Repeal Day

This coming Wednesday, December 5^th, marks the 79^th anniversary of Repeal Day, an end to the years of civil delinquency & organized crime wrought by Prohibition.  Speaking as someone who sells, drinks, & adores beer, it’s hard to imagine a time when the production, distribution, & consumption of alcohol constituted illegal acts.  It’s humbling to reflect on this from time to time, as it becomes all too easy to take for granted the pleasures we indulge in, & get lost in the appreciation, criticism, even snobbery, of enjoying a finely brewed beer.  There but for the grace of God drink I...

As much damage as Prohibition did, it’s important to remember that it happened for a reason.  In hindsight, people like to point the finger at the “fantacism” of the temperance movement & to our country’s historically “Puritanical” persuasions as fueling the fire, but that’s only part of the story; the other part is that irresponsible drinking was (& is) causing a lot of people a lot of problems.  Was Prohibition the solution?  History proves not – it increased criminal activity & all the dangers associated with it.  But per capita consumption has never returned to its highest pre-Prohibition peak, & that residual moderation may have as much to do with conscientious consumption as it does guilt or Puritan mores. 

The irony is that, for a long time, beer was the friend of the temperance movement – it was seen as a moderate alternative to the prevailing “devils” of gin, whiskey, & rum (more on lager & Prohibition in a later posting).  But beer, too, fell under the ax of the 18^th Amendment, & was vilified with its stronger cousins.  As much as we love brew & the joys of imbibing, it’s important to balance that self with mindfulness & responsibility.  BeerAdvocate’s motto is “Respect beer”, a profound sentiment that beer should be loved, revered, & not abused or exploited.  Treated with respect for its gifts of indulgence & the risks of over-indulgence.  Repeal Day gives us an opportunity to reflect on this, to celebrate the good that beer can bring to our lives while also observing the need for care & balance, & to not take such a great thing for granted.

Throw Your Own Beer-Tasting Party

Too many people on your holiday shopping list?  Sick of the same old Christmas party with pie & ironically tacky sweaters?  Why not throw a beer tasting for your nearest & dearest?  It’s a great way to show your friends & family a good time during the winter season, & can be one big gift for a bunch of buddies at once.  And with beer as the centerpiece, you can share the wealth with some alehead veterans while introducing some others to the joys of good brew.

A few tips & ideas:

Pick a theme.  A common thread through the menu can bring some focus & help compare & contrast.  You can do by style (stouts, IPAs, barleywines, winter ales, et al.); highlight a brewery or “line” (Dogfish Head’s experimental beers, or Great Divide’s Yeti variations);  a region (local, California, or Belgium, for instance); pairings with food (cheese goes wonderfully with beer, or organize a full dinner menu with a pairing for each course).  Or maybe your theme is just ‘Awesome Beers’!

Serve munchies.  Having some food on hand helps line the stomach & keeps folks from getting too tipsy, plus it’s great for some impromptu pairing.  To keep the party price tag from getting too steep, you can suggest that each guest provide some sort of food.  Some edibles to have on hand are bread, cheeses, dried fruits, chocolate, cured meats, chutney, nuts, dips, olives – these all make for great pairings too, & you can get as creative or simple as you want.  Also, make sure to provide plenty of water.

Consider portions.  2 to 4 oz. pours are plenty for giving people a good taste of each beer, with a good flight anywhere from 5 to 12 beers.  Our palates get fatigued after a while, & it would be nice for everyone to be able to taste the first & last beer.

Sequence.  In preparing a flight list, a rule of thumb is to go from least to most intense.  A lot of times this correlates with ABV, but not necessarily – a smoky rauchbier or sour lambic can be low alcohol but still pack intense flavor, so take the overall impact on the palate into account. 

Educate (in moderation).  A few factoids about style characteristics, process, history, or other background can be fun, give context, & spur some discussion, but remember that your guests came to eat, drink, & be merry, not listen to you geek out. 

Make it interactive.  Have guests give scores or vote on a favorite.  Not everyone will agree on which is “best”, & individual tastes make the world go ‘round.  Maybe even do a blind tasting & have folks guess what they’re drinking.  Get creative!

Enjoy!  That’s the point, right?  Don’t stress too much, & make sure you get to have fun, too.  And remember that there are some who just don’t like beer – most of those people know who they are ahead of time, so if you have some non-beer-drinkers coming, offer an alternative like wine or craft soda.  Guests’ enjoyment is the bottom line, & when they (& you) are loosened up by some delicious, adventurous brews, what better way to brighten the darkest days of the year?

