A "Poor Mans Black Velvet"

The Poor Mans Black Velvet is one of my favorite beer cocktails. It is a simple mix of a stout beer and a cider beer, as opposed to the actual Black Velvet which is a mix of a stout beer and champagne (picture courtesy of the Greasy Spoon). I don't know what it is about the PMBV that I enjoy so much. Of course, you should definitely like both stout and cider style beers in order to enjoy this one.

The way I enjoy the PMBV is to take a few drinks off the top so that there is room in the glass for a nice big swig. Then, well, I take a big swig! When I drink the PMBV I like to get to the "middle", where the cider beer and the stout begin mixing. The thick, smooth, toasty, nutty, coffee taste that the stout provides first hits your tongue and is then washed down by the crisp, (obviously) fruity, carbonated characteristics of the cider. It is truly a tasty mix actually holds up well over the night, this is something that you can definitely drink all night.

Golden Wheat Finally Tasted!

After being on shelves for a couple months now I finally got a chance to taste the new Bud offering, Bud Light Golden Wheat. This beer is Bud's entry into the spiced beer market. Over the weekend a friend of mine bought a 12 pack and shared it. After putting my bias aside and trying this beer, it's not bad.

I drank it out of a bottle, fairly cold. The mouthfeel was no surprise, smooth and full of carbonation. The smell was decent, mostly spices and citrus with some hops. The taste followed suit, this beer includes coriander so this taste was present, as well as the requisite citrus tones. It reminded me a lot of Shock Top, as well as Pyramid and Widmer hefe's. As far as drinkability goes, I'd give this one a C+. It doesn't really separate itself from the pack but drinking it isn't a problem and it's a beer that will probably fair well at BBQ's and casual get togethers.

A little bit of heaven in a glass!

Over the weekend I was at Two Fools (Nob Hill) with some friends just hanging out. Some coworkers of my friend met up with us and one of them bought a bottle of Chimay Grande Reserve. I had seen the bottle but never tried it. It's a true Belgium beer, brewed in Chimay Belgium by monks at a monastery, no joke, and falls into the Belgian Strong Dark Ale style.

Out of the bottle, the beer comes in a rather large bottle, he poured me a glass. When I took my first smell and drink I couldn't believe how much I enjoyed it. There were a few fruity tones but mostly I noticed the toasty, slightly buttery taste. It was a soft, smooth toasty taste, I'm not sure how else to explain it. The toasty tones didn't attack the tongue, rather, it gently washed on the tongue. The mouthfeel was surprising as well, light and delicate for a dark beer with a decent amount of carbonation. The smell was equally as wonderful with toasty and spicy notes most noticeable. Overall, I give this one an A+. In fact, I went out and bought a bottle at Quarters and look forward to having it this weekend.

Odell Brewery

Odell Brewery is one of my favorites, there are a number of brews from them that I enjoy. In fact, I would say that Odell is right up there with New Belgium and Sam Adams.

One of my favorite brews from Odell is 90 Shilling. It's a Scottish Ale, so it's gonna be a little flowery and smokey, and this one hits the spot.

The smell is very hopsy, you definitely get a preview of what you're getting into when you take a good whiff of it. The mouthfeel is more on the smooth side, with a slight amount of carbonation to tickle the tongue. The taste is right on, with slight floral hints and a good amount of malty, toasted characters.

Although I have yet to review it, their Pale Ale is also very tasty. Odell Brewery features about 10 brews, covering the major beer styles. I'd recommend trying them out.

Kelly's Brew Pub Custom Brews

Recently a co-worker of my dads gave him a couple of custom brews that he had made over at Kelly's Brew Pub on Central. I had heard that you could brew your own beer over at Kelly's but never gave any thought to trying it out.

Any how, the brew that was given to my father seems to have been a brown ale. It tasted a lot like Newcastle - actually, better than Newcastle. I'm thinking of going down to Kelly's and brewing a beer of my own, perhaps a stout or amber ale?

Nothing like drinking a pumpkin ale while you carve a pumpkin!

