Author Archives: Bishop

Oh My – The Choices are Overwhelming!

I was needing a new blog that I just started following and I pulled some category winners from his posting…

84 categories of beer styles, 85 if you count the ProAm category, at this year’s Great American Beer Festival. I need to block some time in my schedule next year to fit this festival in in. What would it cost to sample all of the gold through bronze winners in each category???? That is 255 beers…a little more than enough to get my platter hung on the wall at the Flying Saucer. At say $ 4.00 per beer, that may be a little high, that works out to about $ 1,020 not counting shipping, travel hotels, meals and aspirin! I wonder if I can contact “beerjobber.com” ( http://www.beerjobber.com/ )and set up a weekly delivery to work my way through the 85 categories…that would save on the travel costs…. Hey Hun – what do you think? http://www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com/

I have highlighted a few categories that caught my eye. I am in the research phase of some new homebrew attempts. The “Session Beer” category has caught my eye for my next homebrew. A little lighter and around 4% ABV vs a lot of my brews that are 5+% to nearly 10% for my Imperial Stout. One of my favorite California breweries seems to have done well – Firestone Walker in Paso Robles…Next visit home I may need to get a room at the Courtyard Marriott there and sample, sample, sample!

Category 1: American-Style Wheat Beer, 29 Entries
Gold: Wagon Box Wheat, Black Tooth Brewing Co., Sheridan, WY
Silver: Shredders Wheat, Barley Brown’s Brew Pub, Baker City, OR
Bronze: American Wheat, Gella’s Diner and Lb. Brewing Co., Hays, KS

Category 12: Session Beer, 67 Entries
Gold: Twerp, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA
Silver: Dock Street/Thiriez Table Saison, Dock Street Brewery, Philadelphia, PA
Bronze: Bitter American, 21st Amendment Brewery, San Francisco, CA

Category 15: Fresh Hop Ale, 34 Entries
Gold: Estate Homegrown Ale, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico, CA
Silver: HopTime Harvest Ale, Russian River Brewing Co., Santa Rosa, CA
Bronze: Colorado IPA Nouveau, Tommyknocker Brewery, Idaho Springs, CO

Category 21: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer, , 51 Entries
Gold: Jerry Maker, BJ’s Restaurant & Brewery – Chandler, Chandler, AZ
Silver: Bourbon Barrel Aged Night Sail, Island Brewing Co., Carpinteria, CA
Bronze: Local Species, Blue Mountain Barrel House, Arrington, VA

Category 25: Aged Beer, 24 Entries
Gold: 2010 Old Trainwreck Barleywine, Silver Moon Brewing, Bend, OR
Silver: 2004 Triple Exultation, Eel River Brewing Co., Fortuna, CA
Bronze: Lovely Cherry Baltic Porter, Bend Brewing Co., Bend, OR

Category 44: Golden or Blonde Ale, 67 Entries
Gold: Steelhead Extra Pale Ale, Mad River Brewing Co., Blue Lake, CA
Silver: Firemans #4, Real Ale Brewing Co., Blanco, TX -one of my wife’s favorites
Bronze: TAPS Cream Ale, TAPS Fish House & Brewery, Brea, CA

Category 52: American-Style India Pale Ale, 203 Entries
Gold: IPA, Tap It Brewing Co., San Luis Obispo, CA
Silver: Pallet Jack IPA, Barley Brown’s Brew Pub, Baker City, OR
Bronze: Duet, Alpine Beer Co., Alpine, CA

Category 53: Imperial India Pale Ale, 128 Entries
Gold: 2 X 4, Thai Me Up Brewery, Jackson, WY
Silver: Café Racer 15, Bear Republic Brewing Co. – Healdsburg, Healdsburg, CA
Bronze: Double Jack, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA – one of my favorites!

