Category: Beer

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

Brew Biz is a column written by Ken Carman for Professor Goodales

The Topic: Beer Priests vs. Gurus of Greed

I have never done this before: exported one of my beer columns over to my political/social commentary column that I have written since 1972: Inspection. But this topic is that important.

I am a BJCP beer judge, homebrewer and fan of fine beer; since about the same year: 72. Before that I thought all beer was Bud or Miller-like, not that there’s much of a dif between the two. One uses corn as an adjunct, one uses rice. And, in fact, in America: especially on the east coast, that’s all there mostly was… with few exceptions: Bud and Miller products. The indes, like in the auto industry before that, were dying, going or gone. And the Adirondacks, where I mostly did my drinking, were not home to oddities like Prior Double Dark or the Bock beer that did exist, un-Bock-like that most of it was.

Now, in addition to what I’ve already mentioned, I run two beer tastings in Beaver River Station, NY that involve beer education. I pay for the beer, the ads I run and until last year I didn’t even put out a donation bucket. And, to add to all this, I supply a good portion of the beer for Big Bob’s Barleywine Bash in Pensacola Beach; weekend after Labor day, every year. Again: out of pocket.

To make it worse my wife and I travel as far as Albany, NY and Charlotte, NC to judge beer in BJCP competitions.

Last year Frank, down the lake, at the Stillwater shop asked me, “Why? What’s in it for you? I try to make everything I do make money: feed back into the business.”

This year I was asked the same, basic, question by Barry who now owns the Beaver River Station Hotel: site of the Labor Day weekend beer tasting.

It dawned on me then that this meme’: that everything, every decision, anything we do in life, must make money or be advantageous to the doer, is perhaps part of the problem with attitudes these days. Just like everything must agree with a certain take on life, politics or faith, or “that means war:” sometimes literally. And I was once part of the problem when it came to having that attitude in my own chosen career.
Continue reading “Brew Biz: Werts and All”

Written by Tom Becham for Professorgoodales

Anyone who spends enough time in pursuit of craft beer will eventually discover the Belgian monastic brews. These seven brewers – six in Belgium, one in the Netherlands – are all Trappist monasteries and make a fairly limited number of beer styles for the purpose of funding the monastery and its works. The breweries/monasteries are: Chimay (the most widely available and commercial of the Trappist beers), Westmalle, Orval, Achel, Rochefort, La Trappe (the Dutch one), and the rare-as-rocking-horse-droppings Westvleteren.

There are many other brewers in Belgium which have monastic connections, and which may use the descriptors of “Abbey Dubbel” or “Abbey Tripel” for their beers.
But to be a genuine monastic brew, the monks must be involved in a certain percentage of the brewing process.

Well, monastic brewing has made its way to the United States. Sierra Nevada, in collaboration with the Cistercian Abbey of New Clairvaux, in Northern California, has introduced a new line of monastic beers. The monks are definitely involved with the brewing process, many of them having been trained by Sierra Nevada. The new line of beers is called Ovila.
Continue reading “Monastic Brewing Comes to America”

Profiled by Ken Carman

Portland, Oregon
7.7%
Strawberry additions

I suspect these strawberry additions were a bit late, for this has more strawberry nose than taste. And the “tart” seems more lactic like, though the bottle says nothing about this. If the strawberries had produced this tart there would be more to the taste. It also seems a tad lambic/Flemish sour like. One has to ask: could strawberries even provide this much tart? That’s why I’m guessing there may be some Brett, or lactic, here that provides the tart.

Or they tossed the lady on the label into the vat. She certainly seemed a bit of a “tart.”

Mouthfeel is somewhat tart and light malt sense.

Nice clarity. Light yellow. Tons of rocky head that lasts.

It is exactly what it says it is, but really not all that much more. Could use just a bit more malt complexity to make it a more interesting quaff. But not bad. Not bad at all.

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

Brew Biz is a column written by Ken Carman for Professor Goodales

Davidson Brothers
184 Glen Street
Glens Falls, NY 12801-3526
(518) 743-9026

I have been to Davidsons several times over the years. My brother lives down the road in Hudson Falls. I wish I could say I’ve interviewed the brewer, but seems to me that keeps changing… and at least in one case I’ve been avoided when the brewer found out I’m a writer.

No need to fear when Ken is here, it’s all about the beer.

I remember in the early years, back when Fred Flintstone started the first brewpub called “Brew Rock,” I tried to do a column on Bluegrass Brewing in Louisville, Ky, and the brewer was a friendly sort, until he found out I was a writer. Then it became a bit like trying to nail the contents of a mash tun to the wall. Some folks just hate being interviewed.

So, since I didn’t have time this trip to even be there when brewers are usually around: weekdays, this will be a short Brew Biz. Let’s just say I thought enough of Davidsons I have at least two of their growlers in my collection.
Continue reading “Brew Biz: Werts and All”

Wormtown Brewery
455 Park Avenue
Worcester, MA 01610

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

Brew Biz is a column written by Ken Carman for Professor Goodales

I have spent a lot of time over the years touring New England as an entertainer. That has given me the delightful opportunity to interview some great brewers, sip beer as I watch sailboats float in and out of Kennebunkport from up high: Federal Jacks, and rave about David Wollner’s beer at Willimantic in Connecticut. One such experience was at least 10 years ago: I went to a “new” brewpub in Worcester, Mass… don’t ask me how “Worcester” is pronounced; I’ve asked residents in the past and I’ve heard at least three variations. Maybe you won’t even have to ask: they’ll just correct you with whatever version you don’t use.

