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Brew Like A Monk (29 items)

May 16, 2008
10:09
Flying Dog Kerberos - That’s no monk on the label
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Looking at the label for the latest from Flying Dog — called Kerberos and brewed in the manner of a tripel — I can’t help but grin because this image of Hunter Thompson climbs into my head. He’s speeding along Belgian country roads, “chanting” loudly, stopping only to dash into each monastery he comes across, terrorizing the monks, grabbing beer and heading off again.

You might be surprised to find the beer inside is less gonzo, more traditional. Friends and I tasted it this week alongside Captain Lawrence Xtra Gold, much-loved on the beer ratings sites (and one I was pretty enthusiastic about in All About Beer magazine last fall). It would be interesting to see how they scored were they tasted blind and using style guidelines.

The Xtra Gold seems more like what Dr. Thompson would be swigging from a bottle at high speed, because it is stronger and hoppier (the tangerine/orange element has gotten even more prominent with age; is that all really from the Amarillo hops?). I give it high marks for the interpretation, but while I devote many pages in BLAM to notion that trying to brew Belgian-inspired beers “to style” is a fool’s errand the fact is that Xtra Gold might not be what you’d anticipate if you’ve been in Belgium and sampled a variety of tripels. Flying Dog has put the flavors you’d expect in a 12-ounce bottle and some of the finesse as well.

Executive brewer Matt Brophy and Lead Dog Eric Warner talk about how they did this in a video Flying Dog created:

What do I like about Kerberos?

The flavor. That may sound horribly simple, but the good esters are there, the bad phenols aren’t and while “heat” (alcohol) is a little distracting at 8.5% this beer is almost subdued by American standards.

What might make me like it better?

Were it more “digestible.” More carbonation would be a start. Kerberos is bottle conditioned, but I’m guessing this is in the range of 2.5-3 volumes, and would be better at 3.5-4. Quite honestly, it wouldn’t be prudent for a brewer to aim higher without packaging in a heavier bottle.

When I was judging beers last year in our state fair one of the other judges referred to me as “Mr. Attenuation” so consider that when I suggest that this beer would be better were it dryer, and better still with more hops (adding a bit more bitterness and perhaps sprucing up the spicy character of the yeast).

But that’s me.
March 01, 2008
8:42
Dubbels, tripels and Xs
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Yes, I cringe when I hear the guy at the beer store explain to a customer that Tripel Karmeliet is “triple fermented.” Like a tripel re-fermented in the bottles is different than a dubbel . . . sigh.

Or that some drinkers are under the impression that a tripel is “triple strength.”

Thus I point you to a wonderful post from Martyn Cornell: Everything you wanted to know about X.

Although La Trappe gets a mention the point is not to explain the Belgian terms. It’s mostly about Britain and the history of denoting beers X, XX, XXX and just keep going. But you should be able to connect the dots.
January 09, 2008
21:35
Leinhart replaces Thiel at Brewery Ommegang
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Phil Leinhart, currently director of production at Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, will replace Randy Thiel as brewmaster.

Thiel is returning to his home state of Wisconsin to become director of quality control at the New Glarus Brewing in New Glarus.

Thiel has been at Ommegang since the brewery opened in 1997.

In 2004 he became the first American brewer knighted by the Belgian brewers’ organization Chevalerie de Fourquet (”Knights of the Mashing Fork”), receiving the award during a celebration held annually in Brussels. An hour-long parade blocks traffic around the busy Grand’Place, with members of the Knights of the Mashing Fork marching in colorful robes to the ceremony, which itself goes on for some time.

Leinhart has worked in the brewing industry for more than 20 years, in England, Germany and the United States. He has experience in breweries of all sizes, from brewpubs to production microbreweries to the Anheuser-Busch brewery in Newark, N.J. He joined the Ommegang staff in January of 2007 to develop increased brewing capacity and manage installation of new packaging and brewhouse equipment.
November 29, 2007
8:55
What’s the 12 in Westvleteren 12 mean?
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Today’s Wall Street Journal has a feature on the monks at Westvelteren and their cult beer: Trappist Command:Thou Shalt Not Buy Too Much of Our Beer.

Reminded me that I addressed this question last month at Amazon.com, but not here so . . .

InventorSpot posted what Seth Plattner calls the 10 Best Beers with Balls of 2007. The premise is that the “beers on this list push the limits of conventional brewing.” So you get Midas Touch Golden Elixir-The King’s Beer and BILK - The Weird Guy’s Beer (since it is made with milk).