Category 81: Imperial Stout, 58 Entries
Gold: Anastasia Russian Imperial Stout, Weasel Boy Brewing Co., Zanesville, OH
Silver: Imperial Stout, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico, CA
Bronze: Russian Imperial Stout, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant – Media, Media, PA

2012 Great American Beer Festival Pro-Am Competition
Gold: More Fun Blonde, New Belgium Brewing Co., Fort Collins, CO
Brewmaster: New Belgium Brewing Company, AHA Member: Jay Shambo
Silver: Pointon’s Proper – An English Mild RAM Restaurant and Brewery – Wheeling, Wheeling, IL
Brewmaster: Lanny Fetzer, AHA Member: Scott Pointon
Bronze: Classic American Pilsner, Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery, Minneapolis, MN
Brewmaster: Mike Hoops, AHA Member: Kyle Sisco

The new blog that I am following, check it out at……..

http://bavarianairforce.wordpress.com/2012/10/18/gabf-bling/

TTFN

Drink local and if unavailable drink craft beers!

Bishop

A Bit of Drought Relief

While in Midland this past week I passed on beer drinking pretty much all week. I was being stubborn, a trait rarely seen by those that know me. Thursday night my work partner and I decided to dine at KD’s BBQ in Midland out on the Garden City Highway near I-20. It was one of my favorite lunch spots when I lived in Midland for several reasons – I liked the meat, the building and decorations are a hoot, but most of all, the serving line.

You enter through what feels like the back door to your grandmother’s kitchen. You go up the steps,  open the old wooden screen door and walk up to the row of stove tops. You grab a serving tray, add a sheet of paper and start pointing. I was a bit restrained in my selections. I went for the ribs and brisket. Other offerings include smoked turkey, hot links, regular sausage, jalepeno sausage and pulled pork….see what I mean by restraint. I did add a couple of grilled jalepeno peppers ( in West Texas I think they are called hallapenyas) either way they are tasty and pack a little bite.

I added some coleslaw, sauce and pickles to my tray. All the usual BBQ fixins are available. See my tray and yes it says $21.17…..you pay by the pound! iPhone photo.

Ribs, Brisket, coleslaw, sauce, hot peppers and no it wasn’t sweet tea.

Beer selection was a bit week, I had been craving a good local ale and kept striking out all over town so I just had to settle for unsweetened tea. Then I had a brain…………a brain flash! We took a different route home and tried the Western Beverage package store on Loop 250 and Midkiff. I went in looking for a local beer or at least something brewed in a craft brewery in Texas. I spotted Alamo Golden Ale – the deal was done. I was able to satisfy my need for a good ale to follow up the BBQ.

I dug a little deeper – I also try to find a bit more about the beer, how it  is brewed and any details that the brewer would offer up.  What did I learn? The beer is very nice, great flavor and yes a beautiful golden color. The beer is brewed under contract with Real Brewing Company in Blanco, Texas……it still fits the drink local mantra I try to follow when traveling.  The founder and president for the great beer is pursuing the establishment of a new brewery in San Antonio to expand his offerings.

It seems that a great many hurdles,  not insurmountable but hurdles nonetheless need to be resolved befor the brewery is built in San Antonio…..I just hope that the Golden Ale stays in production and on the shelves.

Alamo Beer Company

Drink Local

TTFN

Bishop

Beer Drought and Other Thoughts

I am up in drought stricken Midland, Texas….and that includes craft beers that are pretty much absent from the landscape!  I have elected to swear off drinking any mass-produced beers this week…..that means pretty much no beer at all this week in Midland. Two hours north in Lubbock Texas there are craft brewers…at least one brewery and a brew pub. Midland needs a pipeline….

I am not ignoring good beer this week! I am reading and learning so I can try something new when brewing my next batch of homebrew. I have been reading a little about hop-bursting techniques. This technique really intrigues me as a way to really showcase your hop choices. I like the scent of the aromatic floral varieties of hops like; Williamette, Kent Golding, Cascade, Fuggle,  Mt. Hood and other low acid hops. These are used toward the end of the boil for aroma purposes as well as a little bittering. The high alpha acid hops usually go in at the front end of the boil and at the end of the boil what’s left behind are the bittering qualities of the hops and a bit of the original aromas. The higher alpha acid hops that have been added early in the boil for bitterness have wonderful aromas….why not keep more of the scent/aroma in the beer…this is where the hop bursting technique comes to bear.  (the list of hops varieties is huge…everyone has their own favorites)

With “hop bursting”, the bittering hops are added with 20 minutes left in the boil rather than at the 60 minute or 90 minute mark, adding some bitterness while retaining more of their aromas – then  the hopping schedule is built from there – the low acid aromatic hops are added at the 10 or 5 minute remaining mark and/or at flame out. Now, I want to be honest I haven’t tried it yet but Saturday the 13th of October I will adjust my recipe for a Honey Blonde and try this technique… I will update all y’all in about 5 weeks or so and let you know how it turns out!

