Headed south to the Gulf Coast? Interstate 65 offers up several great craft beer cities to quench your thirst as you stop for the night.
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aroma
(SAN DIEGO, CA) – Ballast Point announced this week the release of its refreshing seasonal specialty beer, simply: Blood Orange Lager. Made in the Pilsner style, Blood Orange Lager is light and crisp with a prominent aroma of blood orange and citrus. This pils is lightly hopped with Motueka hops from New Zealand which balance […]
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This week I cover some of the basic concepts of using fruit in BeerSmith for making beer, wine, cider or meads. Fruit Basics BeerSmith 3 supports the use of fruit juice, purees, honey and whole fruits natively when making beer, mead, wine and cider recipes. Typically most fruits are added during primary or secondary fermentation. […] 
Scott Janish joins me this week to talk about some of the latest research into dry hopping and the role of aroma hop oils in beer brewing. Subscribe on iTunes to Audio version or Video version or Spotify or Google Play Download the MP3 File– Right Click and Save As to download this mp3 file. […] 
Today I focus on some of the principles of good beer recipe design, and how they can help improve your beer. As many of you know I’ve been doing presentations and classes on the topic of beer recipe design for some time now, and thought it best to summarize some of the key elements below: […] From a stout to a Saison with a twist, these are our top Spring beers.
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This week I take a look at the hop cone and how its composition affects flavors when brewing beer. Hop Cone Composition If we look at the hop cone image (upper right, Source: Stan Hieronymus) we can see the various parts of the hop cone. The bulk of the compounds we are interested in are […] Stan Hieronymus joins me this week to discuss hop survivables, biotransformations, and understanding which hop oils survive the brewing process. Subscribe on iTunes to Audio version or Video version or Spotify or Google Play Download the MP3 File– Right Click and Save As to download this mp3 file. Your browser does not support the audio […] 
This week I take look at hop isomerization in beer brewing and how it applies to brewers. Isomerized alpha acids in beer are the primary bittering compound used to offset the sweetness of the malt in beer. What is Isomerization? Isomerization is a process where a molecule is transformed into another molecule that contains the […] Jamil Zainasheff, founder of Heretic Brewing joins me this week for a beer brewing question and answer session. I apologize for the audio quality – we had some echo coming through from Jamil’s audio feed. Subscribe on iTunes to Audio version or Video version or Spotify or Google Play Download the MP3 File– Right Click […] Hops get all the attention—all the fame, puns and glory while yeast does almost all the work. Hops dominate label space, and varieties like Cascade, Strata and Citra are practically house-hold names, thanks to the seemingly unquenchable demand for every category of IPA. Yet basic beer ale yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is abstract to most people, […]
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This week I take a look at hop aroma oils and some of the best ways to get them into your beer. Fragile hop aroma oils can be very challenging both due to their low vapor/boiling point and low solubility. What are Hop Aroma Oils? Aromatic hop oils are oils in the hop cone that […] 
This week I take a look at how you can use a blend of hop varieties rather than a single variety to maximize your hop flavor and aroma. Why Blend Your Hops While brewers often use different hop varieties for boil hopping, whirlpool hopping and dry hopping, I was not that familiar with the technique […] Dawn Patrol came out on top in the WA brewery’s You Vote We Brew competition.
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New instalment of the award-winning annual release is limited to just 3,000 cans.
The post Felons’ Imperial Stout arrives right on time appeared first on Beer & Brewer.
American craft beers find their way into Japanese and Korean restaurants.
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Yakima Chief’s all-new Cryo Pop blend to be available through Cryer Malt by July.
The post ‘Revolutionary’ hop product coming Down Under appeared first on Beer & Brewer.
Brick Lane will also donate $10,500 to the organisation’s scholarship program.
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It’s one of the easiest drinking IPAs we’ve come across with a lager-like crispness.
The post Burleigh release Hop Nectar Juicy IPA appeared first on Beer & Brewer.
This week I take a look at one of Germany’s most popular beer styles, the light lager known as German Helles. Helles is a traditional German Lager produced primarily in Southern Germany (Bavaria) around Munich. The word “hell” in German can be roughly translated as “pale, light or bright” in English. The History of Helles […] Many in the world of craft beer seek out the artisans of coffee who show the same amount of love to coffee that craft brewers pay to craft beer. As these brewers develop a love and appreciation for craft roasters, some brewers have found ways to utilize a roaster’s skill and attention to detail to elevate the brewery and its offerings.
