/s1600-h/fiddle_and_banjo.jpg"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SRCVU6_Tt8I/AAAAAAAAAY4/nfLZHaGmyxM/s200/fiddle_and_banjo.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264872151060821954" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 186px; height: 200px; " /></a>The tag line will read: "Our homage to one of the finest breweries (and one of the finest brews) of the Blue Ridge -- and the music that has echoed in these hills for centuries."</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm quite fond of the play on the acronym at work here: APA, of course, being "American Pale Ale," but "Appalachian" works nicely in its tip-o-the-hat to Pisgah. </div><div>In the interest of having the composer theme unbroken, I considered styling it "Aaron Copland's Appalachian Spring Ale," but that's all about Pennsylvania and is based on a poem about the Adirondacks. Not the same.</div><div><br /></div><div>I do confess a deep fondness for Appalachian folk music (Old Time, ballads, etc.) and it seems entirely appropriate to send one of my St. Cecilia tributes in that direction. Plus, it gives me an excuse for more YouTube gems here:</div><div><br /></div><div><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/HpbMQEYI9yg&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/HpbMQEYI9yg&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/SEtDQRcb3N4&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/SEtDQRcb3N4&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Dirk Powell and Riley Baugus are two of the shining stars of the Old Time revival. And "Cumberland Gap" is one of my favorite Old Time numbers.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Profile and brew overview to come. </div>Mark aka "Perm"http://www.blogger.com/profile/11147303993167664393noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84367008901079822.post-63967995016966555862008-10-30T05:46:00.000-07:002008-10-30T05:57:35.585-07:00Sixpoint follow-up<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dgjRDgAfCVE/SQms_NbJeKI/AAAAAAAAASM/I-5GeGabVx4/s1600-h/7.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dgjRDgAfCVE/SQms_NbJeKI/AAAAAAAAASM/I-5GeGabVx4/s200/7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262927841494399138" border="0" /></a>On the heels of the <i>New York Times</i> article, the people at <a href="http://newyork.metromix.com/" target="_blank">Metromix</a> have created a very fine photo essay on the operations of Sixpoint Craft Ales. Worth the look for anyone (again: <i>everyone</i>) who loves good beer and the art of the brewer. In this instance, loving Brooklyn is helpful, but not necessary.<br /><br />INSIDE: <a href="http://newyork.metromix.com/bars-and-clubs/photogallery/inside-sixpoint-craft-ales/725992/content" target="_blank">Sixpoint Craft Ales</a>AAKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08447283075459290675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84367008901079822.post-54412441474953251022008-10-29T18:30:00.001-07:002008-10-29T18:52:50.009-07:00NYTimes: Brooklyn Returns to a Heady Time<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dgjRDgAfCVE/SQkQSZ792fI/AAAAAAAAASE/bqLT0AvbaxI/s1600-h/29beer_600.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 247px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dgjRDgAfCVE/SQkQSZ792fI/AAAAAAAAASE/bqLT0AvbaxI/s400/29beer_600.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262755547945228786" /></a><br />This article in today's food section is well worth reading for anyone (that is: <i>everyone</i>) with an interest in the political economy of local breweries. Featured in this photo, as in the article, are some of the offerings of Sixpoint, a Brooklyn craft brewery responsible for some seriously tasty beer that doesn't have to rely on charity to score highly in all departments. Extra points are awarded for their brews' cool names, especially the Sixpoint Brownstone, the Sweet Action, and the Righteous Ale.<br /><br />NY Times: <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/29/dining/29beer.html" target="_blank">Brooklyn Returns to a Heady Time</a><br />SEE ALSO: <a href="http://sixpointcraftales.com/" target="_blank">Sixpoint Craft Ales</a>AAKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08447283075459290675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84367008901079822.post-78681428755712866062008-10-20T08:44:00.001-07:002008-10-21T07:41:33.518-07:00Beer a Better Investment than NewspapersAs readers of this fair blog probably suspected, it turns out that investing in beer over the past three years would have yielded a far more satisfying return than plunking down cash for newspaper stocks.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/48089670@N00/290823776/" title="Archipelago Brewery by tobym on Flickr"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/109/290823776_2a723689e2.jpg" /></a><br /><br /></div><a href="http://www.clickz.com/showPage.html?page=3631186">This intrepid blogge</a><a href="http://www.clickz.com/showPage.html?page=3631186">r</a> has done the math and determined that spending $10,000 on kegs of Bud (more on this in a minute) and re-investing your $75 returned deposit underneath your mattress would result in approximately $4,125 cash in hand. Newspapers? Not so much. The <a href="http://nyt.com/">Grey Lady</a> is the only stock currently above that $4,125 watermark and a $10,000 investment in <a href="http://usatoday.com/">McPaper</a> would leave you with a paltry $1,833 as of the middle of last week.<br /><br />Of course, my only issue with this post is - why Bud? Running the same numbers with a list price of $179 for 1/2 keg of Brooklyn Brown still leaves you with a tidy $2,925 under your mattress and you've spent the past three years drinking a brew that is, in fact, quite fine. Or, go for variety, as the Brooklyn Brown seems to be fairly representative in price of the better brews.<br /><br />This even goes beyond quality versus quantity. Sure you could drink the equivalent of 6 Bud's per day for three years. But then what about the medical costs associated with alcoholism and cirrhosis of the liver? And surely those who live near good local brewery's would better serve their local economy by buying local and rewarding the toils of their friendly local craftspeople.