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.