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 our love of, and long established pursuit of wonderful beers. 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

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. What’s wrong 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, bottom fermenting yeast, lager yeast, 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.

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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

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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.

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Tags: ramstein beer, Ramstein blonde wheat beer, wheat beer review

Posted By The Brewologist on November 11, 2009

I can’t believe I missed that one! The 11th Annual American Homebrewers Association Teach a Friend to Homebrew Day came and went this past weekend, and I failed to teach a friend to brew. I’ll make up for it next year.

One good thing, however, is that I did brew, but I brewed alone.

Gearing up for the holiday season I decided to brew a nice, moderate strength, coffee stout to enjoy on those chilly winter nights to come. Very losely based on my friend Roger Kahn’s Coffee Stout recipe which can be found here in the Cryptobrewology Homebrew Recipes section, with a dark LME, Kona blend coffee, and Saaz hops, I also added a partial mash of chocolate malt along with pale 2-row malt, and a small dose of Cascade at the start. The ABV should be right around 7% to 8%.

It was a condensed sample brew. If it works out well I’ll produce full 5 gallon batch.

Nothing like a nice, full-flavored and full bodied stout for the winter. Especially with a nice hint of coffee in the nose.

Happy brewing folks! And happ Holidays!

Category: Home Brew Recipes | No Comments »
Tags: Coffee stout recipe, holiday beer brewing, partial mash brew, Teach a Friend to Homebrew Day

Posted By The Brewologist on November 4, 2009

Several states are passing legislation which will raise the ABV% limit on beer. Some have commented that people may tend to drink fewer beers because the beers will be stronger and, thus, do the job quicker. David Rosenbloom, president of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, says there is no evidence that people will drink fewer beers.

He may be right in some cases, but I think that the self limiting factor of intoxication might counter that theory for anyone who tends to drink solely for the sake of getting inebriated. Their ability to consume more beers will be limited because they’ll be hitting the wall sooner, passing out, or puking.

That would stop me, but I, and most real beer lovers, don’t drink to get drunk. If we do get a little tipsy it’s just a happy side effect of our hobby sometimes.

Anyway, most craft beer lovers who drinks to enjoy the flavors may already have access to beers with ABV’s in excess of 6%, because they probably brew their own.

Luckily New Jersey laws do not limit ABV. Not to the extent that it effects my occasional enjoyment of very strong ales anyway. I say bring it on, craft beer lovers will not be adversely effected by it. They welcome it.

Beer With More Alcohol: Coming Soon?.

Category: Beer in the News | No Comments »
Tags: abv limit laws, alcohol by volume limit, beer ABV, legal limit on ABV, raising alcohol limit, states raise abv

Posted By The Brewologist on November 1, 2009

Made with honey, white muscat grapes and saffron, it’s no wonder this extraordinary ale has such complex and inviting aromas and taste.

Pouring a nice medium amber color (right around 10 or 11 lovibond units), with golden yellow highlights probably due to the saffron, Midas Touch is the perfect after dinner companion by the fire. It weighs in at 9% ABV so split a bottle with that special someone or a good friend. It’s a great drink to sip over conversation.

Make sure to drink it from a white wine glass (as suggested by Dogfish Head), or at the very least a nice snifter, like the official Dogfish Head brewpub-issued snifter I’m drinking from as I review this.

One good sniff reveals a complex, fruity, semi-sweet white-wine-like nose with hints of honey and a mild saffron spiciness. Early on, when still chilled, this ale may remind you of a Viognier or Reisling wine. But of course that’s where the similarity ends.

While Midas Touch is one of the most complex “crossover” beers I’ve tried, contrary to what Dogfish Head states on their website about this offering falling somewhere between wine and mead, I found Midas Touch to be, without a doubt, a strong, robust ale of some measure. Wines can be robust, but mead is a rather acquired taste and, while honey is present in the nose and flavor, I did not find mead here.

Midas Touch begins chilled with a smooth mouthfeel, which simply reminds the drinker of the distinct nose, but a welcome bitterness and spice notes, from saffron in this case, reminds us that we’re drinking an ale, and we wait for the rest. Yes, sweet maltiness, and a full, rich flavor.

Don’t let it sneak up on you. This can be considered a barley wine in my opinion, with the pleasant additions of honey, muscat grapes and saffron.

Very enjoyable ale! I really do love Dogfish Head. Very unique beers. Bravo!

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Tags: ancient ale, beer brewed with ancient ingredients, beer review, beer review midas touch, dogfish head beer, midas touch, strong ale, wine like beer

Posted By The Brewologist on October 20, 2009

While doing research on the web for topics I’d like to write about here on Cryptobrewolgy.com, I’ve discovered an amazing amount of misinformation with regard to beer and brewing. I mean stuff that is WAY off the mark! The abundance of bad information online is the unfortunate side effect of so many people being able to publish a website. The good sources are scattered among the results one gets while doing a search, you need to weed through carefully.

