Full Circle - Yards Brawler

This past week, Margaret and I visited Scotland. This was the first time for both of us and we reunited with some great friends that used to live in the states and are natives. We were able to see places that regular tourists will likely never venture to. We had a great time and had some great beers. Updates from the trip to come.

However, the most important site I saw as it relates to the blog, was located in the US, in an airport no less. The inspiration for the blog came to me last year when Margaret, her cousin Philip and I were flying to London to visit Betsy, Margaret's cousin and Philip's sister. We had a layover in Philadelphia and had dinner. While having dinner, I had a beer from a local Philadelphia brewery called Yards Brewery, specifically the Brawler. Here is the entry from last year Inspirational Beer.

So being that we had a similar layover in the same airport on this trip, I figured I would recreate a little beer magic and have the beer that set me on the beer blogging path. Margaret and I went to the same restaurant in the A terminal. Somethings were different this time. First, it was just the two of us. Second, my beer came with a cold pint glass, which in and of itself is not a big deal, but it changed the taste that I remembered from last year. It was still a good beer, but this was certainly the case of the surrounding events making the beer taste better the first time around. Maybe it was the excitement of my first trip to the UK, or getting to try a new regional beer for the first time, but it just did not live up to the memory of the first one.

Luckily for me, there were many other beers to be had on this trip and good times that made them taste even better. That is what I get for chasing the memory of the right beer in the right place. 

One last thing I found while walking around the Philadelphia airport.

Apparently Philadelphia has a long history of craft brewing. 

They even have a craft beer festival every year. Too late for this year's, but we are looking into hitting one of these in the future. 

Cheers to the City of Brotherly Love (and Craft Beer)!

Lists, lists, lists - Top 50 Craft Beers of 2013

Who doesn't love lists? Seriously? Not your daily To Do list of tasks at work or chores at home, I mean the subjectively compiled top or bottom something of all time lists. The kinds that spark debate and protest from fans everywhere. The top 100 One-hit wonders of the 1980's on VH1 is a particular favorite of mine. Although for my money A-Ha's "Take on Me" should be #1, not Dexys Midnight Runner's "Come on Eileen." Take a look and decide for yourself. I digress.

You probably have guessed it, beers are not immune to the lists either. My cousin, Philip, tipped me off to the list of the Top 50 craft beers of 2013, which can be found here. The most ironic thing about this one is that he does not even like beer.

If you choose to take a gander, you will see the list is dominated by a few West Coast breweries with several entries, including the Russian River Brewing Company that I just visited last week. I am somewhat proud to admit that I have had 13 of the beers listed. This is source of pride and disappointment (or as my coach at work would call it, "an opportunity"). Being only 26% of the list, I have a way to go. I would agree that this is an opportunity.



For the record, below is the list of the 13 I have tried:

48 (tie). Ommegang Three Philosophers
39 (tie). Left Hand Milk Stout
30. Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA
27 (tie). Green Flash West Coast IPA
25. Goose Island Bourbon County Stout
19. Oskar Blues Dale's Pale Ale
15. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
12 (tie). Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA
9 (Tie). Sierra Nevada Celebration
8. Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye
7. Stone Arrogant Bastard Ale
3. Dogfish Head 90-Minute IPA
1. Russian River Pliny The Elder

Agree or disagree with the list. There are some very tasty beers on it and I plan to mark some more off.

Cheers!

Trip to Wine Country - Pliny the Elder

This past weekend, Margaret and I took a trip to Napa, California with another couple. We have talked about going to the wine country for several years. It has been on our ever increasing list of places we want to visit since before we had the girls. As they say, life got in the way and the years have passed with no trip to Napa. The fact that I am now a "beer first guy" made me think that a wine specific trip would not be in the cards. 

However, last year, a group of our friends, 6 couples in total were having dinner and the seed of this trip was planted. The plan was for all of the group to go the following summer, which would be now. Much like how the years got away from us and plans changed, four of the couples dropped out for various worthy reasons, leaving only 2 left. 

Not being deterred, the lone survivors set out to have a complete Napa experience. This meant consulting a Frommer's guide book as well as a California Wine for Dummies reference. We toured and sampled wine from 5 vineyards. The wine was equalled by the food. We dined at the restaurants owned by some celebrity chefs, including Thomas Keller and Michael Chiarello. Both places being within walking distance of our hotel. 

