Professor Good Ales

Written by Tom Becham

In a previous article, I wrote about the Salute! beer festival, sponsored by the Ojai Beverage Company, or OBC as they often refer to themselves. I also promised an article specifically about OBC: here it is!

Ojai Beverage Company (Ojai, pronounced “O’-hy”) is a relatively recent addition to the Ventura County area of Southern California. Owned and operated by Joby Yobe and his cousin Jorge Alem, OBC has quickly established itself as a fixture of the local craft beer world.

To understand OBC, and the magnitude of what it has been able to accomplish, one has to understand Ojai and its surrounding area a bit first.
Continue reading “Ojai Beverage Company”

Gary Burleigh

@The Brewerie: Erie, PA

Profiled by Ken Carman

Last year, after I performed in Erie, I swung by The Brewerie for the third or fourth time, a brewpub which is in the old train station in Erie.

I wasn’t ready. I was surprised. Gary, the brewer, must have heard someone was asking tech questions and he sat down next to me at the bar.

I told him I’d be back next year to interview him as part of the brewer profile series here at PGA.

So this year I walked in though the main doors…

…through the huge train station lobby…

…sat down at their bar and quaffed one of their most recent Belgian brews, at 10%. What, you expected Mr. Needs a Whack by a 2×4 to the taste buds to order something else? …and patiently waited; blathering with other beer snobs, geeks, or whatever the Hell you wanna call us, and here comes Gary.

Continue reading “Brewer Profile: Gary Burleigh”

Ready for an adventure in beer tasting? Two chances! August 21st and September 4th: 2010; 2pm

How do I get to Beaver River for the FREE beer tastings???

Important: for further information call Ken at 315 376 6625 or Millie at 615 255 4848. For reservoir transportation/reservations/accommodations: 315 376 6200 and speak with Ginger or Scott, 315 376 7035 and speak with George, or 585 928 2726: Tom

There are NO roads to Beaver River. But you CAN get there for this year’s free beer tastings hosted by two BJCP judges. Millie and Ken Carman’s 6th annual beer tastings are scheduled for August 21st and September 4th: both at 2pm. A special warm invite to the Saratoga Throughbrews this year, with the hope by next year we can have a competition and a homebrew demonstration in the Old Forge/Beaver River area. All those 21 and older are welcome.

How do I get there?

Route 28 to Eagle Bay, NY. Take the Big Moose Road all the way until it turns into dirt. When you reach a “T” in the road, take a right. Stop at BIG lake, unless you have an amphicar. (If you need to ask then you obviously don’t.)

But NOW what do I do?

At Beaver River Station the adventure is getting there. Imagine yourself of a River Boat floating 7 miles down a scenic reservoir, or riding a barge, or traveling by railcar…
You can take the barge (The only way to drive into Beaver River… 315 376 6200), meet the River Boat (same number) or call ahead for a boat taxi. (There are two boat taxis: use the same number or call George at 315 376 7035, or Tom at 585 928 2726: railcar that would pick you up in Big Moose.)

What Kind of Beer?

Stouts, Porters, Barley Wines, Fruit Beer, Wheat, Weird Beer of ALL Kinds, Homebrew and maybe even some wine and some Peycer. (Find out at the tasting!) Ken and Millie gather beer from all over the country all year long.

Just get there by 2!

Where do I stay?

Accommodations are available at Noridgewock (315 376 6200) or The Beaver River Hotel (315 376 3010) And Millie and Ken have limited free room for members of Saratoga Thoroughbrews (315 376 6625 or 615 255 4848). We may be able to make one trip each way to pick up members of Saratoga Thoroughbrews with our boat, if we all come up with a mutual time. It’s quite the trip down Stillwater!

The free tasting on the 21st will be at Norridgewock, the tasting on September 4th will be in front of the hotel.

Don’t forget… 2pm. August 21st, 2010 and September 21st 2010

@12:30pm the Beaver River Riverboat leaves Stillwater, NY and leaves Beaver River @ 3:30. Plenty of time to sample and only $15 for the whole trip!!! A casual, beautiful cruise down Stillwater Reservoir with FREE BEER when you get there. (315 376 6200)

This year’s tastings are sponsored by Professor Good Ales and hosted by Millie and Ken Carman, Beaver River Hotel and Norridgewock. Thanks in advance for another successful year!

Sam Adams on beer…………… Douglas Adams on beer

Microscopic image of Mackeson Triple Stout at work, courtesy micro.magnet.fsu.edu

Posted at Hiawaii.edu Author not credited

Introduction

Although there is a distinction between beer, wine and liquor as well as other lesser known alcoholic beverages, they share one thing in common. They are the fermentation products of yeasts, mostly Saccharomyces cerevisiae or in the case of beers, usually S. carlsburgiensis. Yeasts, as you recall, are not mycelial. They are unicellular fungi that reproduce asexually by budding or fission. The reaction by which alcoholic beverages are produced is generally referred to as fermentation and may be summarized as:

Yeast + Glucose è Alcohol (Ethanol) + CO2

This reaction is also important in baking bread, but the desired product is then the carbon dioxide rather than alcohol. The production of alcohol occurs best in the absence of oxygen. However, from the yeast’s point of view, alcohol and carbon dioxide are waste products, and as the yeast continues to grow and metabolize in the sugar solution, the accumulation of alcohol will become toxic when it reaches a concentration between 14-18%, thereby killing the yeast cells. This is the reason why the percentage of alcohol in wine and beer can only be approximately 16%. In order to produce beverages (liquor) with higher concentrations of alcohol, the fermented products must be distilled.

What’s the Difference Between Beer and Wine?
Continue reading “Role of Yeast in Production of Alcoholic Beverages”

Standard Erin Brew, Standard Brewing Co., Cleveland, Ohio.

Image courtesy beerhistory.com