Month: March 2015

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Egyptians Brewed Beer in Tel Aviv 5,000 Years Ago

beer-basin
Tel Aviv’s reputation as a party city for expats might have started 5,000 years ago.

During the Bronze Age, Egyptians were making beer in what is today downtown Tel Aviv, new archaeological evidence suggests.

When archaeologists were conducting salvage excavations ahead of construction on new office buildings along Hamasger Street, they found 17 ancient pits that were used to store produce, according to an announcement from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA).

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HERE

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A Beer Judge’s Diary

Tim Belczak judging at Haztoberfest in Erie, PA. Courtesy H.A.Z.A.R.D. Home Brewing Club
Tim Belczak judging at Haztoberfest in Erie, PA. Courtesy H.A.Z.A.R.D. Home Brewing Club

Written by Ken Carman

The Topic: On His Way to Grand Master… Tim Belczak


bjd-265x300  A few years ago I realized, while on tour, that there was a competition down the road in Niagara Falls during the same time I was usually performing in northeast Ohio. Being a native New Yorker, who has been living in Tennessee since 1978, brewing since 79, I wanted to share my own passion for homebrewing and judging with other equally passionate folks, so I drove north to the AWOG competition: Amber Waves of Grain. I think it was at the third AWOG where I judged with Tim Belczak. A short while latter, for the first time, we met again at King of the Mountain and NY State Fair.
 You really need to stop following me, Tim. I won’t get a restraining order… yet.
 Or am I following you? I hope you don’t get a restraining order. Besides, as Millie might say, tis tough to restrain me. Bet Cheryl has NEVER said that about you.
 Well, in one way, many of us are following far behind, for in such a short time here is just part of what Tim has achieved…

Milestones:
Recognized: 1/9/2014
Certified: 4/1/2014
National: 3/18/2015
Best scores:
Written: 83
Tasting: 90
Total: 87

 Yet, despite the speed with which Tim has been ascending… did I see a hint of a halo last time we met, or was that just the rim of a competition sample glass? …most interviewers might consider interviewing a Grand Master judge, or even Master, instead. Continue reading “A Beer Judge’s Diary”

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New York’s Finger Lakes Region: A Backroad Craft Beer Tour

Written by Franz Hofer for A Tempest in a Tankatd

You might be asking why the Finger Lakes aren’t more well-known outside of New York State craft beer destination. The answer, fellow intrepid beer traveler, is one of the main reasons you’ll want to visit the region. Many of the breweries that dot the landscape are “farmhouse breweries” that have taken advantage of favourable legislation passed recently to stimulate the local hop and malt industry. Production at these breweries is small-scale –– so small that the only way you’ll get to sample the beer is to head to the taproom or a local tavern that might occasionally have a keg or two of Finger Lakes beer on tap. Only a small handful of the breweries in the region bottle or can their beer, and even then, distribution doesn’t stretch much further than a few hundred miles beyond the brewery.IMG_1171

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HERE

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Behind the Scenes at the NHC

In all this time we have been entering brewing competition, I had never given much thought to the behind the scenes.  Very little thought that is until Art Whittaker asked me to be the official brewcaster for the NHC.  Thrilled, I packed up my blogger gear, dedicated camera woman, and husband on a quest to get an exclusive look behind the scenes at the NHC.

 

 The first round of the NHC, or National Homebrew Competition was held at Blackstone Brewing Company’s production.

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HERE

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Augurs of Spring: Wheat Beers Belgian, German, and American

Van Gogh - Wheat-Fields-at-Auvers-Under-Clouded-Sky_July_1890 (WikiCommons)

Written by Franz Hofer for A Tempest in a Tankard

The quintessential beer for your rites of spring, be they seeding the garden or cleaning the cobwebs out of the grill, is one that’ll quench your thirst on a sunny afternoon yet stand up to an evening chill. You won’t go wrong with a hoppy and refreshing American brown ale, and nor would a porter be out of place on a cooler day. For this Saturday’s six-pack, though, I’m going to suggest a selection of beers that stays within one (admittedly broad) family, a family of beers that hits all the registers of spring in its arc between winter and summer: wheat beers.

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HERE

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The Culture of EXTREME Beer

Courtesy stripes.com
extrembeer

Written by Tom Becham

Let me put this out there immediately: I like extreme beer. I enjoy the spirit of experimentation that results in high levels of alcohol, extremely bitter, sweet or sour flavors, unusual ingredients, or anything else that stretches the definition of beer. It shows the ingenuity and versatility of a brewer, and can be an adventure.

That being said, I also feel that Americans being who we are, extreme beer has the potential to get way out of hand. This is, after all, the land of “bigger, better, faster, louder, more”. One can walk into a grocery store, and find several dozen products which have artificial strawberry flavoring that is easily 40 times more intense than actual strawberries. The danger in this country is that extreme beer could relegate some subtler, yet quite delicious, older beer styles to the scrap heap of history. Continue reading “The Culture of EXTREME Beer”

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18 Overrated Beers

18 Overrated Beers

I take very seriously my role as the Lone Listicler, keeping my own counsel and avoiding the corrupting influences of scuttlebutt and daylight to provide the Beer Internet with its only fair and accurate source of rankings, slander, and bullshit. But I was nervous about this compilation of overrated beers, so I broke down and sought nominations from Twitter, my wife’s coworkers, and various other rubes and rummies who may or may not know the first goddamn thing about the listicular arts.

My cowardice was duly punished, because although I got a lot of good ideas, I also noticed a lot of consensus, which is antithetical to the very concept of overrated-ness. If everyone thinks a certain beer gets more credit than it deserves, then who’s doling out this phantom credit? So we need to arrive at some rough definition of “overrated,” which means this is going to be an abject shitshow.

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HERE

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Flow Hive: Honey on Tap Directly From Your Beehive

It’s the beekeeepers dream…

Turn the tap and watch as pure, fresh, clean honey flows right out of the hive and into your jar. No mess, no fuss, no expensive processing equipment and without disturbing the bees.

We are excited to introduce our new invention that allows you to enjoy fresh honey straight out of your beehive without opening it. It’s far less stress for the bees and much, much easier for the beekeeper.

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Augurs of Spring: Wheat Beers Belgian, German, and American

Written by Franz Hofer for A Tempest in a Tankard

Van-Gogh-Wheat-Fields-at-Auvers-Under-Clouded-Sky_July_1890-WikiCommons-300x240Warmer days and cool nights. April showers on the horizon. The occasional spring frost following upon a stretch of summer-like days.

Time to lay those warming Russian Stouts and barley wines down to rest for another season.

The quintessential beer for your rites of spring, be they seeding the garden or cleaning the cobwebs out of the grill, is one that’ll quench your thirst on a sunny afternoon yet stand up to an evening chill. You won’t go wrong with a hoppy and refreshing American brown ale, and nor would a porter be out of place on a cooler day. For this Saturday’s six-pack, though, I’m going to suggest a selection of beers that stays within one (admittedly broad) family, a family of beers that hits all the registers of spring in its arc between winter and summer: wheat beers.

Want to read more? Please click…

HERE