FYI.
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Date: Wed, 13 Oct 2004 07:32:36 -0500
Reply-To: Zemo <zemo(a)BUYVICTORY.COM>
From: Zemo <zemo(a)BUYVICTORY.COM>
Subject: Farmhouse ale article...
To: CBS-HB(a)LISTSERV.UIC.EDU
Precedence: list
from the NY Times.
Enjoy.
Z
---------------------------
Chug This? Shame on You
By ERIC ASIMOV
Published: October 13, 2004
I know more than a few beer fanatics, and though they are fine people,
almost
all have an ax to grind. Why is wine, they want to know, venerated as a
complex,
sophisticated beverage that belongs on the dinner table of every food lover,
while beer is essentially lumped with demolition derbies and monster truck
pulls?
Good question, even if by confronting wine they are picking the wrong enemy.
No one has damaged the reputation of beer as much as the big beer companies,
which through their own advertising have created the unfortunate image of
the
beer lover as bottom feeder. Nonetheless, the fans are on a crusade to prove
that traditional beer, not the insipid supermarket stuff, is as fine a drink
as wine
to grace the table, if not better.
I refuse to get into a battle over whether wine or beer is superior: is
painting
better than sculpture? But I know that if you need to make the case that
beer
can have all the complexity and intrigue of a fine wine, Exhibit A has to be
farmhouse ales.
As you might guess, farmhouse ales were historically the products of an
agricultural
society. In the days before refrigeration, when summer was too hot for
brewing,
farmers in the French-speaking part of Belgium and across the border in
France
made beer in the winter and spring that they could put away for summer
consumption.
Today the Belgian beers, which have come to be known as saisons, are
typically
light-bodied and tart, with a crisp bitterness that can be deliciously
refreshing.
Sometimes they are flavored with pepper, orange rind or other spices and
botanicals,
but they share an acidity and complexity that leaves you wanting more. The
French
beers, known as bi?res de garde ("beers for keeping"), tend to be darker,
earthier
and maltier and to have more herbal flavors and a touch of sweetness rather
than
bitterness.
As different as the two styles can be, they have a lot in common beyond
historical ties.
These beers do not come in pop-top cans. They are usually put into
750-milliliter
bottles - just like wine - complete with corks. They are treated seriously
by the
few Belgian and French brewers who still produce them. The styles have
become
increasingly popular with American microbrewers, who have achieved some
excellent
results. One more thing, as the Dining section's tasting panel found out:
these beers,
historically brewed for summer, are great year round.
For the tasting, my colleague Florence Fabricant and I were joined by Joe
Carroll,
owner of Spuyten Duyvil, a bar in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, that specializes
in Belgian
beers, and Phil Markowski, brewmaster at the Southampton Publick House, a
restaurant
and brewery in Southampton on Long Island. Mr. Markowski has also written a
book,
"Farmhouse Ales: Culture and Craftsmanship in the Belgian Tradition," to be
published
next month by Brewers Publications of Boulder, Colo.
We were all impressed by the superb quality of the beers. Most of the
bottles were fresh,
which is often a problem with imported beers if they are not handled
carefully and kept
refrigerated. Ms. Fabricant noted that the bi?res de garde had nutlike
flavors while the
saisons were fruitier. She described the saisons as winelike, a comment that
may both
gladden and enrage beer partisans.
As we tasted the saisons, in their gorgeous hues of pale orange, and the
bi?res de garde,
in different shades of amber, I felt as if I were transported to the
countryside in preindustrial
Flanders when beers like these were consumed not only for refreshment, but
because they
were nutritional and, in some cases, safer than drinking water. It was a
pleasant feeling,
though purely imaginary. As Mr. Markowski pointed out, nobody knows how
those old
farmhouse ales tasted. They were not produced commercially, and written
recipes and
descriptions are practically nonexistent.
As a result, brewers have enormous leeway to experiment, and the prevailing
styles today
most likely have little to do with what was typical then. For one thing,
farmhouse ales are now
much higher in alcohol, generally 6 to 9 percent, than what sustained the
working farmhand
a few hundred years ago.
