Beer Buzz Radio – Christmas Dinner Pairings, New Mother’s Beer Release, and more fun

On the December 11th, 2011 episode of Beer Buzz, brought to you by Mother’s Brewing Company, we cover a lot of ground as it relates to beer and food pairing. Most notably, we walk through several dishes you may be having at Christmas Dinner and list a few beers which would be nice to drink with that particular dish.

We also have a great Beer Lover’s Library for you, in which we cover Randy Mosher’s Tasting Beer, which is an excellent guide to understanding where the flavors in your beer come from and what different forces contribute to the final flavor of your beer. He also has a great section on Beer and Food pairing, as well.

There’s also a great Brew’s Clues question, a haiku beer review for Boulevard’s Bourbon Barrel Quad, and a Drink This! segment on Mother's Foggy Notion.

Listen to the full podcast here.

#TheSession - A Dickens of a Topic - Ghosts of Beermas Past, Present, and Future (with Xmas Ale Recipe)

I was on Twitter the other day and saw an interesting idea. It's called The Session, and it is a way to have a conversation across several independent blogs. Apparently, there are a lot of beer bloggers who try to come up with a themed post each month to post on the same day. This month’s theme caught my eye. It’s all about A Christmas Carol – the theme of past, present and future as it relates to beer. Look for the tag #TheSession to see other posts. Since this is a brewing blog (when I have time to brew), I’ll limit mine to beers I’ve brewed. Each of these was or will be consumed at Christmas time, so we’ll call them the Ghosts of Beermas Past, Present, and Future.

Beer Buzz Radio - Thanks to beer, help start a brewery, and why we should be allowed to drink outside.

I always run late on posting these. If you want to be updated as soon as the podcasts post to TAGsgf.com, you should probably just visit this page and subscribe to it as an RSS feed. You’ll get your updates sooner, but without my inane commentary.

On the November 27th episode of Beer Buzz, brought to you by Mother’s Brewing Company, we discussed why we are thankful for beer. There’s a sizable list, and most of it is surprising if you don’t know your history. This is easily one of the geekiest episodes we’ve had so far, because we cover a lot of historical trivia about beer.

In addition, I tell you how you can become a part of an Ozarks Brewery by donating to Horseshoe Bend Brewing Company in The Lake of the Ozarks. Go to their indiegogo page to watch a great video and find out what cool things you can get for helping them get their brewery off the ground. The donation tiers start at only $10, so it may be a cool way to start your Christmas shopping.

Speaking of which, we’ll be covering some interesting gift ideas for Christmas on this week’s show. Tune in and find out what to buy your brew-loving buddy.

Listen to the November 27th show by clicking here.

Beer Buzz Radio - Beer Geek or Beer Snob?

Ever meet a beer geek? If you’ve been a fan of craft beer for more than five minutes, I’ll bet you have. You may even be one yourself. That’s good. Being a beer geek means that you love beer.

Now, have you ever met a beer snob? What’s the difference? Are they mutually exclusive, or can they coexist in the same person? In the November 6th episode of Beer Buzz, we ask this question and have a pretty lively conversation about it in the studio. We even go over some of the conversation from earlier Sunday which was posted on our Facebook wall.

Beer Buzz Radio - Todd Frye of The Homebrewery, Learn to Homebrew Day, and Ozarks Beer Fest

On the October 30th episode of Beer Buzz, brought to you by Mother’s Brewing Company, we have a conversation with Todd Frye, owner of The Home Brewery. They have a lot going on out there lately, as they have just moved locations. They are now located on Boat Street in Ozark. They have a much larger showroom, and more variety available. In addition, they will now be offering periodic demonstrations and lessons. The first of these was on Saturday, November 5th in observance of National Learn to Homebrew Day. (I had intended to have this posted before that day, but things have been very busy in the TAG universe.)

In this episode, we talk to Todd about home brewing, discuss the Ozarks Beer Fest on November 19th in-depth, and have a good time in the studio. (Buy tickets here now.)

Listen to the episode here.

Beer Buzz Radio – Beer Trivia, Travels with Barley, and the Future of Beer

On October 23rd's episode of Beer Buzz, brought to you by Mother’s Brewing Company, we discuss some interesting statistics. Sounds fun, right? Well, these numbers are the numbers which show that Craft Beer has been continuing its explosive growth even while the beer market as a whole has stagnated for the past year. We discuss some possible reasons for that and also what could be the long-term effects.

After our first break, we introduced a new Trivia segment which will be airing weekly in which we will ask a single trivia question and award a prize to the winner. This week’s question was a good one involving the oldest brewery in the world which is still in operations. Don’t know what it is? Listen to the podcast to find out.

Sounds like Beer Buzz suddenly got smart or something, right? Well, don’t worry. We won’t get too cerebral on you. We also discuss what it would be like to dry hop with marijuana. According to the internet, it would be an expensive way to make a very crappy beer.

We also discuss Travels with Barley: A Journey Through Beer Culture in America, by Wall Street Journal writer Ken Wells. It’s a very cool book about Ken trying to find the perfect watering hole by traveling down the Mississippi. As he puts it, “I would begin in Minnesota among folk who, geographically speaking, are practically Canadians and by reputation descended from good beer-drinking Swedes and Germans. I would slide down soon enough into the Great Beer Belly of America, for, by lore at least, Midwesterners are presumed to be the mightiest of U.S. beer drinkers."

That’s right. We’re MIGHTY.

All this, a Haiku Beer Review, coming beer events, and a guest appearance by Allen Vaughan. Whew. What a week.

Listen in here.

Cheers!

Beer Buzz Radio – 10/16/2011 - Mother’s Brewing Oktoberfest in the Ozarks, National Learn to Brew Day, and the book that will change the way you feel about big beer.

OK, so that sounds like a lot. And this post is a week late. (We were having trouble with iTunes for a bit last week. It's been fixed.)

