Herr Niedelmeyer's Dunkelweiss

Suddenly, I am thirsty for a dunkelweizen.  I'll brew this weekend after next!

Herr Niedelmeyer's Dunkelweiss

Dunkelweizen

Type: All Grain	Date: 2/10/2013
Batch Size: 6.00 gal	Brewer: Jeff Holt
Boil Size: 8.38 gal	Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 90 min	Equipment: Jeff's Equipment
Taste Rating(out of 50): 35.0	Brewhouse Efficiency: 60.00
Taste Notes:
Ingredients
Amount Item Type % or IBU 6.50 lb White Wheat Malt (2.4 SRM) Grain 49.28 % 4.50 lb Wheat Malt, Dark (9.0 SRM) Grain 34.12 % 1.50 lb Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 11.37 % 0.50 lb Caramel Wheat Malt (46.0 SRM) Grain 3.79 % 0.19 lb Carafa III (525.0 SRM) Grain 1.44 % 1.00 oz Hallertauer [4.80 %] (60 min) Hops 14.7 IBU 1 Pkgs Weihenstephan Weizen (Wyeast Labs #3068) Yeast-Wheat
Beer Profile
Est Original Gravity: 1.051 SG	Measured Original Gravity: 1.010 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.012 SG	Measured Final Gravity: 1.005 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.05 %	Actual Alcohol by Vol: 0.65 %
Bitterness: 14.7 IBU	Calories: 43 cal/pint
Est Color: 15.5 SRM	Color: Color
Mash Profile
Mash Name: Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge	Total Grain Weight: 13.19 lb
Sparge Water: 5.84 gal	Grain Temperature: 72.0 F
Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F	TunTemperature: 72.0 F
Adjust Temp for Equipment: FALSE	Mash PH: 5.4 PH
Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge Step Time Name Description Step Temp 60 min Mash In Add 16.49 qt of water at 165.9 F 154.0 F
Mash Notes: Simple single infusion mash for use with most modern well modified grains (about 95% of the time).
Carbonation and Storage
Carbonation Type: Corn Sugar	Volumes of CO2: 2.4
Pressure/Weight: 4.5 oz	Carbonation Used: -
Keg/Bottling Temperature: 60.0 F	Age for: 28.0 days
Storage Temperature: 52.0 F
Notes
Created with BeerSmith

This is Almost Possible in Texas

A few years ago, someone asked me if someone did brewery tours, like there are winery tours here in Paradise. I replied that, at the time, there breweries were in different towns, and it would be a little difficult to have a sample in San Antionio, drive to Blanco for another sample, drive on to Austin to hit another one. However, now that there are so many breweries in Austin, someone with some money and some really good insurance could almost make a living doing a beer tour, like this one in Los Angeles.

The reason why I say this is "almost" possible, is that right now all the Austin breweries have tours that go on at about the same time.  To hit them all, you'd need one of these instead of a bus:

Also, most breweries don't have a dedicated tasting room, like the wineries, it would be a big PITA for a brewer to stop what they (It's not grammatically correct, I know, but at least it is gender neutral. And if you can use "athleticism", I can bend grammar.) are doing to do a quick tour and tasting. Once we can get Texas breweries on the same level playing field as the wineries, they could afford those tasting rooms, and regular tours would be possible.

Maybe someday, someone will take this idea and run with it.  I will only take a modest fee for the idea.

Big Texas Beer Fest

Yes, I have tickets.  We had a great time last year and are looking forward to going again.

Red Chile Beer

We got a red chile ristra as a Christmas gift, and we have no experience using them.  In an old BYO magazine, I found a recipe using them, and thought "Why not?"

