Beer and Country Wines- Drinking and Brewing 101

[jeep]

OK, I brew and drink beer and wines so why not. I won't claim to be an expert at grape wines, but I understand the basics of brewing them, I'm just not super experienced. I have, however, made excellent meads and very good country wines.

First some definitions:
Beer: Any beverage made from the fermentation of grain sugars.

Ale: is brewed with a "rapid fermentation" ot "top fermentation"- generally at warmer temperatures (70 degrees or so- 20 degrees C?)

Lager: is brewed with a "slow fermentation" or "bottom fermentation"- generally at lower temps (50 degrees- which is what... 10 degrees C?)

TANSTAAFL:
So what are porters and stouts?

Porter: This has lost it's meaning to the antiquities of time. It is a brew that was popular with the transportation workers of London, hence the name. Generally, it is use to describe a strong, robust, black ale.

Stout: It is thought that porters came in two strengths X and XX. Then the stout was introduced, which is a XXX porter. (The XX was apparently sold as a Stout Porter). Stouts are ales that are made with blackened grains (thanks to the coffee industry!).

Homework: Due to the variety of beer sold in various areas you may have to make a substitution or two in the brand, try to keep the style, though. I'm certain there are a variety of skill levels in this class, so pick your level.

Beginner: Drink a Coors light. It is one of the better 'yellow' beers. Realize that this is not "good" beer, but it is a good place to start if you've never drank beer before.

Intermediate: Drink an ESB (Extra Special Bitter) from a local micro-brew. This is a good style of beer, but as the name implies, it's quite bitter. If you do not have a microbrew, then in the US you can probably find something along the lines of "Fuller's London Pride".

Advanced: Drink a Guiness. This is a great stout. Do not drink it too cold, just below room temperature is perfect. If you drink it at a pub, don't get upset at the waitperson/bartender if they are slow. This beer takes some time to pour properly. If you get the pint too quickly, then you should not order a guiness from that place again. The best temperature for a Guiness is just below room temperature. We might as well start at the top for you advanced drinkers.

Adventurous: Drink a barley wine. This is a strong drink and often tastes a little like vinegar. I've had one really good one, and several really bad ones.

Beer story (myth?):

[RequiemEternam]

I am an intermediate-advanced student, so I'll try the Guiness tonight. I've only ever had it at parties, and never on tap, so that will be an experience. For the ESB, in the US I highly recommend visiting your local Brew Moon. They have great microbrews, and even their own root beer, which makes excellent root beer floats.


For my friend, who is a beginner, I don't have ready access to Coors Light. May I instead give him a glass of water with some yellow food coloring? I hear the experience would not be diminished in the least

[TANSTAAFL]

actually, I think the water with food coloring would taste better, and be more affordable than a coors light. My personal preferance for microbrews is the wide selection available from Rogue. My personal favorite of theirs is Dead Guy Ale. Magic Hat also has some interesting selections, even if they are harder to classify. For a nice winter brew, I would have to suggest Snow Goose, from Wild Goose.

[jeep]

RE: No, giving your friend water with yellow food coloring is not acceptable. However, sparkling water with food coloring will be acceptable.

TANSTAAFL: Your favorite is Dead Guy Ale? Your tastes will run along a different line than mine. DGA is definitely in the middle of the road. I tried it because a friend of mine is part of Team Dead Guy.

Some of the top brews in their class:

• Odell's 90 Schilling
  
• New Belgium's Flat Tire
  
• McTarnehan's Black Butte Porter
  
• Guiness Extra Stout
  

OK, in a couple weeks we'll start the lab portion of this class. Brewing your own beer. You can get some quality beer for not a lot of cash. There is a bit of an outlay up front. It'll run you about $100. You can often buy a "starter kit" from your local brew store. It'll sometimes have stuff you won't need or be missing something you do. It's a good start.

Required Equipment:

• 1 3-4 gallon pot- avoid aluminum if you can. Stick with stainless steel. I know someone who swears by his enamaled pot. That is acceptable too.
  
• 1 5 gallon glass carboy. This is a large glass jug. They used to be used for distributing water.
  
• 1 6-10 gallon food grade plastic bucket. This does not need to have an air tight lid for beer. If you want to make wines and are on a budget, then get a 6 gallon bucket with an air tight lid. Otherwise, we'll use another bucket. Make sure that it is not scratched up.
  
• 1-2 6 foot length of 3/8" clear plastic hose (that's the inside diameter) It's cheap, so I recommend you buy two.
  
• 1-2 3 foot length of clear plastic hose. Either 1" inside diameter or 5/16" inside diameter.
  
• 1 fermentation lock (If you get into brewing, you'll want more. I have 12 and I'm going to buy more when I get ready to make this beer.)
  
• 1 rubber stopper with hole for the fermentation lock. This should fit snuggly in the carboy.
  
• 1 large plastic funnel
  
• 1 Thermometer (I recommend getting one that floats and has a spot where you can tie a string to it.)
  
• 1 hydrometer (this is sometimes considered optional, but I really don't think it should be.)
  
• A large stirrer (basically you have to be able to stir the stuff in the large pot)
  
• A large strainer
  
• lots of new bottle caps
  
• 1 bottle capper
  
• 2.5 cases 12 oz beer bottles (60 bottles). You can use bombers if you prefer.
  
• cheesecloth- optional
  
• I also suggest that you purchase Carlie Papazian's The New Complete Joy of Home Brewing. It's probably the best book on home brewing around. There are a couple points that I disagree with, but they are trivial nits.
  
• If your brew store doesn't crush grains for you, you might need a rolling pin and a ziploc bag
  

-----------------------
I had planned on brewing something that is a little complex for a beginner, so I'll bring it down a notch:

We'll make a porter that I had good luck with before:

• 4.5 lbs amber malt extract syrup
  
• 3.3 lbs John Bull plain dark malk extract syrup (this comes in a can, if you cannot find John Bull, pick any dark malt extract syrup)
  
• 1 lb black patent malt (many stores will crush them for you. feel free to get them crushed)
  
• 1.5 oz Northern Brewer hops (13 HBU) You can pick any hops that are 13 HBU if you do not have acess to NB.
  
• 1 oz Tettnanger hops
  
• Ale yeast (I used Wyeast 1007- German Ale yeast)
  
• corn sugar or dried malt extract for bottling. Both work well, so buy whichever is easier for you.
  

I'm available for any questions you have.

-JEEP



[This message has been edited by jeep (edited 01-06-2003 05:50 PM).]

[eixdeuce]

Team Dead Guy!?!? Somehow that name sounds mighty familiar, especially if it is in relation to cards with magical properties. I have played with many magical cards with all members of Team Dead Guy. If I may ask, what is your friend's name and how long have u known him?

[jeep]

Heh, someone mentioned that they thought I shouldn't do this thread, so I've let it die. If people are interested, I'll continue it.

I know Dave B quite well, since 1995ish. I know others on the team also, but not as well.

-JEEP