Red Cobblers

Check out this web page...

2011-08-26T19:40:00.001-05:00

Here's a website I think you'll like: image_title

-- Sent from my HP TouchPad

Brazilian Beer Blog, Grande Cervejeiro

2010-11-01T09:52:00.005-05:00

The love of good beer is world-wide but sadly not universally enjoyed by everyone. The dominance of mass-marketed lagers and light lagers have pushed the more flavorful ales and heavier lagers to the wayside and encouraged people to consider beer no more than a 'beverage' to be drunk as cold as possible rather than an enjoyment unto itself.

This brother in arms in Brazil has taken up the fight to educate his fellow beer drinker to expand their taste horizons and learn that their is more to beer than an ice cold Bud <=(insert mas market lager here).

Check out his blog. There is a convenient link to Google translate unless you can read Portuguese. Sadly I cannot.

http://grandecervejeiro.blogspot.com

Link to the translated page:

http://grandecervejeiro.blogspot.com in English

Brooks on Beer: Trick or Treat Halloween Beers

2010-10-28T09:06:00.003-05:00

A brief albeit good article on Halloween and Pumpkin beers. As it is out of San Francisco, it does not include Schlafly's Pumpkin Brew which is I am told is quite tasty. I, myself, am not personally fond of the Pumpkin beer taste.

I also wish they would have added Schmaltz Brewery's Coney Island Freaktoberfest. It is described as a blood red lager and lives up to its name in addition to being quite tasty.

Both can be found at Friar Tuck, the Schlafly in 6 packs and the Schmaltz in 22oz bombers.

http://www.mercurynews.com/jay-brooks/ci_16438931?nclick_check=1

Oktoberfest

2009-09-17T07:44:00.004-05:00

This weekend is the beginning of the traditional Octoberfest celebration which runs until Sunday, October 4th. It is a celebration that began in Munich, Bavaria in the year 1810. It is a celebration of Bavarian culture, Bavarian food and beer. The style often associated with the celebration is generally called an Octoberfest here in the U.S. but is more precisely known as a Maerzen (Märzen).

The Maerzen style is a lagered beer that originated in Germany. The beers name derived from the fact that it was often brewed in the Spring to last through the Summer into the Fall. The remaining stock would often be used up about the time brewing could begin again and the style coincided nicely with the Octoberfest celebration.

You may have little to no familiarity with the style but are caught up in the exuberance of Octoberfest and wish to celebrate with a tad more authenticity. Never fear I am here to share my opinions of the half-dozen brands I have tested so far.

1) Sam Adams' Octoberfest - Hard to miss with its orange and blue label. Sam Adams is usually an very acceptable Octoberfest seasonal. You can often find it at our local pubs and restaurants on draft or in bottles. Never a disappointment unless tasted in direct comparison to other favored choices.

2) Schlafly's Oktoberfest - I had the good fortune to have this seasonal on draft at the Bottleworks in St. Louis a few weeks ago. It was as close to Octoberfest heaven as a poor Springfield boy can get without travelling more than 1.5 hours. Pubs and restaurants that regularly carry a Schlafly seasonal will likely have this now or very soon. At least one informed us they were waiting for their Schlafly Summer seasonal to tap out.

3) Capital Brewery's Oktoberfest - A very acceptable version of the style and, with Capital's prevalence around town in our local stores, it is a bit easier to obtain. It has not been my favorite but I definitely grab it again.

4) Bell's Octoberfest - This is good as is much of the Bell's lineup. I cannot decide whether I prefer this one over my last year's top choice: Flying Dog's Dogtoberfest.

5) Flying Dog's Dogtoberfest - This was my favorite Octoberfest from last year. It hasn't remained so this year although it is very good. It is on my second tier along with Bell's. I imagine its exposure in Springfield will be limited but I picked up my sixer at Friar Tucks and had a bottle at The Brewhaus.

6) Left Hand's Oktoberfest - Other than the draft Schlafly, this has been my favorite Octoberfest beer so far this season. It seems to have that right amount of malty flavor on the nose and the tongue with enough bitterness to wipe out any extra sweetness.

Maerzens are a great style that sadly is relegated to 'seasonal' status by most breweries. Ultimately that means, if you love it, like it or just lookin to try it, grab it now while you can. Order one up at your local restaurant or pub. Grab a six at our local shops and grocery stores. If you are a fan of the range of beer styles or are looking for something a little different and a little warmer for this coming autumn, you cannot go wrong with grabbing a Maerzen (Octoberfest).

Our local shops with weekly tastings that include a beer or two will likely be featuring an Octoberfest seasonal or one of the other harvest/autumn styles.

You could also swing on by Party House Liquors on October 2nd when they are having their Fall and Octoberfest Beer Tasting ($5). Bier und Brats! Sehr gut!

Update: I have tasted a few more of the US Microbrewed Oktoberfests.

7) Rogue's Maierfest - Sold in 22oz. bottles. I thought this was rather excellent and will likely consider it one of the tops in my tastings this fall. It was so good I had to grab a bottle to save for my wife who can enjoy it this Spring. Let's hope it keeps.

8) Boulevard's Bob's 47 - I missed seeing this seasonal in my last few trips to Tucks and only stumbled across it in the back of the cooler. Floyd's has/had it on tap and it was good but I actually found the bottled version to be a bit better. This is definitely a very solid Octoberfest and well worth picking up. Supporting Boulevard is an added touch since they have some pretty considerable penetration into Springfield's markets.

9) Three Floyd's Munster Fest - I had this at the Brewhaus and it was served in a 22oz bottle. This definitely stood apart in the Octoberfest lineup but not to my tastes. I find it hard to describe the diversion from the norm other than to say it seemed 'spiced'. Bad descirption, I know, and the beer was technically well done but I just was not fond of the taste.

10) Schmaltz Brewing's Coney Island Freaktoberfest - This came in a 22oz. bottle and was downright interesting. It pours 'blood' red and has a pink head. It looks odd but tastes good. It seemed a little more hopped than the traditional Octoberfests. I think the great taste will be overshadowed by the look of the beer but this would be one excellent brew for All Hallowed Eve.

11) Schell Brewing's Octoberfest - Another solid if uninspiring Octoberfest. This was near the bottom of my list but only because I stay away from the mass marketed (Leinenkugel) and import (Spaten) Octoberfests. August Schell produces a solid go-to brew that I'd definitely pick up more often if I didn't have a good crop to choose from.

I think I am petering out on Octoberfests as well as running short of season. Eleven different brews were tasted this year and I will likely call the Rogue Maierfest as my favorite but I'll likely grab more on Left Hand's offering if I can find it. Twelve ounce bottle for the Win!

Spontaneous Brew Days are the Best

2009-08-15T09:51:00.002-05:00

We're having a spontaneous brew day that came together at out the Prairie Schooners club meeting.

That's good as I really needed to get something together to take advantage of my Cascade hops. I don't have so many that I can manage more than one brew out of them so I plan on making an IPA on the lighter end of bitterness.

6 lbs light dry malt extract
.5 lbs of Crystal 60L (steeped)
.5 lbs of Crystal 120L (steeped)

1 oz of Cluster pellet hops (7.9% AA)@ boil (60 mins)
1 oz of Glacier pellet hops (6.0% AA) @ 15 mins

I'll ferment out for a week or so and then rack to a carboy and add in my Cascade harvest as a wet hop addition. I should have some aroma from the Glacier but hope to feature my fresh Cascade hops.

Normally I ferment out at 74F which is a little hot even if the yeast can handle it. I am moving this batch to my parent's basement which I hope is cooler. We'll see.

Reminder: Mead Day 2009!

2009-07-30T15:54:00.004-05:00

Just a friendly reminder that the homebrew club will be celebrating Mead Day 2009 at It's All About Wine on Wabash Avenue this Saturday, August 1st, from 12-5pm. We'll be making a few batches and answering any questions about mead-making that we can.

Our event coincidently times with It's All About Wine's normal Saturday wine tastings so drop on by and taste some wine and watch some mead-making.

Dern it all I AM a farmer

2009-07-30T15:41:00.004-05:00

Gardening is something I flirt with occasionally and really feel like I should just fling myself into headlong. Problem is that I am lazy at heart and I find it hard to maintain any level of reasonable human intervention. I am growing seven tomato plants for my wife and have already harvested a few this year. Tomatos are easy though and the fact that they are 10 feet from the back door helps remind me to water them.

I planted some Cascade hops from rhizomes a member of our club graciously donated to the group. I had the best intentions but time got away from me and I didn't quite plant them when I should've. They went in the ground at the end of May around the same time I planted some peas (again a new experience for me) along the back fence. I watered them all in the first weeks but when I discovered the peas were regularly being trimmed down by the rabbits I gave up on everything but the tomatoes (again so close and ever-present I could not help but feel guilty abandoning them).

I did check out my hop plants which dutifully albeit slowly rose from the ground and wound themselves up the fence. I'd aid them in winding if I saw them head astray and inconvenient to me but pretty much wrote them off for the year since they were so untended by myself. However I started to notice some flowers (cones) on one of the vines.

Pardon my poor phone camera pictures.

Now I'll tell you I am surprised at my own damn luck in the face of near absolute abandonment of my hop vines. Partial shade, only rain for water and some sort of aphid infestation may have laid my vines low, low, low but they are out there producing for me. Aiming to please with some Cascade goodness.

Now I will wait and duly create a Pale Ale to time with my cones and when the time comes I will wet hop it with everything I have. Damn you hop vines for making my day.

Mead Day 2009

2009-07-22T09:58:00.004-05:00

August 1st is Mead Day 2009 which is an event sponsored by the American Homebrew Association designed to celebrate and encourage the making of mead.

The Prairie Schooners have decided to organize an event at It's All About Wine to encourage both local homebrewers making mead and local producers of honey.

The event will coincide with It's All About Wine's normal Saturday wine tasting so drop on by to see meadmaking, talk mead and honey and sample some fine wine at the same time.

Good Taste Trumps Good Sense!

2009-07-15T09:40:00.003-05:00

A nice story on NPR's Marketplace about how the recession has not quite impacted craft brewers as they might have expected.

The audio and a text version can be had here:

marketplace.publicradio.org

It's a brief story but offers two alternative (but not necessarily competing) reasons:

1) If you were already able to afford premium craft beers then you are less likely to be impacted by the economy.

2) People are cutting back on larger expenses but countering with a desire or need to splurge in little ways.

