Posted By The Brewologist on July 28, 2010

While taking a drive on the east shore of Seneca Lake this past weekend (July 24 it was), my true brew companion, Cindy, and I spotted a brewpub. We were driving way too fast too turn in when we noticed it so I had to proceed a bit farther, then make a K-turn on 414 to head back. Two Goats Brewing it was called.

We parked and went inside, hoping to find some fresh new homegrown brews, unfortunately they are not ready to serve their own yet. Something about “waiting for the state” and their first batch was in the basement. I overheard the bartender say, “It’s not ready yet.”

We only had ten dollars to spend — it was a short drive, we were not prepared, and they didn’t accept plastic — and we definitely wanted something to go. Our choices were 12 or 22 oz. bottles of select beers, including Franziskaner, Ommegang Witte, Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout, and others.

We picked up a big bottle of Bear Republic’s Racer 5 to go, and shared it back at the campground as we sat by the fire. Yeah, I said fire. It was humid as hell up there but take my word, if you want to break the humidity, get a nice fire going and sit 5 or 6 feet back. It works.

Anyhoo, we’ll be stopping back to try Two Goats own craft brews next year, that’s the next time we’ll be in the area. They’ll get their game on. There is no doubt they are a nice destination for lovers of brews and views. The views from the deck of Two Goats brewpub are wonderful, as you can see in the pics here. Stupid me never got a pic of the actual building though. Next time.

Oh, and they offer high speed internet access, and roast beef. Hey, this is new territory here, a beer cafe. Like a Starbucks! Brews, views, roast beef and Wi-Fi. Can’t beat that.

Category: Brewery & Pub Reviews | No Comments »
Tags: brewpub, brewpub review, seneca lake, two goats brewing

Posted By The Brewologist on June 8, 2010

Cryptobrewology will pull no punches when it comes to defending the world of beer and wine from crackpots who attempt to make a quick buck at the expense of those who fall victim to pseudoscience and snake oil salesmen of the twenty-first century. Charlatans have found their way into the world of wine. Is beer next? It had better not be.

Cryptobrewology was recently followed on Twitter by Art of Brewing, a company located in British Columbia (Not the Art of Brewing online Superstore in the UK). They serve Nanaimo, Ladysmith, Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands, and specialize in “on-site beer and wine making” which is a sort of novelty approach to making your own beer or wine. I won’t bark at that because the practice does introduce the general public to home beer and wine making, and can serve to spread appreciation of these hobbies.

What I will bark at is the “Magnetic Oak Barrel Aging” device I discovered while perusing their website. This is also the reason I will not return the Twitter follow to Art of Brewing. I will not associate with any company that I find is either deliberately or inadvertently deceiving the public.

These are modern snake oil salesmen! It’s nothing more than marketing quackery to make a buck. Their advertisement claims, “Just pouring wine through the magnetic field of the barrel makes the wine smoother, like it’s been aged…” and, “…as you pour, the magnetic field aligns the molecules and attracts oxygen.”

NOTICE: There is not a shred of scientific evidence to support these claims, and testing that has been done clearly shows that these products don’t work. The results are nothing more than you would expect with chance.

If retailers like Art of Brewing really believe this nonsense then they are fooling themselves, and should spend some time examining the validity of claims made by the product manufacturer and sales associate, before promoting it to, and misleading their visitors.

Skeptical Wine-Lovers to the Rescue
Based on a double blind taste test of wine poured through a similar product, Patrick Farrell’s Bev Wizard (which just sounds stupid to begin with, and almost as stupid as “Magnetic Oak Barrel Aging”), a panel of wine-loving skeptics in Australia concluded that their “results would seem to contradict the claim that magnets transform cheap plonk into a fuller, better tasting wine.”

Their entertaining report can be read at UnDeceivingOurselves.com

This BS is not new folks. Unfortunately the continuation of such nonsense indicates that people are being duped, and these things are turning a profit for their unscrupulous marketers.

