Beer Thread

[bdutts]

If I'm interpreting correctly, what you're saying is that the prevalence of ales (and variations thereof) in microbrews is because they're easier to brew, so there's more people making them and experimenting more?

Yeah, I didn't make it clear, but I knew pilsner is a type of lager. As a matter of fact, it seems like about 80% of the lagers on the market are pilsners, or at least it seems that way to me, or perhaps I don't know the names of other styles of lager. I believe a bock is a lager, correct? I haven't had a bock in years....

One other random question for the brewmasters here: why no light (low-cal) ales? Do any exist? If not, why not? I'd think there'd be a market for them.

Ales are easier and quicker to brew. A brewpub can get an ale from fermenter to tap in 7-10 days. Lagers take a lot longer.

I think the reason you see more ales also has to do with the more complex flavors of ales. Lagers, outside of bocks and the heavier lagers, are crisp and clean beers and don't allow for much variation in flavor. Ales are all over the map depending on what yeast and hops you use.

EDIT: Not many, if any, small breweries brew light beers because it's "expensive". They have to brew a normal beer and like pizzaman said, they add water to get it to the right color, flavor and alcohol. Doesn't make any sense for smaller guys to do that. If you're going to have a light beer, just have Amstel Light availabne and people who want it will drink it.

 

[Illinell]

I am currently working out or Norther California right now, and am fortunate enough to be drinking a couple of Pliny the Elder's. For anyone that has a chance to get their hands on one, I absolutely recommend it.

I am a bit of a hop head, and really think this may be the most impressive double IPAs (and potentially beers) I have ever embibed.

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/863/7971

 

[bdutts]

I am currently working out or Norther California right now, and am fortunate enough to be drinking a couple of Pliny the Elder's. For anyone that has a chance to get their hands on one, I absolutely recommend it.

I am a bit of a hop head, and really think this may be the most impressive double IPAs (and potentially beers) I have ever embibed.

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/863/7971

Pliny the Elder is one of the best beers I have ever had. Definitely the best IPA/Double IPA around. Too bad we cannot get it in Illinois.

 

[Illinell]

Agreed. It is amazing. The coolest part is that I found it in a hole in the wall liquor store that has almost everything.

I am going to be out here for awhile, so the plan is to start stockpiling and try to ship back to Chi when it works.

For grander plans, I am actually going to try and make it to Russian River one day and try to get my hands on some Pliny the Younger. I hear the lines are long but I am up for the investment.

 

[bdutts]

Agreed. It is amazing. The coolest part is that I found it in a hole in the wall liquor store that has almost everything.

I am going to be out here for awhile, so the plan is to start stockpiling and try to ship back to Chi when it works.

For grander plans, I am actually going to try and make it to Russian River one day and try to get my hands on some Pliny the Younger. I hear the lines are long but I am up for the investment.

I don't think there is any left. It's released in the spring and lasts maybe two weeks. And I think it's only on draft as well.

 

[Illinell]

I don't think there is any left. It's released in the spring and lasts maybe two weeks. And I think it's only on draft as well.

Hmm, I will investigate and let you know how it goes. My buddy is a microbrewer in the area and he seems confident that he has has a source.

To be continued....

 

[KBLEE]

I read this in the Tribune at lunch. Interesting article for those in the Chicago area:

Chicago-area suds scene still riding a surging wave

The world of Chicago-made beer is expanding so quickly — at a rate unseen in the lives of modern-day beer lovers — that new entries arrive almost monthly. What follows is the latest crop of upstarts, which will no doubt remain upstarts only until the next round of breweries arrives.

 

[bdutts]

Hmm, I will investigate and let you know how it goes. My buddy is a microbrewer in the area and he seems confident that he has has a source.

To be continued....

I hope you can get some. I hear it's as good as the Elder.

 

[bdutts]

I read this in the Tribune at lunch. Interesting article for those in the Chicago area:

Chicago-area suds scene still riding a surging wave

I read that today. Good read. Lots of great beer in Chicago.

 

[Illinell]

Just saw this and wanted to outline the breweries / brewpubs I like in the area:
-Revolution: Good IPAs and great food
-5 Rabbits: Buddy of mine from grad school started this place. Awesome beers with a new angle on brewing. Definitely recommend it.
-3 Floyd's: Awesome beers that people know about, as well as Arctic Panzer Wolf, Zombie Dust, etc.
-Metropolitan: Meh beers in my opinion but I love to support local

Also, I am moving to NYC in a few weeks and would love to hear about any cool microbreweries or bars that I should try.

 

[illinois_hustle]

I spent some time in Munich this summer, and as a result fell in love with a German lager called Helles. It's a bottom-fermented brew, compliant with the German Purity Law of 1516. This type of beer is very quaffable and refreshing, which is what I like. Nice head, good lacing, and not bitter. That, plus a nice evening, some chestnut trees overhead, sausage & pretzels = greatness.