Tasting Tips

Too many people on your holiday shopping list?  Sick of the same old Christmas party with pie & ironically tacky sweaters?  Why not throw a beer tasting for your nearest & dearest?  It’s a great way to show your friends & family a good time during the winter season, & can be one big gift for a bunch of buddies at once.  And with beer as the centerpiece, you can share the wealth with some alehead veterans while introducing some others to the joys of good brew.

A few tips & ideas:

Pick a theme.  A common thread through the menu can bring some focus & help compare & contrast.  You can do by style (stouts, IPAs, barleywines, winter ales, et al.); highlight a brewery or “line” (Dogfish Head’s experimental beers, or Great Divide’s Yeti variations);  a region (local, California, or Belgium, for instance); pairings with food (cheese goes wonderfully with beer, or organize a full dinner menu with a pairing for each course).  Or maybe your theme is just ‘Awesome Beers’!

Serve munchies.  Having some food on hand helps line the stomach & keeps folks from getting too tipsy, plus it’s great for some impromptu pairing.  To keep the party price tag from getting too steep, you can suggest that each guest provide some sort of food.  Some edibles to have on hand are bread, cheeses, dried fruits, chocolate, cured meats, chutney, nuts, dips, olives – these all make for great pairings too, & you can get as creative or simple as you want.  Also, make sure to provide plenty of water.

Consider portions.  2 to 4 oz. pours are plenty for giving people a good taste of each beer, with a good flight anywhere from 5 to 12 beers.  Our palates get fatigued after a while, & it would be nice for everyone to be able to taste the first & last beer.

Sequence.  In preparing a flight list, a rule of thumb is to go from least to most intense.  A lot of times this correlates with ABV, but not necessarily – a smoky rauchbier or sour lambic can be low alcohol but still pack intense flavor, so take the overall impact on the palate into account. 

Educate (in moderation).  A few factoids about style characteristics, process, history, or other background can be fun, give context, & spur some discussion, but remember that your guests came to eat, drink, & be merry, not listen to you geek out. 

Make it interactive.  Have guests give scores or vote on a favorite.  Not everyone will agree on which is “best”, & individual tastes make the world go ‘round.  Maybe even do a blind tasting & have folks guess what they’re drinking.  Get creative!

Enjoy!  That’s the point, right?  Don’t stress too much, & make sure you get to have fun, too.  And remember that there are some who just don’t like beer – most of those people know who they are ahead of time, so if you have some non-beer-drinkers coming, offer an alternative like wine or craft soda.  Guests’ enjoyment is the bottom line, & when they (& you) are loosened up by some delicious, adventurous brews, what better way to brighten the darkest days of the year?

Top Shelf Thursday: November 2012

Our Top Shelf Tastings have gotten to be a consistent draw here at the House.  We’d originally organized one as part of Steel City Big Pour Week, a way to showcase some of the specialty beers in our inventory.  So often we encounter customers wanting to try something but balking at the sticker price, so we thought, why not have a way for folks to try some of the higher end bottles without having to risk dropping money on something they’re not sure if they’ll enjoy?  We wanted the tasting to be affordable, so we designed the price-tag first & then picked beers that we thought folks would like: $15 for ten 2-ounce samples seemed right.  The September tasting garnered good feedback & continued interest, so we had an October tasting, & just held the November tasting last night, each one selling out quicker than the last.  As long as momentum keeps up, we plan to continue having one each month.  Keeping the attendance limited gives the tasting a relaxed, intimate vibe, & allows for conversation between attendees & staff.

We also decided it would be good to starting posting a “wrap-up” of each event.  And while normally there’d be a picture of the flight, unfortunately, technical foul-ups prevent us from doing so this time (sorry, no beer porn!).  Instead, we’ve linked each one to a photo & some more info 

We kicked off with a newer release from Mount Pleasant’s Helltown Brewing: their Spiteful Saison, a Belgian-style farmhouse ale with a spicy, floral nose & nicely rounded body.  This seems to be another sign that the folks at Helltown really know what they’re doing & are capable of making some great, versatile beers. 

Next up was Leon, a Belgian-style pale ale from Swedish gypsy brewer Omnipollo, brewed at Brouwerij DeProef in Belgium.  Conceived as an “all-night drinker”, Leon is fermented with champagne yeast, giving it dry, crisp finish.

 Following that was Brasserie Caracole’s Saxo, a smooth, honey-like Belgian blonde (with a charming label).  Saxo is made with just 2 organic malts, raw wheat, & Saaz hops, showing how a simple recipe can yield such interesting, complex results.

