DIY - Brooklyn Brewshop Bruxelles Blonde

A couple of years ago before getting more serious about my beer pastime, I briefly considered trying to brew my own. For those who know me are aware that I am not very handy. I am not so much a DIY (Do it yourself) guy, but more of a PFC (pay for convenience) guy. I have not even owned a lawnmower since moving to Lafayette more than 8 years ago. 

I quickly realized that what I like most about beer is drinking it, and I likely do not have the patience for the process of brewing. However now that I have been concentrating on trying as many different craft beers as I can find, I have gained so much respect for what these guys create, I have decided to dip my toes into the beer making water and try it myself. 

While putting my Christmas list together in November, I noticed some inexpensive beer making kits on the Williams-Sonoma website and decided to make a request. Luckily my wife was supportive of my attempt at a new hobby and bought me Bruxelles Blonde beer making kit from the Brooklyn Brewshop, as well as a book of recipes for other beers. They say, if you can cook oatmeal then you can brew beer at home. Unlike for yard work, I am pretty handy in the kitchen.

The kit was only $40 and included most of the items needed to brew at home. This includes a fermenting jug, thermometer, the grains, hops and yeast and most importantly some sanitizer. Somewhat to my surprise, keeping the tools sanitized is the most important part of the process. 

For those who have brewed at home, or are familiar with the process the step by step that I will now show may not be necessary, but I am hoping to illustrate how simple and non-intimidating home brewing can be. These steps assume that everything has been cleaned properly. 

Step 1. Cooking the grains, mash. This took about an hour

Step 2. Sparge. The cooked grains in a strainer over a pot. Pour water over them. 

Step 3. Boil the wort (water from the grains). 1 hour

Step 4. Add hops during the boil. Not looking like what you would think. 

Step 5. Cooling the wort after the boil

Step 6. Fermenting Jug. Add yeast to the jug and shake (not pictured). This starts the beer making.

Step 7. Fermentation jug after two weeks stored in a cool dark place

Step 8. Bottling with help from an assistant. Bottled with honey for some carbonation

Step 9. 10 bottles of beer on the wall. To sit for another 2 weeks

So the beer has another few days to hang out in the bottles, honest review to come in a few days when they are ready. I did take a look and smell when I was bottling it and it looked and smelled like beer so I feel pretty good about that. Even if this one turns out to not be a winner, I have already committed to trying a few other batches, courtesy of other Brooklyn Brewshop mixes. 

Maple Porter in guest room closet

Full disclosure, the bottles, caps and additional sanitizer were extra, but now that I am committed, it is well worth the expense to be able to say, "I made that."

For more information and some good instructional videos about home brewing please see Brooklyn Brewshop

Cheers!

Beer in Chief

Whether you agree with him or not, our President cares about beer. From the "beer summit" to the white house homebrew, beer has been prominent in the oval office.

The following is a link to a good article regarding appropriate presidential beers.

Inaugural Beers


Hail to the Beer!

Cheers!

Winter Rain Day - New Belgian Snow Day Winter Ale

So we are in the throws of winter in South Louisiana, not that you could tell by the 70+ degree temps this weekend in New Orleans. This temperature in and of itself is not that unusual for this time of year, however the torrential rains that have and continue to plague the region is somewhat out of the ordinary. It has rained so much recently that my daughters' school was closed this past Thursday due to possible flooding in the area. So this winter, instead of a snow day off, they got a rain day off. 

At this point in the season, breweries that produce seasonal brews likely have put out their winter seasonals. These are particularly appealing to me since they are usually dark and designed to keep the drinker warm on the cold winter days. One of these winter seasonals is the Snow Day Winter Ale from the New Belgium Brewery in Ft. Collins, CO.  My friend from work, Jonathan was kind enough to pick up this one for me in Houston since it is not available in Lafayette. 

Appearance: Beer poured a pitch black. There was some carbonation noted, but the darkness of the beer gave it an almost still appearance. Three fingers of fluffy light tan head was present and stayed a long time, with some lasting until the last sip. The lacing appeared to be almost like a snowstorm on the side of the glass.

Smell: A very piney hop aroma was the first smell I picked up from this beer. It gave me a clue that this one may be more like the Brekle's Brown by Anchor Brewing, a dark beer with some  unexpected hoppy flavor.

Taste/Mouthfeel: Somewhat like the nose, I noted some hoppy flavor, but not overpowering. Lingering bitterness was present, but did not last long enough to be off putting. As it warmed, the spice notes became more apparent, typical of winter seasonals. This beer had a medium mouthfeel and not too much carbonation.

Overall: A really good looking beer (enough to warrant two pics). Taste was pleasant and not too spicy or hoppy. A nice dry finish made it quite drinkable. I enjoyed this beer very much and more so than the aforementioned Brekle's Brown. For more info on this beer, please see Snow Day

Like most winters in the South, I don't imagine we will be having any of the cold white stuff on the ground. Much to the dismay of my girls. They don't know just how quickly the novelty of snow wears off.  This beer will be the closest I want to get to a snow day this winter.

