Continuing Education

Every time I brew, I learn a little bit more about brewing and about beer in general.  Same thing every time I try a new beer, and often even when I'm trying something I've had before.  Still, one of my goals in brewing is to make a concerted effort to learn and improve.

I imagine this seems obvious, but I'm not sure it is universal.  My dad, for example, is satisfied with his brewing process and the beers he brews.  I don't mean this as a negative--he knows what he likes and he brews very tasty beers.  Lots of people are not focused on the educational aspect, and that's fine.  That's just not me.

So, my basic plan of education:

• Read.  Read books on beers and brewing (I'm currently finishing Mosher's Radical Brewing: Recipes, Tales and World-Altering Meditations in a Glass and John Palmer's How to Brew: Everything You Need To Know To Brew Beer Right The First Time).  Next up: Possibly Designing Great Beers and Brewing Classic Styles.  Read forums and articles on brewing.  Read the style guidelines.
• Brew.  There's no substitute for experience.  I think it's important to try brewing a variety of styles, but I imagine there's value to brewing the same beer multiple times to try to make improvements, too.
• Evaluate Beers.  I'm trying to gather some great beers to evaluate using the BJCP's style guidelines.  However, I suspect it's just as useful (or more useful) to judge less-than-perfect examples, and even bad examples.  Most importantly, I need to compare my own beers to exemplars of the style.
• Enter Beer Competitions.  This is an extension of the point above.  The goal is not so much to win awards (which would be nice), but to get feedback from experienced judges and brewers to improve my craft.

Next Up: Mosaic IPA

I've finally decided it's time to try my Mosaic IPA.  This is a beer I've been wanting to try for a while. 

It's inspired by a batch of test IPA's I brewed a while back: five one-gallon batches using a simple grain bill and US Magnum bittering hops (bitters clean and I don't have to worry about the differing levels of alpha acids in the flavor/aroma hops), each featuring a different flavor/aroma hop.  The hops I used were: Cascade, Citra, Falconer's Flight, Mosaic, and Simcoe. 

(The guy at MyLHBS put me on to the Mosaic and Falconer's Flight, btw.  I very much recommend the shop.  My only gripe is that if you need more than five pounds of grain crushed they require a full 24 hours advance notice--and they actually enforce that.  So basically, if you are doing any kind of all-grain batch you need to call them a day before you want to pick them up.  Jay's Brewing is much more laid-back about it--they just want you to call/email if you want something ridiculous like 50 lbs. so they can start grinding it before you get there.)

The idea behind this beer is similar to my hop-test beers: it's designed to be a showcase for a specific hop (in this case, Mosaic).  I've found Mosaic has a beautiful bright, fruity flavor.  Most places seem to describe it as tropical fruit, but it tastes more like pink grapefruit to me--a bright citrus tang, but sweet rather than sour.

I'm not using any bittering hops in this.  Instead, I chose to hopburst, which is a technique where all of the bitterness comes from late additions of flavor/aroma hops.  It takes a lot more hops to do this, but it gives you a crazy amount of flavor and aroma of the hop(s) you're using.

I decided to go with an extract recipe, because I've only made one all-grain (my Centennial Blonde), and I haven't tested it yet.  Given the crazy amount of hops (9 oz!), this would be a really expensive beer to screw up.

BrewSmith says it will look something like this:

which is exactly what I want.  The recipe is as follows:

• 8.5 oz Crystal malt (20L), steeped for 30 min. at 155.0 F
• 3 lbs. 3.1 oz Light Dry Extract, added for full boil (60 min)
• 4 lbs. 4.1 oz Light Dry Extract, added for the last 15 min (late extract additions keep the extract from darkening and caramelizing too much)
• 0.5 oz Mosaic hops, added for last 15 minutes
• 1 Whirlfloc tablet added for last 15 minutes
• 1.0 oz Mosaic hops, added for last 10 minutes
• 1.0 oz Mosaic hops, added for last 5 minutes
• 2.5 oz Mosaic hops, added at flame-out

Once it's cooled I'll pitch  about a 2L starter of California Ale yeast (White Labs WLP001), and dry-hop with another 4 oz. of Mosaic hops at the end of fermentation for four days, so it has a nice burst of Mosaic aroma when you pour it.  I will probably add gelatin at the same time for fining.