 Our fourth course was the Chimay Tripel on draft, served in Chimay goblets that attendees kept as souvenirs.  The most ubiquitous Trappist beer, the Tripel is distinct for its very dry character. 

Up next was Caldera Brewing’s Vas Deferens Ale, a strong Belgian-style dark brewed with orange zest, orange bitters, & dark candy sugar.  The beer’s name & label are infamous, but no-one knew why Caldera chose to call it that – if anyone knows, please fill us in!

 Southern Tier’s Pumking was up next, to help mark the season as a standard-bearer of the style.  There was some discussion as to whether baking spices are added in brewing, as none are listed among the ingredients on the label or on-line, but it’s hard to ignore the pumpkin pie quality. 

A point of comparison was the spiced & oak-aged Oak Jack from Uinta Brewing in Salt Lake City.  The spices were definitely apparent with this one, as was the toasty, oaky character imparted by the wood. 

By this time the ABVs were climbing, as we moved to Port Brewing’s Older Viscosity, a barrel-aged American strong ale tipping the scales at 12%.  Somewhere between a barleywine & an imperial stout, this one packed in a ton of flavor. 

Both the Older Viscosity & the Angel’s Share, from Lost Abbey, are creations of brewmaster Tomme Arthur, a big name among beer geeks.  The Angel’s Share, aged in bourbon-barrels for 12 months, leaned more toward the caramel quality of a barleywine.

 And rounding the evening off was the original bourbon barrel-aged stout: Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout, a huge, intensely warming beer at 15% ABV.  Bourbon County is an expertly crafted classic that envelops your whole mouth, & many were thrilled to find that the acquisition of Goose Island by Anheuser-Busch InBev has not compromised the quality of a landmark beer. 

So all in all, not everybody likes everything (the big barrel-aged brews were too much for some), but everyone finds something that hits a chord for them.  We at The House have a great time curating the line-up & throwing these little shin-digs, & the best part about being part of The House is the people.  And the beer.  But specifically, sharing the beer with people.  If you’ve missed out on these in the past, we hope to see you in January.  And if you miss that one, don’t worry, we’ll catch you the month after.

Paint the White House Amber

Another election season’s ended.  Whether you’re happy with the results or devastated, we can all breathe a sigh of relief that the attack ads, speculation, & other hoopla will soon have left our collective consciousness.  Once the dust had settled at the polls, my thoughts turned to where they usually do: beer.  I thought of the Yards Brewing’s Ales of the Revolution, a series of beers inspired by the original recipes of George Washington & Thomas Jefferson, & reflecting the value ascribed to brewing by our founding fathers.  Speaking of founding fathers, I’m reminded of the photo of Jim Koch, founder of the Samuel Adams brand of beer & a groundbreaker in today’s craft beer movement, standing in front of the White House in 1987, a Boston Lager in each hand.  Two years after starting the Boston Beer Company, Koch was invited to the White House by Ronald Reagan, & ever since, Samuel Adams has been served at the White House, Camp David, & Air Force One.

As craft beer emerges to more prominence in the marketplace & our culture in general, it’s no accident that it seems to have carved a niche in today’s White House.  Whether you’re a true-blue Democrat or a red-blooded Republican, it’s safe to say that President Obama is one of the most beer-friendly commanders-in-chief in recent history.  Beer geeks everywhere were abuzz over the “beer summit” in the summer of 2009, when the proposed approach to conflict resolution was to sit down & talk it out over beers.  The on-line forums were full of curiosity & speculation over which brews the men would choose (& a little disappointment that they weren’t something a little more interesting).  During the Steelers’ last Super Bowl attempt, beers from each teams’ home state were sent to the White House - Green Bay was represented by Hinterland Brewing, &, despite a Hail Mary by locals East End, the Steelers’ symbolic brew was Yuengling.  And homebrewers everywhere are agog that White House chefs are now brewing not one, but three beers:  a brown ale, porter, & blonde ale, all made with honey from the White House beehive.  This is the first record of brewing on actual White House grounds, though historians are quick to point out that Washington brewed & distilled at Mt. Vernon & Jefferson made wine at Monticello.

Brewers themselves are taking politics as a cue, too, with Avery’s release of Ale to the Chief, a double IPA, & Blue Point’s tongue-in-cheek Entitlement Porter.   Again, regardless of your own persuasion, please realize that this is not an endorsement, but an observation that craft beer is on the rise, to the point that it’s taken a place in the highest office in our nation.  And that’s a message that fans of good beer everywhere can approve.

