Just found this.
The folks over at Hops Direct maintain a blog, complete with pictures. If these don't make you drool or you don't get a goose egg on your forehead from trying to sniff the pictures, something's seriously wrong with you.
Cheers!
06 April 2009
09 March 2009
Frye?...Frye?
OK, it's been a month and this page has gotten more stale then yesterday's doughnuts. What's going on?
Saturday I took advantage of the nice 70° weather and a yeast cake of WLP833 from my Maibock and brewed 10 gallons of Dopplebock. It was a little bit of a logistical concern, since my mash tun and kettle are both 15.5 gallon kegs. 25 pounds of grain at average grain/water ratio is pretty much the max for the mash tun. Each 5 gallon batch called for 20 pounds of grain. I could've double mashed, using wort from both batches to fill the kettle, but the preboil volume was 14.5 gallons---a little too close to the maximum for comfort and feasibility. So I boiled the first while mashing the second. In all, it took about 6 hours and I hit my target OG and volumes with no problems. I had 40 pounds (dry) of spent grain when done.
Prior to that, I brewed 10 gallons of Centennial IPA with a fellow local brewer. He brought the Centennial whole leaf hops and his computer and the brew session was broadcasted on his Mogulus channel. If I can ever get a notebook and a wireless internet connection here, I'll be doing more of that!
Lastly, I have a German Pilsner and a Maibock that are lagering and awaiting the day when we can be acquainted! Late April/early May will be the date.
Oh, and one more thing...I apologize to those who've linked my blog; if you previously noticed that the favor wasn't returned, it wasn't intentional. Once this blog was upgraded to the new Blogger interface, I lost a little info. If you don't see yours on there, please let me know!!
Cheers!
Saturday I took advantage of the nice 70° weather and a yeast cake of WLP833 from my Maibock and brewed 10 gallons of Dopplebock. It was a little bit of a logistical concern, since my mash tun and kettle are both 15.5 gallon kegs. 25 pounds of grain at average grain/water ratio is pretty much the max for the mash tun. Each 5 gallon batch called for 20 pounds of grain. I could've double mashed, using wort from both batches to fill the kettle, but the preboil volume was 14.5 gallons---a little too close to the maximum for comfort and feasibility. So I boiled the first while mashing the second. In all, it took about 6 hours and I hit my target OG and volumes with no problems. I had 40 pounds (dry) of spent grain when done.
Prior to that, I brewed 10 gallons of Centennial IPA with a fellow local brewer. He brought the Centennial whole leaf hops and his computer and the brew session was broadcasted on his Mogulus channel. If I can ever get a notebook and a wireless internet connection here, I'll be doing more of that!
Lastly, I have a German Pilsner and a Maibock that are lagering and awaiting the day when we can be acquainted! Late April/early May will be the date.
Oh, and one more thing...I apologize to those who've linked my blog; if you previously noticed that the favor wasn't returned, it wasn't intentional. Once this blog was upgraded to the new Blogger interface, I lost a little info. If you don't see yours on there, please let me know!!
Cheers!
17 February 2009
How Many Brewers could You Take in a Fight?
A new post at Draft Magazine wants to know.
24
24 brewers, 24 beers in a case. Coincidence?
Interesting questions. I'll confess, I fight dirty: there's no such thing as a fair fight. But those instances are rare and extreme. I'd rather have a beer.
Cheers!
24
24 brewers, 24 beers in a case. Coincidence?
Interesting questions. I'll confess, I fight dirty: there's no such thing as a fair fight. But those instances are rare and extreme. I'd rather have a beer.
Cheers!
27 January 2009
Best East Coast Brewery?
Best East Coast Craft Brewery? | thefullpint.com - Craft Beer News, Reviews and Event Coverage.
A poll at TheFullPint.com wants to know who you think the best East Coast brewery is. Quite a tough choice in my opinion, and it's nice to see good breweries on the list. At the posting of this blog entry, Dogfish Head leads with Victory Brewing Co. a close second. With all due respect to Sam Calagione and while I agree that Dogfish Head is stellar in terms of innovation, creativity and is an industry leader, could they produce a well-made Helles? A clean, malty Dopplebock? Where would they be without megadoses of alpha acids (Raison d'Etre notwithstanding)? In their own defense, their name does include the phrase "Craft Brewed Ales".
