Mountain Brew Club

B3 Brew Day... IPA of the Gods

Saturday January 2, 2009 Bob Parkinson and I went down to Beer, Beer and More Beer in Riverside for their bi-monthly brew day.  The first Saturday of every month, they brew an extract batch and the third Saturday they do an all grain brew.

We arrived around 10am and Erik Zwack was getting set up to brew a 10 gallon extract batch of IPA of the Gods.  Erik split the batch into two 6 gallon carboys and used a different yeast with each 5 gallons to see which yeast works out best. I took some shots to document the process.   In this first shot, Erik is putting putting in the steeping grains.

The next shot is of some of the specialty equipment Erik is using... this is a gorilla regulator, most propane regulators are set for 10psi...  this bad boy cranks it up to 30psi.

Next step was to add the sugars... Being an IPA, there were plenty...

Next came the 60 minute boil with 3 hop additions

After the boil, Erik wanted to chill the batch down as quickly as possible here are a couple of shots of what that looked like... it was down within 10 to 15 minutes.

 
During the chill, Erik was busy sterilizing the fermentors

Next was the transfer from the kettle to the carboys.  While this was being done, Erik was using oxygen to re-oxygenate the wort.

The final product... two 6 gallon carboys filled with what will be IPA of the Gods.  Erik used two different yeasts,  it will likely take a few months, but can't wait to taste it.  Nice job Erik!

All in all, it took about 3 hours for the demonstration, picked up some great ideas and sipped on some great beer.  The guys do it every couple of weeks... do yourself a favor and check it out, it is a fun way to learn the process.  Maybe I will see you in a couple of weeks. 

Beer Farts

Many people have asked me why homebrew has such a gaseous effect on some folks.  I did some research.  Part of my research I uncovered the following thread which I am reprinting from www.tastybrew.com

Beer Farts Prevention by Jason
My SWMBO is generally very supported of my brewing and subsequent consumption however she does not appreciate the after effects...the HomeBrew fart. She tells me that she refuses to go to the bathroom at night becuase she fears the return trip (fresh air-> contaminated air). I dont really have gas problmes with commercial beers or any foods but man when I drink HB look out! Is this a common symptom? Is there anything that can be done to minimize it or prevent it? I bottle all my beer and I am generally very careful about leaving the sediment behind but you always get some. I assume that the largest contributer to the problem comes from the yeast.

Response by: A Vicenzi
Jason,
You should do what I do, drink enough to crap your pants- she'll never complain about the farts again.

Response by Tom C.
 The anti-flatulent product "bean-o" is actually enzymes that were originally developed for use by big brewing companies, and works by breaking down complex sugars (polysaccharides) into simple sugars that humans can digest. Complex sugars kind of go right through your gut, and feed your flora in your large intestine and colon.

You can brew low-fart beer by not having a lot of dextrins and/or residual sugars in your beer, or by staying away from styles that end sweet and dextrinous (like lots of English ales).

Speaking of which: there was a story in Fark.com recently about a pub in England that lately banned smoking, only to discover that one of their most reliable patrons was a regular gas plant. They decided to ban him.

Response by Coos By Brew
Tony: I'd be scared to see how much it drink it would take to crap your pants, and more to the point, the quality of beer that would make one "crap your pants." But you are thinking, so thats something.

Response by A. Vicenzi
Quality really has no effect, just quantity

Response by Burp
I too have this problem. Gasp, I can't believe I admitted it. I'm also lactose intolerant. I have some beano and I may try a pill before I consume homebrew.

Response by Greg
Homebrew has the opposite affect on me... I generally rip em with just about anything I consume.. Scared a pack of dogs off a meat wagon once.. but I like it like that....
No beano for me!

Response by BeerCzar
My 'friend' also suffers from this issue most notably within the hour of the alarm going off or so I heard his' wife' say..... So when should I suggest 'he' add the beano...?

Response by Rob Hudson
Dear Reader, I have't posted for a few days, i have been doing alot of research, many hours infact, the homebrew fart figures that Jason are way way out, Tom C figures for the beano are not too far out(but still the wrong gasses), i have built a fart ripper and it break all the figures that anyone has come up with. All i can say in this question and time is the flatulance is hell of a percentage more than every ones 10%.

Response by Roy S.
Jason,

Don't fight the farts...

Get the SWMBO to have a brew with you. Then, she won't complain later, since you would both be prime suspects when you feel that summer wind.

Either that, or switch to brewing Beano-bock.

Response by Bob G.
Just feed her some beans and tell her the farting lamp is lit and all will be well in stinkiville

Response by Roy S.
Actually, when I was a kid, my grandfather used to ask me to bring him a beer. Then, he'd ask me to pull his finger.

