Besides elevating beer in the epicurean world as a from a low brow beverage to a fine and delicious imbibement packed with culture and history, Michael Jackson quite literally defined what beer is (The World Guide To Beer)

There is no need for me to rehash a biography of Jackson since 1) that is not the gist of this post and 2) it has already been done (in fact Wikipedia does a decent job, as does BeerHunter.com).   Simply put, I found another reason to be fond of Jackson.  I recently stumbled across a clip of Jackson on Late Night with Conan O’brien, and found it quite worthy of repeating.

The nature of beer is nicely summed up in the unpretentious, jovial, and passionate Jackson.  It is clear that while there is no aristocratic/snobby air about him, he is quite concerned with his conviction of the superiority of beer.  Since I never was given the chance to meet the man (who was tops on my list!), this clip will have to suffice.  I think that this clip answers the question “Who Was Michael Jackson” better than most encyclopedia abstracts.  Enjoy!

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From the Wuxia Society website, we get some insight on the complexity of this brew:

Mike Gerhart, distillery manager at Dogfish Head’s brewery in Milton, Delaware, led the Chateau Jiahu project. “It was one of the more creative and exciting projects I’ve ever worked on,” he said.

McGovern, the archeochemist, knew the ingredients of the ancient drink from Jiahu, “but he wasn’t sure how to use them or how they would go into action,” Gerhart said.

The trick for Gerhart was to mimic the brewing process used in China 9,000 years ago.

To get the fermentation started, McGovern imported a mold cake—traditionally used in making Chinese rice wines—from a colleague in Beijing. Gerhart mashed the cake into the rice. Once that became “funky and began to grow,” he added other ingredients, including water, honey, grapes, hawthorn fruit, and chrysanthemum flowers.

“We also turned up the brew kettle much higher than we ever would today—we know back then they would have had some type of earthen pot with a fire burning directly below it—to replicate those flavors we know formed, somewhat burnt and caramelized,” he said.

To comply with U.S. federal brewing regulations, Gerhart had to add barley malt, though he said he mashed and fermented out most of the barley flavor.

Defying Description

Given the requisite addition of barley malt to Chateau Jiahu, Dogfish Head’s concoction is classified as a beer, Calagione said. However, McGovern said the beverage made in China 9,000 years ago defies description.

“We called it a mixed beverage, because we’re not sure where it fits in,” he said.

After months of passing this, I crumbled to the allure of the bottle and the story.

The Pour:

Pours a hazy thin bright yellow.  Not what I was expecting!  It almost looks like a thin belgian witbier.  I let my bottle sit for a week before drinking, as there is a good deal of sediment.  A few particles made their way into my glass.  A thin bubbly two finger head wastes no time in slinking into the body of the beer.

The Smell:

Very up front floral aroma.  Past the flowery notes the honey aroma is very apparent, as well as a white grape/white wine aroma.  In fact, it reminded me a bit of a pinot grigio.  A thin bready aroma pushes past as you swirl the glass.

The Taste:

If you are bored with your beer life, pick up a bottle of this tonight.  From the description, one does not expect it to resemble beer.  But it does.  The malt body is much clearer in the taste than in the smell, but is not the prominent flavor.  In fact, the honey is a bit in your face.  The floral notes fantastically balance out the sweet honey blast.  White grapes, a mild cider flavor, acidic citrus, and a saki-esque (saki yeast was used) rice flavor hides beneath the surface.  A wild sour note sticks to the tongue.

Overall:

A satisfying drink, this thin beer goes down quickly and smoothly.  In fact, the beer actually quenches ones thirst.  I would definitely buy this beer again, as the off the wall flavor is slightly addicting.  I suggest introducing this brew to the beloved wine-snob in your life who considers you a barbarian for prizing malts over grapes.   You may have a young covnert on your hands afterwards.

Nate’s Rating:

Overall Satisfaction: ★★★★☆ 

Among other Ancient Chinese Brews: ★★★★★ 

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“Aaaaagggghhhh.”

