December 15, 2011
In the past, I’ve written about the flavor and scent of beer: what the bitter principles are, what off flavors are, or even what will make your beer smell bad. Something that hasn’t yet come up is the color. Most beers are some shade of yellow/brown, with tints of other colors occasionally coming in – some reds, oranges, etc.
Where does it all come from? As you know, the fermentable sugars in beer are extracted from malted barley. The malting process involves soaking barley in water to allow it to germinate and produce enzymes (these enzymes are later used in the brewing process to break down starches into more simple sugars). Before the barley sprouts, the water is removed and the barley is roasted in an oven (or dried by hot air). The length and temperature of the roasting “toasts” the grain, and the degree to which you toast your barley contributes to the darkness of your beer. The scale used to typically rank beer colors is shown the picture.
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Aleheads Take On, Beer 101, Homebrewing | 
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Posted by Professor pH Lager
November 28, 2011
“Well, you see, Norm, it’s like this. A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it’s the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members.
In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Now, as we know, excessive intake of alcohol kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine.
–Cliff Claven
Is beer the cure for cancer? In real life, I’m a scientist who studies the structure and function of naturally occurring molecules. I also happen to drink a little beer now and then. It’s not that uncommon that these two interests cross paths in the form of a happy hour once in a while, but it’s really rare that I get a chance to link cancer research and beer.
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Posted by Professor pH Lager
October 3, 2011
Coming soon to a brew near you
Have you ever taken that first sip of a beer and had to put the bottle down because it was skunked? You liar. You drank it anyway, didn’t you. In between some of the poop jokes on the very exclusive Aleheads email list someone mentioned skunked beer, and it got me thinking as it’s something we’ve all experienced. Since I’m a science nerd, I thought it might be interesting to write a little bit more about the chemistry of beer and why beer gets skunked in the first place. Read the rest of this entry »
22 Comments | Aleheads Take On, Beer 101, Homebrewing | Permalink
Posted by Professor pH Lager
March 14, 2011
As part of my interest in the science of brewing, I thought it might be interesting to write a little bit about sugar and the role it plays in beer. Beer is composed of roughly four or five ingredients: malted grain, hops, yeast, water, and occasionally an adjunct (spices, fruit extract, etc.) that adds some flavor. Given the small number of components, you can imagine that the quality and composition of each has a drastic impact on the final product – poorly chosen grain, impurities in your water, or unviable yeast can all ruin what would otherwise be a great brew. Read the rest of this entry »
8 Comments | Aleheads Take On, Beer Culture, Homebrewing | Tagged: Fermentation, Homebrewing, sugar | Permalink
Posted by Professor pH Lager
March 1, 2011
This weekend, I had the opportunity to visit Cavalry Brewing in Oxford Connecticut. Cavalry is owned and operated by Mike McCreary, a veteran and victim of the Great Recession of 2008-10. When Mike’s company downsized a couple years ago, he took the opportunity to travel to England and learn how to make beer. The result is Cavalry Brewing: a traditional brewery focused on making excellent examples of English style ales. Mike focuses heavily on his military background: every beer is named after someone he served with in Iraq, and he even hangs a huge American flag in the brewery “to piss off the liberals.” His dog “Mash” (I suppose that could be a double entendre, given his military background…) protects the brewery from small rodents and other intruders, while greeting visitors with a lively yap. Cavalry currently offers four beers, all of which are made in the traditional English style — three recipes are Mike’s own, while the fourth is from a friend over in England. Read the rest of this entry »
3 Comments | Ale Factories, Alehouses, Beer Marketing | Tagged: Bitter, Cavalry, Local Beers, Porter, Session Beers, Stout | Permalink
Posted by Professor pH Lager
February 24, 2011
See here for my previous note on flavors and molecules in beer.
