Show #8: Philadelphia Beerdom!
Prebeer Preamble: On the brink of America’s 230th, we’re plunging into two beers from the place where all this hoo-ha began. My beer-guide is Jeffrey Nichols, a denizen of the City of Brotherly Love. Light those firecrackers kids, and let’s start drinking!
Beer #1: Jeff and I begin with a history lesson: Yuengling Traditional Lager, from America’s oldest brewery. This brew has been around for over 175 years; how does all that history translate into the drinking experience? And what, exactly, is the deal with Pennsylvania beer laws?
Interbeer Inberlude: Beer As Folk. “We the People…Have Questions About Beer” You guys ask great questions like: “Why aren’t bitters bitter?” “What’s a weisse?” and “What’s up with beer and styrofoam cups?” I answer them. Please submit other beer questions via voicemail or a short mp3 file. I’d like to make this a regular feature!
Beer #2: Risking temporal whiplash, Jeff and I now fast-forward to present-day Philly to try some Victory Hop Devil Ale. These guys are relatively new in the “big bold American microwbrew” arena, dominated mostly by California and Oregon. Will this beery East Coast/West Coast thing end in tragedy, or does the melting pot hold room for all?
Beer Geek Moment: “Prohibition.” America’s Noble Experiment changed the face of the U.S. brewing scene, and its effects are still very much alive and well in the beer most Americans drink every day.
Postbeer Postscript: So when it comes to the scores, which Philly beer do Jeff and I favor: the ancient (by American standards) stalwart, or the flashy young upstart? And are we moved to break into a chorus of “My Country Tis Of Thee”? (Hint: No)
June 28th, 2006 at 6:42 am
Charlie- hello. I am leaving you a comment because I heart you. Your podcast is awesome. I confess I am not a beer drinker but that does not mean we could not share a cold beverage together. Good job helping people discover what beer is supposed to taste like.
June 28th, 2006 at 10:32 am
Awesome ep, Charlie. I’m looking forward to trying the Devil Ale next time I’m in Philly.
And the geek moment was exceptional this time!
Keep up the great work.
June 28th, 2006 at 12:35 pm
One minor quibble about Prohibtion killing American beer, yes in general it started and was the primary cause. But to ignore WW2 is part of the reason we got the corn and rice adjuncts in American beer. I have seen WW2 noted as the reason they came into use to provide alcohol, but not over use grain which was needed for the War. Without those adjuncts mass production beer wouldn’t be nearly as light and tasteless.
June 28th, 2006 at 1:16 pm
Thomas, I’m not sure I entirely agree with that. I’ve had some rice beer that is very flavorful. Now, the combination of rice with a watery recipe definitely would suck, but I think Charlie has hit the nail on the head.
June 28th, 2006 at 1:37 pm
Charlie,
You have definitely hit on a format that is working. Great flow to the show. Your beer interludes are entertaining and information and provide a great break from beer chatter. Not that the beer chatter is bad, but much like a piece of bread clears the palate, the interludes allow us to enjoy the discussion even more.
Keep up the great work!
PS- I don’t know if you have Trader Joes in AZ but they have a great private label selection of German style beers. The Bavarian (Hefeweizen) is very good. Possibly the best I’ve had outside of Germany, IMHO. Great value too! the beers are brewed in San Jose, California so I suspect that Gordon Biersch might be brewing it for them–but that’s just my guessing. GB is the only brewery I know of in SJ.
Keep on Hoppin!
June 28th, 2006 at 3:20 pm
Thomas, Good point about the effects of the war. I mentioned “complex social and economic factors” contributing to the state of American beer, which of course includes WW II, as well as attempts by big brewers to market to women (perceived as enjoying less intense flavors), the “lite beer” movement of the last twenty years, and various other factors. However, without the 1-2 punch provided by prohibition (wiping out small regional brewing and altering American tastes) things would be much different around here today. That was the point of the Beer Geek Moment.
June 28th, 2006 at 4:04 pm
Steveosaur-we do have TJ’s here, and they carry the private label contract-brewed stuff as well. I really like the Bock. (we have a Gordon Biersch here too, BTW).
Glad you’re liking the show! Tell a beer buddy about it….
June 29th, 2006 at 2:24 am
Ha! Finally, not only one of my favorite beers, but also one not readily available to you, rather than the other way around, the Hop Devil. Now I know one to send along with the local favorites when I get around to sending beer to WI…
Thanks for the bitter explanation, you’ve got a good show going, I’ve passed the word along to my dad (beer lover and homebrewer).
June 29th, 2006 at 12:06 pm
I heard an alternative explanation of the term “white beer” or “weiss bier” in German, other than just the appearance of the beer.
As it was explained to me, the Dutch word “weizen”, means “wheat”, as in “wheat beer”. It’s pronounced “vice-en”, and so sounds very similar to the German word “weiss”, which is pronounced “vice” and means “white. The German “weiss bier” is a corruption of the Dutch “weizen bier”, but rather than meaning “wheat beer” it means “white beer”.
I thought it sounded like a plausible explanation, and I wonder what you think of it.
So the followup question I have for you is, given a wheat beer, like a hefeweizen, does that mean that the fermentable is all wheat, or wheat in addition to barley? Or does it vary from style to style?
June 29th, 2006 at 1:06 pm
John–though I hadn’t heard that explanation until now, it makes lots of sense. Beer etymology, like all etymology, if pretty tricky to untangle. The similarity of the words “white” and “wheat” in Germanic languages causes all kinds of confusion in the world of beer, and I’ve had more than one frustrating beer discussion that hinged on that similarity.
Regarding your wheat beer question: keep your ears peeled for the Beer Geek Moment for show #9, which will tackle the whole wheat beer phenomenon/conundrum.
June 29th, 2006 at 2:53 pm
HefeWeizen Uber Alles.
It’s my first true beer love, you never forget your first, nor do you get over it. Or at least I haven’t.
Our BJCP class is drinking my German Wheat beers tonight. I’ll be in heaven.
June 29th, 2006 at 5:33 pm
One of the interesting mixes that Germans do with wheat beer is the Raddler: a half-and-half mix of wheat beer and lemon soda. Unfortunately, some people think Sprite can be used as a substitute. Don’t do it. It will be a god awful sweet catastrophe.
The lemon soda that the Germans use is basically a carbonated lemonade that isn’t very sweet. You can use the Italian lemon soda that you can find at Whole Foods (or similar places). If you can’t find that soda, regular lemonade works, but isn’t as good.
Now, I personally don’t like fruit in my beer, but a Raddler after working outside is really refreshing.
June 29th, 2006 at 6:16 pm
Whoa, whoa…who said anything about hefe-weizens? I love ‘em too (radlers and all), but they’re not the only beers brewed with wheat in the world (or in Germany, for that matter). Show #9 will be intersecting this discussion, but will not exclusively be about the wheat. Just wait a bit, you’ll see….
Meanwhile, enjoy whatever trips your trigger!
June 29th, 2006 at 8:05 pm
What trips my trigger is bottle-conditioning.
Give me a good ale on lees anyday…
June 30th, 2006 at 10:20 am
Radler, one D at least in the region I lived, may be with Wheat beers but I have had it with Pilsner as well.
Most of the classes didn’t show, think they went to a concert, so me and another guy had to ’suffer’ through drinking 8-10 beers by ourselves. Kristalweizen, Hefe, Weizenboch, Alt, and Smoke beer, it was all good.