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 brianS  August 1, 2009, at 2:55 pm  - (Sorry, but the time to add LTEs has expired)  Baltika, beer, beer review I'm back in the saddle, damnit.
The Baltika Grade 9 is a big, malty, somewhat sweet lager. Not yer Pilsner Urquell by a long shot. This is a very big beer (8.0 pct ABV). Pours a pretty golden color with a fluffy white head that quickly settles down. Low carbonation, even lower hopping.
Baltika, based in St. Petersburg, is the second-largest brewery in Europe after Heineken (it is 85 pct owned by Carlsberg via a holding company). It produces a very nice baltic porter (the number 6) -- a strong, bottom-fermented lager somewhere between a traditional english porter and a Russian Imperial Stout, but with some lager complexity.
But this is a strong lager. Its sweetness probably limits its appeal. 16.9 oz of this is a lot, particularly given the high alcohol content. It's actually going pretty well with the bowl of ice cream (a scoop each of mocha almond fudge and cherry) I'm eating with it. It is somewhat reminiscent of the Kiper Bock I reviewed last summer, but clearly superior to that beer. Some might compare this to a malt liquor, but I haven't had a King Cobra, Mickey's or Colt 45 since, well, about 1982, so I couldn't really say.
I'd call this a nice beer to share. It's too sweet and rich really to enjoy a whole bottle as a stand-alone product by yourself. But paired with the right food or, as in my case, with dessert, it is complementary rather than cloying after the first half-pint or so. It would have benefitted from a substantial infusion of hops to give it better balance, but with the right food pairing, it's a happy beer. I'd rate this "worth a try" as long as you go in with reasonable expectations. Don't even think about comparing it to a pilsner, 'cuz you'll hate it.
Next up: some cheaptoybeer, to go with cheaptoy Week.
brianS July 18, 2009, at 12:01 pm - (Sorry, but the time to add LTEs has expired) beer, beer review, meat, Pint-Sized Review
I consider myself a very lucky man, on many levels. One of those levels is having made virtual friendships here at the WGOM. And while I cherish all of these friendships, well, some people just know how to buy my attention 
And let me tell you, I was paying attention to this little baby -- the latest Bière de Meat. 
IIRC, Meat described this little sweety as a cross between a belgian saison and an IPA. As it happens, these are two of my favorite styles.* Would they go great together?
As you can see, it pours golden and slightly cloudy, with a fluffy white head. I shot from a high angle to show off the dots of yeasty goodness atop the head. The initial aroma was lemon-citrusy and slightly spicy (clove?), but with bready notes arising as the beer warmed.
Cold, it was refreshing and spritely on the tongue, with a strong belgian character. As it warmed, the hops, particularly bittering hops, really started to push through. I tried hard to drink it slowly, to let other flavor characteristics develop as the beer warmed up. But, oops.
This was an outstanding homebrewed beer by The Painter. It had aroma, character, and interest. And packed a whallop.
*according to the Repository and other sources, such as The On-Line Guide to Belgian Beer, "saison" isn't really a defined style. The word just means "season" in French, and generally has been used to refer to a wide array of relatively light, summer farmhouse ales. Spicing is common to the genre, and meat has adhered to that trait here.
brianS April 30, 2009, at 3:29 pm - (Sorry, but the time to add LTEs has expired) bad beer, beer, beer review, good beer, pilsner, Yankee Stadium
You would think with their empty prime-location seats, the Yankees must have problems. I'm here to tell you what the problem really is. The beer. Of course. Did you expect anything else of me?
brianS October 20, 2008, at 4:30 pm - (Sorry, but the time to add LTEs has expired) beer, beer review, India Pale Ale, meat
Non-Portugese Europeans came to America in the late 15th century looking for a Passage to India. Eventually, they found it, thanks to the British. They called it "India Pale Ale", an ale that was massively dosed with hops -- a preservative as well as a flavoring agent -- in the hope that the brew would survive the lengthy sea journey to the Empire's colonies in the subcontinent. Your typical British mild will have International Bittering Units (IBUs) under 25, the traditional British IPA would range in the 35-50 IBUs territory.
