Karhu
Senior Bear
So xp, the dark ages are getting lighter? I thought they were cool sculptures, and to take them down when they are fresh doesn't seem right.
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tuonelan
Mostly Harmless
I'm calling it The Papal Mortar maple porter. My label concept is renaissance manuscript art showing Pope Alexander VI being fired out of a bombard. (There's a reason that hat looks so aerodynamic, you know). This remains a concept, though, because it is currently week ten of a 10 week academic quarter and I am buried in grading for the next two weeks.
I brew in small batches, so if anyone wants some they will have to give me six weeks notice before any visits to SoCal. They'd also better have a taste for darker ales because I don't do lagers or anything lighter than an amber. And anything less than 6% ABV might as well come in a bottle with a nipple on it.
The dragons are still standing. Not sure about the witch, but my guess is, it will also remain where it is.
Fortunately, the Church is not very influential.
papajohnny
Member
Lucky you, having a Church with little influence and all...
Also, never tasted ale. I don't know where to find that stuff. Or maybe I have but I'm not sure.
Apparently, I don't know what half the stuff I drink is.
Don't worry! I am a huge beer fan and love beer almost as much as water. Have been in several industrial breweries, heard innumerable lectures on how beer is made, saw some demonstrations as well, have a book on beer (which I read) and I am still awfully confused about the whole affair. I've drank ale when I was in England, so I can theoretically tell the difference between lager and ale, but it's still a mystery and this is how I like it. - Adds to the myth of beer for me.
I've also tried microbrew (which is what Tuonelan is making, I guess), those horrible sweet fruity Belgian beers, tried weissbier and "live" unfiltered beer (quite nice, actually), I've even tried beer, before it becomes beer (the mash - dodgy stuff, but it is also what whiskey is made of) but I still like the lager the best.
Cheers!
tuonelan
Mostly Harmless
Simple explanation -- the main difference between an ale and a lager is the yeast they use for fermentation. Lager yeasts live at cooler temperatures than ale yeasts. In order to brew lager you have to be able to store your beer at a constant 5-12 degrees C while it is fermenting and it ferments a lot slower. Ale yeast does its thing between 12 and 25 degrees C, which means you do not need to store it in a cellar or refrigeration for the days or weeks it takes it to ferment.
I'm fine with drinking either one, I just don't have the equipment or the patience for brewing lager.
I'm fine with drinking either one, I just don't have the equipment or the patience for brewing lager.
papajohnny
Member
Holy beer, do I envy you.
The only thing I can "brag" about is that I've tried...about a dozen different beers when I was in Prague. They were all lager, if I'm not wrong, and they all had a unique taste on their own, which was very surprising to me, as I'm accustomed to this piss we call beer around here. There's good stuff here to try, of course, but you need to know where to look, and have some luck, I guess.
All this talk makes me want some beer. I think I have a can or two in the fridge... too bad they don't compare to Czech stuff, but eh, will do.
The only thing I can "brag" about is that I've tried...about a dozen different beers when I was in Prague. They were all lager, if I'm not wrong, and they all had a unique taste on their own, which was very surprising to me, as I'm accustomed to this piss we call beer around here. There's good stuff here to try, of course, but you need to know where to look, and have some luck, I guess.
All this talk makes me want some beer. I think I have a can or two in the fridge... too bad they don't compare to Czech stuff, but eh, will do.
tuonelan
Mostly Harmless
You have no idea...there must be more than 40 small "craft breweries" in the Los Angeles/Orange County/San Diego metro area, all of which produce a variety of good beers. And before I lived here, I lived in Colorado, where there were at least as many small breweries and the local pizza restaurant had a "World Beer Tour" of the 110 different beers they served all the time. And both places have a bunch more brewpub restaurants that serve their own unique beers brewed and served only at that place. Some are not that great, but none are bad.
papajohnny
Member
If I remember what the tour guide said correctly, every third household in Prague/CZ brews beer, and a good deal of them sells it. I think I'm wrong, but the variety they have there is insane. Prices too. Cheaper than water, literally.
There's a beerload of stuff to try in every "pivnica" (how they, and we here in Serbia, say beerpub - I guess it's like that in most Slavic languages), but not enough time...
