Mountain Brew Club

Discovering Bocks

The origins of Bock beer are quite uncharted. Back in medieval days German monasteries would brew a strong beer for sustenance during their Lenten fasts. Some believe the name Bock came from the shortening of Einbeck thus "beck" to "bock." Others believe it is more of a pagan or old world influence that the beer was only to be brewed during the sign of the Capricorn goat and that "bock" means goat in German. Illustrations of the goats related with Bock beer would produce some of the most whimsical and lively beer art ever fashioned. In Europe pictures of Knights fighting in wars or goats ready to ram would portray the strength of the beer. Before Prohibition in America many of the breweries turned out colorful poster art showing beer-drinking goats doing everything from bellying up to the bar to floating in a hot air balloon. Basically this beer was a symbol of better times to come and moving away from winter.

As for the beer itself in modern day, it is a bottom fermenting lager that generally takes extra months of lagering (cold storage) to smooth out such a strong brew. There are several different styles of bock beer; Bock, Maibock or Helles Bock, Double Bock and Eisbock. Bock beer in general is stronger than your typical lager, more of a robust malt character and higher alcohol somewhere between 6-7% alcohol by volume with an amber hue. The Maibock style of beer tends to be lighter in color than other Bock beers and often has a significant hop character with a noticeable alcohol around the same as a traditional Bock. Maibocks are customarily served in the spring and are oftentimes interrelated with spring festivals and celebrations more often in the month of May. Double Bocks or Doppelbocks are huge beers with enough malt packed in them to consider them a meal in its self. Generally having a very full-bodied flavour and darker than other bocks with a higher level of alcohol also, 6.5-8.5%. Eisbocks are basically a form of a Bock or a Double Bock that is concentrated to boost flavour and alcohol by freezing off some of the water. Some Eisbocks in Europe have been know to be in excess of 12% alcohol by volume.

Stout

Most Americans look at Stout as a thick, murky, "eat it with a spoon" beer. It is also a common misconception that these black beers are more potent, simply due to their appearance. Plenty of beer lovers see it as a nitro forced black beverage and happily quaff down several pints a night with out a second thought, usually a Guinness Draught or Murphy's. Guinness has less alcohol than Budweiser, around 4.2% alcohol by volume (on tap, 4.1% draught can, in the US) which would explain why everyone can drink so much of it, so quickly, and why it has become a popular session beer. But, here's a little Stout 101 for the novices, for those that might want to switch things up a bit: We have all been to one of the many Irish pubs in the area, and friends or co-workers talk in awe about Guinness and how it is the best stout, if not beer, in the world. Not entirely true. The modern day Guinness "on draught version" is definitely the best selling Stout in the world, but there's more to the story.

There are many variations of the stout beer style. Some are dry and some are sweet, some hoppy and some alcoholic. All have that common characteristic of a roasted flavor that sets them apart from any other style. Usually this roasted character comes from the use of roasted barley, which is barley grain that has not been malted, but rather highly kilned. The process imparts a uniqueness to the grain and creates flavors ranging from bitter unsweetened chocolate to coffee, to a dry grain astringency.

In the late 1600's to early 1700's, the term "stout" was often used to reference a strong beer. When the term actually became a style is up for interpretation, however, what we do know is that back in the late 1700's, when Guinness was first brewing what was then called its Porter, it was not brewing the light bodied easy to suck down creamy stout that most imbibers enjoy today. It was a dark murky looking brew, standing, roughly, a whopping 7.5% abv. Guinness first brewed a strong export style to be shipped to the Caribbean, an Export / Foreign Stout, hence the name Guinness Foreign Export Strong Porter (later to be called, Foreign Extra Stout). It had a very complex, huge body, big hop profile and an intense robust character. You can still purchase it today -- and it's very much brewed the same way -- but only in Asia, Africa and the Caribbean.

In the very late 1700's, some English breweries produced an export stout, similar to a foreign export, specifically for the Baltic area. This variation was called a Russian Imperial Stout. Brewed to an extreme strength, around 8-11% abv, and conditioned for months, even aged for years before consumption, these brews were quite popular within the Russian Imperial Court. The closest rendition of this brew is A. Le Coq Imperial Extra Double Stout imported by B. United International. Others include: North Coast's Old Rasputin Imperial Stout, Smuttynose Imperial Stout, Sam Smith Imperial Stout and Rogue Imperial Stout.

