Homebrewer newsletter #5

Released on June, 1987 (Circulation: 148)

eZine lover (@eZine)

Published in 

homebrewer newsletter

 · 9 Apr 2024

I'm pleased to say that I have received an excellent bunch of articles and comments for this issue, and I hope you find them interesting. This Summer promises to be an exciting one for Homebrewers, especially those in the Colorado area. I have included information on the Augustfest, and the Great American Beer Festival for those of you near enough to be interested. I'm looking forward to seeing some of you at these events. I hope to be putting together the next issue sometime in August, but it depends on how much material has been written or accumulated by then. To those who have contributed material for this issue: many thanks once again for helping me construct an interesting newsletter, and keep up the good work. As usual, all contributions on any subject relating to beer or homebrewing are welcome, and will be published unedited.

    Rob Gardner                     {ihnp4,hplabs,hpbbn}!hpfcla!rdg 
    Hewlett Packard                 or rdg%hpfcla@hplabs.hp.com 
    Fort Collins, Colorado          303-229-2048

In This Issue

• Editorial
• Stuff From Readers
• Beer Reviews
• Augestfest
• Great American Beer Festival

Editorial

I saw something in the newspaper a few days ago that might have an enormous impact on the Homebrewing Industry in the USA. It seems that our Government, in their infinite(simal) wisdom, is considering a major tax increase on commercially produced beer. I'm not sure that this will affect my beer buying habits very much, since I usually buy expensive, imported beers in small quantities anyway. However, it's sure to have a major effect on the average beer drinker, who might find himself paying much more for his Coors Light. We might find many new homebrewers looking for a more economical source of beer. While I'm certainly not looking forward to a tax increase of any kind, I can't help but think how the popularity of homebrewing is sure to grow. If this happens, I hope that the Homebrewer's Art is furthered by increased demand, increased competition among manufacturers and suppliers, increased quality, increased selection, and lower prices.

Now don't think I haven't thought about the negative aspects of this new industry. When the homebrewing population reaches a certain mass, quality is certain to drop due to the "least common denominator" principle. The manufacturers and suppliers will cater to the largest market segment, which translates to J. Random Average: the least common denominator. This has happened in many diverse industries in the USA;

Witness:

• Automobiles - Fortunately this has begun to turn around now, but for a long time, US Auto makers made little more than one model: the averagemobile. They made a product that *most* people would buy, leaving more discriminating buyers to turn to foreign products.
• Cheese - Why is the USA about the only country in the world where processed "plastic" cheese food is a major industry? Because the cheese making industry catered to the masses, and American Cheese grew progressively more and more bland and tasteless. Does this sound familiar? Perhaps you are thinking that the cheese industry was bastardized by the same people that did it to the Commercial Brewing Industry! Once again, a solution for many people was to turn to imported cheeses.
• Recordings - The mid-60's saw the end of a great era of stereo recording, when the major labels started more and more to go for that compressed, up-close sound that the masses demanded, and abandoned the natural sound they once had. For a long time we had little choice but to listen to recordings that bore a remarkable resemblance to American Beer and Cheese: processed, bleached, weak, Pasteurized, plastic. Again, imports were the answer.

Well, I think I've dug myself in deep enough on topics that have only a vague bearing on homebrewing, but all the signs point to the possibility of this "corruption" taking place. If we foresee it, perhaps we can do something to stop it or reverse it. Put that in your wort and ferment it.

Stuff From Readers

This from: Darryl Richman <ihnp4!sdcrdcf!ism780c!darryl>

From: hpfcla!hplabs!ames!rutgers!mordor!solaria!solaria!berry

When brewing, I was always nervous about the cooling off period between the boil and pitching the wort. Since my wife is a microbiologist, she was even more nervous about the long time the wort spends at the ideal bacterial incubation temperature. If you are not following this, bacteria flourish at temperatures in the 80's and 90's, but yeast dies if it gets that hot. After boiling the hops and grains in the wort it must be cooled off before the yeast can be added to start fermentation.

I've heard this over and over again, and it was one the reasons I was hesitant to go all grain. If I made extract brew in 1 to 2 gallons of wort, it cooled off in my sink in 20 minutes, with water circulating around my covered pot. When someone like William Meiers (of "Making Beer" fame, which is a really fun book, BTW) says he has left his wort outside in the cold of a Vermont winter over night to cool off, it really worried me (back to the mantra: "Relax. Don't Worry...").

When I finally did make 5 gallons of all grain, I just did the same thing. When I finished sparging, I covered the pot and put it in my kitchen sink, which is a double sink. I closed the drain and ran cold water until the sink was full. This didn't take long for an all grain brew because my 8 gallon pot fills the sink pretty well. I continued to run cold water into the sink so that it overflowed into the other side. As the water gains temperature it rises; the fresh, cold water sinks to the bottom. The warmer water goes to the top and into the other side.

