Style Breakdown - California Common

California Common, a.k.a. Steam Beer, is widely viewed as one of the truly american contributions to the beer world. This style was created on the west coast during the 1800's by brewers who had to improvise.

First, a quick lesson. Most beer fits into 1 of 2 categories: ales or lagers. Each uses a different type of yeast and fermentation temperature. Ales use yeast that ferments around room temperature (60°-75°F), while lagers are made with yeast that ferments at cooler temps (48°-58°F). California Common is one of the few styles that is neither an ale or a lager. It's considered a hybrid.

In the 19th century on the west coast of the United States, brewers did not have access to refrigeration or ice for making lagers at the proper temperature. That wasn't going to stop them from making beer with their lager yeast! They instead used shallow, open fermentation tanks which utilized the cool air coming off the ocean. This kept their fermentation temperatures near the low end for ales, but it was still quite warm for lagers. Because they were using lager yeast at ale temperatures, they created a unique hybrid american beer.

Modern California Commons are made the same way, using lager yeast at ale temperatures. They are typically amber in color and taste moderately malty with a noticeable, but not overpowering, hop bite. There are several breweries that make this style, but Anchor Steam is the most prevalent example. Go pick one up and give it a taste!

Fulton Beer - The Worthy Adversary

This morning I received an email from Fulton Beer announcing the release of their second beer:

"Big news for the month of March! Fulton is launching our second beer, the Worthy Adversary. It's a Russian Imperial Stout loaded up with rich, roasted flavors, while remaining eminently drinkable."

They say it is a limited release and that you should check the Fulton Beer events schedule to find out where and when you can get some.

I love Russian Imperial Stouts, and I can't wait to try this one!

Great Waters Wassail Night

Tomorrow from 4 - 7pm, Great Waters Brewing will be having a Wassail Night.

What's a wassail, you ask? My research is telling me that it's a spiced beverage similar to hot cider that is served for holidays and special events. However, it is believed that historical wassails were probably a spiced beer or mead. I hope that's what Great Waters will be serving!

They also will be having a special tapping of an unnamed cask beer. Any cask beer is a good cask beer, right?

The winter version of Great Waters patio, the Ice Patio, will be open for this event. You should check it out, because the Saint Paul winter carnival was very good to that patio!

It sounds like it will be a fun night.

Flat Earth Element 115 Lager

Time for a beer session with another Minnesota brew. This time, I chose a 22 ounce bomber from Flat Earth Brewing. This beer is their Element 115 Lager, which the label claims is a California Common style. Listed ABV is 5.5%.

Flat Earth has some fun names and/or descriptions for their beer. Here's the description of Element 115 from their website:

"The name Element 115 comes from an undiscovered element on our periodic table. UFO experts claim that it is an essential component that allows UFOs to fly. The brew represents a truly unique American beer style known as California common. This San Francisco style lager is a deep amber color, full of malty goodness and assertively hopped for an exceptionally balanced and smooth beer. This brew marries the full malt character of ale with the smoothness of lager. This beer goes great with just about any food, but try it with your favorite entrée slathered in BBQ sauce or a spicy Asian dish. Serve cold, of course."

This description makes me wonder if this is an otherworldly beer! Let's find out, shall we?

I pour into my pilsner glass carefully, because this beer seems to generate a lot of head no matter how I pour. I end up with a 3-finger creamy off-white head. It takes a few moments to settle down, but when it does there is a nice 1/4 inch thick layer sitting on top like a velvet blanket. The body is clear copper with lovely sparkling carbonation. It's a pretty beer to look at, for sure.

In the aroma I detect some sourness, a bit of spicy hop, and a little fruit. There is a slight bit of caramel, but the sour smell dominates. Hmmm...

The taste is almost identical to the smell, so there's no surprises. There is a tangy, slightly sour flavor with some fruit and a hint of caramel. A nice hop bitterness comes on slow at the finish but lingers for a few seconds. The head is leaving some lacing on the inside of the glass.

Mouthfeel is good. There's a nice medium feel to the body and medium-high carbonation. It's clean and smooth going down.

This beer is very unique in my eyes. I not sure that this fits in the classic definition of the California Common style, but it seems to be made well. It's a bit surprising at first, but it definitely grew on me as I drank it. I would call this beer "interesting". It's definitely worth trying, but I don't think I would drink too many in one sitting.

Surly's New Website

Surly Brewing recently changed their website. The old site felt outdated and clunky, so I was excited to give the new one a look.

The site is a lot more visually pleasing and easy to navigate than before. There is a good amount of information about the beers and the brewery, videos of the staff, a Surly blog, and they even have a place where you can register for tours. It's a pretty nice site, and I like it much better than the old one.

