Homebrewing articles:

Maine: 11th Anniversary Ale, Allagash, Portland


Tagged with:

ale, beer, belgian

Published June 5, 2010 at 7:21 p.m.
777265-maine--11th-anniversary-ale--allagash--portland

Memorial Day weekend el norte continues with this four year old treat from Allagash in Maine. Sixteen bucks for 750 ml at 9.2% in 2006? I have no idea. Pre-recession pricing is meaningless to me now ... The brewery speaks highly of this creation which finds itself this far into its life looking very much like a very good Belgian dark strong. Fig and licorice are works used by Allagash but there is a fabulous texture to this beer, like a sticke alt, that speaks to enough residual sugar to let

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Quebec: Porter Baltique, Les Trois Mousquetaires


Tagged with:

beer, porter, stout

Published June 5, 2010 at 7:21 p.m.
777264-quebec--porter-baltique--les-trois-mousquetaires

This must be the best value in Baltic porters on the planet at $7.99 a 750 ml at 10%. Dated and "grand reserve", too. I don't know what "grand reserve" means in this particular case as I picked it up at Marche Omni and it didn't come out of a deep dank cavern but ... The beer pours inky brown with a deep dark mocha head. The aroma is licorice with pumpernickel and even a sort of candy thing. In my mouth there are layers of dark things accentuated by fine light carbonation - dates, coffee

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Lots Of Club Soda And A Pity Barbeque


Tagged with:

beer, wheat

Published June 5, 2010 at 7:18 p.m.
777261-lots-of-club-soda-and-a-pity-barbeque

I hate not getting to get the BBQ going even if I am sick. And no, in true Canadian style, it wasn't really a BBQ even if I smoked the rib steaks for the last bit of the grilling. As our dinner guests took the hint, it was more of a pity 'que. Just a man, briquettes and meat. At least it wasn't a turkey wienie on a hibachi or whatever else my countrymen call a BBQ. I had to. Watching a mid-80s weekend happening just right out there, beyond the picture window can drive a man mad. Even if you have

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Wisconsin: Moon Man Pale Ale, New Glarus


Tagged with:

ale, beer, pale, wisconsin

Published June 5, 2010 at 7:18 p.m.
777260-wisconsin--moon-man-pale-ale--new-glarus

It's Memorial Day weekend in the USA and I am celebrating. Mainly because I've been sick since the middle of last weekend's Victoria Day long weekend up here. Being in a border town it's not a great stretch even if I can't get over to witness one of the glories of the western world, a small town US parade. Eat a hot dog this weekend, woudja? ... This beer was launched just a few weeks ago and arrived in a mixed 12 pack care of my Wisconsin mule - oddly by way of a village in north western

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Pizzaria Owners Advised To Short The Public


Tagged with:

beer, keg

Published June 5, 2010 at 7:16 p.m.
777258-pizzaria-owners-advised-to-short-the-public

I came across an extraordinary bit of beer business advice in PMQ which I take in this context to be "Pizzaria Marketing Quarterly"¹ Read this and let me know what you think: ... It’s also important to know how many servings you should get from a keg. For example, most owners know there are 1,984 ounces in a 15.5-gallon domestic keg, and they know they pour 16-ounce pints, so they assume 124 servings per keg. However, with the evolution of the 14-ounce pint glass (in combination with ½”

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Denmark: Helene Heather, Nørrebro Bryghus


Tagged with:

ale, beer

Published June 5, 2010 at 7:16 p.m.
777257-denmark--helene-heather--nørrebro-bryghus

You know that you've been hanging out with the wrong crowd when you have a sip of a new beer and think it tastes like Pimms or rather those cucumber sticks that sit soaking in Pimms. But it sort of does. The taste opens. Soon the aroma is like a lumber yard in a light damp rain. My guess at rye in this amber ale gives a well balanced peppery spice along with flashes of honey, irn bru, orange, lime and grassiness, cinnamon and almond. Pine even. Fairly modest carbonation makes for a soft easy

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Are Fingers Crossed Behind Beer Writers' Backs?


Tagged with:

ale, beer, belgian

Published June 5, 2010 at 6:58 p.m.

Writing about beer writing is both boring and interesting. Mark Dredge, a young lad in London, poses the occasional enjoyable question of this sort and I have to admit they draw me in. Here is his latest post about the propriety of describing having had too much to drink and this was my response: ... " ... a disservice to beer ... "? I have no idea what this means. What I take from the disassociation of drinking from , you know, the obligatory effects of drinking is that if it is discussed

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"Beer Banned From Dwile Flonking Championship"


Tagged with:

ale, beer

Published June 5, 2010 at 6:54 p.m.
777232--beer-banned-from-dwile-flonking-championship

That is what the headline read. I heard it from Paul and thought "it's a joke, right?" ... No joke. See, there are things that don't go with beer like driving a car and then there are things that not only go with beer but are only really about the beer - dwile flonking is one of them. But not everyone agrees in Norfolk: ... Norfolk District Council had warned licernsees Lorraine Clinch and Sue Hancock at the Ludham Dog Inn that the game would classify as a drinking game and would be illegal

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What Books To Choose To Start A Beer Library?


Tagged with:

beer, wheat

Published June 5, 2010 at 6:54 p.m.

I had the idea that part of my playing at training brewery staff might be to recommend the beginnings of a library. I figure most long distance sales rep and junior brewers have plenty of hours to flip through the pages of text books. I just needed to figure out which ones to select. Right? Then they'll immediately be converted into book wormery. Right? ... I figured I had a tough job on my hands ... Then I turned on my computer this evening and found that Martyn had posted a piece mere hours

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CBR 162: Clown Shoes and Blind Folds


Tagged with:

beer, ipa

Published June 5, 2010 at 2:43 p.m.

We received a package from Clown Shoes Beer out of Ipswitch Massachusetts ... Jeff didn't want the funny names and lables to effect Greg's reviews so we did the blind to him ... Turns out, Greg likes their labels ... As for the beer? Tune and and find out ... Beers: ... Clown Shoes Clementine Clown Shoes Brown Angel Clown Shoes Black IPA ... Rankings: ... Greg - Clementine, Brown Angel, Black IPA Jeff - Clementine, Brown Angel, Black IPA ...

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