Speaking of Beer

Thanks to ditto for this one. Mad science skilz are used to decipher beer foam. Check it out here!

Prebeer Preamble: People who grapple with an auto-immune disorder called celiac disease put their health at risk every time they drink a beer. A chemical in wheat and barley—known as “gluten”—causes their body to attack its own small intestine. Yikes! What’s a poor celiac sufferer to do, give up beer entirely? Heck no! Just take a listen to this show and find out about beer anyone can enjoy with impunity.

Beer #1: I’m joined by my old friend, Kristi, who happens to be both a beer enthusiast and a celiac sufferer. We first try Bard’s Tale Dragon’s Gold, an all-sorghum beer brewed by a small craft brewery founded by celiacs. The goal is to squeeze quality and flavor into a beverage that makes going gluten-free a choice, not a sacrifice. Were they succesful?

Interbeer Interlude: Microbrewed. “RFD, Part 2″ Phil Rossi, Tee Morris, and their pals in D.C. drop by to keep this show from becoming a “very special episode.” Their beercast-within-a-beercast continues their night out at a Washington watering hole with a massive selection. Which beer scores a “Charlie”, and which a “Joe”? Tune in and see! (part 2 of 3)

Beer #2: Kristi and I now sample Redbridge Beer from our good friends at Anheuser-Busch. When a macro gets into the gluten-free thing, you know it’s big. Do adjuncts and excessive carbonation make for a quality drinking experience? Ever?

Beer Geek Moment: “Indigenous Beers.” Beers made from grains other than wheat and barley have been around for millenia. In today’s Moment, we look at a handful of these beverages and marvel at human creativity in turning everything from corn to tapioca into good time at the local watering hole.

Postbeer Postscript: Kristi and I score up the gluten-free bevvies, and the result is the greatest point disparity in the history of the show. Does a fist-fight break out, or does the eerie SoB serenity carry the day? Yup, you need to listen to find out!

 

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I’m not sure how well-distributed these are outside the US (I suspect poorly), but they’re pretty widely spread out within the States.

Bard’s Tale Beer’s Dragon’s Gold [alternatives: Lakefront Brewing's New Grist Beer]

and

Redbridge Beer (from Anheuser-Busch!) [alternatives: Lakefront Brewing's New Grist Beer]

I’m guessing the AB product will be easier to find than the other; I found both at Whole Foods as well as BevMo. If you find them, I’m sure you’ll be able divine this show’s theme.

SoB Stalwartâ„¢ Eric, as well as some other fine folks, sent me this bunch of links to cool beer stuff:

Do you, like myself, suffer from “setter-downer syndrome”? You know, you unthingkingly set something important, like your beer, down at some random location and spend the next ten minutes frantically trying to find it? Never fear, the Beer Pager is here. You’ll never swig out of a bottle that has been used as an ashtray again!

Do you find your nice clean pint glasses insufficient to squeeeze every iota of enjoyment from your beer-drinking experience? The kind folks at the Boston Beer Company (brewers of the Sam Adams beers) have you covered. They’ve engineered the ultimate beer glass, jam-packed with features designed to maximize your quaffing pleasure!

Do you love beer so much you want to move beyond simply drinking it? Well Men’s Health magazine is ahead of you. They’ve compiled a list of 32 Things You Can Do With Beer other than pour it down your gullet. Stop snoring, trick your miserly landlord, or catch mice with your favorite beverage! Thanks to Eric’s lovely wife Wendy for this one.

Do you enjoy some blues with your beer? Well, the Flying Dog Brewery in Denver Colorado is running a contest to send one lucky winner to the Telluride Blues and Brews Festival on September 14 -16, 2007. Entering is easy, just fill out this online form by May 13st! And for beer and blues any time, take a listen to my beercast homies at Big Foamy Head.