Ristra Red Chile Beer

Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer

Type: All Grain	Date: 1/21/2013
Batch Size: 6.00 gal	Brewer: Jeff Holt
Boil Size: 7.97 gal	Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 60 min	Equipment: Jeff's Equipment
Taste Rating(out of 50): 35.0	Brewhouse Efficiency: 60.00
Taste Notes:
Ingredients
Amount Item Type % or IBU 11.25 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 87.31 % 0.75 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 5.82 % 0.75 lb Carastan (35.0 SRM) Grain 5.82 % 0.14 lb Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 1.05 % 0.85 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (60 min) Hops 14.5 IBU 1.82 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (30 min) Hops 24.0 IBU 6.00 items dried red chile (Boil 60.0 min) Misc 1 Pkgs California Ale (White Labs #WLP001) Yeast-Ale
Beer Profile
Est Original Gravity: 1.046 SG	Measured Original Gravity: 1.044 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.011 SG	Measured Final Gravity: 1.005 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 4.67 %	Actual Alcohol by Vol: 5.08 %
Bitterness: 38.5 IBU	Calories: 190 cal/pint
Est Color: 11.0 SRM	Color: Color
Mash Profile
Mash Name: Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge	Total Grain Weight: 12.89 lb
Sparge Water: 5.49 gal	Grain Temperature: 72.0 F
Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F	TunTemperature: 72.0 F
Adjust Temp for Equipment: FALSE	Mash PH: 5.4 PH
Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge Step Time Name Description Step Temp 60 min Mash In Add 16.11 qt of water at 165.9 F 154.0 F
Mash Notes: Simple single infusion mash for use with most modern well modified grains (about 95% of the time).
Carbonation and Storage
Carbonation Type: Corn Sugar	Volumes of CO2: 2.4
Pressure/Weight: 4.5 oz	Carbonation Used: -
Keg/Bottling Temperature: 60.0 F	Age for: 28.0 days
Storage Temperature: 52.0 F
Notes
Crush chiles by hand and put them in the kettle when the sparge starts.
Created with BeerSmith

I had a hop issue (I thought I had Cascade on hand, but didn't), and made a quick substitution, which is not reflected here. Otherwise, everything went well. The beer is fermenting nicely, and should be on tap in a few weeks.

Another Bill That Would Increase Revenue In Texas - Doomed!

Another alcohol related bill is before the State Legislature. Senfronia Thompson (D-Houston), has submitted a bill that would allow liquor stores to open on Sunday. Thirty-six states currently allow liquor stores to be open on Sunday. It's estimated that it would increase revenue by about $3 million a year if it passed.

However, similar bills floundered in committee last year. Again, Texas legislators would rather sacrifice revenue increases to keep Texas firmly in the back of the pack.

The Beer Bugout Bag

I'm going to a new pub in a few weeks, and I am putting together my blogging bag (aka Beer Bugout Bag™) in order to have the Ultimate Beer Geek Experience™. So what's in my bag?

First, a few pens and pencils. I'm going to need them

Second, one of my 33 Beers books.  It's a pocket sized book in which you can record your tasting notes for the beers you drink. If you don't have a lot to say.

If you don't like beer they have books for 33 Wines, chocolates, Whiskeys, Hot Sauces, Cigars Cheeses, and Coffees.

Third, a 9.5" x 6" spiral notebook, in the black, ballistic nylon cover I bought in College. It not only holds my 33 Beers book, and my pens, but also a few of my business cards. You never know when a hot chick will be impressed with a fat beer geek scribbling notes in two different places.

Fourth, my iPhone. Complete with Untappd (I'm Dirk_McLargeHuge, by the way.  Friend me.), so that I may photograph my beers and share them across the Internet.

Why carry all this stuff to a craft beer bar?

To look like a bigger geek than I am. The only way I could look geekier is to be describing the beer in  tlhIngan Hol, wearing a superhero t-shirt, typing my comments on a Linux laptop and my keys on a sonic screwdriver keychain.

Until now!

I could look the biggest beer geek ever with a BeerTone flip book.

Currently only available for preorder for Swiss beers, this would be the tool for the uberbeergeek. Each page gives minute details about a different beer, including brewer, beer name, color, alcohol content, and a bit about the beer style.

Can you imagine the girls this will attract?