Logic Anyone?
The general claim is that tannins present in wine can be altered to make the wine taste smoother, as if it was instantly aged. That’s a tall order for a small static magnet sitting on the neck of a wine bottle. In fact, wouldn’t the effect of any magnetic field be cancelled as soon as the substances had passed out of range of the magnet? Hmmm…

Bev Wizard proponents claim that the magnetic field causes small, astringent tannin molecules to bond into large, “softer” tannin molecules, creating a less harsh tasting experience. Keep trying.

This is a mangled translation of the traditional concept that the aging of red wines allows tannins to bond, and settle out, thereby creating a less astringent flavor. It is commonly understood that the longer wine sits, the smoother it gets. It does happen, but it has not been scientifically proven that this tannin bonding idea is the cause. In fact, the real effects of aging on wine are still a bit of a mystery.

Oxygenation is also thought to improve the mouthfeel of wine, but, unlike a little magnet hanging around the neck of a bottle, oxygenation involves a real chemical manipulation of the wine as it is being poured, and so likely does have a real effect on the taste.

So, the position of Cryptobrewology on magnetic devices to instantly age your wine, like the “Magnetic Oak Barrel Aging System” offered by Art of Brewing is claimed to do, is that such devices are a kin to homeopathy, a waste of resources, a waste of money, and an unnecessary burden of waste for our environment. These go hand in hand with every other nonsense novelty that has been and will be.

The manufacture and sale of such devices, without proper scientific testing to validate the claim, should be considered a punishable criminal act, because without real proof to support the promotional claims for the product they are selling, these people are little more than thieves.

Would this device turn an IPA into a regular Pale Ale? I shudder at the thought.

Category: Cryptobrewology News, Product Reviews | No Comments »
Tags: Art of Brewing, Bev Wizard, instant wine aging, magnet for wine, magnet to soften wine, magnetic field tannins, Magnetic Oak Barrel Aging, magnetic wine aging, Magnetize wine tannins, Patrick Farrell

Posted By The Brewologist on March 30, 2010

I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m dying to get a bottle and give this imperial stout a taste. Has anyone sampled Fritz and Ken’s Ale, the 30 year Anniversary brew from Sierra Nevada? Post a comment here or submit a beer review!

Folks over at Beer Advocate have given it some decent reviews. Sounds like it’s right up my alley. Can’t wait to try it, and I hope I can find a bottle in my neck of the woods.

Category: Beer in the News | No Comments »
Tags: fritz and ken's ale, sierra nevada 30th anniversary, sierra nevada ale, sierra nevada imperial stout

Posted By The Brewologist on March 24, 2010

If you wish to post a comment, don’t just do it to ask a question and get your site link posted here. It won’t work. I’m not going to reiterate, so visit the Comment Guidelines and read them, if you don’t and you post some little irrelavent two sentence comment, it will be deleted.

Thanks, and have a great day.

Category: Cryptobrewology News | Comments Off
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Posted By The Brewologist on March 1, 2010

I’m happy to announce the creation of the new Cryptobrewololgy Channel at YouTube! I’ve been bouncing the idea around for awhile, and have always been interested in starting a worthwhile video channel at YouTube, so this is it.

Through the Cryptobrewology Channel at YouTube we — in this case my good food and beer cohort, Cindy, and myself — will explore the world of beer and wine, through quick, easy to digest video segments.

We’ll explore home-brewing, wine making, tasting, and also take you on jaunts to brewpubs and wineries across the land, pointing out other key features and local area attractions while we’re there. Sort of a beer- and wine-centric travel video blog profiling places you may not have heard of, and may want to visit.

We’re your Beer, Wine & Fun Explorers… let the adventure begin!

Click Here to Visit the Cryptobrewololgy Channel at YouTube!

Category: Cryptobrewology News | No Comments »
Tags: brew pub reviews, brew pub suggestions, home brewing video, resource for wine and beer, winery suggestions, youtube channel

Posted By The Brewologist on February 6, 2010

Hello all, I just wanted to add a quick post to announce that Cryptobrewology has turned 5 years old today. Yep, way back when, February 6, 2005, my friend Roger and I stood in my kitchen, brewing a batch of homebrew, talking about fabled mysterious beasties like the Loch Ness Monster and Sasquatch, et al.

