Posts Tagged ‘the friday question’
Lazy Sunday
Sunday, July 25th, 2010
No brewing today, just had to stop by the brewery for a short while to check fermentations and prep for tomorrow’s brew. I’ll be brewing an Irish Red tomorrow and also moving Jacob’s Summer Celebration to conditioning tank. I’ll be filling firkins of course, some dry hopped with Liberty and some with Kent Goldings and some will be aged with American White Oak. In an ideal world I’d put the whole batch into cask but, regrettably we don’t have enough available so I’ll be filling about 6 or 8 depending upon how many empties are returned tomorrow. On the way back home I stopped by the Wine Source in Hampden … OMG … how have I walked or driven by it so many times in the past and never been in there before? Definitely my new favorite destination to buy beer (and wine, and gin …). I stopped there to pick up a bottle of something for a Friday Question prize. A few weeks ago Scott won a growler of our Bulldog Bitter and “a couple of bottles of something from the country that won the World Cup”. By common consensus we decided to get him something from the runner-up rather than the winner … he wasn’t excited about the prospect of beer from Spain and I was so disgusted by the way Spain played in the final that I flat out refused to spend money on Spanish beer. So, the Netherlands it is … here’s a little teaser for Scott ….
Hel & Verdoemenis bottle # 596
from Brouwerij De Molen, Hel & Verdoemenis is 10.2 % abv, 99 EBu s and is a limited bottling of 1092 bottles. Brewed on 17/18 February 2009 this beer (it says on the label) will be good for 25 years! Congratulations Scott, enjoy! I picked up a few things for myself as well and this evening I’ve been relaxing with Kelly and Jacob and enjoying a 21st Amendment “Back In Black” (excellent) and Harpoon “Leviathan” (I love this beer).
Speaking of the Friday Question, there’s a growler of our Golden Glory (wheat ale brewed with root ginger) and a bottle each of Three Floyds “Black Sun Stout” and Bells “Batch 9000″ up for grabs, so have a stab at it. Now, I’m not saying that friend and local brewery guru Volker of the Brewer’s Art signed a pact with the Devil, but I noticed earlier that, for the first, time he’d posted an answer to the Friday Question and it just so happened that it is comment number 666 posted on the website! Coincidence or a sign of something more sinister, you decide! I picture Volker at a dusty crossroads signing a pact with Old Nick … not for the ability to play eye-watering blues as per Robert Johnson, but to propel Resurrection cans to the “most wanted” status in every beer store in Maryland (not that it needs any help and rightly so, it’s wonderful … the reason I ended up with Back In Black today is because they were out of Resurrection!)
Cheers
Steve
The Friday Question
Friday, July 23rd, 2010
Brew day 5 for the week sees me finishing with a Summer Light Ale, thankfully. It’s been unbearably hot in the brewery as you can imagine, so I’m very happy that the mash to be dug out later is minimal. I’ve also brewed a Bishop’s Breakfast, two batches of Ironman Pale Ale and an Old Habit. Next week looks to be equally busy as I’ll be brewing an Irish Red Ale, Strongman Pale Ale, 3 Lions, 3 Spires and Blonde Ale. Today I’ll also be racking firkins of Golden Glory, a 5.5%abv wheat ale brewed with root ginger which will be going to Metropolitan, Frisco Grille, ChurchKey and Meridian Pint so look out for those. The remainder will be transferred to conditioning and will be carbonated next Tuesday and on tap at The Ale House on Wednesday.
By-the-way, new on cask @ The Ale House today is the Pagan Porter with vanilla beans. There’s one firkin only so get it while you can. It’s soft and smooth with wonderful hints of chocolate, coffee and, of course, vanilla. I am in love with this beer!
On cask now ... Pagan Porter with Vanilla ... Glorious!
O.K., onto the Friday Question. Last week I asked how much Jacob (my baby boy) would weigh as of his doctors appointment on Wednesday. The prize is a growler of Jacob’s Summer Celebration (released in a couple of weeks), a bottle of ‘08 Fuller’s Vintage Ale and a bottle of ‘08 Stone Double Bastard …. a nice little haul, I’m sure you’ll agree. The little man turned out to be 9lb 14oz (and 22 inches long by-the-way) which makes Brandon the winner, congratulations sir. This week I’ll be giving away 2 more bottles from our stash, Bell’s Batch 9000 and Three Floyds Black Sun Stout as well as a growler of our Golden Glory.
you could be drinking these next week!
The question is this …. as I mentioned in previous posts, the Golden Glory, released next Wednesday, is brewed with root ginger (which is chopped and suspended in the boiling wort) … what you need to know is how much ginger is used in a 7 barrel brew? As usual, please submit your answer via the comment option below. Good luck…. sort of…. I’ll be honest with you here, I hope that nobody gets close because I really want to drink that Three Floyds Stout!
The Friday Question
Friday, July 16th, 2010
Last night’s Brew At The National Zoo proved to be an excellent event despite the heat and humidity. The beer festival was excellently organised and had something for everyone in terms of beer, plenty of great craft beer as well as the generic big brands, as well as great food and live entertainment. I look forward to this being a regular event in our festival calendar and, of course, it’s for a great cause. Thanks to everybody who stopped by to sample Oliver Ales, we “sold out” 15 minutes before the end of the event!
