I admire the legwork of the City Paper crew that went out into the cold, cruel world of bars and found Baltimore's coldest beer.

The honor goes to Bolero Lounge , 3638 S. Hanover a Bud Ice at 30.2 degrees. (An earlier post referred to the crew's good work in 2005  which named Butts and Betty's Tavern on Gough Street as the source of the coldest beer. My Bad).

The trouble is that when it comes to beer, colder does not mean better tasting.

As many beer books, including Beer for Dummies points out, the colder the beer, the less carbonation that is released, the less aroma a beer gives off.

"The palate is numbed," the Dummies book continues, "to the point that it cannot discern many of the beers flavor nuances. Why bother drinking a beer if you can't taste it? Might as well have a Slurpee."

The proper serving temperature for lagers is between 42 and 48 degrees, Dummies advised. For ales, it is 44 to 52. Stouts can be served at "British cellar temperature" up to 55 degrees.

Where do you stand on frosted mugs?

Are they a taste-bud  travesty or a welcome drinking companion?

Photo: Lloyd Fox The Baltimore Sun

Posted by Rob Kasper at 1:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

You gotta love the name of the new blueberry ale that they are pouring at Red Brick Station. It is called "They Made Me Do It."

The name refers to the reluctance of brew master Mike McDonald to make a fruity beer.

He did it  under protest about 12 years ago, and the ale became the pub's No. 1 seller.

 

This year's version became available this week on tap at Red Brick Station in White Marsh. It will be served until Labor Day. Starting next week, firkins of it are being shipped to  Max's, Mahaffery's, the Baltimore Taphouse and Pizzeria Paradiso in Washington, D.C., I was told.  

How does a brewer react to the fact that his wishes are not those of the beer-drinking public? With a sense of humor.

"If I made beer only for myself, I wouldn't be in business very long, " McDonald told me.

"When I was young and brash, I had bumper sticker on my old pickup that said, "Fruit Beers Suck," McDonald said.

But when McDonald got hired at Red Brick's White Marsh Brewing Co., he was told he had to brew a fruit beer. He said fine, as long as he got to name it.

"I picked blueberries because they have such a neutral flavor," McDonald said.

As his blueberry ale grew in popularity, McDonald's stance shifted.

"I guess I have softened," he said. " I actually like the beer."

What became of the "Fruit Beers Suck" bumper sticker?

"I sold the truck, and the sticker went with it," he said.

Anybody else seen this bumper sticker? McDonald said it came from a brewery in Hartford, Conn.

Anybody tried "They Made Me Do It" blueberry ale?

Photo: Blueberry Council

Posted by Rob Kasper at 11:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Like many folks who have shady, moist yards, I have slugs.

Like many guys who drink beer, I have a supply of brews that "seemed like a good idea at the time."

These beers, in other words, are leftovers.

So following the advice of many garden gurus, including Michael Pollan, I  recently tried to eliminate slugs by serving them my leftover beer.

Now each morning I go out in the backyard and check my "beer traps." So far, results are dismal.

No slug has sampled the Stoudt's Oktoberfest, a once prize-winning brew that I snagged on sale  after it had been sitting for months in a warehouse. Once I tasted it, I knew why it was on sale.

Nary a slug has taken a dipped in the Cranberry Wit, one of offerings made by home brewers that Samuel Adams has packaged in its LongShot series.

The failure to lure any slugs may not be the fault of the beers. According to slug experts at the University of Illinois, the beer traps should be no more than a quarter-inch off the ground. I had mine in bowls that sit about 2 inches off the ground.

In other words, my slugs could not belly up to bar.

I will change my serving style, I guess, and see how the ground-level approach works. I'll keep you posted.

Anybody had experience serving beer to slugs? What are the tricks?

Photo: stockxchnge.com

Posted by Rob Kasper at 12:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Weird beer stories
        

It is not officially summer until June 21, which also happens to be Father's Day. But it was so humid in Baltimore recently that it felt like summertime.

For me, the summer like weather is an invitation to drink Dunkel Weiss, a dark wheat ale.  The other evening, as the wooden windows swelled and the doors stuck, I cracked open a Dunkel Weiss from Great Divide Brewing Co. in Denver.

The label describes it as "hefeweizen's older brother." I think that is accurate. It is 6.4 percent ABV. One touch I loved is the label warning: "Don't put any lemon in it."

It poured brown with a slight head. It had a medium body and pleasant malty flavor with pleasing banana notes (but it smelled more like cloves than bananas). I liked it in part because I am a big fan of bananas.

The tasting panel on Rate Beer seems to regard it as an average beer. But I guess they aren't as fond of bananas as I am.

I found it the Wine Source, where a 750 ml. bottle goes for $7.99. The distributor in Maryland is Legends.

I am doing a turnaround on wheat beers. I never cared for them much, except for the wheat beer at the old Baltimore Brewing C. But lately I have found several I am fond of, especially in the summer.  Don't know if the wheat beers are getting better or I am getting more tolerant. The latter seems unlikely.

Anybody else warming up to wheat?

Any other opinions on the Great Divide Dunkel Weiss?

Photo courtesy of Great Divide Brewing Co.'s Web site.

Posted by Rob Kasper at 10:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Brew reviews
        

Hard to believe, but a story out of Lincoln, Neb., says a bandit with a Bud Light box on his head robbed a convenience store of $50 worth of cigarettes.