My money is on Victory. Equally adept at hoppy ales like HopDevil and Hop Wallop, malty lagers like St. Victorious, and estery Belgians like V-Twelve and Golden Monkey. There's a reason why they have a German-born 50 barrel Rolec brewhouse and yes folks, they do decoction. But that's just my opinion.
EDIT: TheFullPint just added Flying Dog, presumably excluded initially because Flying Dog Brewery is still "new" to the area. That'd be a close call for my vote as I do like Flying Dog!
A poll at TheFullPint.com wants to know who you think the best East Coast brewery is. Quite a tough choice in my opinion, and it's nice to see good breweries on the list. At the posting of this blog entry, Dogfish Head leads with Victory Brewing Co. a close second. With all due respect to Sam Calagione and while I agree that Dogfish Head is stellar in terms of innovation, creativity and is an industry leader, could they produce a well-made Helles? A clean, malty Dopplebock? Where would they be without megadoses of alpha acids (Raison d'Etre notwithstanding)? In their own defense, their name does include the phrase "Craft Brewed Ales".
My money is on Victory. Equally adept at hoppy ales like HopDevil and Hop Wallop, malty lagers like St. Victorious, and estery Belgians like V-Twelve and Golden Monkey. There's a reason why they have a German-born 50 barrel Rolec brewhouse and yes folks, they do decoction. But that's just my opinion.
EDIT: TheFullPint just added Flying Dog, presumably excluded initially because Flying Dog Brewery is still "new" to the area. That'd be a close call for my vote as I do like Flying Dog!
So get over there and cast your vote!
Cheers!
26 January 2009
We Have the Technology
This morning I did a little browsing add-ons for FireFox and grabbed a few that made reading RSS feeds
First off, if you don't already know that FireFox is---in beer terms---like Avery Hog Heaven Barleywine to the Coors Light that is Microsoft Internet Explorer: lots of people like the latter because of mass-marketing and cheap production, but the former is light years better. And I'm only speaking in terms of functionality at this point, nevermind security.
What motivated my search was the need to incorporate my RSS feeds into FireFox to make single-platform viewing easier. Fortunately, there is an add-on called Brief that handles that task well. I have quite a few feeds (many beer-related of course), seen in a screen shot here.
(And if you can recommend any beer RSS feeds you don't see there, please let me know!!)
Also, you'll see TwitterFox in the lower right corner. Another great add-on that posts to Twitter and receives feeds from people you're following.
Finally, I've just started using the ScribeFire add-on to compose and publish my blog. Pretty neat!
Tonight I'll raise a pint to the Mozilla and FireFox add-on developers. Keep up the good work!
Cheers!
First off, if you don't already know that FireFox is---in beer terms---like Avery Hog Heaven Barleywine to the Coors Light that is Microsoft Internet Explorer: lots of people like the latter because of mass-marketing and cheap production, but the former is light years better. And I'm only speaking in terms of functionality at this point, nevermind security.
What motivated my search was the need to incorporate my RSS feeds into FireFox to make single-platform viewing easier. Fortunately, there is an add-on called Brief that handles that task well. I have quite a few feeds (many beer-related of course), seen in a screen shot here.
(And if you can recommend any beer RSS feeds you don't see there, please let me know!!)
Also, you'll see TwitterFox in the lower right corner. Another great add-on that posts to Twitter and receives feeds from people you're following.
Finally, I've just started using the ScribeFire add-on to compose and publish my blog. Pretty neat!
Tonight I'll raise a pint to the Mozilla and FireFox add-on developers. Keep up the good work!
Cheers!
20 January 2009
Equipment upgrade
Speaking of improvements to make things run better...
I'm a gear head. One thing I love doing nearly as much as homebrewing is modifying my system. Fortunately, moderation is brought about by fiscal and practical concerns. Short of three Boilermakers, 30-plate chiller, a 14-gallon conical and a winning lottery ticket, my options are limited. Finishing my basement and brew room have primarily fed this addiction, but lately I've realized that my system as-is could use some improvements.
