Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Hunt’s Hop Tea

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A few weeks ago while helping Moonlight with their hop harvest, owner/brewer Brian Hunt broke out something I’d never seen before: hop tea. Now I’ve seen regular hop tea before, I’ve even bought some at the health food store and tried it, but this was something totally different. Brian told me the idea grew out of an experiment he was doing to see how hops reacted at different temperatures, which he presented at “Hop School” a few years ago. He discovered in the process that he could make a delicious hop tea and that it varied widely depending on the temperature of the water. Here’s how it works:

  1. Put approximately two-dozen fresh hop cones in a 16 oz. mason jar.
  2. Heat water to __X__ temperature.
  3. Fill jar with heated water and seal cap.
  4. Let the water come down to ambient room temperature.
  5. Refrigerate.
  6. Drink.

There appears to be four main factors that change depending on the temperature of the water. These are:

  1. Color
  2. Float
  3. Bitterness
  4. Tannins

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Intrigued by all of this and quite curious, Brian brought out seven examples of his hop tea made with water of different temperatures: 60°, 120°, 130°, 140°, 160°, 180° and 185°. They’re shown above from lower to higher temperature, left to right.

As you can see, the lower the temperature, the more green the hops are and the water remains less cloudy. At the higher temperatures, the hops are stripped of their green, becoming brown, and the water also becomes more brown. Also, as the temperature increases, the hops lose their buoyancy and begin to sink in the water. Although you can’t see it in the photo, the hotter the water, the more hop bitterness and at the upper range, tannins begin to emerge. Here’s what I found:

  • 60°: Fresh, herbal aromas with some hop flavors, but it’s light.
  • 120°: Bigger aromas, less green more vegetal flavors.
  • 130°: Also big aromas emerging, flavors beginning to become stronger, too, but still refreshingly light.
  • 140°: More pickled, vinegary aroma, no longer subtle with biting hop character and strong flavors.
  • 160°: Very big hop aromas with strong hop flavors, too, with a touch of sweetness. Tannins are becoming evident but are still restrained.
  • 180°: Big hop and vinegary aromas, with flavors becoming too astringent and tannins becoming overpowering.
  • 185°: Vinegary aromas, way too bitter and tannins still overpowering.

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Trying each of the tea samples with Tim Clifford, who writes for Northwest Brewing News.

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Brian was kind enough to let me take a small bag of fresh hops with me so I could recreate his experiment at home. I had enough for four samples and made tea at 100°, 140° and 160°. Using two dozen hop cones made the jars look light so I used three-dozen in the last jar, also using 160° water. I tasted them with my wife, hoping to get a civilian opinion, too. Here’s what we found:

  • 100°: Hops still green and floating. The nose was very vegetal and reminded my wife of the water leftover in the pot after you’ve steamed vegetables like broccoli or Brussels sprouts. The mouthfeel is somewhat gritty with light, refreshing flavors and only a little bitterness, which dissipates quickly.
  • 140°: Hops turned brown, but still floating. Light hop aromas with some smokey, roasted aromas and even a hint of caramel. Fresh hop flavors with a clean finish. My wife, however, made that puckering bitter face signaling she found it repugnant.
  • 160°: Hops turned brown, but most has sunk to the bottom of the jar. Strong hop aromas and few negatives, at least from my point of view. My wife was still making that face, cursing me for dragging her into this. Hop bitterness had become more pronounced and tannins were now evident, with a lingering finish.
  • 160° Plus: This sample had 50% more hops. The hops had also turned brown but, curiously, they were still floating. The nose was vegetal with string hop aromas. With a gritty mouthfeel, the flavors were even more bitter covering the tannins just slightly, but they were still apparent, and the finish lingered bitterly.

