Demystifying Craft Beer Jargon

When drinking beer around some beer snobs, "holier than thou" beer drinkers or even on the bottles of some beer, I sometimes run into terms and jargon that I have to take note of to look up later. This will be the first of many posts that will look at these words and define them and give them context. We will eventually not get lost when talking about beer with others or maybe even get to the point we can show off our beer knowledge.

• Barrel
• In the U.S. a barrel of beer holds 31 gallons or 2 kegs.
• Keg
• One keg of beer is 15.5 gallons or half of a barrel
• Case
• A case of beer is traditionally 24 12 oz bottles or an equivalent of that. This comes out to be about 7 cases of beer per keg.
• Body
• How thick a beer is. I usually only see this word being used in the positive, as in "a liquid has body", not "a liquid doesn't have body".
• Mouthfeel
• Describes how a liquid feels while in a person's mouth. This can be very similar to the body of that liquid, but can also describe the maltyness, acidity, and dryness of a liquid
• Dry Hopping
• Adding hops after the boiling process to the wort either immediately after the cooling process, during fermentation, or even sometimes (rarely) in the kegging/bottle conditioning stage. This adds aromatic elements to the beer and in some cases cuts the overall bitterness.
• IBU
• International Bitterness Units is a scale used to illustrate how bitter a beer is. Most beers fall between 1 and 100. However some brewers are pushing the envelop of their beers and raising the IBUs beyond 100. In my opinion, at a certain point, like Scoville units and hot sauces, the beer just becomes flat out bitter and I cant tell between one high IBU beer and the next.
• IPA
• India Pale Ale is a style of beer that comes from the colonial and imperial ages of Great Britain. Before the advent of refrigeration and pasteurization British brewers added more hops and increased alcohol levels preserving lighter beers for a long trip around the Cape of Good Hope of Africa to the Indian Subcontinent, which was a colony of the Empire (UK not Star Wars).
• Trub
• Sediment made of hop particles, proteins, and inactive yeast in the bottom of a brew kettle, fermentor, or even in a bottle from conditioning.
• Wort
• The result of boiling water with malt and hops before the addition of yeast in beer making process.
• Zymurgy
• The science of fermentation or brewing beer.

Next time I will review a reader's choice beer and I will also look at why distributors are important in the beverage industry, maybe even with some inside source information.

Shocking Winter Beer: New Belgium Accumulation White India Pale Ale

Until recently, I usually avoided winter beers, because I felt they were usually really thick and over powering. Man! Have I been missing out on great beer?!?! This is what I get for not reading labels or judging a beer by its name.

A couple of weeks ago, a good friend of mine, Pat, suggested I try out New Belgium's Accumulation White India Pale Ale. He sent the this picture with the suggestion to brighten my day on a what had been a pretty crappy day. Thanks to my buddy, my day brightened, I got this beer, and was surprised in a slump busting kind of way.

Opening and pouring this beer, I found the beer was clear and had a very good smell to it. Some would call it floral, but I always have a mental image of roses or tulips when I hear that. I would say that the beer smells very nice and makes me think of nature, so I can understand 'floral' description.

When I drink an IPA I generally expect a bitter beer that can sometimes feel like a punch in the mouth or on an extreme I am eating straight hops. If drinking an IPA for you is like skiing down a black diamond slope (really difficult and dangerous for novices), Accumulation would be a blue diamond (intermediate). Pat points out that a process called dry hopping during the brewing process takes the edge off the beer allowing the drinker to enjoy more of those 'natural' notes, and even some tastes lemon and grapefruit. In my opinion this beer is a very enjoyable beer and one I would suggest for a lot people wanting to find a good winter seasonally released beer.

The same night I reviewed this beer, two other friends of mine, Mandy and Denise responded to my previous challenge to try a new beer and tell me about it. Coincidentally enough they were both having the Accumulation. As you can see with conversation Denise didn't like the beer, and Mandy really did. Both of these reactions are great! Because they are trying new beer and formulating their own tastes in beer. They even point out a fruity aftertaste they got from the beer.  I really enjoyed hearing from these two. I look forward to hearing more from these two and others with their new beers.

I would rate the Accumulation White IPA a 9 out 10.

