The Hurricane of WHO

As a departure from my normal beer type topics, I will pontificate (briefly) about the 2^nd year Doctor Who convention Hurricane WHO I attended the 1^st weekend in November. I could only go one day out of the 3 day convention schedule (a Saturday) and I was happy with what I came across. There were quite a bit of old school Doctor Who fans that were dressed up as earlier DR W characters as referenced in some of these pictures. 

I attempted to dress up as the 5^th doctor (Peter Davison) but this one kid did it so much better I just looked like I enjoyed cricket.

Many more new DR W fans dressing up as well, loved some of the creativity but couldn’t help getting a laugh from all the “clones” walking around.

I got to meet and get the autograph of Terry Malloy who played a major DR W villain “Davros “ in three separate episodes… At least he recognized Who I tried to dress up as!

Many people were there to see Arthur Darvill the current male companion on the Dr W television series on the BBC. He’s a little younger than Jenn and I and dresses’ very hip. In fact I ran into him at least twice outside between his panel and autograph signings (sneaking cigs no less). His panel was however packed with almost everyone who had come to the convention that day and questions varied from his stage work to his favorite monster this season on the show.

Some good stuff located in the Dealer room, many old series Doctor Who stuff as well as new. Some other sci-fi stuff to be had as well if you weren’t necessarily looking for DR W stuff

All in all I was happy with the set up and I’m sorry I couldn’t attend all the days it was going on. The only chief complaint I have is that there was very little to do from the main track. There were big chunks where there was not much to do or see beyond the dealer room which was fine by the way but it just wasn’t to a larger level that I’ve seen at other conventions. I’ve probably been spoiled by Megacon and DragonCon. My one suggestion to the organizers of the convention would be to include fan run (volunteer basis) panel tracks that would run parallel to the main track at the convention, with breaks for the big draws and guests of course. This is however only the 2^nd year it has happened but there always way to improve and grow and hopefully Hurricane Who will do that. I look forward to attending the 3^rd installment of the convention next year to see what they come up with next.

P.S. Look what Jenn made for me!!! (The 4^th Doctor Tom Baker)

Oktober is here!

Since October is officially upon us and the weather is slowly changing (for the better) I thought I’d throw together a blog regarding one of the best times of year OKTOBERFEST! (and all the beers that go with it)

The main beer style for the fest to end all fests is a amber/copper confection called Märzen. It has its origins in Bavaria, before the 16th century. A Bavarian brewing ordinance decreed in 1539 that beer may be brewed only between September 29th April 23. The reason for this requirement was the increased danger of fire during the dry summer months.

The original Märzen was described as "dark brown/full-bodied". The beer was often kept in the cellar until late in the summer and the remaining bottles were served at Oktoberfest. The current style is characterized by a medium to full body with a malty flavor and a dry finish. In Germany, the term covers beers which vary in colour from pale (Helles Märzen), through amber to dark brown (Dunkles Märzen). The North American style normally exhibits a stronger hop aroma (not as much as a craft IPA) and bitterness balance. American styles of this beer inlcude Dundee, Leinenkugel and Sam Adams.

Common names for Märzen include Märzenbier, Wiener Märzen, Festbier, and Oktoberfestbier. It is an extremely popular style in many lager-producing countries, and is produced as a seasonal special (usually for the autumn here in the US) by a great many breweries around the world. (and I know for a fact that it is always on tap at the Germany pavilion at Epcot!)

If Märzen is too “festy” for you, there are other great Autumn beers to try out. Many pumpkin flavored lagers are out and about for the next few months. My favorites include Shipyard’s Pumpkinhead, DogFishHead’s “Punk”, Bluemoon's "Harvest Moon" and Shocktop’s Pumkin Wheat beer. Plus, there are huge amount of German imports you can enjoy during this festive time of the year (am I using the word “fest” too much?) Becks, Bitburger, Warstiener just to name a few… Trinksprüch!