Pumpkin ales are always popular this time of year. This fall I tried a couple I hadn't before. The first was Albuquerque's own Chama River Brewing Co's pumpkin ale. Now that I write this I can't remember what it was called, but I do remember that it was
delicious. I also tried a pumpkin ale from Buffalo Bill's brewery. I saw a six pack of it when I was browsing Kelly's seasonal selection. It was ok, but not the best I've had.


Chama River Brewing Co - Pumpkin Ale -

As to be expected it poured a medium mahogany color, I had it out of a glass at the Chama River restaurant. Definitely hints of pumpkin in the smell, with a little bit of spice. When I got to tasting it this characteristic stayed true. The pumpkin and spice taste is kind of subdued, but not in a bad way. Very pleasant and reasonably easy on the mouth, not too carbonated but not too smooth. Overall I'd give this one a B+/A-.


Buffalo Bills Brewery Pumpkin Ale - I drank this one out of a bottle. Had the same smell characteristics as the Chama River brew. The first thing I noticed about this pumpkin ale was that the mouthfeel was very, very light. Almost frothy. That caught me off guard a little bit. There was only a light amount of pumpkin and spice taste, barely noticeable toward the end of a swallow. I'll give Buffalo Bills Pumpkin Ale a C+ and write it down as one I'll have to try again. Kind of disappointing to have so little taste for such a specialized brew.

Sam Adams Coastal Wheat

When I was browsing the grocery store the other day I came upon a six pack of Coastal Wheat. I had seen it in this summers Sam Adams variety packs but had not tasted it yet. The beer is so new, in fact, that the Sam Adams website has yet to add it.

Thinking that this beer sounded kind of good I picked up a six pack and took it home. Unfortunately I was sorely disappointed!

I drank it out of a glass. It pours like a wheat beer would, orange and cloudy. The first thing I noticed when smelling the beer was the lemon scent. Very dominant. Besides that I picked up some other fragrant notes. But the lemon stood out. The taste confirms the dominance of the lemon in the beer. The lemon is everpresent and really strong. I guess if you love lemons then maybe you will favor this beer. The lemon tastes like it was poured out of a bottle of lemon flavoring, it has a distinct "artificialness" to it, and this negatively affects the taste for me. As for the mouthfeel, it was also par with most wheat beers. It may have been heavy on the carbonation, but otherwise is close to your run of the mill wheats.

I always like to suggest that people try a beer for themselves, and this is still the case here. But I would not recommend it.

The perfect pour!

All beer drinkers should know how to pour a beer. If you pour it wrong the results are pretty palpable. A bad pour can result in a loss of just about every characteristic in a beer. From experience, a bad pour flattens the beer and seems to .. thin I guess is the word I'm looking for .. the taste. Overall a bad pour basically wastes the beer.

For a while there were some commercials, Bud Light I think, where they said to pour straight down the middle. I tried this and again, it pretty much turned the mouthfeel of the beer into water and whatever taste Bud Light has was lost.

So, without anymore delay, the perfect pour, courtesy of BeerAdvocate!

Blue Moon in a Bud Light bottle?

First Budweiser takes a swipe at what was the ever growing amber ale market with their American Ale, now they're moving in on the wheat beer market. I don't know how long they've been running their commercials, but this weekend was the first time I saw one and it got my interest. Bud Light Wheat Beer is set for distribution on October 5th and seeks to claim a spot next to the popular Blue Moon. Early reviews of the beer, from those who attended the sneak peek sessions at the various Anheuser-Busch breweries, don't seem too high on the beer, with most noting that the taste is weak. I'll be sure to have a taste as soon as possible. I still have yet to try the American Ale, as most people told me to avoid it, but I think I'll give this venture a try.

The Sam Adams Beer Glass

I actually had no idea this glass existed until a few months ago when my brother received a four glass set for his birthday. My dad, who is not a beer drinker per se, asked a lot of questions about them and seemed to have heard about these specific glasses. But I hadn't! So I went online to Sam Adams and read up. There's actually a really nice article over atReal Beer about the glass. After trying a few different brews out of the glass I have to say that it truly does allow for a different drinking experience. The flavor of the beer is what I feel is really enhanced by the glass. Just last night I had a Sam Adams Summer Ale (one of my favorites) out of one of these glasses and the flavor just exploded. The glasses are a bit pricey at about $25 or $30 per set (last I saw) but may be worth it!