That was me breathing a sigh of relief of not being guilted into heading down to the Hallmark shop to buy a card for my secretary (as if I had one) or reproduce a picture of my pooch for my vet simply to belong as a cog in mass consumerism.   Rather, it is a relief to participate in a holiday I believe in (not to be trumped by Christmas, Easter, or my wife’;s birthday, mind you!).

Yes, there are many holidays.  Too many in fact, but this one resonates, because someday Mike, myself, and many of you (Big Tex, for one) hope to be recognized as one of the 1500 craft brewers in the US, who daily struggle to work to produce a fine bubbly beverage that eases the burdens that have accumulated on the weary shoulders of Americas working class.  I for one, pledge to drink fine craft beer for the duration of this fine holiday, and I suggest you, dear reader, do the same.  Pouring a handcrafted, cool brew night after night for six consecutive days will be tough work, but gentlemen (and ladies?), we owe it to the beer.

This holiday is even more special, as I recently learned (via the Brookston Bulletin) that my favorite right-of-center political funny man took special note of our favorite week.  No, it wasn’t “The Sky Is Falling Glenn Beck” (he’s on the wagon, right?)…it was the most honorable, Stephen Colbert!  For your viewing pleasure, please enjoy the clip below with a cool glass of patriotic craft brew in hand! Cheers!

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Brewed in Scotland since 2000 B.C. heather ale is probably the oldest style of ale still produced in the world. From an ancient Gaelic recipe for “leann fraoich” (heather ale) it has been revived and reintroduced to the Scottish culture.

Into the boiling bree of malted barley, sweet gale and flowering heather are added, then after cooling slightly the hot ale is poured into a vat of fresh heather flowers where it infuses for an hour before being fermented.

A light amber ale with floral peaty aroma, full malt charachter, a spicy herbal flavour and dry wine like finish.

I believe that the use of Sweet Gale and the Heather Flower is not just for flavor, but also for preservation, as hops don’t (or at least didn’t) grow in Scotland.  The Hop addict had better steer clear of this brew if he is looking for a fix!  Coming in at a modest 5% ABV, this unique beer, classified as a Scottish Gruit, is a treat.

The Pour:

Pours a crisp golden/orange color with a bright white one finger head that dissipates slowly.  There is not much carbonation activity, just a few lazy bubble making their way to the surface.  Nothing remarkable going on here.

The Nose:

Since the pour was semi-boring, the beer finds redemption in the aroma.  The wafting floral aromas are unavoidable and pleasant.  It reminds me of lilac and perfume.  There is a thin malt smell that, combined with the herbal/flora odors, produces peach and orange notes.

The Taste:

I was a little nervous to taste this based of strong perfume aroma.  Have you ever been around a guy who finds his manhood in the application of half a bottle of Old Spice to his neck and found yourself not just smelling but tasting his cologne?  This is what I was afraid of.  It was unwarranted.  I found the beer to be fairly balanced.  The heather flower does indeed impact your senses the second the beer fills your mouth, but is immediately subdued by both the sweet gale, that leaves a sort of pine/green tea flavor, as well as the mildly honey-sweet malt that has a crisp bitter finish.

Be warned:  The after taste of this brew is slightly floral, but many, including myself, will enjoy it.

Scottish Beer History:

I would hate to see any reader miss out on the fascinating history of Scottish beer.  Click on this entire paragraph to go to Fraoch’s website to discover ancient beer history.

Nate’s Rating:

Overall Satisfaction: ★★★★☆ 

Among other Scottish Ale's that I've had: ★★★¾☆ 

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When I poured this beer and began looking at it, I immediately thought that it looked more like a porter than a stout in color. I’m personally used to Oatmeal Stouts being pretty black. However, there was a nice creamy, light brown head on the beer (even if it was a little lighter than I’m used to).

Some nice grains and chocolate came through the beer, as well as having some touches of oat. Other than that, the beer wasn’t overly complex.

Tasting the beer was the only way to see if it was what I expect out of an Oatmeal Stout. It wasn’t! I think the dark roasted grain flavors and slight chewiness were just not enough for me. I like my oatmeal Stouts to be very full and rich. I love it when they are very oat driven. I did think that the grains had a nice chocolate quality to them. The beer was not bad, but it certainly didn’t live up to what I expect out of an Oatmeal Stout.

