www.brewerman.com

It’s time to brew the Cloud Cover winter ale for the first time since 2004. This winter ale was last brewed two winters ago before the new year with my buddy, Chris Mack (miss ya Chris). Chris taught me how to brew in Seattle with a version of this beer based upon an attempt at cloning Deschutes Jubelale with some tweaks. Ours was to be a little less sweet, a bit more roasty, a bit more hop. A hoppy, roasty, winter warmer. It tasted amazing. That was the beer that got me hooked on home brewing.

Chris and I brewed together up until I moved to Bend, OR. about two and a half years ago. Since he had the all-grain equipment, and the recipe calls for a significant amount of must-mash grains, I didn’t brew the Cloud Cover last year. I still don’t have the all-grain setup I’m gunning for, but I’ve done enough preparation to do a partial mash extract version. Plus, I’m not willing to go another year with no Cloud Cover. This year’s version will be made with Rogue’s Pac Man yeast. One smack pack has been hiding in the back of my refrigerator, and it puffed up nicely despite the age. I’ve dumped it into a starter made with 1.25 cups of light DME yesterday, and it’s been pretty active.

I’m going to do a partial mash method specified in Brew Your Own. I will be posting the recipe in BeerXML format as soon as it is ready, and will add to this posting after each step.

Continue Reading »

I usually steer clear of the rumor mill thing, but I found the story interesting enough to fuel that gossip fire by passing it along to anyone who finds their way to this corner of the brewniverse. It would seem that over the past week or so, several internet sites had been talking about a rumor, apparently started by a Brazilian news story, was in preliminary merger talks with Anheuser Busch. The story was attributed to a source close to current InBev directors. Now I remember last week reading up about the moves that Anheuser Busch has been making trying to funnel more and more import brands into its distributor network over the past year. This is a whole new move that pumped up the stock and would ultimately result in one big mammajamma of a brewing company

InBev is the world€™s largest brewer by volume. Anheuser Busch is the largest by sales. That’s a whole lot of beer under one world-wide roof.

Reuters has a good overview of the rumored Anheuser Busch - InBev merger.

The Pike Brewing Company is a well-established micro out of Seattle, WA. Located by the Pike Market, this brewery has recently been sold back to its original founders, Charles and Roseanne Finkel, and I’m glad to hear it. These guys know the beer business. Charles Finkel is a pioneer in the early days of the craft brew industry. He started both Pike Brewing Company and Merchant Du Vin, a specialty beer importer back in the days before the American beer palate was what it is today.

Because Pike Pale Ale has always been a staple in our house, I’m glad it is in capable hands. It is among my wife’s favorites, and we both liked it enough to serve it at our wedding. A straight-forward ale, it has a slightly assertive hop presence (but not too much), with a balanced aroma. Just a good tasting beer. Not much to say, except that it’s hard to find in central Oregon.

Appearance: A nice amber, with a just a bit of haze. Smell: Both malt and hop hit at the same time. A very balanced aroma. Although there is some citrus, it’s not the in-your-face grapefruit that many NW pale and IPA’s exhibit. A slight hint of cotton-candy? Taste: Caramelized malt, distinct hop bitterness, slight pear or apple in the background. Clean flavor with a nice lingering bitterness at the end. Mouthfeel: Light-medium bodied. Drinkability: A highly drinkable beer. This isn’t a sit-down-for-an-hour-as-the-beer-opens-up kind of brew. It is a great work-horse beer that both my wife and I like to keep well-stocked.