The food and wine was surpassed by the weather and views. Waking up to mid 50's temps with next to zero humidity made getting out for a morning run quite enjoyable. Running down paths and streets surrounded by vineyards made the runs worthy of a spot in Runner's World's Rave Run report. 

The reason I thought I came to Napa

With all this focus on wine, I made a surprising discovery while we were out at dinner our first night. While dining at Keller's Bouchon restaurant, as is my habit, I took a look at the beer menu before deciding on what wine to drink. Much to my surprise, on the menu was the Pliny the Elder Double IPA from the Russian River Brewing Company in nearby Santa Rosa. To the well informed beer consumers, this is very significant. I only recently had even heard of this beer while researching the "best beer in the world", the Westvelerten XII. For the article, see Rate Beer's Top beers. Knowing that the Pliny the Elder was rated the best beer in North America, I knew I had to try it. 

As loyal readers are aware, the IPA is not my style, but I figured I would suck it up for this one. Being an 8%ABV and being a larger bottle, it got my night started off right. It was very hoppy as one would expect of the style. Much of the flavors I got were of pine and some herbs and floral notes. However it was not a hop bomb and seemed very well balanced. The bitterness mellowed as it warmed. I can certainly see why this beer is so highly thought of.

As one would expect, this beer is not available in Louisiana, so when I found out that the brewery was located so close to our route to our hike in a Redwood forest, we took the 20 minute detour to allow me to pick up some bottles to take home with me.

Me outside the brewery

Like with the wine, due to some archaic laws in Louisiana, the beer could not be shipped directly home. However not to fear, by simply using a packing company as a "third party" I was able to include it in my shipment of other bottles, which included 2 wines, one olive oil and 2 bottles of Pliny the Elder. I am sure I was the only person who had as many beer bottles as wine ones to send home after their Napa trip.

I plan to set up a tasting of the best beer in North America for some friends at home. I wonder what cheese pairs well with IPA. Maybe one day I will get to try the #1. For more info on Pliny the Elder or other beers, please see Russian River Brewing Co. For those interested in who exactly Pliny the Elder was, please see Who was Pliny the Elder?

All in all, the trip was a huge success, great wine, food, weather, views, friends and world class beer. Much more than I expected.

These trees are over 1,000 years old. 

Cheers to beer in wine country!

Welcome Back Regan - Real Ale Brewing Rio Blanco Pale Ale

Today marked the triumphant return of my oldest daughter, Regan from her first time at sleep away camp. The camp is located in Columbus, TX, about 70 miles west of Houston. Being her first time away for this long (only a week), Margaret and I were nervous about how she would do. Even though she was going with a friend from her school, I was quite apprehensive when we pulled up to the camp on drop off day last Sunday. Much to our surprise and my relief, Regan could not wait for us to leave so she could start having fun. After being there 20 minutes she even said that she wanted to stay for 2 weeks next summer. Unfortunately this camp only does one week sessions.

I mention my relief, Regan's easy transition to camp and being away from her parents was not well received by everyone. This being a sign of her not needing us and being more independent hit Margaret pretty hard. On the drive back I had a big smile and Margaret's sunglasses hid some tears.

We did enjoy seeing the daily picture updates and trying to find Regan in all the group chaos/fun. Margaret and I would study the looks on Regan's face like the dead sea scrolls in order to determine if she was having fun. Now that we have her back, we can get the real scoop about what was going on.

In order to properly welcome her back home, I prepared her favorite meal, cheeseburgers and fries. This of course meant that I would need to have some beers while doing the cooking. Since she had just spent a week in the Republic of Texas, it seemed only fitting that I try some of the TX beers that I procured last week.

The Real Ale Brewing Company is located in Blanco, TX. This region is called the hill country. I have previously tried their Brown Ale (Real Ale Brewhouse Brown Ale). This time it is the Rio Blanco Pale Ale as part of a sampler 6 pack.

Appearance: Beer poured an Amber color not unlike the color of iced tea. The thin white head dissipated quickly. The beer was highly carbonated but left only patchy lacing that also lacked retention.

Smell: As advertised, this beer smelled like a Pale Ale. Some malty aromas were noted, but not much in the way of hoppy smells present.

Taste/Mouthfeel: Like the aroma, the flavor was malty. Some bread flavors and some herbal finish was present. There was some slight citrus flavor noted as well.

