Beer Review: Widmer Brothers W '10 Pitch Black IPA

Well two for Tuesday today, and yes I know it's a beer from a brewery that I reviewed last week but it was staring at me from the fridge just saying drink me...DRINK ME!! I find that a lot of beers I have never tried talk to me, or maybe I just drank a barley wine too fast. Plus not a better time to review when the new issues of BYO Magazine and Zymurgy have articles about the emerging style of Cascadian Dark Ales, which basically translate to black IPA.

Our Brewmasters' Release - Pitch Black IPA is a Pacific Northwest twisted tribute to an IPA style of beer. It is almost a traditional IPA but it is instead brewed to the emerging style of Cascadian Dark. We add a modest amount of a specially made debittered black malt to give this IPA a very dark color but without the characteristic dark malt flavors. Pitch Black IPA is hopped generously in the brewhouse and then again later during the dry hopping process. Hopheads of the world will certainly enjoy this dark version of IPA, as will beer drinkers looking for something new and experimental to fill their pint glass.

The "W" Brewmasters' Release Series is from Widmer Brothers. A new beer every year. Built from the ground up by our hardworkin' brewmasters. Traditional, experimental, anything goes. Here's to trying new things.

availability:	January - April
bitterness:	65 IBU
alcohol by volume:	6.5%
original gravity:	16° PLATO
malts:	Two Row Pale, Caramel 10 L, Special Roast, Carafa Special II
hops:	BITTERING: Alchemy AROMA: Alchemy, Cascades DRY HOP: Cascade T-45
goes well with:	smokey and spicy type dishes that tend to be richer, Steak with blue cheese butter (black and blue combo), Spicy Mole, Chili, Smoked and/or spicy cured meats, BBQ ribs

Appearance: Pours a deep mahogany in the light but appears black when out of the light. Thick off-white head lingers awhile with great full glass lacing.

Aroma: Citrus hops leaning towards grapefruit, with no roasted character evident until the beer warms a little. A tiny bit of caramel sweetness. 

Flavor: Upfront with grapefruity citrus tones leading to a tiny bit of roast and caramel sweetness. Slighty astringent but barely noticeable. Finishes dry on the palate. As the beer warms some roasted character comes through which really plays well with the hops.

Mouthfeel: Low to medium body with low carbonation. Very drinkable.

Overall: All I can say is that it is different. The color really throws off what you are tasting. This is a very tasty IPA with just a hint of roast which plays well with the hops and slight caramel sweetness. Very drinkable but will catch up with you if you have a few of them. A new style that will likely take on with the craft beer world. The style was probably derived in some homebrewers kettle. If it does well I could see Widmer Brother's making this an everyday offering or at least a seasonal one. As of now it is part of their yearly brewmaster's release so pick one up if you see it, you may only have the rest of this year to try it out.  

Beer Review: Buffalo Bill's Orange Blossom Cream Ale

Well yesterday was the first day of summer and what a better way to welcome the upcoming scorching heat with an orange flavored cream ale. I found this at a liquor store up in Boulder, CO but have since seen it popping up everywhere, even at Cost Plus.

Orange Blossom Cream Ale

Orange Blossom Cream Ale is a seasonal beer in the fastest growing category in the craft beer segment. Pour it into a glass and enjoy the wonderful fragrance of freshly peeled orange. Orange Blossom Cream Ale is brewed with sweet orange peel, orange blossom extract, and honey. 

Malts:

Pale, Victory

Hops:

First Gold

Alcohol:

5.2% Alc. by Volume

IBUs:

13

Appearance: Pours golden orange with a one finger white head. Slighty hazy with a small touch of lacing.

Aroma: Smells like those orange scented potpourris. 

Flavor: Bitter orange peel upfront, leading into a sweet honey/floral middle, ending with candied orange. Bitterness slightly balances out the sweet.

Mouthfeel: Low body with medium carbonation.

Overall: Not too cloyingly sweet, the orange is present but also lends a pith bitterness to the beer. Would be nice to have one on a real hot day by the pool, although not a fan of putting fruit in beer this would probably be nice with an orange slice. I am not going to be sexist and say this is a great girly drink (ok I guess I am) but if you are into Smirnoff ICE this may be somewhat up your alley. I would recommend toning down all the orange and adding some malt to add to the complexity. They say they use victory malt which would do this nicely but I wasn't able to pick any up from the tasting. I could have one of these beers but would wind up getting sick of it if I was trying to "indulge" that day. 

