tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8297133283069499762024-03-21T20:19:03.496-04:00The Sober BrewerJerry Gnagyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04567084670547294262noreply@blogger.comBlogger81125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829713328306949976.post-59345977084616787802010-04-21T15:17:00.001-04:002010-04-21T15:19:41.150-04:00Will History Repeat Itself? <embed type='application/x-shockwave-flash' salign='l' flashvars='&titleAvailable=true&playerAvailable=true&searchAvailable=false&shareFlag=N&singleURL=http://wnep.vidcms.trb.com/alfresco/service/edge/content/12a9c0c0-2cb5-4ab1-9d1d-36f5a9ee68b1&propName=wnep.com&hostURL=http://www.wnep.com&swfPath=http://wnep.vid.trb.com/player/&omAccount=triblocaltvglobal&omnitureServer=wnep.com' allowscriptaccess='always' allowfullscreen='true' menu='true' name='PaperVideoTest' bgcolor='#ffffff' devicefont='false' wmode='transparent' scale='showall' loop='true' play='true' pluginspage='http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer' quality='high' src='http://wnep.vid.trb.com/player/PaperVideoTest.swf' align='middle' height='450' width='300'></embed>Jerry Gnagyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04567084670547294262noreply@blogger.com70tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829713328306949976.post-83673261842657988892010-03-15T07:57:00.003-04:002010-03-15T08:03:35.355-04:001000 IBU<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hE6mDRPZT0o&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hE6mDRPZT0o&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Yes, that's certainly looks "very easy to drink" that's one hoppy M@$&*R F#%*&^R!!Jerry Gnagyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04567084670547294262noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829713328306949976.post-68920636563648974792010-03-11T11:03:00.004-05:002010-03-11T11:18:08.493-05:00BBC Mentioned in Southern Food PollI received this email that BBC was mentioned as Jerry Broderick's favorite southern microbrew. Jerry is the executive chef at Harrodsburg's historic Beaumont Inn. Thanks for the nod Jerry! The article itself is a pretty interesting read, although I am a little disappointed at some of the chefs complete ignorance of beer as an ingredient and/or food pairing option. Maybe they will come interview me so I can say my favorite southern food is KFC. Oh well, I guess that means we just have to keep teaching.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.oxfordamerican.org/articles/2010/mar/08/southern-food-poll/#broderick">Southern Food Poll</a>Jerry Gnagyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04567084670547294262noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829713328306949976.post-37922778289539953262010-02-04T14:15:00.004-05:002010-02-04T14:27:55.280-05:00Two New Celebrity Spokespeople for BBC Beer<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://static.blogcritics.org/09/07/07/108035/twisted-sister-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 361px; height: 365px;" src="http://static.blogcritics.org/09/07/07/108035/twisted-sister-1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Buy Bluegrass Brewing Co. Beer!!!!</span></span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/muppet/images/thumb/e/e5/Juniorgorg2.jpg/300px-Juniorgorg2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 394px;" src="http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/muppet/images/thumb/e/e5/Juniorgorg2.jpg/300px-Juniorgorg2.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Buy Bluegrass Brewing Co. Beer!!!!</span></span><br /></div>Jerry Gnagyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04567084670547294262noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829713328306949976.post-36502502275076667502009-08-14T09:20:00.005-04:002009-08-14T10:08:19.611-04:00That Sure Was a Tasty MidwestBluegrass Brewing Company represented itself at the Great Taste of the Midwest this past weekend, sampling four of our specialty beers. The Great Taste of the Midwest, in its 23rd year, brings in about 6,000 people, eager to sample over 500 different beers from around the midwest. The event held in Madison, WI, separates itself from other festivals by requiring the brewers to pour their own beers, giving the public an opportunity to ask questions and interact with the ones who actually make the beers, not just a salesperson or brewery rep. We had a good time and learned a lot, below are some of the things we learned this year.<br /><br />1. Heaven Hill is a far superior bourbon than either Woodford Reserve or Knob Creek (I know, it was news to me too)<br />2. It gets very hot and humid even in Wisconsin, which I thought was located in the arctic circle<br />3. If you smoke a cigar, the next day it feels like a monkey took a crap in your mouth.<br />4. Listen to the Garmin, not the person holding the Garmin<br />5. Chicago is the new Bermuda Triangle (don't even think about driving through it)<br />6. The streets in Wisconsin are not made out of Cheese, it's asphalt and concrete just like here<br />7. Don't take the shuttle after the festival (it is packed with sweat, beer and farts)<br />8. You can get a DUI on a bicycle<br />9. If you crap your pants in the mud, no one knows<br />10. Finally, the beer at BBC is pretty good stuff, of course you already knew that.<br /><br />Here is some video of the festival:<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/KuNMeUJ3lZ4&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/KuNMeUJ3lZ4&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><br /><br />Special Bonus Video from the BBC Documentary Corp.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/dRPGVVHtDzA&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/dRPGVVHtDzA&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><br />never trust The Sober BrewerJerry Gnagyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04567084670547294262noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829713328306949976.post-70078223758971377402009-07-10T08:50:00.004-04:002009-07-10T08:58:55.059-04:00Tragedy Strikes the BBCI know all BBC folks will be upset to hear that Tre was injured in a horrible grain accident. Despite all of Jerry's best attempts he could not actually appear upset about the incident.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS-ERNPqA_E8UAEDpeHpHN6iGSpK2ks_nvjxn77Dtu6d5R7kGCRK6q72rJGWeuI_gJeb3dDpTvc6UVHLFJiX7yklbkjIJnl6XoQONH4Sp1iLnO8k60ScWuOYGdWH2WCrahgx5tVClSRFl_/s1600-h/5292_1202977153805_1209883892_565504_824913_n2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS-ERNPqA_E8UAEDpeHpHN6iGSpK2ks_nvjxn77Dtu6d5R7kGCRK6q72rJGWeuI_gJeb3dDpTvc6UVHLFJiX7yklbkjIJnl6XoQONH4Sp1iLnO8k60ScWuOYGdWH2WCrahgx5tVClSRFl_/s320/5292_1202977153805_1209883892_565504_824913_n2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356814259465516850" border="0" /></a>Submitted by Beau Kerley<br /><br />never trust The Sober BrewerJerry Gnagyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04567084670547294262noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829713328306949976.post-41050066191410582482009-07-09T08:54:00.003-04:002009-07-09T09:01:07.783-04:00Transfering LambicHere is a video we did showing how we transfer lambic style beer from the oak barrels in which it was fermented and aged into stainless steel kegs in order to blend it with other beer and carbonate it before we put it into bottles. This was my first attempt at video editing, this particular video taking me three weeks to put together, something a third grader could probably do in five minutes, so enjoy.