Todd Reckamp, of Ambler, spent his entire Saturday morning and afternoon drinking beer while brewing beer.
Reckamp, 26, has been brewing his own beer for 4 years now, and it has become his favorite hobby. “It’s just an awesome thing to do,” said Todd. “Oh, and please call me Tater-Todd,” he added. “It’s the coolest nickname I have ever heard.”
Tater-Todd enjoys mixing the flavors and barley/hop ratio, but it is nothing to be taken lightly. “It’s an art,” he told us. “For instance, I have to plan in advance what beer I am going to be tasting while I brew my batch for the 2nd week after that.”
Confused? Tater-Todd explains. “Ok: if I am going to be making a pilsner on the 28th, I have to make a beer on the 14th that will accomodate the flavor, most likely a stout; it’s the perfect beer to drink while brewing a pilsner. Ironically though, a pilsner is not a good beer to drink while brewing a stout. It’s confusing, and takes a lot of practice to get it right.”
Practice is right! Tater-Todd has been unable to make any weekend plans with friends due to his hectic brewing schedule. “Somebody suggested that I have my friends over to share in the brewing process, but I think they would just drink the beer to get drunk, and not appreciate the flavor that it brings to the pallet while stirring the bags of barley for the next batch.”

In November, I spent a couple of weeks working in Europe (in the Netherlands) and a few days visiting some friends in north-western Germany.  During my trip, I kept some short notes on my BlackBerry on some of the beers I tried.  Mostly for my own reference and so next time I can remember which beers to have again and which ones to avoid.  Some were good and others not-so-good.  In any case, thought I’d share my notes here, in no particular order.

Jupiler: This is a light lager from Belgium. It’s coined as the most popular beer in Belgium. Loved it.

Heineken: Another light lager. This one from the Netherlands. I enjoy a Heineken occasionally at home, but found this Euro version to be quite a bit smoother. Fefinitely better than back home.

Palm Speciale: One of my favourite Belgian beers. Nice amber coloured ale. Excellent.

Dobbel Palm: Similar to the one above but slightly darker and with a bit of a nuttier flavour. Slightly heavier the the Speciale. According to Wikipedia, the Dobbel is only sold in December to replace the Speciale. Guess I got an early edition.

Dommelsch: A very popular pilsner beer from the Netherlands. Good after a big meal, as it is quite light. Excellent.

Brand Pilsner: Good beer. Another light pilsner brewed in the Netherlands. Quite popular and easy to enjoy.

Brand Dubbelbock: Quite a dark ale that is labeled as an autumn seasonal beer. I found it far too nutty and too sweet. Not for my tastes.

La Chouffe: A Belgian “strong ale”. Had a burnt nutty flavour. Again, not for my tastes.

Becks: A popular pilsner from Bremen, Germany. A staple when in Germany and one of my personal favourites when over there. However, similar to Heineken, it tasted quite different over there than it does back home. There version being the better. A great beer.

Becks Gold: Same as the pilsner, but slightly darker. I would liken the difference to Kokanee vs Kokanee Gold. But again, another great beer.

I brewed a Bohemian Pilsener on Thursday, the recipe is here. I left out the Amarillo in the end, and used Bravo for bittering and the classic Czech Saaz for late additions.

I’m using a combination of Pilsner malt, Munich malt and a dash of Melanoidin malt, to an OG of 1.049. The lager yeast is the Weihenstephan 34/70.

Here’s a video of the boil for your perusal:

Kraj pochodzenia: Polska
Gatunek: Pilsner
Alkohol: 6,7%
Ekstrakt: 14,0%

Hope you all had as nice a Thanksgiving holiday as we did!

Tomorrow (Saturday) will be a fun day at the sampling table. As usual on every Saturday, we’ll be pouring free tastings.  Tomorrow you can try:

• Boom Boom Syrah – a big, smoky fruit bomb of a syrah/shiraz.
• North Coast Scrimshaw Pilsner – included in our Crazy Beer Sale
• North Coast Bro. Thelonious Abbey Ale – also included in our Crazy Beer Sale (see older posts for details on the Crazy Beer Sale, which continues through this weekend)

We’ll crack bottles around noon and continue pouring free samples until 10pm or until we run out, whichever comes first. If you’re out shopping or just interested in learning more about wines and beers and trying new things, be sure to stop by.

See you then!

So, what’s on your Thanksgiving drink menu? Wine, perhaps? Or maybe Cider? Wait, did you say water?! That’s it—I submit beer as the holiday beverage of choice! Luckily, I’m here to provide pointers about pairing your holiday meal with the perfect beer.

Approach appetizers with a light-bodied beer that goes easy on the taste buds. Try an amber ale or a pilsner—Victory makes the outstanding Prima Pils, but a Sam Adams Boston Lager would do the trick. If you’re feeling particularly dangerous, try a Belgian pale ale like Orval or Duvel, or maybe a Bière de Garde like Jolly Pumpkin’s Bière De Mars. These bright, funky ales will keep the palate fresh while slicing through those first-course flavors. And if greens are on the menu, pick up New Belgium’s Frambozen Raspberry Brown Ale. Its tart, fruity finish works well with non-ranch salad dressings.

