Big Sky Brewing is best known for its brown "Moose Drool" but this is a nice little IPA.
Yep, I'm sure il have more of this.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Big Sky IPA from Mussoula, Montana
I expect to have a few of these when we go skiing this spring at Big Sky. A little dark in color, it's a nice, fresh, hoppy beer. Just beyond a pale, with nice mineral notes and fresh NW American hops. Maybe a hint of wood resin. A bit of back palate tang to show its more than a Pale. 6.2 alcohol content is in the proper slightly-elevated range. 65 IBU reading is not as bitter as I'd like it, but it tastes higher when you drink it first.
Big Sky Brewing is best known for its brown "Moose Drool" but this is a nice little IPA.
Yep, I'm sure il have more of this.
Big Sky Brewing is best known for its brown "Moose Drool" but this is a nice little IPA.
Yep, I'm sure il have more of this.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
2012 Marzen
Can you make a Marzen in November? Sure you can.
2012 Marzen
Every year on Christmas Eve, the six Drummond families all exchange Christmas gifts. Not just the kids, not just the parents with the kids, but everyone. Every family buys presents for every person in the other 5 families, parents, kids, children-in-law, everyone. Plus whatever aunts or mothers-in-law that might be there as well. That makes for a lot of presents, and a long session of gift-wrap-ripping.
Some of the in-laws aren't so fond of the melee, mainly because it means buying presents for so many people (not out of a lack of generosity, but out of a desire to avoid the number of presents to be bought. The efforts of those naysayers have resulted in a post-Thanksgiving tradition: Aunt Mamie requires everyone to submit a Christmas gift list, which everyone uses as a guide to buy stuff for everyone else. Those of us on the side of more presents are fine with this, since it keeps the griping down to a minimum by those who don't like the plethora of presents.
Sometimes you buy stuff that's not on the list; one year, I had made some homebrew, and I distributed some of that around as a Christmas present. Since then, the first item of brother Art's list every year is the same: homemade beer. Since I'm the only brewer in the family, that task falls to me. So I've gotten in the habit of making a "Christmas beer" every year. Not a winter ale or spiced beer or Old Fezziwig or something; I don't do that often. But just a beer that will be in the bottles by Christmas.
This year, I repeated a Marzen I had made in the spring that was a nice, snappy Octoberfest beer. Marzens are traditionally brewed in March (hence the name, Marzen, the German word for March) to be ready to drink at Octoberfest. My last one was a little edgy and estery on first taste; I decided that I probably pitched the yeast a little too soon, while the beer was a little too hot, the the little bugs complained by producing some esters, which give a harsh side-of-the-tongue tang and sourness to the mouth of the beer. This go-round, I held off on pitching the yeast until the wort temperature was below 80 degrees (a little warm for commercial brewing, but nice for my amalgamation of yeast). One week in the primary fermenter at room temperature (around 70 this time of year in the utility room), then lagering for about 5 weeks at around 45 degrees in a carboy in the garage fridge.
The results are nice, better than the last Marzen, without the estery sourness. The crystal malt and Munich flavors are pretty big, and the Saaz hops are subtle; but there's a thinness to it that's hard to explain. It's a mainly whole grain with a little extract recipe, but I think I had a very successful enzyme rest around 150 degrees during the cooking process, and might've done too good a job of chopping down the starches. Personally, I like a light beer that doesn't feel filling, and this avoids that thick maltiness (think Fat Tire). Next year, maybe a half an hour at the enzyme rest.
Next up: a Pale Ale, probably an IPA. After that, it'll be the White House beer, a honey ale. Where, you may ask, did I get the White House Honey Ale recipe and ingredients? Of course, another Drummond brother gave them to me as a Christmas gift.
Hmm, if I use Shawn's gift to make beer that I give to Art and Randall next year, is that re-gifting?
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Community public Ale
An English session ale, called an ESB. As a bitter, it's nice, maybe even special, but not really extra special. Very tasty amber malty English ale. Not pale, and relatively bitter in a clean fresh way, but not the hard hoppy POW I want in an ESB.
