Category: Beer

Written by Mike Boyer for news.cincinnati.com

Retired brewer Charles J. Koch Jr., father of Boston Beer Co. founder Jim Koch, died Monday at his family farm in Georgetown. He was 88.

A Cincinnati native and graduate of Withrow High School and the University of Cincinnati, Mr. Koch was an apprentice starting before World War II at some of the city’s best-known breweries including Wiedemann, Hudepohl, Burger, Bavarian and Schoenling Brewing Co.
Continue reading “Charles J. Koch Jr. was Brewer, Father of Boston Beer Founder”

Written by James Wigderson as a special guest-perspective for MacIver Institute

I have an acquaintance, TJ Buczak, who is a pretty good plumber. Everyone should know a good plumber, right? But what makes this plumber even better than most is that he has put his knowledge of liquids and pipes into a very fun hobby, making his own beer.

Unlike a lot of home brewers, our plumber friend TJ is actually pretty good at making his own beer. I know this because I’ve sampled it. TJ is now at the stage of entering his different types of beer in competitions and, very soon, he will start selling the beer to other people. With any luck, our friend will someday join the sixty commercial craft brewers that make up 5% of the beer market in Wisconsin.

It’s the Wisconsin dream. Frederick Miller. Frederick Pabst. Gottlieb Heileman. Jake Leinenkugel. And now?

Making beer is something Wisconsinites are naturally good at. That’s not surprising considering how much we consume. Heck, legislating in Wisconsin is a two-drink minimum. We even have a baseball team named after the brewing industry in a stadium named for a brand of beer.
Continue reading “Legislature Brews Up Interference in Free Market”

Written by Tom Becham for Professor Goodales

My wife and I recently dragged a friend to a local area winery in Fillmore, California, called Giessinger. Yes, I do occasionally do wine tasting just as hopefully many Professor Goodales readers do. I find it sharpens my palate for beer, and the reverse is also true. I can now appreciate wine in a way I wasn’t able to before I started seriously deconstructing beer flavors. It’s also good to enjoy a change of pace now and then.

Additionally, Giessinger is just a damn good winery, and I use any excuse to visit it.

But this piece is not about wine tasting, per se.

My aim is more to convince my fellow beer geeks to seek out and convert wine lovers to the pleasures of craft beer (however you may define that controversial term). We should convince wine lovers that good beer deserves an equal place at the table with good wine.

Many beer lovers will be open to trying fine wine, and many have already developed an appreciation for such wine. Unfortunately, there are a percentage of wine afficionados who regard beer geeks as little better than barbarians, and see our drink of choice as laughably unsophisticated and unvarying. Obviously, they’ve never sampled an Abbey Dubbel, a Flemish Sour, or an oak-aged Imperial Stout. Our task is to get them to do so.

As I explained to Rosie, our delightfully un-snobby sommelier at Giessinger, judging the world of beer based on the efforts of Bud/Miller/Coors, is like judging all wines based on the stuff in the box or the best efforts of Ernest & Julio. There’s just so much more to both!
Continue reading “Beer, Wine, Food, Snobbery and Beer Geekdom”

This is the taproom for…

Jackalope Brewing
701 Eighth Ave. S.
Nashville, TN

Looks kind of lonely, doesn’t it?

Not for long!

The following was selectively edited from Dictionary.com to suit the purposes of this column…

Legend

The jackalope — also called an antelabbit , aunt benny , Wyoming thistled hare or stagbunny — in folklore is said to be a cross between a jackrabbit and an antelope (hence the name), goat, or deer, and is usually portrayed as a rabbit with antlers.

The legend of the jackalope has bred the rise of many outlandish (and largely tongue-in-cheek) claims as to the creature’s habits. For example, it is said to be a hybrid of the pygmy-deer and a species of “killer-rabbit.” The jackalope will drink its fill of whiskey and its intoxication will make it easier to hunt. It has also been said that jackalopes will only breed during electrical storms including hail, explaining its rarity.

All “true,” Except for the whiskey part.

Beer!

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

So, let’s see… fast as a rabbit? Well, perhaps a deer in the headlights might be more apt. Or maybe my Aunt E. Lope? Whenever you start something as complex and prone to snafus; legal and otherwise, well intentions take time to cross the road. But Jackalope was close the day I visited…
Continue reading “Brew Biz: Werts and All”

Profiled by Ken Carman

Cherry, wheat (a tad), Belgian yeast nose, cherry color, tons of rocky foam (wheat?), clarity good except a few wheat proteins and/or chill haze… I kept my fridge cold because I love milk very cold. Thin body, some horse blanket in taste. Low abv.

This is like a light Lambic version of the style. Bear in mind this style to begin with can be very light. This is lighter and, perhaps, just a tad too focused on the “Kriek,” but that may be because they seemed to have aimed for the Bud lite of Krieks. A bit unfair: only an analogy.