Also Westvleteren 12. This entry could have used a little fact checking. Besides referring to a distributor (the monastery sells beer only at its gate and the inn it runs next door) there’s the assertion the beer is “so named due to its 12% alcohol by volume.” This despite the fact you can read 10.2% on the photo with the story.

So why Westvleteren 8 (not quite so strong) and 12? And why Rochefort 6, 8, and 10?

Until the early 1990s, Belgian brewers measured gravity in Belgian degrees. This could, and can, be calculated by subtracting 1 from a beer’s specific gravity and multiplying by 100. Thus a 1.060 beer would be 6 degrees.

Today brewers measure in degrees Plato, but the beers may take their names from the former standard. Thus, Achel referred to its initial beers as Blond 4 and Bruin 5 when it resumed brewing. Westvleteren and Rochefort also call their beers by degree numbers as well as by the color of their crown caps.

When Westvleteren 12 was introduced in the 1930s it apparently started at 12 degrees (28 °P!) and was 12% abv. These days the starting gravity is about 21.5 °P. About because it truly varies from batch to batch. When I visited the brewery I saw notes where consecutive batches started at 21.5, 21.1 and 21.7.

That’s one of the things that makes Westvleteren special. Even though these batches will be blended into a larger lagering tank after primary fermentation not every — heck, not any — Westy 12 is exactly the same. It 12 will lager until it is appropriately clear. That’s generally about eight weeks, but can be 10, the monk in charge of brewing explains, “when you get a difficult one.”

Belgian law permits brewers more tolerance when listing alcohol content than in the United States. The listed content may vary by 1% alcohol by volume, compared to .3% in the States. The Westvleteren 12 will be between 10% and 10.5%
October 22, 2007
12:28
Duvel brews special ‘Tripel Hop’
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Duvel Moortgat has begun selling a version of its classic Duvel with additional hops, calling it Duvel Tripel Hop.

The limited edition beer (approximately 20,000 bottles) is available mostly in Belgium, with some sold in the nearby region. Current plans do not call for a second edition of the beer, nor for any of it to be shipped to the United States.

“Trippel” in the name refers to the fact the beer is hopped with three kindsd of hops rathr than the usual two, and at a higher hopping rate (though not three times a much as Duvel, which measures 30 bittering units).

As well as using Syrian Goldings and Saaz in this beer, as is typical, the brewers at Duvel included the American hop Amarillo in the boil, then dry hopped with Styrian Goldings.
October 21, 2007
19:59
No, really, monks don’t take a vow of silence
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Today’s Guardian Unlimited published a travel story in which reporter William Little visited the six Trappist abbeys in Belgium where beer is brewed.

And the headline read: “With beer this good, no wonder they keep silent.”

To Mr. Little’s credit he didn’t write that monks take a vow of silence. We just have a clever headline writer playing on an old misconception.

The notion that Trappists take a vow of total silence is incorrect. Such a vow never existed, although there were strict rules about speaking. While those rules have eased, at some times and in some places silence still is expected. The purpose of silence is to give one space in which to pray, meditate, and read, and to allow others to do the same.

I won’t guarantee how much you’ll learn from the story, though I sure wish Little had elaborated on how Brother Jules makes beer with a wrench.
October 02, 2007
16:48
Brewing the Belgian way (versus German)
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The current issue of Brew Your Own magazine offers tips from Americans and Belgians who brewer Belgian-inspired beers.

Interviewed are Tomme Arthur of Port Brewing/Lost Abbey, Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River Brewing, Randy Thiel of brewery Ommegang, Rob Tod and Jason Perkins of Allagash Brewing, Peter Bouckaert of New Belgium Brewing, Steven Pauwels of Bouevard Brewing and Mark Ruederich of North Coast Brewing. Bouckaert and Pauwels were both born in Belgium.

Fun reading, plus ideas that will make your beer better (if you are a brewer).

For instance, from Bouckaert:

“Of course I had feedback from my Belgian colleagues, sometimes more than I’m hoping for. As long as we call it Belgian we will have feedback. The problem is that most “Belgian” beer claims really are not Belgian, they are American. We got into the habit of calling funky, sour or high alcohol beers Belgian. That is not what Belgian beer is; this is what American brewing thinks Belgian is.”

