How I Rate Beer

Hello Everybody!

Okay I figured that I should explain my rating system and the way I write my blog. I've been getting a little bit of, well I'll say, "Constructive Criticism".

Let me take the latter first. I write my blog the way I do because... well... hmmm. Simply put, "That's how I am". I write this blog in a way you would talk to you friend sitting on the bar stool next to you or sitting around and playing cards. I can write it in an all technical format. I could explain the chemistry behind taste of the beer. Even, the formulations in why the beer styles, Blah!Blah!Blah! Your eyes would roll back in your head.

That is not what I'm all about. I want you to have fun with beer. Experiment with beer. The most important thing is to find and enjoy your flavor or style of beer. Just like there are many different types of people in the world, there is that many types of beer. You just need to find the one that's just for you. I try to give you little insights to every beer in this blog, so you can make your own decisions whether or not this might be a beer you would like to try. You won't know if you like it or not, unless you try it. Be adventurous.

Okay that's enough of that. Now onto my rating system. I was trying to figure out the easiest way to explain this. I could do a flow chart or interactive display (which I still might do, when I find time to do it), but I figured just a simple explanation for each point.

It's a 1 to 7 point rating system. I have a fascination with the number "7", so that's why I did it. So if you managed to read this far, thank you.

1) It's a lonely number. So leave this one alone because that is why is by itself. Truth be told I have a "1" beer every now and again to make sure it wasn't me.

2) Is the "Not Bad" of beers. Drinkable, but it just has to much of something or not enough. Usually the type of beers you find in your regular everyday bar.

3) The "Middle Of The Road". It's usually tasty, but not spectacular. They are usually the everyday type of beer. The kind you buy because well everyone will drink it and not complain.

4) "Now That Is Something" Beer. There is just something about it. Has flavor and balance. The little extra that makes you stick in the back of the fridge behind all the other beer so other people don't see it.

5) The "WOW" Beer. Complex, different, and all around tasty beverage. This beer is usually brought to special occasions or bought during a great night out. Usually a little more expensive, but not always. The kind of beer you want to start your night on.

6) "You got to try this beer". Pretty self explanatory. Once you taste it you want everyone to try it. A beer you hold dear. It sounds stupid, but it's the kind off beer that makes you happy that you have it.

7) "Special Reserve". This is usually saved for the cream of the crop. A beer you'd collect. A refined type of beer. I have only a few I put up on this pedestal. Yet I have not reviewed any of these yet because I'm still trying to get my hands back on it again.

I hope this clears it up. Quiet a few things to reviews in the up coming weeks. Hopefully a few reviews of some local brew places in the area if all goes well. As always, Enjoy and "CHEERS"!

7 Beers, 6 Tasters (Part 2)

Hello Everyone, again!

Still have 3 beers left to review. I also want to take this time to thank my tasters. They kind of had this thrown upon them, and well they are not professional tasters. For that reason alone is why I am glad to have them as my own beer tasters. Everyday type of people who will give me honest input and not afraid to say what's on their minds. So thank you tasters.

The Tasters:

Jay "I really don't like beer, because it fills me up"
Rothy "You bring it, we'll drink it"
Chris "I can have a few beers"
The Lady "I'll give it a try, but I like liquor better"
Boozer X "You had me at beer"
Dan A.K.A. Beer Dawg "Yes, I love beer" (Not really thanking myself, but whatever)

Saison Dupont Vieille Provision is a Belgium Farmhouse Ale. ABV. of 6.5%. The nose on this one had a little wet hay smell, a tinge of fruit and spice. The head on this beer was light and fluffy. It's cloudy (because it's unfiltered), and has a copper gold color to it. Jay staying true to character said, "I don't know if I want to drink this", but he did. "It's pretty good, just hold your nose when I drink it", he said. Boozer X, Chris, Rothy, and I all commented on how smooth the mouth feel was. Rothy also pointed out that is was a little sweet at first and then had that little bitter taste, which we all did agree on. Boozer X and I both thought the aftertaste stuck around a little longer then we would like, but it wasn't bad. The Lady thought is was okay, but she'd rather have a martini. This did get marks ranging from 4.5 to 5.5, averaging out to a 5 rating. So this a beer you should at least try if you see it on the shelf. A food pairing for this would have to be as complex as the beer itself. Something spicy, like a Garlic and Rosemary Chicken, or that Rabbit wrapped in prosciutto dish I can't remember the name of.
If you want to read a little more on this beer check out the website:
http://www.brasserie-dupont.com/dupont/Default.aspx?Lang=en&page=tableaupres