Some time back I received the HopStopper as a Christmas present. It worked wonderfully initially but after some time, it's claim of being able to strain out pellet hops seemed to be questionable. Even trub would clog mine, leaving precious wort at the bottom of the kettle. Because I use a plate chiller, it's absolutely imperative that as much particulate matter is left behind in the kettle as possible. In my brewery, it soon came to be known as the HopClogger. I'm still using it (even after 2 years), although placing hop pellets in muslin bags and accounting for wort losses in the kettle.
In terms of the mash tun, I initially started off with a Sanke kit from MoreBeer. Grain particles easily got around the screen edge and clogged the plumbing. So I made a manifold out of stainless steel braid and retained the screen to help keep weight off the braid. This too worked well for a while but it's performance dwindled over time. Searching for the better way (again, the gear-head motivation), I grabbed the Bazooka T I used to use in the kettle and married it to the stainless steel diptube from the old MoreBeer kit. Because of piping size differences, the T would move freely, despite a rubber grommet. This too caused lautering issues, leaving wort behind in the mash tun.
Recently I ordered a Sanke adapter for the Bazooka T in an attempt to solidify the mash tun manifold structure and hopefully leave less wort behind. Yes, I could just account for the losses in the mash tun and kettle, but where's the fun in that? Again, gear head! If you're a supporting member of HomeBrewTalk, you already know the story behind the snafu in ordering the part; if not, we won't rehash it here. Suffice it to say things didn't exactly arrive as expected.
Short of ordering a Bazooka T Sanke adapter, I'm thinking of cannibalizing the HopStopper and using the copper tubing to connect to the Bazooka T. Leaving the kettle to be addressed, I'll use either the stainless steel diptube from the mash tun or the errant Kewler adapter kit and the screen from the HopStopper to create a pick-up tube. Instead of picking up directly from the center, the side near the wall would help reduce hop and trub in the chiller. I do have the ability to whirlpool.
Comments? Ideas? Other suggestions? I'd love to hear 'em. I'm not doing any brewing right now, it's too @#$%^& cold!
Cheers!
I'm a gear head. One thing I love doing nearly as much as homebrewing is modifying my system. Fortunately, moderation is brought about by fiscal and practical concerns. Short of three Boilermakers, 30-plate chiller, a 14-gallon conical and a winning lottery ticket, my options are limited. Finishing my basement and brew room have primarily fed this addiction, but lately I've realized that my system as-is could use some improvements.
Some time back I received the HopStopper as a Christmas present. It worked wonderfully initially but after some time, it's claim of being able to strain out pellet hops seemed to be questionable. Even trub would clog mine, leaving precious wort at the bottom of the kettle. Because I use a plate chiller, it's absolutely imperative that as much particulate matter is left behind in the kettle as possible. In my brewery, it soon came to be known as the HopClogger. I'm still using it (even after 2 years), although placing hop pellets in muslin bags and accounting for wort losses in the kettle.
In terms of the mash tun, I initially started off with a Sanke kit from MoreBeer. Grain particles easily got around the screen edge and clogged the plumbing. So I made a manifold out of stainless steel braid and retained the screen to help keep weight off the braid. This too worked well for a while but it's performance dwindled over time. Searching for the better way (again, the gear-head motivation), I grabbed the Bazooka T I used to use in the kettle and married it to the stainless steel diptube from the old MoreBeer kit. Because of piping size differences, the T would move freely, despite a rubber grommet. This too caused lautering issues, leaving wort behind in the mash tun.
Recently I ordered a Sanke adapter for the Bazooka T in an attempt to solidify the mash tun manifold structure and hopefully leave less wort behind. Yes, I could just account for the losses in the mash tun and kettle, but where's the fun in that? Again, gear head! If you're a supporting member of HomeBrewTalk, you already know the story behind the snafu in ordering the part; if not, we won't rehash it here. Suffice it to say things didn't exactly arrive as expected.
Short of ordering a Bazooka T Sanke adapter, I'm thinking of cannibalizing the HopStopper and using the copper tubing to connect to the Bazooka T. Leaving the kettle to be addressed, I'll use either the stainless steel diptube from the mash tun or the errant Kewler adapter kit and the screen from the HopStopper to create a pick-up tube. Instead of picking up directly from the center, the side near the wall would help reduce hop and trub in the chiller. I do have the ability to whirlpool.
