Thursday, September 25, 2008

A beer inspired by a festival


Oktoberfest season is here and it is the inspiration for the ever popular Marzen or Oktoberfest beer.
The origins of the Oktoberfest began in 1810. Oktoberfest wasn’t always about beer drinking. The festival commemorated the marriage of Prince Ludwig of Bavaria and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hidburghausen by organizing a horse race. The horse race and marriage were only one day each but the festivities surrounding the event lasted for weeks.

Breweries outside the city limits of Munich are not allowed to participate in the world famous festival, which draws over 6 million to date from all over the world.
Breweries that do participate are known as the big six: Spaten, Lowenbrau, Augustiner, Hofbrau, Paulaner, and Hacker-Pschor.
The six breweries brew one style but with so many brewers it is not difficult to come up with variations of the style.
Beers brewed for the Oktoberfest must adhere to the German Purity Law. This limits the ingredients to malted barley, hops, water and yeast.

Malted barley used is primarily Vienna or Munich malt. Historically these beers would be decocted during the brewing process. This develops color and contributes to a range in color from deep gold to a deep red orange color. The process also contributes to the depth of malt flavor and aroma.

The hops used for the beer are Noble hop varieties, which can include Hallertau or Tetnanger to name a few. These elegant hops are responsible for balancing the sweetness of the malt and contributing to a delicate, spicy hop aroma and the large thick mousse-like head of the beer.

The water in the area is alkaline and is high in carbonates that contribute to the mouth feel and effervescence of the beer.

The beer brewing season was restricted past the month of March Tthis was to prevent spoilage of beers that typically happened while brewing during the warmer months. Beers brewed were cellared or lagered in nearby caves during the summer season. This allowed a strain of yeast to work slowly and thoroughly in fermenting the beer. This also contributed to the smooth clean flavor and aroma. It is also responsible for the bright clarity of the beer.

You don’t have to be in Munich to enjoy an Oktoberfest or Marzen.
Classic examples of the style were brewed and submitted for competition by:
Sudwerk,
River City Brewing Co.,
Mendocino Brewing Co.
Any of the beers would be a good selection to have your own Volksfest. O’zapft!!!
Oktoberfest season runs from September 20-October 5.

Because these are lager beers it is best to store them at cellar temperatures. The amber colored beer is best shown off in a tall glass with an open mouth. Be sure to pour high towards the end to encourage a thick rich head. Marzen beers are malty and well balanced. The beer paired with foods which are well caramelized. This would be a complimentary pairing for both food and beer.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Can 100,000 repeat customers be wrong?

Early this month I nearly fell out of my chair. I was looking at KVIE’s transcript for the new history of beer in Sacramento. The website had some links to it. I clicked on one link and it took me to Target’s website for beer making supplies. The product was Mr. Beer.
I was flabbergasted that a reputable program discussing the rich history of Sacramento’s role in brewing history would take me to such a product.

I had a solemn discussion with my beer master. “Master”, I said. “Wouldn’t is be a good experiment to make some of this beer?” Master said, “ One does not need to experiment with bad things.” “Master”, I said. “I wonder what kind of feedback we would get if we submitted beer made with Mr. Beer into competition?” Master said, “One does not need to experiment with bad things.” I could see where this discussion was going.

Mr. Beer started in 1998. They claim they are America’s No.1 homebrew kit. They must be doing something right because 10 years later they have sold over 600,00 brewing kits. That amounts to 5000 kits a month. I know some homebrew shops that would love to see those kinds of sales. There is even an offer to make me an affiliate. I can make 20% of the sale of a kit every time some one visits my website and purchases one.

In any case Mr. Beer does a great job with their website. The company warns that the production of beer by minors can lead to prosecution and that legal guardians will be held responsible. Gift cards are available. They even have logo gear so that you can wear the fact that you make beer with pride.

