Author: Ken Carman

 I chose my column: A Beery Good Story, to publish this because that column is more about a “story,” and this is about more than judging, or even running a competition. It’s about helping brewers and a community. And I think next year the potential is even greater if we have a popular, yet one with local impact, cause we can support with a modest entry fee once we combine it with local arts group at The View and their beerfest.

Written by Ken Carman

 I think I started planning this competition 10 years ago. Knowing the Central Adirondacks had little contact with homebrew related events, no craft brewery and little craft beer: in comparison, I first imagined hordes of homebrewers floating down Stillwater Reservoir on the tour boat run by the Thompson family and staying in a rented cabin, a motel room or the hotel.
  It would have been like a weekend bonanza for homebrewers, stewards and judges.
  Gee, think I might be prone to making things difficult for myself? Try to fly over too high a bar?
  Duh.
  It took a few years, but I moved away from that concept because getting brewers up there just to have free beer, for a brew weekend, no matter how much I offered, just didn’t work. I did come close. One club was lined up but, unbeknownst to me, they had a change in management mid discussions and somehow the info got lost. So I was stuck with lots of burgers and beer. Continue reading “A Beer-y Good Story: Postscript… Old Forge BIG Beer and Odd Ale”

Written by Ken Carman

  I bought The Great Chocolate Wreck by Good Nature Brewing, out of Hamilton, NY, with the intent of doing a PGA profile and to serve at my beer tasting in Beaver River I do every Labor Day weekend. So I had two champagne bottles. The first was interesting: a complex quaff with a little roasted barley to define the style (RIS), tons of malt, I suspect, of various types on the roast scale and tons of tons of chocolate, including the sensations of cocoa nibs, milk, bakers, dark… every chocolate known to humankind. Just a hint of over the top ABV. Continue reading “A Beer-y Good Story: Un-Wrecking the Wreck”

Written by Ken Carman

 Ken Carman is a BJCP judge; homebrewer since 1979, club member at Escambia Bay, Clarksville Carboys and Music City Homebrewers, who has been interviewing professional brewers all over the east coast for over 10 years.

The Topic: Old Forge Brewfest

 Looks cold, doesn’t it?
 Although this picture of the North Street Pavilion: down towards the old airport, courtesy the Adirondack Weekly, was taken at a different, more winter-y, time, the scene the day of the first annual BrewFest in Old Forge, NY, was similar. A snow squall kicked up and it reminded me of many days spent in the winter-y Dacks, past tense.
 Being BJCP beer judges, members of several homebrew clubs, having poured for many festivals, and one of us a former Old Forge area resident, of course we volunteered to pour. This was run by The View and I was amazed they got over 40 breweries the first year, and a bit busy because we poured for many different breweries: hence less pictures than I would like.
 Barkeater, Fulton Chain Brewery, Saranac, Sierra Nevada, Browns, Founders, Ithaca Brewing, Lake Placid, Ommegang… just to mention a few. There were two big areas where multiple tables had been put together, and a few off to the side. Continue reading “Brew Biz: Werts and All”

 I stole the pictures for this edition from my own articles because I was too busy judging, organizing and freaking out from time to time, to take pictures… as you shall soon read, hopefully laugh about, and wonder, “How did he get himself into THIS mess?” Story of my life. It’s a good story… mostly.

 No way, not even on the planet Gorforbia: the only place in the known universe where things as weird as what’s happened in my own life, can this year’s competition have gotten more “Odd.” Match name of the competition I created, much? Well, I admit, last year’s was weird too. I mean, almost eaten by a bear? Come on! Thank Modort, the jelly based deity worshiped on Gorforbia, I hadn’t had any Gorfrorbian mustard in my tent. I hear Adirondack bears can’t resist that spicy condiment. Makes it smell like Taylor Swift-look alike, a well known Adirondack bear delicacy.

 Anywhosie, the great thing about the 2015 OFBB, compared to the 2014 Old Forge Old Ale (last year’s name), is I have a lot of organizing advice and notes to pass on to those interested in running very small competitions. “Why?” Because, I swear, everything went wrong. And, being a big believer in small, specialized, competitions, as well as big ones, I’m sure someone out there might be able to use my experience to help run theirs.
 Last year our entries were about 25: depends on how you count the extra bottle someone sent us that was packed, and entered, as if it were as different entry. Yet it had the same name, same brewer and, when sampled, we determined had to be the same entry… a judgement call the brewer never disputed after post competition contact. I haven’t counted this years yet: all the information I need is about 10 miles away and my place has no roads going to it. I believe we had about 40. We almost doubled the entry level. Continue reading “A Beer Judge’s Diary: Old Forge BIG Beer and Odd Ale Competition”

Written by Ken Carman

 I have never, ever, canned out on a homebrew competition, and I am glad to have made this one. The original set up was simple: I had drop off points in Erie and Buffalo for The Old Forge BIG Beer and I would use that as an excuse to do what I really love to do: judge. Immediately it started to fall apart: no entries in Erie and, at the same time, I found out my friend Dave, near Rochester, couldn’t let me crash on his couch.
 Thankfully my friend, ex-captain of the Starship Quandary in the Wort galaxy and fellow judge, Tim Belczak, plus his, oh, so patient wife Cheryl, allowed me to crash there two nights. They even introduced me to their two in house gremlins: Dax and Drew… who look a lot better, and nothing like, the picture to your right from Gremlins 2. But they were as entertaining, as energetic: in far better, and nicer, ways. We didn’t even have to get those gremlins wet, or wait until after midnight, for them to be entertaining.
 If you haven’t seen the movies, never mind. But if you haven’t seen the sequel do track it down. Nothing like a herd (Herd? Bunch? A… MURDER???) of gremlins doing a Busby Berkeley routine while singing New York, New York in Grand Central Station.
 Drew and Dax were the life of the party. Smart kids. Soon mom and dad will go, “Huh? What?” I’m betting Dax, or Drew, will be a Grand Master before you, or me, Tim. (Safe bet with me!) Continue reading “A Beer Judge’s Diary: HAZtoberfest”