Comments? Ideas? Other suggestions? I'd love to hear 'em. I'm not doing any brewing right now, it's too @#$%^& cold!
Cheers!
07 January 2009
Beer Pong competition, Vegas
Beer Pong competition in Las Vegas, Baltimore SunFrom college dorms and apartments and bars to a nod on the big screen, and now to the Vegas strip! Bring your A-game though, this is serious business. 400 teams vied for the top prize of $50,000 that eventually went to Ron Hamilton of New York.
$50,000 would buy some sweet homebrewing gear! Although exemplified in Beerfest, I'm sure they weren't playing with liter Maßkrug steins. But hats off to 'em!
"Und...TRINKEN!"
02 January 2009
Happy New Year!
Some of us have to work the holidays, so this Happy New Year wish is a day off...
Hopefully the holidays were good to you. I managed to spend some time in Warren, Michigan (northern suburb of Detroit) at Dragonmead with a few other brewers, enjoying their expansive tap list. Drinking with other brewers, even ones you've never met before, carries a comfort that just isn't possible with strangers otherwise. It's like putting on an old pair of shoes. Comfy, familiar.
Here it's life as usual. Work, brewing here and there, and enjoying a beer or two. I need to catch up on a few Beer Appreciation 102 beers now that I'm back in town. My Oatmeal Stout is carbonating and I'm patiently awaiting ingredients to brew a Best Bitter---time to celebrate 6 years of brewing! 6 years ago I was boiling wort on my kitchen stove, making a pale ale with a Brewer's Best kit and wondering what this was all about. Here's the recipe:
Brewing will at least keep me occupied and kept from thinking about how dreary and underwhelming January is---no holidays, cold, dark, naked trees. Rock-hard ground. Time to brew some Maibock and Pilsner for Spring!
At any rate, Happy New Year to you and yours!
Hopefully the holidays were good to you. I managed to spend some time in Warren, Michigan (northern suburb of Detroit) at Dragonmead with a few other brewers, enjoying their expansive tap list. Drinking with other brewers, even ones you've never met before, carries a comfort that just isn't possible with strangers otherwise. It's like putting on an old pair of shoes. Comfy, familiar.
Here it's life as usual. Work, brewing here and there, and enjoying a beer or two. I need to catch up on a few Beer Appreciation 102 beers now that I'm back in town. My Oatmeal Stout is carbonating and I'm patiently awaiting ingredients to brew a Best Bitter---time to celebrate 6 years of brewing! 6 years ago I was boiling wort on my kitchen stove, making a pale ale with a Brewer's Best kit and wondering what this was all about. Here's the recipe:
Brewing Date: Sunday January 12, 2003From what I remember it actually turned out pretty well. The second batch...well, we won't get into that right now.
Recipe: First Ever Pale Ale
Batch Size (Gal): 5.00
Total Extract (Lbs): 5.80
Anticipated OG: 1.045
Anticipated SRM: 7.9
Anticipated IBU: 13.3
Wort Boil Time: 30 Minutes
3.30 lbs. Muntons LME - Light
2.00 lbs. Muntons DME - Light
0.50 lbs. Crystal 60L
1.00 oz. Cascade (Pellet, 5.30% AA) 30 min.
Danstar Nottingham yeast
Brewing will at least keep me occupied and kept from thinking about how dreary and underwhelming January is---no holidays, cold, dark, naked trees. Rock-hard ground. Time to brew some Maibock and Pilsner for Spring!
At any rate, Happy New Year to you and yours!
12 December 2008
WANTED: Logo
Ok, creative types. Do you like beer?
For years I've been trying to come up with something as a logo and although my Photoshop (GiMP) skills are basic, I lack the killer creativity some of you right brainers have. Interested in helping? How about 2 cases of whatever kind of homebrew you want? Ok, to some that sounds like offering a bag of McDonald's...here's some consideration.
Interested now? That's right, you make an award-winning logo, I make you award-winning beer!
Of course, the namesake of my brewery has to do with my other calling: firefighting. I'm thinking maltese cross, pick head axes, mash paddles and hop cones. If interested, drop me a line at DualLines at Yahoo.
Now get to work!