If you want to learn more about Surly Brewing and their tasty beers, go check it out!

http://www.surlybrewing.com

Brewing Day

Yesterday was brewing day for my latest batch of homebrew. I purchased the Sinistral Warrior IPA extract kit from Northern brewer in Saint Paul on Friday. It is supposed to be a very well balanced IPA and I'm very excited to taste the end result. Everything went smoothly in the brew process and today the fermentation lock is bubbling like crazy. It should be ready in 6 to 8 weeks. I'll post a beer session when it's ready!

Homebrew

Today I will purchase the ingredients necessary to make my 4th batch of homebrew. As a beer lover, homebrewing is a fun activity for me. You can get as simple or as complex as you want with making your beer.

I first became interested in homebrewing when my wife bought me a Mr. Beer kit a few years back. I know, Mr. Beer is probably a curse word to most real homebrewers. However, it was my first experience with making my own beer, so I'm definitely glad that my wife gave it to me. I made probably 4 or 5 batches with the Mr. Beer kit. The beer was OK, but nothing great. It was still cool to be able to tell people that I made it, though.

At a gathering with some friends, I was given a taste of some real homebrew. It was an IPA that my friend had made using malt extract and hop pellets. He did a boil, used a primary fermenter, and dry hopped it in a secondary fermenter. He told me all those details after I tasted it, because I couldn't believe that homebrew could taste just as good as a craft beer you buy in the store!

That sold me. I had to quit using the Mr. Beer kit and step up to a 5-gallon homebrew system. I decided to research and learn more about homebrewing. I bought a book titled "The Complete Joy of Homebrewing" by Charlie Papazian. His motto of "Don't worry, have a homebrew" showed me that even though homebrewing can look daunting to a beginner, it's easier than it seems and shouldn't cause you any stress. I highly recommend this book, even to people who love beer but may not necessarily want to homebrew.

After reading the book, I went to Northern Brewer in Saint Paul and bought myself a 5-gallon homebrew system. The first extract recipe kit I bought was for an Irish Red. It turned out OK. It was better than my Mr. Beer batches, but still wasn't quite what I expected. I re-read some parts of my homebrew book and learned I could do a couple things differently. The second batch I made was a recipe for a Trappist-style belgian strong ale. I made the changes to the brew process I learned from my first batch and was ecstatic with the results! This beer tasted exactly like I hoped it would! Now I knew that I could make tasty beer at home.

I don't often have a lot of free time, so I only occasionally make homebrew. Like I said earlier, this will only be my 4th batch in the last 2 years. I really do enjoy it, though. In the future, I will try to post beer sessions on this blog for the homebrew recipes I try. I think that will be a lot of fun!

Minnesota Brewery Poll

Hey everyone. I just wanted to remind all of you to take the poll located on the right side of my blog. I'm really curious to know which Minnesota breweries are your favorite. There are 11 days left to take the poll, but only 5 people have voted so far...

Iowa Beers

On my recent trip to Iowa, I did what I always do when I'm on a trip to another state. I searched for some beers that I can't access in our state of Minnesota.

I ended up purchasing some beers from 3 Iowa breweries. However, in my research after having purchased these beers I discovered that I can get one of these brands in Minnesota. Oh well, 2 out of 3 isn't bad.

Here are the breweries:

Hub City - This is the 1 of the 3 that is actually distributed in Minnesota. The brewery is located 5 miles east of Oelwein, Iowa. During the big years of the railroad, Oelwein served as a hub for three major branches of the Chicago Great Western Railway. Hence, the name "Hub City".

Olde Main - This is a brewpub in Ames, Iowa that also bottles beer for distribution throughout Iowa. I managed to purchase 3 varieties of their beer. As far as I can tell, their beers are only available in their home state.

Millstream - This brewery is operated in the Amana Colonies in Iowa. Here is a link about the Amana Colonies. This beer is also only in Iowa, if my internet research is correct...

I'm excited to try each of these beers. I'll do each of them as a beer session so all of you can hear what I think.

Road Trip

Today, I will be taking a family road trip down to Cedar Rapids, Iowa to visit friends. That's right, I will be crossing the border to leave the great state of Minnesota. While it's always fun to take a trip to visit friends, there is an additional bonus for me when we go to another state: beer.

Whenever I'm in a different state, I try to search for beers that I might not have access to in Minnesota. It's fun to see different brands and labels that I haven't seen before. If one or two intrigue me enough, I'll probably buy some. That is, if someone manages to twist my arm for me.

I'm only going to be in Iowa for 1 day, so I'll do my best to make it to a liquor store. If I get to one, I'll give you a report on any beers I find!

