beer is so awesome

BEERIS JUST SO FREAKING AWESOME

FIRST QUESTION!

• Anyone need to use the restroom?

GET TO THE DRINKING!

THIS IS NOT GOOD BEER

Beer can actually have incredible flavors and taste!

A bargain!

Vs.

$ $$$$$$$$

AND beer kicks wine’s backside

• ….so there’s that

Craft Beer History• 1920 – Prohibition begins, brewing now sucks• 1933 – 21st Amendment, prohibition ends, everyone

gets druuuuunk• 1965 – Fritz Maytag revives Anchor Steam• 1977 – Michael Jackson (not THAT one) publishes The

World Guide to Beer, begins craft beer renaissance• 1982 – First Great American Beer Festival• 1984 – Jim Koch first brews Sam Adams • 1990s/2000s – Craft beer EXPLODES!• 2008 – Smithsonian magazine says, “The best beers in

the world are being made in the USA”

The Market

The other thing that is increasing

Quick quiz!

• What is the oldest active brewery in North America?

• Answer:

• Molson

What do you drink at a fancy dinner?

Would you blink if someone ordered a…

• $20 bottle of wine?• $30 bottle of wine?• $60 bottle of wine?

• What about a $20 bottle of beer?

Quiz Time!

• How many styles of beer are recognized in the USA?

• Answer:

• 83

Tasting Beer

• Suck it up!

• No seriously, suck it up! The air really helps.

Temperature

BUT WHY?

Taste Buds Map

They don’t work well if they’ve been frozen numb, though…

Treat it like fine wine!

• Look at it

• Smell it

• Taste it

• Rinse, Repeat

Today’s Tasting Method

But the most important thing about enjoying beer…

• Is to have fun while you drink!

Beer Style Map

One last thing…

• Many of these beers are really strong

• Drink plenty of water

• Stop if you feel drunk

What do you want out of a beer?

• Thirst quencher?– Drink cold Bud/Miller/Coors!– Or ice water, same difference

• Decent beverage with taste and flavor?– Plenty of craft beer options!

• Complex, ponderous, deep, mind-altering experience?– Hells yeah you need craft beer

The Graph

Availability

QualityAWESOMECRAP

RARE

EVERYWHEREBud/Miller/Coors PURE

AWESOMENESSGuinness

Sam Adams

Sierra Nevada

PURE NERDINESS

LET’S TASTE #1 !

• Anyone know what style it is?

• Win a prize if you guess!

Style: American Amber Lager

• Brewery: Jack’s Abby• Beer: Lashes Hopbock Lager• ABV: 7.2%• Origin: MA, USA

American Amber Lager

Jack’s Abby Brewery

• In Framingham

• They only brew lagers

• Readily available in MA!

The Graph

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Jack’s Abby

What’s in a beer?

• Water, Hops, Grain, Yeast• The “grain” is usually malted barley

• …at least, most of the time

Hops• BITTER BITTER BITTER!• Also a preservative• Big trend now is SUPER INSANE BITTER BEERS

BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW• Hops are the flower of a vine that is a member

of the marijuana family

What’s in a Budweiser?

• Water, Yeast, Hops, Malt• aaaaaaand…

• Prize for guessing!

GENETICALLY-ENGINEERED RICE

The other things Bud/Miller do to their beers

• FILTER THE HELL OUT OF THEM

• PASTEURIZE THE HELL OUT OF THEM

• …and with it, all the flavors disappear in the name of consistency and blandness

What other things can craft beers contain?• Sugars• Fruit• Coffee• Chocolate• Spices• Grapes• Honey• Herbs• Pumpkin• Rhubarb• Nuts• Vegetables

LET’S TASTE STYLE #2!

Style: Hefeweizen

• Brewery: Weihenstephaner • Beer: Hefe weissbier• ABV: 5.4%• Origin: Germany

Hefeweizen

The Graph

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Weihenstephaner

Lager vs. Ale• What’s the difference?

• Lager is made from lager yeast that ferments at colder temps and doesn't float to the surface

• Ale is made from different yeast that ferments at warmer temps and floats to the top

Calories

• Which has more?

126145

Which country is the world’s largest beer market?

• Answer:

• China

• Snow Beer consumption is twice that of Bud Lite!

Style: Saison

• Brewery: Brasserie Dupont• Beer: Saison Dupont• ABV: 6.5%• Origin: Belgium

• “Saison” = “Season”

Saison

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Saison Dupont

BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW

• We have Michael Jackson to thank for awesome beer!

Actually, THIS Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson’s Books

The Beer Hunter – TV Series

The other thing he influenced…

Home Brewing!

Anyone here brew at home?

Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)

• Brewer: Ithaca Beer Co.• Beer: Flower Power IPA• ABV: 7.5%• Origin: USA

India Pale Ale (IPA)

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Flower Power

Aging Beer in a Cellar

• REALLY?

• I can do that?!??

• WTF!!!

But doesn’t beer go off?

AMAZINGLY…

• Beer can indeed be aged!• Does it make it better or worse?• Neither! It just changes it.

What happens to beer in a cellar?

