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Writeup: Yeast Comparison of the “same” strain – Wyeast 1056 / WLP001

For our very first experiment we asked our to tackle a fairly simple experiment. Can tasters detect a difference between the same wort fermented with the classics Wyeast 1056 American Ale (nee Chico) and White Labs WLP001 California Ale? See the link above for the full writeup on the parameters of the experiment.

The Experiment

Here are the basics – IGORs brewed and split a batch of our Magnum Blonde ale, chilled and then pitched one part with a pack of Wyeast 1056 and the other with a vial/pack of WLP001. We asked the IGORs to grab yeast samples of roughly the same manufacture date and to pitch without making starters to reduce possible variations. (Thought on that towards the end!) After fermentation, the IGORs were instructed to package the beers in the same manner and run a basic triangle test to determine if tasters could reliably detect the different beer. We gave no instruction on weighting the samples in favor of Wyeast or White Labs.

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HERE

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How to Drink All Night Without Getting Drunk

The professor cannot vouch for this method, but it is interesting…
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“That guy from the TV commercials!” That’s what they call him, either because they don’t know his name, or are by now too drunk to remember it. As the co-founder and chairman of the Boston Beer Company, he has appeared in countless Sam Adams commercials over thirty years. And, while this always-smiling man is a regular guy like you and me while walking the street, the second he enters a bar Jim Koch becomes a celebrity.

We met at a midtown Manhattan monstrosity called The Keg Room, where at least four people stopped Koch to say hello as we made our way to a table. One apologized for currently drinking something yellow and fizzy as opposed to a Boston Lager as we sat down.

“So many beer lists are poorly arranged, but this is pretty nice,” Koch noted. “A good mix of styles, not just a bunch of IPAs like most bars have nowadays.”

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HERE

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Nicole Dies of Dysentery on the Finger Lakes Beer Trail

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Nicole thought she could make it to the end of the Finger Lakes Beer Trail, but she never made it out of Penn Yan. Just another in the thousands of cases where a long-thought-dead, mid-19th century illness claims the life of a craft beer enthusiast.

“We assumed we would encounter hardships along the way.” said Nicole’s traveling companion, Steve. “Snow, pot holes, the occasional Amish buggy slowing down traffic, but dysentery? We did not see that one coming.”

Steve himself suffered snakebite while “breaking the seal” in Burdett, a town known for “Don’t Tread on Me” serpent flags, but not actual serpents.

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Beer Profile: Conway’s Irish Ale

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Profiled by Maria Devan

Copper and reddish. Clear and burly in the glass. Bubbles rise but not furtively, they waft.

The nose is biscuit.

Dry.

In this style, the red ale, we see a low presence from hops traditionally and what you would call biscuit and caramel. The caramel in this one is firm and brief. Nutty and the hop is herbal and speaks to you from the wings.

There can be diacteyl in this beer and if so only to smooth. Herbal hop steals the show in the finish as this creamy body takes towards IPA strength all with malt flavors. Nuttiness, roundness, biscuit and a brief but firm caramel. Then in the finish hop herbal and a touch of bitterness to make it a pint. That finish from hop on all that malt. Gimme one more. Lingers without any fruit and a dry biscuit malt.

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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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mdMaria Devan. Not all three. Just the one in the middle.

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Former paratrooper recalls WWII incident that led to beer fame

It took 65 years for Vincent Speranza to find out that his actions in Belgium during World War II had been immortalized — for his ingenuity with the beverage that the country is famous for producing.

The Auburn, Ill., native had buried the war — and the pain he endured — deep inside until his wife died four years ago and he began thinking about the past. Visiting his storied 501st Infantry Regiment earlier this month in Alaska to observe readiness training, he shared his rich combat experiences.

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HERE