Written by Ken Carman

  I was in Beaver River, one of three, mostly very small, homes we own, visiting Donna Brown, fellow Beaver River-ite and semi-faithful attendee to my annual Beaver River Beer Tasting. We were waiting on visitors to our town from Twitchell Lake to reach us via the long trail between Stillwater and Twitchell. I used to live on Twitchell.
 Before they arrived Donna said, “Have you tried, ‘NOT Your Father’s Root Beer?” Continue reading “A Beer-y Good Story: Root Beer?”

Written by Ken Carman

 Ken Carman is a BJCP judge; homebrewer since 1979, club member at Escambia Bay, Clarksvlle Carboys and Music City Homebrewers, who has been interviewing professional brewers all over the east coast for over 10 years.

Fulton Chain Craft Brewery, 127 North Street, Old Forge, NY 13420
315-525-0222
www.fccbrewery.com

 Old Forge: a great Adirondack town that since I was a kid has gone from sleepy most of the time, to busy more than not. Yet, as I said when I was talking to Chip Kiefer: fellow Town of Webb grad, about what kind of brewery might work here, “I know, when I lived here, there are some days you could toss an asteroid down Main Street and hit nothing.” He responded with: “It’s still like that sometimes.”
  Yes, for that and many other reasons, starting a business here is rewarding, yet can be tough, and a brewery has special challenges, as I’m sure co-owners of the Fulton Chain Craft Brewery, Justin Staskiewicz and Richard Mathy, know. The crazy busy times are buffered by the long “I almost wish an asteroid would go down Main Street” days, if only it could stop and shop.
 The off season can be immensely enjoyable, relaxing, but without planning it can be tough on business.
  One obvious sign it’s tough is how long it took for a craft brewery to get here. While the rest of country has been having fun brewing up many barrels of craft beer other than Saranac Lake and Lake Placid, the Dacks have remained mostly untouched. Saranac is a recent addition, Lake Placid not that long ago considering the history of craft beer, nationwide.
  I’m not surprised at all by any of this. In the 1977, at my Adirondack wedding, down the road in Big Moose, NY, my father-in-law brought a seemingly endless supply of Heineken Dark for everyone at the reception. In the Adirondacks, at the time, getting any beer beyond American Lager: essentially Bud or Miller-like products, was like finding a skyscraper in downtown Old Forge filled with wookies.
  After that moment I am proud to say dark beer, and other unusual brews (for the time), slowly started to appear in the Central Adirondacks.
  Yes, you can blame me, Old Forge.
  I have actually tried myself, in the past few years, to get a small brewery, or brewpub, started in the Old Forge area. For various reasons I failed in that beery quest, but BEHOLD…. Continue reading “Brew Biz: Werts and All”

The Topic: Our Long, Yet Short, Summer Craft Beer Adventure

Written by Ken Carman

Ken Carman is a BJCP judge; homebrewer since 1979, club member at Escambia Bay, Clarksville Carboys and Music City Homebrewers, who has been writing on beer-related topics, and interviewing professional brewers all over the east coast, for over 15 years.

 Having been on the road most of my life now, summers alone seem perpetual behind the wheel time. I don’t mind. I started driving when I got my first car at about 13 on private roads. I love driving, but everything has its limits.
 This July is no exception: I had to drive to Millie’s family reunion in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, and then return to Nashville just to hook up a trailer, drive to our place in Beaver River, NY, then go on tour in New England.
 Of course Rehoboth area being home to Dogfish we had hoped to get a short interview, but they were too busy this week. So I opted for some light hearted version of a diary, which means to actually be “light hearted” I had to contact an Aztec spirit and had him rip the still beating heart out of my chest, shave off a few ounces, then reinsert.
 The operation went well, except now my tongue slithers in and out rapidly imitating one of their Gods, a serpent: Quetzalcoatl.
 Yes, I’m joking.
 Not being satisfied with a just some measly 700 plus mile drive we went to Asheville to check out the much recommended Wicked Weed. Continue reading “Brew Biz: Werts and All”

The most recent BJCP guidelines, for use in all competitions in November. Expanded quite a bit from 2008.

Written by Ken Carman

 

 Right up front: this Diary is going to be different. And I’m not going to sugar coat anything: this is a sales pitch, a promotion. If you love beer, especially craft beer, you brew beer, or are interested in the process and might like to learn: think of becoming a beer judge.
 You don’t have to become a BJCP beer judge to judge beer. And please don’t call them “Certified.” That’s a rank. There’s Recognized, Certified, National, Master, Grand Master and almighty, unquestionable, all powerful (especially once I’ve had a few brews) BEER DEITY: ME!  Yes, the last was just me goofing around, the others actual ranks.
 The test is very tough, takes a lot of studying, and don’t pay much attention if someone claims they don’t want specifics, they just want to know the breadth of your knowledge. Horse hocky. Before you pass you’ll need to know, backwards, forwards and upside down, many specifics… so many “specifics” I’ve known those who say the BJCP beer test is tougher than some of what they had to do to get their PhDs. .
 Good news: you can take it online. More on that in a moment. Continue reading “A Beer Judge’s Diary: Becoming a Beer Judge”