The post The More Fulfilling Cup: Craft Brewers and Craft Roasters Find Common Threads Together appeared first on CraftBeer.com.
Frenchies Bistro & Brewery release three new IPAs plus we revisit some old favourites.
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Sydney brewery’s expansion includes new tanks, canning line and dedicated barrel room.
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New Zealand-Style Pale Ale and India Pale Ale added to BA’s style guidelines.
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The 28th AIBA will be judged over four days in Melbourne from May 11-14.
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The #1 winter seasonal beer1 returns with a crisper and brighter recipe and festive inspiration for holidays spent at home BOSTON, MA, Nov. 9, 2020—Samuel Adams brewers recognize the winter season will feel different this year, with many Americans taking “home for the holidays” literally. To spread some holiday cheer when drinkers need it most, […]
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This week I take a look at methods for doing sensory analysis of hops as well as some of the resources available to understand hop flavor and aroma better. Understanding Hop Flavor and Aroma For a few years now I’ve been doing presentations on beer recipe design where I encourage brewers to get more familiar […] 
Today I’m going to highlight some of the new dry hop features in BeerSmith 3.1. BeerSmith 3.1 was released in mid-2020. Dry hopping is one of the best ways to preserve aroma oils in your hops. Because it is done at low temperature, you don’t risk boiling off volatile aroma oils. Also the long contact […] My homebrewing frequency has taken a nosedive recently (surprise), but I still try to find time to brew a weird batch when I can. In August, when Scott and I drove to pick-up our first hop order in western Maryland, I noticed that Staghorn Sumac was in full bloom along I-270 . I’d read about flavoring beer with it in The Homebrewer’s Almanac, but never actually tasted a beer brewed with it. Sumac is tart and fruity, traditionally used in a tart lemonade-like beverage.
I pulled over and harvested about a pound. The range I’d read was 1-5 lbs per 5 gallon batch. Without a beer ready for them, I took the clusters of dusty berries off of the central twig, vacuum sealed them, and froze. That was enough of an excuse to brew a batch of Berliner weisse (fermented with US-05 and Omega Lacto Blend - similar otherwise to this recipe). After primary fermentation I racked 1 gallon onto the resulting .75 lbs of sumac, and another onto .5 oz of dried Turkish sumac from Penzeys for a month. Obviously if the dried version is just as good, it certainly would be easier!
Dried Turkish Sumac Berliner
Smell – Aroma is light, doughy-grain, lightly citrus and roasted pear. An odd note of cinnamon as well.
Appearance – Clear pale yellow. It’s almost so pale that yellow isn’t the right word, it looks washed out, faded. Retention isn’t great, but the tight, white head sticks around for much longer than the other half of the batch.
Taste – Bright acid without being obnoxious. The finish has an odd fall-spice note as in the nose that I suspect is from the sumac. Dry without being a desert.
Mouthfeel – Classic Berliner, light and spritzy.
Drinkability & Notes – The not-entirely-pleasant musty-herbal flavor the dried sumac provided when the beer was young seems to have mostly faded to a light spiciness. I’m not sure I’d even pick it out if I didn’t know it was in there.
Changes for Next Time – Maybe a different/fresher source of dried sumac would provide a better flavor and aroma?
Staghorn Sumac Berliner
Smell – Aroma has the generic fruitiness of Hawaiian Punch, or Hi-C, but with an herbal hint of a Ricola cough drop. I don’t get any of the base beer, at this elevated rate it is all sumac. Certainly in the same sort of flavor-family as hibiscus.
Appearance – To go along with the aroma, it has the color of Hawaiian Punch. Similar head retention too…
Taste – The same fruit flavor from the nose, but more pronounced cherry candy. It’s a really fun flavor, that doesn’t stray into cloying. Acidity is snappy, sort of Vitamin-C, quick and punchy. No sweetness, finally breaks the comparison to "fruit" beverages.
Mouthfeel – Light, medium+ carbonation, but not excessively thin or harsh.
Drinkability & Notes – Staghorn sumac is a foraged ingredient that has a real chance for broader appeal. The flavor is fun, quenching, and somewhat familiar. The color certainly doesn’t hurt either. With how much it took, a mild base beer like this makes the most sense.