The bandit gestured as if he had a weapon, the police say they were told. He later discarded  his "mask", an empty 12-pack. The police said they are checking it for fingerprints.

This incident poses several questions ...

• What happened to the beer?

• Do you suppose he drank it?

• Can you really get fingerprints from a 12-pack?

I have heard of beer drinkers putting lamp shades on their heads, but this is the first time I have heard of a beer carton being a hat. 

Have you, or anyone you know, ever used a beer carton as headgear?

If you answer yes, the Lincoln Police Department might want to speak with you.

Posted by Rob Kasper at 2:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Weird beer stories
        

A Web site called That's The Spirit has a number of recipes for "beer cocktails."

One called a Michelada is made as follows:

"Pour your beer into a glass filled with ice and add the juice of one small lemon. Add a dash of soy, Tabasco and Worcestershire. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. For some, a true Mexican Michelada is not complete without a shot of Tequila mixed in ."

Ugh!

I can see "lager a lime," a dash of lime juice in a light larger. 

And maybe on a very hot day a shandy, which is a mixture of beer and lemonade.

But that's as far as I can go.

How about you? Are you open to the idea of cocktails made with beer?

Posted by Rob Kasper at 10:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

My former Sun collegaue Jon Morgan, Senior Editor of the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism, sends word about a story from England that confirms that British media workers drink more than members of any other profession.

This does not surprise most media workers.

We readily imbibe, especially if someone else is paying.

Maybe we should have a drink-off, Brit media workers vs. USA media workers.

Better do it fast, before there are so few of us that we can't field a team.

Photo: Prince Charles perhaps rooting for the Brits, Associated Press

Posted by Rob Kasper at 3:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Weird beer stories
        

One drawback: The last  session starts at 9:30 p.m. and could end up running dangerously close to my bed time.

This event matches fine foods, such as Maryland crab-cake sliders, with fine beers such as Brooklyn Local 1 Strong Gold Ale and Stoudt's Pils. Can't wait to see which beer wins this matchup.

Here is a list of the food and beer pairings.

I attended last year's Savor session in Washington. Pretty classy.

Anybody else go?

What did you think?

Baltimore Sun photo 2006

Posted by Rob Kasper at 1:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Events
        

This is Maryland soft crab week, a crustacean celebration that has a number of Baltimore restaurants offering special soft crab dishes.

Details are available from Baltimore's Downtown Partnership.

Hailing from Dodge City, Kan., I am a big fan of soft crabs. Many serious seafood lovers grew up in the Midwest, where we once thought seafood was only fish sticks.

I have even "cleaned" soft crabs, removing their face and lungs. Once you do that, you are not in Kansas anymore.

My question is, what is your favorite beer to sip while enjoying soft crabs?

One for me is Wild Goose IPA, an amiable companion for a soft crab sandwich, topped with slice of tomato, on rye.  

Baltimore Sun file photo

Posted by Rob Kasper at 10:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Food and drink
        

The predicted rain held off and there was good weather Sunday, the day I attended the Brew at the Zoo and Wine Too! fundraiser at the Maryland Zoo in Druid Hill Park.

Stalls dispensing beer and selling food and crafts were set up under large leafy trees and ringed a stage where bands played. This sylvan setting made for one of the best venues for any beer event in the state. The crowd was friendly, the lines were short. It was a delightful afternoon.

However, as I noted in a previous post, none of beers poured at this Maryland Zoo event were brewed in the state. Delaware was represented by Dogfish, Fordham and Evolution. Lancaster was there from Pennsylvania. Magic Hat, Ommegang and Sierra Nevada were among the other craft brewers from out of state.

The Maryland brewery officials that I spoke with gave two reasons for not being there.

Some, like Matt Crow of Frederick's Flying Dog operation, said they had not been invited. "We would love to be a part of the event," he told me.

Others, like Clipper City's Hugh Sisson, said they were invited but did not participate this year because in prior years the event was not well organized. Moreover, Sisson said, the cost of participating kept climbing.

"We've dealt with three different organizers in  three different years,"' Sisson said "In a nutshell, it became more of a hassle for us than a pleasure."

Zoo officials have told me they are working to get Maryland breweries represented at next year's event. Let's hope they do. Local brewers have a history of supporting the Zoo in its prior fundraising events. They should be welcomed as old friends, not charged an arm and a leg to participate in a local event.

It makes sense to pour some Maryland brews at the Maryland Zoo.

Any other opinions on Brew at the Zoo?

Posted by Rob Kasper at 8:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Events
        

It's Memorial Day weekend, and that means guys gotta grill something, Even if it rains, you fire up.

I have all this bad beer (Iron City). So, at some point, I am going to use it to cook beer can chicken on the barbecue grill. Beer can chicken is more of a stunt than cuisine, but it uses up that bad beer.

Madden, a former football coach and former TV broadcaster, wrote that food can be divided into "floaters and sinkers."

"Salad is a floater. ... It's light. It stays up there. Tailgating food is all sinkers ... They sink down there and keep you on the ground."

I guess beer can chicken is a sinker.

What follows is a recipe I got from John Madden. OK, from his cookbook John Madden's Ultimate Tailgating.

One other note: A 16-ounce beer can works better than a 12-ounce. Mainly because it is taller and keeps the chicken stable.