One of the most common stouts, Dry Irish Stout, can be any where from 3.5-5.5% abv, with a moderate body to keep it on the drinkable side. They're usually a lower carbonation brew and served on a nitro system for that creamy, masking effect. Bitterness comes from both roasted barley and a generous dose of hops, though the roasted character will be more noticeable. Examples of the style are, of course, the big three, Murphy's, Beamish and Guinness (draught, can and the bottled Guinness Extra Stout, 6.0%), however there are many American brewed dry stouts that are comparable, if not better. Gritty Mcduff's Black Fly Stout and Shipyard Bluefin are the best stouts to come out of Maine, and they are available in Boston. As for local stuff, John Harvard's dishes out a mean Dry Irish that we consume pitcher after pitcher, Boston Beer Works Curley's Irish Stout was reformulated a while back and is superior to Guinness Draught in our opinion and Northeast Brewing Company's Black Sow Stout is also a treat, with its rounded roasted bitterness and hint of smoke.

An often ignored style, the Sweet Stout, is one of the youngest styles (early 20th century). They contain large profiles of crystal, amber, roasted and pale malt blends and usually range between 6-8% abv. A sweet stout variation also includes lactose or milk sugar, and often additions of cane or other fermentable sugars for priming, dubbed a Milk Stout. Additions of oatmeal are commonly added to both to induce an even smoother mouthfeel and body. Sam Smith's Oatmeal Stout, Sam Adams Cream Stout, Young's Luxury Chocolate Stout, John Harvard's Milk, Mackeson's XXX Milk Stout and Tennent's Stout are prefect examples.

Another old style of stout once contained ground oyster shells, oyster meat or just oyster juice. The Oyster Stout is said to be a style inspired by the early 19th century London dock workers, whose staple diet was ... oysters and stout. At first, brewers used finely crushed oyster shells to filter their brews, but later, the adventurous slipped shucked shellfish into their stouts, and the style was born. Oyster Stouts are extremely rare these days, but you can make your own by adding the left over liquor from a shucked oyster and blending it with your favourite stout - a strong one is recommended.

One of the most brilliant births to come out of the micro-brew revolution of the 80's is the American Stout. American brewers embraced the styles of old, but basically said "Okay, but how can we make it better?" Sierra Nevada Stout, Redhook Double Black Stout, Rogue Shakespeare Stout, Boston Beer Works Buckeye Oatmeal Stout and Ipswich Oatmeal Stout are just a few answers to the question. This style 100% American in uniqueness and taste, and should be 100% supported. Buy, drink and celebrate.

So, as you can see, there is more to stout than that low-alcohol creamy milk shake-like thing in your hand. Go ahead and drink it, have another if you like, but consider alternatives now and again.

Porter

No other type of beer arouses more questions about its origin.  Is Porter Irish or English?  What does the name mean? 

Porter is said to have been popular with transportation workers of Central London.  Most traditional English brewing documentation from the 1700's state that Porter was a blend of three different styles: An Old Ale (spoiled or soured), a New Ale (Brown or Pale Ale), and a weak one (Mild Ale) with various combinations of blending and staleness.  The end result was also commonly known as "Entire Butt" or "Three Threads" and had a pleasing taste of neither new or old.  It was the first truly engineered beer, catering to the publics tastes, playing a critical role in quenching the thirst of Englands Industrial Revolution and lending an arm in building the mega breweries of today.

Porters of the late 1700's were quite strong compared to todays standards, easily surpassing 7% ABV.  Some brewers made a stronger more robust version to be shipped across the North Sea, dubbed a Baltic Porter.  In general the styles dark brown color covered up cloudiness and the smoky roasted brown malts and bitter tastes masked the brewing imperfections.  The addition of stale ale also lent a pleasant acidic flavor to the beer which made it quite popular. 

Due to the need to age the porter for several months, sometimes over a year the brewers needed to invest in huge storage casks mostly made out of wood.  Porter brewers prided themselves on having the biggest maturation vats and were always trying to build bigger.

In the 1770's well before the birth of his world renowned Guinness Stout, Sir Arthur Guinness' focus was on the production of Porter.  There were two strengths of Porter at the time, either marked with a single or double X.  Soon to follow was an even more robust third alternative for export to the Caribbean.  In 1870 the XX was renamed Guinness Extra Stout Porter, and soon after the XXX became the Extra Stout dropping the Porter name.  During this period "Stout" referred to a strong or robust Ale, but with the advent of coffee roasters, many maltsters found that they could blacken grain, imparting a black color and mild-roasted flavor.  The use of these highly roasted malts spawned Stout as to style of its own.  Porter is the father of Stout and without it we would not have Guinness, Murphy's or Beamish as we know them today.

