March 2005
“News About Brews”
Don't forget about the Imperial IPA Competition
May 11th's meeting includes an Imperial IPA club competition. I hope everyone who had planned to enter has already done their brewing, but if not then you might be able to squeak one out before the meeting (better use a ton of yeast).
April's meeting will be at Kevin's and will be about Real Ale. Sounds like a good warm-up for NERAX in April.
I actually took a few pictures from this month's meeting, so you can check them out in the Pitcher Gallery.
Brew On!
Jimmy B
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At
A Glance…
Things
You May Want To Know, Or Not
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Club EventsMarch 26th – South Shore Brewoff competition
April 12th – April Meeting at Kevin Farrell's.
Near Future? – Yorkshire's Dark Knight cask at Francois' Check the club calendar for more details on these and other upcoming events. |
Area EventsApril 27th - 30th – NERAX (New England Real Ale Exhibition) in Somerville Click here for details
|
Next MeetingDate: April 12th 2005 @ 7:30 Location: Kevin Farrell's house Directions:
(click here for
directions) Agenda: Real ale, by Kevin (with help from the dueling beer engines). |
Beer Quote and Trivia"When I read about
the evils of drinking, I gave up reading."
What is the difference betwen a brewer and a brewster?
|
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Sip
by Sip
Minutes
of the Previous Meeting
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Date: March. 9th, 2005
Location: Jim Blanchette's in Millis MA
Number of Members Attending: 7
Business
 | The South Shore Brew Off is March 26th. Steve collected entries from the club during the meeting. There has been no one acting as prize coordinator so Steve to send an e-mail to get some help. Roger is working with Jeff on food for the event. We may need to find tables and chairs! |
| Next meeting is a Real Ale presentation at Kevin's house. |
| There is a BJCP exam being iven on May 21st at the Harpoon Brewery. Roger, Jeff, Francois and Jim (myself) have formed a study group to prepare for it. |
| The National Homebrewers Conference is in Baltimore this year. Is anyone interested in going? Jeff and Kevin have shown interest. Lodging is filling up fast, so people need to move on this. For details click here |
| The second week of August Bill and Cherry are leaving for England/Scotland. They will be on the canal boat from the 20th until the end of the month. Bill is willing to stay into the first week of September if anyone would like to come out and join him. |
| Members wondered if Francois has checked or topped-up the barrel of Scotch Ale. |
| The club needs someone to coordinate the big brew of Imperial Stout for June's group brew session. Coordinating means picking the recipe, figuring out and soliciting ingredients, planning the logistics for the day. Because it is a very big beer, discussed planning for as many people to show up as possible and then also provide a 5-gallon version of the recipe that people who can't make it could brew at home and then bring over to Francois' to top up the barrel after the initial fermentation or if we come up short. |
Porter Discussion
|
Francois, who had taken over the presentation for Jim, was unable to make it to the meeting so we just talked about Porter. Steve Rose picked up the ball and gave us some history and style details. Roger and Kevin were wise enough to bring some samples for palate calibration - if they hadn't then we'd have had none. |
|
Robust porter has more flavor/aroma hops than brown porter. Porters have a coffee- or chocolate-like roastiness (less so for brown porters). Porters lack the roasted barley characteristic which is a differentiating factor between porters and stouts. |
Porter Competition
There were 2 club entries, plus a special guest entry from someone Steve G. works with. And the winners are:
Second Place: Tie between Jim Blanchette and guest beer
First Place: Kevin Farrell
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It’s
All in the De-t-Ales…
Articles,
Reviews and Information
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Belgium Christmas Beer Festvaal
by Kevin Farrell
Belgium Christmas Beer Festival
The day after the SSBC Christmas party I went to Belgium for a long weekend to attend the Belgium Christmas beer festival in Essen, Belgium, along with meeting some friends and general beer touring. I arrived Friday morning in Brussels, met a friend at the train station and then took a train to Beersel. Beersel is known for its lambics and gueuze and also for the restaurant/brewery called Drie Fonteinen (three fountains). The Oud (old) Beersel brewery is also in this town, but is temporarily closed. In any case, we went to Drie Fonteinen for lunch and enjoyed several of their beers along with a great meal.