Beer-Stuffed Chicken

1 can of beer , 16-ounce is best, but 12 will do.

2 tablespoons poultry seasoning

2 tablespoons garlic salt

2 pinches black pepper

1 whole chicken

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 jar of your favorite barbecue sauce

Empty can of beer into large bowl. Cut off top of the empty beer can with utility scissors or tin snips. Mix poultry seasoning, garlic salt and pepper in the bowl with the beer.

Heat grill to 275 degrees (medium-hot fire). Massage chicken with olive oil. Pour half of contents of bowl back into the beer can. Top can off with barbecue sauce, stopping about 1 inch short of top.

Place can on solid surface. Squeeze chicken over beer can. Be sure can is completely inside chicken. Coat chicken with remaining contents of bowl. Using indirect heat arrangement (coals on the sides, open space in the middle), put stuffed chicken on grill, adjusting legs so chicken sits vertically on the beer can.

Warning: As the liquid in the can evaporates, the chicken gets wobbly. Cover grill and cook 1 1/2 to 2 hours, lid on until the meat is 175 degrees on a meat thermometer.

Remove chicken from grill. Remove beer can. Slice and serve.

Photo: Associated Press

Posted by Rob Kasper at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Food and drink
        

Funny piece on National Public Radio by reporter Robert Smith on  how Flying Fish Brewing Company is trying to come up with a beer honoring each exit on the New Jersey Turnpike.

So far it has one for Exit 4, near the Cherry Hill, N.J., brewery. It is an American-style Belgian trippel with a bitter aftertaste, which, the wags point out, is what riding on the turnpike gives you.

The brewery is taking suggestions on its Web site for other brews and other turnpike exits.

Posted by Rob Kasper at 9:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Maryland Zoo officials who tell me tickets for this weekend's fundraiser can be purchased either on line or at the zoo gate.

The price is $45 for non zoo members. Here it the link.

Several comments have asked why there are no local beers being poured at the event. Jane Ballentine, spokeswoman for the zoo said that local breweries had been invited but had chosen not to participate. Since it is now a two-day event, some of the local breweries felt they could not make that commitment, she said.

One local brewer who has participated in the past told me that in prior years ticket sales were not controlled, and he and other brewers were put in the uncomfortable position of running out of beer.

Ballentine told me steps have been taken this year to prevent that from happening. The size of the crowd is limited by the fire marshall to 4,500, she said.

Posted by Rob Kasper at 12:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Events
        

According to several comments I received from correspondents in Australia and Thailand, the "beer mat" that Annice Smoel, the mother of four was accused of stealing, was much larger than a beer coaster.

It was a rubber mat, valued at about $65, according to a story in Australia's Advertiser newspaper.

One correspondent, Lisa, sent a photo of the mat that ran in Phuket Thailand Daily News. Here's the link.

Posted by Rob Kasper at 11:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Weird beer stories
        

Interesting piece by Ed Gunts in today's Sun about new life for old American brewery on Gay Street.

Some old American beer bottles are on display in the lobby.

In the lobby, glass cases (see one above) hold a collection-in-progress gathered on eBay. Find more photos of the restored brewery here.

Baltimore Sun photo: Jed Kirschbaum 

Posted by Rob Kasper at 9:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

The view of Baltimore's harbor from the Center Club atop the Legg Mason Tower downtown is spectacular.

I took it in recently. On a sparkling spring evening, boats plied the harbor. In the glow of the fading sunshine,  the waters appeared cerulean and pristine. (I  know better). Baltimore looked, in other words, like a port.

I was at the Center Club as a spouse. Dr. Karen Davis, a colleague of my wife, was among four men and women being given an honorary degree by the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. UMBC president Freeman Hrabowski III gave a dinner for the honorees and some top UMBC undergraduates. At Hrabowski's urging, the graduating students spoke to the group about their research and their plans for the future. Spring, the students reminded us, is a time of fresh starts.

I sipped a beer, a Yuengling, and recalled the story of David G. Yuengling, a young German who arrived in Baltimore's harbor 182 years ago. He went on to start a brewery, now America's oldest.

It is not clear why Yuengling left the kingdom Wurttemberg, now part of Germany. At the time, however, young men could be pressed into military service against their wishes. According to historian James M. Berquist, young men could get on boats bound for America without being questioned about their military obligations. The boats that brought immigrants to the port of Baltimore usually returned to Bremen loaded with American tobacco.

Young Yuengling had been educated in German schools and had also learned to brew. In 1827, he landed in Baltimore, probably Locust Point. He stayed here two years, moved briefly to Lancaster, Pa.,  then built a small brewery in Pottsville, Pa. This is according a biography I found in the History of Schuylkill County, Pa.

Yuengling chose Pottsville as site for his brewery because it had clear cspring water, the folks at Yuengling Brewery told me, and because it was nestled in mountains. One of the appeals of being on a mountain was that he could use its cool caves to lager the beer. This was before refrigeration. 

When his first brewery burned down in 1831, Yuengling built the next one in the Sharp's Mountain, where it resides today.

Yuengling was 21 when he made his journey. This is about the age of the students who are graduating from college this month.  It is a time in life when young men and women set sail.

The other night I toasted a few of them with a Yuengling, a beer created by a young man who braved an ocean passage and got off a boat one day in Baltimore's harbor.

