Received: Jubel 2010
February 8th, 2010This came today:
Deschutes Brewery’s newest Reserve Series beer, Jubel 2010 (“Once a Decade Ale”) and a goblet—which is identical to the goblets they were handing out during their Release Party Friday night (I picked up one of those as well, so now I have two).
Incidentally, I can say that Jubel is big and plummy and sweet and sticky, hiding its 10% alcohol really well. But I’ll do a more detailed review soon, from this bottle.
Need last-minute Super Bowl beer?
February 7th, 2010Follow my suggestions in my Hop Press article yesterday. There’s still time to run out to your nearest bottle shop (or boutique grocery, or wherever sells craft beer in your area) and stock up.
The Session #36: Cask-Conditioned Beer
February 5th, 2010
It’s the first Friday of the month again, and that means it’s time for “Beer Blogging Friday”—AKA The Session, the monthly collaboration of beer bloggers across the world to write about a common topic. All the participating blog posts will then be gathered and summarized by the host for the month (who is also the one who got to pick the theme and set any ground rules).
This month’s topic is brought to us by Tom over at Yours for Good Fermentables and the topic is Cask-Conditioned Beer:
Cask-conditioned ale —or “real ale” as it is called, somewhat boastfully, by the Campaign For Real Ale (CAMRA), a beer consumer advocacy group in the UK— is defined by that organization as
beer brewed from traditional ingredients, matured by secondary fermentation in the container from which it is dispensed, and served without the use of extraneous carbon dioxide.
Viewers of this blog have read my opinions on cask-conditioned ale, and probably once too often. So, let’s hear yours, and not only yours. Why not invite brewers and drinkers and bemused casked-spectators to contribute essays for the Session?
Besides that question, Tom suggests a number of other possible discussion points for this month’s topic. Actually he suggests a lot. I expect this month’s Session posts will be good reads.
One of the first things I thought, from his definition of cask-conditioned ale, is that homebrewed beer fits that definition almost perfectly: at least when it’s bottle-conditioned. Bottle-conditioning is essentially a secondary fermentation of the beer in the bottle, naturally carbonating it; you open a bottle and serve it as-is, without the “extraneous” CO2. It’s like bottles of homebrew are casks!
Beyond that pithy observation, I have to confess a lack of experience in drinking cask-conditioned beers. Not to say I’m completely clueless—I’ve thoroughly enjoyed cask ales when I’ve ordered them, and I’d be happy if every beer I drink could be cask-conditioned. But Oregon overall has a distinct lack of “cask culture”, so to speak, so the opportunities just aren’t there. The only place in Central Oregon that I know for sure offers cask-conditioned beer is Deschutes Brewery (of course)—they have two taps devoted to cask conditioned beers, one of which is always populated with their excellent Bachelor Bitter.
Now, having mentioned Oregon’s dearth of the cask, I do have to point to the one exception: the Brewers Union Local 180, located in tiny Oakridge, Oregon. It occupies a unique niche in the state’s beer scene: it’s the only Real Ale pub in Oregon—that is, all of their beers are cask-conditioned and only cask-conditioned.
They’re serious about it, too:
In order to keep our casks in peak condition, and to serve in an optimum way, we have built a temperature-controlled cellar behind the bar. This temperature will be maintained at 52° F (11° C), a bit on the cool side of the recommended range of 50°—55° F (10°—12° C). The stillage has been built to accommodate 8 casks, six of which can be in service and connected to the six beer engines on the bar at any one time. We are using CypherCo plastic firkins shipped from England that are automatically kept at the correct angle of incline based on remaining volume in the casks by the use of Tilt-a-Cask auto tilt mechanisms from A-Cask, another product shipped from England.
You would have to search far and wide, perhaps involving the journey over a large body of water, to find a more authentic pint.
The blog is also good reading, and I’d water I’ve learned more about cask ales from reading it than anything else.
You’d expect a brewpub occupying such a unique niche to be located in Portland (Beervana), but strangely enough it’s to be found in one of the more out-of-the-way communities in the state—which for me, only adds to the appeal. And since Oakridge is only a mere 97 miles from Bend, one of my goals this year is to take (at the least) a day trip over to check out the Brewers Union 180.
And when I do, I’ll be able to talk a bit more about cask conditioning.
