Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Cans vs. Kegs

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Okay, to me kegs are cans, just really big ones, so comparing them seems a little strange. But seriously, an article in today’s Baltimore Sun takes on the topic of football game tailgating and which beer works better, canned or kegged. Boy I miss H.L. Mencken.

The story details tailgating at Baltimore Ravens games and to answer the “kegs vs. cans” inquiry does some blind tasting using some frankly questionable methods. But, oh well, the beers chosen aren’t exactly my favorites though happily Bitburger does come out on top over the corn-fed Yuengling Lager. Though to be fair, among light indistrial lagers and related styles, Yuengling makes some reasonably decent beers.

But it’s his conclusion that had me laughing, in a good way:

I now think of canned beer as the equivalent of a wide receiver. It is mobile, easy to carry and, when poured in the glass, packs more taste wallop than expected. Keg beer is like a lineman. It has substantial body. It has to keep cold to perform well. But once it has iced down and assumed its spot in the middle of the action, it can not be moved until it is drained.

Monterey Beer Fest Profiled in SF Chronicle

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Jeff Moses, who produces the Monterey Beer Festival, among several other Bay Area beer festivals, sent me this article about the festival that ran in San Francisco Chronicle on Sunday, while I was still out of town vacationing with the family. It’s nice to see a beer festival get some good, positive press for a change.
 

Monterey Beer Festival Brew with a View
September 9, 12:30-5 p.m.
Monterey Fairgrounds, Monterey, California

Are You Ready for Some Football?

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Every year I’m a nut for fantasy football. I don’t know why, exactly, but it’s a guilty pleasure. Usually I just pester friends to play, but this year I figured I’d invite everyone to play. This game is called “Survival Football” and it couldn’t be easier or less time-consuming. Each week, you just pick one team to win. If that team wins their game, you survive and advance to the next week. If they lose, you’re out for the season. The winner is the one who’s left standing at (or before) the end of the season with no wrong picks. The only catch is that you can pick each team only one time throughout the season.

You need a Yahoo ID to play (they’re free) and the game is limited by Yahoo to fifty players. Simply follow the instructions below if you want to play along. But make sure you don’t forget to pick a team one week or you’re out just as surely as if you picked a loser.

Since I potentially won’t know all of you playing, please choose a team name that starts with your last (or first) name and ends with something to do with beer, since that’s why we’re all here. For example, if your name is Smith then you could pick a team name like the “Smith Stouts,” “Smith’s Spent Grain” or something like that.

In order to play, just go to Survival Football, click the “Sign Up” button and choose to “Join an Existing Group”, then “Join a Private Group”. Then, when prompted, enter the following information…

Group ID#: 14773
Password: craftbeer

Yahoo will send you a confirmation with further details once you have completed the registration process.

— Survival Football Commissioner
http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/survival

Homelessness, Malt Liquor and Social Policy

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Well they’ve gone ahead and done it, legislated away malt liquor for several neighborhoods in Seattle, Washington, effective November 1. The state liquor board yesterday banned “29 drink brands” including, of course, malt liquor. Now I’m not a fan of malt liquor (except perhaps for Dogfish Head’s wacky craft malt liquor, but even that I wouldn’t drink under very many circumstances) but the idea that restricting the sale of certain inexpensive, but high alcohol drinks will in any way cure homelessness is ludicrous.

Apparently, the same or similar items were previously banned in the Pioneer Square area of Seattle. The new ban radiates out from Pioneer Square adding the neighborhoods of Belltown, Lower Queen Anne, Capitol Hill, the Central Area, the University District and the International District. This essentially widens the ban area considerably and adds a new ban area adjacent to the University of Washington. But that simply suggests that the previous ban didn’t work and what many residents fear actually happened before, customers for these cheap, high-alcohol drinks — who are primarily, let’s face it, homeless or low-income — simply bought them elsewhere. So now the areas where they took there business will see a ban, as well. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what will happen next. Attendance at AA meetings will not sharply increase and homelessness will not disappear. Oh, it might be quieter in specific places where drunk homeless people would congregate and buy their vice of choice, but they won’t stop drinking. Heroin is illegal yet thousands and thousands manage to find it.

This will certainly make it easier for authorities to round up and further persecute the homeless. And it may keep them out of “your back yard,” a place nobody seems to want uncomfortable truths to stray into, but without treating the root causes of homelessness, alcoholism and other societal miseries nothing whatsoever will change. Naturally, city officials claim this is “only one step in an overall initiative to curtail homelessness.” When mayoral aide Jordan Royer says “[p]eople think we’re just pushing drunks around,” it shows he knows that’s exactly what he is doing. He goes on to say that the “city will monitor the effect of the new rules to ensure that they don’t simply displace the problems around fortified beer and wines favored by chronic inebriates.” Uh-huh, that’s believable.

The three-member Liquor Control Board defended its actions with such lofty principles as the ban was “needed for the greater good” and “[t]his was a community effort.” Board member Roger Hoen then had this priceless gem. “The fact is it’s a democracy and (the board) kind of went by votes and the majority of the testimony, the majority of the evidence and the majority of the information that came before the board was to support going forward with it.” I’m sure that’s true, but how many homeless people were allowed to speak, I wonder. Without addresses, they rarely vote so I don’t imagine their point of view was much sought after. But if they had, I imagine the more coherent and sane among them would have asked for shelter and perhaps a job. I don’t believe they chose homelessness or alcoholism as a lifestyle. And while this measure may do wonders for the residents who don’t like looking out of their windows and seeing the great unwashed littering “their” streets, it will do absolutely nothing to combat the issue of the homeless themselves, despite the local government’s hollow assurances.