India Pale Ale was adopted -- and extremified, to coin a term -- enthusiastically by craft brewers in the U.S. in the 1980s and 1990s, even as the style had virtually disappeared back in the homeland. Packed with alpha acids, the IPA isn't a style designed for pounding. It's an extreme beer. Big flavor, high in alcohol (6-7 pct ABV is common) and puckerability. American style IPAs often weigh in at 40-70 IBUs or higher. For example, Stone IPA hits around 77 IBUs.
 A bitchin' homebrew from Citizen Meat Lucky for me, I am a hop-head of long standing. Imagine my delight at opening the industrial-strength tape-job package from Citizen Meat to find a bottle of his latest creation, an IPA. I could definitely get into the role of Beer Taster to the Nation. Keep 'em coming, citizens!
Meat's creation poured a luscious amber with an aggressive, fluffy, off-white head. It took me two pours to get to the stage you see and, per meat's warning, I kept my beady eye on the substantial sediment in the bottom of the bottle. A bit of yeast is a good thing, but there prolly was close to half a teaspoon in this bottle.
The aroma profile was pretty low, with a bit of hops and malt. But the flavor was big, somewhere between Green Flash IPA and Moylan's IPA (or probably their Double IPA). Bitter, grassy, herbal, astringent, with maybe a hint of grapefruit. But with a good backbone of malt to balance things off. All good things in a kick-@ss IPA.
I would have liked more aroma hopping, as I really enjoy the grassy, citrusy scents of dry-hopped IPAs, but, hey, who am I to complain? This was a really good beer, meat!
as to the rest of you, you'll just have to feast with your eyes. Or go visit meat. Don't forget your passport, since he's in new Mexico.
brianS October 19, 2008, at 4:01 pm - (Sorry, but the time to add LTEs has expired) Alaskan Amber, altbier, beer, beer review
Altbier is a traditional German ale style, best associated with Düsseldorf. Prior to the invention of lager in the 16th century, the style was known simply as beer. "Altbiers are fermented with a specialty ale yeast at a cool 55°F (13°C) to 67°F (19°C) and then aged for one or two months, like a lager, to bring out its mellow maltiness and aromatic hoppiness."
Today's feature presentation: the Alaskan Amber Alt-style beer. According to Beer Advocate's description of the style, "The extended conditioning mellows out the ale's fruitiness and produces an exceptionally smooth and delicate brew."
 Alaskan Amber Alt-style beer I think that is a fair characterization of Alaskan's product. Known best for their awesome smoked porter, Alaskan Brewing Co. also produces a funky winter ale (flavored with pine needles), a decent oatmeal stout, a Kölsch-style summer ale, and workman-like ESB and IPA.
But the Amber is a mellow brew, with a delicately malty, slightly musty aroma and flavor. This is a poundable beer, but it would be a shame not to slow down and appreciate its subtleties. 5.3 pct ABV and a scant 18 BTUs, it is nicely balanced.
Not the very best Altbier I've had, but it's darned good. This is a tasty ale worth your consideration. Refreshing and not overly complex, yet there's nothing "simple" or "common" about this beer either. It would appeal to a broad array of beer drinkers and pair well with food. Two thumbs up.
brianS October 14, 2008, at 9:33 pm - (Sorry, but the time to add LTEs has expired) beer, beer review, meat
the meat by-product has arrived at the House of S.
 A New Hop(e) The li'l fella needs to rest up a bit after his long journey. But he'll be back!
Please exsqueeze the editorialization on the label.
brianS August 18, 2008, at 4:01 pm - (Sorry, but the time to add LTEs has expired) beer, beer review, german beer, hefeweizen
It was beastly hot out here in the Sactown area last week. But the topper was bonding time with Mrs. S: hanging art on the wall cutout in our stairwell. There's nothing quite like hanging wall art to build up a thirst.
 Sunday Project You'd think that drilling four holes and putting in four wood screws would be a piece of cake, but somehow around our house these things always turn into adventures. In this case, a two-hour adventure, including the midcourse trip to Home Depot. Let's just say I earned my beer.
