The Homebrew Cap Guide -- September 2016

The Homebrew Cap Guide -- September 2016

LW - US Wheat beer , Lemondrop hops

GW - GnoWit

WO - WhiteOps , white IPA

SC - Trappist Single

CF – Cropcircle Tailfins, UK Golden Ale, First Gold and Eldorado hops

MS - Saison , Saisonstein’s Monster yeast

DT- Belgian Golden Strong ,wlp-545

H6 -Highway Star US IPA,MKIII

EI - Belgian IPA ,wlp-545

Ax - US Stout

Px – Porter

BX - US Brown

AR - Aprirot IPA  Calypso, Citra Hops Saison/Brett yeast

TP– Dortmund Export Lager

IP - Citra India Pale Lager

OD– Old Deniability , US Barley Wine Denny’s yeast 

SB - Saison Brett /Sacc. blend

S6 - Saison , wlp-566

VO/VE - Vienna split batch WLP-920/940

AI – US IPA , chico yeast , Citra, Mosaic hops

A6 - US Stout

Pt6 – Porter

FR – Flanders Red

HB - Brown IPA

MB - Mai/Helles Bock

SP - Baltic Porter

HS -Highway Star US IPA,MKII

IE -Irish Extra Stout

SJ -Sweet Jesus Imperial Stout

Pb - Black IPA

Sg - Belgian Golden Strong , wlp-566

NERAX 2014

It's NERAX time again, no need to dry clean your thneed though, the New England Real Ale Expostiton  has been marking the end of winter for more than 15 years and it's still going strong.

We  especially like the first two  nights of the four day fest when a good portion of the "can't get em here" UK session beers are in their prime . This year it is being held in a new location - the brand new Aeronaut Brewing space in Somerville, a promising new talent if the tasty session ipa on tap is any indication of future output.  We sampled a good number of the 2014 offerings and here are some favorites so far :

Stonehouse Sunlander - nice and crisp , actual Aussie hop flavor was detectable during the Weds. session.
Stonehouse Station Bitter - juicy and fruity flavor
Salopian Automation - watch out this one's a hoppy velvet sledgehammer at 7 %
Ridgeway Oxfordshire Blue - just like the description says light n fruity
Fyne Ales -Sublime Stout - an awesome US-y stout, loved even by the stout eschewers among us
Ridgeway Querkus - just the right amount of smokiness in this light porter
Cromarty Happy Chappy - nice grain-y drinker with a sharp bitter finish
One Love Inks Binka - very nice US dark malt drinker
Hill's Simcoe Pale - we had some of the extra chunky last pours of this before it it was reaped and it was excellent

Pretty Things KK Black Ale

Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project, Once Upon a Time KK Black Ale:
The flavor of this 1901 re-creation brew reminds us of Young's SLA (RIP Ram Brewery, sigh).  We note vanilla ester, a bouillon background, and a tart yeast finish. Also, we get an attenuated treacle flavor,  some pine/spruce notes, and a lasting dry bitterness. Viva beer anachronism science !

HopScholar on flickr

We have a new little group over on flickr, and want to welcome you, and you, and you! to join the conversation about beer, craft beer, homebrewing and beer adventures. 
Find us and join up at http://www.flickr.com/groups/hopscholar/

2012 Holiday Beer Tasting Party

The 2012 holiday beers were sampled, and we are non the worse for wear this morning! Steve reminded me that last night was at least the 12th year for this seasonal brew tradition!



Favorites included Christmas Ale by Brouwerij St. Bernardus, Père Noël by Brouwerij De Ranke, and Three Cranes by local heroes Mystic Brewing. The Noel de Calabaza, an intense sour brew by Jolly Pumpkin, was a pucker-y surprise for several tasters, but there really was no Grinch in the pack of 22 beers.