I always figured beer farts were just another part of the process.

Response by Greg
Beer! Beer! Its good for the heart, the more you drink the more you fart, the more you fart, the better you feel, so drink more beer ya big ol'schmeel.

Amazing what a little research can find out there.  If you have any bright ideas, post them as a response to this blog post and I will pass them along to the boys and their wives.

Followup:

This blog post has provoked a tremendous amount of conjecture regarding the true origins of the beer fart.  I decided yesterday to ask the experts.  I asked Rob Arbagey store manager for B3 in Riverside the scoop... Rob said it could be one of two things.  "It could be the maltodextrin reacting to someones system, or it could be yeast left in suspension in the beer that ends up in the intestines attacking whatever it can find in there and creating the gas."  Sounds reasonable to me Rob...  We still don't have the solution, but we are getting closer to understanding what is going on... when we do, hopefully someone will come up with the cure.

 

About Yeast

Yeast are single-celled microorganisms that reproduce by budding. They are biologically classified as fungi and are responsible for converting fermentable sugars into alcohol and other byproducts. There are literally hundreds of varieties and strains of yeast. In the past, there were two types of beer yeast: ale yeast (the "top-fermenting" type, Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and lager yeast (the "bottom-fermenting" type, Saccharomyces uvarum, formerly known as Saccharomyces carlsbergensis). Today, as a result of recent reclassification of Saccharomyces species, both ale and lager yeast strains are considered to be members of S. cerevisiae.

Top-Fermenting Yeast
Ale yeast strains are best used at temperatures ranging from 50 degrees to 77 degrees, though some strains will not actively ferment below 53.6 degrees. Ale yeasts are generally regarded as top-fermenting yeasts since they rise to the surface during fermentation, creating a very thick, rich yeast head. That is why the term "top-fermenting" is associated with ale yeasts. Fermentation by ale yeasts at these relatively warmer temperatures produces a beer high in esters, which many regard as a distinctive character of ale beers.

Top-fermenting yeasts are used for brewing ales, porters, stouts, Altbier, Kölsch, and wheat beers.

Bottom-Fermenting Yeast
Lager yeast strains are best used at temperatures ranging from 45 to 59 degrees. At these temperatures, lager yeasts grow less rapidly than ale yeasts, and with less surface foam they tend to settle out to the bottom of the fermenter as fermentation nears completion. This is why they are often referred to as "bottom" yeasts. The final flavour of the beer will depend a great deal on the strain of lager yeast and the temperatures at which it was fermented.

Some of the lager styles made from bottom-fermenting yeasts are Pilsners, Dortmunders, Märzen, Bocks, and American malt liquors.

Spontaneous Fermentation
Beer that is exposed to the surrounding open air to allow natural/wild yeast and bacteria to literally infect the beer, are spontaneous fermented beers. One of the typical yeasts is the Brettanomyces Lambicus strain. Beers produced in this fashion are sour, non-filtered and inspired by the traditional lambics of the Zenne-region. This brewing method has been practised for decades in the West Flanders region of Belgium.

Byproducts of Yeast
Yeast impact the flavour and aroma of beer more than you might think. The flavour and aroma of beer is very complex, being derived from a vast array of components that arise from a number of sources. Not only do malt, hops, and water have an impact on flavour, so does the synthesis of yeast, which forms byproducts during fermentation and maturation. The most notable of these byproducts are, of course, ethanol (alcohol) and carbon dioxide (CO2); but in addition, a large number of other flavour compounds are produced such as:

• acetaldehyde (green apple aroma)
• diacetyl (taste or aroma of buttery, butterscotch)
• dimethyl sulfide (DMS) (taste or aroma of sweet corn, cooked veggies)
• clove (spicy character reminiscent of cloves)
• fruity / estery (flavour and aroma of bananas, strawberries, apples, or other fruit)
• medicinal (chemical or phenolic character)
• phenolic (flavour and aroma of medicine, plastic, Band-Aids, smoke, or cloves)
• solvent (reminiscent of acetone or lacquer thinner)
• sulfur (reminiscent of rotten eggs or burnt matches)

There are other yeast byproducts, and some of the listed can be both desired byproducts and/or undesired depending on the beer style or what the brewer was trying to achieve.

Hosting a Beer Tasting Party

Beer is a wonderful social lubricant, and what better way to apply it than hosting your own beer tasting party! Not only are they fun, but they can be very educational and enlightening – as the world of beer often is.