And a lovely beer it was. The Ayinger Ur-Weisse "Authentic Bavarian Dunkel Weizen" pours a pretty, amber hue with an aggressive white head. I didn't notice much of an aroma, but the mouthfeel was soft and bubbly and the flavor was fruity and very malty, with just a touch of hops for balance. It starts and finishes dry. I'd tell you how much I paid for it, but the wife has "cleaned up" in our home office, so the receipt is long gone. Probably around $4 for the 500ml bottle from my Bevmo (*Bevmo's website says $2.79 -- a bargain!). Not a session beer at a hefty 5.8 pct ABV. But this is a smooth and refreshing afternoon treat.
 Ayinger Ur-Weisse Dunkel Hefe-weizen Not every brewery waves its mission statement like a flag, but Ayinger seems to take itself seriously. "It is our obligation to promote, maintain and nourish real beer culture." I'm a daydream believer, I guess. Ayinger also proudly produces the fantabulous Celebrator Doppel Bock, one of the world's great beers. But this dunkel weizen is no slouch.
and this Ayinger Biermädchen definitely builds up my thirst level.
Lots of reviewers remark on apple and pear notes in this beer. I dunno, because it didn't really linger very long in my glass. Each sip I took just egged me on for another. This beer scored well with the kids at Beer Advocate as well as those at Ratebeer and Beer Pal, and for good reason. It's an excellent, excellent beer. Fantastic drinkability, light enough to work as a summer beer but with enough heft to work through the fall as well. This beer was a gold medalist as the top-rated dark hefe in the World Beer Championships each year 2003-2007. And well worth it.
brianS August 8, 2008, at 4:00 pm - (Sorry, but the time to add LTEs has expired) Bamberg, beer, beer review, Germany, rauchbier
It's grilling season here on the Left Coast. Actually, it's almost always grilling season here. So, it's Summer grilling season. And what better to go with smokey, charred, grilled meats than a smokey beer?
Today's featured beer is the lovely, refreshing and elegantly smokey Spezial Rauchbier from Brauerei Spezial in Bamberg, Germany.
Spezial is the oldest producer of Bamberg's special brew, the smoked beer, founded in 1536, according to Shelton Bros. Importers. They also produce a more traditional smoked märzen, a smoked weissbier, smoked bock, and a non-smoked, unfiltered lager generally only available in Germany. Their interpretations of the rauchbier style are much more subtle than those of their somewhat better known Bamberger rival, Schlenkerla.
The brewery has its own maltings and barley malt is smoked right there in downtown Bamberg. The smoke of special beechwood logs burning just beneath the malt kiln filters up, imparting a natural smoky flavor to the fresh barley kernels. The brewer uses 40% of this smoked malt and 60% high quality Bavarian barley malt to make this delicious smoked beer.
Beechwood is, of course, the wood used by a certain Belgian brewer for its St. Louis knockoff of a famed Czech beer. But it is the traditional wood for smoking malts for Bamberger rauchbiers. Here, it imparts a little caramel color and a light smokey bite and sweetness to a surprisingly refreshing lager. Sure, there are some great, hefty smoked beers out there, with the justly famed Alaskan Smoked Porter leading the way. But this is a great, thirst-quenching lager.
 Spezial Rauchbier Lager, and then some Selected as one of the "50 best beers in the World" in 2005 by Men's Journal, this lager (4.7 ABV, $4.49 for a 500 ml bottle at my Bevmo) goes fantastically with grilled steaks, ribs or rich fish, such as salmon, tuna or swordfish. Or with burgers and a caprese salad! Mmmmm.
I let the bottle warm on my kitchen counter for a good 20 minutes before opening. Cold beer is ok, but if you really want to smell and taste the beer as it is meant to be experienced, let it rise to cellar temperature before opening. As you can see, it pours a clear, amber with a light tan head that dissipates quickly. The clean, beechwood smoke aroma presented immediately. Not overwhelming -- I could smell a bit of hop as well. The taste was a wonderful mixture of smoke, mild maltiness and refreshing hop bite, with a little extra smokey spice on the back of the tongue with the finish. This is a beautiful, understated beer. I wish I'd had two.
brianS August 4, 2008, at 4:00 pm - (Sorry, but the time to add LTEs has expired) beer, beer review, Scotland, Traquair House
Now, I know that I'm something of a pollyanna when it comes to beer reviews. I like a lot of beer and nearly every style is "one of my favorites". So I'll understand if some of you are getting a boy-who-cried-wolf sort of feeling when I tell you that this beer is really good.