Hard call. I tend to lean towards the first argument,

Miscellany

2009-07-06T15:01:00.004-05:00

Oh how my beer world has been impacted. I don't even think I've been to Friar Tuck for over a month and only at Brewhaus more recently due to guests from out-of-town. I have yet to bottle my beer from Brew Day in May. Part of the problem there is that I racked into a glass carboy for the first time and beer can last quite some time in there with little adverse impact. I did manage to create a label for it whenever I get 'round to bottling. Let's hope the beer is worthy.

I have mostly subsisted on Schlafly Pale Ale and Wolaver's Pale Ale which I personally find among the best of the Pales. They aren't too hoppy so I must supplement while out with DFH 60 or Boulevard Pale or SNPA where I can.

I did pick up one interesting beer in Capital Brewing's latest Summer seasonal. It is there Wild Rice lager. Capital's website states that the addition adds a fruity/nutty flavor to which I fully agree perhaps tending more towards nutty than fruity. It is an interesting variation even if you aren't wholly thrilled with lagers in general and definitely worth a try.

The Prairie Schooners Homebrew Club is still very active if slightly distracted by the vagaries of Summer. Elections are this Thursday and I believe I am a shoe-in for Vice-President. One year to make a difference and plan for the eventual untimely accident to befall Brian.

More beer history

2009-06-10T13:11:00.001-05:00

http://legendsofbeer.wordpress.com/2009/06/08/the-secret-history-of-beer/

This reads like an 8th grade history assay, but includes a few things I didn't know.

Dogfish Head does it again...

2009-06-09T14:29:00.001-05:00

http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=9000-year-old-brew-hitting-the-shel-2009-06-05&;

Not content with the Midas Touch, brewing madman Sam Calagione has three historic brews to enrich our lives!

News on the Beer Front

2009-05-09T14:05:00.003-05:00

While my personal consumption of beer has tapered a bit recently due to a calculating effort to lose some weight, there is still plenty of beer action to be had in Springfield. Predominantly my focus has been on my homebrewing efforts and the Prairie Schooners Homebrew Club.

Recently we held a group brew as a part the the National Big Brew which featured homebrew clubs around the nation brewing one of three styles as a celebration of American homebrewing. I brewed a Dark Mild Ale which happil bubbled away and is due to be racked to a secondary to settle for another week with, hopefully, bottling to follow next weeked.

My recipe was:

1/2 lb Chocolate malt steeped at 170 for 15 minutes
Brought to a boil for 60 minutes
1 oz of Kent Golding hops added for bittering at 60 minutes
4 lbs of Light Dry Malt Extract added at 15 minutes
Danstar Windsor yeast
This was fermented at 68 to 70 deg Farenheit

The dark mild will clock in at around 120 calories and after the debacle that my 3lb malt recipe became should hopefully be good. I have had a string of bad batches that I hope to chalk up to too high of fermentation temps. The Tornado Ale had a bubblegum nose and flavor whoch is not on my ideal list of Pale Ale flavors. The 3 lb Malt Ale is downright unpleasant and may have a host of issues in addition to fermeting in the 74 to 80 degree range. That little of malt also woudn't have been able to hide many off flavors so I was asking for trouble from the get-go. 'll keep trying it just to see if anything changes but I am not hopeful. Moving on is probably the best solution for me.

Next up on the beer agenda is: Prairie Schooners Homebrew Club meeting this Thursday at The Brewhaus.

I Am A Craft Brewer vid

2009-04-28T08:14:00.002-05:00

I Am A Craft Brewer from I Am A Craft Brewer on Vimeo.

The Homebrew Revolution spreads back to the Fatherland

2009-04-24T16:01:00.001-05:00

http://www.thelocal.de/society/20090423-18821.html

New Beer at Friar Tucks

2009-04-18T17:36:00.003-05:00

It is the invasion of Summer which essentially means it is the invasion of wheat brews.

The new brew at the Tuck this week is:

Southern Tier's Uber Sun, an Imperial Wheat. Summer is the time for the invasion of wheat. Brews aplenty that feature this grain from almost every brewer in many different configurations. Southern Tier themselves offer Hop Sun as their standard wheat but out now they have an Imperial Wheat which comes in at a hefty 8% alcohol. Sold in 22 ounce bombers, it packs quite a punch but share one with a friend as a sipper and it should be mighty fine while enjoying a nice sunset.

As an aside, it has been brought to our attention that a new shipment of the Rochefort 10 has arrived. Fresh beer is paramount to full enjoyment so if this one is on your favs list, pick it up.

Beer Wars Live!

2009-04-16T14:04:00.002-05:00

The Beer Wars Live event is tonight at Showplace West @ 7pm. It is a 2.25 hour documentary about the struggles of starting and running a craft brewery in todays market. There will be a live telecast discussion immediately following the event featuring some of the craft brewers featured.

Beer Wars Live!

The beers that were new this week at Friar Tuck

2009-04-14T10:18:00.005-05:00

This should have gone out sooner but I'll blame Easter and the emphasis on wine in Christianity for that.

Schlafly has decided to switch their Kolsch, which was their Summer seasonal, to a year-round beer. If you loved this former Summer seasonal, it is out now and will be out all year.

Schlafly's Raspberry Hefeweizen is now out. This is one of their Spring seasonals and should be very, very fresh. It is also very, very tasty if you happen to like wheat beers. This is one for lovers of Blue Moon and/or raspberries.

Toohey's New, a tropical light lager, has made its way to Springfield. It is according to Toohey's website an all-natural Lager made from Water, Cane Sugar, Malted Barley, Yeast and Hops. It's a light lager so it might be worth a try if you have a taste for those.

And as a last note of interest, a new supply of Westmalle Trippel has arrived at the Tuck. If you are already a fan or interested in trying it out, now would be the time to pick some up.

Odd Beer Flavors

2009-04-08T19:57:00.002-05:00

I am sorely tempted to make the brew for dogs!

http://www.thesharkguys.com/2009/04/08/top-10-weirdest-beers/

Craft beer and losing weight

2009-04-08T09:30:00.002-05:00

I weigh too much. It's not news to me but I weigh about ten pounds heavier than I expected and significantly more than I really should. My usual reaction is to consume less of what am already consuming. The simple hacker's guide to dieting. It works for me.

This will be the first time I have ever thought to factor in beer though. I enjoy learning about, trying out and making my own beer. It has, sort of, become my thing. However that extra consumption of calories have taken its toll and it is time to arrest the rate increase and reverse some of my gains. I don't want to give up good beer though so I decided to do some research to help myself out.

I enjoy beer when I am out to dinner and on the rare occasions I am at a pub or bar. This site will help me to get a general sense of what I am consuming:

Real Beer's Calorie, Carbs and Alcohol

It is neither comprehensive nor perfect but it will allow me to get a generalized sense of what I am drinking. Further investigations may get me specifics but the general knowledge I came away with was:
General full-flavored beer ales and lagers alike tended to come in at around 200 calories.
Most were less but if I budget 200 calories per beer then I can keep an easy mental note. It also builds in a general leeway in my daily calorie count to accomodate for overruns. Bigger beers cause bigger hits, so if you enjoy Double, triple or Imperial anything, expect to budget accordingly.

Homebrewed beer though is not calculated on any lists and most homebrewers probably are not in a position to have their product tested. There are a multitude of calculators out there that can help a concerned brewer out.

The first calculator is a standard recipe calculator. A brewer simply inputs their materials list and the calculator will output standard info about their beer such as: original gravity (OG), final gravity (FG), bitterness in IBUs, coloring in SRM and alcohol content.

Tastybrew's Recipe Calculator

The second calculator will help a brewer calculate calories and carbs simply by inputting the original gravity (OG) and final gravity (FG). A brewer really should be determining their original and final gravities but it is sometimes easy to forget. The recipe calculator can help you estimate the original and final assuming you know the attenuation of your yeast.

Mr. Goodbear's Calorie Calculator

I'll give you an example for comparison:

I often make a 'Pale/Amber' out of 6 lbs of Light Dry Malt Extract and steep with 1 lb of Crystal 60L. That is my base extract recipe and I manipulate hops to obtain different tastes. The recipe calculator indicates an OG of 1.056 and an estimated FG of 1.014. My measured was about 1.015 so it was fairly close.

Mr. Goodbeer calculated 185.5 calories and 19.9 carbs. That places it squarely in the realm of commercial full-favored beers.

For my own purposes, I will start cutting down on my dry malt extract. I have made one pale ale before that used only 3 lbs of Light Dry Malt extract and steeped with 1 lb of Crystal 60L. It turned out very well and did not lack for flavor.

Mr. Goodbeer estimates this to be 95.3 calories assuming an OG of 1.029 and a FG of 1.007. We'll see how those numbers actually pan out.

The point of all of this is that monitoring your weight does not mean you have to sacrifice full flavored beers or homebrews. Budget for taste and you will succeed.

Prairie Schooners Homebrew Club meeting on Thursday

2009-04-08T09:19:00.003-05:00

The next meeting of the Prairie Schooners Homebrew Club is Thursday, April 9th @ 7pm. The meeting will be held at The Brewhaus. Please join us for homebrew sampling and discussion.

A call for a National Beer Day in the UK

2009-04-07T11:35:00.003-05:00

http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/other/display.var.2500269.0.MPs_and_TV_stars_call_for_national_beer_day.php

New beers this week:

2009-04-03T09:36:00.005-05:00

I'd like to make a regular feature that is of interest to me and, hopefully, of interest to you.

New beer releases for Springfield

At Friar Tuck:

Bell's Oberon - An American wheat ale brewed with Saaz hops. This is their Summer seasonal. I think this will be one of their most awaited seasonal releases since returning to Illinois.

Dark Horse Brewery's Double Crooked Tree IPA - Their IPA recipe except doubled. It's a big beer clocking in at 13.6% abv. I imagine the hop taste will kick in the nethers and take your lunch money too. it is however the perfect type to share in snifters on a cool night.

Founder's Cerise - A cherry fermented ale. According to the Beer Spot news, this recipe has been tweaked over some time while being on tap but is now being released as a possible replacement for Rubaeus, their raspberry ale. Of course, if you can find both cerise and rubaeus, perform a taste test and let us know which you prefer.

Tornado Ale

2009-04-01T18:39:00.002-05:00

The crew got together on March 8th to brew a couple of batches. It wasn't only for our group to get back on the wagon and semi-regular brewing but it was also to invite Dan Naumovich along to observe. As you may remember that was the day a weather system hit. I had part of my roof fold up but brewing was more important so fixing it had to wait. My brew was a pale/amber ale that I threw together using mostly Cascade hops (a general homebrew fav). On the spot, I decided to call it Tornado Ale (Later I decided on Notus Ale. Notus is the Greek god of the Southern wind). It went to press as Tornado Ale so Tornado Ale it will be. Justin and I plus my neighbor got together to bottle it this past Sunday. We consider it ready to drink two weeks after bottling.

