Beer Profile: Alpharetta, Georgia Jekyll Brewing’s Kolsch
Profiled by Ken Carman
New brewery in Atlanta suburb, north east side. I picked this brew by thems because this is a little tougher to brew than the other styles they’re doing.
White, small bubble head, fades fast. A tad hazy: may be chill haze. The color is light yellow. For style clarity is poor.
Nose is a tad sulfur-y and mineral-y. Hint of pale malt and pilsner. Way in background the slightest hint of DMS.
Slightest bitter but no hops otherwise. The “bitter” seems to come from sulfur, mineral, sense. The mineral increases as it warms, but sulfur stays about the same.
Mouthfeel: carbonic tingle from carbonation along with soft malt notes. It all seems to linger. Slight malt sweetness.
I really believe haze is more than chill haze. Supposed to be brilliantly clear, it’s not. Possible very fine floaties, or wheat proteins. The hop bitter is close, though not quite there, or balanced as well as could be with fruitiness, which is faint at best, and malt that, while not that much needed as per style, could use just a hint more as per “balance.”
84 @BA, 63 and 96 (style) @RB.
Close, but no cookie.
3.8
Welcome to the PGA beer rating system: one beer “Don’t bother.” Two: Eh, if someone gives it to you, drink. Three: very good, go ahead and seek it out, but be aware there is at least one problem. Four: seek it out. Five: pretty much “perfecto.”
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America’s Beeriest Beach Towns 2015
Beaches and brews are two of the great staples of summer vacation.
Last year we published the feature “5 of America’s Beeriest Beach Towns†and received an overwhelming response from our readers. The story no doubt struck a chord with all those among us who love the smell of the ocean, the sound of the surf and the taste of a fresh beer.
With the dramatic rise in popularity of flavorful, hand-crafted ales and lagers produced by our country’s small and independent craft brewers, even remote coastal towns now offer plenty of breweries, brewpubs and bottle shops.
And so, for the summer of 2015, we present five more places to seek out for a beery, beachside getaway:
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HERE
Lindemans collaborates with Mikkeller to create authentic “Oude Geuze†flavoured with fresh Basil leaves
Think of how few flavour additives are ever added to Belgian beer – rarely anything other than fruit, of course, and the odd spice such as coriander and Curaçao. Then think of what lengths brewers go to in order to inject flavours into their beers using different sorts of malt, special yeast and, especially nowadays, all kinds of exotic hops.
Isn’t it odd that you would try to create fruity, spicy or herbal flavours without using fruit, spice or herbs? Not any more. Thanks to a new collaboration between lambic brewers Lindemans and Danish beer firm Mikkeller, you can now sample a lambic beer made with the addition of fresh basil leaves – if you’ve ever wondered what the best beer is to go with pizza, wonder no longer.
Lindemans reckons, and few would disagree, that the new trend worldwide is towards sour beers, even if the hype surrounding bitter-hopped beers is not yet played out. Mikkeller, known for its desire always to test boundaries, agrees.
“The Belgian Lambics have something mysterious about them,†says Mikkel Borg Bjergsø, co-founder of Mikkeller. “The spontaneous fermentation process adds to that mystery. We have been experimenting with pretty much all beer styles, and finally we got to work with Lindemans lambic!â€
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HERE
Stone Sour Fest 2015!
Written by Tom Becham
Sunday, June 28, I attended the annual Stone Sour Fest. It is the largest beer festival in the world dedicated solely to sour beers. This was my third time attending, so I wasn’t new to this rodeo.
And Stone tends to look after attendees quite well, with ample seating in their gardens, and many water stations. My only complaint about this year’s Sour Fest in that respect is that the food usually available for purchase outside during the fest seemed either entirely absent or strangely elusive, despite being advertised in the event flyer. Continue reading “Stone Sour Fest 2015!”
8 of the Weirdest Things People Have Brewed Beer With
According to historians, beer has existed for at least six millennia and has been savored on every continent (even Antarctica!). With credentials like that, it’s no wonder that brewers have occasionally turned to some highly unusual techniques and ingredients to make their beverages stand out. Here are eight of the oddest.