If you dismiss this review, however, you will really be missing out on a GREAT beer. Josh Hamilton Story great, I'm telling you. Huge. Ginormous.
 Traquair House Ale Traquair House, home turf of the brewery, claims to be the oldest continually inhabited house in Scotland. Of course, that might be like the longest marriage to Elizabeth Taylor for all I know, but whatever. It's a cool house. Traquair House brewery was founded in 1965 by Peter Maxwell Stuart, 20th Laird of Traquair. The brewery occupies the space of what had been a brewery on the premises in the 18th century. The operation is tiny, producing around 600 - 700 barrels a year (200,000 bottles and the remainder draught; for comparison, Anheuser-Busch in 2007 produced 128.4 million barrels; Stone Brewing Co. made about 70,000). All the beer is fermented in "the original oak vessels." When I grow up I am going to visit Traquair House for its annual beer festival in May.
The Traquair House Ale is one of the world's great beers ($5.49 for an 11.2 oz. bottle at my Bevmo, 7.2 pct ABV). It classifies as a Wee Heavy, or Strong Scotch Ale. This beer won a Platinum Medal at the 1997 World Beer Championships. Michael Jackson sang its praises. The boys at Beer Advocate gave it an "A+". And I'm here to do the same.
The beer pours dark, but translucent when held to the light, with a nice tan head. The nose is rich, fruity, malty, sweet and complex, but not cloying. The mouthfeel is soft and smooth. Unmistakable ale character -- not a stout. And the flavor, oh man. Again, complex, hinting at sweetness, but with a bit of hop bite and some oak, but no noticeable diacetyl (beyond perhaps the soft mouthfeel). Fruity, malty, chocolatey, refreshing, with a slight alcoholic kick as befits its size. It could very well be Arrakeen Spice Beer. I was entranced.
Of course, it didn't hurt that I had it with a perfectly grilled, medium-rare t-bone. I almost didn't bother with sides, but I mustered up the energy to make a quick chick pea salad: canned chick peas marinated in olive oil, salt, pepper, grated lemon zest, lemon juice, finely minced shallot and finely chopped, fresh tarragon (which gave off a beautiful anise-y aroma; I've never grown it before, but it is really good).
Food of the gods, I tell you. So please, do yourself a favor. If you ever see this beer on the shelf at your local beer store, buy it. Heck, if you see ANYTHING by Traquair, buy it. You are in for a treat.
One of the first things that convinced me that Trader Joes was a great store was the beer selection. Compared to the grocery stores in the University Towne Centre/University City neighborhood of San Diego, Trader Joes might as well have been a Bevmo. Plus, cheeeep. I'm pretty sure I was paying $3.50 or so a sixer for good beer back in the late 1980s/early 1990s there.
And one of the beers I discovered at TJs was Christian Moerlein. Remember, this was at the early edge of the burgeoning microbrewery movement. Microbrewing legend Bert Grant opened his Yakima brewery in 1982, and the pathbreaking Grant's Pub soon thereafter. Jim Koch opened the Boston Beer Company in 1985. The rest of the country took a while to catch up.
Christian Moerlein, the source of today's selection, looked to my naive grad-student eyes to be a part of that new wave of craft brewing. Little did I know that the Christian Moerlein line actually was the product of venerable Cincinnati brewer Hudepohl.
In 1981, Hudepohl introduced a new super-premium brand of beer called Christian Moerlein Cincinnati Select Lager. The brand was named after a popular pre-Prohibition Cincinnati brewer. The beer was more flavorful and had a deeper, richer golden color than most American beers of the time. Hudepohl intended to follow the lead of San Francisco's Anchor Steam brand into the specialty beer market. At the time, there were only a handful of specialty beers in the United States so Christian Moerlein was most often compared to imported European beers. The Moerlein brand proved popular, propelled by a $1 million advertising budget. Soon, Hudepohl introduced Christian Moerlein Doppel Dark beer as a companion brand.
