What's been going on?

WoW, it has been an entire week since my last post! I've just been super busy and I couldn't find any time to do it. Let me back up a bit and tell you why. Last Thursday, Amy comes bopping in all excited and says, "Do you want to go to New Orleans?", and I said "NO", at first. I started to think about all the other things I had to do, I was going to Mobile on Tuesday (Yesterday) for a work thing and I was also saving money for our BIG California trip in a couple of months. But after a couple of minutes of twisting my arm, I gave. We went to New Orleans.

I have never been to New Orleans to hang out. Of course, everybody has been to New Orleans and has their favorite places and wants you to go to those places and no where else. When we first got there, I was a little bit sceptical. I was in a big city I have never been to and I was a little nervous. We checked into our hotel, which was Hotel Monteleone, and we headed off into the city. We ate dinner at a little dive bar/restaurant called Port of Call. It had great burgers, but the beer selection was a little skimpy. They had a drink called the Monsoon, which was a heavy rum drink made with local fruit punch. After the great burger, Amy showed me Bourbon Street and I must say, I didn't like it. Every bar we passed, there was a band. Not just playing music, but they were playing it as loud as they could. So, all I could hear was one big loud noise from all the different bands clashing. I probably would have enjoyed it more when I was 21,but now I'm just an old fart. I was interested in the beer community, not the loud bands. I am familiar with one brewery in the New Orleans area, but I didn't know where to find their beers.

As we walked down Bourbon St. I poked my head into a bunch of bars to look at their tap handles. I was in search of NOLA. NOLA, meaning New Orleans Lager & Ales is pretty much New Orlean's only brewery after Katrina. They have three year-round beers and one seasonal out right now and I wanted to taste them. As we walked through Bourbon Street, I could not find any NOLA. Similar to Charleston, it is disappointing to find that the areas largest tourist areas do not carry their local products. I would think that would be the first place you would find local stuff. Any time I go somewhere, I try to forget about what's going on at home and enjoy that place's culture. Eat the local foods, the local drink and dance the local dance(I don't dance, but I did the rest). So, what did I do? I found a local and I asked. Who else would I ask, but The Beer Buddha? Having lived in New Orleans for several years, if not decades, and actually working for NOLA for a bit, I knew he would know where to find some NOLA brews.

He sent us to The Avenue Pub and I must admit it is an awesome place. They have 31 taps that are always rotating and always finding ways to get new beers on tap. I was able to find all of NOLA's beers and a few more. NOLA just introduced an IPA called Hopitoulas which is named after one of New Orleans streets Tchoupitoulas and it is off the charts. By far the best beer NOLA makes.
I was also able to taste their Saison, which is a spring seasonal and it is a solid light Saison. Talking briefly with Polly (owner Ave.Pub), she gets into the beer scene. She was interested in creating a better beer community in the area and was also interested in getting other local places interested in buying better beer, just to benefit the cause. Seems very non-selfish, I like that.
There is also a restaurant within the pub called Janita's. I first met Kimmie and Craig (owners of Janita's) and talked with them a little about their business. They have a great menu full of soups and sammiches. They also have an appetizer named after The Buddha called Buddha's Temptation. It is dried apricots stuffed with Bleu cheese wrapped with bacon and deep fried to perfection. A must try, especially with some beers.

We totally were not in New Orleans long. Definitely not long enough to see all the great beer places, but that is why there is always the next trip, right?

Also, the new Bullet is out on shelves and there is a little article in there (written by me) about the best beer places in the area. Please give it a read and then go to those places, because without those places there won't be any other places. Get It?

Last on the agenda, we are doing a little tasting Friday night, but it is not going to be at Wine World. If you are interested in attending, shoot me an email and I will give you directions. We have some good beers planned.

-Later

I love Black and Tans

This past St. Patrick's Day was a fun time. We had a little gathering on Saturday and had some green beer on hand. We did the Saturday get-together just because it wasn't a school night and we thought more folks would come. The actual St. Patrick's Day was on a Wednesday this year.

