Brewed Musings

Brewed Beverage of Choice: A Pint of Cask Conditioned Stumptown Porter from Lucky Lab

Today as I was riding Tri-Met (Portland’s local PubTrans) to run some errands, I pulled out the Northwest Brewing News from my bag and started reading. I have many guilty pleasures in my life including: Surfing documentaries, Dwell magazine, and reading the Northwest and Great Lakes Brewing News from cover to cover. A thought popped, no leapt into my head while perusing good friend and fellow Timber’s armyman Abe Goldman-Armstong’s article on organic hops and the high demand for such a limited product. The thought is still in its broad jump as I sit here with a late lunch and a pint of Real Porter: With the shortage of hops in the industry, will we see the resurgence of the Mild Ale?

The Mild is one of my favourite brews because, underdog lover that I am, it is completely misunderstood and difficult to find in the hop happy Pacific Northwest. As an historian and a socialist, the Mild also draws me in because of its ties to labour and farmers. In fact, in honour of May Day, the official workingman’s holiday, I brew a Mild ale (called May Day Dark because fickle Americans do not like the term Mild) which I will put into tank this week.

If I have not educated you on the Mild before, let me give you a bit of historical background. The Mild was not originally a style of beer but a whole group of beers. In England in the 17th and 18th centuries, beer was served in two forms: Stock or “stale” and Mild. The term mild was to denote fresh or unaged. These beers were also brewed by country people to be served for their workers. Yep…It is a British Farmhouse of a sort. At least in my opinion. The Mild evolved over the centuries to adapt to public tastes so that by the 20th century we see the Mild as a brown, malty brew with lower alcohol. (It is good to note that brewers often bottle their beer as browns and serve their draught brews as milds.) It is also this beer that found favour with the miners and manual labourers in the West Midlands of England because, as David Sutula notes in his book Mild Ale, they could “quaff great quantities of the low-gravity beers after a hard day in the mine or the factory…” It was a replenisher.

Beer styles and trends are naturally dependent on supplies. Styles such as the Pilsener, the Municher, and English Pale came about partially because of the water that was used in them. The water in those cities creating a specific taste that at the time could not be replicated. We in the Pacific Northwest are hop mad as I have stated earlier because we have hops growing in our backyards…Sometimes literally. So naturally with the shortage of hops on our hands, a style such as Mild should come back from obscurity. And I am taking up the torch by challenging other brewers in the area to brew a batch. It does not have to be a classic Mild. What fun would there be in that? But make a nice, full-flavoured dark session ale. Mild has been ignored for too long! Have a pint!

Prost!

the confucian Mild Ale brewer

Brewed Beverage of Choice: A Wee Nip of Tamnavulin 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch

On August 30th the brewing world, nay the whole world, lost a great writer and person, Michael Jackson, aka The Beer Hunter. For those of you who have not had the pleasure of reading any of his works, search it out. Without his never-ending promotion of Microbrews, our revolution would have been quite smaller. Unfortunately for me, I had never had the pleasure of meeting the man. In my mind it is like the band you always wanted to see but never got the chance like The Doors or The Beatles or The Police.

The past few days I have spent most of my time reading memorials, tributes, etc. and hoisting up a pint of Red Seal Real Ale at my favourite British pub, The Moon and Sixpence. I played darts with my friends Abe, a beer writer himself, and Ben, brewer for Hopworks Urban Brewery. And yesterday I began training someone to take over the other brewer position at me pub. The whole time Mr. Jackson was on my mind and I could feel his presence everywhere I went.

Because I never got to meet him I do not have that story much like every other brewer I know. I do have however a story of how Mr. Jackson helped change my life. Several years ago I was wandering around trying to figure out if I should change my profession to brewing. At that time I was an unemployed Marketing manager for Architects and Engineers. I was a member of a home brewing club here in Portland. At one of the meetings a member who I had been speaking to could not believe I had never seen The Beer Hunter, never the less even heard of Michael Jackson. Embarrassingly enough I made the mistake of asking why we were talking about the King of Pop at a homebrew club meeting.