"Some feel the bi?re de garde name today is pure marketing," Mr. Markowski
said.
While that may be true, it seemed to me that the 11 bi?res de garde we
tasted had more
similarities of weight, texture and overall flavor than differences. Our
favorite, the Ambr?e,
or amber, from La Choulette, was as complex as a good Burgundy, yet
harmonious too.
We also liked another beer from La Choulette, de No?l. (See, it's not just
for summer.)
This beer, though less alcoholic, had even earthier flavors and like most of
the bi?res de
garde would be great with cheese.
Only two of the bi?res de garde were American, but both made our list. The
Bi?re d'Art
from Heavyweight Brewing in particular impressed us with its creamy texture
and spicy-
herbal complexity.
As much as I liked the bi?res de garde, I loved the taut nerviness of the
saisons, which
dance through the mouth with a lightness that rarely fails to refresh.
Dupont is probably
the most famous producer of saison, and we all loved the Moinette, a beer of
both
substance and subtlety. The Darbyste from Blaugies was similarly a balanced,
lively
beer. The Fant?me, the third Belgian brew among our five saisons, by
contrast, was
heavily flavored with orange. It was not sweet, but it was full and round in
the mouth
rather than angular, like more typical saisons.
The two American brews in the group included another atypical saison, from
Pizza
Port in Carlsbad, Calif. This beer, SPF 8, has won lots of praise in beer
circles, and
it was easy to see why. "Great, winy and dark," was how Mr. Carroll
described it,
and yes, unlike the other saisons, which were orange in color, this one was
as dark
as stout. Yet it still had the tanginess of a saison.
The other American brew, the Cuv?e des Fleurs, brewed by Mr. Markowski, was
more
in the saison mainstream, with spicy orange flavors. "My favorite," Ms.
Fabricant said.
Sadly, American farmhouse ales like the Southampton and the Pizza Port are
not
always easy to find. Sometimes you have to go to the brewery. The French and
Belgian
ales are more widely available at stores that specialize in great beers. But
these are
beers that can stand up to even the most determined wine snobbery. Simply
pour into
a tall glass, raise pinkie and enjoy.
Tasting Report: Descendants of a Farmhouse Tradition
BI?RES DE GARDE
La Choulette Ambr?e
$6 France 750 milliliters
*** 1/2
Complex and balanced, with classic flavors including fruit, herbs, spices,
coffee, malt and caramel. (Importer:
Shelton Brothers, Belchertown, Mass.)
Heavyweight Brewing Bi?re d'Art
$7 Ocean Township, N.J. 750 milliliters
***
Spicy, creamy and both sweet and bitter, with persistent flavors of orange,
black pepper and herbs.
La Choulette de No?l
$8 France 750 milliliters
***
Smoky and toasty, with flavors of dried fruit, malt, chocolate and chicory;
good with cheese.
McKenzie Brew House Bavay
$9 Glen Mills, Pa. 750 milliliters
** 1/2
Complex and creamy, with aromas of smoke, herbs, dried fruit and malt.
Theillier La Bavaisienne
$9 France 750 milliliters
** 1/2
Aromas of dill and cucumbers, with subtle, earthy flavors.
SAISONS
Dupont Moinette *** 1/2
$8 Belgium 750 milliliters
Delicious and alive in the mouth, with the aroma of sea air and crisp,
subtle flavors of fruits and spices.
Pizza Port SPF 8 ***
$10 Carlsbad, Calif. 750 milliliters
Unusual but successful, with the roasted-chocolate character of stout,
yet tangy and refreshing.
Southampton Publick House Cuv?e des Fleurs ***
$10 Southampton, N.Y. 750 milliliters
Perfumed aromas of orange and spices, with beautiful herbal flavors;
nicely bitter at the end.
Blaugies Darbyste ** 1/2
$9 Belgium 750 milliliters
Tart, lively and spicy, with subtle, balanced flavors.
Fant?me Saison **
$8 Belgium 750 milliliters
Intense - maybe too intense - flavors of orange, peach and strawberry;
a lot going on.
