February Tuesday

This is the official last of weekly Tuesdays and the beginning of monthly meetings. We had a pretty good turn out for this Tuesday. One of the interesting tastings was the Orvals.
As you can tell, there are two Orvals in the picture. One of them is a 2008 and the other a 2009. We were tasting the difference of a year. Orval contains a small amount of wild yeast and after that one year the taste changed a bit. I have read and heard people say that Orval is best after five years of aging. We tasted the two and I think the vote was unanimous! The 08 had the 09 beat. The 08 was a little bit smoother and had a bit more flavor. They funky flavors were more noticeable, but in a good way.

You will also notice a bottle in the middle of the table with no label. This is a Porter that Patrick brought from Mississippi. It is called Gulf Porter from Lazy Maglonia. The Porter was originaly distributed in half gallon growlers, but because of Florida State Laws, it was not sold in this area. There was one growler to pop up at a local tasting, but none for sale. The Porter was a great surprise and hopefully we can get a few kegs in this area soon!

As mentioned, this is the last weekly tasting and we will do monthly tastings from now on. So, next time you are out of town, in some weird land, grab a beer. Something you have never heard or seen before and save it for the next tasting.

Panama City Beach Mellow Mushroom

When you are looking for a place to go have a beer, where do you look? I can honestly say I have been to just about every beer bar in the area and I can say I have found one of the best selections in town.
This funky little pizza joint is always known for a great beer selection. They usually have around 30 beers on tap, but as you can see they sometimes run out of a couple. Their selection isn't just macro-brewed beers. They carry a full line of Craft and Microbrewed beers. You will find labels like Stone, Dogfish Head and Sam Adams. You will also find great regional favorites like SweetWater and Lazy Magnolia too. As you can see, Erin is pouring me up a Southern Pecan in the picture.

Beer isn't the only thing on the menu in this place. They also serve some of the best pizzas and calzones too. What else pairs better with pizza than a nice beer?

Stop by and grab a brew at Mellow Mushroom and tell them you read about them on Panhandle Beer Forum.

Terrapin:Hopsecutioner

Last October, I did a post about Terrapin releasing their first year round India Pale Ale. Well, it's here. I stopped by the Panama City Beach Wine World today and they had it in stock.
I actually thought we wouldn't see any of this beer for a while. The distributors around here usually don't carry a lot of Terrapin beers and also usually don't have fresh beer. But this time they totally came through. I personally think that people are more inclined to buy more beer from their local breweries than any other. I know I do. And not to mention all the Atlanta people that come to the panhandle to vacation. Why has it taken such a long time to get more Terrapin here? Why is it so hard to get more limited release beers from other local breweries here?

OK, enough ranting and back to the Hopsecutioner. It is now available at your local store and there is no reason why you can't go try it.

Wine World also has Terrapin SunRay Wheat Beer too.

But that is a whole different post.

Stay tuned...

Bay County Bullet

Just letting everybody in the Bay County area know there is nice little beer article in the Bay County Bullet. I am just letting you know, that's all I'm saying. I not saying that I wrote it or anything. It's just a good beer article. Ok.

Pliny the Younger spotted in Panama City Beach!

There are two very popular beer rating websites, BeerAdvocate and Ratebeer.A couple of weeks ago, both websites had the Westy 12 ranked as their #1. Not anymore! The release of Russian River's :Pliny the Younger changed that. The Younger is now #1 on BeerAdvocate.
Pliny the Younger is a Triple IPA that is only brewed once a year. It is only available in or around the brewery, but one of our Tuesday Nighter's got a growler and shared it with us. Keith is an avid beer trader and got a half gallon growler from one of his connections. It was a great beer full of hop smells, flavors and you couldn't tell it was an 11 percent beer, not until you got a buzz that is.

We also had several other brews in for the tasting. Newcomer Morrie, had some of his homebrews on hand. It is always fun to taste homebrews.
We started up with his English Mild Bitter. It was a mild hoppy beer that was easy drinking. He was uncertain if it was going to be any good, but it was great. The next beer we tried of Morrie's was a Yeti Imperial Stout clone and I might add it Rocked! Yeti Imperial Stout is found at most bottle shops in the Panama City area and I suggest a try.