On the October 16th episode of Beer Buzz, brought to you by Mother’s Brewing Company, we discuss Mother’s Brewing Company’s Oktoberfest in the Ozarks party, which was a blast. They had two beers, a rauchbier and their harvest ale, which were only available at the event. If you haven’t caught on yet, Mother’s loves to have beers that are exclusively available at their tasting room. They want you to visit them. That’s why they’ve instituted First Firkin Friday at the brewery every 1st Friday of the month. By the way, that’s approaching fast, too.

We also talk about the upcoming Learn to Brew day, which is November 5th, and is sponsored by the American Homebrewer’s Association. It’s a national event geared towards getting those beer fans who have always thought about brewing to give it a try. If you have an interest in brewing, find a homebrewer to show you how to do it, buy The Joy of Homebrewing by Charlie Papazian or How to Brew by John Palmer, or visit the Homebrewery and get started. It’s actually much easier than it seems, and has the bonus of having the ultimate reward at the end – BEER.

Finally, we had a great Beer Lover’s Library on Sunday, when we spoke about Ambitious Brew, The Story of American Beer by Maureen Ogle. This book will seriously change the way you think about American lager companies such as Pabst, Best, and AB. I highly recommend it.

By the way, TAKE THE BEST IN BEER SURVEY. YOU’RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME.

Anyway, listen to the show by clicking here.

Beginning Homebrewing - Get started with an equipment kit.

There's a lot of home brewing ground I want to cover on this blog over the next couple of weeks, since I've not written much on it since I started Beer Buzz with TAG media and Mother's Brewing Company. If you've been listening to the show, you already know that National Learn to Home Brew day is November 5th.

Beer Buzz Radio - The Future of Craft Beer and Our Best In Beer Survey

We covered a lot of ground on Sunday’s episode of Beer Buzz, brought to you by Mother’s Brewing Company. The main topic of discussion was the future of craft beer, but we also covered some great other topics, like the Best in Beer poll (which is now available online) and what we think will be the “next big thing” in craft beer.

Don’t forget to cast your vote for the Best in Beer poll and let us know who is doing it right in Springfield. Listen to the full episode by clicking here.

Cheers!
Ben

Beer Buzz Radio - Best in Beer Survey is Live.

Beer Buzz Radio, brought to you by Mother’s Brewing Company, wants to know where you like to get a beer in Springfield. Take the very brief survey at http://tagsgf.com/bestinbeer. You have until the end of October to take the survey, but don’t wait. If you want to check out the locations before you vote, check out the map of all nominees:

View 2011 "Best in Beer" survey map in a larger map

Beer Buzz Radio - Best in Beer Survey, Bet You a Beer Game, and October Beer Events

It’s October, which means lots of excuses for drinking beer. In our October 2nd episode of Beer Buzz, brought to you by Mother’s Brewing Company, we go over several of the best reasons. First off, we cover several craft beer events going on in the area, including two Oktoberfest events, a Harvest event, and the BIG craft beer event coming up at the Shrine Mosque on November 19th.

Second, we talk about the best reason to drink this month, the First-ever Best in Beer survey. We have our final list of Best in Beer nominees and we’ll post the survey this week. That means you can use the map below to locate and have a beer at each of the venues. Call it “research.”


View 2011 "Best in Beer" survey map in a larger map

We also discuss what it’s like to judge beer in an official capacity, and why the BJCP is a mixed blessing for beer fans. Mostly, I feel that shoehorning beer into style categories is extremely limiting for brewers, but is extremely handy for judging beer for competition. Since I judged my first competition on Saturday, we talk about how having the BJCP scoring sheet in front of me changed my perception of the beer and why that was a good thing.

Continuing the excuse to drink beer, I covered why we should start a “Bet you a beer” movement, which mostly consists of betting your lager-drinking friend that you can find a craft beer he’ll like. The conversation might go something like this:

Beer Buzz Radio - Brief history of beer and "Best in Beer" nominations

Beginning next weekend, we’ll start our first-ever “Best in beer” survey, which will allow you to vote on the best places in Springfield to grab a beer. On the September 25th episode of Beer Buzz, brought to you by Mother’s Brewing Company, we put out the final plea for your nominations for best bar, restaurant, and store to buy craft beer in Springfield.

The final list of nominations is below, in no particular order:

Bars:
Patton Alley Pub
Farmer’s Gastropub
Mud Lounge
Skinny Slim’s
Finnegan’s Wake

Restaurants:
Patton Alley Pub
Farmer’s Gastropub
Creekside Bistro
Galloway Station

Package Store:
Bistro Market
Macadoodles (Republic)
Brown Derby Wine Center
Price Cutter

Along the way to closing out the nominations, I got a little sidetracked on the history of beer in America and why it’s unfair to categorize American Lager as “bad beer.” It’s actually well made and designed for specific purpose.

One of these days, I’ll write an article on why I think American lager is treated unjustly, but not today.

Listen to the show by clicking this link.

Glassware? Solo cup? Do you care?

So, during the show on September 11th, Brett and I got a little sidetracked discussing glassware and how it affects the beer you drink. Since it was on my mind, I wrote an article outlining the basics for the Beer Buzz column over at TAGsgf.com.

I don’t think glassware is what I’d call vital to a beer drinking experience (except in very rare circumstances), but it can help. For instance, drinking at Oktoberfest would be diminished a bit if you were drinking out of fragile glasses rather than the huge dimpled steins. What’s Oktoberfest without clinking glasses together heartily while yelling “Prost!”? Similarly, I think trappist ales deserve a bit more respect than the average beer, too. Glassware is one of the ways to show that beer the respect it deserves.

An American Pale Ale, though? A homebrewed porter? Glassware is fine and all, but I’d be almost as happy drinking them from a red Solo cup.

Check out the alternatives to Solo cups on TAGsgf here.

Beer Buzz Radio - Best Beer Bar in SGF? Also, more on black IPA's

On this week's Beer Buzz, brought to you by Mother's Brewing Company, we started our first-ever online poll. We want to know your favorite places to get craft beer in SGF. We also spoke about Black IPA's an how no one can agree on what they should taste like or even what they should be called.