Here, here.

And from Paewels:

“Modern brewhouses are designed to brew German-style lagers in a very energy efficient way. When we started using our new state-of-the-art brewhouse we had to make several adjustments to the initial setup. The Belgian, English and German way of brewing is different.”

That’s something to think about whether you are making beers brewed in other countries or simply drinking them.
August 28, 2007
12:25
Beltian White - That’s really the beer’s name
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Harvest Moon Brewing in Belt, Mont., opened in 1997 and began brewing a beer it calls Beltian White shortly thereafter. That’s not a typo. Beltian, as in Belt, get it?

And it is brewed in the manner of a Belgian White Ale, or witbier, although apparently without any signature unmalted wheat.

It popped above the radar because Harvest Moon began bottling earlier this month.

What’s it taste like? Don’t know, but the reviews at Rate Beer are mixed.

Until now Harvest Moon has been best known for its Pigs Ass Porter.
August 22, 2007
8:44
NY Times samples a paler shade of Belgians
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The headline for a New York Times (free registration) tasting pretty well summarizes the Belgian approach to “styles”: More or Less Pale but All Belgian.

Eric Asimov writes:

Whoa, I can hear beer connoisseurs saying. I’ve heard of Trappist ales and lambics, Belgian wheat beers and even Belgian red and brown ales, but pale ale?

They have a point. There is no category, strictly speaking, of Belgian pale ales. But the Belgians make a lot of beers that defy categorization. We gathered 23 that may not have a whole lot in common except that they are excellent summer quenchers.

You won’t find all 23 rated (so like me you might be wondering what the other 13 were), but No. 1 is Brasserie des Rocs Blonde and the second is DeRanke XXX Bitter. Two very different beers.

But then so are the next two, Petrus Aged Pale and Orval.

One thing missing is when the beers were bottled, which a consumer can calculate from the mandated “best by” dating.

In his blog, Asimov writes most of these are typical “ready to drink now ales” with a lineup of vintage beers he recently enjoyed at dinner with Garrett Oliver. In fact, several of the beers in Times tasting could do double duty. They are refreshing in the hot August heat, but also fun to cellar.

Bringing us back to Orval.

Speaking on a panel with other Belgian brewers last year at the Craft Brewers Conference in Seattle, Orval brewing director Jean-Marie Rock said that he likes to drink Orval almost immediately after it is released to the public.

He described Americans who like the Brettanomyces character - what Michael Jackson describes as “hop sack” and “fresh leather” aromas - that Orval is known for as “lucky” because he doesn’t intend for it to make itself known until six months after bottling. And he prefers Orval at three months old.

You don’t see much Orval only three months old in the U.S., but you will find bottles less than six. Just reading the description in the times it appears their sample was older and the Brett had kicked in:

“Spicy, bitter and very dry with a lingering touch of orange zest and funk.”
August 10, 2007
19:01
Toasting Toronado’s 20th
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The San Francisco Chronicle offers a little love to David Keene and the venerable Toronado because the San Francisco pub/bier-cafe/multi-tap is turning 20 years old.

I wasn’t sure in which blog to put the link in, but I picked here because Keene’s devotion to Belgian-inspired beer surely has meant that those of us in far-flung parts of the country (like New Mexico) have access to a few beers we might not otherwise.

From the Chronicle:

Q: What was the first great beer you ever had?

A: Before the bar opened in 1986, I was watching the “Today” show and Bryant Gumbel was in Belgium and they were drinking Chimay. And he made the statement that this was probably the finest beer in the world. And that stuck in my mind and I went out and found Chimay here in San Francisco at Liquor Barn. I got a bottle of it. It came in a 750 (ml bottle) with a cork finish. It was the Chimay red.

For the next year, I pretty much bought the Liquor Barns out of Chimay. I even had to go to L.A. to get it ’cause there was no more Chimay up here. That’s how I started my love affair with Belgian beer, which continues today.

Grab a Belgian or Belgian-inspired beer (wishing it was the Toronado Anniversary Ale from Russian River) and raise a toast to David.
July 25, 2007
15:56
Saint Something opens in Florida
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Bob Sylvester, who I met last year during the National Homebrewers Conference in Orlando, reports that his Saint Somewhere Brewing Co. in Tarpon Springs is about ready to start selling beer.