The numbers for the beer are:

• Original Gravity: 1.066 (style guidelines: 1.056-1.075)
• Final Gravity: 1.015
• Bitterness: 45.0 IBU (style: 40.0-70.0 IBU) (I wanted to stay on the less-bitter end; my goal isn't to make you pucker, like so many IPA's, but to give you that great fruity flavor I like about Mosaic)
• Color: 9.1 SRM (style: 6.0-15.0 SRM)
• ABV: 6.7% (style: 5.50-7.50%)

Once it's ready I'll post my tasting notes, but here are my goals/expectations:

Aroma: The dominant aroma should be an intense citrus/tropical fruit notes from the hops, likely with some piney/resinous notes beneath.  Possible grassy aroma from the dry-hopping.  Some sweet malt or caramel notes possible but unlikely.

Appearance:   Light copper color.  Probably somewhat hazy due to dry-hopping.  Large off-white head that persists with good lacing.

Flavor: Hop flavor should be extremely high, with the dominant flavor being citrus and tropical fruit, with additional piney and resinous notes as well.  Medium-high hop bitterness.  Sweet malt backbone should support bitterness nicely.  Low malty sweetness with potential caramel notes.  No diacetyl.  Finish likely bitter, lingering into aftertaste.  Finish medium-dry.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, medium-bodied mouthfeel with no hop astringency.  Malt sweetness likely to be counteracted by moderately-high carbonation, making mouthfeel somewhat dry.

Overall: This should be a showcase for the incredible aroma and flavor of the Mosaic hop.  Drinkers should get a burst of hoppy aroma right from the get-go, and that flavor and aroma should dominate the beer from start to finish.

Great White (Wh)Ales

The May 2013 issue of BeerAdvocate magazine had an interesting article called "Beer Baggers" about compiling and pursuing a list of "great beers" to try.  I think anybody who has a serious interest in craft beer has at least considered creating a wish list of beers.

The author used the BeerAdvocate Top 100 (now Top 250), and says he had no idea how difficult it would be.  I know that for me it would be even harder--my wife doesn't drink beer, and is not going to be receptive to me taking time away from what we're doing every time we travel to look for beers I haven't tried.  Buying beers from traders and having them shipped isn't really in the cards either, as I frankly have better things to spend $30 on than a single bottle of beer.

There are problems with this approach beyond cost, as well--it is likely to contain beers that are no longer available, and trendy beers are going to be on it as well, and will likely fall off long before I get to them.

The article describes another aficionado who used BA's "Beers of Fame", which are the top 100 beers that have over 2000 ratings and have been on the site for at least two years.  This might be more approachable, although there's nothing that prevents an old, impossible-to-obtain beer to appear.

Let's see which ones I've had the opportunity to try (beers I've tried appear in bold):

