Ben Evert.com » Beer News

He’Brew The Chosen Beer

ben — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 05:42:58 +0000

The microbrew movement has brought a lot of shtick to beer, from the Bostonian use of “wicked” for Pete’s Wicked Ales to the Mormon-joshing of Wasatch Polygamy Porter.But only New York’s Shmaltz Brewing Co., maker of He’Brew, the Chosen Beer, really has shtick as part of its DNA.

Founded 13 years ago in San Francisco and now brewing in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Shmaltz has been getting mileage with the biblically-minded by bringing forth such beers as Genesis Ale and Messiah Bold.

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Cooking With Beer

ben — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:38:50 +0000

Beer. The drink that plays an integral part in many Ocktoberfest, St. Patrick’s Day, sporting events, and other festive occasions is said to date back to 9000 BC and is the third most popular drink in the world according to The Barbarian’s Beverage: A History of Beer in Ancient Europe by Max Nelson.

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Bike and beer tours in the ‘Napa Valley of beer,’

ben — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:33:22 +0000

So many of us have done the wine tasting tours whether by car, bus, or limo. Some may have even done wine tasting tours on a bicycle. It had to happen sooner or later…now a beer tasting tour on a bike. Here’s the latest from FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Home to numerous micro-breweries and a Budweiser plant, there is only one thing this Front Range town takes more seriously than beer and that’s bikes. Here, the bike culture and beer culture collide to create a European vibe. And the bonus for bike, beer and budget loving travelers everywhere is this destination is an easy – and economical – trip from anywhere in the United States.

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$8,000 for a Bottle of Beer? Oh, The Insanity

ben — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:21:09 +0000

We’ve written before about the aged-beer craze, but this is getting out of hand.

Weekly Staff Picks: From Beers to Brunch

ben — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:21:09 +0000

Healthy brunch options abound at Zanzibar Caf, including the health-nut omelet made with egg whites, tons of vegetables and a side of fruit – no tempting toast or potatoes.

Police: Drunken Pa. man drove tractor on beer run

ben — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:21:09 +0000

Originally published November 13, 2009 at 8:02 a.m., updated November 13, 2009 at 8:02 a.m. EXPORT, Pa.

Odell Bourbon Barrel Stout

ben — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 05:25:52 +0000

By TODD HAEFER
For The Post-Crescent

Odell Bourbon Barrel Stout
Odell Brewing Co., Fort Collins, Co.

I once wrote a column in my early Beer Man days ignorantly stating that oak barrel-aged beers were a passing trend.

I based this on that I saw several kinds of the style in area stores for a few months and then there was nothing for a long time. In hindsight, of course, that would make sense — the breweries sold out of their small productions and then had to wait many months for a new batch to age.
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Mother Earth Beer Goes On Sale

ben — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:21:44 +0000

Until recently, the Colorado-brewed Fat Tire had been the top-selling microbrew among House of Wang customers.

That is, until this week.

“This week, Mother Earth has been the best seller,” said co-owner Bill Tsao.

Tsao said the Chinese restaurant and bar — which has been in Kinston for 33 years — stocks micro-brewed beers from around the state and country.

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George Washington Porter – Revisted

ben — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 03:04:00 +0000

I got e-mail the other day from Kermode Bear at Kermodebear.org. He actually made a batch of George Washington’s Porter and the e-mail tells of his adventures. Of course, back in George’s day they fermented just about anything, since most supplies were very limited. A molasses beer probably did taste pretty good back then, but according to K. Bear it sucks. Well, anyways, he gave me permission to post his e-mail, so here it is.

Hello,

I had been wanting to make George’s porter for a while now, and I suppose that your blog entry was the catalyst I needed. Porter made. I fudged on the recipe a bit; I have several one gallon jugs for experiments, and when I experiment I’m much more liable to goof off; so the following is what was used for a one gallon batch:

1 gallon of water
15oz of blackstrap molasses
1/8 oz Cluster pellet hops, 7.2%AA
1 tbsp LDME, primer
1/5 packet Nottingham Dry Yeast (Yeah, I know…)

Starting Gravity: 1.050
Final Gravity: 1.020

I’m not a big fan of hops; I like less hops and more malt in my beers. I often cut them by a third in most recipes. He does says to my taste, so. I boiled for an hour, not three.

I also used more molasses than I should have, 15oz instead of 13oz, and it was added to the boil. I have not used molasses before, and I didn’t research it like I should have, so I am not sure if this had any effect.

Nottingham dry yeast, the stuff that comes in the Brewer’s Best kits, was my yeast of choice. I need to get rid of them somehow.

Fermented for ten days, bottled with 1 tablespoon of light dry malt extract. Fermentation was active for a few days and trailed off as usual, nothing extraordinary. I noticed very little krausen, but that is common with such small batches.

The result? Yuck. The molasses odor is, well, it smells like molasses, strong and pleasant – if you weren’t planning on drinking it. Even with half the molasses, I think the molasses flavor would be far too strong. The hops are nowhere to be tasted, it is terribly bitter, and quite honestly, it sucks. I’ve had three sips so far and I’m not going to continue. The molasses is just overpowering.

I have all the respect in the world for President Washington, but this just didn’t work out for me.

What would I change in the future?

The bulk of the fermentables would be malt; Molasses and brown sugar added for some flavor, perhaps a bit of cinnamon or cardamom.

Samuel Adams makes a great molasses porter, by the way. Highly recommended over what came out of my batch. (o;

-K. Bear

Thanks K. Bear for the run down on your experiment. Maybe the next experiment will be better.