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Episode 16: Doggie Style Pale Ale - What’s my mutha*** name

We're moving the blog, we'll keep this running for a while. You can view the full post at the new site.

Episode 15: Liberty Ale - An offer you can't refuse

We're moving the blog, we'll keep this running for a while. You can view the full post at the new site

Episode 14: Sam Adams Boston Ale - Back to Boston

Its been a few since we've posted a new show, but we are back with a vengeance this week with the start of our American Pale Ale (APA) series and Sam Adams Boston Ale. A widely distributed beer that everyone should be able to get, Sam Adams is a great first step in the series.

News

A news story from the great state of Wisconsin this week where breweries decided to reenact the Boston Tea Party by dumping a keg of their beer into the Milwaukee to protest new legislation regarding small brewers. I will be honest, I didn’t really read what the legislation was about, I was too upset over all the spilled beer.

A Little History Lesson...

• American pale ales come from British origins and its cousin the English pale ale.
• In general, this style is going to be a very balanced style, resulting in a not to hoppy, but not to malty taste.
• This in large part is a function of the ingredients
• When craft brewing started to gain some ground on the west coast, brewers wanted to give the public something that they enjoyed
• They decided to turn to British Ales, but could not afford to ship the ingredients from Britain

Sam Adams Boston Ale

• Weighing in at 4.94% ABV, this beer is very easy to find. In fact if you can’t find this beer, shame on you for six weeks
• More copper in color than the beers we looked at previously
• A balance taste, but much more pronounced hop or bitter flavor
• You can tell it is different than the lagers we have talked about, it's a bit heavier and has a definite aftertaste

Next week

Next week we will be talking about the Godfather of the craft brewing industry, Fritz Maytag and Anchor Brewing Company and his Liberty Ale. So be sure to tune in next week!

Episode 13: Unlucky

Well Jim was traveling this past week so we didn't record a show, so here is a non-show.

We'll be back next week with the start of our pale ale series. Take this time to catch up on the archives over in the sidebar, or even leave a comment and tell us your favorite Pale Ale so we can include it in our next series.

Episode 12: Gumballhead - I sat in gum

In this episode we look at our pinnacle Hefeweizen Gumballhead. It's brewed by Three Floyds and if you can get it buy it immediately. Also, Kurt, the lead singer of Spotus left us a mesage asking us to cover Dreamweaver Wheat from Troegs in PA, however since it isn’t widely distributed, we are going to skip that for now. However, we do want your suggestions on what Pale Ales to cover. Be a helpful hand and make our lives easy so we don’t have to come up with ideas. Just leave a comment to this post

News

Just in time for summer, the often mention Rustico has gotten in a little hot water with the state of Virgina for making beer Popsicles. Apparently you have to serve the beer as soon as it is poured in the state of VA, which makes freezing it on a stick kind of tough.

Gumballhead

• Made at Three Flyods Brewing Company in Munster, Indiana which is a rather small but well thought of brewery. It opened in 1996 in Hammond Indiana, but made the move to the new place in 2000 to increase capacity for their tasty beers.
• Distribution is small, only ten states; Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia , Wisconsin
• As for the beer, it is classified as an American Pale Wheat Ale, which is a little off from the hefeweizen class that we have been looking at, but we will call it close enough. It’s only about 4.8% abv and is not available year round.
• The taste, well is a little bit different than the past few that we have had here. It is a lot more hoppy, or bitter, in my opinion, which is something that you usually do not get in a wheat beer. However that being said, you also still have the banana aroma and some of the spice characteristics that we have seen the last few weeks.

Next Week

Well that wraps up our wheat series, although we may revisit it at some point in the future. Next week we are moving on to American Pale Ales, which is going to be a few more shows that normal. We will be starting with Michelob Pale Ale and working our way up from there. Or as Jim goes cross country to impress a girl, we may have to take the week off. Stay tuned.

Episode 11: Hoegaarden- Oh I've got Hoes

This week we look at Hoegaarden a beer from Germany, that you can get anywhere.

News

Well for those of you who don’t know what Guinness is, for shame I say. However for those of you who do know that it is a Irish Stout brewed in Ireland, you may be interested to know that it may no longer be brewed in the historic brewery, where it has been been brewed since 1759.

Hoegaarden

• Hoegaarden Brewery founded in 1966 in Hoegaarden, which is in Flanders Belgium, by Pierre Celis, so it is a relatively new brewery to the region, being that most of the breweries there are from the 1500’s.
• Currently it is owned by InBev, the biggest brewing company in the world!
• In other words, you can get this just about anywhere.
• The beer itself, Hoegaarden Original White Ale, is typically the beer that you can find on tap at most decent beer bars, with a blue handle and a yellow and white top.
• The vitals on this beer are 4.9% ABV, which is a little lower than last weeks beer.
• This is a very cloudy, white beer. In fact it almost looks like a Coors light would look like if they left the yeast in it.
• The taste however is not the taste of Coors light. It has a much more carbonated than last weeks beer, although not as much as the Pilsner Urquell that we talked about before. Again though you should taste some citrus and spices in this beer, although nothing overwhelming.