Photo courtesy of Yuengling Brewery

Posted by Rob Kasper at 7:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

From time to time, I will post what I call weird beer stories. Here is one with a somewhat happy ending. Annice Smoel, a 36-year-old mother of four, has been released from a Thai jail after pleading guilty to pocketing some beer coasters.

The story, out of Australia reported by Adelaide Now, among others, is that Smoel was in Phuket at a party celebrating her mother's 60th birthday when two friends stuck some of the coasters, or "beer mats" as the Aussie call them, in her handbag.

The "crime" was supposedly spotted by undercover police. When the police confronted her, Smoel reportedly fled down a nearby beach, or as the bar owner put it, "She did a runner on them."

She ended up in jail, awaiting trial. The Aussie press, especially The Daily Telegraph, got hold of the story of a "Mum Tied Down for a Thai Prank."

Today, the Mum was back in Australia, free from the beer coaster police. She paid a $38 fine and got a six-month suspended sentence. 

Now I ask you, have you ever pocketed a beer coaster?

Are you filled with remorse?

Or do you regard it as part of the price of the beer?

Photo of Annice Smoel and children: Getty Images

Posted by Rob Kasper at 10:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)
Categories: Weird beer stories
        

In case you missed it, here is my recommended recipe for grilled asparagus that was in The Sun yesterday.

So the question is, what beer do you drink with asparagus?

Donovan Hall, a writer based on Long Island, suggests a Belgian Tripel with asparagus.

So does Garrett Oliver, brewmaster of Brooklyn Brewery in New York and author of The Brewmaster's Table.

But my favorite advice on asparagus and beer comes from a piece written by Dale Bowman, outdoor writer for the Chicago Sun-Times. He accompanied Jason Johns on a hunt for wild asparagus in Illinois. John's first rule was, "You can't hunt asparagus without drinking beer.

Any other asparagus /beer pairings? Anybody hunt wild asparagus?

On the shore, I am told it is called "spare grass." Ever hear that?

Baltimore Sun photo: Algerina Perna

Posted by Rob Kasper at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Food and drink
        

Check out the guest post by Owl Meat Gravy on my colleague Sam Sessa's blog, Midnight Sun, about NicoShot, a German brew that contains nicotine.

Is this a good idea?

Posted by Rob Kasper at 3:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Perhaps it was the alcohol in the ale, 6.7 percent ABV, but I soon started thinking about "big questions." One was, which bird should I be rooting for?

I know from experience that mockingbirds can be aggressive, dive-bombing anyone they perceive as a threat. I had just read a news account of research stating that mockingbirds can distinguish human friends from human foes.

Robins, on the other hand, are harbingers of spring. And they eat worms. As I watched the two birds fly around, the mockingbird seemed to be winning.

Speaking of flying, I wondered about going halfway around the world to get hops from New Zealand for a spring beer.

That is what the folks at Sierra Nevada in Chico, Calif., did.

Brewery owner and founder Ken Grossman explains the effort on the brewery's Web site. "We love fresh hop ales, but until now fresh hops were only available here once a year -- during the fall hop harvest. So we journeyed to the southern hemisphere to catch their hop harvest, which occurs during our spring. The result is the North-by South fusion of fresh-picked New Zealand Pacific hops with the finest North American malts. Southern Hemisphere Harvest will feature fresh Pacific Hallertau, New Zealand Motueka and New Zealand Southern Cross hops, all from New Zealand," Grossman says in a statement.

The result is a tart, very well made ale, slightly more bitter to my taste than the brewery's earlier fresh hop brew. I enjoyed it.

But again "big questions" loomed for me. Is it a contradiction for American craft brewers, who pride themselves on their local roots to fetch hops -- organic hops even -- from New Zealand?

Does producing a fusion beer run counter to the "locavore" movement of consuming locally produced goods?

Or is it inevitable? Hops, after all, don't grow everywhere.

So if you are a real locavore, should you only drink beers made with locally grown ingredients?

That seems limiting, unless you live in the Pacific Northwest.

I downed the bottle of Southern Hemisphere, and thought that maybe eating locally and drinking locally are "birds of a different feather."

What do you think? Do you eat locally but drink globally?

Harvest Ale photo courtesy of Sierra Nevada

Posted by Rob Kasper at 11:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

My Sun colleague Frank Roylance sends word of good beer-drinking weather this weekend. He reports that the weather looks to be sunny on Saturday, and there's a 30 percent chance of showers Sunday. That looks good for Brew at the Zoo and Wine Too!, an event this weekend that brings together beer drinkers, bands and animals, with the latter being well-behaved.

There are two sessions, one Saturday afternoon and one Sunday. Tickets, $45 for nonmembers, are available at Zoo's Web site.

As for the beers, here is the list straight from the animal keeper's mouth.

