Quickies

20 Things to Know to Make Great Beer, pt 1 (Beer College)

Pick Punch, the personal pick maker

DIY Juice to Alcohol Kit (Think Geek)

 

Drinking Whiskey and Rye

Rye whiskey is perhaps best known to most Americans through Don McClean’s reference to it in the chorus of “American Pie.” That aside is one of the few blips on the national radar that rye made for many, many years, until homebrewing and craft brewing took off. Since then rye whiskey has slowly started to creep back. It is a unique, American whiskey style, one of the three whiskey styles America introduced (The others being Bourbon and Tennessee).

Like much of America’s drinking history, one must look at two eras, Pre-Prohibition and Post-Prohibition, to understand rye whiskey’s former glory. There was once a lot more rye whiskey before 1919 because of the age old basics of supply and demand. Pre-Prohibition grains like rye were more prevalent, and there weren’t massive corn subsidies being given to farmers. Additionally when the British would act up and put tariffs, embargoes and shortages on other spirits, like rum for example, colonials figured out a way to make booze in the New World on their own. Many different species of rye, like Sunnyside and Pennsylvania, developed unique, regional varieties of rye whiskey. This flourished after the Revolution and continued right up until the ugly, dark cloud of the 18th Amendment. Then a lot of distillers went under or tried to adapt to other kinds of manufacturing, similar to American beer brewers of that time.

After Prohibition was a different day with a different kind of country. Farm subsidies had begun and corn was king. Thus corn overtook rye in whiskey production. Alcohol production exploded, but some kinds of spirits, most especially rye whiskey, took a back seat (Hard cider suffered a similar setback as American pale lagers became the go-to beverage for most Americans).

Rye dwindled to but a handful of distillers, notably Old Overholt. The recent decade saw its slow, gradual return to consciousness. Wild Turkey and Jim Beam offer rye varieties, for example. What makes it rye whiskey? Quite simply, this (From Title 27 of Federal Regs):

(1)(i) ``Bourbon whisky'', ``rye whisky'', ``wheat whisky'', ``malt
whisky'', or ``rye malt whisky'' is whisky produced at not exceeding
160[deg] proof from a fermented mash of not less than 51 percent corn,
rye, wheat, malted barley, or malted rye grain, respectively, and stored
at not more than 125[deg] proof in charred new oak containers; and also
includes mixtures of such whiskies of the same type.

The flavor of rye whiskey is spicier and more bitter than corn whiskey. Like all whiskey whether you take it neat or on the rocks is up to you. Many people of course like to shoot it and pretend to be cowboys. Rye whiskey makes a good mixer though. Here are some examples:

Admiral – vermouth, lemon and rye

Birth Control – gin + rye

Dr. Pecker – cola, cranberry-raspberry juice and rye

Ghetto Blaster – Kahlua, Metaxa, tequila and rye

Horse Piss – 7-Up, sweet and sour and rye

Maybe you’re a whiskey drinker, you like the burn, but you want more spice? A little more kick? Then rye just might be what the doctor ordered? Perhaps you’d like to taste some American history? Again, try some rye. It’s no where near what it once was in our national liquor cabinet, but rye whiskey is back there, just waiting for you to break it out.

For more info, check these Rye Whiskey Links:

http://www.imbibemagazine.com/The-Comeback-Kid-Rye-Whiskey

http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/get-cfr.cgi?TITLE=27&PART=5&SECTION=22&TYPE=TEXT

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rye_whiskey

http://cocktails.about.com/od/spirits/a/about_whiskey.htm

http://www.barnonedrinks.com/drinks/by_ingredient/r/rye-whiskey-779.html

 

Scotch

The cork opens. Golden, transparent liquid flows from the dark-green glass bottle, splashing into a crystal tumbler. No ice. How about you, ice? On the rocks? Sure! Tumblers clink. A salute. A toast. Two buddies, old pals, sharing a symbol of brotherhood. They sip. The glasses are set down.

The TV glows in the background, hung on a wall. Sports. The game. We’re only three points down. We can come back. Six minutes is a long time. So what about the kids? They’re alright. Yours? My son’s obsessed with Legos and the girl is crying her eyes out over a boy. I am not ready for that to start happening. Neither am I. She’ll get over it. Oh sure, first love. I remember mine. Me too. Cindy. Angie. Hey we got the ball again!

