Beer Books I've Enjoyed

Here are some of my favorite books about beer, brewing, etc.

Charlie Bamforth:

"Beer is Proof that God Loves Us: Reaching for the Soul of Beer and Brewing"
   -A great look at beer and brewing from a titan in the brewing sciences community. A spiritual perspective on beer (in a good way). One of the best personal narratives on beer that I've read. Very enjoyable read.

"Beer:  Tap Into the Art and Science of Brewing"
   -An extremely informative and entertaining writer, Charlie Bamforth expounds upon his great wealth of brewing science. This book contains much of the same information as his other books, but is worthwhile in its own right if you've read other Charlie Bamforth works.

Charlie Papazian:

"The Complete Joy of Homebrewing, 3rd edition"
   -The first major publication from the Godfather of homebrewing, Charlie Papazian. A nuclear engineer turned homebrewing and craft beer evangelist, Mr. Papazian has introduced millions to the joy of homebrewing. Although there may be better primers available, The Complete Joy is arguably one of the most iconic. It has some excellent stories and black & white photos.

"Microbrewed Adventures: A Lupulin Filled Journey to the Heart and Flavor of the World's Great Craft Beers"

   -Microbrewed Adventures is not a How-to book, but more of a travel journal of Charlie Papazian's experiences traveling the world in search of what the world has to offer beer drinkers. It contains great stories about beer, travel, as well as recipes not found in other of Papazian's works. Pick this one up to gain insight into the heart and soul of The Godfather of homebrewing.

Dennis Fisher & Joe Fisher:

"The Homebrewer's Garden: How to Easily Grow, Prepare, and Use Your Own Hops, Malts, and Brewing Herbs"

   -The Homebrewer's Garden does just what the title implies: provides information on how to grow and use hops, cereal grains, and other plants for use in homebrewing. It contains useful diagrams of hop trellises, malting equipment you can easily build, and descriptive lists of little known brewing herbs. It also contains valuable gardening information regarding soil composition and how to make the most of your homebrewing garden.

Gordon Strong:

"Brewing Better Beer"

   -This book, written by 3-time Ninkasi Award winner, Gordon Strong, is not (necessarily) for the novice homebrewer. Lacking an introduction to homebrewing (widely available in other books in this list), Strong assumes that his audience already knows how to brew beer. His goal is to help them brew "better" beer. He approaches his topic from a philosophical perspective, and includes an introductory chapter that outlines his philosophy of Zen and the art of brewing. Including some very interesting stories, Strong schools the reader in all things "better," with an emphasis on Brewing for Competition. As the highest ranking judge and primary writer of the Beer Judging Certification Program (BJCP) style guidelines, he knows a think or two about competitions (if you're into that sort of thing). There's some genuinely good brewing advice, too.

John Palmer:

"How To Brew"

   -Although I don't own a copy of this book, I have read a lot of it. Much of it is available online. It is arguably within the top 2, if not THE foremost homebrewing how-to book available on the market today. In it, John Palmer guides the homebrewer through novice, intermediate, and advanced brewing techniques. He makes complex procedures and concepts accessible without dumbing them down. There are also unique sets of information not found in other homebrewing primers, including the metallurgy of brewing and black and white photos of a younger, thinner John Palmer among others (John Palmer was trained as a metallurgical engineer and, oddly enough, hails from Midland, Michigan). He also co-wrote Brewing Classic Styles with Jamil Zainasheff, and will soon be releasing a book on water chemistry with Colin Kaminski. 

Randy Mosher:

"Tasting Beer: An Insider's Guide to the World's Greatest Drink"

   -Also author of Radical Brewing, Randy Mosher is a graphic designer (clearly evident in this book) and beer evangelist, who also teaches courses at Chicago, Illinois' famed Siebel Institute. Tasting Beer shares stories and extensive knowledge on beer, beer tasting, and pairing beer with food. It does not provide detailed instruction on brewing, and does not purport to do so. Aside from Garrett Oliver's book (which, in fairness, I have not read), Mosher provides one of the most impassioned and accessible books on pairing beer with food, etc. Pick it up. You won't be disappointed.