For further reading follow the link.

http://barleypopmaker.info/2010/01/01/hopbursting-3-homebrew-recipes-using-this-method/

The other technique that has entered brewing portion of my pea brain is the Australian No Chill method. It is the result of not wanting to waste all that water used in cooling the beer quickly, as most gurus suggest, and it also make less of a mess – depending on your brewing location. Being in dry West Texas this week I see how this technique makes sense….they are 180 days or less from running out of municipal water supply. Another benefit….the hot wort can add another layer of sanitation protection for the home brewer. Make sure your fermenter can handle the temperature.  My food grade 6 gallon bucket style fermenter can be hot filled up to 180 degrees F. If you have stainless steel fermenters you are not limited to the 180 degree figure. Hun, I need to make another investment!!!!

What else can I learn in my spare time this week? I will share anything that I add to my hard drive!

Hop Flowers and Some Grain

Drink Local

TTFN

Bishop

Beer and Domestic Harmony

I bottled my Imperial Stout yesterday. The sample I took for the gravity reading was very nice. Just a hint of bourbon from the oak and a taste of both coffee and dark chocolate. Can’t wait to see how it matures. While prepping for the bottling exercise I cleaned up the counters and floors to eliminate potential cat hairs from invading the beer and infecting it. I had all of the chairs moved out and mopping when my wife showed up. She was so pleased that I was mopping the floors for her! Her admiration for my efforts was not long-lasting. She quickly spotted the bottle tree, the priming bucket and other paraphernalia. Then she let know exactly what she thought….

“You’re not mopping the floors for me! You are doing it for your beer!” she said and then walked away.

My beer bottle tree = clean and sanitized bottles!

Guys, can we ever win? On Tuesday of this week we were down at the St Arnold’s Brewery and she put me in a tough stop then. We were sitting at a table near the bar. There was a woman near the same age as my wife standing with her back to us. She was wearing fairly snug jeans. Kathy asked me the no win question.

“Hun, does my butt look as big as hers?” – I looked and honestly didn’t think the woman’s butt looked that big and Kathy’s not as wide as the woman’s butt. I replied, “Hun, your butt is shaped much nicer than hers!” Not quite the answer she wanted to hear.

Then she said, “let me go up and stand next her. You use your phone and take a picture for me.” Oh boy, I really can’t win this one…..fortunately she decided against having me take the picture.

I did remop the floor because I did make a bit of a mess……still did not make too many points because as she points out….I will probably just track in more muck. She normally waits for me to go out of town when she mops so the floors stay nicer – longer!

Had a nice lesson in brewing today down at the Backyard Homebrewers Education center in Humble TX – the H is silent!. I learned a few more tips and techniques to improve the brewing of my next batch!

My homemade toasted oak dowels – hand turned in my shop. They were soaked in bourbon for two weeks before being added to the secondary fermenter.

TTFN

Drink Local

Bishop

Imperial Stout- bottling day

Prepared on on iPhone so it is a bit of a challenge. I spent some time yesterday cleaning bottles in order to bottle my stout today. I have a bone to pick with some of the craft brewers out there. Labels and the glue used are the issues.

I give very high marks to two brewers, Back Forty Brewing – Naked Pig, good beer and the label slips off with minimal effort. Pappadecker Brewing, that’s me. My labels purchased from the Defalco supply store in Houston are close to perfect.

Sam Adams – you are a close second. Thank you! You are also a home brewers friend. Abita, y’all are close behind. Keep up the great work crafting gear beers and never, never go to twist off caps!