Changes for Next Time – I was sort of hoping this one wouldn’t be delicious so that I didn’t have to source a couple hundred pounds to put into a beer next summer. Likely could drop down closer to .5 lbs/gallon for a more balanced beer, but it is delicious as is!
Smell – Aroma is light, doughy-grain, lightly citrus and roasted pear. An odd note of cinnamon as well.
Appearance – Clear pale yellow. It’s almost so pale that yellow isn’t the right word, it looks washed out, faded. Retention isn’t great, but the tight, white head sticks around for much longer than the other half of the batch.
Taste – Bright acid without being obnoxious. The finish has an odd fall-spice note as in the nose that I suspect is from the sumac. Dry without being a desert.
Mouthfeel – Classic Berliner, light and spritzy.
Drinkability & Notes – The not-entirely-pleasant musty-herbal flavor the dried sumac provided when the beer was young seems to have mostly faded to a light spiciness. I’m not sure I’d even pick it out if I didn’t know it was in there.
Changes for Next Time – Maybe a different/fresher source of dried sumac would provide a better flavor and aroma?
Staghorn Sumac Berliner
Smell – Aroma has the generic fruitiness of Hawaiian Punch, or Hi-C, but with an herbal hint of a Ricola cough drop. I don’t get any of the base beer, at this elevated rate it is all sumac. Certainly in the same sort of flavor-family as hibiscus.
Appearance – To go along with the aroma, it has the color of Hawaiian Punch. Similar head retention too…
Taste – The same fruit flavor from the nose, but more pronounced cherry candy. It’s a really fun flavor, that doesn’t stray into cloying. Acidity is snappy, sort of Vitamin-C, quick and punchy. No sweetness, finally breaks the comparison to "fruit" beverages.
Mouthfeel – Light, medium+ carbonation, but not excessively thin or harsh.
Drinkability & Notes – Staghorn sumac is a foraged ingredient that has a real chance for broader appeal. The flavor is fun, quenching, and somewhat familiar. The color certainly doesn’t hurt either. With how much it took, a mild base beer like this makes the most sense.
Changes for Next Time – I was sort of hoping this one wouldn’t be delicious so that I didn’t have to source a couple hundred pounds to put into a beer next summer. Likely could drop down closer to .5 lbs/gallon for a more balanced beer, but it is delicious as is!
I’m hopeful I can get this formula approved by the TTB for Sapwood, as there are already a few commercial beers from the likes Sumac Sour from Four Quarters, Backroads from Suarez Family, and of course several sours and saisons from Scratch. That said, it seems like they are clamping down as I had both acorns and Eastern Red Cedar rejected already. I’ve had several brewers tell me that the step isn’t necessary unless you are getting label approval (not true) or that it is better to ask forgiveness than permission…
I'll be making the trip down to Asheville, NC March 22-23 for another round of BYO Boot Camps! As usual I'll be talking about Wood/Barrels one day and Sour Beers the other. I said it before, but this really is looking like the last one of these for me given how much time running a brewery takes!
I'll be making the trip down to Asheville, NC March 22-23 for another round of BYO Boot Camps! As usual I'll be talking about Wood/Barrels one day and Sour Beers the other. I said it before, but this really is looking like the last one of these for me given how much time running a brewery takes!
The first week of October, DC posted a notice on our front door informing us that an arborist deemed the oak tree in our front yard hazardous. Up until that moment, it would have been illegal to cut down as a "heritage" tree (over 100" in circumference). They gave us 10 days to apply for a permit and have it removed. The tree had obviously been on the down-slope for the last 10 years, but this summer a large swath had gone brown mid-August and the rest in late-September.
I was sad to see the tree go, but glad I got to brew a beer with acorns foraged from it before it went!
I was sad to see the tree go, but glad I got to brew a beer with acorns foraged from it before it went!
Last fall, inspired as usual by The Homebrewer's Almanac, I collected acorns over a few afternoons. While fresh acorns are loaded with tannins, fermented they are said to take on a wonderful aromatics reminiscent of bourbon, Madeira, and plums. The various parts of any plant usually contain shared compounds (and flavors). It has become fashionable to cook with the "garbage" parts of plants (and animals) usually thrown away. While it takes more effort to prepare collard green stems or pork feet, it can be well worth it. While oak wood is used to age thousands of beers, its acorns, leaves, and bark are not nearly as popular.