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xaEFTGlcDUk&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xaEFTGlcDUk&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Jerry Gnagyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04567084670547294262noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829713328306949976.post-11427503758306457462009-06-17T13:03:00.002-04:002009-06-17T13:06:43.867-04:00Free the Hops, Alabama Beer DebateGreat video here of the Alabama legislature debating a bill lifting the ABV limit on beers sold in the state. If you want a good chuckle go to about 5:30 and listen to Alvin Holmes. Congrats Alabama, Roll Tide and all that.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xEFDVc6XCcc&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xEFDVc6XCcc&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Jerry Gnagyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04567084670547294262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829713328306949976.post-61224708769321449002009-06-16T09:03:00.005-04:002009-06-16T10:20:13.700-04:00What The ?<div><br /><div>Okay, so this has nothing to do with beer or brewing, but it was just about the oddest thing I've seen in a while, so I am sharing it with you right now.<br /><br /><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.todaysbigthing.com/betamax/betamax.swf?item_id=1740&fullscreen=1" width="425" height="344"> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="sameDomain"> <param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"> <param name="movie" quality="best" value="http://www.todaysbigthing.com/betamax/betamax.swf?item_id=1740&fullscreen=1"> </object><div style="padding: 5px 0pt; text-align: center; width: 344px;"><a></a></div><a><br />I didn't even know there was a market for such a product...Oh, I guess I forgot about this guy.<br /></a><div></div><a><br /></a><div><a><br /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlXjrlATt2UpDqd1uUIIa6I_V2IIgbClFqdZODNCJqI83Fm9NBKkiBes5eS7jq8h9T-KOGNWmNH33cFJoUyZiOETC8e1IKYq6msvyP6mfhf5qp9088X0aoIb73PDWW4YnJCEQ_kxh0VoZj/s1600-h/3_mangino.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347913572067434082" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 270px; height: 320px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlXjrlATt2UpDqd1uUIIa6I_V2IIgbClFqdZODNCJqI83Fm9NBKkiBes5eS7jq8h9T-KOGNWmNH33cFJoUyZiOETC8e1IKYq6msvyP6mfhf5qp9088X0aoIb73PDWW4YnJCEQ_kxh0VoZj/s320/3_mangino.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><em><span style="font-size:78%;"> Kansas University Football Coach Mark Mangino </span></em></div><br /><div></div></div>Jerry Gnagyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04567084670547294262noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829713328306949976.post-54725059888797248082009-05-29T12:14:00.005-04:002009-06-16T10:19:37.622-04:00The Sober Brewer Shows How to Use a HopbackHere's a video of us using the hopback to make the Rye IPA. Enjoy.<br /><br /><br /><object height="340" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/y29d9RF1lfU&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/y29d9RF1lfU&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><br /><br />never trust The Sober Brewer<br />Jerry GnagyJerry Gnagyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04567084670547294262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829713328306949976.post-80112917553184942792009-05-19T15:09:00.004-04:002009-05-19T15:15:28.634-04:00Beer's New Warning Label<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgam9lcs5hs6cQQrkTOyJJiBZ1emvWx8ZPJ4L-r_XDHnkJ-jSYny1oUiGpxb0OnCqpySd8IsUBrEFmW2z7e9i7520ytZDA5I6n4mBFh5NYWFQwIrPAqm55I2sZzzC9tP2HXdYQ8phztUMe6/s1600-h/concerns.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337615138086909746" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 307px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgam9lcs5hs6cQQrkTOyJJiBZ1emvWx8ZPJ4L-r_XDHnkJ-jSYny1oUiGpxb0OnCqpySd8IsUBrEFmW2z7e9i7520ytZDA5I6n4mBFh5NYWFQwIrPAqm55I2sZzzC9tP2HXdYQ8phztUMe6/s320/concerns.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioAOygI8EJ9YBXrlN0cPU44UFoI2LhzJ-WtfkNBHh1JcsweFclIXdwniNDGGbazrAcdiPeEIt4HtTGbR6eXpxM6QAIQmQPb9IaqEg7ERrnzoD9HhY0T1kDtQ1e7MYjIhtSP-N5J-k4B0U7/s1600-h/concerns.jpg"></a><div><br />If you have trouble reading the text, get a magnifying glass, because I can't figure out how to enlarge this picture. Yes, I'm stupid.</div><div> </div><div>The Sober Brewer.<br /></div><div></div>Jerry Gnagyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04567084670547294262noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829713328306949976.post-87954133627957994982009-02-07T10:34:00.008-05:002009-02-07T11:32:14.718-05:00Don't Be Soured On Valentine's Day at Bluegrass Brewing Co.Bluegrass Brewing Company is proud to intorduce the first of our Belgian Syle Lambic unveiling on Friday the 13th of February at 6:00pm. There will be music by local band Phiasco in the beer garden and local artists will be showing their wares on the stage inside. Chef Chad Harrison will be serving Drunken Prince Edward Mussels, Grilled rack of Lamb and a chocolate torte with a dark cherry reduction.<br /><br />Lambics are Belgian wheat beers originating in the town of Lembeek in the Pajottenland. Traditionally fermented with airborne wild yeasts and bacteria present in the region, producing a complex acidic, sour, fruity and funky beer.<br /><br />Brewed here at BBC in Dec 2007 and fermented and aged in charred American oak casks for over a year. A portion was blended with brown ale to balance the acidity and give a touch of maltiness and roasty flavors. Sweet Cherries were added to another portion giving a pleasant sweet-tart and fruity flavor. (Cherry Lambics are traditionally called Kriek or Kriekbier)<br /><br /><br />Only a handful of U.S. breweries have even attempted to brew lambics due to the risks involved in introducing wild yeasts and bacteria in the brewery. That is why these beers will only be sold in 750 ml bottles. These are the first two blends, there will be more to come.<br /><br />ABV 6.0%<br />IBU 0<br />OG 14.0<br />Brewed on 12-09-2007<br /><br />Here is a good article on Lambics that I found on the interweb. Hope to see you at the BBC on the 13th...you too one guy from Estonia.<br /><br />never trust The Sober Brewer<br />Jerry Gnagy<br /><span style="font-size:180%;">The Wonders of Lambic Beer</span><br />By <a title="Posts by Aschwin de Wolf" href="http://www.depressedmetabolism.com/author/aschwin-de-wolf/">Aschwin de Wolf</a> on August 3rd, 2008<br /><br />If there is one beer style that can compete with wine in terms of complexity it is the <a onclick="urchinTracker('/outgoing/lambicandwildale.com?referer=http://www.depressedmetabolism.com/2008/08/03/the-wonders-of-lambic-beer/');" href="http://lambicandwildale.com/" target="_blank" modo="false">lambic </a>beer. Unfortunately, if lambic beers are known at all, it is typically because the name is also used for the sweet fruit beers that are produced by some macrobrewers. Traditional lambics, however, are rarely sweet and often quite sour. As a matter of fact, it is this sourness and spontaneous fermentation that distinguishes lambic beers from most other contemporary beer styles.<br /><br />In 1996, Scientific American published an article by Jaques De Keersmacker called <a href="http://www.depressedmetabolism.com/the-mystery-of-lambic-beer/" target="_self">“The Mystery of Lambic Beer.”</a> The blurb of the article says: “An ancient brewing technique produces a beverage so complex that it is still yielding its secrets to organic chemists.” In the article the author introduces the reader to the rich history of lambic brewing and discusses the complex organic chemistry of lambic.