A recent post about tasting notes from Brother Barley has really got me thinking. I’ve always felt humbled by the descriptive terms the other Aleheads in tasting notes, and felt that my own palate (or perhaps my nose) isn’t really up to snuff, so to speak. As a true science nerd I’ve been thinking a lot about smell recently, and it’s something that relates heavily to our perception of the flavor of beer. Flavor is to a huge extent driven by smell: our tongues can taste only 5 flavors: sweet, sour, bitter, salty, Umami (sometimes described as savory). There is also some evidence that suggests a 6th sense of taste for fatty foods, although this is a relatively recent discovery. That means that every other “flavor” we sense is predominantly a smell. Furthermore, the idea of a “taste map” on your tongue, where you can only taste certain flavors on certain parts of your tongue, is pretty clearly a myth. To put this all in context, rumor has it that in the absence of smell, an apple, a potato, and an onion all taste the same [CITATION NEEDED]. Read the rest of this entry »
3 Comments | Aleheads Take On, Beer Culture, Tasting Notes, WTF | Tagged: beer chemistry | Permalink
Posted by Professor pH Lager
February 23, 2011
The Professor on Beer of the Month Day
Hi again Aleheads – it’s been a while since I’ve had a chance to post: it has been a busy fall and winter for the Professor. I’ve been buried in a job search that has been dragging on for many months and culminated in a huge amount of travel all over the country – including a visit to Brother Barley last fall. In between the holidays and a lot of other ups and downs, my brother got married. I love [drinking beer at] weddings as much as the next guy, and being the best man at my brother’s wedding was fantastic. Of course, my brother knows me well, and he gave me the best groomsman gift an Alehead could ever ask for: a 6 month subscription to a rare beer of the month club. And so it has come to pass that at the end of each month I run to my mailbox like little Ralphie in “A Christmas Story” waiting to see if my box of two 750 mL bottles of rare beer have arrived. Read the rest of this entry »
7 Comments | Beer Culture, WTF | Tagged: Beer of the month | Permalink
Posted by Professor pH Lager
September 10, 2010
I didn't take this picture, but I wish I had.
Ah, Oktoberfest. The beer drinker’s favorite time of year. An excuse to get together with a bunch of other drunks, eat bratwurst, chug swill ’till you pass out, wake up, and do it all again. For 16 days. Not too different from a similar celebration in the US that we call “college.” Oktoberfest is a celebration of German culture that has captured the hearts and minds of the brewing community for some time. Breweries now produce Oktoberfest-style beers, some of which are actually just well-marketed versions of well established beer types such as marzens (see Adams, Sam). The Oktoberfest festival usually gets a good amount of press, as it’s a generally debaucherous and fun time: it opens with a 12 gun salute, and is attended by crowds numbering in the millions (around 6.5 million, according to some sources). Those patrons drink somewhere in the neighborhood of 1.5 million gallons of beer (but of course, 67% of all statistics are made up, so who really knows anyway…). Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by Professor pH Lager
August 30, 2010
The Professor Tastes Inversion IPA
During my recent trip to the Deschutes Brewery, I had the chance to try a number of great beers. Top of the list was Black Butte XXII, an imperial stout brewed in a limited release batch commemorating the brewery’s 22nd anniversary. Because you can’t get a lot of these beers elsewhere, I thought it might be of interest to Aleheads exactly what Deschutes is serving currently at their brewpub. This list comes from the Bend brewpub, and is from Aug 6th. The only changes were the addition of a cask conditioned Mirror Pond Pale Ale, and a cask conditioned scotch ale (the name of which escapes me). This list is reproduced word for word from the list I got at the pub, so they’re Deschutes’ descriptions, not mine. For the record, the Core Brands are more readily available. The other sections represent more experimental beers, and might give us some insight into the future of Deschutes beers. Let’s hear what you think — has anyone had any of these? Read the rest of this entry »
2 Comments | Ale Factories, Alehouses, Beer Culture | Permalink
Posted by Professor pH Lager
August 28, 2010
As many of you know, Deschutes Brewery is a favorite around here. Although I can’t get their beer on the East Coast, I make a point to get some every time I go visit family in the Pacific Northwest. During the family vacation this year, we were out in central Oregon, and were able to make the trip to Bend and visit the Deschutes brewery as well as both brewpubs (one in Bend, one in Portland). The trip was a blast, and we got to meet some of the great people involved with crafting Deschutes’ world class beers, not to mention trying a few beers you can’t get anywhere else. I love going to visit breweries on my vacations, but this was probably the best trip I’ve had. Even my inlaws, who aren’t big beer drinkers, thought it was a great tour and enjoyed the beer. Sadly, I just missed out on a chance to catch up with my old friend Beerford, who resides in the great state of Oregon — hope to see him next time I’m out there! Read the rest of this entry »
5 Comments | Ale Factories, Alehouses, Beer Culture, Best/Worst | Permalink
Posted by Professor pH Lager
July 30, 2010
Well, that didn’t take long. I was hoping we wouldn’t be talking too much more about BrewDog’s The End of History, their ostentatious 55% ABV brew that came out recently. This will be a quick post, but I think should teach us all a lesson. Recognize when you’re in a pissing contest, and exit immediately.
Announced on July 22, The End of History has already sold out. And believe it or not, It’s already been topped. Just yesterday, a Dutch brewery named ‘t Koelschip (The Refrigerated Ship) claims to have produced a 120 proof beer (so 60% ABV) called “Start the Future.” My dutch is a little rusty, but I think by reading the website it’ll cost around 20 euros.