You're lucky, really. However, I've never had an impression Americans brewed that much, or to be more precise, home-brewed. I knew beer was popular, but I thought you fermented whisky more haha
Stereotypes and misinformation, I guess.
Anyway, Trin, next time I'm in Bulgaria, show me some good beer.
Also, a few days ago I tried some Bulgarian rakija at a friend's house. Very, very sweet. I loved it.
There's a beerload of stuff to try in every "pivnica" (how they, and we here in Serbia, say beerpub - I guess it's like that in most Slavic languages), but not enough time...
You're lucky, really. However, I've never had an impression Americans brewed that much, or to be more precise, home-brewed. I knew beer was popular, but I thought you fermented whisky more haha
Stereotypes and misinformation, I guess.
Anyway, Trin, next time I'm in Bulgaria, show me some good beer.
Also, a few days ago I tried some Bulgarian rakija at a friend's house. Very, very sweet. I loved it.
tuonelan
Mostly Harmless
You can't distill any spirits legally in the USA without a permit issued by the federal government that specifies where and how you operate the still and without paying additional taxes. You can, however, brew up to 200 gallons/ 750 liters of beer without any special permits whatsoever.
Twenty years ago there were a lot fewer small breweries and only a small number of home brewers in the US, but the market for craft beers has exploded in the last decade and many more people are brewing at home.
How much and what people in the USA drink varies a lot according to the region and the social class of the people.
Twenty years ago there were a lot fewer small breweries and only a small number of home brewers in the US, but the market for craft beers has exploded in the last decade and many more people are brewing at home.
How much and what people in the USA drink varies a lot according to the region and the social class of the people.
Small wonder, considering what American beer tastes like
When I was in the States, I was surviving on imported German beers, Heineken and the occasional Sam Adams...The craft of beer brewing was brought in Bulgaria by the Czechs, so we have great reverence for Czech beer. Generally we think that Czech beer is better than any other beer, even German. Odlly enough, I still haven't made it to Prague.
"Pivnica" we understand, but don't use. We call it "biraria". It is strange that we're using the Anglo-German "beer", instead of the Slavic "pivo", considering that we were introduced to beer by the Czechs, but anyway
Rakija, ahhh
Hopefully you tried the home-made stuff or the really expensive commercial brands. And I like your kruskovaca rakija and your slivovica, of course 
Luoto
Member
The village of Kilpisjärvi in the northwestern tip of Finland measured nearly 50 millimeters of precipitation in 24 hours, and now the snow depth is at 117 cm (46 in). It's only 7 centimeters short of the all-time December record from 1975, and I'm pretty sure it's gonna be broken this year. The Norwegian border in the area was closed because snow drifts blocked the road this morning.
"Sorry, I'm not driving today..."
"Sorry, I'm not driving today..."
papajohnny
Member
The craft of beer brewing was brought in Bulgaria by the Czechs, so we have great reverence for Czech beer. Generally we think that Czech beer is better than any other beer, even German. Odlly enough, I still haven't made it to Prague.
"Pivnica" we understand, but don't use. We call it "biraria". It is strange that we're using the Anglo-German "beer", instead of the Slavic "pivo", considering that we were introduced to beer by the Czechs, but anyway
Rakija, ahhh
Czech beer is better than German, in my opinion. Not that German is bad (though I've drank Czech more), but it's a personal preference.
I've been in Germany once, for a whole 6 hours, but didn't have the time to go check any bar, pub, biraria or pivnica, so I only tried imported stuff or brewed under license, which is never like the original.
As for rakija, I think it was home-made. The bottle wasn't labeled, anyway.
And yeah, rakija, any sort, is awesome. You gotta be careful when buying that stuff tho - too much of bad spirit is going around, stuff that can cause serious health issues.
But good, finely made rakija is awesome. I was absolutely blown away by orahovača my grandmother offered me with which is made from...walnuts. It's actually rakija + walnuts + some other stuff, so it's sweet, not the strongest, but still very nice.
I hope we have a decent winter "down here". Last year we had snow for like 3 days in December, and several days in Jan/Feb. Awful.