We had green beer and Yuengling on tap for the party and the green beer was taken advantage of. So, the Yuengling was left over for later drinking and I thought about making Black and Tans on St. Patrick's Day. I'm sure everyone knows that Black and Tans are Nitro Guinness on top. But what do you use on bottom?

There are many different ways to make a Black and Tan, but my favorite is the way I was introduced. In 2001, my brother lived in Savannah, GA and I went to visit him and his family with my mother. We all went out to dinner and had family time and afterwards my brother introduced me to my first Black and Tan. We went to a bar (which I can't remember)and Trae asks,"have you had a Black and Tan?",I say,"no" and the rest is history, right? But the Black and Tan I received was Bass Pale Ale on the Bottom and Guinness on top. That, in my opinion, is the way a Black and Tan should be made. Now, I know there is some tradition involved with the Black and Tan, but whose to say what is true? If you go to Kevin Berry's in Savannah, they will only pour you a Black and Tan with Harp(which is a Guinness product) on bottom and Guinness on top. That is the typical Irish Black and Tan, but I believe it depends on the person. I have actually read that the real Irish Black and Tan is Smithwick's nearly filled to the top of a pint glass and a splash of Nitro Guinness on top to get the cascading head.

Whatever the case may be, Amy and I tried to make a couple of Black and Tans on St. Patrick's Day. The bottom beer was Yuengling and we used Guinness Extra Stout as the top.
As you can tell, there was plenty of mixing and no layering at all. I think you must to use the Nitro Guinness to get the real effect. I have made some pretty good Black and Tans in my day, but I was always using the Nitro Widget Guinness. You will notice in the picture, there was a little turtle in the glass. He belongs to one of my friends and he is to help with the Black and Tan process. He did not in this case.

Later, being I am who I am, I tried a couple of different combos with the idea that if the colors wouldn't work, then how about the flavors?
I poured a half pint of Dogfish Head Chicory Stout and Newcastle to see what would happen. I have to say, that combo is awesome! The chocolate flavors of the Newcastle with the coffee flavors of the chicory were great! According to Wikipedia, the Black and Tan isn't really an Irish drink anyway. It says, the Black and Tan is believed to be a British drink used by any Dark ale and Pale ale. Maybe the Bass was right on and that makes me feel better because I like making mine with different beers. All sorts of beers.

Because I can.

I'm an American, not an American't!

SandBar

Several days ago, my friend called me and said, "I have a recommendation for you". So, of course, I said, "Shoot". He told me about this new place located on Hwy 79 just North of Front Beach Road named Sandbar Seafood and Deli.
This little deli has had several names, but not nearly the character it has now. The selling point with me was that they sell good beer and have oysters on the half shell for $2.99 a dozen. Yep, $2.99! And these are good Apalachicola oysters too! Speaking with Brian, the owner and operator, he said they have been open for business since December, but started sell oysters about a two weeks ago and have sold over 42,000 in that amount of time. Now that is a lot of oysters. Brian says they were getting a draft beer set up and they would have up to six beers on tap. As for their bottle selections, that department is not too shabby either.
Their beers are in a cooler open to everyone and you just pick what you want and pop it open. They carry most of the major breweries and a nice amount of Craft beer as well. Brian said they are thinking about removing those square shelves and adding another cooler, and I think that is a great idea.
Besides the oysters they have a menu full of deli sandwiches and fresh seafood. Talking more with Brian, the restaurant is not the only business he owns. He said he also has a charter boat that helps keep his fresh seafood in shock. The charter business is named Cazador Charters and is located at Bay Point Marina. His 36 foot Cape Horn can take you for any type of fishing you want. The Cape Horn isn't the only boat he owns either. Brian also has pontoon boats for rent too. Also located at Bay Point Marina, Grand Lagoon Watersports has boat rentals, banana boat rides and kayaks rentals.

