Schell's new beer, Hopfenmalz, is now in liquor stores. This beer was the winner in their 150th anniversary series. I have not gotten a chance to try this beer yet, but I'm very excited. I've heard and read some very good things about it! It has replaced Schell's Pale Ale as the newest year 'round beer from the brewery. Sorry to anyone who was a fan of the pale ale, may that beer rest in peace...
Check out this link for a description of Hopfenmalz and how the 150th anniversary series worked:
http://www.schellsbrewery.com/ourbeers_info.php?id=28
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Beer quotes
For 4 years now, I've planned an annual weekend beer event for my friends. Part of the planning is designing a t-shirt that everyone in the group wears. One of the elements that I always like to put on the t-shirt is a beer quote from a historical figure of some sort.
When you look up "beer quotes" on the 'net, you can usually find quite a few sites that have some listed. Some are funny, some are poetic, and some quite meaningful. A majority of them are aimed at getting a laugh. I find that my favorites are the quotes that come from important figures in history. So far, I have designed 2 t-shirts for our annual event, and here are the quotes I've used so far.
"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." - Benjamin Franklin
Doesn't that just make you feel like you truly deserve to be happy by having a beer? However, I just recently learned that this is a misquote. Apparently the actual quote was, "Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." At least I was only off by one word, right?
"Most people hate the taste of beer to begin with. It is, however, a prejudice that many people have been able to overcome." - Winston Churchill
Now, I realize that Winston Churchill has a lot of drinking quotes, but this one is my favorite. Winston stated that perfectly, because most people don't enjoy their first taste of beer. Most still manage to drink it, though. I am a beer lover, but I had to work to acquire that taste.
Right now I am in the process of designing the t-shirt for our 4th year. In researching beer quotes I found 2 that interested me. The first:
"I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts, and beer." - Abraham Lincoln
How awesome is it that old Honest Abe himself made this comment? Pretty awesome. However, it's a little lengthy for a t-shirt. Plus, I found one that I liked better. Here it is:
"I believe this would be a good time for a beer."
Sounds too simple, right? It is short and sweet, but what really makes it cool is who said it and when it was said. This was stated by Franklin Delano Roosevelt at the signing of the 21st Amendment. In case you didn't know, the 21st Amendment ended Prohibition. How cool is this quote?
When you look up "beer quotes" on the 'net, you can usually find quite a few sites that have some listed. Some are funny, some are poetic, and some quite meaningful. A majority of them are aimed at getting a laugh. I find that my favorites are the quotes that come from important figures in history. So far, I have designed 2 t-shirts for our annual event, and here are the quotes I've used so far.
"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." - Benjamin Franklin
Doesn't that just make you feel like you truly deserve to be happy by having a beer? However, I just recently learned that this is a misquote. Apparently the actual quote was, "Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." At least I was only off by one word, right?
"Most people hate the taste of beer to begin with. It is, however, a prejudice that many people have been able to overcome." - Winston Churchill
Now, I realize that Winston Churchill has a lot of drinking quotes, but this one is my favorite. Winston stated that perfectly, because most people don't enjoy their first taste of beer. Most still manage to drink it, though. I am a beer lover, but I had to work to acquire that taste.
Right now I am in the process of designing the t-shirt for our 4th year. In researching beer quotes I found 2 that interested me. The first:
"I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts, and beer." - Abraham Lincoln
How awesome is it that old Honest Abe himself made this comment? Pretty awesome. However, it's a little lengthy for a t-shirt. Plus, I found one that I liked better. Here it is:
"I believe this would be a good time for a beer."
Sounds too simple, right? It is short and sweet, but what really makes it cool is who said it and when it was said. This was stated by Franklin Delano Roosevelt at the signing of the 21st Amendment. In case you didn't know, the 21st Amendment ended Prohibition. How cool is this quote?
If you like Bell's beer, you better check this out!
I am a big fan of Bell's beers. I don't think I've tried one that I did not enjoy. Let me think...
Nope, I'm pretty sure I like all of them. That's why I got so excited when I was reading one of my favorite beer blogs today. According to mnbeer.com, there will be some big Bell's beers at The Happy Gnome on February 11th at 7pm. I count 12 on the list!
If you're a Bell's fan like me, this could possibly be one of the best beer experiences for you. I think you should go even if you've never had any of those beers. I don't think you'll be disappointed!
Well, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and clear your schedule and mark it on the calendar. I'll wait...
http://mnbeer.com
Nope, I'm pretty sure I like all of them. That's why I got so excited when I was reading one of my favorite beer blogs today. According to mnbeer.com, there will be some big Bell's beers at The Happy Gnome on February 11th at 7pm. I count 12 on the list!
If you're a Bell's fan like me, this could possibly be one of the best beer experiences for you. I think you should go even if you've never had any of those beers. I don't think you'll be disappointed!
Well, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and clear your schedule and mark it on the calendar. I'll wait...
http://mnbeer.com
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Brau Brothers at The Four Firkins
Just wanted to let everyone know that Dustin Brau, the CEO and head brewer at Brau Brothers, will be at The Four Firkins in Saint Louis Park tonight. He'll be there from 6pm to 8pm pouring 3 of his beers:
• Rainwater Stout
• Scotch Ale
• Cream Stout
I wish I could make it there tonight...
