The prodigal son hath returned: General German is alive and well, making a post.

Check this out–Sam Adams Brewer Jim Koch has a thing or two to say about his new brews! Think he has enjoyed a few along the way…

Sam Adams Imperial Beers Promo

Today, I have made the biggest beer I have ever brewed–hence the new name, Bigiz M’cak Imperial Stout*.This desire for a really, really powerful beer entered my imagination when I first tried North Coast’s Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout. Having had many dry stouts, this thick, gritty, puts-hair-on-your-chest brew became a fixation of mine. How do they brew such a gravity? How can brewers control the balance of bitterness versus full-bodied flavor?Many problems resulted from such a high-gravity recipe: among them include the extra yeast required, and the high propensity for boilovers. The thanks to the homebrew shop, I was advised against making a starter, and instead was sold a second packet of dry yeast. Just sprinkled it on top and voila! This was indeed the most challeging beer I have ever attempted. With so much sugar in the wort, even my 6-gallon kettle was subject to boilovers and had to be watched with incredible caution. Virtually no beer was consumed during this boil–I instead savored my Peggy Noonan editorial, and stirred every other paragraph. This beer was moody–almost as if it didn’t ever want to make it to fermentation. Its black, glassy meniscus frequently became ensconced with a brownish foamy blanket. Make no mistake–I was itching for a cup of coffee half of the boil as this sure resembled the morning beverage. After a quick cool-down with ice, ice-water, and an immersion in an ice-water-filled Igloo cooler, this was ready to seal with pitched yeast, but not before taking a surprising reading. I wanted to boost the recipe (which stated 1.085 as intended O.G.) with an extra pound of dark DME. While my math was pretty good, I was unprepared for the true O.G. number when I took a reading: 1.105. No, I did not miss a decimal place. This beer will probably end up at between 10-11% ABV if the two packets of yeast can sustain that kind of appetite.I have therefore decided to play with the name of the beer in relation to its gravity and weight, naming it “Bgiz Mcak”. Draw your own conclusions.Primary fermantation shall probably be a good week, secondary another week, and bottle conditioning a good month or two. Cheers! *Name pending spousal approval.

 A great story in the link below, from the WSJ. They predict prices to fall over the next couple of years.

 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121970968791471283.html

WARNING: This beer should be consumed by someone with a lot of time on their hands. Like, seriously. This was not at all like the beer I chugged over the weekend during a little reminiscent pong action. This was a turn-on-some-light-music, open-a-good-book kind of beer. Indeed, this IPA is among the most extreme of brews–one can argue that the 21% ABV actually places it well into a category all its own. Personally, I am on the fence on its categorization. While brewed in the basic harmony, of an IPA, it falls so far outside the normal ABV range for the Imperial IPA style. Sam Calagione does have his tricks about him to create a unique, enjoyable experience which many (although clearly not all) beer lovers can appreciate.

When I mentioned that there is some dissenting opinion as to the overall placement of this extreme beer, I would say that it is because many would consider it to be an extension of their 60 or 90-minute IPAs: it’s not. While the Warrior, Amarillo, and Simcoe hops are present in flavor, they are but a muffled cry over the syrup-like sweetness. I may actually appreciate it more as I age (and my taste buds continue to die off, thereby requiring me to try stronger and stronger flavors). Try one for yourself and you shall see. The $10-per-bottle price tag makes it a special-occasion type of beer, but I’d say find that occasion and do it for the experience. Cheers!

Friends-in-beeriness:

My apologies for the absence. I was on vacation, then spent lots of weeknights and weekends coding Perl. But that’s neither here nor there, because it may actually help fund a larger brewery one day…in the mean while, I am happy to report the expansion of my 5-Gallon brewery with a brand new burner! The Bayou Classic from Home Depot is a steal at $29. Clearly, the most boring process of brewing, IMHO, is waiting for water to boil. This 55,000 BTU monster boiled two gallons of water in – I swear I am not making this up – 6 minutes. I was flabbergasted, scrambling for ingredients.