Wicked Good Beer

With the House’s annual Halloween Party less than a week away, we’re all getting excited.  Halloween is such a fun holiday, & we at the House always try to step up & put on a good show.  This year, we’ll be celebrating by tapping 7 pumpkin beers, some never before seen at the House.  The costume contest is always a good time, with some cool prizes up for grabs.  And starting October 22^nd, we’ll be giving away a Rogue Dead Guy Ale glass when you order Dead Guy on tap.  With each pour of Dead Guy, you can be entered into a drawing for a Rogue Dead Guy homebrew kit, so you can clone your own Dead Guy in your homebrew laboratory! 

All this Halloween talk got me thinking about some beers blessed (or cursed) with creepy names that are also scary good, to boot:

Night of the Living Stout, by Full Pint Brewing, an homage to Pittsburgh’s zombie heritage with really cool label art.  We’ll also be tapping this strong, roasty stout at our Halloween party!

Pumking, Southern Tier’s perennial favorite, is considered by many to be the standard-bearer for imperial pumpkin ales.  Legend has it that the ‘Pumking’ name refers to a wicked pagan harvest spirit, & this devilish ale will be making an appearance during our party as well.

Nosferatu , from Great Lakes Brewing Co., has been categorized as an imperial red ale or a stock ale, depending on the source.  Named after the original film vampire, this beer has a “bite” from the use of pungent Simcoe hops.

Hobgoblin’s brewery – Wychwood – should tip you off that this is a beer with something sinister in mind.  This dark English mild won’t turn you white, but it’s enough to cause some mischief.

Ichabod, from New Holland Brewing, is an ale brewed with pumpkin & spices.  Taking its namesake from the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, this is one pumpkin ale to lose your head over!

The Beast, a big Belgian-style Grand Cru from Avery Brewing, is seductive & mixes truth with lies, namely in how smooth it is despite its 16.8% ABV.

Maudite might not sound frightening to us English-speakers, but translates to “the damned” in Quebecois.  Unibroue named this Belgian-style dark ale after a folk legend in which eight lumberjacks make a deal with the devil, & are depicted on the label rowing to the underworld.

Witch’s Wit caught a lot of flack for Lost Abbey from the Wiccan community due to its label, which depicts a witch-burning.  Far from soulless, the beer inside will still cast a spell on you.

Honorable mentions go to Helltown (makers of Insidious, Mischievous, Sinister, Devious, & Extra Sinful Bitter), Fantome, Reaper Ales, Surly Darkness, Three Floyds Dark Lord & Zombie Dust, AleSmith Evil Dead Red, Clown Shoes Vampire Slayer, Duvel, Lucifer, about a hundred other devil-themed beers, & plenty others I’m not thinking of.  So grab a good brew & let the dark side come out & play for a spell.  See you October 27^th for the party, & don’t forget your costume!

The Other Barrel

Oak & barrel-aging has become a standard in American brewers’ repertoire.  What was probably a given in the days before stainless steel packaging has turned into an artisanal statement among today’s craft brewers, & for good reason.  Aging the right beer on oak or bourbon barrels can contribute so much flavor: vanilla, caramel, whiskey, tannins, nutty, toasty.  Delicious.  Brewers often choose bold, robust styles that the wood can compliment: the original Bourbon County Stout from Goose Island remains a standard-bearer of the style to this day, & aside from imperial stouts, brewers age barleywines, Scotch ales, double IPAs, & other strong styles in wood to elevate the beer to that next level.  Whiskey barrels seem the perfect match to many of these rich, full styles, & represent a hallmark in American experimentation.

But there exists a whole other dimension of barrel-aged beers, one with a history much longer than the bourbon-barrel behemoths.  As I sat down to write today’s blog, I sipped on a glass on Stillwater’s Barrel-Aged Stateside Saison.  The beer I enjoyed was complex, tart, earthy, spicy, hot, challenging, & quite different from, say, a Bourbon County Stout.  My attention shifted to the vast world of barrels used in brewing outside of American oak.  In Belgium, for instance, barrel-aging a beer brings about an entirely different character than the ones we American beer drinkers are used to: dryer, more sour, more vinous.  The barrel’s previous inhabitants have so much influence on the product – in the case of the Stateside, French Chardonnay.  This saison shared a lot of characteristics with a dry wine or even champagne.  A barrel’s resident microflora – bacteria, yeast, other ‘critters’ – can develop, really altering the fermentation process & characteristics of the beer once it’s exposed to them.  So much of lambics’ & Flemish sours’ personality blossoms in the barrel from its contact with these benevolent little beasties.  And, as the barrels are not airtight, oxidation plays a part in transforming the flavors over time, contributing notes of sherry, dark fruit, even a pleasant ‘mustiness’.