How old is this stuff? 12 years. Not bad. Where we we when this stuff was put in the barrel? We were in college. State. You were seeing that one girl then. Ah yeah, right, Evelyn. Yep, the Women’s Studies major. Right.

Oh okay, I remember now. That was the same year we went to that St. Patty’s Day party, you know, the one where you had too much beer, and decided it would be a good idea to run up the hood of a car and see if you could clear it? What? Yeah you said you were Evel Knievel on feet. Oh my God, yes, that was so embarrassing! I was so stupid. You know I didn’t feel anything but a headache and a few bruises the next day? Wow, you took a header too. Yeah I know. To be that young again. It was like I was made of rubber.

This is good stuff, by the way. 12 year huh? Oh yeah, I love this brand. You should have the 18. I got some for my brother last year. Pricey but worth every penny. He loves it. Oh come on! That penalty was bullshit! The officiating this game is gonna screw us. Sure is.

You know, that year was the first time I ever saw a dead body? Was it? Yep. My buddy’s dad died. You remember Ed Stasiak? Hmm, I think so. Ed had the old Mustang, that one with the hood scoop and white racing stripes. We lived down the street from each other. Ah okay, Ed! Yeah, I remember when his dad passed. Yep, so I went to the wake for Ed. He wasn’t have a good time of it. His dad and him rebuilt that car together. They took it to car shows. But yeah, there was Ed, and there was his dad. Laid out. He looked like he was made of wax. He was a short guy, really energetic, but he also smoked, and… Yeah, that’ll do it to you. Right. But to see his old man down there in that box was eerie. I thought any second he’d wake up and pop out, say hello and ask where his Luckies and glass of Macallan were.

I think we got this one! What? Yeah, he just threw it, they’re going! Go! Go! He made it! We won! We got this in the bag! Nice.

Well I’m ready for another, how about you? Sure. I’m telling you if you love this 12 year you gotta try the 18. Alright, buddy.

 

Beerstory: St. Arnold of Soissons

A common misquote of Benjamin Franklin is the saying, “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” It’s not true he actually said that (He did say something like that about wine), but beer wasn’t always the bane of temperance movements and other killjoys. Centuries ago it was some of the most sanitary stuff you could drink, and it was the clergy who helped develop its brewing.

With that, and the fact that most people couldn’t read a long time ago, trades like brewing fell unto the clergy to learn, practice and teach. In particular are the monastic cultures of Belgium, and among them the patron saint of hops pickers and Belgian brewers, St. Arnold of Soissons. Thus going back to St. Arnold’s time and up through today, brewing is still a godly practice, done by monks such as the Trappists. Trappist ales are considered some of the strongest, most flavorful beers in the world. They honed techniques like double and triple fermentation to produce extra sugars, frothy golden pigments and fruity undertones in their beers. Some of the finest, most expensive and strongest beer on Earth comes right out of Belgian monasteries. The figurehead for such artistry in brewing is St. Arnold.

For such an honorific title, St. Arnold was, as best as history can recount, a very humble and shy man. He began public life as a hermit before reluctantly accepting a position as abbot at the Benedictine St. Medard’s Abbey in Soissons, France. He later rose to bishop and when his see came into conflict with another bishop, so pacifist was he that he voluntarily retired.

He went to the abbey of Oudenberg, and this is where is brewing is supposed to have started. He is known for improving the brewing process, by inventing filters to help separate impurities and better transfer wort into finished beer. St. Arnold also has his own miracle legend ascribed to him, depicted as thus:

Following the collapse of the roof of an abbey brewery in Flanders, the good Saint Arnold of Soissons asked God to multiply the stores of beer which were left for the monk’s consumption. When Arnold’s prayer was answered in abundance, the monks and townspeople were prepared to canonize him on the spot. (From Beer History’s “Patron Saints of Beer”)

Today St. Arnold is a regular mascot for modern microbrews, like St Arnold down in Texas. He is usually depicted with a mashing rake and wheat. I’m not sure what the armor is about in the painting over there, but I guess maybe he had to fight dragons at times too. Or he just liked to LARP. Anyway that is one of several patron saints of brewing, and an example of how making alcohol is in many cases a religiously-sanctioned practice. Suck it, teetotalers.

 

Randy Rhoads Wine

I wonder if Randy Rhoads was a cab-sav guy? His sister sure must be, because Kathryn Rhoads D’Argenzio, proprietor of D’Argenzio Winery and Randy Rhaods’ sister, is making a Cabernet Sauvignon in her brother’s honor.