Now I have a problem with Real Ale bottles. Your labels are a real bitch to remove. Your beers are good and made in Texas but help us cheap guys out. I am trying to save money and recycle your bottles but your glue makes it a challenge!

Craft brewers, please help out your homebrewers as we tend to purchase your products over the mass produced yellow fizzy waters in the stores. We compliment you as well, as we try to emulate your styles so – help us out! Use glue and labels that will release in 20 minutes immersed in water! PS – I hope your ink is nontoxic – the labels go into my compost pile!!!!

One of my labels just sliding cleanly off the bottle! Enjoy and drink local! TTFN – Bishop

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Beer Thirty

The thirty I refer to is not a place on the clock, it is a reference to 30 years married to my best friend and wife Kathy as of yesterday – 10/2/1982-10/2/2012. Yes, beer was part of the celebratory events! I asked Kathy to trust me and take a ride down town around 2:00 PM. Good sport that she is, she trusted me! Headed south on Highway 59, exited at Collingsworth, drove about a mile and half on the access road to Lyons Ave. Turned right and she became very curious….a bit of blight was visible…beat up, old and abandoned buildings, industrial weed growth everywhere… The road took a jog and around the bend and then she spotted the destination, Saint Arnold’s Brewery! Now, before you think I am totally low brow, we returned home, gussied up and had a nice dinner that evening at a nice Italian Ristorante!

I have been wanting to see the St. Arnold’s brewery and beer hall for a long time. They make some very nice craft beers, in fact they call themselves the “oldest craft brewery in Texas”. I can’t and won’t dispute the claim….it’s not really that important. Kathy has been primarily a beer drinker ever since she turned – ahem! – 21! The photo below was cropped from a pre-ceremony wedding picture 30 years ago – just her hands holding a can of Coors Light. It may have been a little liquid courage to go through with the ceremony.

Grainy shot holding a cold Coors Light.

In my haste to get out the door and surprise Kathy – I forgot to bring a real camera, I did have my iPhone so we did chronicle the visit. I also forgot to have us wear closed toe shoes….safety requirement to participate in the downstairs portion of the tour.

 

 

Santos, a black Kölsch style beer – still too malty for Kathy’s palate. I liked it!

Our next choices in the cute little 10 ounce or so glasses were – the Amber for Kathy and the Endeavour for me. The Amber was easy on Kath’s palate so now we have something more to broaden our beer style horizons. The Endeavour is a Double IPA – way too hoppy for Kathy but the flavors made me very hoppy….ok, I know a little over the top in description. I liked it a bunch!

Kathy enjoying one of the samplings.

Kathy tried the Brown next and I think she was surprised at how nice it was! She finished with the Fancy Lawnmower which is a true German Kölsch style beer. I had to use two chips to get the Endeavour so I was limited to three small beers….. my last chip was for their standard IPA – The Elissa – less “amped” up on hops as compared to the Endeavour but I liked it!

My lovely wife Kathy up at the counter… Happy 30th Hun!

 

I encourage all y’all to drink local! We met a young couple in town from PA for some meetings. They work for EOG Resources and follow the “drink local” creed. On top of that the young lady also homebrews!!!!! Wow.

TTFN

Bishop

 

 

 

 

 

Beer Braised Chicken – Brown Ale Braised Chicken

My plate, sans my pint of homebrewed IPA

Dear Denise, Thank you for thinking about your Brother. The recipes you passed along are going to be a hit.

I tried the “Brown Ale Braised Chicken” – that is the official title for the recipe. My sister found several recipes in the October issue of Better Homes and Gardens…. in a section labeled, “Cooking with Beer”. Life doesn’t get much better than that!

I had a left-over mini Newcastle Brown Ale keg in my refrigerator that need to be consumed…I used almost a pint for the recipe, there was about a pint and a half left that helped me through the labor of preparing the dish.

I will have to admit that I altered the recipe just a bit…The ingredients for the rub were not sufficient to coat the 8 chicken thighs. I am also of the opinion that the size of the chicken thighs Better Homes and Garden had in mind for the recipe do not match the offerings found in my local Texas supermarket. The 8 thighs I purchased weighed in at 6.8 pounds! I have a large deep sided skillet and it was full to the brim!