For years I've been trying to come up with something as a logo and although my Photoshop (GiMP) skills are basic, I lack the killer creativity some of you right brainers have. Interested in helping? How about 2 cases of whatever kind of homebrew you want? Ok, to some that sounds like offering a bag of McDonald's...here's some consideration.
Interested now? That's right, you make an award-winning logo, I make you award-winning beer!
Of course, the namesake of my brewery has to do with my other calling: firefighting. I'm thinking maltese cross, pick head axes, mash paddles and hop cones. If interested, drop me a line at DualLines at Yahoo.
Now get to work!
10 December 2008
Looking ahead
Been more back in the swing of things lately, despite Christmas around the corner. My homebrew club released the competition brews for next year, so I at least know what to brew when in terms of that: English Bitter/Pale Ale (BJCP category 8) for February, Pilsner (2) for May, Light Hybrid Beer (6) for August, Smoke and Wood-Aged Beer (22)for November.
January of 2009 also marks 6 years of brewing for me! My next batch will mark #75 as well (65th all-grain). Will I break 100 next year? As far as the Feds know I won't...
I'll also be making some Maibock for the springtime---this time I'll be making 10 gallons, as 5 gallons seems to go rather quickly! Also some Oktoberfest for the fall and probably a Dopplebock pretty soon for the fall as well...you read that right, for the fall. We're talking at least 6 months of aging!
I'm also looking to get back on the competition circuit a bit. I did pretty well in the past, but this past year I just haven't put forth a lot of effort. Regrettably so. The winnings are nice and even if you don't win, it's still great feedback and motivation.
But for now, I'm patiently awaiting some ingredients for an Oatmeal Stout brewday this weekend. Santa UPS man should be here tomorrow! And to tide me over, I'll be closely following Eric's recommendations for Beer Appreciation 102.
Cheers!
January of 2009 also marks 6 years of brewing for me! My next batch will mark #75 as well (65th all-grain). Will I break 100 next year? As far as the Feds know I won't...
I'll also be making some Maibock for the springtime---this time I'll be making 10 gallons, as 5 gallons seems to go rather quickly! Also some Oktoberfest for the fall and probably a Dopplebock pretty soon for the fall as well...you read that right, for the fall. We're talking at least 6 months of aging!
I'm also looking to get back on the competition circuit a bit. I did pretty well in the past, but this past year I just haven't put forth a lot of effort. Regrettably so. The winnings are nice and even if you don't win, it's still great feedback and motivation.
But for now, I'm patiently awaiting some ingredients for an Oatmeal Stout brewday this weekend. Santa UPS man should be here tomorrow! And to tide me over, I'll be closely following Eric's recommendations for Beer Appreciation 102.
Cheers!
24 November 2008
Early Christmas present
Eric over at Trouble Brewing organized a group buy for Beer Appreciation 102. One of my local fellow homebrewers was kind enough to grab my case over at The Beer Yard in Wayne, PA while I was spending another 24 at work. And today Christmas came a little early! Thanks, Eric!
(Blogger doesn't want to create thumbnails right now so here's some linkage:)
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In other news, I sadly had to retire my old serving freezer. It worked well for a while but began to go downhill. It was 20-25 years old, after all, so I didn't see putting more money into it. Instead, I scored a 20 cubic foot refrigerator off of Craigslist, did some basic modifications, and the taps are now back in service!
Cheers!
(Blogger doesn't want to create thumbnails right now so here's some linkage:)
IMG_0921.jpg
IMG_0922.jpg
IMG_0923.jpg
IMG_0924.jpg
IMG_0925.jpg
IMG_0926.jpg
In other news, I sadly had to retire my old serving freezer. It worked well for a while but began to go downhill. It was 20-25 years old, after all, so I didn't see putting more money into it. Instead, I scored a 20 cubic foot refrigerator off of Craigslist, did some basic modifications, and the taps are now back in service!
Cheers!
30 October 2008
How Beer is Brewed
Here's a video from About.com with Garrett Oliver of Brooklyn Brewing showing how it's done. Whether you're a n00b or well aware of how the brewing process takes place, it's a good video and a nice look into the Brooklyn Brewing brewhouse.
Cheers!
Cheers!