It was down to pitching temperature in 40 minutes. I just don't see where everyone is coming from. The wort chillers that everyone likes so much are alleged to take 15 minutes for a 5 gallon batch and so are not significantly faster than my method. Since I have boiled the wort for 1.5 hours in the pot, with the cover on, I feel that (warning, opinion ahead) the environment it cools off in is relatively sterile. I am 2 for 2 so far, with two men, er, batches currently on base.

From: ihnp4!hpfcla!hpfcmt!jimh (Jim Haselmaier)

A recent trip to the Bay area brought me to discover a WONDERFUL liquor store: The Liquor Barn. The Liquor Barn is located at the corner of Lawrence Expressway and El Camino Real in Cupertino. They had all kinds of stuff to choose from: both imported and domestic. I also believe there is one on El Camino closer to Palo Alto.

The Liquor Barn is a chain of supermarket sized liquor stores across (at least) California. They are owned by Safeway and many of them occupy former Safeway stores that weren't profitable enough. Although they have got a tremendous selection, a lot of the stuff sits on the shelves (out in the bright fluorescent lights) for months. However, a careful eye can yield some really great libations. They seem to be the only ones that carry Chimay here.

Finally, they hope to be getting Samuel Adams soon. WE CAN ONLY HOPE!
Jim H.
[ ..., and it looks like everybody is getting Samuel Adams around here. ... ]

I'm with Jim on this one; haven't seen any of the reputedly wonderful Sam Adams brews out here in SoCal. Won't someone please distribute it out this way?

This from: Bo Viger <ihnp4!hpfcla!hpfcmp!bo>

The Cold Break

After reading Rob's Brewsletter #4 and a recent article in Zymurgy Magazine I thought I'd offer some comments on how I deal with my hot wort and the cold break.

As most of you who have a few batches of homebrew under your belt :-) are aware, the cold break is very important in the beer brewing process. The most important reason for getting a good cold break is to help precipitate undesirable proteins and other stuff which is in solution or suspension in the hot wort.

Additionally, quickly reducing the temperature of the hot wort to a point where you can pitch your yeast can greatly reduce the chances of bacteria getting a head start on your beer before the yeast does!

Instead of troubling myself with the cost and hassle of using some 20 feet or so of coiled copper tubing to chill my wort, I use the following process.

I typically brew 5 gallon batches. I start off with 2.5 to 3 gallons of liquor (water), depending on how long I intend to boil my wort, so that I end up with two gallons of wort in my kettle when it comes off the stove. (I've found that 6 or more pounds of malt dissolved in less than 2 gallons of boiling wort tends to caramelize on the bottom of my kettle.)

Fifteen minutes before the wort is done, I put 2 gallons of COLD tap water into my fermentation vat and take the temperature. Fifteen minutes is long enough to let the chlorine escape but short enough for the temperature to remain essentially unchanged. I have found that this time of year, the tap water in Colorado is about 45-50 degrees. Since I'd like to pitch my yeast at 80-90 degrees, the water is about 40 degrees too cool. If I throw in my 2 gallons of wort at a temperature which is 40 degrees too hot, I should end up with 4 gallons in the fermentation vat at approximately 90 degrees.

Then I simply add my hops tea (if any) and enough luke warm water to bring the volume up to the desired 5 gallons, all at a temperature I can pitch the yeast into immediately.

But wait, you say, how did you get the wort (which at this altitude boils at about 195 degrees) down to the 90 + 40 or 130 degrees before you added it to the primary?

Simple: Put a sink stopper or dish rag in the bottom of your kitchen sink (which should be large enough to set a 5 gallon kettle into) so that water will drain out of it at a slow, controlled rate. Just before the wort comes off the stove, turn the COLD water on full so that you fill the sink about half way. Slowly lower the kettle of boiling wort down into the cold water (so it doesn't overflow onto the floor!) and turn the cold water on OUTSIDE of the kettle hard enough to make up for the constant flow going down the drain.

Drop in a floating thermometer (cheaper than a copper wort chiller!) and stir gently but constantly. You'll notice that within about 3-4 minutes the temperature of the wort has fallen to 130 degrees! Now you can pour it into the primary containing the two gallons of 50 degree water.

This allows me to pitch my yeast immediately, and SEAL the primary, and within 1-2 hours it's just bubbling away! This may not be an elegant solution but it sure is cheap and I don't have to clean off any coiled copper tubing to boot. Additionally, you don't have to worry about that unpitched beer sitting in the corner for a few hours while you wait for it to very inefficiently radiate its excess heat away!

