CRAFTconditioned

Nearly two days after the last guest left, I think the housemate and I finally finished the last bit of clean up from an ambitious brunch potluck we hosted for a small group of friends Sunday afternoon.

Setting aside my beer interests for a day to embrace my inner mixologist, we  hosted a “juice brunch”. We offered to supply fresh juices, mixers, and booze if guests brought their favorite brunch foods. This was either going to prove an awesome idea or a nightmare. After six hours of “brunching”, the verdict appears to haven fallen in favor of awesome, albeit messy.

It was only successful for a few key reasons. We purchased our weight in produce in preparation.To keep the supply/demand manageable, so we wouldn’t be tied to a juicer all afternoon, we trimmed our typical party list to a fraction of its size (this may have been the most difficult part for me). We then prepped the fruits in advance, peeling citrus, scooping out the watermelon, cutting cantaloupe and pineapple. This preparation allowed us to take turns juicing in batches so there were always 2-3 varieties pouring. We found a good balance between hosting and kitchen duties.

Some highlights:

• Always one for a little DIY and fun presentation, I converted a watermelon into a juice dispenser, which we refilled with watermelon juice, although any watermelon-infused drink would have worked nicely. I have similar plans for pumpkins come fall.

• Locally-distilled Green Hat gin proved a very versatile and favored mixer for all the juices, the grapefruit juice especially.

• Freshly-squeezed tomato juice, on the other hand, wasn’t what we expected. The juice was watery flavored and kept separating. A few people took a stab at making a Bloody Mary, but no attempt was particularly successful. After a little research, I figured out a better juice combination for next time – a bit of celery and other favors added to the juicer with the tomatoes for a richer, more stable base juice.

• After a few basic cocktails, the creativity started to flow. It wasn’t long before a mint simple syrup was being concocted for some cantaloupe juice (and mint juleps). And when someone uttered “Margarita Thatcher”, the experimenting quickly began. Using only ingredients we had on hand, we designed a cocktail that married both traditional British and margarita flavors. Tequila remained the base. For the sweet element, we made a simple syrup with chamomile and mint, which we combined with fresh cucumber juice. A splash of freshly-squeezed lime juice added tartness. A pinch of sea salt made the flavors pop. Although refreshing, it remains a work in progress. For example, next time, I would remove the skins from the cucumber before juicing to avoid any bitterness and tone down the green hue. How would you  make a Margarita Thatcher?

• Everyone felt a general sense of healthiness despite the quantity of pastries eaten and splashes of alcohol that found its way into many of the drinks. Quote of the party: “I know I’m drunk but I feel so hydrated!”

After everyone left, we found ourselves with piles of dishes and a seemingly never-ending sticky residue on every surface. It took some attention and patience, but we finally got it cleaned up (in a day or so). Despite the work, the brunch was loads of fun. We’ll definitely do it again, but maybe not for a few months. That should give us some time to concoct some autumn juice blends, dust off the fire pit, and find the right pumpkin to convert with a spigot. Comment if you have any suggestions!

The front hall of the Heurich House. Photo by Pat Padua. Courtesy of the Heurich House Museum.

I recently wrote an article for a local blog about one of the more unique beer events in DC. Earlier this year, the Heurich House Museum began pairing historical tours with monthly beer tastings. This programming is unique because of its ability to juxtapose the historical brewing industry of the DC area with the new one.

The museum preserves the Victorian home of  Christian Heurich, owner of the Heurich Brewing Company.  When the brewery shut in 1956, it was the last operating brewery in DC until new craft breweries began to open in the district two years ago. Actively running the brewery until his death at 102, Heurich was apparently the world’s oldest brewer.

The conservatory at the Heurich House. Photo by Pat Padua. Courtesy of the Heurich House Museum.

According to the museum, the house is the most intact Victorian home in the country, was the city’s first fire-proof house,  and was very modern for its time. I found the tour both fascinating and revealing of the culture at the time.

For me, this site is a hidden gem of DC beer appreciation. I recommend it to anyone interested in local beer or local history.  The History and Hops beer events occur every third Thursday. The next one is tomorrow, with Heavy Seas Brewing Company.

Photo courtesy of Screaming Eagles

Last weekend, two of my favorite things about DC united for craft beer. As a long time soccer supporter and craft-beer drinker, I was very excited for the release of The Tradition, an American golden ale brewed by DC Brau in honor of local MLS team, DC United. So you can imagine my frustration to be out of town on the weekend it was released. I had to follow along through social media (#BrandtheBrew, #TheTradition).