It seems like either 140° or 160° is the right temperature. Lower than that and you don’t get enough hop character (I’m sure that’s why the hops remain green) but above that the tannins become too pronounced. It appears you have to already like big hop flavor or you’ll hate hop tea. I found it pretty enjoyable and even refreshing though it’s still probably best in small amounts. You do seem to catch a little buzz off of it, which doesn’t hurt. I’m sure the amount of hops is important and more research may be needed on that front. Brian tells me that hop pellets can also be used though I doubt the jar of tea looks as attractive using them. They have the advantage of being available year-round, of course. If you use pellets, you need only about a half-ounce for each pint jar.

If you try to make Hunt’s Hop Tea on your own, please let me know your results. And please do raise a toast to Brian Hunt’s ingenuity.

Bière de Manger

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Most people don’t think of France as a place for great beer, but there are several very fine, world-class small — tiny really — breweries in Northeastern France, not coincidently near the border of Belgium. Back in the mid-1800s this region of the world was home to 2,000 breweries. By the advent of the first World War it was half that, but during the German occupation their equipment was dismantled and sent back to the Fatherland. Between the two wars after after it, things stayed pretty much the same and today only around 25 breweries remain in the region.

So last night’s dinner themed “The Beers of France” may not have been as big a draw as some of the Beer Chef’s other beer dinners, but that a shame because the people who stayed away out of ignorance or prejudice missed a wonderful dinner and some fabulous beers.

Our salad course: composed salad of wild mushrooms, summer vegetables, duck ham and watercress.

All of the beers were courtesy of Shelton Brothers, a beer importer who brings in some of the finest beers from all over the world to the U.S. Here’s the Beer Chef, Bruce Paton, with Dan Shelton.

 
Since I believe these beers do deserve to better known, here’s some more information about the French beers that were part of the beer dinner. Seek them out and try them for yourself.

 

St. Droun French Abbey Ale

From the Brasseurs Duyck, founded in 1922, whose brand Jenlain is probably better known, St. Druon was re-named (the original name was Sebourg) in 2000 “as a tribute to Saint Druon and the little church in Sebourg, the next village to Jenlain. Druon, a homeless but pious orphan, wandered the roads until he settled in the village, and is still honoured and revered by pilgrims each year.” It’s been run by the same family for four generations.

From Shelton Brothers website:

Jenlain is the second largest independent brewery in France, and by far the largest one making bière de garde – France’s only original, traditional beer style. Jenlain is credited with reviving the style, and encouraging countless smaller bière de garde breweries in Northern France.

It’s a 6.0% abv Bière de Garde that uses a distinctive yeast that different from Duyuck’s other beers. it’s a very clean, refreshing beer and worked well with the diverse hors d’oeuvres.

The other beer we had with our appetizers was one of only two beer at the dinner that I’d had before, the Thiriez Extra. It’s a surprisingly hoppy beer, though not in a west coast sort of way. In France, the beer is known as “Les Frères de la Bière,” which means “The Friends of Beer.” It’s a collaboration of sorts between brewers in England, France, and Belgium. The beer uses an relatively unknown English hop called “Brambling Cross.” It’s really something of a session beer at 4.5% abv.

The second beer from Thiriez was their Blonde, which is a little spicier than the Extra in the way of a saison, and a little stronger, too, at 6.0%. It was paired with our first course, sea scallops in fennel nage.

From Shelton Brothers website:

Daniel Thiriez’s rustic little brick-and-beam brewery graces the village of Esquelbecq, plunk in the middle of the rolling farm country of French Flanders. With a brewing degree from a Belgian university, and decidedly ‘Belgian-oriented,’ Monsieur Thiriez makes ales with an earthy, slightly wild character that recalls the early days of farmhouse brewing, before there was a border between France and Belgium.

Thiriez Extra and Blonde

La Choulette Le Sans Cullottes and Ambree

The “no pants” beer, which is what “sans cullottes” refers to was the other beer of the evening I’d had before, and it’s a great Bière de Garde style beer. It’s 7.0% abv and quite effervescent, like a good champagne. This wonderful beer was paired with a composed salad of wild mushrooms, summer vegetables, duck ham and watercress.