<br /><br />Although lambic beers may be a “living anachronism” today, most beers were once brewed by exposing grains to the wild wind-borne yeasts in the area. 5000 years ago an alcoholic drink called Sikaru was made with roughly the same ingredients and proportions as traditional lambic. No hops were used in these brews. Contemporary lambic brewers do use hops, but only aged hops to preserve the beer, not to add flavor. The flavor of lambic beers solely reflects the (local) spontaneous fermentation of barley malt and unmalted wheat.<br /><br />During fermentation, a variety of wind-borne and local microorganisms in the barrels convert the wort into ethanol, carbon dioxide and acids. Food scientists and organic chemists have identified a number of overlapping stages during fermentation of lambics: first, enteric bacteria and wild yeasts proliferate, followed by alcohol and carbon dioxide production by Saccharomyces. During stage three, lactic and acetic bacteria (such as Pediococcus) proliferate, giving lambic its distinctive sour taste. During the fourth stage, the dominant yeast is of the Brettanomyces genus, which is the microorganism that is associated with the distinct “farmhouse/barnyard” taste of lambic. During fermentation a film forms on the surface of the brew that prevents oxygenation and excessive proliferation of acetic bacteria. And, as if nature “intended” to create lambics, the alcohol and low pH in turn prevent the proliferation of enteric bacteria.<br /><br />Although the resulting product, “straight lambic,” can be enjoyed in some local pubs in Belgium and is sometimes bottled (Lambic breweries and blenders Cantillon and De Cam have bottled aged lambic), it is usually blended with other lambics to produce gueuze (or geuze). The traditional lambic brewer blends lambic of various ages (for example 1, 2 and 3 years) to induce additional fermentation in the bottle. The resulting gueuze is sour, dry and complex. Another popular lambic style is to add whole fruits to a young lambic to induce a second fermentation. The most popular variety is Kriek, which is made by adding (sour) cherries to the lambic. Such lambics may smell sweet but the long fermentation period produces the distinct tartness, but with subtle aroma differences, of the unblended lambics or gueuzes.<br /><br />Unfortunately, these traditional fruit fermented lambics often have to compete (if available at all) with beers to which fruit syrup is added to a lambic base, or even to another type of beer. Although there is a growing market for such beers, the shared use of the name “lambic” has the unfortunate effect that the traditional lambics, which require long production times (2 years or more) and reflect a unique brewing process, have to compete with such “simplistic” sweetened brews. Ironically, the increased popularity of these “lambics” have raised renewed interest in traditional lambic brewing, such as practiced by Belgian brewers and blenders like <a onclick="urchinTracker('/outgoing/www.cantillon.be/?referer=http://www.depressedmetabolism.com/2008/08/03/the-wonders-of-lambic-beer/');" href="http://www.cantillon.be/" target="_blank">Cantillon</a>, <a onclick="urchinTracker('/outgoing/www.3fonteinen.be/?referer=http://www.depressedmetabolism.com/2008/08/03/the-wonders-of-lambic-beer/');" href="http://www.3fonteinen.be/" target="_blank">3 Fonteinen</a>, <a onclick="urchinTracker('/outgoing/www.oudbeersel.com/?referer=http://www.depressedmetabolism.com/2008/08/03/the-wonders-of-lambic-beer/');" href="http://www.oudbeersel.com/">Oud Beersel</a>, <a onclick="urchinTracker('/outgoing/www.decam.be/home.htm?referer=http://www.depressedmetabolism.com/2008/08/03/the-wonders-of-lambic-beer/');" href="http://www.decam.be/home.htm" target="_blank">De Cam</a>, and <a onclick="urchinTracker('/outgoing/www.proximedia.com/web/hanssens.html?referer=http://www.depressedmetabolism.com/2008/08/03/the-wonders-of-lambic-beer/');" href="http://www.proximedia.com/web/hanssens.html" target="_blank">Hanssens</a>.<br /><br />As one <a onclick="urchinTracker('/outgoing/www.amazon.com/dp/0937381861/?tag=depressedmetabolism-20&referer=http://www.depressedmetabolism.com/2008/08/03/the-wonders-of-lambic-beer/');" href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0937381861/?tag=depressedmetabolism-20" target="_blank">book</a> says, lambics are beers beyond the influence of brewer’s yeast (hence the importance of blending to create a consistent product). The author of the article reports that researchers at the University of Leuven in Belgium have identified 100 different kinds of yeast colonies, 27 colonies of acidic bacteria, and 38 colonies of of lactic bacteria in a single type of lambic. Such complexity is an exciting field of research for organic chemists and curious “molecular brewers.”<br /><br />De Keersmaecker ends his article as follows:<br /><br />“Lambic’s future rests with adventurous beer lovers and that small but enthusiastic segment of the population that goes out of its way to sample traditional ethnic foods. Lately this group seems to be expanding as more people pass up processed foods in favor of the old staples: fine cheeses, hearty breads, wines, abbey beers and real ales. Who knows? If the trend continues, lambic may be around for another 500 years.”Jerry Gnagyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04567084670547294262noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829713328306949976.post-71516361898114211072009-01-20T10:02:00.004-05:002009-01-20T10:53:33.682-05:00Green Gold RushI have decided I want to be a farmer! I heard on the news that farming is a good profession, I use products grown on farms, I see with my own eyes farmers driving nice vehicles. It's obviously an easy way to make a living. Why haven't I thought of this before. So I called up a farmer to see what, if anything, I need to do to get into the farming business (I called early in the morning because I wanted to get stared right away and we know farmers rise early) The farmer I called asked me what I wanted to farm, I said, whatever is easiest and makes the most money. He then asked how much land I had available for planting, I told him, my whole backyard, and finally he asked about machinery for planting and harvesting, I answered I have a shovel and my wife's '98 Saturn and I'm <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">rarin</span>' to put it to work. After he called me a idiot and hung up on me I said to myself, "Self, maybe this farming thing has a lot more to it than I thought, perhaps I'll continue doing what I know and leave the farming to the farmers."