White Labs has done something that I have always been interested in. Yesterday, they opened a yeast differentiated tasting room. After brewing several batches of the same beer and then pitch a different yeast into each one allowing you to differentiate what a specific strain of yeast will do to a beer. They might have 10 pale ales each with a different yeast pitched and you can taste them all. There is a total of 35 different taps/beers on site.
Chris White (of White Labs) and Jamil Zainasheffs book YEAST: The pracitcal side to beer fermentation is a great book on the subject of yeast and depending on which strain you choose to pitch and dramatically affect the final product. You can see a live list of what is on tap at their website.
I have wanted to do this type of experiment for a long time. My method would most likely be a little different though. I would most likely brew a single 10 gallon batch and then split it into four, three gallon carboys each with a different yeast strain. Since I neither have the glassware for this or the space this will probably not be an endeavour that I undertake anytime soon.
I may split a batch into two different five gallon carboys in the future just to differentiate between two strains. I really like the California Ale (WLP 001) and have been using the San Diego Super Yeast (WLP 090) recently because it is supposed to be similar just rapid fermenting. I may decide to split a batch with those two strains just to see what would happen. This being a low risk, low overhead proposition it seems right up my alley.
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Church Key Beer Review
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While at New Seasons Market grabbing lunch on Friday I was perusing the beer selection while my wok was... woking(?) and came across a 6 pack of Churchkey Pilsner from Churchkey Can Company. This beer has been getting a lot of press lately because of its kitschy throwback can design. This beer company was the brain child of former Nike designer Justin Hawkins and former Entourage actor Adrian Grenier. I decided that since I have heard it was a decent beer, despite its obvious marketing gimmicks, I would try it.
The $9.99 price tag was a little steep for a 4.9% pilsner beer but I thought I'd give it a try. The first thing I noticed was the packaging, rectangular cardboard tube with two open ends. Grabbing the beer tunnel I noticed that almost every can was dented, about 2 seconds after picking it up I discovered why. This box, while very cool looking, is essentially useless for transporting beer cans with any success.
Each 6-pack comes with an attached churchkey that is barely functional perhaps it is my in-experience with using antiquated technologies but I found it much harder to open than I though it would be. This could also have been because the can was dented.
I was really hoping that I would like this beer and there is nothing truly bad about it I ranked it a 2 star on UNTAPPD. The first beer I had was out of the can so I could drink it and look cool while doing it. This pilsner has a very light and crisp flavor and goes down very smooth, the problem comes on the back end. The aftertaste of this beer tasted tannic. I am hesitant to say it tasted metallic because this review will be immediately dismissed, but it was kind of metallic. I thought it might be an issue that I was drinking it from the can so for the second one I poured it into a glass so I could fully experience it, as beer is meant to be drank, in a glass. The flavor profile did not change.
The one thing that I will forever be thankful that this beer brought to my attention is the two hole method of drinking beer. Miller Lite is releasing something similar to this with a second hole that can be punched. This second hole is there so the beer doesn't glug when you drink it from the can. I know this seems like a marketing gimmick just as much as the retro cans of churchkey beer company. However, I actually enjoyed drinking it out of the can more with the second hole punched in it. I will have to test this at a later date with a standard can but I think I may carry a churchkey with me when on drinking outings from now on. I would almost say that was the most enjoyable thing about this beer was how smoothly it flowed from the can while drinking.
This beer was meant for a very specific crowd, and yes I am talking about the hipsters. Purposefully making things more difficult in order to seem like a trend setter or better than others is their mantra. This beer is currently only availale in Seattle and Portland areas, arguably the hipster Mecca. Whitney was wearing moustache necklace and a moustache t shirt and the thing that made her the most hipster-like was that she was drinking a beer with turn of the century technology. If you go to the Wikipedia page for this beer the photo (as seen a the top of this article) is an "instagram" style photo another classic hipster merit badge, right up there with double decker bikes, ironic moustaches, and now churchkey beer.
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