Last night as I was perusing through the recent magazine issue of BEER. There was again.
They made a batch of pale ale and actually liked it. Hmmmm, is there accounting for taste?
Mr. Beer gives the maker the ability to make two gallons of beer within 2 weeks. They encourage makers to consume the beer within four months. They offer over 170 different beer kits. They also offer cider and root beer making kits.

I took a look at the instructions to see how one would make such a beer. I did find one step that was left out that could make the beer problematic. The instructions say to add cold water to the liquid malt. It would behoove the (pseudo) brewer to vigorously boil the water uncovered (allow for evaporation) for 15 minutes and allow it to cool covered. Water from the tap is not sanitized. Sanitation cannot be over emphasized in the process of brewing.

I don’t think that I will be making a batch of Mr. Beer. I went from extract to partial mash and graduated to all grains recipes because I love the artistic and creative juices of being master designer. Can I recommend the product? I may never have the opportunity to see for myself what it tastes like. But can 100,000 repeat customers be wrong?

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Beer and its place in the culinary realm


Because beer pairs well with food and beer has nutritional value it only seems logical that beer would be factored into a culinary program.
It would seem a natural progression to incorporate beer as one of mankind's oldest beverages along side a study of cheese or bread making.
After all when we sit for a meal with family, friends, or co-workers, we have a drink along with the meal.

So why after contacting dozens of culinary programs as far east as New York, as far south as Pomona or even in our own culinary mecca, San Francisco was I not able to find a program the featured beer and food pairing?

Culinary programs have multiple modules. In the culinary field there are several factors to consider. There is sanitation, tools and equipment, conversions, yield factors, food costs, legal issues, menu design, plate presentation, buffet presentation, knife skills, management. This does not even cover the specific study of the process of cooking.

The culinary program at the American River Community College in Sacramento is one of the oldest continuous running programs. They did not have a beverage program until Brian Knirk became dept chair over five years ago. Trained in the San Francisco area, Brian appreciates the value of educating culinary students in the beverage dept.

This is a difficult module to teach because more than half of the students are under 21. Brian himself does not cover the beer section of the beverage module. He defers that to commercial brewer and Master beer judge Kevin Pratt. Kevin Pratt has been a featured speaker for the beer section for several years. He incorporates the process of brewing in the module. Last year the students made ten gallons of beer to serve at their fundraiser.

I asked Kevin Pratt if he felt the amount of time and the budget allotted for the beer portion of the beverage module was significant enough to cover all the points of beer. He said no and that it was his hope that in time that would change.


It seems logical to a layperson that there should be a beer program somewhere. Over the past four years, World Beer Cup has shown an increase in breweries by 40%. Countries participating in this prestigious competition went up by 65%, Styles submitted for competition has increased up to 76%.

The Brewers association shows that California holds 22% of the top Craft Breweries by sales volume in the U.S., and 16% overall sales in 2007. Craft Brewing Statistics show beer sales up by 12% by volume from last year.

The association also shows studies that in tough economic times beer sales are one of the last to slow down when a consumer is given a choice over what to cut back on. I know this on a personal level. I just spent $20.00 on an 11.2 bottle of Harviestoun Ola Dubh 30.

This an ale which has been allowed to age in selected oak casks formerly used to mature the award winning Highland Park 30 year old Single malt Scotch Whiskey. So the question still lies, with such sophisticated, complex, high quality, and creative beers on the market, why is there such a lack of formality when it comes to the education of these beers?

What about sommelier programs for beer? Sommelier programs are very intensive. I participated in the wine course at the UC Davis Extension program. I came away with many tools that could easily be incorporated into a beer program. I couldn't understand why the Extension program had a brew master series but not a beer evaluation program. Is there an opportunity here?

Since 1985 the Beer Judge Certification Program has had a program to promote beer literacy and the appreciation of real beer and to recognize beer tasting and evaluation skills. This is a program, which requires dedication because it can be up to 9 weeks long. A great deal of effort is taken to cover beer faults and styles with extensive tastings. Perhaps this could become the new credential for those in the culinary industry who are looking to expand their understanding of beer and provide a solid background for them when serving beer?