Here’s an example, “The yeast in ale ferments at warmer temperatures and the process results in a faster fermentation that creates a somewhat fruity-tasting, crisp brew, that lacks carbonation.”

Somewhat correct, but not all ales are fruity, and they certainly do not lack carbonation. I wonder if that writer ever drank an ale?

Or this one… “[Mashing] is a process of grinding the malted barley into granular sized pieces.” That’s not right. The grain husks just need to be cracked. You don’t want them ground up.

Granted those two examples aren’t disastrous, but there are more instances of misinformation online that do nothing but serve to perpetuate ignorance of beer and the art of brewing. I think that’s unfortunate.

We don’t need to be scientists to brew beer, but it’s nice to know what’s going on during the various processes, even at the most basic level. Brewer’s are a curious bunch, and at some point most of us get the desire to learn more about how all this stuff works together.

It is my goal to publish accurate information at Cryptobrewology, so at the very least, anyone looking to head in the right direction on the road to understanding beer, can start here. Any links included in my blog link to trustworthy, and accurate sources. To your advantage, I’m a stickler for the truth.

Now, on with the post: What is Malted Barley?

The brewing process is built on some very basic ideas, but trying to understand the details behind these ideas, and learning more about the process can make things a little complicated.

When I’m talking to my non-brewer friends about homebrewing I’m almost always stopped mid-sentence and asked, “what is malted barley?” Or “what is mashing?” In a nut shell, barley grain (and other grains) are malted, and malted grains are mashed. The how, what and why takes us a little deeper.

Malted grains are used to create a variety of beverages, from beer, to whisky, to malted milk and soft drinks like Malta which is actually brewed with barley malt and hops, but never fermented. It’s a sweet, mildly carbonated beverage.

Malted barley is barley grain that has been allowed to germinate, under controlled conditions, and then halted in that process by being kilned, heated, to dry. The germination stage allows for the development of enzymes that will come in to play when the grain is mashed later on. During the mash process, these enzymes will convert the grain starches into fermentable sugars.

Being a seed, the grain, if left to germinate, would have sprouted into a plant and began growing, utilizing the sugars and starches in it’s development.

A variety of grains can be malted, but most notably for beer would be barley, wheat, oat, and rye, though barley malt would be the base grain in most cases. No pun intended. The others would most often be used to affect the flavor, color and body of the particular beer style being brewed.

Fortunately homebrewers don’t have to worry about malting their own barley grain, because malted barley is available at most home brewing supply stores, at very reasonable prices. In fact, you can brew a little cheaper using all the grain method instead of extracts. I’ve addressed that topic in the post: “Can You Save Money Brewing Your Own Beer?”

However, if you’d like to take your hobby to the next level, and actually add “maltster” to your list of titles as a homebrewer, I refer you to the article “Make Your Own Malt” at Brew Your Own Magazine’s website.

And for further information on what happens during the malting process, on a microbiological level, I refer you to the online book “How to Brew” by John Palmer, chapter 12: What is Malted Grain?

Once we have malted barley, how to we make that into beer? We MASH IT! Coming up Next… What is Mashing?

Stay tuned.

Category: Brewery & Pub Reviews, Home Brew Tech | No Comments »
Tags: all grain mash, grain mashing, homebrew mash, how is malted barley made, mash tun, mashing process, what is barley malt, what is malt, what is malted barley

Posted By The Brewologist on September 24, 2009

Well, it’s been well over a week so I guess I should get cracking and write this review of the Saugatuck Brewery and Lucky Stone Brewpub. I’ve been distracted by various things, including plans to move, and an incredibly debilitating flu. I could barely lift the remote control! But even the worst of life’s many pitfalls can’t keep me from my most beloved pastime for long. Mmmm… Beer.

First, a little intro. Located on the shore of Kalamazoo Lake in western Michigan, Saugatuck is a quaint little waterside town with a laid back vibe. The setting is similar to one of those coastal towns you might find in Maine or Massachussettes, except that it is not on the ocean, and you won’t find fresh trapped lobster. But it is near the rather impressive coast of Lake Michigan.

Beautiful. If you haven’t yet ventured to one of the great lakes, I highly recommend it. The view is impressive, no matter where you are.

You know what else is beautiful? There is a brewery! Yep. And so, being the ever adventurous brew hound, I asked my good food and beer cohort, Cindy, if she would join me in sampling some of their beers, and enjoying a light lunch at the Lucky Stone Brewpub before taking our stroll around town. Likewise, ever adventurous, she readily agreed.

