Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Oregon To Host Fresh Hop “Tastivals”

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Fresh Hop or Wet Hop beers have been an exciting development over the last ten years, ever since Sierra Nevada created the first one with their Harvest Ale around 1996. The number of breweries making these beers has grown exponentially since that time and the limited nature of these beers make them something beer lovers eagerly anticipate each fall. This year, the Oregon Brewers Guild has paired up with Oregon Bounty, part of the state’s official tourism organization, “to produce a series of “Tastivals” to celebrate the release of Oregon’s fresh hop beers.”

From the press release:

These much anticipated seasonal beers are brewed only once a year during hop harvest, which typically takes place in late August and early September. Beers created using fresh hops instead of traditional dried hops are given unique flavors that simply aren’t available the rest of the year. Similar to a beer festival, each of the four “Tastivals” will offer visitors the opportunity to sample some of the more than 30 beers from across the state crafted using fresh-off-the-vine hops.

“Fresh hops are extremely fragile and need to be dried or used in a brew within 24 hours of picking — so this type of beer is uniquely suited to Oregon where we have the largest amount of aroma and flavor hops grown locally,” says Brian Butenschoen, Executive Director of the Oregon Brewers Guild. “Nowhere else in the United States are so many breweries located so close to the hop fields. The tastivals will give hop enthusiasts an opportunity to celebrate harvest by tasting the enormous variety of fresh hops grown in Oregon and made into beers by Oregon’s craft brewers.”

Fresh Hop “Tastivals” will be held every Saturday during the month of October with scheduled locations including:

 

  • October 6: Hood River Hops, Hood River
  • October 13: McMenamins Edgefield, Troutdale
  • October 20: Ninkasi Brewing Company, Eugene
  • October 27: Deschutes Brewery, Bend

 

Admission to the Tastivals is free of charge. Souvenir tasting glasses are required to sample beers and are available for $5. Beer samples are $1 each. Food will also be available for purchase.

That sounds like it will be a fun time at any one of those events.

More about Oregon Bounty:

Each October and November, Oregon’s winemakers, cheese makers, brewmasters, chefs, growers and producers come together for a celebration of Oregon Bounty. In addition to intimate food and wine events, visitors can purchase special packages that offer them one-on-one time with Oregon’s culinary talent. Visitors can spend the day making wine with an Oregon vintner, making suds with a craft brewmaster, foraging for chanterelles in Mt. Hood’s foothills-even cruising a farmers’ market with a local chef in search of ingredients for a private cooking class. It’s all part of the annual Oregon Bounty Celebration.

The Bronze Age of Irish Brewing

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With at least 4,500 small breweries dotting the Irish landscape, you might be tempted to call this the Golden Age of Irish Brewing, but all this brewing was taking place around 2500 BCE, in the Bronze Age. At least that’s a new theory being proposed by the Moore Group, whose ideas will be published next month in Archaeology Ireland.

Apparently there are these odd features of the Irish countryside called “Fulacht Fiadhs” that include a mound of stones and troughs dug in the ground in the shape of a horseshoe. They are usually lined with either wood or stone. Alongside the trough is a hearth used to heat stones. There something like 4,500 throughout Ireland. Their exact purpose is largely a mystery, although there are many theories. “It is postulated that these pits were filled with water and heated stones thrown in to create a pool of boiling water in which meat was cooked.” This is the leading theory, but as has been pointed out, the sites are generally not littered with the bones of animals or other food-related items, which you would expect to find if they were places of cooking.

Other suggested uses include for bathing, the washing and dyeing of cloth, metalworking, tanning and leather working. In any event, the sites are almost always found near of source of water. The way it was believed to be used was that the trough would be filled with water and then heated stones dropped in to quickly bring the water to a boil.

Billy Quinn and Declan Moore, two archaeologists from Galway, puzzled over this enigma until, nursing a hangover one morning, pondered “the natural predisposition of all men to seek means to alter [their] minds” and wondered if perhaps the Fulacht Fiadhs might have served a very different function. After doing some intensive research around the world on the habits of Neolithic man, have concluded that the Fulacht Fiadh’s primary use may have been for brewing, though they believe it may also have had other secondary uses and functioned much like the kitchen sink.

