CRAFTconditioned

I love participating in a good alcohol-related event, especially as someone who designs and runs my own.

As a special treat to ourselves, J and I took a break from beer to explore Italian wines and vinting at a local wine-making and homebrew shop, Fermentations (disclosure: I occasionally work at the shop). Overall, the event was social, educational, hands on, and well thought out.

Here’s why it worked:

* The groups are small, only 4-6 couples. As a result, you can not only see everyone around the table, there’s an opportunity to talk with everyone over the course of the 2-hour tasting. Half of the people at our event were return customers.

* The hosts, Tim and Brenda, were knowledgeable about Italian grape varietals, the bottles they served, and wine making in general. They were even able to answer my more technical questions. It always feels like a great value when I can really learn something at an event like this. Talking points alone don’t cut it for me.

* Although each of these wine-experience events focuses on a region (in our case, Italy), the samples are diverse. We tried 11 different Italian wine styles, and a side-by-side tasting of commercial and homemade versions for 2 of them. Each wine was chosen based on whether or not a similar wine-making kit was available. As a result, there were only 2 whites in this flight, but the reds varied in fruit character, body, and dryness. There was something for everyone’s taste.

* Nearly every wine was paired with food. Not only did this help to illustrate the wines’ versatility, it also helped keep us from over-indulging on empty stomachs. Smart.

* Not just an excuse for drinking and eating, each couple got to choose a wine they wanted to make. J and I chose an amarone. As a brewer, I particularly appreciated this bit of hands-on experimenting to expand on what I learned from the tasting. As a bonus, we’ll trade wines with the other attendees on bottling day. We’ll bring home a nice mix of 5 different styles.

A good event benefits attendees in a variety of ways. Based on my experience as an event organizer, most customers are happiest when they not only have fun, but feel like they gained knowledge and experienced something unique. This event accomplished that. As a result, I’m likely to be one of the return customers at the table for the next event.

I’m excited to be running a beer palate class tonight at Peaks Place Coffeehouse. It’s a cool format that’s different from what I’ve done before.

During the hour-long class, I’ll discuss the proper way to taste beer and explore the roles of malt and hops in producing the flavor profiles we enjoy. To experiment with this, participants will have a flight of 4 beer styles from Elevation Beer Co. along with samples of a malt and a hop from each of the recipes. We’ll drink the beer then look at what the 2 highlighted ingredients bring to the recipe.

Local homebrew shop, Fermentations, was kind enough to supply the ingredients that I need. I chose samples of 2 base malts and 2 specialty malts. We’ll taste each whole and also create a tea with some coarsely crushed grain in order to understand the color, aroma and flavor each malt contributes. For the hops, I chose 2 European varieties and 2 American varieties. Besides just discussing the aroma, I dry-hopped some light lager to help us explore the flavor each hops provides.

It’s been a lot of fun to prepare for this class. I look forward to meeting my enthusiastic group tonight!

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.

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?

As beer enthusiasts, I assume we’ve spent a fair amount of time at the pub. And anyone who has spent time at the pub has also witnessed it become the stage for someone’s drama – feuding friends, awkward first dates, the drunk’s aspirations for a one-man show, bachelorette parties. So it can’t be a surprise that the National Theatre of Scotland staged a production inside a pub. Of course, when it came to town I had to check it out and report back.

Long before my love affair with beer, I loved good theatre. I’m particularly interested in good site-specific performance. As a storyteller, it fascinates me to see how performers will creatively use a non-traditional space to augment the story they are telling. “The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart“, on tour after a very successful run at the 2011 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, was staged locally at a well-known (and well-worn) beer bar. Attention to a number of details helped to set the scene, loosen up the audience, and establish the feeling of a raucous “lock in”.

The evening began with a complimentary whisky tasting (Benromach – a pleasant, slightly-smokey Speyside single malt) which helped to start conversations and lower inhibitions. The bar also compiled a menu primarily of British-style beers and ciders to further make the audience feel at home in what would soon be transformed into a small-town pub in Scotland. I opted for Oskar Blues Old Chub, a Scottish-style ale with a complex malty (and almost licorice-like) palate.

The cast of 5 players entertained the room with live music from the Scottish Borders before launching into fast-paced, tag-team storytelling complete with cheeky rhyming metre and energetic acting using the entire floor (and a few table tops). Over the next 2 hours, the cast engaged the audience, asking for help to tear napkins into snow, requesting (and receiving) “desultory applause”, trusting audience members to protect their drinks from being spilled, encouraging one-on-one improv to establish a scene, and initiating a rowdy round or two of soccer chanting. In exchange, the actors were rewarded with an audience enthusiastically playing along in a way I seldom see in theatre but have definitely seen on a night out.