OK, so let’s get this official poll rolling. You have until next Sunday at 5 PM to nominate your favorite bar, restaurant, or store for purchasing craft beer in SGF. Feel free to nominate a different place for all three categories.

Brett and I have excluded ourselves from the nomination and voting process so that the polls will not be biased by our tastes. That also means we won’t be throwing in any obvious choices should they not be nominated, so if you have a place you want to see on the list, you’d better give us a shout now. Email us at sgfbeerbuzz [at] gmail.com, find us on Twitter @sgfbeerbuzz, or post your nominations to Beer Buzz’s Facebook wall (Beer Buzz Radio). You have less than a week, so you should get going.

Nominations are closed next Sunday, and the poll will run all through the month of October. We’ll announce a winner in each category on the November 6th show. Again, there are three categories: Best Bar, Best Restaurant, and Best Bottle Shop.

Sunday’s show was all about the online poll and Black IPA. (or India Black Ale, or Cascadian Dark Ale – whatever you want to call it). Listen in here.

Beer Buzz Radio - Craft beer pet peeves, how to make the beer scene here better.

This week’s show started out with good intentions. We were going to have a very open discussion about how to grow and improve the craft beer scene here in Springfield, Missouri. Unfortunately, we got a little derailed by conversations about glassware, beer etiquette, and a few other things. However, the show’s solid, and so is the beer info. Restaurant and bar owners, take note: There are some very good tips in here for how to please your beer-loving customers.

Feel free to make suggestions for how to improve the Springfield beer scene. Give us a shout at facebook.com/beerbuzzradio or find us on twitter @sgfbeerbuzz. You can also email us. Sgfbeerbuzz [at] gmail.com.

Click here to listen to our 9/11/2011 show.

Beer Buzz Radio - Chad Frederick of Little Yeoman Brewing makes beers bigger'n you.

OK, so I’m a slacker. I should have posted this link for you last week, but it got lost in my hectic week. The show from 9/4 is a great interview with a local legend, Chad Frederick. Chad is the brewer and owner of Little Yeoman Brewery, located in Cabool, Missouri. They brew some BIG beers out there, and Chad’s philosophy on beer is to brew what he wants. He figures you should go big or go home.

In the studio, he produced a gallon-sized growler of his dry-hopped Vienna. It weighs in at about 8% alcohol by weight. By the way, Chad wasn’t messing around with those dry-hops, either. He like his big beers so much he got a license to produce up to 22% alcohol. Apparently, his barley wine (available only from Christmas to New Year’s), weighs in at about 18%.

Are you a fan of big beers with a lot of flavor? Check our Little Yeoman Brewery in Cabool. You can call them at (417) 926-9185, or just visit them at the brewery. They’re open 9-5:30 every day except Wednesdays and Sundays. Here's a handy map:


View Larger Map

Click here to listen to our big Little Yeoman show.

Beer Buzz Radio - Introducing Friends to Craft Beer, Preview of Little Yeoman show.

On the August 28th episode of Beer Buzz brought to you by Mother’s Brewing Company, we had a live Q&A show in which we discussed how we got into craft beer. More importantly, we discussed how to introduce your friends to craft beer, particularly those friends who like their light American lagers and do not want to try new things. We had a couple of great phone calls and some questions fired at us via email. All-in-all, it worked out to be a great show.
Make sure you tune in to KBFL 99.9 FM 1060 AM or listen live on TAGsgf.com every Sunday at 4 pm so you can be a part of our live shows. You can also listen to the podcasts on TAGsgf.com or find them on iTunes.

This week, our guest will be Chad Frederick from Little Yeoman Brewing Company in Cabool. They’re a very small outfit. Whenever anyone says “Farmhouse Brewery,” I think of Chad and his small operation. They make some fantastic beers, though. We’ll talk with him about what he’s brewing these days, what it’s like to be a small-scale professional brewer, and why you have to go and see him at his brewery to get a taste of his beer.

Listen to August 29th’s show here.

Find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

On our August 21^st episode of Beer Buzz brought to you by Mother’s Brewing Company, we had special guest Mike Sweeney of STLhops.com.  Mike’s an expert on the St. Louis beer scene and has a lot of great information on fantastic places to grab a beer.  Plus, the low-down on upcoming breweries, why he likes session beers, and a discussion of the Great Taste of the Midwest Festival and why you should go next year.

Beer Buzz is Springfield’s only local craft beer radio show, and is sponsored by Mother’s Brewing Company, and airs every Sunday at 4 PM on KBFL 99.9 FM (1060 AM) and streams live on TAGsgf.com. 

Listen to the show here.

Cheers!

Great Taste of the Midwest - Highlights and thoughts a few days later.

My brother, Joe, and I just visited Madison, Wisconsin for the 25th annual Great Taste of The Midwest beer festival, put on by the Madison Homebrewers and Tasters Guild.  Depending on your source, the festival had somewhere between 500 and just over 900 beers available, though I'm inclined to believe the correct number is somewhere in the middle, leaning towards 800.

The festival was, of course, a blast, and we enjoyed sampling tons of interesting beers, but what struck me most about the festival was the unapologetic experimentation offered by brewers.  From spicy chile beers from Buffalo Brewing Company in St. Louis to a cashew nut brown offered by Founder's Brewing Company, it was easy to think that experimentation was the order of the day.

And why not?  As a brewery, your fans get to try your usual beers every day.  You need something to reward them for making the trip (and taking the expense) to come see you at what could be the single hardest festival into which to gain admission.  The club only sells 6,000 tickets per year, which sell out in the first day, and each ticket costs $50.

Don't balk, though.  If you get a chance to go to this festival, do not pass it up, as it is worth all the trouble and more.  The beers available range from the high number of bourbon-barrel aged beers to some hop monsters which made no excuses for being completely out of balance.  There were also a ton of well made sour ales and some really creative and delicious session beers.