With consumers lusting after clearer beers, Porters all but became extinct.  Porters saw a comeback during the homebrewing and micro-brew revolution of the late 1970's and early 1980's.  In the US. Modern-day Porters are typically brewed using a pale malt base with the addition of black malt, crystal, chocolate or smoked brown malt. The addition of roasted malt is uncommon, but used occasionally. Some brewers will also age their beers after inoculation with live bacteria to create an authentic taste. Hop bitterness is moderate on the whole and colour ranges from brown to black. Overall they remain very complex and interesting beers.

A couple of recommended commercial Porters are:

Anchor Porter (Anchor Brewing, San Francisco, CA)
Sierra Nevada Porter (Sierra Nevada Brewery, Chico, CA)

English Brown Ale

The words "mild" and "brown" are two of the oldest terms used to describe English beers, and they are still in use today.  Not surprisingly, these terms can be the source of some confusion from a historical perspective.  Fortunately, current commercial practice provides fairly clear definitions of these two styles for brewers and drinkers.  More about the styles later... lets talk about some history.

The earliest of English beers were believed to be brown in color.  The beverage of Robin Hood and Mary Queen of Scots would have been made from a malt that was brown and smokey as a result of kilning over a hardwood fire.  It was not until the development of coal fires that this smokey flavor was removed.  The smokiness from the oak, beech, or hornbeam was a prized characteristic of the day just as hams and other smoked foods are often favored today.

The term brown malt is stills seen, although it is rarely produced and no longer smoked.  Nonetheless, beers made from a large percentage of brown malt have been consumed in the British Iles for parts of at least 8 centuries.  Perhaps brown malt will reappear in commercial beers once again before another century has passed. 

In looking for a beverage that was called "brown ale" prior to contemporary times, the history books reveals a process whereby a brewer drew several successively weaker worts from a single mash, listing the first as "stout beer", the second as "stitch, or strong brown ale" and the third as "common brown ale."

Barleywine

Barleywine the sweet elixer worthy of a beer god.  Lively and fruity, sometimes sweet, sometimes bittersweet but always alcoholic.  A brew of this strength (usually 8-13% ABV) and complexity can be a challenge even for the most experienced beer fan.  Young Barleywines can be rough to the tastebuds with the 3-4 times the amount of hops in other brews.  Imagine freezing cold weather that chills you to the bone, nearing the point of torture, what do we turn to... barleywine.  Looking for a pairing for some Belgian chocolate, or aged cheddar, barleywine is it.  These beers can be aged and cellared for years and decades and often have vintage dates.

Beers of this strength date back to the Vikings and were usually consumed before the pillaging of other civilizations.  Often these beers were  flavored with spruce or other odd, perhaps hallucinogenic plants.  In Britain, for many years, barleywine was known as farmhouse ale.  The term barleywine was not used until the early 1900's.  Brewers throughout the medieval and colonial times used terms such as "old" or "stock" or "strong" to designate that it was a beer with a high alcoholic strength.  These beers were always brewed from the first runnings of the mash which will produce a beer with higher alcohol content.  The second and third runnings made "small" or "table" beers... some so weak that they were pawned of for the children to drink.

One of the first known Barleywines came from the Burton England frim of Bass, Ratcliff and Gretton in 1854.  Launched as a strong Burton Ale known as No. 1.  Burton used numbers during that time to label its ales.  The larger the number the lower the alcohol content of the beer.  No. 1 was designated as the strongest.  In 1903 the name Barleywine appeared for the first time on the label.  In the years preceding 1903 England had been hit  with heavy taxation of alcohol so Bass as well as other brewerys had all but snuffed out their strong beers. 

There are distinct differences between modern versions of English and American Barleywines.  The American versions are often insanely hopped to make for a more bitter and hop flavored brew.  American versions use high alpha oil hops to accomplish the task.  English Barleywines typically are more rounded and balanced between malt an hops with a slightly lower alcohol %, though it isn't always the case.