Main Street was impressive: a bit too much for downtown Worcester: a city not exactly in that great economic shape at the time… but I admit maybe no place might have been that good. Huge brewery and bar downstairs, concert hall second floor, huge pool room and a walk around to see it all from on high? Trust me: these folks really over built. Ever since Main Street’s passing I have whispered to the beer Gods, over and over, how much Worcester really, really, really, really, really needed a new brewpub type restaurant. And they answered with Wormtown.

“Over built?”

Not Wormtown.

Though nothing in life is ever perfect, they do seem to be doing it right, proving there’s an obvious value to growing with demand instead of over building in advance. But I do wish it was more visual on the south side Route 9 coming out of Worcester. Easy to miss traveling east to west. From the west: headed into Worcester, it’s fine. I tell you this because I really would rather no one miss this fine jewel.

I saw the ad in Yankee Brew News and decided to swing by. It’s on Park Ave.: the part Route 9 headed West towards Spencer and Ware. (“Ware?’ ‘Ware.’ ‘Ware?’ ‘Ware…'” Abbott and Costello missed a great addition to the baseball routine.) On my first visit neither Ben: brewer and owner, or Tom: manager and owner of the restaurant, were there.

Small, little, place. No over build here.

I had a drop dead beautiful unto the taste buds Barleywine, and I’m rather critical of Barleywines, having sat through many a late night session of Big Bob’s Barleywine Bash in Pensacola Beach, and also as a winner of the “coveted” Big Bob Barleywine award. I bribed him, I admit, bringing lots of 10% and over quaffers each year.

Ben’s Barleywine would be perfect as is, but he went one better by added a touch of the oak cask during fermentation. Amazingly taste-rrific.

Damn. I knew I had to meet this brewer.

Continue reading “Brew Biz: Werts and All”

Profiled by Ken Carman

I was hoping for an explosive hop pop for the 4th. This one fizzled in two way: taste and I had to shift the publish date.

The man at Midtown Liquors in Nashville told me this was the hoppiest of two new beers. I kind of wish now I’d chosen the other. Oh, I suppose he was right… as far as I know, but Ruckus can do better than this.

Typical medium gold with nice head and clarity. Mouthfeel is typical bitter cling to the palate and carbonation.

Cascade-ish nose: grapefruit. Not much malt in the nose: almost none and indistinguishable.

Malt about right to the taste for style, but neither hops or malt unique in any sense. I think when Double IPAS were rare this might have done better. The hops are the star by far, but not all that interesting lost in an ocean’s worth of IPAS these days. Mostly bitter. I suspect dry hopping and late additions were lacking in the brew process at this Wilkes-Barre, PA brewery. All that, and maybe a little more complex malt bill, might make this bugger stand out.

Complexity: needs more. That’s the problem.

The Topic: Lack of Beer Education

This is not one of my fav topics. A few years ago a highly ranked judge decided to “educate me,” the problem being I kept proving him more wrong than right. And his education as a self proclaimed know it all: a bit lacking. Boy was he pissed. I don’t claim to be a know it all and, to be honest, I like anyone, can be wrong. When doing beer education humble is, by far, a better approach. In fact I feel that way about politics, religion and damn near anything. You try to pass on any knowledge you think you may have as politely as possible, without trying to display any sense of superiority… and be ready to learn, much like any teacher learns from students. Like “The Wizard of Beer,” a column I wrote long ago: we all can be wrong; even about topics we’re pretty damn sure about.

As a children’s entertainer I had a newsletter for a few years with the slogan, “We are all learning.” I really believe that.

Yet nothing aggravates me more than those who should be more educated than they are when it’s their job to know. I’m reminded of The Great Lost Bear, a multi-tap bar in Maine. I was doing an article many years ago and I kept asking about the beer. The bartender got pissed. Why? Because I kept gently asking questions like, “What style is it?” Or, “Is it very hoppy?” And, yes, “Is it dark or light.” Her answer back was, “We don’t serve no ‘lite’ beer here.”

Hm, do you know the difference between “lite,” and “light colored?”

Last year I did an update on several pubs in New England and at one of my favorite places: Dave Wollner; owner and brewer, I started asking similar questions of the tender. The bartender would literally walk away as I asked, and made rude noises. It was so bad I eventually said, “You really don’t like beer geeks, do you?” Retort: “If I didn’t like beer geeks I wouldn’t like my job, would I?”

Continue reading “Brew Biz: Werts and All”

Profiled by Ken Carman

Cascade caramelized malt nose in the bottle. Pale, almost Bud, color. Clarity very good. Head pillow and lasts. More Cascade, somewhat Chinook-ish, nose in the glass: less malt. Grapefruit nose: light. Medium-light body.

Part of the “Lips of Faith” series.

Taste: grapefruit sour which also dominates the mouthfeel. Lime might also describe the sour sense. Light but adequate body. Mostly pilsner malt?

I am not a New Belgian fan. I tend to find their beers inadequate to fair: occasionally good. This is probably the best NB I have ever had. The balance between the Flemish like sour and the grapefruit is damn near perfect. The malt supports but only provides a slight frame, or stage, for the star: the sour, grapefruit, hop balance.

Delicious.

Mrs. Moron having been a incompetent witch in a former life had an idea to brew…