After all if the culinary programs have their plates full, it appears that the future for beer education programs directed to the restaurant industry is wide open.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

L Lounge and Urban Kitchen make a great spot for food and beer pairings

The L Lounge is a very well conceived venue. When I first walked in. I couldn’t help notice the simplicity of the eastern style mixed with the industrialism of the western style. The acid green custom sofas and plaster makes a an intriguing contrast with the walnut finished
The upper dining level gives the area a sense of exclusivity while the full windows leading out to the patio provide spaciousness.

The menu on many levels impressed me. First the ingredients are local, seasonal, and sustainable. All the selections suggest a simple elegance of the food.
I loved the fact that the plates are small. It makes it so easy to sample all the sensuous flavors that Chef Ame Harrington creates. Another advantage to the small plates is that it makes it fun and adventurous to share while sampling great beers.

I took the opportunity to attend a Sunday Supper. This event featured Chuck Silva of Green Flash Brewing Company. Chuck and Ame collaborated the menu for the dinner to pair with six of his beers. When I arrived, I felt as though I was at a New York soirée with very well dressed 20 and 30 something’s.

To start the event Ame served a amuse bouche. It was the first time I had an amuse bouche. An amuse bouche is different than an appetizer for several reasons. It is not on the menu, rather designed by the chef for the event and is plated. It consists of one or two bites.
The amuse bouche for this dinner a prawn and pepper salpicon petitaco (little taco) paired with West Coast IPA.

The second course was Tripple battered halibut, crispy pommes Anna served on a bed of fennel Frisee salad and a sauce of preserved lemon butter. This was paired with the Trippel. I loved the spiciness of the fennel, the bitterness of the frisee and the pungent preserved lemon butter with the Trippel. It made all the things I love about the beer style stand out.

The real treat was the Intermezzo. An intermezzo is a smaller plate intended to act as a palate cleanser or freshener. It has been my experience that these are ices or sorbets. Ame choose to stay with the classic example. She served a honeydew sorbet with crisp prosciuto and orange zest. It introduced a new beer, not yet sold in stores. It is a double IPA with a Belgian style trippel. Not only was the beer a huge hit but so was the combination with the intermezzo.

Following the intermezzo were grilled Merguez Sausages served with toasted couscous, leeks, peach and Harissa Oil. The Merguez sausage is a spicy sausage commonly made with lamb. It is very popular in Tunisia. The Harissa oil is also a Tunisian accompaniment. It is commonly served along with the couscous. The leek seemed to calm the spiciness down and the peach added a nice sweetness to contrast with the spiciness. All this to pair with a huge Imperial IPA.

Finally, after all were wowed by the flavor combinations of the spiciness, the bitterness, the savory, sweet, and citrus. Ame out did herself again with an ice cream float of Ginger Ale, mango, mint and Green Flash Stout Sabayon. This was served with a small pour of Chuck Silva’s Stout.

The ginger ale in the float nicely cut the bitterness that is prominent in stouts. Hop bitterness will fight with sweetness and I was wondering how she was going to pull off this combination. Everyone ooh-ed and ahh-ed at the bits of mango and the chiffonade of mint as they took spoonfuls of it all mixed with the sabayon.
Ame Harrington’s ability to pull from her repertoire and compose a culinary palate in collaboration with Brew master Chuck Silva shows off her skills as a true culinary artist.

Although the showing for the event was soft, the response was overwhelming. The establishment is looking forward to doing another brew master dinner. You will not want to miss it. It is a true culinary experience not easily found.

Whether you are able to make it to the next Brew masters Dinner and Beer pairing or just come down for a good beer and several small plates to share with friends. Your experience at the L Lounge and Urban Kitchen will be not one easily matched.