From Shelton Brothers website:

La Choulette is a charming farmhouse brewery whose beers are classics of this French style. The brewery dates back to 1885. Alain and Martine Dhaussy bought it in the 1970’s and revived traditional brewing there. This, the brewery’s masterpiece, proudly pays homage to Les Sans Culottes – the “trouserless” craftsmen who could not afford uniforms but unflinchingly did the handiwork of the French Revolution. A number of brewers were included in their ranks.

The other beer from La Choulette was their Ambree, a slightly stronger Bière de Garde at 8.0% with a deeper amber color. I found it quite sweet, which nicely cut through the heavy meat course, loin of rabbit with bone marrow ravioli and onion apple gratin.

The last beer, Garvroche, is from St. Sylvstre, who is better known for their 3 Monts. The Gavroche is a bottle-conditioned amber ale, and at 8.5% was the strongest beer of the evening. The name comes from one of the characters in Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables, the generous and rebellious Paris urchin. It was divine with our dessert of poached pear with flan of fromage explorateur.

From Shelton Brothers website:

Serge Ricour is one of those guys – probably a genius, but it takes one to know one, and we’re not really sure we can meet that standard – who just produces fantastic beer, but doesn’t seem to know it himself. The Brasserie Ricour, or Brasserie St-Sylvestre (you use either one and everyone in town knows what you’re talking about) makes, arguably, the best beer of France: 3 Monts. We Shelton Brothers would probably argue with that, since we’ve found so many nice beers in France and brought them to the U.S. for your inspection, but you can’t really argue with the proposition that 3 Monts is, at least, one of the very best beers of France.

St. Sylvestre Gavroche

 

Craft Beer vs. Fine Wine Dining Challenge in San Diego

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Stone brewing is doing a beer vs. wine dinner next week that sounds like it should be great fun, not to mention informative and delicious. Here’s the press release for the dinner:

Stone Brewing CEO Greg Koch is a tireless exponent of the virtues of great beer, and is nothing if not confident of his company’s handiwork. Yet he concedes that the image of beer still has room for elevation in the culinary world. “The understanding of the extraordinary culinary aspects available in the world of beer is lagging,” says Koch. He maintains that beer offers more range and depth of flavor than what is found in any other beverage. And he aims to prove it. “I will never argue that you can’t carefully pair a great wine with certain select dishes with very good results,” says Koch. “However, I have no hesitation in arguing that, more often than not, great beer is a superior mate for great food.”

It does appear that the culinary world is waking up to the reality that great beer compliments great food. In the June 2007 issue of TIME a full-page article began with the headline “Instead of uncorking a vintage red, Michelin-starred chefs are tapping into a long list of artisanal beers.” The article continued to state that “Now some of the country’s best restaurants are offering craft beers – produced by small, independent brewers – on the menu and often suggesting food pairings.” Recently, National Public Radio’s Weekend Edition program ran a story extolling the virtues of pairing craft beers with food; and NBC’s Today show aired a similarly themed segment featuring Stone’s very own inimitable Arrogant Bastard Ale with Food & Wine magazine’s Senior Wine Editor in which it was proclaimed “Beer is the new wine.”

Celebrated Bocuse d’Or Chef Gavin Kaysen—of the Rancho Bernardo Inn’s equally celebrated restaurant El Bizcocho—may have yet to be convinced. After all, it’s not “Food & Beer” magazine that Chef Kaysen currently graces the cover of, it’s Food & Wine (which to the magazine’s credit recently featured a surprisingly enlightened article on the artisan beers of California’s Napa Valley). Koch indeed realizes he is placing the odds squarely against himself by agreeing to hold the challenge dinner at the clearly wine-centric environs of El Bizcocho. “I want the challenge to be extremely fair, if not even stacked against me,” says Koch.

Guests at the “Beer v. Wine” dinner will sample both a craft beer and fine wine selection specifically chosen for each course. Koch will introduce each beer, and Certified Wine Educator and Sommelier, Barry Wiss will introduce each wine. Wiss is Vice President of Trade Relations at Trinchero Winery in Napa Valley. Once guests taste both the beer and the wine, they will have a chance to fill out a small card with their preferences as to which beverage pairs best with the dish. Results will be tabulated and announced at the end of the dinner. Allowing that there are more gustatory possibilities than could possibly be represented by one meal, one of the contest’s stipulations is that the loser of this round has the right to challenge the opponent to another dinner at a venue of their choosing.