Schell's Pale Ale

In my last beer session I made a tribute to Summit ESB, a beer that has been discontinued. As I was looking through a few of my tasting beers, I noticed that I have a bottle of another recently retired Minnesota beer. That beer is Schell's Pale Ale. I figured I might as well taste this retired beer for my next session. That way if any of you are interested in either of these discontinued beers, you might have a chance to get some of the remaining quantities from liquor stores before they're gone for good.

The Pale Ale was one of Schell's year-round beers. That beer has now been replaced by the brewery's 150th Anniversary beer, Hopfenmalz. The new beer will be produced all year and the Pale Ale is no more. I haven't gotten to try the Hopfenmalz yet, but I've heard some good things. That will be a future beer session. Right now, it's time to remember the Pale Ale.

I pour my Schell's Pale Ale 12oz bottle into an imperial pint glass. First off, I must say that I'm disappointed with the head. I poured the beer pretty aggressively and only managed to get a tiny bit of the foamy stuff. What I did get disappeared within a second, leaving only trace amounts along the edge. In the brief glimpse I got, it appeared to be bright white in color. The body is very clear and the color is somewhere between golden and copper.

I smell a hint of malt that reminds me of honey. It's also a little toasty. Overall though, the hop aroma dominates. It smells of pine needles and a little bit of grass.

Tasting reflects what my nose thought. There is a light sweet malt flavor which is overpowered by a citrus hop flavor with a bitter bite. That bitterness carries long into the finish and lingers a good while.

Mouthfeel is alright. There is very low carbonation and the body is medium-light.

This an average american pale ale. It doesn't have much malt flavor, but it definitely has a hoppy bite. I could drink a few of these (and I have in the past). It's 5.7% ABV, so it might pass as a session beer. It just sits in beer limbo for me, not great, but not bad. There are many other pale ales I would prefer to this. I can't say I'm necessarily sad that this beer has been discontinued. Whenever I would buy a Schell's sampler, it was one of the last beers that I drank. However, I always did drink it!

Lupulin Libations' First Poll

The other day, I was checking out some of the additional features that are available to me through blogger.com. I found one that I thought would be fun for me, the blogger, and all of you, the readers: a polling gadget!

The poll will always be located to the right of the main blog posts. I still have to decide whether or not it will be a weekly or monthly poll. That will depend upon what kind of a response I get from you!

The very first Lupulin Libations poll question is this: What is your favorite Minnesota brewery?

As I am an avid supporter of local breweries, I was curious which ones all of you like best. Don't be shy, cast your vote and I'll post the official results after the poll closes at the end of the month!

Summit ESB - RIP

I was recently visiting the Summit Brewing website and decided to look over their beer lineup to see if anything had changed. To my surprise, I did not see the Summit Extra Special Bitter (ESB) listed anymore! I decided to send them a quick email to discover the fate of this beer, one of my favorites from Summit. I received a prompt reply from the brewery confirming my fear; the ESB has been discontinued. They packaged it in their winter sampler 12 packs, and that will be the last of it.

I had just purchased a Summit winter sampler pack last week, without knowing I was getting some of the last bottles of this beer. I am very glad to have the 3 bottles from the sampler. I'm using the first bottle to write this, my tribute review to a fallen beer.

I pour my Summit ESB 12 oz bottle into a heavy glass mug. A 3-finger creamy off-white head quickly emerges from the reddish-copper body. It takes a few seconds for the head to fall into a nice, 1/4" thick layer. The beer is beautifully clear and is begging me to take a sniff.

I smell some sweet caramel and a little fruit. Not too much hop aroma, but there is a hint of it. I've smelled this beer dozens of times, and now my mouth is starting to water in anticipation.

My first sip is wonderful, as always. Up front, I can taste the caramel I smelled. The sweetness of the malt is balanced well by a very nice level of hop bitterness. I also detect a slight biscuity note and a little bit of a minerally metallic twang. It finishes dry and leaves me wanting another taste. With each sip, it leaves some nice lacing on my mug.

There is a moderate level of carbonation and a medium-light feel to the body. This beer is very easy to drink and enjoy.

In case you couldn't already tell, I really like this beer. It is malty, but well balanced by some delicious bitterness. A wonderful session beer, especially with it's 5.1% ABV. This highly drinkable ale is one of my favorites from Summit and I'm sad to see it go. I'm going to be selfish and keep the last 2 bottles from the sampler for myself. If you think this beer sounds good or if you're already a fan, go look for it at your local liquor stores. The supplies are dwindling, but you should still be able to find it in in the Summit winter sampler and some remaining 6-packs. You'll have a nearly extinct beer should you find it!

