52 Weeks 48: Hopworks Diabilto

In a rare moment, I have deliberately chosen a photo. Or perhaps better said; deliberately set up my photo. I didn’t quite get the star shaped light coming from behind my hat that I was hoping for but it still seemed more interesting than my typical photos. 

Fuz has come down to visit, and he’s reading a play by a man I’ve never heard of while I write. There’s a man behind him saying that he ought to take it easy tonight, because he has a presentation to give tomorrow but when his companion suggests no more drinks, he says “Are you kidding? I’m a fuckin’ professor of this shit. Another beer.”

Then he starts to sing Puff the Magic Dragon. 

Over my shoulder is a man in solid neu-hiking regalia; beaten baseball cap, REI raincoat, backpack, glasses. He’s all set for a hike in the woods. And he’s sleeping, chin to breast, slumped over crashed out. At 9 p.m. 

So it’s one of those nights. The day sucked in beer-related ways and I’ll be detailing that for everyone on Wednesday, but for now I have company and so things aren’t so bad.

The Diabilto (which I’ll just confess I got because of two parts name, one part lineage) is a bit doughy on the nose and then a thin, sweeter beer after that. It’s not bad but it’s very far away from the beer I feel like having. This is too fizzy, it’s thin in a way that I am not approving of. I’m wanting to act like Pac-Man, wakka-wakka-wakka-ing through my ales and this beer is not a power pellet. No monsters to turn blue here, just an ale I’m trying to drink to get through to the next one. 

Again; it’s not a bad beer but it has met me on the wrong night. 

Last week, I mentioned to Sparky that the end of this project was coming up. He and I began to talk about about going to pubs and our particular motivation to do so. He suggested that I should write about why I drink and while I’ll admit that it’s a tempting topic I’m wary of making some kind of definitive statement about such a topic. 

Humanity has been drinking for a long, long time and the subject is one that invites big, sweeping statements that should have wedges of human insight. Or are just the ramblings of a drunk and I don’t feel like doing either, so perhaps this is the kind of subject that requires a bit of pondering. 

Instead, I think I’m going to finish up this post and play some cards with my friend. While I’m all for asking questions, I am almost old enough to understand that questions don’t always need answers.

Dear cheapskate hipsters

Ha. Ha.

No really.

I have no issue with people drinking what they can afford. Certainly my own purchases have taken a turn for the cheaper in the past few months. But I wasn’t out there pretending that the beer I was drinking made me part of some kind of inner group; PBR, yeah, {and now we give the headshake}.

No. I like things that taste good and I’m willing to pony up an extra two quarters to get less beer if it tastes better.

Some people actually like PBR. I don’t know them but I am consistently told that they exist. Fine; your favorite beer has gone up in price because a bunch of idiots who want to be cool like your beer and the makers of PBR have decided it’s worth bilking them for it. Now you know how the rest of us feel when the really good beer we drink and want to share with our friends is shanghaied by people who are just drinking it ’cause it’s cool.

Rainmaker

Once again, my friend Ed has alerted me to a news story, this one about a microbrewery in Atlanta that collects rainwater to make beer out of. Yes, there’s CNN drivel that you have to wade through and the story isn’t all that deep but it’s still interesting to me. In addition, given the presence of Hopworks and Roots I question the claim that the Atlanta brewery is the only ‘green’ one. But that aside it’s still an interesting practice that I wonder how many other breweries use.

Considering how precious water is and how much of it I use to make my own beer, water usage is something that’s on my mind quite often. I need it not just to make beer but to clean all my equipment and cool the wort to a temperature I can pitch yeast to. The quality of water matters; it is the main ingredient in beer, after all, and having clean water makes a difference. That’s not even discussing how water from different areas can affect the style of beer one makes. Being in Portland I’m lucky; our water quality is excellent but I use a fair share of it. It adds up; this is potable water I’m using and while I understand it’s a recyclable resource, it isn’t infinite.