However I cracked on open tonight both out of curiosity and out of notoriety. I highly doubt it had time to consume all its new sugars but it was carbonated and had about a fingers worth of head which is normal for the type of glassware I use. Here is my thoughts on the Tornado Ale.

It pours easily with a nice amber color. The head is a few shades off white and resulted in about a fingers worth of foam after the pour. It dissipated in nice fashion leaving a thin lace across the surface.

The nose held hints of bubblegum which is usually due to high fermentation temperatures leading to a higher amount of esters in the beer. There might be a hint of banana too but I could be imagining that. I don't smell enough of the citrusy Cascades in there but they may have blended well with the other sweet scents.

Taste is near the solid middle of malt v. hops perhaps leaning towards maltiness with a slight to moderate bubblegum and sweet flavor. Now I hope that the priming sugars have not all been consumed and that time will reduce the sugar somewhat. I fermented at my house which lacks a cellar and my fermentation closet is normally around 74 degrees. I imagine the taste might have been different a cellar temperatures, between 55 to 65 degrees.

Overall I consider it to taste slightly Belgian-y. I really hope that mellows out and it might considering I popped one open after 3 days of bottle conditioning and at room temp. If not, it isn't a real loss since the wife says she loves it and Justin is fond of that Belgian crap.

I'll open another this Sunday and then bring around six to the next homebrew meeting on April 9th. Show up if you want to try it then. I'll definitely save another six for the Big Brew on May 2nd but that may be the end of it.

Off Topic

2009-04-01T15:42:00.001-05:00

I know this has nothing to do with beer, but I was just searching the web and no one seems to be noting that today is the 5th anniversary of the spectacularly ill-timed announcement that Gateway Computers was closing all of its Gateway Country Stores.

I worked there for 4 years and ended up running several service centers. We made our mistakes and made a lot of people mad. On the balance, however, I think we made a lot more people happy (or at least a little bit less afraid of technology.) Also, I was lucky enough to make some great friends, meet some great people, and have some great times.

So I give you a comments section to post your memories/grudges and lift a beer (I would suggest a Milk Stout) for the spotted lady. L'chaim

Improvement on the Corner

2009-03-30T17:07:00.002-05:00

Took a trip to Corner Pub last night and was pleasantly surprised the beer offering had greatly improved. On the table was a small card listing 'March Beers of the Month' which featured seven unlikely craft beers to choose from.

The new beers:

Bell's Amber
Bell's Best Brown
Bell's Two-Hearted IPA

Rogue Dead Guy
Rogue Mocha Porter

Lefthand Polestar Pilsener

Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA

I don't know who we have to thank for this blessing but the responsible party has our gratitude. These are excellent beers, all of them, and cover quite a range for beer lovers. (Those whose tastes currently hover with Bud, Miller or Coors might start with the Lefthande Polestar Pilsener.

I just wonder if there will be new beers each month given the 'beers of the month' title. Either way I am a happy camper.

Beer Wars Live! April 16th.

2009-03-27T10:33:00.003-05:00

Beer Wars is a new movie that looks to highlight the struggles of American microbreweries. Here is a synopsis from their web page.

In America, size matters. The bigger you are, the more power you have, especially in the business world.

Director Anat Baron takes you on a no holds barred exploration of the U.S. beer industry that ultimately reveals the truth behind the label of your favorite beer. Told from an insider’s perspective, the film goes behind the scenes of the daily battles and all out wars that dominate one of America’s favorite industries.

Beer Wars begins as the corporate behemoths are being challenged by small, independent brewers who are shunning the status quo and creating innovative new beers. The story is told through 2 of these entrepreneurs - Sam and Rhonda - battling the might and tactics of Corporate America. We witness their struggle to achieve their American Dream in an industry dominated by powerful corporations unwilling to cede an inch.

This contemporary David and Goliath story is ultimately about keeping your integrity (and your family’s home) in the face of temptation. Beer Wars is a revealing and entertaining journey that provides unexpected and surprising turns and promises to change the world’s opinion on those infamous 99 bottles of beer on the wall.

The Beer Wars Live event will feature a screening of the movie plus a live discussion event, broadcast immediately following, of Ben Stein and leading American brewers. In Springfield, this will be hosted at Showplace 12 on Wabash.

More information on the live event and tickets can be found here: Fathom Events

Movie information can be found here: Beer Wars

It should be an interesting iinsight into the industry for beer enthusiasts.

Prairie Schooners Homebrew Club website

2009-03-26T09:59:00.002-05:00

Welcome readers!

If you have an interest in finding out more about the Prairie Schooners Homebrew Club, please direct your browsers to our club site.

prairie-schooners.ning.com

Our main page is open to public viewing but, if you wish to participate,feel free to sign up and apply for membership.

Meetings are open to newcomers and you need not feel like you must request permission to show up. Just bring some enthusiasm and a friendly attitude.

Guiness Myths

2009-03-17T17:22:00.001-05:00

A quick run down of Guiness Myths for those wearin' the green today!

http://www.asylum.com/2009/03/17/is-it-good-for-you-debunking-10-myths-about-guinness-stout/

2nd Homebrew Club meeting

2009-03-06T10:34:00.003-06:00

I reviewed our first meeting and I gave us an 'excellent' and 'not creepy' rating. That, in and of itself, should entice you to come to our next meeting. Did I mention it is at The Brewhaus? Swing by, have some good commercial beers, have some good homebrews. Learn how easy it is to homebrew and how easy it is to produce some quality beer. Did I mention how easy it is? It is.

But it is a hobby that can and will grow with your own knowledge of making beer. You may wish to invest your time in learning such exciting topics as pH control, yeast propagation, neutron star emissions (oops, wrong hobby). You don't have to have a degree in chemistry or microbiology but at the upper echelons of homebrewing it helps. Did I mention how easy it is though?

Some people think it might even save you money. The Simple Dollar had a nice rundown on startup costs compared to purchasing commercial microbrews. Once you get into a regular brew schedule, you will save money brewing your own beer.

Soon you too will dream and scheme on how you might open your own brew pub in an old abandoned ice house near 9th street.

Next meeting! March 12th @ 7:00 pm. The Brewhaus.

Ow! It's the Brickhouse. Mighty-mighty?

2009-02-28T16:24:00.003-06:00

So this past Thursday, Diatribe, the wife and I went to try out the Brickhouse because Anonymous Communist beat me there and enticed me with mention of Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale on tap. We were excited to see what beery wonders this new pub, strategically placed near the Corner Pub, had in store for us.

The Brickhouse: Excellent

On tap:

Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale (mighty mighty fine)
Boulevard Wheat (a good choice if you like wheats)
Woodchuck Cider (important to mi esposa who likes ciders more than me)

and, in case, you like such things, all on tap:

Bud Light
Coors Light
Stella Artois
Bass
Newcastle
Guiness
Blue Moon

For 'crafty beers' in the bottle:

Goose Island 312 (nice to have but no honkers?)
Boulevard Pale Ale (If they didn't have SNPA on tap, I'd be drinking this)
New Belgium Fat Tire
New Belgium Mothership Wit
Spoetzels Shiner Bock (what ale drinkers drink when they're not drinking ales)
Sam Adams Boston Lager (used to be the go to beer in Spfld for craft fans)
Sam Adams Light (better than most lights)

They have a full complement of other domestics and imports in the bottle many of which you normally find in your local eateries since they are owned by the big boy conglomerates.

The Brickhouse rates an excellent but I wasn't all that thrilled through no real fault on their part. Their beer selection which rates well by my own arbitrary standards as excellent is starting to become standard fare in Springfield's newer restaurants. In theory, this should be fantastic for the beer drinkers of Springfield. It is and I should leave it at that.

Springfield is in for exciting beer times, I think. The Brewhaus, a constant favorite, and Floyd's Thirst Parlor, whom I have often underestimated, are now joined by Bar None, hereafter called Bar Noonie which is repeated orally several times with slight variations on the pronunciation of 'noo' and 'nee'.

Brewhaus always has fantastic choices, especially in obscure bottle offerings, Floyd's is carrying Three Floyd's Pride and Joy on tap and Bar Noonie has both Bell's Amber and Dogfish Head's 90 minute on tap. With exciting new pushes in our bars like these, I am hoping for some spillover to high-end cuisine and pub restaurants. Apparently I am becoming spoiled.

There ya go! One new restaurant review with some bar mentions. Drink up

The Brickhouse: Excellent

Next Homebrew Club meeting

2009-02-25T19:42:00.004-06:00

The next meeting of the Prairie Schooners, Springfield's homebrew club, is 7:00 pm, Thursday, March 12th @ The Brewhaus.

The first meeting had 15+ interested parties. That is more than a baker's dozen, yo.

It was nice to sit about and talk shop and taste brews (both home and commercial) for a few hours. There were some old hands and some shiny new and new future brewers. Beer is sampled by all so, if you've had an interest in trying a homebrew to see how good one can taste, swing on by on March 12th and find out a little more about the wonderful world of homebrewing.

A brief history of Homebrewing

2009-02-24T16:05:00.000-06:00

http://www.reason.com/news/show/131411.html
Not bad if taken as a history of homebrewing. Bein that this is from Reason Magazine, the author tries to make this history into some sort of treatise on the evils of government regulation in any form. I think the banning of homebrew was more a function of inertia, knee-jerk moralizing, and the fact that only the 'working classes' liked beer (as opposed to upper-class wine) than anything else. The argument about 'bootleggers' is patently false. Any fermentable sugar can be distilled, not just malt (e.g. rum and tequila).

Sammy's Latest Newsletter

2009-02-23T21:19:00.004-06:00

Here is a link to Sam Adams latest newsletter. They are running their annual Longshot American Homebrew contest. Somehow our Red Cobbler 'oh crap, it boiled over, throw in more hops!' brewing method wouldn't cut the mustard, but we can always dream!

http://samueladams.com/promotions/newsletter/2009_v.2/index2.html

Brutally Honest Beer Labels

2009-02-13T17:59:00.000-06:00

I can't say I knew that about Newcastle...but ya gotsa love the rest

http://www.sloshspot.com/blog/02-13-2009/Brutally-Honest-Beer-Labels-119

In honor of Darwin's birthday ...

