Pub crawl in beer portraits

This weekend we converged on Des Moines for a bit of a crawl. Dinner at Court Avenue Restaurant and Brewing Company, and beers at El Bait Shop and The Red Monk. My aunt and uncle, and boys, were there for the chow, but the real fun came when Wonderful Beer Wife Michelle, Cousin Matt, Cousin-in-law Mandie, Bro Joe and I took to the streets (on foot) for a few more beers.

This was the first occasion I’ve had a chance to sample all of Court Avenue’s beers, and while I don’t make New Year’s Resolutions, I have made a New Beer’s Resolution: I’m not doing these samplers any more. I don’t want to waste stamina, enjoyment and beer on the brewpub light lager, brewpub raspberry beer and often one or two other lackluster offerings, in this case the pale ale. I enjoyed the IPA and stout, and the sip or two I snagged from Michelle’s cask stout (not part of the sampler dealio). However, I’ll tell you right now that I will break this little self-imposed restriction if ever I get to the source of Russian River or The Lost Abbey, and probably a few others. The food was pretty good, though I just went for fish ‘n chips.

Outside of the Court Avenue lineup, I’m recalling Old Capitol Brew Works’ stout and bock (the stout was the better of the two), Cantillon Rose de Gambrinus, Unibroue Maudite, Orkney Skullsplitter and St. Bernardus 12. Some of those were shared bottles, I should add, as explanation as to how my skull didn’t get split and how I was able to judge at the IBU Open the next day.

At one point, I embarrassed Michelle, so I should take a moment to apologize. Since I was judging the next day, I had a little mini flashlight in my pocket. And since the bock I was drinking seemed quite dark, I pulled out the flashlight and looked it over. You’da thought I’d jumped on the table and peed my name on the wall or something. It wasn’t a horrible infraction, but fine, beer-geek-out-of-line. I’m sorry.

Oh, yeah, and I took a picture of someone I didn’t know. You had to be there. It was completely fine and appropriate, even though it was a female. But apparently I shouldn’t have done that either. Just trying to have fun. Sorry for that, too.

Anyway, what about those Beer Portraits?

Notes on Omaha

After much consideration, I made my second foray into the world of Omaha’s beer over the weekend. Beer plans included the following:

• a beer or two at Upstream Brewing Company
• a meal at Jobber’s Canyon Restaurant and Brewery
• Whole Foods Market
• Fermenter’s Supply Homebrew Shop

In an effort to long story short the entire trip, I did make it to all these locations.

Kevin commented in another post that he thought Jobber’s Canyon was closed. I found that he was sorta right. When I arrived, I found a sign on the door indicating that they had switched from brewpub format to entertainment and catering. Their brewery apparently ceased on October 15.

That took us to Upstream for not only a beer or two, but a meal, which I’ve been wanting to do anyway. Our food was excellent. I had the pecan-encrusted rainbow trout, while my wife tried the beef-lover’s salad (if you’re gonna have a salad, it oughtta be slathered with meat).

Like my last trip, they had a cask offering–this time, an English pale ale, soft and tasty. Their seasonal takes some explanation. It was called Before, part of an aging experiment. Next year, they’ll serve up After. The beer is a red ale brewed for the brewmaster’s wedding. So darn tasty, they decided to oak age part of it, sour it up and get somewhere near a Flanders Red. I hope I’m paying attention next year to give it a try. The Before was good, but I was dreaming of After. Ultimately, I settled in on a pint and a growler of the Scotch ale.

Since I needed a few miscellaneous homebrewing supplies, I set out for Fermenter’s Supply. Unfortunately, I didn’t notice it, tucked back as it was. I saw a sign that indicated homebrewing goods, so I thought I was in the right place. Apparently I was not. I guess it was Cornhusker Beverage (actually, my receipt says “Cornhusker Beverage and Bridal”), a big liquor store/printerwedding invitation place(there was a couple picking out wedding invitations)/”homebrewing store.”