<br /><br />This is not even to mention the amount of homebrew that $10,000 of supplies and materials could produce! So here's to beer, and not newspapers. Bottoms up to you all until the next time!TheGhosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02728596677850656896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84367008901079822.post-81136355360074528412008-10-10T18:12:00.000-07:002008-10-10T19:17:59.910-07:00Perm's Pick for October<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://micro.dieuduciel.com/upload/RouteDesEpices.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://micro.dieuduciel.com/upload/RouteDesEpices.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I have not posted a true "Pick" in quite a while.<br /><br />As it should be, methinks, since these Picks are not for the every-day, run-of-the-mill <a href="http://www.averybrewing.com/BigBeers/docs/whiteRascal">Good Beers</a>, but for those that truly stand out from the crowd in their uniqueness.<br /><br />I do think it's time to present another, this one from the well-respected <a href="http://www.soyouwanna.com/site/pros_cons/quebec/quebec.html">Quebecois</a>-<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMiqfusRWM4">Canadian</a> brewery <a href="http://www.dieuduciel.com/">Dieu du Ciel</a>. I've heard great things about Dieu du Ciel, but this particular brew was my first foray into their <span style="font-style: italic;">oeuvre</span>. And, quite honestly, this one was a tangential, whim pick. I was stocking up for my October cellar stash at <a href="http://www.bruisin-ales.com/">Ye Olde Bruisin' Ales</a>, and happened to be telling Jason how much I appreciated his prior recommendation of <a href="http://www.vapeur.com/vap03e.html">Saison Pipaix</a>. He then said, "Well, if you appreciated the peppery notes of the Pipaix, you should check this one out..." and fetched me a 12-ounce bottle of the present goodness. Brewed with green and black peppercorns, in fact.<span class="desbeer"></span><p style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;">Route des Épices</span></p><p class="MsoNormal">Rye Ale brewed with green and black peppercorns, 5% Alcohol by Volume<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">From the Brewery's own description...</p><p style="font-style: italic;" class="MsoNormal">"<span class="descbeerPh">La Route des épices est une bière de seigle dégageant d'agréables arômes et saveurs de poivre provenant de l’incorporation de cette épice durant le brassage. En bouche, on retrouve aussi des saveurs de malt, de céréales fraîches, et des notes de fruits, de chocolat et de caramel. En arrière-goût, le poivre revient en force et laisse une agréable sensation épicée sur la langue et l'arrière du palais, permettant d'atteindre le juste équilibre entre le piquant et les autres saveurs..."</span></p><p class="MsoNormal">That is to say,<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic;"> "</span><span class="desbeer"><span style="font-style: italic;">Initially, the beer reveals flavours of fresh grain and malt, which give it notes of chocolate, caramel, and fruit. The pepper flavour and aroma is fully revealed in the finish, which leaves a pleasant, spicy, tingling sensation on the tongue."</span><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">Odd, I know. But you know what, it works.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Here's my review:</p><p class="MsoNormal">Appearance: Dark siena brown, similar to an American Brown or a dark Pumpkin ale. Lots of light-tan foamy head. 4.5 / 5<br /><br />Aroma: Enticing! Dark, deep malt; black and white pepper leads into shades of cocoa, cardamom, salt, coriander, and rye, with an earthy-floral (is that basil?) finish. 4 / 5<br /><br />Taste: Rich and complex: this is truly a caravan-journey across the Spice Road. Dark tones of rye and bourbon, with a flashy peppercorn showing and a spicy finish. Dandelion shows up, as well as (again) cardamom, with slight hints of white chocolate. 4.5 / 5<br /><br />Palate: A strong pepper finish -- almost hot on the throat, and yet I want to sip again and again... 3.5 / 5<br /><br />Overall: Very unusual! Very pleasant, too...Dark, mysterious, appropriately bitter. 4 / 5<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Great with (I would imagine) a whole array of foods -- peppery steak for sure; smoked cheeses; anything grilled. I had it alongside a chicken-gorgonzola-walnut pasta: it was *almost* too strong for the dish, but in the end it did work well together, thanks to that gorgonzola-blue cheese. I'd try this one with mole sauce in a heartbeat. Or, for that matter, curry fries.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Final: 4.25 / 5 (A-)<br /><br />My only advice: don't drink it too cold. You'll miss out.<br /><br /><span class="desbeer"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt;">É</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt;">Épic<br /></p>Mark aka "Perm"http://www.blogger.com/profile/11147303993167664393noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84367008901079822.post-2093844604852355962008-10-10T05:48:00.000-07:002008-10-11T18:16:28.197-07:00October Homebrew News<span style="font-size:130%;">I. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;">It's Here and It's Good.</span><div><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SOysZ36MyTI/AAAAAAAAAYw/fiy8mZlQTe8/s320/Homebrew+Labels+003.jpg" /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Just how good, I'll let Mrs. Perm post her tasting notes and say. Suffice to say, I'm damn proud of this one.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size:130%;">II. The Howells English Mild Ale</span> continues to be a bit pedestrian and boring. Nothing wrong with it, and it goes great with a bowl of bison chili, just nothing to write home about. I've made much better brews than this. Perhaps it (like so many others before) just needs to sit in the bottle and age for a while yet. But I'm not holding out for greatness.