Another Bend Beer Blog
February 4th, 2010As active as the beer culture is here in Bend, Oregon, there sure is a scarcity of local beer blogs. For the longest time there was just myself (and of course, now my Hop Press blog as well) and Brewerman. Only two of the breweries have blogs: Deschutes and 10 Barrel (though that one hasn’t been updated in nearly a year).
But! There’s a new blog that has popped up: the aptly-name “The Bend Beer Blog.” I’m always glad to see a new beer blog, and one here in Bend is especially welcome!
Now if we could only get a few more, we could have some serious meetups.
Deschutes Jubel 2010 release party
February 2nd, 2010This Friday, February 5th, marks the Jubel 2010 Release Party at Deschutes Brewery—2pm at the Portland Pub, and 6pm at the Bend Pub. The Bend event blurb reads:
Jubel 2010 beer on tap with special menu items. Bottles for sale (6 bottle limit). First 100 guests will receive a Jubel 2010 commemorative goblet.
Jubel 2010, or “Super Jubel” as it’s locally known when they release it in the pub only each year, is Deschutes’ latest Reserve Series beer, basically a doubled-up version of their seasonal Jubelale. This is only the second time the brewery has ever bottled Super Jubel, the first being in 2000. From the press release, here’s the (apocryphal?) story of how it came about:
Jubel was discovered by accident two decades ago when a clumsy burglar didn’t realize the weight of his stolen keg of Jubelale. He dropped it outside to freeze in the season’s sub-zero temperatures – only to be discovered the next morning by Gary Fish, Deschutes Brewery owner. More than half the liquid in the keg had frozen and the remaining beer was a very cold, highly concentrated “Jubelale on steroids.” It was so good that the brewers set about recreating it, coming up with an annual “Super Jubel” that is aged in Oregon oak pinot barrels.
I can’t speak as to whether the story’s true or not—it’s a good story but seems a little convenient—but I’ve had Super Jubel on tap over the years, and it’s a good beer.
Check out one of the release parties, if you’re in either area; it’ll be packed but still a good time.
Zwickelmania 2010
February 1st, 2010Zwickelmania in Oregon is back again this year:
This President’s Day weekend, dozens of Oregon breweries and brewpubs will open their doors to visitors for the state’s 2nd annual Zwickelmania. Zwickelmania, hosted by the Oregon Brewers Guild (OBG), is a free statewide event that offers visitors a chance to tour Oregon breweries, meet the brewers and sample their favorite beers.
When: Saturday, February 13th, 2010 from 11-4 pm
It’s a celebration of Oregon’s brewers, and there’s an impressive list participating this year (be sure to check out the details to see what each brewery has planned), including:
- Heater Allen Brewing: “Release of Hugo Bock, free tastes of Smokey Bob out of the lagering tank and $1 tastes of everything else.”
- Oakshire Brewing: “Tours on the hour and 10, that’s right, TEN different beers on tap! Devour will be on hand selling their grilled sandwhiches, soup and tater tots.”
- BridgePort Brewing: “$2.75 pints between 11-4pm along with brewery tours on the hour”
- Deschutes Brewing (Bend): “Guided brewery tours from 12 to 5, samples of 2009 Super Jubel+brewer on hand to answer questions.”
- Full Sail Brewing (both locations): “Take a tour and sample a pairing of “Collin’s Dark Secret” the newest Brewers Share beer and artisian chocolate, a great Valentine’s weekend treat. Guided Brewery Tours at 12, 1, 2, 3 and 4PM”
- Pelican Pub & Brewery: “Meet 3 brewers who will be offering brewery tours and beer samples from the fermenter.”
- Raccoon Lodge: “Sampling beer from the Zwickel+beers from the barrel and promises of alchemy demonstrations as well.”
- Southern Oregon Brewing: “Tour and complimentary flight of tasters for people who take the tour at 4 pm.”
- Three Creeks Brewing: “Brewery tours on the hour and the Brewer will be on-site with tastings and beer discussion all day.”
- Widmer Brewing: “Widmer Brothers Brewing will have free tours of their state-of-the-art brewing facility, offering complimentary tastings and appetizers paired with the beers. They will offer special release beers not available anywhere else along with their standard beers. Kurt and Rob and their brewing staff will be on site giving tours. They will have t-shirts, pint glasses, and other gear for sale.”
Liquid Solutions is closing
January 31st, 2010I saw this news last week but hadn’t really had time to fully process or address it: online beer retailer Liquid Solutions is closings its doors.