One of the unique things here is that they serve several of their beers (Faro, Lambic, and Kriek) on beer engines. We tried them all (of course). For lunch, I had rabbit stew (prepared with Gueuze) and accompanied it with their bottled kriek that is made with Sharbeek cherries. This was a wonderful beer that was much tarter than the kriek served from the beer engine and accompanied the rabbit nicely.
Upon leaving Beersel, we traveled North through Brussels to Antwerp, which would be our home base for the trip. Antwerp is more of a college town and has a number of great pubs and restaurants. One of the more well-known pubs here is called the Kulminator, pictured below with Dirk, who is the owner. They have a tremendous beer selection (their beer menu spans at least 20-30 pages) and are particularly known for their aged selection of beer that allows for vertical tastings. So, for example, you may be able to get a 1982 Stille Nacht from the De Dolle Brewery (which, incidently, is extremely good) along with old Westvleterens, Chimay, etc.
There are a number of hard-to-find beers that are likely to be in stock at the Kulminator. One is the Westvleteren 6 (with the red cap!) that Francois had highly recommended I try. This beer probably has the most intense chocolate flavor I have ever tasted in a beer – it was very complex and delicious. The Westvleteren 6 with the green cap is the one that is currently being produced and is a pale ale that is very good, but nothing like the red cap. There were a large number of beers that I had never even heard of – so, I tried to make whatever dent I could in the list. Here is one of the snapshots from our sessions.
Since the Kulminator does not serve food, we did have to venture out for a meal on Friday night. We chose a pub called the Het Elfde Gebod (The 11th Commandment), where the 11th commandment is to eat and drink well. We had the mussels there which were very good along with several of their many beers.
On Saturday, we traveled to the Belgium Christmas beer festival, which is in the town of Essen (around an hour north of Antwerp). There was a bit of a line to get in, but once settled, it was a great event. The festival itself was free and you basically purchased tickets that could be applied towards beer samples (roughly 1 Euro purchased a 6 oz pour). One of the nice features of the festival was that once you got your beer sample, there a large number of chairs and tables, so that you could actually sit down as a group and enjoy the beer. There were also some food options, such as carbonnade, beer soup, and cheese plates. There were a hundred and some beers here and, once again, we did what we could to put a dent in the beer list. The beers were generally excellent and some of the ones that stood out from the others were the Bush Prestige, and several beers from the Anker Brewery, De Dolle Brewery, and Brasserie de Rocs.
After sampling the maximum number of Christmas beers we could while maintaining a minimum sobriety, we went back to Antwerp for dinner and more beers. We went to the Afspanning ‘t Waagstuk (Risky Business) for dinner. I had the chicken waterzooi and an eggplant (at least I “think” that’s what “witloof” is) lasagna – that were very good and great value. Many beers here also, including the new “green cap” Duvel which is meant to be their lighter version of the classic, though, still at 7.5% (compared to the 8.5% of the original). It is very good and deceptively smooth. Later, we went to another exceptional bar called “’t Paters Vaetje” (the Monk’s little barrel) which had a great beer selection and exception service.
The following day we also attended the Christmas beer festival and picked up where we left off. Another interesting beer that I tried there was the Gluhkriek from Liefmanns. I “think” it consists of their kriek beer (Oud Bruin-based) that is spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg and it is additionally served hot. It was very good and unique – pretty much a “hot toddy”. Upon returning to Antwerp, we had dinner at a restaurant called “Café Horta” that was superb. I started with a pidgeon soup and fois gras and then had eel and pike in a Duvel sauce. It was really good. We then went across the street to another great pub called the “Oud Arsennal”, pictured below. We were in a mood for Gueuze, which happened to be the favorite of the pub owner, so he joined us and gave some interesting background of the different Gueuze brewers and blenders and also recommended several of the less known brands, such as Morte Subite and De Kam.
