Today the world of good beer lost its most eloquent spokesman, Mr. Michael Jackson, Beer Hunter Extrordinaire. His books fueled my (and many many others’) passion for good beer, and my humble little podcast is a tiny part of his massive legacy. On a day when I’m about to bottle two batches of homebrew, this is indeed sad news. Nonetheless I’ll be raising my next glass to Mr. Jackson and all he has done for the Beerniverse.
Prebeer Preamble: There are many *ahem* unpleasant associations with the word “pilsner” in the Beerniverse. Perhaps this is because it’s the little beer that grew up to conquer the world, and many of us were deeply scarred by its watery tyrany during our formative years. Nonetheless, rumor has it that there was actually a decent beer in there before global economic pressures for mass-production took their ugly toll. Today, I’m joined by Farpoint Media personae Michael R. Mennenga, Doug Kress, Brian Brown and Tim Adamec as we try a couple of pilsners brewed the way the beer gods intended.
Beer #1: We start off with Scrimshaw Pilsner from California’s North Coast Brewing Company. The tasting crew fears no yellow fizz as we plunge into this straw-colored brew. The style is designed to be light and refreshing, but the pungent nose spurs one co-drinker to make some rather un-refreshing comparisons…
Interbeer Interlude: Microbrewed “Old Dominion, Part 2″ Podcast novelists and beer-loving bon vivants Tee Morris and Phil Rossi are back to wrap up their evening at the brewpub where it all started. Much ale-talk brings a balance to this lager-heavy episode, and yes, Tee, you told the story correctly. Pretty much.
Beer #2: Next up is Blue Paddle Pilsner, a product of craft megabrewer New Belgium Brewing Company. From a brewer that’s taking over the country one Fat Tire at a time comes this uncharacteristically non-belgian brew that’s a lager to boot. Does being the odd one out in the New Belgian stable help or hurt this Czech-style beer?
Beer Geek Moment: “Lagers” Admit it, some of you out there don’t know (or worse, don’t care about) the difference between ales and lagers. Well, tough. I happen to think it’s the cornerstone of Beer Geekiness, so I’m giving it to you again, this time with some history…
Postbeer Postscript: The great “pilsner-off” winds up where things often do on this show: in the numbers. We try to be concise as we split hairs between shades of gold and ponder all things crisp. Does the “Thing That Pilsners Became” haunt our evaluation of these two all-malt micros? Tune in and see!
Here are the bevvies to scare up for the next show:
North Coast Brewing’s Scrimshaw Pilsner [alternatives: Victory Prima Pils, Paulaner Premium Pils]
and
New Belgium’s Plue Paddle Pilsner [alternatives: Bitburger Premiium Pils, New Glarus' Home Town Blonde]
To further prepare for the show, look deep within yourself for any beer-style-related prejudice and try mightily to expunge it.
…is The Song of the Day! Thanks, Beatnik Turtle!
Prebeer Preamble: I’ve posted before about the fancy-schmansy beer glass created by our friends at the Boston Beer Company. Supposedly, this uber-engineered glass scientifically maximizes the aroma, taste, and even mouthfeel of the beer consumed from it, especially if it’s their flagship beer, Samuel Adam’s Boston Lager. Well today we put this beast through the patented SoB quasiscientific ringer, and we’ll see if it can put its money where its tulip-shaped mouth is. I’m joined by Tom the Beer Guy’s Brother for the first time to help me make heads or tails of this thing. Ooooh, and there’s lots of thunder, too….
Beer #1: Tom and I start out with the beer for which the glass was crafted, Samuel Adams’ Boston Lager. To give us a benchmark drinking experience, we also pour some into a standard pint glass, and much gripping side-by-side evaluation ensues. So, does it “work”? Have a listen and find out!
Interbeer Interlude: Heartland Brews “Founder’s Black Rye”. I am tickled pink to have the great folks at the Brit and Yankee throwing me a segment every now and then. This is the first contribution from USBrit and Lingo in a sporadic series spotlighting beers and breweries from the, IMHO, under-appreciated Midwest. Today, Michigan’s Founders Brewing Company gets the Brit and Yankee treatment. Enjoy!
Beer #2: I figured it was my duty to try to push this little glass to its breaking point, and I decided Flying Dog Ales‘ Gonzo Imperial Porter would probably do the trick. Once again two-fisting out of different shaped glasses, Tom and I test out competing predictions. What, exactly, does cranking things up Hunter S. Thompson-style do to the special glass? Take a listen and see!
Sudsy Song Segment: Beatnik Turtle “Speaking of Beer” For the second time in one show, I giddily offer you a contribution from people more talented than myself, in this case SoB veterans Beatnik Turtle. Maybe they had such a good time playing at The Festcast that they just couldn’t stop singing about lovely, lovely beer. So here, for your listening pleasure, is the Podosphere Debut of a song with a hauntingly familiar name. Hear it here before it’s the Song of the Day! Can I get a “YEE HAW!”?
Postbeer Postscript: Tom and I have each nursed our own opposing pet theories through this quasi-experiment, so the rubber really meets the road as we compare numbers. As Mother Nature pushes us along with impatient grumblings, we blast through each beer evaluated in each glass. So, should you dump 30 bucks on a set of four of these puppies? Tune in and find out!
I promised at least one easy-to-find beer this week, and I’m a man of my word. So track down some
Sam Adams Boston Lager [alternatives: Leinenkugel's Red, Sprecher Special Amber, Bohemia]
and
Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter [alternatives: Duck-Rabbit Baltic Porter, Ska Brewing's Nefarious Ten Pin Imperial Porter, Black Boss Porter]
In addition, you might want to scare up some glassware beyond the standard pint. A tulip-style piece of stemware would be good, or (if you have some discretionary cash burning a hole in your pocket) order yourself some special glasses here.
You are currently browsing the Speaking of Beer weblog archives for August, 2007.