It is with a heavy heart that I am closing the business down after nine years of operation. We are shutting down the website and liquidating our entire inventory out of the warehouse. We are selling all beer, mead and ciders at 10-30% below cost. Hundreds of great beers are available. For a list of products see the post below. Come to the warehouse early for the best selection.
There is also a list of beers available for liquidation, but if you’re able to go there’s no guarantee that any of these will be still available.
Beyond that, of course, is a deeper regret on seeing the site shuttered; while the site itself was a little rough around the edges, it was still incomparable as far as online beer stores go, both in selection and with their vintage auctions. Not to mention that they offered an affiliate program—as regular visitors here have undoubtedly noticed. That alone put them ahead of other online stores I’ve come across.
Definitely a loss to the internet beer community, and they will be missed.
Hop Press: To Age or Not To Age
January 31st, 2010In case you missed it yesterday, my Hop Press articles is a meditation on the aging of beer.
When does the aging end and the drinking begin? Do you follow the Pliny school of thought, or the Reserve Series? Lately I’ve been drifting a bit from the Reserve Series column to the Pliny column: beer is meant to be drank. But there are some styles of beer that are worth aging; it’s not an absolute either way for me.
Cream Ale Week: Terrapin Golden Ale
January 29th, 2010
Even though they call it “Golden Ale,” Terrapin Beer’s Golden Ale does in fact fit the Cream Ale style bill—and the ratings sites both classify it as such. Intrigued, I contacted Terrapin to find out if they would provide a sample for review; they generously sent two bottles to me. (They in fact arrived just this week—in the nick of time!)
Terrapin is based in Atlanta Athens, Georgia (updated—see comments, and you’d think I’d do my homework more diligently), and this may well be my first Georgia craft beer. So far it’s a nice introduction.
The spec sheet they included with the package indicates an alcohol content of 5.3% by volume (the website says 5%), and has an interesting grain bill: 2-Row Pale, Munich, Vienna, Malted Wheat, Flaked Barley. (The site indicates Carapils as well, but it’s not on the sheet.) The wheat is what caught my eye; it’s not a component of Cream Ales I’ve seen much in commercial beers (though I’ve used in it my own recipe), though it would help to lighten the body and aid head retention.
Appearance: Hazy honey-gold in color with one finger of ivory head.
Smell: Nice malty nose, toasty and a touch floral. A mild fruitiness as well… mango or something tropical?
Taste: It’s got a tart bite punctuated by a wheaty bread crust flavor and a touch of green apple. Tart enough to be dry but not off-putting—a nice thirst-quenching quality to it.
Mouthfeel: Light, slightly puckery, effervescent with a tart, dry finish.
Overall: Definitely grabs you, in a good way—lots of character for a light beer.
On BeerAdvocate, it scores an overall grade of B-. On RateBeer, it scores 2.75 out of 5, and is in their 24th percentile.
Cream Ale Week: New Glarus Spotted Cow
January 29th, 2010The most-rated beer for the Cream Ale category on both BeerAdvocate and RateBeer comes from Wisconsin, specifically the town of New Glarus: Spotted Cow, from (fittingly enough) New Glarus Brewing. As it happens, it may also be Wisconsin’s best-known beer—it’s certainly the flagship beer for the brewery.
At 4.8% alcohol by volume it’s a true session ale. Here’s their description:
Cask conditioned ale has been the popular choice among brews since long before prohibition. We continue this pioneer spirit with our Wisconsin farmhouse ale. Brewed with flaked barley and the finest Wisconsin malts. We even give a nod to our farmers with a little hint of corn.
Naturally cloudy we allow the yeast to remain in the bottle to enhance fullness of flavors, which cannot be duplicated otherwise.
Normally only available in Wisconsin, I was able to acquire some just to be able to review it for Cream Ale Week.
Appearance: Golden yellow with a bit of haze; two fingers of fine white head.
Smell: Crisp wheat and a touch of sweet corn. Bread yeast, slightly grassy.
Taste: French bread crust, wheat and a bit of sweet green grass. Fairly clean and crisp, tiny notes of hops and a little mineral-y.
Mouthfeel: Light and crisp with a pleasing mineral-sweetish afterbite.
Overall: I think this is pretty prototypical of the Cream Ale style, light and sweet and grassy but very clean. It would be a good go-to session beer and I can see how it’s a big seller.
