Beer

Tim Prendergast is a Certified Cicerone® and the Assistant Beer Director and Cellarman at Meridian Pint.

In April 2010, I spent a few weeks in Belgium, a pilgrimage for any committed fan of beer. I slept in fanciful barges on beautiful canals, ate wonderful food, and of course drank a wide variety of the most amazing beer you could ask for. All of it flavorful, and appetizing, and strong. I quickly had to adjust to the fact that drinking a beer that wasn’t the Belgian equivalent of Budweiser meant that you were usually drinking a beer over 7% abv. I’m a little guy, I got drunk fast. When the time came to leave Belgium, I made my way across the English Channel only to find out that an Icelandic volcano with an unpronounceable name had halted air traffic over virtually all of Europe. I was stuck in Europe for an entire week longer than I anticipated. Poor me. I was afforded a few days in London. What to do?

I headed to the pub, of course. I ordered a beer named Timothy Taylor’s Landlord. The beer arrived in glass that seemed gigantic. I was used to the Belgian serving sizes that were 9-12 oz., this beer was a massive 20 oz. To this day I remember the smell, it was earthy, and grassy, and tantalizing. It tasted somewhat sweet, somewhat bitter, subtle and still complex. I remember having an overwhelming urge to drink A LOT of it. And I did, because even though the brewery calls it a strong pale ale, it was only 4.1% alcohol. To put things in perspective, Miller Lite has more alcohol in it than this beer does.

Thus began my love affair with so-called “session beer”. What is session beer? Think of famous beer slogans, like Miller’s “tastes great, less filling” or Schaefer’s “The one beer to have when your having more than one.” That’s the basic idea behind session beer, now apply it to beer that tastes great and doesn’t spend millions of dollars telling you how unmanly you are (or, if you’re a woman ignore you altogether). In all seriousness, there is great debate over what session beer is, with most of the debate revolving around how much alcohol a beer can have in it and still be called a session beer. British folks tend to put the number around 4%. I’ve seen British beer bloggers call beers at 5% “loopy juice” because it’ll get you so drunk. Americans tend to put that number at 5% or above. I tend to subscribe to the definition of session beer put forth by influential beer blogger Lew Bryson:

► 4.5% alcohol by volume or less

► flavorful enough to be interesting

► balanced enough for multiple pints

► conducive to conversation

At the end of the day, in a very basic sense session beer is a beer that you can and want to drink a few of. Isn’t that what we all want in a beer when we go out with friends? A beer that you can have a few of without getting too drunk or tired to continue your night doing something else. A beer that is drinkable AND flavorful. A beer that engenders conversation by teasing out the gift of blarney rather than making us blubbering fools. It’s certainly what I want.

Continues after the jump. (more…)

Sam Fitz is a Certified Cicerone® and the Beer Director at Meridian Pint and Smoke & Barrel. Read Sam’s take on the Boilermaker here.

Autumn in the District is unpredictable and too often too short. 2011, though, has brought us an unexpectedly pleasant fall to complement the multitude of Oktoberfest, Pumpkin, and other tasty seasonals that abound in the city. But as the weather changes and the beers get darker, I’m finding it difficult to abandon my summer fling: refreshing, high quality, gluten-free fermented cider.

Woodchuck, Doc’s and other American long-standing American cider makers have painted the consumer’s image of cider: sweet, sticky, bubbly liquid produced from apple juice of undefined quality. The residual sugars, usually from cheap ingredients and not apples themselves, are what define these products, and the fact that they are technically made from apples is experienced by the consumer as little more than an image conjured. This is all quite a shame as there are many notable Old World ciders, as well as a burgeoning group of American producers, seeking to redefine the perception of their craft.