Were this a theatre review, I would provide my thoughts on the acting quality, express opinion on whether or not the script was slow at times, and praise the particularly witty bits. But this is a beer blog so I’m more interested in the site-specific element. Put succinctly, by night’s end at least 2 people were stripped to their underwear, most of us were buzzed, and everyone was singing. That sounds like a successful pub performance to me.

Disclaimer: “The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart” is hosted by The Shakespeare Theatre, a former employer of mine.

Last week, I met up with some homebrewing friends, Josh Hubner and Mike Stein, to celebrate their first commercial release, a collaboration with local brewery, Lost Rhino, hosted by Smoke and Barrel, one of the premier beer bars in DC. After refining the IPA recipe over a series of four trial batches, Josh and Mike approached Lost Rhino, where they volunteer, to produce the beer. Wandering Belgian is the result — a spicy, bitter IPA with soft citric notes. With help from a crush of friends, family, and curious beer fans, the supply kicked in just four hours.

For me, this event epitomized the state of the DC beer scene today – a community of beer enthusiasts who continually demonstrate a willingness to encourage and support each other from newbie to pro.

The Lost Rhino collaboration is a fantastic opportunity for Josh & Mike. However, it’s not the only example of how local DC breweries are supporting local homebrewers and nurturing the homebrewing scene. You saw it when DC Brau brewed Brian Barrows’ award-winning Belgian paterbier (which won a silver medal at the Great American Beer Festival last weekend) and when 3 Stars opened a homebrew shop this summer and invited the DC Homebrewers to hold a club meeting there. Of course, these are just a couple of recent examples.

The local beer bars have also stepped up to play multiple roles within the scene, whether it’s hosting unique (and often local) beer events (Churchkey, Rustico, and Pizzaria Paradiso among many others), sponsoring homebrew competitions (Meridian Pint, Mad Fox, and RFD, all this year), or hosting homebrewer club meetings (most recently, Black Squirrel and District Chophouse). Bars like these have contributed to the vitality of the scene, helped to raise the quality of the product, and bolstered the curiosity of the clientele.

It’s an exciting time to be part of the burgeoning craft beer scene in the DC area. As a homebrewer, a writer, an advocate, and a fan, I’m proud to be playing a part in its success.

DC-area drinkers, what are you particularly enjoying about the scene and what are you looking forward to?

Tomorrow, I celebrate and enjoy the great breadth of autumn beers at an enormous beer jamboree, Snallygaster. A good festival calls for a good plan of attack. My typical approach is 1. make sure I can get in (advanced ticket) 2. make sure I have enough time (show up early and stay late) 3. drink what I like (which may require being selective) 4. remember moderation (eat and stay hydrated). Given the extensive and impressive beer list cultivated by Neighborhood Restaurant Group Beer Director Greg Engbert, however, I may need to outline a more specific plan. The survival guide posted by BYT includes insight from Greg, making it a great reference for mapping the festival.

I love that the large beer lists at many NRG bars are broken out not by beer styles but by flavor profiles. Knowing whether a beer is crisp, fruity, hoppy, malty, sour, etc helps any beer drinker, even newbies, to make a good selection based on what they like or what they want. I use this same technique when making beer recommendations to someone new to craft beers and beer styles.

Greg organizes his festival recommendations in much the same way as his beer menus. Flavor profiles are a great tool for mapping which beers you’ll drink and in what order. The rule of thumb when sampling a variety of beers (or other food and drinks like wine, sushi, chocolate, etc) is to start with lighter flavors and work your way up to heavier, more complex flavors. For festival goers, this could look like crisp lagers > hoppy beers > maltier Oktoberfest beers > smoked beers > sour beers > bigger, desserty beers. Of course, because of festival crowds, you can’t always be choosy about what you drink when. And of course, there are those rare beers that you’ll just need to grab while supplies last….

Tonight, I’ll identify the beers that interest me most out of the list of 150. Those are the ones I’ll try to prioritize tomorrow, maybe even in an order my palette will appreciate. But the most important goal of tomorrow, as always, is to have fun talking about and enjoying beer with other enthusiasts.

Do you have any other tips for how to tackle, survive, or enjoy beer festivals?