<br /><br />This is good advice for those farmers who have been calling me asking about growing hops. I don't grow hops I use them, I don't know the first thing about growing a hop. So stop calling me and call a hop grower. I know that last years Global Hop Crisis sent hop prices skyrocketing and thus has enticed farmers into looking for a quick buck by planting a few acres of this beer ingredient. But perhaps these farmers don't have the first clue what they are <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">getting</span> into. Greg <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Kitsock</span> wrote an <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">article</span> in the Dec. 2008 New Brewer titled Green Gold Rush: Shortages Spawn New Crop of Hop Farmers in which he outlined some of the challenges of growing hops. <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:none; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; layout-grid-mode:line;} h4 {mso-style-next:Normal; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; line-height:150%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; page-break-after:avoid; mso-outline-level:4; font-size:12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; layout-grid-mode:line; mso-bidi-font-weight:normal;} h5 {mso-style-next:Normal; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center; line-height:150%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; page-break-after:avoid; mso-outline-level:5; font-size:18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; layout-grid-mode:line; mso-bidi-font-weight:normal;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:shapedefaults ext="edit" spidmax="1026"> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:shapelayout ext="edit"> <o:idmap ext="edit" data="1"> </o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Kitsock</span> writes,<br /><br /><blockquote> "They've got gold dust in <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">their</span> eyes," says Ralph Olson the the would-be hop farmers who phone (once a day, on the average) to pump him for information on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">humulus</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">lupulus</span>. Some of them are profoundly ignorant about the plant. "They think hops grow on bushes, or in clusters like grapes."<br /> Olsen is a 30 year veteran of the industry and general manager/owner of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Hopunion</span> a Yakima, Wash. based supplier for the craft brewing industry. "Not to be discouraging, but I don't give them a very good chance," he says of recent attempts to grow hops commercially outside the Pacific Northwest.<br /> "If you want to grow a few vines for educational purposes or so you can make a wet hop beer, that's a good deal. Otherwise, it becomes difficult."<br /> Some <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">popular</span> hops, like <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Simcoe</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Amarillo</span> and Palisade, are proprietary strains. The companies that own them invested millions into their <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">development</span> and aren't going to willingly share their rootstock. Hops, like wine grapes are sensitive to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">terroir</span>, they might not adjust well to the local soil and climate. Sierra Nevada's Manley notes that the brewery once grew Mount Hood, but "it didn't work out; they'd have beautiful cones and no acid."<br /> Hops are also subject <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">to</span> the withering blast of a variety of pests, from fungal diseases like powdery and downy mildew to insect invaders like aphid and spider mites. The chemicals used to treat the vines are closely regulated state by state. Fungicides and insecticides available in Washington or Oregon might be banned elsewhere. Regarding organic <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">growing</span> method, Olson is cynical, "I've helped people start a few fields; they last three to four years, and then something comes in and nails them."<br /> Large hop farms automate the harvest process to the greatest degree possible. They use a top-cutters and a bottom-cutters mounted on tractors to wrest the vines from the trellises. Next, the vines are fed into the hop-picker, a backyard-sized piece of machinery that knocks loose the cones while screening out the leaves and stems. A basic picker costs $750,000, reports Olsen.<br /> The freshly picked hops are next heated in kilns to reduce the moisture content form 80% to under 10%. Building a kiln <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">will</span> add "another million or so" to your bill, notes Olson. That doesn't even get into the costs of baling and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">pelletizing</span> them.<br />Hop prices, Olson concludes, can <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">fluctuate</span> greatly. This year, he estimates, 9,000 more acres were sown with hops. Add that to the 33,000 acres already producing hops and there could be a glut, not a shortage, in a few years. He foresees a downward <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">trend</span> in hop prices starting this year and lasting three to four years before prices stabilize.<br />Hop farming isn't for the faint of heart, Olson suggests. "when I stared in 1978, there were 225 grower. There are 50-60 <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">growers</span> today." Olson pegs the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">start up</span> cost of a commercially viable <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">hopyard</span> as $4-10 million. He can't name a single successful hop farm outside Washington, Oregon and Idaho.<br /></blockquote>So, to all you would be hop farmers, go ahead and do what you will, but I would continue with what I know and let the hop farmers grow the hops.<br /><br />never trust The Sober Brewer<br />Jerry <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">Gnagy</span>Jerry Gnagyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04567084670547294262noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829713328306949976.post-21462144509911378532008-12-30T08:14:00.003-05:002008-12-30T08:22:42.884-05:00Here's a good way to cope with your own mortality<h1>Illinois man orders custom beer-can coffin</h1><h2>Bill Bramanti will rest in peace surrounded by Pabst Blue Ribbon memories</h2><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td style="padding: 25px 0pt 0pt 15px;" valign="bottom" width="1%"><a id="linkImgRelatedPhotos"><img src="http://msnbcmedia2.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/080505/080505-beer-casket-hmed-9a.hmedium.jpg" style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);" title="Image: Bill Bramanti and his casket" alt="Image: Bill Bramanti and his casket" border="0" vspace="0" hspace="0" /></a></td><td valign="bottom" width="99%"><div class="caption" style="padding: 25px 10px 0pt 15px;"><br /><br /><br /></div></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Bill Bramanti poses with a coffin he had specially made to look like a can of his favorite beer, Pabst Blue Ribbon, in Chicago Heights, Ill., on Saturday. While he doesn't need the coffin just yet, he's planning to use the casket as a cooler</span><br /></span><br /><br /><p class="textBodyBlack"><span id="byLine"></span>SOUTH CHICAGO HEIGHTS, Ill. - Bill Bramanti will love Pabst Blue Ribbon eternally, and he's got the custom-made beer-can casket to prove it. "I actually fit, because I got in here," said Bramanti of South Chicago Heights.</p><p class="textBodyBlack"><span id="byLine"></span>The 67-year-old Glenwood village administrator doesn't plan on needing it anytime soon, though.</p><p class="textBodyBlack"><span id="byLine"></span>He threw a party Saturday for friends and filled his silver coffin — designed in Pabst's colors of red, white and blue — with ice and his favorite brew."Why put such a great novelty piece up on a shelf in storage when you could use it only the way Bill Bramanti would use it?" said Bramanti's daughter, Cathy Bramanti, 42.</p><p class="textBodyBlack"><span id="byLine"></span>Bramanti ordered the casket from Panozzo Bros. Funeral Home in Chicago Heights, and Scott Sign Co. of Chicago Heights designed the beer can.