Next week might be the last tasting we do for about a month. The purpose of the tastings is to explore and taste beers we have never had. Doing the tastings every week is making some of our beer stashs a little light and there are no travel plans in the near future. Stay tuned and we will find a set day to do the tastings every month. A day that will work for everyone.

But there will be a tasting next week and I have a special surprise. Yes, that is an attempt to get Dave to join the fun!

The Brewing Monks

This is the latest article printed in The Bullet. They changed the name and could not fit the last paragraph in, but you guys get the real thing! enjoy.


The Bullet
Feb. 5, 2010
The Brewing Monks
By Jeremy Myers


When you think of a monk, do you think religion, philosophy or isolation? If so, you are correct, but there are also many things to learn about our silent friends. The monks I am referring to are the Trappist monks that are a branch of the Cistercians, which are a part of the Roman Catholic religious order. There are 170 monasteries or abbeys and over 4300 Trappist monks and nuns. If you are interested in the history of Trappist monks, you are going to love their beer.

The monks live very simple lives that have only one purpose, to seek God. They have very active lives. They do not have jobs like you and I, but they do have jobs within their abbey. Some abbeys are known for producing jams, cheeses or caskets. Others are known to produce beer.

Authentic Trappist products have a certain criteria to meet to be considered authentic. First, the beer must be made within the walls of the abbey or in the vicinity. Next, the process of production must be within the monistic way of life. Third, a portion of the product’s profit must benefit the community or be given to charity. The beers that they make are sometimes called extreme because of their unique or original flavors. The Trappist beers are classified into a very simple order.

• Patersbier, or ‘father’s beer’, is a low alcohol beer that is only found at the abbey or sometimes can be found in cafes around the abbey. This is the beer the monks typically will drink with dinner.

• The Enkel, also called blonde or single is the lightest beer on the market and is the most basic of the Trappist recipes. The light color and sweet flavors are the normal characteristics of this beer.

• The Dubbel (double) is the next in line. It is a darker beer with more malt character, dark fruit and hop flavors. A mild hop aroma is usually present with a high carbonation level.

• The Tripel (triple) is a very malty beer. The brewer uses nearly triple the amount of malt than they do in the single. With the large amount of malt, the triple has a sweet flavor that resembles the single, but much heavier body. This is the beer the monks typically drink during fasting, due to the high calorie content.

• The Belgian Strong Ale, also called the Quadruple, is one of my favorites and for a reason. The profiles are different among breweries, but usually have rich dark fruit, Belgian candi and yeast characters. This style is usually the flagship of the brewery.

• The last one and not the least important style is the Belgian Pale Ale. This heavy carbonated, hop flavored Pale Ale should have a special place in the Belgian Trappist world. It is only made at one Trappist brewery. Orval, meaning golden valley is the only Trappist brewery to make the Belgian Pale Ale. Actually, Orval only produces one beer that is sold outside of its community.

There are only seven Authentic Trappist breweries in the world. Six are in Belgium and one in the Netherlands. Koningshoeven is the only monastery outside on Belgium that produces beer. Achel Brewery is the smallest and the youngest of the seven. Achel has only made beer since 1998. All of the breweries mentioned are available in the United States, including, Chimay, Rochefort and Westmalle.

The only Trappist not found in the United States is Westvleteren Brewery. Westvleteren only sells enough beer to support their abbey and community. They also have strict restrictions as to how someone possesses their beer. The buyer has to make an appointment to visit the brewery and register their car. The registered car is limited to the amount of visits. They do this to ensure their beer is available to everyone. Westvleteren is considered to make some of the best beer in the world. I have had the luxury to taste a couple of these beers and I agree they are pretty tasty.

As brewers all across the world unite to critic their beers, most will say that the Trappist Ales are hard to beat. With no real agenda and only one purpose to brew, I believe the monks have it figured out. They make beer not for them, but for a higher purpose. To support a mission to serve their community and God that gave them a talent. A talent loved worldwide.

Drink with The Wench

Today, I was featured by The Wench. Check out the related blogs area on the right side of the this blog or use this link.

http://drinkwiththewench.com/?p=3379

enjoy.

Tuesday, Tuesday, Tuesday

Welcome to the Panhandle Beer Forum. Another exciting Tuesday has come and gone. There was more discussion of only doing the tasting once a month, instead of once a week. We will have the tasting next week, but might delay it till March after that. We will see.

