Bear Bait Brew

2007-05-08T14:32:00.000-06:00

http://www.freethehops.org/beerfestival/index.htm

How about an outing?

What Can Happen if you don't Drink Good Beer

2007-05-01T22:58:00.000-06:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=il5a1jY_AN4

Fear Not!

2007-04-19T07:58:00.000-06:00

I'm admitting it. . . I think we've hit a little slump in our brewing. Instead of admitting that slump, we did what our Y chromosomes told us to do and tackled a recipe for a double IPA with an IBU of 110. I think at the end of the night we all realized that we had metaphorically kissed our cousin. . . the night had just not felt right. Have we so early lost the Joy of Homebrewing?

Nay, I say! A simple "no" will not answer that question. That question requires "Nay!" Nay, has the dual function of answering my question and empowering me to answer. Nay. Nay! Nay!!

Fear NOT! We shall not rest in our place in time, but I pause to acknowledge it. We are here because of the men thousands of years ago who could not buy beer and had to invent it. We are because men were not satisfied with their own senses and were industrious enough to alter them. We are here because of the men who persevered through years of prohibition to maintain and perfect an art. I am honored to represent their sacrifices.

In conclusion, the "Bear ate the honeybee, but the honeybee repetitively stung the bear in his esophagus until the bear died from internal bleeding" Double IPA is fermenting. The yeast are bubbling. And it is an honor to brew beside each of you.

Amazingly Funny Video

2007-04-16T22:40:00.000-06:00

And it has something to do with beer.

And here is the URL if the video doesn't work. The video at the link is higher quality.

http://sjl.funnyordie.com/v1/view_video.php?viewkey=3efbc24c7d2583be6925

Disappointing

2007-04-13T22:19:00.000-06:00

I just got home from studying and decided I wanted a beer. Alas, no BBB was chilled so I settled for a Guinness. Usually a Guinness leads to a highly enjoyable drinking experience but I was disappointed since it did not match up to our ASS. I am incredibly happy right now that I am disappointed with the beer I am drinking.

Another experiment. . .

2007-04-13T17:32:00.000-06:00

From John Palmer's How to Brew.

"This brings up a good question, how bitter is bitter? Well, in terms of IBUs, 20 to 40 is considered to be the typical international range. North American light beers, like Coorsú, have a bitterness of only 10-15 IBUs. More bitter imported light beers, like Heinekenú, have a bitterness closer to 20-25. American microbrews like Samuel Adam Boston Lagerú have a bitterness of about 30 IBUs. Strong bitter ales like Anchor Liberty Aleú and Sierra Nevada Celebration Aleú have bitterness of 45 or more."

I just made a recipe for a beer that has an IBU of >100. Skeered?

Why do macrobrews suck?

2007-04-11T11:15:00.000-06:00

Here's a question/thought that just invaded my studying. . . I am not a beer snob, yet, and I don't really have a great beer palate, yet. I'd say I'm somewhere in no man's land right now between the valleys of Natie Light and the mountains (further up and further in) of Belgian ales. However, I know that I can no longer identify with the part of people who choose American macrobrewed beverages.

This thought came about as I was thinking, "would it be possible to brew a good beer that appealed to the macrobrewed/frat boy crowd?"

Answer:
Top excuses for not drinking good beer:
1) "I don't like dark beers" (what in fact most people are saying is that they don't like beers with lots of dark specialty grains but more importantly lot of I.B.U.'s)
2) "Why spend four bucks on a beer?" (I don't understand why beer is marked up so much either)
3) "I don't want to drink beer that makes me fat." (Then, don't drink beer. Alcohol is calorie laden. Light beers simply use crazy enzymes to degrade some of the left over carbs then water the beer down a bit as evidenced by the lower alcohol percentages of all major beers. Thus, what you get is a water downed version of a crappy beer to start with, that someone has added a few enzymes that probably cause cancer anyway. Let's be honest, is there a big difference between 140 and 110 calories?)

So, the beer would have to be light colored, cheap, and not hoppy. I think this is the reason that the hefeweizen is growing in popularity (though let's all make an effort to educate people of the truth behind Blue Moon). Part of the problem is that most people's first exposure to non-American macrobrewed stuff is Guinness or a Pale Ale, both formidable beers for a non-drinker's palate. I don't see any microbreweries really going after the people who fear dark beers. I don't see anybody making good beers aimed at macrobrewed junkies. Perhaps it's impossible, but I think there's a market for this and as soon as someone decides to stop being pretentious about brewing only beer that hurts your throat when you burp the I.B.U.'s back up, they could be successful and dismantling a piece of America's addiction to macrobrewed, waterd0wned, dextrose laced, corn mashed, pee in a bottle. Thoughts?