While the more ubiquitous robust oak character will probably remain the dominant one in American brewing (no complaints here), more & more American brewers are using oak to add sour & wild components.  Russian River’s excellent wild ales all use barrel-aging.  Jolly Pumpkin stores 100% of their beers in barrels, which are host to their resident strains of critters.  And locally, Helltown has been cultivating sour ales in French wine barrels since about the time they opened (can’t wait to try these!).  These beers are slow in the making, take some care, & are acquired tastes, so they’re not the cheapest & definitely not ‘crowd-pleasers’.  But for many who venture into this ‘alternate dimension’ of barrels, the unique appeal of these beers is hard to shake & can be deeply rewarding.  So take some time to consider the other wood, & you might find something beautiful you never knew was there.

Old School Pumpkin Beer

Being early fall, pumpkin beers are on a lot of beer-drinkers’ minds & palates lately.  The House just got a “second wave” of pumpkin ales in this past week, including some perennial favorites (Southern Tier Pumking, Dogfish Head Punk’n, Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin) along with a few newcomers (Elysian The Great Pumpkin, Evil Genius’s varieties).  Even the more “softcore” among us gravitate to the rich, spicy, warming flavors, which are really more evocative of pumpkin pie & the spices used than actual pumpkin: nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, vanilla, ginger.  Locals East End even brewed a beer last year that openly embraced that irony, brewed with all the seasonings & no pumpkin, & named “Nunkin” to reflect that assertion.

Pumpkin ale wasn’t always this way, a spicy, sweet, cozy beer.  18^th century colonists in America used pumpkins as a pure source of starch & sugars (of which there are plenty) in their beer, taking the gourd as a substitute for barley when supplies were low.  Flipping through The Oxford Companion to Beer (thanks once again to eternal source Garrett Oliver), I came across an old recipe for pumpkin ale – from 1771, to be exact – that made no mention of malts at all.  It’s full of old timey English, which referred to pumpkins as “pompions”:

RECEIPT FOR POMPION ALE

Let the Pompion be beaten in a Trough and pressed as Apples.  The expressed Juice is to be boiled in a Copper a considerable Time and carefully skimmed that there may be no Remains of the fibrous Part of the Pulp.  After that Intention is answered let the Liquor be hopped cooled fermented &c. as Malt Beer.

This “ale” is essentially pumpkin juice, fermented & hopped, closer to a cider than a beer.  One wonders how this kind of drink would stand up nowadays, served alongside the modern, evolved form of pumpkin ale.  It would be interesting, no doubt, but probably something worth a few sips, a few “hmm”s, & then headed for the dump bucket.  As fun an experiment as this trip to the past would be, I’m sure folks are happy that pumpkin ale is where it is today. 

In honor of 21^st century pumpkin beer, we’ll be tapping no less than seven on Oct. 27^th for our Halloween party, some of which will be brand new to the House.  In addition, there’ll be other festivities, like prize giveaways & a costume contest.  So come join us for an old school good time while celebrating the new!   

Wet-Hopped Beers: The Last True Seasonal?

Fall is a great time for beer.  Of all the “drinking festivals”, Oktoberfest is probably the most beer-friendly (at least “good-beer”-friendly).  Millions the world over raise liter after liter of strong, hearty lager to toast Prince Ludwig.  Pumpkin ales are among the most heavily-anticipated seasonal beers of the year – who doesn’t love that warming, spicy note to prepare us for cool weather?

Lately, though, it’s become clear to beer lovers that the “seasonal” moniker is being applied more liberally than ever before.  Brewers & distributors seem to be in a race to get their time-sensitive beers on the shelves, a mixed blessing of what’s become a very competitive market.  We at the House are certainly not absolved of this practice, having tapped our first pumpkin ale on August 1^st.  Beermakers & sellers definitely play fast & loose with the definition of “season”, to the frustration of some – Sixpoint Brewing decried this year’s early appearance of pumpkin beers.  Many brewers use frozen pumpkins or puree, making a harvest-time irrelevant.  And thanks to temperature control technology, Oktoberfests no longer have to be stored in caves over the summer, & saisons (French for “season”) can be brewed year-round.  Like most foods, beer styles are pretty much available all the time, whenever the craving strikes.