There are a few things I love about this project and how it was rolled out:

• A long-time, dedicated supporter won the Brand the Brew contest with the name “The Tradition”.
• The beer was designed to be both accessible and lower alcohol (5% abv), making it a good choose for tailgates and viewing parties. 
• On the day it was released, the brewery helped to get a few growlers to a bus-load of supporters traveling to a United match (versus New England Revolution) so that they wouldn’t miss out.
• It’s the centennial anniversary of US Soccer this year, and milestone anniversaries are always a good excuse for something special.

Photo courtesy of Screaming Eagles

Yesterday, I was able to test The Tradition in the environment for which it was brewed – a tailgate with the Screaming Eagles supporters club. When choosing tailgate beers, I look for something versatile and  refreshing with an interesting enough flavor to enjoy drinking it but not so interesting it draws attention away for the pre-game social experience.

The Tradition proved to be a good choice for the sunny summer warmth of RFK Stadium’s Lot 8. Very close to a session beer (a low-alcohol beer designed for drinking multiples), it has a nice body that balances a lingering, slightly spicy bitterness. The flavor is enjoyable and present, but it doesn’t commandeer your attention while drinking it.

DC Brau also supplied a keg of their new Kolsch-style beer, Das Bier.  It’s 5% with a delicate body, soft fruit and biscuit characteristics, and low hops presence (15 IBU). This is definitely a beer I’d swing by the brewery for a growler of before a match. Apparently, my fellow supporters agreed because this was the first keg to be kicked at the tailgate.

Well done, DC Brau! You’re 2 for 2. Now, if United could just demonstrate a similar success rate….

If you want to learn more about beer judging or what I get up to in my spare time, read my recent article for DC Beer.

After writing the article, I spent most of Saturday at Mad Fox Brewing Co helping with the Spirit of Free Beer homebrew competition and serving as a steward for a team of certified judges in both the morning and afternoon sessions. It was a fun day of geeking out over beer with fellow brewers. I was in the bar by 7 a.m. to help set up and left after the winners were announced around 5 p.m.

I love to help out at this event because it’s a great opportunity to learn something new about beer and brewing. Not only did the judges pass a certification process to demonstrate what they know, most of them are also experienced brewers.

As a result of this year’s event, I’d like to deepen my understanding of a few different beer styles and practice brewing them. I will also be paying more attention to the fermentation and attenuation of my batches. I currently fit in my brewing chores around my busy schedule, estimating when/if a batch should be racked to a secondary fermenter and when to bottle. As a result, I sometimes let a beer sit longer than necessary until I have time to do something with it.  Greater diligence here is one place I believe I can improve my beer.

Enjoy some photos and read the article to learn more.

All entries are labeled and packed according to beer style

Cases of entries filled two pallets, which were stored at a local brewery prior to the event.

All judges grade and share feedback through a score sheet.

Judges and stewards enjoy a bit of breakfast before the morning session begins.

A colorful mini best-of-show round to determine the top three in the specialty category.

The first time I visited San Francisco was to cross paths with a traveling friend and crash a wedding. Although that weekend was loads of fun and produced many great stories, I left a lot to be explored. A convenient, inexpensive plane ticket recently convinced me it was time to pack my rucksack and head back across country to pick up where I left off. I was itching to break my normal routine, and a friend’s birthday was the perfect excuse.

For me, getting to know a city includes getting to know the local beer scene. I visited at an interesting time. Not only had San Francisco Beer Week just finished, it was also the tail-end of Strong Beer Month. Many of the local craft breweries had limited release beers to try. The trouble was there are too many craft breweries in San Francisco to effectively visit in a long weekend. I had to prioritize. One of my favorite ways to explore a city is to acquaint myself with its neighborhoods. Since I wanted to visit brewpubs scattered across town, I mapped out my weekend based on location.

The Mission

On this trip, I was surprised by how fabulous foods seem to exist everywhere in San Francisco and not very expensively. Because I was staying in the Mission, it’s not surprising that I did much of my eating and drinking there. Upon arrival, my host welcomed me to the city with rye saison and sausages at Rosamunde. Other favorite meals of the weekend include the south Indian food (and tasty cocktails) at Dosa and a particularly delicious meal at Mission Chinese.

Just down the street from Mission Chinese is Southpaw BBQ, which serves up southern BBQ, whiskey and beer. I stopped in for a night cap. Although tempted by their impressive whiskey list, my curiosity for their 3 unique house beers won out. They incorporated interesting ingredients to spice up some solid styles. Although the adjuncts didn’t necessary work as well as I hoped, the beers were enjoyable. I’m interested to see how the brewery develops. Memorable beers of this session include:

• Farmer’s Daughter Smoked Ginger saison – The smokiness of this saison was faint compared to most smoky beers and the ginger was refreshing. Though initially my favorite, the ginger became increasingly prominent as the beer warmed, overwhelming the saison characteristics.
• Mighty Quinn Chocolate Habernero Belgian Strong – A subtle chocolate from cocoa nibs came through the smooth, but boozy, strong ale body. The habernero didn’t add the spice that I expected but more of a pepper flavor that that I had trouble detecting under the bigness of the beer.