Open T-Sat 4pm-10:00, midnight on Saturday
L Lounge is located on 1801 L st.
443-6970
www.lwinelounge.com

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Get Real Get Fresh Get Organic



Sacramento has always had the luxury of being able to drink fresh beer. The beer in the area is some of the best beer in the State of California. Now we have the pleasure of adding an organic brewery the list.

Greenhouse Restaurant in Roseville CA introduces the area’s first organic brewery.
The property has had a gorgeous 4BBl copper system in house since it was built back almost 10 years ago.
The Greenhouse Restaurant is appropriately named. The décor is very much like a greenhouse. When you first step in your eyes are drawn to the large glass domed ceiling. There is a large fiscus tree in the middle of the dining room. The walls have large paned windows, which allow light to softly pour in.

Speaking of pouring, the copper system has been put to the task of producing organic beer. There are six beers on tap now with a few more specialty beers on the way. The beer styles on tap are Pale Ale that is served on Nitrogen, which gives it a smoother more English appeal to the beer. Other great beers on tap include, Stout, American Wheat, Kolsch, Amber Ale, and English Brown Ale.

The beers are brewed to classic examples of style. The malt used for the beer is from Gambrinus. Brewer, Kevin Pratt says using the organic malts will limit him from producing some styles. Having over six beers on tap from a 4BBL system doesn’t sound limited to me.

Owner Cory Holbrook pushed the production of the beer in the restaurant because he wanted to have a say in the styles and how they were developed. This is a creativity that he wasn’t allowed to have using distributors.Cory is also staying true to his house brand of beer. The taps for beer other than what is brewed is limited to a few.

Not only are the beers organic, the selection of beers work very well with the remarkable food that is on the menu.
The menu changes with the season. This allows the menu to feature what is available locally.
Eating green never tasted does well. The organic meat tastes the way meat was intended. The texture and flavors are remarkably rich and delicate. The presentations of all the plates represent sophistication.
If you go to the web site you can check out the summer menu.
Everything from appetizers to dessert is sure to exceed expectations.
The Greenhouse also features spacious outside dining on a covered patio.

I have created a new system of ranking. The highest rank is “compelled to return”. I have returned to this place a dozen times and have never been disappointed by the beer, food, or the service.
Currently there are no growlers, or samplers.

Greenhouse Restaurant is open for
Lunch M-F 11-2:30,
Dinner during the week 5- 9; 30, Dinner on Saturday 5-10:30.
Happy Hour is M-Sat 3-6 with $2.00 off all beer.
Located on 1595 Eureka Road Roseville Ca (916) 789-1900
http://www.greenhouserestaurant.com/

Celebrate Life; Don't hide from it



I wanted to take a little time away from the subject of brewers and their beer and turn it towards us, the consumers.


The consumption of alcohol is as old as mankind. There will always be alcoholic beverages around us no matter how hard organizations try to make it seem irresponsible to imbibe.


The prohibition died 75 years ago. We just celebrated the anniversary of being able to purchase and consume alcohol.


Alcohol is a beverage that is made to be enjoyed and to consume during times of celebration. The Bible mentions alcohol making the heart rejoice. Ps.104: 15. (OK it really says wine but for the purpose of the rationale I will refer to it as alcohol).


I want to emphasize that the consumption of alcohol is a social event. It is poured during times of celebration and sharing with friends.


When we serve alcohol we take on an inherent responsibility. We do not want to be the host who allowed our guest to leave our celebration only to lose control and do himof her harm.


Depending on the circumstance, whether we are with family or with friends moderation is always an exercise.


Drinking alcohol is not a way to manage stress or other problems. Over indulgence is related to health problems. Answers to life’s issues will never be found at the bottom of a bottle.

The bottle is only there to help us celebrate life and the people we share it with.
Lets keep it that way.


Don’t hide from life. Celebrate life!

