Speaking of Beer

OK, this time around we take a break from the obscure, regional, barely-distributed beers and tackle instead a couple of large-to-mid-sized relatively far-flung (within US borders at least) beers, from yes, you guessed it, the West Coast. Whew! Hey, if every show was about beer everyone in the world could get, we’d always be drinking Budweiser. The beers are both from California’s Bear Republic Brewery, and they are:

Red Rocket Ale [alternatives: Lagunitas Censored, Fat Tire, anything containing the word “amber” or “red’]

and

Racer 5 India Pale Ale [alternatives: Bell’s Two Hearted Ale, Stone IPA, any number of IPA’s characterized by the word “aggressive”]

Get yours in time for the next show and the new Wachowski Brothers movie.

Prebeer Preamble: Today’s show is brought to you (literally) by the country of Brazil. Marcelo Carneiro da Rocha, SoB listener and brewmaster at Brazil’s first craft brewery, Cervejaria Colorado, contacted me recently and asked if I’d like to sample his wares. I said “”Well, duh”, and the result is this episode. Until this point, the Review Krew’s Brazilian beer experience has been limited to Xingu, a nice-try-maybe-but-next-time black lager. So now it’s time to find out what the land of anacondas and Carnival can do with a beer if it really tries…

Beer #1: First up is Cauim Pilsner, a bohemian-style Pilsner brewed with cassava root, which is itself the basis for a traditional Brazilian libation also called cauim. It pours out really pale, and some fearful comments get thrown around. Still, for the cause we soldier on. Are our worst fears confirmed, or does character eventually join the party?

Interbeer Interlude: Beer As Folk. “Alan Shapiro.” SBS-Imports is the coolest beer and cider importer on the planet, and that includes you, Mr. Merchant du Vin (if that is your name…). What exactly is the role of the importer and why should you care? Tune in to this fascinating conversation I had recently with SBS-Imports founder Alan Shapiro at my local Whole Foods, and you will find the answer. (Part 1 of 2)

Beer #2: Next up is Appia Weiss, a hefeweizen brewed using orange-blossom honey produced by killer bees. I’m not sure why, but I find that extremely cool. Does the beer live up to it’s exotic expectations?

Beer Geek Moment: Brewing Water. The underpraised ingredient that makes up an overwhelming majority of that beer in your hand gets a long-overdue Moment of its own. What’s the big deal about lowly old water? Turns out, plenty.

Postbeer Postscript/Bonus Round: To help the numbers roll out smoothly, I surprise Mike and the Krew with two more Brazillian beers, DaDo Ilex and Eisenbahn Dunkel. We give each a once over (hickory?!?), then get to the reporting. Which of Marcelo’s generous offerings do we like best? Tune in and find out!

Alan Shapiro photo courtesy of Sheila Unwin. Thanks Sheila!

 

 Standard Podcast: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1360)

If you go back a ways with me, you probably know that my initial podcasting experience included a nice big dose of Joe Murphy. Back in the Day, I would periodically swing by Draco Vista studios with some beer for the fine folks at the Dragon Page–and later Michael and Evo’s–Wingin’ It! podcast. Joe almost always passed on the beer, but was a role model in conducting yourself with restraint and class, and maintaining your sense of humor, when all around you was going to chaos. I took Joe’s lessons to heart, and hopefully some of that comes through on Speaking of Beer.

Anyway, here’s a tribute compiled by Tee Morris and everyone at the Joe Murphy Memorial Fund, with far-flung testimonials reflecting on Joe on the first anniversary of his passing.

I wonder what Joe would think of my new favorite beverage, Jones Cream Soda…

 

 Standard Podcast: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1133)

You won’t be able to find these beers. There, I said it. OK, maybe if you’re a resident of the greater Sao Paulo area, or are vacationing in Rio, but otherwise forget the show beers and go for one of the worthy alternates. For completeness, the beers are:

Cauim Pilsner [alternatives: Lagunitas Pils, Pilsner Urquell]

and

Appia Weiss [alternatives: Pyramid Hefeweizen, Three Floyds Gumballhead, Samuel Adams’ Summer Ale]

Both brews are from the Cervejaria Colorado, Brazil’s first craft brewer in the modern age. Prepare for some good beer and very, very poor pronunciation.