Community Lager
All German, front to back. Would meet the Rheinheitsgebot. Slight citrus nose to start but a mellow full follow. Strong malt flavor, very true to the Viennese style.
I should mention tha the lager is tightly filtered, which makes for a very pretty, clear view.
I should mention tha the lager is tightly filtered, which makes for a very pretty, clear view.
Community Pale Ale
New Zealand hops add a citrusy, fruity edge. Backed up by NW American hops (Cascade or Centennial, not sure), its a solid, sharp, hop-first beer. A nice addition to the local beer scene.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
St. Arnold Winter Stoit
Not just stout, but winter stout.
It is a nice roasty dark beer, a little edgy, but relatively clean chocolate and crystal malt flavors that hint at pressure roasting. It's hearty and smooth, a nice warmer on a cold day.
But it's not Guinness. The head is gone in minutes, and it's really just a heavy dark ale. It's tasty, but why bother, really?
Saturday, January 12, 2013
The current standard
This is my current daily go-to beer. I've been a Sierra Nevada fan since discovering the Pale Ale while skiing at Lake Tahoe about 13 years ago, long before it was readily available in Texas. Once it was established here, the Pale was my standard, and still is when I'm out at the KC or the Angry Dog (although I have been known to sample other IPAs, pales and bitters at the Dog; more on that later). However, as I've progressed steadily hop-ward, I've moved on from the Pale Ale to the Torpedo. I don't know why it's an "extra" IPA, but I like it.
As with all of the Sierra beers, the hops are important, and are pure western: light, airy and aromatic. This is what I like.
Friday, January 11, 2013
Point
Point. Well made.
About a year ago, I found a 12-pack of Point Amber at Total Wine & More on Central Expressway, and bought it on a whim. Point Brewing is in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, which I only know because University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point is occasionally a 16th seed in the NCAA March Madness tournament. I love Leinenkugel's Red, from Chippewa Falls, so I figured another Wisconsin beer would be worthwhile. It was; I'm more a hop-head and currently on a big Pale Ale/IPA kick, but the Point Amber is a tasty, meaty, malty (but not too heavy) pleasure. Sort of a XX (Dos Equis) amber of Shiner Bock tasty-yet-unserious brown beer. I've gone back several times, and often have a few Ambers in my fridge (until my nephew Logan comes into town and drinks them all). Until this week, that's the only Point beer I've ever seen, much less tasted.
Tuesday, I had to go to Central Market to pick up flowers for my secretary's birthday, and saw a mixed 12-pack of Point beers: two each of St. Benedict's Winter Ale, 2012 Black Ale, Burly Brown, Cascade Pale Ale, Belgian White, and Amber. I'm working my way through them. (Actually, since I started this post, another trip to Cental Market was required for an entirely different reason, which resulted in a second 12-pack; what I do for blogging's sake.)
Tasting notes:
I started with the St. Benedicts. It's a clear and sharp winter ale with a crisp spicy edge. It's fairly light in both color and taste, almost to the point of being too watery for an ale (especially a winter ale). The spice blend is strong enough to taste, but not so strong that it takes on a perfume taste.
Next up was the 2012 Black Ale. On the Stevens Point Brewery site, some expensive-looking ads for the 2012 play off of the Mayan calendar end-of-the-world scenario, like the brewery threw whatever it had left into this brew: drink it like the end of the world is coming, since we held nothing back. It's not all that. The first sip is thick and malty, and clings to the back of your tongue and your soft palate, promising a glass full of wolly warmth. But that first impression, full of chocolate and roasted nut flavors, fades by the third or fourth sip. The flavor is still there, but the body, the thickness, like you'd find in, say Guinness' black ale, thins out sip by sip. By the end, if you're drinking out of the bottle (as I did my first time), you may well forget you're drinking a black beer (as I did my first time). My advice: drink it out of a glass; you're much more likely to enjoy it as a black beer all the way to the end.