“We are up and running and making our debut at the Wazoo Beer Festival in Tampa FL on Aug. 4,” he writes. The first two beers are a spiced saison and an amber ale. All of his beers will be unfiltered and bottle conditioned, sold only in corked and caged 750ml bottles. They won’t be available on draft or in 12-ounce bottles.

More from the St. Petersburg Times.

“I’d rather put out a small amount of a really good product than a lot of a mediocre product, ” Sylvester told the Times.
July 16, 2007
14:00
Tasting along with Martin Lodahl
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Pacific Brew News Radio tasted a few beers with Martin Lodahl, who was writing about brewing Belgian-inspired beers back when making them in the United States was pretty much the domain of homebrewers.

I’d suggest grabbing one or more of these beer first: Ommegang Hennepin, Dupont Moinette Brune, Affligem Tripel and/or Allagash Four, then give a listen to the podcast.

Added July 25: Part II of the interview is now available. Pucker up with any of these you can find:

- Russian River Temptation
- Boone Aude Kriek
- Hansens Aude Kriek
- 1994 Lidemans Cuvee Rene
- Cantillon Organic Gueze
July 03, 2007
9:31
Asheville gets a Belgian-centric bar
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Asheville, N.C., just keeps getting more attractive.

We liked the town a dozen years ago when we passed through - nice setting, good brewing scene (starting with Highland Brewing), fine places to drink beer, good live music, good restaurants.

I was reminded up this last week while reading a post at Accidental Hedonist about keeping food local.

And as I was taken around through the neighborhoods to talk with various food entrepreneurs and advocates, one thing became very clear to me. A community gets the food culture it deserves.

Those involved in the food in Asheville have worked hard to lessen the influence of big business has had upon their community. And don’t be fooled, big food has a strong presence in the area, especially the further away one is from down town. But there is a strong, concerted effort to mitigate their influence.

But back to beer. The Asheville Beer Blog reports a place called the Thirsty Monk will open soon. It will serve eight Belgian beers on tap and offer a wide selection by the bottle.
June 04, 2007
22:16
Tomme Arthur, ‘Rock Star of Yeast’
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Hard to tell if Seattle Weekly columnist Maggie Dutton was more taken by brewer Tomme Arthur or his Lost Abbey beers. Following a beer dinner in Seattle here’s some of what she wrote:

- “He is so far upstream that his endless ideas and experiments are filtering into the mainstream only now.”
- “Tasting the beer is the equivalent of hearing Eddie Van Halen’s hammer-on style for the first time.”
- “If I’d had a lighter, I would have raised it in praise.”

Dutton is no pushover, which you’ll see if you visit her blog, The Wine Offensive.
May 25, 2007
9:57
Should we call Philly Little Belgium?
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Not sure when Philadelphia reached the “tipping point” for Belgian-inspired cafe-restaurants serving Belgian-inspired and Belgian-brewed beers, but today Don Russell writes - in his Joe Sixpack column in the Philly Daily News and his website - about five new Belgian taverns.

He begins with a review of ZoT, which we mentioned opening in February, concluding “ZoT pushes the idea of Belgian cuisine to another level while holding firm to its beery roots.

Of the four yet to open, one will be called The Belgian Cafe and run by the same folks behind Monk’s Cafe, one of the beer spots on the planet inside or outside of Belgium. Russell writes possibly the most interesting is Beneluxx at the Broad Axe Tavern in Blue Bell, Montgomery County.

Established in 1681, the tavern is arguably the oldest in America, opened before William Penn arrived in Pennsylvania. It’s being gutted and is expected to open sometime this summer.
May 04, 2007
9:30
Hoegaarden White shortage: Why?
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They’re running low on Hoegaarden White in Brussels.

Everybody agrees this is because production moved from the town of Hoegaarden to the InBev brewery in Jupille.

“The beer they produce there often has to be thrown out because it is not at all fit for consumption. So a lot of the white beer coming from Jupille is being shipped to the Netherlands to be made into pig feed. It really is a crisis,” a union member said.

An InBev spokesperson said the only problem was in the packaging process. “We are indeed having difficulties making capacity, but that has nothing to do with any brewing problems in Jupille,” says spokesperson Lian Verhoeven.
9:30
Hoegaarden White shortage: Why?
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They’re running low on Hoegaarden White in Brussels.

Everybody agrees this is because production moved from the town of Hoegaarden to the InBev brewery in Jupille.