Pairing with a primary dish can go a few different ways. Assuming you’re eating turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, etc., a dark ale will serve you well. Consider a Belgian-style beer like Ommegang’s Rare Vos or, for the brave souls, a quadruple like Rochefort 10 or St. Bernardus Abt 12. Be careful; quads are extremely potent. Conversely, you could revisit lagers. These crisp beers make great palate cleansers, and German pilsners in particular complement poultry.

For dessert, milk stouts harmonize perfectly with chocolate. You can experiment with bolder stouts, too: Pour a glass of The Abyss or Stone’s Russian Imperial Stout after dishing out the pumpkin pie. Several other styles, including porters, lambics, and weizenbocks, also pair well with dessert; the estery flavors in lambics and weizenbocks go well with rich fruit pies, while a porter’s chocolate and coffee flavors speak for themselves.

After dinner, let your food settle while you sink into a warm armchair of inebriation with a barleywine or dopplebock. But remember, none of these guidelines are written in stone. Experiment! Get to know the styles and play with flavor combinations. And have a happy and beer-drenched Thanksgiving!

Monday: A review of my Thanksgiving-day beer!

Thought you’d want to know we’ve added to the lineup. Good while supplies last:

Spaten Oktoberfest 6 packs (a few left) reg. $8.99, sale $4.99

3 craft beers from North Coast Brewing:

• Brother Thelonious Abbey Ale 4 packs, reg.$13.49, sale $4.99
• Le Merle Saison 22oz singles, reg. $7.99, sale $2.99
• Scrimshaw Pilsner 6 packs, reg. $10.49, sale $5.49

We also have a few kegs of Rogue Somer, which is a light-drinking Orange Honey Ale (gets great reports from those who’ve tried it). Full-size kegs reg. $175, on sale for $40 (keg deposit not included). And yes, we’ve proofread this post already, and none of these prices are typos!

First come, first served! See you soon….

Cotton wool beers at Marcus Brau

Beer in Berlin: the consensus in the (English speaking) beer-o-sphere is that it’s a bit of a limbo; there’s nothing much going on.  I arrived armed with Ron Pattinson’s pub guide and an open mind.  In many bars I went to they just ask you if you want a light or dark beer, and that’s it.  Dunkel or pils, basically.  Maybe they were just simplifying things for the tourist, but I doubt it.

Light or Dark? Commemorative beer mats by artist Jean-Ulrick Desert

Much of my visit to Berlin, a very white town, could be shook down to that question.  The troubled notion of race here coupled with the amazing history of survival, heroic struggle and attrocity makes that simple question poignant. At the Schwules or Gay Museum, I spied Artist Jean-Ulrick Desert’s commemorative beer mats from Negerhosen 2000, a performance piece where he traveled around Bavaria in traditional costume, having his picture taken with Bavarians.  The project was essentially a playful take on Bavarian conservatism, and the artist is very much a Berliner, and the piece is very Berlin– ironic, sly, complex.  I wondered what would be the beer that would go with the mats? Something trad but playful, throwing something new into the mix.  I looked, but have yet to find that beer.

My go-to beer for the trip was a beer not brewed in Berlin, and yet it was everywhere: Warsteiner, which I first had with amazing vegan pho at a little nameless place in Danziger Strasse– the white grape note of the beer stood out brilliantly against the fresh basil and chili.

BarMas at the BittenBullet has a recent take on conservative German attitudes to brewing, and it’s true that the Reinheitsgebot, or the 16th brewing purity laws which most brewers still follow, would limit the chances brewers could take, and in turn the styles that are brewed.  Most German beer I’ve had  is perfectly pleasant, consistent– it asks little of the drinker.  Various smoky rauch beers aside, it is rarely extreme.

Mit schuss...green or red?

Except when you consider Berliner Weisse, a young beer which, without the compulsory syrup, tastes very much like a Belgian lambic.  Sour in the extreme, what I consider refreshing others might see as undrinkable.  The mouthfeel is less of the lambic’s barley wine and more of a lively ale.  The most popular beer in Berlin in the 19th century, it’s now only brewed by Berliner Kindl. I drank it both with and without syrup, and confess to really loving the grün, or woodruff syrup, called waldmeister or forest master– a candy cocktail suitable for the great god Pan.  It’s normally drunk in the spring but if it was on the menu, that’s what I ordered.  I was pretty smitten with the unusual sourness and the lively mouthfeel.  Drinking it mit schuss made me feel like I was celebrating something. Others have compared drinking the cocktail to an alcopop, but I don’t see it– at 3% it’s not exactly a “get hammered fast and sweet” sort of drink.  It didn’t taste like a softdrink.  Even with the syrup you could taste the earthy wheat of the beer and a chamomile-like fruitiness, but of course these were more pronounced without the sweet additive.  Why it is served with a straw I’ve no idea!  Berlin is a cocktail-crazy town, full of fun little bars offering swanky, original takes on trad cocktails and it’s in this spirit the Weisse should be had.  In one particularly inspired version I had it with passion fruit liquor.  Still, no matter what local tradition dictates, I’m not drinking beer through a straw.