</p></td></tr></tbody></table>Jerry Gnagyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04567084670547294262noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829713328306949976.post-17180507658422744462008-12-26T16:29:00.004-05:002008-12-26T16:41:09.918-05:00Wormy Trip rollout party tomorrow at the BBC!<o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="country-region"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"></o:smarttagtype><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">Wormwood Triple (Belgian Ale) Unveiling and Absinthe Tasting</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Saturday, Dec. 27<sup>th</sup></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">“Wormy Trip” is Bluegrass Brewing Company’s latest specialty beer to be released.<span style=""> </span>“Wormy Trip” is a Belgian Trippel bittered with Wormwood (Artemsia absinthium) a bracingly bitter, clean flavored herb.<span style=""> </span>The beer is brewed with 100% Pilsner malt with additions of Belgian candy sugar and honey.<span style=""> </span>“Wormy Trip” is high in alcohol and golden in color with softly melding sweet, dry and bitter flavors and a powerful fruity and complex aroma.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">ABV<span style=""> </span>10.2%</p> <p class="MsoNormal">IBU<span style=""> </span>24</p> <p class="MsoNormal">OG<span style=""> </span>21.5</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Absinthe Tasting</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">BBC will also host an Absinthe tasting on the night of the “Wormy Trip” unveiling because of the similarities in ingredients.<span style=""> </span>Absinthe originated in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">France</st1:place></st1:country-region> in the late 18<sup>th</sup> century and became popular very quickly with artists and literati.<span style=""> </span>(Degas, Van Gogh, Toulousse-Lautrec, and nowadays Johnny Depp)<span style=""> </span>Absinthe is made from liquor distilled from neutral grain spirits and herbs, most importantly “The Holy Trinity” Wormwood, Anise and Fennel.<span style=""> </span>Absinthe is uniquely served in a tulip glass with ice water dripped over a sugar cube into the absinthe, creating a refreshing drinkable mixture.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">The celebration will begin at 5pm and last until closing.<span style=""> </span>The band “Hello Darlins” will be having a CD release party as well with music beginning at 10:30. </p>Jerry Gnagyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04567084670547294262noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829713328306949976.post-36243116340127986632008-12-12T09:23:00.003-05:002008-12-12T10:57:55.425-05:00NASA Turns to Coors to Solve Drinking Water Problem<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.seedmagazine.com/news/uploads/betternasa.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 368px; height: 460px;" src="http://www.seedmagazine.com/news/uploads/betternasa.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />For those of you who don't keep up with the latest in technology, it was recently announced that NASA has perfected a new water purification system that collects astronauts' urine and turns it into drinking water. NASA needs this technology because water is one of the most cumbersome and expensive payloads for manned space missions, approaching a cost of $40,000 per gallon. This new water recovery system, which will be located on the international space station, will cut the volume of water hauled into space by two-thirds, freeing up room on the space shuttle for four more astronauts.<br /><br />This was all interesting when I read it in the newspaper, but I wondered what was the story behind the scenes at NASA, and how they developed this urine purifying devece. For those of you who would also like the inside story, urine luck, because the Sober Brewer's inside sources run deep at NASA.<br /><br />One of the engineers working on the project agreed to speak to me on the record. Dr. Irwin P. Freely Pee hD informed me that the idea for the purification system was spawned during a night of heavy drinking at the Sugar Shack in Tempe, AZ. Dr. Freely and his other NASA cohorts decided to try and sober up by switching to American light lagers. Dr. Freely got a bottle of Coors light and took a drink. "It tasted as though someone had just peed into my mouth... How can a brewery take clean drinking water and turn it into urine?" And <span style="font-style: italic;">that</span>, Freely said was the genesis of the idea. "What we did at NASA was what you laypeople might call<span style="font-style: italic;"> 'hijacking technology' </span>while we call it reverse engineering." Freely continued, "The good folks at Coors have been changing water to urine for decades, we can just follow that pathway backwards."<br /><br />I thought it was fascinationg how once again the American macrobrew industry is helping advance civilization. The Sober Brewer salutes you Coors light, and your contribution to the space program. After all this I asked Dr. Freely how the recycled urine tastes, he said that it is ninty-nine percent pure but it has a little Tang to it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://yellinglizard.com/wp-content/urine_small.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 152px; height: 203px;" src="http://yellinglizard.com/wp-content/urine_small.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />never trust The Sober Brewer<br />Jerry GnagyJerry Gnagyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04567084670547294262noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829713328306949976.post-14727433044509154652008-12-04T14:23:00.003-05:002008-12-04T14:27:33.078-05:00Join Us at the BBC for the Prohibition Repeal Party<span style="font-family:arial;"><strong>PROHIBITION REPEAL PARTY IS FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5TH</strong><br /><br />Bluegrass Brewing Company (Shelbyville Road) will celebrate the repeal of Prohibition on Friday, December 5th, with nickel beers. The festivities will include a free soup kitchen, BBC employees dressed in 1920’s apparel, and 1920’s era music to help set the ambiance.<br /><br />The 18th amendment to the constitution banned all alcohol sales. This “prohibition” lasted for 13 years, from 1920 – 1933. The 21st amendment was enacted on December 5th 1933 and repealed the 18th amendment. The 21st amendment is the only amendment to the constitution that specifically repeals another amendment. BBC will halt alcohol sales for 13 minutes from 5:47 pm until 6:00 pm to simulate the 13 years of alcohol prohibition. From 6:00 pm until 7:00 pm we will celebrate with 1920s prices of nickel beers. The free soup kitchen will consist of bean soup and corn bread and will run from 6:00 pm until the soup runs out.<br /><br />This annual celebration is one of Bluegrass Brewing Company’s most popular events so come out and join in the festivities. For more information please contact BBC at 899-7070.<br /><br />P.S. How did this guy lose the election?