February 2013
The State Of English Fuel And Malt In 1593-ish
Posted by on Wednesday, February 27, 2013 in - 8 comments
Ah, the 1500s. Remember them? They were great. Jeff's comments yesterday got me thinking about causes for changes like the introduction of coke in the early 1600s and its application in malting at mid-century. See, there is this idea that goes well beyond brewing history that somehow folk in the …
Book Review: IPA, Brewing Techniques, Etc., Mitch Steele
Posted by on Tuesday, February 26, 2013 in - 8 comments
This is another book from Brewers Publications that bridges the worlds of brewers and drinkers. As with Stan's excellent For The Love of Hops, the book provides context, history, categorizations, practical application of the topic in brewing and plenty of evidence of sheer enthusiasm. That being …
Aussie Labour Politicians Must Get Back To Beer
Posted by on Sunday, February 24, 2013 in - 1 comment
Even if we Canadians are their cousins in the glorious Commonwealth of Nations, some things about Aussie society and culture appear to be a wee bit unlike our ways here in the northern hemisphere kin. Like this sort of plea to political populism: • With the Gillard government struggling in the …
Beer And Food: Baking Whole Wheat Beer Buns
Posted by on Saturday, February 23, 2013 in - leave a comment
One of the best things about having less time for just drinking beer is you can find other things to do with the stuff. A bottle of New Belgium Abbey ale went into two trays of whole wheat buns this afternoon. They await the oven above. Five flours. Low salt. Less of a factor in the flavour than a …
Illinois: Sofie 2012, Goose Island Beer, Chicago
Posted by on Friday, February 22, 2013 in - 20 comments
The beer that proves craft v. crafty is a big sloppy fib - and well within the range of possible futures for brewing generally. $8.99 last weekend just across the border. I look for it and its siblings whenever I cross over as it is one of the best values in good beer. • Lemon, pears and fine …
A Few More Ways Craft Beer May Kill Itself
Posted by on Wednesday, February 20, 2013 in - 11 comments
A couple of months ago, I noted how the Brewers Association committed the self-inflicted act to making no sense in a press release while at the same time reminding beer buyers that the competition made tasty beer at a lower price. As the market morphs away from the "one ring to rule them all" …
The Sort Of Inn That I Wish Was On My Street
Posted by on Tuesday, February 19, 2013 in - 2 comments
Noodling around the internet for ideas the other day I came across this reference to an unfamiliar form of inn the book Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy: • Rolliver's inn, the single alehouse at this end of the long and broken village, could only boast of an off-licence; hence, as … read more »
An Update On The Shared Works Of Writing
Posted by on Monday, February 18, 2013 in - 4 comments
Long writing is something that has nagged at me for much of my adult life. Unlike what you see on TV, most of what most people who, like me, work in the law spend most of the day reading and writing, searching for a more coherent argument or a weak point in the authority being relied upon. And it …
Alberta: St.P. Baltic Porter, Alley Kat Brewing, Edmonton
Posted by on Saturday, February 16, 2013 in - leave a comment
The good people of Alley Kat Brewing forwarded me this sample a few days ago. The brewery was named as Canada's best for 2012 by Mr. B a few weeks ago and I can't disagree from what samples I am fortunate enough to receive. See, under our system in Canada, it is easier to get a can of …
The Legal Status Of Horses And Beer In Canada
Posted by on Friday, February 15, 2013 in - 2 comments
An interesting legal ruling out of the Canadian Federal Trial Division yesterday. Well, interesting if you like beer, horses or trademark law... and fascinating if you like all three. Let's just skip to the pithy nub of the case found at paragraph 39: • The Board did not consider that what it … read more »
Now There's A Better Side-By-Side To Try
Posted by on Thursday, February 14, 2013 in - 32 comments
To the left, the Riedel O-Riedel Series Red+White glass: seven inches high, holds seventeen and one quarter US ounces of fluid. To the right, the Spiegelau IPA glass, seven and one third inches high and holds nineteen US ounces of fluid. Riedel and Spiegelau are closely related companies or … read more »
Apparently, The Thinking Monkey Has Been Missed
Posted by on Wednesday, February 13, 2013 in - 4 comments
I has no idea that Joe Stange, the Thirsty Pilgrim, had a crush on the Thinking Monkey, as illustrated, but today on Twitter we read this: • Would rule "don't be absurd" be violation of itself? [insert Alan's thinking monkey] • And also this: • He must be on sabbatical. Had to go 10 pages …
More Fibby Fibs They Tell Us About Beer
Posted by on Tuesday, February 12, 2013 in - 25 comments
What is it about good beer that makes people layer ridiculous claims over it, against it or in its favour. What did beer do to deserve this? It's just a fluid of simple natural ingredients that offers a little intoxication and a little nutrition. I had a Korea tea today made of green tea and brown …
The Home Brew Digest Needs Our Help
Posted by on Sunday, February 10, 2013 in - 2 comments
Update: you can paypal a donation to serverfund@hbd.org. • Long before beer blogs and long before either BeerAdvocate or RateBeer (and their lack of spacing between adjectives and nouns) there was Home Brew Digest. I am on the email list for the digest but I have to admit I have not read one for …
The New York Times Considers A Beer Can's Value
Posted by on Saturday, February 9, 2013 in - 1 comment
Rather good of The New York Times to take on the question of "what New York City beer can is considered the most valuable as a collectible?" in today's paper. Results included: • Liebmann’s Beer, a flat-top can from the 1930s from Liebmann Breweries in Brooklyn, the brewer of Rheingold Beer. A …
As Pleasant A Snow Day Lunch As Ever I've Had
Posted by on Friday, February 8, 2013 in - 10 comments
Ron as Švejk caught in a beam of angelic light. • My favorite place to have a beer is a block from work and two from my folk's place. Today, during today's Snowmageddon, I looked outside at noon, then looked at my workload and realized an impromptu declaration of a half day vacation was in order …
Wednesday's Beery Thoughts From The Sick Bed
Posted by on Wednesday, February 6, 2013 in - 3 comments
Kidney stones, a CT scan of my innards, visits to the ER as well as my GP not to mention a bunch of blood tests with a whack of other acronyms have literally put me off my beer. And not just because I have been reminded to be careful as we all should with the effects of malty goodness on our …
Who Is Afraid Of Facts On Beer Bottles?
Posted by on Monday, February 4, 2013 in - 31 comments
Interesting if light-ish article from the publication The Drinks Business on the question of labeling beer with their caloric content: • According to public health minister Anna Soubry, officials have been in talks with the drinks industry about the possible inclusion of calorie content on …
Albany Ale: In 1670 The Best Ale Was Wheat Ale
Posted by on Sunday, February 3, 2013 in - 7 comments
You ever wonder why the reference you find after two and a half years took two and a half years to find? Look at this: • Their best Liquors are Fiall, Passado, and Madera Wines, the former are sweetish, the latter a palish Claret, very spritely and generous, two shillings a Bottle; their best … read more »
Albany Ale: When Did Dutch Hop Importation Begin?
Posted by on Saturday, February 2, 2013 in - 5 comments
Last November, I suggested that one intention of the settlement of the Hudson Valley of New York in the first half of the 1600s was to set up an agricultural colony that might supply other colonial efforts with particular products. One of the books I have obtained as part of this idle bit of slow …
Session 72: Two Cheers For Good Beer!!
Posted by on Friday, February 1, 2013 in - 1 comment
For this month's edition of The Session, the sixth anniversary edition by the way, we are asked to consider "How We Love Beer”: • ...think of the phrase, "actions speak louder than words," so I'm not looking for what characteristics beer has that makes us love it, but what we do to show our love …