Due to a malfunction of my GPS navigation system — aka I programmed in the wrong address — we blew right past the sign for the Saugatuck Brewing Company. We missed the large green sign with bright white letters because we were looking on the other side of the road. We didn’t get too far before realizing we must have missed the place, so we turned around about a half mile down the street and found it on our return.

The Lucky Stone Brewpub fronts the Suagatuck Brewery, and sports a nice outdoor patio dining area. Happy patrons were chatting, eating and enjoying their beer. Inside we found a relaxing atmosphere. Part pub, part restaurant, part coffee house. Very relaxed and welcoming atmosphere.

We sat on one of the comfortable couches against the front wall so we could take in the ambience of the room while we dined and sampled some brews. A line of five, one barrel (31 gallon) brew kettles ran front to back along the right hand side, lead by a one barrel mash tun. As we later learned, this was the original setup used when the company began brewing its beers.

We ordered a flight of samplers right off the bat, then perused the menu for some grub. Since we planned on having dinner later on in town we decided to just have soup and an appetizer.

Soup was delicious. A nice Roasted Red Pepper soup, with an olive and bread appetizer. The bread was actually made using spent grains from the brewery. Very tasty! I’m going to have to try that one of these days. If it’s successful maybe I’ll write about it here, if it turns out bad you’ll never know.

The Saugatuck Brewing Samples!
First up, Named for nearby Oval Beach, is the Oval Beach Blonde Ale. I noticed mild citrus notes and a pleasant hoppy nose and earthy hop flavor. A subtle maltiness crept in at the finish. Nice even bitterness. There was a distinct tartness which reminded me very much of a wheat. So much so that I suspected our first and second samples were misidentified. I double checked with the bar tender and he confirmed the flavor profile I described was in fact the Oval Beach Blonde. Nice.

The Main Street Wheat seemed to me to have less of a wheat quality than the Oval Beach Blonde, but it was a very nice beer. It sports a very clean flavor, slight maltiness and hop bitterness.

We got to the Cole Porter next, which was pleasantly malty, nice body and creamy head. Definite roasted character and subtle nutty flavor. Very bold, and very good.

The Scotch Ale was nice. Very malty in the nose and flavor with a bitter finish. Clean. By this time I started feeling exceptionally happy for some reason. I recall munching on more of the spent grain bread. Mmmmm.

Barry’s Best Bitter was one of my favorites. Not Cindy’s, she’s not a big fan of very bitter ales, but I am. This was similar to the Scotch Ale I just mentioned, but substantially more bitter, with a nice hop nose and a very subtle sour quality.

Oh, I would recognize the IPA, and just taking a quick sniff confirmed that I had reached my most beloved of ales in the flight. Wow. I know why I love IPAs, and Saugatuck Brewing Company’s version is A-OKAY. Fits the bill and serves as a very acceptable, and refreshing representation of this wonderful style.

After sampling, we got a short “tour” of the brewery. Nothing fancy, we just spoke with the brewer on duty that day and asked about the various equipment and processes. Cindy grabbed some video so there’s a possibility of a video for YouTube, but we’ll see.

For the brewing buffs, here are some details. Saugatuck Brewing Company brews with a 10 barrel system, and we got a peek at their mash tun and brew kettle (pictured to the right). Their fermenters were lined up in an adjacent area of the brewing room and are double walled, temperature controlled via circulation of coolant.

As always I was jealous that I don’t have a warehouse sized garage in which to brew my own 10 barrel homebrews. Which reminds me of a cool activity that the Saugatuck Brewing Company participates in with avid home brewers and beer lovers. They invite you to Brew On Premises, and are booking for the Fall season as I write this. So if you’re within driving distance of Saugatuck and want to brew beer on some pro equipment, with experts, I suggest you get crackin’ and sign up! For a nominal fee they provide the ingredients, the equipment, and expertise, and you end up with about 11 gallons of your own beer to share with friends and family. You can design your own labels too. Click Here to visit the Lucky Stone Pub website for more information, and tell them you heard about them through Cryptobrewology.com!

I regret that we couldn’t spend more time at the Lucky Stone Pub enjoying the great food and beer, as well as the atmosphere, but Cindy and I did return later that evening for a few drinks and some great blues in the Bier Hall, à la Eric Tessmer and his 50+ year old Fender Strat. I’m surprised the thing didn’t ignite from friction, the way his hands flew across the fretboard! An excellent show. I snapped the pic to the right with my cell phone.

Lucky Stone Pub and the Saugatuck Brewing Company? Highly recommended. Stop by the Lucky Stone Pub website for more info, menus, entertainment and events.

Category: Brewery & Pub Reviews | No Comments »
Tags: brew pub review, brewpub review, douglas, Eric Tessmer Band, Lucky Stone Pub, mi, michigan brewery, Saugatuck Brewing Co, Saugatuck Brewing Company, Saugatuck Michigan