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.

Link

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.

Family Wedding = Hiatus

Sorry about the hiatus... I'm going to try to get back up and running, although it's tough to want to write after working during the week. I think what I'll normally be doing is writing a number of posts on Saturdays and Sundays about random stuff concerning the beer industry and whatnot, but doing updates during the week if there are events or tastings, etc.

Good Beer on a Budget 2: Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout

This one is very late, I know, but its necessary for me to publish a post on this. This beer, after all, was the whole inspiration for me to write such a post. This beer is an absolute steal on three fronts: taste, ABV content, and price.

Taste: This beer excels at being a smooth stout. If you're looking for something roasty, you're going to have to look elsewhere - the only bite you'll find here is from the hints of dark chocolate. Having been a while since I've had one, I'll have to update this post the next time I get one just to be more accurate.

ABV: Clocking in at around 10% ABV, this beer really gives you the nice warming experience of a good beer because, well, it is a fantastic beer! Anyways, two of these will put you over the edge, but you'd never know it from how smooth the beer is.

Price: And here's the kicker. You can get a four pack of this beer, which should easily retail for $10 or over, for $7.95. I believe, although I've not seen it, that they have been known to carry this beer at Trader Joe's, in which case, we could be looking at prices even lower.

Yet again, Garrett Oliver gives me reasons to really like him.

DC On Tap - April 1st, 2010

Insert obligatory April Fools' joke here. Now, on to business. I've had another KBS (Kentucky Breakfast) spotting in the D.C. Metro Area courtesy of their online menu - Pizza Paradiso in Georgetown. Their homepage is here; needless to say, I recommend highly calling before heading over due to the rarity/low volume of this beer in the area. (At this point, I've run down the e-menus of all the D.C. beer bars listed under BeerAdvocate's Beer Fly search tool - I've yet to check Southern Maryland/Northern Virginia, but as for the District, I think that's it as far as KBS goes.)

Also, Church Key is hosting another beer special, this time for Flying Dog Brewery. Here are the details (as they were sent to my inbox.)

Starting at 6pm the first 50 people to order a Flying Dog Real Ale will receive a Limited Edition Raging Bitch stemless goblet.

The Beers

On Cask (Dry-Hopped with Simcoe):

Gonzo Imperial Porter

Snake Dog India Pale Ale

Doggie-Style Classic Pale Ale

On Draft:

20th Anniversary Release: Raging Bitch, Belgian-Style -American India Pale Ale

Horn Dog, English-Style Barley Wine

Dog Schwarz, Rauch and Schwarzbier hybrid Double Lager

Two Terrific Tasting Tomes

Where should you go if you want to learn about how to really take beer seriously? Well, aside from your local beer bar, that is, there are two books that I highly recommend: Garrett Oliver's Beer Travelogue The Brewmaster's Table and Randy Mosher's Tasting Beer.

Head Brewmaster at New York's Brooklyn Brewery, Garrett Oliver has compiled several years worth of travels around Europe to put together what has to be one of the definitive style guides for Beer. More than that, it's a guide to pairing good food with good beer. This man is definitely an authority on Beer - Food pairings, staging many beer dinners throughout the year around the country. Want to know what type of flavors to expect from a Belgian Geuze, and what foods could pair nicely with it? Look no further.

Mosher's work, on the other hand, reads like a training manual, which is exactly what it is. I tell you what, this is the kind of textbook I wish I had back in high school - in addition to providing descriptions, characteristics, and definitions of the commonly accepted tasting flavors, he also provides all the information that is necessary to judge beer. Also, it gives a rundown on glassware detailing everything down to exactly why certain glasses are used for certain beers. It's user-friendly, has lots of pictures, and can be picked up, put down, or used for reference at any time. It even has guidelines for arranging tastings! Neither of these books are to be missed.