On BeerAdvocate, it scores an overall grade of B. On RateBeer, it scores 3.03 out of 5 and is in their 49th percentile.
Cream Ale Week: Summer Solstice Cerveza Crema
January 28th, 2010It would be hard to talk about Cream Ales on the West Coast and not mention Anderson Valley’s Summer Solstice Cerveza Crema. It’s a Cream Ale that actually achieves a creamy flavor (and aroma)—though it’s through the addition of a mystery spice. So it’s sort of a hybrid of a hybrid style…
No matter—this is still one very tasty beer that I find enjoyable to drink.
It’s 5.6% alcohol by volume and only 4 IBUs (according to Anderson Valley’s website).
Appearance: Substantially darker than the other cream ales—amber honey-colored. Generous off-white head.
Smell: Spiciness that’s a bit coriander and a bit… nutmeg? Has kind of a creamy aroma that makes me think so. Clean malty notes.
Taste: Real nice creamy-spice character that’s nutmeg-y and something else I can’t identify (cardamom?). Mild hops and tasty honey malts move into a nice toasty-biscuit aftertaste.
Mouthfeel: Light-to-medium-bodied with a tangy-spicy bite on the tongue.
Overall: Tasty and rich; I’d like to know what spice(s) they incorporate and what gives it the creamy flavors. A little heavy for a traditional Cream Ale but very enjoyable.
On BeerAdvocate, it scores an overall grade of B. On RateBeer, it scores 3.1 out of 5 and is in their 55th percentile.
Cream Ale Week: Laughing Dog Cream Ale
January 27th, 2010Laughing Dog Brewing is one of those Pacific Northwest microbreweries you may or may not have heard of; located in the Idaho panhandle (way up north) in the town of Ponderay, the brewery has been making something of a splash in the PNW for their Alpha Dog Imperial IPA. This week, however, I’m interested in their Laughing Dog Cream Ale.
Here’s their process:
Laughing Dog Brewing’s Cream Ale is a traditional cream ale fermented with both ale and lager yeast, this gives us the creamy smoothness of an ale with a nice dry crisp finish.
We start with premium American grown 2 row pale malted barley, add a touch of German pils malt then Australian malt for color and flavor. Finally only choice Northwest grown Hops are added. After carefully fermenting for 2 weeks, we quickly chill the beer and filter.
It’s all-malt, and they don’t mention what variety of hops or yeast is used. No mention of alcohol content either, but around 5% by volume is probably a good guess.
Appearance: Pale, bright yellow and very clear—very lively with a huge head of beaten egg white building up, thick and rocky.
Smell: Grainy with a bit of wheat, light with a fruity note. A touch of earthy hops.
Taste: Earthy and fruity at first, brings to mind a green apple or a not-quite-ripe apricot, maybe. Nice depth of character, curious as to the hops (and the yeast) used… a bit of a bite. I keep coming back to “earthy”.
Mouthfeel: Light and crisp and just a hint puckery.
Overall: Crisp, light, gassy, and it reminds me of a homebrewed apricot ale I made way back when (in the mid-90s)—it has the same kind of earthy apricot character that I remember from that.
On BeerAdvocate, it scores an overall grade of B-. On RateBeer, it scores 3.26 out of 5 and is in their 69th percentile.
Cream Ale Week: The origins and style of Cream Ale
January 26th, 2010Cream Ale is classified by the BJCP as a “Hybrid Beer”: category 6A. It’s classified as a hybrid because it was originally developed as an ale version of the American light lager that was popular in the latter half of the nineteenth century:
An ale version of the American lager style. Produced by ale brewers to compete with lager brewers in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic States. Originally known as sparkling or present use ales, lager strains were (and sometimes still are) used by some brewers, but were not historically mixed with ale strains. Many examples are kräusened to achieve carbonation. Cold conditioning isn’t traditional, although modern brewers sometimes use it.
There’s a bit of murkiness surrounding the issue; I’ve read that Cream Ales variously were:
- Brewed with ale yeasts but cold-conditioned like lagers;
- Brewed with lager yeast at ale temperatures;
- Brewed with a blend of ale and lager yeasts;
- A blend of ale and lager (finished products).