On our final day, as the beer festival had ended, we did a day trip to Brugge and did some sight-seeing along with, yes – you guessed it, more beer tasting. But, first we had lunch at a restaurant there called “Den Dyver”. This restaurant focuses more on gourmet food preparations and particularly, food/beer pairings. So, how could I resist? We had a 3 course meal with their recommended beer pairings for those courses. My first course had vegetables and mackerel tempura with a teriyaki dipping sauce and was paired with an exceptional beer from Brauwerie du Bic. The beer had tremendous malt character with prune and raisin that was a wonderful complement to the teriyaki dipping sauce. This pairing was unbelievable. The main course was duck in a Chimay sauce (and, paired with Chimay). The food and pairing was great (though, the first course still won the matchup). Dessert was a chocolate torte that was paired with a Christmas beer that was also very nice. Overall, this was my favorite meal in Belgium.
After some sight-seeing and shopping (yes, the chocolates were good!) – we went to a well-known pub in Brugge called “’t Brugges Beertje” (the little Brugge Bear) as pictured below.
This is (yet another) pub known for their tremendous beer selection and quaint character. We had a few beers here that had escaped from our previous tastings including some from the De Dolle brewery that are made specifically for this pub. We then went back to Antwerp and I spent my last evening back in the Kulminator and flew back the following morning.
All-in-all, it was a great trip. One piece of really good advice from Francois, was to use the guide from Stephen D’Arcy (Stephen.d’arcy@cec.eu.int). This is basically a 30 page pub guide for the majority of towns in Belgium. The recommendations were excellent and also included good advice on where to get food, etc. Furthermore, there were several maps included for the larger areas (such as Brussels, Antwerp, Brugge, etc.) that were incredibly helpful in finding all of these pubs as, believe me, many of them are cleverly hidden and not trivial to find.
BJCP
Imperial IPA Specifications
for May Meeting
14C. Imperial IPA
Aroma:
A prominent to intense hop aroma that can be derived from American, English
and/or noble varieties (although a citrusy hop character is almost always
present). Most versions are dry
hopped and can have an additional resinous or grassy aroma, although this is
not absolutely required. Some
clean malty sweetness may be found in the background.
Fruitiness, either from esters or hops, may also be detected in some
versions, although a neutral fermentation character is typical.
Some alcohol can usually be noted, but it should not have a “hot”
character.
Appearance:
Color ranges from golden amber to medium reddish copper; some versions can
have an orange-ish tint.
Should be clear, although unfiltered dry-hopped
versions may be a bit hazy. Good
head stand should persist.
Flavor:
Hop flavor is strong and complex, and can reflect the use of American, English
and/or noble hop varieties. High
to absurdly high hop bitterness, although the malt backbone will generally
support the strong hop character and provide the best balance.
Malt flavor should be low to medium, and is generally clean and malty
sweet although some caramel or toasty flavors are acceptable at low levels. No
diacetyl. Low fruitiness is
acceptable but not required. A
long, lingering bitterness is usually present in the aftertaste but should not
be harsh. Medium-dry
to dry finish. A clean,
smooth alcohol flavor is usually present.
Oak is inappropriate in this style.
Some sulfur may be present if sulfate water is used, but most examples
do not exhibit this character.
Mouthfeel:
Smooth, medium-light to medium-full body.
No harsh hop-derived astringency, although moderate to medium-high
carbonation can combine to render an overall dry sensation in the presence of
malt sweetness. Smooth alcohol
warming.
Overall
Impression:
An intensely hoppy, very strong pale ale without the big maltiness and/or
deeper malt flavors of an American barleywine.
Strongly hopped, but clean, lacking harshness, and a tribute to
historical IPAs.
History:
A recent American innovation reflecting the trend of American craft brewers
“pushing the envelope” to satisfy the need of hop aficionados for
increasingly intense products. Category
may be stretched to cover historical and modern American stock ales that are
stronger, hoppier ales without the malt intensity of barleywines.
