A Man in His Element

Written by TheAbbot Tuesday, 20 July 2010 20:29

Who better to meet and greet at your local home brew shop than a man intimately familiar with the crafting and brewing of great beers.  Noted beer author and a long time fixture in the beer community, Ray Daniels, visited American Brewmaster in Raleigh, NC to chat and sign copies of his beer best seller, Designing Great Beers. Mr. Daniels is a well-respected authority in the beer and brewing community, is an instructor at the Siebel Institute of Brewing Technology, and is the man behind the Cicerone Certification Program.

He took the time to sign a few books for some of the avid home brewers that stopped by to meet him and spoke a little bit about the evolution of his major project, the Cicerone Certification Program.  For those unfamiliar with this program, (From the Cicerone.org website),

Cicerone is an English word referring to “one who conducts visitors and sightseers to museums and explains matters of archaeological, antiquarian, historic or artistic interest.”  For beer, a Cicerone will possess the knowledge and skills to guide those interested in beer culture, including its historic and artistic aspects.  “Cicerone” now designates a person with demonstrated expertise in beer who can guide consumers to enjoyable and high-quality experiences with great beer.

The program organizes the certification exams and provides training in the disciplines needed to pass the tests.  The latest addition to this, according to Mr. Daniels, has been the introduction of web based instruction.  Saving both time and costs (travel and other expenses), this is something that he is looking to expand on in the near future.

The author also spoke about his background in the publishing business and other beer luminaries that he has had the opportunity to meet and become familiar with.  Although he could have spent many hours with stories from his time in the beer and brewing industry, this was his second stop of the day and alas he had leave the confines of the brew shop.  

Pick up a copy of his book and head to your local home brew shop and get started designing your own great beers.

#####

TheAbbot

How to enjoy a Beer Festival

Written by TheAbbot Friday, 25 June 2010 09:18

Summer beer festival season is upon us.  From the World Beer Festival to the Great American Beer Festival (GABF), there is a festival to be had almost every weekend somewhere in the world.  Beer festivals are quite a bit of fun, but that fun can be spoiled if you find that you have drank a bit too much.  From past experience, this is easy to do.  In order to get the most out of attending a festival, while being responsible and not being annoying the following are some steps that you might keep in mind while attending.

1.  Make sure that you eat just prior to entering the festival (but give yourself time to get the flavor of the food out of your mouth or you will be tasting food flavored beer), and continue to seek out food for the duration of the festival.  Most festival have pre-arranged agreements with (on-site) food vendors that allow for at least one or two low cost food items to be available for purchase from each vendor.  Typical beer festival fare of turkey legs, pizza, nachos and different sandwiches will give your stomach a much needed buffer between beer and alcohol absorption.  Take time to enjoy your food.  This will also help to cleanse your palette between flights of beer.

2.  Try to come close to drinking equal parts water and beer.  If you have four two ounce servings of beer, try and drink that same amount of water before moving on to another flight of beer.  Most festivals provide either bottled water or some other way of obtaining water specifically for this purpose.  You will undoubtedly use the restrooms more frequently, but in the end this will keep you from becoming dehydrated and could help reduce the chance of a hangover later on.

Read more: How to enjoy a Beer Festival

Cloning Your Favorite Beer

Thursday, 10 June 2010 07:42

By John Federal

There are many beers out there but there are only a few that when drank, envoke a feeling of euphoria. It it those beers that we as brewers sometimes wish to recreate. But how, when their recipes can be such closely guarded secrets? Here are some suggestions that may help give you direction, but there are some easily pieces of information that you must first gather to become more accurate in your recipe formulation.

1. Check the brewery's website for the beer you wish to make. Look for important formulation numbers like the SG or OG, SRM, ABV, any sensory descriptions giving details to malts, hops, and flavors found in the beer. If this information doesn't exist then your best bet is to think of what style the beer falls in and think of the beer in terms of those style guidelines. That will at least give you a loose guideline to go by for color and alcohol content.

2. Look for similar "cloners" who have attempted the beer before (use this only has a guideline for making your own).

3. Get a 6-pack and start drinking! This is the most important step as it will give you a better idea of the beer first hand. Drink the beer at several different levels of temperature to allow the nuances of the beer to come forward.

4. If you can, attend a brewery tour of the brewery you wish to clone from. You may be able glean some knowledge from the brewery/brewer to help you on your quest. In fact, many brewers would feel honored that their beer has made such an impression on you that they may give you some help. Don't count on learning what kind of yeast they use though...that is usually the best kept secret!

Read more: Cloning Your Favorite Beer

Interview with a Brewmaster - Texas Transplant

Written by TheAbbot Tuesday, 08 June 2010 17:50

The latest in our interview series has brought old world brewing and craftsmanship to the north Texas countryside. A stickler for the German beer Purity law, this latest brewmaster is making what is familiar to him in the way it was taugh and expected in the land where he learned his craft. Please welcome, from McKinney, Texas, Brewmaster Dennis Wehrmann of the Franconia Brewing Company.

Name(s):  Dennis Wehrmann

Brewery Name:  Franconia Brewing Company

When did the brewery start? In Texas, February 2008 (in Germany around 1800, not currently open)

How long have you beer brewmaster there? Since our openning

Any type of formal training in brewing science or art? If not, how did you learn the craft?

From family Business in Germany, Brewing school Karlstadt (Germany), 2 year Master and Diploma Degree in Beer Science from Doemens Akademie in Greafelfing (by Munich, Germany)

If you will, a brief history of your brewing experience (where have you brewed)?

Franken Breu, Dreykorn Breu, Neumarkter Lammsbreu, Altstadthof Brauerei, Two Rows Brewery

Read more: Interview with a Brewmaster - Texas Transplant