   

Kyle's Brewfest - Great Divide Brewing Company, Denver Colorado

Kyle Hollingsworth, keyboardist extraordinaire, from the likes of The String Cheese Incident, Kyle Hollingsworth Band, Holy Kimoto, etc has put together a great event in support of Conscious Alliance. In cooperation with Great Divide Brewing, The Mountain Sun Brewery, Deschutes Brewery, and Odell Brewing the event will be held at the Great Divide Taproom on Thursday July 22nd, 2010 the night before String Cheese's return to Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Tickets are $25 and all proceeds benefit Conscious Alliance. In addtion to helping out a great charity all tickets include:


• exclusive performance from Kyle Hollingsworth Band
• limited edition Kyle’s Brew Fest logo pint glass
• several drink tickets
• one 2-oz taster per brewery (participating breweries include Great Divide Brewing, The Mountain Sun Brewery, Deschutes Brewery, Odell Brewing, Avery Brewing, Boulder Beer, Ska Brewing, Stone Brewing, Trinity Brewing, Upslope Brewing and others)
• delicious Mountain Sun grilled food
• an opportunity to bid at the Silent Auction (which features rock memorabilia from the scene’s favorite artists, among other items)

I am told by a source very close to the scene that these tickets are just about sold out so if interested I would grab them up pretty quickly. Tickets can be purchased at:


***UPDATE - Tickets are currently only available at The Mountain Sun and Southern Sun Pubs in Boulder and Vine Street Pub in Denver. Online tickets are currently sold out, more tickets may be made available online at a later date. Mountain Sun Pubs

http://sci.baselineticketing.com/choose.php?a=1&lid=43805&eid=50604

For more info: http://www.kylehollingsworth.com/

Kyle has worked hard with the sponsoring breweries to put this together and working even harder helping them brew the batches that will be available for tasting at this event. It is going to be a very unique event to kick off a great weekend of music and brews. 

I will be attending and giving an in depth review in the week following. There may be some plans in the mix to get an interview in with Kyle so if you have any specific questions please post away.

Brew Gear: Online Supplier Review - BrewmastersWarehouse.com

If you have been apart of the homebrew community long you have probably figured out there is at least one common thing that all of us possess, and that would be thriftiness. Let's face it, this really isn't a cheap hobby. You may tell yourself hey I am making great beer for cents on the dollar but this is only factoring in ingredients. When looking at all the equipment I have bought over the years I probably would have broke even by just going and buying craft beer from the local liquor store.

Here in Denver I am lucky enough to have three homebrew shops that are within a 20 minute drive. Unfortunately the closest one shafted me on some grain and the owner wouldn't take my advice that he should probably calibrate his scales. Oh well, such is life, I will take my money elsewhere. I am not always available at the operating business hours of the other two so I began testing out a lot of the various different homebrew supply providers online.

As with any business, prices are going to vary from site to site. Some having cheaper grain, some having cheaper gear, etc... One of the first things I try to find out about an online site would be the shipping policy, if they charge by the pound it probably will be a lot higher than just driving to the store, but if they have a flat rate shipping charge it usually ends up being right around the same. I get to be thrifty and lazy??? The perfect combination...

BrewmastersWarehouse.com

I came across this online homebrew supplier because I saw the owner posting on the message board that I frequent (brews-bros.com). The website is very nicely designed. It flows and is easy to navigate around to find what you are looking for. 

 A nice feature that I have only seen on this online store is what they call the "Brew Builder." This feature allows you to build a beer recipe directly on the website. The brewer will choose the style that they are going for and it will let the them know if they are close to hitting the marks developed by the Beer Judge Certification Program. Not only does it provide you with the calculations for the quantitative values of the recipe but also give you the qualitative data about that specific style of beer.

Along with being able to build recipes directly on the site, they also allow the user to save recipes under their username. There is an option that will allow the brewer to share his/her recipes with others and even without a username you can search through other's recipes to help you build your own.

 Brewmasters Warehouse pricing is very reasonable. Most of my brewing needs can be had at this site for cheaper than I can get them at my local stores, with the flat rate $6.99 shipping I can get grain and yeast for my brew day without ever having to leave my house.

Although you have to option for quicker shipping I find that the FedEx ground used for the flat rate shipping is plenty fast enough. The order is usually fulfilled and shipped within two days of placing the order online. They send out an email with your tracking number so that you'll know when it is going to be waiting for you at the doorstep. The packaging is done very well and everything always arrives safely.

The number one aspect of Brewmasters Warehouse that keeps me ordering is the customer service the the owner Ed provides. There have been times when I have forgot to add an ice pack to my order, wanted to see if my package has shipped, or something had been out of stock. I have emailed and Ed always gets back to me within two hours (most of the time shorter) and takes care of the problem.

