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	FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
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Contents:
  re: European Biercation (-s)
  Competition Announcement and Call for Judges: 11th Annual B.E.E.R. Brew-off ("Matthew Bobiak")
  RE: doppelbock ("Rick Garvin")
  HBD post: European Bierification ("Peter A. Ensminger")
  re: Malt flavor & aroma (Raj B Apte)
  Hops! (eric stiegman)


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Date: Wed, 07 Mar 2007 03:36:30 -0500
From: -s <-s at adelphia.net>
Subject: re: European Biercation

Robert Fischer writes ....

>This summer we
>are headed into Amsterdam where we pick up our car and
>for the next 49 days drive across Germany toward
>Berlin. Next to Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary,
>Romania, Ukraine, Poland, The Baltics, Finland,
>Sweden, Norway, Denmark and back to Amsterdam. Wow,

You'll find plenty of weizenbier in S.Germany in summer.
It outsells lager there ! My two trips a few years ago,
I was impressed by how much beer is a *local* thing in
S.Germany, and the local Gasthaus will most likely
serve beer from only one brewery or at most two local
breweries and dinner is a long event, so choose your
food by the brewery offerings. I still have a yearning
to try Franziskaner and Ayinger from a tap near the
source but ...

I was in Stockholm a few weeks ago. The only local beer I
thought much of was Ericsberg(s?) - which is a nice pale
lager along the lines of Carlsberg.  Served beer is just
under $10USD per pint there after taxes.  Guinness &
Newcastle appear to be top sellers !!  Sweden's a very
nice place to visit but rather beer-.  It also takes
work to find any native cuisine there.  McD, BK and
PizzaHut have a stronghold, with Italian food, ersatz
Irish pubs and kebab shops making up the bulk of eateries.
The place is littered with "Wayne's Coffee" shops - A
European knockoff of the American coffee shop experience,
minus the char.  Also virtually everyone spoke good English.
Frankly it 'felt' way too much like home, or perhaps a
strip-mall in suburban Chicago.  In Sweden I missed the
'foreign' experience I had in Germany.

To compare this with my recent experience in another
socialist state and under similar monopolistic conditions,
the server at the Sam Adams in Boston-Logan concourse C last
week seemed at least as blonde as any I met in Sweden; so
much so that the manager comp'ed the beer & sandwich she
eventually delivered. Still it would have been $8USD for a
tall draught SA Ale, which was better than any beer I had in
Sweden (very nice toasty flavor on draught and that great
spalter flavor that really jogged my hop-memory).

I'd be curious if anyone can report on any good Baltic
beers. They grow and malt a lot of barley there, but the
few samples of their beer I've tried are quite
dissappointing.

sorry - I just had to ...
 -S





Return to table of contents


Date: Wed, 07 Mar 2007 10:23:30 -0500
From: "Matthew Bobiak" <mbobiak at ic.sunysb.edu>
Subject: Competition Announcement and Call for Judges: 11th Annual B.E.E.R. Brew-off

Brewer's East End Revival (B.E.E.R.) will be hosting our 11th Annual
Bre-off on May 19, 2007.  Entries are $6 and the entry deadline is May
12.  Information for shipping and dropping off entries, as well as
bottle labels and entry forms, can be found at the club website:
hbd.org/beer
No competition is possible without the assistance of dedicated volunteer
beer judges.  BJCP accredited judges wishing to volunteer their time
should contact Judge Coordinator Matt Bobiak by email: bobesbeer AT
gmail DOT com


Return to table of contents


Date: Wed, 7 Mar 2007 11:06:29 -0500
From: "Rick Garvin" <rgarvin at garvin.us>
Subject: RE: doppelbock

> Rick, you say you use 100% dark Munich - WOW, that's really gettin'
> after it!  According to Noonan, dark Munich tends to be undermodified so
it makes
>sense to use dark Munich with a triple decoction.  Do you feel that you're 
> approaching the solid maltiness of the best commercial examples?

Are decoctions beneficial with today's malts? We can let the contests be the
judge. Decoctions make a world of difference for OUR Bocks, Pils and Helles.
They do better and get higher scores in contests than our step infusion
mashes. All humbleness aside, in the last two weeks we've seen a third place
at MCAB for Maibock and a first for Maibock and a third place for Doppelbock
at Reggale and Dredhop. So, we'll have a Bock on the table at MCAB X next
year as well, with those beers going into a few more MCAB qualifiers this
year. I chose to enter the Maibock in MCAB because the flavors were better
integrated and the alcohol in the Doppelbock needed time to smooth out.

I've been working hard on our lagers for about 10 years now. I believed the
myths about not needing decoctions to make awesome lager beers for a while.
Sure, in a brewery decoctions take a lot more energy. But, for me time is
everything - in one day increments. I set aside a brew day and the
opportunity cost of not making awesome beer is very high. I have all day to
make it, so I use the time. We can make very good lagers without decoctions
and we do. Our Franconian Kellerbier is a steady ribbon winner and is a
single infusion mash lager beer.