Last night we had a couple of really interesting beers. If you check out the picture, there are two bottles labeled Port Brewing. I know, I didn't put them together for the picture. I just took it.
These beers were brewed by a brewery named Port Brewing Company. This brewery started as a brewpub named Pizza Port, but people demanded their beers so much they were forced to open a full production brewery. Too bad the Panhandle doesn't have that problem. Who needs a pesky brewery making great beer around here, huh? Anyway, they opened the brewery and just named it Port Brewing. They also own a sister brewery named The Lost Abbey, but we will get into that another time.

One of our Tuesday Nighters, Keith, brought the Port Brewing Company beers, named Old Viscosity and Older Viscosity. He acquired one of them a while back, but saved it until he could get the other. Why, you ask? Because they are the same beer. Yep, the same exact beer. Old Viscosity doesn't really fit a particular style. This beer is made from 80% freshly brewed beer and blended with 20% Bourbon Barrel Aged Beer from the last batch. It's a very interesting process and I am sure it took a lot of practice to get the blend right. I can't really find much info about the Older Viscosity, but it is basically Bourbon Barrel aged longer. I can tell you that the Older is much smoother and hardly has any carbonation. Both Great Beers!

Another great beer we tasted was a Bourbon Barrel Quadrupel (BBQ)also fermented with cherries, made by Boulevard Brewing. This was a good beer, but might have had a little too much going on. I did like it, but I would not go buy it regularly, if it were available around here. But it's not so I don't need to worry about that.

That is about it for this Tuesday. Let me just say, you should come next Tuesday. I am not going give any hints, but there is little beer coming next week you will not forget.

I promise!

Super Bowl and Beer and Stuff

Another year of football is gone and there are not many sports left to really enjoy, but it was fun while it was here. On game days, it is always fun to have a few friends over and cook some food and enjoy a couple of brews. The Super Bowl is a big deal and I thought it would be fun to do some awesome food for the game.

Anytime you go to a friends house or have folks over for a game, you always try to do practical dishes that don't take up a ton of time, unless you are grilling with the TV right there with you. So I decided to make a very classic dish. Chili Dogs, chips and PBR (in the bottle, of course).
Those of you who know me, know my favorite football food is Chili Dogs. In Alabama, my Mother and Stepfather owned a little hotdog restaurant that made the best chili. After my Mother passed away, my Stepfather was too busy to manage the business and was forced to sell it. But I have their chili recipe! The chili they made was called a dry chili and didn't have any sauce added to it. Basically, meat and seasonings were the chili. What else would go well with Chili Dogs? PBR! Some people call me a beer snob, but I have news for you, I'm not. I do enjoy great flavorful beers and there are some beers I stay away from, but there is a place for every beer, even Pabst.

After we ate dinner and made our way through most of the game, I had a little surprise for everyone. The only way I could get Dave to come over was to promise him a surprise. I attempted, for the first time in my life, to make Crème Brûlée. In the last couple of years, I have really learned to love Crème Brûlée. Crème Brûlée is custard type dessert that has a caramelized top and it is great. I might name my first child Brûlée (I'm joking). When I wrote about Asheville Day 1, I mentioned a restaurant named The Admiral. The Admiral was a little local restaurant that was outrageous. Their menu was full of great selections and Amy and I both agreed we would return to that place. After our dinner, we checked out the dessert menu and they had a Sweet Potato Crème Brûlée topped with Candied Bacon. Mmmmm Bacon. We ordered that and paired it with a Duck-Rabbit Milk Stout. And the combo was great.
So, needless to say, that's what I tried to make. As I mentioned, this was my first attempt to make this and I impressed myself. I thought it was awesome, but being we can't get Duck-Rabbit in Florida, we paired it with Amy's favorite Left Hand Milk Stout.The dessert turned out wonderful and everyone thought so too even Dave. And I trust he knows his French desserts.

Well, I didn't intend for this to be a food site. But what is the harm of adding a couple a food pairings in there every now and then?

On a different note, check out the Bay County Bullet. They are out on the shelves and there is a little beer article in there for your reading pleasures. I will post it on the blog next week for those who can't get The Bullet.

And don't forget Tuesday is tomorrow. Tasting at Panama City Beach Wine World. See ya there!

Brew Thru Now Open!

A couple of months ago, I did a post about a new store that was coming to the Panhandle. The post was about a store named Brew Thru, which is a drive thru convenience store.