Stan Hieronymus:

"For the Love of Hops:  The Practical Guide to Aroma, Bitterness, and the Culture of Hops"

   -This book is part of a series of books by Brewers Publications which presents a compendium on each of the four main ingredients in beer:  water, yeast, malt, and hops. I had intended to finish reading the book before publishing this post, but alas I have not. All I can say is that, so far, the book is well-written, detailed, and very interesting. It's intended audience is professional brewers and homebrewers alike. It includes such topics as hop breeding, cultivation, in addition to aroma, bitterness, etc. I may provide a more detailed review in the future, but that will have to wait for now. Nevertheless, pick it up. Some of you may reading it while sitting on the toilet as I write this post. Stan Hieronymus has written a number of other gems worth a look.

Michael Jackson:

The British beer writer/journalist, not the pederast. Michael Jackson (now deceased), was the authority on beer writing long before the advent of the American craft beer revolution. He has written a large bibliography of works on beer, scotch, and whiskey. He, along with a few others, helped to bring light to beer culture around the world. A force to be reckoned with in the pantheon of beer notables, any of his works will prove to be joyfully written, encyclopedic, beautifully illustrated, and artfully photographed. 

As you continue your quest of great beer, whether that be homebrew or other great beers, bring along a little light (or heavy) reading. Above all, be fermentive.

Thoughts About the Loss of Dave Conz

Last Saturday, one of my homebrew club's members, Stephen, arrived at our meeting and announced that Dave Conz had had some type of accident and had passed away. I should say at this point that Stephen was the only one at the meeting that had ever met him (myself included). My only connection to Dave is that he was a friend of a friend. But his influence was far reaching. Some months prior, Stephen learned of Dave's interest in homebrewing and all things beer, and added him to our club's Facebook page. Although I wasn't aware of the stretch of his influence at that time, I was always curious about who this aggressively sideburned  and contagiously smiled individual was. Despite not having had the pleasure of knowing him, all in attendance raised their glasses in honor of the newly departed homebrewer. Later, when the newest Basic Brewing Radio episode popped up on my Facebook newsreel, I began to understand the gravity of Dave's passing.

Dave Conz had a very broad and eclectic academic background, spanning from engineering to the social sciences, and taught courses at Arizona State University on the influence of alcohol on culture and vice versa.  But his involvement covered much more than that, as he appears to have been a true renaissance man. I'll not belabor an introduction, as others have done a fine job of listing Dave's interests and accomplishments. What I will say, however, is that I find it a peculiar feeling to regret not having known him. Sometimes in life we encounter people that we might never have met were it not for our various circumstances, goings on, and risk-taking behavior (you know, like telling a stranger, "hello"). Lately, I've been meeting several people with whom I share similar interests. But I didn't meet Dave Conz, even though we were only separated by 2 degrees of separation at most. From what I've learned about him since his death, I think I would have really enjoyed his company and outlook on life.

I refuse to speculate about the cause of Dave's death or it's possible motivations, but would simply like to consider the layers of loss produced by it. I think of the loss of those closest to him, his family and friends. I think of his colleagues and students, those who will no longer learn from him directly. And I think of the rest of us, who did not have the fortune to have known him, and cannot possibly feel the same kind of loss as those that did. The phrase, "you don't know what you're missing" comes to mind. I have only a glimpse of what I may have been missing, but it's enough to make me genuinely sad, nonetheless. This is the kind of influence I want to be able to have on those I know, or almost knew, when I pass. Hopefully, this will not be for a very long time, but one never knows. May you rest in peace, Dave Conz.

Dave with Charlie Papazian, Godfather of homebrewing.

Here is a Youtube video tribute to Dave for which I cannot take credit, but it shows more of that infectious smile. (Some of you ONUers may know or remember the woman with him in some of the photos.)