08 September 2008
My time of year
I did allude to my love of Fall, in terms of beer. It's not just the beer though (yes, you read that right).
The stores are already getting their Halloween gear, candy, wreathes of orange, yellow, and brown leaves out. Soon the leaves will fall, the lawn mower will be drained of gas, the cornstalks will be cut and the sweatshirts will come off the hanger. The air becomes crisp, the wind picks up, and the morning commute to work stays darker for a little longer. Yesterday I had a colossal hankerin' for some spaetzle, wurst, and of course beer, but by the time the wife got home from work my fav local destination for German consumables would be soon closing. It was Sunday afternoon, afterall. So when you can't go to the Hoffbrauhaus, bring the Hoffbrauhaus to you!!
I grabbed a spaetzle recipe and headed to the store for some bratwurst, kraut, and buns. It was my first time making spaetzle, and it turned out very well. So much in fact that there was none left whatsoever and the wife reiterated her interest in it's production once again!
I grabbed my German drinking song CD, my last bottle of Sam Adams Octoberfest, and a plate of chow. It wasn't long before my oldest was singing "Ein Prosit", something I'm sure will confuse his preschool teachers. I hinted to my wife that all that was missing was dirndl, to which I got that "look". Ah well, the food was good, the beer was good, and I was with my family. Couldn't get much better than that.
Ein Prosit, der Gemütlichkeit!
The stores are already getting their Halloween gear, candy, wreathes of orange, yellow, and brown leaves out. Soon the leaves will fall, the lawn mower will be drained of gas, the cornstalks will be cut and the sweatshirts will come off the hanger. The air becomes crisp, the wind picks up, and the morning commute to work stays darker for a little longer. Yesterday I had a colossal hankerin' for some spaetzle, wurst, and of course beer, but by the time the wife got home from work my fav local destination for German consumables would be soon closing. It was Sunday afternoon, afterall. So when you can't go to the Hoffbrauhaus, bring the Hoffbrauhaus to you!!
I grabbed a spaetzle recipe and headed to the store for some bratwurst, kraut, and buns. It was my first time making spaetzle, and it turned out very well. So much in fact that there was none left whatsoever and the wife reiterated her interest in it's production once again!
I grabbed my German drinking song CD, my last bottle of Sam Adams Octoberfest, and a plate of chow. It wasn't long before my oldest was singing "Ein Prosit", something I'm sure will confuse his preschool teachers. I hinted to my wife that all that was missing was dirndl, to which I got that "look". Ah well, the food was good, the beer was good, and I was with my family. Couldn't get much better than that.Ein Prosit, der Gemütlichkeit!
05 September 2008
Attention South Central PA brewers
Stoudt's is hiring! According to their post on ProBrewer.com, they're looking to hire a new brewer and the wording indicates that they may consider hiring a homebrewer with no formal brewing education.
I've often entertained the idea of looking for a part-time brewing gig (my full time job of breaking things and hauling people to the ER pays much too well to leave), but an 90 minutes one way to Stoudt's is too far for me.
Here's a lucky chance for a homebrew to live the dream! Good luck!
I've often entertained the idea of looking for a part-time brewing gig (my full time job of breaking things and hauling people to the ER pays much too well to leave), but an 90 minutes one way to Stoudt's is too far for me.
Here's a lucky chance for a homebrew to live the dream! Good luck!
30 August 2008
Oktoberfest approaches
Oktoberfest in Munich may be a few more weeks off and smaller celebrations state-side as well, but the brewers haven't failed to deliver the beer world's Harbinger of Fall!
While at my local bottle store yesterday, I perused their singles rack and noted 5 or 6 Oktoberfest beers...Victory Festbier, Hacker-Pschorr, Warsteiner, Spaten. All kicking out the Oktoberfest. I settled upon a sixer of Sam Adams Octoberfest, as I haven't had it in some time.
The local brewers haven't failed to disappoint either. Appalachian Brewing has their Kipona Fest on tap, Victory has their Festbier flowing, and Tröegs has their Oktoberfestbier as a specialty in their Scratch Beer Series, available only in cases and on tap at the brewery (probably not for much longer!)
Prost!
11 August 2008
Crabs and Beer
Is there anything better?
