Category: Front Page

Written by Brandon Jones for embracethefunk.com

One of the great things about writing this blog is getting the chance to talk candidly  with brewers I respect. Having brewed a good number of sour/wild beers myself (even on my smaller scale) I know how labor intensive and how much patience you need to have as the beer and yeast go through their wild journey. It’s difficult work brewing these styles, but what is certainly just as wild/difficult if not more is the brewer’s journey. Meet Brad Clark the head brewer at Jackie O’s in Athens, OH. Brad’s very cool story of how he ended up brewing some of the finest sour and Brett beers in the USA plus some great brewing tips from this accomplished brewer in 3…2…1…(sorry the TV news in me comes out at the weirdest times)

ETF-What beer and when was your sour beer epiphany moment?

Brad- For me that was in 2007 when I was in Chicago attending Siebel. On Sundays I would go to The Map Room to look over my notes, do some reading and drink a bunch of great beer. The always had Rodenbach Grand Cru on draft. So it was that first Sunday I had it probably 2 or 3 beers in and it just blew my mind! So for 5 consecutive Sundays after that I consumed many glasses of Rodenbach Grand Cru. That’s when I knew I had to figure out how to do something like this or at least just understand it more. So Grand Cru was the one.

ETF-Was attending Siebel your first experience in the pro-brewing world or had you brewed somewhere else before?

Head Brewer Brad Clark
Continue reading “Brad Clark of Jackie O’s Pub and Brewery Q & A + Recipe”

Written by Jay Reeves for AP and Detroit Free Press

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – You can buy Fat Bastard wine in Alabama, but you’ll have to go elsewhere for Dirty Bastard beer.

The state alcoholic beverage control agency said Thursday it has banned the sale of Dirty Bastard beer in the state because of the profanity on its label.

Beer and wine are commonly sold in grocery and convenience stores and anyone can see the labels, so staff members rejected the brand because parents may not want young people to see rough language on the shelves, said Bob Martin, an attorney with the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board.

“That’s the whole reason for the rule, to keep dirty pictures and dirty words away from children,” he said. “Personally, I believe the staff made the right call.”

Workers at the agency consulted sources including the Federal Communications Commission and Wikipedia to develop a list of objectionable words that should not appear on product labels, Martin said, and the list includes “bastard.”
Continue reading “Alabama Bans Michigan’s Dirty Bastard Beer Over Name”

Profiled by Ken Carman for professorgoodales.net

Nice pillow head with tad rock: white. Nice garnet highlights, SRM about 28. Nice malt nose: dark malts with a slight sweet tang. Body light for Porter. Some Black Patent-like sense: slight, in mouthfeel. Hops: slight bitter not much else. Taste: malt with some bitter but kind of light for a Porter. I assume Robust, and definitely not a Brown. A Brown Porter would still be maltier and often a bit sweeter than this slight hint. Certainly no Black Patent sense.

This really needs more complex malt profile and heavier body. More like a Brown Ale with Black Patent. A beer looking for a style.

Profiled by Ken Carman for professorgoodales.net

I have had this before and been impressed. I understand that most quaffers won’t recognize this as “beer,” but to me Geuze… or “Gueuze…” can be the fine wine of beer: at least the lightest of wines. Highly carbonated with a carbonic, yet slightly acidic tingle. Hazy, medium yellow with a big rocky head that fades fast. Malts background and pilsner-ish.

Nose and taste is horse blanket and rhubarb: mostly rhubarb. For my palate the more horse blanket/barnyard renditions of the style are not all that pleasurable: though certainly suited to the style. This has just the right balance: especially for those who may hesitate when they read “barnyard” or “horse blanket” in style guidelines. No hops noticed, but not expected. With this type of Belgian or Flemish (about the same, but not quite.) beer it’s all about the yeast. If anyone thinks yeast simply produces alcohol they need to be introduced to Geuze and Sours.

Slight heavy to moderately heavy mouthfeel. Nice sour tang. If you want to offer a unique experience in beer world to your less experienced friends, this is it.

Written by Leslie Gevirtz for Reuters

(Reuters) – The Dutch drank their way to victory and independence from Spain in 1648 through the taxes they paid on beer, according to a report in the April issue of the Journal of American Association of Wine Economists.

Economists Koen Deconinck of the University of Leuven and Johann Swinnen of Stanford University wrote that taxes on beer “played a crucial role in financing the revolt … (and) were the single largest revenue source” for the outnumbered and outgunned Dutch, who were facing “the mightiest empire on earth.”
Continue reading “When It Comes to War, Beer Beats Silver and Gold”