Beer Buzz Radio - Joe Stange, journalist and very thirsty pilgrim

On the August 14^th episode of Beer Buzz, my guest was my brother, Joe Stange, who is a freelance beer journalist and beer blogger at thirstypilgrim.com.  Joe also co-authored the book Around Brussels in 80 Beers.  In our conversation, Joe and I cover quite a few topics, including Belgian beer, why Belgians don’t understand Americans’ obsession with styles, and what bugs us about American beer culture.  Also, we touch a bit on Belgian sour ales.

Listen to the podcast on TAGsgf.com. You can hear Beer Buzz live every Sunday on KBFL 99.9 FM 1060 AM here in Springfield, or stream it live on TAGsgf.com or via the Radio Springfield app for iPhone.  You can also follow the show on twitter @SGFBeerBuzz.

Enjoy the show.

Beer Buzz Radio - Todd Frye from The Homebrewery - Homebrewing, Homebrew Competition Announced at the Sertoma Summer Sizzle

We were joined in the studio live on August 7^th by Todd Frye, owner of The Homebrewery in Ozark, Missouri.  In our conversation, Todd announces that their store is moving.  We also talk about the upcoming homebrew competition at the Sertoma Summer Sizzle, and we discuss how to get started brewing on a budget.  We also answer a caller’s questions about the history of PBR and how a home brewer might successfully make a similar beer at home.

Beer Buzz airs every Sunday at 4 PM on KBFL 99.9 FM and 1060 AM.  It also streams online at the same time on TAGsgf.com.  You can always find the podcasts the following day on TAGsgf.com.

As an aside, we’re always looking for show topic ideas.  Have one for us?  Email it to me at sgfbeerbuzz@gmail.com or find me on twitter @sgfbeerbuzz.


Listen to the show here.

Cheers!

Beer Buzz Radio Preview - Todd Frye from The Home Brewery, Haiku Beer Reviews, and Your Questions Answered Live

We’ll be doing our first live Q & A show this weekend, so warm up your emailing and dialing fingers. We’ll have Todd Frye from our local homebrew shop, The Home Brewery, on hand to answer brewing questions, beer questions, and any other questions you can think of.

To submit your questions ahead of time, I recommend emailing them to me at sgfbeerbuzz@gmail.com. We’ll discuss as many of your questions as we can on the air.

There will also be a discussion on Mother's Brewing Company's tasting-room-only beer, PG-13, which comes out today.

We’ll also announce the winner of our Haiku Beer Review contest for this week. If you haven’t submitted your entry yet, make sure you do so before Sunday.

The show airs Sunday at 4 PM on KBFL 99.9 FM 1060 AM here in Springfield, and can be found streaming on TAGsgf.com. I look forward to hearing from you.

Cheers!

Beer Buzz Radio - Mother's Brewing Co.'s Jeremy Wicks, Beer Review Haikus, and Beer and Food Pairing

This week’s show is a great one. We had our friend Jeremy Wicks in from Mother’s Brewing Company to talk beer and food pairing and how to serve Mother’s beer. Also, we all write our own beer review haikus and put out the call for yours.

Send in your beer review haiku to @sgfbeerbuzz on twitter.com or sgfbeerbuzz@gmail.com for your chance to win a free Mother’s growler. Remember, haikus are poems which have three lines. The first and third lines have five syllables, while the second line has seven. Here are a couple of examples, penned by us on the air. These haiku beer reviews refer to Sandi Wheat made by our sponsor, Mother’s Brewing Company.

Sandi Wheat, by Jeremy Wicks:
Not quite Belgian wit
Not quite American pale
Now I’m damn thirsty.

Ode to Sandi Wheat in its first Ozarks Summer, by Ben Stange:
Cool, subtle grapefruit
washes heat waves from my tongue.
Sandi Wheat, save me.

Click here to listen!

Beer Buzz Radio - Stan Heironymus, Hops, and the STL beer scene

OK, so I’m about a week late in posting this link, but at least I’m getting around to it. I hosted my first radio show on July 24th on KBFL 99.9 FM 1060 AM. The show is Beer Buzz, brought to you by Mother’s Brewing Company. Our first guest is none other than Stan Heironymus, author of Brew Like a Monk, Brewing with Wheat, and an upcoming book titled For the Love of Hops. We discussed his upcoming book, the properties of hops and how they relate to beer enjoyment, and the quickly exploding St. Louis beer scene.

A little about our guest:

He’s been a homebrewer since 1989, and a beer writer since 1993. He’s been a journalist for over 40 years, and he’s an incredibly nice guy. Listen in to our conversation, and let me know what you think. You can email me at sgfbeerbuzz@gmail.com with show feedback.

Listen to the show!

Black IPA recipe adjustment - Dark Forest Black IPA

So, I see using my handy web analytics tool that the Dark Forest IPA recipe has been viewed a lot. I hope everyone who brews it really enjoys it. I have entered a debate with a few friends and fellow brewers about the black IPA I made, and several of them feel it’s not hoppy enough to be a “true” Black IPA.

I have gone back and forth on it, but I’ve decided that I don’t care. It’s a delicious beer, and I could drink a lot of it. That’s really all I’m going for these days when I brew, anyway. Drinkability.

When I brew this recipe again, however, everything will be the same until I dry hop it. I’ll double the dry hops and call it good.

If you’ve brewed the Black IPA from my site, drop me a line at stangebrewing (at) gmail (dot) com and let me know or just leave a comment and let me know how it went. If you’re planning on brewing it and have any questions, you can feel free to email me, as well.

Cheers!

Local Beer Radio coming to Springfield - The Beer Buzz

So, it’s been a while since I’ve written a blog, but that’s because I’ve been working on something pretty big. Coming July 24th, Springfield will have its own beer radio show. The show, called Beer Buzz, will air on KBFL 99.9 FM 1060 AM, will stream live on TAGsgf.com, and will be available as a podcast on iTunes.

The show will feature many facets of beer culture, including beer and food pairing, home brewing, cooking with beer, beer styles, brewer features, current beer events, and anything else we can come up with to talk about. Most shows (especially at first) will be prerecorded earlier in the week, but there will be live Q & A’s with local brewers and beer personalities, and maybe a few not-so-local brewers and personalities, as well.