Oh well, all of you will just have to go there for me! And as long as you're there, say hi to Alvey and ask him to recommend a tasty beverage to you. (After you pick up some Brau Brothers, of course.)
www.thefourfirkins.com
www.braubrothersbrewing.com
• Rainwater Stout
• Scotch Ale
• Cream Stout
I wish I could make it there tonight...
Oh well, all of you will just have to go there for me! And as long as you're there, say hi to Alvey and ask him to recommend a tasty beverage to you. (After you pick up some Brau Brothers, of course.)
www.thefourfirkins.com
www.braubrothersbrewing.com
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Tasty Great Waters Seasonal
Since this is only my second post, I'm sure most of you don't know that my favorite brewpub is Great Waters Brewing Company in Saint Paul. They serve great food and brew some tasty beer for you to wash it down with. Just this week, their seasonal Vulcanus Red and King Boreas Imperial Wit have made their return for the Saint Paul Winter Carnival. The King Boreas is one of my favorite seasonals from Great Waters. If you like belgian witbier, you'll love King Boreas. It's a big bold wit that is 8% ABV and served in a snifter. Here is the description from their website:
King Boreas Imperial Wit
Our Winter Carnival celebration ale. Big white beer with the traditional orange, coriander and lots of winter wheat.
Awesome! I need to get over to Great Waters soon and I recommend you do, too.
www.greatwatersbc.com
King Boreas Imperial Wit
Our Winter Carnival celebration ale. Big white beer with the traditional orange, coriander and lots of winter wheat.
Awesome! I need to get over to Great Waters soon and I recommend you do, too.
www.greatwatersbc.com
Monday, January 25, 2010
The Beginning
Beer.
I never thought that I would come to love a beverage as much as I do. Beer is that beverage. The look, taste, and smell of each style is unique. Each type of beer has it's own story; from how it is crafted to the history that brought it to be. I love it so much that I decided to start my own business that is dedicated to beer. This blog is one step in starting my business. Yep, my love of this beverage is great. However, it wasn't always that way.
When I was little, I remember being excited every time my father opened a beer. That's because I knew I was allowed to have a taste in my tiny plastic cup. I would run to the cupboard and get my cup so my Dad could pour a very small amount into it. I'm not sure what beers they were, but I really savored those small tastes. Those are my first memories of beer.
When I was a teenager, I didn't really enjoy the taste of beer anymore. I seemed happy to forget those fond memories of tasting my Dad's beer. I think it's because of the beer he was drinking. At the time, he drank a lot of the mass-produced macro pilsner lagers. I would still taste my Dad's beer occasionally, but it wasn't something I was interested in. I remember one day when he opened a Leinenkugel's Berry Weiss and made it known how much he disliked it. "This tastes like a soda pop, not beer!" he said. Well of course since he said that, I had to try it. A beer that didn't taste like beer interested me. He let me have a sip and, although I'm not proud of it now, I enjoyed it.
I didn't have an entire beer until I was 20. A couple of my friends went up north to stay at a cabin for the night. They were 21, and planned on having a few beers while we were there. They didn't want me to feel left out, so they asked if they could get me a 6-pack of beer. I told them yes, if they wanted to get me Berry Weiss. That's right, my first 6-pack was a sweet, artificially flavored beer. Oh well, we all have to start somewhere, right?
Right around that same time, my Dad had discovered the small world of craft beer. I noticed he started buying different beers than I had ever seen before. Since I now knew there were options, I decided to get myself a 6-pack of something different on my 21st birthday. The first 6-pack I bought when I walked into a liquor store was Rolling Rock. I remember going home and forcing myself to drink it to celebrate my 21st. I didn't hate it, but I didn't really like it all that much either. It became my go-to beer for a while because it was pretty easy to drink fast. Not the best way to choose a beer, I know, but I was happy to be drinking something different than Bud, Miller, or Coors. Eventually, I started to enjoy the taste of a cold beer on the weekend.
I started to enjoy more variety in beer not long after that. My Dad would buy different Leinenkugel's craft beers and share them with me. I remember thinking that it was cool how each of the beers from Leinie's tasted different. So I started to go into liquor stores and looked for new beers to try.
At first it was hard, because beer can definitely be an acquired taste. I liked more mellow beers with flavors that were not too strong. I really enjoyed reds and ambers, malty and not too hoppy. I remember the first time I tried an IPA. I thought I was going to have to spit it out. (Don't worry, I didn't. I couldn't stand to waste beer.) I eventually found that I got bored with ambers, so I started drinking stouts. Then I started drinking bocks. Then pale ales. Then porters. Then wheat beers. You get the idea. My mortal enemy was the IPA. But then one day, I tried one and I really enjoyed it!
Now I'm the guy who goes into the liquor store and spends way too much time trying to decide what beer I'm going to drink. I almost always look for something I've never had before, but sometimes I have to get an old favorite.