Saturday it was time to get together with the family, mow down 4 dozen steamed crabs, and drink some beer---some Sly Fox Dunkel, in this case. I'm not a summer person by any means...I can get a sunburn from the full moon. But some things make it better. Crabs, beer, corn-on-the-cob, spaghetti-string tops and bikinis!
Cheers!
06 August 2008
Let there be DUNKEL!
After reading Eric's comment about a place in York that sells more Sly Fox than my local store, I begged of him the location. He kindly called me and gave me the coordinates. So after my errands were done, it was off to DJ's Westgate Beverage.
Their selection was approaching that of Westy's in Camp Hill. DJ's gets points: Troegs, Sly Fox, Stone, Victory (saw a case of 10 Years Alt!), Southern Tier, Bluepoint, Sam Adams, Clipper City---even saw some Hook and Ladder Brewing Company brews from Silver Spring, MD. Looked like they had a nice cigar selection as well, unfortunately which I didn't have time to explore; the wife just got off work and the kids were getting restless. Swoop and scoop as we say in the EMS business.
Eric reminded me that sometimes they have the Dunkel and sometimes not. As a reward for my determination, daring, and---well, just thirst for some good Sly Fox beer, I picked up the last case of Dunkel. I didn't notice until I got home that the case read "Best Before 4/28/08". I've drank worse. But I was pleasantly surprised when I cracked a can, poured it in a glass and took a sip. Sly Fox doesn't disappoint, even 3 months past the "fresh date". It is good beer, afterall. Missing were the cases of Sly Fox Pale Ale, Royal Weiss, and Rt. 113 IPA. Hopefully they'll stock up now that I've completely depleted them of Pheonixville brews.
So thanks Eric! I tip my second pint of Dunkel to you tonight!
Cheers!
Their selection was approaching that of Westy's in Camp Hill. DJ's gets points: Troegs, Sly Fox, Stone, Victory (saw a case of 10 Years Alt!), Southern Tier, Bluepoint, Sam Adams, Clipper City---even saw some Hook and Ladder Brewing Company brews from Silver Spring, MD. Looked like they had a nice cigar selection as well, unfortunately which I didn't have time to explore; the wife just got off work and the kids were getting restless. Swoop and scoop as we say in the EMS business.Eric reminded me that sometimes they have the Dunkel and sometimes not. As a reward for my determination, daring, and---well, just thirst for some good Sly Fox beer, I picked up the last case of Dunkel. I didn't notice until I got home that the case read "Best Before 4/28/08". I've drank worse. But I was pleasantly surprised when I cracked a can, poured it in a glass and took a sip. Sly Fox doesn't disappoint, even 3 months past the "fresh date". It is good beer, afterall. Missing were the cases of Sly Fox Pale Ale, Royal Weiss, and Rt. 113 IPA. Hopefully they'll stock up now that I've completely depleted them of Pheonixville brews.
So thanks Eric! I tip my second pint of Dunkel to you tonight!
Cheers!
21 July 2008
Sly Fox Update
Just got an email from Sly Fox with their latest news.
Looks like some 750ml offerings of Incubus, a Belgian Trippel, and Saison VOS; the former available on tap the first Friday of every month at the Pheonixville location. As well, on the second Friday of the month (July through November) their IPA project brew goes on tap.
Last but not least, it looks like some more cases of Sly Fox beer will soon be available. Hopefully they'll have more at my local case 'n' keg than just one case of Pheonix Pale Ale. To boot, they have an impressive line up! Brian O'Reilly must be one busy brewer!
All this makes me really wish I were closer to Sly Fox...or that gas was less expensive. Unfortunately it's more likely that I'll move to Pheonixville than gas prices drop appreciably.
Cheers!
Looks like some 750ml offerings of Incubus, a Belgian Trippel, and Saison VOS; the former available on tap the first Friday of every month at the Pheonixville location. As well, on the second Friday of the month (July through November) their IPA project brew goes on tap.
Last but not least, it looks like some more cases of Sly Fox beer will soon be available. Hopefully they'll have more at my local case 'n' keg than just one case of Pheonix Pale Ale. To boot, they have an impressive line up! Brian O'Reilly must be one busy brewer!
All this makes me really wish I were closer to Sly Fox...or that gas was less expensive. Unfortunately it's more likely that I'll move to Pheonixville than gas prices drop appreciably.