Next week

We have come to the end of a series after the next show. For the pinnacle here we are going to be talking about Gumballhead Beer from Three Flyods Brewing Company.

Episode 10: Shiner Hefe-Weizen - Don't Mess with Texas

This week we look at the beer I think of when I think of Texas, Shiner Hefe-Weizen.

News

More of a general story today, something that I have been hearing a lot in the past couple weeks, and that is that because of the rise in ethanol use for fuel, the cost of beer may be going up. This is due to the fact that they use some of the same ingredients, such as corn…thats all really, discuss amongst yourselves.

Shiner Hefe-Weizen

• The beer we are talking about today is Shiner Hefe-Weizen, produced by Spoetzl Brewing Company in Shiner, Texas. This is also the oldest independent brewery in Texas, having been incorporated in 1909.
• You can find it in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin
• The vitals: 5.6% ABV, brewed year round.
• The look: hazy, which is exactly how it should look.
• The taste: Actually I find it rather citrusy, a lot of orange seems to come through.
• This beer is not pasteurized, which means it is not heated up right after bottling, so the yeast should be alive in the bottle.
• The label on this one is also pretty cool, it has a character on it named Flip, which at first is a little trippy because he looks like a guy with to head attached at the top of the head.

Next Week

Our next show, we will be hopping across the pond again to look at some imported version of hefeweizens, in particular Hogarden, a beer that most people should be able to get on tap at some of the nicer bars. We will also briefly talk about some other imports such as Franziskaner and Paulener Hefewies beer.

Episode 9: Blue Moon – You saw me standing alone

Back to the macro brews with Blue Moon and Wheat beers. This series should put you in the summertime mood.

News

Two of our listeners got engaged a few weeks ago, so George and Jerry, congrats. We will be working on a “Your Next Beer: Extreme Wedding Edition” for you.

And in other wedding news, Jake’s sister and Podcast listener Rachel got married to Shawn on Saturday, June 2.

Hefeweizen/Wheat Beers

• Wheat beers are traditionally brewed with, you guessed it, wheat.
• The term hefeweizen actually comes from the German words "hefe" meaning yeast and "weizen" meaning wheat.
• Often times you may see these beers with a slice of lemon or an orange. Some people will tell you that is blasphemy, some will be accepting.
• Another note on pouring, these are unfiltered which means they are cloudy. Good hefewizens will tell you on the bottle to pour about half of it, then to swirl the bottle to “rouse the yeast” and then pour the rest.

Blue Moon

• Blue Moon, made officially by, get this, Blue Moon Brewing Company. Translated from marketing speak to normal speak, that means Moslon-Coors of Canada.
• Being that this is a Coors product, you can get this anywhere. In fact if you can’t get this product I would be amazed.
• This beer was actually first made at the Sandlot, the brewery located at Coors Field in Colorado. It has won a few awards, including a Gold Medal at the 1995 World Beer Championship and two silver medals one at 1996 and one at 1997 World Beer Championships, all in the White Beer Category.
• The vital statistics here, about 5.4% abv, brewed from barley, white wheat, and oats. Kind of orangy and hazy in color.
• As for the taste, well Jim has always thought this to be a little soapy in flavor really. There is a sweetness to this beer though that is much different than the past couple weeks, definitely an orangy flavor, but also a bit spicy, like coriander or clove.

Next Week

We will be looking at American craft Hefeweizen. Depending on where you are, look to pick up Pyramid Brewing Company, Shiner or Sam Adams.

Episode 8: Morimoto Imperial Pilsner - Domo Arigato

In this episode we hit the top of our Pilsner series with Morimoto Imperial Pilsner. Another chance for me to try describe the taste of a beer, since Jim can't get it in Chicago all of a sudden.

News

Pizza, get your pizza beer here. A Chicago brewpub is making a beer out of pizza. From what the news story says, they are making a beer with real pizza in it. I guess pizza and beer are good together, but this is ridiculous.