And we at the House have no problem with that!  We’re all for having a broad selection of styles & taste available to the thirsty faithful.  However, there is a big exception when it comes to this whatever-whenever availability, & one that’s especially exciting to those in the know.  This time of year is when hopyards harvest their cones.  Many are shredded & turned into pellets or just frozen whole, but lucky are those that get picked & immediately sent to the brewery for used in the freshest of the hoppy beers: the wet-hopped harvest ales!  Using fresh, or “wet” hops even before they are air-dried, gives pale ales & IPAs a fresh, bright, inviting aroma & flavor.  Southern Tier & Great Divide make some great examples, & Sierra Nevada even brews fresh-hopped beers for each of the Northern & Southern Hemisphere harvests.  As the hops have to be used as freshly as possible, these beers are truly time-sensitive beers that reinforce the concept of “seasonal”.  Defy modern beer & food consumption with a truly season-appropriate beer; these things can’t be rushed, so stay tuned at the House for arrivals as they come in!

What the Firkin?!

Like Mardi Gras & Super Bowl Sunday, the Oktoberfest celebration in Munich is one of the world’s great parties.  Literally, tons upon tons of beer & food are served to tens of thousands of revelers every year for two weeks, this year starting on September 22nd.  The House will take its own part in this worldwide feast just 3 days before, on Wednesday, September 19^th.  To help us celebrate, we’ll be joined by Penn Brewery’s Pete Vicinski, who’ll pour Penn’s classic Oktoberfest lager from the first firkin ever tapped at House of 1000 Beers!

What’s a firkin?  It sounds like a dirty word, but it’s not.  A firkin is a barrel, denoting a measurement equal to 72 pints.  Specifically in the beer world, firkins are used to serve beers that are cask-conditioned.  Normally, kegged draft beers are often filtered of yeast & served with carbon dioxide (or nitrogen) forced into them, which gives them their head & fizz.  Instead of being force-carbonated, cask-conditioned beers are put inside a barrel with the yeast still actively working, fermenting the beer & creating natural carbonation in the process.  Think of when you get a beer that’s bottle-conditioned (the kind with the yeast at the bottom) vs. one that was force-carbed.  Cask-conditioning is, simplistically, bottle-conditioning writ large. 

Tapping a firkin is the most exciting part!  The firkin is placed on its side on the bar, the bartender holds the tap in hand by the firkin’s mouth, & with a mallet in the other hand, gives the tap a good whack or two to drive the tap into the firkin, usually shooting a few squirts of beer in the process!  (See the photo above)  A spile is placed in the top to release air, & the beer is poured by gravity right off the bar, like a picnic cooler – firkins are also called “gravity kegs”.  Because the yeast is still active, the beer is considered to still be “alive” & should be consumed within about 48 hours or risk spoilage.  The beer that comes from cask-conditioning is smooth & velvety in texture, with unique flavors produced by the still-active yeast.

So let us pull a pint for you this Wednesday as part of our Oktoberfest “pre-game”, & be part of a first for the House.  Prost!

Photo used from John Hoyston’s Beer Here blog

R.I.P. Tom Pastorius

Beer drinkers in the 'burgh collectively shed a tear today.  Following the exuberance & celebration of yesterday’s Steel City Big Pour, it was announced in an obituary that Tom Pastorius died peacefully three days ago.  The founder & long-time president of CEO of Penn Brewery, Pastorius was an icon in Pittsburgh beer culture & introduced so many in the area to interesting, flavorful craft brew.  Though Pastorius’ influence in the company began to dwindle in the past several years, he was still recognized as the face of the company & a progenitor of good beer in Pittsburgh, with an emphasis on authentic, quality German lagers & ales like those he’d experienced in the halls & biergartens of their country of origin.  Though he may be gone, the spirit of his labor can still be tasted in the crisp snap of a Kaiser Pils or the rich, malty warmth of a St. Nikolas Bock.  There was a feeling of joy that so many felt on hearing the news that, after a short period of outsourcing, the brewery returned home to the old E&O building on Vinial St.  For more history on Penn Brewery & Pastorius’ work, visit www.pennbrew.com .  Farewell to Tom, we now drink to his legacy.

National Dog Day

Today marks the 9^th annual National Dog Day.  Why today?  Search me!  But who needs a reason to celebrate the loving companionship between a dog & their owner? 

When it comes to beer, cats have been more traditionally tied in with the life of a brewery – in the old days, a good mouser was vital to the preservation of grain from invasive rodents.  But all it takes is a quick look at the shelves of a good bottleshop to realize that the canine is celebrated widely among brewers.  There’s the famous Flying Dog Brewery, with each of its beers’ names following a dog motif, & especially well-known for Ralph Steadman’s expressive dog-inspired label art.  There’s Thirsty Dog, with its dog-themed double-entendres, like the bawdy “Old Leghumper” Robust Porter, with label photography to match.  There’s Laughing Dog, which also uses funny dog puns (have you tried their imperial stout, The Dogfather?).  Scotland has its boundary-pushing iconoclasts, BrewDog.  And aside from names, some breweries have dogs as their “patron saint”:  Lagunitas’ beers depict a bust of the brewery dog on every bottlecap & many labels, & Jolly Pumpkin’s “Bam” series was named in honor of their resilient pup.

