Wednesday, October 19, 2005

Happy pre-Thanksgiving!

Yeah, okay. So Thanksgiving's over a month away. Unlike Woman's World, though, it wouldn't make any sense to give any turkey day brew recipe suggestions in November, since - duh - the stuff wouldn't be ready until New Year's (you've all made your Christmas beers already, right?). Since this is the first year in a long time that we're not making a batch to bring to the communal feasting table, I invite any and all of you to take a stab at recreating our most roundly enjoyed seasonal quaff: Thanksgiving Hazelnut Brown. Inspired in part by Rogue's hazelnut brown ale, it's intended to be a richly malty and slightly sweet American Brown ale with just the slightest hint of hazelnut (unlike the Rogue version, which practically hits you in the face with a whole franking tree). Enjoy!

Tuesday, October 18, 2005

Where has all the pfiffing gone?

One or two of you may have noticed there's been a dearth of pfiffitude in the past month or so. Contrary to what you might believe, I haven't quite run out of pfiffy things to pfiff on about, rather all my spare time has been sucked up by other beery exploits: brewing, studying up on, and (let's be honest here) drinking beer. And while there are a few new notables on the scene (not to mention the beginnings of the holiday releases), I don't have much time to mention them. Besides, what's the point in going on and on about the new line of organic beers made by North Coast if you can't find any information about them online?
Instead, I give you a new recipe. We brewed this Oktoberfest for our friend Danielle's wedding which was over the past weekend. Perfect for one of those autumnal days where the sun's still beating down yet the air smells like the coming winter, and the evening breeze reminds you that the chill from the north will soon be upon us. Mash it in a little hotter than your standard lager, and give it a nice diacetyl rest between primary and secondary fermentation. Yummy! More to come...

Wednesday, October 05, 2005

Great! American! Beer!

The GABF was held last weekend in Denver, Colorado, and they've gone ahead and posted the winners on their site in a handy-dandy little drop-down list. Truly, what better way to educate yourself on the vast variety of brewing sub-styles than by working your way through this list, glass by precious glass? Note: it's okay to skip Category 1.