2009-02-13T13:19:00.001-06:00

I bring you a short story with much promise. The yeast genome has been cracked. Paving the way for the superbeers of tomorrow!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090211/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_yeast_genes

One Week til Homebrew Club!

2009-02-12T17:02:00.003-06:00

First Rule of Homebrew Club is 'You Talk About Homebrew Club'.

Obligatory Fight Club reference out of the way, I can now get back to the topic at hand. Once again I am here to gently remind you and generate interest in, the resurrected, reformulated and recombobulated Prairie Schooners, Springfield's own homebrew club.

When: Thursday, February 19th, 7:00 pm
Where: The Brewhaus
Who: All homebrewers past, present and future

To quote a line from Poltergeist, 'All are welcome. All welcome, Go into the light'*.

*= The slight difference in that we are not creepy old dudes (most of us) and 'the light' equals the Brewhaus.

Boulevard Irish Ale in the Wild

2009-02-09T08:04:00.003-06:00

I went to The Barrelhead over the weekend and was pleased to find Boulevard's Irish Ale on tap. I loved this seasonal last year and appear to love it just as much this year.

For the unitiated, Irish Red Ales tend to be a seasonal released in early Spring.

The style is decribed as follows: "Irish red ale, red ale, or Irish ale gains its slightly reddish colour from the use of a small amount of roasted barley. The term red ale or red beer is used by brewers in countries other than Ireland; however, the name Irish Red is typically used when roasted material is used."(Wikipedia)

My secret suspicion is that they are timed to coincide with St. Pat's day where the gen. pop. is more likely to engage in Irish pursuits. I believe it is a conspiracy since Irish Reds are good year-round.

So, if you have been waiting for the style to show up, head on down to The Barrelhead or any other venue carrying the style and drink it up.

Caveat: Some brewers put out an 'Irish Red' which is not an Irish Red Ale but is instead a lager which is a poor substitute in my opinion. If you like the common Irish Red then give a true Irish Red Ale a try and see how it compares for you.

Homebrew Club Meeting!

2009-02-09T07:46:00.003-06:00

The Prairie Schooners(reformed) are having their first meeting Thursday, February 19. The meeting will be at The Brewhaus @ 7pm. Past, present and future homebrewers are encouraged to come and share homebrew, swap stories and knowledge, and enjoy the general camraderie that exists between all zymurgists and brewers.

Belated praises to KB and Charles & Limeys

2009-01-24T14:48:00.003-06:00

This is the post where I belatedly, but with no less enthusiasm, get around to praising the beer and dish pairings held nearly a fortnight ago at Charles and Limeys. Kudos to KB for his fine selection of beer. My favorite of the evening was the Fort Collins Chocolate Stout. My most surprising taste was the Kasteel Rouge. I was fondly shocked to note I enjoyed the beer when I was surely dead set against any brew made with cherries as a part.

For those of you unfortuante enough to miss out on this, hopefully, first of many experiences, allow me to recap in some small way:

Open to Charles and Limeys lounge wherein a spread of appetizers featuring cheeses, meats, hummus and pita crakers was accompanied by small talk and Three Floyd's Pride and Joy. The beer: light and hoppy, the conversation: pleasant.

Segue to the dining room where the opening course, for myself, consisted of a cheese soup made with beer. The accompaniment: Erdinger's Hefeweizen. The soup was excellent with a slight bitter taste on the back end. The beer was a pleasant wheat with solid German backing without all the crazy Belgian yeastiness. (Nyah nyah, Belgianites!)

The main course was a choice of roast beef with yorkshire pudding and mixed vegetables or battered cod and chips. The paired brew was Two Brothers Heavy Handed IPA. The food was tasty albeit not spectacular. (Admittedly we have been spoiled by their steaks and ostrich offerings). The Two Brothers is a good, if slightly less hoppy than a standard, IPA. Our table personally would have swapped this pairing with, perhaps, the Erdinger opting for something less overwhelming in beverage so as to more fully enjoy the entree. An alternative of a nice American Amber or English bitter was also suggested during this course.

Dessert, of which I am usually a pass, was freaking awesome. A trio of chocolatey delights was presented to each participant: a chocolate sin cake, a chocolate stout pudding and the chocolate pyramid. They were all very, very good but the pyramid, based off the classical Egyptian style as opposed to any Meso-American variety, was out of sight. These tasties however were paired with beers to rival their flavors: Fort Collins Double Chocolate Stout and Kasteel's Rouge. The stout had a plesantly strong chocolate flavored the combined well with the chocolate desserts and the Kasteel had a light style with very present cherry taste providing a well needed complement to all the chocolate.

As the meal wound down and time crept closer towards parting, we topped the evening off with a sampling of a bourbon barrel stout. This is a style that is creeping well into its own wherein a strong stout is aged in former bourbon barrels imparting that smokey whiskey goodness I have never been able to get my head around. Needless to say, a beer that can withstand aging in a bourbon barrel needs itself be quite strong and that throaty alcoholic burn completes the style marking it as Bourbon's close relative in spirit at least.

Once again, kudos to Kevin for the beer choices and Peter for the chef pairings and Charles and Limeys for the venue and everyone who came for supporting the beer culture of Springfield. KB deserves our support for this and future endeavors.

Blast at Abita Brewery

2009-01-14T13:56:00.000-06:00

http://www.wdsu.com/news/18471162/detail.html

Luckily it looks like it was just one vat that overpressurized during cleaning, and no one was hurt. Abita make a very high quality amber along with its signature Turbodog (among others). Based out of Louisiana, its beers flow freely and abundantly on Bourbon Street. That's where I first encountered the Amber. I believe I drunkenly texted Gish as to its quality ("this is bleeping good stuff!!")
I hope they get back and running quickly. I know their brew is available on tap at Buffalo Wild Wings and I want to say Barrelhead, or pick up a 6'er, you won't be disappointed.

The High Life

2009-01-08T08:11:00.002-06:00

Springfield will be having, by all rights, what appears to be a very tasty event this Sunday, January 11th. (Hat tip to KB)

Mrs. Glatz, writing for the Illinois Times, has a very nice article on the upcoming event. Diatribe and I are both familiar with her good works and fine sensibility of wonderful tastes. She knows of what she writes.

illinoistimes.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A9308

KB spilled the beans on the brews in the comments so I am going to reproduce it here:

Three Floyds Pride & Joy - A mild ale out of Munster, IN.
Erdinger Hefe - A wheat from Erding, Germany.
Two Brothers Heavy Handed - An india pale ale out of Warrenville, IL.
Fort Collins Chocolate Stout - Reverse engineer that name. It is from Colorado.
Kasteel Rouge - A cherry quadrupel from Castle Brewery in Van Honsebrouck, Belgium.
Walter Payton's Roundhouse Bourbon Barrel Stout - Another obvious name. Walter Payton's Roundhouse can be found in Aurora,IL.

That list makes me feel like Flying Pig* wanting to say 'Wow. What a line up.'

Sounds like a good time and having been to Charles & Limeys, I imagine the food will be quite nice as well. So call to make reservations for this excellent event because we will only have quality beer events if we support them.

* = Kids in the Hall sketch

Ross Isaac

2009-01-03T20:53:00.002-06:00

The nice thing about going to Ross Isaac without a reservation on a Saturday night is that the bar is an awfully pleasant place to wait. For the uninitiated, Ross Isaac is the restaurant that replaced the old New England Lobster House on MacArthur Blvd next to Baskin Robbins. It is an upscale chef-driven restaurant which tends to have quite a lot of foods you have had in formats you might not have. I am guessing they call it 'contemporary cuisine' but I don't really understand the term well enough. It might be generalized to be similar to Pao, Jimmy Ohs and Indigo and I do mean generalized. I do not cut any of these restaurants any slack when it comes to having a quality beer selection. They invariably have a quality wine cellar but some half-ass it when it comes to beer. It stems from this lack of a Springfield beer culture.

I am happy to say Ross Isaac passes muster and I rate them well:

Ross Isaac: Excellent

Ross Isaac covers the breadth well with your typical mass market beers as well as imports like Becks, Becks Dark and Negra Modelo. However they have a perfectly suitable complement of American craft brewers (plus a more uncommon choice) starting off with one of my favorites.

Rogue Dead Guy (12 oz as opposed to the bombers [22 oz.] some others carry)
Boulevard Pale Ale (Boulevard, the Kansas City brewer. Their pale is akin to an SNPA)
Boulevard Stout (A quality stout for your fuller flavored beef and/or spicy dishes)
Boulevard Wheat (I have trouble telling the diff between wheats. Someone else should)
Arcadia Nut Brown Ale (Arcadia from Battle Creek, MI. Like, no one else carries it.)
Arcadia India Pale Ale (In lieu of the Whitsun, I believe, the barkeep said.)

These craft brew choices really fill in the basic set of the Ales every restaurant should carry. One choice each of: Pale Ale, Stout, Wheat Ale, India Pale Ale and a Brown Ale. This paired with their mass market and import lagers really provides choice for all. So, once again, Good selection, Ross Isaac and owner.

Ross Isaac: Excellent

Drinking Regionally

2009-01-03T11:59:00.003-06:00

Drinking Regionally is a mantra I have tried to live by. It is the mantra that really got me started down the path of loving craft beer. Though it didn't actually start with beer for me. It started with wine when I decided (liking sweeter wines) that I'd much rather support my Illinois wineries (Alto Vineyards and its kin) by buying their quality locally produced wines over imported Muscats, Rieslings and their analogs. The Illinois State Fair provided a useful venue in its tasting tent where I could try before buying and determine my needs fairly easily.

I realized that liking beer as much as I did that I could do the same with it. Why stick with mass-marketed beers like Michelob Amber Bock or imports like Smithwicks, Bass and Harp? Certainly some suitable Illinois brewery was produucing beers in-state that I could enjoy just as well. Some simple searching had me purchase one of my first regional beers:

Goose Island Honkers Ale

Goose Island describes Honkers Ale as 'a smooth, drinkable English Bitter for those looking for more from their beer'. I really found this to be true when compared to the Bass & Harp I had been drinking. What I had been missing was 'more', just more of everything: malt, hops, taste and body.

Honkers Ale and Goose Island provided me a taste of the better life and I will always appreciate them for that. Goose Island does a more than acceptable job with its beers and its close proximity to Springfield and partial ownership under Anheuser-Busch has helped to ensure Honkers Ale, 312 Wheat and its IPA are often availale at your local eateries and drinkeries.

I have mostly moved on to more favored Pales, IPAs and, if i am in the mood, Wheats. I do however to pick up Goose Islands seasonals and am very happy with the knowledge that Honkers is a taste I like and can find often.