“The beer they produce there often has to be thrown out because it is not at all fit for consumption. So a lot of the white beer coming from Jupille is being shipped to the Netherlands to be made into pig feed. It really is a crisis,” a union member said.

An InBev spokesperson said the only problem was in the packaging process. “We are indeed having difficulties making capacity, but that has nothing to do with any brewing problems in Jupille,” says spokesperson Lian Verhoeven.
April 30, 2007
17:23
Ommegang festival gets smaller
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Brewery Ommegang has taken steps to make sure that Belgium Comes to Cooperstown isn’t ruined by its own popularity.

The brewery has capped tickets sales for the festival, July 21 this year, at 800. Last year 1,400 attended, with 40% of tickets sold day of the festival.

The explanation:

William Blake, the inspiration for Three Philosophers name, once said, “You never know what is enough, until you know what is more than enough.” In 2006, we discovered how much is more than enough, and this year Belgium Comes to Cooperstown is going to be a bit smaller … and a lot better.

Ommegang has added VIP passes (200 only), with holders gaining entrance to a Friday night dinner and many other perks.

Details.
April 26, 2007
15:11
Port/Lost Abbey celebrates Year One
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How do you celebrate Cinco de Mayo in San Marcos, Calif.?

How about with a bunch of Belgian-inspired beer, some other limited releases and an unlimited taco bar? The essentials:

When: Noon-9 p.m., May 5.
Where: Lost Abbey/Port Brewing, 155 Mata Way, San Marcos.
Admission: $15 at the door. Includes 8 tasting tickets, the taco bar featuring the food of Port’s own Vincent Marsaglia.

New releases
Cuvee de Tomme - This is the first release of CdT to be barrel blended. Only 420 bottles will be sold. There will be a maximum of 4 bottles per person. $15 per 375ml cork-finished bottle.
Ten Commandments - Lost Abbey’s once a year Anniversary beer. (A new generation of dark farmhouse-style beer many of you knew in an earlier incarnation as Pizza Port’s SPF 8.) Brettanomyces added at bottling, so it’s guaranteed to be something special. It will be $12 per 750 ml cork finished bottle and no limit on the number of purchases (plus 10% off on a case), but there’s only 280 cases.

Special/limited releases
En Garde -a barrel-aged version of Lost Abbey’s flagship, Avant Garde
Amazing Grace - a barrel-aged issue of the Abbey-style ale, Lost and Found
Bourbon-aged Angel’s Share - a release of Lost Abbey’s acclaimed Angel’s Share aged in Bourbon rather than Brandy barrels
High Tide IPA - An autumn seasonal India Pale Ale made with fresh hops
Santa’s Little Helper 2006 - A winter seasonal Imperial Stout
Older Viscosity 2006 - A 100% single bourbon barrel version of Old Viscosity.

On tap
The full line of “house beers” on draft, including Amigo Lager, Shark Bite Red Ale, Wipeout India Pale Ale, Hop 15, and Old Viscosity. There will also be a special tasting of an upcoming Lost Abbey release named “Devotion,” a blonde Belgian-style ale.

How do you save room for the tacos?
15:11
Port/Lost Abbey celebrates Year One
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How do you celebrate Cinco de Mayo in San Marcos, Calif.?

How about with a bunch of Belgian-inspired beer, some other limited releases and an unlimited taco bar? The essentials:

When: Noon-9 p.m., May 5.
Where: Lost Abbey/Port Brewing, 155 Mata Way, San Marcos.
Admission: $15 at the door. Includes 8 tasting tickets, the taco bar featuring the food of Port’s own Vincent Marsaglia.

New releases
Cuvee de Tomme - This is the first release of CdT to be barrel blended. Only 420 bottles will be sold. There will be a maximum of 4 bottles per person. $15 per 375ml cork-finished bottle.
Ten Commandments - Lost Abbey’s once a year Anniversary beer. (A new generation of dark farmhouse-style beer many of you knew in an earlier incarnation as Pizza Port’s SPF 8.) Brettanomyces added at bottling, so it’s guaranteed to be something special. It will be $12 per 750 ml cork finished bottle and no limit on the number of purchases (plus 10% off on a case), but there’s only 280 cases.