Tune into the show this Sunday at 4 PM on KBFL 99.9 FM 1060 AM, and we’ll have a good time talking about beer. If you want updates on what’s going on, follow @SGFBeerBuzz on twitter or find the Beer Buzz Facebook page. And while you’re at it, if you have any funny drunken tweets you sent this past weekend, send those my way, too. They may be read on the air.

If you have any comments, show ideas or would like to find out how to advertise the show, feel free to email me at sgfbeerbuzz (at) gmail (dot) com.

Cheers!

Beer Recipe - Dad's Quantity Beer

So, my Dad and I recently built a kegerator for him in his expansive shop, which is also the home of my brewing equipment. We immediately loaded a keg of my dunkelweiss in it which had been kegged for about a year and a half. (It was originally bottled, but was poured into a keg and force-carbonated due to some carbonation issues I encountered).

Since this beer was so strong at over 8% ABV, it was safe to age for some time, but I had some misgivings about it before we connected it. I was wrong to doubt, though, as it seems to have become a very mellow, smooth, and malty treat over time. My dad, who is an avid fan of Aventinus, obviously loves this style of beer, and he enjoys that he has this version on tap. He calls it his “Quantity Beer.”

Beer Recipe - Dark Forest Black IPA

There are a lot of conversations in the home brewing and craft brewing world about creating a “New Style” of beer called Black IPA or Cascadian Dark Ale. The beer is fundamentally a very dark, roasty version of the modern American IPA. It’s full of American-style aroma hops, but they are countered very strongly by the roasted grains and chocolate flavors associated with porters and stouts.




The controversy over this beer is centered on whether or not it should have a style listing in the BJCP guidelines, which are used primarily in brewing competitions and as a helpful way for breweries to categorize their beers for marketing purposes. Most beer lovers only care about style briefly when we’re trying to decide which new sixer to buy from the beer store. “I want something roasty and chocolaty… Oh, an American stout. That’ll do.”

What's on Tap - Joplin Relief Concert and Pub Crawl

Mother’s Brewing Company has said repeatedly that they want to have very close ties to their community. Now, both Mother’s and Springfield Brewing Company are putting their beer where your mouth is to raise money for the storm relief efforts in Joplin. Tomorrow night, May 26th, at 6 PM, Speakeasy will take the stage. At 7:30, the Ben Miller Band (out of Joplin) will follow them.

Doors open at 5 PM, and the cover is only $5. ALL PROCEEDS WILL GO TO OZARKS FOOD HARVEST JOPLIN RELIEF EFFORTS. You read that right. Not just profits, but ALL PROCEEDS. The show will end at 9 PM, so you can still make it downtown (you’ll be down there, anyway) to the Joplin Relief Pub Crawl and Events. Mother’s has a big ol’ tent, so the event will happen rain or shine. There will even be a silent auction.

Both local breweries will be pouring beers for $4 a pint. Mother’s will have their Li’l helper and Sandi Wheat. Springfield Brewing Company will feature their Kolsch, Dry Stout, and Red IPA. Oh, and it’s all ages, so you can come and enjoy the music even if you can’t buy a beer.

This concert is too good and the cause is too great not to make this show.

Mother's Brewing Update - The first week and where to find their beer.

So, Mother’s Brewing has just opened, and unless you’re living under a rock you’ve tried at least one of their beers. As a matter of fact, more people have tried their beers than expected, and Brewmaster Brian Allen has had to do some catching up on demand – but more on that in a minute.

I caught up with Jeremy Wicks to discuss the successful start of the brewery, talk about the First-Ever Mother’s Day Festival, and discuss surprises they’ve encountered in the Brewery’s first week of being officially open.

Beer Events - First-Ever Mother's Day Festival and 3rd Annual Craft Beer Festival

It’s a good time to love craft beer in Springfield. First, we have the First Ever Mother’s Day Festival at Mother’s Brewing Company this Saturday.


Then, just ONE WEEK LATER, we have the 3rd Annual Craft Beer Festival in the parking lot of The Brown Derby Wine Center. The event runs from 1 PM to 4 PM. The event costs $10 at the door, but five dollars of that goes to benefit the Doula Foundation of Mid-America.


There will be over 75 beers to taste, you’ll get your own complimentary tasting glass, and there will be special pricing on all of the beers poured at the event.

I personally had a lot of fun at last year’s event, and ended up picking up a couple of cases of some pretty good beer.

The Wine Center is located at 2023 S Glenstone, and you can call 417-887-2300 for more information.


View Larger Map

Beer News - Big Brewer Battles - All along the Mexican Front

To go along with the theme from my post about the battle for Illinois, here is another example of how economies of scale can seriously limit the craft brewing industry and how craft brewers just keep inventing their way out of it.

Beer News - Big Brewer Battles - InBev versus Illinois Craft Brewers

Most craft beer fans at some point or another have thought of the large domestic breweries as the “bad guys.” It’s easy to do. Large breweries have economies of scale which create some serious competitive advantages in the beer market. They have the brand recognition and marketing budgets to back it up, as well. All in all, craft beer has to work exponentially harder to make their place in their market.

It’s been getting easier for the little guy, though. Craft beer brewers are finding that their customers are more educated about beer than they have been in years, and the number of people who shop specifically for craft beer seems to rise every year. Overall, the craft beer market has grown steadily since the early 90’s (at least), and things look good for the craft brewing industry.

The big boys aren’t taking it lying down, though. Recently in Illinois there have been some shouts for help from small brewers who are afraid that they are now an endangered species (See the article here).

What's on Tap - Friday Beer Tasting at the Wine Center

Ok, it's last minute, but here's what will be available for tasting this afternoon from 4 to 7 at the Brown Derby Wine Center. Eric Carter gave me a brief rundown of the beers, but he's pretty hectic getting ready for the Craft Beer Fest on May 21st.

Ska Brewing's Mexican Logger - A seasonal beer, it is designed for easy drinking in the summer.

Free State Brewing's Copperhead Pale Ale - Hops are good.

Lagunitas Undercover Shutdown Ale - anything from this brewery can be considered worthy of a taste. This one's a very good beer.