I brought up Cryptozoology, the so-called field of study for such creatures, and while Roger and I took yet another swig of our beers, I had a revelation.

“CryptoBREWology!” I proclaimed, “the study of big mysterious beers!”

Thus, the name and website idea were born, along with justification for the continued consumption of our beloved beer. You can read more about that fateful day of brewing and discovery on the About Cryptobrewology Page.

A lot has changed since then. The initial goal to hunt for and catalogue the most mysterious beers of the world seemed a little too ambitious, so Cryptobrewology.com has become more of a home brewing and beer appreciation site. It’s a beer blog of sorts, and many features have been added to the site to make your pursuit of beer that much more enjoyable. Brew Reviews, which visitors can add to, a Homebrew Recipe index, even a home brewing equipment and ingredient suppliers directory. We hope you enjoy what you find here at Cryptobrewology, and what will come in the future.

Speaking of the future, stop by the Cryptobrewology YouTube Channel and subscribe so you can enjoy our latest endeavor. So far only one video is live, but there is another in the hopper, ready to be uploaded, and we — my girlfriend Cindy, who is also a beer and wine enthusiast, and myself — are planning more videos to share with you. Some ideas for future videos include, wine making, more home brewing, as well as brewpub and winery profiles, and general vlogs (video blogs) about beer and wine. So stop by and share in the great big world of wonderful beer and wine.

Thanks for joining us, we appreciate it!

Category: Cryptobrewology News | No Comments »
Tags: bigfoot and beer, cryptobrewology, cryptobrewology video

Posted By The Brewologist on January 21, 2010

What’s the difference between top and bottom fermenting yeast?

I was just reviewing some older posts in my archive, seeing where corrections could be made, or erroneous information updated. I wanted to start with this one…

The Lager Debate in which I make the statement:

The main difference between yeasts used for lagers and ales is that ale yeast is a top-fermenting yeast which means the yeast floats to the top and hangs around up there during most of the fermentation process. Lager yeast is a bottom-fermenting yeast which means it hangs around the bottom of the fermenter. During both types of fermentation the active yeast does permeate the brew and eventually settles out on the bottom of the fermenter when it is done.

I was partially correct. During both fermentations the yeast is distributed throughout the wort while it is doing its thing. That’s where my accuracy ends. What’s wrong with that original article is my literal misinterpretation of the phrases “top fermenting” and “bottom fermenting.”

Top fermenting yeasts, ale yeasts, are called so not because they hang around at the top, but because they tend to generate a thick foamy layer along the top, contributing to krausen.

Conversely, bottom fermenting yeasts, most often used for lagers, do not contribute to a foam layer.

All yeast will mix in with the “solution” in order to consume sugars in the wort, or must in the case of wine making. All yeast will settle to the bottom of the fermentation vessel, creating a layer of silt, or sediment, when they’re through.

Well. That’s that. As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, I pride myself on presenting factual information here at Cryptobrewology, but learning is a process and my eagerness to share info may result in some inaccurate data sometimes. Never fear, I strive to self-correct, and urge you to contact me if you spot anything inaccurate on the site.

Happy brewing!

Category: Home Brew Tech | No Comments »
Tags: ale yeast, ale yeast facts, beer yeast facts, bottom fermenting yeast, lager yeast, lager yeast fact, top fermenting yeast, yeast facts

Posted By The Brewologist on January 3, 2010

Cherish, Raspberry. This is an authentic Belgian lambic “brewed with real raspberries” as the label states, but in order to get such a bold, wonderful raspberry nose they must have added some after the brewing, and maybe a little after fermentation too.

Cherish Raspberry offers a bold, raspberry nose, little else is noticeable here. It’s not too sweet smelling, but the aroma does remind me of raspberry candy. There is a nice tingle on the tongue during the sip and taste. Silky, smooth mouthfeel, and a mild sourness well balanced with the fruity sweetness. Very nice blend, and a very good drink!