I’ve been doing things like trying to re-use my cooling water for washing clothes but collecting rainwater is taking it to the next level, to be certain. In Portland that might even be a reasonable source of water for more than a few batches of beer as it rains here often enough during the winter and spring. Maybe when I have my own house I’ll be able to set something like that up. I like the idea quite a bit.

52 Weeks 47: Elysian Pumpkin Ale

That’s right, pumpkin ale. 

I suppose it ought to be said right now; I think pumpkin beers are not for serious beer drinkers. Or even not-serious beer drinkers. 

Pumpkin ales are for people who think of beer as a novelty, a plaything that they can get their friends to try; check out this beer made from X! Where X equals some weird plant, like garlic or zucchini. It just so happens that pumpkins are associated with a very tasty food and we happen to have a fuckton of them around during this time of year, so why not do something with them, right? 

So for you dear readers, I have decided to have a pumpkin ale. 

The nose is quite strong and puts me into the Wayback Machine for sure. Nutmeg scents remind me of my mother’s kitchen; its olive green stove right next to the fridge in a classic design scheme, lights dimmed while everyone else is in the living room or dining room, entertaining while I wait for pie to finish. 

And the taste?

Well…I won’t lie to you, it’s quite a bit like liquid pumpkin pie. There aren’t hops or malts to speak of here; it’s all dessert spices and enough sweetness to keep the whole thing together. I’m almost surprised the beer isn’t served in a glass made of flaky crust. It’s remarkably velvety too, like well beaten whipped cream. 

I hate to say it, but it’s a decent beer to have a glass of and it evokes pumpkin pie in some remarkable ways. That said; I’m glad it’s only around once a year. I cannot imagine drinking this stuff on a regular basis. 

273 words. Is there more to say a this point? I feel like there ought to be but perhaps this is not the night for it? It’s windy in Portland, a mild summer giving way quickly to an autumn that is bluster and chilly. The inclination is to grouse; the football games sucked yesterday, I’m going mildly broke and there’s a coil of tension in my chest somewhere behind my heart, that keeps reminding me that somewhere I have chosen poorly all of which wants to be said somewhere. 

But not here, eh? Because I didn’t choose poorly; the beer was good, I’ve got my hat and the night. No complaints.

Retrospective

With Dad’s visit, I’ve had the opportunity to get into a host of beers I’ve been saving over the past year. I can’t tell you what he had, just that overall he liked what I gave him. But here’s what I drank:

A Lala IPA (the first IPA I made this spring) was very tasty but overcarbonated and a touch minerally. The nose faded quickly and the malts were subdued but it was still a decent brew. It was old though and I think that’s why there was that mineral flavor at the end.

The Chisick mild held up great. Still a very easy drinking brew and very flavorful. I was really surprised because my previous mild didn’t age as well, although I did keep it in the bottle for longer. I probably got this one drank before the shelf-life expired.

The Pale_qm was carbonated even after all this time. Hop nose faded very quickly though. I guess that can’t be too surprising, given the age of the beer. Still a very tasty drink.

There was also what I think was a belgian amber ale, pictured to the left. It has a very sweet back end and huge caramel nose. The reason I don’t exactly know what it is, is because sometimes my titling system of beers is…random. So while there’s writing on the bottlecap that should tell me what this beer is, the information was incomplete. I’m going to have to include that data on the spreadsheet in future brews too.

I also had an IRA that was all malt and no hops. Not bad, but the bummer? No carbonation! Even after all that time. Still, the malts provided a bold roasty caramel flavor so it wasn’t a loss.

All in all, I’m more than a little surprised how well these beers held up. Considering they’ve been in my basement just gathering dust and they were all still drinkable, I feel like that’s a pretty nice accomplishment.

So, what about that IPA?

Indeed. What about that IPA. Did time give it the carbonation that it needed? Let’s take a look.

As you can see there is no head on this beer. So where does that leave me?

Well, it’s actually fairly tasty. There’s a strong nose to the beer, despite having no head to it. Although it’s flat this IPA does taste pretty good overall. But because there’s no fizz, there isn’t any effect to offset the bitterness of the beer or clear it away. Unfortunate, but there does seem to be a solution: Potato chips.

