World Beer Cup Winners available in KC

This is not breaking news, but I was perusing the winners the other day on the internet and found some surprises. These results came from the last World Beer Cup held in 2010, with the next one held in 2012.  So if you are wanting to expand your craft brew horizons, these are some of the favorites of the World Beer Cup judges.  You should be able to find these in and around KC.





Great Divide Hoss Rye Lager – Bronze

Munich Dunkles – Blind Tiger Brewpub in Topeka – Bronze

Founder’s Porter – Silver

Founder’s Dirty Bastard (Scotch Style Ale) – Silver

Founder’s Centennial IPA – Silver (see FatCatKC judges know what they are talking about)

Founder’s Imperial Stout (available in January) – Bronze

Schlafly Kolsch – Gold

Sam Adams Irish Red – Silver

Odell Red Ale – Bronze

Goose Island Nut Brown Ale – Gold

Goose Island Christmas Ale – Bronze

Gella’s Diner and LB Brewing Co. (Oatmeal Stout, out of Hays, KS) – Gold

Boulevard Brewing Co Imperial Pilsner – Gold
Boulevard beat out Mickey’s Malt Liquor (Silver) and Colt 45 (bronze). I thought that was kind of funny.

Happy hunting.

http://www.worldbeercup.org/

Beer laws are set and never change, right?

OK so you went through Hop University and are now ready for civics.  One of the main gripes in the beer industry is how every state has its own set of laws.  So Kansas has different laws then Missouri regarding the distribution of alcoholic beverages.  This creates difficulty for small breweries entering the market because they have to legally navigate different rules for each state.  So there is cost associated with expanding into different state which represents another hurdle a small brewery must overcome to compete with big beer. 

Beernews.org has a great article outlining the different issues currently being considered by different state legislators.  Check out Texas, thanks Anheuser-Busch InBev.

Beer industry activity heats up in state legislatures

Hop University - Day 1

Ever wonder how to choose hops for your homebrew? Ever think, I don’t homebrew so what the hell is a hop? Well fret no longer because I present to you over the next couple of days Hop University! In my personal quest to brew an IPA, I have conducted extensive research on hops. Bell’s Two Hearted Ale and Founder’s Centennial IPA inspired me to single hop my IPA. So I set off on a quest to pick my one magical hop that will make FatCat’s IPA the best ever. My research, coupled with the Sam Adams Deconstructed sampler, has given me great insight into which hop I will choose. If you wish to attend Hop University proceed onward and bask in the knowledge of hoppy goodness.




Day 1 – Background and History of Hops

Hops (Humulus Lupus) are used in today’s brew to provide a bitter flavor to balance the sweetness of the malt. Only the female flowers/cones are used in the brewing process. The bitter flavor was the original reason for brewers to use hops in brew, but hops had a much greater impact on the brew and those who drank it than flavor alone.

The first documented cultivation of hops was in the year 736 in the Hallertau region of present day Germany. Hops were not used in beer in that area until 1079. Before then brewers used dandelion, burdock root, marigold, horehound, ground ivy and Heather as bittering agents. When hops are used in the brewing process, it not only provides a bittering element but also provides an antibiotic effect to help ward off bacterial infections. The Discovery Channel documentary, “How Beer Saved the World”, explained how the beer and the hops used in the beer had health benefits for people in the past. Hops prevented the beer from spoiling and provided a safe alternative to water. Untreated water will eventually develop bacteria that would cause illness and even death in ancient times. Beer which had been boiled with hops was more resistant to bacteria and could be consumed with lower risk of getting sick. Beer was also prescribed to treat illnesses in ancient times. It turns out the chemicals from the hops actually have a limited medicinal effect which can help treat some illness.

Hops are a climbing plant and grow on vines. These vines can grow upward of 25ft in a single season. The main hop producing regions are Hallertau in Germany, Yakima Valley in Washington, Williamette in Oregon, Canyon County in Idaho, Kent and Worcestershire in the UK. Only female plants are allowed in the hop fields to prevent pollination. The hop cones are harvested and dried before being used for brewing. Commercially the only major use for hops is in beer with some other minor uses in other beverages. Hops are also used in herbal medicine to treat anxiety, restlessness, and insomnia. But beware hops are not all rainbows and butterfly dust, they are toxic to dogs. So don’t let Fido eat any.

The source for most of my information was http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hops.

Growing Hops in Containers update

Hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day.  I did some yard work and broke into the Sam Adams Deconstruction sampler.  I will post my results of the Deconstruction sampler in a few days so stay tuned.  I finished one of the trellis systems for my hops.  I'm using the idea I got from BYO to use an adjustable system.  Basically you let the hop plant grow up the string untill it's almost to the top.  Then you let string out and lower the hop plant and it continues to grow towards the top.  I used an 8ft piece of cedar, but about 1ft is down inside the PVC holder.  With part of the post inside the PVC holder I've only got about 7ft total height.  There is a cedar cross member I bolted to the main post to give the whole structure some stability against the wind.  I put small eyelets in the top of the post for the string to go through.  I chose Jute twine as the string component which the hop will climb.  I'm a little concerned that it may rot before the end of the season but I've got my fingers crossed.

Cascade

As far as the hop plants are going the Cascade is almost 2ft tall and is growing the best. 

Hallertau

I think in my original post I mixed up the location of the Hallertau and the Centennial.  The Hallertau is in the second container and is growing the slowest.  It has barely sprouted. 

Centennial

The Centennial is the one planted in the ground and has started out strong but hasn't grown very fast since.  Perhaps the lack of adequate sunlight is stunting the Centennial's growth.

I ran across a good post on the net while doing research for the hops.  It is another bloggers chronicles of hops in pots.

Cheers!

Missouri Lukas Liquor's Tasting

If you have been following me for that past week, I've been reviewing the beers in the Sam Adams Summer Styles Sampler pack.  Have you ever wondered if I'm full of crap or what citrus taste like in beer?  Now is your chance to try them for free!  Let me know what you think.

Lukas Liquor at 13657 Washington, KCMO
Tonight 3-6pm

Sampling Sam Adams Summer Styles:

Boston Lager
Light
Summer Ale
East West Kolsch
Rustic Saison
Latitude 48

Gomer's South Tasting

Gomer's South is hosting Breckenridge Brewing Co. for this Friday's tasting. 

Tonight 4-6pm

Beers available for sampling:

Avalanche Ale
Vanilla Porter
Oatmeal Stout
Summer Bright

Sam Adams Latitude 48 IPA

This will be the finale to my review of the Sam Adams Summer Styles Sampler pack.  I will start by saying Latitude 48  is one of my favorite IPAs. It was involved in FatCat’s 2011 IPA shootout and finished 5th overall. Latitude 48 is 6.0% ABV and is brewed with five hop varieties. The hops are Hallertau, East Kent Golding, Ahtanum, Simcoe, and Zeus. All five of these hop varieties are grown along the “hop belt” close to the 48th latitude (hence the name) and are from Germany, England, and the U.S.


The Latitude 48 poured with a large three fingered head. The brew was mainly citrus on the nose with a hint of sweetness from the malt. This brew is a very clean and well-balanced IPA. There is no astringency, as in some other examples of this style, and the Latitude 48 bitterness is not overpowering. The taste initially is light citrus with a small amount of sweetness in the background. The brew finishes clean without lingering too long. As the brew warms, you will get hints of grapefruit and some earthy/grassy notes. These earth/grassy notes are very faint. The thing that struck me as interesting is how this is a whole mouth bitter. Many IPAs you try will have a one-dimensional bitterness to them which will usually hit you in the back part of your mouth. The Latitude’s bitterness will hit you in the back part of the mouth, and a little on the roof of your mouth, and then on the sides. It is a very interesting sensation and is impressive because it is not a harsh experience.

I have come across many critics of the Latitude 48. Most of them are hardcore “hophead” IPA fans. So they expect everything labeled “IPA” to strip the enamel off their teeth. Frequently the lines between Double IPAs and regular IPAs are blurred in the minds of craft beer drinkers. They compare a Stone Ruination, as an example, with the Latitude 48 and claim the Latitude 48 is not hoppy enough or is too malty. These are two different styles with separate characteristics. Unfortunately, this is common. For any of you who are interested in defining the style of the beer you are drinking, visit BJCP Style Guidelines and bask in the plethora of information available.

With my adventures in homebrewing I have found new respect for delicate flavors. In brewing, it is much more difficult to make a brew with delicate flavors in the final product. It is not hard to dump a ton of hops in the kettle and brew a harsh, overly aggressive IPA. It is a challenge to bring out the hop flavors and set it apart from the bitterness. Then to get the hop bitterness and hop flavor to balance with the sweetness of the malt, now that is art. I have respect for beers that are clean and have defined delicate flavors like in the Latitude 48. That is why I say the Latitude 48 is one of my favorite IPAs because it is balanced, super clean, and displays not only bitterness but delicate hop flavor.

Cheers!