Yeast Comparison Experiment: Robust Porter

My local LHBS does an event called a Cluster Brew. Homebrewers around the area all bring their equipment to brew at the shop. Everyone brews a beer on their own system, and months later they do a mini-competition. Whoever wins gets the honorary trophy and bragging rights. The rules for this year’s competition were that you had to use a flaked adjunct.

Aaaaaaanyway, my dad and I thought this was a great opportunity to do some experimental brewing with two (count 'em TWO!) yeast strains. We also kept our recipe experimental as well. We used a 10 gal igloo single-infusion mash, mashed at 154 for 60 minutes, batch sparged. Had a bit of trouble hitting our mash temp, but a second infusion put us right on target at 154.

Here is the recipe

Fermentables
7.0 lb (48.4%) American 2-row - added during mash
2.7 lb (18.7%) Smoked Malt; Weyermann - added during mash
14.0 oz (6.1%) Munich Malt - added during mash
14.0 oz (6.1%) Crystal 40; Great Western - added during mash
14.0 oz (6.1%) Crystal 75; Great Western - added during mash
11 oz (4.8%) Chocolate Malt; Breiss - added during mash
7.0 oz (3.0%) British Black Patent - added during mash
1.0 lb (6.9%) Oats (Pregelatinized Flakes); Briess - added during mash

Hops
1.0 oz (40.0%) East Kent Goldings (5.0%) - added during boil, boiled 60 m
.5 oz (20.0%) Styrian Goldings (6.0%) - added during boil, boiled 30 m
.5 oz (20.0%) Styrian Goldings (6.0%) - added during boil, boiled 15 m
.25 oz (10.0%) East Kent Goldings (5.0%) - added during boil
.25 oz (10.0%) Styrian Goldings (6.0%) - added during boil

We used our immersion chiller to get down to 68F. We decided then to do a split batch (2.5 gallons each) with different yeasts. WLP810 - San Francisco Lager and WLP002 - English Ale Yeast

What we both did
-We each took home 2.5 gallons.
-Both pitched one vial of respective yeast.
-No starter (we entered at the last minute, didnt have time)
-Both held our beers at 62F for 5-7 days
-Both bottle conditioned with appropriate priming sugar rates, based on style

What we did differently
- Dad had WLP002, I had WLP810
- Dad cold crashed after fermentation ended. I did not
- I did a diacetyl rest at 70F, dad did not (i dont think this really had an effect at all)
The results will be a second post... this one got really long.

BrewPub vs Tasting Room

Recently, I visited Legend Brewing Company in Richmond. Legend is on the opposite side of the city for me, so I rarely go there.While I was enjoying some great beers of their's (Pilsner, Tripel, and Oktoberfest come to mind) I started thinking about the the pros and cons of brewpubs vs tasting rooms. Each model plays a key role in the craft beer community.

Virginia State Bill 604 (SB04), a law passed last year, basically allowed craft breweries to sell pints and pitchers without having to sell food. Traditionally, before that law, you had to have a restaurant with your brewery in order to sell beer by the glass. If you look at some the older breweries around Virginia, you can see this trend (i.e., Blue Mountain, Legend, Extra Billy's). However, many in the brewing community opposed this rule, and for good reason.

One of the main reasons probably centers around business and money. It is much easier to grow your brewing business if you do not have to worry about running a restaurant. Before SB604, if you did not want to open a restaurant with your brewery, then you were limited to small tastings at the brewery, growler fills, and keg/bottle distribution. Having the extra power to sell pints at your brewery, makes for a much easier sell for your beer. People are much more likely to purchase bottles from you after having a few (I know I've been there). Money for the pints and money for the additional bottles/growlers.

A smaller benefit, but still important, could be space. Brewpubs have to dedicate space and tables for restaurant seating. Unless they have unlimited money, it is hard to have areas that are solely dedicated to just enjoying the beer. Obviously, there would be a bar, but without a restaurant, you dedicate the entire space for enjoying the beer. This also free people to roam around more, meet people, and take their beers with them.

SB604 has also been great for another key small business, food trucks. I would guess that running a food truck is a lot about finding places where many people congregate. What better place than a brewery with some tipsy, hungry people? It seems that the tasting room breweries have a food truck at least once a week. Hardywood Park even hosts frequent events dedicated to food trucks. Of course, I have not looked up statistics about food truck popularity in Virginia, but I bet that it has risen after SB604.