In tribute to your favorite tail-wagger today, swing by the House & take a look at some of our canine-inspired brews.  We’re currently pouring Flying Dog’s Underdog Atlantic Lager, Dogfish Head’s (it’s a fish, but close enough!) 120 Minute IPA & Sah’tea & Great Divide WOLF-gang Doppelbock (okay, maybe that’s a stretch…).  Or take a walk through our shelves & “adopt” a few beers to take home with you!  Just please – alcohol & hops can be toxic to dogs, so it’s best not to share your brew with your buddy.  Happy Dog Day!

The Tulip Glass

A glass is a glass is a glass.  As long as it’s clean & holds the beer long enough to get it to your lips, it’s done its job, right?  To an extent, yeah – a good beer should be able to speak for itself, regardless of what kind of glass it’s in.  But if a beer can speak, the right glassware can act as a microphone & make it sing, amplifying & clarifying the notes.  And let’s not forget that a good glass can make a beer look damn fine – we drink with our eyes first, & presentation can play a big part in our appreciation of a beer.

The stemmed tulip is about as close to a perfect beer-drinking glass as has been invented.  It’s most often associated with Belgian beers (& everyone knows you can’t argue with the Belgians when it comes to beer!).  The tulip design is all about aroma delivery: the inward taper around the neck holds the aroma, while the outward flare of the brim supports the head, delivering those assertive, deep smells to the nose.  The stem lets you hold the beer without hand heat warming the body of the beer too much, & the bulb allows bright highlights to show through like a Christmas tree ornament.  Like I said: damn fine.  No glassware collection is complete without at least one tulip (or Poco Grande, as they’re also known), & they work great with Belgians, wheats, IPAs, barleywines, really anything.  A fun exercise is to taste the same beer in a regular pint & then a tulip, side by side, & see if you notice any difference.

The Duvel tulip is a classic, & Duvel was practically made for this style of glass.  The original Belgian golden ale, Duvel is known for its glowing gold body & huge, effervescent head, which is why its crafters designed a notoriously large tulip for this complex ale.  For a limited time, the House is giving away a Duvel tip with the purchase of 750 mL bottle of Duvel.  Or try a Duvel on draft, or any other beer, for that matter!  Your beer has a voice – make it loud & clear. 

Le Coq & the History of Imperial Stout

Among fans of good beer, few styles are as universally loved as the Imperial Stout.  Flavorful, assertive, full of comforting notes of chocolate, dark fruit, roast coffee, & wrapped in a warming blanket of alcohol, the Imperial Stout is a big, boozy bear hug of a beer.  You’d be hard-pressed to find a beer geek who doesn’t have at least a couple of these bad boys in their personal top 10, & a third of the Top 100 Beers in the World on BeerAdvocate fall into the Russian Imperial Stout or American Double/Imperial Stout categories.  It’s a style that’s beloved, experimented on, & sought after (take a look at 3 Floyds’ Dark Lord Day, a pilgrimage for the hardcore beer nerd). 

Legend has it that the Russian Imperial Stout, as it’s traditionally known, has its origins in international relations.  Russian Tsaress Catherine the Great, on a trip to England, found stouts to her liking, & wished to have them imported to her home land.  The ruler was displeased to find that the beers didn’t survive the trip across the continent, & to satisfy her, English brewer Thrale’s concocted a stronger, more robust stout that would retain its character all the way to the Baltic ports.  Thus, although English in origin, the term Russian Imperial Stout was born, & the term “imperial” is now used by modern brewers to describe any version of a beer that is stronger, fuller, & boozier than its “non-imperial” counterpart. 

The death of Thrale’s owner left the original RIS in the hands of prominent British brewer Barclay Perkins, who shipped this powerful stout throughout Europe; one of its biggest distributors was the Belgian Albert Le Coq, who, at the request of the Russian government, moved to Russia & began brewing the stout within the country’s borders to dodge import taxes.  For years, Le Coq’s stout was the standard-bearer for the RIS style, until the Bolsheviks seized & nationalized the company in 1917.  The beer was the stuff of history, until about a decade ago when brewers in Estonia & England collaborated to resurrect the recipe & Le Coq was born again! 