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size:130%;">III. Gearing up for the next batch:</span> </div><div>William Billings Colonial Pumpkin Ale<br /><embed id="VideoPlayback" src="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docid=7608306759277094551&hl=en&fs=true" style="width:400px;height:326px" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed> <br /><br />I spent the better part of the first half of today brewing this one. Look for a future post devoted to it (with photos). It's by far the most experimental brew I've worked on yet; I'm looking for it to be good -- but as all true experiments are wont to be, there's no real telling how the final product will pan out. Suffice to say at this point in the game, the color is lovely.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br />IV. Happy Birthday!!</span><br /><br />St. Cecilia Brewery celebrated its One Year mark in September, and the crazy brewer forgot to mark the occasion with a note...however, I couldn't think of a finer brew to mark the occasion with than that Irish Stout. Man, it's good.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div>Mark aka "Perm"http://www.blogger.com/profile/11147303993167664393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84367008901079822.post-84910486204479525522008-09-27T11:07:00.000-07:002008-09-27T11:12:14.743-07:00Wisdom from our National Sage<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://newagreements.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/benjamin-franklin.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://newagreements.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/benjamin-franklin.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">"I doubt not that moderate Drinking has been improv'd for the Diffusion of Knowledge among the ingenious Part of Mankind...drinking does not improve our Faculties, but it enables us to use them."</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: right;">Benjamin Franklin, Silence Dogood, No. 12, 1722.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>(full text <a href="http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Silence_Dogood,_No._12">here</a>)</div>Mark aka "Perm"http://www.blogger.com/profile/11147303993167664393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84367008901079822.post-60409990499675876532008-09-23T05:08:00.000-07:002008-09-23T07:06:26.908-07:00BREWGRASS 08<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SNjnv0cwusI/AAAAAAAAAYo/-7YLthaI3kE/s1600-h/BG13.JPG"><br /></a><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SNjdP6ywI7I/AAAAAAAAAVw/Kl-AXvjEvYU/s1600-h/BG7.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SNjdP6ywI7I/AAAAAAAAAVw/Kl-AXvjEvYU/s320/BG7.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249188631250215858" /></a><br /><div>I have said it elsewhere before; I'll say it here loudly and clearly; I'll say it again I'm sure:<br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Brewgrass rocked my socks off.</span></div><div><br /></div><div>I (and Mrs. Perm) have been a mostly-annual participant in the Durham, NC World Beer Festival since 2002. We have come to love it dearly ("It's the best thing that Durham has to offer."), have very very fond memories of festivals past spent with friends, and were sorry to realize that we wouldn't be able to make the trek this year to attend. I can credit the WBF with introducing me to any number of then-new, now-favorite brews. I raise my glass to thee in Toast, World Beer Festival.</div><div><br /></div><div>I can, however, unequivocally state that the Great Smokies Craft Brewers Brewgrass Festival blows the Durham fest out of the water. Yes, it's quite smaller. Yes, there are significantly fewer breweries -- and significantly fewer <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">brews </span>-- representing a smaller geographic spread than at the WBF. Be as that may, Brewgrass for me has successfully captured the certain <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">je ne sais quoi </span>of Atmosphere that a "Beer Festival" should represent. I firmly believe in the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">quality over quantity </span>focus, and believe that BG has nailed that one on the head. </div><div><br /></div><div>Where Brewgrass got it right:</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SNjjIYtpG2I/AAAAAAAAAXg/mJD0cTA7Ezg/s1600-h/BG15.JPG"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SNjjIYtpG2I/AAAAAAAAAXg/mJD0cTA7Ezg/s320/BG15.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249195098912660322" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; " /></a><div>* Limiting the number of attendees. Yes, it was crowded. Certainly, it could easily have been much more crowded than it was. The size of the crowd was manageable and reasonable. I hope they continue this practice. </div><div>* The Venue. MLK Park is perfect for this thing.</div><div>* Having one 7-hour session rather than two 4-hour sessions (a la Durham). Four hours is a long time to sample beers. And yet there was much less of a sense of haste with the proceedings, having those additional three hours. One could take a sample brew, return to one's chair, take some notes, relish in the beer, savor it, and return at one's leisure to the next brewery tent. Here's a great example also of how fewer breweries to choose from works in your favor. </div><div>* Having the space, ability, space, permission, expectation, and, yes, space to bring a chair and use it. And sit down. Next year, we're definitely getting closer to the stage. <img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SNjm7h70fGI/AAAAAAAAAYY/mhVNnoseXWo/s320/BG3.JPG" /> </div><div>* Being generally Chill about everything. Laid-back, relaxed, happy. Not that those things don't happen at Other Beer Festivals I've attended. But Brewgrass really does capture that ambience beautifully. (Can we credit Asheville with this fact? Or the demeanor of those who come to this thing? I can say, I did not miss the preponderance [being one myself] of that certain demographic of <a href="http://www.usnews.com/blogs/paper-trail/2008/9/9/duke-study-says-legacy-students-underachieve.html">Duke</a> (<a href="http://www.ancient-future.net/uploaded_images/yuppies-776991.jpg">graduate-</a>) <a href="http://www.truthaboutduke.com/photo_realstu_dis.php?photoid=29">students</a> and <a href="http://www.nostalgiacentral.com/images_pop/yuppies_nigella.jpg">Triangle Yuppies</a>.) </div><div>* Very nice souvenir tasting glasses. <br /></div><div> <img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SNjgm_5310I/AAAAAAAAAWo/FDMximGYzBE/s320/BG8.JPG" /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>* Lest we forget or overlook it: The Music. The lineup of bands was stellar and the front-and-centeredness of the stage was entirely appropriate and enjoyable.