If you haven't tried a Honkers out in the wild but can enjoy a Pale Ale then I suggest you pick one up. If you like a Blue Moon or Shock Top Wheat then give 312 a try. It is quite good even with the abominable fruit garnish. If you have a bit more breadth of taste or sense of adventure then their Winter seasonal Mild Winter Ale is quite good and their Kilgubbin Irish Ale which is due soon is quite tasty.

Just remember Goose Island is an Illinois brewery and is worth a try to see what your fellow citizen produces. Goose Island isn't your only option either. Two Brothers and Walter Paytons Roundhouse also have beer available in Springfield for purchase.

Updates to Organic Beers

2009-01-03T11:22:00.004-06:00

Since I was just at Tuck on New Year's Day, I thought I'd update their organic choices since I discovered they had far more than I remembered.

I am not going to be able to list all the one-offs by the various breweries but I believe from here on out we'll find them more numerous as a number of smaller breweries will begin to put out one or more certified organic brews. On those coat-tails, you will also begin to see the big boys put out a few organics from their lineup to cater to the growing demographic. Expect the Michelob Organic Stone Mill Pale Ale to be around sooner rather than later. SABMiller and MolsonCoors won't be too far behind.

Eel River Brewing Company

Eel River Brewing Company's website describes themselves as the first certified organic brewery in America. They brew out of Humboldt, California which makes me say 'No wonder'. I mean we all rightly or wrongly associate California with all sorts of weird non-Midwestern values like organic foods, not destroying the planet and retreats with New Age demagogues. However California has brought us some wonderful beer inventions like Microbreweries, Imperial IPAs and over-hopping beers until our eyes bleed. It just makes so much sense that they'd have America's first certified organic brewery.

Butte Creek Brewing Company

Butte Creek Brewing is another brewery out of California producing organic beers. They are located in Chico which you might know as the home of Sierra Nevada which is a mighty brewer in its own right. Butte Creek was founded in 1996 but appears to have been purchased in 2005 or so by a group called Golden West Brewing. They are apparently looking a producing a pilsner under the moniker of Blue Marble Brewing designed to appeal to a broader market which is odd since they already produce a pilsner under the Butte Creek brand.

Anyway both of these breweries have offerings at Friar Tucks and possibly other shops locally.

The year in beer

2009-01-02T21:45:00.002-06:00

http://www.idahostatesman.com/entertainment/story/619486.html

Very short article, but one thing in this article chaps my hide... Boise, Idaho has 4 brew pubs and a homebrew competition. We got squat. I thought I couldn't be more ashames to be from Illinois! (/jk...kind of)

Organics and their beer

2008-12-27T09:41:00.004-06:00

I have never intentionally dallied into organic foods. Call it apathy or laziness and you'd probably be correct. I haven't ever concerned myself with pesticides and preservatives even though I know I should. It might be important to me since I do have a watershed feeding my water supply that drains quite a bit of farmland.

The only aspect of organic (if it is indeed to be included)that I do actively participate would be free-range meats and eggs. I love to eat meat. I am not ashamed of that fact but I do feel empathetic for animals. I do pony up some extra money to buy animal products that are produced from animals that lived a fairly normal life up until we killed them. Sadly that is currently limited to free-range eggs and chicken and free-range hamburger. I should frequent a place like the James Family Farm in Sherman. I don't yet. It's that apathy and laziness again.

But you didn't come here to listen to me whine about why I can't get into organic foods. You came here to listen to me talk about beer. So here is what I am talkin bout:

Organic Beer!

Your choices if you are truly into organic products can be limited but not when it comes to beer. There are truly some quite worthwhile organic beers to be had that really don't taste any different than other craft beers of the same style. That is unless you include the smug satisfactory taste of making the Earth a better place one beer at a time.

You can find some these beers at your local beverage emporiums. I'll reference Friar Tuck's since I am well acquainted with it but try Famous Liquors and/or Party House and if they do not carry organic beers then request them (The caveat being that if you do request them then make sure you become a regular buyer or they will drop them if there is no interest).

Our first beer is: New Belgium's Mothership Wit

This New Belgium's first organic beer and is good if you like wheat beers. It was nigh omnipresent with the Fat Tire and 1554 for a period of time at some of the better-rounded restaurants but I think it has been dropped at some. I do not believe this will be the only organic from New Belgium for long. The brewery itself is doing some interesting things with sustainability at their own facilities. It might be worth drinking their products to support those efforts even if it is one of their non-organic offerings.

The second option (of which I believe some is available at the Tuck) is Otter Creek Brewery's sub-brand Wolaver's. Otter Creek is a brewery in Vermont and, after it was bought by the Wolaver family, it began producing beer that was certified as organic. Their three year-round beers are a Pale Ale, an India Pale Ale and a Brown Ale.

Ther ya go. If you are interested in oragnic foods and were lamenting the fact that you had no beer choices, you can now find several interesting options at your local stores. It is up to you now. Organics don't survive without being proven viable. Buy these beers, request them at stores and restaurants. Share them with friends. Do or Do Not, There is No Try.

Yeast-ridden beer and Da Bomb!

2008-12-24T18:38:00.003-06:00

Beer is created through the action of yeast upon the sugars contained within the malt. This yeast while alive and in an environment where it can survive will process its food. If you have ever had a beer where the yeast has not been filtered out may have experienced the results: gas.

Hazed and Infused, an unfiltered dry-hopped IPA by Boulder Beer Co., which is tasty most, is one such beer. Thank you BFS. You enabled me to sicken my wife on our morning commute after merely having one beer the night before.

Beer = the new wine

2008-12-19T16:10:00.001-06:00

According to some dude who contradicts himself in the next bullet point, but I'l take it.

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Bistro-Barbecue-Beer-Top-List/story.aspx?guid={55D4CCA1-0109-4476-B2D4-48D2E20BDCA3}

Also, be sure to catch Discovery's 'How Stuff Works' beer special over the weekend! It aired last night so I'm sure they'll repeat it a few dozen times this weekend. They spent some time at the Dogfish Head Brewery (or as I call it, Heaven)

Oh yeah, the link . . .

2008-12-04T18:33:00.002-06:00

http://www.sloshspot.com/blog/11-19-2008/Around-the-World-in-116-Beers-80

Rookie mistake!

Diatribe

Hello all!

2008-12-04T18:08:00.002-06:00

I'd like to thank Gish for the glowing introduction! I'd like to second his mourning at the passing of the Grape and Grain. I was college roommates with the original owner's son and got to know Jon Walz very well over the years. Sadly he passed away last year. He was a very good man and is sorely missed. However, we can keep some of his spirit live by maintaining the spirit of quality brewmaking here in Springfield!

On a lighter note, I have come acrossed a list some enterprising blogger put together showing the most popular, domestically produced beers around the world. As many in the comments section of the page noted, this not a list of the BEST beer in that country, meerly the most popular. You will notice a distinct pilzer/horse urine trend to the list.

I have tried a few on the list besides those widely available in the states. Kronenburg 1664 is a decent light lager, Baltica kind of sucks. Particluar shout out to the people of Sri Lanka for liking Lion Stout! I have a sneaking suspicion that it is the most popular beer made there because it is the only beer made there. Nevertheless, it is one of the finest beers made in the world. Also, poor Eritrea. I'm thinking a decade's long civil war and grinding poverty leads to the top beer in you country being made in someone's basement.

I'd like to invite the commenters, how many of these have you tried? What do you think SHOULD be at the top a nations list?

Budweiser, we can do better America!

Diatribe

A Diatribe for the Common man

2008-12-01T19:06:00.002-06:00

Soon, my poppets, you will be introduced to Red of Red Cobblers Brewery. The Yin to my Yang. The Up to my Down. The Black to my White. (Technically for those of you who see color. We are both white.)

He will post whatever he sees fit and beery because together we might just be prolific enough to keep your attention.

Welcome the Biumvirate!

Anon's rage-a-torium: post here

2008-11-28T18:54:00.003-06:00

Anon-

You are actually dumb enough to post a threat of bodily harm on a blog directed at me and my wife. Are you really that stupid? Do you realize the legal ramifications that type of post has, especially if you followed through on your threat?

I'll admit I am intrigued to find out if you are a total moron or just too angry or too dry a humorist. So here goes.

You are an ass. Ass. Ass. Ass.

Post a comment with your email and I'll get in touch if you think you can really follow through on your threat.

Ass.

In 2009 came the Reformation

2008-11-21T12:06:00.002-06:00

Recently one commenter made mention of an idea to ressurect the 'Prairie Schooners' which was Springfield's very own homebrew club. I cannot tell everyone how excited I am about this prospect. Homebrewing solo or with a group is a pretty rewarding experience but at some point your monkey sphere limits the extent you can disseminate your brews and share the experiences of homebrewing.

Bonus link: What is a Monkey Sphere? http://www.cracked.com/article_14990_what-monkeysphere.html

My particular speculation on the death of the Prairie Schooner's is linked to the demise of the Grape nad Grain which was Springfield's only true homebrew/winemaking supply store. These shops offer something besides specialized and hard-to-find materiel. They provide camraderie and someone to discuss your passion with. We have other venues: Tuck and online vendors but it just isn't the same.

Since this economic climate may not facilitate the opening of a venture so narrowly defined as a homebrew shop then a suitable and enjoyable substitute is the homebrew club. If this gets off the ground and running then I hope some of you brewers out there and some of you wannabes will give it a whirl.

I'll definitely post information as it becomes available to me and, to the ressurectionists, I am willing to help. Just let me know how.

Little Red Cobblers and the Lincoln Land Lagers

2008-11-12T16:48:00.005-06:00

My personal homebrewery is named Red Cobblers which I fictitiously created and branded with my buddy when we started homebrewing in August of 2007. The derivation of name is from losse translations of our last names and just seemed to be catchy. My blog title is an extension of my branding and the naked shoemaker elves. I even made shirts for us, the owners, to wear around town so if you see a couple of WOOBs (white old obese males) in this logo then you have correctly identified the blog owner or his close associate.

I will say homebrewing is a very satisfying hobby if you love beer. If you don't love beer then I am not sure why you'd really want to engage in the practice. It can be time consuming and cleaning, sanitizing, brewing, the wait and bottling are really hard to get through without a beer in your hand. To share in the burden and create more variety at once, my homebrewery has formed a cooperative with other homebreweries: Skillet Brewing and others.

