Cask Conditioning, Pubquest.com, and more!!

For those who have never experienced a cask conditioned ale, you don't know what your missing. Yes, it is served at a warmer temperature and yes, it is not nearly as carbonated but this is what makes it that much better in my opinion. If you have tried this general style of enjoying ales, and did not find it for your liking, sometime in the future give it a try again perhaps you just did not have one that was properly conditioned or served. I can tell you after some funny experiences in the past week or two there is a right way and a wrong way to prepare them, our way?? Well, maybe a little of both we will see.. My cohorts at the brewery and I have been conditioning a few firkins (casks, if you will) for an upcoming tasting in Atlanta at the end of the month. Last week we delivered one of these to the guys at Cigar City for transport to Atlanta for the festival. The beer needed to be there by this past Tuesday for stillage and so they could settle and probably clear out a little bit from being jostled during the ride which in our case was about 8 hours. On Monday I took our little experiment over and left it in the very competent hands of our friends and went off to a tasting which I discussed in my last post. Those beers were brilliant by the way, I definitely need to get to Bamburg soon.. You do too!! On Tuesday while shaking a little bit of the last night's fun off I received a call from Wayne, Cigar City's head brewer who while on the way into work was called an informed there had been a little "mishap" with one of the casks... As both he and Joey told me the real concern was that it has been theirs but alas it was not it was ours and it had exploded... All over the place, oops!! I offered to come and help clean it up and Wayne stated that it couldn't be that bad he would take care of it, but he would call me if it was worse than he had imagined.. It was, I got the call about an hour later and headed over to Tampa to aid in the clean up effort. When I arrived and entered the office, I could immediately smell that smell that I live for, the wonderful sweet smell of fresh, hoppy beer, however everyone else in the office had a different way of describing it that was not so cheery and believe me, it was not a subtle smell. What I saw when I came to Joey's office where our little "bomb" was being stored I will never forget... It was EVERYWHERE!! Seems that it had blown the bag inside the firkin holding hops for dry-hopping right out of the small opening at the top (called the keystone) which was a feat in and of itself as it had not been easy to put the bag in the much larger h opening on the side when we went to fill it. Everything was splattered with the remnants of what had previously been inside the firkin/cask/bomb and we went to work cleaning. I tried to keep a straight face, but could not help it especially after we figured out that other than a good cleaning, everything of importance would be OK (sorry about the posters, and other assorted papers on the wall Joe, the office needed a little redecorating anyways!!) but it was definitely an experience. As for the tasting, we had filled 2 so we still had one to send, and it made it to Atlanta safely so we will see how we do.. If you want to read more about this it is on the Cigar City Blog, and Joey even includes a few pictures if you want the visual. Needless to say, they got to name the beer and it is "The Bomb" actually a very tasty Oatmeal Stout dry-hopped generously with some crazy hop variety that now escapes my mind. I can not wait to try it at the tasting next weekend, but feel sorry for the poor SOB who has to spile and prepare it because there is quite a chance they will wear some.. Guess I will bring them a fresh Dunbrew T-shirt!

In other news, I had the good fortune to meet up with Julie from Pubquest.com last week for a few pints and a great discussion about what they are doing in helping to promote craft beer and local breweries. If you have not checked out PubQuest you should, the site it pretty solid and they can lead you to a brewery or brewpub from your spot from anywhere in the United States and Canada. They are in the process of adding beer bars too so those should be up sometime soon but this is a very valuable reference for anyone who travels and likes to taste the local flavor or tour the local brewery.

Meanwhile, while I do not like to blow my own horn too much I am now in the planning for the annual Stogie and Stout at the Dunedin Brewery my home base so to speak, the spot of most of my happiness and frustration, sometimes at the same time!! This event is in it's 9th year, pretty crazy to me although I have not been around that long it has really grown into something special in the past 5 or so that I have had the hand in putting it together (as if it was not before). This year I am anticipating 25-30 stouts, porters, brown ales, and maybe even a doppelbock available for tasting on February 21st from 7-11pm. Tickets for the event can be purchased on the Dunedin Brewery website, and the event usually sells out. Basically for your $25, you get to be in stout wonderland for the night! The entry include some appetizers from the Snug Pub kitchen, a Stogie (if you don't smoke them, share them that's what I do..) and a tasting glass then proceed to embody your taste buds with some of the darkest, most complex beers we can find. Generally there are a few you can not get around the area included in this, but most of them you can find in bottles here or there. We also feature the beers made around Florida during this time as part of the Best Florida Beer Championships, and this organization the BFBC holds a big raffle where most everyone walks away with some very coveted beer schwag. During this event I change every single tap in the house to a porter, stout, brown ale, etc. so those who like the light and mild need not apply on this night. I look forward to this every year, it is one of my favorite events and a fun time is always had by all. Perhaps you should grab a ticket and stop by to share some of these Nubian delights with us!!