Rest In Peace, Summit ESB.

Drink beer AND lose weight???

Sometime last year, my doctor told me I needed to lose weight. He said one of the best ways to lose weight is to cut your caloric intake from 2000 to 1500 a day. That meant I had to start counting calories, which made me worried about drinking beer. How do I know the number of calories in a beer?

Beer and liquor, unlike most food products, are not required to have nutritional info listed on the packaging. The exception is any beer that is considered a "light" beer is required to show the number of calories on the label. In the future, nutritional info may be required on all beer, but I needed something right away. After all, I couldn't exist on just drinking light beer. If that were the case, I'd almost rather not drink beer at all...

So, I started using my favorite tool - the internet. If you do a search for "calories in beer", you can find a lot of sites with "information." I put "information" in quotes because the info varies so much. You'll find vague descriptions like, "A typical beer has 120 calories." But, don't different breweries use different ingredients to make different beer? Last I checked, they sure do! So you can't just use a vague 120. Other sites list actual calorie counts for different beers, but the lists are for a limited number of beers and you can't be sure how accurate they are.

In all my searching, I did find 2 useful tools to help me keep track of beer calories:

1. I bought a book from Amazon called "Does My Butt Look Big in this Beer?" This book was written by Bob Skilnik, a man who had the same dilemma as I did: how do you count the calories in your beer? Except that, instead of just searching the net, he also called breweries and did additional research to discover how many calories were in his beer. The result: a book with the calorie counts AND Weight Watchers points for over 2,000 worldwide beers. This has been a very useful tool and it only cost me $10. Click on this link for the book.
2. I found this web page: http://www.simplybeer.com/blog/how-many-calories-are-in-my-beer/ This is very useful for roughly calculating calories in beers that are not in the book. Most of the calories in beer come from the alcohol. However, most beers have differences in the amount of unfermented sugars left in the beer. The chart on this site gives you a calorie range based upon the percent ABV of the beer. The range gets you in the ballpark, and you decide how many calories you actually count. I typically use the exact middle of the range.

Using these tools, I have been able to continue drinking very tasty beers while still keeping my daily caloric intake at 1500. And, since I started counting calories, I've lost 25 pounds!

So, you CAN drink beer AND lose weight! Good thing, because I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't drink tasty beer.

Beer for Superbowl Sunday

Drinking beer and watching football... They go hand in hand, don't they?

Tomorrow we get a chance to see the New Orleans Saints try to defeat the Indianapolis Colts in Superbowl XLIV. I'm sure most of us will also be drinking some beer while we watch.

Which is why I'm using this post as a reminder to you. Don't forget to go buy yourself some tasty beer today!

After all, we live in the great state of Minnesota. I love a lot of things about my home state, but not the fact that I can't go buy a wonderful 6-pack at the liquor store on Sunday.

So, be sure to plan ahead and buy yourself some beer today. Or, if you're lucky like me, you can always take a quick drive across the border and buy it in Wisconsin on Sunday!!

Schell's Bockfest is almost here!

Schell's Bockfest is right around the corner! The 2nd oldest family-owned brewery in the U.S. has this event every year for those who love beer enough to brave the cold. It's held outdoors and there will be fires (and tasty beer) to keep you warm. A band will be there to entertain you while you're eating and drinking. I've heard great things about this event, and I've always wanted to go. Unfortunately, it looks like I'm going to miss out again this year...

But that doesn't mean you can't go enjoy the fun! If you like Schell's beer and are willing to drive to New Ulm, you will have a great time. It will be on February 13th from 11:00am to 4:30pm. Admission is $5 at the gate. Don't forget warm clothes!

Check out this link for more:

http://www.schellsbrewery.com/newsevents_info.php?id=28

Summit's Unchained Series #3

Have any of you been trying the beers in Summit's Unchained Series? If you haven't, you should because they are very tasty. There have been two released so far and Summit has just announced the release of the 3rd beer in the series.

Here are the styles of the previous 2 in the series:

• Summit Unchained Series Batch 01 — Kolsch
• Summit Unchained Series Batch 02 — 90/- Scottish Style Ale brewed with heather

And now the 3rd:

• Summit Unchained Series Batch 03 — India Style Rye Ale

Apparently they plan on calling it an IRA. I'm really looking forward to tasting this as I haven't met a rye beer that I didn't like. I recommend you give it a taste, too.

Check out Summit's site for more details:

http://www.summitbrewing.com/news.php?task=getnewsitem&newsid=169

Let's learn more about lupulin, shall we?

Well, if you've visited this blog at all in my very first week, you may be wondering what the heck lupulin is. There is a brief description underneath the title of the blog, but I'm sure some of you would like to know more.