Haight-Ashbury

My motivation for spending an afternoon shopping on Haight was to end up at Magnolia, a British-style brewpub which impressed me during my first trip to San Francisco. Window shopping and people watching, however, left me critical of the bland conservativeness of DC fashion and a bit self-conscious of how my own wardrobe has come to accommodate it. Over a flight of cask ales (and 2 draft specialties recommended by the server), I vowed to more playfully pay homage to my punk-fashion roots. Memorable beers of this session include:

• Magnolia’s Tillie Union Ale – I ordered this golden ale because the use of rice in the grain bill seemed out of character for Magnolia. The body was light and, although the flavor was a bit thin, it was slightly bitter rather than bland. It was also refreshingly effervescent. Although not a beer I would typically gravitate towards, I thought it was well made for its style. I could imagine enjoying it in a muggy DC summer.
• Magnolia’s Blue Bell Bitter on cask – I love a good cask ale, so I particularly enjoyed this sessionable ESB. It had both a toasty, caramel nose and flavor with a floral-ness up front and a balanced bitter finish. The cask conditioning really augmented the full English character of this beer.
• Magnolia’s McLeans Wee Heavy – Although a bit more alcohol on the nose than I like, this wee heavy had an enjoyable toasted malt body with a touch of caramel and some dark fruit flavors. It was my favorite of the strong beers I tried on the trip.

Golden Gate Park/Inner Sunset

I had planned for a leisurely afternoon swing dancing in the park but, at the invitation of a friend, I found myself instead at the California Academy of Sciences for a morning of education. In addition to the penguin feeding, I toured the human genone labs, learned to prepare for an earthquake should one occur during my stay, and admired more critters than I can name (sea dragons, flashlight fish, Costa Rican butterflies, and the many frogs being my favorites). Afterward, we met friends for brunch (and a flight) at Social Kitchen and Brewery. Memorable beers of this session include:

• Double Midnight Lager – This dark lager not only looked like a stout, it had a roasted aroma. However, the roasted flavor dissipated into a lager-like finish that didn’t quite mesh with the initial boldness. It created an interesting juxtaposition of style that fascinated me but didn’t work for me.
• Tripelpagne – This light-bodied, bubbly tripel isn’t everyone’s taste, but the brewers achieved exactly what I presume they sought. Despite the unusual body, the more traditional tripel flavors came through. I was dubious but found it was pleasantly refreshing.

Hunter’s Point (AKA out of the way)

At the request of a friend, I took a detour into an industrial area to check out Speakeasy‘s new brewery tap room. It’s a dark, cozy atmosphere with small nooks that’s meant to resemble a speakeasy. The brewery is in the basement, and tours are offered when they open at 4 p.m. I was pleased with how much Speakeasy seems to have grown since I first tried their beers 4 years ago. Memorable beers of this session include:

• Payback Smoked Porter – This limited edition porter was released for beer week. I tried it on draft. Although the cherry-wood smoke flavor was dominant and lingering, it was balanced with toasted, coffee and a bit of caramel character. Overall, this was a well-made smoked porter.
• Green Death Malt Liquor – This was another limited release for beer week, which paid homage to the old Rainier Ale recipe. I’ve never had much interest in the definition or history of malt liquor, but I did some research to better appreciate this beer. Apparently, Speakeasy used 30 percent flaked corn in the grain bill, stuck with the older Cluster hops variety, and pitched a California ale yeast.  The result was a very drinkable, hoppier version of what I anticipated when I order it.

Financial District

After spending a sunny Monday afternoon in the Presidio, including a little beach time, I opted to cross town to hit two breweries in the Financial District. I stopped at 21st Amendment before the after-work rush so I had time to leisurely enjoy a flight and chat with the bartender. I tried three of the special beers they released for Strong Beer Month, including the barleywine that they’re beginning to can and distribute. Given the interest these 8-oz cans are receiving within the beer scene, I was eager to try the product. Memorable beers of this session include:

• 21st Amendment’s Lower DeBoom Barleywine –  This was my favorite of the 3 barleywines I had that weekend. It’s a thinner American-style barleywine with a smooth caramel body and mouthfeel. Nice citrus and floral hop notes complement the maltiness.
• 21st Amendment’s Pippo’s Imperial Porter on cask – This porter contained caramel and coffee characteristics. Cocoa nibs lent a bit of cocoa on the nose and a chocolate finish. The body was smooth but a tad more watery than I expected, even for an American porter. At 8.6 percent, the booziness was nicely controlled.