Light or Dark? At the Marcus Brau Microbrewery

I went to two microbreweries in Berlin– there might be more but I couldn’t find them.  The first was Marcus Brau, a microbrewery housed in a side street of tacky shops in the rather grim shadow of the Fernsehturm, on the outskirts of Alexanderplatz. Like many other bars, the choice here is simple: light or dark? Young Marcus himself, rather bored and annoyed to be interrupted from his web surfing, served us.   Mr. Malting had the pils and I the dunkel. we sat in a wooden booth, surrounded by blinking fruit machines and homey decorations from the 1970’s, possibly older than the brewer himself!  A table of three regulars consumed what little service there was to be had.  Mr. Malting wanted another pils and the guy couldn’t seem to be bothered. When he finally ordered, Marcus forgot to bring the beer.  I couldn’t finish the dunkel.  I know Boak and Bailey have often used homebrew-like as a pejorative and I didn’t quite get it until now.  The dark beer tasted like something had gone wrong, there was a iodine-aniseed note that was really hard to get past and I just kept thinking, homebrew. The pils was free from this aftertaste.  It was drinkable, but pils is not my favourite style.  It had a very subtle cilantro note, and was a bit grassy in a pleasant way.  Still, nothing special and certainly not worth waiting 20 minutes for the brewer to quit talking to the regulars and bring it to you.

photo of Brewer Philipp Brokamp of Hops and Barley by skpy on flicr

The other microbrewery we tried was far better. Hops and Barley brewpub in the happening neighborhood of Friedrichshain is an elegantly tiled bar with a smoking and non-smoking room (a big deal in Berlin if you are a non-smoker!).  This place has a real welcoming, community feel and is run by two friendly guys, one of which is Philipp Bokamp the brewer.  They let me taste everything, and even asked me if I was a homebrewer, and what styles I liked to make.  It’s clear they are passionate about beer here! The one guy kept chiding me about my “little black book of beer”– the Moleskine notebook where I was taking notes.  They wanted to know what else we’d had in town and what we thought of it.  I loved the beer I had there– everything tasted very clean and fresh.

The Friedrichshainer Amber was my favourite– with a kumquat nose and strong presence of Brewer’s Gold hops. Philipp said there was another kind of hop in here as well, something that grew near a large lake in Southern Germany, but I didn’t write it down because I confess I was rather tipsy.  The dunkels had a big chocolate front with a very light mouthfeel, making it easy to drink more of it despite the richness.  My second favourite though was the delightful cider: cloudy, tart and just sweet enough to round out the yeasty, grassy middle.  Beautiful stuff!

At one point I asked Philipp if he would ever consider brewing his own version of the Berliner weisse (the name is proprietary– technically only breweries in Berlin can make it.)  He explained, politely, no way.  It would be too much of a risk for a small scale brewery to willfully use lactobacillus, something that is considered an infection in a normal beer. He felt that weisse is basically a brewing error now marketed to people who don’t know any better, and if he were to make it no one would drink it, and if no one drinks his beer he would have to close up shop.   That would be a very bad thing, indeed.

(My discussion of my (non-beery) Mauerfall visit to Berlin can be found at Feral Strumpet Teatime. )

I also do some beer writing for my day job (actually I do as much as I can get away with). Here’s a piece a did recently on a beer club at Lounge, Bar & Grill Leeds. A beer and food pairing event that was, unfortunately, a little lacking in diversity.

Lounge Bar & Grill Beer Club

St. Arnou Pilsner

Company info:
St. Arnou Pty Ltd
SYDNEY, N.S.W

www.st-arnou.com.au

Bottle size sampled: 330 mL

Alcohol: 4.5%
Standard drinks: 1.2

Cap type: Non-twist

Cost: I picked this up for AU$3.20

Label info: ‘St. Arnou premium beers are a lasting tribute to Arnold of Metz. A lover of beer, he was proclaimed St. Arnou, Patron Saint of Brewing in 640AD.
He was born in 580AD in Metz, France. During his life he converted from an advisor to the Roman army, to becoming a monk and then Bishop of Metz. St. Arnou died in 640AD whereafter the citizens of Metz ceremoniously returned his body home. During this journey a miracle happened. At an ale house in the town of Champigneulle, the tired porters carrying his coffin received a mug of ale that never ran dry ‘ 
AND
‘Pilsner – The miracle of Czech Saaz hops and their citrusy flavours define this Pilsner. With triple filtering for purity, the hop aroma is balanced by just the right bitterness to deliver a naturally crisp and full flavoured beer’. 

What the label really means: Could this amazing story of St. Arnou and the miraculous ever-flowing beer mug be simply a marketing ploy, or did this really happen? I I like to believe that it did actually happen, but it has me asking a few questions. If the mug never ran dry, did the porters hang on to it? Did it get smashed over the head of some lonely pilgrim in a bar fight over a game of pool and the dubious two shot rule? Is it kept guarded somewhere safe, like the grail in the third Indiana Jones film, awaiting a worthy recipient? It’s got me intrigued and excited, caught up in the mythos, and I haven’t even had my first sip!

The Hell-Cat review starts here

Label: The folk at St. Arnou brewery have obviously gone for a premium, imported beer, look and feel. This is accentuated by the tongue in cheek text ‘Imported from Australia’. St. Arnou is targeting the premium beer drinker market, but thankfully without the price tag you may expect from genuinely imported beers. I like the label. I like the traditional look it has, the regal purple, the bishop head piece on the logo. It all just works.

