• The Beerporn Mistake – Images Too Large

    May 17, 2012 Author: Scott
    2 Comments

    If you’re on our email list you no doubt got the beerporn email early today with the extra large size images.  That, was a mistake.  You see, I write most of the content on the site, but I’m trying to get Chris into publishing some content, too (outside of the reviews he does with me).  I was walking him through how to upload a post during lunch from his iPhone using the WordPress app and it asked for image size.  I told him to go with original, as I have never had to resize the image in my Andriod WordPress app.  Well, it turns out there is a setting in the Android app that limits the image to a certain size, whereas in the iPhone app you set the size when adding the image.

    Long story short, you got an email with two REALLY BIG images.

    After some post lunch testing it has been determined that of the small, medium, large, and original sizes available in the app, it is the large, and not the original, that he should be using.  Sorry if we blew up your web browser with our big images, but hey, I hear we’re big on the internet.

    –Scott

  • Beer Prices in All Major League Baseball Stadiums

    May 16, 2012 Author: Scott
    3 Comments

    The fine folks over at saveonbrew.com put together a nice graphic on beer prices in all the MLB stadiums across the USA.  Where does your favorite team fit into the mix?

     

    Source: http://www.saveonbrew.com/

  • Scientists may recreate beer from 1840’s shipwreck

    May 15, 2012 Author: Scott
    2 Comments
    A bottle of beer found in an 1840s shipwreck near Finland is seen in a handout photo. Finnish researchers say they may be able to recreate beer from the 1840s after finding living bacteria in beer from a shipwreck near Aland islands. REUTERS/VTT/Handout

    A bottle of beer found in an 1840s shipwreck near Finland is seen in a handout photo. Finnish researchers say they may be able to recreate beer from the 1840s after finding living bacteria in beer from a shipwreck near Aland islands. REUTERS/VTT/Handout

    It seems that a bottle of beer was found in a shipwreck in the Åland Islands in the Baltic Sea off Finland that contained living bacteria.  The capture of these bacteria could lead to the creation of a beer that is very close to what was found in this 170 year old beer.

    The 2010 discovery of the ship, believed to have sunk in the 1840s, also included the world’s oldest champagne considered drinkable which has since been auctioned off.

     

    Researchers analyzed two bottles of beer, which they admitted “had not stood the test of time well” but retained a pale golden color and could originally have had hints of rose, almond and cloves.

     

    “Based on the chemical analysis we made of the beer and with help from a master brewer it would be possible to try to make beer that would resemble it as much as possible,” Annika Wilhelmson from VTT technical research centre of Finland told Reuters.

    You have to wonder what the beer would taste like.  Is it really that close in flavor to anything that could be purchased today, or is there a long lost flavor or style just waiting to be rediscovered?  I certainly would be willing to give it a try.

    Source: http://www.reuters.com/

  • Beerporn – Ellicott Mills Brewing Company – Alpenhop Pale Ale

    May 11, 2012 Author: Scott
    2 Comments

    $2 Happy Hour drafts and $10 1lb shrimp make for a good Friday.

    image

    Ellicott Mills Brewing Company – Alpenhop Pale Ale

  • Review – Heavy Seas Sea Nymph

    May 11, 2012 Author: Scott
    3 Comments

    Today Chris and I are reviewing Heavy Seas Sea Nymph.  This particular review comes after a trip I made to The Perfect Pour to meet Hugh Sisson of Heavy Seas from this short article (note the signed six pack above).  In our ongoing review series we’ll be covering the following 5 items:

    • Appearance
    • Aroma
    • Mouthfeel
    • Flavor
    • Aftertaste

    Here is a quick guide for the beginner http://indybeers.com/beer-tasting-guide/. At the bottom of that page is an HTML template that can be used in our comments if you would like to post your own reviews along with us.