1. Dead Whales
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HERE
Beer Profile: Prairie’s Bomb!
Profiled by Maria Devan
This pours a dark brown. It has sumptuous brown hues. Thick and pours out slow like oil. A creamy head of chocolate colored foam reminds me of a milkshake. This beer will show you lace and legs.
Nose is sweet chocolate caramel and cream. Earthy coffee and the bright presence of the pepper. No vanilla. The pepper seemed to fade into the beer as the malts took over. Caramel a bit nutty and a light airy chocolate.
The taste is silken and long. That caramel is luscious alright and lasts on the palate. There’s barley and a grainy roast that does not touch burnt so it’s creamy. There is a cocoa powder so light so provocative that it actually feels like a dusting of cocoa powder on the back of the throat. it is delicate and that is a pleasant paradox. The pepper is earthy and shows you everything gently but no real heat. There is a touch of cream to this flavor that lets you see the depth of that roast but only askance as it finishes full, slightly chewy . The pepper finally flares up just a little in the aftertaste and the beer ends smooth, dry and beyond chocolatey.
4
Welcome to the PGA beer rating system: one beer “Don’t bother.” Two: Eh, if someone gives it to you, drink. Three: very good, go ahead and seek it out, but be aware there is at least one problem. Four: seek it out. Five: pretty much “perfecto.”
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Maria Devan lives in Ithaca, NY and is a great beer writer. That’s Maria in the middle. The other two are not, but they are lucky to have her as a friend.
Beer Profile: Horny Goat’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter
Profiled by Ken Carman
86 on Beer Advocate.
93 and 95 for style at Rate Beer.
What about peanut butter doesn’t these reviewers understand? Are they so nose focused they miss it’s the smell that’s skewing their reviews?
Seems so.
Big light brown foam head that holds a while. The body is a dense black that bright light hardly shines through. The head cascades downward into the quaff. Great presentation
Peanut butter and chocolate mixed perfectly, right up front, on the nose. Darker malts, way in the background, but very muted. The peanut butter and chocolate dominate.
On taste the chocolate is slightly bitter, as if dark chocolate and/or cocoa nibs were used
Very alcoholic. Indeed a tad too much in my opinion: throws the balance off. Not even the luxurious, seemingly heavy, body compensates. My guess is body is actually medium, but chocolate and peanut butter make it seem heavier. Peanut butter a mere hint in the taste. Not sure the abv, but if not high I would think a mild case of higher alcohol.
Nice try. I suggest backing off the high abv or higher alcohols, up malt sense and get more peanut butter into the taste.
3.6
Welcome to the PGA beer rating system: one beer “Don’t bother.” Two: Eh, if someone gives it to you, drink. Three: very good, go ahead and seek it out, but be aware there is at least one problem. Four: seek it out. Five: pretty much “perfecto.”
__________________________Beer HERE
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Yeast Harvesting: A Novel Approach?
I began washing and harvesting my own yeast about a year ago. I got excited and harvested 4 jars from 4 batches in the first month, leaving me with 16 jars of 4 different yeasts. Since I usually brew twice per month, I had a ton of yeast just sitting in my fridge. After using some of this stored (aka old) yeast in beers that came out less than perfect, I began tossing it – hours of work, down the drain. Then I had an idea – why can’t I just harvest clean yeast directly from my starter? After trying out a few techniques, here’s the process that seems most efficient:
Step 1: Make a starter (3 days prior to brewing) that is .5 liter larger than you need for your beer. Since the majority of 5 gallon batches require no more than a 1 liter starter, a standard 2000 mL flask or even gallon growler will work great. In the photo below, I needed a 2 L starter for a 10 gallon batch, so I made 2.5 L.
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HERE
The Ultimate Guide to Every Type of Alcoholic Drink Glass
Red solo cups are fine for backyard barbecues and certain country music artists, but when we’re hosting a dinner party or feeling fancy, we prefer to drink our adult beverages out of slightly more sophisticated vessels. And, as if feeling like a badass holding a martini weren’t enough, there’s scientific reason to be choosy about your glass.
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