Fermentably yours,

Bo "Brewer of BeauBrau Beer" Viger

This from David R. Hines:

Incidentally, I have recently tried making a local Oregon club's Christmas Ale. This gentleman was making his ale from the John Bull brand light and dark premixed (hopped) malt. The difference was the use of cascade hops, champagne yeast (one package) along with the regular recipe. The hops were added to meet the taste of the individual, so it's very basic.

The ale was very good - very flavorful and heady. I tried only 5 gallons, but that was gone in short order. My neighbors thought that was the best ale they had ever tasted. So, there is an easy one.

(This is basic!)
Recipe:

• 1 can John Bull Dark
• 1 can John Bull Light (or amber per taste)
• 1 package Edme Beer Yeast
• 1 package champagne yeast
• (the hops are recommended for the individual palate)
• (my palate takes...)
• 1-2 cups of Cascade hops (Willamette can be substituted)

(A pale beer recipe can be substituted for the light, and amber can be substituted for the dark to make a lighter ale. This ale is dark and heavy....very good flavor, slightly airy and is reminiscent of European Dark Ale.)

This from: Lynn Gold <Lynn%PANDA@SUMEX-AIM.Stanford.EDU>

I'm from the Bay Area. In fact, I live within walking distance of the late, lamented Palo Alto Brewing Company. The brewery went out of business due to a combination of mismanagement and the last batch of beer coming out bad.

In addition to their London Style Ale and California Ale, another local brewer used their facilities to make Pete's Wicked Ale. Rumor has it that Pete is still brewing and selling. The Liquor Barn at the corner of El Camino Real and San Antonio Rd., for those of you in or near Mountain View, CA, still had several six-packs of Pete's on its shelves; I haven't seen it anywhere else lately, though, so I'm not sure what the story is. Every time I've been past the brewery lately, things looked pretty dead, so I don't know. When the weather improves, maybe I'll take my boozehound -- I mean, uh, dog :-) for a walk there.

--Lynn

This from: Holly Williams

I noticed in your latest brewsletter that someone mentioned that champagne bottles are advantageous because they are less likely to break during capping. My husband and I have found another means to avoid breaking bottles during capping. We use one of those cheapo hand cappers with a lever on both sides. We found when he did the capping (and I filled the bottles) or when his father or other male friends did the capping, we would invariably break 2-3 bottles/batch. When I, wimpy arms and all, cap the bottles, we rarely get a broken one. Solution: if your wife and/or kids aren't too strong, sucker them into capping your bottles! Good luck!

[I've never had a broken bottle; What's your secret?]

This from (Mike Berry) <ihnp4!hpfcla!hpfcmb!mcb>

Miscellaneous brewing tips:

Carboy Cleaning: I bought about 100 1/4" ball bearings (actually ammo for slingshots) that work really well. I just rinse a used carboy and add some more hot water and the ball bearings. Plug it up with a stopper and start swirling the balls around inside. You kind of get a hang about how to do this best. It really is fun! Much more bearable than the brush method. I am careful to not let the balls collide with the glass so as to avoid chips. The balls cost $1.60 at a sports store. Someone mentioned that sand will also do this job but it didn't appeal to me as much.

[My method: put 1/4 cup of bleach in the carboy (that's a lot!) then fill it with warm water, and go eat lunch. When you return, anything that was stuck to the carboy is now dissolved.]

The best bottles for beer: I know this will stir some controversy but I feel that the best 12 oz bottles are Corona beer bottles. The three reasons for this are 1) they are new (not recycled) and so they don't have chips and scratches 2) they have no label to remove. the label is silkscreened on and is really not bad looking. This will save you much time. 3) they are clear. I like clear bottles because I like to see how the yeast is settling out. You are probably thinking "But light makes beer skunky!" This is true, but remember: it is your beer - you control the vertical - you control the horizontal. You don't have to subject your bottles to the sun. I don't think that room light is bad for beer - only direct sunlight and the high heat that results. Some of you are probably thinking about "Grolsch" bottles - I like them but I like champagne bottles better. I really don't trust the flip-top gaskets and would probably replace them too often. The most handsome bottles are the Samuel Smith's variety. I know someone with 2 cases of them... drool...

Best beer cases: Miller bar bottle case. The case is made from tough cardboard with a plastic coating. What is really neat is the end carrying handles - they have cardboard behind the opening. It is obvious to me that Miller makes their case better because they use clear glass bottles. BTW the Corona case is 100% sealed (disposable) cardboard. This totally blocks the sun out but is not nearly as nice to work with. So, I suppose the algorithm is: buy a case of Corona, drink it (or pour it out, as you see fit), rinse the glasses. Buy a case of Miller bar bottles (with or without beer), put Miller bottles in Corona case, return for deposit. Now you are ready to bottle with Corona bottles!