Tasting at O'Niells

One of me and my friends favorite places to go is O'Niells Irish Pub on Central and Washington. The food is pretty good and the selection of brews is solid. It's a place to sit back, have a few and catch up on the week with your friends. We went this weekend to have dinner and ended up trying a couple beers we hadn't tried before.


The first was Young's Double Chocolate Stout. I've had a few chocolate stouts but I would say this is the most chocolaty out of the bunch I've had. It went down really smooth with no real detectable carbonation and was pretty light. The smell was as wonderful as the taste, with a strong dark chocolate scent which was complemented with a roasted nut smell.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a to mix things up in their regular beer lineup.


The second beer was Wexfords Irish Style Cream Ale. This one disappointed a bit. It was smooth and light, which I expected, but finished with a kind of sour note after a decent caramel taste. The smell was faint and took a few sniffs to decipher anything. Even then it was a little hard to figure out, my notes say caramely, buttery, with a hint of floral. But that may be reaching.

I'm gonna give this one a second try. Most of the other reviews I've read online are similar to mine in terms of the disappointment. I didn't see anything about a sour note though, so I may just need to give this one another chance.

Octoberfest has arrived!

Sam Adams Ocotberfest is by far one of my, and my friends and family's, favorite beers. It's a seasonal offering from Sam Adams. Over the last week I started seeing it on the shelves and even on tap in some places. The Sam Adams website describes it as "a delicious harmony of sweet flavors including caramel and toffee."

I'll probably be getting my hands on some this weekend and will be posting a review. I really can't wait!

New Belgium Gets Some Love

Straight from BeerBloggers.com is a nice little write up on one of the Lips of Faith brews from New Belgium, one of my favorite breweries. I'm actually pretty jealous because I have yet to see any of the Lips of Faith brews from NB down here in the 505, although I havn't looked in a couple weeks because it's the end of the semester.
Their take:

"This was a delighful experience; I wish we had brought back a case. The mouthfeel is warm, round and smooth, very pleasant, not a bit of hops, with just the softest taste of cherries.

Delightful!"

Sounds pretty good, makes me even more jealous! The rest of the post can be found here.

One of my favorites

New Belgium 1554

By far one of my favorite beers, even though when I go to the store I don't necessarily go straight for it. In fact, this last weekend was the first time I bought a six pack of it, I usually get it in the Folly Pack. When I do get it in the Folly Pack, though, I always save the 1554's for last.

I really like this beer because of the taste (duh), which for me is mainly composed of a roasted coffee flavor with a very subtle chocolate after taste. The beer itself is also pretty easy to drink, when it first hits your tongue you notice the smooth, thin feel and then the taste settles in very nicely, and almost surprisingly. I'm still really trying to grasp the smells of beer, but I would say there was a slight caramel scent to it with the bulk of the smell falling to the roasted nut side. I would probably highly recommend this beer to someone who may just be getting into beer, because of the "drinkability" and taste.

Doing this review got me to thinking, what's your favorite beer? Leave a short review, or even just what you like about the beer, as a comment.

The Brewing Process: Part I

Intro -

Depending on who you talk to or where you look there are 7 - 9 steps to the brewing process (those two extra steps in the 9 step process are considered sub-steps by the 7 step brewers). The brewing process can take anywhere from a few weeks to over a year depending on the beer being brewed. Although the process is pretty straightforward, there is a log of equipment used in brewing. This first brewing post will cover the first three steps of the brewing process: Mashing, Lautering and Brewing(Boiling).


Mashing:

Mashing ultimately converts the starches in the grains into sugars that will later be turned into alcohol. The mashing step calls for the grains, which have been soaked in water, heat dried and crushed, to be added to warm water in a container called a mash tun. During the soak, 1-2 hours, the water absorbs the sugar from the grains. When mashing is finished the next step is to strain the water, now called "wort", from the grains ...

Wort Removal/Lautering:

The wort is removed from the mash tun, which usually has some sort of bottom section that can double as a strainer. From here the wort is poured into a brew kettle to await the addition of the beers most famous ingredient; hops ...