Morimoto Imperial Pilsner

• Rogue Brewing Company is based out of Newport, Oregon and opened in 1988 making it a pioneer in craft brewing. They are known for their penchant for more experimental beer styles.
• Rogue is available in most places including: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin. Yeah, thats a lot of states.
• Weighs in at an impressive 8.8% abv, which for a Pilsner is very strong. Which also means think before you try to operate your car after downing one of these.
• It’s made from four ingredients: water, yeast, French Pilsner Malt, and Sterling hops.
• As for the taste…think kind of citrus, but not like chewing on an orange, more like a mild grapefruit. You may also taste some more sweetness here that we haven't found in other Pilsners.
• Also, a quick note about the bottle, its a cool 750 ml cermanic bottle with a swing top.
• Now if you can’t get this beer, there are several other Double/Imperial Pilsners out there including Golden Shower from Dogfish Head, or you may want to go into your local micro brewery like Rock Bottom, sometimes if they have an adventurous brewer they may try something like this.

Next Week

We are moving on to a new style, Hefeweizen this style is great for the summer, and if your listening to us in the Northern Hemisphere, it's summer. We'll start our journey in this style with Blue Moon from Coors Brewing Company. You should be able to get this beer just about anywhere.

Episode 7: Victory Prima Pils - It's Gold Jerry

Time for my favorite beer, Victory Prima Pils. Plus in this episode we talk about glassware. Yes we are kind of metrosexual that way.

The Pilsner Glass

What do you drink Plisners out of? A Pilsner Glass you say, no! Check out the ever present Wikipedia, which has an article. These are typically tall, skinny tapered 12-ounce glasses. Think about a champagne flute but without the stem and for beer. The tall glass helps to show off the bubbles and the head of the beer.

Target has a bunch, my favorite is the Luigi Bormioli doesn't that just sound cool?

Prima Pils

• From Victory Brewing Company in Downingtown, PA, a town between Harrisburgh and Philly.
• You can get Victory products in; Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Texas, Colorado, California, Washington, and Oregon. In other words, it has pretty wide distribution.
• Prima Pils is one of the companies flagship beers. It is around 5.3% ABV and is brewed year round. This is even an award winning beer, or so Victory's Website would have us believe. It is on Details Magazine top ten best summer beer list last year, Mens Journals Top Lager Worldwide in 2005
• Again, we are climbing up the hop ladder here again, and you could probably tell that by looking at the bottle. Remember, hops tend to mean bitter.
• The crispness of this beer really make it a great summer beer, one that tastes great after mowing the lawn or just sitting outside on a hot summer evening.

Next Week

We will be closing out this series with an Imperial or Double Pilsner. We will be talking primarily about Morimoto Imperial Pilsner from Rouge Brewing Company. You can get it on tap in the Washington, D.C. area at Rustico.

Episode 6: Pilsner Urquell - Czech Baby Czech Baby 1-2-3

We take a step backward in this episode to look a the origin of the species: Pilsner Urquell. Hear Jim and I butcher Czech names all through the episode.

News

VEGITARIAN ALERT - Guiness is not a vegitarian beer. Or so says the Vegitarian Society that recently released a list of food that was not considered vegitarian safe.

Pislner Urquell

• Pilsner Urquell, the first Pilsner beer, sitting at around 4.40% ABV. Comes in a green bottle with a nice foil label. Have been using the same reciepe since 1842, developed by Josef Groll. Yes, this is the night we butcher Czech names.
• The name "Urquell" even means "Original Source"
• Pretty straight foward ingredient list.
• Taste - Very carbonated, and a little more bitter than you may be used to if you are drinking light beers.
• This is a nationally distributed beer, so you should be able to
get it anywhere.
• Other imports that are simlar to this one include Spaten Pilsner from Germany and Budvar/Czechvar from the Czech Republic.

Our next show

• Up the ladder a rung to micro brews - Victory Prima Pils.
• If you can't get Victory, you may also want to look for Goose Island Pislner, Sierra Nevada Summerfest, or Brooklyn Pilsner. If you can't find one of those, try your local microbrew and see if they have a pilsner.

Episode 5: Budwiser - It's good to be the king

This episode looks at an old favorite, Pilsners. If you have drank a beer in your life you probably have had a pilsner. Hopefully this show will take you from a light pilsner to a regular good old pilsner.

A quick shout to Lance Meyers who is listening to the show from Iraq. Jim was so excited to hear we have a listener over-there he called me at work. Thanks for listening and more importantly thanks for serving.

Also want to thank Spotus for the intro music.

News

• This week, May 13th thru the 20th, is American Craft Beer week
• Beer is a big industry in the U.S. The industry employes over 1.7 million people, paying over 55 billion in wages and benefits and over 5.2 billion in taxes. More stats over at Beer Servers America

Pilsner Background

• Lager beer, brewed first in the town of Pilsen which is in current day Czech Republic, or whatever they are calling it these days.
• Smooth beer, often times with a much more hoppy (bitter) flavor. A sharp yellow or golden color, very clear. A highly carbonated beer. Generally about 5% ABV.
• First true pilsner brewed was Pilsner Urquell, which we will be talking about on a later show.