 I definitely recommend buying from Brewmasters Warehouse, they are a quality homebrew shop that has top notch customer service. I look at them like a German Shepherd, they might not be the best at just one thing, but they are at least second best with everything.  

Recipe of the Week: Mister Squinty Contemporary Summer Ale

This week's recipe comes from Radical Brewing by Randy Mosher. This is just one of the more tamer of the many recipes in the book that you can find for purchase here. This recipe is somewhat a take off a British ordinary bitter. It has a more malty background and has some spiciness from the hop additions. It matures pretty quickly and is perfect for a hot summer day.

 *via AHA

The efficiency from the recipe in the book seems to be a little high for most brewers. I will post the original recipe but you may need to tweak it a little so that you can hit the gravity marked based on your system's efficiency. 

Mash:

4lbs Maris Otter

2lbs Pilsner Malt

10 oz White Wheat malt

Mash at 147 - 148 for 60 minutes 

Boil:

Add 8 oz of piloncillo, demerara or similar unrefined sugar to the boil 

1.25 oz Challenger Hops 60 minutes

.5 oz Challenger Hops 30 minutes

.5 oz Challenger Hops 5 minutes

.5 oz Saaz Hops 5 minutes

Yeast: 

Use your favorite British ale yeast

OG: 1.048

Alc by Vol: 3.9 - 4.6%

IBU: 43

I have made this recipe or variations of it a good amount of times. It always turns out a stellar beer. One of my favorite variations is subbing Sterling for the Challanger and Liberty for the Saaz. If you are looking for something light, refreshing, drinkable, and moderately hoppy I highly suggest trying this one out.

This recipe fermenting

Finished product (not the best picture) it is much lighter

Hop of the Week: Santiam

"Hopping" back on the bandwagon with another HOTW submission. This week I am going to be taking a look at the santiam hop. This is a relatively new hop variety that commercial breweries have not really tapped into yet. Most of the information available is offered by homebrewers who have experimented with this variety. Unfortunately there really isn't much in the way of available commercial beers that I can offer as a drinkable resource. It seems if you would want to find a beer brewed you would have to find a hop festival or special event at a pub.

Santiam Hop detail via Brew Monkey

US SANTIAM

Pedigree: Triploid aroma selection using a diploid Tettnang clone and a tetraploid Hallertauer. Released in 1997.
Maturity: Medium
Yield: 1600 - 2350 kg./ha. or 1400 - 2100 lb./ac.
Growth Habit: Very good
Disease/Pest Susceptibility: Resistant to downy mildew.
Pickability/Drying/Baling: Good
Cone-Structure: Small, medium density
Lupulin: Moderate amount
Aroma: Floral, slightly spicy
Alpha Acid: 5 - 7% w/w
Beta Acid: 6 - 8% w/w
Cohumulone: 22 - 24% of alpha acids
Storageability: Average
Total Oil: 1.3 - 1.5 mls/100 grams
Myrcene: 27 - 36% of whole oil
Humulene: 23 - 26% of whole oil
Carophyllene: 7 - 8% of whole oil
Farnesene: 13 - 16% of whole oil
General Trade Perception: A newly developed American aroma hop that contains noble hop characteristics.
Possible Substitutions: German Tettnang, German Spalt, German Spalter Select
Typical Beer Styles: Lager, US Ales, Pilsner, Belgian Tripel and other Belgian-Styles, Kolsch, Bock, Munich Helles.
Additional Information: Limited but stable acreage.
Typical Hop Use: Aroma

Hopefully you are lucky enough to be able to find one of these commercial examples that I list below. Unfortunately I have not tried them, but I will post reviews of some of them so we can have a good idea of what others think.

Hops Grill and Brewery Single Hop Ale

 Our Single Hop Ale is a medium bodied, golden colored American Pale Ale that showcases the Santiam variety of hop for perfect bittering, flavor and aroma.

*Silver medal 2003 Best Florida Beer Championships

Stadin Single Hopped Santiam Pale Ale

 reviews from RateBeer

Pictish Brewing Company Single Hop Beer - Santiam

reviews from RateBeer

Santiam hops are naturally seedless; the worlds first variety to be this way. The benefit of a seedless hop is that seeds can add undesirable oils to a beer, which can lead to off flavors. Seeds may also cause a problem when breweries negotiate prices with their hop supplier, since they add unwanted weight to a bulk order.

Santiam's pedigree includes Tettnanger (mother), Hallertau Mittelfrüh (grandmother), and cascade (great grandmother).  