I compose this post on or about the second anniversary of the Speaking of Beer podcast, and it’s been an outstanding 24 months filled with all kinds of beery good times. To celebrate this podcasting milestone (2 years is still considered a “milestone” in the podosphere, isn’t it?), here’s a super-deluxe souped-up MicroBrewed segment from Tee Morris and Paul from Des Moines. They conclude the epic “Des Moines series” at local brewpub Racoon River Brewing Company, and with the help of bar manager Mike Crownover wend their way through RRBC’s sampler tray. Beer-love practically oozes from their pores as they enjoy some of the best the Midwest has to offer. Enjoy!

online levitra cheap cialis cialis soft tabs retail discount female levitra use cheap generic levitra substitutes new report female cialis free cialis soft tabs without prescription buy viagra soft tabs in uk mail order viagra buy the cheapest viagra online cheap viagra generic purchase viagra soft tabs online no prescription cialis

porn videos For low credit scores
Cacu secured credit card
Carisoprodol
Torrente
Fix credit score
Walmart business credit card
Viagra Alternatives
Ceftin
Cancel credit card debt
Explaining credit report scores
Open VPN
Cheap Tramadol
Nortel VPN
Balance transfer credit cards
Credit card bad debt
Diclofenac
Valtrex
Credit cards instant approval
Debt credit cards settlements
Buy Imuran
VPN dialup
Report to credit bureau
Credit report
Viagra Online
Cheap Yerba Diet
Buy Valtrex
Cheap Yerba Diet
Paxil
Xanax
Credit report monitoring service
Buy Clarinex
Viagra
Online Viagra Cialis Levitra
Wachovia secured credit card
Cheap Valtrex
Cialis Drug
Cheap Arava
Online Viagra Professional
About credit reports
Calan
Propecia
Credit report questions
Credit card consolidation company
Cheap Levitra
Credit report and
Buy Zocor
Credit card reporting
Cheap Lexapro
Improve credit scores
Samsung Ringtones
Federal credit reporting
Cheap Allegra
Enable VPN
Bright Eyes Ringtones
About credit reports
Cheap Cialis Jelly
Buy Evista
Avodart
Deceased credit card debt
Zyprexa
Cheap Rimonabant
Credit score ranges
Soma
Debt credit cards settlements
Free Cingular Ringtones
Maxaquin
Clarinex
Torn up credit card application
Your credit score in
With low credit scores
Famvir
Buy Levitra
My credit report
Lorazepam
Cialis
Cheap Actos
Commercial credit report

 

 Standard Podcast: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (279)

Thanks to Brian for first alerting me to these stories:

Apparently, beer-drinking scientists have a tough academic road ahead of them. Sorry, Cathy the Beer Guy’s Sister…

Also, if you know a beer-snubbing wine snob, lay this story on them. Apparently, wine causes more brain damage than beer!

Prebeer Preamble: Every once in a while comes a beer that knocks my proverbial socks off. It can be some crazy new beast of a brew or a cool riff on an old style, but it gets me jazzed and has me falling prostrate before the goddess Ninkasi in effusive thanks for the mere existence of beer. As luck would have it, I recently ran across not one but two such brews, both from Oskar Blues Brewery, makers of Old Chub and Dale’s Pale Ale. The fact that they’re only available in cans makes it just that much cooler…

Beer #1: So who best to join me in sharing my new favorite beer? Why my original co-drinker Eric, that’s who. After a twenty-show hiatus, the guy who helped me start it all chills with me and enjoys a brew called simply Gordon.