I give it a label rating of 8 out of 10.
 

AROMA: A sweet, fresh, hoppy aroma wafts out.

Taste: GLASS – Quite light in colour, the pilsner sits winking at me with its full-bodied head and raised brow. I take a sip and find it to be very enticing. It’s good! It’s refreshing and smooth, it has a markedly bitter hoppy taste, but counteracted with a sweet honey after taste. 

I give it a beer from glass rating of 7 out of 10.

Taste: BOTTLE - Drinking from the bottle takes the edge off the hoppy bitterness but doesn’t quite have the complexity of drinking from the glass. I still enjoy it, but with each sip I feel I am missing something important.

I give it a taste from bottle rating of 7 out of 10.

A word from the wife: “Fizzy, full-bodied fruitiness”

She gave it a taste rating of 6 out of 10.

Accompanying food: The prevalent bitterness in this beer makes me suggest this as a good pre-dinner drink. It will open up the salivary glands and get you feeling starved. I’d love to have this with peanuts, pretzls, and dried fruit.

Best season to appreciate: Totally a warmer months beer, and if I owned the mug of ever-flowing goodness, I’d put its powers to the test.

All-nighter beer? On first sip I didn’t think I could have this all night, but it’s really grown on me. So I will say yes, this is an all-nighter beer.

NEXT WEEK: Tsingtao

Well, what else am I supposed to do with all the beer bottle caps?

This craft began while on our vacation in Texas where The Fisherman and I (and soon everyone else around us) starting collecting bottle caps from the various beers that were so abundant.  Its called VARIETY people.  And, of course Topo Chico, the Mexican mineral water that started it all, thanks to my older brother.A bag of meticulously opened bottle caps came home with us and the craft was born.  I didn’t think of this.  In fact, the spooky Martha Stewart email was in my in-box on how to do this just a week or so ago…how does she read my mind?? Her’s, of course, were cutesy pictures of flowers and pugs and kittens.  Yuck.

Bottle cap, hot glue, penny (for a spacer), more hot glue,magnet.  Didn’t work.  The hot glue would not adhere the metal securely.  I blame it on the cheapness of the poor excuse of the wanna-be fabric store that has the same name as the only casino in the USVI where I purchased the shitty glue.  I am confident that Texan purchased hot glue would of worked just fine.

Bottle cap, JB Weld (The Fisherman holds stock in this freakish adhesive product), penny, JB Weld, magnet. 

TA DA!  A bonified magnet.  WHOOPEE!

Now, if more than one store on this island would stock decent magnets, I could actually get this project done.  Maybe they’ll be party favors at SC’s birthday!  I KNEW all that beer drinking would come in handy one day.

Kraj pochodzenia: Polska
Gatunek: Pilsner
Alkohol: 6,2%
Ekstrakt: 12,7%

Hofbrau Original
By Staatliches Hofbrauhaus (Munchen, Germany)
1 pint 0.9 fl oz (500mL) x2
5.1% ABV

Hofbrau Original

Bottle Description:
The Hofbrauhaus am Platzl is a symbol for Munich’s hospitality, conviviality and sociableness. Guests from all over the world enjoy the famous specialties of Hofbrau Munchen there.

Hofbrau Original embodies the special atmosphere of the brewing metropolis Munich and carries this throughout the world. It’s full bodied, refreshing and its fine hard aroma have made it world famous. A Munich specialty with character!

Got this at BevMo! for $2.19, yet you can find this at any better beer store. Definitely a steal compared to other 500mL German beers. Poured out carefully into a 1L mug giving off a light sulfur aroma that fades into a soft floral yet spicy hop aroma with hints of corn and grainy malt sweetness in the background. The beer is golden in color and leaves a pretty resilient white head with brilliant clarity. I noticed some very small black specks on the head; I can’t tell if that came from the glass or the beer itself (yet its good to note in case). The clearness provides excellent viewing for its strong carbonation which almost rises up like soda bubbles (but smaller). A grainy pilsner malt taste dominates with a slight metallic taste on the back of the tongue. The malt profile is well supported by a moderate hop bitterness with a spicy hop flavor. The finish isn’t too dry but the malt kicks back in after the hops fade away. A medium bodied beer with moderate level of carbonation that provides a smooth mouthfeel. If you’re looking for a flavorful pale lager, this one is for you. Deliciously malty and supported by spicy hops which result in an excellent crafted commercial beer.

Category 1D: Munich Helles
Aroma: 11/12
Appearance: 3/3
Flavor: 17/20
Mouthfeel: 5/5
Overall: 7/10
Total: 43/50 — A-

-Ant

Remember to click on unfamiliar words for an explanation on the beer terms page!

“My friend wants an ale, but I’ll just have a beer.” Have you ever heard that (or some variation thereof) in a bar or liquor store? I sure have. Most casual beer fans seem to know that lagers and ales differ in some way. Yet many are unaware of the pair’s major similarity: They’re both beer. In fact, they’re the only types of beer available; each keg and bottle contains either a lager or an ale. Sure, a few hybrid styles blur the lines a bit, but I’m trying to keep this article simple (don’t hurt me, fellow beer nerds!). So, what’s the oversimplified difference between the two?