Lambics are always a pleasant surprise to any non-beer drinker who gets a taste. Lambics open up a whole new world to anyone who thinks beer is all just pale and fizzy, and they stimulate an appreciation for the art of brewing and fermenting.

For more info on Cherish Lambics, visit GlobalBeer.

For more info on Brewery Van Steenberge click here.

Category: Brew Reviews | No Comments »
Tags: brewery van steenberge, cherish lambic, lambic review, rasberry beer, rasberry lambic, raspberry beer, raspberry lambic

Posted By The Brewologist on December 31, 2009

Labatt’s Blue. Now here’s an okay little pilsner I would drink again. I’m a fan of Molson Canadian, when I feel like having a crisp, light beer during the summer, but now I’ll have to add Labatt’s to my light drinking fare. Some might disagree, but I think this is a nice beer. But drink it chilled, and don’t let it sit around like you might with an ale!

It all started during a visit to Olean, New York, during the Thanksgiving holiday. I met my girlfriend (aka, my good food and beer cohort) Cindy at her brother’s house and we had a very nice holiday visit. Her brother, Dave, had a couple of these big blue Labatt’s Blue winter hats. He handed me one just before we headed out the door for a hike. After the hike he said, “keep it!” I did. And it’s now my favorite winter hat. Actually, since it sports the name and logo of a Canadian beer I should call it by it’s proper name. It’s a tuque. Gosh, I’ve always wanted a tuque!

I’ve been wearing this Labatt’s Blue tuque a lot lately too, since our temps here in Jersey have been dipping into the twenties early on this winter. During a stop at the liquor store this evening on my way home from work, I decided, “Hey, I’m going to grab a six of Labatt’s Blue and see how that beer tastes.”

I’ve never had it, not that I can recall, but it’s not half bad. Some reviews over at Beer Advocate give it a low mark, but most consider it a generally okay, middle of the road, light bodied, pale beer. It is. But it’s better than a lot of other light bodied, pale beers I’ve had in my day.

I’ll probably wear the hat more than I’ll drink the beer, but Canada rocks either way. I mean, Canada gave us the best rock band in the world… RUSH! Gotta love the Great White North, eh?

There are some interesting images at this site, including a photomicrograph of Labatt’s Blue. Check it out, very cool…
www.microscopy.fsu.edu/beershots

Category: Brew Reviews | No Comments »
Tags: canadian beer, canadian tuque, labatt's blue, labatt's blue hat, labatt's blue tuque, winter cap

Posted By The Brewologist on November 22, 2009

My first experience with Ramstein, a little craft-brewer here in Butler, New Jersey, was a stop in at the brewery during one of the “second Saturdays of the month” open brewery tours. It was literally two blocks from my house at the time of my visit. Now it’s two miles, but still close enough for me to make a second stop by, which I intend to do very soon. I think my good-food-and-beer cohort Cindy is up for a trip there. We’ll get back to you about that.

Ramstein Blonde Wheat has a distinct fruity nose, and I got a nice hint of apple there. Seriously. Paying special attention to this during my third and fourth sips I noticed how strong the apple characteristic was. I’d even venture to say that there is a honey sweetness mixed in there with that tart apple nose. Very pleasant to sniff!

I noticed a certain spiciness as well. Pours a pale golden color, but had a rather short-lived head. It fizzled pretty quick. Of course that does not spoil the rest of the experience!

This is a bottle conditioned German style wheat beer, not overly carbonated, with a unique quality. The mild carbonation is actually a pleasant quality in this beer, and likely varies somewhat from beer to beer, being that it is bottle conditioned. But I would venture to guess that this moderate carbonation is intentional in this case.

Sports a pleasant tartness, nice malty sweetness, and is very complex and refreshing. Very smooth finish, with a subtle, lingering aftertaste reminiscent of that one might get after taking a sip of a semi-sweet riesling.

I liked it.

Category: Brew Reviews | No Comments »
Tags: ramstein beer, Ramstein blonde wheat beer, wheat beer review