Board member Roger Hoen “acknowledged some businesses would lose money because of the rules. But, in life, there’s a number of restrictions and inconveniences that we have to live with.” Actually, Roger, you won’t be inconvenienced one little bit so by “we,” you actually mean “they.” You should say what you mean or at least know what you’re saying. I think the “restrictions and inconveniences” you speak of will be borne, as usual, by the people with the least voice in our society, the invisible people without homes or a say in their lives.

But that’s depressing. Luckily, Merritt Long, chairman of the board, ends things on an “upbeat note.” “Besides,” he says, “customers can still choose from more than 4,000 other beer products allowed in Washington” Good point, Merritt, albeit cluelessly condescending, I’m sure we’ll see the homeless choosing a nice bottle of Westmalle Triple or a local barleywine. Way to show your compassion.

Thirsty Bee(a)r Dinner

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On Wednesday, September 13, Thirsty Bear Restaurant & Brewery will celebrate their 10th anniversary with a five-course beer dinner. On hand will be executive
chef Trish Tracey, brewmaster Brenden Dobel and founder/owner Ron Silberstein. It’s $70 per person (all-inclusive, including a brewery tour and tasting) and reservations are required. Call Nicole Held to attend the beer dinner at 415.974.0905, ext 208.

The Menu

1st course

Crab & Manchego Toast / Grilled Shrimp &
Olive Skewers / Roasted Tomato Herb Crostinis
Beer: Polar Bear Pilsner & Meyer’s ESB

2nd course

Heirloom Tomato Salad with Rioja Balsamic Vinegar
Ahi Stuffed Piquillo Peppers
Beer: Valencia Wheat & Belgium Saison

3rd course

Spiced Lamb Empanada with Baby Greens,
Romesco & Marinated Olives
Beer: Brown Bear Ale

4th course

Vegetable Paella with Brown Butter & Herb Salad
Roasted Artic Char, Warm Artichoke & Preserved
Lemon Salad
Beer: Howard St. IPA

5th course

Spanish Cheese Plate with Cider Syrup / Chocolate
Torte, Stout Anglaise & Espresso chocolate sauce
Beer: Bourbon Barrel-Aged Anniversary Ale & Koslov Stout

9.9

Thirsty Bear 10th Anniversary Beer & Tapas Celebration Dinner

Thirsty Bear, 661 Howard Street, San Francisco, California
415.974.0905 x208 (Nicole Held) [ website ]

Time for Fresh Hop Beers

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Autumn brings many changes, even here in California where the change of seasons is not as dramatic as in more temperate areas. But regardless of specific climate, throughout the country, it’s harvest time. Only the exact date to begin picking changes. For Moonlight Brewing and Russian River’s combined hop harvest, that date was Monday.

A little more then ten years ago, small breweries began making “fresh hop beers,” which are usually ales made with freshly picked hops thrown into the boil as soon as possible after they were picked from the vine, often within a few hours of being harvested. Usually, many times more fresh hops are used than in ordinary brews and aficionados claim that fresh hopping enhances aromas. It may be merely a perceptional advantage, but to my mind — and senses — they definitely do have great aromas and flavors.

These beers are also known by other names, including “wet hop beers” and “harvest ales.” Sierra Nevada Brewing’s Harvest Ale was undoubtedly one of the first and today is sold in every state. But most remain small batches, generally limited by the fresh hops themselves, as well as other factors. Over the years, an increasing number of breweries are now making fresh hop beers, including Alpine Brewing of San Diego (WHAle, Wet Hopped Ale), Deschutes Brewery of Bend, Oregon (Hop Trip Harvest Ale), Dogfish Head of Delaware (Fed-Extra Mid), East End Brewing of Pittsburgh (Big Hop Harvest Ale), Great Divide Brewing of Denver (Maverick Fresh Hop Pale Ale), Left Hand Brewing of Longmont, Colorado (Warrior IPA), Rogue Ales of Newport, Oregon (Hop Heaven), and Victory Brewing of Downingtown, Pennsylvania (Harvest Pilsner) to name only a few.

On Monday, I helped out with the hop harvest of cascade, chinook and red vine hops grown on the property at Moonlight Brewing and shared with Russian River Brewing for the two breweries’ fresh hop beers. Moonlight’s is called Homegrown (in some places) and Russian River’s is know as HopTime. It was a lot fun — though today I’m still a little sore and scratched up — and took about five or six hours to complete the harvest. Then both brewers retired to their respective breweries to begin the process of making their fresh hop ales. The rest of us enjoyed a yummy lunch at Russian River provided by Natalie Cilurzo, the hop queen of Russian River Brewing.

Barley, the dog, adorned with fresh hops plays in the hopyard.

The Moonlight/Russian River hopyard.

Brewers Brian Hunt, assistant brewer Travis, and Vinnie Cilurzo in their hopyard.

Brian Hunt on a ladder cutting down hopvines from ten-foot wires strung across the yard.

Then the bottoms are cut so the vines can be moved for picking.

The volunteer hop pickers in front of Moonlight’s brewery.

Everybody works in a circle picking the hop cones from the vine and collecting them in buckets.

A mound of hopvines ready to be picked. Cascade and Chinook hops are mixed in the pile.

Hops on the vine.

Stored in a bucket after picking.

A third hop is kept separate. This is Red Vine, a type of cluster hop.

Vinnie Cilurzo picking Red Vine hops.
 

Last Friday, the Wall Street Journal did a feature article about Fresh Hop Beers. If you don’t have a subscription, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette syndicated the story and “To toast a new crop, brewers roll out ‘wet hop’ beer” is available online. I’ve been complaining lately that only smaller and regional traditional media is covering beer so it’s nice to see a big player step up. Though according to insiders, the story took many weeks to get approval and the author had to advocate persistently to finally get it published.