We title ourselves The Lincolnland Lagers. I thought it was a great title because I attended LLCC and it was way too obtuse for non-locals to get. In retrospect, it was dumb because we, as a group, don't lager anything. I just don't want to give anyone the wrong impression. If you brew with our crew then you are makin ale, son. I did, too late, decide we could call ourselves the Lincoln Alesplitters but we are based in Springfield and I already made our group and logo so boo to me.

Anyway, last Saturday was teach a friend to homebrew and I completed that task last year and I now brew with all my real beer-drinking friends so this is my simple effort to encourage homebrewing.

Please start homebrewing. It is fun. It is worthwhile. You will make mistakes but your beer will be some of the best beer you've ever had. It is just like how much you love your rotten kids just cause you made them.

Red Cobblers Artful Pale

2008-11-12T16:34:00.003-06:00

I have been homebrewing for about a year now and I love making and consuming my own beer. I still buy plentiful amounts of craft brews but I crave variety in my brewing so I drink commercial products alongside my own. To be honest though, there is one thing I like about the homebrewing hobby more then actually brewing my own beer.

Designing labels for my beers.

I admit it. I am a wannabe artist and, until I met photoshop, I was a mostly frustrated one at that. Photoshop has let me tinker with images and produce things I find more appealing. I added a digital Rebel XTi last year for my birthday and have been predominately sourcing my own creations ever since.

This is my latest label creation for my latest beer, a pale ale (slightly on the hoppy side). It completes my set of beer labels featuring myself, my wife and our two dogs. It is extremely fulfilling to me to present a friend or family member with a homebrew to take home with and attractive label that I hope they'll enjoy as much as the beer.

I am still a frustrated artist though because some of the work out there by other homebrewers far surpasses mine but, if you are ever lucky or unlucky enough to receive one of my bottles, please cherish it if only for the amount of time to pour because if that beer got a label then it mieans it was a beer made with love.

Cash on the Barrelhead

2008-10-24T11:06:00.002-05:00

The Barrelhead.

Man, that holds a lot of memories for me. I have been going ot the barrelhead for almost 25 years now. It all started with hearing about the restaurant from my father who would attend dinner meetings planning out the yearly fishing trip to Canada with his buddies. Then our family started eating there. It was love at first bite.

In high school, I remember eating there probably twice a week. Once would be with the family for our typical dinner one night a week there and the second would be convincing my friends to chow on the weekend. I managed to rotate between the bacon cheeseburger, patty melt, turkey club and pizza. Like some of the rest of you, I even remember getting scolded for moving a chair on my twenty-first birthday, in which I was guided on a trip of mixed drinks since I hated beer with a passion.

The Barrelhead.

The wife and I still talk about going there the first week after the transfer of ownership from Kitty and Ed to the mayors brother and watching the new owner fondle (in a naughty way) some married female friend in full view of his customers. I felt that crushing weight of knowing I had let my wife talk me out of eating there right before the tornado hit and thinking I might never get the chance again. Seemed ridiculous anyway since we boycotted the restaurant during the Springfield-only smoking ban.

The Barrelhead: Excellent

The Barrelhead's beer selection is fairly unrivalled in Springfield in any restaurant and most bars. They advertise around fifty (iirc) beers on tap and have quite a bottle selection to boot. They provide the consumer with a beer list which is mostly up to date at any given time so it might be wise to saunter up to the bar for a look or ask the wait staff for any updates.

While The Barrelhead still caters largely to the BMC crowd, they have made some pretty hefty strides in balancing that with a broad selection of both imports and craft brewers. The imports are pretty much al InBev and the crafts are mostly regional which i consider a plus.

I am paring down their massive list to what I consider some of the beers that will appeal to a more discriminating taste. They have all the big boys and the 'craft subsidiaries' like Leinenkugels and Blue Moon. The imports may mostly be InBev products but they are worth a shot since they can be quite tasty.

The list:

Imports:
Guiness
Newcastle
Smithwicks
Bass
Harp
Heineken
Stella Artois
Amstel Light
Fosters
Strongbow (Yeah, a cider!)
Spaten (Light Lager)
Spaten Optimator (Doppelbock <=Dark Lager mit kick)
Spaten Oktoberfest (I had this and felt it was quite good.)
Koestritzer Schwarzbier (ein anderes dark lager aus Deutschland)
Warsteiner (pilsener)
Hoegaarden (Belgian wheat)
Koenig Ludwig Weiss (German wheat)

Craft Brewers:
Sam Adams Boston Lager
Sam Adams Octoberfest
Schlafly Pale Ale (Nice to see considering the dominance of InBev/A-B products)
Goose Island Honkers Ale
Goose Island India Pale Ale
Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat Ale
Boulevard Pale Ale
Boulevard Wheat
Boulevard Bob's 47 (Maerzen/Oktoberfest style)
New Belgium's Fat Tire
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Rogue Dead Guy Ale
Spoetzel's Shiner Bock
Woodchuck (Yeah, another cider!)

Possible: It is easy to see at the bar they distinctive bottles of Boulevard's Smokestack series and, while not having ordered it while at The Barrelhead, I do hope they maintain stocking choices like those.

I would hope that the range presented here is enough to cover most drinker's tastes and, while there really isn't anything all that uncommon, I do feel they have done a pretty good job at catering to the beer drinking crowd. Pair that with their quality pub food and I think most consumers can go away happy.

One thought I do have is that someone there must either love wheat beers or believe that they will pull in non-beer drinking consumers. There are a total of at least 9 wheat choices including the BMC products. That is quite the choice for wheat drinkers. I wonder if they have invested in orange orchards.

The Barrelhead: Excellent

Bedrock 66 @ Hoogland and Jimmy Oh's (kind of)

2008-10-12T10:58:00.002-05:00

I know the Bedrock 66 shows at the Hoogland aren't a restaurant, bar or a store that sells beer but I did not go to lot of places that qualified. I did go to Jimmy Oh's but nobody apparently knows what beers they have without physically pulling out all the bottles. Big clue here: If you don't know what you have, write it down. I mean, you had a wine list. Therefore I cannot really grade them with any accuracy.

Jimmy Oh's: Incomplete

Anyway Friday night was the Bedrock 66 series show. We had dinner at Cafe Brio since it is conveniently close and I know what I am ordering. Their review still stands but they have added a new seasonal: Unibroue's Ephemere which is a Belgian wit with heavy apple flavor. I found it horrible but I shy from the Belgian styles. The party out-voted me 2 to 1 on its tasty goodness. If you like cider, you like wheat beers or you love Unibroue (Quebec) or Belgium itself, then go grab a bottle with dinner.

Some posts ago I lamented the loss of the Underground City Tavern and its choice musical acts. I was gently reminded that the brains behind their selections is know a part of hosting the Bedrock 66 series of concerts to bring some musical variety to Springfield. Now I knew some of this since I had attended the very first show of the series but slacked off in my determination to support this worthy endeavor. The wife and I had nothing to do on Friday and knowing of this impending date we decided to make a go of it.

The show itself was a double-bill of one, Otis Gibbs, and the ensemble, Boulder Acoustic Society. The show was a blast. Otis Gibbs was an excellent musician who had great tunes on the guitar and whose voice is a fine instrument itself. Boulder Acoustic Society is a melange of violin, bass, accordion and drums. I can't quantify their music but I think I heard elements of classical, rock, bluegrass and gypsy. I heartily recommend everyone to google said groups.

The shows are sponsored by the Boston Brewing Company therefore the only beers sold will fall under the Sam Adams brand. This isn't a bad thing although it does limit choice but Sam Adams does have some range to them while only lacking the depth multiple brewery choices provide.

Bedrock 66 concert series: Acceptable Plus

They don't rate a good since Sam Adams is your only choice but they did manage a short range of beer:

Sam Adams Boston Lager
Sam Adams Boston Lager Light (should you need to concern yourself with calories)
Sam Adams Boston Ale (hoppier than the lager)
Sam Adams Black Lager (a schwarzbier)

They have provided a pretty short list of hoppy to malty and even tosses in a light beer for your light friends. We aren't talking the finest brews of each style but Sam Adams is the most plentiful beers many of us are happy to have. They also work as a nice gateway brewery to lure beer drinking buddies to the Elysian Fields of beer. My only real complaint with the beer selection is that Sammy produces so much more and it wouldn't be that difficult to add one or two more options.

Bedrock 66 concert series: Acceptable Plus

PAO

2008-10-01T19:29:00.002-05:00

PAO or Pao, I don't really know. Pao is ,iirc, Pacific Coast cuisine which features American fare with elements of Asian fused together (that might be totally off). The wife and I enjoy eating there albeit a bit infrequently. Their meat dishes are quite tasty and it certainly makes you feel slightly more cultured for having dined there. They offer sushi which may be of interest to some. I don't like cooked fish let alone uncooked fish.

Pao: Excellent

Pao definitely added some brews to cater to the uncommon palate including a few that you are unlikely to see in many other restaurants. Their stock seems a little Rogue heavy which typically suits me fine as I am a fan of Rogue's brews. They also benefited from the major inroads New Belgium has made in Springfield so if Fat Tire is your new favorite then you are in luck at Pao.

Their beer list is as follows, minus the BMC products which are plentiful:

Rogue Dead Guy (Maibock)
Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar (a nut brown ale)
Rogue Shakespeare Stout (a nice dark ale. quite tasty.)
Rogue Morimoto Soba Ale (apparently soba is buckwheat. I don't like the flavor.)
New Belgium Fat Tire (amber ale)
New Belgium 1554 (black ale)
New Belgium Mothership Wit (wheat beer)
Boulevard Wheat (a good wheat but why no other Boulevards)
Sam Adams Light (if you are watching your figure. at least it has more taste.)
Sam Adams seasonal (Oktoberfest right now)
Xingu (the Brazilian black beer)
Sapporo (it's a light lager but one that extends to the end of the Edo period)
Heineken
Amstel Light

Pao has a pretty wide range. You don't often find Rogue's Soba ale outside of the rare bar or so and there should be something for every palate except possibly the hops lover. I don't understand why someone might carry Boulevard's wheat beer but not their excellent pale ale. Perhaps the head chef did not feel the overpowering aroma of hops would mesh well with his culinary offerings.

I heartily recommend Pao for the experience to pair some quality food with some quality beer. I would suggest, having not actually tried, pairing the Rogue Morimoto Soba with some fresh sushi. Let me know how that turns out.

Pao: Excellent

AZ-T-CA

2008-10-01T19:00:00.002-05:00

Alright, I'll admit I went to AZTCA for lunch about a week ago. I already find myself in a rut and you readers may notice I have yet to hit a single bar which makes me either very responsible or very lame.So here goes: time to get back in the swing of things.