I totally recommend the Sandbar to anyone and I will head back very soon. Cheap oysters good beer and a great atmosphere, what else do you need? And I can't wait to see what Brian has done with his draft beer lineup.

What you gonna do for St. Patty's Day?

Hello again and Happy St. Patrick's Day! It is that time again to chow down on some corned beef and drink a pint of Green Beer or your favorite Irish Stout. For those in The Panhandle, I might have a great place in mind for you to visit.

Amy and I were sitting around Sunday and thought about what our options were for the day. We decided to shoot down 30A and find something new. We stopped at this little wine bar we have been to before in Rosemary Beach and gathered our ideas. We were reading a little publication called the 30-a Review and we spotted this nice Irish Pub.
Johnny McTighe's is the name and it is located a few miles west of Sea Side in Blue Mountain Beach and I have to say, it is a must stop! If not on St. Patrick's Day, then when ever you can.

When you go to 30-A, you feel that everyone is on permanent vacation. You get the sense that even the people that are working are really on vacation. And this may be true in some cases, but you feel that you can just relax. At Johnny McTighe's, you get the same impression. It is a laid back place with great music, beer and food.
When we arrived, of course the first thing I did was check out the beer menu. After I ordered a SweetWater Georgia Brown, I checked out the menu. The menu had several Irish dishes, but was also full of pizza and calzone dishes as well. This is because the owner, Jack McTighe was one of the owners and operators of the first Mellow Mushroom in the Buckhead area of Atlanta. That explains it! And that also explains the awesome beer lineup they have. The barkeep told us they have an ever ending rotation of beers on tap and they have rotated about a hundred beers in there this past year. I say a year because their first year's anniversary is coming up!

This St. Patrick's day will mark their one year anniversary. They have big plans and a ton of fun lined up. They are going to have great bar specials and live bagpipes performing on Wednesday. My buddy Dave always liked bagpipes.

But he also thought he was "Lord of the Dance".

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Help increase your access to Craft Beer from Small Brewers

You want to do something in your community to help bring better Craft Beer to your area? You tired of "The Man" stepping between you and your favorite beer? You think it's time for the Government to give back your beer money?

Then Click Here!

Big Brown Update

This is just a little update about the Big Brown Ale we brewed last weekend. I racked mine into the carboy this morning and I will monitor the gravity. When the gravity gets close to where I want it, I will add the final additions, which are still undetermined. But I am pretty sure it will include espresso beans or cacao nibs or both. As for Keith and Tony, they still have theirs in the primary and will rack into secondary soon. Tony said his Charlie Papazian yeast really packs a punch and he plans on using some vanilla beans later.
And Keith is in Tampa for the weekend drinking exotic beers and won't tell us his future plans. We will Water Board him when he gets back to find out what he plans on doing with his beer. Here is a little shot of my brown in the secondary. And this carboy cover is brought to you by Andy's Flower Power Cafe and Bakery. They don't sell beer, but they do make a great Surf and Turf omelet. Tell Andy I said, Hey!

Yuengling: Bock Beer

I stopped by Wine World today and I was pleasantly surprised. I was checking out their beers and they were getting ready for a meeting and I saw some Yuengling I had never had before. Yuengling seems to be not that big of a beer to some people, but I drink it all the time. It may amaze some folks, but Yuengling is not sold nationwide. Nope, this brewery might be the oldest in the nation, but you can't get this stuff in some places out west.

The beer I found today is called Yuengling Bock Beer. The Bock style is basically a stronger German Lager.
You will find that it is a bit darker and has more of a robust malt character than a regular Lager. And this Bock is true to those standards. It is not all that much stronger than the Yuengling Traditional Lager at 5.4%, but you will taste more of a toasted malt character and notice the color difference. You can definitely taste the similarities in the Yuengling styles,if you like the Traditional Lager, you will like the Bock Beer.