No doubt SB604 has done a lot for craft breweries in Virginia, but the brewpub model still plays an important role in craft beer. Most of the differences in the two models comes down to ambiance or atmosphere. In a brewpub, customers have the option to sit down for dinner. Like all restaurants, there is a server, and customers can enjoy a pint while eating. They do not have to order food from another company. Seems like small difference, but if the goal is to go out with a few friends or family, then people do not want to run back and forth for food. They get to sit, relax, and have someone else bring you beer and food.

The brewpub will always have food. However, the tasting room might not. People feel a lot more tipsy with four beers on an empty stomach than on afull stomach. This also helps business because people probably stay longer if they have food. I volunteer at Midnight Brewery in Goochland, and I can guarantee that people stay longer when there is a food truck. If you have a restaurant, then your costumers can always order food. You also get that additional income on your food, the added benefit of people who are not drinking beer, but still getting food.

While each model has its own benefits, they are both unique and serve a key purpose in the growing craft beer market in VA. If I want a few beers, maybe some food, and plan to walk around and meet people, I'll find a  tasting room brewery. If I want to go somewhere, sit down and have everything brought to me, then I'll go to the brewpub. All comes down to preference.

Commemoration Beer

Recently, my dad and step-mom had to put down their Golden Retriever, Molson. I lived there for a little bit, and he was the best dog ever. Always excited to see you, not too rambunctious, and just an awesome companion.

His passing got me thinking about how to commemorate or remember someone. Some people might use artistic expression with poetry, writing, or art. As a homebrewer, what better way to commemorate someone than with a hand-crafted beer.

Beer is my art form. It allows me the same artistic expression as someone doing a painting or writing a poem. Beer even goes further, because of the repeatability. If I craft a beer to pay tribute to someone, then every time I brew it, I will remember that person.


A tribute beer should come with a great deal of consideration. I think the beer should have qualities that remind you of the person or animal. For Molson, he loved to hang out when we were outside making  beer, and he was also very calm and relaxed. I think a golden, low-hopped, session beer would be perfect for remembering Molson. Molson was not a fan of hops, so I wanted to keep the recipe malt forward. Here's what I drew up:

Recipe: Golden Molson

Batch size: 6 gal
OG: 1.054    
FG: 1.014
IBU: 20
ABV: 5.3%

Ingredients:
3 lbs Briess Golden Light DME
2.5 lbs Briess Wheat DME
1 lb Munich LME
1.5 lbs Crystal 15L (steeped)
1 oz Golding hops (60 min)

Safale US-05 dry yeast


I discussed this idea with my wife, and she mentioned a very important point. The commemoration beer should represent what YOU remember about the person or animal. You should try to generate a recipe that represents your relationship. Another person's beer may be completely different.

I plan to brew this pretty soon, and I will be sure to give a toast to Molson for every bottle.

False Start on the Pumpkin Team

As we all have heard by now, the football season is upon us. If you have not heard, then you may be living under a rock. Whether its July or December, you are bound to hear something about the NFL on SportsCenter. While it doesn't bother me or fellow NFL fans, it does bother those interested in other sports. Good luck hearing anything about soccer during football season.

With the arrival of football also comes the arrival of this season's pumpkin and Oktoberfest beers. Even as early as mid-August (about when I saw my first Sam Adams Octoberfest), we have seen the shelves covered in pumpkins and Oktoberfests. It seems that EVERY brewery has some form of a pumpkin beer and for good reason. They are wildly popular; Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head (www.dogfish.com) even claims that Punkin outsells every beer in their line-up. Similar to year-round coverage of football, I'm not complaining. As a fan of the fall seasonals, it does not really bother me, but some fans of other releases are outright protesting this sudden influx..