Special/limited releases
En Garde -a barrel-aged version of Lost Abbey’s flagship, Avant Garde
Amazing Grace - a barrel-aged issue of the Abbey-style ale, Lost and Found
Bourbon-aged Angel’s Share - a release of Lost Abbey’s acclaimed Angel’s Share aged in Bourbon rather than Brandy barrels
High Tide IPA - An autumn seasonal India Pale Ale made with fresh hops
Santa’s Little Helper 2006 - A winter seasonal Imperial Stout
Older Viscosity 2006 - A 100% single bourbon barrel version of Old Viscosity.

On tap
The full line of “house beers” on draft, including Amigo Lager, Shark Bite Red Ale, Wipeout India Pale Ale, Hop 15, and Old Viscosity. There will also be a special tasting of an upcoming Lost Abbey release named “Devotion,” a blonde Belgian-style ale.

How do you save room for the tacos?
April 25, 2007
11:25
Beglian beer in Massachusetts
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Lew Bryson asks “whether Massachusetts retailers, both on- and off-premise, or Massachusetts drinkers, get Belgian beer, and whether they’re selling and buying enough of these big-bottle, big-flavor, big-ticket beers. From my Philadelphia perspective, living in the biggest Belgian beer market in the country, where I have five local Belgian restaurants to choose from, Massachusetts is behind the curve. Is that a fair assessment?”

It’s a business story for Beverage magazine but it’s about one of our favorite subjects, beer from Belgium and beers inspired by Belgium, so you might learn a little bit.
April 14, 2007
15:53
Pelican Goes Belgian
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Darron Welch of the Pelican Brewery and Pub in Oregon has begun a blog to chronicle his adventures in brewing Belgian-style beers, beginning with his new Saison du Pelican using Wyeast 3726 (sourced from Brasserie de Blaugies).

He plans to begin (next post) with observations about our fermentations and overall yeast performance with the Wyeast 3463 “Forbidden Fruit” that he has used in the past.
April 09, 2007
11:15
Let’s hear it for digestible
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Alan McLeod has a recap of Friday’s “The Session,” with scores of bloggers drinking and writing about Belgian-style dubbels. I recommend taking the time to click through all the links. For one thing you’ll see a range of descriptions of Westmalle Dubbel.

(Personally I went with a local brewpub dubbel.)

You may well have a different takeway, but it seemed to me that one thing drinkers liked without ever using the word was the “digestibility” of many of these beers. Attentuation sets Trappist beers apart from many “abbey” beers produced at other Belgian breweries, and further from many American efforts.

A couple of examples.

Lew Bryson, writing about Rochefort 8 (OK, according to the BJCP guidelines it isn’t a dubbel, and who cares?):

Its depth continues to intrigue me, and it is a wonder how this beer can be 9%, rich and chocolatey and complex in flavor, and yet drink like a session pale ale.

From Adam at The Brew Lounge, who was drinking Westmalle Dubbel:

So what did it taste like? It was subtle in a way that a water color painting can be subtle. Light malt, super light dried figs, very light pepper from the alcohol and well a subtle bready yeastiness that really enticed me to have more, but, alas our “night out” was coming to a close.

Are all dubbels like this? I don’t know, I don’t drink them that often or maybe I just don’t remember. I’m interested to hear what others have to say about the dubbel they tasted. I want to know how a beer can be so soft, subtle, complex and all out delicious in a liquid bread sorta way at the same time. I guess the question is, “Should all dubbels taste like this?”

As I wrote in Brew Like a Monk: “Belgian brewers talk often about making sure a beer is ‘digestible.’ Laurent Demuynck, a Belgian native who heads Duvel Moortgat USA, wasn’t kidding when he said: “For breakfast, I put Duvel in my waffle batter … Lightens it up.” Duvel or Orval or Rochefort 8 perfectly complement and compliment a Belgian waffle loaded with whipped cream and strawberries. These beers are strong and full of flavor without being cloying.”

More American brewers are beginning to recognize this, and if drinkers do as well we’ll be more to choose from.

Or you can just go out and buy a Westmalle Dubbel. Life could be worse.
10:08
Belgian Beer Month at the Toronado
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It’s Belgian Beer Month at the Toronado in San Francisco.

The Toronado web site lists 39 beers on tap and I haven’t counted the bottles.
April 03, 2007
13:49
Dozens and dozens of dubbels
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Friday is the “Day of the Dubbels,” when bloggers from here and there will be drinking the Belgian-inspired beers and writing about what they taste (or whatever they want, really).

I’ll be participating in The Session II at Appellation Beer rather than here because next month we’ll likely be tasting something non-Belgian in nature.