That’s right. What other snack so rewards having another right after you’ve drank some beer to wash the salt out of your mouth?

That said, I am adding bottling sugar to my recipe checklist to ensure that I add that to the beers. I’m not sure if I forgot to put in the bottling sugar in this batch, but better safe than sorry and if it improves future beers, the small reminder is worth it..

52 Weeks 46: Natian Mild IPA

Now this is one of the more interesting beers I’ve had in awhile. A mild IPA? Wouldn’t anyone even reasonably educated in the ways of brewing say that those styles don’t really mix well? 

But this beer works. There’s a bitterness in this beer that reminds me of strawberries. You know that hint there in the fruit, especially if it isn’t quite ripe, that’s leafy and green? That’s what I’m getting in the midrange flavors and bite. But the front had a sweetness and the nose doesn’t give me hops, just a hint of caramel. So this beer has some complexities to it but it also holds to the mild style in drinkability. Very easy to sip on, drink fast, great for hot days, a good beer to have before dinner, just an all around excellent drink. I didn’t know of the brewery until now but I look forward to more offerings from Natian-who apparently is savvy enough to have a Facebook and MySpace page, but not a website of their own.

Then again, they have more followers than I do, so who’s laughing now?

My Dad is visiting and so he’s come with me to this edition of the blogpost. Now what’s interesting is that when Fuz visits, we tend to talk over me writing, just as when my girlfriend has come out with me. Dad is content reading The Drunkard’s Walk, sipping Lompoc’s Oktoberfest. We’ve had a pretty nice visit and most of the beers I’ve been offering him have gone over quite well. I may not be a professional grade brewer, but I can offer a drink to my Dad knowing it’s good stuff so I’ll take it. 

Then again, we had quite the adventure in the one block to took to walk here. maybe a bit of solitude is appropriate. Two homeless looking people shouting at each other about who had the headphones for the other’s iPod; the questioner strangely still, the responder with a raised golf club to keep the former away. We passed by as the incident was dissipating, the person with the golf club telling the other that they were a moron and their headphones were in their pocket. We wove around the argument and narrowly missed cutting off a scrawny white man in Joker-purple pants with a lilac colored shirt sliding into Mary’s strip club, and between two black men who seemed to be talking about their angle of approach to…something, the words faded behind us as we walked up to the bar.

Dad asked me why I chose Bailey’s as the bar and I told him; it was close to where I worked, I liked the place and there was a constant rotation of beers there that would insure I wouldn’t repeat myself.

But I also come here to touch Portland’s character. I know I don’t need to show off Portland to my Dad-he’s been coming here since before I was born-but I do like introducing him to my favorite bar, which I imagine he’ll say he enjoys due to the lack of televisions and reasonable volume to the music. It’s meant to be a place where you can read a book while your son dabbles in technology and I think that’s awesome.

Of course, the most interesting parts of the conversation are yet to be had. That’s how it is with my Dad; you can’t write it up while it’s happening because you’re engaged. Otherwise you aren’t involved. Not that he insists upon it, just that you’ll miss the best part if you’re trying to do something else. So if you’ll excuse me, I have a visitor.

It is good to have friends

Friends who are employed, especially. Which is how I found myself at the Horse Brass to play cards with my friend baeza. We had a few beers between us, which to the man’s graciousness and general awesome, I did not have to pay for but here are the highlights.

First: Guinness 250. Yes, yes, yes, Guinness is 250 years old and good for them. Too bad they made such a bland beer in honor of the occasion. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if they just put regular Guinness into a bottle, slapped a 250 label on it and charged everyone an extra buck-fifty.

You know Guinness, I remember when you used to be cool. Of course, that was only 5 years ago for me. But now…well, you’ve lost it and I’ve found some far better drinks. I think it’s just best that we go our separate ways.

I’m keeping the house.