This was a crappy experience. At best, these guys can’t hope to service anyone beyond the partial mash extract level, not that there’s anything wrong with someone brewing at that level. It’s just, if you’re going to have a homebrew store, make some effort to make it complete. Have a clue what you’re talking about. And it was expensive. I dropped forty bucks on very little. There were basically three aisles dedicated to this facet of the store. I left with my grain needs disappointed and one of my yeast plans compromised.

Noting the address when I left, it didn’t match where I planned to go. I poked around a little and found Fermenter’s Supply around the corner. This was a small homebrew shop, and I wished I’d have found it first. I picked up a couple pounds of grain to make my planned brew session more do-able. I didn’t spend a lot of time here, chatted briefly with owner and took note on the address. I don’t have a strong opinion of this place yet, but it’s worth coming back to if I’m in Omaha and needing ingredients. That won’t happen often, but we’ll see…

Finally, Whole Foods Market. I love Whole Foods. This place was a good deal bigger than any of the four Whole Foods I’ve visited in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and Cary (NC). Vast and wonderful, I’m re-stocked on vanilla beans, turmeric, flour and the fixin’s for spring rolls. I’ve also got some 90 Shilling Ale from Odell Brewing Company, a brewery I have yet to try. Whole Foods’ beer selection was pretty good, though perhaps not fantastic. They had one endcap cooler chock full of four beers on special, a couple of Oktoberfests, and I recall not what else. Primarily, their beer was stocked in a walk-in cooler, lotsa good stuff, local and otherwise. No problem finding something delicious or something new.

It was a good trip, and an informative one. I’m now sold on Upstream as a solid performer–both food and beer. There are a few other brewpubs I need to check out in Omaha (including a second Upstream location), and that’s a task to which I look forward. Work, work, work.

A day in the life of a beer geek

My life is rather beer-centric. The mention of any sort of trip sends my cogs into action: Where should we eat? Where should we have a beer? What breweries are there? Anything I can’t get in my own market? What’s the best beer store? Where haven’t I been? Do I need anything at the homebrew store?

As I sit here, dork-adelic, planning tomorrow’s agenda in Omaha, I thought I might share the goofy way I think and function.

I started my day by checking my email. Woo-hoo! a Google alert about beer stuff. Very interesting: hop prices, somebody called 911 because they ran out of beer. A while back, some guy had surgery to have a beer bottle removed from his…

Well, then I checked to see what interesting topics were being discussed on Beerinator (I sure would like to try Kolschboy’s porter). As I’m no longer in North Carolina, I don’t bother chiming in, but it’s fun to know what’s happening there, and to hear what friends are talking about. Following Beerinator, I check out The Beer Mapping Project’s forums. There, I post occasionally, and review and upload pictures whenever possible.

Next came a little blog reading. On a near daily basis, I check out Appellation Beer and Boak and Bailey. There are a number of other beer blogs that I check out, but those are two that I anticipate. They’re well written with content that I fancy, and with many views and elements of living a brewvanic life.

Tomorrow’s trip is centered on The Old Market. My wife’s attending a yoga workshop. We’ll visit the interesting shops and take in the atmosphere, while mulling over where to eat. On the beer front, Upstream came to mind. I paid a short visit once, and wanted to try and have a meal here, and sample a few more of their beers. But a look at The Beer Mapping Project points out that just a few blocks away, I’ll find Jobber’s Canyon. I’ve never been there, so I should go. Besides, no one has reviewed Jobber’s for the Project. I’d be doing the beer world a service if I went there and took a few pictures and assessed the atmosphere, beer, food and service.

Since we’ll be in Omaha, we’ve got to get a food fix, purchasing a few goodies at Wholefoods Market. On the way there, I’m not sure if we’ll have time to hit Crescent Moon Alehouse (beer bar) or Beertopia (beer store), but I definitely want to size up Fermenter’s Supply (another public service review opportunity and I need some yeast and a few specialty grains and hops for an upcoming brewing session).

I found this one via Google, and can’t remember if I read any Beer Advocate reviews (I have done a little work today interspersed with the beer research/trip planning in my day), but since I need to keep this day moving forward, I’m not going to track down another link for you. I’ve spent too much time on that already. Fermenter’s Supply will save me some shipping cost, keep some money relatively local and just give me a chance to check out another beery place.