By the time I got to Thirsty Bear, a party of financiers had taken over the top floor so the happy hour crush crowded the main floor. With a little craftiness, a friend and I were able to find a table overlooking the brewery. The 10-beer flight was an ambitious end to a long weekend of sampling, but it offered a few beers that caught my imagination. The most memorable include:

• Thirsty Bear’s Black Sea Common – More than any other on the trip, this cross-style beer piqued my curiosity as a brewer. I enjoyed the combination of a lighter common-ale body with the darker, richer flavors of a porter-like grain bill. They used a sourdough mash, which I suspect helped to balance the beer. A bit of saltiness added extra character. As a result, the beer had a satisfying mouthfeel and rich flavor but finished cleanly and wasn’t heavy on the stomach like some oyster stouts.
• Thirsty Bear’s Broadsword Wee Heavy – This wee heavy caught my attention more as a whisky drinker than a beer drinker. The peat-smoked malt lent an Islay-like smokiness that overwhelmed the ale characteristics but was unmistakably Scottish. There are worse criticisms than saying a Scotch ale tastes too much like Scotch, though.

Despite my best effort, a long weekend wasn’t enough time to see it all, eat it all, drink it all, or enjoy it all. But a wishlist full of things left undone, and a well-loved network of local friends, provides good incentive to return soon.

* Never say St Patty’s. If you’re abbreviating the name, it’s Paddy, short for Pádraig, which is the Irish version of Patrick. If you absolutely must, say St. Pat’s. This is so important, there’s even a snarky website about it.

It’s a good thing I recently came to terms with my complex relationship with sour beers because I just bottled my first sour batch. Before the holidays, I brewed a saison designed to be peppery by using alternate ingredients (toasted grains of paradise, Saaz hops) rather than the more blunt spiciness of peppercorns.

I used a saison yeast harvested from a friend’s batch. Although I ramped it up before brew day, I didn’t notice the off smell indicating it had gotten contaminated. Day two, after pitching it in the wort, I came home to a house smelling of rotten egg. Rather than panic, I let the yeast do its thing, hoping it would mellow out. The results were interesting enough to try bottling.

The beer is fairly effervescent with a tangy-ness from the yeast that plays off the peppery-ness from the other ingredients.  Due to the unpredictably of the batch, I only bottled half of it. I’m also storing the beer in a cold place to discourage any additional fermentation that might happen.

I have gotten good feedback from a couple of friends who enjoyed the first bottles (one brewer and one wine drinker). But, as the beer conditions, I suspect the instability will become more noticeable. It’s a shame this beer will likely peak during the coldest time of the year because it would be refreshing during those steamy DC summers.  I’ll be monitoring how well it holds up over the coming weeks.

Come get some while it lasts!

Coldest night in four years. At least these red ales seem to be enjoying the chill.

I’m not a sour beer fan, at least, that’s what I frequently say. But I’m learning it’s more complex than that.

My relationship with sour beers snuck up on me over the last year or two. I first began to doubt my “no sours” stance while enjoying a friend’s peach Berliner Weisse on a hot, humid summer night while watching a film outdoors. I often suggest sour beers for my wine-drinking friends, and I usually won’t shy from sampling a sour ordered by someone else.

When I went to the Old and Sour night hosted by Meridian Pint the other day, it was mostly an excuse to meet up with friends for some beer in the new year. But I was surprised to enjoy the beers as much as the company. I was particularly fond of the Jolly Pumpkin’s Bam Biere (saison) and Noel De Calabaza (Belgian strong ale), both cask conditioned, and the Rodenbach Grand Cru, which offered a fruitier sour.

I’ve discovered that I really appreciate when sour characteristics contribute to the overall complexity of a beer (versus asserting a blanket sourness). With this knowledge, I’ll be reconsidering my stance on (and palate for) sour beers over the coming months.

This was my first beer event of the new year, and it served as a great reminder to remain curious, setting aside preconceptions in order to try something new. How’s that for an auspicious start to 2013? In what ways are you expanding your beer palate or knowledge this year?

Today I bought myself a new year’s gift to help me achieve three of the goals I set for myself –  transition to all-grain brewing at home, brew more often, and keep experimenting.

I’ll be traveling for the holidays but, when I return in January, I hope to also achieve a fourth goal – brew with friends (who will hopefully help me set up and break in the new equipment!)