Beer is Good For You Hair - If You Use It Wrong

I think I know why I'm balding.  I'm drinking the beer and not shampooing with it.

"The malt and hops found in your beer are loaded with protein, which nourishes and strengthens hair. The nutrients found in beer can even help repair dried out damaged hair to its former lusciousness. The protein binds to hair dehydrated from blow drying, straightening and harsh weather, and restores strength and body to it. Plus, the alcohol in the beer contains B vitamins that load up your hair with shine. (They actually tighten the hair’s cuticles, which makes light bounce off of your hair. Hence shiner. But, that’s all scientific and such.)"

Dawg Grog

If your picking up a six pack of beer at Boneyard Beer, in Bend, Oregon, make sure you read the label. Brewer Daniel Keeton not only makes Pale Ales, IPAs and wits, he also makes Dawg Grog, a beer for dogs.

No, this is not a repeat.

Of course, it is non-alcoholic. It's made with low sodium vegetable broth, water, spent grain from the brewery and "a glucosamine supplemental powder that includes ginger, cinnamon, flax seed, and honey". It can be served as a treat, poured over dry food, or even frozen into cubes to help a puppy's teething pains.

If you're not in Bend, you can order online (and get a nice looking t-shirt for yourself, too).  A six pack of 16 ounce plastic bottles will set you back $36, and a t-shirt $26.

Truly a bargain for any dog lover.

Austin Beer Garden Brewing Company Has a Location!

Yet another Austin brewery will be opening soon.

Austin Beer Garden Brewing Company announced it's location last week: 1305 West Oltorf.  When I lived in Austin, I got stuck at that railroad crossing a lot.  A tasting room nearby would have made those long waits more bearable.

Former Uncle Billy's brewers Amos Lowe and Brian Peters are among the founders of the new brewery.

Damn Moderation!

Thanks to Jay Brooks for this information. Beer is sooo good for you.

In moderation.

Dammit.

Click here to embiggen.

The Modern Reinheitsgebot

I don't know if you are aware of it, but last month, the Brewers Association came up with a new Reinheitsgebot.

As best I can tell, the statement was supposed to address how Blue Moon (a MillerCoors product) and Shock Top (an ABInBev product) have dressed themselves in craft beer clothes and are, frankly, lying about where the beer comes from. Look at a Blue Moon six pack carrier. It says it's made by Blue Moon Brewing Company. It doesn't mention MillerCoors at all. I don't think that's right. But when I read the list of Domestic non-craft breweries, I wondered "Who peed in Charlie's Post Toasties™?"

Yuengling's and August Schell's aren't Craft Brewers because they use adjuncts? No one can argue that Dog Fish Head Brewery doesn't use adjuncts, and they aren't on the list! Remember, an adjunct is defined as "A thing added to something else as a supplementary rather than an essential part." Under this definition, coffee is an adjunct. Hell! Fruit is an adjunct. Wine and whiskey barrels are an adjunct. So why do August Schell's, Yeungling's, Dixie, Iron City, Milwaukee Premium, Minhas, Narragansett, Pig's Eye, Rheingold, and Straub make the non-craft list? Since only Straub is a member of the BA, I guess it's because they aren't dues paying members of BA. And what did Straub do to draw the ire of the BA?

The BA Reinheitsgebot must read like this: "You can put anything you want in your beer if you pay BA dues."

The Neo-Prohibitionists Are At It Again

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), is a national busybody lobbying group that always want Congress to raise taxes on things they don't like. They've lobbied against cigarettes, transfat, coconut oil, salt, Big Macs (even proposing a unit of fat measurement called the "Big Mac" as in ". . .that's as much fat as 10 Big Macs"), soda and alcohol. They've circled back around to alcohol lately, proposing raising taxes on alcohol and revamping the tax structure to tax alcohol by units of alcohol. According to the Congressional Budget Office, they say, this would raise almost $60 billion over ten years. This would decrease consumption, increase revenue, reduce the deficit and fund anti-alcohol programs. That's a magic tax!

