Author: Professor Good Ales

Mikkeller Black Hole Stout, a coffee-enhanced craft beer [Photo: ramskov.org]

Written by Christian DeBenedetti for eater.com

Now that Four Loko — the 12% ABV malt beverage mixed with the chemically-added caffeine equivalent of three to six cups of strong coffees — has been effectively banned along with some similar drinks, people in the craft beer community are wringing their hands. What’s the worry? What could “The Blackout in a Can” have to do with artisanal ales made by hand and enjoyed with care? True, the FDA has ordered only four companies to remove the added caffeine or be pulled from shelves by mid-December. But thanks to the fist-pounding, nanny-state politicians like Charles Schumer, the worry is that the FDA or TTB (Federal Tax & Trade Bureau, formerly the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms) might try to ban all alcoholic drinks containing caffeine, which would have potentially wide-reaching effects. See, in the craft beer world, experimentation rules and adding crazy — but entirely legal — ingredients to the mix is the norm.

Brooklyn Brewery Brewmaster Garrett Oliver was particularly sanguine about the whole affair. “The thing that concerns me is that we might not be able to do the kind of stuff that we’ve done in the past,” said Oliver. “For example, with Stumptown Coffee roasters, we did a beer with them called Intensified Coffee Stout which used Finca el Injerto coffee. And of course many brewers make coffee stouts. We’ve had beers infused with cacao nibs as well, and all of these would be considered to be caffeinated. So, if we then became collateral damage for something like Four Loko, that would be more than spectacularly annoying.”

Craft Beers, Naturally-Caffeinated
Continue reading “Naturally-Caffeinated Craft Beer in the Post-Four Loko Era”

Beverage Factory, who is selling it for about $92, doesn’t really say how it works. Is it simply a kegging system, or an all in one unit? No sign of a method to mash (could be extract), boil, filter, cool or carbonate… though the last could simply be conditioning. If someone knows feel free to contact The Professor at theprofessor@ltsaloon.net
If you want to buy one just click then order…

HERE

“Because any punk knows good Holiday beer had a bit of FUNK.”


Schafly Christmas Ale
The Saint Louis Brewery
St. Louis, MO

Phyllis Schafly’s son in a bottle. That’s right, Phyllis’ son is part owner and makes a damn better contribution via beer. Orange peel. Cloves. No hop sense. Nose about the same. Mouth feel too. Mod bod. Orange-ish tint. Light head. Clarity good. So many short sentences in a row? Bad.

So go ahead. Beat bad boy Scribe, Ms. English Teacher. It’s still a damn good beer. If Scribe has to go into the corner can he have, oh, about the same number of few bottles as labels below to sip on, please?

An example of more than just a “strong beer:” Brew Dog End of History at 55% abv. Yes, that is how it is packaged.

Written by Kathy Gordon for WSJ.com

LONDON (Dow Jones)–The U.K. government said Tuesday it will tax stronger beers at a higher rate than weaker ones as part of its move to tackle problem drinking. The new tax rates will be revealed in the 2011 Budget and will apply to beers with an alcoholic content above 7.5% and below 2.8%.

The decision follows an informal consultation by the Treasury over the summer and complements the reclassification of strong, cheap ciders earlier this year.

The government said the new duty will help to address the consumption of cheap, “super strength” lagers that are associated with high, and dangerous, levels of alcohol consumption.
Continue reading “UK Government To Raise Tax On Strong Beer”

Without intent, I have collected well over 1,000 beer bottles since the early 70s. When something finally had to be done about the cheap paneling in this old modular, I had a choice. Tear down the walls while, oh, so carefully, replacing the often rotted 1X3s. Or: cover them with… The Bottle Collection.

Wellington Black Knight Strong Ale E.S.B. Ale
950 Woodlawn Road West
Guelph, Ontario, Canada
N1K 1B8950
www.wellingtonbrewery.ca/

This was a bit tough to track down, at first. Apparently there is a Wellington Brewery in England and Google loves that one. I bought this screw top, plastic, bottle: much like cheap American brewers used for years, in Ontario, Canada while on tour in the early to mid-90s.