Rob mentioned that he had trouble with his siphon hose kinking and solved it with a rigid bent piece of plastic tubing. I solved this in a different way that is cheaper and has one other benefit. Put a tie-rap* (probably someone's TM) on the long rigid plastic tube and clear siphon tube about 8" down from where it will curve. Don't tighten up the wrap too tight because you will want to slide its position around. This technique will keep enough slack in the hose to avoid kinking. The other benefit is that you can slide the wrap down and use its position to keep the siphon end off the bottom of the carboy for the first portion of the draining. This avoids any stirring of the yeast on the bottom for most of the siphoning. When the beer level starts getting close to the end of the tube simply move the wrap up a few inches and complete the drain.

* Tie-raps are the 2^nd most important commodity in the world - between duct tape (numero uno) and star washers (#3).

This from Darryl Richman <ihnp4!sdcrdcf!ism780c!darryl>

How to Make A Yeast Starter from a Slant

I have had mixed experiences with packaged yeast. Some batches of beer work out just fine, but frequently enough the same ingredients produce a beer with a sour, cidery flavor. I don't discount the possibility of the problem being my technique or sanitation, although in the 7 batches I've made since starting with a slant I haven't had this problem. In the 9 batches I made with packaged yeast, 3 had these off flavors.

The Maltose Falcons newsletter, and many members of the club, have been harping over how bad packaged yeasts are in the year I have been a member. There are little surveys showing how most prize winners have used a yeast slant, and so on. I am somewhat of a skeptic, but I'm also curious. The club arranged for a demonstration at one of the meetings of how to make a yeast starter. It was so easy that I purchased a slant and gave it a try. You might want to as well.

In order to make a starter, you need the following equipment:

• 1 1/2 pint glass jar (a baby bottle works well)
• 1 1-1/2 quart glass jar (I'm using a jug wine bottle)
• 1 rubber stopper, drilled for an airlock, fitting both above
• 1 1/2 pint mason jar, with a new lid and band
• 1 1 quart mason jar, with a new lid and band
• 1 inoculation loop (see below)
• 1 funnel (metal is better than plastic)
• 1 yeast culture slant

How to Can Wort

The next time you make a batch of lighter beer, make an extra 1-1/4 quarts of wort. Set up a deep pot with a wire rack in the bottom, fill the two mason jars with water, put them in the pot, fill the pot until the jars are covered, throw in the bands (but not the lids). Boil the pot for fifteen minutes. Using a hot mitt and a pair of tongs, remove each jar, pour the boiling water into a bowl, put the lids in the bowl. Fill each jar with wort, cover with a lid and screw down a band until it is just finger tight. Do not over tighten! Put the jars back in the bath and boil for another fifteen minutes. When done, remove the jars to a counter and let cool. You have been successful if the bands come out loose, but the lids are sucked down tight with a vacuum seal.

I usually make 3 sets of 1/2 pint and quart jars at a time because that's what fits in my 2-1/2 gal. brewpot. The idea here is to produce sterile wort that can hang around until you are ready to use it. Incidentally, I get a bunch of "stuff" in my jars; this is the trub that you've been warned about. It's ugly, and I try not to use it later, but it doesn't form a compact layer at the bottom and is easily stirred up.

How to Start a Yeast
This is for a 5 gallon batch of beer.

Two weeks(!) before you brew, sterilize the baby bottle, rubber stopper, airlock, and funnel. I boil the bottle with a piece of foil; when done, I empty the bottle and quickly wrap foil around its mouth. A metal funnel could be boiled and wrapped as well. However, I don't have one and just use a chlorine sterilant on my funnel.

It has been suggested to do the following away from your kitchen, since there are all kinds of nasties floating around there, but I did two of them there and had no trouble. The yeast starter begins with only a few hundred or thousand cells, and if you let too much of something else in, it could overpower the yeast.

You need a jar of sterile water; distilled water probably works, but I take a jar of the water I just boiled my 1/2 pint jar in, and cover it with foil too. In this case, I have to wait an hour for the water to cool down. Heavy use of Lysol spray in the area you are working is recommended, but I don't have any, can't stand the smell, and have gotten away without it so far.

Open a 1/2 pint of wort and pour it into the bottle. Heat the inoculating loop over a non-carbonizing flame (gas or alcohol) to red hot and dip it into the sterile water to cool. Open your slant while holding it upside down (to prevent gravity aiding something's passage into your precious slant), scrape the surface of the slant, swoosh it in the bottle of wort. Close the slant, bung the bottle with the stopper and airlock. Shake the bottle to aerate the wort.

