Loral variety is a hop coming out of Hops Brewing Company (HBC), a joint venture between John I. Hass and Select Botanicals Group. Considering the popularity of HBC’s Mosaic and Citra hops, this hop is in some pretty stellar company. With thirteen years spent experimenting with this hop, Loral finally made its way into consumer’s hand May of 2016. From Experimental Hop to the Big Times Initially known as HBC 291, this hop has become known in the beer world as Loral Hops. The aroma profile of this hop has some great floral, peppery, and even herbal notes to it, reminiscent of German noble … [Read more...]
Hop-head vs. Malt-head
Let’s talk Style. No, not beer styles - fashion. We’ll get to the beer later. Have you ever seen someone who still wore those clown-width neckties from the 70s? Or that guy who still rocked the MC Hammer harem pants? Or skinny jeans? Have you ever been that guy? Don’t answer that last question. The point is, fashions come and go. This is as true for beer as it is for clothing. IPAs have been a trend in the American Craft Beer scene for a few years now. It seems every microbrewery and brewpub has a beer they playfully label as “Toxic” or “Mega-Bitter.” And, of course, we’ve … [Read more...]
The Metamorphosis – A Four-Hour Boil
In recent months there has been a lot of talk in the homebrewing community about how homebrewers can reduce their brew times all the while still creating a delicious beer. Simple Homebrew Denny Conn and Drew Beechum over at Experimental Brewers have an entire book dedicated to this subject matter. Simple Homebrew, coming out this Spring, is a book about “cutting through the clutter” as Drew mentions. Denny adds, “our basic message is to cut out anything that doesn’t make for a better beer or more fun.” One point Denny and Drew want to make here is “that simple doesn’t mean it’s just for … [Read more...]
Win A GrowlerWerks uKeg For Free
See our uKeg review to learn about this impressive beer growler.But it's not just good looking. The uKeg is also an extremely convenient way to carbonate and serve your batches of homebrew.Don't want to use it for homebrew? No problem. Take it down to your local brewery (prepare for a lot of people commenting on it) and fill it with their best brew.Or, fill it with another delicious beverage. Some ideas: Moscow Mule, wine, hard cider, perry, mead, or anything else you'd like to have on tap. Imagine having one of these beauties at your next BBQ.How To Enter The GiveawayIt's … [Read more...]
The Spruce Tip Experience
It is said that Spruce Tips impart various flavors associated with the needle buds that are found on spruce trees. Spruce tips impart a great combination of citrus, pine, resinous, floral, and even cola-like flavor. The history of using spruce tips takes us back to indigenous North American people. Jacques Cartier and his explorers used spruce tips while exploring what is now Quebec in 1535 as Derek Ebberts writes in his book, To Brew or Not to Brew: A Brief History of Beer in Canada. The use for these spruce tips was to ward off scurvy. Spruce tips typically are harvested in the spring. … [Read more...]
When A Beer Is More Than Just A Beer
In 1985 Bruce Springsteen’s hit, “Glory Days” became the fifth release from the album, Born in the U.S.A. The song portrayed Springsteen’s childhood little league baseball teammate, Joe DePugh according to a New York Times article. As Springsteen wrote: I had a friend was a big baseball player Back in high school He could throw that speedball by you Make you look like a fool boy Saw him the other night at this roadside bar I was walking in, he was walking out We went back inside sat down had a few drinks But all he kept talking about was [“Glory Days”]. A gifted athlete I once … [Read more...]
DOUBLE PLAY: HOW BEER AND BASEBALL BECAME AMERICA’S PASTIME
The dog days of August are winding down. I’m taking my ease at the picnic table on the deck during a sweltering evening, admiring the pale golden hue of homebrewed vanilla cream ale in a tapered pilsner glass, illuminated in the slanted rays of the sunset. From outdoor speakers come the soothing intonations of a baseball play-by-play broadcaster narrating a game that has just started. With the first cold sip, my cares suddenly melt away like ice cubes in the humidity as a two-hour escape to the virtual ballpark in my mind begins. Whether it’s at the ballpark, watching from a tavern, or … [Read more...]
Small Batches = Big Results
Here’s a riddle: When does smaller mean bigger? Answer: When it’s your homebrew pipeline. A lot of novice homebrewers start with small batches and that makes a lot of sense. You don’t want to invest money, time, and space on a hobby that might not work out (and let’s face it, for someone new to brewing, it seems like a cross between rocket science and black magic). And there are companies that specialize in kits and equipment for new small-batch brewers. That’s how I got my start, along with thousands of others. But if the fever really gets hold of you, the tendency is to go big - … [Read more...]
Reiterated Mashing: Brewing High Gravity Beers
After I brewed my Oktoberfest, my mind started wondering to big beers. You know, those beers that look forward to after shoveling the snow in December or January. Those beers that warm your bones as you sip it next to the fire. After brewing a Belgian Stout a few days prior, I felt the need to brew up a nice Imperial Porter. Somehow with all the crazy attention Barrel Aged Stouts and Pastry Stouts receive these days, Imperial Porters have pretty much gone to the waste side. This was my effort, however minimal and innocuous, to bring more attention to this wonderful beer style. One of the … [Read more...]
A “CORNY” IDEA THAT MAKES SENSE — KEGS
“For a quart of ale is a dish for a king,” an appreciative William Shakespeare wrote in A Winter’s Tale. And yet – while Bard’s father was an official ale taster, and he enjoyed an occasional pint at The Windmill when not inserting drinking references into his plays – neither Shakespeare nor his characters home brewed. Had Prince Hamlet taken up the hobby when not plotting revenge against his uncle, he would have stared at the carboy of his first completed batch of ale and rhetorically asked: “To keg or not to keg – that is the question.” Why a beginner should consider corny kegs for beer … [Read more...]