Augustiner was the best we had while there, poured directly out of the oak barrels for extra smoothness. That brew isn't widely available in the states, so yesterday I tried Spaten, and it was quite good (i.e. a good substitution). I'll be getting a half-barrel of that really soon. :thumb:

 

[Illinell]

I lived in Wurzburg for 2 years and couldn't get enough of the German beers. I think I consumed Pils to Hefes at about a 4:1 ratio.

I love that country, as well as the beer.

 

[illinois_hustle]

I lived in Wurzburg for 2 years and couldn't get enough of the German beers. I think I consumed Pils to Hefes at about a 4:1 ratio.

Pils is the most popular in the country, running at about 2/3 of total consumption there. Helles and Hefes are everywhere in Munich, tho. I'm just more of a malty beer fan as opposed to hoppy.

 

[fish48]

Does anyone have any experience on brewing their own beer at home from an extract partial grain kit? I just got my equipment in and im reading up on it now. I think I will start the brewing process on Monday. It makes 5 gallons and its a lengthy process, but it sounds like a blast. In case you were curious, I got the equipment and all of my ingredients at northernbrewer.com.

I will take pictures along the way and post them on here in case anyone is interested. The first one I am making will be an Irish Red Ale.

 

[IntenselyOrange]

Just saw this and wanted to outline the breweries / brewpubs I like in the area:
-Revolution: Good IPAs and great food
-5 Rabbits: Buddy of mine from grad school started this place. Awesome beers with a new angle on brewing. Definitely recommend it.
-3 Floyd's: Awesome beers that people know about, as well as Arctic Panzer Wolf, Zombie Dust, etc.
-Metropolitan: Meh beers in my opinion but I love to support local

Also, I am moving to NYC in a few weeks and would love to hear about any cool microbreweries or bars that I should try.

Welcome to NYC!

I find the microbrews lacking here. There are some decent brewpubs in Brooklyn, but I'd suggest "road trips" to upstate/western NY, Pennsylvania, or even into New England. You'll never get a true New Yorker to admit you can't find the best of everything here but beer, and more sadly steak, are two items that I have found severely deficient.

 

[Illinell]

Welcome to NYC!

I find the microbrews lacking here. There are some decent brewpubs in Brooklyn, but I'd suggest "road trips" to upstate/western NY, Pennsylvania, or even into New England. You'll never get a true New Yorker to admit you can't find the best of everything here but beer, and more sadly steak, are two items that I have found severely deficient.

Thanks for the note! I'm not completely suprised by your post, as I lived in Ithaca for two years (and thoroughly enjoyed Ommegang, Ithaca Brewing, Saranac, etc.). I think Brooklyn Brewery might be interesting to try but am not getting my hopes up.

I will continue to update the "beer thread" as I tackle the alcoholic offerings of NYC. Hopefully there will be some hidden gems that the group can benefit from.

 

[bdutts]

Thanks for the note! I'm not completely suprised by your post, as I lived in Ithaca for two years (and thoroughly enjoyed Ommegang, Ithaca Brewing, Saranac, etc.). I think Brooklyn Brewery might be interesting to try but am not getting my hopes up.

I will continue to update the "beer thread" as I tackle the alcoholic offerings of NYC. Hopefully there will be some hidden gems that the group can benefit from.

Brooklyn Brewing is very good. Their brews can be had here in Illinois at Binny's and other places I'm sure.

 

[WizardBill]

That article only mentions Anheiser-Busch, Miller-Coors, Heineken, and Corona brand beers. Fortunately I don't drink any that swill they call beer.

+21,350.62

 

[WizardBill]

Does anyone have any experience on brewing their own beer at home from an extract partial grain kit? I just got my equipment in and im reading up on it now. I think I will start the brewing process on Monday. It makes 5 gallons and its a lengthy process, but it sounds like a blast. In case you were curious, I got the equipment and all of my ingredients at northernbrewer.com.

I will take pictures along the way and post them on here in case anyone is interested. The first one I am making will be an Irish Red Ale.

I have been a home brewer for about ten years now. I feel that homebrew beats the tar out of anything that can be bought. However, if you like nitrogen taps (Guiness, Murphy's. etc) then homebrewing is harder to make.

You are going to be making kegs, it sounds like. I prefer to brew in bottles, because I can take them with me, but kegs are easier.

Feel free to ask me if you have any questions. I get all of my supplies through: http://www.austinhomebrew.com

Love homebrew.

