Where did the year go? I mean, Winter Ale's are already coming out?!? Last I noticed, it was still 90 degrees and sunny past 8pm, but now it's 30 over night and the sun sets at 6pm.... Before long, Christmas will be here and Old Man winter will be upon us.
With that said, I decided it was time to start drinking some seasonal beers! To start the Winter Season off right I have decided to try the Souther Tier's Old Man Winter. I tend to be a fan of Souther Tier, so I am hoping my assumption of this being enjoyable will hold true.
The beer pours dark brown in color with a slight tan head. Smell is pretty mild, but I do notice some caramel and a bit of hops. The taste, however, is very tasty. I taste a bit of a coffee flavor, with a bit of hops to top it off. Caramel is there as well. The more I drink, the more the caramel and hop flavor comes out.
This one is decent. I wouldn't mind drinking this one again.
What do you think?
Nov 2, 2010
Beer Review - O'Fallon 5 Day IPA
Tonight I have decided to try O'Fallon's 5 Day IPA. The beer pours an amber hazy color with a sizable white head. Smell is of a nice floral aroma, with a touch of citrus. Smell is nice, but mild.Taste does not seem to match the smell of this beer. I taste just a touch of the hop aroma that I smelled. There's a touch of what seems to be lemon in the background and maybe a bit of bread flavor.
My honest opinion, this beer is only alright, definitely not something I would drink to often.
Have you tried this beer? What do you think?
Beer School - final thought
I mentioned several weeks ago that I had picked up a new book, "Beer School" written by the founders of Brooklyn Brewery, Tom Potter and Steve Hindy. I finally finished the book (hey, I am a slow reader) so I wanted to share my thoughts with you.
If you have ever considered going in to business for yourself, this is a must read. Even if you do not like beer, these 2 guys break down all the pressures, decisions, and all other obstacles they had while trying to get their brewery started. They were brutally honest in this book, I assume in effort to help other would be entrepreneurs understand the They share what they hated and what they loved about being in a partnership.
If you start reading this book thinking it is going to be about beer, you will be disappointed. Sure, the book is about the starting of a brewery, but it's much more than that. This book provides great insight to the world of starting your own business.
I know what you are thinking, "Why is a beer blog talking about a book?" Well, it's my blog and it was a book that was suggested to me. I am glad I read this book. If you are interested in the history of Brooklyn Brewery, want to start your own business, or just like reading, I recommend this book.
If you have ever considered going in to business for yourself, this is a must read. Even if you do not like beer, these 2 guys break down all the pressures, decisions, and all other obstacles they had while trying to get their brewery started. They were brutally honest in this book, I assume in effort to help other would be entrepreneurs understand the They share what they hated and what they loved about being in a partnership.
If you start reading this book thinking it is going to be about beer, you will be disappointed. Sure, the book is about the starting of a brewery, but it's much more than that. This book provides great insight to the world of starting your own business.
I know what you are thinking, "Why is a beer blog talking about a book?" Well, it's my blog and it was a book that was suggested to me. I am glad I read this book. If you are interested in the history of Brooklyn Brewery, want to start your own business, or just like reading, I recommend this book.
Nov 1, 2010
Homebrew - Smoked Porter
In a previous post, I mentioned I loved to homebrew. I am still a "rookie" when it comes to brewing and I am only able to brew on occasion. That being said, my buddy and I like to try and brew as often as we can, which usually equates to about once a month. When we brew, we use kits, for now, but we hope to move up to all-grain brewing in the near future.
The most recent brewing excursion came a couple of weeks ago when we decided it was time to start thinking about a nice beer to help warm the blood in the cold winter months. After travelling to our local homebrew shop, we decided that a nice smoked porter would do the trick. So, we grabbed some supplies, headed home, and began to brew.
The brewing process itself is a little tedious for my liking. Don't get me wrong, I know the importance of the process and I have surely tasted it's results, but there is a lot of work to be done just so you can sit and wait and wait and wait for a finished product. In the case of the smoked porter, we had to be even more diligent in watching the pot as it boiled since it was very likely to boil over (which it almost did several times, even in oversized brewing pot). However, the smell was delicious as we waited for the hour to be over so we can put the beer into a fermenter. This was going to be an awesome beer.
Once brewing was complete, we quickly dropped the temperature of the wort and pitched the yeast and moved the smoked porter into a primary fermenter. There the beer sat not even a full 24 hours before it fermented so much that it had seeped through the air lock and onto the fermentation bucket. Thankfully, none of it seemed to have ruined and we were able to save the beer.
After a few weeks, we moved the beer into secondary to let it mellow out a bit more. After a few more weeks, we were finally ready to bottle. We prepared the bottles and the beer and boy did it smell great! Just knowing that in a few weeks I will be able to try another home made beer made me smile.
I will keep you posted on the results of my smoked porter. In the meantime, if you have any advice for someone trying to do an all grain batch, please share. I love the process of brewing and would love to be able to fully create a truly unique beer for myself and for my friends.
The most recent brewing excursion came a couple of weeks ago when we decided it was time to start thinking about a nice beer to help warm the blood in the cold winter months. After travelling to our local homebrew shop, we decided that a nice smoked porter would do the trick. So, we grabbed some supplies, headed home, and began to brew.
