The Official Beer Appreciation Thread

[biodork]

I love the concept of reducing the beer down to its flavors and using those to complement another drink. I enjoy tasting different beers more than consuming entire glasses, so this seems like a fun way to experiment.

[Claude_Verret]

Oktoberfest craft beer event in Harrisburg on 10/5 for anyone interested:

 

http://www.hersheyha...eer.com/events/

 

The Charlotte Oktoberfest is always a good time. The best part of it is they have a homebrewers section where I get to pour my homebrew and rub elbows with the pros. I'm not sure how this is allowed in a legal sense, but it's been going on for years. If anyone makes it look for me to be pouring my hefeweizen "The Ape". I also always wear something Buffalo related.

 

http://www.charlotteoktoberfest.com/

 

Just checked the breweries and Southern Tier will be there pouring Live and Harvest!

Edited September 15, 2013 by Claude_Verret

[That Aud Smell]

It's Beer Week here in Buffalo. The local nano and microbrewers are all joining forces to promote the enjoyment of craft beer. I popped over to Mickiewicz's (sic) on Fillmore (Broadway) last night for a few. Very, very interesting stuff on tap. Highlights: A Belgian IPA from Southern Tier that deftly managed to combine that hop kick with the spicing common to Belgians and a "wet" pale ale from Community Beer Works that was otherworldly. (As I understand it, "wet" refers to a preparation where finished beer is filtered through a batch of fresh hops -- the net effect is so, so cool.)

[Claude_Verret]

It's Beer Week here in Buffalo. The local nano and microbrewers are all joining forces to promote the enjoyment of craft beer. I popped over to Mickiewicz's (sic) on Fillmore (Broadway) last night for a few. Very, very interesting stuff on tap. Highlights: A Belgian IPA from Southern Tier that deftly managed to combine that hop kick with the spicing common to Belgians and a "wet" pale ale from Community Beer Works that was otherworldly. (As I understand it, "wet" refers to a preparation where finished beer is filtered through a batch of fresh hops -- the net effect is so, so cool.)

 

Cool. The hop filtering apparatus is called a randall, there are usually a bunch of beers at homebrewing conferences and festivals served like this. Good stuff.

 

[That Aud Smell]

Cool. The hop filtering apparatus is called a randall, there are usually a bunch of beers at homebrewing conferences and festivals served like this. Good stuff.

 

 

Yes - that is the device - thanks. I'd heard of the Randallizer before, but wasn't entirely sure that "wet" signified the same thing.

 

The effect is really interesting. There's a way in which it makes the hoppiness more pronounced, but another in which it conveys it in a more subdued way. Like I said, just super cool.

 

I also appreciate that the Randall'd beer is, by definition, a special presentation -- I don't think there's any way to serve "wet hopped" beer on a large scale -- it appears to be something that's done on a small scale.

[Claude_Verret]

Yes - that is the device - thanks. I'd heard of the Randallizer before, but wasn't entirely sure that "wet" signified the same thing.

 

The effect is really interesting. There's a way in which it makes the hoppiness more pronounced, but another in which it conveys it in a more subdued way. Like I said, just super cool.

 

I also appreciate that the Randall'd beer is, by definition, a special presentation -- I don't think there's any way to serve "wet hopped" beer on a large scale -- it appears to be something that's done on a small scale.

 

Actually the wet hopped beer isn't limited to a Randall presentation and you can get fresh or wet hopped beers from quite a few craft breweries. The wet hopped beers are only limited to being brewed obviously at the time of hop harvest. I've had the ones from Sierra Nevada and Great Divide and they're excellent.

 

http://thefourfirkin...ype.php?id=1817

[That Aud Smell]

Actually the wet hopped beer isn't limited to a Randall presentation and you can get fresh or wet hopped beers from quite a few craft breweries. The wet hopped beers are only limited to being brewed obviously at the time of hop harvest. I've had the ones from Sierra Nevada and Great Divide and they're excellent.

 

http://thefourfirkin...ype.php?id=1817

 

Harvest time - I get it - makes sense.

 

How do you wet/fresh hop a batch without the Randall - you telling me that Sam from Dogfish doesn't have this process locked down with his IP rights? ;)

[Weave]

Harvest time - I get it - makes sense.

 

How do you wet/fresh hop a batch without the Randall - you telling me that Sam from Dogfish doesn't have this process locked down with his IP rights? ;)

 

Most hops that are used in brewing are dried. Wet hop beers are brewed using hops that are fresh, ie. wet. They have a very limited shelf life and have to be used almost immediately after harvest. That is why they tend to be season beers.

 

The Randallizer is a little different in that they usually put dried hops in the tube and run beer through it to get a fresh burst of hop character.

[That Aud Smell]

Most hops that are used in brewing are dried. Wet hop beers are brewed using hops that are fresh, ie. wet. They have a very limited shelf life and have to be used almost immediately after harvest. That is why they tend to be season beers.