To prove their theory, the pair had to recreate the process that early Irish people would have used to brew their beer. So they set up an experiment using as close to the original method as they could to try and brew some Bronze Age beer. Here is a summary of that experiment.

The experiment was carried at Billy’s home in Cordarragh, Headford, Co. Galway. Seeking authenticity in replicating our Bronze Age ale we decided that our equipment should be as basic as possible. The wooden trough, posthumously donated by Billy’s granduncle, was 60 years old, leaky, wedge-shaped and measured 1.7 m in length, 0.7 m in width with a depth of 0.65 m (roughly consistent with the average trough dimensions from excavated examples). When filled with water to a depth of 0.55 m, it held 350 litres. After digging a pit, the trough was lowered into the ground and water added. Despite some initial leakage we eventually reached an equilibrium in the water level by simply flooding the immediate area. For the purposes of our experiment we sourced granite and sandstone from Connemara.

The stones were heated in a fire for roughly two hours. Step one involved transferring the heated stones into the trough using a shovel. After 15 minutes we achieved our optimum temperature of 60-70c. At this point we half submerged a wicker basket in the trough and began to add our barley in small amounts to prevent the mash from congealing. Over a period of 45 minutes, maintaining a fairly constant temperature with the addition of occasional heated stones (some of which were recovered from the trough and reheated) our water transformed into a sweet, syrupy, workable wort.

After converting the starches to sugar, ascertained by tasting the mash, we brought the mixture to a boil to sterilise it and simply baled the final product into fermentation vessels. We used spigoted plastic containers with a total capacity of 75 litres. Including the leftover liquid we could easily have produced up to 300 litres of wort. At this point we added flavourings, the majority of which were growing around us in Billy’s garden. These additives were ground in a mortar, wrapped in muslin and suspended in the top of our wort. We added 150 ml of brewer’s yeast after cooling the vessels in a bath of cold water for 3 hours.

We produced what is more properly termed a gruit ale (gruit is a term used to describe the herbal mix used to flavour ale). Through our experiments, we discovered that the process of brewing ale in a fulacht using hot rock technology is a simple process. To produce the ale took only a few hours, followed by a three-day wait to allow for fermentation. Three hundred litres of water was transformed into a very palatable 110 litres of ale with minimal work.

At the end of the process they were pleased with the results. “It tasted really good,” Quinn said. “We were very surprised. Even a professional brewer we had working with us compared it favorably to his own.” The beer itself is said to be a “cloudy, yellowish brew with no discernible head with a yeasty taste reminiscent of weiss beer.”

Here’s the basic recipe for Bronze Age beer:

  1. Hot stones rolled through grain to malt it.
  2. Grinding of malted grain.
  3. Rocks heated on fire.
  4. Heated rocks transferred into water in a fulacht fiadh trough.
  5. Malted grain in wicker baskets plunged into water heated to 67° C (153° F).
  6. Mixture stirred to break down starch into sugars that will react with yeast to form alcohol.
  7. Mixture spiked with local ingredients such as bog myrtle, the hop-like bog plant, heather, elderflower, juniper berries and honey.
  8. Mixture baled into fermentation vessels, which are cooled in running water before yeast is added.
  9. Leave for three or four days to ferment.
  10. Drink.

The Moore Group has an extensive photo gallery of the experiment and has posted a video on YouTube of the experiment:

Fascinating stuff. I’d love to try some of that.

 

Drinking Slows Dementia

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There was an item in the “Raw Data” section of my newly arrived September issue of Playboy magazine (yes, I read the articles, too) about the moderate drinking of alcohol helping to stave off or slow the onset of dementia. Here it is in its entirety:

For people suffering from cognitive decline, having up to one drink a day over a three-year period may slow the development of full-blown dementia by 85%.

A drink a day, eh? Well, I’m certainly willing to give it a go in my golden years. How did I miss this one?