<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/H6LKDIQDvFY&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/H6LKDIQDvFY&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /></span>Jerry Gnagyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04567084670547294262noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829713328306949976.post-8003089753059896212008-11-21T08:29:00.018-05:002008-12-03T08:28:43.173-05:00The Future of Bartenders?Jet cars, hover boards and commercial space travel are not the only things we can look forward to in the future. Mechanized bartenders will provide excellent service without all the errors, long wait times and sass. Hopefully they can make a cyborg Jeff Gesser. (if we can mine for more metal on other planets...because he's a really big guy)<br /><br /><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-pET2gehieU&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-pET2gehieU&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><br /><br />But what happens when the robots become self aware and take over the world making us their slaves. I would imagine they would be ticked off about doing the jobs Americans won't do, and force us to serve <span style="font-style: italic;">them</span> beer. (My rendition of what that might look like)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrIRcPlnwlFKcc4Bl_2IIXbGZ5Q0i2rtN_h1BwpJN56jXVT5vEmG3m6EWGsJclztPCZDvFBle201QzxKSI8Nik-HiuTIc3gSHObP74DaNr_oiXo89AfKR_P5mkP5sb_l-5zvFhTNrpJRMv/s1600-h/1121080842.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 190px; height: 142px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrIRcPlnwlFKcc4Bl_2IIXbGZ5Q0i2rtN_h1BwpJN56jXVT5vEmG3m6EWGsJclztPCZDvFBle201QzxKSI8Nik-HiuTIc3gSHObP74DaNr_oiXo89AfKR_P5mkP5sb_l-5zvFhTNrpJRMv/s320/1121080842.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271107287367238546" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.lapropagationduchaos.net/what/futurama/futurama_bender.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 175px; height: 142px;" src="http://www.lapropagationduchaos.net/what/futurama/futurama_bender.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />never trust The Sober Brewer<br />Jerry GnagyJerry Gnagyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04567084670547294262noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829713328306949976.post-84867576396669856012008-11-18T11:12:00.006-05:002008-11-18T11:32:34.372-05:00Seriously, Youth of America, Stop Making Fools Out Of Yourselves<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://mondaynightbrewery.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/busch.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 388px; height: 301px;" src="http://mondaynightbrewery.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/busch.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />And if that isn't stupid enough for you, check this out: <a href="http://sexybeerbongs.com/">proof of the decline of civilization</a><br /><br />Why can't people just put beer in a dang glass and drink it anymore? See post below.Jerry Gnagyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04567084670547294262noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829713328306949976.post-8868203651680298372008-11-18T11:06:00.005-05:002008-11-20T16:30:43.824-05:002008 Great American Beer Festival ReportIt's time again for the annual Sober Brewer <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">GABF</span> report. I know I'm over a month late, but if you want timely information and commentary, write you own dang blog. This is the time when I basically call into question the character, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">knowledge</span>, ethics and "preferences" of the pathetic and unclean, yellow-bellied, lily-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">livered</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">GABF</span> judges. We will also take a look at the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">dope</span> smoking, maggot infested, plastic <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">banana</span>, good time rock and roll, FM types known as the other brewery workers we came in contact with.<br /><br />So let's start off with the judges comment cards we got back. As we've said before, this "should" be the most useful part of the competition. Having qualified (ha!) judges critique our beers, helps us get better because our own judgement and palate is clouded by our own prejudices. So what did the score sheet <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">from one</span> of our entries read under <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">drinkability</span>? (term stolen from Budweiser) One judge wrote "good, but lacks <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">drinkability</span>." Whereas the next judge <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">wrote</span>, "smooth-almost too easy drinking." Now I would agree there are degrees of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">drinkability</span>, (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">OMG</span> I can't believe I just used the word <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">drinkability</span>) but to be the exact opposite of each other? Somebody is dead wrong and therefore by the transitive property of wrongness, wrong about everything else and in general a crap human being.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.beernewsletter.com/blog/uploaded_images/A-floor-captain-w-748478.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 401px; height: 535px;" src="http://www.beernewsletter.com/blog/uploaded_images/A-floor-captain-w-748478.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">GABF</span> judge <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">extraordinaire</span></span></span><br /><br />Some of you might think that I'm just whining because we didn't win anything and this is all just sour grapes. Sorry, no, we actually won the gold medal for our Baltic Porter, where I'm sure we beat out the other two entries for the top prize. And in contrast to our <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">previous</span> medal-winning entries, I actually agreed that our Baltic Porter was a good <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">example</span> of the style. I guess <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">even</span> a blind squirrel (beer judge) can find a nut (good beer) once in a while. Just because they were right once does not excuse them from my scorn.<br /><br />Onto the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">brewers</span> we met while we <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">were</span> there. Most were nice, albeit egotistical and nerdy. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">But</span> one person in particular who was the epitome of the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">contemptible</span> brewer came to our booth trying to tell us about himself and his impeccable resume (like we cared). He planted himself in front of our booth, clogging up the queue that had <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">formed</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">behind</span> him, and after many samples of our five beer selection and numerous <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">asinine</span> questions and comments, point blank asked us, "What exactly are you <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">guys</span> trying to do here?" Flummoxed by this, I responded the way any polite person would by saying that I didn't understand the question. Thankfully, our brewery cohort Sam Cruz responded with the right answer. Sam simply replied, "your wife."<br /><br />Thanks Sam, I <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">sure am</span> looking forward to next year.