Celebrate... The BEER!

Well... It's that time of the year. The year ender festive beers are starting to show up in the stores. Above, is the picture I took this AM at the Green's on Ponce here in the city of Atlanta.

For those who don't know CELEBRATION ALE is one of the best beers I've ever had...and plan to ever have.

I had my first CA in the fall of 1992... that's the date i can remember...and have gotten at least a 6 pack of it every year. Despite being in the pre 6% Georgia... i would have it shipped...a friend would drive to Florida... and i would drive to Delaware... It's that of dedication that a great beer brings out in all of us.

Halloween 2008

Halloween 2008. Season's Beatings.

The building above is the American Brewery in Baltimore. The Creepiest Coolest Brewery EVER!

You Don't Know DICK! (Yuengling ...That is!)

YUENGLING now in Atlanta Stores.

The classic central Pennsylvania brewery ...located on the same spot in Pottsville since 1829... has the title as America's Oldest Brewery. Long considered a "treasure " to have it here in Georgia... after trips up north ... It's on the shelves in Atlanta as of Monday the 27th.

I met Dick Yuengling on a visit to the brewery in 1993. Driving a 88 LeBaron up to the gate, the ancestor and still head of the biz, Yuengling invited my homebrewing pal and I into the factory. It was pretty cool... and well... the store was a pub...and t shirts were cheap...and the samples were 16oz and free. The brewery itself was an old red brick mansion built back into the mountains that surrounded the town... alot like the Elsinore Brewery from the now classic "Strange Brew".

That said... the beers that we will be drinking this week (and weeks to come) were not made in this galant palace of history... but in the newly purchased Stroh's brewery in Tampa. Made by Yuengling... but in Florida. It's a drag... a bit of a let down... but still.... it's ok.

The beers that i've read are here. The LAGER ...as is THE PREMIUM ....and the BLACK and TAN.

Reached today by cell phone, native PA resident...now Atlantan... Dan Reilly told me, "It's great it's finally here... too bad it's the Florida stuff." Well Dan... that's why you'll have to bring some back from wonderful Clearfield (home of the stuffed pork chop) next time yr up there...and we can compare.

Cheers.

UPDATE! Dan Reilly checked in with an additional quote. "4 out of 5 Amish love the LAGER"

THANKS DAN!

http://www.yuengling.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D._G._Yuengling_&_Son

Punk Rock Jukebox #1

BLACK FLAG "Thirsty and Miserable"

Licorice Pizza promo ep that Unicorn Records put out to promote Damaged. 500 were pressed and given away for free.

I just scored on EBAY. Getting this record was a long time coming. Funny, the economy ...being what it is now... alot of punk and KBD (Killed By Death) records are going cheap.

My Flag collection is now complete.

“SST Records and Unicorn Records jointly manufactured the “Thirsty and Miserable”/”Life of Pain” single as a tool to help promote the upcoming DAMAGED album. One thousand copies were made and given to Licorice PIzza, a record store chain in southern California. Licorice Pizza employees were told to give the records away to anyone who might be interested. After the promotion period was over, there were still quite of the records left, which the stores promptly THREW IN THE THRASH. Nobody really knows for sure how many were disposed of and how many exist today. The original had no picture sleeve or packaging of any kind. You can see what the original label's look like here. You’ll notice that the “Thirsty and Miserable” is credited to Medea, D. Cadena and Robo. I’m sure you know who D. Cadena and Robo are, but Medea might be a bit of a mystery. Medea is the name of Greg Ginn’s old girlfriend. Not sure exactly what her contribution to this song is. “Thirsty and Miserable”/”Life of Pain” single was the first Black Flag release with Henry Rollins on vocals. The bonus song is a never-released version of “Spray Paint” with Dez on vocals. It was recorded in 1981 as part of the DAMAGED demos. An unreleased version of “American Waste” also exists from this session. The other songs from the DAMAGED demos later turned un on “Everything Went Black”.”

http://www.megawimp.com/mp3/BF_thirsty.mp3

http://www.megawimp.com/mp3/BF_life.mp3

CHECK THE TUNES OUT HERE.

Boston Brewings ... something good? look.

This is gonna be a year round release coming in January.