Overall: Much like the previous one from this brewery, nothing remarkable, but this was highly drinkable. The flavors were mild and suitable for a summer evening. For more information about this beer, please see Real Ale Brewing.

I know Regan was only gone a week, but Margaret and I swear that she grew an inch. We can confirm that she lost a tooth while she was away. I know we are all glad that she had a good time and came back safely. This is one happy camper, already talking about next year.

Cheers!

More Homebrew and other June beers

The posts seem to be getting fewer and farther between, but I figure I should at least provide a monthly update. The beer consumption has not decreased along with the post infrequency. Since the last update, I have kegged the first larger beer batch that I can say I had a part in. My friend, also named Matt has been brewing for a long time and has been a homebrewing mentor of sorts for me. He has let me "assist "in two larger batches and I have learned a lot.

In my last post I showed some pics from the brewing of an Irish Red ale. I was able to be a part of the kegging process on Memorial day. This may not seem like a big deal, but remember that the beers I have made by myself have been such small batches that I bottled the 1-2 gallon batches in a dozen or so bottles. This batch is on the order of 10 gallons and fills 2 small kegs.

Filling the kegs 

(For those wondering, the suds are caused by the sanitizer. Gotta keep it clean)

Harnessing the power of gravity

I have yet to try the beer, but I am sure it will be a tasty one. Below is a pic of the pale ale that my friend made earlier this year. One day I hope to get the same clarity with my beers.

Ok, now that the homebrew update is complete, what have I been drinking from professional brewers? I have bemoaned the lack of quality craft beer selection in SW Louisiana and apparently the word is getting out. New Belgium Brewing has finally made their beers available in Louisiana, much to the delight of many local beer fans.

Although I have yet to try several of their offerings, I have had the following other craft beers recently:

• Oskar Blues Brewing's Dale's Pale Ale - Pale Ale with nice hops, but not too much of them. Also comes in a Patriotic looking can. 
  
  
  
• Goose Island's 312 Urban Wheat - This guy is super light and good for summer. Not much in the flavor department though. 

• Shiner's Wild Hare Pale Ale - Quite a surprise from Shiner. This Pale Ale was very impressive, with some fruit sweetness and not what I would expect from them, in a good way. 

This past weekend, the family took a trip to Houston to drop off my oldest daughter at camp for the first time. This of course meant picking up some hard to get beers. This included the Elda M. Stout from my friends at No Label Brewing as well as a sampler from the Real Ale Brewing Company. I have yet to try them, but looking forward to doing so. 

Now that the weather here is getting hot my beer focus has changed to lighter more refreshing ones in order to keep cool. Good luck beating the heat. 

Cheers!

It's been a while - 8 Best Beer Towns in America

So it has been a while since I last posted. That does not mean I have not been trying new beers. I have mainly been concentrating on brewing my own, either by myself or with friends. I have met with some mixed results. My Irish Stout turned out a little flat and did not look as I would have hoped. So much so that I did not even bother taking a picture.

I did however have some success with brewing with my friend who is also named Matt. We made two larger batches, a lager, which turned out very tasty to me and an Irish Red Ale that has not finished yet, but looked very promising.

My friend Matt's brewing vessel. Yes, it is a beer keg.

During the boil of the Irish Red Ale. The bag is an old paint bag used for hops during the boil.

My recent beer finds include:

• St. Arnold Elissa IPA
• St. Arnold Divine Reserve 13
• Sam Adams Summer Ale 
• Third Shift Amber Lager (Not exactly a craft beer, but solid none the less)
• Lazy Magnolia Jefferson Stout

All of these were pleasant, with the Elissa IPA a surprising non-pallet wrecking hop bomb. 

What inspired me to pick up the keyboard again (at least for one evening) is a list I found on CNN of the best beer towns in America. Unfortunately I have only experienced the beer scene of one of these towns, and even only on the periphery, that being Asheville. 

Let me know what you think. 

8 Best Beer towns in America

Cheers!

Matt's beer take two - Brooklyn Brewshop Chocolate Maple Porter

A couple weeks ago, I discussed my first foray into the homebrewing world. My first batch, a Belgian Blonde style beer from the Brooklyn Brewshop helped prove to myself that I could make something that was not poison. Although it is not my favorite style, it looked, smelled and tasted like beer, if a little less than perfect due to rookie mistakes. 