There are a few other brewpubs I should hit, but the day’s but so long, and we’ll need to go easy so we can safely drive home. And how many meals can we jam into a day? I’ll have to do my best on the untried beers front during my visit to Wholefoods. They have good beer selection, so I should be able to find something new to try.

Seriously, I need to get back to work.

What else will I do today? I’ll have a beer after I take my jacket off–probably my homebrewed Revolution Ale–its a Colonial era recipe. I may have the oaked version. I haven’t decided. I’ll also make sure I have a Russian Imperial Stout in fridge to share with my wife tonight. She’ll love that. I’m thoughtful, you know. I’m full of thoughts, beery and otherwise.

If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you’re like me. If not, you should be. I think about flavor and friends and family and food and beauty and atmosphere (and yes, beer) a lot. I’m very careful to make sure I have quality in my life. I take good care of myself: brewing is a great stress reliever and a way to be a little artistic.

I’m sure that before I go to bed, I’ll sneak another peek or two at those forums. I’ll print off a map for tomorrow’s trip. I might get around to listening to a Craftbeer Radio podcast, but probably not. I think I’m one episode behind, but I usually listen to those on weekend mornings. But definitely not tomorrow. I’ll read a bedtime story to my boys (we just started Steven Ambrose’s Undaunted Courage, at the request of my eight year old). There’s the outside chance that I’ll wake up in the night with a good reason to switch from my plan of brewing a porter to a milk stout. That thought will bother me all day. I’m positive I’m saving a Scottish Ale for the following brew session. Then with my basement cool enough–a bock. I’m always six months ahead on what to brew, but constantly changing (I’ll need this for the holiday season, and this for St. Paddy’s day. And, Yipee! my Flanders Red will be ready to keg in May. What a wonderful summer beer that’ll be. And, and, and…

If you’re a beer geek like me, you know how it is, and you enjoy it, don’t you? There’s either something wrong with us, or something terribly right.

Right or wrong, I think it’s good, a constant state of brewvana.

THIRSTY Classic ‘07 @ Millstream Brewing Company

Long on my to-do list, I traveled to Amana, Iowa this weekend to visit Millstream Brewing Company. The primary prompt to make this visit finally happen was the THIRSTY Classic, a homebrew competition sponsored by THIRSTY, The Iowa River Society of Talented Yeastmasters. The competition was held at Millstream.

The competition was perhaps scaled back this year due to a couple of Des Moines clubs were invested in a Teach a Friend to Homebrew Day event they had organized at Raccoon River Brewing Company in Des Moines. (I taught my friend how to brew a few weeks ago–for me was Teach a Friend More about Beer Day–Jimmy and Kyle signed up to steward for the first time.) No matter, it was a fun day, and I met a lot of friendly Iowa brewers and drank a goodly amount of excellent beer. Susan Walsh and her THIRSTY crew put together a solid event with one of the best competition lunches I’ve ever had (the homebrewer-smoked brisket was great).

The brewery itself was also fun to explore, and buzzing with tourists throughout the day. Located in the quaint town of Amana, which is filled with interesting shops, the brewery has a pleasant outside seating area to relax and drink fresh, local beer.

Walking in the front door, you find the gift shop/taproom loaded with steins, glassware and beer. There were about eight taps, with a blend of Millstream’s sodas and beers. During the best-of-show judging, I headed straight toward a pint of the oatmeal stout, fresh and lovely. There for the competition, it was easy to walk around and eyeball the brewing system and bottling line. However, a cursory look-see reveals that there are no fermenters around this tight space. Head brewer Chris Priebe took me to check out where the fermentation and lagering takes place.

The fermenters are located directly below the brewery, in the basement. Seems a good way to avoid tripping over hoses all day. But really, the choice was dictated by the building. The lagering also happens in the basement, in a separate cold room kept around 40 degrees F. Many of the original fermenters were custom built, so to get inside to clean, one must first take out about 24 bolts. A hassle, but it gets the job done.

While the beer finishes in the basement, it begins upstairs. The mill and grain storage are located directly above the brewery.

