Friday, May 21, 2010

Feedback

I gave my friend, Woody, a 6 pack of Sheppy Brew for his birthday.  Actually, I guess technically, you would call him more of a boss, so you could say I was brown-nosing.

But, he gave me some very nice feedback on my beer.

The beers I gave him (in the order he ranked them) were:
  1. Buckwheat's Belgium Pale Ale
  2. Phat & Tyred Ale -- actually he called 2 and 3 a tie.
  3. Tommy Hawk APA -- actually he called 2 and 3 a tie.
  4. Blackhawk Black Ale
  5. Monkish Wit
  6. Tweedle Beetle Stout
Overall, he REALLY seemed to like 1 - 3.  Thought they were "great".  4 was good, but not as great as 1-3.  5 was ok.  6 he thought was bitter (which I translated to mean he did not really like it).

Considering how wide of a range there is in those beers, I am pretty pleased with 4 out of 6 greats or good.  Wits and Imperial Stouts certainly are not for everyone, so the fact that he didn't like them doesn't mean they are not good beers.  Tweedle Beetle Stout in particular is intense in the hops and dark roasted malts, and it is certainly not for the average beer drinker.

And, of course, if he is like me ... beer preference depends a bunch on what you feel like having.  Sometimes I feel like drinking ridiculously hoppy beers.  Sometimes I want a nice light blonde.  Sometimes I feel more like having a nice average amber.  I think most beer drinkers are like that.

Anyway, thanks to Mr. Woody for the feedback.

    Thursday, May 20, 2010

    Lost Generation



    This is better a bit bigger than it displays in my blog.  So, full screen it.

    Those of you who read my blog via facebook can go to http://blog.ericshepard.com/2010/05/lost-generation.html

    Saturday, May 15, 2010

    Buckwheat's Belgium Pale Ale

    Recently (well .. relatively recently) I brewed Buckwheat's Belgium Pale Ale.  My wife picked out a recipe from Jamil Zainasheff's and John Palmer's book Brewing Classic Styles called "Antwerp Afternoon", and I scaled it down and modified it a bit based on some ingredient / process preferences I have developed.

    In my humble opinion, the beer turned out great.  My wife says it is her favorite beer, so apparently she thinks it is pretty good as well.  It is a nicely balanced, clean tasting beer with a nice biscuit malt background.  I call it a little brother of my Phat & Tyred Ale.  It is very tasty.


    I never had a Belgium Pale Ale before I tried mine.  But, since then, I have tried two beers that call themselves Belgium Pale Ales.  One is made by the Blue Moon Brewing company called Pale Moon.  The other was a seasonal brew at a local brew pub called C.B. & Potts.  Neither of these beers taste like mine.  They do not really taste like each other, either.  The Pale Moon tastes like maybe they included coriander and/or orange peel like a regular Blue Moon does.  The BPA at C.B. & Potts tasted like it had a similar grain bill and hop flavoring to mine, but it also had the funky yeasty flavor that I associate with Belgium wheat beers and / or Rye beers.  I think this is called a "Phenolic" taste.  If you have ever had a Mothership Wit from New Belgium Brewery, you probably know the taste I am talking about.  It is a taste I do not care for.  Apparently some people like it, because it comes through in lots of commercial beers I've had.  The BPA at C.B. & Potts had just a touch of it, not nearly as bad as many I've had, but I could detect it.  My wife's cousin (who was the one who actually ordered the beer) could detect it too (and liked it even less than I do).


    So, I'm wondering ... since my Belgium Pale Ale tastes nothing like either of the commercial BPA's that I have had, is my BPA not really a BPA?  Of course, the two commercial examples I have had taste nothing like each other either. 

    I suppose it doesn't really matter since I like the beer, and my wife likes the beer.  It is a beer that will not last very long.  I think what I am going to do is brew a double batch of Buckwheat's Belgium Pale Ale.  I'll split it into two fermenters.  In one, I'll use the same yeast I used for my first batch.  For the other, I'll use a more traditional Belgium-like yeast.  The key will be to make sure I keep the fermentation cold over the first couple days so that the phenolics don't come through too strong.

    Not sure when I'll get a chance to try this.  My next batch will be a Whisky Wife Wheat II and then I need to brew up Quarter Life Crisis and Stone Soup IDA again.  Maybe after those three brews I'll have an opening for the great BPA experiment.

    Monday, May 10, 2010

    1961



    The Chicago Blackhawks have not won the Stanley cup since 1961. I was not alive in 1961. All but 6 teams in the NHL did not exist last time the Hawks won the cup. The fact that a team can go almost 50 years without winning is baffling to me. I'm sick of it. Its about time for them to get it done.

    Of course, before they won it in 1997, the Red Wings had gone from 1955 without winning. The New York Rangers went from 1940 to 1994 without winning the cup. The Boston Bruins have not won since 1972.

    I wonder what it is about the American members of the original 6 and their long droughts.

    I am really hoping the Hawks make it to the finals and win it finally. If not, I hope they can win it before the Bruins.