A few American brewers during the micro-brew revolution jumped in and adopted the style with their usual big American way of doing bigger and better.  Anchor Brewing was the first with Old Foghorn back in 1976.  Sierra Nevada came on with Big Foot in 1985.  Others followed trying to be bigger and better than the last.  Dogfish Head introduced Immort Ale at 11% ABV.  Boston Beer Co. answered with Sam Adams Millennium a limited supply 3000 bottles at $200 per bottle with an ABV of 20%.

Here are a few suggested Barleywines:

Fuller's Vintage Ale (UK)
Known as the best to come from England, perfectly balanced and drinkable.  Each bottle is numbered and boxed with the vintage date, a bit pricey but worth it at about $7 per bottle.

Rogue Old Crustacean (US)
Cult classic amongst the hardcore beer geeks, one of the hoppiest barleywines in the world.  Ages very well.

JW Lees Vintage Harvest Ale (UK)
Brewed once a year in the fall rich sweet malty character, ages extremely well. 

American Double IPA

Americans are obsessed with supersizing their lives, from buying hummer trucks to make up for lack of male confidence, to the etra fries and jumbo coke illusion of value, to 55-packs of molson to ensure optimal black out possibilities at tail gate parties.  Ironically, with fast food nation under fire and low carb diets sweeping the masses, many mega beer manufacturers are trying to sell consumers on the opposite, by brewing watery, fizzy, bland beers that suggest weight loss, in an attempt to appeal to mass laziness that has plagued our nation.  Less is better?  Not where beer is concerned.

American craft brewers have fortunately continued to defy this trend of dumbing down beers for the masses by sticking to their guns and creating flavorful beers that keep on getting bigger, bigger, and better.  Enter the age of the "American Double" in this world these beers can be at least twice the character and potency of its weaker brethren.  Some of these beers have garnered the alcoholic strength of wine (usually between 7 and 14% ABV).  The first and one of the most noteworthy styles is the Double IPA.  This style is basically an already hoppy IPA style and feed it steroids.  The hop profile in these beers is normally full of complexities that can range from resiny, skunky or piney to insanely citric and floral.  The strongest of the IPA's is commonly known as an "Imperial".  The imperial usage coming from Russian Imperial Stout - a style of strong stout originally brewed in England for the Russian Imperial Court of the late 1700's.  The application to another style doesn't make a lot of sense to many so the term "Double IPA" is more commonly being used.  Not to mention it is an American style dammit.

We can thank the West coast brewers for this style.  Through a marriage of geek-like experimentation and hophead demand some brewers began heavily hopping their beers using Northwestern U.S. hops.  The hops from this region often have an extremely high alpha acid content which adds an extreme flavor to the beer.  Neutral yeasts are also often used to allow for the hops and malts to shine through.  It isn't just about more ingredients to make the Double IPA, it is the type of ingredients that make the character.

Many will serve a Double IPA in a standard pint glass, but to get the full effect of the brew and massive head associated with this style, it is recommended that it be served in a tulip, snifter, or even an oversized wine glass.  This will allow the drinker to experience the broad range of essence.  The Double IPA is a big enough beer to be paired with even the boldest of foods. 

When I first started brewing, I was not a fan of the IPA's or Double IPA's... apparently it is an aquired taste because now it is one of my favorite beers to both brew and consume... Fair warning they are not for the weak among us.... drink at your own risk.

A couple of examples of some common Double IPA's:

90 Minute IPA (Dogfish Head Craft Brewery)
Continuously hopped for 90 minutes for the full effect of the hops, not just pure bitterness.  Enjoy it sparingly... it boasts a 9% ABV hammer.

Imperial India Pale Ale- I2PA (Rogue Ales)
The original Double IPA... a little rough around the edges, but brings a full clip of hop ammo to assault your tongue.  Tips the scale at 10.5% ABV

Stone Ruination IPA (Stone Brewing Co.)
Some people just name beers for naming's sake, but Stone Ruination IPA says it all.  It is probably the hoppiest Double IPA for its size.  Your taste buds won't be the same after his one... registers at a dainty 7.7% ABV

American Pale Ale

Pale Ales are classified as either English or American.  The two styles are brewed to similar specifications, but the American Pale Ale has definetly set itself apart from many of the traditional and standard flavors often found in English Pale Ales.  Most English Pale Ales run a medium to high hop bitterness, low to medium malt presence, some caramel, buttery and fruity flavors perhaps and no higher than 5.5% abv.  American Pale Ales generally impart a higher than normal hop bitterness, flavor and aroma.  Often hops can be on the coarse side even in the aroma due to the use of high alpha (bittering) hops.  Flavors should be very clean in the mouth, with no traces of buttery diacetyl and minimal fruit flavors.  Alcohol content is roughly the same not exceeding the 5.5 figure, although some brewers think bigger is better and brew bigger pale ales that venture into the IPA territory.  The color will range from rich golden color to amber and copper hues... there are a few exceptions where brewers will go as light as a pilsner, but that is rare.  The strain of yeast helps to set the American Pale Ale apart from the English Pale Ale.  It lends a very clean mild fruitiness to help accentuate the malt and hops.