So it appears that “The End of History” was a flash in the pan, rather than a bold new standard. It seems like most around here won’t be disappointed, especially since Start the Future apparently isn’t in a rodent-themed package.
Well Aleheads, have at it. What does this mean? Will BrewDog fire back? Does anyone Care?
7 Comments | WTF | Permalink
Posted by Professor pH Lager
July 29, 2010
Pabst sucks. And so do you, stupid hipster.
Let’s be honest. This isn’t the type of blog where you’d expect to read about Pabst. Most aleheads aren’t hipsters. We don’t ride fixed-chain bicycles. None of us have ironic mustaches. We don’t wear wifebeaters. We don’t live in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. And we sure as hell don’t drink Pabst Blue Ribbon. Over the past several years, Pabst has gone from trashy beer to the trashy hipster drink of choice. But it turns out there’s more than meets the eye to Pabst.
With all the recent hubbub about BrewDog, we had some interesting discussion about the brewing industry, what it needs, and what it doesn’t need. Of course, the Aleheads consensus is that more craft beer is good for everyone. Pabst (believe it or not) agrees with us. They’ve recently announced a craft brew exclusively made and marketed in China, of all places. They’re calling it China’s first craft brew, and it sells for around $42 a bottle. Read the rest of this entry »
4 Comments | Alehouses, Beer Culture, Brews in the News | Permalink
Posted by Professor pH Lager
July 28, 2010
The advent of “The End of History,” BrewDog’s ostentatious roadkill-themed 55% ABV brew has brought with it a lot of commentary and controversy. It’s certainly generated a lot of, well let’s say spirited, discussion on this site and we’ve seen it in various places around the web as well.
Brother Barley mentioned in a recent post that although it’s growing by leaps and bounds, the craft brew industry/movement is still relatively fragile. I agree with this to a large extent – the brewing industry (at least in our country) is still dominated by a very small number of monstrous companies who by and large produce garbage beer. On one hand, I really think that BrewDog has jumped the shark, coming out with a ridiculously overpriced product in a down economy. To top it off, it’s inside a stuffed rodent! At $750, this alehead will be steering clear. As I’ve said previously, one of my favorite things about being an alehead is how accessible top brews are from a cost standpoint. My view on BrewDog is that they’re like religious extremists – beer jihadists, if you will – the vocal minority whose views are far outside the norms of the craft brewing community. They tend to say and do things that are so extreme that even proponents of the movement like us think they’re nuts. Read the rest of this entry »
6 Comments | Ale Factories, Alehouses, Beer Culture, Beer Marketing, Brews in the News, WTF | Permalink
Posted by Professor pH Lager
July 13, 2010
As an avid homebrewer, I read a decent number of books about beer. Like many Aleheads, Belgiain style beers are some of my favorites – especially the Trappist beers and abbey style ales. So it was with great excitement that I recently picked up a copy of Brew Like a Monk: Culture and Craftmanship in the Belgian Tradition, by Stan Hieronymus.
Although I originally thought this would be a book specifically about how to make Belgian beers, it turned out to be quite a bit more than that. Many “how to” brewing books fall short in that they are simply a list of ingredients, recipes, or instructions. Brew Like a Monk goes above and beyond that, with the bulk of the book dealing with the history and culture of Belgian breweries. An emphasis is placed on the six Trappist breweries (Achel, Chimay, Orval, Rochefort, Westmalle, and Westvleteren).* Notable American breweries such as Ommegang and Allagash are covered later, as they are generally considered to be imitators (albeit those who now compete in terms of flavor and overall quality). Read the rest of this entry »
6 Comments | Ale Factories, Alehouses, Beer Culture, Homebrewing | Permalink
Posted by Professor pH Lager
July 12, 2010
I wanted to write a quick post about a blog I came across over the weekend that might be of interest to Aleheads. Cooking and Pairing with Beer is a blog written by Vanessa, a beer lover and talented cook:
Beer and food are two of my favorite things in the world, so I found a way to combine them with cooking. Great beer enhances great food and vice versa.