A few notes:

I use vodka in the airlock because it keeps a lot of the nasties out, and a bit of it won't hurt the yeast; a bit of chlorine in so small a volume could easily stop everything before it starts.

You can use almost any steel wire for an inoculating loop, e.g., a paper clip. I used a dissecting needle, which has a handle. If you use a paper clip, you'll have to mount it somehow so that you can hold one end and get the other red hot. Inoculating loops can be had for about $1 at a chemical/lab glassware supply store. You can get an alcohol lamp there for about $3. They will run on rubbing (70% isopropyl) alcohol, but do better on denatured alcohol. An alcohol lamp allows you to get out of the kitchen to do this work.

You don't need to get the entire surface of the slant. Just a dab'll do ya. You don't even need to actually see anything on the loop; if you've touched the surface, you've got some.

Put your bottle in a warm place. I put mine near the stove, where the pilots keep it in the neighborhood in the 80's. Nothing will happen for at least 2 days. It's frustrating but true. In about a week, it will be bubbling , with a layer of clean white sediment. There will be some islands of bubbles on the surface. This is high krausen!

At this point, sterilize your large bottle and the funnel. Lysol again. Shake the 1/2 pint bottle to get all of the sediment into solution. Open and pour into the bigger bottle. Open a quart of wort and pour it in. Plug the bigger bottle with the stopper/airlock. Shake to aerate.

In 5 to 7 days, the surface will have a thin layer of bubbles and there will be a nice thick layer of clean white sediment. Make your beer, shake the sediment into solution and pitch!

Technically, you are underpitching a 5 gallon wort with this starter. My experience is that I see some islands of foam in 18-24 hours. In 48 hours, however, I see at least an inch of clean white head, and we're off.

I must admit that I have only worked with Sierra Nevada's ale yeast. Ales, working as they do at higher temperatures, take off faster and stronger. I have just acquired a refrigerator, and will report on my attempts at lagering in a future installment.

      --Darryl Richman, INTERACTIVE Systems Corp. 
      ...!cca!ima\ 
         >-!ism780c!darryl 
      ...!sdcrdcf/

This from Gary Powell <ihnp4!uw-beaver!tikal!ole!powell>

> Porter..No fizz.
Well most of my beer has been that way. However, after 2 months in the bottle the fizz gets lots better. Porters take longer than ales/lagers to come up to full pressure...Not sure why.

> Hop Pellets too Bitter.
The bitterness definitely mellows after 2 months in the bottle. But after all it's your beer, adjust to your pallet.

> Roto Keg.
Judd (judd) has one and didn't like it. He claims the plastic is too porous and the CO2 leaks out. For kegging it appears that a soda machine container is optimal.

> Good Books for Beginners.
"The Complete Book of Homebrew" by Charlie Paz...(I forget the spelling) It mentions almost everything you did in your newsletter. In fact I suspect the compliment of plagiarism. But to save mail you might include this book for anyone interested in getting started.

[I *paraphrased* Papazian's book "The Complete Joy of Homebrewing"]

> Update on the Honey "Lager"
Well I bottled it Saturday and the flavor is improving...It may take several months in the bottle to fully mature. Fortunately I've plenty from previous batches to hold me over.

> Getting Bottles.
I trade promises of future batches for empty bottles. And lately actually fully aged beer. (Now that I have some.) I have +200 bottles in only 3 months. My co-workers have been very helpful in my collection. Plus I was "forced" to buy beer while I waited for the first batch to age. So naturally I bought stuff without screwtops. (Bottle weakness isn't the problem, getting a good seal is.) And to my "dismay" the only beer in the good bottles is imported or made by the local micro-breweries. (That's what I told my budget director!)

> Style of Brewing.
I prefer to start the wort in a plastic bucket with an air lock and then move to a glass carboy after the initial phase of fermentation. This leaves me the bucket for batch priming, and leaves the hop sludge in the bottom of the pail.

> Product Review: Bottle filler.
I use a bottle filler which is an aluminum tube with a valve on the end. You put it in the end of the siphon tube, and once you get the siphon going it allows you to fill a bottle with no leakage. You press the tube on the bottom of the bottle to open the valve. Fill the bottle to the top, then withdraw the tube. This leaves 1" of space in the top of the bottle.

When filling my bottles I use the plastic hose clamp to hold the siphon tube in the plastic pail. Just slide the clamp to the proper location (to the edge of the bucket) and slip the opening over the edge. When I get near the bottom I use a friend (Best tool yet!..be sure to have a least one.) to direct the tube to the lowest place to get all the wort into the bottles.