Black Sheep Ale is not a conventional Brown Ale. Has an ABV. of 4.4%. A light Carmel type of head to it. The beer itself had a clear, roasted brown color to it. The nose on the beer was a little bit bitter, and fruity. Chris thought it tasted like a Bock beer. Tasted a little unbalanced. It had a little to much hop to go with the roast coffee and malty taste. Everyone agreed that it was the sharpest beer we had to taste. Boozer X commented on how dry the mouth feel was and that the after taste stayed around long then it should have. The range on this beer fell between a 2 and a 4 rating. So a 3 rating for this beer, which means if you like tasting something new give this one a try, it's different to say the least. A food pair on this one took me some time to think about. I'd venture a guess that something a little sweet like a Orange Beef, a Chicken with Mango Salsa or a Yorkshire Pudding. They have other beers listed on there website that I know I am going to try if I can get a hold of them.
http://www.blacksheepbrewery.com/Beers/BottledBeers/BlackSheepAleTasting.aspx



Red Hook 8-4-1 Limited Release Expedition Ale . A Imperial Brown Ale. Has an ABV. of 9.5%. This is a blended beer. Almost a dark chocolate brown color to it. This was kind of the star of the evening. Everyone thought this was an outstanding beer. Sweet and warming, because it has a high alcohol content. Then it had a little bitter in the middle of the taste. Nice dark roast taste to it. The head was creamy and Carmel color. The nose on this you could smell the oak. Very smooth mouth feel. Rothy said it was his "Poor Beer", because instead of buying a few beers, he could buy one of these 22oz. bottle and be good for the rest of the night. Boozer X agreed and said that this was the type of beer he'd buy a case of and when he wanted a a "One Off Night", he could pull out 2 or 3 of these and be good. I added to this conversation that on a cold night this would do the job of making you all warm and fuzzy. Even Jay and The Lady said they'd drink this but they'd be careful not to drink to much of it, because it would sneak up on you. Chris pretty much reiterated what we all said, but he was sitting there enjoy this tasty beverage. The rating on this one was between a 5 and a 6. A 5.5 rating on this one. Every beer collector should have this one in their inventory. A must try for all beer drinkers. Reading up this beer I was impressed the lengths they went through to make this beer. Check out the link below to find out more about this beer.
http://www.redhook.com/

I hope you all enjoyed this 2 part tasting. There will be many more to come. Like always, ENJOY and "CHEERS"!

OOPS! Forgot the food pairing for the Red Hook 8-4-1 Limited Release Expedition Ale. This would make a great add to the sauce in a pot pie. Also a nice pair to go with a Blue Cheese Burger, or a Spicy Sausage dish. Also be nice with some Vanilla Ice Cream. BEER FLOAT!

7 Beers, 6 Tasters (Part 1)

Hello World!

I was supposed to have a review for you to read on Sunday, but I ended up seeing a movie instead of going out to get a beers. I know shame on me, but "Kick-Ass" was definitely worth it. If you haven't seen it, I recommend that you do. Okay, enough of that, now onto the beer tasting.

I decided that I'd select 7 beers for tasting and have 7 testers, with myself included. Well, one of my tasters did not end up showing because and this is directly from his text "Goin home dude beat tell everyone am a pussy". Took me a few seconds to comprehend what he was texting. 6 tasters 7 beers, can't be to sad, means there is more beer for sampling.

The tasters:
Jay "I really don't like beer, because it fills me up"

Rothy "You bring it, we'll drink it"
Chris "I can have a few beers"
The Lady "I'll give it a try, but I like liquor better"
Boozer X "You had me at beer"

Dan A.K.A. Beer Dawg "Yes, I love beer"

Zywiec is a Polish Pilsner. It has a ABV. of 5.6%. The general consensus on this beer was that it was that it was light, smooth, a little sweet, and a nice bitter taste. There was a little nip in the after taste, but not bad at all. We all agreed that it had a little funk nose on it, but I think I'll contribute that to the improper storage of the beer at my local distributor. This beer I would consider to be the Budweiser of Poland. On the 1 thru 7 scale that I catch a lot of criticism for, it falls in the 3.5 to 4 range. Basically a good beer to pick up from time to time, if you want something light. I'd say its an everyday type of dinner beer. I wouldn't pair this with some strongly flavored food. Heavy foods like stews and pot roast would be the only thing I could think to pair with this beer. I did try to find a website for this beer, but they do not have one. They have a Fan Face Book page and a Wiki page, but not really worth posting.