Cheers!

Beers of Franconia

Last night I had the fortunate experience of meeting up with a friend who had a special stock of beers from Franconia. This region of Germany in northern Bavaria has one of the highest ratios of breweries in the world, most are very small serving only the local area. Few such as the much either much loved or hated smoked beers from Bamburg are included in this area and are exported to the states, as well as the Monchoff and EKU beers to name a few but we had tasted and experienced those. The beers we were tasting last night, might never have been experienced without a ticket to Germany had it not been for a slow moving container that missed it's destination and ended up at a few of the more well know beer bars in the northeast. I have to give a big thanks to Jerry from the Dirty Truth Beer Hall for this journey and experience in these very little known breweries.

While I am not going to go down the line and list and name each beer, they all enjoyed a lot of the same characteristics with each other and even other German lagers I have experienced in their clean, consistent, simplicity. Each of these beers was wonderfully balanced, most were clear almost to the point of filtration however this was more likely a result of being correctly brewed and lagered with the methodical technique that makes the beers from Germans revered as they have been throughout history. Some were past their prime, still enjoyable although it was very apparent that they were not meant to be held on to for any length of time but rather meant to be drank fresh soon after bottling.

My personal favorite was the Mönchsambacher Lagerbier Naturtrüb made by Brauerei Zehendner, this was an unfiltered, very hoppy lager with significant notes of citrus from the hops and a slight sulfuric flavor probably from the yeast present in the bottle but it was not offensive.

Another notable was a Beck Brau Lisberger Lager from Brauerei Beck Brau which had a bready maltiness and a slight very balanced hop bitterness. The name throws you off but it is not made by the much larger brewery that exports millions of cases to the US every year, this is a very small brewery. I am told that Beck is a popular moniker for breweries throughout Germany but as of the time of writing this I could not find why in my research so I will continue to try to find the answers and share them with you at a later date. If you are reading this and already know why or can shed some light on the subject let me know!

I think part of what charmed me about these beers was taking me back to being in Switzerland and their unfiltered lager beers I found when visiting. This is one style I do not see much here in the US, probably because of the care and time in the tanks involved with making such a beer. Most small breweries in the US need to get the beer in and out of the tanks to keep the overhead down, and while there are some really great lagers out there made in the states none have compared save the beers made at Hopper's a closed brewpub chain here in Tampa Bay that I used to work at as an assistant brewer. The Austrian brew master whom I worked for did 2 things very well, formulate recipes for those wonderful lager and pilsner beers, and make a complete mess of the brewery at the end of our brew days.. Needless to say I learned very well in my past experience there as to how to keep a brewery clean but I also learned quite a bit about lager beers and perhaps why they are not brewed so much by these small breweries. They take quite a bit of care, and there is little place for mistakes. In a big complex, higher gravity, heavier hopped beer (ale or lager) there is room to hide the mistakes or lesser characteristics that can arise. In a clean light lager or pilsner the flavor must be clean and precise or you have not made a perfect beer. These beers must have balance for just a few too heavy a hand with either the malt or hops and you have missed the boat. They must be fermented cold and slow and be allowed to lager for an extended period of time so that the crisp, clean, flavors dominate whether filtered or not.

These beers are not always on the top of the modern day beer "geek's" list, but for any true beer aficionado they are to be experienced and appreciated for their place in the world of beer. Germans brew with traditional methods that have changed little throughout the centuries, with all of the new thoughts and ideas that are flooding the beer industry I find this traditional approach as refreshing as many of the beers they produce, and I feel very lucky to have experienced these little breweries beers in the bottle at least until I can get close enough to enjoy them fresh where they are made.

Cheers!

Cigar City an early taste..

I dropped by Cigar City yesterday and was treated to a little sneak preview of a few beers they hope to one day make available and needless to say I was blown away! I had the chance to sample two; the Patio Pils and the Capricho Oscuro a few months back during a tasting of many others at the OTH, but to be able to sample this time in a correct flight (or at least in the right order so I could taste the nuances of each) without having any other beer first was great..

The first was a Saison, a little clear but with all of the earthy, apple like aromas, phenolics and spiciness you would expect with the the added complexity of a little funk from the edition of Scuppernog grapes. This beer balanced out nicely and was very drinkable, I am told processing the Scuppernogs was a pain so on a large scale they are unsure of what they will do but I hope they come up with something. This would be perfect for one of those great spring days enjoyed outdoors at your favorite beer garden. They don't plan on putting it in the production schedule for some time, but keep an eye out for it.

The second was the Sugar Plum Brown Ale which had the edition of Celestial Seasonings Sugar Plum Fairy Holiday Tea. The beer, a malty brown ale was great as a base and the tea spiced the beer nicely and gave it a wonderful aroma.