Interbeer Interlude: Beer As Folk. “Dale Katechis.” Dale is the mind and madness behind Oskar Blues, as well as the namesake for OB’s hop-monster Pale Ale, and it was a real pleasure to sit down and talk with him for a while. Of course we cover the whole “can question,” but conversation spans more than just that. Tune in to hear about Dale’s thoughts on Hanna Montana…

Beer #2: Eric and I now try a Ten Fidy Imperial Stout. Recently, scientists claim to have invented the blackest black, but Dale & Co. beat them to it with this inky, hypnotically dark beer. And while the appearance evokes titters of glee, it’s when we bring them up to our mouths that the party really begins.

Beer Geek Moment: Carbonation and Conditioning. Among the most important, yet least appreciated, parts of any good beer are the bubbles. Just what do these tiny little wonders of nature do for the beer and how do they get in there? Listen and learn!

Postbeer Postscript: Eric has had to endure my practically obscene gushing about both beers today, so it’s interesting to see how the numbers shake out. Was Eric spending the show in quiet agreement with my enthusiasm, or secretly waiting to take these beers down?

 

 Standard Podcast: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1359)

Theme? Well pick one. The beers are:

Gordon. (from Oskar Blues Brewing Company) [alternatives: Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA, and that’s about it]

and

Ten Fidy (from…er…Oskar Blues Brewing Company…) [alternatives: Port Brewing Co.’s Old Viscosity, and that’s about it]

So, there you have it. Scare up the brews, fire up your beer-can-launching fridge, and let’s get serious…

Prebeer Preamble: Dark beers stir their own special passion in the beer enthusiast, and it’s been a while since this show has simply reveled in the blackness. Well the wait is over, because today is all about the special magic that roasted, toasted, and even charred grains bring to the beer-drinking experience. The black style known as stout has many sub categories, promising many similar shows to come, but for now we’re going to look at the two ends of the stout spectrum.

Beer #1: I’m joined by a slimmed-down Draco Vista Review Krew (just Mike, Tim, and Brian this time) as we start off in left field with Hitachino Nest Sweet Stout (Lacto) from Japan’s Kiuchi Brewery. Brewed in a storied sake brewery yet made in the traditional milk stout style, this one starts out as a bit of a head-scratcher. Then we actually try it, and everything changes…

Interbeer Interlude: MicroBrewed. “The Royal Mile.” In his quixotic attempt to prove that Portland needs to abdicate its “beervana” status in favor of Des Moines, Iowa, Tee Morris (along with Paul and Andrew) lands at a thoroughly British pub in the heart of the Grain Belt. The night is getting long, and the slightly sloppy happiness that comes with a pub crawl is getting difficult to ignore. And that’s why we love this stuff…

Beer #2: Speaking of sloppy, the next beer really cranks up the warm-and-fuzzies, as we pole vault over the other stout categories and end up in the Imperial realm, with Great Divide’s Yeti. It’s a great big gush-fest as all the stout fans in the room find themselves with the embodiment of the style amplified on every possible axis.

Liquid Literature: “Guinness: The 250 Year Quest for the Perfect Pint by Bill Yenne” Another book review for you by our Eclectic Librarian, Anna from Washington. This time Anna examines a tome detailing the history of Ireland’s Guinness Brewery. So from the historical perspective, is Guinness truly the “perfect pint”, or simply another example of mass-produced and heavily compromised “product”?

Postbeer Postscript: After the Yeti, you know the numbers are going to be big. Just how big? Well you’ll have to tune in and find out. And what’s with Tim foisting a patented SoB quasi-scientific glassware test on the proceedings at the last minute? I mean, didn’t he listen to Show 35?

 

 Standard Podcast: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1498)

I found my local Whole Foods to be a productive outlet for these two. See what you can do:

Hitachino Nest Sweet Stout (Lacto) [alternatives: Young’s Double Chocolate Stout, Sam Adam’s Cream Stout]

and

Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout [alternatives: Three Floyds’ Dark Lord Imperial Stout, Stone Imperial Russian Stout, Deschutes Brewery’s The Abyss]

If you like your beer black and/or big, this will be a show for you!