Tyskie is a Polish Lager. It has a ABV. of 5.6%. Everyone of the tasters agreed that there was not to much difference between Zywiec and this beer. Taster Boozer X said that it had a little more going on, with a cleaner taste and a little more hint of a fruit flavor. I myself picked up a little more of a Carmel flavor then fruit. Once again it wasn't spectacular, but not a bad tasting beer in its own right. Worth a try if you want something a little different for a change. Very clean, a nice bitter, not to filling, and a good beer for a hot summer day. After adding up the totals from each of the tasters the average for this beer was a solid 4.5. Some time in the future I'll have to get my hands on some Polish Porters for everyone to try. Being Polish myself I have to say that I wasn't disappointed in the quality of these two beers, but, and there is always a "but", I kind of expected a little more. Guess I've just been ruined by have many really great beers. Once again no website. I know that there must be a Polish joke in there somewhere. A food pairing for this just like the Zywiec, heavy food like stews and pot roast.

Our next beer, wasn't a beer, but a cider. I thought I would throw this into the mix so we didn't blast our tasted buds away. Original Sin Hard Cider. ABV. of 6%. Everyone thought this was a great cider. The Lady said "I could drink this all night". Which I wouldn't suggest unless you wanted to be hammered, but to each there own. So its a plus in my book if women like it, so you might want to keep a few of these in the fridge if your entertaining some lady friends. Chris thought it was nice but a little sweet. No more then a couple of them in a night if he was drinking. It had a crisp, clean, bite into an apple taste, with a little hint of mustiness in the after taste. Nicely balanced sweetness to it. I would definitely suggest this as a nice staple for a gathering or a BBQ. Food pairing for this would be something meaty like a steak, pork chops, and spicy sausage. I would even cook with this in a marinade for the grill. Adding this to candied sweet potatoes or yams, just to give it that little extra zing. Even would venture to guess that this would be nice to add to an apple cake batter or an apple pie to give it a little extra apple flavor. Sorry kind of went off on a little tangent there about the food stuff. So after adding up the ratings for this we came out with a really strong 5.5 rating. I love the artwork for this cider. They have many vintage posters on their site. http://www.origsin.com/

Our next beer was Singha which is a Thailand Pale Lager. ABV. of 6%. Out of all the beers we tried this was the most poor performer in the group. Rothy put it simply that is was way to hoppy and that he would give it a negative million on the rating. Jay said that he needed to stop drinking after this one. It put him off. I felt that he was a little over zealous, but I did not to much care for it either. It was a little sharp, but clean. A little to hoppy for my tastes as well. It did finish up nicely, with no lingering after taste. If I had to pair it up with anything I would have to say it would work well with Satay, noodles, and pretty much any curry dish. So after I counted up the scores on this beer, it received a 2.5 rating. Which means if your hard up and its the only thing around to drink, you would. I myself would not take a trip to the beer distributor for this beer. I will say this they have a really nice website. http://www.singhabeer.com/Evening/index.html

So this will conclude the first part of the beer tasting that we did. I'll have Part 2 up in about a day or two. Enjoy and "Cheers"!

So you want to make beer, try this.

Hello everyone!

So you want to make beer, but you think it's to hard. Well it's not. Meaning that you can make it as complicated as you want or vise versa. I have a great simple recipe you can follow to make a tasty brew. It's one of my own but pretty much all beer recipes are the same.

They all contain 4 major elements: Water, Hops, Yeast, and Grains. "WHY G" is what I like to call it, like asking one of your hommies who smashed your girl. Okay throwing some street slang doesn't mean I gots any cred on the street, but it will help you remember the basic ingredients in beer. Then there is a fifth we call adjuncts, which is anything else you add to the beer like spices, fruit, rice, and so forth that either increases the alcohol level and/or adds some flavor. Pretty much every beer has some sort of adjunct.

One thing when you get into home brewing, you'll notice two very distinct groups of brewers. First group I call the "Scientists". They make great beer and always do everything like scientists, and everything has to be perfect. From the type of style the beer is, to the color, and even the size of the bubbles in the beer. I am not kidding.

The second group I call "Artists". They pretty much color out of the lines, doing anything to their beer to get a master piece. Throw in some wild flowers, how about some tea leaves, and even "Pop Tarts". Yes you can make beer out of "Pop Tarts". They just want their beer to be they way they want it.

Both groups do have one thing in common. They want to make great beer. I'm cool with that. I myself like the science behind it all, but I don't always measure everything down to the milligram. I also like adding all sorts of crap to my beers to make them different. So I'm kind of in the middle of those groups, which is good with me, since I like to be in balance. So okay now to the recipe.