Mike’s Rating:

Overall Satisfaction: ★★★½☆ 

Among other Oatmeal Stouts: ★★★¼☆ 

Among other Stouts ★★★☆☆ 

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On the drive to work today I tuned into a radio station based out of Detroit.  I listened as the DJ’s hailed St. Patrick’s day as “the best holiday all year ’cause we can drink beer for breakfast!!!!”  They were on sight at some pub–I didn’t catch the name–and were putting down green brewskis at 7:30 in the morning.  One of the DJ’s walked around the “pub” (it was one of these pubs) asking guys and gals alike to share there greatest sexual fantasy publicly.  Keep in mind this is being broadcast to millions of listeners in Detroit, Northwestern Ohio, and Windsor Canada.  Are you serious!?!?  Were the historical St. Patrick to visit us from his eternal resting place today, he would weep at how his name and work is being honored!

I was disheartened, and quickly tuned the dial to talk radio.

Anyone who reads this blogs knows that I never discourage intelligent beer consumption, but today’s holiday removes the “intelligent” from beer consumption.  What kills me is the historical disregard concerning St.Patrick’s day…a day set aside to honor an upright and moral man who spent his entire life doing good works.  Even if you are one who is not-so-spiritually minded, you must admit; this holiday has grown into an excuse for licentiousness.

On St.Patrick’s day do you consider the origins of the holiday:  Good works, the love of your brother, God, forgiveness (St.Patrick sought to save past his oppressors) or do you wake up with nothing but green beer on your mind?  The point is, why are we so obsessed, as a culture, with belligerent partying?

Odds are I’ll enjoy a brew tonight.  But odds are I will also tell my kids the real story of St. Patrick, which can be found here.

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The simple answer is, “It’s the law.”  Sort of.

You see, the earliest example of regulatory action taken on a food industry was in Bavaria in the 1490’s, demanding certain standards purity and excellence in food preparation and distribution.  The law, Reinheitsgebot, was expanded in 1516 to include beer, for which only the ingredients of water, malted barley, yeast and hops were allowed as ingredients.  Namely the reason was preservation…the acid content in hops keeps beer from spoiling as quickly as if they were absent.

But clearly, 1516 is not the magical date in which hops were introduced into the beer industry.  In fact, it is nearly biblical.  Jewish written history tells of hops being used in beer while they were held captive in Babylon.  They write of a strong drink made from hops that was known to cure leprosy.  There are also obscure references of hop usage in beer as far back as 10,000 years in Asia.

Hops probably began to gain popularity as the Europeans began integrating the herb into their brew in the hear 1000’s.  In 1079 AD  Abbess Hildegarde of St. Ruprechtsberg writes,  “If one intends to make beer from oats, it is prepared with hops.”

We’ve already touched on the properties of hopped beer here–What’s Your Beer Made Of Part IV–so I want to hit on my theory as to how hops really caught on.

Money.

It makes sense to me, that while there were other natural preservatives used before the hop, none had such a preservative and antiseptic quality as the hop.  Prior to the hop beer was brewed with much higher alcohol levels to keep the beer.  Higher alcohol required greater quantities of grain.  Greater quantities of grain require greater quantities of money.  Hops, an easy and abundantly producing plant was much cheaper.  With the introduction of the hop, more beer could be brewed at a lower cost rendering a much healthier profit margin.  And I suppose, we all (including me) have a quired a taste for it!

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The price of Cable is worth this program alone.  Each episode leaves me spellbound, as I consider that I am not quite unlike the half naked folks on the screen.  Last weeks episode was particularly interesting, as it dealt with a passion of mine (and yours I’m sure)…BEER!

I shouldn’t be surprised.  Nearly every culture on the planet has some sort of alcohol history, as Mark and Ollie have discovered in every episode.  The Machigenga of Peru are no different.  The Machigenga cherish their beer, and they ought to.  It is not like they can run down to the local Quickee mart and pick up a six pack.  Each brew is painstakenly hand crafted from the bounty of their crops and the sweat of their brow.

