Tragic News, Everyone

I regret to inform you that the Brick used to prop open the back service door at Northern Brewer St. Paul passed away earlier this week.

Send it back

I had a bottle of really bad beer last night.

Ingredient Showcase: Biscuit Malt

Biscuit malt, come on down! It's your turn to be smashed, steeped, and then drunk!

Let's look at biscuit malt today. This is a favorite of mine. I have met people who hate biscuit malt, people who love biscuit malt, and people who use it to the point of excess. Perhaps the latter tend to create the former. With moderation, it does add a unique component to a recipe.

Mid-Winter Homebrew Competition Winner's Release Party

Dan's French Saison took "Best Of Show" at the Mid-Winter Homebrew competition in February. Dan got to brew it with the pros at the Milwaukee Brewing Company, and it was debuted to the public this  week.

How to plan a re-brew

So as a home brewer develops his or her brewing skills, the natural tendency is to start developing recipes. This task can be a little more nebulous than cooking, where results can be measured instantaneously. I decided to try my hand at creating a recipe for a stout that was somewhere in between a breakfast stout and an oatmeal stout, two of my favorite beer styles.

Chip's Vlog: Saison Noire brewday

[editor's note: this piece originally appeared in the Brewing TV blog]

Hello, brewguys and brewgals. BTV videoman Chip Walton here with a quick video from a recent brewday... actually it was hot & steamy brewnight. After getting burned out on the debate and drinking way too much of all three Cascadian Dark Ale, Black IPA and American-Style India Black Ale... I needed something something DARK, but not hoppy at all. The cure for this hop-burnout-itis? A Saison Noire! Something spicy for this hot summer in the city.

Video here!

Study Debunks The 'Beer Goggles' Myth?

It has been brought to my attention that the "Beer Goggles Effect" may be a myth.

Mild Ale

A mere hour into Saint Paul's Summer Beer Fest & I'm lost among pale ales of Extra, Imperial & lesser grades. The Midwest's ale scene in 2010 continues to pour copper colours of beer infused with green knowledge. Get out of the sun & into a shady Lyndale Ave. pub for a pitcher of bitter elixir, every drinker is on your side!

Right?

Session Beers

Some factors have been merging recently, bringing me to write this blog post on session beers, and I'll talk about each of them in turn: brewing a run of 4-5 batches in a row of above-6% ABV beer, drinking some truly amazing low-gravity beers, checking out The Session Beer Project blog, and listening to Mark Stutrud's keynote address at the NHC this year.

Update: Around the Style Guidelines in 365 days

By the druidic calendar as well as the Gregorian, the time allotted for my beer style marathon is a little over halfway used-up. I haven't been counting, and this seems an appropriate time to stop, reflect, and take inventory. So how'm I doin'?

Chip's Open/Closed Patersbier

[editor's note: this piece was originally published on the Brewing TV blog]



Hello everyone. Chip Walton, the guy behind the camera, here.

When Michael Dawson (or Jake Keeler) says JUMP - I say HOW HIGH?! In Episode 6, Dawson issued our first Brewing TV Challenge. He suggested viewers brew a five-gallon batch of Patersbier, split it into two 2.5-gallon batches, ferment one closed, ferment one open. I took this challenge to heart.

Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em

AKA don't over-crush your grain...please.

Gose

I had my first Gose beer the other day, and I knew from the first sip that I'd have to brew some.