New Belgium is a brewery out of Fort Collins, CO that started in 1989 with a few basement home brews, including their current flagship beer, Fat Tire. They currently have plans to expand their operation with a second brewery in Asheville, NC by 2015. New Belgium is the 3rd largest craft brewery and eighth overall beer producer in the United States with a annual production of 764,424 barrels of beer, as of 2012. This is nearly doubling their production since 2006. They have a lot great beers which I will be reviewing soon.

Grains and Taps: Find new beers and make your own!

This last week I went to a new local homebrew supply store, Grains & Taps in Lee's Summit. The store is kind of small in old downtown area between 2nd and 3rd Streets on Douglas. I was expecting a just a homebrew supply store with equipment and ingredients. What I found was a couple of guys that are passionate about craft beer and showing the public that brewing your own beer is not a mystical process nor difficult to get started.

The guys of Grains & Taps had advertised a class for a brewer's software that lets a person formulate recipes, instructions, and even a shopping list based on a type of beer that they want to make. I have the software, BeerSmith 2, so I decided to take the class so that I could maybe take a step forward on my next beer I make at home. That is a different story though.

I had never taken a class at a store before so didn't know what to expect. However, what I didn't expect when I walked in the door, was a couple of couches and a beer menu with a pretty long list of options! I got a beer and talked with the people that showed up and we had a good time learning a lot, discussing brewing, and drinking (not necessarily in that order). 

Oh I forgot to mention the class was FREE and I just had to pay for the beer!

The next night Grains & Taps hosted a craft beer tasting, so I had to go to that. They came up with a great way to engage every one for this tasting. For $10 a person, they set up 20 beers to blind taste and answer questions about making it a friendly competition. I might have to do something like it at a party of mine.

So these guys have a wide selection beer that you can take with you or drink there. They know their stuff, so ask them if you have questions or are maybe looking for a new beer to try. They are down to earth and can help someone just starting out drinking new beers and they can get really indepth about beer for an advanced palette. If you think you might want to try your hand at home brewing, they will be able to get started or find that piece of equines that will take you to the next step. (I can see some of my friends raising a glass and saying, "To the next step!")

Tell them Alex sent you and they will join you in making fun of me. Take a look at their website, Grains & Taps.

Next time we will be looking at some terms to know when discussing beer. I will try to get a few more posts out this week.

Santa Fe Brewing Company Saison 88

Walking down the beer section of a local liquor store, I decided to build my own six pack. I like doing this so I don't have to choose between two six packs and chance six beers that are not necessarily my favorite.

While putting together the six pack, I saw a can with New Mexico's red sun from the state flag radiating over a mountain range. Around the bottom of the can read Saison 88, 25th Anniversary Ale. I decided to take a chance on the can as there has been a stigma against canned beer. The quality of canned beer is perceived to be lower than a bottled beer. So I took the beer home to review.

The time came for me to try the Saison 88. As I mentioned in my Lolita review, a saison is also known as a farmhouse ale. I opened the beer and poured it into a glass. Immediately I noticed that the beer had a light coloring, and a medium amount of head. I could smell the hops and the subtle citrus. This beer had light body to it and was light on the tongue. What the ale didn't have in body, it made up for in taste in a good way. Not overwhelmingly so as this beer had a good flavor with citrus from the hops and yeast used to brew and ferment the beer.

The Santa Fe Saison is a good beer if you want a lighter beer on a summer afternoon or if you just want something crisp to relax with. I feel this beer is a great example of a good canned beer, contrary to the popular belief about canned beer.

I give this beer an 8 out of 10.

Santa Fe Brewing Company is a growing company out of Santa Fe, New Mexico that started in 1988 hailing back to pre-prohibition roots. The brewery, by the same name in 1896, fell victim to industrialization and big beer pushing them out of the market. The current incarnation of Santa Fe Brewing Company is continuing to grow and connect with craft beer drinkers. An interesting event they do every week, Small Batch Saturday. The brewery invites local home brewers to collaborate with them to make 10 gallon batches that could even be featured in their tasting room or in bottles in stores.

Researching this beer has made me want to look more into different styles of hops, grains, and yeast to see their effect on the outcome of the beer as they are used during the brewing process.

Trying new beers and celebrating differences!

First I want to thank America, for waking up out of a dark time 80 years ago yesterday. On December 5th, 1933, the United States of America repealed the 18th Amendment, ending more than 13 years of Prohibition, and legalizing the manufacture, transportation and sale of intoxicating liquors. I say we celebrate this anniversary by legally enjoying some beer with friends.

