Speaking of Beer

Prebeer Preamble: From the land of the rising sun come two beers that, well…couldn’t be more different from each other. Helping me sort this out are my lovely wife Carolyn as well as friends Jon and Hiroko Austin. Also on this show, I announce the first ever SoB contest. You, yes YOU can win a complete First Born Pale Ale brewing kit from Brewer’s Connection, and all you have to do is call and leave me a voicemail by March 12th, 2007! The winner will be picked at random from the names of callers (so, uh, don’t forget to leave your name!).

Beer #1: Our first beer from Japan is the mass produced and globally distributed Sapporo Premium. As we munch away on edamame, much talk of rice ensues, and Hiroko waxes nostalgic about beer clashes with her parents.

Interbeer Interlude: The Build-A-Beer Workshop. “Brew Day!” With friend and brewing n00b Shawn Alexander in tow, I brew up a Pale Ale using a malt extract kit. Don’t worry, I’ve cut out virtually all of the “waiting for water to boil” parts.

Beer #2: I throw Jon and Hiroko a curveball with this one, Hitachino Nest Red Rice Ale. If you could make a beer that’s the exact opposite of Sapporo, it would probably be this. How does it go down? Hint: two of the drinkers like it, and two don’t. You connect the dots.

Beer Geek Moment: “Sake.” What, you think sake’s got nothing to do with beer? Au contraire mon fraire! Find out just how spookily similar these two fermented libations actually are in this little three-minute info blast.

Postbeer Postscript: Two beers plus four drinkers equals lots of numbers flying around come scoring time. Still, the pattern is pretty clear. And what is that pattern? Tune in and find out!

 

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One reason for the next show’s delay was my experience at the 7th Annual Arizona Strong Beer Festival. We’re talking dozens of breweries from all over the US, plus a few international folks, all pouring the good stuff. You really had to search to find a beer clocking in under 7 % ABV, and there were some big ol’ doozies represented: Sierra Nevada’s Bigfoot Barleywine, Dogfish Head’s Chateau Jiahu, Oskar Blues’ Gordon (in a can!), and many, many (blurry) others…

Here are a few pics:

Count the people hoisting a glass.

Who says there’s an East Coast/West Coast thing in beerland?

Some favored accessories of the day.

Delightfully drunk festival-goers. Listen for them on an upcoming episode!

Due to a confluence of factors good, bad, and flat-out annoying, the next episode of SoB will be a little late. My most humble appologies. I’ll try to make it up to you in whizz-bang content and beery good vibes, and in the meantime try to throw a nice nugget or two out on the feed. Expect a full-blown show within a week!

The theme is pretty blatant, but the beers are worth putting in a little legwork to find. Like always, of course!

Sapporo Imported Premium
[alternatives: Kirin Ichiban, Asahi Super Dry, Sapporo "non-Imported" Premium]

and

Hitachino Nest Red Rice Ale
[alternatives: You frickin' got me on this one. I found mine at Whole Foods, so hopefully it's widely available, in the States at least.]

Also on the show, The Build-A-Beer Workshop kicks into brew mode. How does our little batch of loveliness come together? You’ll just have to listen!

Craving a beer when all you have in the house is moo-juice? Don’t dispair, just click here!

My only question is, if someone cheats you out of your fermented “two-percent”, have you been bilked out of your bilk? Discuss…

Thanks for the link, Summer!

Prebeer Preamble: Whenever the question “What’s the best beer in the world?” comes up, there’s usually a clutch of strong Belgian ales vying for first place. Today, we see what all the fuss is about. I’m joined by my lovely wife Carolyn, for the first time drinking pure beer on the show, as we tackle two beers that routinely make the beer snobs’ top 10 lists. Let’s see what us regular folk think of these fancy beers!

Beer #1: Carolyn and I first drink some Pauwel Kwak, from the Bosteels Brewery in Buggenhout, Belgium. Carolyn has a real “Kwak glass”, and we both have some nice memories tied up in this brew. What follows is a dollop of beer talk and much nostalgic dicussion. How do you think I got her on the show, anyway?

Interbeer Interlude: Eat Your Beer. “Marinating with Beer From the Inside Out” Podcast pioneer/beer cuisine wunderkind Michael R. Menennga joins me once again, this time to discuss using beer as a marinade. We’re not talking soaking in a tub in the fridge here; Michael likes to shoot his food full of marinade with a giant mad-scientist syringe. Find out what wisdom his unholy experiments have uncovered!

Beer #2: Now that we’ve walked down memory lane, Carolyn and I try something new to both of us: Chimay Grand Reserve, also known as Chimay Blue. Compared to Kwak, this Trappist Ale is darker, stronger, and not the center of old memories. Does the good will generated by Beer #1 slop over to Beer #2?

Beer Geek Moment: “Monks and Beer”. They devote their life to God, but their worldly energies are devoted to brewing the best beer on Earth. We take a brief peek into the monastic experience to find out why the devout are such kick-ass beer geeks.

Postbeer Postscript: Carolyn and I now score today’s big beers, factoring in weird glassware and fond rememberances, along with the usual taste, mouthfeel, etc. Do these beers with big reputations get big scores? Tune in and find out!

 

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Next week, SoB tackles a couple of classic Belgians:

Chimay Grand Resèrve (Blue) [alternatives: Trappistes Rochefort 8, Gulden Draak, Unibroue's Maudite]

and

Pauwel Kwak [alternatives: Delerium Tremens, North Coast Brewing's Panqster, Duvel]

Dig up the most snifter-like glasses you can find, (or, for the Kwak, the strangest-looking glass you can find), and let’s drink some of the good stuff!