Brewing/Boiling:

Once in a brew kettle the wort is brought to a boil, which will last from roughly 1-2 hours. It is during this step that the wort is purified, removing unwanted and harmful byproducts of the first two steps from the wort. The character(flavor, smell, color) of the beer also takes shape during this step, as hops are added to the wort during the boiling. Now that the wort is beginning to take on a personality the sugars need to be turned into alcohol in the fermenting step, and the wort becomes the beer.

No Password Needed!

"Getting into a bar in Utah is about to become a lot easier" - Brock Vergakis - AP

About a month ago Utah lawmakers voted to eliminate one of the more odd and controversial bar laws in the United States. For most of us who havn't been to a bar in Utah this law is unheard of and, frankly, not all that important. But to many who travel through Utah and stop at a bar the law may have come as a complete shock. I'm sure many people thought it was a joke. The 40-year old law required anyone entering a bar to be a member of that specific bar. Membership fees weren't outrageous, and quite affordable if you lived in Utah at $12 for an annual membership, but that's $12 for every bar that you like to go to, just to get in. But to passersby an average of $4 was charged for a temporary membership - at every bar. Think about that! How many bars do you go into on a typical night out? Probably three or more. So as a visitor, you would be paying at least $12 just for the right to walk into three bars. That would be pretty annoying. Utah lawmakers are hoping this will boost tourism a bit and "make Utah seem a little less odd to outsiders". Not a bad place to start, IMO!

Local Beer Reviews

On Friday night I bought a six pack of the Santa Fe Nut Brown Ale from the Santa Fe Brewing Company and a six pack of Marble Brewery's IPA to review. I had tried both brews coming into the night but had not really stopped to pay attention to them from a reviewing standpoint. I would also recommend taking a gander at the websites of both brewers for their history and more info about the beers they brew. The sites themselves are pretty cool too.

Santa Fe Nut Brown - Drank out of a bottle just a little colder than room temp. It had a mouthfeel that I consider comfortable - smooth but with a noticable, but not overwhelming, amount of carbonation. Some hints of roasted nuts in the smell. A smoky (I termed it hickory in my notes) initial taste gives way to a toasty/nut, almost buttery, finish. It was kind of hard to get into this one. Five of my friends gave it a try (their beer taste and experience all ranging) and our consensus was that the beer was drinkable but not great. I'll definitely try this one again though, I remember that I liked it a little more the first time, so maybe I had a bad batch.

Overall: C+

Marble IPA - Drank out of a bottle just a little colder than room temp. Smooth with a medium-high carbonation feel. Had a great floral smell which led to a very floral taste which bursts and lasts until the next drink. I enjoyed this one a lot. I'm not a huge IPA guy but I think this is something that I would keep stocked at my house. Their website describes it as their "flagship beer", which is good, because it is a very good IPA.

Overall: A

The End of History!

The History of Beer Part 3


The Industrial Revolution

Like most industries, the Industrial Revolution allowed the brewing industry to become mechanized by first bringing exact science to the growing beer industry. The saccharometer and thermometer could now be used to take precise readings and gave the brewers better control over the process. This was good because up until this point some beers were downright undrinkable (unless you were a local or really in need of some suds). Methods of keeping ice during the summertime allowed lagers to be brewed year round instead of only during the winter (since a much lower temperature is needed to brew a lager than an ale). Pasteurization also made it easier to keep beer from spoiling. Eventually, the mechanization of the entire brewing process made the existence of modern brewing giants a reality. Through the improvement of brewing equipment, it also made home, craft and microbrewing much easier, allowing novice brewers to focus more on brewing a good beer as opposed to worrying about simple brewing processes going wrong. So although the Industrial Revolution may have taken some of the craft-feel and personality out of the beer industry, it's entirely possibly that a lot of the beer we like today may not exist or may not even be as good!

Some More History

The History of Beer Part 2

Medieval

During the middle ages beer continued to be popular in areas where wine couldn't be easily cultivated. It was still largely brewed by women as beer was considered a daily nutritional staple and women largely held cooking duties. However, some brewing duties were held by Christian monks who ran what were basically old style Inns and brewed beer to please their customers.

During this time hops were also starting to be used, mainly in Germany. Although an exact date is debated most sources put the first use of hops at around the 10th century. The use of hops was not met with arms wide open. Although it helped to preserve the beer for trade it adversely affected the taste as brewers were experimenting with the correct amount of hops. Eventually hops gained popularity and were accepted widely in Europe as recipes were perfected and longer trade routes were established.

