Brewnotes » Beer

Troegs Java Head Stout

Ben Brouse — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 21:46:26 +0000

Last evening at Metropolitan, Firkin Thursday featured Troegs Java Head Stout.

”JavaHead’s recipe is based off of our original oatmeal stout. After the boil, the hot wort passes through our hopback vessel on it’s way to fermentation. Packed full of whole leaf hops and a bed of ground coffee beans, the hopback vessel is similar to using a huge French press, intensifying the coffee nose and releasing subtle hints of coffee flavor. The result is a lush oatmeal mouthfeel balanced with cocoa, roast and subtle coffee flavors.”

Nice to see a brewery delivering a well executed brew without resorting to the trendy hop bomb. I was amazed at how easy drinking this beer was for a hot summer day. Well Done.

Current Beeradvocate Rating: B+

German Porter

Ben Brouse — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 19:06:48 +0000

I was talking to a friend of mine who mentioned a local German homebrew competition taking place. In that conversation we talked about a style that was knew to me – German porter. Check out the article that was dug up on this style. I don’t think this style is currently covered in the BJCP style guidelines but it is pretty cool nonetheless.

McGillin’s Old Ale House (Philly)

Ben Brouse — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 19:05:30 +0000

Being in town for the Furthur show, a group of us were looking for a good place to have lunch and some good beers. Obviously Yards and Victory were both represented, but was also happy to find some brews from Stoudt’s and Troegs.

Very cool décor and old atmosphere. The food was decent pub grub but nothing I would seek out either. My only complaint – the music. Some of the worst 80’s tunes I’ve heard in a while.

More reviews here.

Channel Crossing

Ben Brouse — Fri, 21 May 2010 14:14:33 +0000

Last night, I attended the unveiling of the new collaboration between Oliver Breweries and Stillwater Artisanal Ales @ the Pratt St Alehouse. Hopefully, this won’t be the last of the cross-pollination between these two breweries.

Open fermentation, Belgian yeast, interesting hop choices make for a very drinkable beer with fruity esters and firm bitterness. The variations of this beer presented last evening included a plain old draft, a french oak firkin, and 3 dry-hopped pins (czech saaz, kent goldings & bramling cross).

Personally, I preferred the draft version.

Grateful Red Ale

Ben Brouse — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 18:45:42 +0000

If you know me, I was bound to have a GD inspired brew at some point. This was brewed back on 3/6/2010.

This recipe is originally taken from Jamil. To quote him, “This is how red ales are done on the West Coast. Just about every brewery out here needs a beer on their menu that has a lot of hop flavor, and many of them turn to this style of beer. They are big, bold statements balancing lots of citrusy hops and specialty malt.”

Ingredients (Single Infusion Mash – 152F):

12.25#	2-row Maris Pale Malt
1#	Munich
1#	Crystal 40L
8 oz	Crystal 120L
8 oz	Victory
3 oz	Pale Chocolate

Hops:

1.1 oz	Horizon	13.0% AA	60 Min
0.5 oz	Cascade	6.0% AA	10 Min
1 oz	Centennial	9.0% AA	10 Min
1 oz	Cascade	6.0% AA	0 Min
1 oz	Centennial	9.0% AA	0 Min

Yeast:

(2) US-05 – ~@67F

Yield:

5 Gallons

Stats:

OG: 1.076

IBU: 66

SRM: 16

ABV: 7.8%

Special Firkins at DuClaw

Ben Brouse — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 02:12:29 +0000

A friend invited me out to DuClaw @ Arundel Mills yesterday. I got a special treat to try two different firkins! A wit spiced with cinnamon and vanilla and a imperial porter with peppermint. While I would say these beers weren’t my thing, it was an impressive thirsty crowd that had gathered.

Best part of the night for me – trying the Double IPA – Serum. Amazing how balanced it was.

It’s Dead Now (MD Wine Shipping)

Ben Brouse — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 12:46:15 +0000

This looks like it isn’t going to be the year of direct wine shipping in MD. Eye on Annapolis has some great coverage of yesterdays proceedings.

Biergarten Haus in DC

Ben Brouse — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 21:01:56 +0000

A friend pointed this out to me today. From the Washington Post, “Biergarten Haus, the city’s largest — and only — German-style beer garden, is poised to bring bratwurst, hefeweizen and strolling accordion players to 1355 H St. NE next month. (There’s still some construction to be done, says co-owner Aaron McGovern, so the target date is "early-to-mid April.")"

Looks extremely interesting. I can hardly wait to sing my first “Ein Prosit”.

Picture taken from the article.

Not Dead Yet (MD Wine Shipping)

Ben Brouse — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 22:31:16 +0000

Via MMBWL Facebook. Hooray for MD Sen Bobby Zirkin. At least one legislator has some common sense. Possibly he represents his constituents? *sarcasm*

“Zirkin independently offered an amendment today to SB 858 (Winery Improvement act, which had made it onto the floor) to allow Direct Shipping of Wine. The Senate will vote on this on Tuesday. “

If you haven’t been paying attention, check this out.

Follow the Money

Ben Brouse — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:34:34 +0000

Great post on the HoCo Rising blog. Sen. Joan Carter Conway’s fundraising reports are dissected and attribution is placed on the portion from the alcohol lobby (at least the ones that can figured out).

Couple this with the informative article from the Washington Post.

“The industry’s network of political action committees, 120,000 employees, and powerful distributors and wholesalers have contributed more than $1.3 million to state lawmakers since 2000, according to campaign finance reports.

They have also spent nearly $900,000 in the past five years to maintain a stable of lobbyists and lawyers in Annapolis whose firms have represented the industry for more than three decades, according to state ethics reports.

General Assembly sessions are kicked off with a roughly $16,000-open-bar reception for lawmakers and their families, and the industry’s wining and dining usually continues, such as with a $2,500 steak dinner Feb. 3 at Lewnes Steakhouse, an Annapolis institution. “

If you are still wondering why the Direct Wine Shipping Bill isn’t going to pass anytime soon, look no further.