• Hop freshness disappears after a few months

• Flavors become more balanced, dominant flavors mellow out

• Stronger beers become more complex

What kinds of beer can be aged?

• Don’t bother aging normal lagers– They really don’t change much, except taste less

fresh

• Strong, unfiltered ales are best

• Especially if they have yeast still in the bottle– For “secondary fermentation”

Yeast in the Bottle

Quick quiz!

• How old was the oldest beer ever tasted?

• Answer:

• 160 years!

• Allsop’s Arctic Ale

Check the label

Storage

Basements are perfect

But expect to fill that space

Style: Dubbel

• Brewery: Westmalle (Trappist Monks)• Beer: Dubbel• ABV: 7%• Origin: Belgium

• “Dubbel” = “Double”• Ages well

Dubbel

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Westmalle Dubbel

Trappist Monks

Trappist Beer• Started the “Abbey” style

• Strong, chewy, boozy, complex, flavorful

• Brew to make just enough money to keep the abbeys going

• 6 brewing Trappist abbeys in Belgium, 1 in the Netherlands, 1 in Austria

• There’s also Trappist cheese and marmalade!

The Trappist Beers

• Achel, Westvleteren, Orval, Rochefort, Chimay, Westmalle, Koningshoeven

Quiz!

• Where’s the newest Trappist brewery rumored to be opening up?

Answer:

Massachusetts!

(Spencer, MA)

Style: Tripel

• Brewery: Unibroue• Beer: La Fin Du Monde• ABV: 9%• Origin: Quebec, Canada

• “La Fin Du Monde” = “The End of the World”

• Specially chosen for 12/21!

Tripel

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La Fin Du Monde

BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW• Beer strength used to be written on casks with

“X” for each 3% ABV• X = 3%, XX = 6%, XXX = 9%• So you just drank some of this:

All About GLASSES!

• Drinking out of a bottle SUCKS– You can’t stick your nose in and smell it like a real

beer geek– You can’t appreciate the true color of the beer– It won’t develop a foamy head– Beers are meant to be poured into glasses!

FAIL

And plastic just BLOWS

Types of Beer Glasses

• There are hundreds!

• Craft breweries usually make their own– And some bars refuse to serve a beer if they don’t have the

correct glasses available

• Even the Trappist monks get in on the action

• Some brewers even recommend wine glasses

Look at how FREAKING BEAUTIFUL these glasses are. Just look at them!!

My go-to glass

Stölzle Lausitz Tulip

My favorite weird glass

Style: Doppelbock

• Brewery: Ayinger• Beer: Celebrator• ABV: 6.7%• Origin: Germany

• Bock = Billy Goat

Doppelbock

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CelebratorDoppelbock

Quiz time!

• What “skunks” beer?

• Answer:

• LIGHT

• Especially through green glass

Beer Distribution in the USA

• The USA is still suffering from antiquated and dumb prohibition-era alcohol laws

• You can’t just sell beer to liquor stores if you brew some

• There’s this crappy and stupid 3-tier system…

3-Tier Distribution System

Before prohibition…

• Breweries used to own bars• And those bar owners were pressured by the

owners to sell lots and lots of beer• Which increased consumption• Which increased drunkenness• And a backlash started in society• So alcohol was banned with the 18th amendment •

The Middle-Man• So after prohibition ended, the government wanted to ensure the

serious partayyys wouldn’t happen again

• So they forced beer to be sold first to a distributor, who would then sell to retail outlets in areas of their choosing, hoping it would “temper” the market

• But that just created corrupt middlemen, higher prices and now means that some American beers can’t be sold in certain states. WTF!

• The wine industry found a loophole in 2005 and most states now allow direct-to-consumer wine sales

The left = happyThe right = sad

For more info on moronic beer distribution laws…

Style: Scotch Ale

• Brewery: Founders Brewing Co.• Beer: Dirty Bastard• ABV: 8.5%• Origin: MI, USA

Scotch Ale

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Dirty Bastard

BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW• Alabama just lifted a ban on beers with the word

“bastard” in their name• There are dozens of them!• And you still can’t legally brew at home in AL

Beer & Food

• Ever cook with beer?

• What about pairing beer and food?

Cooking with Beer

• I have no idea.

• This is me:

Pairing Beer & Food• Simple, just ask Internet:– http://beeradvocate.com/beer/style_pairings

• Here’s a quick and awesome pairing that’s easy to remember:– Roquefort cheese with Rochefort 10 ale

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/style_pairings

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/style_pairings

Beer & Food: Good Books

Style: Barleywine

• Brewery: Weyerbacher• Beer: Blithering Idiot• ABV: 11%• Origin: PA, USA

Barleywine

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Blithering Idiot

What’s a Barleywine?

• It’s NOT a wine, durrrr

• It’s just a really strong beer (8-12% ABV)

• And since it’s as strong as some wines, it’s like a “wine made from barley”

New England and Beer

• New England ROCKS for beer!

• Some of the world’s best craft breweries are here

• Know of any?

Some of the Seriously Awesome New England Breweries

The best one in NE?

