March 2008
“News About Brews”
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March 2008
“News About Brews”
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| Dogfish Head Days of Summer
Well, another summer is slipping away from us here in New England. They're far too short for those of us who prefer the warmer weather and wish we could have, say, 3 months of it a year. But despite the coming of cooler weather, you can't help but smile thinking of the prime beer season that is now upon us. It's the beginning beer fest season for starters, and fall seasonals and Oktoberfest/Marzens are always a tasty treat following the 'easier' beers which we like to drink in the summer. I guess fall isn't so bad...
This month's meeting resulted in a packed house at the Nemasket Brew Pub. If our meetings get any bigger we'll need to rent Gillette stadium! Mark Irwin gave an excellent presentation on Hefeweizen and other weizen's, and a club competition followed. As always, a great time was had by all. We even raised a little money for the club with a raffle.
Don't forget about the Steering Committee / Planning Meeting on August 28th at the British Beer Company in Walpole (haven't seen this confirmed yet though, so check the calendar as we get closer). Show up to make suggestions about what the club does over the next year in terms of events and meeting topics, and to make sure you don't get voted into a position you didn't ask for. ;-)
Brew On! Jimmy B
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Index////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// At
A Glance…
Things
You May Want To Know, Or Not /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Sip
by Sip
Minutes
of the Previous Meeting ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Date: August 14th, 2007 Location: Frank White's, Middleboro, MA Number of Members Attending: 22 Business
Hefeweizen, presented by Mark Irwin
First off, although you may normally get a lemon with your hefeweizen, this is not a German tradition.
Weizen (wheat) and Weisse (white) are normally used to describe wheat beers. 'Hefe' means 'yeast', and therefore Hefeweizen is a wheat beer with the yeast still visible in it. These beers are highly carbonated at 3-5 volumes CO2. Cloves, banana, vanilla notes and bubble gum are common aroma and flavor characteristics that may be found in these beers. There should be no noticeable hops. The beer is cloudy due to the yeast. Some may serve the bottle by rolling it on the table to rouse the yeast and then pour it into the glass. The alcohol is low (4 - 6.5%). It is a light and easy drinking beer, great for the summer.
Krystalweizen is pretty much the same beer as hefeweizen, except that it has been filtered to remove the yeast. It is lighter in character, possibly with less clove and bubblegum flavor.
German weizens have at least 50% wheat malt, upwards of 70%. Wheat has no husk, so brewers may add rice hulls to avoid a stuck mash when using this much wheat.
Dunkelweizens have some dark grain. You're not really looking for a roasty flavor - the beer should still be mostly weizen-ish. What you are looking for in beers of this type are subtler chocolate-like notes. These beers can also be made in Krystal or Hefe versions.
Hefeweizen yeast strains are absolutely necessary to brewing a hefeweizen, as the yeast provides the necessary clove, banana, etc. characteristics. The temperature at which the yeast is allowed to ferment also affects the flavor, for example more banana will be evident at higher temperatures.
Weizenbock is a bigger, more alcoholic version of weizen beers with a dark fruit character. It is full bodied and creamy. It is luscious if done properly.
Packaging of hefeweizens is usually done with a yeast different from the primary fermentation strain. It is frequently a neutral lager strain.
As far as mashing schedules for weizens, most German examples still use decoction.
Examples:
- Franzis Kaner Hefeweizen - Weihenstephaner Hefeweizen - Erdinger Dark Hefeweizen (Dunkelweizen) - Schneider Aventinus (Weizenbock) Hefeweizen Competition
There were 6 entries.
The Winners:
#1) Steve Gravel #2) Jason Colby #3) Jae Wilson
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Recipe of the Month//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Steve's Weizen(August Hefeweizen Club Competition Winner) from: Steve Gravel A ProMash Recipe Report
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// It’s
All in the De-t-Ales…
Articles,
Reviews and Information ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Contents:
Planning Meeting Summary – August 28, 2007 British Beer Company, Walpole MA
The goal of the club planning meeting is to nominate officers for the new club calendar year (starting in September) and to rough out a schedule including meeting topics and major events. Additional nominations can be made at the September meeting and at that meeting the club will vote on the new officers. Also, changes to the tentative schedule can be discussed and voted on as needed.
NominationsPresident (Primary Fermentor) - Bill Tredo Vice President (Secondary Fermentor) - Kevin Farrell Program Coordinator - Brian Kurowski, maybe Frank White? Raffle Coordinator - Bill Gassett (with Mike K's help getting swag) Newsletter - Jim Blanchette Treasurer - Paul Corbett Brewoff Coordinator - Kevin Farrell (with assistance from Geoff McNally and Brian Kurowski) New Member Coordinator - possible suggestions: Mark Irwin and Paul Corbett? Pub Crawl Coordinator (new proposed position) - no volunteers More on Pub Crawl Coordinator - it was suggested that since we have such a difficult time getting a pub crawl coordinated, perhaps it should be a dedicated office. Jeff suggested that if anyone had a particular interest in going to a certain area, that person could take responsibility for planning that given crawl. For example, he has interest in a pub crawl to NYC that also incorporates shopping for the spouses in the early-holiday time frame, and therefore might plan that out.