Sorry to take a break from the beer features but it kind of goes with the alcohol theme I’ve made my blog into lately. I can assume everyone reading this blog likes alcohol to one extent or another whether we consume it out or at home, we do however, need to get it from one source or another. Do we think much about the particular source we get it from? Whether it was the bartender who poured us a shot/beer or the guy/girl who sold us the package at the store, do we treat them differently? From my small experience in the “business” I’d say yes. The bartender/server most likely got tipped and what they do is called “hospitality” or they are in the “service industry”. What do we think about the “liquor store guy”, just a face or body behind the counter giving us our libations? A clerk bagging alcohol products instead of electronics or groceries, not to be given a second thought?

Alcohol is a double edged sword in the real world; if you drink too much and during the wrong hours you’re labeled an Alcoholic or a bum. If you don’t drink at all you can be considered inflexible/judgmental or that you may have had a drinking problem sometime in the past. Then the place you go to get the alcohol can be served up for scrutiny as well.  If it’s considered a “dive” bar people can assume you’re a scumbag or a punk. Then we come back to the liquor store and back to the wrong hours and frequency of a person’s visits…so many unwritten rules that can be broken and lead to lowered opinions of others. Alcoholism is a big problem in this country and there needs to be more of a movement to deal with it in the mainstream and make people healthy. However, Alcoholism is tolerated by a larger portion of people because many believe that a person has gotten into it by their own faults and devices. Many times because the person in question has been seen breaking the unwritten rules.  Never mind that the companies who sell the products push them night and day and don’t inform us of these unwritten rules that we could break and be seen as guilty, Also… the words “enjoy responsibly” doesn’t exactly cut it either.

Sometimes the people in the industry aren’t treated much better than the ones who are seen as breaking “the rules”, used for another 9-5r’s relaxation and then quickly forgotten about. What can be worse is the day to day alcohol user taking out the frustrations of their work a day world on the person that is just trying to their job and make a living. Some people decide to stay in the industry providing wine, spirits and beer their life’s work. It can be a thankless job environment and the pay can suck but they decide to do it anyway because they get something out of it. There are some that have lessened opinions of people who work in that life, maybe its guilt by association, I don’t know. The hypocritical part is that a large portion of those that judge still enjoy the alcohol and the good times that can come with it then  say “tisk tisk” at the man or woman to works day in and day out to give them what they asked for in the first place.

       Some people feel embarrassed when they walk in to the liquor store, I can see it on their faces. Some people are there as a precursor to the good time they will have that night and seem happy to be there. It all goes back to the duality to the nature of Alcohol. There is a stigma still attached to being in a liquor store no matter how nice large companies try to make them. Is it wrong to think less of someone in the retail alcohol industry whether it be owner, distributor or clerk? Again, I don’t know. All I do know is that getting the taste I’ve had I’ll be less likely to judge those who choose certain career avenues. 

Pennsylvania Beer Excusion

Recently I had the opportunity to visit my Father’s hometown of Selinsgrove, PA and I got to experience a little more of its ambiance. That ambiance luckily includes craft beer. Yuengling is not the only beer that comes out of Pennsylvania (although you can get varieties up there than you can here) Philadelphia, Pittsburg and the capital of Harrisburg all have some interesting brews. Selinsgrove itself has a brewery that has some incredible beers but you’d miss the place if you didn’t know what you were looking for.

Selin’s Grove Brewing Co. opened in 1996 and was able to set up shop in a Federal style stone governor’s mansion .This historic building was built in 1816 by Pennsylvania’s third and only three term governor, Simon Snyder, for whom the county was named. The building remains remarkably intact and is on the National Historic Register. The Selin’s Grove Brewing Co. is housed on the ground floor in the governor’s kitchen, complete with two walk-in fireplaces. The dog logo for the brewery comes from an historical account of a distillery & brewery in Selinsgrove in the 1830s that used stray dogs to run in a wheel thus powering the pumps.

The year round Beers include; Captain Selin’s Cream, Scottish, I.P.A., Stealth Belgian style Triple, White Horse Porter & Shade Mountain Oatmeal Stout. Our seasonal offerings include; Market Street Fest Lager, Wilder’s Hefe Weizen, Snake Drive Stout, Grizzley Stout, Kriek, Razzmerry, Pilsner, Mai-Bock, Dopple Bock, Saint Fillin’s Barleywine style ale, Soltice Dubbel, Hoppy Monk, Organic Baltic Porter, Hop Nouveau and many more. Luckily I had the chance to sample most of these beers and each one was wonderful.