My friend gave me a dusty, old copy The Beer Hunter on a VHS tape. Remember those? It changed my life. I did not believe I had the strength and courage to change careers completely to brewing. But after listening to Mr. Jackson’s passion about beer ignited my own passion which had been brewing if you will for some time. I said to myself, ‘I want to make the type of beer He seeks out!’ And so it continues…

Now that He has passed I wish I would have met the man who helped me make a tough decision. But I vicariously have met him through my brewing friends who have had the honour. My traditional sessions brews and love of Real Ales are a testament and tribute to a man many of us in the brewing community have to thank for our blessed careers. And we will NEVER be able to thank him enough! Cheers to you Michael! You helped many of us live out our dreams, and we thank you!

Prost!

a solemn and humbled confucian brewer

Brewed Beverage of Choice:  Thiriez Blonde Dry Hopped French Farmhouse Ale

As I was riding the train into work this morning - Our pub is actually open 364 days a year - I was delving into two different brewing books.  Our entry to this year’s North American Organic Brewers Festival is a Saison or Belgian Farmhouse Ale.  But I was also thinking ahead to a couple of weeks from now because we got our hands on a Belgian Abbey strain of yeast and I will get to brew my first Belgian Dubbel Abbey Ale.  So I was thumbing threw Farmhouse Ales by Phil Markowski and Brew Like A Monk by Stan Hieronymus, trying to come up with some ideas for what I wanted to do.

The whole thing made me think of the first time I got to try a Saison.  It was a few years ago at the Oregon Brewers Festival and it was quite possibly the worst beer I have ever tasted.  I believe it was from the Portland Rock Bottom Brewery.  I swore I would never have another Saison as long as I lived.  Fortunately I do not keep my word on such silly promises like that.  The ironic thing is that I now like the Farmhouse style of beers.  The other irony is that I actually recommend the Portland Rock Bottom.  Their brewer does some tremendous things in the chain brewery atmosphere.

Even though the first tasting experience may not have been up to snuff, I got back on the horse several years later and found I did enjoy Farmhouse style beers.  So much so I decided to brew one for the company’s annual Battle for the Belt.  My first farmhouse was not Belgian but French in style which means it is a bit more malty and cleaner in the finish.  The Ogre Killer (Anduril) was a French Biere de Garde of 7% alcohol and was aged with oak.  My first attempt surprisingly enough turned out quite tasty, although the patrons of the fest only put it in 6th place.

I have made several French Biere de Gardes since that time including a Biere de Printemps (Beer of Spring…On tap Wednesday at the Pub) and one homebrew that turned out to have the flavour of sour cherries.  How it got that taste is still something that baffles me, but, hey! Whatever works…Don’t question it.  Now is the time to actually broaden my horizons and brew a Saison Belgian Farmhouse Ale.  If I can successfully drink one, I am sure I can get over the hump and brew one.  Hell, the worst thing that could happen is that it could be bad, and no one will drink it, and I will be crushed…never to brew again.

Prost!

the confucian farmhouse brewer

Brewed Beverage of Choice: A goblet of Cask Conditioned Wee Heavy from Roots Organic Brewing

Every year, with the exception of 2006, some friends and I travel the I-5 corridor from Portland to the Emerald City, Seattle, for the Washington Brewers Guild Cask Beer Festival. The festival allows us to partake in some of the best cask conditioned beers the state of Washington has to offer. This year, thankfully, the organizers have moved it from its October dates to March, which now makes going to Seattle to celebrate my birthday an annual tradition. But many of you are saying, “What is a cask conditioned ale? And, lazy boy, why have you not defined it for us earlier like you said you were going to?”

We in the brewing industry refer to cask conditioned ales or real ales as “live brews” because the beers are transferred to a wood cask or metal firkin with live yeasts still suspended in them so they may complete what we call their secondary fermentation. While continuing this process the beer naturally creates its own carbonation, which accounts for another term used to describe real ales: naturally caronated. Many people, however, simply describe cask ales as “flat” mistaking the natural carbonation from its secondary fermentation as a flaw. This whole process takes about 7 days and is done at around 55 degrees F. That temperature is referred to as “cellar temperature.” Cask ales can be tapped several different ways including having the cask or firkin tipped slightly to allow gravity to feed to ale out of the cask through a spiggot; or the more standard way is to use a beer engine or hand pump. The second way gives us the old phrase, “Pull me a pint.”