Hill Farmstead Brewery• In the middle of absolutely nowhere, VT

• Tiny output of insanely well-made, fresh, truly artisanal ales

• Lines out the door every day they’re open– Cars from everywhere but VT

• Their beers really are that good

• Not sold anywhere but the brewery

A very close runner-up

The Alchemist

• Next door to Ben & Jerry’s, Waterbury VT

• Was a brewpub until flooded by Irene in 2011

• Has since become a brewery and focuses on making one beer – Heady Topper – incredibly well

• Heady Topper now one of the world’s most sought-after beers

• It’s also not sold outside of VT

Great book!

Style: Sweet Stout

• Brewery: Left Hand• Beer: Milk Stout Nitro• ABV: 6%• Origin: CO, USA

Sweet Stout

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Milk Stout Nitro

Milk in Stout?

• It’s not actually milk that’s in it

• It’s actually lactose, a sugar derived from milk

• Lactose is unfermentable by beer yeast, so it adds sweetness and body to the beer

• And now we all know who in the room is lactose intolerant

Beer Trading• Many great beers will never appear on local

shelves

• So you trade online!

• No money, just beer-for-beer trade

• You just hope the other person sends you the box they promised– And that they pack it well enough!

Whales

Whales? WTF!

• Whales are beers that are both

– SUPER RARE

and

– SUPER AWESOME

Style: Imperial Stout

• Brewery: Stone• Beer: Imperial Russian Stout• ABV: 10.5%• Origin: CA, USA

• 2010 vintage,Aged for 2 years+

Imperial Stout

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2010 Stone ImperialRussian Stout

Stone ImperialRussian Stout

(when it’s releasedeach May)

Imperial Stout

• Legend has it that Russia’s Catherine the Great loved these strong stouts from England

• And the high ABV meant it would survive OK in the arctic frozen tundra

• So it’s now usually called Russian Imperial Stout

Quiz time!

• Which country has the highest per capita beer consumption?

• Answer:

• Czech Republic

• Followed by Germany, Austria, Ireland• USA is #12

Get ready for a big taste change!

• We’re going….• SOUR!

Style: Flanders Red (Sour)

• Brewery: Bockor• Beer: Cuvee Des Jacobins Rouge• ABV: 5.5%• Origin: Belgium

Flanders Red Ale

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Cuvee desJacobins Rouge

AT THIS POINT OF THE TASTING

THE PRESENTATION COULD REALLY START TO SUCK

AND YOU WOULD STILL THINK IT’S AWESOME

Now for my favorite style of beer in the whole freakin’ world

LAMBIC

Lambic

• A sour, tart and incredibly complex ale

• Difficult to brew

• You know that yeast stuff that is used to ferment beer? It has to blow in from the SURROUNDING AIR

The Coolship

Blending Lambic to make Gueuze

• Pure lambic will scrape your face off with sourness

• It is blended to make “gueuze”, which is refreshing, thirst-quenching and generally mind-blowing

• Oude Gueuze is a blend of 1, 2 and 3-year old lambic

• It has a really distinctive funky “horse blanket” aroma

Cantillon

• THE• GREATEST

• BREWERY• IN

•THE

•WORLD

Ceremony

Cantillon is a WHALE

• I carried 9 bottles back from Europe– Wished I had space for more

• Some beers fly off shelves, Cantillon basically doesn’t even appear on USA shelves

Style: Gueuze (Lambic)

• Brewery: Lindemans• Beer: Gueuze Cuvée René• ABV: 5%• Origin: Belgium

• Ages well

Gueuze

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Lindemans GueuzeCuvee Rene

Westy

• Westvleteren 12, to be exact

• It’s a Trappist ale, the strongest of three types the abbey makes

• But it’s not distributed or sold beyond the abbey in Belgium

And…

• It happens to be the top-rated beer in the world!

How do you get it?• Simple!

• Fly to Belgium

• Drive to West Flanders

• Phone the brewery, pray you get through

• Give them your car license plate #

• Hope the same car didn’t buy beer there in the last 60 days

• Then drive there in the same car to pick up 1 case of whichever type of beer they’re offering that day

• Pray they’re offering the “12” beer style

• Buy it, drink it!

Why the crazy controls?

• Because Trappist monks are against commercialism and only brew enough to keep their monastery going

• And then…

• Their monastery needed a BIG renovation

So just once, it CAME TO THE USA!

http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_22188986/beer-snobs-wait-colorado-springs-worlds-best-trappist

Only $85 for a 6-pack!



And it sold out in hours!

LET’S TASTE OUR LAST BEER STYLE, #14!

Style: Quadrupel

• Brewery: Abbey of St. Sixtus• Beer: Westvleteren 12• ABV: 10.2%• Origin: Belgium

• Who loves ya?

Quadrupel

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Westvleteren 12

All the styles from today

Final Note:

The Real Best Beer In The World

The best beer is to be found where you enjoy yourself the most, and

where you create the best memories.

For more info…

• beeradvocate.com

• ratebeer.com

• Say the word “beer” near me and listen for an hour or two as I talk uncontrollably

THANK YOU!

beer is so awesome

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