Cheers!

It's not what you know, it's who you know - No Label Brewing Co. Katy, TX

As I have mentioned before, I work in the energy industry. Depending on what side of the fence you are on, it can elicit some strong feelings. Luckily for me, most of the folks where I live are pro industry and it makes sense because so much of the population are employed by it. 

So you ask, what does this have to do with beer? I have found that people in my industry are more interested in beer than the regular population. I know several people I work with that brew their own beer and are regularly recommending or bringing me new beers to try. 

Another question, Matt, what does this have to do with anything? I am glad you asked. A couple weeks ago at my company Christmas party I chatted with a colleague that I had never really gotten to converse with. Not a hard thing to do, especially when he works in our Houston office and I have until then only seen on the video conference screen. As we got to talking about beer, he mentioned that he and another of our colleagues in Houston are owners in a brewery there. Of course I was immediately interested in trying what they had to offer. Their brewery, the No Label Brewing Company is located in Katy, TX. 

As my beer luck would have it, the two guys from Houston were coming to the home office for a meeting and brought some of their beers with them. Merry Christmas to me. The first one I tried was the Ridgeback Ale. 

Appearance: The beer poured an Amber color similar to an ice tea. There was some slight haze and nice carbonation noted. A thin off white head provided some above average lacing in the glass.

Smell: At the start I picked up a malty aroma. When the beer warmed, a more floral hoppy smell was present.

Taste/Mouthfeel: The beer had a medium mouthfeel with the carbonation making it somewhat bubbly. Like the nose, a floral and somewhat fruity hoppy flavor was present with the slightest bitterness on the finish.

Overall: This beer was very pleasant and has high drinkability. It compares very favorably with my favorite Amber from my home state's Abita brewery. However it has a much more complex flavor and more depth. This is definitely one that I could enjoy several of.

The No Label Brewing company brews several other beers, but unfortunately for me they are only available in Texas as of now. Many thanks to Richard and Gilberto for bringing me some to try out. For more info on this beer or their others, please see No Label Brewing Co.

Cheers!

Now that's client service - Carver Darden/Abita Client Select

I began my career 12 years ago in public accounting with the now defunct Arthur Andersen. The biggest asset to a service firm like AA is its clients. Even if the partners say that their personnel are the most important asset, without clients, the best professionals in the world are not much use.

Keeping clients requires great client service. This means more than just doing good work, it also requires keeping a strong relationship with the people who make the decisions on what firm to use. Now being on the client side for the past 8 years, it has been driven home to me how much the little things matter in the relationship side. Keeping one's word, under promising and over delivering is the hallmark of good client service.

Another demonstration of the little things are corporate gifts to clients. I have been the fortunate beneficiary of gifts ranging from birthday cupcakes to bottles of scotch to football tickets. For the most part the firms and vendors that we use get it right. However I received a christmas gift from a friend of mine that I think takes the cake (or pint) for corporate gifts.

My friend Ian has recently been promoted to Partner at his law firm, Carver, Darden, Koretzky, Tessier, Finn, Blossman & Areaux, LLC. Each year, the firm commissions a special batch of Abita beer for their clients in the New Orleans area. The beer is called Client Select and is different every year and comes with a description in custom labeled six packs. Since I no longer live in the New Orleans area, I had to admire longingly the beer that my brother would get each year as I would enjoy some pecans from the firm that could be shipped this far from their office. Thanks to a special request of Ian, I was able to pick up 2 six packs of the beer from him personally.

This year's version is a Cream Ale brewed with Nelson Sauvin hops from New Zealand and Calypso hops from the Pacific Northwest. The yeast used is a Whitbread ale yeast. 

Appearance: Beer poured a clear golden color with lots of carbonation. A full 2 fingers of fluffy white head was present with nice retention. A nice lacing was left on the glass as I drank it. A very nice looking beer. 

Smell: The main aroma I picked up on this one was that of yeast. There was a slight hop aroma, but not much to it. 

Taste/Mouthfeel: A light to medium mouthfeel was noted. The aroma was yeasty like the nose and I got more of a hoppy flavor on the finish. It had a crisp flavor and high drinkability.

Overall: This was a pleasant and drinkable beer that would make a good session beer with its 4.5% ABV. It also looks great in a glass. My one complaint is that it seems to be more of a summer beer due to it being so light. 

This is the coolest idea I have ever seen for a holiday gift for a client. This shows a lot of thought even down to having the firm name on the label. This firm knows about doing the little things right, and the best part is, I am not even a client, but just a friend. Again it shows the old saying is true, it is not what you know, but who you know. For more info on Carver Darden, please see Carver Darden.

Cheers!