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
            Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
            Sierra Nevada Summerfest

Independent Brewers United
            Magic Hat #9
            Magic Hat Lucky Kat IPA
            Magic Hat Wacko
            Pyramid Hefeweizen

FXMatt
            Saranac Pale Ale
            Saranac Pomegranate Wheat
            Saranac Imperial IPA
            Lake Placid Ubu Ale

Brewery Ommegang
            Ommegang Witte
            Ommegang Hennepin
            Ommegang Three Philosophers
            Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence

Lancaster Brewing Co.
            Hop Hog IPA
            Strawberry Wheat
            Amish Four Grain
            Milk Stout

Dogfish Head
            60 Minute IPA
            90 Minute IPA
            Indian Brown Ale
            Raison D’Etre

Evolution Craft Brewing Co.
            Primal Pale Ale
            Exile ESB
            Lucky 7 Porter

Pabst Brewing Co.
            McSorleys Irish Pale Ale
            McSorleys Irish Black Lager

Here are four late entries, just the breweries, not the beers. Star Hill, Kona, Red Hook and Costal Brewery.

Posted by Rob Kasper at 8:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Events
        

A little bit of a break in format this week because I wanted to make sure one of the biggest beer-related events of this past weekend didn't go without comment.

Saturday was Preakness Day in Baltimore and it is usually without rival as the biggest party day of the year here in Charm City. Particularly in the Pimlico infield where horses are the last thing on the partiers' minds. Or what's left of their minds after a day-long beerfest in the hot sun. At least that's the way it's been in past years. This year the Maryland Jockey Club enacted a prohibition on outside alcoholic beverages coming into the park. If anyone wanted a beer at Preakness, they would have to stand in line and shell out $3.50 for one. The result - an infield crowd estimated at about a third the size of what's been there in recent years. This link goes to a story and video reporting the smaller, but tamer infield crowd. As you might notice in the video, the outside-beer ban did not mean the race was without its share of race-day drunks.

We also live-streamed video from the infield for 5 hours on race day. I'm not sure what it is about cameras that turns them into drunk magnets, but it was as if we had a sign up inviting all inebriates in the crowd to stop by and yell into the camera. So even with the prohibition in place, people still managed to have their fun. Until they woke up on Sunday.

Now for the blog report...

Someone sent us a note this week alerting us to The Atlantic's beverage blog, Mixmaster. The blog, which has a number of contributors, is heavily weighted in the direction of liquor.  But Berlin-based writer Clay Risen has a nice post about cask-conditioned beers. Well worth a check-out of the post as well as the rest of the blog.

Posted by Steve Sullivan at 6:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Recently I tasted a new beer made from a recipe that harkened back to brewing practices of 375 years ago.

The beer, 1634 Ale is from Brewer's Alley in Frederick. According to Tom Flores, the brewer there, the ale is designed to evoke the flavor of the  beer enjoyed by the colonists who founded Maryland, some 375 years ago.

The name, 1634, refers to the year when the province of Maryland was founded in St. Mary's City. A celebration of Maryland's 375th birthday is set for June 20th in St. Mary's. The ale is being bottled, distributed by Republic National, and is set to be in  stores throughout the state  this spring. 

It is available on tap at Brewer's Alley and Flores brought me some in a growler. It is a dark, reddish ale, with a faint sweetness, and an intriguing finish.

The sweetness comes from molasses, Flores told me , the finish from caraway seeds. These ingredients, along with malted rye, went into the brew because they were what a colonial brewer would have on hand he said.  It is lightly hopped because "hops were hard to come by in the colonies," Flores said.

As for style, Flores described it as "a rustic, primitive ale."

I found 1634 to be a pleasing dark ale, a tad  sweet, with a distinctive rye finish.  At about 5  percent ABV, it easy to drink.

It is impressive to think that guys were brewing pretty good beer in Maryland 375 years ago.

Anyone else have a chance to taste 1634? Opinions?

Anyone else have experience with ales made from ancient recipes?

In my experience some of these old brews are historically accurate, but not tasty. This one is an exception.

Posted by Rob Kasper at 9:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Just got off the phone with Mark Denny, the physicist and home brewer who has written the book Froth, published by Johns Hopkins University Press. Dustin, a reader of this blog, said he noticed  that there was a different, richer feel to the carbonation in beers using the bottle-conditioned method compared to beers that use forced carbonation. He wanted to know why.

Denny replied, "I noticed that too. For instance, I go to microbrewery and have some of their draft beer and it tastes really good. I maybe buy a six pack of the bottled version to take home and it doesn't taste so good. It is because I think the carbonation is different.

"Carbonation that arises naturally through the action of the yeast is part of fermentation. That produces carbon dioxide and carbonates the beer. That is way I do it when I do my home brew.

"Quite often commercial brewers don't let the beer carbonate in the bottle because that requires yeast. And the yeast settles down in the bottom of the bottle. And if you don't pour it carefully it becomes cloudy which is not very attractive.

"So what commercial brewers do is they filter the beer so there is no yeast, They carbonate it artificially, they hook it up to a tank of CO 2. I have noticed that when it is done that way, it tastes different.

"I am not a chemist, I am physicist so I can't tell you exactly why, but I suspect the gas is probably a slightly different mixture and sometimes the brewers mix in a little nitrogen with the CO 2 and that changes the properties of the bubbles quite significantly.

"So your reader could be getting some nitrogen in his beer as well as some CO 2.

"Another possibility is that there are trace gases  in the artificial carbonation) It may not be pure  CO 2" Denny said.

Does this make sense to the home brewers out there?

Posted by Rob Kasper at 2:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

Ever stare at a glass of beer and become tranfixed  watching the bubbles? Mark Denny has . He is a physicist and a home brewer who has written a book "Froth, The Science of Beer" published this month by the Johns Hopkins University Press.