From her press release: “In tribute to my brother Randy Rhoads, I would like to dedicate this special limited release Cabernet Sauvignon in honor of his legacy, memory, and my devoted love.”

Blabbermouth has more words about D’Argenzio’s winery and such, but I think it’ s more touching and important that his sister is making this small gesture for him. She lost the poor guy way back in 82, and though guitarists like me still spin the hell out of Blizzard of Ozz and learn neoclassical guitar licks, it’s Kathryn and her relatives who have had to go every day without their brother/son/friend/relative for nearly 30 years. Plus I can enjoy a nice cab-sav from time to time, though I’m not much of a wine drinker. The product is a nice, new way to remember Randy by someone who was very close to him. I hope it does well for D’Argenzio and her business.

*For the uninitiated, Randy Rhoads was the guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne from about 1980-1982. They made two, well-known albums together, which are considered the best of Ozzy’s solo work. Randy died in a plane crash when the pilot, who was hotdogging, stalled and crashed. From Randy came a new wave of guitarists who incorporated classical music motifs into their playing, due to Randy’s extensive classical guitar background. The Jackson Randy Rhoads guitar was also made with by his specifications and continues to be a best-seller for that company.

 

Mead, the Drink of Thor

For the life of me there are just certain kinds of alcohol I can’t understand why aren’t more popular. Cider is one, which I’ve mentioned before in very early posts on this blog. Another is mead. It never fails, anytime I bring up mead in conversation or have it in tow for a party, I get odd stares. So to make it easy for everyone, here’s the run-down on mead. If anyone ever wants to know the basics, this is a good reference.

1. What is mead?

It’s a honey wine made from basically water, yeast and honey. The honey is fermented just like any other alcoholic beverage. When mead is just this simple recipe it’s usually called Show Mead. If you use a fast-acting fermentation process it’s called Short Mead. Trojniak is a Polish recipe that is very easy; it’s 2 parts water for every 1 part of honey.

2. What other kinds of mead exist?

Mead is really old and made in many places, from Europe, to Africa to North America. There are Mexican recipes, Ethopian versions, and so on. Most famously it’s associated with the Vikings, particularly from references made to it in the sagas and Beowulf. There are meads that are basically white wines with a lot of honey in them. Some mead can be made into a liqueur (Krupnik, for example, another Polish drink), and others can be partially frozen and served as honey jack. Still others add spices and fruit, and you can create mulled drinks with mead that are like hot, spiced cider or gluhwein (pronounced, “glue-wine.”).

3. When/Where is a good time to drink mead?

Anytime you want to drink. Typically if mead is in your local grocery store at all, it’s by the sake or dessert wines. Because it’s made with honey this often associates it with such beverages. This doesn’t limit it though and mead is great with certain foods just like any other wine, and fine for any course. Mead is also particularly appropriate as a celebratory drink. For example in the ceremony sumbal, an ancient toasting ritual, the old Scandinavian pagans would toast their accomplishments and bless each other with good fortune in the future. Though most don’t practice the sumbal anymore, mead is right for toasts and rituals of any kind.

4. How drunk will it get me?

Your typical bottle of Chaucer’s is 11.8% by volume. Basically it’s equivalent to a normal glass of wine or a particularly strong Trappiste or Belgian ale. One bottle will get you pretty ripped, and it’s better tasting than some crappy wine cooler, ice cooler thing, hard lemonade or other piece of crap sugar drink.

5. Where can I get it?

Whole Foods normally carries Chaucer’s in standard show mead formula or raspberry flavor. Chaucer’s is the most widely distributed mead I’ve encountered, and it’s average at best. A Google Shopping search turns up plenty of other products along with the Chaucer’s stuff, and premium wine and liquor stores will probably carry a few bottles. The other, and probably best source are neopagans – as in your Wiccans, Asatruar, etc. These guys spend lots of time brewing their own beer, cider and mead as part of their rituals and culture. If you happen to know one, make friends, keep and open mind and maybe one of them will let you in on their stash.

6. Where can I learn more?

Wikipedia and Got Mead are two broad sources that will tell you more than you wanted to know. Go check it out, and listen to this kick-ass Amon Amarth video while you’re at it.

Oh and remember the proper toasts for mead – “Brost!” (German) “Skaal!” (Swedish)