Brewing ESB is clearly one of the easiest beers you can brew, period. I mean, it’s a 45-minute boil and not too many ingredients. Though many kits provide garden-variety ale yeast , I recommend the authentic Wyeast 1968 strain to provide the required authenticity. Indeed, a 45-minute boil with only a couple ounces of hops bittering, a couple more at the end, yields a bittersweet ale which is extremely drinkable. This particular variety rides the border between ESB and Strong Bitter because I added some extra malt, bringing the potential ABV to 5.3% (1.053 OG). She’s flocculating nicely, and should be ready for bottling soon (yet another reason to like ESB).

Here’s one problem with a 20psi outdoor burner: too much of a good thing. The flame is easy to control, but I only had a little propane left in the grill’s tank, and ran out just as the boil started. Panicked, I hopped into my car and headed to a nearby station for a refill. 30 minutes, and a stop to Starbucks later for an iced coffee, I checked the residual kettle temperature: 140 degrees. No problem, as it was boiling within few minutes. Just let this be a lesson to you outdoor brewers (Kolonel, I consider your back deck to be ideal for this–no mess in the kitchen). Things to watch out for:

• Huge flames (like this is a bad thing–sheesh)
• Reasonably large boils–get a huge pot (6 Gal)
• 20 psi tends to freeze pressure regulators. Don’t stick your tongue to it.

I’ll write again soon to let you guys know how it turned out!

Readers:

Yes, it’s cheap. Yes, it’s from Mexico. Yes, it’s summer in the DC area, and when dining on Tex-Mex, nothing tastes better than a decent Mexican lager like Dos Equis. While my last review was perhaps one of the most full-flavored ales available year-round, it’s time to head back to basics for the wonderfully drinkable beer–if anything else, it is perfectly paired with chips.

It was a terrible week. On Monday (into Tuesday), while Tiger Woods womped Rocco, the rain here knocked out out power for a couple days, so we lost all our food in the fridge. Then on Wednesday, I got a flat tire. Just driving through Reston at lunch and heard a wump-wump-wump. Doh! All-weather Continentals ain’t cheap. So, my wife and I needed relief–we decided to enjoy a trip to Austin Grill in Old Town Alexandria. Besides their famed El Cheapo margarita, nothing pairs better with their ginormous portions than a large Dos Equis.

Mexican lagers, let’s face it, aren’t known for a ton of character. After all, the new Presidente of Mexico, Felipe Calderón, has a name which can be rearranged to spell phrases like “I feel p*rn-laced” and “Lo! Fecal pie nerd!” This beer does certainly have its place where stouts and porters dare not tread (ever see a Guiness tap in a Tex-Mex joint? Maybe at the end of the universe).

Dos Equis is a wonder lager considering its style. The body and color are two of its more desirable features. The rich, brown color and light-for-its-color body provide a nice drinkability without an overpowering flavor. One thing that’s great is to have a large glass of Dos Equis, distinguishing it from other pale lagers, but despite its physical resemblance to heaviler ales, it has all the drinkability of a light lager, making it perfect for humid evenings. Drink up this summer, and be sure to stay hydrated in the east-and-west coast heat waves.

Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA has been heralded by Esquire magazine as “perhaps the best I.P.A. in
America.” Without a doubt, it could very well be. While other IPAs are great all-around drinkable–Redhook Longhammer, Lagunitas, and Sierra Nevada come to mind–this is entirely different as it is indeed an Imperial IPA. Genius Sam Calagione devised a method of continuous hop addition, which produces a unique flavor experience. While many hopped beers have the bitter flavor and aroma in a rather bifurcated palate, this instead uses its continuous hop addition method for a full 90 minute boil to produce an incredibly smooth-yet-extremely hoppy flavor. Indeed, this is a big beer at 9% and 90 IBUs (see a trend yet with the number 9?). Yeah, everything about this makes it a slow-drinking, incredibly enjoyable IPA. It’s pricey at about $10 per four-pack, but consider it value with its strength: you can rarely drink but one without completely destroying your taste buds for an evening. The warming 9% produces a mild euphoria as your pancreas tries to figure out how in heck to handle all that sugar.