On the heels of the maiden voyage, I brewed a one gallon (10 bottle) batch of a Chocolate Maple Porter. I learned quickly from my first batch that filtering is very important. Even more important is not siphoning from the bottom of the fermenting jug in the bottling process. My first batch had way too much sediment on the bottom of the bottle. This one ended up much cleaner and had so little sediment that I did not have to be careful when pouring into a glass.

Appearance: Beer poured a pitch black with a tan head that I refer to as volatile. As you can see in the picture the fizz looks more like a soda pop than a beer. Unfortunately the head dissipated quickly and did not lead to much in the way of lacing. 

Smell: Some malty aromas as well as some light hops and yeast. Since I learned my lesson from the first time out, the yeasty smell was not as noticeably present this time. 

Taste/Mouthfeel: Some malty flavor with a bitter dry finish was noted at the start. I did not pick up any of the maple flavor that I assumed would come with using maple syrup after the boil and as the priming sugar. As it warmed, the bitterness mellowed and the chocolate flavor came through. The mouthfeel was on the heavier side but toward the end, it was pretty smooth. 

Overall: I really think I did much better this time around. The beer was much cleaner and enjoyable. The only complaints are the lack of sustainable head and the lack of maple flavor. However, as this is more my style of beer I would say it was a vast improvement from my first effort. For more info about Brooklyn Brewshop kits, please see Brooklyn Brewshop

I have since moved on from the Brooklyn Brewshop kits to a two gallon Irish Stout from Brewstock in New Orleans. 

These babies will be ready just in time for St. Patrick's day. 

Cheers!

Why do you drink the beer you do?

One of my fundamental beer tenants is that I don't try to convince people to drink certain beers just because I like them. There is a time and place for any (ok almost any) beer. Confessing that your favorite beer is a domestic light lager may get some sneers from beer snobs, but if that is what you like, that is ok with me. If my reviews and descriptions of beers I try are not enough to convince you to give them a try, it is no sweat to me. I don't own any stock in beer companies.

I came across an article this morning regarding why people drink the beer they do and thought I would share it. If you read the blog regularly, you will see that I have posted from this author before with good reason. This guy articulates a lot of how I feel about beer topics.

Why he drinks good beer.

In the end it all comes down to taste. As I learned very early on, although I am an Accountant by trade, there is no accounting for taste.


Cheers!

Something old and something new - Abita Turbodog and Spring IPA

Before my taste for beer evolved, I consumed it primarily for the relaxing affects, not much for the taste. This meant that I was more than happy to have only one kind of beer, that being of the domestic light variety. Thankfully for me, my tastes have grown up and long gone are the days of Bud Lights. Don't get me wrong, having one or two while watching a game is ok, just not if the object is to appreciate beer for the taste.

Even though my beer tastes were wanting years ago, I always had an interest in good food. The bookshelves at our house were and are filled with volumes of great cookbooks. It was from one of these that I came upon what would become one of my favorite beers. One night several years ago (before kids) Margaret and I found a fried chicken recipe from a cookbook we had written by Emeril Lagasse. You know, that bam guy who made his name at Commander's Palace, which is still my favorite New Orleans restaurant. The recipe called for the use of Abita Turbodog beer. As you could imagine, I had never had this beer before and much to my surprise, it was black as night. Back then, I just assumed that every dark beer tasted the same, and that flavor was that of Guinness.

We used the beer for the recipe, but I don't recall just drinking what was not used. I was still not interested in trying new beers. It was not until a few years later that I had Turbodog and realized how much it was not like Guinness and how much I liked it. It is now my favorite Abita beer. For those who are unfamiliar, here is a review.

Appearance: Beer poured a dark brown to black color with a thin tan head. That must have been a pour error on my part. The last one I had last week had a much better head. Some carbonation could be detected and the thin head did provide some nice lacing.

Smell: A malty and toffee aroma was noted with this beer.

Taste/Mouthfeel: Chocolatey malt flavor with some nuttiness was what I picked up. The beer has a heavy side of medium mouthfeel, but nothing like a stout.

Overall: As I mentioned above, this is my favorite Abita beer. The combination of malt and nuttiness combined with a real mildness makes this one easy to drink. It also makes a good session beer as it is not too heavy and the ABV is reasonable at 5.6%. I only regret that I did not give this one a shot all those years ago. It is much better by itself than in a fried chicken recipe.

My title does mention something new. While I was in New Orleans this weekend for a race, Margaret and I had dinner with her cousin Philip. You may remember him from such blogs as this one http://thebishopscollar.blogspot.com/2012/06/it-is-not-always-about-beer.html.

