Author: Professor Good Ales

Writer unattributed at WaynePost.com

It’s no secret that the Finger Lakes is home to over 100 wineries, but few people realize it’s also home to a number of craft beer brewers as well. With over a dozen microbreweries in the region, plus another dozen or so brew pubs and tap houses, we have the makings of a beer trail — the Finger Lakes Beer Trail that is. Local beer-enthusiasts, Adam Smith and Theresa Hollister, recognized the need for increased awareness and promotion of the region’s growing beer culture, so in February they co-founded Finger Lakes Beer Trail Marketing & Tourism Associates.

While Smith and Hollister modeled the concept of the Finger Lakes Beer Trail after the wine trails of Seneca, Cayuga, Keuka, and Canandaigua, the beer trail is not limited to just the outlines of the lakes. They have mapped out an area that spans roughly 135 miles across the central part of New York state, stretching east-west from I-390 to I-81 and north/south from I-90 to I-86 / NY 17, resulting in a trail abundant with natural beauty along which tourists and beer aficionados alike can enjoy a tasty selection ranging from small-batch pub brews to award-winning bottled craft beers. There are also numerous opportunities for brewery tours along the way.

“Our mission is simple,” says Hollister. “Increase the visibility and reputation of the region’s craft brewers and other brewing and beer-related businesses.”

In doing so, they also hope to attract more beer-loving tourists to the Finger Lakes region, which in turn will help to stimulate the local economy.

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Written by Peter Teske for lagniappemobile.com

As I write this the Brewery Modernization Act has been placed on the post-redistricting break legislative calendar in Montgomery for the Tuesday before our publication.

Everyone I’ve spoken with in the craft beer industry seems optimistic about its passage. Needless to say — knock on wood, throw some salt over your shoulder, say your prayers, etc. — it will be, and may already have been, a great day for Alabama when it passes!
Continue reading “Craft’s Trending Eastward”

Written by Alan Johnson for The Columbus Dispatch

Ohioans could buy beer with a whopping 18 percent alcohol content under a provision in the state budget proposed yesterday by Senate Republicans.

After holding the line on alcohol content in beer for 69 years, lawmakers might be poised to increase it for the second time in a decade. The limit was increased in 2002 to 12 percent from 6 percent, where it had been since the end of Prohibition in 1933.

The alcohol boost in 2002 was promoted by a coalition of statewide distributors and microbrewers.

This time, state Sen. Jimmy Stewart, R-Albany, proposed the amendment after talking to the owners of Jackie O’s Brew Pub in Athens.

“They as well as other small breweries would be very excited about making some products on a limited basis with a higher alcohol content,” said Stewart, noting that Athens also features a number of Ohio-brewed beers at its annual Beer Week each July.

“This is a very small niche market and very expensive craft beers that are more for the aficionados.”
Continue reading “Beer Buzz Would Get a Big Boost from GOP bill”

Written by Cindy McNatt for the Orange County Register

When Brad Daniels told a scientist friend of his that he was going to start brewing beer, the friend replied, “I hate when people say they’re going to do something and then don’t.”

Daniels came from a long line of nonstarters, so with determination and a passion for microbrews, the retired engineer began some serious brewing. And he eventually built the pub to go with it.

Daniels transformed only a part of his 1924 Anaheim garage into a brewery/pub.
Continue reading “Brewing Up a Home Pub”

From beersensoryscience.wordpress.com, writer not attributed. Posts as BeerSensor

Cracking cheese, Gromit!

Have you ever smelled cheese in your beer? How about dirty sweatsocks? It’s more common than you may think. If you’re a homebrewer and you don’t use your hop supply as fast as you should, or if you store them improperly, you may be familiar with this aroma. This is isovaleric acid, and it’s a short-chain fatty acid commonly found in cheese, the valerian herb, foot odor, and sometimes beer. Now that’s an interesting selection of sources!

The commonly accepted threshold for isovaleric acid is about 1ppm, but like most other aromatic compounds, this can vary greatly depending on your genetics. This brief article gives some information about the genetic component of isovaleric acid receptors, exploring some of the sources of variability in how subjects perceive this compound. One of the more interesting things mentioned is that its detection threshold can apparently differ between individuals by up to 10,000 times. Personally, I think my nose has what I call an “acquired anosmia” to this compound. To be anosmic to a particular compound means you can not detect it at any concentration. While my case isn’t that dramatic, I think my sensitivity has dropped due to being frequently exposed to the purified compound when I spike it into my samples (despite using a fume hood and taking protective measures, it’s still possible to get it on you). If you get this stuff on your hands, you’ll stink for the rest of the day, if not longer. For this reason, I often have a hard time being able to tell if my spiked samples are at an appropriate level for the panel. Many times, I have to trust my math more than my nose.

So, how does isovaleric acid get into beer?
Continue reading “Say “Cheese!” Isovaleric Acid in Beer”

Written by Alan Feuer for The New York Times

THERE are some who thought, prematurely, that 2010 was New York’s summer of the beer garden, what with the World Cup and the opening of a half-dozen outdoor, German-style drinking establishments. But not unlike some genetically altered superweed, these ale-and-oompah joints have continued even this year to crop up everywhere you look. They have grown so thick, so fast, that certain neighborhoods (Astoria in Queens and Williamsburg in Brooklyn come to mind) could, with the proper vantage and the help of several pilsners, be mistaken for Bavaria.

Continue reading “Beer Gardens Everywhere”