I remember when I was a kid (and yeah, that wasn't so far back) when from late Nov/early Dec to early March there was snow. Real stuff.
Weather has been totally screwed up, and it's getting worse. Well, our fault, I guess.
tuonelan
Mostly Harmless
Small wonder, considering what American beer tastes like
The sad state of what American megabreweries called beer was mostly a result of two things. All alcoholic beverages were illegal in the US from 1920 to 1933 and during that time all but the biggest American brewers went out of business. The big ones (Anheuser-Busch, Miller, Coors) stayed in business producing malt and brewer's yeast. They did not get to recover much in 1933, though, because that was the middle of The Great Depression so sales were low. Then when the Second World War started all the wheat and barley crops were either being sold to Britain or rationed for food and supplies, so the big breweries started using rice and corn in their recipes, both of which make a beer with less flavor. After the war was over everyone was used to the taste and did not have anything else to compare it to, so beer kept sucking.
In the last 20 years there was a renaissance in small American breweries again, so you can usually find good beer in any decent sized city, and a few of the beers produced here now are every bit as good as anything found in the rest of the world.
Czech pilsner is awesome. I don't consider it better than German beer -- it's different but just as good. UK beers are also good. Belgian beers can be incredible, depending on the style. There are types I can't stand and others I think are about the best thing ever (Strong Dark Ales like Piraat), but a lot depends on taste. They have more unique varieties than anyplace else I know of.
Karhu
Senior Bear
All this beer talk is making me thirsty!
But yeah local states here is the US (Wisconsin and Minnesota especially for me) have really put a trend on micro breweries. Small local companies are making some serious good stuff. My neighbor had a party and her brother brought over an 8 gallon of home made and it was SPECTACULAR. It's so much better than the big label shit. I liked elephant beer as a kid over in Europe, but finally there's some good choices here now.
But yeah local states here is the US (Wisconsin and Minnesota especially for me) have really put a trend on micro breweries. Small local companies are making some serious good stuff. My neighbor had a party and her brother brought over an 8 gallon of home made and it was SPECTACULAR. It's so much better than the big label shit. I liked elephant beer as a kid over in Europe, but finally there's some good choices here now.
Yeah, must have been home made, then. It's the best stuff, especially the one made for own consumption. I also like rakija, so I buy home made stuff from a guy - he has a massive vineyard somewhere in the Rhodopes and produces considerable quantities of rakija and wine and they are consistently good. Must give him a call - holidays are coming and I need to stock up.
I've heard of orahovača, but never tried it. When I was a kid there used to be something called "Almond Liqueur" (under communism you didn't have many branded goods and the names were mostly descriptive). It was brown and very sweet and gave you a horrible headache - if you ask anyone from my generation they'll tell you how they got drunk on this when they were kids
Generally here we make rakija mostly of grapes, sometimes of plums. We also have apricot rakija (which is one of my favourite) and cherry rakija. There's also fig rakija, but this is a specialty and is usually made for own consumption on the seaside, where people have fig trees in their yards. It's really, really good, though...
Here one also has to be careful with the home made rakija and only drink the produce of trusted sources. It's not that someone would poison the people on purpose, but rakija distillation is a fine art and sometimes there might be methyl alcohol in it. And this could blind you (if you're lucky) or kill you (if you're not so lucky). - There are such accidents each year.
That was very interesting, thank you!
papajohnny
Member
In here, they're mostly made from plums "ljiva", therefore, "ljivovica", but I'm sure you know of that.
And yes, apricot. That's what I tried at the friend's house. Great stuff.
As for methanol, yeah, that's the main reason why you should be careful.
My father got methanol poisoning when he was in his twenties. Was partially blind, so to speak, for more than 12 hours. Best cure - ethanol i.e. well made rakija.
He still suffers from consequences of that wild night and that wild bottle - poor eyesight and dislike for majority of rakija.
That was very interesting, thank you!
Yeah, nice history lesson.
I had no idea beer was made like that.
papajohnny
Member
Last night I went to a trve kvlt underground bm gig. It was pretty awesome actually.
I lost half of my hair, but got a very nice LP for dirty cheap price.
I lost half of my hair, but got a very nice LP for dirty cheap price.
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