The following night I had the Belgian White. I was going to drink it out of the bottle, but was struck by how clear it was, so I decanted. Clearly this is not a white -- it was clear as spring water (well, yellow spring water). It says on the label that it's a wheat beer, as all Belgian white's should be, but I would expect any true white to be somewhere between translucent and opaque. Whites are called that because they look cloudy; it's a result of the carbohydrate/starch in the wheat not breaking down entirely. You also expect a white to have a musty, sour-milk sort of smell and taste: again, that's a result of brewing with wheat, and the inability to brew it down to pure sugars. Usually, white beers are drunk with fruit, so as to cover up some of the sour taste of the wheat. They're also usually infused with coriander, for the same reason. For what it lacks in the "white" department, the Point Belgian White is definitely makes it up in coriander; so sharp, it made me think of ouzo for a second. Despite how bad that all sounds, it's actually a nice beer. I don't think I can call it a white, but it would certainly be serviceable as a spice beer.
Next was the Cascade Pale. As with most Point beers, it's a little on the thin side, with a typical crisp American Northwest hop taste. It comes across very clean, and the malt taste is very subdued. I love hops, so I enjoy how forward this beer is with the hop flavor, but it's definitely not bitter or particularly dry. I rarely say this with regard to a pale, bitter, IPA, ESB, or the like, but it really could use more malt.
The Burly Brown compares well with the black, and is an interesting back-to-back tasting. It's much less chocolatey and more of a nut brown. It's billed as an American brown ale, which is seems like it is, but is definitely thin in mouth-feel. In fact, if you drink it out of the bottle, you'd never know how dark it is. If you want to look like a serious beer drinker but are actually a poser, this would be a good beer on draft.
Finally, the 12-pack also contains the Amber. Previously, I'd only had it in cans. Like I said above, it's a great standard medium-brown amber, sort of a Wisconsin Shiner Bock. There's almost a cirtusy back-flavor behind the malt, which must come from the crystal malt that gives it a slight red tone. This is the Point beer I'd buy over and over again.
All of the beers lack any sourness or edgy bitterness (even where there ought to be some, as in the White and the Pale). All of the beers are light enough to allow you to drink them nonstop without feeling full or bloated, with the possible exception of the Burly Brown (for a contrary example, think of drinking 2-3 Fat Tires in rapid succession, and the bloated feel you'd get). I'd suspect the water is very low in mineral content, possibly even softened, and the yeast is light and uncomplicated. I'd also suspect that the brewers at Point are very conscious of brew temperatures and maintain longer-than-average enzyme rests in the 145 - 155 degree (Farenheit) range.
Bottom line, these would satisfy the serious beer drinker and the casual one. I guess if you can't drink anything beefier than Corona Light, you might have trouble choking down some of these, but then again, if that's you, what are you doing in Wisconsin?
About a year ago, I found a 12-pack of Point Amber at Total Wine & More on Central Expressway, and bought it on a whim. Point Brewing is in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, which I only know because University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point is occasionally a 16th seed in the NCAA March Madness tournament. I love Leinenkugel's Red, from Chippewa Falls, so I figured another Wisconsin beer would be worthwhile. It was; I'm more a hop-head and currently on a big Pale Ale/IPA kick, but the Point Amber is a tasty, meaty, malty (but not too heavy) pleasure. Sort of a XX (Dos Equis) amber of Shiner Bock tasty-yet-unserious brown beer. I've gone back several times, and often have a few Ambers in my fridge (until my nephew Logan comes into town and drinks them all). Until this week, that's the only Point beer I've ever seen, much less tasted.
Tuesday, I had to go to Central Market to pick up flowers for my secretary's birthday, and saw a mixed 12-pack of Point beers: two each of St. Benedict's Winter Ale, 2012 Black Ale, Burly Brown, Cascade Pale Ale, Belgian White, and Amber. I'm working my way through them. (Actually, since I started this post, another trip to Cental Market was required for an entirely different reason, which resulted in a second 12-pack; what I do for blogging's sake.)