The Big Brew

Most of you know, there was a Big Brew planned. I got together with a couple other brewers for a little adventure. Joined by Keith and Tony, we were out for something different, original and fun. So we decided to do a 15 gallon brew. Some or you may know, but some may not. The typical batch size for a homebrewer is five gallons, but Tony has a gigantic pot and we all had the desire to brew beer. So we brewed a 15 gallon batch and I feel it will be the first of many.

First, we gathered one Sunday afternoon at the local Mellow Mushroom and decided what we were going to brew. It didn't take long, but we decided to do an American Brown Ale. Some homebrewers use special computer software to help build their beer recipe, but we are Traditionalist. We sat by the sun filled window and let out imaginations fly! Yes Dave, I said we let them fly!

After we scribbled down a recipe and gathered the necessary ingredients, we needed a place to brew. Since Tony had the gigantic pot, we brewed at his house.
As we organized the chaos, we got right to business. Grains were crushed, mash tuns were put together and water was heating. It was like we had done this together before, but we were still young to the Big Brew concept. As you see in the picture, we were getting things in the right spots.
When we got the mash going, we realized that all our grains were not going to fit in one cooler. If you are not familiar with mashing, this is the how you convert starches to sugars. Mashing is when you add hot water to crushed grain and it basically is steeped in a tun until the starches are converted. The coolers are to help keep the temperatures consistent. Luckily, we had enough coolers to get all the grain going at the same time and then we sparged them all into the gigantic kettle.

After that, we brewed the beer with no problems. Some spectators thought we might have a problem with boilover, but we assured him we were men and could handle it. And we did! Not a single boilover.
When the beer finished brewing, Tony added the chiller to help it cool faster. We separated the beer into three different fermentors and we all had separate plans. The plan was we will all use different yeast strains. Also, some of us will split our batches into two and add some secondary ingredients to add different flavors, but stay tuned for that info.

I think all of us are happy with the brew. The color is a little dark, but everything else ended up right on. Our Original Gravity (OG) was 1.062, which is a bit higher than we planned, but we will live with it. Remember, we didn't use any fancy computer software. In the next few weeks, it should be fun watching how this Brown Ale will take on different personalities with the different yeast.

Stay tuned, because when it is all said and done, we are going to have a tasting. A tasting of the Brown Ales and you are invited!

Highland: St. Terese's Pale Ale

Because there is no Tuesday Night Tasting tonight, I can catch up on a little blogging. I figured tonight would be a great night to throw some chicken in the oven and make a fire. So, I went be the store and got some chicken and threw it in the oven. Also, I stopped by Beach Liquors and grabbed a sixer of Highland St. Terese's Pale Ale. St. Terese's has become one of my favorite Pales and it is only $7.99 at Beach Liquors, which is the cheapest in town.

If everybody remembers, Amy and I went to Highland Brewery when we were in Asheville. I am glad we made it there, it was probably the highlight of the trip. We went to the tour and it was very informative.
St. Terese's is the only Pale Ale Highland makes and it is one of my favorite brews they make behind the Gaelic Ale. But this isn't about the Gaelic Ale now is it? This American Style Pale is great because it is balanced very well. It pours a bit hazy, but that is normal for beers with real hop character. When you taste this beer, you first taste the sweet malts, which give it a great mouthfeel. The hop character is more citrus than bitter. I am more of an American Pale fan because of the citrus flavors they bring.

There is one other fun fact about this beer. But in order for everyone to fully understand this you will need to put on a thinking cap. Like the one Dave wears. Ok, now that everyone has their caps on, let's imagine that we just watched the entire beer being made. They mash the grain, brew the beer, add the hops, but before they bottle the beer, they pump the St Terese's through a special filtration system. There is this tank that has a hollow center that they fill with Hops. Yep hops! This tank is called a HopBack. It is specially designed just for this purpose and it gives the beer the great hop aroma that you smell with the St. Terese's.