You can get along without a bottle filler if you have a spigot on your batch priming bucket. But since I use the same bucket for primary fermenting I can't afford a leak when I'm not looking.

*Gary

Beereviews

Well, the response to my article in Brewsletter #2 (Beer Evaluation/Rating) was underwhelming, and I think I know why. It was a dumb idea. After all, drinking/brewing beer is supposed to be fun, but rating beer according to some numerical system is not very enjoyable. It's just not practical, I've decided, to reduce the many tastes found in beer to several categories like aroma, appearance, etc, and attach a number to it. It's like rating a piece of audio equipment by simply specifying frequency response, distortion, etc. You can learn the most evident things from measurements like these, but the subtleties escape the sweeping generalizations. Consider all the adjectives and modifiers that are used in describing wine. Why should we simply use numbers to describe beer? Of course, we have to be careful to avoid the common pitfalls that affect wine reviewing and audio reviewing alike, that of using unexplained terms in unconventional contexts, i.e., "Transistors sound cold" and "This '79 Foo County Riesling has a brittle aftertaste." (Both examples strictly contrived and do not represent the opinions of anybody I've ever met or received mail from.) This doesn't mean that we can't use outrageously subjective terms like "cold" and "brittle", but we must simply do our best to _explain_ what we mean.

I like to try lots of different kinds of beer, and I'd like to share my impressions of them. I have started taking notes while I'm drinking the beer, and copy these notes almost directly to this "beereview" column, which I'd like to have as a regular feature of the Brewsletter. I am intentionally avoiding writing reviews of beers I've had in the past, since I don't want to use my memory, just my notes. Memories have a way of becoming clouded, embellished, etc. I have also avoided giving an overall "rating" to each beer, but instead concentrated on giving impressions. The purpose of this is to tell you about a beer in such a way that you get an idea of whether or not you might like it. Perhaps you'll try some of these, and concur with my impressions, or perhaps you'll disagree, in which case I hope you'll write a rebuttal. Contributions are certainly welcome, as long as you stick to the rule: no "remembering" that great beer you had in Stuttgart last year. Please write notes as you drink, and submit them with little or no editing. If you really want to write a review from memory, just indicate that you are doing so.

Another important factor to consider when reading a review is the reviewer's "preference." This "preference" is generally, what does the reviewer really like in a beer, or if that's too specific, what are the reviewer's favorite beers? Knowing this will help you to "sort out" the reviews and reviewers, paying more attention those reviewers whose tastes are similar to yours. Please give this information also when submitting reviews.

My preferences:

Above all else, I like hops. I tend to like a beer if it has some kind of distinct hop character or flavor. It can be a hop bouquet, a hop dryness, an assertive hop flavor, or simply a good hop balance. I tend to dislike beers that are underhopped and/or sweet, unless they have some good reason for being so, i.e., an "Oktoberfest" beer is principally malty in character.

My favorites, the ones I keep coming back to:

• Chimay, any variety (complex hop flavor)
• Pilsner Urquell (definitive hop dryness)
• Anchor Liberty Ale (awesome hop aroma and flavor)
• Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale (ditto)
• Fullers ESB (definitive ale balance)
• Paulaner Urtyp 1634 (just simply like it!)

Now, on to the reviews for this issue. (Glossary follows)

Hoegaarden Grand Cru Ale (Belgium)

This is what Belgian beers are all about. It's awesomely fruity, with a complex, fascinating flavor. Alcohol is a major element. Like many Belgian ales, it has that "winey" character. If you're really getting tired of the same old stuff, you owe it to yourself to try Belgian products.

Brasseurs Biere de Paris "Pur Malt" (France)

Rich and robust, with a wonderfully malty aroma. Reminds me of London Pride and Special London Ale. It could easily pass for a good British Ale.

Portland Lager (USA)

The first thing you notice when you pour this beer is the lack of anything resembling a head, but that is quickly forgiven when the pungent malt aroma hits your nose, enticing you to try what I think is one of the best American beers. This is no watered-down coors copy-it has some muscle on its body. The balance is near perfect, being a touch on the sweet side, but the finish is eminently satisfying.

Orval Trappist Ale (Belgium)

If you haven't caught on yet, I love Belgian beers, and this one is one of the best I've tried. Like most Belgian brews, it has a world class head. The most unusual characteristic of Orval is the aroma: it smells much like perfume and flowers. After you get by the aroma, there is a typical Belgian Ale taste underneath- winey in character, and complex flavor. It finishes with a strong, but pleasant, hop flavor. (That's the part I love.)