The adjective “Imperial” is arbitrary and simply implies a stronger
version of an IPA; “double,” “extra,” “extreme,” or any other
variety of adjectives would be equally valid.
Comments:
Bigger than either an English or American IPA in both alcohol strength and
overall hop level (bittering and finish).
Less malty, lower body, less rich and a greater overall hop intensity
than an American Barleywine. Not
necessarily as high in gravity/alcohol as a barleywine.
A showcase for hops.
Ingredients:
Pale ale malt (well-modified and suitable for single-temperature infusion
mashing); can use a complex variety of hops (English, American, noble). American
yeast that can give a clean or slightly fruity profile. Generally
all-malt, but mashed at lower temperatures for high attenuation.
Water character varies from soft to moderately sulfate.
Vital Statistics: OG: 1.075 – 1.090+
IBUs: 60 – 100+ FG: 1.012 – 1.020
SRM: 8 – 15 ABV: 7.5 – 10%+
Commercial
Examples: Dogfish
Head 90-minute IPA, Rogue I2PA, Stone Ruination IPA, Three
Floyd’s Dreadnaught, Russian River Pliny the Elder, Moylan’s Moylander
Double IPA. Stock ales include
examples such as Stone Arrogant Bastard and Mendocino Eye of the Hawk.
Moat
Mt. Smokehouse and Brewing Co. Beer Dinner Report
Cherry
and Bill Tredo attended the Moat Mountain Smokehouse & Brewing Co. Beer
Dinner held on November 6th at
The five-course tasting of “Octoberfest” fare was paired with 5 of the Moat Mt lagers and ales. Seating at large tables afforded the opportunity to make new friends and/or the chance to try to impress the same.
First course was an Austrian Style Oxtail Soup served with Moat Mt Golden Dog Pilsner.
There were some vegetarians in the group so a completely separate menu was designed
around their needs. Although there was vegetarian at the Tredo table, remembering the
exact menu is difficult. The Oxtail Soup however was truly delicious and the Pilsner came across as light and refreshing, a great pairing indeed (even with the veggie entree.)
Second course, an unbelievably delicious Pastrami Smoked Salmon served with Potato Latke (potato pancakes,) sour cream and apple chutney. This course was paired with the Hoffman Weiss. This was also light and refreshing and although it had a banana
flavor (note, essence,) it was not as overpowering, and was better than, the same brew from last year. The food pairing was outstanding!
The “salad” course was Bavarian Weiss Wurst and Beet Salad with sweet mustard. One of the reporting members was not thrilled when beets were mentioned, but that person’s
plate, due to the beet recipe used, was nearly empty when removed. The veggie replacement for the wurst was a vegetarian stuffed ravioli with red pepper couli. The course was accompanied by the Dunkle Weiss, which is an excellent 3 yeast weissen. The triple yeasts are a weissen, a heiffen weissen, and a lager.
The Moat Mountain Opa’s Octoberfest accompanied the main course of Roast Pork Loin with braised Red Cabbage and Pumpkin Spatzle (which we could have told you earlier, is a German form of pasta) This course was just as excellent as the paired brew. When the Octoberfest is not available, the barmaids have been known to substitute a brown ale lightened slightly with some Dunkle. Veggie enthusiasts would have loved the Puffed Pastry filled with grilled mushrooms and vegetables. It was so enormous that our token
Vegetarian could not begin to finish it. No fear, Rick was there!!! Rick, a local patron
is
never full! If you should ever be at
Last course would be the Square Tail Stout paired with the “BEST” German Black Forest Cake ever consumed by these reporters. The stout was dry, not sweet, and was a perfect accompaniment to the sweetness of the “perfect” cake. Sorry you all missed the meal!!!
Beer
Trivia Answer
What is the difference betwen a brewer and a brewster?
Answer: A brewer is a man who brews beer, a brewster is a woman a woman who brews beer. Brewsters might also be called Ale Wives.
Contact Information
If there are any updates or changes to the information posted here, please contact: