Archive for the ‘Brewery’ Category
Mid Week Round Up
Wednesday, July 14th, 2010
It’s been a busy week so far. We’ve brewed a Pagan Porter and Jacob’s Summer Celebration thus far, an Ironman Pale Ale today and Golden Glory on Friday. The Golden Glory is a wheat ale brewed with root ginger, obviously a glorious golden color, 5.2% abv, a great Summer Ale. I’m taking a break from brewing tomorrow as I’ll be heading to D.C. in the afternoon for Brew At The Zoo (http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ActivitiesAndEvents/Celebrations/Brew/default.cfm) where we’ll be pouring Bulldog Bitter, 3 Lions Ale, Ironman Pale Ale and Summer Light Ale with vanilla. It should be a fun event, sold out already I believe. This weekend sees Christmas In July at T-Bonz Grille (http://tbonzgrille.com/images/xmas-in-july-2010.gif) with the return of their Pints & Pancakes extravaganza. We’ll have a firkin of Bishop’s Breakfast oatmeal stout infused with coffee beans there, a perfect breakfast beer! Thursday’s firkin at Frisco Grille will be our Three Spires Ale, a hoppy golden ale, 5% abv, a real thirst quencher. For those of you in DC we’re sending over firkins of Dark Horse, Bulldog Bitter and Three Spires to Meridian Pint, go get some!
Cheers
Steve
Jacob’s Summer Celebration Ale
Tuesday, July 13th, 2010
Hey Dad, breast is best but what about a kick-ass strong ale?
Today’s the day … little Jakey is a little over a week old and I’m brewing the ale that will celebrate his birth (wet the baby’s head as we say). It’s going to be a big beer. Jacob weighed 8.8lbs at birth so I’ll be aiming for 8.8% abv. I’m also using his birth weight to determine the amount of hops used in the brew … 8lb 13 oz didn’t seem enough so I’ll be using 8lb 13oz of pellet hops in the kettle and 8lb 130z of leaf hop split between the hop percolator and dry hopping in tank. The hops used will be split between American and English varieties to reflect his English and American parentage and of course because he was born on July 4th! As another tribute to Jacob’s ironic birth date I’ll be using Liberty to dry hop with (and Liberty is derived from a cross of Hallertauer, so there’s a nod to his German Grandmother and his Great Grandmother … Jacob’s middle name, Evan, was chosen as a tribute to his Great Grandmother, Eva.) The beer will be released in about 3-4 weeks and then will be brewed for release on his birthday each year as is the case with William’s Winter Warmer. I didn’t have time to get any in time for this brew but next year we will also be using the American hop “Independence” (you see where I’m going with this!). We’ll have a low key release party at the Ale House, details will be posted in the near future.
Cheers
Steve
The Friday Question World Cup Winner
Tuesday, July 13th, 2010
Well it’s over, the annoying buzz of the vuvuzela fades into memory and it’s time for some of us to start looking forward to the 2012 European Cup. I’ve got to say, it’s a shame that the tournament finished with the final …. one of the poorest games that I watched. Sub par officiating and the Spanish predilection for diving and amateur dramatics really killed the game. The previous day’s game between Germany and Uruguay was infinitely more entertaining. Kudos to Paul the Octopus though, for correctly predicting the outcome of several games (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/africa/10569977.stm). Good job he wasn’t entering the Friday Question, he would have cleaned up! In last Friday’s Question I asked for the scoreline and goalscorer(s) of the final game. Peter came closest, getting the correct scoreline but wrong scorer and as such is deemed the winner and gets a growler of Bulldog Bitter, souvenir pint glasses and t-shirt, congratulations sir. You may recall that the winners of the Friday Questions posted throughout the World Cup were also entered into a random draw to win a team jersey …. cue drum roll as we perform the draw (the old numbered bottle caps in a bag scenario)…. and the winner is …
Dominic Cantalupo, come on down.
You get to choose a team jersey and, as long as it’s easily available, it shall be yours … cool, eh?
I hope that those of you who watched games at the Ale House enjoyed the Bulldog Bitter brewed especially for the tournament. We’ll be keeping it on tap for the rest of the month because, as I’m sure you’re already aware, we’ll be celebrating the forthcoming footie extravaganza that is Manchester City vs Inter Milan at M&T Bank Stadium on July 31st (http://www.baltimoreravens.com/Gameday/Tickets/Special_Events.aspx). Make the Pratt Street Ale House your pre- and post-game headquarters, we’ll have specials all day (details coming soon).
Cheers
Steve
The Friday Question
Friday, July 9th, 2010
get in there my son
Last week I asked how many team jerseys I own, both club (Coventry City) and country (England, of course). Special thanks to Moira for her mention of Coventry’s glorious win over Spurs in the ’87 F.A. Cup Final (see the picture of Keith Houchen’s spectacular goal above)! As it happens, I haven’t got the 87 Cup Shirt (something I need to rectify methinks) although I do have the ’87 -’89 home shirt on which the badge proudly declares the team the 87 Cup Winners. Anyway, on to the business in hand, I have 4 different England shirts and 7 different Coventry shirts giving a total of 11 and a winner …. Scott Scharf, come on down! Congratulations sir, you win a growler of Bulldog Bitter and a few bottles of beer from whichever country wins on Sunday (hmmm, Netherlands or Spain, I’m going to have to do some research for this one, unless anyone out there has any suggestions?)
On to this week’s question and the last of the World Cup. You’ve got until kick-off on Sunday to get your answer in … the question is, of course, what will be the final score of the 2010 World Cup Final at full time (this includes any extra time played but excludes any possible penalty shoot-out) and who are the goal scorers (all of them)? The winner gets a growler of Bulldog Bitter, a couple of Oliver pint glasses and a t-shirt. Have at it & good luck.
Steve
Homebrew Competition Update
Friday, July 9th, 2010
I had originally stated that I would accept only all grain brews for the competition ( http://www.prattstreetalehouse.com/2010/07/homebrew-competition-details/). However, I’ve had some feedback from extract brewers on the subject so I will bow to them and say that I would prefer all grain brews but extract brews will be accepted providing that the brewer provides both the original recipe and a conversion for all grain … fair enough?
Moa Beer Review
Thursday, July 8th, 2010
A recent Friday Question post promised some beer from the country that scored the fastest goal in a particular week’s play in the World Cup. Scott won that prize and the country in question turned out to be New Zealand! There aren’t a huge number of beers from New Zealand on the shelves locally but one that stood out during some internet research (at least in my opinion) was Moa (www.moabeer.co.nz). I came away from Wells Discount Liquors (www.wellswine.com) with 3 different bottles, Moa Original, Moa Blanc and Moa Noir. Here are Scott’s thoughts ….
“Moa Original: Poured a cloudy orangish yellow with a huge bubbly, airy head, even with a careful pour. The bottle seemed a bit over-carbonated, as it bubbled over the top when opened. The aroma was unimpressive, reminiscent of an industrial lager. The mouthfeel was light, very crisp, and bubbly, initially tasting slightly sweet followed by a fairly strong citrusy orange flavor. It was quite drinkable and refreshing.
Moa Blanc: Poured a pale straw color with a frothy white head. The aroma was mildly citrusy. The beer was light bodied and crisp with a sharp bite. The beer initially offered flavors of grapefruit and lemon, finishing fruity, similar to a white wine. Nice summer sipping beer.
Moa Noir: Poured very dark amber, slightly cloudy, with a good size tan, bubbly head. The aroma was roasty with hits of roasted grains and coffee. The beer had a medium body but a crisp bite when sipped. Huge chocolate flavors, tasting almost like a Tootsie Roll, but still fairly crisp and very refreshing for being a “dark” beer.
All three beers were bottle fermented, with yeast visible in the bottom of the bottle. Each had a similar aroma and flavor that seemed to be imparted by the yeast. The most unique feature was how “bubbly” the beers were, almost like champagne. ”
Hello world
Tuesday, July 6th, 2010
Ha, the irony of it all! My son was born at 5.35pm on a day celebrating independence from the British! I can see that I’m going to have my hands full with this one. As previously reported, to celebrate his arrival I will be brewing a new beer. It will be brewed next week and then each year thereafter released on his birthday, as is the case with William’s Winter Warmer. The vital statistics for the brew are linked to Jacob’s. Both the abv and hop addition are dictated by his birth weight. Jacob entered the world weighing 8 lb 13.8 oz so Jacob’s Summer Celebration will be 8.8%abv and will use 8lb and 13 oz of hops. As a nod to his American parentage (and I guess the day on which he was born) the hop grist will be divided equally between American hops (Cascade, Chinook & Mount Hood) and English hops (First Gold, Kent Goldings & Challenger) and will be amber in color (chocolate & crytal malts). Expect to see numerous casks dry hopped with single hop varieties … there will be an English hop series and an American hop series. Can’t wait to brew the beer and get it on tap to officially “wet the babies head”! I’ll post details of the official release party when the date is decided.
"Hello World!"
The Friday Question
Friday, July 2nd, 2010
Argh … Ghana …. what’s with the penalty kicks? What a horrible way to exit the World Cup, especially after the disgraceful goal line hand-ball clearance from Uruguay! Oh well, that’s the game of football I suppose. Last week Scott won some beer from New Zealand for his guess of the fastest goal scored … not a whole lot of choices out there but I got him a Moa Blanc, Moa Original and Moa Noir. No idea what they’re like but he’ll likely send me some tasting notes which I’ll post in a future blog. Moa looks like a pretty cool brewery, check ‘em out on the web @ http://www.moabeer.co.nz/. A previous Friday Question asked how many goals would be scored between June 25th and July 1st. I didn’t count the penalty shoot out so I believe the goal tally was 31 goals which makes Dominic the winner with his guess of 33. Dominic wins a $30 tab at the Ale House for the World Cup final on July 11th and will be entered into the draw for the team jersey., congratulations Dom. The other outstanding Question asked for the final score betweeen England and Germany … that’s a bit of a sore point now of course, especially considering that the goal that would have drawn England equal was astonishingly denied and Germany went on to thrash us 4-1. Nobody came close so no prize awarded for that one. On to this week, staying with a footie theme, the question is this … how many team jerseys do I own, both club (Coventry City) and country (England, of course … I won’t include my team USA shirt)? The prize will be a growler of Bulldog Bitter and a couple of bottles from the World Cup’s winning team’s country and entry into the draw for the team jersey. Have at it.
Homebrew Competition Details (revisited)
Thursday, July 1st, 2010
Those of you with elephantine memories may recall our previous homebrew competition. O.K., it was only last year but a lot of beer has flowed since then, it seems like an age ago! For those of you new to the blog follow this link http://www.prattstreetalehouse.com/2009/09/home-brewing-but-not-at-home/ . We’re doing the same this year, inviting all you homebrewer’s to brew something that would fit in with our tap line-up at The Pratt Street Ale House. You can brew as an individual or group, doesn’t matter to us. What is important is that the beer is commercially viable. We’ll brew 7 barrels of it and it will be launched at the start of Baltimore Beer Week at the Ale House on cask and on draft. It will feature at the B.A.M. Oktoberfest and no doubt at a few bars/events around town. Think about the types of hops/grain/special ingredients in terms of availability and cost with regards to a 7 barrel brew length. Obviously we do English style ales here although we have used Belgian Ale Yeast a couple of times recently so that isn’t out of the question, as long as we can get the yeast at the right price (ie free!) I’d like to have all of the entries in by mid August. Judging will be held the following week with a view to brewing mid September. We won’t be judging to any set style parameters, what we’re looking for is a great product that will compliment our existing range of brews on tap. Ideally I’d like to have at least a dozen samples to judge, you’re not restricted to one brew, if you want to brew a couple of different options, that’s fine. We ask that you provide a recipe with your entry and while I would prefer all grain brews, extract brews will be accepted provided that the brewer provide both the original recipe and a recipe conversion to all grain. You may use our yeast if you wish, contact me to arrange to pick up samples. If you have any further questions please e-mail me @ steve.oliverale@gmail.com.
What’s In The Fridge? (updated)
Wednesday, June 30th, 2010
Might be a little confusion over how this works so here’s an updated version …. hope it makes it clear
O.K. folks, I’m going to start a new feature on the blog called “What’s In The Fridge?”. It’ll run every couple of weeks or so depending on the response I get and the premise is simple … you’re invited to write in with a description (and photo if you’d like) of what craft beers are in your fridge … why have you selected those particular beers … anything rare/special … feel free to wax lyrical/add tasting notes for a particular favorite. I will select one or two entries to post at a time. Not every one will be posted of course, especially if I get a lot of reponses, so the more interesting your fridge selections are, the more chance that I’ll post it and you’ll be invited to trade a bottle from your fridge to ours. If you donate a bottle then you get to choose a bottle from the brewery fridge. Obviously if you donate something spectacular then you can take one of our more interesting beers (ie the ones you can’t normally get in Maryland) otherwise you get to choose from the others. Alternatively if your review is selected, if you’d rather, you’re welcome to come along to the Ale House with a “donation”, choose one from the fridge and we’ll crack ‘em open then & there and do an impromptu tasting. Or, if you don’t want to participate in the trade option, that’s fine, it won’t effect the chances of your review being posted. If anybody wants to be extra generous and donate to the fridge anytime that’d be great … promise we won’t drink it, it’ll stay in the fridge for someone to choose. Here’s what’s in our fridge at the moment, hoping to add some more soon ….
yummy!
Thanks to Nick for picking up thr Three Floyds, Founder’s and Bells on his travels and to Brad for donating the Stone Double Bastard (2008). E-mail me your words of wisdom steve.oliverale@gmail.com
Cheers
Steve