Beer and Brains

We all know that drinking beer makes you smarter, but I don't think this is exactly what the researchers had in mind. (I know, bad pun.) Dock Street Brewing in Philadelphia is brewing a special beer for fans of the Walking Dead television series. Dock Street Walker is brewed with wheat, oats, flaked barley, cranberry, and smoked goat brains. The brewer's claim is that the pre-sparge addition of the brains adds "intriguing, subtle smoke notes."

I consider myself an adventurous eater, and drinker, and definitely a smoked beer fan, and I really can't say I wouldn't try this beer. It's definitely more appealing than some ingredient options reported in a previous post.

New Winery in Spotsylvania. And a Brewery?

Wilderness Run Vineyards is located on a farm not too far from where we live. The owners of the family run business are finalizing plans to open a winery and tasting room in October of this year. The Free Lance-Star recently ran an article about their plans. In addition to grapes, there are 3 1/2 acres devoted to sunflowers and barley at the farm. Which leads to this interesting nugget buried in the article,

Dr. Pagan said the sunflowers are an “agricultural experiment,” but Harry Pagan and his friend Brandon Pallen would like to use the two-row Conlon barley to make craft beers a barrel at a time. They’ve landed bartending jobs at Orion, a nightclub that opens Oct. 3 in downtown Fredericksburg, and plan to pool their earnings to buy equipment.

That's right, there may be a winery AND a brewery on the farm in the future!

See "Tuscan trip was key to a grape adventure" for more information on the planned winery. Wilderness Run Vineyards also has a Facebook page.

Published!

I have an article entitled "The Catholic Church and Beer, An Intertwined History" featured in the February issue of Catholic Insight magazine. Originally, the editors were interested in an article focusing on Saint Brigid and beer. I've made a number of blog posts on this interesting Saint as she's dear to our family. Interestingly, her Feast day February 1, is one of the busiest day for this blog each year as folks search for information on St. Brigid and her famous prayer.

The article I submitted went beyond St. Brigid and provided, if I say so myself, an interesting retrospective of the Catholic Church's relationship with beer — from brewing monks to the patron Saints of brewing. Unfortunately, the print edition does not have an online version so I am unable to link to the article. Hopefully some blog readers are also subscribers.

The Church has a long and interesting relationship with my favorite brewed beverage so it was a fun article to research and write. I even received a small honorarium that will go towards the beer fund!

Has Brewing Jumped The Shark?

Craft beer brewers are a creative bunch. Their quest for interesting ingredients to use in brewing brings us new and tasty drinks to enjoy. But sometimes I have to stop and wonder if a quest for shock factor has usurped sensibilities. Let's look at some recent unique ingredients used in beer.

Saliva: Dogfish Head Brewery, no stranger to odd ingredients, has brewed a Chicha beer. Chicha comes from corn that is chewed and then spat out. The enzymes in the chewer's saliva convert the starch in the corn into fermentable sugar. All things considered, this method, based on ancient customs, is pretty mild in comparison to recent developments.

Beards: Rogue Ales Brewery has created a beer called New Crustacean. The beer is brewed with yeast cultured from the brewer's beard. John Maier's search for yeast in his beard started out as a joke, until they found a viable yeast within. You can expect to see the beer in the shelves next year.

Rocky Mountain Oysters: It started out as an April Fools joke by Wynkoop Brewing Company, created in response to the popularity of Oyster Stouts, made with real oysters. But now, with the release of their Rocky Mountain Oyster Stout, life is imitating art. Yep, those are real rocky mountain oysters.

The Grotesque: A while back we were treated to the news that a female brewer claims to have created a beer with a yeast culture taken from her, um, well, never mind. You can read about it yourself if you are so inclined. (Warning, possibly NSFW.)

Maybe the Reinheitsgebot law wasn't such a bad idea.

Malting and Smoking at Copper Fox Distillery

Copper Fox Distillery in Sperryville, VA is the producer of Wasmund's Single Malt Whisky. Rick Wasmund's operation was profiled in the Free Lance-Star recently. The former financial planner has been distilling in Sperryville since 2005. In the newspaper article, and accompanying video, Wasmund explains his traditional, by-hand methods. What I found most interesting was his comments on the malting process.

"We're the only distillery in North America that malts its own barley," says Wasmund. "And we do it the traditional way."

Wasmund uses a strain of barley called 'Thoroughbred' that was developed by Virginia Tech. He buys his grain exclusively from a Northern Neck farmer named Billy Dawson, who has an operation at Heathsville.

Not only does Wasmund malt his own barley, using apple and cherry wood smoke, he also buys his grain locally. I talked to a brewer last Spring who was interested in brewing with locally grown barley, which I thought was an interesting idea. I'm not aware of any local craft beer brewers who take on the malting process themselves. That would certainly add a local flavor aspect to the brewing process.

Read the Free Lance-Star profile of Rick Wasmund and Copper Fox Distillery here.

Teach a Friend to Homebrew Day

The Fredericksburg Brewing Insiders (FBI) held a "Teach a Friend to Homebrew Day" event at the Blue & Gray Brewery on Saturday, November 1. Many club members were on hand to give advice and offer samples of their beers. The club brewed an American Blonde Ale, and Aaron Zaccagnino (aka Zacc) took the lead on the brewing demonstration. I spent a couple of hours watching the demo, talking to the members, and of course, tasting some of the homebrews on hand.

The club put together a very nice display table with different hop and malt varieties. Visitors were encouraged to touch, taste and smell the ingredients. During the brewing demonstration we were also able to taste the wort at various stages in the process. There seemed to be a good amount of interest in the brewing process from visitors, and Zacc and other club members stayed busy answering questions.

I was able to sample a few of the members' homebrews. There's little that can beat fresh beer. I didn't get the brewers' names but I tasted a nice red ale and a very tasty porter. I also had a taste of Jamie Wilson's Big Bug Wheat which won a silver at the 2008 Dominion Cup homebrew competition a few weeks ago. Even though I don't homebrew it would certainly be a joy to visit a meeting of the FBI to enjoy more of these beers.

Not beer but coffee...

I enjoy a good cup of coffee as much as I do a good beer. Coffee Roasters of Fredericksburg was on hand at the brewery showing off some of their fresh roasted coffees. I tried all three of the coffees being offered and was especially impressed with the Indonesian Sumatra Mandeling with its deep roasted flavor. If you are looking for locally roasted and blended coffees, these are the folks you need to see. You can even call in or email an order and pick it up on Saturdays at the Blue & Gray Brewery!

The weather on Saturday morning was clear and warm. It was a perfect morning to spend time with friendly folks to talk about, and taste, homebrewed beer. Roxbury Farm and Garden was on hand with a display of homebrewing supplies they sell. Thanks go out to Jeff and the gang at Blue & Gray for their support of the event.

Pictures from "Teach a Friend to Homebrew Day" are here.