Can’t say I disagree with that! She uses craft beers in specially designed recipes matched to the flavor of the beer. And this isn’t your normal “beer-battered chicken” collection of recipes: she doesn’t mess around. Vanessa uses some of my personal favorite brews to come up with some delicious sounding meals and desserts. Pictured above is her Sweet Potato Gnocchi With a Beer Butter Sauce. If that doesn’t sound enticing enough, she uses Brewery Ommegang’s Abbey Ale as an ingredient in the sauce. I’m pretty sure the only complaint I can come up with is that it leaves you with less to drink! Read the rest of this entry »
4 Comments | Beer Culture | Permalink
Posted by Professor pH Lager
July 1, 2010
This is a bit of a departure from my normal homebrew posts, but I thought this story deserved a mention for the Aleheads crowd. In the game of life, sometimes we’re winners and sometimes we’re losers. Sometimes, we feel like we could take over the world. And sometimes, we do something so impressively stupid that the newspaper reports on it (alcohol may occasionally be a factor). So begins the story of Jerry Whipple, of Belleair, Florida. June 23 started out as a pretty normal Wednesday for Jerry. At some point, he thought he’d knock back a few and relax a bit on his pool float on the beach. As with many of us, “a few” is often code for “a few too many,” and before anyone knew it, he had floated off. This in itself is amusing, but what comes next is hilarious: Jerry was spotted a few hours later, a mile into the Gulf of Mexico, still passed out on his pool float wearing a life jacket (thank god). The Coast Guard spokesperson said that Jerry was “suspected of being extremely inebriated.” A proud moment for the Whipple family, I’m sure.
I’m tempted to say “there but for the grace of God go I” but I’m pretty sure that if i was going to pass out on a raft, I’d tie myself up to the freaking dock.
Enjoy your summer, and try to drink more responsibly than Jerry.
1 Comment | WTF | Permalink
Posted by Professor pH Lager
June 9, 2010
This is the third in a series of posts about how to get started with brewing your own beer. [PART 1] [PART2] At this point in your homebrewing adventure, you’ve already gone through a series of steps: your malt extract was reconstituted in water, boiled, you added hops, yeast was pitched to the cooled wort, and the mixture was fermented for a week or so. Northern Brewer’s Breakfast Stout, the beer we’ve been talking about, is a relatively simple beer to brew: no secondary fermentation is required. As many home brewers with simple setups don’t use filtration, secondary fermentation (transferring your beer to another carboy and keeping it there for another 1-3 weeks) is often used as an intermediate step between primary fermentation and bottling. Although it doesn’t replace filtration, secondary fermentation does have a number of benefits. It allows the flavor to mature, protein and spent yeast to precipitate, and generally allows the beer to clarify (among other things). Since we’re not really worrying about that in this recipe, we can move right into bottling. Read the rest of this entry »
Comments Off | Homebrewing | Tagged: Bottling, Carbonation, Homebrewing | Permalink
Posted by Professor pH Lager
June 4, 2010
Some important molecules in beer
Going along with Brother Barley’s recent modification of the beer tasting section in “Beer 101,” I thought it might be interesting to write about where some of the flavors in beer come from. Although you already know that there are only 4-5 ingredients in beer (water, grain, yeast, hops, and sometimes adjuncts), craft beers can have impressively complex flavors that result from hundreds of different flavor molecules in the brew. Some of these molecules arise from the fermentation process itself, many others are directly extracted from the grains or hops during brewing, and still others are formed by chemical reactions with light, oxygen or other components of air. As a homebrewer, or just someone who is interested in beer, knowing a little bit about beer chemistry can help you understand what goes into your brew and how to understand and avoid undesired flavors.
Beer has been around for thousands of years, and a lot of very smart people have spent time trying to understand it. For example, I spent my entire college career pondering the bottom of an empty plastic cup that recently contained the finest brew – no, make that the cheapest brew – around. The subject is complex enough that several textbooks have been written about it, but I’ll try to touch on some of the important things here. If this is too much, just take a look at the pictures I’ve provided to see some of the interesting structures (click on the picture for a high res version). If you really want to geek out on beer flavor chemistry, read on! Read the rest of this entry »
5 Comments | Beer 101, Homebrewing | Permalink
Posted by Professor pH Lager
May 30, 2010
This is the second in a series of posts about how to get started with brewing your own beer. Last time, I talked about how to select a kit of equipment and ingredients, and how to make wort from malt extract, hops, and water. The next step in brewing is to add the yeast and ferment your wort, turning it into beer.
As a reader of this blog, you probably already know that there are two major classes of beer, generally categorized by the type of fermentation and yeast used to make them.
Ales typically have yeast that ferment floating on the top of the wort, and ferment at about 60-65 °F, close to room temperature. Primary fermentation in ale typically lasts a period of 7-10 days.
Lagers, on the other hand, typically have yeast that ferment on the bottom of the wort, with a preferred fermentation temperature of around 45 °F – substantially colder. Lagers also take longer to ferment, with a typical primary fermentation lasting for several weeks (or longer). Read the rest of this entry »
2 Comments | Homebrewing | Permalink
Posted by Professor pH Lager