    From the Heavy Seas website:

    Brewed by Baltimore’s Clipper City Brewing Co., Heavy Seas is produced by Baltimore craft beer pioneer Hugh Sisson – the brewery’s founder and managing partner – and Brewmaster Ernesto Igot, formerly brewmaster at San Miguel Brewery in the Philippines.  After successfully lobbying the Maryland Legislature to legalize brewpubs, Hugh began brewing professionally in 1989 at his family’s Baltimore pub – Sisson’s – which was coincidentally Maryland’s first brewpub.  In 1994 he left Sisson’s to found Clipper City and has been involved in all aspects of the business – brewing, finance, marketing, and sales.

    Heavy Seas, as a brand, was an extension of Clipper City to handle  higher gravity beers.  The company is now called Heavy Seas with the beers segmented in one of three categories based on style/season: Clipper Fleet (lighter beers), Pyrate Fleet (high gravity beers), and Mutiny Fleet (seasonal beers).  Sea Nymph is a member of the Clipper Fleet.

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/heavyseasbeer

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeavySeasBeer

    From hsbeer.com:

    Light gold in color, yet crisp and refreshing. This summer ale will pair well with grilled seafood and salads. Available May – August.

    Appearance

    Scott:  Light gold in color is spot on.  Mild carbonation showing up.  Could easily be mistaken in looks for a light beer.

    Chris: Yep, light gold. Can I just copy off you Scott?

    Aroma

    Scott:  A slight sour smell with a hint of earthy.

    Chris: I catch just a hint of malts, but just barely.

    Mouthfeel

    Scott: Smooth and easy.  Very similar to the light beers previously mentioned.

    Chris: Clean.

    Flavor

    Scott: Smell and flavor are going hand in hand on this one.

    Chris: Very difficult to pickup. Lightly sweet.

    Aftertaste

    Scott: Not much there.  The flavor dissipates quickly.

    Chris: Nada. Uggh.

    Final Thoughts

    Scott:  Not a beer I would go after for flavor, but I could easily see myself throwing a few of these back on a nice hot day. 3/5.

    Chris: Exactly what I was expecting based on the Heavy Seas description. 3/5

     

  • Big Corporations Own More Than You Think – The Illusion of Choice

    April 25, 2012 Author: Scott
    2 Comments

    This isn’t really beer related, but it does play right into what the site is all about, identifying brands and trying to find those that are independent.  I found this graphic online today, but unfortunately could not find a source; nonetheless, the graphic speaks volumes about how a small group of large corporations control so much of what we eat and drink.  Do you see any of your favorite brands?

     

     

    Source: reddit.com

  • Global Beer Consumption Statistics And Trends

    April 23, 2012 Author: Scott
    Comments Off

    The folks over at 1001beersteins.com did a great job putting together some statistics on Global beer consumption.

    Our Global Beer Consumption Statistics and Trends infographic will answer some of the most common questions often asked by beer lovers and brewery owners.

    • Which country has the highest per capita consumption of beer?
    • Which Country consumes the highest amount of Beer?
    • Which beer is most sold in world?

     

    Global Beer Consumption Statistics And Trends

    Infographic by 1001 Beer Steins

  • Beer Tasting with Heavy Seas Owner Hugh Sissons

    April 21, 2012 Author: Scott
    Comments Off
    Hugh was on hand to do the pouring for the tasting. He was also happy to pose for pictures.

    From an email I received from The Perfect Pour:

    Heavy Seas is a local craft beer staple. Founded by Mr. Sisson in 1994 as Clipper City, the brewery has been putting out award-winning and downright tasty beers for almost twenty years. Their broad range of beers is brewed “to be the best combination of modern beer thinking blended with traditional brewing methods in the beer world today.” We think they succeed.

     

    Hugh will be pouring two special beers and one customer favorite. Try the brand new Sea Nymph summer seasonal and the newly-released Plank II, a Doppelbock aged with eucalyptus and poplar, and remind yourself of the greatness that is Loose Cannon.

     

    Come support your local brewer and enjoy some of the best craft beer on the market.

    So I decided to head over to The Perfect Pour after work and check out the scene.

     

    Hugh was on hand to do the pouring for the tasting. He was also happy to pose for pictures.

     

    With pen in hand he was also signing six packs and bottles!!

     

    Overall it was a good time.  Hugh was happy to answer any questions people had about his beer or his brewery.  I’m happy to see local business owners coming out to do meet and greets with fans of their products.  Hugh really is a pleasure to be around.

