Possible Project - Draft Reports

So, I'm thinking of starting a project and wanted to see what everyone thought. I'd like to start keeping a log of where I go to have a beer relative to the cleanliness of their draft lines. This way, I could provide a service to beer geeks and restaurants alike (theoretically) I'll lay out the methodology of the project will all the possible problems I can think of.

First, I would need to choose a craft beer that's widely, if not almost universally available, that I'm very familiar with the taste - This is trickier than it sounds. I have to be careful not to eat anything extremely bold for lunch at work or on the weekends that could possibly alter the tasting experience in any way. Because I don't have access to any sort of technology to test for pediococcus or lactobacillus beyond my tongue, it's essential that I plan ahead. Also, I need to choose a beer that doesn't exhibit many of these flavors (a kind of funky almost cheesy taste or a butterscotch-y taste akin to diacetyl tainting.) The first couple beers that come to mind are Sam Adams Boston Lager and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. I'm going to try to avoid sweet or belgian style beers, as I think their flavor profile makes it difficult to detect problems with draft lines.

Second, I need to devise a point based rating system. My initial thought was to have a three or four point system, as these flavors can be difficult to detect. I'm guessing a three point scale would be the best, where a bar/restaurant would be awarded three points if their beer had no detectable tainted flavors.

Finally, I think this would need to be based, unless egregiously bad, on at least two visits and post the average. I think this might assist in taking the error out of this project.

Why do this? I very intensely dislike bars and restaurants that take wine seriously when it comes to storage, serving, etc. but not beer despite the fact that more and more of these places are offering craft beer. If you're going to serve a product, at least have the courtesy to serve it as the producer intended (if that's not yourself.) I encourage people to drink better beer at better establishments.

As a Sidenote to Previous Post

Watch the Video - I love these guys over at BrewDog, they remind me that brewing should always be fun... Dan Paquette over at Pretty Things also did a fantastic job of this by his strange sense of humor in his videos.

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I suck at Blogging - also, Extreme Beers

See post title. Also, I want to throw a quick notice out here on an article I read over at Gizmag. This article really nicely sums up the escalating "arms race" of extreme beer.

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I'd also like to just update people on the "politics of beer" that is the "rhetoric of extreme beer" if you can call it anything.

There are two sides, one headed by Brewmaster at Brooklyn Brewery Garrett Oliver who is opposed to use of the term "Extreme Beer" because it is an extremely unflattering title that makes one think of beer for the sake of ABV and not flavor. The other side is taken by Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head (unsurprisingly) who believes that the title is symbolic, if anything, of the development of beer beyond the boundaries of what's normally considered "beer." Essentially it's a clash of cultures - Sam arguing for the "radical" and pushing beer beyond its boundaries and Garrett the traditional, that beer should be respected categorically.

I personally am in the middle, but I'd say I side more with Mr. Oliver than I do Sam, but it's obviously not for lack of respect - I think that Dogfish Head will always be one of my favorite breweries and, now that I live in Alexandria, I will look forward to frequenting their Alehouses. Anyways, I think Mr. Oliver is right, a single beer beer, at the end of the day, should be acknowledged as part of something greater than itself categorically. This is not to say that creativity in brewing shouldn't be encouraged and hybrid styles or beers made with "funky" ingredients or fermented with bacteria shouldn't be considered beer or welcomed with open arms. America, as a country, I believe has done a good job of being extremely creative within the boundaries of beer with the advent of Imperial beers and spins on every genre imaginable, etc. . I don't think the title "extreme beer" is necessary. Ultimately, I don't believe these two arguments are mutually exclusive - Sam can brew a 20% Abv "American Strong Ale" with whatever he wants and it will be considered beer, and that use of anything further to set it apart is unnecessary.