The science mostly involves fermentation temperatures and yeast strains. Humans discovered top-fermenting ale yeasts first, primarily via wild strains that leap into action at warmer temperatures, produce beer quickly, and can ferment outdoors. Brewers later encountered lager yeasts while trying to refrigerate reserves in caves. Instead of preserving their ale yeasts, this idea killed the little guys—and revealed the bottom-fermenting yeasts that thrive in lower temperatures.

So what does this top-and-bottom junk mean to the average boozehound? Not much. We’re discussing living organisms, and they rarely play by the rules. But for the most part, speedy ale yeasts produce flavorful, complex beers. Chilled-out lager yeasts, on the other hand, convert sugars more slowly and manufacture fewer fruity esters, which often creates a lighter body and cleaner flavors. As a result, many lagers’ crisp floral notes perform well when served cold (but not too cold), whereas many ales start to bloom as they warm up.

In terms of substyles, lagers comprise everything from light pilsners to dark, complex dopplebocks (some beers happily shatter lager/ale stereotypes!). Ales have barleywines, IPAs, porters, stouts, and many more. My favorite? Well, I believe there are worthwhile beers in every category—but I’m definitely an ale man. Unless I’m in the mood for a beer instead.

Kidding!

Coming up on Thursday: My review of a Hawaiian coconut porter!

Kraj pochodzenia: Polska
Gatunek: Pilsner
Alkohol: 6,0%
Ekstrakt: 12,2%

Moonshine, because I didn't take any photos

Thursday night was always going to be a good one. The combination of a trip to try some food at Calls Landing stew and oyster bar (great cheeses and stew, plus, unexpectedly, two real ales: Theakston Best and Copper Dragon on tap), then a rum tasting at Boutique (I may have been an hour late, but one can hardly complain about free daiquiri, rum punch and rum and ginger), then a trip to Leeds Brewery’s nicest bar, Pin can never been a bad night, really.

Events at Pin picked up though when we realised that they were giving punters free half pints of Pilsner Urquell – all you had to do was hand then all your contact info and you were away.

Having little concern for personal privacy and data protection, I merrily signed away on my work email, address and phone number in return for a free drink and was pleasantly surprised.

It’s not a life changing beer, by no means. But the skunky, sweetness on the nose (it smelt a lot like the scent the nearby Tetley brewery unleashes once a month – or maybe that smell was prevalent in the bar) was a highlight, and it was very drinkable indeed. Golden with a decent creamy head, it gives off a citrusy flavour and a nice hoppy bitterness with the citrus spice well balanced with the creamy smoothness. A nice session beer, and well worth signing away your privacy form if not handing over cash.

Back to tonight, and a trip to my post-work local The Reliance (handily situated next door to my office). Barnsley’s Acorn brewery have been brewing a Reliance Best Bitter for the pub for a while now and though it means they only ever have one guest at a time these days, it’s a very reliable house special.

A dark nut-brown ale, the hops and malt are well balanced. The flavours would please both a fan of dark, stronger beers (despite being less than 4%) while not putting off those looking for an easier-drinking session beer. In short, a great post-work pint.

More interesting in Abbeydale Brewery’s Moonshine – the other offering at The Reliance. An intriguing pale ale with strong floral notes on the nose and a citrus hit on the palate (predominately grapefruit). It’s dead popular in its homeland Sheffield and you can see why. It’s interesting without being downright odd, and would win over fans of blander pale ales. As for me, I’ve been supping this for a few years now, thanks to a Sheffield-living brother, and it’s won me over to Abbeydale’s product. It’s a quality (and local) brewery.

So, what better way to finish than a forced conclusion of hooray for Leeds’ bars!

Find out more about Pin and The Reliance

Jeg kan godt huske min første Tuborg Julebryg eller Snebajer. (Sne)stormen slog mig overende. Det var på et værtshus på Frederiksberg, den 5. november sådan ca kl 20:59. Et trofast forhold opstod der og da. Den flotte dybe varme mørke farve, med det tætte hvide skum. Tror ikke jeg kender en smukkere øl.

Det var også kærlighed ved første slurk.  Var det duften af kanel, nelliker og kardemomme, som gir lovnader om julens sødme som gjorde det? Selvfølgelig,  men dråben for mig, var den sidste anelse af engelsk lakrids.  Siden har jeg set frem til hver J-dag hvor denne dejlige drik bliver sat fri.

Den er selvfølgelig en del af vores julefrokoster. Den kan bruges sammen med silden og en Løiten Linie, eller med den lune leverpostej, mørbrad, flæskestegen og anden. Den skal vist være godt med Røget fisk også. Tuborg Julebryg er en pilsner med en alkoholprocent på 5,6%

Julebrygget har vært på gaden siden 1981 og i 1990 introduceret man J-dag, et af de bedste markedsføringstunts i historien.

Nogle ølentusiaster er ikke så glad i snebajeren og mener at det kun er markedsføring. Men man finder de samme mennesker ude i byen under snestormen på J-dag. Så jeg tager det som et tegn på at den er ikke så ringe, enda.

I dag iklæder jeg mit blå nissetøj og fejrer min andre danske kærlighed!