 I read his  chapter on the bubbles in beer the other day. I confess I had to read it twice because there is a lot of math and physics in the text. Imagine that in a book about the science of beer.

I will skip over the formula used to derive  the "mean bubble radius" of the bubbles in beer. But Denny knows it .

 Being a scientist  , Denny  sees more in beer bubbles than the average bar patron, For instance  he tells us, that the generation and dissipation of bubbles in a glass of beer fall into four categories.

In the first step, the bubbles form in the glass.  Next comes  beading or creaming when the bubbles rise to form a  head. In the third stage the big bubbles get bigger and smaller ones shrink, a process called disproportionation. Finally there is drainage, when the beer falls out of the head, leaving  dry foam, or a  Denny calls the dry foam " polygonal-shaped bubbles." 

 The next time you stare at drained glass of beer , be sure to notice the  polygonal bubbles.

Ever see bubbles emerge from a spot on the side of your glass? That, Denny tells us, is a "nucleation site". This site, he explains, is caused by  a dust spec,  a spur in the glass or some  other  defect in the side of the glass  that permits the  dissolved CO2 to exit the liquid beer and fly upward as a bubble.

Below is his description  ( with the physics in parentheses) of how to  correctly  pour beer from a bottle to a glass.

"Tip a clean, air-dried glass ( one with few nucleation sites to prevent excessive foam) to an angle of 45 degrees and pour the beer slowly from the bottle  ( to avoid mechanical agitation and to allow time for the head to foam .)

Gradually raise the glass upright as it fills ( to avoid spilling the beer ,idiot).

Finish with a flourish by increasing the distance from bottle to glass as you pour the last of the beer ( to increase mechanical agitation  and so generate more forth, so that it projects above the glass , and a little of it spills over the edge).

Do you follow?
It seems  Denny tilts his glass when pouring. Others pour down the middle of the glass.
Which way do your pour?

I am trying to get an interview with Denny. I did not do well in physics in high school. So what questions should I ask him about the physics of beer?

Posted by Rob Kasper at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Today about 33 fellows who used to work at the old National Brewing Company on Dillon Street in East Baltimore are getting together for lunch at Casey's Bar and Restaurant on Joppa Road in Parkville.

Bill Costello, who was in the brewery's advertising department from 1964-1974, told me these National reunions are "sporadic, when somebody decides we should do it."

The agenda for today's gathering is eating lunch, telling stories, and maybe drinking a few beers, Costello said. I asked what kind of beer the former Natty Boh salesmen were going to drink, and Costello replied, "Take a guess."

At my urging, Costello talked about the "good old days" in the 1950s and 1960s when National, makers of National Bohemian and National Premium beers ruled this market. 

"We had a 58 percent of the Maryland beer market," Costello said. "Yes, we worked hard and long brewing and selling beers. But each day was fun.  Many of the guys swear "it was family" because that is way we were treated by (owner) Jerry Hoffberger."

Hoffberger also owned the Orioles and brewery employees were regulary given free seats and parking to the Oriole game, Costello said.

Moreover, the link between working in sports and working at the brewery was strong.

Costello was a former sports reporter for The Evening Sun and was hired to work for National by Frank Cashen. Cashen, an excutive with the brewery  was also the Orioles executive vice president and general manager during a 10-year stint with the club beginning in 1965. Costello knew Cashen from days gone by  when they were fellow patrons of Jerry's Belvedere Tavern on York Road. Cashen  convinced him to "come home,"  Costello said, with the promise of free beer.

"When first I came to Baltimore in 1943 there were five breweries, Arrow, Free State, Gunther, American and National," Costello said. 

"That is all the neighbor bars carried, local beers. Drafts were 10 cents; if you tried to charge 15 cents, they would tell you were to put it," Costello said.

I am not crazy about National Bohemian, but I did like National Premium, a fine, malty brew.

Anybody else recall these beers and the good old days?

Posted by Rob Kasper at 6:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)
        

Dropped into Max's on Broadway the other night to toast American Craft Beer Week.

 Maryland's craft brewers were out in force. I spoke with Volker Stewart of Brewer's Art, who said his staff regularly challenges him to identify an unmarked  glass of beer that they have put before him. Mike McDonald of Whitemarsh Brewing told fish stories. Hugh Sisson of Clipper City discussed  Civil War battles. Jim Lutz of Frederick's Flying Dog and Wild Goose brewery explained the fine art of filtering the water used to make beer.

 As delightful as it was to talk with these guys, it was more fun to taste their beers. Many of them are on tap this week at Max's. I started stong, too strong, working on a large glass Heavy Seas Peg Leg Stout . It was dark and rich, but you shouldn't begin with a beer that is 8 per cent ABV. I soon switched to a smaller glass  of  Heavy Seas Red Sky, a Saison Ale that encourages drinkers to play the game of " name that spice".  Next I had a refreshing glass of Olivers  fruity Cherry Blossom Ale, and a small but potent sampling of Flying Dog's Snake Dog hoppy IPA. Then I folded.

It is great that Max's kicked off the week serving Maryland beers. Here is list of other brewers who will be there this week.

What is your "local"  doing for American Craft Beer Week?

What beers have you tried this week?

