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Pilsner Urquell Unveils Master Home Brewer Competition

Posted by Jason Alström at Beer Advocate

CHICAGO, IL (April 7, 2011) – In 1842, Josef Groll brewed the world’s first golden beer and revolutionized an entire industry. Pilsner Urquell, translated as “original source,” remains a revered beer, both for its importance in beer history, as well as its intricate brewing process, including use of soft water, Saaz hops, pale malts and triple decoction.

Pilsner Urquell is inviting home brewers throughout the U.S. to take their shot at brewing a Czech-style pilsner, aiming for the standard Groll first brewed nearly 170 years ago. Three winners have the chance to earn trips for two to Plzen, Czech Republic this fall to tour the historic brewery, as well as attend the International Master Bartender Competition in Prague.

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The Beer Highway in Northern California, Part III

Note: Lost Coast pictures courtesy yelp.com. Beer and first logo courtesy Jennifer Moline and feedgrids.com. See article posted after this.

Written by Tom Becham for Professor Goodales

The last leg of the trip my wife and I took to NorCal brings us to Humboldt County.  Now, many beer afficionados who read this may be critical that we did not stop at some of the places along our route.  After all, well within our reach were brewers like Marin, Lagunitas, Russian River, Mendocino, North Coast and even Mad River. Those are all fine brewers to be sure, but this trip was about family so we had to forego all those stops.

 
When we finally reached our destination of Eureka, we made good our family obligations.  We even managed to squeeze in a quick lunch and beer sampling at Lost Coast Brewing.
  Continue reading “The Beer Highway in Northern California, Part III”

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Lost Coast Brewery Branding by Duane Flatmo

See post above this for more information on Lost Coast beer.

Written by Jennifer Moline for feedgrids.com

We have already covered some cool examples of beer label branding here at FeedGrids and are now offering an interesting follow-up: a great sampling of creative and unique beer label branding by Lost Coast Brewery – a pure source of graphic design inspiration.

Want to read more? Click…

HERE

 

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East Nashville Beer Festival

Reported by Ken Carman for Professor Goodales

You would never know by looking at the empty tents, but shortly after the picture to your left was taken this became the location of Nashville’s newest, quite amazing, very popular beer festival in Nashville, Tennessee. And not just “the location,” but a very packed location. Festival goers varied with a very wide range of ages from 21 to the elderly. We even had mothers and daughters, sons and fathers, together basking in a wonderful spring day and the bubbly beauty of good beer.
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Drinking Bad Beer for “Fun”

Reported by Ken Carman for Professor Goodales

A few weeks ago fellow Music City brewers gathered under this holy symbol for what many would consider an unholy activity.

Centuries ago some might have considered demons had entered our beer, or witches cursed it. Now we know defects are caused by wayward yeast, improper fermentation temperatures and other variables. Thank God, especially when it comes to yeast problems, we have been able to put those myths out to “Pasteur.”

Pause for a brief musical humor break sung to my recently spoiled homebrew: “Louie, Lou-i, oh, wort, wild yeasties put a spell on you!”

Of course, since learning to identify beer defects is a holy of sorts for beer judges and homebrewers, we need a high priest. Enter Father Stephanica Johnson, holder of the holy grail: a Certified BJCP Judge-ship, plus president of our brew club many times over. As Steve knows I’m Certified too. Many in the club know as well. Quite “certified.” Ahm…

OK, Steve isn’t really a priest, and he certainly wasn’t “high,” except maybe only on helping us all learn more about DMS and diacetyl. So we all sat and studied defects, listened to descriptions of defects as a light, yet polluted, beer was passed out.

Yum!

Yum!

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Next Bar Craze: Craft Spirits?

Written by Craig LaBan for The Philadelphia Inquirer

PORTLAND, Ore. – Philadelphia has already staked its

Robert Cassell, left, of Philadelphia Distilling, and James Yoakum of Cooper River Distillery are at the local vanguard of what may be a new wave of craft spirits, following similar vogues in coffee and beer.

claim as a player in the national craft beer movement, with dozens of local brewers producing top-notch beer.

 

Could the newest wave in artisan drink rolling our way from the West Coast – the craft spirit movement – be the next obsession to slake Philly’s thirst with potent shots of white corn “Shine” and “Petty’s Island Rum”?