<br /><br />never trust The Sober Brewer<br />Jerry <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">Gnagy</span>Jerry Gnagyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04567084670547294262noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829713328306949976.post-71215477231705441462008-11-13T10:43:00.005-05:002008-11-13T11:45:35.065-05:00Newsflash: The World Has Officially Passed Me By and Landed in the ToiletRejoice everyone, it has come to my attention that someone actually reads this crappy blog and has been jonesin' for an update. So I'm going to start it back off with a real kick ass post. Let's talk about the latest and greatest trend brought to us from the always imaginative youth of America...Anal Beer Bongs!<br /><br />Here is the report from the TV show "The Doctors"<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/kvngbSou4Ak&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/kvngbSou4Ak&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />That's right, drinking beer or liquor orally, you know...through your mouth, has apparently become as "old fashioned" as beehive hairdos and wearing you pants up around you waist. From what I can gather the kids are getting drunk faster by these anal colonics, and it's not just prevalent among KU fans, it is a trend sweeping the country.<br /><br />Now you might think that I would come up with some sort of "new beer" we are going to brew specifically for anal consumption. Perhaps naming it, "Colonale", "Buttweiser" or even "Rectum...damn beer killed um." But I'm not sure this is a laughing matter.<br /><br />Please, youth of America, if as the great sage Whitney Houston said, "The children are our future," don't stick beer up your butt. Someday you will be old and probably regret having to wear diapers or empty your colostomy bags. Meanwhile, we'll continue to brew beer specifically for drinking...orally.<br /><br />never trust The Sober Brewer<br />Jerry GnagyJerry Gnagyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04567084670547294262noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829713328306949976.post-45570772925532810322008-10-03T15:14:00.011-04:002008-10-16T10:51:24.330-04:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTgRjBWYRNhbxcPiKpGetPxg9kUwMQ0WA62p2C-wwTk9lBn4U9GkraylU6JYmX3tELGRvq0E6WkGnNC2zBZXEfNO-5kAw9R-Bj8AgF8B4H32SecHGMwRKHjJbhHFOTObC1epX_fQKXKkSK/s1600-h/Picture+001.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257763409331277330" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 312px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" height="468" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTgRjBWYRNhbxcPiKpGetPxg9kUwMQ0WA62p2C-wwTk9lBn4U9GkraylU6JYmX3tELGRvq0E6WkGnNC2zBZXEfNO-5kAw9R-Bj8AgF8B4H32SecHGMwRKHjJbhHFOTObC1epX_fQKXKkSK/s320/Picture+001.jpg" width="440" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuz-GIqwnauJzPORkdTi1ie8L-55Od8uHixXEKCqHj60cKFrPLyHRXsDhj9qKp-AjUSFQEBq_NClAieB7Bl5wfLpssiALqQCsDCD8b-eILG5qlZOXdBLZaCrzUuBbJLe39tB7zVlrWv59S/s1600-h/Picture.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257762993292576434" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 262px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 327px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" height="382" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuz-GIqwnauJzPORkdTi1ie8L-55Od8uHixXEKCqHj60cKFrPLyHRXsDhj9qKp-AjUSFQEBq_NClAieB7Bl5wfLpssiALqQCsDCD8b-eILG5qlZOXdBLZaCrzUuBbJLe39tB7zVlrWv59S/s320/Picture.jpg" width="329" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div></div></div>Jerry Gnagyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04567084670547294262noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829713328306949976.post-60327804426234569752008-10-01T13:53:00.003-04:002008-10-01T14:12:59.297-04:00News of the Weird: Wierd ScienceIn July, microbiologists writing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reported that the Malaysian pen-tailed tree shrew subsists on a diet of fermented palm nectar that is roughly the equivalent of 100 percent beer. "They seem to have developed some type of mechanism to deal with that high level of alcohol and not get drunk," according to one researcher, who hoped further study could help with human cases of alcohol poisoning (and other rare instances in which people ingest alcohol for purposed other than getting drunk)<br /><br />I was under the impression that just such a drunkenness neutralizing drug already exists. When I was going to school at Adams college, our fraternity Lamda Lamda Lamda participated in the Greek Games. During which my good friend Poindexter gave my other good buddy Takashi a pill that counteracted all effects of alcohol in his system during the big tricycle/beer chugging race. That was intregal in helping us beat the Alpha Betas thus giving us a seat on the Greek Council. At least that's the way I remember it.<br /><br />never trust The Sober Brewer<br />Jerry GnagyJerry Gnagyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04567084670547294262noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829713328306949976.post-28855073547717048232008-09-25T12:56:00.006-04:002008-09-25T13:09:06.745-04:00Local Hops at the BBC Harvest FestivalHarvest Festival this Saturday at Bluegrass Brewing Co. Shelbyville Rd. from 3:30 to 7 pm. Showcasing beer from BBC, Browning's Brewery, Cumberland Brews and New Albanian Brewing Co. using some of these locally grown hops. Three canned goods for <a href="http://www.kyharvest.com/">Kentucky Harvest</a> is the price of admission. See you there.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm429DlcB86qdauX12z76OgWSQuk4d53oHAh8lpDjuGrbP7Zvi20sDFyIwQ8hyphenhyphenKzojjP4d_DsbCqtO8ZLrPlmzXsK455wclNoCBOl0BG3HYou6QAajIHCBiG9I0WYbA6DQKz1DO2DbGS2Q/s1600-h/0820081542a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm429DlcB86qdauX12z76OgWSQuk4d53oHAh8lpDjuGrbP7Zvi20sDFyIwQ8hyphenhyphenKzojjP4d_DsbCqtO8ZLrPlmzXsK455wclNoCBOl0BG3HYou6QAajIHCBiG9I0WYbA6DQKz1DO2DbGS2Q/s320/0820081542a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250005229045998066" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio5LOdl5unvSa1_LYGtmg2XV4jjUX1xXweyEe91BMb369XszI6aXSqFRpjhy-Vf0BkTQLqPLrrrM-jnXpSGUCNwsVDVhHIBYc-nRLd4U0qsts3KcgHzIb4MtF_Sy8qe9quzPKHjcDNqliv/s1600-h/0820081542.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio5LOdl5unvSa1_LYGtmg2XV4jjUX1xXweyEe91BMb369XszI6aXSqFRpjhy-Vf0BkTQLqPLrrrM-jnXpSGUCNwsVDVhHIBYc-nRLd4U0qsts3KcgHzIb4MtF_Sy8qe9quzPKHjcDNqliv/s320/0820081542.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250005157185223010" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvtXemP7BQQycV26VmCkmXETIUzzJEaNdW10qy7yoXzl8J1xMU_XcpbGq3gac7XS00xbrCYXEw9qZtcprfwrmu7aQUVPjVYmdlD0BwaAVSGkF8rI-j48mDmfFcd_BUI8620Jz3_v_df1b7/s1600-h/0820081543.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvtXemP7BQQycV26VmCkmXETIUzzJEaNdW10qy7yoXzl8J1xMU_XcpbGq3gac7XS00xbrCYXEw9qZtcprfwrmu7aQUVPjVYmdlD0BwaAVSGkF8rI-j48mDmfFcd_BUI8620Jz3_v_df1b7/s320/0820081543.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250005091022452642" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj44ThKBkLrVL0nwBylbmiZDbSrsfSbjwW9CeQ7I2ZEXa2P5Z96iE0DJuh0kYW6wzPmPw93IqprbVKjii8tw6yLmkIXyFExCrk19V3qvQtG4w-rZeEzhyphenhyphen13kQtZK3U0rwl9lYbipPiPrhPL/s1600-h/0820081543a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj44ThKBkLrVL0nwBylbmiZDbSrsfSbjwW9CeQ7I2ZEXa2P5Z96iE0DJuh0kYW6wzPmPw93IqprbVKjii8tw6yLmkIXyFExCrk19V3qvQtG4w-rZeEzhyphenhyphen13kQtZK3U0rwl9lYbipPiPrhPL/s320/0820081543a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250004992940054674" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnmVmoCbQE1h8ww57O_APXatmf9Gz85BjzcInV-cnSjjwUfOJIQbbtWOOEgfzYdNjrc6fuSfSSdvYP5xUT9U9IaqDzgrIEEjZhRkiIBRvnCpUA1oml-e_Tfoaf50OSNy1M7gRp_thKl180/s1600-h/0820081550.