Posted by Rob Kasper at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

The late Hunter S. Thompson influenced a generation of acid droppers, pot heads and journalists (including yours truly). In addition to that gutter crowd, a couple of Colorado beermakers crossed paths with Thompson and in the 1990s adopted not only his Gonzo philosophy for their Flying Dog Ales, but also enlisted Ralph Steadman, Thompson's friend and collaborator, to provide label illustrations.

Flying Dog's iconoclastic approach extends to the brewery's marketing efforts. Neal Stewart, Flying Dog's Prime Minister of Marketing (!), explains, "We spend very little on advertising. Zero, in fact. But we're very involved in a variety of social media platforms and the blog is part of it."

The Flying Dog Blog is one element of an integrated social media strategy that Stewart uses, along with Twitter, Facebook and whatever comes and goes on the socmed scene. The blog launched in March 2007 and covers a variety of subjects of interest to Flying Dog's consumers and sales force. Stewart says, "We have loyal drinkers who are interested in what we do. We're a fun company and we do fun things. We also like to highlight all the good things our distributors and retailers are doing. They send us photos from their events and we put them on the blog. It's a way of saying 'thank you' to people." The blog is heavily sprinkled with posts about promotions and events. But in keeping with the Thompson theme, there are plenty of "Get to know Gonzo" posts about Thompson, Steadman and brewery co-founder George Stranahan.

But the blog is just one piece of an integrated effort to tap into multiple online communities. The blog drives traffic to Twitter and Facebook and those tools reciprocate. All of them work together to promote the brand.

Flying Dog was early to the Twitter frenzy, posting its first tweet in January 2008. Stewart claims that Flying Dog has more Twitter followers than any other adult beverage brand in the country. As of May 11, they had more than 5,200 followers. "Mostly it's a conversation. A public one, but it's like a one-on-one conversation," said Stewart. "We use Twitter to promote our Tweet Up events, where we invite people who actively follow us to a bar." Stewart said a recent Denver Tweet Up drew 100 followers. He said that upcoming events are planned in DC and Baltimore.

Stewart said they're also doing Twitter Taste Live events. "It's an online tasting. We promote ahead of time which beers we're going to taste and when. We have our CEO and head brewer online and we ask people what they think of each beer and what they'd pair it with. The followers can also ask their questions to us. We get some very specific questions for the head brewer."

Of course, Flying Dog used the blog to promote the Twitter Taste Live event. And they did so with their signature Gonzo twist - Drink Beer With Flying Dog Brewery. And Also Not Have Any Pants On.

Thompson would be proud.

Posted by Steve Sullivan at 6:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

This is  American Craft Beer Week, a designation honored both by the U.S. Congress and a Pabst-sipping Steven Colbert.

I started off the week sipping a beer made in the  American craft style, from Belgium .

I bought a bottle of Mikkeller  Cascade Singe Hop American Style India Pale Ale.  The brewers at  De Proef Brouwerij  Lochristi-Hijfte,  ( try saying  that early on a Monday morning) in Belgium have sent over a line of single hop brews to America.

They must figure that Americans are gung ho on hops because this one , as our friends at Dogfish might say, will peel the enamel off your teeth.

It is  6 per cent ABV yet is so potent that I could only sip it in a small glass.

I did get the hop notes, but  not much else that was pleasant. The finish was  dusty at best, sawdusty at worst.  At $6.75 for a 12 ounce bottle, it is too much money , in my book , for too little pleasure.

American craft brewers could see this as a form of flattery. The Belgians, noted craft brewers, are now trying to imitate the Americans.

Anyone else see it that way?

Other thoughts on the Mikkeller line?
How are you celebrating American Craft Beer Week?.

Posted by Rob Kasper at 8:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Brew at the Zoo, a cleverly-named fundraiser for the Maryland Zoo in Druid Hill Park ,is expanding to two days this year.

Saturday May 23 and Sunday May 24 from 1 p.m.-6 p.m.you can sip craft beers and converse with creatures. Tickets are $45 for adults who not Zoo members, $30 for members. Details here.

 I used to go to Zoomerang, a former zoo fundraiser that featured food from area restaurants. It was a lot of fun. Although I do recall being startled by a woman, a zoo worker , who was walking around with a snake coiled around her body.

 I am tracking down the list of brews that will be poured there. Am not sure what snakes, if any, will be on hand.

Anybody attend prior Brew at the Zoo parties?

 What did you think, and what did you drink?

Posted by Rob Kasper at 9:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

I had a telephone conversation with Michael Pollan, author of the best selling books The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food the other day. I am writing a story about him for The Sun because he is speaking at the Enoch Pratt Library on Saturday, May 16. The speech is open to the public. There is a pre-speech cocktail reception, $35 a ticket, details here.

Mostly we talked about food. But we also spoke about gardening -- and beer. Pollan grows a vegetable garden in the front yard of his Berkeley, Calif., home. Like most gardeners, he battles bugs, in particular snails and slugs.

How does "Mr. Sustainable" keep these pests at bay without hurting the environment? He puts out small bowls of beer. The snails and slugs dive into the beer and expire.

Who could blame them?

Anybody else kill bugs with beer?

Anybody know why it works?

Posted by Rob Kasper at 11:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Thursday is National Homebrew Day, a toast to the legions of guys and gals who are willing to make their homes smell like hops in order to make better beer.