I know many people will never want to try as many beers as I have. It's important to remember that you don't need to. All you have to do is find one good beer that you really enjoy. After that, you can decide if you want to try anything new. My motto is "If you claim to dislike beer, you haven't tried the right one yet."
Lupulin Libations, my business, is dedicated to helping people learn more about beer through organized tastings. I want to help people find the right beer for them or help them learn more about a beer they already enjoy. Who knows, after the tasting you might find yourself browsing the craft beer section at your liquor store a little more often. Or, you might want to pick up that book to learn more about the history of a particular style. Making beer is an art and it can be fun to appreciate that art.
As an aside, can you tell where a lot of my love for beer came from? My Dad was the single greatest factor in helping me get started in my appreciation of beer. Thanks, Dad. Because of you, I found something I enjoy enough that I started my own business dedicated to it.
I hope you will visit this blog more in the future and maybe even hire me for a tasting. I know I'll try to keep it interesting for everyone.
Enjoy beer, everyone!
I never thought that I would come to love a beverage as much as I do. Beer is that beverage. The look, taste, and smell of each style is unique. Each type of beer has it's own story; from how it is crafted to the history that brought it to be. I love it so much that I decided to start my own business that is dedicated to beer. This blog is one step in starting my business. Yep, my love of this beverage is great. However, it wasn't always that way.
When I was little, I remember being excited every time my father opened a beer. That's because I knew I was allowed to have a taste in my tiny plastic cup. I would run to the cupboard and get my cup so my Dad could pour a very small amount into it. I'm not sure what beers they were, but I really savored those small tastes. Those are my first memories of beer.
When I was a teenager, I didn't really enjoy the taste of beer anymore. I seemed happy to forget those fond memories of tasting my Dad's beer. I think it's because of the beer he was drinking. At the time, he drank a lot of the mass-produced macro pilsner lagers. I would still taste my Dad's beer occasionally, but it wasn't something I was interested in. I remember one day when he opened a Leinenkugel's Berry Weiss and made it known how much he disliked it. "This tastes like a soda pop, not beer!" he said. Well of course since he said that, I had to try it. A beer that didn't taste like beer interested me. He let me have a sip and, although I'm not proud of it now, I enjoyed it.
I didn't have an entire beer until I was 20. A couple of my friends went up north to stay at a cabin for the night. They were 21, and planned on having a few beers while we were there. They didn't want me to feel left out, so they asked if they could get me a 6-pack of beer. I told them yes, if they wanted to get me Berry Weiss. That's right, my first 6-pack was a sweet, artificially flavored beer. Oh well, we all have to start somewhere, right?
Right around that same time, my Dad had discovered the small world of craft beer. I noticed he started buying different beers than I had ever seen before. Since I now knew there were options, I decided to get myself a 6-pack of something different on my 21st birthday. The first 6-pack I bought when I walked into a liquor store was Rolling Rock. I remember going home and forcing myself to drink it to celebrate my 21st. I didn't hate it, but I didn't really like it all that much either. It became my go-to beer for a while because it was pretty easy to drink fast. Not the best way to choose a beer, I know, but I was happy to be drinking something different than Bud, Miller, or Coors. Eventually, I started to enjoy the taste of a cold beer on the weekend.
I started to enjoy more variety in beer not long after that. My Dad would buy different Leinenkugel's craft beers and share them with me. I remember thinking that it was cool how each of the beers from Leinie's tasted different. So I started to go into liquor stores and looked for new beers to try.
At first it was hard, because beer can definitely be an acquired taste. I liked more mellow beers with flavors that were not too strong. I really enjoyed reds and ambers, malty and not too hoppy. I remember the first time I tried an IPA. I thought I was going to have to spit it out. (Don't worry, I didn't. I couldn't stand to waste beer.) I eventually found that I got bored with ambers, so I started drinking stouts. Then I started drinking bocks. Then pale ales. Then porters. Then wheat beers. You get the idea. My mortal enemy was the IPA. But then one day, I tried one and I really enjoyed it!
Now I'm the guy who goes into the liquor store and spends way too much time trying to decide what beer I'm going to drink. I almost always look for something I've never had before, but sometimes I have to get an old favorite.
I know many people will never want to try as many beers as I have. It's important to remember that you don't need to. All you have to do is find one good beer that you really enjoy. After that, you can decide if you want to try anything new. My motto is "If you claim to dislike beer, you haven't tried the right one yet."
Lupulin Libations, my business, is dedicated to helping people learn more about beer through organized tastings. I want to help people find the right beer for them or help them learn more about a beer they already enjoy. Who knows, after the tasting you might find yourself browsing the craft beer section at your liquor store a little more often. Or, you might want to pick up that book to learn more about the history of a particular style. Making beer is an art and it can be fun to appreciate that art.
As an aside, can you tell where a lot of my love for beer came from? My Dad was the single greatest factor in helping me get started in my appreciation of beer. Thanks, Dad. Because of you, I found something I enjoy enough that I started my own business dedicated to it.
I hope you will visit this blog more in the future and maybe even hire me for a tasting. I know I'll try to keep it interesting for everyone.
Enjoy beer, everyone!
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