The brewing process itself is a little tedious for my liking. Don't get me wrong, I know the importance of the process and I have surely tasted it's results, but there is a lot of work to be done just so you can sit and wait and wait and wait for a finished product. In the case of the smoked porter, we had to be even more diligent in watching the pot as it boiled since it was very likely to boil over (which it almost did several times, even in oversized brewing pot). However, the smell was delicious as we waited for the hour to be over so we can put the beer into a fermenter. This was going to be an awesome beer.
Once brewing was complete, we quickly dropped the temperature of the wort and pitched the yeast and moved the smoked porter into a primary fermenter. There the beer sat not even a full 24 hours before it fermented so much that it had seeped through the air lock and onto the fermentation bucket. Thankfully, none of it seemed to have ruined and we were able to save the beer.
After a few weeks, we moved the beer into secondary to let it mellow out a bit more. After a few more weeks, we were finally ready to bottle. We prepared the bottles and the beer and boy did it smell great! Just knowing that in a few weeks I will be able to try another home made beer made me smile.
I will keep you posted on the results of my smoked porter. In the meantime, if you have any advice for someone trying to do an all grain batch, please share. I love the process of brewing and would love to be able to fully create a truly unique beer for myself and for my friends.
Oct 28, 2010
Author/ Brewers Dinner
I heard about this event a few days ago and felt I needed to share. There are actually several of these Author/ Brewer Dinners going on, but this is the one I will be at.
Join Mike Morgan, author "Over-the-Rhine: When Beer Was King" and CEO of Christian Moerlein Brewing Company, Greg Hardman for a scrumptious dinner with beer pairings.
A short introduction will be led by both gentleman taking diners on a historical journey of Cincinnati beer history.
Click on photo below for full menu
The beers being served are:
1. Moerlein Northern Liberties IPA
2. Helles
3. OTR
4. Hudepohl Amber Lager
5. Barbarossa Double Dark Lager
Price is $35 per person. Limited space available. For Reservations please call (859) 426-7827
A short introduction will be led by both gentleman taking diners on a historical journey of Cincinnati beer history.
Click on photo below for full menu
The beers being served are:
1. Moerlein Northern Liberties IPA
2. Helles
3. OTR
4. Hudepohl Amber Lager
5. Barbarossa Double Dark Lager
Price is $35 per person. Limited space available. For Reservations please call (859) 426-7827
Oct 18, 2010
Stone Smoked Porter Review
The weather is starting to change here in Cincinnati, which for me means it is time to start enjoying more Porters and Stouts! Tonight, I thought it would be good to start with the Stone Smoked Porter.
As one would probably imagine, this porter pours a very dark brown, almost black. There is a nice thick, tan head that goes along with the color of the beer. I smell just a touch of smokiness to this one, just a bit of a bacon smell. I also note a hint of chocolate there as well. The smell is certainly not overwhelming, in fact, it leaves a little bit to be desired. T
As for the taste, it is more flavorful than the smell would lead me to believe. I can definitely taste smokiness in this beer and the chocolate flavor I smelled only compliments it. As I continue to drink, I get taste of coffee on the very back of my palate.
Overall, I like this beer, but I would not go out of my way to find one. This is enjoyable to drink while enjoying a nice fall night.
What are your thoughts?
Oct 17, 2010
World Beer Fest
Well, I have been out the past few weeks, so I have not had a chance to blog for awhile. However, I just came back from the World Beer Fest so I will share my thoughts on that.
If you have not been down to the World Beer Fest, it is a great time. The event usually takes place the first weekend in October and brings in hundreds of brewers and thousands of people. They have live music, plenty of food, class room style sessions to learn about beer, and of course plenty of beer itself.
Most of the beer from the world beerfest comes from the North Carolina area, since the event is held in Durham (there is one in Raleigh too, in the spring) which is a great for me, as I cannot usually get many of these beers back home in Ohio. Just like any beerfest, you have to pace yourself and try only a small percentage of the number of beers avauilable. (trying to drink them all would be impossible). So, I tend to focus on beers I cannot get back home.
It's also a great time, since you can usually get a chance to talk to some of the brewers, despite the large crowd. This year I was able to talk to some of the guys who brew Fullsteam and Roth Beers, which was a great time since they are both fairly new brewers.
I recommend you check this event out. Sadly, I did try so many beers, I am not sure I remember what I had. I should have brought my notebook so I could tell you all about the great beer. Regardless, check this event out.
If you have not been down to the World Beer Fest, it is a great time. The event usually takes place the first weekend in October and brings in hundreds of brewers and thousands of people. They have live music, plenty of food, class room style sessions to learn about beer, and of course plenty of beer itself.
Most of the beer from the world beerfest comes from the North Carolina area, since the event is held in Durham (there is one in Raleigh too, in the spring) which is a great for me, as I cannot usually get many of these beers back home in Ohio. Just like any beerfest, you have to pace yourself and try only a small percentage of the number of beers avauilable. (trying to drink them all would be impossible). So, I tend to focus on beers I cannot get back home.
It's also a great time, since you can usually get a chance to talk to some of the brewers, despite the large crowd. This year I was able to talk to some of the guys who brew Fullsteam and Roth Beers, which was a great time since they are both fairly new brewers.
I recommend you check this event out. Sadly, I did try so many beers, I am not sure I remember what I had. I should have brought my notebook so I could tell you all about the great beer. Regardless, check this event out.
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