So I call this one "Danny Boy", an Irish Red Ale, but really doesn't fall in with the style guide lines. This is also what they call an "Extract Beer", which is a fancy way of saying that someone else did the work of extracting the malt sugars from the grains for your beer. I don't know about you but save me 3 hours out of my brew day is fine with me. So I made this recipe so it's really easy for beginners, or people that don't have to much time to brew. I also did it in mind for people who have basic home brewing kits in mind.

"Danny Boy"

What you'll need:

5 gal. Filtered Water
7lbs. Filtered Ice
1tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1cup Light Brown Sugar
8lbs. Extra Light Liquid Malt
1/8lb. 40 Level Bond Crystal (Barley)Crushed
1/8lb. 80 Level Bond Crystal (Barley)Crushed
1/8lb. Munich(Barley)Crushed
1/2lb. Aromatic (Barley)Crushed
1/8lb. Carmel Wheat Crushed
2oz. Fuggle Hops
1oz. Kent Golding Hops.
1 Tube of Irish Ale Yeast
or
1 package of Ale Yeast

Making the Wort or Beer Soup.

First pour 3 gallons of water into a 5 gallon pot. Bring the water temperature up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit and turn of the stove.

Then place your grains in a steeping bag or sock and place it into the pot. Let it sit for a half hour.

Then remove the bag from the pot, letting most of the liquid drain and discard. Do not squeeze the bag. Bring the pot back up to a boil. When you have a nice rolling boil drop in 1oz. of the Fuggle Hops. Let it boil for another half hour.

Then add 1oz. of Fuggle Hops, 8lbs of Extra light Liquid Malt, 1 tsp. of ground Cinnamon. Let boil for 25 minutes. Stay close to adjust the heat so you don't get a boil over.

Then add the Kent Golding Hops and let boil for 5 more minutes. Then turn off the stove. Let this sit for about 20 minutes with a lid on it.

Place ice into your 5&1/2 or 6 gallon fermenting bucket. Now place a strainer on top of the bucket and strain the pot into the bucket. Be careful the wort is still hot. Discard the left over stuff in the strainer. Then add the rest of the water to the bucket, making sure it gets to the fill line on the side of the bucket.

Take the temperature of the wort. If it is around 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit add the yeast. If it is not let it sit, covered, until it does. Then seal the bucket with the air lock and store in a cool, clean place, for about a week.

Transfer it to a glass carboy with an air lock, for about another week.

Then transfer to a bottling bucket and mix in the cup of Light Brown Sugar.

Bottle the beer and cap it. Let it sit in a cool place for another week and then refrigerate or not and enjoy.


Now I know I didn't get into the full details of equipment or bottling procedures but there are plenty of videos and stuff on the web to show you how. I will tell you I learned from a friend who brews, my local home brew shop owner, and Basic Brewing Radio/Video, (James Spencer is "DA MAN!"). Trust me there are plenty of people who know how to brew out there.

So here are some links to help you brew:

My Home Brew Shop:
http://www.barryshomebrew.com/

Basic Brewing Radio/Video:
http://www.basicbrewing.com/


So have a great time brewing. Enjoy and "Cheers"!

To Monk's or not to Monk's

Had a craving for Sour Ale.

Well I was going to go to Monk's Cafe. They have a "Killer" Sour Flemish ale, that everyone talks about. I've had it before, but I also had a few other beers, so a good review of the beer is well out of the question. I was all ready to go with my best friend Jay in toe, but then the word about the traffic being bad and it was raining. So we decided to go to one of our favorite haunts, Firewaters in Concord, Pa.

Amy, one of our favorite bartenders, waited one us. I figured I'd do a review on some of the beers on tap. They happen to have 50 beers on tap, so plenty to choose from.

Lindman's Framboise was my first choice. I really like this tarty little Belgium. It's refreshing, clean, and fruity. Has this perfect tartness to it. Goes great with anything fresh and light like a salad and kabobs. This is definite a classic beverage for BBQs. It also goes great with desserts like pretty much anything that has chocolate in it.

I know this is going to sound a little sexist, but it's great starter beer for women who do not like beer, because they're used to our domestic shelf life beer. If you get a chance try this one. On my 1 thru 7 ratings of beer, with 7 being the best, I give it a 6. Why not a 7 you may ask, well, it doesn't hold up to some of the greats I've tasted, but the main reason well its a little girlie. I know I'm a male chauvinist pig, but I'm honest male chauvinist. So to my next beer.