The Machigenga’s beer is like nothing I’ve ever sampled.  The Masato Beer is made from the Manioc plant.  The Manioc, which appears to be a potato like plant, is boiled, and then mashed.  Then purple sweet potato juice is added.  Then the mix is chewed up and spit repeatedly for hours.  According to the Machigenga it is the spit that ferment the wort.  The beer is clearly alcoholic, as signs of inebriation are evident towards the end of the episode.

Enjoy the video below.  I hope you find it as fascinating as I did, and inspiring that no matter where on the planet you may find yourself, a good brew is not far away.

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While in the grand scheme and history of beer hops are relatively new convention, they have found a home in human history for far longer.  In fact, the original name for the hop, Lupus Salictarius, is credited as originating from the lips of a famed naturalist, and contemporary of Jesus Christ, Pliny the Elder, who died in 79 C.E. while observing the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.  Literally translated the Latin reads, “wolf among scrubs.” Pliny the Elder was referring to the nature of the plant; that they grew wild amongst domesticated willows like wolves in the forest.   In fact there is a beer we may just have to taste on an upcoming Friday from Russian River Brewing Co. called Pliny the Elder.

Hops were used and consumed by Pliny the Elder and his Roman country men for medicinal purposes.  In fact,

Pliny the Elder

according to a report from Purdue University, the has been used as anaphrodisiac, anodyne, antiseptic, diuretic, hypnotic, nervine, sedative, soporific, stomachic, sudorific, tonic, and vermifuge, hops is a folk remedy for boils, bruises, calculus, cancer, cramps, cough, cystitis, debility, delirium, diarrhea, dyspepsia, fever, fits, hysteria, inflammation, insomnia, jaundice, nerves, neuralgia, rheumatism, and worms.

Gentlemen, please note that the hop is proven to damper the sex drive and is a sedative, so this coming Saturday (Valentine’s Day) I suggest you NOT serve your main squeeze a bottle of India Pale Ale if you want the night to end well.

The hop is widely use in witchcraft for a variety of potions, no potions of which are beer.  Which is good, or else we may have to change the name of this blog.

More to come…Cheers!

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Defining porter as a beer is somewhat illusive, so I’m going to offer what seem to be some agreed on principles about what a porter is.  First of all, a porter is an ale.  What I mean by calling it an ale is that it is brewed using ale yeast at ale temperatures.  I’ve provided some links for those who wish to read up on what these terms are referring to.  A porter is dark but not as dark as a stout.  Porter as a style tends to use darker grains but avoids roasted barley, which often gives a stout its coffee, roasted, and burnt grain qualities.  So, this is one other aspect that a porter might have. 

Porters can be either robust or brown by name with varying degrees of sweetness and hop content.  I tend to think of porters as being at least slightly sweet and pretty smooth in nature.  Beyond this, people will argue about exactly what else defines a porter as a beer.

But from where does the name come?  Allegedly, the name comes from the fact that this style of beer was wildly popular among the working class in England, especially porters.  There, you have the supposed origin of the name.

But what about the mad genius behind the style?  Well, here is how the story goes.  In England, there were essentially three types of beer to be had in the 1700s.  “Ale” was strong, “beer” was a weak version (probably weak in alcohol, grain content, and harsh/young), and “two-penny,” which was the in-between ale.  Within these there were varying pale, amber, and brown versions of each.  Since many people couldn’t afford the best ale but hated the youngest (and were not too fond of the two-penny), they would call on the landlord to mix the various ales: “Give us three-threads,” they might say.  This could be time consuming and irritating for a bar-man to have to do, so (ostensibly) a man name Ralph Harwood basically made this product at the brewery.  Thus, the beer known as porter was born.  I’m sure there is a lot of truth to this account, but we will probably never know.

What we do know about porter is that it was wildly popular, at least until the lager revolution.  The style actually almost became extinct until revived by homebrewers and others who cared about this wonderful, historic style.  Porter was actually George Washington’s favorite beer.  I guess if you like porters, you are in good company.

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