Comments on: Show #8: Philadelphia Beerdom!

By: Thomas

Thomas — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 18:20:53 +0000

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.

By: JohnBoze

JohnBoze — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 04:05:38 +0000

What trips my trigger is bottle-conditioning.

Give me a good ale on lees anyday…

By: Charlie

Charlie — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 02:16:14 +0000

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!

By: ditto

ditto — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 01:33:56 +0000

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.

By: Thomas

Thomas — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 22:53:05 +0000

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.

By: Charlie

Charlie — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 21:06:26 +0000

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.

By: John from Memphis

John from Memphis — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 20:06:13 +0000

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?

By: JohnBoze

JohnBoze — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 10:24:25 +0000

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).

By: Charlie

Charlie — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 00:04:52 +0000

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….

By: Charlie

Charlie — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 23:20:35 +0000

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.

By: Steveosaur

Steveosaur — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 21:37:25 +0000

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!

By: ditto

ditto — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 21:16:31 +0000

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.

By: Thomas

Thomas — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 20:35:48 +0000

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.

By: ditto

ditto — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 18:32:49 +0000

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.

By: Andrea Smarty Hottie

Andrea Smarty Hottie — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 14:42:53 +0000

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.