A quick search reveals that there was an item at Future Pundit a few years back about women and a daily drink and Science Daily had a similar article in January of 2005. But those were strictly talking about women, whereas the Playboy assertion appears more gender neutral. Clearly more digging is necessary. Here’s what I found.

As early as 2001, Healthnotes Newswire mentioned a study published in Stroke, a medical journal, that reached the same conclusion. A page at Alcohol Problems and Solutions also appears to make the same claim, based on a study published in Aging Health, which said:

There is some evidence to suggest that light-to-moderate alcohol consumption (up to three alcoholic drinks a day, or between one and seven drinks a week) may reduce the risk of cognitive impairment in the elderly compared with those who abstain. Drinking in moderation may contribute to some brain atrophy, but it may also reduce the number of silent infarcts in the brain, a known risk factor for cognitive impairment. In addition, light drinking may reduce blood clotting and blood serum lipid levels, as well as stimulate acetylcholine production in the brain

In addition, two later separate studies seem to confirm those findings. The first was published in Neuroepidemiology in October 2006. The second, in the journal Neurology seems to reach much the same conclusion, as reported by Daily News Central in May of this year.

I didn’t find the 85% figure that was in Playboy, or the study it was based on, but there does seem to be a lot of support for the general idea that moderate drinking can delay my going balmy when I’m a senior citizen. Could this mean that in my old age, there may be fewer lucid neo-prohibitionists to annoy me? Now that would a silver lining … a silver bullet lining.

 

MSNBC On the Drinking Age

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MSNBC had a very interesting article about the recent surge in support for lowering the drinking age to from twenty-one to eighteen again. Apart from nations that don’t permit alcohol at all — usually for religious reasons — we have the highest age for allowing drinking of any country in the world. For the vast majority of nations, it’s eighteen. To me it’s as simple as if you can vote and die as a soldier defending our country, you should at least be able to drink a beer. I’ve never heard a convincing rebuttal to that. In my opinion, it should be a part of how we define adulthood.
 

Urban Brewery Construction

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Hopworks Urban Brewery, the new brewery owned by Christian Ettinger — the award-winning former brewmaster at Laurelwood Public House — it not yet open and looks to be several weeks away, especially the public area upstairs in their location at SE 30th and Powell. The brewery, which is located downstairs under the bar and restaurant area, is a little closer to completion and apparently the bottling line has already been delivered and is just waiting to be installed. Christian and his assistant brewer, Ben Love (who recently left Pelican Brewery), held an open house for OBF attendees to show off their progress in getting the brewery up and running. They were pouring their IPA (which was, of course, brewed elsewhere) and grilling brats outside the brewery in the back. It was great fun seeing their enthusiasm for getting it up and running. They’re feeling like it’s so close they can taste it. It will certainly be fun to see it next year when it’s fully operational.

HUB brewers Ben Love and Christian Ettinger.

For more photos of the Hopworks Urban Brewery under construction, visit the photo gallery.
 

Bravo For the New Hop

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Countless new hop varieties are created every year, so many in fact that they are given only a number. A hop has to really prove itself worthy before it actually gets a name. For example, Hop #01046 began its life in Prosser, Washington at the Golden Gate Roza Hop Ranches. During the summer of 2000, a female hop known as Zeus was cross-pollinated with a male known simply as #98004 (whose mother is in effect Nugget hops). Its lineage, therefore, is “50% Zeus, 18.75% Nugget, 25% USDA 19058m, and 6.25% unknown.”

The following year, seeds were collected and the plant was grown in a greenhouse for the next two years, and screened for powdery mildew resistance, along with gender, vigor, and cone type. By 2002, #01046 was exhibiting higher than usual alpha-acid percentages with good resistance and several other very positive attributes. The next year, 2003, #01046 was asexually propagated and rhizomes from the original plant “were dug, divided and planted into multiple greenhouse grown containers.” Eventually, 4,000 softwood-cutting plants were created and then grown at two different locations, the original Roza ranch and also at Golden Gate Emerald Hop Ranches in Sunnyside, Washington. These plants represented the second-generation of the hop plant.
 