Today, B. United International, importers of the renewed Le Coq label, bring this piece of beer history stateside.  The House is proud to carry Le Coq Imperial Extra Double Stout alongside other classic English examples such as Wells’ Courage Russian Imperial Stout & Thornbridge’s St. Petersburg Russian Imperial Stout.  Pick up a few, do a side-by-side comparison, or just sip & reflect on the origins of an iconic style of beer.  International relations never tasted so good!

IPA Day

The India Pale Ale, or IPA, is an acquired taste.  On first try, few who tip a glass of that bright orange or amber fluid, smell the buoyant citrus zest & pine, & taste the aggressive bitterness are immediately won over.  Some turn away, never to return.  “I like beer – just nothing hoppy”.  It’s the beer equivalent of the “anything but rap & country” line.  But for those who’ve taken to the boldness, the complexity, the challenge of the IPA, there’s no turning back.

The IPA is English in origin.  There’s the apocryphal account of English brewers tapping the preservative properties of hops to make a stronger, more bitter Pale Ale that would survive the long voyage to British troops in India.  Less romantic, but probably closer to the truth, is that people liked the taste & aroma of hops & wanted more of them (& IPAs happen to pair well with spicy Indian food).  The English may have invented the IPA, but American craft brewers have taken the style & brought it to new heights.  Whereas most European hops are used for balance & subtle seasoning, American brewers found a panoply of aromas & flavors in American hops & pushed them to their limits, creating explosive, expressive IPAs that expanded the boundaries of beer as most drinkers knew it!  In the decades since the beginning of the craft movement, the IPA has become the quintessential American craft beer style, made by nearly every brewer in the country & beloved by beer fans all over.

It’s this recognition & love of the IPA that’s behind the 2^nd Annual IPA Day on Thursday, August 2^nd, 2012.  Join The House in celebrating the best that hops have to offer with some world-class examples of the style, including Cigar City’s Jai Alai, Fathead’s Head Hunter, Firestone Walker Double Jack, & Dogfish Head 90 Minute - all on tap!  Grab yourself a sampler & explore the ins & outs of the hop, with half-a-dozen 6 oz. samples for $14, or choose from our scores of IPAs in bottles & cans, including classics from Bell’s, Stone, Lagunitas, & Green Flash, as well as plenty of newcomers & trendsetters.  Whether you’re a tried-&-true hophead or just “cone-curious”, come to The House & discover that bitter can definitely be better!

The Sour & the Funky

The first ever Pittsburgh Craft Beer Week is in full effect, with venues all over southwestern PA showcasing the flavor, diversity, & fun of craft beer.  As part of this week-long celebration, the House was proud to represent in a big way this past Saturday, the 21^st, with what one might call the “beer-geekiest” event of PCBW: “The Sour & the Funky”, featuring three hours of sours!

What are sours beers, you ask?  While most beers are made with a specific, carefully cultivated yeast strain called saccharomyces (translating to “sugar fungus”), each of the beers featured Saturday afternoon were at least partially fermented with wild yeast, bacteria, or other microorganisms.  These microscopic critters impart a wide variety of complex flavors & aromas, from lemony, herbal, & floral, to wine-like, vinegary, even “barnyard” or “horse-blanket” notes.  They can range from sweet, like the popular lambics from Lindemans, to intensely sour, acidic, & funky.  When trying these “wild” beers for the first time, most beer-drinkers find them challenging, even off-putting; but once the taste has been acquired, the sours fan is hooked for life! 

It’s this cult-like appreciation for wild ales that led us at the House to organize an event we thought would fill a special niche in Pittsburgh Craft Beer Week.  Conceived as a tasting, things grew into something more like a mini-festival, with a list of over 30 beers & a crowd of 50 “sour-heads” filling our cozy front bar & creating a vibe of friendly, controlled chaos.  Some crowd favorites were the Cantillon Lou Pepe Gueuze, from one of Belgium’s most authentic lambic brewers; Russian River Supplication, an American wild ale fermented on sour cherries; and the sleeper of the event, Cisco’s Lady of the Woods.  We at the House loved playing host to a great, adventurous crowd, & look forward to throwing more events like this in the future.

If you’re interested in opening yourself up to the world of sour & wild beers, three of those poured on Saturday are currently on tap at the House: Lindemans Framboise, a sweet raspberry lambic with a hint of tart balance; Monk’s Café Flemish Sour Ale, a Flanders red ale with a stronger sour character; and Stillwater Premium, a post-prohibition, “macro-style” pilsner partially fermented with the wild yeast brettanomyces.  Try a glass of any of these, or ask the staff to point out a good bottle to introduce yourself to the beer family’s “wild side”.