Friday, September 5, 2008

Green Hops in our local beer




















Brian Cofresi of River City Brewing Company was looking to unload his mash when he decided to put an ad in Craig's List.

Scott Jordan of Jordan Family Farms, http://www.jordanfamilyfarms.com/, responded to the offer. Scott was looking for natural, inexpensive ways to augment the soil on his farm.
Brian and Scott struck up a friendship over the year. Last year Brian presented an offer to Scott. With the hop situation the way it is, how practical would it be to start a hop yard?



It was a large venture for Scott. Scott was up for the call.
Hop growing is not new to the Gold Country region. I recall the expansive hop yards by the Sloughhouse area of HWY 16. At the time I was a teenager and had no clue what hops were. I just recall how impressive the fields were. The city of Sacramento had its own hop yard back in the early 1900's.


This year was the first crop to be picked from the Jordan Family Farms. Accounted for on the farm to hand pick the sustainable hops for their beer was


Brian Ford of Auburn Ale House, http://www.auburnalehouse.com/,
Brian Cofresi of River City Brewing Company. http://www.rivercitybrew.net/
and Steve Maylor of Placerville Brewing Company, http://www.placervillebrewing.com/.





Many other beer geeks were on hand. A hop head, a home brewer, the guys from Pacific Brew News, and Rick Sellers of Draft magazine.Every one had a good time and I couldn't help but contemplate how the culture of hop farming helped bring together people and communities much like this event did. To be sure next year there will be more hops to be picked and more helping hands to make the job an easy one.


As for myself, am looking forward to the beers that will be available mid September. River City Brewing Company will have a Harvest Ale out Sept 19. It's not to be missed if you love hops.

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Out of the Weeds?


It’s all a figure of speech.
The locals have always had a little fun with the name. Especially since the word now has a different connotation. Tourists pull over to have their picture taken in front of the freeway sign “ Weed next three exits” It’s all harmless fun. Right?

The name weed however has nothing to do with the popular plant. The town Weed gets it’s name from founder, Abner Weed. Abner Weed purchased 280 acres of the land and a lumber mill. The town was established in 1901.

In 1992, a quiet retired policeman with German and Polish background decided that he wanted to spend the rest of his golden years as a brew master in the state he served in for 20 years. Vaune Dillman negotiated to purchase the historic Medo-Bel Creamery in Weed California and have it retrofitted to accommodate a brewery. At last Vaune Dillman was able to follow his lifelong dream. He named the brewery Mt. Shasta Brewing Company.

To honor the founder of Weed, Vaune approach the family of Abner Weed and was given permission to use the name Weed. The beer that is named after the founder is session amber ale. The label on the bottle bears the name and the resemblance of the founder.

Vaune’s slogan for the brewery is,” A friend in Weed is a friend indeed.” So how far can one go with the ATF when it comes to a word that has more than one inference?

Before talking with him I carefully scoured the brewing company’s website. I did get the impression that the battle with ATF had been won.

I spoke with Vaune late in August and was expecting to hear a soft accent from his upbringing. Instead what I heard was a very pleasant mild toned man with a quick and easy laugh. Vaune has been spending a lot of his time talking to individuals who want to hear the story behind “the bottle cap heard ‘round the world,” (he made that up) I was one of the hundreds.

Vaune has been on TV talk shows, radio programs, interviewed for print. While he has told his story many a time he was happy to tell it again.

An argument that he takes is to point out the phrase, “This Bud’s for you”, is not inferring that AB is suggesting that the consumer smoke weed.
Labeling laws may seem contradictory with such an argument. Freedom of speech is another area that was brought up in the discussion. Not all labels are intended to be taken literally pointed out Vaune.” If you were to purchase a bottle of Rogue’s Dead Guy ale would you expect a cadaver to come out when you poured the beer?” ”If you purchased Moose Drool ale would you expect to really be drinking moose drool?”