I inspected each acorn to remove any that were cracked, or otherwise marred. I briefly rinsed them, and then arranged in a single layer on a shallow baking dish in the basement to allow them to dry.
I inspected each acorn to remove any that were cracked, or otherwise marred. I briefly rinsed them, and then arranged in a single layer on a shallow baking dish in the basement to allow them to dry.
Apparently my inspection wasn't thorough enough as I missed several small blemishes (example below) that indicated an acorn weevil had laid an egg inside.
A week later, after discarding those where a larva bored out, I moved the acorns to five lightly sealed pint mason jars. I didn't add water, microbes, or anything else.
Over the next nine months in my 65F basement the acorns slowly fermented on their own. First producing carbon dioxide and the pleasant aroma of ethanol. Then slowly a more complex aromatics of apricot, chocolate, and bourbon. Exactly which microbes are responsible is a mystery to me.
When I visited Scratch Brewing last November (on my drive from St. Louis to Indianapolis for the BYO Boot Camp... next one is March in Asheville) I had the chance to assist Marika on a batch at Scratch, and see their jars of fermenting acorns. Luckily for them, Aaron told me weevils haven't been an issue!
When I visited Scratch Brewing last November (on my drive from St. Louis to Indianapolis for the BYO Boot Camp... next one is March in Asheville) I had the chance to assist Marika on a batch at Scratch, and see their jars of fermenting acorns. Luckily for them, Aaron told me weevils haven't been an issue!
By the following summer, my acorns were smelling like a combination of whiskey distillery, apricot orchard, and old library. While their exteriors were unchanged, the interior transformed from beige to leathery brown. Non-enzymatic browning, that is to say the Maillard reaction may be at work as with black garlic? While these processes are accelerated at high temperature, they still happen when cooler.
I thought an oud bruin-ish base would provide a solid foundation for those darker flavors. I added flaked rye for body and fermented with East Coast Yeast Oud Brune (which contains no Brett, only Sacch and Lacto). ECY Flemish Ale is still hard at work on the other half of the batch. Once the Oud Bruin was finished, I added a tube screen with one cup of the cracked (with a hammer) acorns. After a few weeks I added another cup to increase the flavor contribution.
I'm hoping to use the remaining fermented acorns in a small batch at Sapwood Cellars, but the TTB isn't going along with my plans... yet. They've directed me to contact the FDA. It's amazing how many weird chemicals are approved, when a food that people have eaten for thousands of years is not.
Requiem for an Oak
Smell – Even at the higher rate the acorn character doesn’t leap out of the glass. It does have a richer, more woody-fruity aroma than any other quick sour I’ve brewed. I get some of that old book smell mingling with the Munich maltiness. There is also a brighter stonefruit aroma that prevents it from being too heavy.
Appearance – Pretty amber-brown color. Mild haze. Retention of the tan head is OK especially for a sour beer, although nothing remarkable.
Taste – Firm lactic acid, snappy without being overwhelming. The fermented acorns add leathery and fruity depth to the flavor without stepping all over the malt. I’m pretty happy with this as a lower alcohol oud bruin.
Mouthfeel – The flaked rye really helped considering this is a low alcohol sour beer. Doesn’t taste thin or watery.
Drinkability & Notes – For such a unique beer, it is pleasant to drink. The flavors meld nicely and the acorns help to simulate in a way the effect of barrel aging and Brettanomyces.
Changes for Next Time – I’d probably go even more aggressive with the acorn-rate, really to show them off. The beer could be bigger, but more malt might obscure the acorns even more.
I'm hoping to use the remaining fermented acorns in a small batch at Sapwood Cellars, but the TTB isn't going along with my plans... yet. They've directed me to contact the FDA. It's amazing how many weird chemicals are approved, when a food that people have eaten for thousands of years is not.
Requiem for an Oak
Smell – Even at the higher rate the acorn character doesn’t leap out of the glass. It does have a richer, more woody-fruity aroma than any other quick sour I’ve brewed. I get some of that old book smell mingling with the Munich maltiness. There is also a brighter stonefruit aroma that prevents it from being too heavy.