It could very well be that I decide to replace my Sunday scotch tasting with this beer, as it has yet to produce a hangover. Simply put, it is to me the best Imperial IPA in our great country (although garden-variety American IPAs, it really depends on what’s available, right?)

Guys:

 This post is going to take a while to both read and to write. I am still digesting the amount of information I absorbed (and multiple strains of yeast). Let me give you the synopsis of most definitelythe greatest beer event I have ever attended, period. Period. Except for a decent Brew-ha-ha. But you have to understand, this tasting event allowed me to sit with five of the greatest brewers in the country, drink their beer, and laugh at their jokes. I sat about five feet away from their panel table (see photos). We tried TWELVE beers, and I definitely slept well last night. Oh, and I met homebrew legend Charlie Papazian, Greg Koch from Stone Brewing, and Dogfish’s Sam Calagione. Where shall I begin?

The Brewers

The Brewers were Greg Koch from Stone Brewing, Adam Avery from Avery Brewing, Rob Tod Allagash, Sam Calagione from Dogfish Head, and Tomme Arthur from Lost Abbey and Port Brewing. The guys, together, were a comedy act. It comforted me that these guys really digged being in each other’s company, despite their competitive nature. Sure, they ragged on one another (most of them against Adam Avery, and everyone took a punch at Sam). It was almost too much to grasp–these guys took their beer extremely seriously, but not themselves. Or each other. Every other phrase uttered was a crack of some kind.

The Beers

The beers started with less-hoppy (not necessarily low-alcohol) brews, and worked their way up. I must say that it’s probably the first time I have every tried twelve separate beers in a single instance. Don’t worry, they were small cups. Despite this (see tasting notes), some took a long time to finish. OK, not that long. And then I got to meet brewing deity Charlie Papazian. Yes, my head is that big compared with the rest of my body.

Really Brief Tasting Notes

Allagash – Oak Aged Triple

DAMN! This was an extremely carbonated ale. Unreal.

Allagash – White

An old favorite; this was our first beer. Hah! A warm-up. This is like air conditioning in the summer. An old standby. Rob Tod is a genius.

Avery – Fifteen Anniversary Ale

Flavored with white pepper and hibiscus–some serious adjuncts. It could very well be the lightest 15% beer I have ever tasted. It was fun to drink and will probably sell well.

Avery – Hog Heaven

Whoa! Here come the Columbus hops. I was the momentary hero of the table when I mouthed “Columbus?” to the beer geek sitting across. He sheepishly shrugged in ignorance. Then Adam blurted out, “Yeah, we used a lot of Columbus for flavoring…” Oh snap. I trounced the beer geek.

Avery – Oak-Aged 2008 Ale

Kaboom! Flavor explosion. Good brew.

Dogfish – Festina Peche

A great sour beer; this is a very drinkable lambic-style beer which Sam put out there. Appropriately named since it will go very well with fish.

Dogfish -Palo Santo Marron

I gotta tell you–Sam Calagione is always at the bleeding edge. Flavorful from the aging, this esoteric ale will be good with an equally strong-flavored food or cheese.

Lost Abbey -2nd Anniversary Beer

A very mighty Double IPA, this brew was a great compliment to Lost Abbey. Definitely stood out from other IPAs as the hops and malt flavors could be separated.

Lost Abbey -Isabelle Proximus

Funniest story about this beer. Inspired from Belgium, all of these guys in the panel collaborated on this beer and named it after the local phone company. This beer was the hit of the show, hands down. Spontaneous fermentation gave it an exquisite flavor to say the least!!!

Port Brewing -Moon Lit Sessions Black Lager

Incredibly chocolaty and smooth. Much more like a porter in some ways, this was a fine surprise as I was expecting something more like Kostrizer. This was far more complex than its German counterpart.

Stone -Vertical Epic 2006

Another KABOOM in flavor. Greg Koch is the man.

Stone -Oak Aged Bastard

Like its original, but so much smoother!

Overall, this event was one for the books.