Here is the full beer list:
5 Golden Rings by The Bruery, CA USA
Celebration Ale by Sierra Nevada Brewing, CA USA
Christmas Ale by Anchor Brewing, CA USA
Gift of the Magi by Lost Abbey, CA USA

Holidale by Berkshire Brewing, MA USA
Three Cranes by Mystic Brewing, MA USA
Winter Ale by Wachusett Brewing, MA USA
Winter Ion by Element Brewing, MA USA

Noel de Calabaza by Jolly Pumpkin, MI USA

Beach Haus Winter Rental by East Coast Beer, NJ USA
Belgian Freeze by River Horse Brewing, NJ USA

Black Chocolate Stout by Brooklyn Brewery, NY USA

Christmas Ale by Sly Fox Brewing, PA USA
Mad Elf Ale by Tröegs Brewery, PA USA

Christmas Ale by Brouwerij St. Bernardus, Belgium
Christmas Ale by Corsendonk, Belgium (inescapable music on this webpage)
Noël Des Géants by Brasserie Des Géants, Belgium
Père Noël by Brouwerij De Ranke, Belgium

Very Bad Elf by Ridgeway Brewing, England UK
Santa’s Swallie by Inveralmond Brewery, Perth UK

The homebrews we poured for this little beer fest:
CC -- our Christmas Belgian triple with Coresndonk Yeast (9%)
BSD -- our Belgian strong dark ale with Brasserie Ellezelloise Yeast (11%)

NERAX 2012

The Hop Scholars are huge fans of NERAX (the New England Real Ale eXhibition), and here is a little summary of what we saw and sampled(Wednesday and Thursday night sessions).

Here is the view from the entrance:

Mr. Hop Scholar has attended both sessions so far(Wednesday and Thursday nights); Mrs. Hop Scholar joined the Mr. on Thursday night(thank you, babysitter!)  Here is the short list of favorites(in order):

Mallinsons – Galaxy , single hopped blast of flavor and bitterness, (kicked Thurs)

Leeds –Midnight Bell, complex dark fruit (kicked Thurs)

Harviestoun – Bitter and Twisted, ho-hum in the bottle but on cask this beer is excellent

Brecon – Pale Beacons, fruity , delicious

Hobsons –Town Crier, well balanced, excellent bitter

Montys - Mischief, excellent traditional strong bitter, a real drinker

Harviestoun – Old Engine Oil, incredible dark malt flavor and body for a 4% beer.

Fullers – ESB, old reliable

Somerville – Flag Raiser, excellent IPA

Jack’s Abby –Jabby Brau, India Pale Lager, great hop notes

Smuttynose – Finest Kind, OK in the bottle , exploding with dry hopped aroma and flavor on cask



Here is the Chief Cellarman Randy Baril with the casks on stillage.  Great job on conditioning the NERAX beers Randy!

Some of our Local Heroes, Dann Paquette from Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project and Jeff Leiter from Slumbrew, Somerville Brewing Company:

And finally, your humble Hop Scholars, expressing different opinions of a brew at NERAX(photo by Hop Scholar Friend and Co-Conspirator, Codemouse):

The Mr. will be continuing the adventure of sampling delicious real ales tonight with some great friends, and the Mrs. will join him again for the Saturday afternoon session.  Hope to see you there!  Cheers!

Cody Brewing S.O.S

Cody Brewing S.O.S

A tasty entry in the Belgian/American Pale Ale style. Belgian yeast clove phenolics are prominent and are paired with a crisp, bitter finish courtesy of  US hops.  An initial firm malt presence dries out in the finish.  It doesn’t come across to us as an American  IPA /Belgian Ale Hybrid, the American hop flavor is just too subtle and plays an elegant second fiddle to the Belgian yeast character that dominates in this beer. S.O.S. is a worthy colleague to the other US/Belgian Pales that we are fans of:  the Captain Lawrence Liquid Gold and Ommegang’s BPA.  This is also a very well balanced beer, with a compelling tilt towards US bitterness levels, and a great drinker, especially considering its 5.8 % alcohol content.

Pretty Things Lovely Saint Winefride

Pretty Things: Lovely Saint Winefride

Excellent Brown Lager that tastes like one of the best brown ales we've ever had. Rich malt flavor and body but not cloying (the thing we dislike in many brown ales) balance chocolate/roast malt character. Hops, dark malt and maybe something else (pepper,chili?) leave a lasting tang that turns pleasantly peppery and prickly. The only cure is another sip. This might be our favorite Pretty Things work of art/s so far(great label art, as usual).

Boston Homebrew Competition 2012

Boston Homebrew Competition

One of the Hop Scholars is a BJCP Beer Judge and had the great privilege to taste the fruit of many fellow homebrewers labors at the 2012 Boston Homebrew Competition, hosted by one of the country's oldest and most respected homebrew clubs, the Boston Wort Processors.

