Author: Professor Good Ales

Mythical poster at The LTS Good for What Ales You Beer Journal. Loves good beer. Hates same old, same old. Muses that Bud and Miller might as well be brewed in urinals. Drinks lagers too, if they are complex and interesting.
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From Craft Beer to Crafting New Laws

Our beer laws are incredibly stupid, except they too often serve to aid mega breweries at the expense of craft.Coincidence? Ah, NO.-PGA

Jason Alvey, right, owner of the Four Firkins in St. Louis Park, talks with customer and SCORE volunteer Dan Shidla of Bloomington about his selection of beer.

Written by Todd Nelson for The Star Tribune

Jason Alvey, owner of a specialty beer store in St. Louis Park, won legislative approval of bills to let liquor stores sell some apparel and charge customers to attend classes.

Jason Alvey, already a craft brew expert as owner of St. Louis Park specialty beer shop the Four Firkins, also is gaining expertise at crafting legislation.
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The Bruery

Written by Tom Becham for professorgoodales.net

Fountain in Olde Towne.
Recently, my wife and I made a stop at The Bruery Provisions, in Orange, California.

This stop was notable for several reasons. First, because my wife is fully on-board with craft beer destinations while on road trips. Secondly, because The Bruery is one of the best craft beer breweries in Southern California, if not the entire country. And finally because Old Town Orange is a unique and unexpected slice of Americana that I had no idea even existed before now.

Orange, California is one of the first communities established in its area of the state. The Old Town area is the largest historic district in the entire state, and contains buildings of many distinct architectural styles, built from 1888 to 1940. Wandering on foot in this area is like stepping back into a SoCal version of Leave it to Beaver. Except there’s a lot more liveliness and activity than that old hackneyed television show would ever countenance.
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Fruits of Their Labor: The Challenges and Rewards of Brewing with Fruit

Written by Ezra Johnson-Greenough for craftbeer.com

Much like styles of craft beer, there are endless types of fruit, from strange and exotic like mango and papaya, to classics like raspberries and cherries. Fruits have been used in brewing likely since the advent of fermentation, but fell out of favor with the rise of industrial brewing due to the increasing costs of fresh fruit and the processing they require. With the craft brewing renaissance in America, brewers and fans are turning an eye to fruit beers that are being brewed with styles and techniques both old and new.

The Fruit Beers of Old
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Brewer Profile and Interview: Derrick Morse

Profile and Interview by Millie and Ken Carman for professorgoodales.net

KC: State your name for the record!!!

DM: Derrick Morse. M-o-r-s-e,  like “Morse code.”

KC: Any relation to Samuel B.?

DM: No, we’re more related to the Morse brothers who were pretty intricately involved in the Revolutionary War.

At this point we talked about his pump, and Nashville’s Jackalope Brewing who had to have a Mandarin manual for their equipment. Derrick told a story about Twisted Pine where he brewed before Cool Springs.

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Whipped Wheat

Written by Joe Sixpack

American brewers who dabble in wheat must feel some days like William Murray.

Who?

William Murray – a mostly forgettable character from 17th-century England who had the somewhat bad luck of being the boyhood pal of Charles I. It was Charles’ father, King James I, who devised the philosophy of the “divine right of kings.”

“The state of monarchy,” James wrote, “is the supremest thing upon earth; for kings are not only God’s lieutenants upon earth, and sit upon God’s throne, but even by God himself are called gods.”well-deserved spanking. No one would dare lay a hand on the son of a god, right?

Instead, it was his friend, the unfortunate William Murray, who felt the lash. Charles won’t eat his veggies, William gets a beating.

Thus was born the entirely odious concept of the whipping boy.

Which only makes me wonder: Who made German hefeweizen the prince of beers?

Want to read more? Please click…

HERE

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Lauren Salazar of New Belgium Q&A!

Written by Brandon Jones

Good news everyone! (said in a Professor Farnsworth voice). After a month off that included a wonderful vacation with my family I’ve got a great Q&A session with Lauren Salazar of New Belgium Brewing. Lauren is the “Sensory Specialist” for NB and is regarded by many people as not only one of the greatest judges/tasters/blenders in the USA, but in the world!  Since I’m a huge fan of Oud Bruin and Sour Brown beers I have to admit I was geeking out talking to the person who blends/creates one of my favorite beers in the world: La Folie. I love this interview for a few reasons, but one of the biggest is the revealing look as to how in tune with and caring Lauren is with her products at New Belgium. She gave me some great advice to pass along to aspiring home brewers and dropped some information on a few new beers that will come out this year! So let’s get the fun started…
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Beer Out of a Beard: Coming Soon

Posted by hayatnorimine at huffingtonpost.com and seattlepi.com

 

No, it’s not “magic,” it’s science apparently.
When Rogue Wire Service first blogged about a new beer made out of beard hair, the first question that came to mind was whether this was a real thing. (See my first blog post about it here.)

“It’s gotta be a joke,” White Labs Communications Director Mike White thought when he first heard about it.

Well, we’re all with him there. But it’s confirmed, folks. What started out as a joke — White Labs put Rogue brewmaster John Maier’s beard hair on petri dishes just for kicks — became a very real yeast strain perfect for brewing.

Come early 2013, look out for Rogue’s new beer called “New Crustacean.” It is, I kid you not, made out of a Rogue brewmaster’s beard.

I wish I didn’t know so I could try it in peace.

Rogue Ales and Spirits initially wanted to grow a new yeast strain out of its own hops, but the hopyard’s three samples that were sent to White Labs came back negative. White Labs then took nine follicles of Maier’s beard and put them on petri dishes; that’s where the surprise came in.
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