Up until the 15th century beer was largely a private practice. However, brewers in England began to brew on a commercial level as export became easier and recipes were perfected. Pubs started to appear in cities in England as the monasteries and hostels that the monks ran were in full brewing swing. During this time the first beer was brought to America by Columbus, specifically on his 1502 trip to America. He also noted that beer was being brewed by the natives, with the key ingredient being corn. With the commercialization and relative ease of export, beer was well on its way to being more popular than ever.

A Little History For Ya

The History of Beer- Part 1

Ancient Beer



Beer has been around a long, long time, going as far back as 6,000 BC when ale style beer was brewed in the region known as the cradle of life, Sumeria, and in China. They liked the stuff so much that they have a beer Goddess, Ninkasi, and many ancient tablets have been found containing references and or recipes for beer. In ancient times, and all the way up to the Renaissance, beer carried religious connotations and was mostly brewed by women. For example, it was brewed by priestesses' in Sumeria and later in Greece where Dionysus was the Goddess of beer. In Egypt it was used as part of the sacrament. Later it would be improved by in Christian monasteries.

It is widely believed that beer was discovered accidentally. The story goes that people ate aged, moist grains and soon after experienced a "euphoric" feeling. Soon after some people started storing baked grains in water and voila, beer was born. Beer remained popular through the middle ages as a favorite drink in areas where wine could not be made or was too expensive. It was also viewed in some areas as a safer alternative to water because drinkers knew that the water used in the brewing process had been purified through boiling (or at least that was a really good excuse to drink a beer with every meal). In the ancient times beer was considered by the Egyptians and Greeks to be part of a healthy lifestyle (in moderation of course) and was enjoyed by people in every social class.

Stay posted for Part 2 - Beer in the middle ages!

Beer Reviews: A Plethora!

Over the weekend I hung out with some friends and a few different beers.
Here are some of the beers we reviewed. After the description of the beer is the brewer, the style of beer, the alcohol content and noted characteristics.

Mother Ship Wit -

A lot of flavor with a medium hoppy after taste, which might not be good for new beer drinkers. All around beer that features a nature-like taste.

New Belgium - Wheat - 4.8% - Orange, Spice


Shiner Bock -

Not as bitter or hoppy as you may think, which makes the after tastes more friendly to new beer drinkers. Medium bodied and resembles a darker amber.

Shiner, Dark Amber, 6.5%, Smooth


Dundee Honey Brown -

Sweet with no bitter after taste. Light bodied-ness is good but unsatisfying for the advanced beer drinkers. Good social beer.

Dundee, Brown Ale, 4.5%, Honey, smooth


Rising Moon (Blue Moon Seasonal)


Very crisp with an exchange of lime flavor for the orange flavor associated with Blue Moon. Gives a clear flavor and makes the beer very drinkable.


Blue Moon, Wheat, 4.5%, Lime, Grass


Rogue Imperial Porter

If you don't like IPA's this beer is for you. Rogue Imperial Porter tastes exactly like an IPA, but with a smoother, bitter flavor. It makes your taste buds dance with joy. It makes you feel almost like you're drinking beef or eating a desert. Some of the taste comes from the resealable clay bottle that it's packaged in. You say $15 is crazy for a beer, I say you have NOT tried a Rogue Imperial Porter.

... because it's light!

So last night I went out with a few friends and a had a beer. Between the four of us that ordered a beer we had a Fat Tire, Blue Moon, Sam Adams Boston Lager and .... a Bud Light! Tall, no less. I asked my friend why, with all the choices available, she would drink a Bud Light. She responded "... because it's light!". She also added that it's not bitter like the ales she has tried and it's smooth. Fair enough! I had her taste it against the Sam Adams Boston Lager, which she "kind of liked", but it was a little more bitter than the Bud Light, in her opinion. So there, we have a positive opinion on American Style Light Lager that's not due to it being cheap or the only choice. +10 for American Style Light Lager!