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnmVmoCbQE1h8ww57O_APXatmf9Gz85BjzcInV-cnSjjwUfOJIQbbtWOOEgfzYdNjrc6fuSfSSdvYP5xUT9U9IaqDzgrIEEjZhRkiIBRvnCpUA1oml-e_Tfoaf50OSNy1M7gRp_thKl180/s320/0820081550.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250005317397918130" border="0" /></a>Jerry Gnagyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04567084670547294262noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829713328306949976.post-86915721073166324382008-09-12T10:47:00.004-04:002008-09-12T13:00:49.393-04:00What's the Matter Colonel Sanders? Chicken?<!-- BEGIN STORY BODY --><em class="timedate"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></span><span style="font-family:courier new;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></span></span></span></span></em><br />By The Associated Press<div id="ynmain"><div id="storybody"><div class="storyhdr"><p> </p> </div> <p> LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The secret's out at KFC. </p> <p> Colonel Harland Sanders' handwritten recipe of 11 herbs and spices was to be removed Tuesday from safekeeping at KFC's corporate offices for the first time in decades. </p> <p>The temporary relocation is allowing KFC to revamp security around a yellowing sheet of paper that contains one of the country's most famous corporate secrets. </p> <p>KFC hired off-duty police officers and private security guards to whisk the document away to an undisclosed location in an armored car. </p> <p> The recipe will be slid into a briefcase and handcuffed to a security expert. </p> <p>For more than 20 years, the recipe has been tucked away in a filing cabinet equipped with two combination locks in company headquarters. </p> <p>So important is the 68-year-old concoction that coats the chain's Original Recipe chicken that only two company executives at any time have access to it. The company refuses to release their names or titles, and it uses multiple suppliers who produce and blend the ingredients but know only a part of the entire contents. </p> <p>Sanders developed the formula in 1940 at his tiny restaurant in southeastern Kentucky and used it to launch the KFC chain in the early 1950s. </p> <p> Sanders died in 1980, but his likeness is still central to KFC's marketing. </p> <p>"The recipe to him, in later years, was everything he stood for," said Shirley Topmiller, his personal secretary for about 12 years.<br /></p><p><br /></p>This news story ran on Sept. 9 2008. I thought it was interesting how tight fisted old Harland Sanders was about his precious 11 herbs and spices. But what's really in a recipe? I would say it is just a list of ingredients and quantities and methods? Recipes are good in a way, they breed consistency in the end product and continuity that carries over from one cook to the next. But recipes can also hamstring you somewhat. If you are a slave to a recipe you never adjust to changing raw materials or different equipment or new technologies, thereby actually being less consistent. This holds true for beer brewing as well. The actual ingredients and quantities in beer recipes are just part of what effects beer flavor. The four main ingredients in beer fluctuate all the time.<br /><br />We'll start with the most prevelent ingredient: Water. Mineral content in water can flucuate year to year and season to season. When I was brewing in Michigan we got water analysis done once a quarter because the mineral content changes every winter. We theorized that snow took longer than rain to seep through the ground to the water supply, thus picking up more minerals. I don't really know if we were right but it made sense to us. When I was in Lawrence, KS they would switch periodically their mix of well water and water took from the local resivoir, thus the mineral content changed all the time. Here in Louisville we get our water from the river and it seems to always be consistent, but the temperatures sure do vary out of the tap. In the dead of winter we can get water at about 40 degrees, whereas the end of summer we are at about 85, which can sure make it hard to cool our wort down. All these changes require us to pay attention and adjust the mineral content in the water and schedule brews appropriately soas to maintain consistency.<br /><br />Next two ingredients are Malt and hops: These being agricultural products, their quality is effected by growing conditions. Unusually hot, cold, dry, wet conditions affect the barley malt and hops that we recieve. Also pests and disease factor into the type and quality of malt and hops available to us small brewers. We recieve a malt analysis for each shipment of grain we recieve and alpha-acid ratings on our hops. We use this information to adjust the recipe in order to maintain the beer's quality and flavor profile.<br /><br />Yeast is the final ingredient that has several variables. First of all maintaining superior yeast health and viability is one of the most important jobs in a brewery for consistency and quality. But as yeast is used over and over there is a condition called "strain drift" which is when the yeast become accustomed to the conditions you are placing it in during fermentation. Strain drift is not neccasarily a bad thing, but there is slight differences between the same yeast strain used at one brewery and another, and also slight differences between a new pure yeast culture and one a brewery has been using for a number of generations.<br /><br />And finally there is variabiliy in brewing systems. The design and shape of different fermentation vessels and the caramelization and malliard reactions differ between direct-fire and steam systems,these are just a few things that can effect beer flavor and color. Also the accuracy of process measurement can vary tank to tank and brewery to brewery. There are countless other differences between what we do here, what other breweries do and what you do at home, they all effect beer flavor, aroma, color and consistency.<br /><br />What I'm saying is, recipes matter and they matter a great deal, but they are not the only factor in what comes out in the final product. So what is KFC holding onto, a marketing gimmick I guess. But the Sober Brewer doesn't have any secrets, so I will take the lead and give you a recipes to three of our award winning beers. Brew them if you like and share them with whomever, because if you only use the same ingredients, you might get close, but it will never be exactly the same.<br /><br />never trust The Sober Brewer<br />Jerry Gnagy<br /><br />Smoked Porter (Gold medal 2003 GABF)<br />47% Pale Ale Malt OG 15.3 77% IBUs 90 min Nugget<br />29% Wyermann Smoked Malt IBU 38 15% IBUs 30 min Fuggle<br />6% Munich Malt Boil length 90 min 8% IBUs 15 min Kent Goldings<br />6% Caramelmunich 80 Attenuation 75%<br />6% Caramelmunich 120 American ale yeast<br />6% Chocolate Malt<br /><br />Dortmunder (Bronze medal 2003 GABF)<br />80% Pilsner Malt OG 14.5 59% IBUs 90 min Northern Brewer<br />8% Best Caramel Malt Light IBU 28.4 20% IBUs 30 min Spalt Select<br />6% Carapils Boil length 90 min 21% IBUs 15 min Hallertau Tradition<br />6% White Wheat Attenuation 80% Whirpool hops Spalt Select<br /> Munich Lager yeast<br /><br />Oktoberfest (Bronze medal 2006 GABF)<br />48% Pilsner Malt OG 14.5 39% IBUs 90 min Hallertau Tradition<br />30% Munich Malt IBU 18.6 41% IBUs 30 min Czech Saaz<br />9% Carahell Boil length 90 min 20% IBUs 5 min Hallertau Tradition<br />6% Carapils Attenuation 72%<br />7% Caramelmunich 60 Bavarian Lager yeast<br /><br /></div></div>Jerry Gnagyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04567084670547294262noreply@blogger.com0