Glædelig Jul og et godt Tub’ år!

Se også posten Dansk Tuborg Julebryg VS Norsk Tuborg Juleøl

PS. Bliv fan af Gule Gardiner og Klassiker på Facebook

PS. Bliv fan af Gule Gardiner og Klassiker på Facebook

Kraj pochodzenia: Polska
Gatunek: Pilsner
Alkohol: 5,7%
Ekstrakt: 11,8%

The Great American Beer Festival from Brewers Association on Vimeo.

Chuckanut Brewery & Kitchen, which opened in 2008, claimed the title as the 2009 Small Brewpub and Small Brewpub Brewer of the Year, winning 4 medals out of the 13 awarded to Washington breweries: two gold (Chuckanut Dunkel and Vienna Lager) and two silver (German Pilsner and Chuckanut Schwartzbier), at the 28th Annual Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colo. Chuckanut Brewery is the first brewery in the history of the Great American Beer Festival competition to win a Small Brewpub of the Year award with all Lager-style beers.

Breweries are awarded points based on medals won, and these points are tabulated for the results of the 2009 GABF Brewery of the Year Awards. The GABF judges awarded Chuckanut Brewery the 2009 Small Brewpub and Small Brewpub Brewer of the Year based upon the medals won.

Other Washington brewing medals went to: Pyramid Brewery (Haywire Hefeweizen and Mactarnahan’s Amber), Redhook Ales (ESB and Treblehook), Silver City Brewery (Old Scrooge ‘98, Ridgetop Red, and Gold Mountain Pilsner), Snipes Mountain Brewing Inc. (Coyote Moon), and Ram Restaurant & Brewery (Clearwater Kolsch).

The Great American Beer Festival is the largest and most prestigious competition for American craft beers. This year’s competition featured 3,308 beers from 495 breweries, a panel of 132 judges from 10 countries, 78 beer categories, and 51 first time breweries at the competition.

Hin und wieder habe ich Bock – oder “Bück” – auf so was schön Norddeutsches.

Naja, was heißt denn “hin und wieder”? Wenn “hin” Montag ist und “wieder” Dienstag, dann haut das bei mir hin.

Und wenn mich die Lust packt und ich gerade zu Hause keine Rote Bete und Pökelfleisch oder Birnen, Bohnen und Speck habe (was eigentlich ganz wenig vorkommt…), dann habe ich immer Kartoffeln und Bücklinge.

Bückling? Also übersetzt für Landratten und sonstige Nichtnorddeutsche sind das Räucherherringe. Und wer die nicht einfach filetieren und auf Schwarzbrot mit Zwiebeln essen mag, der kann folgendes einfaches Rezept – vor allem der niedersächsischen Küste entlang verbreitet, so meine Informationsquelle auf dem Markt – mal ausprobieren.

Rezept – Bücklingskartoffeln – 2 Portionen (naja, eine Portion für einen kräftigen norddeutschen Deichbewohner, der immer gegen den Wind fahren muss…)

1/2 Stunde

Bratöl, Speckschwarte
1 2/2 – 2 Pfund Kartoffeln (festkochend, vorgekocht, in Stücke/Scheiben geschnitten)
1 Bückling
1 große oder 2 kleine Zwiebeln
1-2 EL Butter
Salz, Pfeffer
Zitrone, Petersilie

1. Pfanne mit Fett einreiben (falls nicht schon gemacht, wie sich dat eben gehört…), Öl erhitzen und Kartoffeln erstmal anbraten. Mittlere Hitze ist hier gut, denn die Kartoffeln sollen wieder warm werden und knusprig, ohne das sie schnell anbrennen.

2. In der Zwischenzeit den Bückling so zerlegen, das grätenlose Stücke daraus verwendet werden können. Ich fahre so fort, das ich den Fisch erstmal enthaupte, die Haut der Rückengräte entlang auf der einen Seite einschneide und die Haut abziehe. Da lässt sich schon ein Filet vorsichtig herausheben – die meisten Gräte bleiben dann liegen. Dann den Fisch umwenden und das selber auf der anderen Seite machen. Die Filets in kleinere Stücke zupfen. Kleine, festgebliebene Fleischstücke von der Karkasse sonst noch dazu abzupfen.

3. Kartoffeln immer wieder wenden, bei Bedarf noch Öl dazugießen. Die Zwiebeln schälen und grob hacken – nicht zu fein hier, bitte. Das ist ja bodenstän’ig hier, du!

4. Als nächstes die Zwiebelstücke unter die Kartoffeln untermischen und bei mittlerer Hitze weiter mitbraten. Jetzt ist es übrigens Zeit, die Butter reinzugeben, damit das alles schön braun (und nicht zu kalorienarm) wird. Als letztes – und erst dann, wenn die Kartoffeln und Zwiebeln schon einen gewissen Knuspergrad vorweisen können - kommt der Fisch dazu; hier einmal unterheben und sonst nicht vielmehr herumstöbern mit dem Pfannenwender, sonst fallen die Fischstücke zu sehr auseinander.