 

Over the subsequent three years the hops were grown, sampled, tested and analyzed on a variety of factors. These tests confirmed that the new hop had good resistance to disease, along with exceptionally high yield and high alpha-acids percentages. The hops were harvested and processed into 200 lb. bales, which were tested using the ASBC (American Society of Brewing Chemists) spectrophotometric method and showed “average alpha-acids level of 17.5% and beta-acids level of 3.5%.” The alphas were almost exactly the same as Mom (Zeus) but with much less loss of alpha-acids in storage, a good sign.
 

 

In 2005, third-generation plants were created and a large-scale field test was conducted at the Emerald Ranch. Declared a success, #01046 was re-christened “Bravo” and S.S. Steiner, who operated the hop fields in Washington, filed a patent application. 2006 yielded the first commercially available Bravo hops.
 

 

For every one of these success stories, there are hundreds that never make it. But even getting this far doesn’t guarantee a hop’s success. How it works in the beer is the final and arguably the most important test. So what will it taste like in your beer? Nobody’s certain, though there is a great way to find out. Tomorrow you have an opportunity to sample at least 21 single hop IPAs, using only Bravo hops, made by breweries from around northern California. Drake’s Brewing in San Leandro is hosting their 2nd annual Drake’s Brewing Beer Festival and Washoes Tournament. Each brewery will also be serving some of their other available beers so you’ll have plenty of other beers to sample, as well. But it’s a great educational experience on several fronts. First, you get to try a new hop in its debut in a commercial beer. Second, you can see firsthand how different brewers using different equipment but the same hop and the same IPA recipe can craft 21 beers that all taste distinctively different (at least that was the experience from last year when Summit hop was used at the festival). It should be a fun time. Come join us at Drake’s for a memorable afternoon of beer, food, music and games. See you there.

 

Bravo Hop Characteristics:

Alplha Acids: 14.-17.%
Cohumulone: 29-34% of alpha acids
Beta-Acids: 3-5% w/w
Total Hop Oils: 1.6-2.4% v/w

 

7.14

Single Hop Festival & Washoe Tournament (2nd annual)
Drake’s Brewing, 1933 Davis Street #177, San Leandro, California
510.562.0866 [ website ] [ directions ]

NOTE: The patent filing lists Bravo as #01046 but the photo shows #1046. So far, I’ve been unable to confirm which is correct.

 

The Official Beer of Planet Earth

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Now that’s a slogan: “The Official Beer of Planet Earth.” Butte Creek Brewing Co., the other little brewery in Chico, California, announced today that they will be revamping their entire packaging and introducing two new slogans, “Organic Pioneers” and “The Official Beer of Planet Earth.”

From the press release:

Golden West Brewing Announces Redesign of Butte Creek Organic Ales and Lagers

CHICO, Calif. — Golden West Brewing Company, Inc. announced today that it has completed the redesign of its core product line of Butte Creek Organic Ales and Lagers. The new labels, six-pack carriers, and case boxes released today in select markets eventually will be in all 25 states where Butte Creek is sold.

As part of the redesign of the brand, Butte Creek is using two new marks – “Organic Pioneers” and “The Official Beer of Planet Earth” – as cornerstones of its marketing campaign for the organic ales and lagers.

“We are very excited about the re-branding of Butte Creek Organic Ales and Lagers and believe our updated design is necessary to compete with recent entrants, such as Anheuser-Busch, into the organic beer category,” said John Power, President of Golden West Brewing.

Golden West Brewing has filed applications with the United States Trademark and Patent Office (“USPTO”) for both marks and hope the marks will be successfully registered with the USPTO. However, there is no guarantee the USPTO will publish the marks for opposition.

As part of the redesigning and marketing campaign, Golden West has secured new vendors for the glass and six-pack carriers that should reduce overall cost of these key raw materials.

“A limited price increase that went into effect July 1, combined with more effective purchasing of glass and cardboard, should improve our gross margins in the current third quarter of 2007,” Power said.

Golden West also announced the completion of a private placement of 282,000 shares at $0.33 per share to provide additional working capital. Details of the placement are contained in the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K covering the financing.