Budweiser

Once again the theme of the show is what your next beer should be, and we are starting with the premise that most people drink the light versions of the big three, not the regular old Pilsner version.

• Some examples, MGD, Coors Orignal, and Budwesier. Oh yeah, and Iron City Beer as well.
• While Budlight is the Number 1 selling beer in the US, Budwesier is #2.
• With Bud, you should be finding a little bit of sweetness from the malt that goes away in a hurry.
• Important thing to note of about some of the mass produced beer, it may have corn or rice in it instead of or in addition to barley. This is done to save money and to give the beer a little more crisp flavor and much less bitterness.
• Note about beechwood aging. Imagine through beer on Popsicle sticks.
• These don't really have to much of a bitter flavor or taste for the matter, HOWEVER they are more bitter than the light versions of the beer and do have a little bit of taste to them.

Next Show

Up the ladder a rung to the originals of the styles, Pilsner Urquell, Spaten, and Budvar/Czechvar.

Episode 4: Boston Lager - This is the beer

In episode four we talk about Sam Adams Boston Lager. No matter where you fall on the map this week, you should be able to get this beer. We rambled on a bit, but we hear people like that hopefully almost 16 minutes isn't to long.

News

First off, we want to remind everyone that May 13th thru the 20th is American Craft Beer week. Go find a brewery and have a beer!

Second, Miller is rolling out a Mexican Style Beer called Miller Chill. This beer contains a "hint of salt and lime." So far, reviews say that it tastes very artificial. However, if you want a cocktail with lime and salt try a Michelada

Boston Lager

• This weeks offering comes from Boston Brewing Company (Sam Adams) the fifth largest brewery in the country this year, moving up two spots from last year.
• You may recognize the goofy looking guy Jim Koch in the commercials.
• Again, it's an American Lager, which means it is going to have a pretty good balance of malt and hops, but still be rather crisp.
• This most certainly tastes different between bottle and draft. The draft is a bit more hoppy.

Our next show

We will be moving to something completely different with the next show. We will be starting the Pilsner series, which still falls under the lager category but is a little more specific. We will be starting with Budweiser/Miller/Coors versions of Pilsners, and working our way up from there in the following weeks.

Episode 3: Yuengling, the beer that's fun to spell

In episode three we talk about Yuengling. It's sort of hometown beer for all of PA where we are from. We know we are breaking the rules a bit by talking about a beer without nationwide distribution, but hey it's our show

News

Slow week for news, however coming up on the horizon is the American Craft Beer Week May 13th-20th. Good excuse to go have a beer.

Yuengling Lager

• Means "Young Man" in German
• From Pottsville, PA and available in Alabama, Delware, Florida,
Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, PA, South Carolina, Virginia, and DC.
• If you don't see it now, you may in the future because this is the
6th biggest brewery in the country, right behind Boston Beer Company. Known as America's Oldest Brewery.
• Great first step beer, it actaully has some taste, but isn't too
impossing, not huge on bitterness or on sweetness (hoppyness of maltyness).
• A beer we grew up with: If you are in PA you just order a "Lager"

Next Show

We stay on the east coast for our next show and talk about Sam Adam's Boston Lager, we promise this time.

Episode 2: Two Beers to Rule them All

In Episode two Jim educates us on the two main categories of beer: ales and lagers.

We talk about the difference between the two styles from production to taste. Since most Ales are alike and most Lagers are alike if you know you like one type more than another you can quickly eliminate 1/2 of the beers on a big beer menu.

The Next Show

Next time we start into "real" shows we will be looking at beer one in the American Lager series.

For the next three or four weeks we will be talking about American Lagers and hopefully introducing you to some great new beers.

We are on iTunes

So now we are famous we are on iTunes. You can subscribe directly with iTunes, but if it's all the same to you, please use the link on the right - it helps us keep track of subscribers.

One thing you can do on iTunes is tell a friend about the podcast. We all know people who like beer and have about 10 minutes to spare, so let's let them know!

Also don't be shy, post your comments (good or bad) for each show. We are interested to hear your feedback.

Episode 1: The Rules

In our first episode Jim and I talked a bit about what we are trying to do with this podcast. We didn't get it all done in 10 minutes, but we were close!

We highlighted what makes Your Next Beer different from other beer podcasts:

• 10 minutes once per week, because we don’t have enough time to record hours at a time, we have lives.
• No “on air” tasting, how does that help you?
• Beers you can get where you are

The plan is to look at a particular beer style and then move towards bigger beers. When you hear bigger beer thing hoppier (more bitter) and maltier (more bread taste).

We are looking forward to hearing from all of you! If you have questions you can email yournextbeer@yahoo.com. You can also comment right here on this very blog.

The Next Show

The next show is a bit of background about the two general kinds of beers: ales and lagers.