And you homebrewers out there, are you having trouble coming up with a snappy name for your latest creation? To your rescue comes the Random Beer Name Generator. I think SoB’s next beer will be Ruby Groundhog Day Rauchbier. Or maybe Big Bird’s Salty Red Porpoise Koelsch. Or possibly Shitszu-Mojo Maerzen. I could do this all day….
Thanks to Wesley for this one.

If you enjoyed the little teaser in Show 27 about pairing food with your beer, then you might want to explore this link. It’s basically an advertisement for the book Beer & Food: An American History by Bob Skilnik. I haven’t read the book, but I gotta say, it looks right up my alley. Has anybody out there read it and if so can you give any feedback?

Prebeer Preamble: Perhaps your fizz-swilling Aunt Edna would be surprised to learn there are beers out there that satisfy her sweet tooth. Perhaps, just perhaps, one of these beers would serve as a “gateway” for better beer and make her life a better thing. Today I investigate this possibility with a couple of brews that sound right out of Willy’s Chocolate Factory. The role of Aunt Edna will be played by my beer-avoidant friend Devona, once again generously volunteering to be my guinea pig in an eeeeevil exbeeriment. Are we about to unwrap the Golden Ticket to better beer, or have we just made a deal with Slugworth?

Beer #1: First up is Breckenridge Brewery’s Vanilla Porter. Its label festooned with vanilla beans, and pouring a deep garnet-brown, this beer immediately piques Devona’s interest. But as she brings it to her lips, does the interest turn to bitter disappointment?

Interbeer Interlude: The Build-A-Beer Workshop. “Meet the New Guy.” We take a break from the main theme to check back in with SoB’s homebrew project. Our first beer, dubbed “New Guy Pale Ale” by my brewing companion Shawn, gets bottled, aged, and then taste-tested both by its brewers as well as a passel o’ podcasters (Michael R. Mennenga, Evo Terra, Tee Morris, Brian Brown, and Tim Adamec). The verdict? Tune in and see for yourself!

Beer #2: Young’s Double Chocolate Stout. Upon reading the label, Devona practically sqeals with glee. But is this English stout everything it claims to be? We put words like “chocolate” and “luxury” to the test of a pink-wine drinker’s palate.

Beer Geek Moment: “Beer and Food Pairing.” Though the show beers lean toward the “desserty”, beer is a perfect accompaniment to every course. Check out this basic guide to pairing beer with everything from soup to nuts.

Postbeer Postscript: A surprise third beverage makes an appearance as Devona and I score up today’s beers. Was the experiment successful, or does the only way to make these brews palatable involve an ice cream scoop?

 

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If you like beer AND have a sweet tooth, then this week’s for you:

Breckenridge Brewery’s Vanilla Porter
[alternatives: Emperean Brewing Vanilla Porter, and other "vanilla porter" you can find]

and

Young’s Double Chocolate Stout
[alternatives: Mackeson XXX Stout, Bell's Special Double Cream Stout, Sam Adam's Cream Stout]

Stock up on the whipped cream, and phone up your beer-avoidant friends. This one should be way user friendly!

Joe never appeared on Speaking of Beer (for reasons obvious in the photo above), but I had many fun and stimulating conversations with him during and after recording Michael and Evo’s Wingin’ It! podcast. He was whipsmart, and struck the perfect balance between sarcasm and heart (with heart ultimately winning out). In case you don’t already have this show through another feed, take a listen and remember–or meet–Mr. Mason Rocket, human extrordinaire. And don’t forget about the Joe Murphy Memorial Fund. Every little bit helps.

 

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Today I lost a friend and colleague in podcasting. My first experience with podcasting was sharing a microphone with Joe Murphy. If you haven’t already, please check out the Joe Murphy Memorial Fund website, and see what you can do about helping out with final expenses and with funding research into leiomyosarcoma, the cancer that took him from the master of the snarky zinger to a memory in four short months.

He didn’t like beer, but somehow that never bothered me. I think I’ll go have a root beer now…