Your taste buds have spoken! As part of the 4th Annual Samuel Adams
Beer Lover's Choice program over 50,000 of you tasted the two worthy contestants
- Samuel Adams® Blackberry Witbier and Samuel Adams® Coffee Stout - and cast
your votes. The voting was close but as with most contests there can only be one
winner. We are pleased to announce (drum roll please) that Samuel Adams
Blackberry Witbier will be the next addition to the Samuel Adams family of
beers. We brewed this traditional witbier with orange peel and coriander, and
then added a hint of blackberry. The flavor is very complex with malt and cereal
notes, intense spice and citrus flavors and a smooth, sweet/tart finish. It will
be available in January in its own 6-pack and in the Samuel Adams® Brewmaster's
Collection Variety 6 & 12-packs.

From the Sam Adams Brewsite.

Back again to really screw it up

Well. I've done pretty bad... but consistent here on my football picks. The last 2 weeks i've gone 7/14. 50% ... that's almost as good as a monkey can randomly pick.

So here goes again.

1. Dallas/Tampa Bay ... THE BUCCANEERSX

2. Washington/Detroit ... THE REDSKINSX

3. Buffalo/Miami... THE BILLSX

4. St. Louis/New England...THE PATRIOTSX

5. Kansas City/New York... THE JETSX

6. Atlanta/Philadelphia ... THE FALCONSX

7. Oakland/Baltimore ... THE RAVENSX

8. Arizona/Carolina ... THE PANTHERS X

9.Cleveland/Jacksonville ...THE JAGUARS X

10. Cincinnati/Houston ... THE BENGALS X

11. New York/Pittsburgh ... THE GIANTS X

12.Seattle/San Francisco ...THE SEAHAWKS X

13. Indianapolis/Tennesee... THE COLTS X

14. San Diego/New Orleans... THE SAINTS X

UPDATE TUESDAY... hey! i went 9/14 this week. gotta love that. i also booked my flight to go see the Titans vs DA BEARS at Soldier Field in 2 weeks. whoo hoo

Rudy Ray Moore DEAD. Long Live Dolemite!

"Rudy Ray Moore, the comedian whose style, swagger and downright salacious subject matter made him a cult figure in the world of hip-hop, died on Sunday of complications from diabetes at the age of 81.
Moore starred in dozens of films but is best known for 1975's "Dolemite," a low-budget mix of kung fu and bawdy humor that he wrote, produced and starred in as the titular wisecracking pimp. The film was a huge hit, spawned many knockoffs (not to mention a few sequels of its own) and was declared — many years later, of course — to be "the 'Citizen Kane' of blaxploitation films" by The New York Times.

This kinda bummed me out all day. Good thing I tapped the Bishop in the keg. huh?

BEERS YOU GET CANT HERE #1

It's almost Halloween. That means this friday... if you live in Minnesota... Surly's is releasing

DARKNESS.

NO. I've never had it. YES. I've heard amzing things about it.

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/13014/33127 There's BEER ADVOCATE's take on the beer. ... and here's Surly's take on the party they are planning. http://www.surlybrewing.com/index.php They are calling it "D-DAY"

BEERS CHEERS.

Old Wooden Head Pale Ale.

OLD WOODEN HEAD PALE ALE.

Wow. It's really over the top. The SECOND beer by Burnt Hickory Brewing...based slightly on a over hopped California Pale Ale... It's more like a Super Bitter English Ale. I can't say this is exactly what i was going for, But i'm not really upset with it.

The first thing I got when I opened a bottle last week...was GRAPEFRUIT. I've had a citrus taste before in beers... but this was new. Net research claims that the grapefruit smell and taste is normal for ales hopped with tons of Chinook and Simcoe hops. True. I used 4 Hops very LIBERALLY in this brew.
PER A FIVE GALLON Recipe
1. Cascade. off the top.. 2 0z
2. Centennial . off the top as well... 1 0z
3. Chinook . thru the boil 1 oz
4. Cascade . at end. 2 0z
5. Simcoe . Dry hop. 1 0z

looking back now... wow... for a light malt FULL mash homebrew.. i may have overdone it. The Malt balance i wanted is not really there.

Today I popped another bottle and tapped the keg. I was more happy with it. The grapefruit is there... but more buried.. and the beer has a real Pilsner Urquell stingy bitterness. It's hoppy... but not a sweet hop... a strong grass/flower blast.

I think in the future... i'll rework OLD WOODEN HEAD to be more MALT driven.... and use only Cascade Hops.