Lupulin glands look like little yellow powder on the inside of a hop cone. Check out this page on the Carlsberg website so you can get a feel for what lupulin glands look like:

http://www.visitcarlsberg.dk/beer/BeerBrewing/ingredients/Pages/Hops.aspx

The glands contain the resins and oils that make hops so important to beer.

The resins contain alpha acids, which add bitterness to the beer. That bitterness is important because it balances out the sweetness from the malt. How much bitterness is determined by the hop variety and when they are added to the boil during the brewing process.

The oils add wonderful hop flavors and aromas to the beer. Ever hear the words citrus, grapefruit, grassy, or flowery used to describe beer? That's from those wonderful oils. The oils are fragile and must be utilized differently than the resins. To get the best effects from the oils, the hops are typically added towards the end of the boil or during fermentation.

There you go. That's why lupulin is important to beer!

Good conversation at Great Waters

I've been known to stop in at Great Waters for happy hour beers from time to time. On Monday, my friends and I went there after work so we could try the latest seasonals.

We each had a King Boreas Imperial Wit and a Vulcanus Red. I also had a Yultide Ale. As we were sitting at the bar enjoying our beers, we got the pleasant opportunity to have a conversation with Great Waters' head brewer, Bob Du Vernois. If you haven't met Bob, he's a friendly and knowledgeable person who always seems happy to answer questions. We chatted about many things, but I thought I'd share the tidbits about the current seasonals.

King Boreas Imperial Wit: This delicious wit is brewed with the traditional orange and coriander. The ABV is not so traditional, coming in at 8%! In years past, this beer was cloudy. Bob told us that this year he wanted to brighten the beer. He clarified the beer so that it is clear and more pleasing to the eye. It tastes great, and looks pretty!

Vulcanus Red: If I remember right, this beer was a very traditional but solid amber last year. However, this year they jazzed it up a bit. I could smell and taste it right away, but I still had to ask Bob to confirm. This year, he added cherrywood smoked malt into the recipe. This gives it a lovely smokey aroma and adds some complexity to the flavor. It is very unique and quite tasty! I can see myself drinking it along with a nice grilled ribeye steak on my plate...

I highly recommend both of these beers. Get over to Great Waters soon, because these seasonals won't last long.

Bob, thanks for the conversation and the great beer! Keep up the good work.

Samuel Smith's Taddy Porter review

Welcome to the first of many beer reviews to come at Lupulin Libations!

For my first review, I chose Samuel Smith's Taddy Porter. This particular beer was a Christmas gift from my brother. Thanks for the tasty gift, Jake!

I poured this porter from a 1 pint, 2.7 ounce bottle into an imperial pint glass. There's no ABV listed on the bottle, but a little online research shows that it is 5%.

When poured, it has a coarse, 2 finger head that is light tan in color. The head falls fairly quickly to a thin layer on top. The body is very dark brown, nearly black, with hints of ruby when held near light. Looks pretty tasty to me!

I take a whiff and start analyzing the scent. The smell is very sweet, with hints of chocolate, caramel, and coffee. I think I even detect a smell similar to fresh raspberries. I'm ready for a taste!

The sweetness of the aroma is somewhat misleading, as the first taste is that of bitter chocolate. There is only a hint of coffee, but it is there. I also get a slight acidic twang that contributes to the beer's dryness.

In the mouth, this porter has a mild carbonation level that helps it on its way to being so creamy and smooth. This beer is not as heavy as it looks, but it is far from being watery or thin. It is quite pleasant and easy-drinking.

This is an excellent porter. It is very true-to-style and quite easy to drink. It would be a great session beer for malty beer fans as it is not too heavy or high in alcohol. I know I could probably knock down a couple more bottles if I had some right now! I imagine that it could be tasty paired with a mild cheese like brie or fresh mozzarella. I'll have to give that a try one of these days.

I would definitely recommend this beer if you're a fan of porters and brown ales. If you're not a fan of those styles, I still recommend it! What can you lose by giving something new a shot, right? Go ahead and give it a try!

New Belgium Ranger

Do you like the beers from New Belgium brewing? Are you also a fan of IPAs and wish that New Belgium would make something a little hoppier? Well, your wish has been fulfilled!

New Belgium's newest beer, Ranger, has arrived in the Twin Cities metro. And thanks to The Four Firkins email updates, I have been made aware of it! Ranger is supposed to be a true, american-style IPA. It has hops, hops and more hops. Is that enough lupulin for you?

Check out these links for more info:

http://www.newbelgium.com/rangerland

http://www.thefourfirkins.com