Next was the Imperial Pumpkin Ale, which while I do not necessarily have a favorite because they were all wonderful.. This would be at the top of the list, without a doubt the most sublime Pumpkin Ale I have ever had. Most people liken a great Pumpkin beer to good Pumpkin Pie, this was a few steps above that maybe like the ultimate Pumpkin Cheesecake. I say that because the beer had an almost creamy texture and an aroma that was about twice as nice as any pie I have ever smelled or tasted. The spices seemed to shine one at a time, with the rich taste of the pumpkin and the subtle taste of the malts used added just a little more depth. According to Wayne and Joey, it was at first a little "boozy" but when I tried it yesterday this had mellowed out and found it's place in the mix.

When you think it just doesn't get any better, it does! The next offering was the Mayan Chocolate made with 8 different malts and the edition of chilies, raw cacao nibs, vanilla, and cinnamon. According to the info from Wayne and the Cigar City blog this beer weighs in at 80 I.B.U.'s and about 11% ABV. It pours dark as night the a deep, dark, creamy head that gives way to a very complex experience that is perhaps one of the most interesting Imperial Stouts I have ever had.

Capricho Oscuro was next, this is a blend of about 6 different pilot batches and is aged in an oak barrel. It's result is an insanely complex experience of flavor, the vanilla from the oak the varied maltiness as result of the blend of different beers the base of which is I believe a brown ale. As mentioned, I had this beer a few months ago but based on my notes and memory which for this beer was vivid already it has changed even from that time. Funny thing, anyone can mix beers together based on their own preferences but to truly blend more than one beer with others to profection is an art form and this beer was just that. I look forward to the different incarnations of it in the future, as I have been told it will be released from time to time but will never be the same rather based on what is being brewed at the time. Most likely it will be blended, as it should be with the same experimental sense of adventure as the first but with what the brewery is producing at the time. Look for it from them in the future, and when you find it drink up!! No telling when you will see it again..

The last was the Cafe' con Leche Stout made with coffee beans roasted in the traditional Cuban fashion from Naviera Coffee Mills in Ybor City. It is a true testament to the coffee drink made famous in Tampa by the Cuban population centered around the cigar infrastructure in Ybor City in the last 150 or so years. The beer is another that pours very dark, and has a deep roasted malt complexity with the addition of course of the very strong coffee beans added. To balance there is a slight malty sweetness what adds balance and makes this stout very drinkable although I have a feeling perhaps after a few you might be up for a little while..

All in all, sampling these goodies from Cigar City makes me very excited to know that we will soon be able to enjoy them at our favorite local watering holes. Seeing 2 people pour their hearts into these exceptional liquids tells me there are great things to come for beer lovers in Tampa Bay and beyond in the near future.

I can't wait!

Cheers!

New Year's Resolutions..

This year for my New Year's resolutions, along with all of the normal promises you try to keep with yourself I am going to add one easy one.. Love Beer..

This New Year has already marked tragedy and loss and we at the Dunedin Brewery have seen many friends go, most have just moved onward to different adventures. One very special friend has left us forever in a terrible way and we will forever remember and miss him. For any of those who might have ever met Chris Crance around the brewery you know what I mean. My thoughts are with Ricky his brother who works at the brewery, and the rest of the family and friends who mourn his loss.


We filled and started conditioning a traditional REAL Ale in firkins at the brewery this past week, this is something I have been wanting to do for quite some time now and I hope it turns out the way it is supposed to. I would like to served it traditionally on the bar with a cooling blanket and gravity to feed. This has got to be the best way to enjoy a pint of IPA or stout for me, the soft carbonation and gentle oxidation that results nicely balances with the robust flavors from the hops and specialty/roasted malts. I will keep you posted on how it is and let you know when we are to tap it, just in case you are local to the Tampa Bay area and want to come out and quaff a pint with us! We filled 2 of them, one will be for the Snug Pub and the other will be for the Atlanta Cask Ale Tasting later in January. I will be attending this, probably with one of my cohorts and the guys from Cigar City Brewing in Tampa.

Speaking of Cigar City Brewing, these guys are almost ready to start brewing and I can not wait, I talked to Wayne today and he is hoping to be brewing by mid January. That would be very nice! I tasted some of the test batches and they were phenomenal, I can not wait to taste some of the others they plan on releasing. Joey, who is the founder of Cigar City has kept a blog of the entire process of opening the brewery which is very cool for anyone interested (probably anyone reading this!) that is http://blog.cigarcitybeer.com/
Joey just as myself believes that there need to be more breweries in Tampa Bay area so I am glad he is starting one up, he writes the blog in part to help others so that one day Florida will not be cursed with the nickname "Beer Wasteland".

I for one agree, hell I hope to have my own brewery someday.. Imagine that!!??!!

Slainte'