I will provide the recipe as prepared.

  •   3 tbsp brown sugar
  •   1 tbsp chili powder
  •   1 ½ tsp salt – sea salt
  •   1 ½ tsp ground cumin
  •   1 ½ tsp ground black pepepr
  •   8 skin on chicken thighs
  •   3 tbsp oil –
  •   1 medium onion sliced
  •   2 stalks celery chopped
  •   8 small whole carrots with tops trimmed to 1 inch
  •   2 tbsp all-purpose flour
  •   1 pint of a brown ale
  •   1 cup chicken broth
  •   4 cloves of garlic peeled
  •   1 big handful of celery leaves chopped along with fresh thyme   – chopped

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a small bowl combine brown sugar, chili powder, salt, pepper and cumin. Use as a rub and let thighs sit 10 minutes.

In a large oven proof skillet brown chicken until skin is crispy. Remove chicken, drain fat reserving about 2 tbsp.

I the same skillet cook the onion, carrots and celery in the reserved fat until tender – 5 minutes or so. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Stir in beer and broth until simmering. Return chicken to skillet, add garlic, cover and bake for 40 minutes.

Remove from oven and sprinkle the chopped celery leaves and thyme across the top. I enjoyed my plate with a pint of my homebrewed IPA….so good.

Out of the oven and sprinkled with celery leaves and fresh thyme.

TTFN

Bishop

The Making of the Imperial Stout

I really enjoy stouts….not an everyday beer but as one of those that can top the evening off with that deep dark and sensuous flavors abundant in mature stouts. My last Imperial stout was brewed in December of 2010 – that last bottle consumed in July of 2012 and it was the best of the 40 bottles….it aged so well. I wanted to recreate that beer but as I always seem to do…I wanted it to be better!

The ingredients.

I started with a partial mash recipe…takes a little more time on brewing day but increases the complex flavors in the stout. I have used mail order suppliers in the past but I am also a firm believer in supporting local business. These guys are top notch…and on top of that they usually have a homebrew on tap to sample! Brewing day did not go smooth as I noted in a previous post but I think the results will not be compromised. The racking process discussed in my last post is a real positive indicator that the beer will be wonderful. The original gravity was pretty high, 1.093. I was concerned that I may not have aerated the wort enough before fermenting in the primary. I thought that it would take off vigorously and need a blow off tube…not. There was a good steady bubbling in the airlock, a thick two + inch thick krausen in the fermenter so I had fingers crossed that the yeast was working hard. The gravity when racking to the secondary addressed my concerns. The gravity had dropped to 1.024, a significant drop indicating that fermentation is nearly complete! If I run it through a calculator it comes out around 9.3% ABV….a pretty potent brew. With the addition of the toasted oak dowels and the infusion of the dowels in bourbon I should have a very complex and satisfying beer. Two months and then bottle and then wait a little more. I am hoping that it will be ready by New Years Eve – roll into 2013 with my new stout!   My bride and I had a nice visit with my cousin down in the Medical District here in Houston last night. We decided to make it a date night and after dinner we stopped by the Flying Saucer in downtown Houston, 705 Main St.  The varieties on tap, in cans and bottles is mind-boggling. I did join the saucer club but it may be several years before I have my name enshrined on the walls. Once you sample 200 beers your name is placed on a saucer and hung on the walls or ceiling for all to see. They were wise enough to put a daily limit on how many you can officially add to your tally – three beers per visit – I think that is a smart and sane way to manage the process. After two months I sit at 6 on my tally….it will be years getting there but hey, everyone needs a goal or two in life, eh?

So, what should I brew next….something for my wife I suppose! A Belgian Wit or a nice Blonde Ale….I will mull it over and yes, I know, seek her input! TTFNDrink local, drink smart,Bishop

Bishop – Beer – Bakersfield

It I was back to my hometown last week for a consulting job and then spent the weekend visiting family. Bakersfield and beer go well together….when I was growing up it was a case of Coors in the bottle for $5.25! My exposure to real beer didn’t happen until Uncle Sam stationed me in Kaiserslautern Germany. Real beer – they told us when we arrived in country to respect the German beer and not drink it like your Coors back home. Did I listen? No! Did I learn? Kinda!