It just might, if Rob Cassell of Philadelphia Distilling and James Yoakum of Cooper River Distillers realize their dreams.

They are among the few so far in our region to enter this relatively young industry, but they’re hardly alone on the national stage. That was as clear as strong moonshine this week in Portland, where an annual conference organized by the American Distilling Institute (ADI) drew more than 500 people. They gathered to network and educate themselves on everything from Portland’s thriving local spirit scene to the fine points of apple brandy, and to attend lectures like “The Magic of Enzymes.”

“We’re at the beginning of a national renaissance in artisan spirits,” said ADI founder Bill Owens, who has watched the number of small craft distillers grow nationwide over the last eight years from 68 to 264 in 38 states, with 25 percent growth each year. Such companies produce fewer than 65,000 proof gallons a year, and, despite the uptick in distillers, they still account for less than 1 percent of the multibillion-dollar liquor industry.

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Want to read a Professor GA story from one of our writers on local distilling? Click…

HERE

 

 

 

 

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Profile: Guinness Extra vs. Guinness Foreign

Profiled by Ken Carman

I believe I may have Foreign Extra in Montreal a long time ago. But so long ago: hard to be certain. Wiki does not have it currently being sold in Canada, but hey… twas way back in the American beer dark ages: the early 70s.

Both decent head, the Foreign seems to have a little more depending upon the pour. So… probably about the same. The Extra is obsidian with a few vague garnet highlights. Foreign is just obsidian.

Aroma on the Extra is a little soured, as expected due to Guinness addition of a bit of soured beer. Deep grain sense that could be mistaken at first for a lot of Black Patent roast, but more very roasted barley sense.

The Foreign has almost a slight phenolic sense, and little to no soured: just malt and roasted barley… more than the Extra.

Mouthfeel: the Extra… foamy carbonation tingle and deep roast. Foreign: alcohol higher, smoky… peated malt perhaps? Can you “peat” roasted barley? I would think so. Less foamy carb.

Taste: the Extra seems lighter and, again, a bit soured. The Foreign is impressively malty and roasted barley-ish. So much more complex. As it warms you do get more “soured” sense, but the malt.roasted barley mix dominates. Both have about the dame level hopping, which obviously means more hops in the Foreign, otherwise that would seem less hoppy due to body/abv jump.

Overall, as much as I like Extra, Foreign is just so much more to enjoy: Guinness on steroids. I recommend both, but prefer the Foreign: only cause as I have said so many times, “I have taste buds that need beating.”

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High-Demand, Low-Supply Woes Come to a Head for Some Colorado Craft Brewers

Written by Steve Raabe for The Denver Post

Too many beer drinkers, not enough beer.

Picture courtesy Mike D., posted at yelp.com

That’s the problem — or perhaps the dubious benefit — confronting several of Colorado’s most popular craft brewers.

They’ve had to suspend shipments to some out-of-state markets because demand from consumers has outstripped supplies.

Denver-based Great Divide Brewing Co. recently notified distributors that it is pulling out of five states and the nation’s capital on top of a consolidation late last year in all or parts of seven other states.

Oskar Blues Brewery and Left Hand Brewing, both based in Longmont, also have exited out-of-state markets over the past year.

If you want to read more, click…

HERE

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Brew Biz: Werts and 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.

Written by Ken Carman

A Brief History of Home Brew Stores in Nashville, TN

This is going to be more than a bit sketchy. Most of these folks I never even knew their last names. But home brew stores have grow along with the hobby. They are more than a mirror or a reflecting pool. Sometimes they have led the charge. And sometimes, even these days, they have held back progress.

The first store, owned by Wine Art out of Ohio I believe, was Little Ole Winemaker in the Green Hills area. I was a new resident of the Nashville area and working as a security guard to make ends meet. This was 1978. That’s right: 78. I was making my rounds when, in the store front, I saw a sign, “Make Your Own Beer!”

I walked in and asked the shopkeep, “This is legal?”

“Oh, yeah, they just made it legal.”

Her name was Joan and I will never forget her. You will soon understand why. She was thin, about 5’5′, kind of sandy brown/gray, curly, short hair… but not “butch” short, as we would have referred to it back then. Hey, it was still the 70s.
Continue reading “Brew Biz: Werts and All”