1. Pliny the Elder (no surprises there)
2. Heady Topper (I didn't realize this wasn't a new beer--I've only recently heard of it)
3. Founders KBS (Kentucky Breakfast Stout)
4. Founders Breakfast Stout
5. Bell's Hopslam Ale
6. Zombie Dust
7. Trappist Westvleteren 12 (XII)
8. Bourbon County Brand Stout
9. Trappistes Rochefort 10
10. The Abyss
11. Bourbon County Brand Coffee Stout
12. Supplication
13. Parabola
14. St. Bernardus Abt 12
15. Sculpin IPA (I got to try this recently at Fireworks Pizza; I'd heard of it but didn't realize it was so highly rated--though I did thoroughly enjoy it)
16. Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier
17. Dreadnaught IPA
18. Imperial Russian Stout
19. Troegs Nugget Nectar
20. Consecration (this isn't good; a the entire top fifth done and I've tried only one)
21. Ruination IPA (I really wanted to like Arrogant Bastard better, but I had to admit that Ruination was my favorite Stone offering)
22. La Fin Du Monde
23. Ten FIDY
24. AleSmith Speedway Stout
25. Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock
26. Founders Imperial Stout
27. Peche Mortel (Imperial Stout Au Cafe)
28. 90 Minute IPA
29. Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout
30. Chimay Grande Reserve (Blue) (One of the first Belgians I tried, and one I really loved.)
31. Double Jack (haven't tried it, but Firestone Walker will be at the Northern Virginia BrewFest next weekend, and I'm hoping they bring it)
32. Blind Pig IPA (anyone else losing count of the number of Russian River offerings on here?)
33. Furious
34. Victory At Sea Coffee Vanilla Imperial Porter
35. Two Hearted Ale (given that the label looked like a box store store-brand label, I was blown away by Bell's.)
36. Duvel
37. Double Bastard Ale
38. Founders Backwoods Bastard
39. Trappistes Rochefort 8
40. Schneider Weisse Tap 6 Unser Aventinus
41. IPA (India Pale Ale)
42. Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter
43. Alpha King Pale Ale
44. Westmalle Trappist Tripel
45. Dark Lord Imperial Stout
46. Hop Rod Rye
47. Founders Porter
48. Choklat (I can probably (hopefully?) pick this one up relatively easily--I see Southern Tier all over the place.)
49. Union Jack India Pale Ale
50. Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout
51. Green Flash West Coast I.P.A.
52. A Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale
53. Burton Baton
54. Founders Double Trouble
55. Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale
56. Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout
57. Terrapin Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout
58. Arrogant Bastard Ale
59. Racer 5 India Pale Ale
60. Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale
61. Maharaja
62. Trois Pistoles
63. Yeti Imperial Stout
64. Flower Power India Pale Ale
65. Hop Stoopid
66. Founders Red's Rye PA (the first RyePA on the list?  Wow.)
67. Gumballhead
68. Tripel Karmeliet
69. Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale
70. Orval Trappist Ale
71. Bell's Expedition Stout
72. Gulden Draak (Dark Triple)
73. Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA
74. Sierra Nevada Bigfood Barleywine Style Ale
75. Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout
76. Palo Santo Marron
77. Hennepin (Farmhouse Saison)
78. Sierra Nevada Hoptimum Imperial IPA
79. Maudite
80. Chocolate Stout
81. Black Butte Porter
82. Northern Hemisphere Harvest Wet Hop Ale
83. Founders Centennial IPA
84. Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout
85. Saison Dupont
86. Jai Alai IPA
87. Miles Davis' Bitches Brew (Interesting--this is one of the "collaboration" beers I was looking for for an earlier post, but I couldn't remember.)
88. Ommegang (Abbey Ale)
89. Allagash White (is this the first witbier on the list?)
90. Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout
91. Three Philosophers Belgian Style Blend (Quadrupel)
92. World Wide Stout)
93. Hercules Double IPA
94. 60 Minute IPA
95. Hop Devil Ale
96. Delirium Tremens
97. Chimay Premiere (Red)
98. Smuttynose IPA "Finest Kind"
99. Anchor Porter (huh.  Their porter made it, but their flagship--Steam--didn't, nor did any of the others.)
100. Storm King Stout

I was hoping after that slow start (only one tried of the top 20) that I would find that I'd had mostly moderately-great beers, but I really didn't find that. Score: 15/100.  That's an F by any scale.  I'll have to get to work.

You Get What You Pay For

I signed up for Black Bucket Brew the other day.  I'm not sure how I found it, and I'm still not sure what it is.  It describes itself as "an e-zine for lovers of craft beer & home brew", and perhaps that's accurate.  It's a mishmash of shopping links, basic information about craft beer and homebrewing, and the like.

I signed up primarily because they offered a free e-book, called 10 Tips: How to Enjoy Your Beer Even More!.  It's written by David Ivey, who appears to be the guy in charge of Black Bucket Brew.  On the upside, he grants people the right to distribute the booklet freely (though he asks that links remain intact, which is reasonable).  On the downside, there's not much in here that can't be found easily in a hundred other places.  All-in-all, though, it's not a bad primer to beer appreciation/judging for a complete novice--but it's not that good, either.