He also mentioned a cool Helles Bock which was dry-hopped for 8 days with Saphir hops. I've never tried Saphir hops, but 8 days makes a hoppy and flavorful beer. It will definitely be worth trying.

Let us know your thoughts on these beers by leaving a comment. If you try the Helles, let us know what it's called, as well, since I won't be able to make it to the tasting tonight.

Enjoy your beer.

Update - the Helles Bock is from Hofstetter.

Beer News – Boulevard and Oregon’s Deschutes Brewery to collaborate on White India Pale Ale

I am not a fan of beer styles. It just never seemed right to me to shove beer into neat little categories for convenience’s sake. Yes, styles have their place, but that place is usually in marketing campaigns and in homebrew competitions. So, when I find out that a brewery or two are bucking the traditional styles to come up with something interesting, it makes me smile.

That’s why when I read this article on bizjournals.com about Boulevard Brewing Company’s upcoming collaboration with Oregon’s Deschutes Brewery, I had a pretty big grin on my face. The collaboration is exciting simply because it puts two of the best craft breweries in the country together on a project. The fact that their collaboration is a White India Pale Ale, which doesn’t fit neatly into any of the BJCP beer styles, just makes me smile a bit wider.

Springfield Brewing Company Upcoming Releases

I visited with Ashton Lewis and Trey Manning down at the Springfield Brewing Company on Wednesday evening, and Ashton took me through the brewery for a sneak peek at what to expect from their fine Mueller Steel tanks in the coming weeks.

First, I got to try a sample of their upcoming pilsner. Ashton informed me that one of the things they are trying to do in the near future is to update their menu of beers, particularly those that are on tap all the time. As Springfield’s taste for craft beer and Lupulin Threshold has increased, so has the demand for beers which are slightly “bigger” in flavor. To all you session drinkers: don’t worry. Ashton still intends to make all of the beers at SBC extremely drinkable, but he plans on changing the lineup to suit the change in peoples’ tastes.

On the potential list in the future is a pilsner which is currently lagering in their bright tanks, and which will be available for everyone in about three weeks. I got to taste a sample (it’s not quite finished and hasn’t been filtered, so the flavor will most likely be different), but from what I can tell, it’s on its way to being a clean, well-balanced pils. It’s a little hoppier than their current lager, but not as hoppy as your typical pilsner, so it will make an excellent lawnmower beer. Interestingly, this pils was dry-hopped with Saaz hops, which isn’t something you necessarily see or taste often.

Mother's Brewing - Update - Slideshow on sbj.net

Just a quick note today, beer lovers. The Springfield Business Journal has posted an excellent slideshow of in and around Mother's Brewing Company.

Check out the slideshow here.


Photos in this post are from the slideshow on sbj.net and are property of the Springfield Business Journal.

No Reservations about the Ozarks - Anthony Bourdain asks where your head's at.

“Basically, you have to have your head pretty far up your own ass to not have good time in the Ozarks. Or hate beer”

So says No Reservations host Anthony Bourdain in his blog post “The Mummy’s Tomb… And Ozark Noir.” The traveling food writer for the Travel Channel recently visited the Ozarks to sample our food and came away impressed, even after a gigging accident nearly killed one of his idols, Winter’s Bone author Daniel Woodrell. Along the way, he hunted raccoon and duck and had a barbecue with local musicians Ha Ha Tonka.

Some more quotes from the blog relating to the visit:

“From the early settlers to Civil War proto-guerilla fighters to famous outlaws, authors, musicians, Missouri is indeed a cultural touchstone. Dumb-ass hillbilly jokes ? That’s NOT the Ozarks I saw.”

“Bullshit is not something to be found (or tolerated) in abundance in Springfield, West Plains, Joplin or environs.”

“Everybody seems to cook–at least enough to look after themselves if need be, and there’s a respect for nature that comes from actually being close to it.”

It’s nice to read about someone visiting the Ozarks and challenging their pre-conceived notions about everyone here being ignorant back-woods hillbillies.

Be sure to tune in Monday night at 8 PM local time to see the Ozarks episode aired. If you want a sneak peek at some of the things you may or may not see in the actual episode, check them out here.

Mr. Wizard's World - Interview with Springfield Brewing Company's Ashton Lewis

In all of the buzz surrounding Mother's Brewing Company coming to town, it's easy for Springfield to temporarily ignore that we already have a brewery in town.  To refresh your memory, it's called Springfield Brewing Company, and it's been in business since 1997. 

Many people wonder why SBC (Springfield Brewing Company) hasn't grown exponentially in the beer vaccuum that has been Springfield for the past 15 years.  I spoke with the Master Brewer behind the oldest operating brewing company in Springfield, Ashton Lewis, on how he got started brewing, how he landed here, and why the Springfield Brewing Company hasn't grown beyond its front doors.

Gluten-Free Brewing Experiment - Notes On the First Batch

Sorry for the delay, folks, but I do have some notes on that first batch of gluten-free pale ale. 

The beer was well received by both celiacs and non-celiacs alike, which means it must have been pretty a pretty decent beer, regardless of its lack of gluten.  That's important to me, as I wanted to make a gluten free beer that didn't taste unusual due to its nature.

Grain after toasting for a bit.  I should have
let it go longer for more color.

The beer itself is crystal clear and light in color, despite the toasted grain.  I probably didn't let it toast enough to get a significant color contribution, but it was my first time trying to toast grains, so I'm not overly disappointed.  Besides, color is just cosmetic, anyway.

In the end, I used East Kent Golding hops and an early hopping schedule, which differs from the original recipe somewhat.  I altered my recipe on brew day because I was concerned the American hops would not blend well with the bready, spicy flavor I expected to get from the sorghum syrup and toasted grains.  When I reviewed the finished product, however, I decided my original recipe would have been the way to go, with the possible addition of a little bit more syrup or maybe some sugar to dry out the beer a bit.  Overall, the original recipe would be a great session beer.