Unfortunately for Hudepohl, the brand was too little, too late for the old war horse. Hudepohl had failed to expand aggressively in the 1950s and 1960s when Anheuser-Busch led the great brewing consolidation in the U.S. Hudepohl concentrated on defending its traditional turf in southern Ohio and northern Kentucky until it was too late. In 1986, Hudepohl was sold to Schoenling (another Cincy brewer and maker of Little Kings Cream Ale). The combined company limped along until 1997, when its brewery was bought out by...Boston Brewing Company!
Like many old-line brewers, however, Hudepohl's brand were probably more valuable than the bricks, mortar and mash tuns. Hudepohl-Schoenling brands continued to be produced under contract by Boston Brewing until 2004, when a local Cincy investor bought out the Christian Moerlein brands.
 Christian Moerlein Select Dunkel Today, the Christian Moerlein Brewing Company remains a "beer marketing company," with beers contract-brewed elsewhere. The company takes its name from 19th-century German immigrant and long-time, leading Cincinnati brewer Christian Moerlein, whose company was one of the many casualties of Prohibition.
Christian Moerlein Select Dunkel ($4.89 for a sixpack at my Bevmo) is a pleasant interpretation of the Munich Dunkel* Lager style (see here for a technical description of the style). It pours very dark, with minimal head. It has a nice aroma of dark-roasted malts, coffee and chocolate. The mouthfeel is soft, with lots of grainy, dark malts, with a touch of coffee and roasted nut flavors and some light sweetness. No noticeable hop character, but the sweetness is sufficiently dialed down by the roasted malt edges to keep this from being cloying. Finishes clean. This would work nicely as a session beer. I would love to place it head-to-head with Leinenkugel's Creamy Dark, another regional interpretation of the style.
I served this with carne asada, grilled veggies (onion, zucchini and potato) and a green salad for a very pleasant dinner. While a hoppy pale ale would perhaps be a better match to the salty-fatty-crispy goodness of the carne asada, this beer seemed to work well with those assertive flavors.
*This website was fabby. Here's some nice description on the style:
Dunkels are remarkable beers in that they are deep and complex, but not very heavy or strong. The characteristic ruby brown color comes from the use of Munich malts, which can actually constitute up to 100 percent of the grist. The gentle kilning of pale malt not only darkens the kernels, but also catalyzes a cascade of biochemical changes in the malt that contribute a range of subtle, malty flavors. Munich malt is less fermentable than a lighter malt such as pilsner malt. This results in a fuller-bodied, dextrinous beer. Special malt indeed.
Brewers of dunkel often employ a method of mashing known as decoction. Rather than simply infusing the grains with hot water, decoction brewing involves heating portions of the mash to boiling, and returning it to the main mash to attain the necessary temperature points to convert the starches into fermentable maltose and body-building dextrin. Heating the mash to boiling induces further chemical alterations, known as Malliard reactions, that give the brew its intense, malty character, and further darken the wort.
While the balancing act that is dunkel tips towards the malt character, the hops are subdued but noticeable in the aroma and provide just enough bitterness to keep the brew from being sweet. Of course, the hops are the noble varieties from the Tetnang and Hallertau regions; these augment dunkel's unmistakable German character.
The cool fermentation and extensive lagering times typical of bottom-fermenting beers are naturally employed in dunkel production. This patient approach to beer maturation provides a smooth platform with which to showcase the prominent malt and supporting hop character of dunkel.
A typical dunkel begins with an original gravity in the range of 1.048 to 1.053, or perhaps a couple points on either side of this spread, giving it an alcohol by volume content of about 4.5 to 5.6 percent.
brianS July 28, 2008, at 3:00 pm - (Sorry, but the time to add LTEs has expired) beer, beer review, bock beer, Poland
Traveling the world in a bottle -- to bring better beer to the Nation. Tonight's offering hails from Poland: Kiper ("pronounced "Keeper"" I'm sure the American ad men had a hand in that) bock. 11.2 oz. bottle, $4.99 for a 4-pack from Bevmo in evil green bottles. It also sells as Kiper Mocne according to the good folks at Ratebeer.
According to one beer blog I ran across,
Kiper Beer is made by the Sulimar company which is family owned and is from Piotrkow Trybunalski in Poland. They have been brewing beer since 1927 they now have a state of the art factory which opened in 1993. There are several products in their suite including Kiper Bock which is sweet and malty, a lager, Kiper Extra which is described as very alcoholic, a lovely smooth Pils and a very refreshing Ginger Beer. Kiper is one of about 70 breweries in Poland and one of the few which have not been swallowed up by one of the multinational brewers.