Unfortunately, the CSPI is counting on you not being smart enough to realize they are full of it.

Let's look at the basic argument. Raise taxes to decrease consumption and raise taxes. When CSPI says this tax will raise $59.9 billion over ten years, they cannot be factoring in how much sales will fall. So their projection has to be based on current sales. They don't know what the decrease in consumption will be. So let's play. And remember, kiddies, Google is your friend.

In 2009, the US produced 196 million barrels of beer. Do the math and that's 64,811,000,000 12 oz cans of beer. The tax rate on 12 ounces of beer has been $.05 since the 1990s. Now, the CSPI wants a "modest" increase of 60%, or $.03. Let's see how many zeros my desk calculator has (remember, breweries pay those taxes at the time of production, it is not collected at the time of consumption):

2009 tax revenue: $3,240,533,500

A tax study of cigarettes conducted by the CDC in the 1990s found that a 10% increase in taxes caused a corresponding 10% decrease in consumption. I don't know that it will hold true with beer taxes, but for giggles, let's assume it will. So a 60% tax increased will cause a corresponding 60% decrease in consuption.  That means once the tax kicks in consumption will fall to 25,924,400,000 cans. Future tax revenue will be $2,073,952,000, a decrease of $1,166,581,500.

But CSPI doesn't want you to do the math. They don't want you to think. They want you to hear their argument, nod your head at say, "A 60% tax increase is modest," and support their position.

Don't swallow what they are feeding you.

Woe is Me!

The holidays worked me over.  I didn't brew the White Stout recipe. But I did consider that I should brew a barleywine. I also knew that I needed something to make as a starter, if you know what I mean.

Last Christmas, we received a ristra of chiles. I am not from New Mexico, though Satan's brother lives out there. I don't know how to use them in cooking.  (I am going to interrogate his wife, who was raised in El Paso to tell me how to use them.) But, while going through my Zymurgy and Brew Your Own magazines, if stumbled across a couple of recipes using dried chiles.

One recipes for a pale ale suggested using five, crumbled chiles used as first wort hops: tossed into the kettle as the sparge begins.

I decided to use the Pecan Porter recipe, but without the pecans. My plan is to crush chiles and toss them into the kettle, and sparge into it.

Then I plan to use use the yeast to ferment my barleywine.

Here's hoping things will work out in the next few weeks!

If I Owned a Brewery Part 6: The Community

Sometimes, when Satan and I would sit around and talking about our brewery, one thing that came up was some way of giving back to the community that would be supporting us. There are a lot of things that could be done: prostate or breast cancers fundraisers (our favorite since Satan's mom passed from breast cancer), Parkinson's fundraisers (our uncle has Parkinson's disease), raising money for the local volunteer fire department (that one came up when we thought about opening in Paint Rock; just so we could brew a bock called Paint Rock Bock), or local hospital.  Whatever you want, we'd have monthly fundraisers.

In California, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company has been donating money to a group of monks trying to rebuild an old Spanish monastery brought to California by William Randolph Hearst brewing their Oliva line.

As a brewery owner, imagine the benefits of helping non profit organizations achieve their goals. And the positive buzz in the community wouldn't hurt, either.

Happy New Year!

We'll start off the New Year with some beer health news from Deccan Chronicle, an Indian news website. Take it with a grain of salt:

• beer has a number of natural antioxidants and vitamins that can help prevent heart disease and even rebuild muscle
• beer has one of the highest energy contents of any food or drink, but you need to set limits: one beer gets you going and four make you fat
• beer may actually provide better hydration than water alone when you're sweating it out under the sun
• Calorie-wise, one may be tempted to grab a light lager, but a dark beer is the better choice for health benefits
• Dark beers tend to have the most antioxidants, which help reverse cellular damage that occurs naturally in the body.
• microbrews are healthier than mass-produced beers, because they have more hops, which contain polyphenols that help lower cholesterol, fight cancer and kill viruses.