Appearance is Cloudy. It maybe leftover from the boil... more irish moss needed i'd say. The warmer it gets... the clearer it gets as well

Head retension is good. The bottled version is dead one... another HUZZAH for Cooper's Carbonation Drops. The Keg version is highly carbonated... controllable but i think i shot it a bit HOT.

Happy? Hell yes... it's my beer and it's good. Bottom line.

OLD WOODEN HEAD PALE ALE batch #1
named for John Bell Hood. General and Confederate Hero at the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain. Nicknamed "OLD WOODEN HEAD" by his troops by his stubborn actions on the battlefield.

5 Gallons made. 3 kegged 2 bottled.

OCTOBER 2008

The Brewmeister's PICKS Week 10/19

Okay. Nothing's better than a Dangerhouse 45 than the NFL huh?

Last week, I got killed in my picks. I took Da Bears over the Falcons. What was I thinking? I also took over The Redskins the Rams!

OVERALL: I went 7 out of 14. Damn!

THIS WEEK.

San Diego / Buffalo ..... THE BILLS X

New Orleans/Carolina ..... THE SAINTSX

Minnesota/Chicago...... DA BEARS!X

Pittsburgh/Cincinnati.... THE STEELERS X

Tennessee/Kansas City..... THE TITANS X

Baltimore/ Miami .... THE DOLPHINS X

San Francisco/New York ..... THE GIANTS X

Dallas/St. Louis .... THE COWBOYS X

Detroit/Houston .... THE LIONS X

Indianapolis/Green Bay .... THE COLTS X

New York/Oakland.... THE JETS X

Cleveland/Washington .... THE REDSKINS X

Seattle/Tampa Bay... THE BUCCANEERS X

Denver/ New England... THE BRONCOS X

ok. Fingers Crossed.

UPDATE 7:45 pm. so far i'm not doing so great this weekend. i must be drunk!

UPDATE 11:34 pm MONDAY. 7 out of 14 again. at least I'm consistent at sucking ass.

Great American Beer Fest Results.

The Great American Beer Fest is held in Denver every year. Anyone who reads a six pack container knows it's pretty important stuff to put the news of a medal win right up front to help drive that sale from the liquor store cooler.

The Full results are here. http://beertown.org/

Here's what I noticed.

DOGFISH HEAD's Red and White got first place in the "Specialty " Beer category. While the Palo Santo Marron got a third.

SWEETWATER's Motorboat got a SECOND in the ESB category.

This is Sweetwater's first win in a long time. Dogfish Head never seems to do well here... but these are both big wins for these breweries. Maybe Sweetwater will now make Motorboat a year round beer.

GAMMA RAY is here.

TERRAPIN's GAMMA RAY... SIGHTING!

A sighting... and a purchase. Grabbed two 220z's at Sherlock's on Barrett Parkway this week. I haven't tasted it yet. I'm waiting for the weekend. At 11% alcohol, I'm figuring I'd better block out some time to enjoy this one.

"So and go figure…. my latest “side Project” beer , the Gamma Ray, is the biggest beer in terms of alcohol that has ever come out of the Terrapin Brewery. Not only that, it’s a WHEAT BEER! Brewed with 50% wheat, a handful of Munich malt and 700 lbs of Tupelo and Sourwood honeys from Savannah Bee Company, is beer is sure to make you smile. I hope you enjoy the newest audition to the “Side Project” series of beers. “Gamma Ray” The beer that melts your face off! Spike"

From the Terrapin Website.

http://www.terrapinbeer.com/

TASTING UPDATE LATER.

GET OUT THE VOTE! (beer style)

VOTE FOR WHAT BEER YOU WANT NEW
GLARUS TO BREW IN 2009.

Located in the rolling hills of central southern Wisconsin is the New Glarus Brewery. It's beers are amazing... they are wonderful...they are only available within a 30 mile radius of the brewery. (true or not... that's what i was told...and i haven't seen it anywhere outside that "ring")

Well... They are building a new brewery down the highway about a mile...and plan to up the output. Problem is... with so many great beers... what do they make?