I saw it on the beer list and I was so excited. I love Irish reds, and Irish redheads, but that's another story for another time. Harpoon Celtic Ale is what I ordered. What I got was not an Irish Red. See I spent some time in the U.K., I drank a lot of beers when I was there, and this was not one of them. Even the ones I did not like they were still better than it.

Even though I'm trash talking on this beer its because I'm a beer snob, all in all it's not a bad beer by any means. If it was at a BBQ, and I had to choose between it and some of our other domestic beers, I'd most likely choose it. I'll say its clean and mild. A little harsh on the back end of the mouth feel. I'll even go further and say it's a good burger beer. I'll even venture to say it will make a beer for splashing on the hamburgers when they on the grill. So after drinking two glasses of water, I now ordered up my third.

My last beer of the evening was Flying Fish Farmhouse Summer Ale. I was surprised to say the least. Clean, crisp, refreshing, and a little hoppy. I don't tend to like beers with too much hops in them, I'm more of a balance guy in everything, but I can say that "Hop Heads" will enjoy this just as much of the rest of us. It was a nice finishing beer with no longing after taste. Nice mouth feel, and would definitely be at my next BBQ. I give it a 5. I noticed on their homepage they make an Oktoberfest, which is favorite style of beer, called OktoberFish. I will be looking into that when they roll it out again.

This I can say will go great with almost everything you could eat. I won't say its not good for heavy foods or spicy foods because I'm already eating something gut filling so why not have a nice not overpowering beer. Although, ice cream and this beer would not make a great pairing, but it depends on the the ice cream and if your willing to take the chance. So I listed below some links for you to look at. Enjoy and "Cheers"!

Links:

Monk's Cafe: http://www.monkscafe.com/

Firewaters: http://www.firewatersbar.com/

Lindman's Framboise: http://www.lindemans.be/start/framboise/en

Harpoon Celtic Ale: http://www.harpoonbrewery.com/index.cfm?pid=28514

Flying Fish Farmhouse Summer Ale: http://www.flyingfish.com/beers/seasonals.cfm

BBQ and Beer

Well like I mention I like beer, I also like barbecue. So when you put those two together I'm in heaven. I came across a recipe in Steven Raichlen's BBQ USA Cook Book. You can get it on Amazon. Here is the link: BBQ-USA-Recipes-Across-America

.

So I tried it and well I liked it, but it wasn't as "POW" for me as I thought is was going to be so I amped it up for my taste buds.


What you'll need:

8oz of Beer (Mean 40z for you to drink)

2 cloves of Garlic minced

1 small chili or Jalapeno minced and seeded

Tsp. of lemon zest

1 Tbsp. of lemon juice

1 Tbsp. of lime juice

2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

3 Tbsp. of light brown sugar

2 Tbsp. chicken stock or vegetable stock

1 stick of butter cubed

Salt and Pepper

Boil beer, garlic, and lemon zest until it reduces to about half about 5 min. Then add lemon and lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce to half. Then using a small hole strainer, strain into a bowl, then discard the solids and add the sauce back into the pot. Then slowly add the butter in a few cubes at a time mixing it until smooth over a medium heat. Add salt and pepper to taste. You can add some other spices to taste, but I like it, like this. Simple, tangy, and a little heat. Great on shrimp, crab, chicken, pork, and grilled vegetables.

I used a few different beers, IPA's were okay. Porters and Bitters not so much. A nice lager like an Oktoberfest was really good, but I prefer to drink a good beer with my meal. Honestly, a pilsner or a light ale was perfect.

So the recipe is just a simple outline. Try something new, and some curry powder or old bay or rosemary and thyme. Make it your own sauce. Yellow curry is great if your basting chicken kabobs. I've tried a lot of them. Ones I like and others I don't, but that's me. You should find your own taste and run with it. Change the lemon and lime juice to rice wine vinegar or balsamic, you just need an acid. Even orange juice works. If you don't like it spicy don't use the chili pepper. Use your imagination.

So that's pretty much for now. Cheers!

I have a new outlet for my mouth.

Hi Everybody!,

Well I not really new to this Blogging ideal, but my thoughts on one particular subject is going to be the main idea for this blog. BEER! From making it, tasting it, cooking with it, and anything else I can do with it. Ah, a beer shower, hmmm... Well it's not that great. I've tried it. It gets in your eyes and burns, not good. However, my hair was nice, soft, and shiney. It was a pilsner.

Anyways, I will write everything I can on the subject when time allows. In the following blogs I will: Tell you a little about me-self, the beers I'm brewing, recipes I come across, and beers I've tasted. So as they say in my favorite part of the world, CHEERS!