Cider’s history is as ancient as that of beer. England, France and Spain have been producing this beverage for thousands of years. Hundreds of different apple varieties have been cultivated specifically for its production, providing astonishing diversity for a product that usually relies heavily on a single ingredient (water and yeast round-out the recipe). Old World ciders can be a little difficult to find stateside and are certainly pricey, but if you can get your hands on them, such as anything made by Etienne Dupont, you’re in for a real treat. Fortunately, the American craft beer movement has begun influencing domestic cider production and the quality is improving every day.

The end of 2010 saw the introduction of Crispin Ciders to the nation’s capitol. Based in Minnesota, Crispin started with a range of ciders called the “Blue Line”. Original, Light and Brut are nice products that are reminiscent of the super sweet, sticky, cheap hard ciders of the 1990’s but are created from better ingredients (fresh-pressed apple juice instead of concentrate) with more care. Made to be familiar and accessible to the general public, they are a nice entry into the world of craft cider.

Continues after the jump. (more…)

“Dear PoPville,

ABRA told the manager of D’Vines this weekend that they were no longer allowed to sell growlers, since they are a retailer and not a manufacturer. You can read about it here if you haven’t. I’m pretty disappointed, since I really like the store and it seemed to be a great boost for them.

If you’d like to express your support the OP also sends a letter he sent to CM Graham:

Dear Councilmember Graham,

I am writing you concerning the recent decision of ABRA to bar the wine shops D’Vines and De’Vinos from selling growlers of beer. I have enjoyed shopping at D’Vines since it opened; they have good wine at a good price, and a good selection of beer. I also want to support our local businesses, and I hope you do too. ABRAs decision, that D’Vines is not allowed to sell growlers under their current license, hurts local business, and serves no valid purpose of their regulatory scheme. The growlers are sealed immediately after filling, and they are not consumed on the premises. I hope that you will consider ways to encourage ABRA to reconsider their decision.”

I believe that ABRA is enforcing the current law so supporters should probably encourage CM Graham and the Council to change the law so that it would be legal to sell growlers at D’vines.

De Vinos is located at 2001 18th St. NW in Adams Morgan and their sister store, D’Vines, is located at 3103 14th Street, NW in Columbia Heights.  We discussed the growlers here.

From an email:

I’m a volunteer with a local urban agriculture non-profit, the Neighborhood Farm Initiative, which is a project of the American the Beautiful Fund. The Neighborhood Farm Initiative, which focuses on adult and teen gardening education, will be hosting our second annual home brew contest fundraiser.

This event “Home Brew Harvest”, held on October 23 at America Ice Co in the U Street neighborhood, will feature a home brew 101 workshop, light seasonal snacks, and tasting of brews from a few local home brewers. The afternoon will conclude with a friendly competition where all attendees can vote for their favorites. This year, the Neighborhood Farm Initiative is teaming up with Food Day 2011, a national event spotlighting sustainable and healthy food, to celebrate the art of home brew – a wonderful way to enjoy sustainable libations.

Sam Fitz is a Certified Cicerone® and the Beer Director at Meridian Pint and Smoke & Barrel. Read Sam’s take on Firestone Double Jack here.

Beer and whisky are perfect partners. Intimately related, the two are made with nearly the same ingredients and processes. In both cases, sugars are extracted from malt (modified grain) and the resulting sugar water is inoculated with yeast with the expectation of boozy goodness. Beer, of course, has hops, and whisky is distilled subsequently to intensify the spirits’ impact. Despite these small differences, the two are a natural pairing.

Purveyors of good beer usually have at least a few good whiskies on hand. Even if it’s just a familiar bottle of Jameson or an excellent Basil Hayden’s, good beer drinkers frequently want a whisky chaser. There used to be a widely recognized term for this: a boilermaker. Although the name has lost its familiarity, the tradition continues.

Taking the classic boilermaker to its furthest extreme, pouring a brew over the top of a shot of whisky, is an endeavor for the brave–or perhaps the overly ambitious. Either way, it’s an experience you won’t soon forget.

