October 2009
1 post
Beer Fact - Strong Scotch Ale
Strong Scotch ales like Traquair House were around long before Scotch whiskey became a popular beverage. In fact, one can think of single malt whiskey as nothing more than Scotch ale that’s been distilled.
From: 365 Bottles of Beer for the Day
September 2009
1 post
Beer Fact
Historical records suggest that the Babylonians made sixteen kinds of beer, using various kinds of barley, wheat, and honey. Beer was even included in the Egyptian Book of the Dead, where the varieties listed include “beer of truth” and “beer of eternity”.
July 2009
4 posts
Style Tip - Schwarzbier
Samuel Adams Black Lager is made in the traditional German lager style called Schwarzbier. This style is characterized by roasted yet smooth malt flavors, balanced with moderate hop bitterness.
From: 365 Bottles of Beer for the Year
Beer Fact - Oak Barrel Stout
[Old Dominion Brewing Company’s] Oak Barrel Stout is made with seven different malts and two kinds of hops, then aged with fresh vanilla beans and toasted oak chips to achieve a bourbon-barrel character without actually being aged in bourbon barrels.
From: 365 Bottles of Beer for the Year
Beer Fact - Bock
Bock beer gets a lot of its malty flavor from compounds called melanoidins. These are formed when sugars from the malt are heated and browning or Maillard reactions take place. Traditional German bock brewers use a mash technique called decoction mashing to encourage the formation of melanoidins.
From: 365 Bottles of Beer for the Year
Beer Fact - No sugar
German brewers using traditional methods are not allowed to add sugar to their beer, even for carbonation. Instead, they take wort (in this case it is called Speise) from the boil, cool and store it, then add a measured amount back to the fermented beer to create the necessary carbonation in the bottle.
From: 365 Bottles of Beer for the Year
May 2009
5 posts
1 tag
Beer Fact - Crystal malt
Crystal malt provides sweetness, body, and color to beer. Barley malt is frist steeped in water, and then held at a temperature that optimizes enzyme activity within the barley grain. These enzymes convert malt starches into sugars. When all starch has been converted, the crystal malt is heat-dried in a kiln. The higher and longer it is kilned, the darker the sugars become, allowing for...
Beer Saints - Saint Boniface
Saint Boniface of Mainz (680-754) was also known by the names Wynfrith or Winfrid. He roamed from his original home in what is now Devonshire, England, so souther Germany, leading the life of a holy teacher and traveler. He was known for founding several monasteries, and eventually became a patron saint of Germany and of brewers.
From: 365 Bottles of Beer for the Year
Style Tip - Oktoberfest beers
Oktoberfest beers are also Marzenbier in Germany, as they are traditionally brewed in March, lagered throughout the summer, and enjoyed at the beginning of the next brewing season, for Oktoberfest.
From: 365 Bottles of Beer for the Year
Beer Fact - Oldest recipe
The oldest recipe ever found was written on a 4,000-year-old Mesopotamian clay tablet. It is a beer recipe.
From: 365 Bottles of Beer for the Year
April 2009
3 posts
History Lesson: The story of beer →
A great graphical representation of the history of beer.
1 tag
Beer Fact - Honey
Adding a small amount of honey to a fermenting beer will not, in most cases, make the beer taste sweeter. Honey, like other sugars, is almost completely consumed by beer yeast, so the result will be more alcohol. Alcohol tends to make beer taste lighter and drier. Of course, if more honey is added than the yeast can consume before it reaches its alcohol tolerance limit, you will end up with a...
March 2009
1 post
Beer Fact - Utah beer
Beer sold in the state of Utah cannot contain over 3.2% alcohol, unless it is sold by a liquor store. Utah craft brewers very often make their beers even lower than the legal limit to avoid any chance their products might violate the state law. Yet they skillfully maintain great beer flavor.
From - 365 Bottles of Beer for the Year
February 2009
13 posts
Viking horn beer bong →
Typically I steer clear of stuff like this, but this was too funny to pass up.
-From Slipperybrick.com
10 beers you need to try before you die →
According to HolyTaco.com
1 tag
Beer Fact - Yorkshire Square fermenting system
All Three Floyds beers (Three Floyds Brewing Company, Munster, Indiana) are fermented using a traditional Yorkshire Square system. It is a two-tiered fermentation vessel that allows yeast to collect on an upper deck, while the main fermentation commences below. Yorkshire Square systems are difficult to clean and maintain, and are therefore only used by a very small number of traditional breweries,...
Brewing tip
Beer strength is estimated by its specific gravity. This is basically the density of the beer wort before fermentation minus the density of the finished beer after fermentation. This is done most easily with a floating hydrometer. Alternately, you can use a refratometer, which is popular with makers of wine.
-From 365 Bottles of Beer for the Year
1,900% tax on beer proposed by Oregon government →
If Oregon lets this happen, it will not only stop people from enjoying what Oregon is best known for, but will effectively shut down the entire already struggling craft/micro brewing business.
Zwickelmania Brewery Open House →
If you need something to do on Feb 14., how about touring a ton of breweries that are opening their brewing operations to the public from 1-4pm.
The Beer Belly →
I can’t believe I never knew about this. When I think of all the money I could’ve saved and all the tasty beer I could’ve been enjoying at various events I cry tears of beer. ;)
Beer Fact - Hops
To encourage hop aroma, brewers boil hops for 10 minutes or less, or “dry-hop” by adding hops directly to fermented beer. For flavor, hops are boiled for 30 minutes or so. To maximize bitterness, hops are usually boiled for 60 minutes or longer.
-From 365 Bottles of Beer for the Year
Style Tip - American Pale Ales
American pale ales are distinguished from British pale ales mainly by hop strength and hop variety. British pale ale, sometimes called “bitter”, generally has a bit less hop bitterness, flavor, and aroma, and traditional UK hop varieties tend to be softer and more floral than those in the U.S. American pale ales are more aggressively hopped, and U.S.-grown hops tend to have a bit more...
Lager Lingo
Most craft brewers use crushed, malted barley to make beer, rather than malt extract. Once crushed, or milled, the grains are called grist. Grist is added to brewing water (called liquor) of a specific temperature (known as the strike temperature) to activate enzymes in the barley necessary for the conversion of starch to sugar.
-From 365 Bottles of Beer for the Year
The Beer Magazine →
Lots of beer and non-beer related info. Might be another one to add to my subscription routine.
The hopside-down beer glass →
Welcome!
Welcome to Black Shamrock Brewing’s blog. This might be a bit premature since Black Shamrock Brewing doesn’t even exist except for in my garage as my Homebrewing “operation” and as a dream I have in my head of opening my own brew pub someday. Until then I plan on sharing my Homebrewing recipies, brewing information, and general beer related things. If this interests you,...