----- End forwarded message -----
--
------------------------------ *
* Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu *
* University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX *
* Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *
FYI - the latest E-Newsletter from our neighbor club to the North, the
Northern Ale Stars.
- Al
Original Message:
-----------------
From: Northern Ale Stars northernalestars(a)hotmail.com
Date: Fri, 15 Oct 2004 10:08:39 -0500
To: northernalestars(a)hotmail.com
Subject: October E-Newsletter
Hello Ale Stars,
Just wanted to get out the October E-Newsletter to let you know about the
exciting homebrew events coming up:
October Meeting Beer Weekend:
The annual Fall Beer Weekend and Meeting at Hestons Resort and Casino will
commence Thursday, October 21st with the traditional Pub Night. Pub Food
(appetizers) will be the grub of the evening, for you early birds who make
it up Thursday, so bring your favorite Pub Grub to munch on and share with
the others.
Pizzas will be the fare for the traditional Saturday evening group meal
and,
as mentioned before, Hestons has a new brick bread oven. Barb Gecas has
graciously offered to make pizza crusts, so bring your favorite toppings
and
well see what happens. Im sure there will be a contest for the ugliest
pizza, the craziest pizza, ect., so use your imagination (but you have to
eat what you make).
If you havent contacted Greg or Barb to let them know youre coming, or
you
just realized you don't want to miss all the fun, and would like to see if
the is still cabin space, you can contact them at 218-388-2243 or
info(a)hestons.com
November Meeting:
The November NAS meeting will be Sunday, November 7th at the home of Bryn
Jacobson, also the home of Boreal Bicycles. So bike on over and bring along
some homebrew. The start time will be the usual 2:00PM-ish. Bryns address
is 631 E. 8th Street in Duluth.
Brewing Ingredients:
As most of you know, since the closing of Lake Superior Smokin Brews, mail
order was the main source of brewing ingredients for us in Northern
Minnesota, especially if you are an all-grain brewer (Last Chance Liquors
carries extract ingredients and yeast).
Until now........ Head Brewer Dale Kleinschmidt, at Lake Superior Brewing,
has graciously offered to include orders from club members for grain and
hops (in bulk quantities i.e. bags of grain, hops by the pound) with the
brewerys orders.
Now granted, while you might be able to use a bag of Pale malt, you
probably
dont need a whole bag of crystal 40 or chocolate malt. However, the idea
has been brought up that we pool our needs and order in bulk quantities as
a
group, then divide the spoils ( er, that might have been a poor choice of
words) once the order arrives. For example, we get 5 people who each need
20
pounds of crystal 40 and we could order a 50 pound bag. A home brewers
co-op, of sorts.
If you are interested in participating, let me know. Well get together
soon
to combine our needs and get our order to Dale.
And speaking of Smokin Brews, dont forget, Bill Clark (former proprietor
of
Lake Superior Smokin Brews) still has good quantities of specialty grains
and other brewing ingredients. You can e-mail Bill at
wrclark(a)smokinbrews.com (or check out his web site www.smokinbrews.com ) to
see if he has something you need and would be helping Bill clear out his
remaining inventory. Take it from me; he still has a lot of good stuff!
Congratulations:
Mike Hoops of Town Hall Brewery in Minneapolis brought home three medals
from the Great American Beer Festival for his Hope and King Scotch Ale (my
favorite), Thunderstorm and the just released Grand Cru. Brother Dave of
Ftigers Brewhouse metaled with his Farm House Reserve. Congrats guys! Keep
up the good work.
Mash-Out Moves:
The Upper Mississippi Mash-Out (UMM) has moved to January.
The contest dates are January 27-29th, 2005. That's the weekend before the
Super Bowl, so you won't miss a minute of NFL play-off action.
This year the UMM will be the first contest in the High Plains Brewer of
the
Year circuit.
New this year for the contest:
-New Brewer award: a special award category just for new brewers,
complete with medals and prizes, open to any style of beer, cider or mead
-BJCP 2004 guidelines will be used (see below)
-more award categories: we're going to try to have awards for all 28
BJCP categories, but reserve the right to collapse categories as needed
-multiple mead award categories: all 3 BJCP mead categories will have
awards for 1st, 2nd and 3rd
-judge and steward prize drawing: there will be a separate prize
drawing
for all judges and stewards.