AZ-T-CA has to be my solid number two Mexican joint. My first love is, as it should be yours too, Emilios. However Emilios serves breakfast and lunch and has a dearth of brews in their establishment so time for number two. AZ-T-CA has some great food and I highly recommend anything featuring their green sauce. It is most tasty. Their beer is predominately Mexican which fits their style so I am not complaining. It is accompanied by 7 other domestic lagers and several imports. Their lineup, like most of the common Mexican beers found in the states are lager heavy. This is a conundrum for me since lagers need nice cool temperatures which Mexico is not seemingly known for. I have no recourse but to blame the German and Austrian immigrants that brought their lager love to Mexico.

AZ-T-CA: Poor

AZ-T-CA is just too lager heavy to receive anything more than a poor rating. I'll freely admit that if you love Mexican lagers than you could do little better than to stop by and have a nice Bohemia or Negra Modelo and the Texas Chimichanga (mmm Chorizo!). That said, if you wanted an ale or anything remotely uncommon then AZ-T-CA is not for your palate.

AZ-T-CA only carries bottled beer as well as some spirits. The beers are as follows:

Corona Extra
Corona Light
Sol
Pacifico
Dos Equis Special Lager
Dos Equis Amber
Tecate
Bohemia
Modelo Especial
Negra Modelo (your darkest choice)
Heineken
Several Bud products including Bud Light Lime
Mil Lite
Coors Light
Heineken

Not a lot of variety outside of light lagers. Probably your best choice might be the Negra Modelo. At least it has some color and malt flavor. Of course if it is really, really hot out like it might be on a normal Mexican Summer day then all choices are equally good. Mexican beers have their place even if that place is only on a beach actually located in Mexico. If you aren't there, hopefully near the brewery manufacturing your beer of choice then you may be disappointed in your choices. AZ-T-CA is doubtfully known for their beer selection but does have pretty good food. Go grab something tasty and then grab a favored bottle when you get home.

AZ-T-CA: Poor

Why don't we have a Destihl?

2008-09-28T17:45:00.004-05:00

I've been several places to eat over this past week but haven't made a post until now. At least I have some material coming up for any impending dry spells. Yesterday I had the fortune, good or otherwise, to eat at Destihl in Normal, Illinois. Destihl is a chef-driven restaurant which also brews its own beer or it is a brewpub that features high end designer dishes. I don't think they actually know either.

They have a pretty standard line up:
Normal Lager (a Muenchen-style Helles)
Redbird Ale (an American-style red ale)
Baldock India Pale Ale
Weissenheimer Hefeweizen
Jivaro Oatmeal Espresso Stout

They also have a fairly deep seasonal and rotational lineup of other styles. Destihl features flights (samplers) which come five brews to a flight. Since these are 6 ounce glasses I chose to only try one flight since I did have plans for later that day. I went with the seasonal sampler and it consisted of the following brews:

Dampfbier (I have never heard of this style and reference it only as Belgian-y)
Miner's Ruin California Common (like an Anchor Steam.)
Biere Brune (Belgian style brown ale)
Golden Child (Belgian-style golden or pale ale)
Maerzen Oktoberfest

I will admit the flight tended towards Belgian styles or tastes which I mostly abhor but it was well worth it for simply a taste experience which you aren't as likely to find locally. We chose not to eat at Destihl even though their food looked very appealing simply in the name of time.

While I still wonder whether the beer or the food comes first at Destihl, they have an extremely well rounded lineup with a seasonal and rotating lineup that makes it worth a tasting trip. If Destihl were located in Springfield, they might be my holy grail combination of beer and food but they aren't and if I am going to drive that far I'd rather go to Schlafly's Tap Room in St. Louis.

Destihl: Excellent if they were in Springfield. Worth a trip even though they aren't.

Coming down the line: Pao, Aztca and McCormick's Barbecue and Deli.

I've noticed this post rambles a bit and seems pretty ramshackle. I ask your forgiveness. My brew crew, the Lincolnland Lagers, had a brew day today and that often involves sampling.

Palermos

2008-09-21T09:04:00.002-05:00

Palermos is an Italian restaurant on Durkin Drive. For those familiar with the old Imo's Pizza, Palermos occupied that location after Imo's closure. Palermos has a triple threat menu offering pastas, pizzas and paninis. All three are pretty tasty and I'd definitely recommend the restaurant based on food alone.

Their beer selection is a different matter altogether. They have your standard Bud, Miller and Coors selection of the type you find at pretty much every restaurant which has the capability to carry beer. All beer appears to be bottles only so, if you have a preference for draft, you will be out of luck. Their lineup does offer a slight nod to the Italian food with the addition of Peroni to its list. Peroni is an Italian pale lager currently owned by SABMiller.It doesn't do much to offer any breadth of beer style and is about as uncommon at Italian restaurants as finding Pacifico or Dos Equis is at a Mexican joint.

Palermos barely qualifies as a poor. They do manage the one import even if it doesn't really add much to their range.

I'm sure we can all agree the Italy is better known for its wine than its beers but there has to be some different choices than just a Peroni or a Moretti. I would encourage Palermos to explore their options to develop a beer menu with some more depth. Some additoins which still have some mass market appeal might be a Sam Adams or Michelob's Amber Bock. Guiness is popular with Springfieldians and anything that moves your menu one tick off the solid pale lager playground it is currently has to be a win-win for all. I like your food and I want your restaurant to be around for a long time. I just don't like your beer menu which is why I always order the Sangria.

Go for the food.

Palermos: Poor

A moment of silence

2008-09-19T17:04:00.005-05:00

I want to take a minute to mourn the loss of the Underground City Tavern. While it was not the best beer bar in town, it definitely had some acceptable brews, if I remember correctly. No, friends, I mourn the UCT more for its music. I didn't really get involved in seeing the bands there until months before their closing but I was fortunate to see a few good acts. Trampled By Turtles was chief among them. Their music is bluegrass, newgrass or some melange of bluegrass and rock as it might feel to you. They played a great show and I managed to catch them for only one reason. I read a blog which features some lesser known music. Some of it fits my tastes and quite a bit doesn't but I check it often. That all stems back to the day I discovered Trampled By Turtles on the blog and managed to correlate it to their appearance at UCT that very night. I will always hold the memory of UCT dear for that very reason. I will also retain a special place in my heart for the Songs:Illinois blog and its author. Generally I am a bit too lazy or focused on other concerns to seek out the lesser known acts and that blog does quite a fine job for me. Since I wanted to share the music I added the blog to my blogroll as the least I could do to make up for all the great music I have taken away from his.

As much as I focus on beer in choosing a bar to patronize, music is a definite draw for me and if any local establishment can draw in some of the regional acts that the Underground City Tavern had then you will definitely have my support and, if you can pair that with exotic brews then you will have my unadulterated love. Make it so!

Welcome Illinois Times reader/s!: Buffalo Wild Wings

2008-09-19T11:12:00.007-05:00

Due to recent unwarranted coverage in the Illinois Times, my wife was pleased to suggest we go out to dinner to further my bloggish aspirations. Tonight's choice was a little outside my usual mantra of 'Eat Local!' Honestly, why go to an Olive Garden when you have a Mariahs or Palermos or any other gaggle of good local Italian restaurants but this ain't a food blog so on to what is important: Beer.

My beer rating for Buffalo Wild Wings: Excellent

I really hate that a chain restaurant is as freaking awesome for beer as BWW is. Buffalo Wild wings does something most other Springfield restaurants do not. They manage to have excellent range across their draft and bottled beers. Dark to light with wheats tossed in they have it all or at least as close as we can get in a Springfield dining establishment.

Drafts tend towards some of the more commonly seen around Springfield but they are carrying them consistently which is a huge plus:

Schlafly seasonal (curently Oktoberfest)
New Belgium Fat Tire (<= yeah it is really on draft. you don't have to settle for a 22oz bottle)
Boulevard Wheat (I love the inroads Boulevard has in town)
Flying Dog Old Scratch Amber (Flying Dog has always been a reliable choice for me)
Erdinger Oktoberfest Weizen (Nice beerdrinking choice, beerdrinkers!)

Out of the drafts, the choice to have either a Flying Dog or the Erdinger seasonal really impresses me. Someone at BWW has to love Flying Dog since they have had one of their beers on tap since I have been going there. The Erdinger seasonal wheat really offers a rare sample to try an import which has only recently become available in the United States market. If you enjoy a Blue Moon or Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat, give the Erdinger or Boulevard wheat choices a try. They come from smaller and more independent breweries which lack as much muscle as Coors or Miller.

BWW's bottle choices are where they really round out their offerings. The drafts are a little light on dark beers or highly hopped ales but they more than make up for it in their bottle selections:

Spoetzel's Shiner Bock (a dark lager)
Avery New World Porter (a dark ale)
New Holland Mad Hatter (their India Pale Ale which I do enjoy)
New Holland Full Circle (a Koelsch which is ideal to transition your BMC friends. It is lighter in body.)
New Holland Ichabod (their seasonal autumn ale with pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg)
Lagunitas 'Censored' Rich Copper Ale (big hops taste. good if you like that sort of thing.)
Rogue St. Rogue Red (this is a dry hopped red ale. quite tasty.)
Original Sin Hard Cider (from the east coast. it is drier than a woodchuck amber but quite nice.)
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (I was remiss in forgetting the mighty SNPA)

There you go. Dark brews are covered at one end and hopped ales at the other. They manage to cover a seasonal pumpkin taste as well as keeping any cider drinkers happy with the Original Sin. Now if they could only get that on tap. Buffalo Wild Wings only failings beyond not having every specific beer I like is that their wait staff and some extent their bar staff are not well versed in the beers that they carry. They can't offer any consistent recommendations based on other beers one might like and often are not aware they carry something you have just requested. The onus is on the drinker to know what they will like and ensure its availability. They also need to know that a glass will be required with a bottle order since most will not bring you one automatically.

Buffalo Wild Wings really sets a high bar for restaurants in Springfield. Perhaps their corporate backing has something to do with that. As long as they manage to consistently present some excellent choices in draft and bottled beer, I will keep coming back even if it breaks my non-chain eating habit. Curse their siren song. It makes me a hypocrite.

Buffalo Wild Wings: Excellent

Cafe Brio

2008-09-17T19:54:00.004-05:00

Tonight I hit the restaurant I meant to be the first place covered on this here blog. I'll admit Cafe Brio holds a special place in my heart since it was the 'first date' restaurant for my wife and I. We probably, on average, eat there once or twice a month. I try to vary my beer choice but never my food. My friends, Cafe Brio has the best damn pocket chicken chimichangas I have ever been blessed as consume. Alter the refried pintos with black beans and you have a tasty slice of heaven.