I close with a poem by Charles Baudelaire called Get Drunk

Always be drunk.
That's it!
The great imperative!
In order not to feel
Time's horrid fardel
bruise your shoulders,
grinding you into the earth,
Get drunk and stay that way.
On what?
On wine, poetry, virtue, whatever.
But get drunk.
And if you sometimes happen to wake up
on the porches of a palace,
in the green grass of a ditch,
in the dismal loneliness of your own room,
your drunkenness gone or disappearing,
ask the wind,
the wave,
the star,
the bird,
the clock,
ask everything that flees,
everything that groans
or rolls
or sings,
everything that speaks,
ask what time it is;
and the wind,
the wave,
the star,
the bird,
the clock
will answer you:
"Time to get drunk!
Don't be martyred slaves of Time,
Get drunk!
Stay drunk!
On wine, virtue, poetry, whatever!"

Always remember how you got WHERE you are, and are becoming WHO you are.
Be Fermentive, my friends.

Brewday: Brown Saison

Every once in a while, I get a hankering for something a little bit different than I might normally brew. But, then again, I wouldn't exactly describe my taste in homebrews as "normal." So, my mood of the moment spans two very different styles: low-gravity, sessionable, English-style, milds and bitters; and, Belgian, farmhouse saisons. I will, likely, cover the former in another post, but today I review a brown saison I brewed this past Sunday.

I won't get into the history of the style in great detail, but suffice it to say that, in general, saisons originated in the Wallonian, French-speaking, region of southern Belgium as a fortifying beverage brewed for and consumed by farm workers. It was brewed with a variety of grains and adjuncts, including sugar, and is traditionally a dry, low-alcohol beer with considerable yeast character. Today, although most iterations fall within the 5.5% - 6.5% ABV range, commercial saisons extend from 3.5% all the way up to 9% ABV. The version in the recipe below falls in the 5.0 - 6.0% range. You may be wondering (if you've read ahead) how a 1.070 OG wort will only yield a beer in the 5-6% ABV range. That's a great question. Here's the answer: When I split the batch, rather than pitching only the solid yeast at the bottom of my Mason jars, I pitched everything liquid and all. This diluted my wort some, but I also added an additional quart of juice (which is mostly water) to one half of the batch. These actions reduced the OG's to 1.058 (no juice) and 1.055 (w/ juice) respectively. Oh well, moving on...

Although saisons are not usually my favorite beers, I have had some that were quite enjoyable. I often find them more enjoyable when they are drier and focus more on the peppery yeast character than some of the other fruity esthers or spicy (clove) phenolics. What I did to try to achieve this goal was to grow up yeast from the bottle dregs of two different commercial saisons that I enjoy: Upright Brewing Company's Flora Rustica Saison, and Revolution Brewing Company's Coup d'Etat Saison. This technique can be accomplished fairly easily by making a yeast starter from malt extract. I put mine on a homemade stir plate that continuously aerates the starter for optimum yeast health. Because this beer is currently fermenting and I have not yet tasted it, I do not know exactly what my saison blend will lend to the finished beer. Tasting notes will likely be the subject of a future post. Anyway, here's the recipe and pictures from the brewday.

Brown Saison - all-grain (based on 75% extract efficiency):
Batch size: 5.0 gallons
OG: 1.070
IBUs: 29.4

Grist:
5.25# Pale Malt (Ger.)  40%
4.75# White Wheat Malt  37%
1.00# Old-fashioned Rolled Oats  ~8%
0.75# Cara-pils  ~6%
0.75# Special B Malt ~6%
0.50# Acidulated Malt  ~4%

Hops:
60 min - 1.50 oz. Styrian Goldings (5.40%)
15 min - 0.50 oz. Styrian Goldings (5.40%)
I had originally planned a dry-hopping addition (1 oz. Styrian Goldings 5.4%, 7 days), but have since decided against it so as not to overpower the malt. I was going for a more malty beer with this saison, as demonstrated by my relatively high mash temperature. But, as always, be fermentive!

Yeast:
My Saison blend yeast culture (or any belgian/saison yeast you prefer; here is some info: Wyeast Labs, White Labs, Lallemand Danstar)

Procedure:
Mash at 153F for 45 minutes. Mashout at 168F for 10 minutes. If I had it to do over again, I might have mashed a bit cooler (~150F) to encourage a drier beer. But, as I said, I've not tasted this yet, so it might be fabulous. YMMV (your mileage may vary). I also might not have done a mashout step so as not to limit the fermentability of the wort prematurely.