-food at the awards show: no details yet, but we're working at having
food at the awards show at the Summit brewery
Keep checking the web site for details: http://mnbrewers.com/mashout
2004 REVISION TO THE BJCP STYLE GUIDELINES NOW ONLINE
The Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) recently released the 2004
revision of the beer styles that are used by almost all homebrew
competitions. http://www.bjcp.org/styles04/
The last time the beer style guidelines were updated was in 1999, with a
minor revision in 2001. Since then several new styles have appeared in the
market, and several old styles have been re-discovered by homebrewers. The
2004 revision of the style guidelines reflect these new/rediscovered styles.
There have also been some deletions from the 1999 style guidelines, namely
Traditional Mead and Varietal Mead. These have been re-defined by the
Sweet, Semi-Sweet and Dry Mead categories in the new guidelines. Also, the
former Light/Standard Premium American Lager category has been re-defined
by
breaking each of the three into it's own sub-style.
Where there were formerly 26 styles and 81 sub-styles, the 2004 guidelines
delineate 28 styles and 99 sub-styles. Taking into account the three
styles
that were deleted, that means a total of 18 new sub-styles are defined in
the new guidelines. The new styles are listed below.
NEW STYLES IN THE 2004 BJCP STYLE GUIDELINES
# LTR CATEGORY SUB-CATEGORY
1 A Light Lager Lite American Lager
1 B Light Lager Standard American Lager
1 C Light Lager Premium American Lager
9 D Scottish and Irish Ale Irish Red Ale
12 C Porter Baltic Porter
13 E Stout American Stout
14 B India Pale Ale American IPA
14 C India Pale Ale Imperial IPA
15 D German Wheat & Rye Beer Roggenbier (German Rye Beer)
18 A Belgian Strong Ale Belgian Blond Ale
21 B Spice/Herb/Veg Beer Christmas/Winter Specialty Spiced Beer
22 C Smoke-Flav. & Wood Aged Wood-Aged Beer
24 A Traditional Mead Dry Mead
24 B Traditional Mead Semi-Sweet Mead
24 C Traditional Mead Sweet Mead
27 B Standard Cider and Perry English Cider
27 C Standard Cider and Perry French Cider
27 D Standard Cider and Perry Common Perry
27 E Standard Cider and Perry Traditional Perry
28 B Specialty Cider and Perry Fruit Cider
28 C Specialty Cider and Perry Apple Wine
1999 BJCP STYLES THAT HAVE CHANGED OR ARE GONE
# LTR CATEGORY SUB-CATEGORY
1 A American Lager Light/Standard/Premium
25 A Mead Traditional Mead
25 B Mead Varietal Honey Trad.Mead
The new guidelines are online at:
http://www.bjcp.org/styles04/
Even if you have no intention of brewing any of the new styles,
it is worth your time to read the new guidelines. There have
been changes to the existing styles as well - mostly subtle,
but sometimes subtle is the difference between a good beer
and a great beer.
The new guidelines are officially set to replace the old
guidelines on January 1, 2005, although there are a few
competitions that have already switched to the new guidelines.
To avoid confusion (or perhaps to maximize it...), the
authors have gone out of their way to make sure that the style
numbers and letters that were paired with the styles in the
old guidelines are all different with the new guidelines. The
old guidelines will be preserved on the BJCP Website, in a
special archive section for historical purposes.
The new guidelines will be covered in the Winter 2005 BJCP
class sponsored by the Minnesota Home Brewers Assoc., one of the homebrew
clubs in the cities. Now is a great time to take the
BJCP class to learn these new styles, or to re-take the class
to get a primer on them. The Winter 2005 BJCP class is being
organized by Jonathan Crist, and will be starting January 6,
2005. You can contact Jonathan at cristj(a)bsci.com.
Cheers!
Steve Daiken
Secretary
northernalestars(a)hotmail.com
_________________________________________________________________
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mail2web - Check your email from the web at
http://mail2web.com/ .