 

[danielb927]

Well, in an hour and 40 minutes I will legally be able to be an informed participant in this thread! Gonna go enjoy a flight of beer and some BBQ at black dog tomorrow night

 

[IntenselyOrange]

Thanks for the note! I'm not completely suprised by your post, as I lived in Ithaca for two years (and thoroughly enjoyed Ommegang, Ithaca Brewing, Saranac, etc.). I think Brooklyn Brewery might be interesting to try but am not getting my hopes up.

I will continue to update the "beer thread" as I tackle the alcoholic offerings of NYC. Hopefully there will be some hidden gems that the group can benefit from.

I'm not a big fan of Brooklyn Brewery myself. It's fine but lacks imagination in my mind. As a result of the poor brews....or possibly my age, I've found myself moving more and more toward wine, bourbon, and scotch. There are several very nice bars for those drinks if you are interested.

Best of luck and let me know if you find anywhere good.

 

[pizzaman]

Does anyone have any experience on brewing their own beer at home from an extract partial grain kit? I just got my equipment in and im reading up on it now. I think I will start the brewing process on Monday. It makes 5 gallons and its a lengthy process, but it sounds like a blast. In case you were curious, I got the equipment and all of my ingredients at northernbrewer.com.

I will take pictures along the way and post them on here in case anyone is interested. The first one I am making will be an Irish Red Ale.

I've been homebrewing for about 15 years now. It's worth it. Stick with ales because they are easier, don't shortcut the cleanliness and sterilization and be patient. The best advise I've given anyone starting (and I wish someone told me) is to pay attention to the wert on first boil. It foams up quickly and will overflow the pot creating a sticky burned mess all over the stove that will make your wife want to throw away your home brewing supplies. Pick brew styles you like and don't try to replicate a favorite microbrew. It's all good. I'll be brewing some pale ale in couple weeks. I've ordered from Northern Brewer and been happy with the quality of their ingredients.

 

[fish48]

I've been homebrewing for about 15 years now. It's worth it. Stick with ales because they are easier, don't shortcut the cleanliness and sterilization and be patient. The best advise I've given anyone starting (and I wish someone told me) is to pay attention to the wert on first boil. It foams up quickly and will overflow the pot creating a sticky burned mess all over the stove that will make your wife want to throw away your home brewing supplies. Pick brew styles you like and don't try to replicate a favorite microbrew. It's all good. I'll be brewing some pale ale in couple weeks. I've ordered from Northern Brewer and been happy with the quality of their ingredients.

Thank you for the advice. I brewed my first 5 gal batch of Irish Red Ale and it started fermenting this morning. At least I got to that point! I sanitized everything as good as I could so hopefully I didn't spoil it. I did an extract malt recipe kit and it smells delicious so far.

Do you do extract malt or 100% grain? I got a very good book called "Beer Craft" and it shows you how to make 1 gallon batches of 100% grain and it seems pretty painless. I might try that next.

Edit: My recipe called for a total of a 60 min boil 60 min for one set of hops and 30 for the other. I didn't have any problem with a boil over. I sat over the top of it the entire time and had to turn the heat down and stir a couple times, but it was really enjoyable.

 

[fish48]

Well, in an hour and 40 minutes I will legally be able to be an informed participant in this thread! Gonna go enjoy a flight of beer and some BBQ at black dog tomorrow night

Congrats and happy birthday!

I suggest you pick up some "Moose Drool." Its a micro brew from Montana and its the best beer I have ever had if you are into micro brews. I have only found it in one spot in Illinois and im pretty sure its at Piccadillys.

 

[bdutts]

Thank you for the advice. I brewed my first 5 gal batch of Irish Red Ale and it started fermenting this morning. At least I got to that point! I sanitized everything as good as I could so hopefully I didn't spoil it. I did an extract malt recipe kit and it smells delicious so far.

Do you do extract malt or 100% grain? I got a very good book called "Beer Craft" and it shows you how to make 1 gallon batches of 100% grain and it seems pretty painless. I might try that next.

Edit: My recipe called for a total of a 60 min boil 60 min for one set of hops and 30 for the other. I didn't have any problem with a boil over. I sat over the top of it the entire time and had to turn the heat down and stir a couple times, but it was really enjoyable.

I have been brewing since 1994. I do all grain batches now (started with about 20 extract batches then went to all grain) and it's only a little more complicated. You should really watch someone do it first then do it yourself as it will be easier when you give it a shot. If you don't have the ability to watch someone do it, don't let that stop you from trying. You will need more equipment if you do 5 gallon batches or more so keep that in mind.

Sanitizing is the single most important thing you can do to ensure you make good beer. Using regular old bleach works great. Rinse it very well. For no rinse systems, use iodophor. Good quality healthy yeast is #2.

Shoot me a PM if you have any other questions. Have fun brewing!