While Koch might be very confident when it comes to beer’s prowess in pairing with food, Wiss is somewhat more dubious. “There is no doubt that some foods are complemented by the tastes and flavors of beer, but those foods tend to be less complex, with the possible exception of spicy Latin and Asian cuisine,” explains Wiss. “For centuries wine has been the preferred accompaniment to the world’s finest dishes, and there is little doubt that it will remain that way.”

Who is correct? You can help determine by attending the Beer vs. Wine Dinner. Reservations can be made by contacting El Bizcocho at the Rancho Bernardo Inn.

Located at 17550 Bernardo Oaks Dr. in San Diego, CA, the Rancho Bernardo Inn, recently completed a $25 million enhancement and expansion project. The hotel is a member of Preferred Hotels and Resorts Worldwide and is the distinguished holder of many honors, including Mobil Four Star (18 years), and AAA Four Diamond (31 consecutive years) ratings. Rancho Bernardo Inn is owned by JC Resorts, whose other holdings include Surf & Sand Resort, Temecula Creek Inn, and JC Golf. For reservations and additional information, please call 800.770.7329 or visit www.ranchobernardoinn.com.

 

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Craft Beer vs. Fine Wine Dining Challenge at El Bizcocho

Rancho Bernardo Inn, 17550 Bernardo Oaks Drive, San Diego, California
250.383.2332 [ website ]
 

25 Years of California Brewpubs

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Thursday, September 13, marked the 25th of anniversary of the signing of the California bill — AB 3610 — which removed the “tied house” restriction then present in California prohibiting any person or company from brewing beer and selling it directly to the public. The new bill allowed beer to be sold where it was brewed, as long as the brewer also operated a restaurant at the same location. It was only the second brewpub law passed in the country at that time. The bill was written by then-state legislator Tom Bates, who is now the mayor of Berkeley.

California was home to three of the first five brewpubs in America. The second brewpub to open America (and the first in California) was the Mendocino Brewery in Hopland, California, which opened in August 1983. Mendocino Brewing has moved to a new facility in Ukiah and the Hopland location is now a bar, but the company is still going strong. The third brewpub in the U.S. was Buffalo Bill’s in Hayward, California, which opened in September 1984 and still a brewpub. And the fifth was Triple Rock Brewery in Berkeley, California, which opened in March 1986. It’s also the only one still owned by the same people who started it.

Triple played host Thursday to a ceremonial signing of the bill by Tom Bates, who authored the original legislation. They also presented a proclamation — which I helped write — signed by state legislator for District 14, Loni Hancock.

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CSBA lobbyist Chris Walker reads a letter congratulating California small brewers from Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

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Representative Loni Walker presents the state proclamation to Triple Rock owner — and CSBA president — John Martin.

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A close-up of the proclamation, which originally sough to declare the week beginning September 13 as California Craft Beer Week. Next year, with more lead time, we hope to make that an officially recognized holiday week for California.

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The brewpub bill’s author, Berkeley mayor Tom Bates, holds up a photo that ran in the Oakland Tribune 25-years before, of him celebrating the signing of Assembly Bill 3610.

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Then John Martin presented Mayor Bates with a specially made beer by Triple Rock brewer Christian Kazakoff. Wanting to make a truly California beer, Kazakoff brewed a California Common, better known as a steam beer. They called the beer AB 3610, in honor of the bill.

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The commemorative beer’s label art.

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Then mayor Tom Bates presented a framed copy of the original AB 3610, inviting everyone present to sign the mat.

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Everyone there also got a small glass of the commemorative beer and Mayor Bates led a toast to California’s beer industry.