Since many people travel this time of year always remember to search the area you are going to visit to find if they have any craft beer sights to see while you are there. Plus if you have to take a “staycation” then visit local bars and craft brew places in your local area that you usually don’t make it to. Luckily new craft locations are springing up every day so be vigilant!

Lambic Sweetness

Since getting into the joy of craft beer tasting, I’ve had some complaints regarding the beers that I recommend saying that they are too strong and intense. In answer to these concerns I have written this Weblog about Lambic (yes they are considered beers despite their sweet taste) and Fruit Beers.

Lambic is a very distinctive type of beer brewed only in the Pajottenland (that’s a mouthful) region of Belgium (southwest of Brussels) and in Brussels itself at the Cantillon Brewery/Museum. Lambic is now mainly consumed after re-fermentation, resulting in derived beers such as Geuze or Kriek.

Unlike conventional ales and lagers, which are fermented by cultivated strains of brewer's yeasts, lambic beer is produced by spontaneous fermentation: it is exposed to the wild yeasts and bacteria that are said to be native to the Senne valley, in which Brussels lies. It is this unusual process which gives the beer its distinctive flavor: dry, wine-esque, and cider-y, usually with a sour aftertaste.

Lambic with the addition of raspberry, peach, blackcurrant (cassis), grape (druif), or strawberry (aardbei), as either whole fruit or syrup. Perhaps the most popular style (at least currently) is Framboise (French pronunciation: [fʁɑ̃bwaz]) (from the French for raspberry) or Frambozenbier (Dutch) is a Belgian beer that is fermented using raspberries. It is one of many modern fruit beer types that have been inspired by the more traditional kriek beer, made using sour cherries.

Next is Kriek which is re-fermented in the presence of sour cherries with secondary fermentation in the bottle, traditional versions of kriek are dry and sour. Other, rarer fruit limbic flavorings include apple (pomme), banana (banane), pineapple (ananas), apricot (abricotier), plum (prunier), cloudberry (plaquebière), lemon (citron), and blueberry (bleuet). Fruit lambics are usually bottled with secondary fermentation.


Perhaps my favorite fruit enhanced beer is Sea Dog’s Blueberry Ale. A fruit ale that features aromatics and subtle flavor enhanced by Maine wild blueberries. Most of its favor is in the nose, the body of the beer has a cloudy lager consistency.

Other light, sweet tasting beers include Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy, Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat and Arbita’s Purple Haze or Strawberry Lager.

Plus there is always the Cider route if none of these tickle the drinker’s fancy. There’s a variety of American ciders like Hornsby’s or Woodchucks. There are also the overseas imports like Strongbow or Magners.

Many craft breweries brew fruit beer alternatives and any of these aforementioned might make the tenderfoot’s first few beer endeavors much more satisfactory!

Three new Beers fo yo @$$

I was recently asked by a co-worker if I still get to try new beers since I go to so many Beerfests a year. The short answer is yes, there is at least one new beer I try at every Beerfest I go to (most of the ones I go to are by http://www.floridabeerfestivals.com/). Craft beer production is exploding all over the US and new breweries are showcasing their wares as well as established favorites coming out with new bottles to peddle. I thought it might be a good idea to begin to tell you about some of the new brews I have had the opportunity to sample at these various events/bars/restaurants/etc.

The 1st I will bring up is Golden Monkey By Victory Brewing Company, a relatively little known brewery which is starting to get some traction with vendors.

This beer is a Belgian golden ale made in the traditional European style with a whopping 9.5% alcohol by volume content (be forewarned, it’s got a kick). If you like beers such as Duvel and Delirium Tremens you will enjoy this one, It’s got a good start with a fruity/herbal finish. However, if you are fan of traditional Lagers and Pilsners, you probably not be a big fan of this, it’s got much more body than your traditional American favorites.

If you want to try I suggest you go with this one 1st before any other beers or the taste could be lost on you (and the alcohol content will put you down faster than your mom did when you stayed up past your bedtime).