Vaune also talked about the Compliance Matters. Compliance Matters 94-2 states, “We do not believe that responsible industry members should want to portray their product in any sociably unacceptable manner”. Given the worldwide interest and support that Vaune has experienced, I made the comment to him that the bottle cap was probably the most socially acceptable bottle cap in the world!

A person who visited Mt. Shasta Brewing Co, asked Vaune for some of the bottle caps. Vaune learned that the person turned around to sell the bottle caps and that they were going for $4.00 a cap. The cap itself is not the culprit. It is the cap on the bottle that is the issue.

While the arguments sounded good, it took three California attorneys to address the issue. These attorneys worked pro-bono. It has really been an interesting haul to fight this battle. I didn’t think it would be this much work. Thankfully he has the tireless support of the lawyers to make sure that this issue is dealt with properly. These attorneys may be paving the path to other brewers who would like creative license for their product.

Vaune tells me he is not out of the weeds yet. He has won his argument, but he still has not been given the O.K to use the caps. He said that he is being requested to resubmit paperwork in order to get the approval. So once the paperwork is resubmitted, time is required to go through the entire process again. Then soon we will all be able to have our own bottle of this history making bottle cap with the beer of course.
Picture cut and pasted with Vaune's permission.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Pilsner; The Champagne of Beers


Pilsner

To be fair , I cannot talk about the pilsner with out talking first about the birthplace of the style.
While Germany may be considered one of the great brewing nations in the industry, it is the Republic of Czech that we owe the style that all brewers strive for. The Pilsner. The first time I had a pilsner I remarked that it was like having champagne.

The pale straw color was crystal clear with tiny bubbles racing up the sides of the glass to push the ultra fine white mousse like head which left behind a lacy rim around the glass when I tipped it to allow the crisp dry malt balance with the spicy Saaz hops and finish with a lingering of soft pilsner malt and firm bittering from the noble hops. Back to the birthplace of the style.

The first Czech brewery was built in 1118. Towns and cities were given charters to develop cooperative breweries from the 13th century on. However, the Czech beer still left something to be desired. I have read in some places, not all, that the people revolted against the quality of beer by dumping it in the streets and insisting that it was possible to make a better beer.

Enter Josef Grolle, 1842, It seems that brewing beer as anyone knew it would almost cease to exist when Josef brought with him a lager yeast strain and the technique of cold fermenting beer.

What Josef probably did not know at the time he brewed the beer was how water chemistry played a part in the final product. The water chemistry makes this style a classic example of how water chemistry plays a large part in the appeal of the style. When studying for the BJCP exam to become a judge, classic styles and water chemistry are a part of the curriculum. The soft water of Pilzn contributes to the style as much as the lager yeast and the noble hop.

The one invention that really made this beer shoot off the charts is glassware. (Only my opinion). No more stoneware for the appearance of beer to hide behind. Glassware forced beer brewers to a new standard. The palest, clearest beer would be the most universally appealing. And the world was in a break neck race to copy this style.

When I went to purchase a classic example of the beer, I asked the bagger to put the beer in a brown paper bag. This is to prevent any further skunking to the beer. I put it in the refrigerator and kept it there till the next day to make sure it was thoroughly chilled. To really do the beer justice I selected a tall narrow glass. This style loves to show off so let it.
The beer is very well rounded in spite of the high IBU’s 35-45. This beer makes a great appetizer because it contrasts with many things. The contrast in flavors gets the tastes buds going and whets the appetite for the next course. This beer also cooks well with food. I love to add it as a liquid substitute to my tempura batter and dip thinly sliced summer vegetables. Tomatoes really hold up to this treatment.

Locally brewed examples of the style that were submitted for competition in this years State Fair include:
Sudwerk’s
Bear Republic
Fault Line
Brew It Up
Auburn Ale Housee
Mammoth Brewing Co.
Trumer Pils
Some of these may be variations of German or American Pilsner. You are still going to get the essence of the style these variations are trying to imitate.