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SNjjHz-zyZI/AAAAAAAAAXY/wcQm5IXkGXk/s320/BG14.JPG" /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: underline; "><br /></span></div><div>The weather was perfect. The people were nice. And the beers were stupendous.</div><div><br /></div></div><div>I began the day set to take detailed tasting notes and be all nerdy, BA-style. After about 3 or 4, though, the just-take-it-easy-and-have-fun mood got the best of me, and I decided to do just that. Enjoy the day, make mental notes of outstanding samples, and simply soak it all in.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The bands: </span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SNjnv0cwusI/AAAAAAAAAYo/-7YLthaI3kE/s1600-h/BG13.JPG"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SNjnv0cwusI/AAAAAAAAAYo/-7YLthaI3kE/s320/BG13.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249200174419458754" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; " /></a><div>1. <a href="http://www.weemsnet.com/stankgrass/">Brushfire Stankgrass</a>. We noticed how as the day went on, the bands successively got more and more "traditional" in style. The first group was barely even "Newgrass," let alone Blue. They did have a banjo. And they were quite good, in an Avett Brothers/Carbon Leaf sort of vein.</div><div>2. <a href="http://www.thebiscuitburners.com/">The Biscuit Burners</a>. These folks were probably my favorite. Also flirting with a "Newgrass" sound, a few of their songs had a pronounced Indian influence (was that a sitar up there?) -- perfect for the Asheville-hippies.</div><div>3. <a href="http://www.dixiebeeliners.com/">Dixie Bee Liners.</a> Yeah, I was drinking.</div><div>4. <a href="http://www.greenskybluegrass.com/">Greensky Bluegrass</a>.</div><div>5.<a href="http://www.cadillacsky.net/"> Cadillac Sky</a> -- these guys were fantastic, and really made me want to be closer to the stage.</div><div><br /></div><div>What could have been better? A cigar vendor.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); "><br /><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SNje0TGSQlI/AAAAAAAAAV4/ZEltFQWBKr8/s320/BG1.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249190355761513042" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Calm Before the Storm.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SNjgnXvP0OI/AAAAAAAAAWw/unYYMWloeDc/s1600-h/BG9.JPG"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SNjgnXvP0OI/AAAAAAAAAWw/unYYMWloeDc/s320/BG9.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249192332692017378" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; " /></a><div style="text-align: left;">The Brewery Lineup was Stellar. 42 by my count, 30 of which were from either North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, or north Georgia. With a total of at least 175 beers or so (the guide booklet wasn't completely accurate in its listings). Of those 42, Mrs. Perm and I managed to make it to 22 breweries and sample about 45 brews. Modest in the grand scheme, perhaps, but I, at least, have very few regrets about how I made out. </div></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SNjgma8ZZqI/AAAAAAAAAWg/XeGfjR1nR0A/s1600-h/BG6.JPG"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SNjgma8ZZqI/AAAAAAAAAWg/XeGfjR1nR0A/s320/BG6.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249192316372608674" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; " /></a><div style="text-align: left;">There were two or three breweries that I missed on purpose (Foothills, Big Boss, Sam Adams), but only a couple that I wanted to hit up and didn't (Duck Rabbit, Heinzelmannchen). <br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">At first I was slightly bummed that there were not free water bottles (Durham does do this, or at least used to), but once we discovered the preponderance of jugs o' water at the brewery booths (ostensibly for cleaning out your tasting glass), my complaints washed away. Plus, the $2 we did spend on water bottles went to Big Brothers & Big Sisters of Asheville.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Highlights of the brew tastings: </div><div style="text-align: left;">* Dogfish Head and their <a href="http://www.dogfish.com/tangents/endeavours.htm?newsID=34">Randall</a>. 60-Minute IPA filtered through basil, mint, and coffee. YOWZA! Their Festina Peche was also a highlight.</div><div style="text-align: left;">* Highland's limited-release Imperial Black Mocha Stout. Definitely in my Top 3 of the day.</div><div style="text-align: left;">* Pisgah Valdez -- another strong coffee stout, this one with organic, fair-trade coffee beans.</div><div style="text-align: left;">* French Broad's Saison. American breweries often struggle with making a successful farmhouse ale. French Broad nailed it. The Altbier was also a winner.</div><div style="text-align: left;">* Green Man had their ESB in a hand-pump cask. It was heavenly.</div><div style="text-align: left;">* Magic Hat Jinx. Strong ale brewed with peat-smoked whisky malt. </div><div style="text-align: left;">* Outer Banks Slap Happy Abbey.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Thomas Creek's Vanilla Cream Ale -- surprising!</div><div style="text-align: left;">Great Divide Wild Berry. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Low-lights:</div><div style="text-align: left;">* Rogue (OR) Brewing's Old Crustacean Barleywine. I don't know how they get off calling that a barleywine. I also don't know the story behind the naming of this one, but "Old Crustacean" pretty much tastes like the name suggests that it might.</div><div style="text-align: left;">* Triangle Brewing (NC)'s Xtra Pale Ale. As Homer Simpson might say, "Bo-ring!"</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Here's a list of what we tried. I'll have a review of a few of them forthcoming. This posting is already long enough. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Asheville Brewing Co</span>. Old School Pale Ale, Ninja Porter.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Brooklyn Brewery</span>. Post Road Pumpkin Ale.