He is Risen!

The traditional springtime beer is Bock, which comes in many different forms—all with slight differences—but, in general, it’s a dark, malty, lightly hopped lager. However, the first variations of this beer were ales, as lagering had not yet been discovered. What’s great about these beers is they are made for celebrating. The lowest ABV for these beers is around 6.3%, the highest around 13%, and they’re delicious.

Today, my church is having a large meal in celebration of Christ’s resurrection. We’re roasting a lamb, and everyone’s bringing side dishes, and desserts, etc. It’s going to be great—good food, good friends, good times. The church asked the resident brewers to make a beer for the celebration. Unfortunately, they asked three weeks ago, and spring beers take time. Lagering takes time. It also requires equipment I have yet to acquire. So, instead of bringing a typical spring beer, the church brewers made an Oak-aged Bourbon Imperial Stout in December that just reached maturity. It’s a fantastic beer, but it doesn’t exactly bring to mind Spring. We need to get better at brewing ahead of the calendar.

Next year, I will not be caught off guard. I’ll start planning my brew now. I’m going to make a rye bock that I will call He is RYEsen! And, the next year, if the first batch works out, I’ll modify the recipe into a dopplebock or an eisbock, and I’ll call it He is RYEsen, Indeed! If I don’t acquire the necessary lagering equipment in time, I’ll do my homework and figure out how to make a 14th century bock ale. I know Rogue considers its Dead Guy Ale to be a maibock, so that would probably be a good place for me to start when making my recipe. Be ready. It’s in the works.

Happy Easter everyone! He is risen! He is risen, indeed!

This Just In: Women Prefer Beer

This Just In: Women Prefer Beer

Wouldn’t you love to be the person who runs the kind of study that comes up with a conclusion like, “beer has edged out wine among women ages 18 to 34?” I mean, people get paid to do this kind of stuff. These results should not come as a surprise. Beer is tasty, and women, in general, have better palates than men, which means that for most women, beer is even tastier. Seriously, there are studies to back this up. People get paid to figure this stuff out. So, I’m not surprised that women prefer beer. It’s more accessible than wine. It’s less of a commitment (although, admittedly, that point seems to work better for men liking beer).

The Detroit Free Press article I linked above paints a typical bar scene. Some guy who just drank his first IPA, tries to use it as a skeezy pick up tactic. Suddenly, he’s a cicerone and she’s suppose to swoon because of his abysmal knowledge. What’s funny is that the woman sitting on the other side of the sophmore-sud-slugger likely has more beer knowledge than any man in the bar. This is often the case. I learned more about beer from The Naked Pint by Christina Perozzi and Hallie Beaune than I’ve learned from any other book. In general, I completely agree with the premises of this article. Women have established themselves in craft brewing, and they belong there. But, there is one point I have to take contention with.

Craft Brewer’s Conference

I wish I was here. Maybe someday.

Here’s my favorite tweet from #CBC13.

Who Doesn’t Love A Good Infographic?

Pizza and Beer

While I know there are many out there who think little about pairing the right beer with the right food, in a more general sense some food is just made for beer. When eating a polish dog with sauerkraut, beer is so much better than a coke. And while root beer can work in a pinch, pizza is made better by real beer.

I think it’s time Baton Rouge gets a great pizza delivery place to deliver beer (or wine) along with pizza. We have good pizza in Baton Rouge — Rotolo’s, D’angelo’s, Schlitz & Giggles, Fleur De Lis. The problem is most of our local pizza places have abysmal beer selections. Someone needs to open a place specializing in artisanal pizza, and artisanal beer, and they should offer it to-go or for delivery.

Houston has a place called Pizza L’Vino. I can’t comment as to the quality of their pizza, though it does look good. I can, however, speak of the quality of their beer list. They deliver singles or six-packs of several selections from Saint Arnold, Karbach, New Belgium, and Sierra Nevada, as well as an assortment of beer that’s not worth mentioning. That’s some great, local beer, as well as some more accessible, and more widely circulated craft beer. Conveniently, the good beer has it’s own list, so you don’t have to sort through the swill to find the pearls.

I’m sure it would require changing laws in Baton Rouge to do this, but it’s a service we’re lacking. If you know how to make great pizza, hit me up. This may be the beginning of a business venture.

Florida HB 715

This is definitely a step in the right direction. Growler sales are crucial to craft beer growth. If you live in Florida, learn how you can help here.

Pelican House

Dig wrote a great article about Pelican House, soon to be Baton Rouge’s greatest bar.

Check it out here.

Check out Pelican House’s website or you can find them listed as Pelican House Baton Rouge on Facebook.

Firkin’ Saint Arnold Divine 13

I found Divine 13 on cask! Review to come.

UPDATE 3/24:

Check out my review on ratebeer.com or Beeradvocate.com

Keep Calm and Brew On

So, I recently caved and began watching The Walking Dead on AMC. I’m hooked now, but it reminded me of an excellent article I read a year or so ago in BYO magazine. Check it our here. It’s a great read for beer and zombie fans.

Drink for the Cure

I came upon a blog that I highly admire. I mean, this man is a genius. Beer drinkers often find a reason to justify their habit. I often say things like, “I heard mosquitos are repelled by Vitamin B, good thing homebrew has lots of B vitamins.” My other favorite is “research has shown that beer is a better recovery drink, after strenuous exercise, than water.” The fact that I hardly exercise is irrelevant.

But, this man has taken justification to a whole new level. He now has to drink. If he doesn’t, they may not cure cancer. Thousands are depending on him. And, all he has to do is drink beer. I wish I thought of it first.

Check out his blog here, and follow him as he drinks 351 Sam Adams, in 351 different towns, in 365 days.