I steered baeza towards the Eilean Dhu and he enjoyed it quite a bit. He was, fortunately, not struck with any kind of morose vibe due to working in a warehouse, thankfully. And I must say (since I didn’t when I drank it) it’s a damn fine beer. Very potent, but quite tasty.

My notes also record me having Lompoc’s Monster Mash Porter. It had a very smoky nose and was incredibly dense for a porter. The flavors included a burnt coco or coffee and it was just flat out delicious. If you enjoy darker beers then this ought to be something to taste. It made me sit up from our card game and take notes. So I know I dug it.

And I totally meant to include the recipe for the Scottish Ale I talked about in Wednesday’s post. So I might as well include it now!

Light Scottish Ale:
Steeping Grains:
1 lb Vienna
1 lb Munich

Fermenting malts:
7 lb Light malt extract, liquid

Hops:
@ 60
1.5 oz Galena
.5 oz Nugget used as dry hops from IPA 2.
@15
.33 oz Centennial
@5
.5 tsp of Irish Moss for clarity.

Yeast:
Two packets Wyeast 1728 Scottish Ale yeast.

The OG was 1.069, and the Final Gravity was 1.02.

Malty switchup

Though I’ve been making IPAs this summer-every other batch, as a matter of fact-the most recent IPA just wasn’t ready to drink. No carbonation at all. The beer wasn’t a bad one-but a beer without carbonation is like a car without a radio. Sure you can drive it but it’s not nearly as enjoyable.

Fortunately, I have a backup plan; the next beer. I realize this doesn’t sound like much but in this case it’s quite awesome. I was shooting for a Scottish ale and I think I overshot the mark by a just a touch of hops. Still, it’s a very rich beer with the sweets held up just enough by the hops so the beer isn’t cloying. I’m really proud of this one; it tastes great and goes well with spicy food. I don’t know if it would fit the style; the beer appears to be just a smidge on the lighter side. But I assure you; there’s some malt in that thar beer. Good stuff.

As a bonus, my Dad is coming into town this weekend which means I’ll get to show off some of the beers I’ve been brewing for the past few months. I don’t get to show off too often so I like to take advantage when I can. It also means I can totally coast on a ‘retrospective’ piece. Sweet!

52 Weeks 45: Fanno Creek Oktoberfest

Fall has arrived which I know because despite arriving early to the bar it is dark. Forget the chill in the air, the calendar date; it’s fall when I arrive at the bar and it’s dark outside.

The Oktoberfest is a little thinner than I was expecting. It’s not a bad beer but it doesn’t have much presence. I want my oktoberfest beers to be a little more hefty; it’s autumn, the harvest is coming, long days of work (I hope) and long nights of cold will be here and that beer ought to prepare us for it. Instead, it seems to be a straggling beer of summer. Again, it’s not a bad beer but it wants hot weather and a BBQ. 

Maybe I’m just misinformed about the style. It is descended from the lager style so having a very drinkable brew is the main goal but I’m just not convinced this time. Maybe this style is trickier to do than I thought.

At week 45, the first verbal discussion of ‘What next?’ has come up. Between Geoff and Sparky, there’s a question as to what will be done after the 52 Weeks project is over. I’ll admit I have no idea. One thought that’s come to me is ‘Let’s Have A Drink’, where I and a guest meet for a beer and then I write up our thoughts. It would be a chance to bring other perspectives on the beer and let me be a little social. Being social is one of the reasons we go to bars and I wonder if I’ve ignored this over the past year or so. The drawbacks would include trying to find a weekly guest, making a conversation interesting enough to write about, and arranging a place to drink. 

There are advantages to continuing the 52 Weeks project as well but then there’s the risk of boring the audience. On the other hand, this is a beer blog; the focus is narrowed by the nature of the subject. Sure I can talk politics but I have to jump to it via beer. Unless, of course, it’s a 52 Weeks night and then I have a little more free reign. Obviously this requires a little more thought and I’m open to suggestions but once this project is done it will have to change just a little bit. If for no other reason than because projects should end. Incompletion is for the Sagrada Familia or the Mystery of Edwin Drood but not for sub-geniuses like myself.