Jeremiah Was a Beerfest

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Sunday was the second day of the 4th annual Brews on the Bay, sponsored by the San Francisco Brewers Guild. Each year it’s been held on the SS Jeremiah O’Brien, a World War II era Liberty Ship docked at Pier 45 at Fisherman’s Wharf.

The S.S. Jeremiah O’Brien, with Alcatraz in the background.

21st Amendment owner/brewer Shaun O’Sullivan with Marty, one of the Jeremiah O’Brien volunteers.

 

For more photos from this year’s Brews on the Bay, visit the photo gallery.
 

Picking Hops at the Moonlight

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Sunday was picking day at Moonlight Brewery in Windsor, California. Having recently returned from Hop School in Yakima, Washington, I was eager to see once more the old-fashioned, slow way of picking hops. Brian Hunt invited me to help him and several friends and neighbors to help with this year’s harvest. I’ve helped out before, but this year was particularly fun because I had just witnessed the industrial hop processing in America’s Hopbasket, Yakima, Washington, and was interested to see the contrast between the two methods. I took over 500 photos of hops while in Yakima and hope to have those up shortly so you can see the entire process from ground to glass.
 

Moonlight Brewery owner Brian Hunt with a vine of hops freshly cut from his hopyard.

For more photos from this year’s hop harvest at Moonlight Brewery, visit the photo gallery.
 

Gourmet Gaul, Fermented France

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Usually the beer dinners that the Beer Chef, Bruce Paton, puts on involve one or two specific brewers. But this next one will feature the beers of a single country, and one that you don’t ordinarily think of — France. But while largely unknown, there are some very good beers there made by some very small brewers. Here’s a chance to try some of them, and have some great food to boot. It will be a four-course dinner and well worth the $80 price of admission. It will be held at the Cathedral Hill Hotel on Saturday, September 21, 2007, beginning with a reception at 6:30 p.m. Call 415.674.3406 for reservations by September 13.

 

The Menu:

 

Reception: 6:30 PM

Beer Chef’s Hors D’Oeuvre
Beer: Thiriez Extra and Jenlain St. Droun

Dinner: 7:30 PM

First Course

Sea Scallops in Fennel Nage

Beer: Thiriez Blonde

Second Course:

Composed Salad of Wild Mushrooms, Summer Vegetables, Duck Ham and Watercress

Beer: La Choulette Le Sans Cullottes

Third Course:

Loin of Rabbit with Bone Marrow Ravioli and Onion Apple Gratin

Beer: Ambree

Fourth Course:

Poached Pear with Flan of Fromage Explorateur

Beer: St. Sylvstre Gavroche

Les Sans Culottes from Brasserie Les Choulette, is one the beers that will be served. It’s a Biere de Garde style beer and the label is a detail from the iconic Eugene Delacroix painting Liberty Leading the People that hangs in the Louvre. Late last year, the State of Maine tried to ban it because they thought the label might offend the delicate sensibilities of its citizens.

 
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Dinner with the Brewmaster: The Beers of France

Cathedral Hill Hotel, 1101 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, California
415.674.3406 [ website ]
 

Celebrate 25th Anniversary of California’s Brewpub Law

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This Thursday, September 13, marks the 25th of anniversary of the signing of the California bill — AB 3610 — which removed the “tied house” restriction then present in California which prohibited any person or company from brewing beer and selling it directly to the public. The bill allowed beer to be sold where it was brewed, as long as the brewer also operated a restaurant at the same location. It was only the second brewpub law passed in the country at that time. The bill was written by then-state legislator Tom Bates, who is now the mayor of Berkeley.

California was home to three of the first five brewpubs in America. The second brewpub to open America (and the first in California) was the Mendocino Brewery in Hopland, California, which opened in August 1983. Mendocino Brewing has moved to a new facility in Ukiah and the Hopland location is now a bar, but the company is still going strong. The third brewpub in the U.S. was Buffalo Bill’s in Hayward, California, which opened in September 1984 and still a brewpub. And the fifth was Triple Rock Brewery in Berkeley, California, which opened in March 1986. It’s also the only one still owned by the same people who started it.