This site has some more interesting background and history on the Polish brewing sector.
This is a fairly light bock in color, as you can see, qualifying this as a "hellesbock" or blonde bock, rather than a traditional one, which would feature darker malts. Or perhaps more properly (given the above-linked history on Polish brewing), a "pale strong lager." It pours a pale golden color with a short, white head, which leaves minimal lacing. The aroma is sweet and malty. And it packs a punch at 7.0 pct ABV.
 Kiper Bock Commercial description leaves something to be desired: "The aroma has sweet malty smell with minimal hopping." I think mebbe they could spend a few extra bucks to hire a copy writer fluent in English.
The mouthfeel was pleasantly soft and almost creamy. But the overwhelming feature of this beer is the malty sweetness. It walks right up to the edge of cloying. I would have liked just a bit more hop in here for better balance. You probably wouldn't want more than one at a sitting, unless you cut it with a platter of cold cuts, cheeses, pickles and pumpernickel. Mmm. I like the sound of that. Too bad I didn't think of it earlier. But it went well enough with my plate of sauteed zucchini and mushrooms and leftover grilled chicken.
brianS July 23, 2008, at 3:01 pm - (Sorry, but the time to add LTEs has expired) Banjo, BBQ, beer, beer review, On The Grill
Product of the Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner, TX, this is a beautiful, ebony lager ($7.99 for a sixpack at my Bevmo) in the Schwarzbier tradition. It pours black with a bubbly tan head that leaves light lacing. The nose is full of molasses, licorice, coffee and darkly roasted malts.
But don't let the nose fool you. This is a lager, not a stout. The mouthfeel is refreshing and surprisingly light, with some back-of-the-mouth spicy/carbonation tingle and hop sharpness from Czech Saaz (the classic pilsner hop) and Styrian hops (known as Fuggles domestically and in England where it is used liberally, but Slovenian-sourced Styrian Goldings in Europe), followed with a long, softening, malty finish. My first impression was that it was thinner tasting than the aroma would have led me to expect, but the beer was too cold. If you let it warm up to cellar temperature, however, you will be rewarded with a lot more flavor.
The German Beer Institute (see link above) sez:
In a glass, Schwarzbier looks much like a British dark ale, but looks can be deceiving. Schwarzbier, unlike a British ale, has a clean lager taste that leaves next to no perception of fruitiness on the palate. Instead, Schwarzbier produces very mild, almost bittersweet, notes of chocolate, coffee, and vanilla. Like most traditional German lagers, Schwarzbier has a malty middle, but the sweetness is never cloying or overpowering. The beer is moderately to well attenuated and the finish tends to be dry. Its alcohol level by volume is in the range of 4.5 to 5%, rarely higher. To accentuate the Schwarzbier's dark elegance and appealing head, always serve it in a tall, fluted or tulip-shaped glass.
Schwarzbier is to lager what stout or porter is to ale. Essentially, it is a darker version of the Dunkel. This is perhaps the quickest and easiest way to understand the true nature of this beer style. The Schwarzbier style originated in southern and southeastern Germany.
So sue me. I don't actually have any tall, fluted beer glasses, so mine went in a regular ol' pint glass (scandalous, I know; something I need to rectify).
Anyway, as you can see, I chose this beer to accompany dry-rubbed, barbecue pork ribs*.
 Shiner Bohemian Black Lager I was pleasantly surprised by this beer, as I am not a huge fan of Shiner Bock (although I love bocks). It was a very respectable rendition of the style. Not in Köstritzer's league, and not the best of the style I've had from American brewers. But a fine beer well worth a try.
*Culinary note: [I know this is Banjo's turf, but, hey, a man's gotta eat even when Banjo isn't On the Grill] I am fundamentally opposed to baby-back ribs at home. I love rib tips and I enjoy the skirt meat as well, so I always by a full rack of regular spareribs and trim them myself (on sale for dirt cheap this week at my grocery store). Remember: Know Your Rack.