Chapter 1 - Section 1: Lagers' Popularity

Quick Lesson:
American Style Light Lager Dominates US Sales


Lagers are by far the best selling beer in the United States. Since beer sales information by brand is not readily available to the public we have to rely on the those who have access to the data to share it with us. According to The Hook Up, a Lubbock nightlife blog, the top 10 selling beers in the United States, according to Information Resources Inc, are all lagers, and more specifically, are mostly American Style Light Lagers:

1. Bud Light
2. Budweiser
3. Miller Lite
4. Coors Light
5. Corona Extra
6. Natural Light
7. Heineken
8. Michelob Ultra Light
9. Busch Light
10. Miller High Life

American Style Light Lagers are characteristically the cheapest, smoothest (or most watered down) and mildest (or most watered down) beer on the market, which is probably what makes them so popular. While a lot of people wouldn't necessarily stock their fridge full of any of these beers, even more people (including myself) certainly have no problem using these beers for beer pong or serving them at a large party. That got me to wondering ... when do YOU like to enjoy an American Style Light Lager?

Chapter 1: Ale and Lager

Guinness Stout - Samuel Adams Boston Lager

Ale

Ales are darker, full bodied beers. These beers can contain anything from fruity, floral flavors to more earthen flavors (like grass), because of the temperature the beer is fermented at. The different flavors produced depend on the different types of yeast used in the brewing process. Characteristically, ales will to be darker in color , cloudy in terms of liquid clarity and will contain more flavors than lagers (of course there are exceptions to all these rules). Some beer styles that fall under the ale family, besides all of the styles that end with the word ale, include wheat beer, porter and stout. Ales are meant to be consumed at around room temperature in order for all of the flavors and aromas to be experienced.

The three beers below fall into three of the different types of ale - (from left to right) Amber Ale - Stout - Pale Ale



Lager

The Lager style of beer is the domestic and worlds most popular as lagers top most sales lists of the beer drinking countries around the world. These types of beers include brands such as Budweiser and Coors here in the USA, Heineken in the Netherlands, Corona in Mexico and Fosters in Australia (just to name a few). Lagers are characterized by their smooth, mild, crisp taste and lighter body - which many beer drinkers (just look at top 10 selling beer lists here and around the world) find very enjoyable. Most brewers suggest that lagers be consumed refrigerated in order to keep the crisp, clean characteristics of the beer.

But I don't even like beer ...

.... and you don't have to. Like a few other things in life (asparagus, horseradish, sauerkraut) beer is an acquired taste. Unless you had a friend or family member who liked to drink different styles of beer your first beer was probably an "American Style Lager" - Coors, Budweiser, Miller and all of their light beer variations (just to name a few) - the most common type of beer to be found in fridges throughout America. The nature of this type of beer is to have a simple or mild taste, especially the light beer variations. When consumed at a cold temperature, as suggested by the manufacturers, the resulting reaction to your first drink of beer might have been "this tastes like watered down ... urine". At least that's the reaction I had. As well as a number of my friends.

For many people, unfortunately, the first beer they drank also happened to be one of the beers with the least amount of flavor. Think about it, what if the first time you went to a football game you could only see half of the field? What if your first birthday cake had no frosting? What if your first video game control was missing some buttons? You would probably vow to never watch a football game again, insist on eating vegetables on your birthday instead of a cake and trade in your XBox for a violin .... or something like that .... you would have given up all of these great things because your first experience with them was limited.

There is nothing wrong with American Style Lagers, the simple taste they offer is the aim of their beer and they do it well. But if your first experience with beer was limited to these American Style Lagers, and you didn't like it, keep in mind that there are many other styles of beer out there, all offering unique experiences. So the next time you're out with some friends and feel adventurous, try a different beer. Try something with a fun name or a weird name. Or try something with a cool looking tap handle. Try a bock. Try a stout. Try an amber ale. But not in one night of course. If you try a handful of beers and decide that the last one you had was just as bad as the first one, then you've given it a fair shot. More than likely though, you will find at least one beer that will make you glad you tried a something different.

Whats on tap?

Welcome to Beerology 101. I mean for this blog to cater to beginner and intermediate beer drinkers alike. Don't know the difference between ale and lager? Coors Light vs. Guinness? Don't worry, Beerology 101 is here to make the journey with you from beer newb to beer expert. Bottoms up!