Typical use: Although listed as an aroma hop I would place this is the dual use category. Dual use as in flavor and aroma, it can also be used as a bittering hop but much like cascade it is lower in alpha acids so you would need to adjust accordingly and would be using a little more of your stock. 

Style use: It is said that this hop is closest to German Tettnanger and German Spalt. In this case it would be best used for German and Belgian style ales and lagers. In my experience though it seems to be a bit more American than these noble varieties which make it perfect for a pale ale. 

Flavor/aroma: Somewhat noble, I also get fruity and floral aromas. In the flavor department what I have picked up most from these hops is a berry component. There is also a citrus and peachy aspect to them. When these are used as a standalone hop it gives a pale ale a fruitiness I have not seen when using other hop varieties. Others have said that they bring a small bit of a melon component. They are rather smooth and combine with a caramel aspect very nicely in a beer. All in all they add a fruity flavor which is probably affected most by the grain bill of the beer that you are brewing.  

Substitutions: According mostly to the hop variety data above the best substitutions would be German tettnanger and German spalt. I tend to agree when using small amounts of this hop, however if using for a pale ale or an IPA a mix of summit and amarillo would probably do nicely. Using that substitution it will definitely come out more citrusy but the summit hops would add a nice fruitiness as well as the tangerine I get from amarillo hops. I have yet to come across another hop that has a berry like component as santiams do.

Since I have some Wyeast 1007 German Ale yeast ready to be used I think my next brew is going to be a German Alt bier or a Kolsch. I am pretty sure I have a few ounces of santiams in the freezer so I will probably use them as a stand alone hop in this beer. I will try to remember to post the results a few months down the road when it is finished.   

Beer Review: Moreland Brewing Old Speckled Hen

Going to keep rolling along today with another beer review. Craft beer is relatively new in the US when comparing to the rest of the world. For hundreds probably even thousands of years "craft" beer was produced just across the Atlantic. One of these fine beer producing countries is the United Kingdom. Quite often confused when traveling abroad we Americans may ask for a pint expecting a golden glass of piss water (thanks German immigrants and St. Louis water), but your friendly pub tender will hand you a glass of something perfected over hundreds of years of brewing. To a fault the tourist may cause a stink because the beer is "warm" and "flat" but trust me, they have been doing it a lot longer than we have so I think they know what they are doing. 

Old Speckled Hen

"Old Speckled Hen" was first brewed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the MG car factory in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. Named after an old MG car which was used as the factory run around, they would park the old MG Featherweight Fabric Saloon outside the paint shop where it would normally get spattered in paint and so it became known as the ‘Owld Speckl’d Un’. This turned into "Old Speckled Hen" when the beer was unveiled.

Since then the finely balanced beer with a distinctive rich malty taste and fruity aroma has attracted many fans, including the fox, who is always on the hunt for his Hen.

"Old Speckled Hen" has a full, smooth flavour and is very easy to drink. Its rich amber colour and superb fruity aromas are complemented by a delicious blend of malty tastes.

Toffee and malt combine with bitterness on the back of the tongue to give a balanced sweetness. This is followed by a refreshingly dry finish.

"Old Speckled Hen" continues to be appreciated by more and more fans, who are discovering that this crafted English beer is perfect with friends, during a quiet moment of relaxation or as a complement to a meal.

Appearance: Pours reddish amber with off white head that sticks at one finger. Crystal clear with nice lacing all around the glass.

Aroma: Smells of biscuit, slight caramel, fruitness, and some earthy hop very distant. 

Flavor: Strong upfront bitterness that lingers throughout. Caramel and biscuit come through in the middle, while the bitterness lingers on the back of the tongue. Finishes dry with a slight bit of astringency. As the beer warms (temp it should be drank at) the maltiness and caramel are more present and the hoppy bitterness mellows making it more drinkable.  

Mouthfeel: Medium body with low to medium carbonation, there is a slight carbonic bite at the end.

Overall: I really need to start reviewing bad beers because with the exception of 90 minute IPA I have overly enjoyed all of them so far. The key with this is to drink it at a warmer temperature than we Americans are used to drinking (or have our fridges set) beer at. Pour it into a pint and let it warm a little bit.  At the colder temp the bitterness lingers a little too much and the caramel is too subdued. At around 48-50 degrees Fahrenheit it is the perfect balance of malted grain goodness and hop bitterness worthy of a beer engine. 

***I'd like to clear up that I don't think German Lager is piss water, it's American capitalists that took a great style of beer and made it as bland/corny as possible to make a profit.