Strength is the obvious draw of the boilermaker, and a PBR on top of a shot of rail whiskey easily accomplishes this. The diluted wateriness of the PBR masks the burn of the cheap whisky and makes a bunch of booze beyond tolerable. It’s definitely a field day for heavy drinkers. But what about a craft boilermaker? This is an incarnation that, despite its fortitude, is prized for its aroma, taste, feel and all the other wonderful sensations good beer and whisky can conjure. Enter Governor Hal.

Continues after the jump. (more…)

Photo by PoPville flickr user ekelly80

“Dear PoPville,

Do you or any of the members know what stores have or allow mixed 6-packs of beer in DC? Trying to get a taster 6-pack.”

I happened to see a mixed six pack that looked pretty good at D’Vines in Columbia Heights (3103 14th St, NW) Where else can you get a mixed 6 pack around town?

Sam Fitz is a Certified Cicerone® and the Beer Director at Meridian Pint and Smoke & Barrel. Read Sam’s take on Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier here.

California is one great place to take a beer trip. Northern California, one of the epicenters from which microbrews emerged in the early 70’s, was arguably the hotbed for the beginning of American craft beer. Sierra Nevada and the revived Anchor Brewery paved the way for American entrepreneurs to jump headfirst into a new world of quality brew. Today many of the world’s finest breweries are located in and around the Bay Area, and the beer culture there is largely unmatched across the globe.

Southern California, a later entrant into the craft beer scene, has come a long way in the past two decades and has started to rival its northern neighbor. The Stone Brewing Company was founded in 1996 and, in a remarkably short time, helped spawn a craft revolution in So Cal. They not only made great beer, but they also established a distributorship to sell the goods of their fellow microbrewers and spread the craft gospel. Now, it would take weeks, maybe months, to tour all of the fine breweries in the south of California.

Incorporating both of these beer destinations into one trip is a daunting task, but at least you can hurry up the 101, skipping the largely open and beer-barren landscape between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Wrong! Sitting on the side of the 101 in Paso Robles, looking like a giant barn in the middle of farmland, is a true gem: the Firestone Walker Brewing Company.

Continues after the jump. (more…)

Sam Fitz is a Certified Cicerone® and the Beer Director at Meridian Pint and soon to open Smoke & Barrel. Read Sam’s take on Jolly Pumpkin Artisanal Ales here.

You won’t believe it’s not bacon beer. Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier comes from the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage town of Bamberg, Germany and is a portal into the beer days of old. Beechwood-smoked malt lends the beer a bizarre aroma that can range from a mild campfire smokiness to an all-out bacon attack that will make any vegetarian cringe. There’s no meat in this one though, just the perception conjured by Old World brewing techniques.

Malt is the base of any beer and, in simplest terms, is grain that has been readied for brewing. In a process called “malting”, grains, primarily barley, are soaked in water, allowed to grow to a certain point, and then terminated with heat. Today’s brewers generally skip this step and purchase their malt from maltings, large facilities that process huge quantities of malt. Direct-fire kilns are used and little flavor, other than degrees of roastiness, is added to the malt.

Schlenkerla, which means the little one that can’t walk straight, is a brewpub in Bamberg that hasn’t changed much in its 700 years of operation. The brewers still maintain their own maltings and utilize a wood-fired kiln. This is the entirety of their secret. Smoke from the wood engulfs the malt as it dries, infusing it with flavors more expected in charcuterie than beer. Beechwood, the local fuel source in Bamberg, is known for its meaty smoke and is Schlenkerla’s wood of choice.

Everything about Schlenkerla is old school. They have been brewing out of the same facility since the Middle Ages, lager their beers in natural caves below the city, and pour their Rauchbier at the brewery from oak casks powered by gravity. Aecht Rauchbier means “the original German smoke beer,” and Schlenkerla certainly deserves that title.

Continues after the jump. (more…)

De Vinos is located at 2001 18th St. NW in Adams Morgan and their sister store, D’Vines, is located at 3103 14th Street, NW in Columbia Heights.

You can find more info on cost and what’s tapped here. Has anyone bought one?