The 2nd brew I will bring to your attention is Starr Hill’s Hefewiezen (wheat) offering “The Love”. This is a really good, light/refreshing, hot weather beer (since here in sunny FLA, spring seems to have been skipped somewhat).

It’s 4.6% ABV which is typical for a wheat beer, Starr Hill’s website says that Banana and Clove are detectable flavors in this beer but I detected an almost raspberry sweetness and the very end but my taste buds may have been influenced by other offerings I had partaken of that day. Either way, if you enjoy Hefes like Blue Moon, Shocktop and Paulander you will enjoy this beer out of Charlottesville, VA.

The last one I will mention is the Blackwater Dry Porter by Orlando Brewing Company (http://www.orlandobrewing.com/) located right here in Downtown Orlando off of Kaley Ave.

It’s 5.43 ABV and it’s got the body of a Guinness with a very coffee finish. It’s one of the best porter’s I’ve ever had (next to Guinness of course) and it’s organic like all the different beers available at their brewery. If you are local, I highly suggest you check them out at some point.

That is all for now, hope you enjoyed reading this and I should have some more beer recommendations for you soon… Be safe everyone!

Happy Guines... I mean St Patricks Day!

Looks like another St Patrick’s Day has crept up on us (not me because every Pub I go to around here has a St Patrick’s Day countdown clock). So everyone will now proclaim their Irish roots and enjoy some traditional Irish fair but this cannot be completed with out one of the best exported beverages from that glorious Isle and leads me to write this handy document for you:


Guinness goes with everything!

Well, not really everything… but there is a great deal of other brews that Guinness can be added with to make a spectacular drink. Many people feel left out on St. Patrick’s Day because they don’t enjoy Guinness to the extent that other’s do (or at all). Though, by itself, it is a spectacular stout with coffee and malt notes that never really goes out of fashion all year around. These upcoming mixes are for the folks that maybe want to enjoy “Guinness Light” that doesn’t have the full body of a pint of Guinness. Hardcore fans may also enjoy these if they have not tried them (however, if they are like me, they may have already tried almost all of them).


Guinness Float

Ingredients

Method

1 tall glass Guinness or other dark stout

1 large scoop vanilla ice cream

Place ice cream in Guinness. Drink

Black Velvet

1/2 qt Guinness

1/2 qt Champagne

Combine Guinness and champagne in a tall chilled glass. Stir and serve. Makes 1 quart.

The story behind Black Velvet from Guinness itself.:

"The death of Queen Victoria's beloved Albert in 1861 was responsible for the introduction of that prince among drinks-Black Velvet. As the whole of England mourned the Consort the bar steward at Brook's Club in St. James Street, should go into mourning by simply mixing it in equal parts with Guinness. (You’ll need a spoon for these next few, preferably one pre-bent or made like the one pictured below)


Poor-man's Black Velvet (aka Snakebite)

1/2 pint. Guinness 1/2 pint hard cider.

Any Hard cider would do, if you want to be a hardcore brit fan then use Strongbow or Magners…

Black & Tan

1/2 Guinness & 1/2 Bass

How to pour a Black & Tan:

Hold your pint glass at an angle as you would when pouring a Guinness. Fill just over halfway with Bass Ale on tap. Slow the flow control on the Draught Guinness tap down to a mere trickle. Fill to the top, letting Draught Guinness hit the side of the glass -OR- pour Draught Guinness over an upside-down spoon to disperse the flow. Let settle.

Half & Half

1/2 Guinness

1/2 Harp

Some people believe this is the true version of a Black & Tan. They feel that Guinness/Bass Import Co. has changed the name of this drink to increase their bottom line by selling both products at once. (Brilliant!) This also been increased with the addition of Smithwicks which can also be used in a “Black and Tan” Some people will remember that before the mid-1980s Guinness was mixed with other beers to give them added taste. In fact, the authors have an advertisement dating from the 1940s that promoted adding Guinness to "your favorite beer" for "added enjoyment." (oh yes I will!)