First, I'd like to note that toasting your own grains is kind of fun, but very labor intensive.  I couldn't locate Amaranth in my local health food store, so I substituted millet.  I then mixed all the grain together, rinsed it all off, and toasted it while it was still wet.  I used a 250 degree oven and toasted it for an hour before raising the temp to 300 and toasting for another 45 minutes.  Please note that your results will probably vary, and if you decide to use toasted grains, make sure to check on them often for the appropriate level of toasting for your needs.  Next time, I'll toast them a bit longer and use a higher temp, maybe 350 F for the second stage.  I'd like to see a bit more color.

Using the syrup is really very simple.  It's just like using any other malt extract, as the malted sorghum ferments very similarly.  Remember to go by your hydrometer when determining whether fermentation is complete, though.  I made the mistake of thinking it had to wait longer in the fermenter and probably left it in the fermenter for a week or two longer than I needed to.

I'll probably be doing another batch soon, and will follow the original recipe I posted back in December.  I'd like to see how the beer works out with some nice citrusy hops in it.  I don't know for sure that I will elect to toast more grain, though.  I would if I thought it had made a significant flavor difference, but I'm not sure that it did.  Instead, I'll make a batch without and see if I notice a huge difference in the malt's flavor profile. 

If you decide to brew the recipe at home, let me know how it goes.  If you make changes to the recipe and they work for you, post them in the comments or email them to me, and I'll post more information about gluten-free brewing in the future. 

Mother's Brewing - Update - May 14th Details REVEALED!

I spoke with Jeremy Wicks from Mother’s Brewing Company today and managed to glean more details about the event they will host on May 14th. The event will be held every year around this time, so that makes the event’s name appropriate. You can’t name an event the “First Ever Mother’s Day Festival” unless it’s held around Mother’s Day and you plan to have it every year.

In this year’s case, the Mother’s Day Festival will be held the weekend following the less-alcohol-related holiday of “Mother’s Day,” which falls on May 8th. I guess the Mother’s boys are being considerate of the Mothers of Springfield by not giving them a hangover on their very special day.

Let’s talk a bit about what you’ll find in the Mother’s Brewing Company Backyard on May 14th. Yes, I said “Yard.” I’ve seen where this is held, and it’s an appropriate description. It’s not some asphalt-covered, tar-smelling parking lot. It’s a nice green space covered with grass and a few trees. They’ve even planted some new trees to provide more shade for future events.

The theme of the festival (besides mothers) is “local, local, local.” They’re stressing local beer, local brewery, local music, local food, and local art. I get the impression that Mother’s Brewing Company really wants to be a part of the community, don’t you?

The festival runs from 2 pm to 8 pm, and the live music starts at 2:45. Performing at the event will be Big Smith, Honkey Suckle, and Speakeasy. The cover is $5 for anyone 16 and up, but it is a family-friendly event and anyone 15 and under gets in free.

The tasting room will be open, and a beer truck will be serving beer outside (of course, there will also be soda and water for those under 21).

They will be selling their three flagship beers, and will also be using the festival as an excuse to launch their summer seasonal. (I’ll try and get more information about this beer as we get a little closer. Right now, they’re pretty tight-lipped except to say it’s not your typical summer seasonal).

In addition to live music and local beer, there will be local artists showcasing and selling art.

If you get hungry (and you will), there will be some great food available. They’ll have authentic wood-fired pizzas being made-to-order, and they’ll have handmade sausages cooked to complement each of the brewery’s offerings. Try pairing the sausage with the beer for which it was made to really bring out some good flavors. Or, just eat and drink some of everything.

Before you go, you’ll also be able to browse through some Mother’s brewing schwag, according to Jeremy. T-shirts and pint glasses will probably be the big sellers, of course, but I can’t wait to get my hands on a growler. Especially if it’s full.

The event will be held rain or shine, as they will have a large tent available to keep everyone dry. In Jeremy’s words, though, “Let’s be honest. There’s zero chance of rain for an event this bad-ass.”

Rain or shine, though, feel free to bring your family and some lawn chairs or a blanket. The brewery staff would love for you and your family to make a day of it.

Mother's Brewing - Update - Don't make plans for May 14th.

You heard me. You already HAVE plans for May 14th, 2011, because that’s the day of the release party for Mother’s Brewing Company’s summer seasonal. Before you ask, no, I don’t know what kind of beer it is yet. But as soon as I know, so will you.

I do know the following:

Local music – some great local bands will be performing live.
Local food – some will even be prepared using Mother’s beers as a major ingredient.
Local art – they’ve invited several local artists to show and sell.
Local beer – the entire mother’s lineup (4 beers, including their summer seasonal) will all be present to slake your thirst.

The entire event will take place at the brewery, in what they are calling their “backyard.” It will be a daytime event and will take place rain or shine (don’t worry, they’ll pitch a tent if it looks like rain). There will be a small cover, but the event will be family friendly and open to the public. Keep checking back here for more information, as I’ll be providing updates as I can needle more info from your Mother’s.

Beer Recipe - George Washington's Small Beer for his Birthday

Tuesday was George Washington’s birthday.  A lot of people think we don't celebrate it anymore, and instead celebrate "President's Day."  The truth is, these days are two different things, and we celebrate GW's birthday every year, but never on his actual birthday. 

In honor of our first president (and a huge fan of porter), I’ll offer you a brief bit of historical trivia about how Washington’s birthday was made a holiday and how, subsequently, it was made “not a holiday.”  Then, we’ll get down to the beer. 

While the third Monday of February is often called “Presidents’ Day” (or “President’s”, or “Presidents”), the official Federal Holiday is still “George Washington’s Birthday.”  Ironically, because of its designation as always falling on the third Monday of the month, it can never actually fall on President Washington’s actual birthday- or rather, on either of his birthdays.

How does he have two birthdays?  Because of the switch from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar.  Under the Julian Calendar, Washington was born on February 11^th, 1732, but his birthday was retroactively “changed” to be February 22^nd when the US switched to the Gregorian calendar in 1752.  Since the official holiday of his birthday falls on the third Monday of February, it always falls between February 15^th and February 21^st, so the official holiday has been arranged never to fall on his original Julian birthday or the more modern Gregorian birthday.