They are looking for people to get out and make a statement this election year...and VOTE. (for what beers they will make in 2009!)

http://www.newglarusbrewing.com/BeerVote2009.cfm

SO VOTE.

http://www.newglarusbrewing.com/Index.cfm

More on The "Real" FIGHTING BISHOP

Gen. Leonidas Polk's Headquarters State Historical Marker
Located on
Burnt Hickory Rd. one mile west of Carnes Rd. in Cobb County, Ga

GEN. LEONIDAS POLK'S
HEADQUARTERS

G.W. Hardage house; June 10-14, 1864 After
withdrawing his corps from Lost Mtn. June 9, Polk's H'dq'rs. [CS] were at the
John Kirk house 1 mi. W. on this rd. June 10, h'dq'rs. were moved to Hardage
house.

Sun. June 12. The Bishop-General read the church service (Episcopal)
for his staff, escort, and the Hardage family.

June 14. Polk rode with Johnston, Hardee & others to Pine Mtn. to inspect Bate's [CS] line at that advanced outpost. While there, Polk was killed by a Federal shell.
033-20
GEORGIA HISTORICAL COMMISSION 1953

taken from http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/gahistmarkers/leonidaspolkshqshistmarker.htm

BISHOP TASTING

FIGHTING BISHOP first "official" tasting.

Broke open one of the pub bottles. I haven't bottled my beer in a long time so this was kind of an adventure. I decided about 4 years ago to keg ...a great decision for any homebrewer who is tired of the smell of chlorine from the bottle washing task. I've been carbonating not through priming with sugar but force carbonating with the C02 canister. That has always worked great.

For the Bishop...(and Old Wooden Head.... beer #2...info coming) I bottled from the keg with a pressurized tube and tap. Worried... flat beer is NOT good... I added a Cooper's carbonation drop. A measured cough drop size shot of sugar... that is supposed to rev up the yeast.

So... popping open the FIRST Bishop... I heard the GASP...and rush of carbonation. Head development was good... poured well. Dark Amber color... mostly clear. Smell of barley and a chocolate mix. Taste... chocolate... Belgian sweetness.. it's ok. It could stand another week or two of conditioning.... But I'm happy.

The Fighting Bishop ABBEY STYLE ALE

THE FIGHTING BISHOP

Abbey Style Ale.

The first release by the Burnt Hickory Brewing Company.

Named for a real "Fighting Bishop", General Leonidas Polk, this brew is a Abbey Style ale. With hop shortages as they are, I substituted most of the called for European pellets with American versions. I also used over 12 lbs of several barley malts in this limited 5 gallon run.

Available: 3 gallons KEGGED. 2 gallons BOTTLED (22oz)

BACKSTORY

Leondias Polk was an ordained minister and quite the warrior at the time of the outbreak of the Civil War.

A graduate of West Point and eventually the man who set up The University of the South in Sewnee TN, Polk was a seasoned Confederate general by the time he got to the battlefield at Kennesaw Mountain in June of 1864

"A second round struck nearby and the third round
entered Polk through an arm, passing through his chest and exiting through the
other arm. He was dead. Johnston stood over the man who had baptized him earlier
in the campaign and cried. One of the few men who had little use for Rebels, and
even less for the clergy was Gen. Sherman, who in a tersely worded statement
sent to Gen. Halleck, "We killed Bishop Polk yesterday and have made good
progress today..." "

taken from
http://ngeorgia.com/history/polk.html

The site where that "second round struck" is about a mile from the brewery here. Inspired by the story... THE FIGHTING BISHOP is a "Hellish Blend of Belgian Yeast and Malt"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonidas_Polk for more info on General Polk.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennesaw_Mountain_National_Battlefield for more on the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain.

Stoned in Georgia

The Stone Brewery products have made it to Georgia and I couldn't be happier. The Southern California based brewery is known for some of the better craft brews out there.

The Arrogant Bastard ale and the Ruination Double IPA are in my mind the flagship beers of this brewer. Available now at most liquor stores that I've been in lately...it's hard not to leave the establishment without a 220z or a six pack.

CONS? Stone is pricey. The Ruination 6 pack is 13.99 on average. You don't have to be a religious beer buyer to know that's steep. Worth it? Yes? Really? Maybe.

http://www.stonebrew.com/

Opening of the web page here on blogspot

Here we are, the first entry to the brewery's blog. I've been a homebrewer and fan of craft brews for almost 20 years. I plan to post updates about the brews I am making, with titles,recipes and bottle art work.
I also plan to make this a beer lovers blog. With reviews and news about beers I'm enjoying , beer bars I go to and liquor stores I frequent for six packs.

Bottoms Up !
Scott Hedeen,
Head Brewer