Beer in schools?

2007-04-11T11:04:00.000-06:00

Table beer
"Table beer is a low-alcohol (typically not over 1,5%) brew sold in large bottles to be drunk with meals. The last decennia it has gradually lost popularity due to the growing consumption of soft drinks and bottled water. It comes in blonde or brown versions. Table beer used to be served in school refectories until the 1970; in the early 21st century, several organizations made proposals to reinstate this custom as the table beer is considered more healthy than soft drinks." (wikipedia)

Dream Beers

2007-04-08T09:00:00.000-06:00

With the brewing season coming into full force, I thought I'd pose a question: What beer or beers are you most excited about trying to brew? My answers:

Kolsch
Hefeweizen
Belgian Dubbel
Czech Pilsner (lager anyone??)
Double or Triple IPA (if each sip doesn't cause me to burp, it ain't worth drinking)
Mid-summer: Pumpkin Spice Ale for October/November
Something with fruit in it

Summer Kolsch and Brown Ale Tasting

2007-03-28T20:30:00.000-06:00

People may already have a Saturday night planned, but what about a brew session? My wife and Ginger have separate quilting engagements. I'd really like to try to get a summer kolsch (a lighter wheat/malt hybrid that we can actually flavor with fruit (pomegranate?) if we so wish) going since the weather's getting better, and we need to get together and try the Brown Ale. I was thinking grill out starting around 7 and get a batch (maybe 2???) in while smoking some pipes and enjoying some brewha. Thoughts?

An interesting read. . .

2007-03-26T21:30:00.000-06:00

Here's a piece of legislation I dug up. . . http://www.legislature.state.al.us/CodeofAlabama/1975/21502.htm

Ch. 3a Section 28-3a-6 ($50 buck application fee to become a manufacturer of malt beverages in Alabama)

Field Trip

2007-03-26T12:15:00.000-06:00

I think we need to have a field trip sometime soon. We can either go to Sweetwater Brewery in Atlanta, GA where we get to watch how they brew beer and taste all of them or we can go to the Flying Saucer in Nashville, Tennesse where they have more than 70 taps pull drafts from some of the best breweries around the globe, and 160-plus bottled varieties round out the impressive selection.

The tour is either Wednesday, Thursday or Friday and we have to be there at 5:30 PM and the tours start at 6:00 PM and 7:00 PM.

Flying Saucer is an anytime and I do have a menu for their different beers. We can become members there to keep up with which beers we have drank and once we have drank 200 we get a Flying Saucer gold disk on the wall and will be in the History of Beer Drinking forever.

Beer, Beer, Beer

2007-03-25T10:35:00.000-06:00

I wanted to write reviews for every new beer I tried over spring break, but the list is daunting so here's a breakdown and a comment or two with more on some of the beer's I thought were really special.

Squatter's/Wasatch Beers
Captain Bastard's Oatmeal Stout. Amazing.
Provo Girl Pilsner. Uninspiring.
Squatter's IPA. A good, but not great example of the style.
American Wheat Hefeweizen. Excellent beer.
Chasing Tail Golden Ale. :\
Full Suspension Pale Ale.
Bobsled Brown Ale. Doesn't come close to new castle.
Orphan Abbey Belgian Style Ale. A great beer, but a poor example of a belgian. More like a brown ale.
Polygamy Porter. The best beer name ever.
Apricot Hefeweizen

Other
Smithwick's Irish Red Ale - A better March beer than the BBB I.R.A. but we're not far behind. Hoppier with crisp carbination.
Pilsner Urquell. Amazing.
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine Ale. 10% alcohol content but 100% hair on your chest.
Pyramid Hefeweizen. A great unfiltered hefe.
Uinta Cutthroat Pale Ale. Awful, no taste. too pale not enough aley.
Uinta India Pale Ale. Better than the cutthroat but steel uninspiring.
Michelobe Ultra. Why does this belong in this list? Because while it is an example of the butchering of the lager style that's pilaging the U.S., it is an excellent example of this and I love it.
BBB Brown Ale.