After spending time in Munich during two Starkbierzeits I believe that the
version of Doppelbock that we make does the best commercial versions
justice. I prefer our version in some instances. We have honed our recipes
and no longer do three 40 minute decoctions for the doppelbock, moving to a
20/40/20 minute schedule. A. J. DeLange (the spell checker always tries to
change DeLange to Derange for some reason), our closest brewing neighbor and
decoction devotee as well, described the 40/40/40 version as "disturbingly
malty" and noted its excess of "maillard reaction components" on his score
sheet at Spirit of Free Beer in May. In January we drank the last of that
beer at a big party at my house and the malt and alcohol had smoothed out
noticeably. I believe I saw A. J. drink a couple of disturbingly large and
malty glasses. Doppelbock is our only beer that goes for a triple decoction,
and that's for color. Dark Munich is not so dark. Adding color malt gives an
unmistakable roasty or chocolatey flavor, even Carafa III at miniscule
amounts.

As for malt selection, we use Weyermann for lagers. Period. We toured the
plant in Bamberg and Sabena and Tomas Kraus Weyermann have a deduction to
making awesome ingredients using modern methods with an old-school attention
to detail that was impressive. At the time, Lance Snow was running the lab.
He is an American grad of Weihenstephan and a former Sierra Nevada guy. They
test to spec every train car load of grain as it comes in. They routinely
reject grain if it does not meet spec. They know what they are doing.

One beer style that has been elusive for us, and in my experience for all
homebrewers, is the Dusseldorfer Altbier style. Getting that great malt back
bone, deep copper color, super attenuation and crackling hop character is
very hard. We've done well in contests with a 100% Vienna Malt version, but
I thought it was way too malty. Munich malt will be maltier still. Adding
color malt corrupts the clean malt depth with roast or chocolate. Tasting
the imported Dusseldorfer Altbiers does not do them just, they just do not
travel well. They tend to lose the hop character first and then the
oxidation becomes noticeable as stale malt flavors.

Deep dark secret for depth of malt? Maillard reactions from decoction.
That's my answer and I'm sticking to it.

Cheers, Rick



Return to table of contents


Date: Wed, 07 Mar 2007 12:24:04 -0500
From: "Peter A. Ensminger" <ensmingr at twcny.rr.com>
Subject: HBD post: European Bierification

Hi Robert,

Regarding your recent post to the HBD ...

You mean that you are bypassing Belgium?!?! I suggest a stop there and 
visits to t Brugs Beertje (in Brugge), Kulminator and Oud Arsenaal (in 
Antwerp), and Cantillon (in Brussels).

In the Czech Republic, you should visit Pilsner Urquell (in Pilsen), 
Budejovicky Budvar (in Ceske Budjovice), and U Fleku and Zlateho Tygra 
(in Prague).

In Germany, you should go to Bamberg and visit Schlenkerla, Zum Spezial, 
and Faessla.

Never been to Finland, but I've long been yearning for some authentic 
sahti. I've heard of Lammin Sahti, but it might be better to hook up 
with some Finnish homebrewers for a better experience.

In my limited experience, Slovakia and Hungary are less remarkable for 
their beers.

Cheers!
Peter A. Ensminger
Syracuse, NY


- ----
Greetings All,
As a home brewer for over 10 years and a long time
reader of the digest I seek assistance from all on
different beers, breweries, pubs, bier gardens etc.
that are a must to visit and enjoy while in Europe. My
wife and I are seasoned travelers and have eaten and
drank our way around most of Europe. This summer we
are headed into Amsterdam where we pick up our car and
for the next 49 days drive across Germany toward
Berlin. Next to Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary,
Romania, Ukraine, Poland, The Baltics, Finland,
Sweden, Norway, Denmark and back to Amsterdam. Wow,
I'm already exhausted. But we are in no hurry and are
very flexible. Please send me any ideas, stories or
suggestions to the digest or my e-mail address.
Thanking you in advance,
Robert E. Fischer
Tropical Park Brewery
Miami, Fl
(1205,168.5)Apparent Rennerian





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Date: Wed, 7 Mar 2007 13:12:57 -0800 (PST)
From: Raj B Apte <raj_apte at yahoo.com>
Subject: re: Malt flavor & aroma

John Peed asks about maltiness.

John,
I'm no expert on maltiness, but the maltiest beer I've
produced was a scottish wee heavy. Following recipes from
various places, I collected the first runnings (1.100 or
higher, about 4 L, from a grist of Marris Otter or Golden
Promise) and caramelized those while finishing the sparge.
Then I boiled the second wort, and only when I was ready to
start hopping did I add the 4L of first runnings back. By
that point the 4L was reduced to <2L, had a beautiful malty
color and fragrance, and was basically a caramel (110C or
higher). No full-wort kettle caramelization can come close
to this. I used wine yeast (my standard) at 64-66F. The
resulting beer was as malty as I've ever made. Maybe others
can share stories of their maltiest productions....

raj


 


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Date: Wed, 7 Mar 2007 21:05:24 -0600
From: eric stiegman <stiegy at illicom.net>
Subject: Hops!

It's about that time of year again. I want to plant some high acid hops 
in central/down state Illinois. Any varietal  suggestions from the hop 
growers in the group? I want something that will be highly productive 
and need not be useful as a finishing hop.   Thanks,  Eric S, central 
Illinois



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