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Catawba Valley Brewing</span> (NC). King Don Pumpkin Ale.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Coast Brewing</span> (Charleston, SC). Hopart IPA, ALTerior Motive Altbier.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Dogfish Head Brewing</span>. Festina Peche (a "Neo-Berliner Weisse"), 60-Minute IPA (Randallised!)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">French Broad Brewing Co</span>. (NC) Wee Heavier Scotch Ale, Altbier, Gateway Kolsch, 13 Rebels ESB, Saison.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Green Man Brewing</span> (NC). Pale Ale, Cask-conditioned ESB, Porter.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Highland Brewing</span>. Gaelic Ale, Imperial Black Mocha Stout.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Magic Ha</span>t. Lucky Kat IPA, Number 9, Jinx.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Moon River Brewing</span> (GA). Wild Wacky Wit, Swamp Fox IPA, Captain's Porter.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Outer Banks Brewing</span> (NC). Slap Happy Abbey.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Pisgah Brewing</span> (NC). Valdez, Endless Summer.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Rogue Brewing</span>. Old Crustacean Barleywine.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Sierra Nevada </span>(CA). Anniversary Ale.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Terrapin Beer Co</span>. (GA). India Style Brown Ale, Big Hoppy Monster Imperial Red Ale.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Tommyknocker Brewery</span> (CO). English Style Pale Ale (dry hopped with Kent Goldings & Fuggles)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Thomas Creek Brewing</span> (SC). Doppelbock, Vanilla Cream Ale.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Triangle Brewing</span> (NC). Belgian Style Golden Ale, Xtra Pale Ale.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Victory Brewing</span> (PA). Prima Pils, Hop Devil IPA</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Yazoo Brewing</span> (TN). Hefeweizen.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Great Divide</span> (CO.) Wild Berry Ale.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: underline;"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SNjgnhzAc9I/AAAAAAAAAW4/M_VXbeBL9S0/s320/BG10.JPG" /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">A local brewing favorite. Find the Hasid look-alike?</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SNjjI9JbqtI/AAAAAAAAAXo/cWga6BKVjmM/s320/BG16.JPG" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The scene of pure magic -- Imperial Black Mocha Stout.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SNjgoJsoDpI/AAAAAAAAAXA/mZ7qpY-r1Jo/s320/BG11.JPG" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">And, lest we forget, the food was great -- Doc Chey's Noodle House (the fried gyoza dumplings were DELICIOUS), Barley's Taproom pizzas, and amazing organic bratwurst from Greenlife Grocery's deli (with equally amazing "Lusty Monk" mustard).</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SNjk3OzMWWI/AAAAAAAAAXw/_bZiH-UOInc/s1600-h/BG17.JPG"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SNjk3OzMWWI/AAAAAAAAAXw/_bZiH-UOInc/s320/BG17.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249197003217066338" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Running into old friends makes a good day into a Great one. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SNjk3U40hSI/AAAAAAAAAX4/7_0OPRLB3DY/s1600-h/BG18.JPG"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SNjk3U40hSI/AAAAAAAAAX4/7_0OPRLB3DY/s320/BG18.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249197004851283234" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">'Tis the season...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SNjk4SVCVcI/AAAAAAAAAYI/wiDphMMlGL4/s1600-h/BG20.JPG"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SNjk4SVCVcI/AAAAAAAAAYI/wiDphMMlGL4/s320/BG20.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249197021344191938" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">I can't tell you how many comments I got from this shirt. I think I'll have to wear it again next year.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SNjm8E6xs9I/AAAAAAAAAYg/OQjVOUQhuto/s1600-h/BG5.JPG"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SNjm8E6xs9I/AAAAAAAAAYg/OQjVOUQhuto/s320/BG5.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249199285487121362" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">A final parting shot. There's that cute tasting glass again. Filled with Moon River Wit, by the way. That's a good wit.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></div></div>Mark aka "Perm"http://www.blogger.com/profile/11147303993167664393noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84367008901079822.post-42120614901614750982008-09-19T08:29:00.000-07:002008-09-19T18:03:18.996-07:00Beer in the Media roundup...<span style="">This might make a fun recurring feature: what's going on with brew news (and opinions!) across the globe, with appropriate snide remarks by yours truly.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-size:130%;">First off</span><span style="">, a </span><a style="" href="http://www.sinclairbreweries.co.uk/news_item_skull_splitter_axe.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">potential tragedy in Scotland.