Sprecher is out of Glendale, WI. Not bad for a light version of the style but could really use more of everything to compete, except horse blanket. I wouldn’t make that any heavier in the mix. But that’s me. If you like that barnyard sense you might like more of it. Best of wishes. Don’t let me drink it unless I’m judging.

Twist top? Odd.

If you’re looking for a great Lindeman Kriek and other Belgian brewers do it better. But for a virgin looking not to be whacked by the style? Go for it.

Profiled by Ken Carman

The nose: roasted malt with a hint of peat. Appearance: obsidian black… what else did you expect? It even looks thick. Now the mouthfeel confirms the malt bill is a lot more complex than your typical Stout, and the OG a bit higher. Nice, moderate lasting, deep-tan head.

Not much in the hops arena, but with all this going on it would take a lot of hops to over come this. The mouth is filled with malt, chocolate, caramel: both in the dark; less sweet sense. Not a high abv quaff. About 4? There is some sweetness to it, but that seems more from unfermentables and, yes, that hint of smoke or peated malt.

A definite Scottish version of Stout, less “foreign extra,” more just an 80 turned stout-ish.

Very enjoyable: a recommend.

Restaurant pictures courtesy various posters at Yelp.com

Written by Tom Becham for Professor Goodales

When a friend calls you and says, “I’m booking a week in my time share on Maui. If you and your wife can meet me there, you’ll have a place to stay,” what do you say? You bloody well say “YES!”

That’s how Kim and I came to be on Maui very recently, and visit the Maui Brewing restaurant and pub.

I really wanted to love Maui Brewing. I wanted to title this piece something like “Heavenly Beers in Paradise”. I mean, how could you be on Maui and not be incredibly positive about everything?
Continue reading “Maui Brewing”

Profiled by Ken Carman

I haven’t had Genny Bock for a long time. Reminds me of fireman field days in upstate New York and my college years: early 70s. That means the Genny I am drinking now is not the original. Genesee Brewing went out of business and the rights were bought out by a local craft brewing concern. I have heard they do use the original building for their Genny beers, but I’m not sure of that.

So in the final analysis, not sure if this is the same as the original recipe, but I’m guessing it’s close. The nose is all wrong according to today’s BJCP Traditional Bock standards: little malt sense and corn/DMS. If I’d opened up a can of corn and you sniffed this would be similar. But that’s most likely what the original was like. Genny was one more of those A/B and Miller wannabes that never really took the cue to go craft like West End/F.X. Matt did when they created Saranac.

Ratebeer.com has this as a “Dunkler Bock…”

“Dunkler Bock — a strong, full-bodied lager darkened by high-colored malts. 16-17° Plato, 6.5-7% ABV.” (Wiki)

…and the German Beer Institute says…

“Weihnachtsstarkbier (Christmas Bockbier), which is popular in the south of Germany, is often a darker version of the regular Bock. Sometimes it is also called a Dunkles or Dunkler Bock. In addition to the rich malty finish, these rewarding Yuletide brews have a slightly chocolatey taste from the addition of some roasted malts.”

…both being even more absurd categories for this beer to be listed under, as you soon shall see.

Pillow-y foam out the wazoo. That’s right but doesn’t last as it should per style. Kind of a red-ish bronze. Clarity nice. Munich malt? Some. Vienna? Perhaps. Complex? Are you kidding? There is a malt sweetness and the corn sense is still there but a bit less compared with malts and especially aroma.

Hop flavor is about what it should be for what they’re offering. Malt sense too light for style. Some sweetness on the upper palate. That malt sweetness clings to the roof of the mouth and the back of the tongue.

This is an American lager with all it’s adjunct corny (not rice I would assume) “goodness,” with a pinch of slightly darker malts and a hint of Munich, at best. If you’ve had true German Bock, or many of the American craft versions, you’ll say, “Bock? Who are they kidding?” Compared to typical American beer of it’s time this was better for those seeking more, but now it’s just a weak, dated, version of what’s now an out of style Traditional Bock. I hate even using “Bock,” but they made the claim. So sad they haven’t updated the recipe. I understand they’re trying to please those who miss the old Genny Bock, but that market is dying. Literally.

Hey, it’s my generation. The other generations are used to better beer. I predict if it’s not updated eventually this revival will fade into the thank god that’s no longer made beer graveyard.

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.

Written by Ken Carman

Beer Judging Dynamics

For someone who only occasionally enters a beer in competition, oh, how I love to judge. I suppose a comment fellow judge Ben Cowan made during NHC: National Homebrew Competition, pretty much sums it up…

“Oh, how I love to judge. Every time I judge I learn more about beer and styles of beer.”

And I would add…

“…and the more I learn about people.”

Continue reading “Brew Biz: Werts and All”