Download - 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
Availability
QualityAWESOMECRAP
RARE
EVERYWHERE
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
Availability
QualityAWESOMECRAP
RARE
EVERYWHERE
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!
LET’S TASTE STYLE #3!
Style: Saison
• Brewery: Brasserie Dupont• Beer: Saison Dupont• ABV: 6.5%• Origin: Belgium
• “Saison” = “Season”
Saison
The Graph
Availability
QualityAWESOMECRAP
RARE
EVERYWHERE
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?
LET’S TASTE STYLE #4!
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
• Brewer: Ithaca Beer Co.• Beer: Flower Power IPA• ABV: 7.5%• Origin: USA
India Pale Ale (IPA)
The Graph
Availability
QualityAWESOMECRAP
RARE
EVERYWHERE
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
LET’S TASTE STYLE #5!
Style: Dubbel
• Brewery: Westmalle (Trappist Monks)• Beer: Dubbel• ABV: 7%• Origin: Belgium
• “Dubbel” = “Double”• Ages well
Dubbel
The Graph
Availability
QualityAWESOMECRAP
RARE
EVERYWHERE
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)
LET’S TASTE STYLE #6!
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
The Graph
Availability
QualityAWESOMECRAP
RARE
EVERYWHERE
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
LET’S TASTE STYLE #7!
Style: Doppelbock
• Brewery: Ayinger• Beer: Celebrator• ABV: 6.7%• Origin: Germany
• Bock = Billy Goat
Doppelbock
The Graph
Availability
QualityAWESOMECRAP
RARE
EVERYWHERE
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…
LET’S TASTE STYLE #8!
Style: Scotch Ale
• Brewery: Founders Brewing Co.• Beer: Dirty Bastard• ABV: 8.5%• Origin: MI, USA
Scotch Ale
The Graph
Availability
QualityAWESOMECRAP
RARE
EVERYWHERE
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
Beer & Food: Good Books
LET’S TASTE STYLE #9!
Style: Barleywine
• Brewery: Weyerbacher• Beer: Blithering Idiot• ABV: 11%• Origin: PA, USA
Barleywine
The Graph
Availability
QualityAWESOMECRAP
RARE
EVERYWHERE
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!
LET’S TASTE STYLE #10!
Style: Sweet Stout
• Brewery: Left Hand• Beer: Milk Stout Nitro• ABV: 6%• Origin: CO, USA
Sweet Stout
The Graph
Availability
QualityAWESOMECRAP
RARE
EVERYWHERE
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
LET’S TASTE STYLE #11!
Style: Imperial Stout
• Brewery: Stone• Beer: Imperial Russian Stout• ABV: 10.5%• Origin: CA, USA
• 2010 vintage,Aged for 2 years+
Imperial Stout
The Graph
Availability
QualityAWESOMECRAP
RARE
EVERYWHERE
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!
LET’S TASTE STYLE #12!
Style: Flanders Red (Sour)
• Brewery: Bockor• Beer: Cuvee Des Jacobins Rouge• ABV: 5.5%• Origin: Belgium
Flanders Red Ale
The Graph
Availability
QualityAWESOMECRAP
RARE
EVERYWHERE
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
LET’S TASTE STYLE #13!
Style: Gueuze (Lambic)
• Brewery: Lindemans• Beer: Gueuze Cuvée René• ABV: 5%• Origin: Belgium
• Ages well
Gueuze
The Graph
Availability
QualityAWESOMECRAP
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EVERYWHERE
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
The Graph
Availability
QualityAWESOMECRAP
RARE
EVERYWHERE
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!