  • The Greenest Wort Chilling Process I Found.

    April 20, 2012 Author: Scott
    Comments Off

    Based my previous post about going green with the wort chilling process I have decided to go as green as I can by letting the wort chill overnight.  Robert stated in the comments of the post:

    I just put the boiling wort in the fermenter and let it sit till the next morning.

    On Reddit, skandalouslsu echoed the thought when stating:

    …let it chill over night on its own. That’s what I do. No water. No ice. No pumps. Great tasting beer.

    With that in mind, here is how I did the process when I brewed the other night.

     

    After the brewing was done, I added 2 gallons of filtered tap water at the coldest temperature it would come out of the tap. (about 58 degrees)

     

    I put in the cold water first to prevent any issues with adding water that was too hot to the plastic bucket.

     

    For those of you that are curious, this is how I got that last shot. I used a Canon 7D with a wireless flash setup.

     

    I then added the wort, and some more water to get the desired original gravity, put a lid on it, and went to bed.

     

    The next day, I took the yeast out of the refrigerator before I want to work, and then came home at lunch to check on things. The temperature was about right at 68 degrees.

     

    I then pitched the yeast and resealed everything. There was no need to clean or sanitize because nothing new was being touched.

     

    So there it is, the greenest method I came across, and it worked just fine.  There was the issue of having to come back to the beer 18 hours later to pitch the yeast, but overall, not bad enough to keep from using this method moving forward.  I can tell you that I didn’t miss holding the drill and cleaning the wort chiller!!!

  • Going Green with Your Wort Chilling Process

    April 17, 2012 Author: Scott
    6 Comments

    A lot of home brewers will run their garden hose into the wort chiller and let the excess water runoff into their yard. This is a colossal waste of water. To help avoid wasting so much water, my brother (Mathew) and I use ice to speed the process of chilling the wort. This has the benefit of streamlining the process and not wasting so much water.

    For me, I use a propane burner that has a tendency to make a mess of soot on the bottom of my pot. To keep this mess out of my house I circulate the water from my wort chiller through a cooler filled with water and ice.

    Mathew, using the stove in his kitchen to brew beer, doesn’t have the soot problems. He just soaks his brew pot in an ice bath in his sink to chill his wort.

     

    I have two refrigerators, one that makes ice, and one that doesn’t. This is the ice I use for my wort chiller.

     

    This freezer isn’t hooked up to water, so I bring ice from the other freezer to this one for storage.

     

    On brew day, I put all the ice from the second refrigerator into a cooler and then add water.

     

    The pump for using with the wort chiller when brewing beer to recirculate the water.

     

    It works really well and can be purchased from your local hardware store.

     

    The time is 3:51:29 pm when I was ready to start.

     

    Doing this by yourself is kind of a pain, but it only takes 10-15 minutes. I should get clamps to hold the hoses in place and zip-tie the drill into an on position.

     

    Kelli came out and took a picture of me doing the process.

     

    The time is now 4:06:08 pm, a delta of about 15 minutes.

     

    This is how much ice was left after the process. I started with about 12-16lbs of ice.

     

    I use a cooler method of recirculating the water because the soot makes an awful mess if I try and do an ice bath like Mathew.

     

    Mathew has his spare refrigerator hooked up to water, and this is how he collects all the ice needed. The freezer holds about 25lbs of ice. (a full freezer has been shown to use less energy)

     

    His sink is 7 inches deep.

     

    And about 16 inches wide.

     

    He puts his pot in the sink first.

     

    Then he adds about 12-15lbs of ice and some water to make the ice float. To speed up the process he stirs both the wort and the ice every minute or so to keep the heat exchange happening at a fastest rate. The time is 5:47:05 pm.

     

    In his process this is how much ice he was left with after doing the ice bath.

     

    The time is now 6:00:47 pm, a delta of about 15 minutes. He goes to 85deg because when he adds the additional 2.5gal his tap is 60-65 deg; Therefore, he ends at between 70-75 deg to pitch the yeast. His method is much easier as you don’t have to hold a drill the whole time.