Judges worked in pairs to evaluate, rank, and offer notes of advice to entrants relative to the BJCP guidelines. The guidelines have 23 categories, most with multiple subcategories. Judges are assigned specific categories and work together to evaluate and rank entries. Like most homebrew competitions, the Boston Homebrew Competition featured a morning judging session, an afternoon session, and an early evening "Best of Show" judging session. The Best of Show has four to six experienced judges taste and determine the overall competition winner, the second and third place, and sometimes honorable mentions from all of the first place beers in each category.

There was plenty of sunlight for the afternoon session as you can see from the judging table above. This was category 23: pretty much whatever doesn't fit into the other categories. Beers range from light lagers to barley wines with special ingredients(coriander, jalapenos, maple syrup, etc.), special processes and new or hybrid styles. Some are really tasty and interesting; some are just "interesting".

Many categories have so many entries that multiple teams of judges are required to cover all of them. After the the teams are done with their 7 to 12 entries, they select one or two competitors to advance to a mini best of show. The picture above is from the stout category mini best of show round (of which Hop Scholar was a judge). Four teams of judges submitted two entries each to the mini best of show. It was a tough call, but an elegant sweet stout(Cat. 13 B) took first place against some strong competition(literally and figuratively, it won out over some Russian Imperial stouts with three times the alcohol content).

A good part of judging is trying to maintain a level playing field and an intact palate so you don't miss some great efforts and sometimes subtle excellence. The picture below (from the afternoon session) demonstrates the breadth of styles and style interpretations a judge often encounters: these are three of the entries in category 23.

Cheers competitors, judges, stewards, the Boston Worts, and homebrewers everywhere !

Rochefort 6

Yeast: very simple and busy organisms, but they should not to be characterized as anonymous drones. All yeasts have a unique  flavor profile, but some  are more distinctive than others. Rochefort's house yeast is a good example, some characteristics from this strain are apparent across the Rochefort family of beers (6, 8, and 10). They all share a unique pear ester and an unusual mouthfeel. The yeast leaves a phantom, saccharine-like sweetness that is not from residual sugars. Rochfort's attenuation is high (83% for the 6, according to the excellent and  authoritative book "Brew Like A Monk").  Part of the magic is Rochfort's private water  supply and  Monk-Rock-Magic, but we have been able to reproduce some of Rochfort's flavor at home by fermenting with the same yest strain: http://www.wyeastlab.com/hb_yeaststrain_detail.cfm?ID=130
Cheers to all single (and multi-) celled miracles  !

Tasting of Slumbrew's "My Better Half" Imperial Cream Ale

Yesterday afternoon, local brew heroes Slumbrew debuted their newest creation to a gathering of friends and fans at the Craft Brew Cellar in Belmont. Offered up for tasting and purchase were 80 bottles of their first run of "My Better Half" Imperial Cream Ale, as well as other Slumbrew goodies: Flagraiser IPA, Happy Sol Hefeweizen, and Porter Square Porter.

Tasting notes on "My Better Half" and musings on the evolution of Cream Ales forthcoming!

Belgian Lace

Belgian lace on Backlash Beer Company's Declaration, Belgian-style IPA.

Fantastic balance between the delicate/complex Belgian yeast characteristics and the formidable hops.  An impressive brew.

Midwinter Pils Tasting

After returning from a recent work trip to Pennsylvania with a trunk full of beer and then uncovering a cache of autumnal beer remainders in the beer cellar, we found we had a quorum for a Pilsner tasting, during which we had some important beer lessons reinforced.

Lesson one - Altoona today, tomorrow the world. PA may not be Deutschland but it can be argued that it is the modern home of the Pilsner style. A new style has emerged there: American Pilsner, with more hop character than any German Pils we can think of. This style doesn’t fit into defined Pilsner categories (see links the end of this post) in our estimation. German beers like Jever Pilsner may come across as more bitter but the flavor of Saaz, Hallertau and other traditional Pils hops is much more in the forefront in the best, freshest PA(and US) examples. There may be examples in Germany and else where that can match these that don’t make it to the US or MA. Clearly more research is needed and the Hop Scholars must travel to Germany!