One potential issue with early seasonal releases is the possible expense of other beers. There is only so much shelf space in the world, and unless you have lots of floor space to stack beer (i.e. Total Wine), then you might have to take something off the shelf to stock pumpkin beer. Some of the big summer seasonals (i.e. SN Summerfest; Anderson Valley Summer Solstice; Bells Oberon) might have to be removed to make room. Avid consumers of these beer might have to wait another year. One beer store in Boone, North Carolina, Peabody's Beer and Wine Merchants (http://peabodyswineandbeer.com/), tackles this issue directly by marking summer beers down in price, which would be AWESOME for the summer beer lovers. By the way, if you ever get a chance to go to beautiful town of Boone, NC, home of Appalachian State University, check out Peabody's. One of the finest selections I have ever seen.

Secondly, a recent article from Yahoo Finance (http://finance.yahoo.com/news/early-pumpkin-beers-brew-dismay-183740446.html), touches on these early releases, and even mentions the local Richmond Vietnamese cuisine and craft beer garden, Mekong. Owner, An, has vowed to hold off on all pumpkins until October. He, like many craft enthusiasts, rejects seasonal creep on moral grounds, proclaiming they should be with the season that applies (Fall) and not the end of another (Summer). Looking at the comments on this article and from Facebook, this appears to most people's biggest issue. They simply do not want to see the seasonal releases yet. Similar to how people get aggravated with Christmas music on November 1 through January 2.

Whatever the objections may be, it looks clear that seasonal creep (especially with Pumpkin beer) is here to stay. What is not clear is the implications. Could this be a developing trend for ALL popular seasonals? Are we going to see Winter Warmers in September? Are we going to reach the same fate as seasonal clothing (Summerwear in Winter; Winterwear in the Summer)? Is it just a fleeting concern that we wont care about on Octobere 1st? Who knows what will happen in the future, but until then I'll go enjoy some more Ichabod Crandal while watching the Redskins in the Super Bowl.

The Power of Homebrewing

Many speculate on the fate of craft beer in America (and the world for that matter). Ranging from intense optimism to dismissive criticism, most people know that craft beer is growing but all have different thoughts on the future. These opinions come in a few different variations.

First, the extreme optimist believes the market will continue to grow at a steady rate, and all the small craft brewers will remain true and not sell-out. While this ideal world sure would be nice, it certainly does not hold much truth based on what we know about business and history. As we have seen time and time again, big markets eventually are compressed down to a few key players that dominate.. Many craft breweries are going to fail (many have already), and some are going to be bought out (i.e. Goose Island). 

Second, you will catch the occasional person who claims that craft is really just a fad that will quickly die. Dedicated craft beer enthusiasts would be quick to knock this down and with good reason: craft beer is simply too popular to go away. However, craft beer enthusiasts would need to consider the source before quickly going on the defensive. Naysayers proposing the "fad" opinion generally do not drink craft beer very often and have not really been a part of the growing market. It makes sense they would perceive a fad, based on their limited exposure to the movement. Rest-assured though, it seems pretty clear the movement has many die-hard followers, who are not going anywhere. At least, not anytime soon. 

This leads me to the last opinion of the cynical ones who think believe all the craft players will eventually be bought out and the movement will end. Unfortunately, this is probably closer to the truth. Go watch the wonderful movie, Beer Wars. The movie highlights some key points about the big players' iron grip on the market. With less than 7% of the market share, craft brewers have to fight for shelf space and tap space. This fight for such a small market could mean many of the small brewers will have to sell out to larger companies or be forced to go out of business. 

It seems like a terrible end to such a passionate movement, but it really does not have to be that bad. This will not be likely to happen because the craft market is firmly established and die-hard customers have a lot of clout with their dollar. If In-Bev buys a favorite local company, it really does them no good to intentionally hurt the quality of the product. Craft beer is here to stay, regardless of who owns it.

Even more important, is growing popularity of homebrewing. For argument's sake, lets say In-Bev buys up all of the local breweries and makes them all produce Budweiser Chelada over and over. Everyone would still have the last weapon left in the arsenal, homebrewing. Everyone can, and should, try to homebrew. With enough research, dedication, and effort, you can make fantastic beer. If one of the your local companies stops making your favorite beer, then do some research and learn how to clone it. Most likely its probably pretty simple. You really just need the proper time, equipment, and knowledge.

Homebrewing will always be the voice of the people. If you do not like where the market is going then brew your own. Until In-Bev buys all the local homebrew shops and forces them to only sell Bud Light Lime kits.