Here is how the Washington Brewers Guild defines Cask Conditioned Ales:

Cask-conditioned beer is unfiltered beer brewed in a traditional method that naturally conditions the beer without introducing artificial carbonation. At the end of fermentation the beer is transferred to a cask where live yeast continues conditioning the beer. This process creates a gentle, natural CO2 carbonation and allows the flavors to develop, resulting in a richer and smoother beer.

Traditionally cask-conditioned beer is served at the cellar temperature (around 55°F) and dispensed by gravity or drawn manually with a handpump (or a “beer engine”).

Why serve a beer at a higher temperature and naturally carbonated? Well as it says, the temp and natural carbonation allows more of the rich flavours and textures to be highlighted. It makes for a smoother mouthfeel. In short, it can be more pleasing for your tastebuds, which is why I enjoy it so much.

I hopped on the cask conditioned bandwagon several years ago as a beer geek. I promote it now because it is a lost art and an underappreciated beer “style.” Thanks to the macro-brews and their brilliant marketing gurus, all beers are served at the same temperature. But, much like wine, many beers are better served at different temperatures to let their most appealing portions of their personality be on show. Cask conditioned beers are also somewhat hard to find in certain areas which makes for a fun adventure finding places that do have ‘em. The easiest places for those who are up for the adventure are British or Irish pubs.

So now that I have gotten off my skinny arse and given you the details needed to enjoy a great cask conditioned ale, why don’t you head off down to a local pub and ask ‘em to pull you a pint of their finest.

Prost!

the naturally carbonated confucian brewer

Brewed Beverage of Choice: Adnam’s Suffolk Special Bitter

One of my favourite types of beer, the British Mild Ale, falls into an often ignored area by the microbrewing industry in the states - the session beer. For whatever reason, American drinkers more often than not will choose the 6.0% IPA over the 4.2% Special Bitter. Their choice, also more often than not, is because of the higher alcohol content and not by flavour. But the session beer has much more to offer than one would expect. It offers flavour, hops, history, and a bit of the social aspect of the pub. If all we drank in the pubs was the higher alcohol beers, we would get blasted and hate our neighbours for what they left in the yard after a night of drinking.

First off, what is a session beer? The definition on the Beer Advocate website is the best one I have found and cannot word it any better.

session beer - n. Any beer that contains no higher than 5 percent ABV, featuring a balance between malt and hop characters (ingredients) and, typically, a clean finish - a combination of which creates a beer with high drinkability. The purpose of a session beer is to allow a beer drinker to have multiple beers, within a reasonable time period or session, without overwhelming the senses or reaching inappropriate levels of intoxication.

Historically, workers in the UK during WWI were allowed by law to drink during two different ’sessions.’ During these 4 hour sessions, workers could find ales, and sometimes lagers, that could slake their thirst while not getting them too drunk so they could not go back to work. The mild ale, for one, was typically consumed by thirsty coal miners after work to replenish the fluids they lost while on the job, and in turn they could have a couple before heading home without being too intoxicated. So, session ales and lagers, without our knowledge, promoted responsible drinking. Who would have thunk it?

Much like the altbier from a previous BrewU (which incidentally can also be considered a session beer) the production of a great session beer takes a patient and passionate hand. Because the flavours of the malt and hops have to be just at the right proportion, not every brewer can create a decent session beer. They can produce one, but the thought behind a session beer is to get the drinker to get another one, and a subpar session beer will turn the drinker onto something else. Milds and Special Bitters are the oft ignored brothers to the Porter and ESB respectively. It is unfortunate that most brewers in the states tend to ignore these two beers because they are a flavourful brew and pleasing to many a tongue.

I must say that I am limiting my opinion on the limited selection of session brews to what you find in bottles, and not the brewpub where the brewer is brewing for a smaller audience per se. But there are commercial examples of session beers that I would recommend for those interested. Goose Island in Chicago makes a mild which is tasty. Adnams is being imported to the states and their SSB is delicious. Also from the UK is Young’s Dirty Dick. Full Sail produces a ‘lawn mower beer’ called Session and and English Special Bitter called Rip Curl. The fun again is going out and actually finding these wonderful brews. And in turn then telling me about ‘em. Here is a short list of session beers: Milds, Bitters, Special Bitters, Alts, Kolsches, some Browns, Biere de Table, some Pilseners. The list could go on and on.