Lesson Two - Drink your Pilsners young. This light beer style lacks the anti-oxidant properties that color malts (crystal malt, chocolate malt, roasted barley, etc) imbue to the beers that feature them. Pilsner is a low alcohol (aka session style) beer, and lacks the stabilizing effects that benefit more boozy beer styles. All of our older examples showed significant degradation in hop flavor and some oxidation. We are looking forward to a summer repeat with as many fresh samples as we can find (including our own Pilsner, which was brewed last Sunday). At its best, this style can let subtle hop, malt and fermentation character shine through. It can also very clearly expose flavor faults from excessive age , use of sub prime ingredients or problems with any part of the brewing and conditioning process. We look forward to retasting two of our spring/summer only seasonal selections (Troegs and Sierra) at their peak.

Lesson Three - Never overlook the girl next door. Local breweries are producing beers with the special quality that is crucial to this style – freshness. Shorter transport and store shelf time and an emphasis on flavor over rock solid stability (as in mega brewery “pilsners”) really shine through in this style. A good fresh local pils may be better than an ostensibly great pils from far away. So do bother with the local girls (sorry Graham Parker).

Lesson Four – Yes you can. Our favorite beer (Sly Fox Pils) was in a can, and the stability of this packaging method helps Pils shine for longer. Cans admit no hop-flavor-destroying-light, are easier to purge flavor-killing oxygen, and have a better seal than bottles (keeping out oxygen). We look forward to adding Oskar Blues canned Mama ‘Lil Yella Pils to the next tasting(to start!) .

Without further ado here are some tasting notes , from most favored to least:

Sly Fox Pikeland Pils - Subtlety citrusy, with the pumpkin notes of a Hallertauer-like hop. A great open palate beer with appetizing malt sweetness and hop flavor in balance, and a fine lingering bitter finish. Thank you, may we have another? We wish they distributed in MA. This beer is canned.

Victory Prima Pils - Intense tonic-y hop flavor , very Saazy. Cracker malt character in the background is dominated by strong hop flavor and bitterness. A dry, bracing, and pleasant hop slap in the face. Stands up well to spicy foods … like Red Hot Blue chips for example.

Redhook Pilsner – More cereal grain and traditional US pils hop (cascade, nugget) flavor than Sly Fox or Victory. Some fresh, spicy cinnamon fermentation character is apparent and interesting as well. All in all, snappy fresh and flavorful. This is the youngest (11/28/11 bottling date )beer in our sample, the brewery the most local to us(Portsmouth, NH); these factors came through in the fresh flavor of this fragile style. Pretty good for the big guys (Redhook is AB owned).

Troegs Sunshine Pils – In its prime this beer has sublime hop flavor and well rounded Pils malt character in balance …. but not so much after seven months in the bottle. It finishes with a pleasant mineral crispness that well compliments it’s subtle hop bitterness. Still pretty drinkable (a credit to Troegs brewing practices) but just a shadow if it’s fresh flavor.

Sierra Nevada Summerfest – Sadly missing the hop character it had a few months ago but still ok. The neat sulfur-y fermentation overtones of the fresh version were also barely perceptible. Some oxidation was also apparent in this six- or seven-month-old sample .

Stoudt’s Pils – A rooty /woody hop flavor that we were not overly fond of , with a heavy-on-the-palate finishing bitterness. We much prefer the sulfury delicacy of their Munich Gold. Age was not helping this sample either and some sour oxidation flavor notes were also apparent.

The Beer Judge Certification Program(BJCP) provides a basic guide to the expectations and style definitions of the Pils style. However, it can be argued that the BJCP guidelines are not an exact fit to most of the beers listed above.

Posted by HopScholars SMS and MBW, 1 February 2012

Welcome to Hop Scholar

We like beer.  Steve brews it, I help.  We both like to travel for good and interesting beer; we both like the culture and history of beer-making.   Between the two of us, we have learned a lot about beer and we love to share our beer experiences and opinions with our friends.  Thus, this blog.  Scholarship, at its best, can be defined as a contagious enthusiasm for a body of knowledge and experience . If you've got the time we've got the enthusiasm!  But you have been warned - it is catching.  Hop on, sit down and have a pint.  We'd love to have you join us in the conversation!