Step One: What Beer To Buy?
First, who will be attending? If they are potential converts to the world of better beer, then cross them over with lighter styles, like lagers/pilsners, golden/blonde ales and perhaps finish things off with a light pale ale or even a dry Irish stout – aka "crossover" beers. Steer clear of over-the-top hoppy and high alcohol beers. The idea of a crossover beer is that it should be similar to the beer you are trying to crossover from. You want to wean them off of their current beer, or ease them into beer ... not spook them into running back to their beverage of choice. Who knows, after a few different brews they may want to try something a bit bolder.

If those attending have an adventurous palate, then just buy whatever you want. If you experience a mental block, start off by thinking of a theme which will not only make it easier to pick the beers, but it’ll make your beer tasting party much more exciting. Some themes might be: "Oktoberfest" (round up as many of these fest beers as possible), "Taste of Belgium" (Belgian beers on their own, or pairing Belgian beer with cheeses and chocolates), "Big Beer Bash" (hearty, high alcohol beers), "A Winter Warmer" (winter warmers, spiced beers) or our personal favorite, "The Shit Beer Showdown" (a selection of American macro lagers) … you get the idea.

Step Two: Handling and Storing the Beer
Handle your beer with love and kid gloves. Beer should be stored in a consistent environment, away from heat and light which could spoil your beer. Ideally you’ll want to store your beer in the fridge, upright and between 45ºF and 55ºF.

Step Three: Serving the Beer
Temperature: Americans drink their beer too damn cold, typically at 30ºF to 40ºF. The coldness tends to numb the taste buds and literally masks the beer’s true flavors, aromas and nuances. This is fine for most mass-produced American shit beer, which requires one to have numbed senses, but not ideal for real beer. You can break serving temperatures into three general levels: 55ºF-60ºF (strong beers, like barleywines, dark ales), 50ºF-55ºF (standard ales, like bitters, IPAs, dobbelbocks, abbey ales, lambics, stouts, etc.) and 45ºF-50ºF (lighter beers, like lagers, pilsners, wheat beers, milds, etc.). Usually the higher the alcohol, the higher the temperature and the lower the alcohol, the lower the temperature.

Glassware: Normally, we recommend that you always use the appropriate glassware for any given beer, or style of beer, however in the case of a tasting party it might be difficult to obtain enough glassware for everyone. So feel free to break out the wine glasses, standard pint glasses or whatever you have. Do not use plastic or paper cups.

Step Four: Tasting the Beer
Order: Many "beer experts" suggest that beers should be tasted from lightest to darkest. This is flawed. Color has nothing to do with your "tasting a beer." Sure, color is often an indication of what you might be in for, but for the most part and with most drinkers, it’s psychological. In our own experience you’ll want to consider two things: alcohol content and hop levels. Keep your hoppy and high alcohol beers towards the end so you don’t ruin your palate early in the tasting.

Be Vocal: Share your thoughts, describe what you’re tasting. If you have trouble finding the words, remember that beer is essentially a food, so try to identify similar food like qualities that you can use to describe the beer, such as: banana, caramel, citrus, toast, coffee, chocolate, etc. … it’s all in beer. You get the idea.

Cleanse the Palate: It’s highly recommended that you have some water as well as bread, crackers and even popcorn on hand to cleanse the palate between beers and to help stave off inebriation. Avoid salty foods or anything that could overpower the senses – you want to clean the palate, not destroy it.

Finally, something important to note: Beer tasting is very much an individual experience, and everything about it is highly subjective. There are no beer experts, just beer drinkers with opinions.

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

Steve Keefe, Club Founder

Club Founder Steve Keefe has got a lot of brewing experience in a very short period of time.  A real estate broker by trade, Steve owns Coldwell Banker Sky Ridge Realty the largest and most successful real estate firm in the San Bernardino mountains of Southern California.

Steve began homebrewing in May of 2009 and as of this writing has over 30 5 gallon batches in a 7 month time period.  He has experimented with many different styles of beer, but likes most to brew Stouts, IPA's and Alt's. 

In December 2009 Steve and several buddies decided to start a club where they could share ideas and attract other interested people to this great hobby.  The club is known as the Mountain Brew Club the website is www.mountainbrewclub.com 

Lake Arrowhead where Steve lives is ideal for brewing due to the high quality water available as well as the controllable temperatures.  There aren't a whole lot of places in So. Cal that you can brew year round and brew lagers without refrigeration, Lake Arrowhead offers those benefits.

When he isnt in the office running his real estate operation, Steve can be found on the golf course at Lake Arrowhead Country Club, or in his brew room watching over his latest creation.

For his birthday in October, a buddy of his Devon Reid had a sign made for Steve which hangs in his brew room... a picture of it is below.  He isn't a brewmaster yet, but he is working on it.