This style was born out of the micro-brew revolution when back in the 1980's several Midwest and West coast startups decided to give brewing a go.  Ingredients were pretty limited at the time in comparison to today, so they formulated their recipes from mostly domestic hops and malt.  Probably the most well known American Pale Ale is Sierra Nevada Pale Ale from Sierra Brewing Co. in Chico California.  Sierra started back in 1981 with a goal to brew American beer with more flavor than the usual dull American lagers.  Sierra Nevada has done an outstanding job, and is widely available throughout the country in various forms of packaging.

Another very popular American Pale Ale and one that I very much recommend is Liberty Ale by Anchor Brewing Co. in San Francisco, CA  It was first brewed on April 18th 1975 the 200th anniversary of Paul Reveres historic ride.  Many believe that Anchor Brewing is the brewery that birthed the micro brew revolution and that Liberty Ale is the benchmark American Pale Ale.

Flavor Profiles of a few American Pale Ales:

Liberty Ale (Anchor Brewing Co. San Francisco, CA)
A very raw aromatic beer with hints of passion fruit on the nose, and flavors ranging from grainy to pungent bitter hops to apricot to tea like fruitiness.  West coast hops all the way... "The American Pale Ale"  5.9% ABV.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Chico, CA)
Surpassed the cult classic image and is now seen in nearly every beer store.  Trademark Cascade hop flavor with its citrus overtones adn crisp pale maltiness make this beer great.  5.6% ABV.

 

Altbier

Dusseldorf Altbier- A well balanced, bitter yet malty, clean, smooth, well-attenuated, copper-colored German ale.  The flavor and aroma are both full of dark bread, and often spicy or floral hop notes.  The hop bitterness ranges from moderate to quite high, leaving it balanced nearly evenly in some examples and firmly bittered in others.

Often when we thing of German beer, we think of "Lager" what most don't know is that long before lagers the Germans brewed Ales.  Ales have been brewed in Germany for over 3000 years.  Not many styles of beer can be traced back over 3000 years, however Altbier is one of them.  Alt in German means old and helps to reflect how long this style has been around.  Even when the Romans invaded what is now known as Germany they were surprised to see such a nomadic race with the intellect to brew something similar to wine with the resources they had available.  The Romans classified the beer as an inferior beverage to wine.  In the south of Germany bad tasting beer was common during the summer, so brewing was restricted to the colder months and beer was stored in cool places in the mountains.  Bavarian beers thus became lagers (from the German verb lagern "to store").  When refrigeration allowed brewers to control the temperature at which beer was made, Europes lager revolution began.  The name Altbier was put to use back in the 1800's when much of central Europe decided to switch to light colored lagers, while the local beer drinkers in the Rhineland stayed loyal to beers brewed the old school way (ales).

Alt's profile has been described:  If Alt were a British beer, it would rank in the flavor spectrum somewhere between a brown and a dark ale.  Alt's have a few distinctly continental characteristics.  Also, due to the brewing process of alt's have more residual proteins and dextrins than can not be broken down.  These lend more texture to the beer and consequently more body, mouthfeel and effervescence, making for a full bodied beer with a creamy long lasting head.  Bitterness is moderate and malt sweetness is just enough to compliment.  Alt's are left in the fermenter for long periods of time, at lower temperatures, or rather they are lagered(stored, aged in conditions near freezing), this process allows the yeast to reabsorb off flavors and provides a clean and soft finish. 

Dusseldorf is the traditional home of Altbier, however you can find this style of beer distributed throughout Germany.  It is difficult to find alt's here in the U.S., but there are several brewerys now producing the style.  Hangar 24 Brewery in Redlands has an excellent Alt... In fact in my opinion, it is the best beer they brew.  Many brewers find the process complicated and not worth the trouble.  I would disagree...