Samichlaus 1986 (Switzerland)

The strongest beer in the world, Samichlaus, is surprisingly drinkable. Alcohol is, as expected, the dominant characteristic, and the malt flavor is closer to that of a scotch than a beer. Should be tried once.

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Ale (USA)

This "barleywine style" brew is certainly the hoppiest drink I've ever sampled. The colossal hop aroma hits you while you pour, and the hop bitterness floors you on the first sip. If you want to get high on hops, this is the ticket. Even though there is enough alcohol in Bigfoot to make it the strongest beer in the USA, the hop bitterness all but squelches any other flavor. Though I would not say this ale was balanced in the traditional sense, I think Sierra Nevada makes a strong case against balance. Try it at your own risk; if you find it too bitter, feel free to send it to me.

New Amsterdam Amber (USA)

I remember having this a while back and liking it, but on the occasion of this tasting, I had just finished drinking Bigfoot Ale. This makes it difficult to be objective- in comparison to Bigfoot, New Amsterdam tasted like Coors Light. The only things I can state about it are: good malty aroma and not much of a head. If I complained about the taste or balance, I think it would be biased, so I'll try to sample one of these again and report on it.

Grizzly Beer (Canada)

Skunky aroma hits you first, and the fair head is followed by a thin, dry, chickenfeed taste. There's only a faint hop bitterness, but no detectable malt flavor, and the carbonation bites your tongue. Grizzly is more a marketing ploy than a beer- as a beer, it's disappointing. If you must try it, let it warm up a bit first.

Tolly Original Premium Ale (England)

This is a good, simple, straightforward ale. No surprises, nothing bad, but nothing fantastic. Nice hop flavor without being bitter, and a pretty good malt taste. Pleasant overall.

Newcastle Light Ale (England)

A sweet aroma foretells the main character of this beer: sweetness. There's just a backround hoppiness, and the smooth taste is followed by a clean aftertaste. This is perhaps the definitive "light" beer, one that Budweiser, Miller, Coors, etc., should take a lesson from.

Gold Fassl Pils (Austria)

A corny aroma leads into a light, crisp taste dominated by sweetness. If Coors used more malt, their beer might taste like this. Overall, kind of bland- nothing to write home about.

Callao Pilsen (Peru)

No aroma and very light color, with a head that disappears within 30 seconds; Very little detectable flavor. Tastes like sparkling water with a dash of beer flavor thrown in.

Paulaner Pils

Classical Pils, with aroma and taste dominated by malt, with a nice, dry hop aftertaste. Wonderful grainy smells, and hints of yeastiness. Memory: I seem to remember my first Paulaner Pils having a fresh, pungent, yeasty aroma, but the review sample had only hints of it.

Kessler "Lorelei" Extra Pale (USA)

Light malty aroma, creamy head, good grain flavor. Lightly hopped, with a fairly clean finish. Not quite enough "substance" to it to really be taken seriously.

Schaff Feuerfest Edel Bier (Germany)

The fancy bottle with a serial number (my sample was 189805) on the label tips you off that this is going to be no ordinary beer. Upon pouring, you notice several unusual things: there is no head to speak of, and almost no apparent carbonation; the color is a deep, dark, red, and your nose tells you immediately that this stuff has plenty of alcohol. The taste is hard to describe using the usual "beer" descriptions-The abundance of alcohol masked whatever hop aroma or flavor there was, and there wasn't any distinct sweetness. Malt dominated, but it was the kind of malty flavors found in Scotch. It was certainly delicious; I drank it with a Cognac Chocolate Truffle. (By the way, for those of you that haven't discovered this already, beer goes very well with chocolate.) In any case, you'll want to make this your only beer for the evening-I had it after drinking the Kessler (above) and I felt that this was too much alcohol in my body (your mileage may vary.)

Kaiserdom Rauchbier (Germany)

"Smoked Bavarian Dark Beer" sounded interesting, but the good, dark beer was obscured by the ubiquitous smoke aroma and taste. If this sounds good to you, give it a try. It was not to my taste at all.

Fix 1864 (Greece)

Immediate skunky aroma as top was pried off. Reminiscent of Molsen Golden-dry finish, nothing great. The bottle was marked "Best before end of 10/86" which means is was about 5 months past its prime when I drank it. (I didn't notice the dating when I bought it since I wasn't expecting a date- I wish more brewers would date their products.)

Hansa Dark (Norway)

Nice grainy aroma, copper color, nutty flavor with sweetness dominating. An enjoyable brew.