Located about a half mile East of Hwy 79 on Front Beach Rd., this little store is making its mark in Florida. The North Carolina Company has franchised out its first store and has plans to grow across the panhandle.
Yesterday, I drove into the store (literally) and met with Ted, the owner of the store. He told me that he has plans to open ten stores total with four being on the beach or in Panama City. The rest will stretch between here and Pensacola. That's a lot of stores. The beauty of the concept is pretty cool. You drive into the store, tell the attendant what you want, pay them and you are on your way. Simple!

As I looked around, I could see they were pretty well stocked with inventory. Not only do they sell typical soft drinks, but also some beach accessories, wine and not to mention beer.
The beer selection wasn't bad. They had the usual macro selections, some nice imports and quite a few American Craft beers in the cooler. That's a nice looking ride, huh? Talking more with Ted, he is wanting to stock the best inventory and beers that everybody wants. He told me that if he doesn't have it, he will order it.

Looking thru (no pun) the beer cooler, I saw a couple of beers I have never seen before. My eyes were gittering across all the labels and I stopped on this one brand I had never seen.
I saw this beer named Starr Hill Pale Ale made in Charlottesville, VA and I have a friend from there. So, of course I grab a sixer. I get home and pop one of the caps. I thought this was a pretty well rounded Pale Ale, but was a little mild in the hop category. I am becoming a big fan of the American Pale Ale and maybe starting to become a Pale Ale snob, but I would buy this again. It was easy drinking, smelled great and had a great body (not talking about you Dave) . This would be a great beer to drink with the football game coming on Sunday. And by the way, if I hear Who Dat one more time, I might scratch my ear off. Although, I am rooting for the Saints!

But, stop by Brew Thru and grab some ice, water, soda or check out their beer selection whenever you are headed out to grab a quick sixer. And tell Ted you read about Brew Thru on The Panhandle Beer Forum!

He'll like that.

Tuesday's Gone, again.

Yet another Tuesday is gone a few more beers bit the dust. Ok, that's all the song references I will do, for now. We had a pretty good turn out for Tuesday and there were several beers to show up.
Looking at the picture, you will see a couple of bottles with no labels. Those were homebrews that Tony brought. His Amber and Red ales were not disappointing! He was very modest about his brews, but what brewer isn't? To only have brewed two beers in his life, I thought they rocked!

There are also two Bells Hopslams in the picture. Bells Hopslam is an American Double IPA brewed with honey and is considered one of the highest sought beers in the country. Hopslam is released once a year and is only brewed in a limited quantity. Meaning, once it is all gone, it's gone. There are two bottles because I saved one bottle from last year to compare it to a fresh bottle. It is interesting how beers age. When it ages, the hop character will weaken and the maltyness will become more apparent. This beer was also brewed with honey, which will also gain flavors. As we tasted the two beers, you could tell a difference with the smell. The floral hop smell of the fresh Hopslam had changed to a slightly pungent honey fragrance. The taste was transformed from a citrus hop bomb to a more syrup/Barleywine texture. If you have an extra bottle of Hopslam laying around, stick one in the cabinet to put a little age on it. I regularly read of people that like the aged Hopslam, but I prefer mine fresh.
Here is a nice little shot of the folks that were able to make it to this week's gathering. Everybody looks so happy! As you can tell there was no shortage of beer. Another interesting brew we tasted, was a bottle Rick grabbed off the shelf named Black Sheep. It is an English Pale Ale that was very tasty. Rick never hangs out with us because he feels he needs to bring some extravagant beer, but we talked him into staying and drinking some beer with us and his selection was right off the shelf.

On to the next order of business, I recently have been gathering all the extra hardware to start brewing all-grain batches of beer. I have been using malt extracts that are great for brewing , but not that cost effective.

A couple of days ago, I acquired my first grain mill. This mill was not very clean when I got it, but with a little work, it looks like it is ready to roll. Thanks to Iron Mike from ECHO for donating this mill to my adventures and hopefully I can start pumping out some brews pretty soon.

Now, one last bit I need to mention. The Bay County Bullet is being released this Friday and I do believe there will be a little beer article in there. I am not going to give any hints of what the topic is, but I guarantee you it is not on this site. Please go out and pick up a copy of The Bullet this Friday and if you like the article drop the editor an email saying you like reading beer stuff. And if you don't like it, keep it to yourself.