Black & Red (aka Black Cherry)

Guinness & Kriek (or my favorite Framboise, which will make the end of the drink sweet indeed)



Carbomb recipe

1/2 shot Irish whiskey

1/2 shot Bailey's® Irish cream (or a generic Irish cream)

1 pint Guinness® stout



Combine (proportions of 50/50) Bailey's Irish Cream and Irish whiskey into one shot glass. Drop the shot into a mug of Guinness and chug until empty. This can also be done with subtracting the Irish whiskey which makes it more palatable for some.

These are some of my favorite Guinness mixes and I hope you will try them out this St Patrick’s Day and all the rest of the year. Guinness has also come out with other variations of the their stout including their “Extra Stout” which is even more full bodied than the draught and should be used in these mixes with extreme caution. Guinness has also recently released a “Foreign Extra Stout” which is not as full bodied and has a more chocolate overtone though you may want to try it by itself before you incorporate it into any of these combinations. Remember to enjoy your libations safely this St Paddy’s day and as the Irish say, Sláinte!

You don’t have to be Beer Snob to enjoy Craft Brew! (but it helps)

Hopefully a variation of this Blog will appear in the ABC Fine Wine and Spirits newsletter soon but I thought I'd share it here first...

Many domestic beer fans shy away from Micro Brews because of the bad rap that they have gotten from the mainstream Beer providers (who shall remain nameless) and other drinkers. Let me see if I can list some of the reasons why this is so:


“It’s not available where I live.”

“It’s too expensive.”

“It’s not going to taste good.”

Some of these reasons could be considered more legitimate than others but if this is so (especially the taste factor) then why are the big guys coming out with their own versions of popular Micro and Foreign styles? In my opinion, it’s a 2 fold plan; 1 they are trying to tempt wavering Micro beer drinkers to their products (some of them are okay, although I wouldn’t drink them all the time) and 2 they are attempting to keep their consumers with them instead having them being tempted away by Micro Beers. Which leads to me to next point… their customers ARE being tempted away (and kept away). This is occurring due to several factors…

Micro Brews are everywhere!

Super Markets, Major Liquor Stores, Mom & Pop Liquor stores and most larger convenience stores carry smaller brewery beers (Yuengling and Sam Adams still count even though they are some of the larger domestic breweries in the USA).  Many distributors have picked up smaller batch beers because of their increasing popularity due to internet and word of mouth buzz (some include Sierra Nevada, Dogfish Head, Abita, Lienenkugel’s, etc). Local Bars have also tapped into this Micro Beer craze which has helped get many new names out there, which has helped this next point flourish…

Micro Brews are getting Cheaper!

Since many major distributors have picked up the larger Microbrews and are bringing them to wider outlets, the overhead on these beers has gone down. You don’t have to travel 2 towns over to purchase that Micro beer you heard about from your sister’s cousin (unless you live in rural Kansas). Often times the brew you’re looking for is right up the street at your ABC/Other retailer. They are not quite as cheap as their domestic counter parts but they are less pricey than they used to be.

“Micro Brews don’t taste like my domestics”

Oh contraire! Whatever domestic you enjoy on a weekly (or daily) basis I’d bet I could find you a Microbrew along the same style that you would enjoy much more. Many domestics are pale imitations of European style beers (Pilsner being the most copied style which is akin to the “lights”) and many microbrews have taken these styles and brewed them closer to how they were done in the beginning. They however cost less than the foreign types but walk that taste line between the original intent and how American’s like their beer to be.

A few other points to mention is that many of these new beer sources are in fact local breweries (There are at least 2 breweries I know of in the central Florida area that are now being picked up). Distributors also filter in regional brews as well, the Southeast has Abita and the Northwest has Pyramid Breweries (who just bought Magichat), both of these produce several different beer styles. As an added side note, many times when you purchase Micro Brews you’re purchasing American! Many of the mega breweries have been bought out by foreign investors so… even when you think you’re buying American, you’re not. The big label domestics will not be unseated from their major share anytime soon but they are feeling the effects of losing their consumers to the large resurgence of so many Micro beers. So, my advice is to you funnel your money into Beer that not only tastes better but also supports your local and regional community!