Think that’s confusing?  Let’s add some more history and see how convoluted the Federal Government has really made celebrating the father of our country’s birthday.  In 1885, Chester A. Arthur declared February 22^nd to be an official holiday as George Washington’s birthday.  That was fine and good until 1968, when the Uniform Holidays Bill was passed, which changed how Washington’s birthday was officially recognized.  The confusion about the name “President’s Day” stems from the fact that Federal Holidays really only hold sway for Federal Employees and those living in the District of Columbia.  The rest of us abide by our State holidays.  Lots of states, in turn, eliminated one of the holidays in February and deemed the third Monday as “President’s Day” to honor both Washington and Lincoln. 

OK, enough boring history.  This is a beer blog, so let’s talk about what beer Washington would be drinking to celebrate his birthday..

Beer News - Boulevard's Letter To Chocolate Ale Lovers

Who knew chocolate beer was so popular? As part of their smokestack series, Boulevard Brewing Company recently released a limited edition Chocolate Ale just in time for Valentine's Day. There was just one problem. They didn't release enough of it.

Apparently, they created 19,200 bottles and 350 5.2 gallon kegs, but demand was so high that it was soon nearly impossible to find a single bottle. Customers, distributors, and employees were soon very frustrated.

As an apology, Boulevard has published an open letter on their site to all chocolate ale lovers.

The letter details the problem and formally announces that the limited-edition one-time-only Chocolate Ale will make another appearance. Unfortunately, we'll have to wait a year for it to come back out, just in time for next year's Valentine's Day.

Beer Recipe - Belgian Cherry Blonde

The first time I made this recipe, it was an extract recipe.  I made ten gallons, and split it into two fermenters and only added cherries to half of it.  Without the fruit, it makes a good Belgian style blonde ale.  With the fruit, it takes on an entirely different life.  At first, it seemed a bit bitter due to the hop additions.  When it aged a bit, though, it turned into an amazing beer.  It had effervescent carbonation and a tart flavor that made it more like champagne than beer, and really had a knockout cherry essence that only got better with age.

There are a couple of things to keep in mind when you are brewing with fruit, though:

• Make sure you do what you can to give your yeast the advantage it needs to ferment out before any wild yeast or bacteria kick in and start eating the good sugars.  To do this, let the primary fermentation finish before adding the cherries. It also really helps if you deep freeze your cherries for a while before you use them.  After they’ve been frozen for a couple of weeks, you can set them in the fridge to thaw for a day or two before adding them to your secondary fermenter.  Then, more magic happens and the healthy yeast get to eat the sugar in your cherries.
• Allow time for the sugars to ferment out of the fruit, as well.  It might even be a good idea to rack the beer off of the fruit into a third fermenter and allow it to finish out before you bottle.  Bottling with extra sugar in the beer will only lead to exploding bottles, which are not just sad and messy, they’re also dangerous.  When I’ve made this beer, I’ve had great success with just the secondary fermenter, but you want to make sure the yeast eat as much sugar as possible before bottling.  For that reason, I recommend giving plenty of time before bottling.
• Feel free to substitute fruit puree for the fruit, if you prefer.  It will speed up the secondary fermentation by increasing the surface area of the fruit and making those sugars easier to get to.  Your yeast will appreciate it.  I recommend Oregon Fruit puree if you’re going to do it this way.  I use fresh frozen and whole fruit for my fruit beers, but that’s just because I’m usually not in a hurry.

Without further ado, here is both the extract and all-grain versions of the recipe:

Mother's Brewing - Update - Interview with Brian Allen

In our final interview of three with the minds behind Mother’s Brewing, we are speaking with the master brewer, Brian Allen.  Brian is a very easygoing guy who knows beer intimately, and loves striving to create perfection in beer form.  Brian is open with his knowledge and experience, and loves to chat about what he sees in Mother’s future, and, of course, about beer.

Mother's Brewing - Update - Interview with Jeff Schrag

In our second in our series of three interviews with the “Mother’s Boys,” we’re talking with Jeff Schrag, owner and the mind behind Mother’s Brewing Company.  While I have only met Jeff a few times, my impression of him is one of a somewhat quiet but friendly guy.  He was very friendly and nice, and really opened up as we talked about the brewery, his plans, and-- well-- beer in general.

Cooking with Beer - Super Sunday Beer Brat Recipe

Ben Liebenberg / NFL.com

With the Big Game coming up on Sunday, lots of folks are planning their big Superbowl parties.  There’ll be food, of course (check out this recipe for beer and cheddar soup, this recipe for beer can chicken, or this one for Guinness chocolate cake for a few ideas), but more important for us beer fanatics is the type of brew we have available.

I don’t have any extravagant plans for a Superbowl party or attending one this year, so I’ll probably lay low with a homebrewed Citra pale ale or I might pick up some Single Wide IPA before the big game.  I’m feeling a bit hop-starved lately, and I think either one will go with my beer brat recipe (posted below).

What beer will you be drinking at the big game?  Leave a comment below with the beer you’ll be drinking and let us know why you chose it.

Grow Your Own - It's hops pre-order season!

A lot of home brewers eventually get around to the idea of growing their own hops.  I will be trying my hand at it this year.  From what I’ve heard and read, it’s really easy to get started, and hops are a very gratifying crop to produce.

While I haven’t grown any hops myself yet, I will be doing so this year, and have been doing my research.  If you’d like to try it out, now is the time to pre-order your hop.  Morebeer.com has started accepting pre-orders, and if you’re local, you should be able to pre-order some through the homebrewery. 

To help us on our hop-growing adventure, I’ve pulled some knowledge from various sources, such as squidoo.com (just some rudimentary knowledge) and The Homebewer’s Garden, which I consider a very great source for a how-to on growing hops.  One great article can be found in the Brewing Techniques archive.  While you’re there, check out the article on all-grain brewing.  It’s good stuff.  You might also check into sites like BYO Magazine and Zymurgy for articles on how to grow hops, as well.