Pics:

Vorlauf

Vorlauf, cont.

Saison yeast blend

"And we're mashing...and we're mashing." -Jeremy King, BrewingTV

Wort collection

Lovely, clear wort

An absolutely gorgeous day for brewing

Rolling boil

Enjoyed a double IPA

Cooling the wort. I never use a thermometer during this step anymore because 10 minutes is always more than enough time using this IWC. However, my need to do things differently led me to this design. Btw, Don O., of donosborn and BrewingTV fame, is a great repository of homebrewing knowledge. Go there, learn, be fermentive!

...still cooling

My rotund silhouette with a hat on. It was sunny and I'm not getting skin cancer if I can help it.

I split the batch and added this to half

Notice the color difference between no juice (left) and juice (right), and the weird coagulation happening. I'm sure it's fine. I've seen worse and tasted better.

No juice, close-up

With juice, close-up

Test jar sample of w/ juice. Hey, there's me in the reflection!

I hope you've enjoyed these pictures, but I hope even more that you try my recipe and let me know what you think, what changes you made, and how it goes. And, as always, Be Fermentive!

How I Experience Being As a Homebrewer

The Homebrewer of the Mit-weld

One way of describing the experience of being a homebrewer is that it is all about relationships. As a homebrewer—and, therefore, a human—one is always ever in relationship. As with the world of Being, the world of the homebrewer is a Mit-weld, or “with-world.” One is not a homebrewer in isolation. Rather, one is a homebrewer within and with the world. So, let us consider, for a moment, some essential elements of relationships. Communication? Commonality? Proximity? Purpose? Functionality? Of course! But what roles do these elements of relationships play within the homebrewer-homebrewing-homebrew experience?

From the time of its serendipitous inception, the gift of alcohol and, therefore, brewing, has been an integral part of the interplay and perpetuation of society and culture. I think of the socially reserved indigenous peoples of the Peruvian Andes for whom fermented beverage facilitates an integration of the sexes where none is usually present. This encourages courting rituals among youth and, thus, the continuation of the culture. I also recall the origin of the word, “honeymoon,” one of the oldest idioms known to Western culture. My understanding is that the word is derived from the belief that drinking mead (honey wine) for one whole lunar cycle increased a newlywed couple’s fertility. Although a recent study claims that alcohol does not actually make others appear more attractive, a significant percentage of mothers (and fathers) would not be able to explain their unplanned pregnancies were it not for the reduction of inhibitions (and consciousness) that result from copious amounts of potent potables.  But I digress. The truth is that the predominant role of alcohol in our culture is that of social lubricant. Indeed, if this were not the case, the stigma of drinking alone would be less negative.

Though important, the social aspect of homebrewing is far from the only such relationship experienced by the homebrewer. S/he is also in relationship to a number of other entities, some more directly than others. For example, thoughout the creative process, the homebrewer is in relationship with his or her own cognitive and emotional experience. This is made evident by the out-of-the-box thinking required to come up with beer names like Drye Wit Belgian wheat, Hoppy Hoppy Joy Joy American Brown Ale brewed with almonds, coconut, and cacao nibs, or Stupid Sexy Flanders II Flemish Red, or to use ingredient combinations like pumpkin and blueberries, pineapple and jalapeno, or hibiscus and pomegranate.

The homebrewer is also in relationship with their equipment and their accessibility to resources. One of the prerequisites (I believe) of becoming a homebrewer is the ability to re-purpose materials (‘tinkering’ in the vernacular) for your own ends. This may include the construction of a mash tun from an old picnic cooler and some spare plumbing parts, or converting a chest freezer to be used as a keezer (a freezer that dispenses draft beer). The homebrewer is always on the lookout for cheap or free items that could be used in his or her hobby. This is often far less expensive than purchasing purpose-built equipment, but also increases the fun factor and the sense of accomplishment and ingenuity for the homebrewer. What pieces of equipment have you re-purposed or built from other miscellaneous parts?