5. Ich serviere das gerne in der Pfanne am Tisch, mit Salz, Pfeffer und gehackte Petersilie garniert. Jeder (also: ich)kriegt(kriege) einen Teller mit Zitronenstücke und darf (mich)sich selbst bedienen. Dazu passt übrigens natürlich einen Salat – Gurkensalat wäre klassisch; ich habe schonmal im Winter auch Feldsalat dazu gegessen.

Und wer hier für einen Getränketipp weiterlesen muss, dem habe ich offenbar noch nichts beigebracht. Is’ klar: Pils, nordisch, herb – fäddich.

There are few things that make opening your most prized bottle of beer more inevitable than carrying forty pounds of cat food/litter nearly a mile–after a long day of data entry.  So, after quickly catching my breath, taking off my coat, and putting some chickpeas in the pressure cooker, I reached deep into my refrigerator to unearth my bottle of New Glarus Bohemian Lager.

Yes, in a fridge that contains a bottle of the Dogfish Head 120-minute IPA and a Founders Breakfast Stout, I chose a Bohemian Lager.  Not a oak-aged imperial barleywine, or a weiss beer brewed with grains of paradise, saffron and dry-hopped with amarillo hops, or even a 2002 vintage of some high-gravity Belgian nonsense that you can’t even buy in the states; instead, I was saving a single bottle of a simple, Czech style lager, brewed in the traditional style of the Pilsner Urquell brewery in Pilsen, Czech Republic.

Granted, this beer is part of New Glarus’ coveted “Unplugged” series of beers, which, according to the label, is “a very limited edition and we make no promises to ever brew this style again.”  So, considering my love for Czech pilsners, New Glarus beer, and the fact that this beer would most likely only be brewed once, I delayed the inevitable for months before finally succumbing this evening.

As for the beer itself, the brisk (but not effervescent) carbonation, the billowy head of foam (great retention, by the way), and the nose provided all you’d ever expect from this style.  The beer itself is not as crystal clear as most Czech lagers, but this may have been a result of the beer having been lagered in unlined oak casks (a rarity in modern brewing, even in Central Europe).  I do mot mean to be dramatic or overly hyperbolic, but as for the taste, it instantly reminded me of this scene:

More specifically, the malt character was excellent: very bready and light (think baguette, not pumpernickel).  It tasted, actually, like barley, which was refreshing and familiar.  As Czech lagers go, its closer to the more roundly balanced, almost amber-colored Budvar (aka Czechvar in the U.S., tragically) than the classic, sharp Urquell.  The difference is subtle, but impressive, and this beer nailed it.  The piney and peppery Saaz hops are there, but they’re neither screaming, nor cowering; they are, in fact, announcing themselves courteously.  Unlike the vast majority of American craft-brewers–who often can’t resist to cascade-ify their versions, making them too hoppy, like a lagered pale ale–Dan Carey, New Glarus’ brewmaster, has created a beer that is understated to a fault. Vyborne!

As I’ve written previously, brewing a traditional czech pilsner in the United States is a risky endeavor.  The extreme beer types will be unimpressed by the lack of innovation, and the newly converted former bud light drinkers will have difficulties teasing out the complex subtleties of a beer like this.  Strangely, it’s a style without an audience.  In 1915, this beer would have flown off the shelves, but in a time after prohibition and the resulting abundance of mass-produced “pilsners”, the style has been, more than any other, left behind.  That is why I’m savoring this beer so much, as the odds of it making a repeat appearance anytime soon are slim.

Where (some of) the magic happens. The brewery, despite large demand, only distributes in the state of Wisconsin. As their bottle-caps proclaim: "Drink Indigenous!"

As the beer itself is already long-gone, and difficult to come by, I’m not going to even bother grading it in my quest to find the best U.S. brewed pilsner.  Pislners are inherently available, easy drinking beers.  The kind you drink when you’re more interested in your conversation than getting drunk.  So, the NG Bohemian Lager, a beer that’s both expensive and hard to come by will have to be excluded on a technicality.  While I seriously doubt that I’ll find a better tasting pilsner or one that tugs so strongly at my memories, it fails in the proletarian sense.  Whichever pilsner is crowned champion, it will have to be one that (in the region where it’s brewed and distributed) it’s always around, and at decent price.

Sorry, Dan and Deb.  Let’s all hope the fine people of Wisconsin start demanding this beer again, and you can get it into your regular rotation.  Na Zdravi!

A blazing hot October day in the valley, but that didn’t stop beer lovers from coming out to sample some authentic German beer and to try some Firestone-Walker, Skyscraper and Shmalz Brewing as well.

Here is what I had….
Julius Echter Hefeweizen – a new entry to the SoCal market. This Hefe has the clove part down but could use some banana flavor upgrading. Very filling for a Hefe.

Firestone Oaktoberfest – Orange brown in color. Had a little of everything. Malty, sparkly, alcoholic and sweet. Awesome for a colder day.

Skyscraper Backhoe Brown – A very nice brown ale. At 6% alcohol it is not wimpy. Nicely balanced beer. Some browns are too sweet but this is not. I really like the seasonals from these guys.

Schneider Hopfen-Weiss - Second time trying this beer and I still can’t get it. Medicinal to me. The hops are weird, the weiss is strong. Not my favorite.

Kostritzer Pilsner – Pretty tasty pils. I liked it. Did not have the tinny taste of some that I have had. Perfect college football beer. Crisp and clean.