I hope you can go out and find a great example of this fine brew, sit down with neighbours, and watch winter pass you by. Session ales promote sociability and community. Plus, the next morning you can remember that you drank a couple of ‘em.

Prost!

the confucian session brewer

The rest of the Beer Advocate article

Brewed Beverage of Choice:  Hair of the Dog Adambier

To give you an idea of how beer crazy Portland is and why this town is sometimes called either Beervana, or my personal favourite, Munich on the Willamette, I submit to you the Hair of the Dog Anniversary Sale yesterday.  Every year one of the best and most ecclectic breweries in town, Hair of the Dog, opens its doors for the release of its barley wine, Doggie Claws.  From 10 am to 4 pm you can hang out in the brewery, sample all of his wares, hang out with other beer geeks, and purchase some of the best beers you will ever have.  So tell us, oh confucian brewer, how is this an example of Portland’s brew-craziness?  Patience…

Last year I took one of my friends to the sale.  He was so amazed at the turn out that it has become part of our local lore.  This year he and I along with a couple of our other friends made the trek.  We arrived to the cars parked many blocks away with their owners putting their cases of beer - transported to their cars on dolleys…yes…dolleys.  It was only 11 am and the sale was going on strong.

Aside from Doggie Claws being released, the brewer was also selling a bottled version of his Fredbier that had been aged for 6 months in oak.  Remember I said the sale started at 10am?  And remember when I said we arrived at 11 am?  The Fred in the Wood as it was called was sold out before we had arrived!  In fact there were already many items on the list that were sold out.  So as we stood in the brewery and tasted all his great brews we decided to pick up some of the litres of this years Doggie Claws.  Good thing too!  By the time we made it through the line the litres were sold out as well.  This is by noon.  Freaks!

The great thing about Hair of the Dog beers is that they are brewed to be aged.  I never in my life thought I would be excited about aging beers, but here I am with a bottle of 2005 & 2006 Doggie Claws and a special edition of the St. Bernardus Abt 12 from Belgium.  The only problem with it is that I have essentially hide the beer so I do not open it.  So there it sits in its aging closet ignored.  Like I said…Freak!

I have taken the tour of Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee and they are the closest example of how crazy we can get about beer.  But only in Portland will you find beer geeks standing in line on a Saturday morning and dropping on average about $70 for some beer.  And now…back to my Adambier…Mmmmmm…

Prost!

the confucian brewer

Brewed Beverage of Choice: Uber-geek Altbier on tap at CPR (my signature ale at the brewery)

He who drinks it for the very first time might experience its true delight only after the third or fourth sip. We are referring to the spicy, bitter Dusseldorf altbier. To Dusseldorfers, this top-fermented beer is a drink from the gods. - Dr. Paul Kauhausen 1950

As Americans we are in love with the excessive especially when it comes to our beers. Give us the big and hoppy! This is at least true in the Northwest. But across the states, most of your standard microbrews weigh in at 5+% alcohol by volume. If said beer is below that 5% or has some strange name, we look down upon the pint and refuse to partake in it. This is unfortunate for some of the best beers in the world fall into the former category and are underappreciated by most of the beer-swilling American public. And it is here we find the Dusseldorf Altbier.

Alt, the German word for old, simple refers to the time in Germany before the lager (bottom-fermented beers) took over the brewing landscape. It is a medium amber or brown in colour with a pleasant spiciness and bitterness - similar to the bitterness of an E.S.B. from Britian - and a wonderful fruity/floral aroma. Its flavour is a complementary mix of this bitterness and maltiness with hints of fruit notes. But what sets the Alt apart from the E.S.B. is how it is fermented. Both are top-fermented, but the Alt is fermented at lower temperatures (60-64F) and lagered (aged in cold storage) for 1 to 2 months giving it a crisp, clean finish. The Alt is also served in a 200mL Becher and meant to be consumed quickly before it warms. As a geek and a brewer, the alt is one of my favourite beers to make and drink.