My beer rating for Cafe Brio: Excellente!

However I must caveat the excellent. Their beer menu has dropped off a few more exclusive brews and they are down to five or so non-mass marketed beers. If you were a fan of Abita Breweries out of New Orleans, those are now gone.

They have your basic American lagers and tip the hat to imports by stocking Newcastle, Pacifico, Dos Equis (both types) and Negra Modelo. All basic beers that allow for some variety and perhaps parity with the cuisine.

However their excellent rating came from the following five brews:

Rogue Dead Guy (Maibock)
Rogue American Amber
Flying Dog Tire Bite (Koelsch)
Lost Coast Brewery Indica (India Pale Ale)
Xingu (a Black Beer from Cervejaria Independente, Rio De Janeiro, Brasil)

These five beers give any beer lover a range from dark to light and hops to malt.While Rogue and Flying Dog products are becoming more plentiful, Xingu is pretty rare in restaurants or bars and I haven't ever seen Lost Coast Brewery's Indica in any bar, restaurant or store including Friar Tuck. Apparently the Tire Bite and Indica are new enough additions that they aren't yet on the beer list. So if you are keen to try either one, ask for them by name. Just remember to request a glass since beer is best when poured into a glass with a fine head.

Swirl, Sniff, Drink. Cafe Brio is excellent for your taste buds.

Cafe Brio: Excellent

Oktoberfest

2008-09-15T18:17:00.004-05:00

User participation is welcome on this one:

Oktoberfest is a style of lager that was popularized in Germany. The beer which is technically known as Maerzen (<= pretend the e is really an umlaut over the a)is a type of lager which was traditionally brewed in the spring, lagered all summer long and brought out for a festival at the end of September. If you just go ahead and rent Beerfest you'll learn all about it. Anyway the beer is now typically a malty brew with medium or better body and not a significant amount of hop flavor or aroma. Malt flavor is the name of the game and it is most tasty. I've been snagging Oktoberfests as the've come out and I'd like to share my favorite so far. The group has consisted of brews from Schlafly (St. Louis Brewery), Capital Brewery (out of Middleton, WI), Spaten Brewery (from Munich) and Flying Dog Brewery (out of Maryland). Let me tell you, for me, so far my favorite has been:

Flying Dog's Dogtoberfest

It has a wonderful malt character with enough of a hops balance that just nails it for me. As if that wasn't enough, their bottles are homebrewer friendly which means I can re-use them to bottle my own brews. I am also unfairly biased towards dogs in general.

There are quite a few more out there to try (Boulevard's Bob 47 and Paulaner Brewery's entry) so I doubt I'll have tasted them all before the season is up.

I encourage everyone to get out there and pick up a six of an Oktoberfest and let us know what you think.

Update: I have picked up some Boulevard's Bobs 47 Oktoberfest and while good it doesn't yet knock Dogtoberfest off its perch. I had high hopes for Boulevard because I felt they had hands down the best seasonal Irish Ale this Spring that I was fortunate enough to try.

1st restaurant review: Corner Pub

2008-09-14T15:49:00.005-05:00

I went to Corner Pub Saturday. I am overly fond of their Cuban sandwich and, even if they had horrible beer choices, I'd frequent it often.

My beer rating for Corner Pub is: Good!

Corner Pub has an pretty good selection for anyone interested in beer. They carry not only the Sam Adams Seasonal, currently Oktoberfest, on draft but also now stock Spoetzel Breweries Shiner Bock which is an acceptable choice for a dark lager. In bottles, they carry Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale as well as Boulevard's Wheat beer. For those of you who are New Belgium fans, they have Fat Tire, 1554 and Mothership Wit.

Don't go there expecting too much off the beaten path because, at last check, they no longer carry Rogue's Dead Guy and don't have anything in the highly hopped arena but most snobs should find something definitely within their palate.

For those of you who love ciders, they only have Woodchuck Amber. Too bad.

Beer: Good!

Corner Pub: Good!

I am your self-appointed Beer god!

2008-09-14T15:31:00.002-05:00

So I thought to join the blogging world to sit high on my cloud and drop some beer knowledge on everyone. I did not, however, figure out how I would convey my disjointed set of thoughts: fact and opinion into anything worthwhile.

Hence, I needs me a ratings system. Restaurants, bars and stores alike there is only one way to judge and that is on variety. I am a big believer in drinking regionally followed closely by quality brewers. I also shun most imports simply because I think the long shipping time hurts quality and I find that most types (Belgian possibly excluded) have been recreated here with as good or better results.

Bad: Your establishment only carries what is known as BMC products: Bud, Miller or Coors. It is the typical mass-market stuff which, while appealing to some, leaves much to be desired for the beer snobs.

Poor: Your establishment carries a well rounded BMC complement plus some 'imports' owned by the biggies: InBev, DiaGeo, etc. It is pretty much all lagers with a few 'ales' thrown in like Bass or Guiness. Hopefully you at least covered one stout and one wheat amongst your selection.

Acceptable: Your establishment in addition to having way too many BMC products and big name imports at least carries a big name craft-level brewer. It is probably Boston Beer Company (Sam Adams) but at least should be something a beer snob can down.

Good: Your establishment has moved a little beyond Sammy and imports as qualifying for a well rounded beer complement. You have picked up some of the more common craft beers out there. You carry one or more of the following: Boulevard, St Louis (Schlafly), Goose Island, Spoetzel (Shiner) as well as possibly dipping into putting one or more of their seasonals (including Sam Adams) in botles or on draft (bonus points).

Excellent: Your establishment carries beer most of the population has never heard of. The beer ranges a might gamut from stouts and porters to india pale ales. Your wheats come in multiple styles from hefewizens to wit beers and aren't made by BMC. You are the mecca for all that is beery in Springfield.

So there you have it. It is totally subjective with a few measurable metrics in there. I will try and highlight the best choices at places I try but I may miss stuff, I may be drunk and I may not hit the restaurant, bar or store you frequent. Word is bond.

Homebrewing in the Land of Lincoln

2008-09-12T12:40:00.002-05:00

It is limited but that is not to say: it can't be done and it can't be great.

Your only real option without driving an hour North, East or South is to order online or visit Friar Tuck. If you start, by all means, become familiar with Friar Tuck's selection because you will invariably forget to order something and will need to pick it up last minute there. Hopefully they will have your need in stock.

Tuck's homebrew supplies are in the same aisle as there warm beer selection. If you are wanting to start homebrewing then you will likely be familiar with this area. They have starter kits and beer kits to brew both, I think, by Brewer's Best. These make great ways to start since all the consumables are packaged in each beer kit and you won't need much beyond bottles for each brew you make.

Once you move past the extract kits and decide to throw together your own recipes, they still have quite the selection of loose stock which should keep you happy until you decide to move to all-grain but, by that time, you'll have likely moved to ordering from an internet homebrew shop to obtain the specialty grains needed.

I encourage anyone with an interest to go and pick up a starter kit and a beer kit of a style you'll enjoy. Tuck is our only homebrew supply shop since the demise of the Grape and Grain and it would help everyone involved in the hobby to show there is demand in Springfield.

Time for a Beer blog dedicated to Springfield

2008-09-12T11:58:00.000-05:00

I am not an author. I need to remind myself of that at least three times before I post anything. I am, however, a beer drinker and beer maker. Both hobbies have given me a deeper appreciation for all the different varieties of beer that can be had.

Unfortunately Springfield is mostly a barren wasteland for beer connoisseurs. Sure there are some highlights like Cafe Brio, for restaurants, or Brewhaus, for bars, but ultimately if your idea of a specialty brew isn't Sam Adams then you are out of luck. I hope to use this blog to share information with others on some of the better restaurants and bars in the greater Springfield area for having specialty brews.

Package liquor stores are improving but, compared to wine, it is still pretty lacking. Friar Tuck far and away seems to have the greatest variety of beer but many a grocery store is improving. Kudos to Schnucks and, especially, County Market for attempting to improve in those arenas.

Craft or specialty beer isn't for everyone and far too many people don't really care to try it. However, if you fall into the category of a craft beer lover, then maybe you can add or take something away from this blog.

Red Cobblers

Check out this web page...

Brazilian Beer Blog, Grande Cervejeiro

Brooks on Beer: Trick or Treat Halloween Beers

Oktoberfest

Spontaneous Brew Days are the Best

Reminder: Mead Day 2009!

Dern it all I *AM* a farmer

Mead Day 2009

Good Taste Trumps Good Sense!

Miscellany

More beer history

Dogfish Head does it again...

News on the Beer Front

I Am A Craft Brewer vid

The Homebrew Revolution spreads back to the Fatherland

New Beer at Friar Tucks

Beer Wars Live!

The beers that were new this week at Friar Tuck

Odd Beer Flavors

Craft beer and losing weight

Prairie Schooners Homebrew Club meeting on Thursday

A call for a National Beer Day in the UK

New beers this week:

Tornado Ale

Off Topic

Improvement on the Corner

Beer Wars Live! April 16th.

Prairie Schooners Homebrew Club website

Guiness Myths

2nd Homebrew Club meeting

Ow! It's the Brickhouse. Mighty-mighty?

Next Homebrew Club meeting

A brief history of Homebrewing

Sammy's Latest Newsletter

Brutally Honest Beer Labels

In honor of Darwin's birthday ...

One Week til Homebrew Club!

Boulevard Irish Ale in the Wild

Homebrew Club Meeting!

Belated praises to KB and Charles & Limeys

Blast at Abita Brewery

The High Life

Ross Isaac

Drinking Regionally

Updates to Organic Beers

The year in beer

Organics and their beer

Yeast-ridden beer and Da Bomb!

Beer = the new wine

Oh yeah, the link . . .

Hello all!

A Diatribe for the Common man

Anon's rage-a-torium: post here

In 2009 came the Reformation

Little Red Cobblers and the Lincoln Land Lagers

Red Cobblers Artful Pale

Cash on the Barrelhead

Bedrock 66 @ Hoogland and Jimmy Oh's (kind of)

PAO

AZ-T-CA

Why don't we have a Destihl?

Palermos

A moment of silence

Welcome Illinois Times reader/s!: Buffalo Wild Wings

Cafe Brio

Oktoberfest

1st restaurant review: Corner Pub

I am your self-appointed Beer god!

Homebrewing in the Land of Lincoln

Time for a Beer blog dedicated to Springfield

Dern it all I AM a farmer