found drama

get oblique

Hazy IPAs: a perfect storm for diacetyl?

by Rob Friesel

While I’m still settling into my new Seattle home, I’ve tried to keep my brewing chops sharp through… let’s call it academic research. In other words, even though I’m dying to get my first Seattle brew under my belt, I haven’t figured out all of the ins-and-outs to getting there so I have settle for reading articles and watching HomebrewCon videos. Anyway — more to the point of the title here: one of the things I realized along the way is that Hazy (“New England”) style IPAs seem to be a perfect storm for diacetyl.

one of my own hazy IPAs which was NOT a diacetyl bomb but I also don't want to throw any commercial breweries under the bus so we'll use this one

[Epistemic status: most statements backed up with citations, but some claims are speculative.]

Continue reading →

Homebrew #83: Mashers Scotch Ale

by Rob Friesel

Wherein I write about this beer belatedly, and with some distance. But with some distance (both temporal and geographic), it seems like I’d better write about this one for the sake of completeness, lest my trans-continental move-related homebrewing hiatus cause everyone to think I’ve disappeared. In any event, here’s a little story about the Mashers Scotch Ale that I pretty much just fermented a few gallons of.

Mashers Scotch Ale
Continue reading →

Farewell, Vermont

by Rob Friesel

Our original plan was never to stay. We came for Amy’s graduate school, with every expectation that we would be gone in four or five years so she could chase a post-doc and then a tenure-track role after that.

But that’s not how things shook out, and all the subsequent decisions — large and small — accreted into a 17 year stint that looked like it might keep us here for good.

But that’s not how things shook out either.

Continue reading →

Homebrew #88: Sorry Karl (Mk. III)

by Rob Friesel

With spring’s warm weather on the way, I was looking forward to a crisp pale beer to enjoy after mowed lawns and spread mulch and balmy garage brew days. Last spring’s big hit was that cream ale Uncle Rico, but with three more years of brewing and about two years of judging under my belt, I felt like it was finally time to take another crack at a Kölsch. Thus, the triumphant return of Sorry Karl.

Sorry Karl is a Kölschlich
Continue reading →

2019 Greg Noonan Memorial Homebrew Competition Results

by Rob Friesel

I went even bigger than last year — with 17 entries across beers, ciders, and meads in the 2019 Greg Noonan Memorial Homebrew Competition. Had an excellent showing overall, as well as the added privilege of getting to judge in two categories (i.e., Saison; Smoked and Wood-Aged Beer).

My medals for the 2019 Greg Noonan Memorial Homebrew Competition
Continue reading →

Homebrew #85: Alt, Jung, Es Ist Alles Gut

by Rob Friesel

An Altbier was on the list of styles to brew, but it wasn’t high on that list. But then a friend from the Mashers threw down the collaboration gauntlet for NHC. “What should we brew?” We settled on Altbier, each made a recipe, compared notes, mixed and matched, and… Alt, Jung, Es Ist Alles Gut was born.

that is an altbier
Continue reading →

Homebrew #86: I.H.O.B.

by Rob Friesel

Rolling out of Creighton’s Quip, it seemed a waste to just toss a perfectly good, healthy, and large yeast cake. What better to do with it than re-pitch onto an Irish Extra Stout — one that I’ll call “International House of Beverage”1 or I.H.O.B. for short:

Continue reading →
  1. Quick back story on the name: “International House of Beverage” was the nickname for “International Beverage” — which was (is?) a liquor store in Lexington Park, MD, and was one of our main sources of quaffables during college at St. Mary’s. Anyway, when my friend Mark returned from Australia raving about Sheaf Stout, “I.H.O.B.” was where we found it. So it seemed only fitting that an Irish Extra Stout (of which Sheaf is listed as a classic example) should get such a name. [↩]

Homebrew #84: Creighton’s Quip

by Rob Friesel

This year, I thought that a good ol’ fashioned Irish Red Ale in time for St. Patrick’s Day seemed like just the thing to have on draft. Reading through the style guide, I thought that a dry and slightly grainy interpretation of the style would suit me. That’s what brings us to Creighton’s Quip:1

Creighton's Quip
Continue reading →
  1. There’s a long story behind the name, but needless to say that this moniker is a lot more family-friendly than the one that I started with. [↩]