 

The Randallizer is a little different in that they usually put dried hops in the tube and run beer through it to get a fresh burst of hop character.

 

More interesting still. So, I'm hearing that the "wet" preparation is something that is tied closely to harvest in terms of time because the hops are always fresh, but that Randallization can uses dried hopes and therefore can happen at any time.

 

Am I right in understanding that both preparations involve pulling/pushing a finished beer product through the hops at an ambient or even chilled temp?

[LTS]

More interesting still. So, I'm hearing that the "wet" preparation is something that is tied closely to harvest in terms of time because the hops are always fresh, but that Randallization can uses dried hopes and therefore can happen at any time.

 

Am I right in understanding that both preparations involve pulling/pushing a finished beer product through the hops at an ambient or even chilled temp?

 

Not exactly.. they could involve that but not always.

 

The basic assumption is that fresh hops are added during the brewing process, whether that is mash hopped, first wort hopped, boil hopped, flameout hopped, grant hopped, or fermenter hopped. Whew.. that's a lot of possibilities.

 

What will happen is that rather than having the lupulin being the most notable aromas there will also be a grassiness added to the beer from the freshness of the leaves. The reason most hops are dried is to remove that leafy flavor but keep the lupulin glands intact.

 

you still get the hoppiness of course, but it's mixed in with the vegetal aspects of the hop at the same time.

[That Aud Smell]

Not exactly.. they could involve that but not always.

 

The basic assumption is that fresh hops are added during the brewing process, whether that is mash hopped, first wort hopped, boil hopped, flameout hopped, grant hopped, or fermenter hopped. Whew.. that's a lot of possibilities.

 

What will happen is that rather than having the lupulin being the most notable aromas there will also be a grassiness added to the beer from the freshness of the leaves. The reason most hops are dried is to remove that leafy flavor but keep the lupulin glands intact.

 

you still get the hoppiness of course, but it's mixed in with the vegetal aspects of the hop at the same time.

 

Things are coming into focus for me. I think.

 

Sounds to me like "wet" or "fresh" denotes the use of fresh hops that are actually added during the process of brewing (at whatever stage the brewer may choose), and that randallization is a process that involves a pre-serving, post-brewing process of pushing beer through a randall that, generally, is filled with dried hops.

 

I should've just cornered one of the brewers - they were all there!

[LTS]

Things are coming into focus for me. I think.

 

Sounds to me like "wet" or "fresh" denotes the use of fresh hops that are actually added during the process of brewing (at whatever stage the brewer may choose), and that randallization is a process that involves a pre-serving, post-brewing process of pushing beer through a randall that, generally, is filled with dried hops.

 

I should've just cornered one of the brewers - they were all there!

 

You're catching on. The use of the randall definitely started with the idea of adding that kick of hops right at serving time. It's evolved mightily since then with all kinds of cool things being in the randall to add some flavor during serving.

 

Just one more thing that I love about beer.

[Claude_Verret]

It's great to see the WNY region catching on to the craft beer craze. When I moved to NC 11 years ago there were maybe 3 local craft breweries in the Trangle region, there has to be at least 15 now. Here are two new Buffalo projects I've recently read about that I'll be excited to try when I'm back in town.

 

Resurgence Brewing

 

Hamburg Brewing Company

[MattPie]

It's great to see the WNY region catching on to the craft beer craze. When I moved to NC 11 years ago there were maybe 3 local craft breweries in the Trangle region, there has to be at least 15 now. Here are two new Buffalo projects I've recently read about that I'll be excited to try when I'm back in town.

 

Resurgence Brewing

 

Hamburg Brewing Company

 

I had some Hanburg at the Hamburg Octoberfest a week or two ago. Not bad, but nothing that jumped out at me either. They only had one beer of a style I'm not particularly fond of though, so I'd love to try a few of their others.

[Claude_Verret]

I had some Hanburg at the Hamburg Octoberfest a week or two ago. Not bad, but nothing that jumped out at me either. They only had one beer of a style I'm not particularly fond of though, so I'd love to try a few of their others.

 

I was disappointed to miss the Hamburg Oktoberferst this year. For the previous three years it has coincided with the Bills home opener and by extension our Hamburg pub crawl on Saturday night....as if the 10 or 11 bars we hit before the Oktoberfest isn't enough.

 

What did they have? I see on their website they have a wheat and a black ipa, two styles that don't excite me much, but I'd be eager to try their IPA and saison.

[superdave]

All I know is that this time of the year is my favorite time of the year, for both of my passions, hockey and beer drinking. Hockey season is starting and proper beer drinking season has kicked off. Gone is all the fru-fru "spring and summer" beers, and Octoberfest beers and winter beers are getting in gear. Real beer that is dark like God intended it to be and not fruity or needing a slice of orange in it.