</span></span></a><br /><span style="">This is so ridiculous I must paste the entire article in-line. </span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style=";font-size:85%;"><strong>SKULL SPLITTER ALE MAY FACE AXE AFTER PORTMAN REPORT </strong></span><br /><br /><span style=";font-size:85%;"> The Orkney Brewery has mounted a vigorous defence of its award winning Skull Splitter ale, which could be withdrawn from sale in the UK following a report claiming its Viking branded bottles had an “aggressive” theme. The report, by management consultancy PIPC, was commissioned by controversial drinks marketing watchdog, the Portman Group, to investigate compliance with an industry code of practice on the naming, packaging and promotion of alcohol. </span><br /><span style=";font-size:85%;"> Skull Splitter, an 8.5% ale created over 20 years ago and sold internationally, was singled out in the PIPC report because “it’s name implies violence and also the impact the strength may have on the drinker”. </span><br /><span style=";font-size:85%;">The report claimed that, potentially, Skull Splitter was in breach of the drinks industry’s code and the Portman Group will meet later in the year to consider what action, if any, it may take against the Orkney Brewery. That action could include an instruction to UK retailers not to stock the ale. </span><br /><span style=";font-size:85%;">Fearing one of its longest established and most popular ales could be withdrawn from sale in the UK, the brewery has now launched a campaign to save Skull Splitter, a former Champion Winter Ale of Britain. </span><br /><span style=";font-size:85%;">Already commended for leading the way with efforts to increase awareness of sensible drinking, the brewery – set to undergo a major redevelopment - has repeatedly stressed to the Portman Group that the ale is in fact named after Thorfinn Hausakluif, the Seventh Viking Earl of Orkney - nicknamed “Skull Splitter”. </span><br /><span style=";font-size:85%;">Orkney Brewery’s parent company, Sinclair Breweries Ltd, is mustering support for its case ahead of the final decision by the Portman Group. </span><br /><span style=";font-size:85%;">Norman Sinclair, managing director of Sinclair Breweries Ltd, said: “We’re completely stunned by the hard line the Portman Group has taken with Skullsplitter. When they first raised their concerns with us on the back of the PIPC report we fully explained the historical background to the name and, as responsible brewers, we were happy to try and work with them to find a solution. Indeed, we’ve cooperated with them every step of the way but it’s apparently got us nowhere. </span><br /><span style=";font-size:85%;">“Again and again we have stressed to the Portman Group that Skull Splitter, like all our beers, is a high quality, hand crafted product designed to be savoured by adults who enjoy the real ale experience. We never target any of our beers at a young market, nor do we allow them to be sold cut price. In addition, Skull Splitter is not sold in supermarkets.” </span><br /><span style=";font-size:85%;">Mr Sinclair said he had reminded the Portman Group that Sinclair Breweries Ltd, which also owns Kinlochleven’s Atlas Brewery, was the first small, independent brewer to incorporate new government alcohol consumption guidelines on all its labelling. </span><br /><span style=";font-size:85%;">“We’ve always promoted a responsible attitude towards our products and, whilst we recognise that the Portman Group is trying to address a very real problem with under age drinking in this country, real ales are not the cause of these issues,” he said. “Sadly, the Portman Group does not appear to have grasped this fact. They have chosen to disregard everything we’ve said about the history of Orkney and the associated branding of what is a carefully crafted and well loved product, enjoyed the world over.” </span><br /><span style=";font-size:85%;">He added: “We await their final decision with considerable concern. It’s almost inconceivable that a quality product such as Skull Splitter, one that has won numerous industry awards, could disappear from sale in the UK and I sincerely hope that common sense prevails.”<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style=";font-size:100%;">Two words: Namby-Pamby.<br /><br />It seems the Bloody English are at it again! It is also apparent that the Portman Group has no sense for irony nor humour. I can only imagine that they would frown on such beer names as Duvel ( = Satan! Aaagh!), Weyerbacher Old Heathen ( = paganism!), Mt. Shasta's Weed Ales (marijuana use), and any number of Unibroue names (Maudite, Trois Pistoles...). And let's not forget Biere de Boucanier or Midnight Sun's Lust Ale.<br /><br />Needless to say, the Skull Splitter is a fine, fine brew.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Second</span></span>, some "fun things" from your friends and mine at <a href="http://www.budamericanale.com/pub/american-ale.aspx#the-ale"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Anheuser-Busch</span></span></a>. Apparently they are unleashing an "American Ale" in the next week or two. Could it be that a corporate giant is quaking in the boots because of the Craft movement? Or is it a matter of saying, "hey, we can play this game, too!"<br /><br />However you spin it, I think the immortal words of one Jesus Quintana are apt: "Bush-league psyche-out stuff: laughable, man!!"<br /><br />By way of editorial, you can't do much better than my good friends at <a href="http://www.bruisin-ales.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Bruisin' Ales</span></span></a>:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.bruisin-ales.com/beerblog/2008/09/beer/the-deluge-of-fake-craft-is-upon-us/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">The deluge of fake craft is upon us</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">.</span></a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:100%;">favorite quotes:</span><br />"</span></span><span style=";font-size:85%;">If you managed to make it through that Bud tutorial, they say 25 ibu's is 'hoppy.' Try telling that to a Double IPA-hophead and they'll likely spit it back in your face. Read this <a href="http://beeradvocate.com/forum/read/1543600" target="_blank" _base_href="http://bruisin-ales.com"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">BeerAdvocate forum post</span></span></a> where a Bud rep allegedly compares <a href="http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/29/43118" target="_blank" _base_href="http://bruisin-ales.com"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Bud American Ale</span></span></a> to <a href="http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/140/276" target="_blank" _base_href="http://bruisin-ales.com"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Sierra Nevada Pale Ale</span></span></a></span><span style=""> '</span><span style=";font-size:85%;">but without all that nasty hoppy bite aftertaste.' Oh, my!"<br />"<span style="">Will we try Budweiser American Ale? Maybe. Will we carry it? Absolutely not."