Cheers!
15 July 2008
Hofbrauhaus, Abbottstown
Sunday my parents stopped by and took us out to the Hofbrauhaus Pub and Eatery in Abbottstown. Presumably named after the Hofbrauhaus in Munich, it's definitely one of my favorite haunts in the area. German beer on tap and in bottle (Warsteiner, Spaten, Franziskaner, more), German cuisine like sauerbraten, spaetzel, rouladen. All that's missing is the Oompah band and jumbo pretzels. And of course they have light lagers on tap and in the bottle for those of you who like it fizzy and pale. But with their tap list and location, it'd be a sin not to venture beyond the yellow stuff.
They don't skimp on the portions either. I had the tree sausage platter, of which I picked knockwurst, bauernwurst, and bratwurst with sauerkraut and spaetzel. Started off with a pint of Warsteiner Dunkel and finished up with some Franziskaner Dunkelweizen. Fearing my stomach would explode, it was time to go.
The Hofbrauhaus is a definite stop and doesn't disappoint. Just west of the traffic circle on 30. Check 'em out.
Prost!
They don't skimp on the portions either. I had the tree sausage platter, of which I picked knockwurst, bauernwurst, and bratwurst with sauerkraut and spaetzel. Started off with a pint of Warsteiner Dunkel and finished up with some Franziskaner Dunkelweizen. Fearing my stomach would explode, it was time to go.
The Hofbrauhaus is a definite stop and doesn't disappoint. Just west of the traffic circle on 30. Check 'em out.
Prost!
The Great American Lager
Since it's been over a month since my last blog entry (I had some back issues at work and the wife had her gall bladder out, so things have been pretty hectic to say the least), I figured it's time to get back to it. At the forefront of beer news, InBev's acquisition of Anheuser-Busch.
It wasn't long ago that Anheuser-Busch's marketing strategy to address the brewing corporate mergers of SABMiller and Molson-Coors was to drive a jingoistic baseball park foam index finger rap into the heads of Bud drinkers, as shown in the YouTube clip above. Of course, the irony is now while A-B may identify the brand as American, it certainly no longer is. Hopefully, this merger won't mean job losses for the guys and girls working at American A-B breweries.
I love my Country. But I'm not going to thumb my nose at imported beer because the label's not on the side of a NASCAR stock car. I'm not going to believe the drivel that what you drink is related to what political party you align yourself with. Taste is highly subjective. We're a young country, and our brewing heritage has strong irrefutable ties to the UK, Europe, and Asia; Anheuser-Busch, Adolf Coors, and SAB Miller are all proof of this. Maybe this merger will help a few to broaden the horizons of their palates and try something that's made with more than just 6-row barley, rice syrup, and a hop cone.
And if being American-made is unequivocally important to any given beer drinker, I'd like to point out that there are tons of American-made beers.
They're called "craft brewers", their beer is made here in the good ol' USA by proud Americans and they want their countrymen to drink quality, flavorful beer.
Cheers!
It wasn't long ago that Anheuser-Busch's marketing strategy to address the brewing corporate mergers of SABMiller and Molson-Coors was to drive a jingoistic baseball park foam index finger rap into the heads of Bud drinkers, as shown in the YouTube clip above. Of course, the irony is now while A-B may identify the brand as American, it certainly no longer is. Hopefully, this merger won't mean job losses for the guys and girls working at American A-B breweries.
I love my Country. But I'm not going to thumb my nose at imported beer because the label's not on the side of a NASCAR stock car. I'm not going to believe the drivel that what you drink is related to what political party you align yourself with. Taste is highly subjective. We're a young country, and our brewing heritage has strong irrefutable ties to the UK, Europe, and Asia; Anheuser-Busch, Adolf Coors, and SAB Miller are all proof of this. Maybe this merger will help a few to broaden the horizons of their palates and try something that's made with more than just 6-row barley, rice syrup, and a hop cone.
And if being American-made is unequivocally important to any given beer drinker, I'd like to point out that there are tons of American-made beers.
They're called "craft brewers", their beer is made here in the good ol' USA by proud Americans and they want their countrymen to drink quality, flavorful beer.
Cheers!
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