There was German music blaring and drinking contests and coaster building. Everyone seemed to be having a good time.

P.S. I made a point to ask people what their favorite beer was and all gave me a different answer. That must mean a good selection across the board.

The stock of cod in European waters has depleted to the point that the European Union has called for a 25% cut in allowable catches.  So overfished are the prized cod, known as the fish of choice for fish-in-chips, that the species may not be able to reproduce sufficiently to sustainable levels.   The cod may be doomed.

We need some replacement candidates for the fish and chip dish.  The Brits are known to give the name of the fish when ordering; for example, cod and chips as opposed to fish and chips, so I will adopt this practice when considering suitable substitutes.

Jellyfish and chips.  I like this idea and there are plenty of jellyfish in the ocean.  Too many actually so all the more reason to eat them – fried of course with seaweed chips.

Does the fish in the dish have to be from the ocean?  I think not.  So why not catfish and chips.  I imagine someone could come up with hushpuppie chips. And for our feline friends, catnip and chips.

Crappie and chips.  There are plenty of crappie in the waters of Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma.  This could be a boon to the southern economy.  Catch a mess of crappie and sell it at the local fish market.  Fry up your own and establish a restaurant, a fresh alternative to Long John Silver’s.  Create your own frozen brand, you know like Gorton’s and sell it to Tyson foods.  Develop a home brew to compliment the crappie and chips – I’m thinking a crisp pilsner.

Buffalo carp and chips.  Buffalo wings are good, why not Buffalo carp?  As non-game fish they are in plentiful supply.  Might be an aquired taste for some, but a delicacy for others.  I think you’d need to pressure cook the thing and then deep, deep fry it.

Kraj pochodzenia: Czechy
Gatunek: Pilsner, Hybrid
Alkohol: 4,5%
Ekstrakt: b/d

Union-Brauerei (Flickr: westphalen)

Dortmund ist für den sich für die deutsche Küche interessierenden Engländer ein interessanter Fall.

Denn ich zähle Bier – wie aufmerksame Leser hier schon gemerkt haben werden - zur Küche. Kaum ein traditionelles deutsches Essen, das nicht ein passendes Bier findet: zu allem Düsseldorfer, ein Alt; zu Räucherfisch ein nordisches Pils; zu Haxn ein Weizen.

Und Dortmund war bis in die sechsziger Jahre die Bier-Hauptstadt nicht nur Deutschlands, sondern ganz Europas. Das “Pils”, das wir alle kennen, mag zwar aus Tschechien gekommen sein; doch wurde es erst in Dortmund zu dem Exportschlager aufgezogen, das er jetzt ist. Vorher hat man in ganz Nordeuropa nur Landbier und Helles gekannt, was nach dem Einzug vom Neuankömmling Pils dann zu “Altbier” umgetauft wurde.

Union-Bierdeckel (Flickr: mkorsakov)

Kaum zu glauben im heutigen Dortmund. Die großen Brauereien in Deutschland sind ja anderswo ansässig: Denkt man an Pils, so denkt man heutzutage an den hohen Norden, oder an Kleinstädte wie Krombach. Nix Union, DAB und Kronen. Dennoch gibt es sprachliche Reste dieser Ära: In Holland und Belgien übersetzt man Pils oft mit “Dortmunder”, gelegentlich in Dänemark auch. Und im Dortmunder Biermuseum sieht man ein Werbeplakat aus dem viktorianischen Manchester, das stolz behauptet: “Union beer is good for you“.

Also wenn ich nach Dortmund fahre, passe ich immer auf meine Gesundheit auf und trinke ein Dortmunder Pils. Es ist weniger herb als im Norden, immer noch etwas dunkler, als ob man ahnt, dass die Region hier die erste war, die von Alt auf Pilsner umgestiegen ist und die ganzen Fehler machen musste, die man bei den späteren, vollkommeneren Bieren aus dem Norden nicht mehr machte.

Aber ein Fehler ist es keineswegs, sich ein Thier-Pils auf dem Alten Markt zu gönnen. Da merkt man auch, wie Dortmund früher eine eigene Esskultur zum Bier hatte. Ganz wie in der Pfalz, wo zur Schorle salzig-kümmelige “Woiknorze” verspeist werden, ließ der Dortmunder früher sein Lokaltrunk durch Backerzeugnisse begleiten, ebenfalls mit Salz und Kümmel.

Salzkuchen und Tier-Pils

Und wie die “Woiknorze” mit fettigem ”Schweinschwanzwürste” kredenzt wird, kommt der Dortmunder Salzkuchen – wie es sich eben nennt - schön belegt mit Mett und Zwiebeln.

Es freut mich, dass auch im Ruhrgebiet  - so oft mit dem Spruch abgetan, traditionelles Essen hier wäre nur Currywurst - so was Schönes, Uriges noch zu haben ist. Sage das vor allen Dingen jetzt im Herbst einer, wo lecker Pfefferpotthast in Dortmunder Lokalen angeboten wird.

Vergesst Kölle, Kölsch und Halven Hahn; lasst Bayern mit Haxn und Mass liegen - alle ab ins Ruhrpott!

Viva Dortmundia!