Tasting notes:
I started with the St. Benedicts. It's a clear and sharp winter ale with a crisp spicy edge. It's fairly light in both color and taste, almost to the point of being too watery for an ale (especially a winter ale). The spice blend is strong enough to taste, but not so strong that it takes on a perfume taste.
Next up was the 2012 Black Ale. On the Stevens Point Brewery site, some expensive-looking ads for the 2012 play off of the Mayan calendar end-of-the-world scenario, like the brewery threw whatever it had left into this brew: drink it like the end of the world is coming, since we held nothing back. It's not all that. The first sip is thick and malty, and clings to the back of your tongue and your soft palate, promising a glass full of wolly warmth. But that first impression, full of chocolate and roasted nut flavors, fades by the third or fourth sip. The flavor is still there, but the body, the thickness, like you'd find in, say Guinness' black ale, thins out sip by sip. By the end, if you're drinking out of the bottle (as I did my first time), you may well forget you're drinking a black beer (as I did my first time). My advice: drink it out of a glass; you're much more likely to enjoy it as a black beer all the way to the end.
The following night I had the Belgian White. I was going to drink it out of the bottle, but was struck by how clear it was, so I decanted. Clearly this is not a white -- it was clear as spring water (well, yellow spring water). It says on the label that it's a wheat beer, as all Belgian white's should be, but I would expect any true white to be somewhere between translucent and opaque. Whites are called that because they look cloudy; it's a result of the carbohydrate/starch in the wheat not breaking down entirely. You also expect a white to have a musty, sour-milk sort of smell and taste: again, that's a result of brewing with wheat, and the inability to brew it down to pure sugars. Usually, white beers are drunk with fruit, so as to cover up some of the sour taste of the wheat. They're also usually infused with coriander, for the same reason. For what it lacks in the "white" department, the Point Belgian White is definitely makes it up in coriander; so sharp, it made me think of ouzo for a second. Despite how bad that all sounds, it's actually a nice beer. I don't think I can call it a white, but it would certainly be serviceable as a spice beer.
Next was the Cascade Pale. As with most Point beers, it's a little on the thin side, with a typical crisp American Northwest hop taste. It comes across very clean, and the malt taste is very subdued. I love hops, so I enjoy how forward this beer is with the hop flavor, but it's definitely not bitter or particularly dry. I rarely say this with regard to a pale, bitter, IPA, ESB, or the like, but it really could use more malt.
The Burly Brown compares well with the black, and is an interesting back-to-back tasting. It's much less chocolatey and more of a nut brown. It's billed as an American brown ale, which is seems like it is, but is definitely thin in mouth-feel. In fact, if you drink it out of the bottle, you'd never know how dark it is. If you want to look like a serious beer drinker but are actually a poser, this would be a good beer on draft.
Finally, the 12-pack also contains the Amber. Previously, I'd only had it in cans. Like I said above, it's a great standard medium-brown amber, sort of a Wisconsin Shiner Bock. There's almost a cirtusy back-flavor behind the malt, which must come from the crystal malt that gives it a slight red tone. This is the Point beer I'd buy over and over again.
All of the beers lack any sourness or edgy bitterness (even where there ought to be some, as in the White and the Pale). All of the beers are light enough to allow you to drink them nonstop without feeling full or bloated, with the possible exception of the Burly Brown (for a contrary example, think of drinking 2-3 Fat Tires in rapid succession, and the bloated feel you'd get). I'd suspect the water is very low in mineral content, possibly even softened, and the yeast is light and uncomplicated. I'd also suspect that the brewers at Point are very conscious of brew temperatures and maintain longer-than-average enzyme rests in the 145 - 155 degree (Farenheit) range.
Bottom line, these would satisfy the serious beer drinker and the casual one. I guess if you can't drink anything beefier than Corona Light, you might have trouble choking down some of these, but then again, if that's you, what are you doing in Wisconsin?
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