Appearance – Pretty amber-brown color. Mild haze. Retention of the tan head is OK especially for a sour beer, although nothing remarkable.
Taste – Firm lactic acid, snappy without being overwhelming. The fermented acorns add leathery and fruity depth to the flavor without stepping all over the malt. I’m pretty happy with this as a lower alcohol oud bruin.
Mouthfeel – The flaked rye really helped considering this is a low alcohol sour beer. Doesn’t taste thin or watery.
Drinkability & Notes – For such a unique beer, it is pleasant to drink. The flavors meld nicely and the acorns help to simulate in a way the effect of barrel aging and Brettanomyces.
Changes for Next Time – I’d probably go even more aggressive with the acorn-rate, really to show them off. The beer could be bigger, but more malt might obscure the acorns even more.
Recipe
Batch Size: 11.00 gal
SRM: 18.0
IBU: 2.0
OG: 1.046
FG: 1.010
ABV: 4.7%
Final pH: 3.43
Brewhouse Efficiency: 72%
Boil Time: 90 mins
Fermentables
-----------------
60.4% - 16.00 lb Briess Pilsen Malt
22.6% - 6.00 lb Weyermann Munich I
11.3% - 3.00 lb Flaked Rye
3.8% - 1.00 lb Castle Special B
1.9% - 0.50 lb Weyermann Carafa Special II
Mash
-------
Mash In - 45 min @ 157F
Hops
-------
1.25 oz - 8 Year Old Willamette (Whole Cone, 1.00 % AA) @ 85 minutes
Water
--------
11 g Calcium Chloride @ Mash
Other
-------
1 Whirlfloc Tablet @ 5 mins
2 Cup Fermented Acorns @ Fermenter
Yeast
-------
East Coast Yeast Flemish Ale
East Coast Yeast Oud Brune
Notes
-------
9/29/17 Harvested five pints of acorns from the White Oak in my front yard. Allowed to dry open in the basement.
10/6/17 4 larvae of an acorn weevil hatched. Tossed any acorns with exit holes, and tried to identify all of those with small entry holes to toss. Moved remaining acorns to one-pint mason jars, attached lids, and returned to the barrel room for fermentation.
Brewed 7/9/18
7/29/18 Added 1 cup of acorns (split and in a mesh tube with marbles) to the Oud Bruin half.
8/18/18 Added another cup of acorns, loose, as the flavor wasn't there yet.
8/28/18 Racked Flemish half to secondary in glass.
9/9/18 Kegged acorn half.
Batch Size: 11.00 gal
SRM: 18.0
IBU: 2.0
OG: 1.046
FG: 1.010
ABV: 4.7%
Final pH: 3.43
Brewhouse Efficiency: 72%
Boil Time: 90 mins
Fermentables
-----------------
60.4% - 16.00 lb Briess Pilsen Malt
22.6% - 6.00 lb Weyermann Munich I
11.3% - 3.00 lb Flaked Rye
3.8% - 1.00 lb Castle Special B
1.9% - 0.50 lb Weyermann Carafa Special II
Mash
-------
Mash In - 45 min @ 157F
Hops
-------
1.25 oz - 8 Year Old Willamette (Whole Cone, 1.00 % AA) @ 85 minutes
Water
--------
11 g Calcium Chloride @ Mash
Calcium | Chloride | Sulfate | Sodium | Magnesium | Carbonate |
100 | 110 | 50 | 15 | 10 | 90 |
Other
-------
1 Whirlfloc Tablet @ 5 mins
2 Cup Fermented Acorns @ Fermenter
Yeast
-------
East Coast Yeast Flemish Ale
East Coast Yeast Oud Brune
Notes
-------
9/29/17 Harvested five pints of acorns from the White Oak in my front yard. Allowed to dry open in the basement.
10/6/17 4 larvae of an acorn weevil hatched. Tossed any acorns with exit holes, and tried to identify all of those with small entry holes to toss. Moved remaining acorns to one-pint mason jars, attached lids, and returned to the barrel room for fermentation.
Brewed 7/9/18
7/29/18 Added 1 cup of acorns (split and in a mesh tube with marbles) to the Oud Bruin half.
8/18/18 Added another cup of acorns, loose, as the flavor wasn't there yet.
8/28/18 Racked Flemish half to secondary in glass.
9/9/18 Kegged acorn half.
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