 

Had a nice local Aviator brew, Oktoberbeast last weekend at Sammy's Tap and Grill in Raleigh. Good stuff.

[Eleven]

This is an interesting idea -- anyone here tried it? (Paging weave to the beer thread.)

 

http://gizmodo.com/t...tail-1264419266

 

I've got to get on this.

[MattPie]

What did they have? I see on their website they have a wheat and a black ipa, two styles that don't excite me much, but I'd be eager to try their IPA and saison.

 

The more I think about it, it was the wheat, not the darker beer I was thinking about. It was a completely serviceable wheat beer, but I had already had a few others before that I don't have a clear memory of it. I would definately seek out more beers from them.

 

All I know is that this time of the year is my favorite time of the year, for both of my passions, hockey and beer drinking. Hockey season is starting and proper beer drinking season has kicked off. Gone is all the fru-fru "spring and summer" beers, and Octoberfest beers and winter beers are getting in gear. Real beer that is dark like God intended it to be and not fruity or needing a slice of orange in it.

 

Good to see you, SD. May all the Sabres-Canes games be fun and hard faught... and Canes losses. :)

[superdave]

 

 

Good to see you, SD. May all the Sabres-Canes games be fun and hard faught... and Canes losses. :)

 

I'll be at the meaningless preseason game on Friday.

[Claude_Verret]

Had a nice local Aviator brew, Oktoberbeast last weekend at Sammy's Tap and Grill in Raleigh. Good stuff.

 

I really enjoy the Aviator beers, I like to stop by their tasting room in the old train depot in Fuquay on the odd Saturday afternoon Home Depot run. Have you been to the Aviator Smokehouse? It's top notch BBQ

 

I'll be at the meaningless preseason game on Friday.

 

I'll be there with the wife and kids, so no raping, pillaging or baby eating for me...................this time.

[superdave]

I really enjoy the Aviator beers, I like to stop by their tasting room in the old train depot in Fuquay on the odd Saturday afternoon Home Depot run. Have you been to the Aviator Smokehouse? It's top notch BBQ

I haven't been, but I know it's a trip I need to make. I have a daughter at NC State, so I'm up that way occasionally other than hockey games. I want to try out the tasting room.

 

 

I'll be there with the wife and kids, so no raping, pillaging or baby eating for me...................this time.

You wouldn't really resort the the raping, pillaging, or baby eating in the pre-season would you? The babies aren't even ripe yet.

Edited September 25, 2013 by superdave

[Claude_Verret]

 

You wouldn't really resort the the raping, pillaging, or baby eating in the pre-season would you? The babies aren't even ripe yet.

 

True, I expect a low key affair so I figure it's a good time to bring the 8 and 5 year old to a game.

[MattPie]

Mmm, breakfast...

http://www.victorybeer.com/ai1ec_event/dirtwolf-release-breakfast-2/?instance_id=168

[superdave]

True, I expect a low key affair so I figure it's a good time to bring the 8 and 5 year old to a game.

 

In the past, the Sabres at Canes game seemed to bring out the worst in some fans on both sides. This isn't just conjecture, the staff will tell you they have to put on extra security. Things have calmed down some in the last year or two to the point where they will schedule pre-season games. I guess that's progress.

 

Now, the Pens have the most hated visiting fanbase spot. It's when all the Terrible Towels and Roethlisberger jerseys come to visit and be generally obnoxious. It must be something to do with what occurs after an Eastern Conference Finals appearance.

Edited September 25, 2013 by superdave

[Claude_Verret]

In the past, the Sabres at Canes game seemed to bring out the worst in some fans on both sides. This isn't just conjecture, the staff will tell you they have to put on extra security. Things have calmed down some in the last year or two to the point where they will schedule pre-season games. I guess that's progress.

 

Now, the Pens have the most hated visiting fanbase spot. It's when all the Terrible Towels and Roethlisberger jerseys come to visit and be generally obnoxious. It must be something to do with what occurs after an Eastern Conference Finals appearance.

 

I agree. One of my good friends knows the head of security for the Canes, and there is no doubt that they still beef up the police presence when the Sabres come to town. Doing that while at the same time antagonizing those same obnoxious fans through scoreboard antics and prick-ish staff and ushers always seemed contradictory and bush league to me, but it is what it is. My neighbor is a Canes season ticket holder and he agrees that the Pittsburgh fans have taken taken the belt from us on the most hated list. A former poster here, Sabretooth73, used to have some pretty epic anti-Pittsburgh rants that I'm sure you'd appreciate. Anyway, I expect the Sabres - Canes thing to only cool more in the coming years with us playing down here less, and with the Canes being in the same division now with the Pens, Flyers and Rangers I expect all those fan bases to surpass the Sabres on your most hated list.