• Tip #1: Appearance.  Basically, he says to pour it into a glass.  Important, yes; but pretty damn basic, and a cop-out considering appearance is so important to a quality brew.  Maybe the title of the tip is a problem, but you could give some tips about pouring it into a glass, like the importance of a clean glass (dirty glasses can trap carbonation and inhibit head formation) and getting all the soap off (again, inhibits head).  Even better, wash it again without soap.  He could also talk about glassware if he's not actually going to talk about appearance (and pouring it into a glass is about so much more than appearance).
• Tip #2: Clean Glass.  Ah, here it is: the importance of a clean glass.  He talks about how to clean a beer without leaving soapy residue, but it feels like he's splitting hairs to get to 10 tips.  By the way, you can tell that a beer hasn't been cleaned properly if carbonation clings to the inside of the glass or the lacing is uneven.
• Tip #3: Beer Glasses.  Here he talks about the importance of using proper glassware.  If his audience needs to be told that they should pour it into a glass instead of drinking out of the bottle expecting them to use special glassware may be a bit of a stretch--most beers can be adequately enjoyed out of a standard beer mug or a pint glass (although yes, proper glassware will enhance it).  His description of glass styles also lacks.  He describes a pint glass as the best all-around glass, but really it's just a good standard size, easy to clean and stack at a bar.  Moving on to a weizen glass, he claims that the flare at the bottom is to "capture yeast"--but traditionally, if you're going to drink it "mit hefe" (with yeast), you pour out 90% of the beer, then swirl it to get the yeast in suspension, and pour that on top (this only works with bottle-conditioned beers, by the way).  He also calls "BudMillerCoors" pilsners--which is flat-out wrong.  They are part of the Light Lager category, at least according to the BJCP.  Pilsners are an entirely different category of beer (they are both lagers).
• Tip #4: Serving Temperature.
• Tip #5: Pouring a Nice Head.
• Tip #6: Beer Color.  There's a lot more to say about beer color than he does.  I'd like to see at least a basic explanation of how the malt used contributes to beer color, and for bonus points talk about caramelization.  Truth be told, though, he should just talk about appearance overall, including carbonation, head, and clarity.
• Tip #7: Clarity.  Ah, here it is.  It's just been stretched into another tip.  Perhaps we can hold our breath for carbonation and head?  Some decent info here.
• Tip #8: Aroma.  Alas, my hopes for finishing up appearance, in suspense since Tip #1, are not to be.  Wait, we're 8 tips into 10 and we're just now getting to aroma?  Are you sure we needed separate tips for "Pour It Into A Glass" and "Make Sure It's Clean First" (which are sort of backwards anyway, if you think about it).  Sadly, for something so important to appreciating a quality beer, the information here is superficial at best.
• Tip #9: Taste.  Decent info here.  A couple of paragraphs just isn't enough for any meaningful discussion of flavor, though.  The tip ends with a mention that they'll talk about flavor in the future, and a link to sign up for their newsletters.
• Tip #10: Mouthfeel.  Includes a mention of nitrogen ("nitro") as well as carbon dioxide, and their explanation contained info that was new to me.  Good show.
• Bonus!  Tip #11: Finish.  Maybe if you all hadn't stretched your tips you would be able to count to 10.  Or perhaps that was the point.  At any rate, finish is more properly considered part of taste and mouthfeel.  Oh, and another request to sign up for their newsletter.

All in all it's not a bad little booklet, although there are numerous places the information is lacking or flat-out wrong.  But it's really more a guide to beer evaluation than appreciation, and a flawed one at that.  Five of the ten (sorry, eleven) tips are on appearance, which is worth a whopping 3 out of 50 points when evaluating a beer, according to the BJCP.  Mouthfeel is worth more than that (although he does stretch that into a tip-and-a-half).

If I were to write a guide to beer appreciation for newcomers, I think I'd start with a broad overview of beer--talk about the basic ingredients and how they affect the final product.  Perhaps move into a discussion of styles: nothing too deep, but explain the difference between an ale and a lager, and talk about a pale ale/IPA vs. a porter or a stout vs. a wheat beer, etc.  Throw in a little information about some less-common styles like the variety of Belgians out there.  Talk about some common trends--how American versions of beers tend to be hoppier and less malty; or how rye is big right now.

If I were writing a guide to beer evaluation, I'd start with the BJCP guidelines, walk them through a scoring sheet, and encourage them to actually record their impressions.  Of course, it would be even better if I was a BJCP judge, but I suppose a disclaimer would be sufficient.  I don't see any disclaimers from the authori of this tract.

In this case at least, you get what you pay for.