Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

Socialize

Sam’s “Extreme Brewing” Published

By

Sam Calagione’s newest book, Extreme Brewing: An Enthusiast’s Guide to Brewing Craft Beer at Home, was published today. This one is more about homebrewing than his last book, Brewing Up a Business, which was all about his iconoclastic marketing style. If you know Sam, you’ve got to love this quote from Forbes. “The Italian word for chutzpah is audacia, but it might as well be ‘Sam A. Calagione.’”

And here’s a description of the book from the publisher:

Extreme Brewing is a recipe-driven resource for aspiring home brewers who are interested in recreating these specialty beers at home, but don’t have the time to learn the in-depth science and lore behind home-brewing. As such, all recipes are malt-syrup based (the simplest brewing method) with variations for partial-grain brewing. While recipes are included for classic beer styles — ales and lagers — Extreme Brewing has a unique emphasis on hybrid styles that use fruit, vegetables, herbs and spices to create unique flavor combinations. Once their brew is complete, readers can turn to section three, The Rewards of Your Labor, to receive guidance on presentation, including corking, bottle selection and labeling as well as detailed information on food pairings, including recipes for beer infused dishes and fun ideas for themed dinners that allow the reader to share their creations with family and friends.

Samuel Adams Brings Back the Longshot

By

Back in the mid-1990s, Boston Beer Co. sponsored a contest for homebrewers. For a couple of years, homebrewers submitted their efforts in the hopes of seeing their beer in a six-pack. That’s because the two winners for each year’s contest would have their beer commercially brewed and sold under the Longshot label by Boston Beer. Some of them actually sold fairly well. When I was the beer buyer at Beverages & more, the Hazelnut Brown did okay, as did the Pale Ale. It was a fun promotion and did a lot to publicize homebrewing and brewing in general, I thought.

So I was happy to see that they’re bringing back the Longshot contest this year. Three lucky homebrewers will have their beer brewed and released commercially in a six-pack. The top five beers will be available to taste at the Great American Beer Festival this September. Festival attendees will choose the three winners by voting for their favorite. In February 2007, six-packs will be available for sale with two bottles each of the three top vote-getters. Beers must be submitted between August 1-18. For more details, there is additional information about the promotion on the Sam Adams website.