At dinner, the beer menu featured Abita's seasonal, which this season is a Spring IPA. You are likely aware that I am not usually a fan of IPAs due to the excessive (in my opinion) hoppiness. However this one was not the hop-bomb that some tend to be. It had the citrus flavor and spiciness that one would expect, but it did not give me cottonmouth.

Apologies for the picture quality. I also was not provided with a glass, which takes away one of the most important qualities to critique in a beer, that being appearance. 

Sometimes I forget about Abita Brewing Company. They are the oldest craft brewery in Louisiana and have been putting out good beers for a long time. It is nice to see they are still putting out quality product, even an IPA that I can tolerate. For more info on their beers, please see Abita

Cheers!

Homebrew update

Those of you who are regular readers have likely noticed that my volume of beer reviews has decreased significantly as of late. This is not because I have given up beer for lent or some other ridiculous notion. It is because of my new found fascination with home brewing.  I was surprised how much of an amateur beer dork I became so quickly. In my circle of swim team dad friends, there are now 3 home brewers. Our conversations now start and end with pictures of the beers we have made and debates of the merits of extract versus grain only brewing.

My first batch was way better than I expected and it has encouraged me to increase the volume and up my game. One of the biggest drawbacks to only making one gallon batches is that the 10 bottles of beer that result are gone so fast. After I allocated some singles for the people who encouraged me to give it a shot, I only had about 5 bottles to myself. Now I find myself without beers waiting on two batches in different stages of completion.

This is a Maple Porter that I got from the Brooklyn Brewshop. As it sounds, it is brewed with Maple syrup. Unfortunately some of the beer was spilled in the bottling process (hazards of having an 8 year old help) and I still have about a week to wait until these babies are ready.

In order to alleviate the problem of my beer running out too fast, I procured some additional equipment from a friend and have doubled my production for the next batch.

Above is a picture of my two gallon Mardi Gras stout courtesy of Brewstock in New Orleans. The beer gets its name from the fact that I brewed it on Fat Tuesday. I know, you don't have to tell me how clever I am. After making the larger batch I realized I need to upgrade some equipment. My one 3-gallon pot is not going to cut it. It will be another few weeks until these will be ready.

The latest from my brew closet. Ten bottles of Maple Porter, 2 gallons of Mardi Gras stout and 1 Belgian Blonde from the first batch. I had figured patience would be one of my biggest obstacles to brewing success. Looks like I have some time to try some professional beers.


Cheers!

A brief note about customer service - Brewstock New Orleans

Margaret, the girls and I went to New Orleans for the weekend to celebrate Mardi Gras. Saturday was spent uptown watching two day time parades with the girls, but more importantly, Sunday I rode in the Krewe of Thoth.

I am the good looking Elvis on the right side of the picture. This was my second year riding and it reminded me why I signed up for another year after my first ride. While watching the parades on Saturday, it occurred to me that riding in a parade is much more fun than watching one. This may not be a revelation to any of you, but as one of my former Arthur Andersen colleagues used to tell me, "I'm not a smart man."

With the festivities ended Sunday night, we planned to head back home today. However, before traveling home I had a mission to perform for a home brewing friend of mine. This friend brews on a much larger scale than the one gallon batches I have made so far. Instead of using a ready made one pound grain kit, he need a 50 lb. bag of malt and some yeast. In order to accomplish this mission I went to a store called Brewstock in uptown New Orleans.

I had heard of the store but had only looked at their website. I had planned to get my friend's requirements and see what kinds of small batch (one gallon) kits they had. Unfortunately they did not have the yeast my friend needed, but they did have something even better for me, great service. I mentioned wanting to get some small kits and the store employee (I think he may be the owner) explained that he could custom make one based on any style. He put together a two gallon stout kit. He also did not make me feel like I was a novice, although I am.

Sometimes I find that people who are experts on a certain subject have a tendency to look down upon or talk condescendingly to those who do not possess their knowledge. This was certainly not the case at Brewstock. He answered my questions and made me feel like I belonged there. Even better, my custom 2 gallon kit cost less than the 1 gallon kits I have been making. This place will be my brewing supply store from now on.

For more info on Brewstock, please see Brewstock

Cheers!