CalendarDecember is the Christmas party (hopefully at Francois'). July is the picnic (hopefully at Dan's). Suggested topics:
from Kris' notes, thanks to Dean Kris had gotten hold of several beers that are previously unseen or hard to find. She invited members over for a tasting of these beers, and provided the attendees with some notes she had collected about the beers. By her own admission, some is from the breweries, and some is translated from Italian which she doesn't speak... Dean was kind enough to supply these notes for the newsletter:
Troll, a very small Italian brewery in Vernante, which is in the south-west corner of the piedmont region near France . It is attached to a brew pub. Daniele Meinero is the brewer. Palanfrina is the fall seasonal and is brewed from September to December. The chestnuts arrive with first chilly days in autumn. Palanfrina brewed with chestnuts is a beer that warms the spirit. Palanfrina is a full-bodied beer with a tawny color and with an intense nose. The use of only regional chestnuts gives the beer a local flavor. Palanfrina is great with pungent cheeses and makes an optimal companion for chocolate desserts. Shangrila was the first creation from Birrificio Troll. It is of dark amber color and has a persistent head and with its 8.5 alc./vol. it warms the palate and the heart. Shangrila is brewed using malt, English hops and a mixture of spices from the Himalayas : tandori (Blend of coriander, cumin, garlic powder, paprika, ginger, cardamom, saffron), curry, pepper, anise. Shangrila is a complex full bodied beer with exotic scents and an intense flavor. Shangrila is a perfect companion for meats of every type, especially ones grilled over charcoal. It also pairs very well with fine cheeses. Panada is a white beer with barley and wheat, some malted and some not. To this complex mixture of malts the incredible spices unite themselves and confer softness and freshness, the coriander and layers of orange tree meld, and two small secrets of the brewer. Febbre Alta (High fever) Spring beer, intense fragrant and a good bitter taste and does not contain hops. All features are derived from the mixture of sixteen malts and wheat, has an orange color. Dau is Troll's saison style Patela has a big malt body with a color between yellow to shining orange. This beer is characterized by harmony between the intense perfumes of the hops and light of spices of the mediterranean.
Le Baladin, located in Piozzo Italy in the Piedmont region. The brewer is Teo Musso. Nora (named after Teo's ex-wife, although they were married when he named it): Made with kamut grain from Egypt , flavored with ginger and myrrh. Super Baladin: a sour edition of Nora Wayan (named after Teo's daughter): made of 17 different ingredients (barley, wheat, spelt, oats, rye, different types of hops and many different spices besides coriander. Teo calls it a "Saison" but it is certainly his personal definition of a saison. Aroma and palate are rather complex, ie it takes some time to find your way through it, so to speak. The different hops are barely noticeable. The balance and bitterness is by a high defree provided by those many spices some of which are very, very unusual in brewing. This quite unusual combination of spices and herbs greatly impacts the finish which again is very different from "regular" saison-style ales. Food pairings: Fish, salmon, salads, filet mignon and other steaks, Thai food.
BFM, or Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes, is a Swiss brewery about an hour west of Bern towards the French border. Jerome Rebetez is the brewer. 2005 Bon-Chien: Brewed in 2005, oak-aged for about 20 months and bottled in October 2006; limited to 2837 bottles (837 for Switzerland and 2000 for the US market). Biere de Guard style, although the 2005 is over 15% abv. 7: 7th anniversary brew combining six types of aromatic hops, a Belgian Strong Dark Ale.
Lost Abbey is a brewery in San Marcos California ; Tomme Arthur is the brewer. 10 Commandments Lost Abbey’s once a year Anniversary beer. A new generation of Dark Farmhouse Belgian-Style Beer that had Brettanomyces (a special Belgian brewer’s yeast) added at bottling. Ale Brewed with Raisins. Lost and Found. We brewed Lost and Found Abbey Ale to pay homage to the great monastic breweries of Belgium . Like us, we hope you’ll take the time to discover a beer that breathes aromas of figs, raisins and candied fruits. Please join us by raising your glass as we offer a toast to patience, perseverance, and all the things we have lost along the way and were somehow lucky enough to find once again. Judgment Day A massive beer in every sense of the word. A stronger and more contemplative version of our Lost and Found Ale. Judgment Day is the base beer for our Cuvee de Tomme. Many of the Trappist Breweries produce a version of beer which ages incredibly well for many years to come.
Alaskan Smoked Porter 2004: The dark, robust body and pronounced smoky flavor of this limited edition beer make it an adventuresome taste experience. Alaskan Smoked Porter is produced in limited "vintages" each year and, unlike most beers, may be aged in the bottle, much like fine wine.
Terrapin, a brewery in Athens , Georgia . The brewer is Spike Bukowski. Golden Ale (originally Cream Ale and changed for marketing purposes): Extreme Cream. Brewed with five types of malt and a generous amount of flaked maize, Terrapin Extreme Cream pushes the flavor envelope for this style of golden ale. By using a unique hopping technique called “First Wort Hopping,” Terrapin has achieved a smooth bitterness and a slightly fruity aroma. With it’s golden hue, gentle complexity and white creamy head, Terrapin Extreme Cream is like sunshine in a glass. Terrapin Rye Pale Ale: We Consider this an extreme version of an American Pale Ale. It has a very up front floral and citrus aroma from a late cascade addition and dry hopping with Amarillo . This beer also has a big malt background to balance the bitterness of the hops. The rye malt cleans up your palette after you swallow so the hop flavor does not stick in your mouth too long.
Bell's Brewery is in Michigan , and Larry Bell is the brewer. Bell's Cherry Stout: This unique ale begins its life as a powerful and richly sweet stout to which Michigan tart cherries are added. The resulting black brew is complex, sweet and tart with a distinct cherry finish. It will improve with cellaring.
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Last modified: March 24, 2008 |