I'm missing one or two, but that's the gist of it.

I HOPE YOU ALL GET SUNBURNED!

2007-03-19T11:08:00.000-06:00

I am at work, it is 74 degrees outside, and all of you are enjoying spring break. I am a little bitter.

Hit Counter

2007-03-13T12:01:00.000-06:00

How do we put a hit counter on this thing?

It's a Double FULL MOON tonight at Volker High

2007-03-11T01:24:00.000-06:00

As I sit quietly in room 414 attempting to learn about Germ cells and fertilization, I hear whispering outside of my door. It is late and there are not many people here tonight so I can't figure out why anyone would be whispering. Then out of the corner of my eye the door slams open and two human bodies fly into it and both drop trough. Instantly both mooners turn, look, and smile at me. I set my papers down gently and put my face in my hands and realize that medical school is not about forcing yourself to learn as much information as you can in as little time as possible. Instead it is about creating unbreakable bonds with people that will do whatever it takes to make you laugh even if it is 12:30 in the morning and all any of us want to do is go home or brew some more amazing beer (because it doesn't matter what time of day or night or how little sleep I have had, I will always want to do that). In closing, I am proud to say I am one of only two people on Planet Earth that has been mooned by the Menendi. Watch out, you may be next...

Where is Paul Linsky a.k.a Harry Bear?

2007-03-10T12:31:00.000-06:00

I need my partner in Fredo crime to be on the blog.

P.S. Vote for Teddy bear because he has a really low self-esteem and needs this win.

Blood and Thunder!

2007-03-09T22:51:00.000-06:00

Having just returned from the first of many viewings of 300, I felt obligated to share my initial impressions with my fellow blogmates. I would have started this post sooner had I not come home and immediately done 1000 push-ups, 1000 sit-ups, and made love to my wife (3 times). I was most pleased with the ubiquitous violence and seemingly infinite number of casualties. I also enjoyed the aggressive use of "upper man-thighs" and gratuitous nipple shots. Sadly, between work and worship obligations, I will only have time for another four viewings this weekend. A new age has begun gentleman, AN AGE OF FREEDOM!
http://www.warnerbrosrecords.com/300soundtrack/

Beer Launching Refrigerator, Enough Said....

2007-03-08T17:14:00.000-06:00

Alright everyone. A source of mine in the beer industry sent me this link and I think it is completely do able for us to make this.

http://www.duke.edu/~jwc13/beerlauncher.html

If we could make a beer this awesome. . .

2007-03-07T23:28:00.000-06:00

we'd be inside the golden gates.

The 3rd Place Winning Arctic Oatmeal Stout

2007-03-06T20:05:00.000-06:00

While trying to perfect our beers now. . . would anybody else be interested in entering them in a competition to see how on the mark we are with our assessments?

http://www.hbd.org/carboy/shamrock.htm

2007-03-06T18:35:00.000-06:00

How I hate blogging

But I do it for the love

Of beer men everywhere

Haiku contest reminder

2007-03-06T17:06:00.000-06:00

Just a reminder about the ongoing beer haiku contest. The deadline will be 10pm Sunday night (CST). So far, we have three entries. Two by polar bear (aka pothead) and one by "anonymous." Voting will take place on the website next Monday.

Polar Bear said...
Beer, delicious beer
Enhanced enjoyment comes with
Two words: Pot also?

March 5, 2007 9:59 AM
Polar Bear said...
Hops, fruit of the earth
aroma, taste, bittering
so simple so good

March 5, 2007 10:44 PM
Anonymous said...
Home brew stinks for days
Can I have my bathtub back?
This girl's earned her share

Desert Bear Has Arrived!

2007-03-06T09:28:00.000-06:00

It is an honor and a privilege to blog with the likes of Mark and Polar Bear. I have choosen the name Desert Bear because it accurately reflects my beer drinking lifestyle and my sense of humor -- DRY. Despite my complete indifference to beer and the brewing process, I am always up for a good laugh, and the very thought of this blog is good for at least one laugh a day. I look forward to working with you gentlemen to make this blog the best that it can be.

Blogger of the Week!

2007-03-05T23:48:00.000-06:00

We're excited to award this week's blogger of the week award to

Drum Roll Please.............................................

How Havidson (name has been changed to avoid people finding this picture accidently since he is a "respectable" lawyer)

Congratulations!!