The current swell state of American craft-brewing got that way in large measure because of early efforts of home brewers. Some of the big names in American craft brewing -- Boston's Jim Koch, Dogfish's Sam Calagione and Clipper City's Hugh Sisson -- got started years ago brewing small batches. Moreover, home brewers push commerical breweries to produce good stuff.

I have written about the efforts Boston Beer Company has taken to bring the creations of home brewers into its product line. Their LongShots six-pack features beers made by home brewers.

Baltimore's Clipper City Brewing Company is also sponsoring a contest for home brewers. The contest invites home brewers to drop off their brews at the Clipper City brewery during business hours  June 8 to June 19. A winner will be announced July 3. Details are at the Clipper City Web site.

The idea is to find a flavorful, big beer, with ABV of at least 7 percent, that is not already in the company's Heavy Seas line.  The winner is slated to be bottled by the brewery in the spring of 2010.

Home brewers: got any success stories, tales of exceptional beers, to share? Howsabout tales of your biggest home-brewing mistakes?

A friend who brews told me how he once was awakened in the middle of the night by strange sounds coming from in his basement. Armed with a baseball bat he eased his way into the basement, only to find that his bottled homebrews were exploding. Ever happen to you?

Posted by Rob Kasper at 2:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

David Turley said that his wife got tired of him talking to her about craft beer all the time, so he needed another outlet for his passion. The result was the October 2007 launch of his blog, Musings Over a Pint.

Turley said that back then Virginia, and his base of Fredericksburg in particular, was starting to experience a craft-beer boom and he felt it was a good time to start blogging to let other people know about it. "We're halfway between Richmond and D.C.  Blue and Gray is our local brewery and that was pretty much it for years. But then the Capital Ale House out of Richmond decided to open in Fredericksburg. Then the Fredericksburg Pub, which is a British-themed pub with a small craft beer selection. Then another little pub - called The Pub - began working with some local brewers to start brewing on site. All of a sudden, we've got a couple of really good beer bars and a couple of brew pubs opening up. The Virginia Beer Trail seems to be growing, including here in not-so-sleepy Fredericksburg."

Turley does due diligence reporting on Fredericksburg-area events, pubs and their offerings, and whatever else he thinks might be of interest to his craft-beer aficionado neighbors. "I tend to like when people write about what's going on in their area, rather than just beer reviews, so that's what I try to offer. And I seem to get more comments on posts that talk about issues - the debate over the drinking age, privatizing the ABC (Alcoholic Beverage Control) stores in Virginia, beer in frosted mugs. Those types of things really get the most response."

Those responses initially took Turley by surprise. "One of my early posts was about Flying Dog Brewery. I mentioned one of their beers that I didn't particularly care for. The next day I got a note from one of their promotions people who suggested I try some of their other beers. That was kind of like, 'Whoa! People are actually reading this thing!'"

Turley said he knows the big brewers, or "factory brewers" as he calls them, also read the blog. "I mentioned Anheuser-Busch a lot in a couple of posts and noticed from the IP addresses that a lot of people were coming to the blog from Anheuser-Busch.  But they never leave comments."  No, but it's nice to know they're paying attention.

Posted by Steve Sullivan at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Had a beer from Lebanon over the weekend. It was an Almaza, a pils, light crisp, a little lacking in body, 4.1 percent ABV but not bad. It is owned by Heineken. It went well with falafel, kafta, maanek and other Lebanese fare.

I got it at the Lebanese Taverna, one of the relatively new restaurants is Harbor East. The restaurant Web site reports the string of restaurants and cafes, now numbering 12, was started in 1976 by Tanios Abi-Najm, a native of Lebanon.

I left the restaurant about midnight Saturday, and the traffic in Harbor East was horrible. It was gridlock city trying to get on the Jones Falls. The lights on the northbound streets feeding the JFX were out of snyc, and the green faded too quickly. Reminded me of my idea of running for mayor on one issue: synchronize the traffic lights.

Anybody else fuming about traffic down there?

And oh yes, back to beer, any other beers from Lebanon worth a try?

Posted by Rob Kasper at 10:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Pat, one of our bibulous correspondents, is searching for a Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale. A friend of his father's tasted it during a visit to the bluegrass state and loved it. It would be an ideal beer to serve Saturday, during the Running of The Roses, also known as the Kentucky Derby.

I called the brewery in Lexington, Alltech Brewing Co., and was told that to get the beer you have to go to Kentucky. It is only sold in the state. Too bad.

According to the brewery web site, the Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale won a silver medal at the Great American Beer Festival.

If you have friend going to the Derby, tell them to put down a bet for you and snag you a six pack of Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale.

As for what we in Maryland, can sip tomorrow, the answer is, of course, a mint julep, Keep reading to find the recipe for the world's best julep, mine.

File photo by Baltimore Sun photographer John Makely, 2002

Serves 1

6-8 mint leaves

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

2 tablespoons club soda

pulverized ice

bourbon

    Place mint leaves, sugar and club soda in bottom of julep cup or tall glass. Muddle mint  (press leaves with blunt, wooden instrument). Fill cup with pulverized ice (not cubes). Fill with bourbon. Insert straw all the way to bottom of cup, snipping off excess. Place decorative sprig of mint  in julep cup within sniffing range of straw.

Posted by Rob Kasper at 11:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)