About Golden West Brewing Company, Inc.

Golden West Brewing Company, Inc. was formed in 2003 and completed a small self-underwritten public offering in 2006. Golden West through its wholly owned subsidiary, Golden West Brewing Company, acquired the assets and certain liabilities of Butte Creek Brewing Company of Chico, California in August 2005. Founded in 1996, Butte Creek Brewing Company is one of the pioneer certified organic microbreweries in the United States

 

America’s Oldest Standing Brewery?

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Don Russell, better known as Joe Sixpack, had another very interesting column yesterday about an unassuming pink stucco home in Burlington, New Jersey, which may — or may not — have at one time been part of a brewery. And not just any brewery, but because records seem to date part of the structure to around 1693, it could be considered America’s oldest standing brewery. Currently, that title goes to “the Patrick Creagh house in Annapolis, Md., circa 1749.” The house is on sale on Craigslist for a mere $159,000 (hey, I live in California) but when I search for it, it didn’t turn up. Perhaps it’s already been scooped up by a new owner who, as Russell speculates in his closing, wants to be able to “thump his chest and boast, ‘Hey, c’mon over for brats and beer in my house, the oldest freakin’ brewery in America!'”

America’s oldest standing brewery?
Curt Hudson © the Daily News

 

Hell in a Rice Basket

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Great Divide Brewing has been making some terrific beers for years and years, and with the recent addition of brewer Brit Antrim, I only expect them to get even better. They’ve just released a pair of new seasonal beers, Hades and Samurai that are in a slightly different direction for the brewery.

From the press release:

Hades is a Belgian-style strong golden ale (7.3% ABV) brewed with a proprietary Belgian yeast strain originally from Belgium’s Moortgat brewery. The yeast gives the beer a distinctive spicy flavor and aroma. A noticeable hop level and a medium malt character make the beer an assertive, yet extremely well-balanced and crisp ale.

Great Divide founder Brian Dunn decided that a Belgian-style strong golden would be the brewery’s next beer and set the general parameters, while Brit Antrim, brewery operations manager, developed the recipe for the beer.

“I wanted a Belgian-style beer with lots of character and flavor,” Dunn says, “but with slightly lower alcohol for drinkability reasons. You can drink a couple glasses of Hades and not end up with a helluva buzz.”

Dunn says the beer pairs up well with steamed mussels, crusty breads and virtually any artisan-style cheese. He says the beer’s spicy charm makes it a fine summer time refresher.

Hades is only the second Belgian-style beer brewed by Great Divide. The company made a Belgian-style wit back in 1999. Hades is available in all Great Divide markets in 22-ounce bottles, and on draft in limited supply.

Brewed with rice and barley malts, Samurai is an easy drinking and unique version of unfiltered ale. The addition of rice gives Samurai (5.2% ABV) a crisp, refreshing and clean taste that pairs well with fish, Asian food, and lighter styles of cheeses.

Dunn points out that Samurai is not an Asian-style beer despite its name and rice component. “Asian beers are typically tightly filtered lagers brewed with rice and barley,” Dunn says. “Samurai is very different, it’s fermented with an ale yeast and it’s unfiltered. The ale yeast gives Samurai a slightly fruity flavor and aroma.”

“I felt,” Dunn says, “that we needed an accessible, super-quaffable beer for the summer, but one that wasn’t brewed with wheat. The rice makes Samurai crisp and clean, and gives it a unique twist for a craft-brewed summer beer.”

Now available in six packs and on draft, Samurai has been a draft-only beer in the Denver market for the past 2 years. Growing interest and demand for the beer in the Denver area prompted Great Divide to release the beer as a bottled summer seasonal.

Dunn is proud to acknowledge that his company’s two new beers may come as a surprise to Great Divide fans. “We’ve become known for Yeti-sized, hoppy, assertive beers,” Dunn says. “But these beers allow us to flex a different set of our brewing muscles, and mix things up a bit for our fans.”

I’ll be in Denver at the end of the month, so hopefully I’ll get a chance to give both of these a try while I’m there.