In preparing for Friday, host Alan McLeod writes: “Some days I find myself all a flutter as to what is a dubbel and what isn’t.”

Don’t we all? As I wrote in BLAM:

Because they are dark and strong but not too strong, dubbels drink most like Trappist ales of the past, and to many they represent the “abbey” style. Dubbels introduced many drinkers to Belgian beer, in part because of Chimay Red and in part because so many brewpubs occasionally brew a dubbel.

The easiest way to define a dubbel is to point to a particular beer as a good example. But even that isn’t clear cut. In Brew Like a Monk I list Ommegang Abbey Ale s an example of the style. After all, the beer has medaled that category in the World Beer Cup. But it’s also 8.5% abv, too strong for the “style.”

Gordon Strong, who wrote the BJCP guidelines for dubbels (and many other styles), commented on the fine line between dubbels and dark strongs (which include beers such as Rochefort 8 or 10 and Allagash Four) and explains that much of the distinction is a matter of intensity:

“The main differences are apparently rooted in the alcohol strength,” he said. “Dark strongs are a broader style with a greater range of commercial interpretations, but they all have a complex balance of interesting flavors and aromas with a malty flavor and a darker-than-pale color. Dark strongs have a greater alcohol component, but have more malt and yeast character to match. The balance remains similar, but the intensity of perceptual characteristics is proportionally greater in Belgian dark strongs.”

After The Session you’ll find a recap at A Good Beer Blog. Feel free to participate if you have a blog (or a website). Just send Alan a link after you post on Friday.
March 20, 2007
9:59
Pelican, Midnight Sun brew Conspiracy
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The Pelican Pub & Brewery in Oregon and Midnight Sun Brewing in Alaska have collaborated to brew a beer they call Conspiracy. The press release:

Conspiracy is a collaboration brew between Midnight Sun Brewing and Pelican Pub & Brewery. During a trip to Alaska for the Great Alaskan Beer & Barley Wine Fest, Ben Love of Pelican conspired with Gabe Fletcher and Ben Johnson of Midnight Sun to brew a Belgian-Style Black Beer. Conspiracy features a rich, spicy aroma with hints of dark fruit, raisin, roast and caramel. A toasted and slightly roasty flavor lead into caramel and a super smooth finish. Debittered black malt was used to get the jet-black color and tan head without adding significant roast flavor. The brewers also added Belgian candi sugar and Mexican Piloncillo sugar (a maple-sugar-like brown sugar) to increase fermentability and depth of flavor. Conspiracy comes in at 8.5 percent ABV and 25 IBUs.

The beer will be released April 5 at the Horse Brass Pub in Portland, Ore.

The breweries will sell 22-ounce bottles in Alaska and Oregon, with Internet orders handled by Belmont Station.
March 19, 2007
17:49
Brooklyn Local 1
» ‎ Brew Like A Monk

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It took more than a year of planning and testing but Brooklyn Brewery has begun distributing the first beer packaged using its new bottling line and warm room.

Other Brooklyn beers sold in bottles are brewed at F.X. Matt in upstate Utica, while the beer brewed in Brooklyn previously was available only on tap. So rolling out Local 1 was not simply a matter of brewmaster Garrett Oliver writing another recipe. The beer itself is based on Fortitude, a previously sold on draft.

Oliver spent more than a year picking the right bottling line, getting it in place, designing a separate temperature-controlled warm room and running test batches. The whole project cost more than $300,000.

He knew going in that the bottles would be 750ml and finished with a cork and wire closure. He decided on the largest “still fill” bottler in the country, meaning sugar and yeast are added to beer that has virtually no C02 in it, then the beer is naturally carbonated in a warm room. Even in Belgium, most breweries add some C02 at bottling and before warm conditioning.

“We asked ourselves, ‘Are we going to do it old school or do it the modern way?’” Oliver said. “In the end, we thought we got more complexity (this way).”

Several small breweries in the United States are also taking the “old school” approach but their bottling operations are quite small - some even bottle by hand - and dedicated warm rooms are still rare.

Months before Local 1 hit the shelves he was already being asked about what the next beer bottled the same way might be.

“Right now there are no plans,” he said. “I tell people that every time I’m asked the question that I will delay the second beer by two months. I want to do this one thing for a year.”

And the “style” of this one?

“It is pretty much its own self,” Oliver said.

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