Glossary:

• Awesome - General extreme adjective, almost always good connotation.
• Chickenfeed - A cheap, processed, corn taste or smell
• Complex - Many different individual tastes mixed together into one largely unidentifiable glob. Usually has positive connotations, but sometimes has negative, especially when used in conjunction with "immature"
• Fruity - Having the aroma of fruits, the most common being banana and apple. Citrus type aromas are sometimes attributable to acidity. Usually has good connotation.
• Rich/ - Overused adjectives. Usually means that the beer has lots
• Robust of starches and unfermented sugars, and thus gives a "tasty" impression as it rolls over the tongue.
• Skunky - Ever smell roadkill a mile away?

Of Interest to Northern Colorado Homebrewers:

This from Mike Berry <ihnp4!hpfcla!hpfcmb!mcb>

8^th Annual Augustfest
and
Homebrew Competition

The Homebrewers event of the year! All homebrewers in the Northern Colorado area are welcome to enter their prides and attend the festivities. Read on.

The Homebrewed Beer Competition

The entry categories will be:

1. Lagers
2. Pilsners
3. Pale Ales
4. Dark Ales
5. Darks ie Continental darks, Bocks, etc
6. Porters
7. Stouts
8. Specialty ie Cherry Lager, Wheat beer, Ginger Beer, Honey variants

Rules:

• A. All bottles entered will need a tag that is easily removable. That is, a label attached to each bottle with a rubber band or string (adhesive tape is NOT acceptable) with the following info:
1. Contestant's full name (the way you would want it on the certificate)
2. Category of entry and your description of the brew
3. What you have named your brew such as "Old Muddy", "World's best Pilsner", "Suds", "Kick Bootie Rootie", etc
4. Contestants phone number and/or address
• B. Bottles. Only clean 12 oz. Bar bottles are acceptable. May be clear glass. Bottles MUST have manufacturers labels removed and not be easily distinguished as being yours when the labels described in A. above are removed.
• C. Two (2) bottles per entry
• D. Judges may not judge any category they have entered
• E. Cost to enter is $0.50 per entry
• F. You may enter any or all of the categories but are limited to 2 (two) entries per category

Augustfest Location: Lory State Park, West of the North end of Horsetooth Reservoir. (directions available from Brew it). This area requires a Colorado State Parks pass which can be obtained at the Lory entry gate for $3.00 per vehicle. If you have an annual permit it will work fine. The shelter is actually close enough to the entry gate to walk and shuttling of guests is another possibility.

What to bring:

• Picnic lunch - hamburgers and hot dogs are good.
• Beans, salad or dessert to eat and share. Paper plates and silverware. Sun lotion could be handy.
• (Shade is available) Frisbees, ball gloves (enough room to play catch)

What is provided:

• Charcoal for grilling
• Corn on the cob with margarine and salt
• Pressure barrel of brew from Jim Whitver
• 14 gallons of Al's Clusterflux Cripple Pilsner
• made by Mike Berry and Karl Jensen

Bratwurst tickets:
Sign up will be available at Brew it Co. for bratwurst sausages that will be marinaded in home-brewed beer. They will be delicious! The tickets will sell for about $1.00 to $1.25 and will be for 2 brats and buns. This price may vary but they will be sold for cost. Kirt Manke will be the bratchef. Sign up will be during the month of July from Al Colby at Brew It Co.

Augustfest Tee Shirts:
A limited number (around 48) of 8^th Annual Augustfest Tee shirts will be available after about the 15^th of May. These will be light blue shirts with an beer mug and a description of the Augustfest. Al will be selling them for cost which should be around $5.00. Don't get left out on this opportunity!

Schedule of Events:

Date	Event
July 1	Start bringing in your entries to Brew It Co. Entries will be refrigerated (and Al promised not to drink them :-))
July 1-8	Judges training sign-up
July 8	Judges training class 7:00 - 9:00 PM
July 15	Judges training class 7:00 - 9:00 PM
July 20-31	Beer judging in progress. ALL ENTRIES MUST BE IN BY JULY 20th!
August 1st	Augustfest!

Events at Augustfest:

Time	Event
9:00	Organizers will be at Lory
11:00	Judges should be present
11:30	Final judging begins
12:00	Lunch (see above)
1:00	Games begin. Cripple keg to be tapped
6:00	Clean up, crawl home.

Year Of the Beer

The Ninth Annual Conference on Quality Beer and Brewing (June 3-6) and the Great American Beer Festival (June 5 and 6) will take place at the Regency Hotel, Denver, Colorado. Here is a schedule of events:

Wednesday, June 3

Thursday, June 4 - Tasting and Evaluating Beer

Friday, June 5 - The Technology of Beer and Brewing

Saturday, June 6 - American Beer Culture

If you have to ask how much all this costs, then you can't afford it.

The basic prices are:

I'm going to try to attend the GABF, and hope to see some of you there.