More body than most ales and a bit more abv, so “strong” was modestly applicable. E.S.B.? Well, perhaps in the more Brit sense, but since there were few of the more aggressive American ESBs at the time… probably accurate.

I remember it being quite pleasant. fairly dark for an ESB. It may have even been “black,” but I’m not sure.

On this same trip I noticed a small place with many mash tuns, so I stopped by. One of the first BOPs I’ve ever seen. But Canada was always way ahead of us back then. I had my first Guinness Export in Montreal about 1974. Guinness pretty much didn’t exist in the east coast stores or bars in the states at the time.
Continue reading “From the Bottle Collection”

Written by Katie Zezima for The New York Times

Both photos Katherine Taylor for NYT

COHASSET, Mass. — When Rhonda Kallman set out to create a beer that would draw a crowd, she never expected the attention her Moonshot ’69 brew received this month.

The creator of Moonshot ’69, a light beer that contains caffeine, has stopped brewing it for the time being.

The problem is that the light beer, made by Ms. Kallman’s company, New Century Brewing, contains caffeine. Earlier this month, she and three other manufacturers were told by the federal Food and Drug Administration that they must remove the stimulant from their beverages or stop selling them.

While most of the focus has been on two fruit-flavored, high-alcohol malt energy drinks, Four Loko and Joose, Ms. Kallman said her small company, which has suffered years of setbacks, is reeling from the news.

Continue reading “Beer With Kick Is Caught in F.D.A.’s Net”

Florida before good beer, as far as we know: 1591- PGA

Written by Alan Shaw for heraldtribune.com/Sarasota Florida

From his column: “Beer Geek: Covering the brewing scene of Southwest Florida”

On a day where we count our blessings, I’d like to give thanks for a relatively small one: the growing craft beer scene in Florida.

It was only a few years ago that Florida deserved the label of Beer Wasteland. The state was dominated by the big guys and about the only craft beer you could hope to find was Samuel Adams Boston Lager.
Continue reading “Thankful for Craft Beer”

Written by Steven Armstrong for thisisbrandx.com

“How many hipsters does it take to screw in a light bulb?”

That’s the question Jason Bernstein posed earlier this week when we sat down at the Golden State, the eatery-cum-craft-beer-bar he co-owns on Fairfax. I sipped my Stone Double Bastard Ale as he delivered the punchline:

“It’s a really esoteric number; you’ve probably never heard of it.”
Continue reading “The Craft Beer Cronicles- Hipsters May be Strong Armed by Double Bastard”

“Because ‘special’ should mean ‘more.'”

Profiled by Ye Olde Scribe

Yellow, Plenty of head. A bit unclear. But “Whatsospecialhere?”

Scribe doesn’t see the point here. Brewed with ancient grains and Sorachi: Japanese hop. Hitachino Nest Ancient Nipponia is supposed to be an historical experience. Hell, if Scribe wanted special bland he wouldn’t have to go back that far The 60s would do.

From beernews.org…

About 180 years ago, beer was brought into Japan from Holland and USA. At that time, Japan closed the country to foreigners.

Shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu tasted beer and was surprised at the taste. And some men started to brew beer in Japan.

But at that time there was no barley for beer in Japan so they used barley for noodle. After opening the country, William Copland started beer brewing as business in Yokohoma, which is the origin of Kirin beer. Soon he noticed that they need to cultivate the original barley for beer which matches with Japanese weather.Mr. Kaneko who was a big farmer started to make a new seed of barley by mixing Japanese ancient barley for noodle and imported barley for beer. He found mixing Shikoku, good barley for noodle, and Golden Melon, American barley, was good and he named this new barley as Kaneko Golden.

Fascinating. The story better than the beer. Lemony. Alcohol presence. Grain subtle.

Newsflash: if the hops and the grain are what makes it so special, ya might wanna make the beer reflect that?