I blame the way the Germans count for some of my learnings. I learned a few key phrases in German like – “Ein bier bitte.” – one beer please. I would ask as well as hold up one finger, most of the time they brought two beers. I knew I said it correctly but I received 2 beers consistently….Why?

In Germany and for that matter many other countries around the world the index finger represents 2 – the thumb is the digit that represents the number 1. So, even if my language skills were decent – from a distance in an environment with some background noise, visual cues are stronger! They see the index finger and hear or see me mouth the word bier and two cold ones arrive. Oh darn, I guess I will just have to drink them and practice my enunciation better…wrong…language includes visual cues that cannot be discounted.

Oh yes – back to Bakersfield – nice home town brewery – Lengthwise out in the Southwest and now off of Rosedale at 2900 Calloway. Great beers brewed by the lads and also a nice selection of craft beers from others….food – well it is OK, the beer is the highlight. Triple Hop Red Ale and Centennial Ale were my choices. The Red Ale is listed as their best seller and for good reason! Check them out online or in person

Lengthwise Brewing Company: Bakersfield Brewery, Bakersfield Beer, Bakersfield Microbrewery, Bakersfield Brew Pub, Great Beer, Great Food, Great Times

Went off to visit my Mom over in Los Osos….she had a honey-do list for me and we spent a nice couple of days enjoying the central coast weather! I am a fan of Firestone Walker Brewery in Paso Robles and while grocery shopping for mom I spotted a new, to me, offering called the 805! It doesn’t get much more local than 805 area code…..which was also Bakersfield’s area code before it outgrew its britches and changed to 661. Paso, San Luis, Santa Maria. Pismo, Avila …… etc., knows that 805 is the local home. It is an interesting beer. I like the Double Barrel better but 805 is very drinkable. I left a few in Mom’s fridge…they are safe with her and should still be there on my next trip….unles my brother-in-law, Bill snags a few! I had to laugh a little at dinner on Saturday night…I ordered a Fat Tire and the owner poured it into the glass….he poured a nice head on the beer and apologized….I smiled and told him that I liked the head on the beer…he did just fine. My only complaint…they needed some local offerings! Celia’s Garden Cafe – they do dinner now…

Firestone Walker Brewing Company Beers

Love it – Keep It Local…805!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TTFN – Drink Local!

Bishop

 

 

 

 

Bourbon and Oak Infused Imperial Stout

Last weekend I was able to get my Imperial Stout racked to the secondary fermenter. In the prep and sanitation process I noticed a potential problem with my plans to include the toasted oak dowel that I had so lovingly crafted and infused in bourbon for several weeks. The opening on my glass carboy looked like it was going to be a tight fit when inserting the toasty oak. I went out to the garage and picked up the oak dowel remnant from my turning process and tried a fit test….oh crap…..it doesn’t fit!

Plan B…..rechuck the toasted and soaked dowel sections and turn then down a little. That would delay the racking to the secondary because I would want to ensure that the dowels were sanitary…another couple of weeks in bourbon to be safe. Not a catastrophe but just two more weeks added on to the entire process. I didn’t plan on having my first tasting until December so not a deal killer.

I looked in the mason jar and it appeared that the dowels looked to be a bit smaller in diameter….I’m thinking I might be in luck. I thought back to the roasting process and it did seem that the dowels had shrunk, but would they then expand after infusing themselves with the bourbon???? Ok, extract the dowels with a sanitized stainless steel fork and by golly….they slipped right through the top with room to spare. Now, hopefully after a couple of months they don’t swell up and give me problems retrieving them!

Below is a shot of the carboy and airlock. I decided to use some of the bourbon in the mason jar to provide additional protection in the airlock. Now the challenge – I must be patient!

Five gallons of my Imperial Stout, bourbon infused and toasted oak resting on the bottom. Note the bourbon in the airlock! My wife’s common lament is visible to the right!

TTFN

Bishop