Join the California Small Brewers Association Thursday as we drink a toast to the law that changed our beer landscape for the better.

From the press release:

On September 13th at 5:00 pm, Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates will join brew pub owners to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the signing of the California law that legalized brewpubs. The bill — AB 3610, authored by then-Assemblyman Tom Bates — was soon replicated around the country, creating the national brewpub industry and introducing millions of people to good beer.

The September 13th event will include a ceremonial “bill signing” by the owners of Bay Area Brew Pubs, an honor to Mayor Tom Bates for writing the legislation, and a special beer brewed just for the occasion by Triple Rock Brewery.

“In the early 1960s, I spent time in Germany as an officer in the U.S. Army. When I got home, I realized you couldn’t get a good beer in the United States,” said Mayor Tom Bates. “When a group of entrepreneurs and beer enthusiasts approached me about changing State Law to provide a market for smaller, craft breweries, I jumped at the opportunity. Every time I travel around the country, I am amazed to see the wonderful legacy of my legislation.”

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Celebration of the 25th Anniversary of Brewpubs!

Triple Rock Brewery, 1920 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, California
510.THE.BREW [ website ]
 

Sierra Nevada to Bottle Fresh Hops

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Almost a dozen years ago, Sierra Nevada head brewer Steve Dresler was having lunch with renowned hop expert Gerard Lemmens. He had just returned from England, where he’d been helping a brewer there figure out how to use whole, unkilned hops. Gerard asked Dresler if he’d ever considered using fresh hops.

He hadn’t, of course, but the idea marinated and a few days later he mentioned it to Ken Grossman who told him to “go for it.” The first year, Dresler made only one 100-barrel batch. In the intervening years, as demand for the beer has risen quickly, many obstacles have been overcome, such as how to ship that many hops or how to convert a recipe from regular hops (which are 8-10% water) to fresh hops (which can be as much as 80% water). Also that first year, an entire UPS truck was filled with small boxes of fresh hops bundled together with holes poked into them. Today, they’re overnighted in mesh onion sacks laid out flat in a single layer of a 18-wheel refrigerator truck. Each year, both Cascade (@2/3) and Centennial (@1/3) hops are used, but because they’re different from year to year — and because the exact quantities of each differ — the beer has to be reformulated on the fly. When it’s brewed is always a moving target because it’s contingent on when the hops are ready to be picked. Often it’s around Labor Day weekend, but you never know. Over the last eleven years, the most Harvest Ale they’ve made in a single year has been around 800-900 barrels available on draft only.

This year, however, Sierra Nevada is taking a giant leap and is planning to brew 3,000 barrels, using 16,000 pounds of fresh hops in two batches. And more exciting still, two-thirds of it will be available nationwide in 24-oz. bottles. I suspect it will sell out fast, not least of which because even though they’re making triple the usual amount, it will be sent all over the country meaning only small amounts which reach most markets. I’ve learned that the final brew was done last Thursday, September 6, and they hope to have it in the bottles as early as September 24. Keep an eye out for it, and buy it right away. But more importantly, drink it right away, too. This is the very antithesis of a beer meant to be aged. Make up your own special event to drink it. Get some fresh, locally made food and cook up a great meal. Invite your favorite people over to share it with you. This is the best way to celebrate harvest time, with the fruits of the harvest, both food and drink.

Collaboration Smackdown a Draw

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Friday night was a very special night for a beer dinner, with two of the finest craft brewers going head to head in a friendly competition where not one, but two, beers were paired with each of the four courses. A night of stories, food, skate and some truly wonderful beers, drawing beer and food lovers from all over the Bay Area. Who won? We did, that is, all of us who attended. It was terrific trying the two very different Salvation beers side-by-side and then the Collaboration Not Litigation Ale that is a blend of the two.
 

Adam Avery, the beer chef Bruce Paton and Vinnie Cilurzo raise a glass to great beer and food.

 

For more photos from the Collaboration Beer Dinner, visit the photo gallery.