Beer is for Fun

As a brewer, occasional writer and constant reader it is sometimes hard to keep a focus. There are certainly some things that are very easy to focus on. One must pay the bills and keep things rolling in the right direction. But the type of focus I am talking about is the "Why" of the beer business.
Most of us brewers start out home brewing. It is a hobby that combines all kinds of skills. It is 9 parts attention to detail and one part creativity. The challenge is closest to that in golf. Everyone can hit a good shot sometimes, but it takes a great deal more talent to do it regularly and the challenges are always just a bit different. It is this need for attention and detail that sometimes blur the real "Why" of beer.
Turn professional in this business and you get to add taxes and paperwork and there is even less time to smell the hops.
All this makes it necessary to sit down from time to time and make sure the "Why" is defined. In our case we are lucky enough to have an historic brewing site to take care of and hopefully over the years improve. Any history buff might think that is enough of a reason by itself, but there is more to it.
The bottom line is that beer is fun. Just look at this photo. No one by the camera is telling a joke or mooning the crowd. People are just drinking different beers and having a great time. Sampling all kinds of different flavors tells you a bit about yourself. "I don't usually like that type," is a common comment at a tasting. A person can literally find new ways to enjoy themselves through beer and tastings.
Some folks take the tasting more seriously creating rating systems and entire new languages to try to describe beer and its flavors. There is nothing wrong with this as long as the task itself is enjoyable to the person performing it. I often taste a new beer and try to pick out all the ingredients and methods used, but in the end either I liked it or I didn't. In most cases its just a matter of what occasion a beer is best suited for.
There will always be a certain joy in getting to do something everyday that I used to have to spend spare time doing, but the real reason for brewing is providing the entertainment. We are definitely not saving lives over here but making lives more fun to live seems like a worthy pursuit.

Contemplating Stout

As an owner of an Irish pub I have a unique take on stout. When other bars in the neighborhood are selling one stout to a die-hard, we are tapping several kegs a night. Not just on a snowy winter evening, but every weekend of the year.
I have to admit that I have not made it to Ireland myself, but all the stories lead me to believe that aside from the American lager invasion, the Irish still chug stout like it's water.
With this background it was impossible for the Guinness 250th Anniversary Stout to go untried.
I picked it up this evening and it started me thinking about stout in general even before I opened a single bottle.
Historically, stout is exactly what its name suggests. Brewers with very little control over their malting and temperatures occasionally overdid a porter. I'm sure this was sometimes intentional and often an accident. Stout porter could be higher in alcohol, color, bitterness or all of the above. This wild definition is still all that exists today. The only extra help one gets from the brewer today is the word "Imperial" if it is extremely high in alcohol.
This lack of information makes it hard to decide when to make one of these part of your day. There are a couple things that can help you decide. Alcohol content is one. A day at the beach and a 9% beer are probably not the perfect pairing unless you have a crush on the lifeguard and figure getting blasted and nearly drowning will help get attention. Summer is not usually the big time for stouts, but their durable character makes it something to think about. These beers are much less likely to get crappy if left in the back of the car for a couple days and often taste better a bit warmer if that should happen by accident.
Guinness also likes to point out that their stout is actually much lower in calories than one might expect. If you have ever tasted other stouts this claim isn't really that surprising. Aside from some dark malt there isn't much to American draught Guinness. It is currently manufactured in Canada which should be a clue.
Guinness is not the only stout made to last a whole evening. Many stouts on the market are lower in alcohol than pales and other light ales. You can even choose from coffee and espresso stouts that can help ward off drowsiness depending on how they are made.
As for the Guinness 250th Anniversary stout.
Stick to Extra Stout!

What is a Summer Beer?

Summer beer is an awfully meaningless term. Fall and Winter have pretty well defined styles that go with them. It is a safe be that July and August are not the biggest months for Double Imperial Stouts.
The beers most suited for summertime use are generally made all year long. You won’t catch me buying many, but if someone brought me a Bud Light just after I mowed the lawn it would probably sound pretty good.
Since their beers are already suited to summer the big guys are forced to offer “lime” beers or other Mexican knock-offs. As a guy who loves nearly all beers, these are a few I could do without. There are a few decent ones out there. Sol comes to mind. Just don’t get me started on Corona. There is a reason all those urban legends started.
As difficult as it is to make a box that summer beers fit in they can be very interesting.
Many are light. Boulevard here in KC makes Zon, which is a very light Belgian. Many use fruit or fruit flavors to make wheat styles into their summer offerings. I think these can be refreshing. The tartness of cherry or raspberry could help out in the heat. The problem comes in when brewers add a bunch of syrup. Sweet just doesn’t go with sweat in my book. I would rather see brewers make a nice, light wheat and let drinkers flavor it themselves. I realize this is a sin to many beer geeks, but I think a well placed lemon, lime, orange or jalapeno can be a great addition. We all have different tastes. Most folks don’t consider someone an idiot for adding a bit of salt to some potatoes.
When we developed our SunRye’s Ale up here in Weston we were looking to pack a bit more into the summer seasonal. We used the guideline of dryness as a guide. We still wanted to use a bunch of malt (crystal rye in this case.) But we wanted to do it without the sweetness. This all worked out fine. It is one of our favorites and something to look forward to each year. Still it didn’t scream SUMMER! Then one evening a friend brought over a couple of fresh limes and started squeezing them into his beer. “What the hell are you doing?” we asked. He just smiled and handed over the glass. PERFECT. I need to remind you that this beer is already fruity. A dry ale yeast fermented at somewhat high temps and crystal rye make for a unique flavor. I would have never guessed this one could take the citrus without being disgusting.
I suppose the point here is to have fun with the summer beers. There are all kinds of shandies and the like. Slug your Oktoberfest when the time comes. Sip your Winterfest, but for the next couple months go crazy. Enjoy all the variety and raise a toast to the fact that you aren’t drinking Zima.

Beer Dinner in Weston

The only thing better than a great beer is a great beer with and in food. You can only imagine my delight at the opportunity to host the Weston Brewing Company's first beer dinner of 2009. The event is Friday, February 20th beginning at 6:30pm. The hosted dinner will be in the Upper Pub. Appetizers begin at 6:30pm with dinner starting at 7pm. The meal and Weston Brewing Company beer will be $25 which includes pub entrance for the evening. The first 75 reservations will be in the pub with additional reservations in the restaurant available at a variety of times. Join me for a great night.
Below is the delicious menu...

Beer Dinner Menu

Crab Bowl Dip - Start things off with this refreshing crab dip. Made with our own Leaping Leprechaun beer. Try our new seasonal with this one.
Caldo de Queso - OK, we lost the Irish theme for a minute but we don't think you'll mind. This one is made with our Emerald Lager and that one is the perfect match for this course.

Entree Choices:

Grilled Swordfish - This is our Lent special this year and we couldn't wait to show it off. This one is grilled with our special Drop Kick Ale brewed for the Kansas City Wizards.
Beef & O'Malley's - This is a twist on our traditional beef & Guinness served in the restaurant for years. This was part of our first beer dinner ever and one of our favorites. Ofcourse, you will want to enjoy this with a Cream Ale.

Chocolate Truffles - Finish with some truffles made with Flying Monkey Stout for a dark rich flavor.