<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />And <span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;">three</span>,</span></span> for good measure:<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span></span></span><div style="text-align: center; "><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style=""><span style="font-weight: bold;">Brewgrass is upon us!</span></span><br /></span></div><span style="color: rgb(192, 192, 192);font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(204, 204, 204);"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /></span></span><span style=";font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Tomorrow, Mrs. Perm and I will be heading up to good ol' Asheville for the </span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><a style="" href="http://www.brewgrassfestival.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Twelfth Annual Greak Smokies Craft Brewers Brewgrass Festival</span></span></a></span><span style=";font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">. The weather looks to be perfect (high of 74 F, mild wind at 7-9 mph, few clouds...) and the </span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><a style="" href="http://www.brewgrassfestival.com/brewers/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Brewery lineup</span></span></a></span><span style=";font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> looks superb.</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /><br /></span></span><span style=";font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Come back soon for photos and reviews!</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></div></div>Mark aka "Perm"http://www.blogger.com/profile/11147303993167664393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84367008901079822.post-82397794163978758962008-09-14T18:56:00.000-07:002008-09-14T19:03:17.797-07:00It's good to be the Queen....<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.britishembassy.gov.uk/Files/kimage/Queen%20Elizabeth%20II,0.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://www.britishembassy.gov.uk/Files/kimage/Queen%20Elizabeth%20II,0.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><div id="hn-articlebody" class="g-unit hn-copy"><h1>Queen mistakenly sent 2,000 pints of beer<br /></h1> <p class="hn-byline"><span class="hn-date">2 days ago</span></p> <p>'LONDON (AFP) — Queen Elizabeth II was mistakenly sent 2,000 pints of beer when one of her royal residences was confused with a nearby pub, it has emerged.</p><p>Royal staff had no record of any such order when a truck turned up at Windsor Castle on Wednesday with 12 barrels of lager ahead of England's football World Cup qualifying match with Croatia in Zagreb.</p><p>A quick telephone call revealed the mistake -- the booze had been destined for the Windsor Castle pub five miles away in Maidenhead in Berkshire county.</p><p>"We have received mail for the royal household here before but I think this is the first time they have received anything meant for us," said pub manager Misko Coric, who had ordered the beer for the football match.' </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>It does not say whether Her Majesty used Royal Prerogative to keep the beer at her castle or not. Seeing how it was an undisclosed brand of "lager," and not a cask ale, the temptation might not have been as grand.</p></div>Mark aka "Perm"http://www.blogger.com/profile/11147303993167664393noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84367008901079822.post-1233632675171009932008-09-10T18:48:00.000-07:002008-09-10T19:28:50.294-07:00September Interlude...<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I. Cellaring Pays Off.</span><div><br /></div><div>Sara and I cracked into the final 4 remaining IPAs (from April). Three words: At Their Peak. I believe, over the entire course of my share of those bottles, I continually uttered the phrase, "Damn! I brewed THIS." Brewing note to self: 4-5 months is apparently the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">moment d'or </span>for IPA. It's well known in cellaring circles that hops fade with cellaring, but apparently there's something of a bell curve at work, because the profile was hops all the way for these babies. I have a renewed energy for homebrewing -- and letting my brews sit for a few months -- after tasting those luscious treats. Wow.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">II. The Waiting Game.</span></div><div><br /></div><div>The Howells English Mild Ale is in the bottle and waiting to mature. I broke a couple out tonight to sample: very basic, very pleasant (read: almost boring in their straightforwardness). They need to sit maybe a week or so more to get really good, but my preview-tasting at least tells me that they're not duds. When I went to bottle them, I noticed a thin layer of hop/yeast trub <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">on the surface </span>of the brew, which is not really common -- it concerned me just a little bit (mold?? could mold have gotten in there??? Did it not ferment at all?) but after pouring into a glass and sampling, my fears were laid to rest. </div><div>With this one weighing it at just over 3% ABV, I figured that the obligatory put-6-aside-in-the cellar habit might be suspended for this brew. After the glorious IPA discovery, though, I think I owe it to myself to keep some aside until midwinter. I'm pretty sure they'll mature nicely.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">III. Things to Come.</span></div><div><br /></div><div>I've brewed my first Irish Stout (I'm very proud -- in my nerdy sort of way -- at the label I've devised for this one. Coming soon to a blog near you.) and racked it into the secondary fermenter. It's due to go into bottles this weekend and get broken out maybe on 1 October, as a reward to myself for surviving the dentist that day.</div><div><br /></div><div>For this one, I've returned once again to my friends at <a href="http://www.ashevillebrewers.com">Asheville Brewers' Supply</a> for the ingredients and recipe:</div><div><br /></div><div>6 lbs Northwestern Dark Malt Extract syrup</div><div>1 lb Briess Dark DME</div><div><br /></div><div>1 lb crushed grain (.75 English black patent malt, .25 American roast barley)</div><div><br /></div><div>1 oz Challenger hops (added @ 10 minutes)</div><div>1 oz Irish Moss (added @ 55 min.)</div><div>1 oz East Kent Goldings hops (added @ 60 min.)</div><div> </div><div>Total boil = 70 minutes.