Mike, our DC sales rep serves some Oliver Ale @ Brew At The National Zoo
Today I’m brewing our latest seasonal offering, Golden Glory. It’s a golden wheat ale (40% of the grain bill by weight is wheat) brewed with root ginger (chopped and suspended in the boiling wort) and I’m trying out the Liberty hops I bought for Jacob’s Summer Celebration as the finishing hop. Speaking of little Jacob’s brew, it’s fermenting nicely. I can’t wait to get this on tap, especially on cask, which will be dry hopped with Liberty and maybe Chinook also. I’ll be filling about 6 firkins so expect to see it at a few of your fave purveyors of cask conditioned ale.
O.K., onto the Friday Question. As I haven’t had any responses to “what’s in the fridge” (see earlier post), I’m going to offer up a couple of bottles from our stash, namely Fuller’s Vintage Ale (‘08) and Stone Double Bastard (also ‘08) AND a growler of Jacob’s Summer Celebration (when it’s released next month). Staying on the theme of Jacob, the question is this …. next Wednesday the little man will have his scheduled doctor’s check-up … at that time, how much will he weigh? As usual, post your answer via the comment option below …. the winner will be posted next Friday. Good luck.
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
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. ”
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.
We have a winner
Sunday, June 27th, 2010
By my reckoning, the fastest goal to be scored in the matches played between the 18th and 24th was by Shane Smeltz of New Zealand against Italy (chuckle) in 6 minutes and 18 seconds, which makes Scott B. the winner with his guess of 6 minutes 27 seconds. Congratulations sir, as soon as I have the prize ready I will e-mail you.
The Friday Question
Friday, June 25th, 2010
Oh crap, I’ve only just realised it’s Friday …. see, I wasn’t kidding when I said in the last post that the conventional week has fallen by the wayside … starting the brewing week on Sunday threw me out of sync! I’m just finishing brew # 6 this week so I’m feeling a little tired to say the least. I’m hoping that my soon to be born son, Jacob, doesn’t put in an appearance for at least a few more days as I need to get a 3 Lions brewed tomorrow and an Amber Ale on Sunday. I must confess that I haven’t had a chance to check the World Cup statistics to find out who has scored the quickest goal in the last week of play which was the Friday Question to be awarded today (http://www.prattstreetalehouse.com/2010/06/the-friday-question-41/). I’ll try and figure it out sometime over the weekend and announce the winner (or someone can do my homework for me and let me know!)
On to this week’s question and you’ve got to be quick off the mark this time, entries are accepted only until 10am on Sunday (ie kick off of the England match.) The question is, of course, this What is the final score of the England v. Germany game AND which player scores first? O.K. all of you couch sports pundits, have at it! The winner gets a few brews from the winning country and will be entered into the grand draw to win a replica jersey!
Here’s something that you don’t see everyday … an England World Cup supporting ice cream van! What I’d give to drive to work in one of these on Sunday!! I’ve already proposed importing one to use as the brewery truck for beer festivals and promotions but it seems to have fallen on deaf ears! Can you imagine, Oliver Ales and ice-cream cones at all future beer festivals, Brew @ The Zoo would be awesome!
a sweet ride (excuse the pun!)
They make ‘em with 3 different chimes … check out the videos @ http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Whitby-Morrison/151564315831?ref=ts. How awesome is that?
It was a draw but we have a winner (sort of!)
Sunday, June 13th, 2010
Well, some comedy goal keeping prevented England’s (less than) glorious 1-0 victory (and yeah, before you say anything or start the USA!USA! chant, my mother could have stopped that one and you only had one other real chance in the game!) That’s the beautiful game for you! It was a shame because it killed the game and the second half was painfully dull. Oh well, here’s hoping for better from both teams on the 18th. Remember, skip work, head to the Ale House for the morning game (USA vs Slovenia) have a bloody mary and a beer or two, grab some lunch and chill then it’s time for some Bulldog Bitter and England vs Algeria (and remember folks the light rail is just a half block away and the Charm City Circulator stops just down the street!)
So, on to the previous week’s Friday Question for a growler of Bulldog Bitter, an Oliver’s t-shirt and a couple of bottles of something interesting… I asked for the final score of the England USA game and who scored first. This is a tricky one … 2 people guessed the scoreline but Greg went for the USA scoring first and Dave G didn’t specify who scored first so technically, no winner. However, as you know we love giving stuff away here at Oliver Ales so each of them will get a growler and t-shirt … I’m going to save the bottles for a future question. Both will be entered into the end of tournament grand draw to win a team jersey. Congratulations gentlemen. E-mail me (steve.oliverale@gmail.com) to arrange pick-up of your prizes.
Don’t forget to enter the current Friday Question to win some beer and a chance to enter the grand draw for a World Cup team shirt of your choice (subject to availability). Get it on!
The scene in the Library Room upstairs @ The Ale House
- Enjoying a Bulldog Bitter with Steve & Tom (Brewer’s Art) … do you like my tie, subtle,eh?
(photos courtesy of Sandy Mitchell)