Happy Mardi Gras - LA-31 Courir de Mardi Gras

Those who do not live in south Louisiana or the Gulf Coast region may not know the significance of the two week period that ends next Tuesday. Those in this area know this is Mardi Gras season. Mardi Gras translates from French to Fat Tuesday. Although it is more than just one day, the name is fairly self explanatory. The point of the season is to party and gorge oneself prior to the lenten season of fasting and sacrifice that starts the day after Fat Tuesday on Ash Wednesday.

There are many ways to celebrate the season and they vary from city to small towns in south Louisiana. Obviously the most famous of these celebrations takes place in New Orleans. It comes complete with dozens of parades, some with celebrity grand marshals.  It also includes scenes of drunken louts bartering to get a look at some female flesh in exchange for some beads in the French Quarter. Unfortunately for some, this is the first image that is conjured up upon hearing the words Mardi Gras.

Obviously there are more tame spots to celebrate the season. Folks in southwestern Louisiana, near where I reside spend Mardi Gras day chasing live chickens on horseback. I kid you not. No matter the tradition, the point is having a good time. For me this usually means having a cold beer. Luckily for me, the good folks at the Bayou Teche Brewing company have created a seasonal beer perfect for the season, the Courir de Mardi Gras.

Appearance: Beer pours a clear, dark side of golden color with lots of carbonation. A thin white head dissipates quickly but leaves some nice lacing on the glass. You will also see on the label the aforementioned masked reveler on horseback who has caught the illusive chicken.

Smell: A bready yeasty aroma was the only scent that I picked up on.

Taste/Mouthfeel: The beer had a medium plus mouthfeel with that carbonation notable. I picked up the bready flavors as well as some banana sweetness. The finish was dry and had the slightest bit of hops noted as well.

Overall: This one was a solid beer. The more I try from Bayou Teche, the more I like. I prefer their seasonals, Acadie and this one better than their regular ones. This is a highly drinkable one and not overpowering in any way, but still good flavor present. For more information on Bayou Teche Brewing Company, please see Bayou Teche

So you may be wondering, how am I going to celebrate the season. Besides drinking good beers like this one, I am riding in a parade in New Orleans on Sunday morning, the Krewe of Thoth. For those in the New Orleans area this weekend for the festivities, I will be on Float 7, the Elvis float. I will be on the sidewalk (passenger) side on the lower level near the front. Feel free to give me a shout. "Throw me something mister." Feel free to say Matt since we know each other so well.

Hail Thoth!, errr...

Cheers!

Matt's beer... Take one

As you likely saw in my last post, I have taken a shot at brewing at home. It was with much debate and study of the beer making book that I got for Christmas. With the beer making kit I got, there was just enough ingredients, grains, hops, yeast and sanitizer to make one batch. Due to this, I felt the pressure of not having a margin for error. If I only had one initial chance, I wanted to make it good.

After much anticipation, I cracked open my first bottle on Wednesday evening. Much to my surprise, opening it provided the typical beer hiss and puff of cold beer cloud up through the bottle. So far so good. Upon pouring it, it looked like beer. Smelling it, it smelled like beer. Tasting it, it tasted like beer. That provided enough evidence that I actually made a drinkable beer.

Appearance: The beer poured a highly carbonated golden color with some haze. I was most concerned about the carbonation or lack there of. When I bottled the beer, I could tell the color and smell were beer like, but the carbonation developed in the bottles and I had some doubts. Unfortunately I did make a mistake with the bottling and too much of the yeasty sediment ended up in the pot and ultimately in the bottles, hence the haze. The beer did provide some nice head, but not a tremendous amount of lacing on the glass. All in all, it looked like a beer.

Smell: Not much here except a yeasty smell. The hops are not aggressive and did not provide much of a scent. It smelled like a beer.

Taste/Mouthfeel: Mouthfeel was light side of medium with the carbonation noted. The taste again was primarily a bready one due to too much yeast. I did get some floral and grassy hop flavor, but it was faint. It tasted like a beer.

Overall: As much as I am proud of making something that is drinkable, I am disappointed in letting too much of the sediment in and affecting the flavor. I used to wonder why my home brewer friend would be so critical of the batches he made that were excellent to me. I now understand being my own toughest critic.

Much like most things in life, there is always room for improvement. For a first time out, I will give myself a B-. Luckily I think I have an A+ batch fermenting as I type. Now if I can only get it into the bottle correctly. I will keep on trying.

Cheers!

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!