Having already written on the other three aspects of beer (water, grains, and yeast), I can now address the last: hops. Among beer ingredients, hops are really the most expendable. No matter how strange this sounds, the other three ingredients have always been necessary for making beer. The hop is more recent phenomenon. Although use [...]

Even if you have heard of Oktoberfest (not oCtoberfest), odds are the meaning and history of the event has escaped your attention and it just another excuse to drink up and flee sobriety.  I would wager that most folks’ understanding of Oktoberfest most closesy resembles the portrayal in the 2006 film Beer Fest (yes, I [...]

I drank this lovely brew last night and am finally able to post something about it. What can I say, I loved it when it was in the bottle. The brownish red color shone through the transparent bottle and screamed drink me. So, I listened. I poured my beer into a Samuel Smith’s pint glass, [...]

As I mentioned in the last blog, yeast plays a fundamental role in beer.  Let’s expand on that idea just a little more.  Different types of yeast fit better into different types of beer.  There are yeasts that are Ale specific (anything from Irish Ale yeast, Scottish Ale yeasts, etc.).  The reason behind the different [...]

Yum! A Pale ale. In terms of preparation for Friday, let’s just discuss a Pale Ale. The first beer that comes to mind for many readers is Rolling Rock. Maybe you even thought of Sierra Nevada’s Pale Ale. Did anybody think of these two? If you are thinking of the blonde color of Rolling Rock [...]

When I was in my early 20′s, 22 to be exact, I really developed an interest in beer.  I started trying beers.  My toe was dipped in the ocean at the time (now I feel like I’m swimming).  Having been been recently married, I shared my new found enthusiasm with my wife.  One thing is [...]

Now that we have covered two other aspects of beer, let’s move to more uncharted territory. Grains and water were more available in the ancient world. Water could be found and grains could be grown. What about yeast? In the previous blog I intimated how yeast worked. To review, yeast in tandem with oxygen eats [...]

While the mortgage industry swoons, the beer industry flourishes.

I mentioned in the last post that there are 2 and 6 row grains that are suitable for brewing. Within the world of grains, barley is king. Of course, other grains, such as wheat, are used. One common assumption is that the darker the beer, the stronger it is. This is not necessarily true. Some [...]

Well, I’ve had the beer…okay, I’ve had two.  The first Monster I had was at room temp (this is what the review is based on).  The second one I had was chilled, and I enjoyed it with a double Corona cigar.  Here is what I thought.  On the nose I smelled hops very distinctly.  I [...]