In my last post I spoke about Arrogant Bastard Ale from Stone Brewing Company and how the beer challenges drinkers to step outside of the commercialized, cheap, and "easy" beers that most people are used to. While I liked the beer and ranked it decently, I really enjoyed getting the feedback from those who read the post and shared their point of view on the beer.

 My friend Alan wrote this about his experience:

"I do not think of myself as a novice when it comes to good craft beer. This challenge is nothing more than a great marketing tool used to sell an "ok" beer. The challenge worked. I bought the beer then when I didn't particularly like it, I questioned myself. Then bought more! Just to reconfirm my original judgement."

I really liked this comment, not because I agree with him. I liked what Alan said because he not only tried the beer, but he went out on a limb to do so. Sure he didn't like the beer but the confidence that he had to try new things so that he can find something he likes really impresses me. I know that Alan is going to go out and find another beer he does like.

The amazing part about beer is that there are SO MANY possibilities with variety and style. Each of us experiences the same beer differently, whether that's only slightly, or have, as Alan and I did, completely different experiences. I would love to hear about beers you have tried and didn't like or beers that were the most amazing thing you have ever tasted, and everything in between.

This is why I challenge you to go out and find a beer tonight or tomorrow night. Drink the beer and tell me about it. Tell me what beer it was. Did you like it? What did you like about it? What did you not like about it?

A popular rating system from Beeradvocate, has some good things to look for and keep in mind when tasting beer.

My favorite thing to do is to go to a brewpub like McCoy's in Westport, 75th Street in Waldo, similar places. I order their sampler and try each beer. After finishing those small beers, I order a pint(or more) of my favorite one of the bunch. While I don't review these beers, I really have fun talking about them with friends and family that I am with. Above is Square One Brewery in St Louis. Great food and amazing beer. Good place for a brunch on the patio. The picture with the fries and Sporting Kansas City flag is Haus in Martini Corner. These are just a few of the numerous spots around town that are amazing to try new beers, and I am always looking for more places.

So go out this weekend and try a new beer and tell me about it.

Coming up is a review Santa Fe's Saison 88, and the start to our vocabulary lesson.

Arrogant Bastard Ale: A beer named after me and a challenge

I found this beer when I didn't know exactly I was looking for. I was pacing the beer isle in a liquor store and I happen to see a bottle that had a challenge to me as a beer drinker. Arrogant Bastard Ale by Stone Brewing Company with a winged demon holding a tall mug of beer and this demon challenged me by saying I wasn't worthy. The side of the bottle went on to say:

"...It is quite doubtful that you have the taste or sophistication to be able to appreciate an ale of this quality and depth. We would suggest that you stick to safer and more familiar territory - maybe something with a multi-million dollar ad campaign aimed at convincing you it's made in a little brewery, or one that implies that their tasteless fizzy yellow beverage will give you more sex appeal. Perhaps you think multi-million dollar ad campaigns make things taste better. Perhaps you're mouthing your words as you read this... "

Here is the rest of the bottle.

This beer spoke to me and challenged my status quo and I jumped on the opportunity to prove to the inanimate object that I not only was worthy to drink the beer but that I am the Beer Master!

The beer poured smooth, dark mahogany, and clear. The smell was like a caramelized sweetness, even though I could tell that it had a bitterness that I would associate with an IPA. When I tasted this beer the balance between the sweet maltiness and the bitter hops of this beer struck me. It was really good and the flavors mellowed as the beer warmed (the bottle is 22 oz.). This is beer is really good but like the bottle suggests if you are new to craft beer this beer may be out of your league. If I were a novice, I would personally take that as challenge to become more experienced.

Stone Brewing Company, from San Marcos, California, rolled its first keg (half barrel) out in July of 1996, and are projected 17 years later to produce more than 210,000 barrels of beer. This brewery knows its stuff and are going to make what it thinks is good beer, not worrying about pleasing the masses.

I give this beer an 8 out of 10.

Check out my new beer review page. This will have links to each of my reviews, ratings, and eventually links to help you find where to buy the reviewed beer.

Upcoming posts will include a review of Santa Fe Saison 88, a discussion on trying new beers, and the beginning of a vocabulary lesson.