I trimmed the ribs and rubbed everything with my own "secret rub" (don't ask for the recipe, since I make it up on the fly every time; basically, just start with one of Steve Raichlen's basic rub recipes and modify as you see fit). I use a rib rack, which keeps the ribs vertical, exposing all sides to smoke and, I think, making for more even cooking. On to the Weber over a drip pan, indirect heat with a handful of soaked hickory chips on each side. I rotate the rib rack every half hour or so and add extra coals and more hickory chips at about 1:30. At 2 hours I remove the ribs to a big sheet of heavy-duty foil, wrap 'em up and return to the grill for another 15 minutes or so. This helps prevent the ribs from drying out. Off the grill for a short rest before serving.
These were served with a green salad (as a tide-the-boy-over course, since I didn't get the ribs on the grill until 6:00, which meant we wouldn't eat them until 8:30 or so) and a side of couscous salad (couscous, vinaigrette, grated zucchini, grated cucumber, sun-dried tomatoes).
brianS July 20, 2008, at 8:40 pm - (Sorry, but the time to add LTEs has expired) beer, beer review
I'm in a mello mood, perfect for a nice, refreshing hefeweizen. Today's selection: Georg Schneider's Wiesen Edel-Weisse, von Private Weissbier Brauerei G. Schneider & Sohn.
The label trumpets this as "USDA Organic". w00t. As you can see from the pic, it pours a slightly cloudy, golden color with a fluffy white head that dissipates quickly with little lacing. The aroma is slight spicy, with bready and light lemon/citrus notes.
 Georg Schneider's Wiesen Edel-Weisse From B. United International's commercial description:
"Schneider's Wiesen Edel-Weisse was traditionally brewed for the Octoberfest in Munich. The term 'Wiesen' in Germany means meadow, and it is a slang term for Octoberfest.
Many years ago, the beer brewed for Octoberfest was not necessarily the standard maerzen style lager beer associated with the event today. At this time, there were many styles of beer brewed there. The festival was in October rather than September, and it was often quite cold out, making necessary richer and stronger beers. Thus, Schneider's Wiesen Edel-Weisse was made to be warming. It was quite full bodied, as the malt contained a fair amount of unfermentable sugar. In order to balance such a beer, it had to be brewed with more hops for balance, resulting in more noticeable hop character than is usually found in hefe weizens.
By law, German brewers must have their production facility in Munich in order to participate in the Octoberfest. Thus, Schneider had to leave the Octoberfest in 1942 when their Munich brewery was destroyed in the war. Fortunately they have chosen to re-create the style for the American market.
From the makers of the sublime, yet powerful Aventinus and the even more spectacular Aventinus Eisbock, as well as the highly respected Schneider-Weisse, which THE Michael Jackson described as perhaps the classic example of the style.
Water, organic wheat malt, organic barley malt, organic cascade and hallertauer hops, yeast. Original bottle fermentation. 6.2 pct ABV, in a 500 ml bottle ($3.99 at my local Bevmo). Despite the use of Cascade, this is not an over-hopped hefe. It's plenty spicy from the wheat and yeast already, and the hopping simply supports those flavors.
This is an eminently and imminently drinkable beer, but because of the bottle fermentation, it would age pretty well for a hefe, and might even take on more complexity as the spicier edges smoothed out. But I like it as is. Spicy and effervescent on the tongue, with hints of bread-yeast and lemon, then perhaps a little green peppercorn on the back tongue. A beautiful afternoon beer, perfect for smoking ribs on the Weber. Hey! What a great idea!
Now, what to drink in 2-3 hours when the ribs are done?? Hmmmm.
brianS July 19, 2008, at 9:21 pm - (Sorry, but the time to add LTEs has expired) beer, beer review, beer rools, Beer Run
I do it all for you, Nation, out of love
 The Beer Run This is what happens when the wife leaves town.
Click here to continue reading Homework...
brianS May 28, 2008, at 4:01 pm - (Sorry, but the time to add LTEs has expired) beer, beer review
Pre-game edition. Today's Paper of Record had a very nice review article on Bitters/English Pale Ales. Which was almost enough to get me to turn around and review the Greene King Abbot Ale I've been eying for about 3 weeks (and one of Eric Asimov's featured ales in today's article). But I couldn't help myself last night.