The homebrewer also develops a relationship over time with their ingredients, less so as an extract brewer and more as partial mash or all-grain. They become curious about the differences between various malts and how they are produced. They begin to explore hop varieties, perhaps performing trials to attempt to clone a particular commercial brew’s flavor profile, or intrepidly forging their own brilliant combinations. They may also explore yeast strains, including their various characteristics and flavor contributions under different environmental conditions. For some, this curiosity may bloom into multiple hobbies:  gardening, home malting, hop cultivator, yeast rancher, amateur microbiologist, homebrewing blogger, etc. How has this hobby evolved for you? Or influenced your evolution as a person?

These many relationships do not exclude the homebrewer's relationship with nature and the world in general. When one enters the creative world of homebrewing, they become a more sensitive observer of the role of various processes in nature. They become more sensitive to their intersubjective place within these processes. Remember, no one exists in isolation. One influences and is influenced by everything. Be aware. Be apart of the cyclic nature. Be a homebrewer.

Until next time, BE FERMENTIVE, too!

Linkage of Process to Historical Context (A Series): Decoction Mashing

As I sit in my office listening to the subtle harmonies of my bubbling airlocks and the Craft Beer Temple blog show, my thoughts drift to a topic for my next blog entry. Sure, I could go straight to the recipes, but as any good academic knows, one must first explore the philosophy and process of one's craft before throwing caution to the wind and jumping in sight unseen. Although I do not intend for this to be a treatise or a dissertation, I am accustomed to a style of writing in which one begins a work by preparing the reader for what said work will contain, then actually telling the reader the thing for which purpose said work has been written, and finally reviewing what thing was told to the reader in said work. This is a rather tedious style of writing (IMHO) born out of the paranoia of academics that the reader will get it wrong (and they still often do). However, it also serves many additional functions, chief among them increasing the total number of words written and pages filled. But that is not my goal, here (notice I'm not using Courier New font). Rather, I desire to establish a basis for my craft within its historical context, and provide a link to the evolution of my current process. The task of description and linkage may bloom into multiple blog entries, and/or may punctuate sequences of entries on other topics, but I recognize that it is always there in the background and its presence is perceptible through a process of fluctuating transparency.

So, this blog entry and, perhaps, several subsequent entries will review a few traditional brewing methods, and discuss the purpose of their uses (or my interpretation of their uses; I am neither a beer writer/historian nor brewing sciences expert by trade). To preface the following, it is assumed that you, the reader, are already familiar with the basic brewing terminology and process. However, if you are not, I have included some helpful links throughout the text. If questions remain, don't hesitate to ask them and I will try to help or point you in the right direction.

Today, we will cover decoction mashing. "What is decoction mashing?" you may ask and, "why do it?" Rather than casting my bait into waters that have already been over-fished, I will focus more on the "why?" than the "what?" To put it simply, decoction mashing is a process of mashing in which a portion of the mash is removed from the mashing vessel, brought to saccarification temperature, subsequently boiled, and finally returned to the mashing vessel (tun) to raise the overall mash temperature. This time consuming process may take more time than the entire brewday for an extract brewer, and should not be entered into blindly or without proper planning. Truth be told, decoction mashing is not required to produce certain beer styles, and the homebrewer can easily brew great beer without doing a decoction mash. In fact, most (if not all) modern brewing malts are produced with such excellent efficiency and are fully modified so that a simple infusion mash is all that is necessary to convert starches into sugars. "So why do it, Mr. Fermentivity blogger?"