Randy Mosher in Radical Brewing offers some insight:
As the American brewing industry shifted into the hands of German immigrants familiar with the Altbiers (ales) of Cologne/Köln, brewers cast pale ales in a Continental mold rather than an English one. To my mind, there is little theoretical difference between Kölsch, cream ale, and blonde ale. (p. 80)
And:
The cream ale style is a kind of amalgam of the English-derived American ale style, as brewed by German brewmasters in American lager breweries. It’s my view that many of them simply applied their experience with German ales such as Kölschbier, and voilà, Cream Ale. (pp. 90-91)
From a style and recipe formulation perspective, we’re looking at a very light ale, yellow to gold in color, and generally of “session beer” alcohol levels—anywhere from 4% to 6% and possibly higher. It’s mild on the tongue, crisp and refreshing (often from cold-conditioning), a good lawnmower or summertime beer.
Brewing these beers with corn and/or sugar as an adjunct is acceptable, and even common—and keeping with the style’s historical roots. Understandably, it’s this fact that also gives people a bit of a hang-up when confronting the style: corn is considered to be less-than-desirable in beer—it’s the kind of cheap grain the megabreweries will use in their beers, for instance, and we all know what sort of stigma that carries.
Using corn sugar in a (homebrewed) recipe for Cream Ale is acceptable, up to 20% of the fermentables. When I was formulating my own Cream Ale recipe I settled on one pound of corn sugar and four pounds of dried malt extract, and that seems to work out well.
Of course, many brewers are brewing all-malt version of the style and are foregoing the corn altogether.
Finally, for the numbers-and-stats people, here are the BJCP’s guidelines for the style (you know, if you’re planning on brewing for competition or anything. If not, carry on):
| Vital Statistics: | OG: 1.042 – 1.055 |
| IBUs: 15 – 20 | FG: 1.006 – 1.012 |
| SRM: 2.5 – 5 | ABV: 4.2– 5.6% |
Cream Ale Week: Kiwanda Cream Ale
January 25th, 2010The first Cream Ale I picked up to review this week is an award-winning beer from (big surprise) Oregon: Pelican Pub & Brewery’s Kiwanda Cream Ale. Pelican is one of the top brewers in Oregon right now, and it’s not much of a stretch to say Kiwanda Cream Ale is one of the best around for the style; it has won a number of medals at the Great American Beer Festival and Draft Magazine even named it one of their 25 best beers of 2008.
What’s amazing is how simple the recipe is (from Pelican’s site):
- Two-row malt
- Carapils malt
- Flaked barley
- Mt. Hood hops
Plus yeast and water and that’s it. But once you have a pint in front of you it’s obvious why it’s a top-rated Cream Ale.
It’s 5.1% alcohol by volume, just a tad over session strength (for certain values of “session”), and very easy drinking.
Appearance: Clear and golden yellow with thick fluffy white head. Effervescent beading of tiny bubbles off the bottom.
Smell: Mellow floral hop aromas, a touch citrus and fruity. Clean malty notes follow and a touch of raw wheat.
Taste: Flavorful and toasty—more than meets the eye! It’s got a luscious malt-forward blend of biscuit and granola and toasted wheat, and there’s a light but noticeable spicy hop presence backing it.
Mouthfeel: Clean with—yes—a creamy feel to it in the mouth, more medium-bodied than the eye would suggest.
Overall: Excellent and satisfying. Eminently drinkable and flavorful enough that you just want to keep drinking. A standard?
On BeerAdvocate, it scores an overall grade of B+. On RateBeer, it scores 3.11 out of 5 and is in their 54th percentile.
Cream Ale Week
January 25th, 2010Welcome to Cream Ale Week! All this week I’ll be reviewing and writing about Cream Ales, the light “hybrid” style of American golden or blonde beers (why it’s considered something of a hybrid style is something I’ll cover this week as well).
Why Cream Ales in the middle of winter? Well, why not? I’m drinking strong beers as much as the next guy, but at the same time it seems like every other news item is “strongest beer this” and “barrel-aged that”—sometimes you just need a breather, and take time to celebrate a session beer.
Plus I’ve been interested in the style lately; simple and unassuming, many might turn up their nose at it because it’s similar to the “fizzy yellow beer” of the industrial macro lager—and if so, they’re missing out. A Cream Ale might be a fairly basic recipe to brew, but it’s unforgiving of mistakes (i.e., easy to screw up!). Getting it right is an accomplishment.
So read along this week, and seek out some Cream Ales to try yourself. You might be surprised.