The key to inner peace is self-knowledge and acceptance. I admit it. I'm a hop-head. I like it when a beer kicks me in the face with over-the-top hop bitterness and aroma. But not always. Sometimes, I'm perfectly happy with a more subtle approach.
American IPAs are in approximately the same place, stylistically, that American Cabernet's were 15-20 years ago: the bigger, the better. IPA isn't enough anymore -- we have to have Imperial IPAs. But it is nice to recall what the style was all about every now and then. Today's selection is another in my continuing tour of the Greene King stable of brands: the Twisted Thistle India Pale Ale from Scots brand Belhaven.
Click here to continue reading Pint-Sized Review: Belhaven Twisted Thistle IPA...
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Cup of Coffee  62 LTEs The melting continues. I'm seeing grass around the trees in the front (north side) of the yard. Roof is ice free. Grass showing up in the back yard. These updates brought to you by someone who is profoundly sick of winter.
Retired WGOM Jokes
- "The Twins should have drafted Mark Prior."
Race to the Bottom: Highest Loss Totals in T-Wolves History 67: 1991-92
63: 1992-93
62: 1993-94
61: 1994-95
60: 1989-90, 2007-08
58: 2008-09
56: 1995-96
53: 1990-91
52: 2009-10
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Recent Letters to the Editor
In Response to Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Mercy,
Milt on Tilt wrote: I quite like BRMC. They are in town with Band of Skulls on the day of my birth.
FirstTimeLongTime wrote: Cheaptoy, don't be fooled by the band name; you will not like this band.
In Response to Happy Birthday--March 14,
CarterHayes wrote: . RIP, Puck.
In Response to Music Day,
frightwig wrote: I still listen to music mostly on the living room component system w/ the big Cerwin-Vega! speakers, or in the car. However, the tape deck died last year and may never get replaced. Lately, I…
In Response to Cup of Coffee: March 12, 2010,
frightwig wrote: I can't order the spaghetti at Olive Garden, or really any restaurant. Even if it is the cheapest thing on the menu, I could never get over paying $11.95 for spaghetti in meat sauce. When…
Rhubarb_Runner wrote: I got no problem with that. ;)
Rhubarb_Runner wrote: Delmon was drafted out of Miskatonic University??
AMR wrote: Oh jeez, don't mention Olive Garden and Beer in the same post. I think I could have had a premium tap, like Killians or Michelob Amber.
Milt on Tilt wrote: he's still awesome in The Show. I signed him as the Pirates number one starter!
meat wrote: Sorry to hear that, New Guy. My thoughts are with you.
Jeff A wrote: Our condolences to all of your family.
In Response to Cup of Coffee: March 13-14, 2010,
Milt on Tilt wrote: Road to the Show is the greatest thing since sliced bread. And apparently the Reds are treating me like the Mets. They called up the young prospect with less than 500 professional at bats. I'm…
spookymilk wrote: Daylight savings … morning, guys. Don't be late for, you know, whatever.
CarterHayes wrote: unless you're a … fightin' words. The DAM is definitely on the list. We didn't allow for enough time at the Seattle Art Museum last year, a mistake we won't be making twice. Those brewery recommendations…
Beau wrote: Sweetwater, Texas is my favorite song by Fastball. You can listen to it on Lala here:
meat wrote: I concur.
meat wrote: CH, the Cherry Creek Arts Fest is pretty cool, and the new DAM is a great place to get some culture. As far as breweries are concerned you shouldn't miss Oskar Blues (don't screw around…
meat wrote: Fixed, and I don't know what more to say. Damn, Texas is one hell of place.
E-6 wrote: I'm afraid yer gonna have to say more, Tex. Or fix your link...
meat wrote: Dr. Chop and I just returned home from the annual Rattlesnake Roundup . Wow, that's all I can say. I have never seen anything like it before, nor will I see anything like it again.
AMR wrote: I have three TCs: Red, Blue, and Throwback Blue. The only difference is Throwback Blue has a blue button, no MLB logo on the back, and flat embroidery. It is my newest and my going…
In Response to Happy Birthday--March 13,
AMR wrote: If it were a different Bass, we'd have an all-pitcher day!
CarterHayes wrote: .
cheaptoy wrote: …
SBG wrote: Santana is just another Latino taking the job of some poor black kid in Detroit.