At the end of the day, I came home with a first place ribbon for my Oaked Revolution Ale and a third for my Belgian Pale Ale. Interestingly, the “un-oaked” Revolution didn’t judge so well–but when’s the last time you had a Colonial ale? I can take neither the good nor the bad too seriously for a beer like this. However, it seems lame to score a beer down because it “detracts from this modern palate,” or “though appropriate, isn’t wonderful,” or if you’re “not sure I really liked it.”

Kyle, Jimmy and I stopped for dinner at Rock Bottom in West Des Moines on our drive home for a nightcap and a belly full of chow. Good stuff, they have. I had the Goldings Pale on cask, as well as a pint of their Rye Porter. Both were excellent.

And since we arrived home, safe and sound, the trip was even better. In the center of brewvana, right where I like to be.

Black (dr)ink

Father’s Day would, of course, make me think of my father (ardet nec consumitur). And my gramps (cave canum). And a little further back, all the way to Mose Wilson, who came over from Ireland in 1846. Yup, you can see where this is going.

Back in 2000, I went to one of my several mongrel motherlands, Ireland. Out of that trip came a handful of poetry. Here’s one for the fathers:

Black Ink

A long night out,

I’m full of black ink.

In the rare, oulde town,

I’ve found my link.

Now to stop this life

From falling down the sink.

But I’ve piped black ink

Many times before now.

On similar subjects,

I’ve expounded and growled.

There’s always something restless

Vagabond, and how.

And here I return to the place

Where my grandfather sweat of his brow.

He departed for something new,

Pensively, without a doubt.

Youth and good reason

Cast the rovers about.

There’s always a crossroads

For plain folks without clout.

I learned and lived that

Before taking up stout.

A long night out,

I’m full of black drink.

A simple man stuck

And prone to think.

Is contentment utopia?

An optimist’s fink?

I’ll sort it out soon,

And I’ll wield the black ink.

Carolina Brewmasters’ US Open 07

Stumbling into a brewvanic experience is always a good thing, but it’s not stumbling when you’re going to a homebrew competition where there will be great brewers swapping brewing stories and strategies. Where you’ll get to taste a number of very nice beers, and learn from a handful of problem beers. I’ve found that it is even less stumbling when I’ve got my comrade Ken around.

Ken won Carolina Brewer of the Year (CBOY) a couple of years ago and is undoubtedly one of the most talented and creative (sweet spiced kumquat orange tripel, anyone?) homebrewers in the country. I first noticed him when he was forced to judge meads, having entered every beer category available. That day, he won more ribbons than I’d plan to take in a decade. Turns out, he’s one of the nicest guys you’d hope to meet, and is good at about everything he sets his mind to. There are several tangents I could get to, but sticking to beer, I’ll just say that after winning CBOY, it wasn’t long before Ken was brewing professionally. Working together at The Duck-Rabbit, I’ve had the good fortune to get to know and learn from this guy, who’s old enough to be my old man.

I find that wisdom and brewvana is closer if I hang around people like Ken, especially if I shut my mouth and listen. I think it’s no coincidence that God gave us two ears and one mouth. This is our second carpooling trip to judge at a competition, and we had a great time. Waffle House and good beer–that’s what I like in a trip.

The competition was held at Carolina Beer and Beverage, a very nice facility in Mooresville, North Carolina. It was well-organized and slathered with good beers and brewers. My last-minute-bottled beers judged poorly, half expected. One was an exercise in how choosing the right category is so important. I had to do it, as you can’t have two in one category, and I was really curious for feedback on the other beer.

I judged two really good flights, with only a couple of problem beers. In addition, it worked out that I judged the beer that would go on to take Best of Show, something that makes you feel like you’ve done something right. By way of research for a beer I’m planning, I signed up to judge the sour beer category, and wrapped by buds around a couple of Berliner Weisses.

It should be no surprise that I picked Ken’s brain about the style and his experience with it. And I’ve been intrigued by the more than  coincidence in his destructive CBOY rampage, so we talked a lot about the skill and strategy involved in his bid for that title. Six hours in the car with Ken, and I’m a lot better brewer. Likely, I won’t brew again until after our early-June move, but I’m absolutely chomping at the bit.