From my research and what I have been told, my familial roots come from the Westphalia region of Germany - the area which includes Cologne (Kolschbier) and Dusseldorf, the home of the Alt. And while I was not raised in a traditional German background, Westphalia has always been flowing through my veins. Plus as an historian, the style particularly speaks to me because of its historical traditions.

Not every brewer can make an alt. As a brewer, this is my greatest and most favourite challenge. Alts are an art form in patience and creativity. Determining the best malts and hops as well as a keen, clear mind are the key factors in creating this misunderstood ale. When I go about brewing my altbier I make sure there are little distractions; I have great attention to detail; and I make sure I tap into the Westphalian genes to give it my own stamp.

For those of you who want to seek out this pleasurable quaff, you must be ready for adventure because you will not find this beer on your local grocers shelf. Every big city in America has a great bottle shop and will carry a good selection of altbiers. Whole Foods here in PDX has Diebels in the bottle. For those of you in the Northeast and the Midwest, alts will be easier to find at your local brewpubs and drinking establishments because of the vast German-American heritage.

There are some perfectly good American versions of the Alt such as Alaskan Amber (a perfect example of changing the name to sell beer…it is called amber rather than alt) or Schell’s Schmaltz Alt…Or if you are in Hillsboro, Oregon, you may partake in my Uber-Geek at the Roadhouse. But the best examples of this style come from the Continent. I have already mentioned Diebels, but the freshest, cleanest example is Uerige Alt. There are two versions on the market right now: the original and the sticke (secret). (If you want to know more about some of the hisorical traditions, including the secret alt, or if you find a good American example I may not have tried, email me at confucianbrewer@confucianbrewer.com.) Uerige comes in an unusual looking bottle with a ceramic flip top.

The underappreciated beers like the Dusseldorf Altbier are usually the most satisfying because of the adventure involved in finding them, the art it takes to create an alt, and because they stress flavour over alcohol content. So now it is time to set you kiddies on your merry way to enjoy a becher of altbier. And have one for me as well.

Prost!

the confucian (altbier) brewer

Brewed Beverage of Choice:  A Pint of Buffalo Bill’s Pumpkin Beer

With the new look on a site all my own, I can finally do what many of my friends have been requesting for many a month.  The requests were of a wide variety but all centre around one key fermented beverage: BEER.

As a brewer and self professed beer geek I am often asked what my favourite beer is, or asked to give recommendations based on a drinker’s specific pallette, or asked to define the difference between this style and that style.  My excitement then takes over and the inquirer, frightened by the excessive amount of foam frothing around my mouth, runs for the hills screaming, “The brewer is mad! The brewer is mad! Run for your life!”

So what am I trying to accomplish with BrewU?  After all, there are numerous places on the internet and in print where one can find all the beer and brewing information they would ever need.  As an historian, a brewer, a Confucian, and over all student of life, I hope to bring a unique perspective on beer that can be an aide to the everyday folk that read Brewed Musings.  Anyone can simple re-produce a flavour profile of a particular style of beer rating point for point what the flavour should be, what the aroma should be, etc.  But how does that benefit the drinker?

What I will try to do is bring in some interesting historical notes, personal anecdotes from my days spent brewing, and what I look for in a particular beer, along with the flavour profiles and commercial renditions of particular styles.  I wil NOT rate specific beers.  My personal pallette is quite different than any of yours.  Plus, I open myself up to a vast amount of criticism my frail ego cannot handle.  The fun of this is to do the research and studying on your own.  Therefore my rating may lead one of you away from the best tasting beer of their lives.  Anyway, a five star rated Flemish sour ale would only be useful to Flemish sour ale enthusiasts.

Another function of BrewU is that you can email me at confucianbrewer@confucianbrewer.com with your personal recommendations (there are geographical regions of the U.S. I have yet to hit,) suggestion of topics for me to touch on, or your own personal beer related anecdotes.  For me, beer and pubs are the essence of community - one that brings together people of a variety of backgrounds and beliefs under one big roof.  I want to share my passion as well as surf the similar passions of others.  So we start a new era in Brewed Musings next week with one of my favourite beer styles both to create and consume (especially in the fall): Altbier.

Prost!

the confucian brewer