This beer is a good one for just about anything. I grabbed a sixer just because it is a great Pale Ale.

Speaking of Pale Ales! My buddy Tony and I brewed our very first All-grain batch of beer Saturday. But it didn't turn out exactly the way we intended. Our mash didn't work very well. This is the part where you convert all the starches in the grain to sugars.
But we ended up with an American Pale Ale that is not well balanced. It has a ton of hop character, but nothing to balance it. No malt character, no body. It will eventually end up getting green food coloring put in it and being used as "Green Beer" for St. Patrick's Day. I take full credit for the crappy brew and I vow to never screw up again, just like Tebow did.

We have another brew scheduled for this weekend and it's going to be perfect! And as for Tony, Yeah, he is really that big of a dude. So don't screw with him!

"Craft Beer in America"

Bay County Bullet
February 19, 2010


Craft Beer in America
By Jeremy Myers


A few months ago, I went to a restaurant with my brother and I never knew ordering a beer was such a difficult task. We sit down and I am looking at the menu for the beer selection. There is not one, but before I could ask the waitress about the menu my brother blurts out,” what kind of imports do you have? Because he’s going to want an import”, I was embarrassed. Though I do enjoy the occasional import, I consider myself a very domestic beer drinker.

America is rich of brewing history. Before the Mayflower landed, the Indians were brewing beer. While our traditions are full of English recipes, the entire world has really impacted the beers of America. All through the history of America, you can find some mention of beer. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin all were avid homebrewers. During the Revolutionary War, George Washington ordered his officers to ration the beer supply to one quart of spruce beer per soldier.

Pre-Prohibition was full of great breweries that could quench the thirst of any beer drinker. In 1920, the eighteenth amendment went into effect prohibiting the sale, making, or transportation of alcohol in the United States. Most of the large breweries started making near-beer and cola, while the smaller breweries went out of business or black market. After thirteen years of corruption, crime and black market sales, the twenty-first amendment was introduced and beer was saved.

For nearly forty years after prohibition, the large breweries would dominate the market. Breweries like Anheuser-Busch and Miller Brewing Company were in power. They learned of ways to make beer cheaper by adding adjunct ingredients like rice and corn. These ingredients cut cost, but made less quality beer. Many craft brewers will say that four major ingredients are needed to make great beer. Malted Barley, hops, yeast and water are the main essentials to make beer.

In 1965, Fritz Maytag bought a small brewery in San Francisco that was on the verge of going out of business called Anchor Steam Brewing Company. His vision to make beer with the best ingredients, most flavors and not cut any corners (like the big breweries) was the promise he made to the people who bought his products. Shortly after Maytag bought the brewery and made the necessary recipe changes, the company flourished and was tripling its profits. He was setting the standard for American beer and he will always be the person who helped save American craft beer.

As Maytag’s brewery was becoming more successful, more small breweries were popping up. Some were microbreweries or brewpubs that only lasted a few months, but others showed courage. In the 1980’s, several breweries were making their statement. Samuel Adams, Sierra Nevada and Boulder Brewing Company were a few of the breweries that stood up with Anchor Steam to stand the test of time. Regardless of where the breweries were built, people were enjoying the quality of the new craft beer.

As for today, more American craft breweries and microbreweries open every week. According to www.supportyourlocalbrewery.org, there were 1,545 breweries in the United States in 2008 and of those, 1,501 were craft breweries. That means that 97% of all United States breweries are brewpubs, microbreweries or craft breweries. In Florida, there have three breweries that have opened or gone into production in the last year!

Craft beer can be found at many stores in Panama City Beach. I have seen craft beer in the gas station, supermarket or even at a wine store. The next time you are looking for a great tasting, quality beer, find an American Craft.

Oh, I ordered a Sierra Nevada at the restaurant.

Cheers!