That's a very good question, and one I hope to try to answer. Before telling why I (sometimes) do it, let's gain an understanding of its historical context and why brewers used to do it. Decoction mashing evolved in Europe before the development of modern measuring equipment (thermometers, etc.) Brewers knew that adding water to malted grain and heating it to a certain temperature range over a length of time resulted in the conversion of starches into sugars; however, they had no way to accurately measure and regulate a temperature range between 145F-160F by heating the mash tun directly. They did have two relatively constant reference points though: body temperature, and the physical characteristics of boiling water. Over time, brewers learned that heating the mash to blood temperature, removing a portion and boiling it, and returning that decocted and boiled portion back to the mash (and repeating these steps 2 or 3 times), raised the temperature of the overall mash through a series of temperature steps which resulted in a very fermentable wort. As you may have read in the past, or in some of my links, there exist some variations on the general decoction mashing process, but the result is the same: sweet, very fermentable wort. Now that we have an understanding of why decoction mashing was used within its historical context, let's explore why a homebrewer would want to do it today.

There are many reasons why a homebrewer would use a decoction mash. And you may choose to justify your use of decoction mashing (or not) with any or all of these reasons:
-It's fun to be a part of history and place oneself within a certain context.
-Details are important to you and you aren't happy unless you do it exactly right (whatever that means...).
-You want an excuse to buy more brewing equipment and use the "necessity" of decoction mashing as a way to convince SWMBO to let you.
-You look for any excuse to make your brewday as labor intensive and/or lengthy as possible so you can savor every minute.
-You appreciate the complexity of color and flavor that only a triple decoction can provide to your bohemian pilsner or doppelbock.
-There are others, I'm sure, but I'm getting tired of writing and have other things to do.

Sorry for the abrupt end. Until next time, be fermentive.

Welcome: A Blog With No Name

Hello, and welcome to my blog, "Fermentivity." This blog has multiple aims, mainly because I'm lazy and don't want to keep up with more than one blog devoted to different topics. However, the overarching theme, here, is creativity. Creativity, next to my family and education, is one of my highest values. For me, this value is expressed through a variety of mediums, most actively and prolifically in the form of homebrewing and other fermented beverages and foods. I also enjoy several other culinary crafts including cooking, creating fermented (pickled) foods, and soda making. These--and other artistic forms--may be the subjects of future blog posts. Moving on (I prefer to ramble if possible, and you will find me to be a liberal user of parentheses).

I have been a homebrewer since September '11, and have been a consumer of craft beer for several years prior to my homebrewing adventures. I was turned on to homebrewing by my brother-in-law, who has been brewing for about 3 years now. As of today, I have brewed 31 beers, mainly ales but also a couple of lagers. Some of them have been the same or nearly the same recipe, but (as homebrewers know) one never really homebrews the "same" beer twice.

What I love about homebrewing, like my other interests, is that it efficiently combines the exactness of science with the expressiveness of art. The homebrewer has the option of including as much or as little of both in their expressive experience. The homebrewer is also a witness--if mindful--to the metabletics that result in bringing one to where they are. How did you get to where YOU are? Think about it...were it not for a mistake here, a chance meeting there, where would you be right now? So it goes with homebrewing; things happen, ingredients may be unavailable, one may say "what the hell." But that's homebrewing; we homebrewers are NOTHING if not experimentalists. Why, you may ask? That's simple, because we can! I have brewed some very interesting beers with very dichotomous flavor combinations. For example, I brewed a cream ale (a very light, very drinkable beer), but with jalapeno peppers and pineapple. For some, the beer was described as "life-changing;" others graciously declined to finish the glass. I love to challenge the taste buds, but to do it well with as high quality base beers as possible.

Homebrewers brew because they have a passion for great beer and creativity. Anyone who gets into homebrewing because they believe it to be more economical quickly finds this to be false. It is much easier to buy great beer at the liquor store. I don't want to think about the money I've spent on ingredients, supplies, equipment, and some pretty expensive commercial beers to keep my palette fresh and inspired. But it has been money well spent. I am also a card carrying member of the American Homebrewers Association (AHA), which is the official group of individuals founded by Charlie Papazian, the Godfather of homebrewing. So, I'm rambling again, and I want to publish this initial post before I go to bed. So here it is. If you've read this far, you are a trooper and true beer lover. Please post your comments, requests, suggestions, or grammatical corrections. More postings will follow including recipes, brewdays, discussion topics, and inspirations. Maybe the occasional haiku. Anyway, enjoy!

Until next time, BE FERMENTIVE!