</div><div>White Labs Irish Ale Yeast pitched @ 85 F.</div><div><br /></div><div>OG = 1046, so we're looking at something in the 5.x% range, depending on the final gravity. So, it'll be stronger than Guinness, and one of the strongest ones I've brewed thus far...</div>Mark aka "Perm"http://www.blogger.com/profile/11147303993167664393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84367008901079822.post-40906478159526987282008-09-06T15:47:00.001-07:002008-09-10T18:48:30.336-07:00September Homebrew Tasting Notes<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SMh1dWH7mZI/AAAAAAAAAUw/DfuhMIISZIg/s1600-h/IMG_2137.JPG" style="text-decoration: none; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /></span><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SMh1dWH7mZI/AAAAAAAAAUw/DfuhMIISZIg/s320/IMG_2137.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244570913088444818" style="text-decoration: underline; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; " /></a>Lest ye think that Perm has vanished into church-work-stress oblivion, here's a new post.<div><br /></div><div>August ended up being quite a nice month -- a birthday party for Sara, a birthday/vacation trip to the beach (complete with Orval and Chimay Blue), and a severe bout with Appalachian Trail Syndrome. On top of that, I broke out the Organic Nut-Brown Ale and brewed a batch of English Mild. </div><div><br /></div><div>For starters: The Beach.</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SMh1eAWM9AI/AAAAAAAAAVA/ik16SPbay9s/s1600-h/IMG_1784.JPG"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SMh1eAWM9AI/AAAAAAAAAVA/ik16SPbay9s/s320/IMG_1784.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244570924422591490" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; " /></a></div><div>DeBordieu is always nice, but I felt this trip to be especially refreshing. As we ended up being there on my birthday, I had some birthday treats to relish. Sara surprised me with a bottle of <a href="http://www.ardbeg.com/">Ardbeg</a> (my current favorite <a href="http://www.scotch-whisky.org.uk/swa/CCC_FirstPage.jsp">Scotch</a>), which went very well with my <a href="http://www.havacigar.com/">Lianos Dos Palmas</a>! </div><div>But I'm getting ahead of myself. <img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SMh1efvBpEI/AAAAAAAAAVI/KALOkd10zns/s320/IMG_1786.JPG" /></div><div>Birthday dinner consisted of fettucine alfredo with grilled fresh bacon-wrapped, onions, and zucchini, served up with an <a href="http://www.orval.be/an/FS_an.html">Orval Trappiste</a>. <img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SMh2iXu1KUI/AAAAAAAAAVo/AgShtWXlCEM/s320/IMG_1792.JPG" /> Simply divine. </div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SMh2hvYM3GI/AAAAAAAAAVQ/Hqpb9SUKOao/s1600-h/IMG_1789.JPG"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SMh2hvYM3GI/AAAAAAAAAVQ/Hqpb9SUKOao/s320/IMG_1789.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244572088098675810" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; " /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SMh2iGiI1rI/AAAAAAAAAVg/pQwlDpR7nKs/s1600-h/IMG_1791.JPG"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SMh2iGiI1rI/AAAAAAAAAVg/pQwlDpR7nKs/s320/IMG_1791.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244572094314370738" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; " /></a><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>For dessert, we <a href="http://www.chimay.com/en/gastronomy_55.php?pageaff=receipt_detail.php&id_receipt=187">tried our hands</a> at a <a href="http://www.chimay.be/">Chimay</a>-based <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zabaglione">zabaglione</a>, with mediocre results. But the </div><div>Chimay was transcendent, as always!<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I took some alone time and did a 3-day stint on the AT in the Roan Mountain vicinity (NC/TN state line, between Mitchell and Yancey Counties [NC] and Carter County [TN]). It was beautiful, inspiring, and exhausting, and I ended my sojourn with a swing through the <a href="http://www.jackofthewood.com/">Jack of the Wood</a> pub in Asheville for a hot lunch (I hiked back to the car in fog and wet shoes) and a pint of their great Gold Ale. Let me tell you what, there is nothing better after 3 nights in the woods and 20+ pounds on your back for 30 miles than a pint of that Gold Ale in the environs of a nearly-empty English-style pub in Asheville. It was a moment nearly as transcendent as being atop a 6000' bald.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The reason I started this post, believe it or not, was to review my Byrd's Browning Ale (the organic nut-brown). So, without further ado, here's the run-down.</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SMh1cxP-q_I/AAAAAAAAAUo/ry6n-Bzaoak/s1600-h/IMG_2158.JPG"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vHVYiPrgo8k/SMh1cxP-q_I/AAAAAAAAAUo/ry6n-Bzaoak/s320/IMG_2158.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244570903190088690" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Check out that sweet new Brooklyn Brewery glass, too...</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Appearance: 4/5</div><div>A lovely brown color, like milk chocolate or dark nutmeg. A bit cloudy (but hey! it's homebrew), a thin head that is nice and white.</div><div><br /></div><div>Aroma: 3.5/5</div><div>Faint hops, "young-beer-sweet-funky" (I don't know what else to call it), walnuts, with a bit of earthiness.</div><div><br /></div><div>Taste: 4.5/5</div><div>It's fairly complex. Caramel, roasted peanuts, honey, and a slight floral finish. Nice job!</div><div><br /></div><div>Palate: 4.5/5</div><div>Bubbly/dry/sharply-spritzy-yet-smooth. It's easy and refreshing, with a warming finish.</div><div><br /></div><div>Overall: 4/5</div><div>Not bad! It's not my favorite of my homebrews (ESB still holds that title, I think), but it's certainly not my least favorite, either. Highly drinkable -- my biggest complaint is in the nose. It's quite good with a peanut-sauce Asian dish (I had it with shrimp summer rolls, and it was a winner).</div><div><br /></div><div>Combined score (out of 5): 4.15</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Mark aka "Perm"http://www.blogger.com/profile/11147303993167664393noreply@blogger.com0