Travel Resource: Craftbrew Directory

Roxy brought me home the latest copy of Northwest Brewing News from her recent trip to Portland. It's a pretty informative periodical for brewing news, but I have to say I was impressed with their Northwest Craftbrew Directory which is available both in print and online. Included in the latest issue was an article mentioning a Seattle man who has visited over 2,200 breweries worldwide. How about that for inspiration. Time to do a little research and start with the local breweries I've not yet seen.

This beer is for me, and me alone

I've been brewing a lot for competitions lately. One thing I've found is that I tend to brew differently for judging than I would for my own tastes. Competition beers are judged by categories, which by definition provide guidelines where the beer should fall within. Typically there is some leeway, where a beer might push certain aspects (like bitterness, gravity, or ABV) but generally still falls within guidelines. One consequence of this model is that some styles can get stymied, particularly in specific regions. Take Pale Ales and IPA's in the Western region of the US. Left coasters tend to be hop heads, and often the more bitter the better the beer (within reason of course). Hop character also tends to be dominated by Cascade (or some other citrusy variety). For my tastes I like less grapefruit and citrus character in my ales, so a few weeks ago I made a Pale Ale all for me (and I won't be sending it off for judging). I used a blend of Willamette and Columbus. I really like the contribution of Willamette hops, I find them a little spicy and slightly floral and a little vegetal. I call it "My beer Dammit" Pale Ale, and it's on tap right now. The hop profile really suits my tastes with a background bitterness complimented by a pungent flavor from the Columbus. I just know this will be one of those beers that runs out far too soon.

Defend your brew

Just a friendly reminder about the benefits of routine maintenance and cleaning of the beer lines in your kegging system. A few weeks ago I discovered a horribly foul and sour aroma from freshly poured pint. Clearly infected, I did a little investigation. After pouring a few pints and disposing, the beer smelled and tasted normal. I could only assume the infection was was in the lines and not the keg itself. I poured off several pints from all my kegged beer and disassembled everything that could be taken apart. I did an over night soak of everything in PBW from Five Star, then rinsed in a bath of boiling water. Everything was reassembled, and I'm back in business. I'm not sure where the initial infection came from, but I will certainly be more diligent about routine cleaning. This week I plan to give BLC from National Chemicals a try.

Samuel Adams Longshot Comp

Regional results are in for the 2007 Sam Adams Longshot. I want to extend a hearty congratulations to all the winners and finalists. The western region, judged in San Francisco had a very strong showing from members of my homebrew club. 7 of 23 categories were won by members of the Diablo Order Of Zymiracle Enthusiasts (DOZE), plus the Best of Show winner Mike McDole! I'm excited to see the final round judging, and which two of the three finalists will be chosen. Stay tuned!

National Homebrew Competition (NHC)

Well it's that time of year again, the National Hombrewers Conference takes place June 21st - 23rd in Denver. Featured at the conference is the final judging for the world's largest homebrew competition, the National Homebrewers Competition. Today I packaged up my entries for the second round and sent them off to Denver. I'm elated to have beers in this round, and look forward to feedback from a forum of nationally ranked judges. Best of luck to all the participants. And for all those attending, hope you have a blast at the conference (one of these years I hope to attend).