Anyone needing beer signs, tap handles, any beer collectables should try to make it to the
The 31st annual Guzzle 'n' Twirl Vintage Beer Show will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at
Aldrich Arena, 1850 White Bear Ave., Maplewood.
I went last year and bought some tap handles, but they had any type of beer memorabilia you can think of.
About 170 exhibitors and 800 collectors are expected at the 31st annual ,
one of the largest such memorabilia events in the nation.
Admission is $3. For more information, call Dave or Joe Wendl at 651-731-9573.
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/living/9911671.htm?1c<http://wwwtwincities.com/mld/twincities/living/9911671.htm?1c>
Cheers!,
Mike
> AMERICAN BEER
> Filmmaker Present to Introduce Film
> Gentlemen...Start your livers! Since the best beer in America is
locally-made and available, Brooklyn filmmaker Paul Kermizian and four
friends hit the road to visit a button-busting 38 breweries in 40 days! In
the 1970's, there were only 50 major beer bottlers in the U.S. Today there
are over 1,700 individual brewmasters throughout the country bottling their
personal experiences as tinkerers, closet brewers, cooks and
> entrepreneurs in the form of unique beer recipes. Some of these former
you-name-its have become the most recent captains of industry; others might
better be described as drunks! All their stories about beer and beer-making
are inspired: crazy ingredients, brewing in basements, starting from
scratch, sampling the wares, fighting the big three brewers, and of course,
the perfect cure for hangovers. And speaking of hangovers,
> don't forget about our road-tripping, glass-tipping lads behind the
camera. From Maine to Oregon, they must sample at least five pints of the
best beer in America each night for over a month! That adds up to a lot of
drinks, drunks, chucks, cheeseburgers, naps and new belt notches. Can our
fearless filmmakers get to New Orleans before cirrhosis sets in! In the
true, ahem, spirit of Central Standard, American Beer amusingly shows how
much more interesting, inspired, and rewarding America is once you tap into
a keg of our subculture and, well, flush the mainstream!
>
> Director: Paul Kermizian
> Producer: Paul Kermizian
> Cinematographer: Jon Miller
> Editor: Paul Kermizian
> Music: Bob Gilligan
> Featuring: Jeremy Goldberg, Paul Kermizian, Jon Miller, Robert Purvis,
Richard Sterling
>
> St. Anthony Main 4 - 1:45 PM - Sat., Oct. 16th
> St. Anthony Main 5 - 10:00 AM - Sun., Oct. 17th
>
> Brooklyn, NY ~ 100 minutes
>
>
>
>
Two items of interest from yesterday's Star Tribune:
BEER -- IN MINNESOTA
In its October issue, Bon Appetit magazine named two Minnesota beers as two
of the eight best autumn brews in America -- Schell's Octoberfest and Summit
Octoberfest. Schell brewery is in New Ulm; Summit ales from St. Paul.
HOPPING AWAY
Hops Restaurant, Bar &Brewery in Eden Prairie has closed, but its sister
restaurant in Maple Grove remains open. "We are restructuring the Hops
brand," said Greg Graber, Hops vice president for marketing. "We are looking
at shifting trade areas and closing down negative cash flow restaurants."
Fourteen of the 51 Hops restaurants have been closed, and the remainder,
including the Maple Grove restaurant, will be transitioned into Hops City
Grills in the next 18 to 36 months. The new concept will have a
"contemporized" interior and a new menu, including some smaller appetizers
called bistro bites.
Greetings from the Prez
Just a quick reminder that we have our October Club Meeting this Saturday
October 2nd, 3PM at Barley John's Brewpub in New Brighton.
The weather should be okay for sitting on the terrace.
A couple of topics that will be discussed at the meeting:
Teach a Friend to Homebrew Day
Upper Mississippi Mash-Out contest moved to January
1st round Nationals in Minneapolis next year
Cider press date and Cider buy information
Fall BJCP exam date
Winter BJCP class signup
Brew-a-rama
Style of the Month and the Club Only competitions
Christmas Party date
November meeting location
Possible dates for a swap meet
And that is just during the 1st pint
See you Saturday!
Jonathan Crist