http://www.brewsandblues.org Beer and Smokin' Blues Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:49:09 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en So, another brew day is in the books and five gallons of Oktoberfest is in the fermenter. Lots of folks asked why I was brewing an Oktoberfest in March, which is a good question.  Wikipedia's HISTORY entry here will explain.  Oktoberfest, as a beer style is really a Märzen.  ... http://www.brewsandblues.org/2010/03/14/roktoberfest/ I decided I wanted to make some more chili this afternoon, so I started thumbing through "The Ultimate Chili Cookbook" by W.C. Jameson to find a recipe that I thought sounded interesting. I came across a recipe called Bob's Drunken Chili that looked interesting to me mainly because the ... http://www.brewsandblues.org/2010/02/28/drunken-chili/ Brewery: Olde Hickory BreweryWhere: Hickory, North CarolinaBeer: Piedmont PilsnerStyle: German PilsnerIBU: 18.2ABV: N/A (Estimated 4.5%)Piedmont Pilsner one of my favorite beers from the Olde Hickory Brewery.  This beer pours with a nice foamy head and a beautiful light golden color, much like a blonde, if not even lighter than most.  ... http://www.brewsandblues.org/2010/02/26/piedmont-pilsner/ Brewery: Pennsylvania Brewing CompanyWhere: Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaBeer: Penn WeizenStyle: HefeweizenIBU: ABV: 4.0%I can't give this beer a really fair shake in a review today.  It poured with a nice golden wheat color and the traditional wheat cloudiness of a good hefeweizen, but as you can see, the head is practically non-existant.  ... http://www.brewsandblues.org/2010/02/22/penn-weizen/ I have been looking forward to this brew day for a while now. I have been wanting to make an imperial stout for a while, so I got up this morning and milled about 21 pounds of grain and set off to brew this beast.  Today was not the ... http://www.brewsandblues.org/2010/02/16/brew-day-dark-warrior-imperial-stout/ Brewery: Rogue AlesWhere: Newport, OregonBeer: St. Rogue Red AleStyle: American Amber / Red AleIBU: 44 IBUABV: 5.1%When I first started this blog and my beer tasting experiments, Amber Ales were one of my favorites.  I love the malty flavor of this style and I hadn't really experienced very many varieties ... http://www.brewsandblues.org/2010/02/12/st-rogue-red-ale/ Brewery: Bear RepublicWhere: Healdsburg, CaliforniaBeer: Big Bear Black StoutStyle: Russian Imperial StoutIBU: 68 ABV: 8.1%It's been a while since I have had a good stout, so I decided to pick up a couple samples for my trials.  Yesterday, I was by Gail's Hops and Grapes and snagged this bomber of ... http://www.brewsandblues.org/2010/02/09/big-bear-black-stout/ I got invited to participate in a local chili cook-off, so I wanted to whip up something that would hopefully be an outstanding chili recipe. Today (Tuesday 2/2/10) was rainy and ugly outside and I had nothing else on schedule, so I started cooking. Here's what went in...Chili ... http://www.brewsandblues.org/2010/02/06/chili-con-cerveza-2/ Brewery: Olde Hickory BreweryWhere: Hickory, North CarolinaBeer: Ruby LagerStyle: American Amber / Red LagerIBU: 20ABV: N/A (Est. 4.0%?)I'm glad that the Olde Hickory Brewery is offering a lot of their beers in bottles these days.  It gives me the opportunity to include them in this blog.  Since the OHB is ... http://www.brewsandblues.org/2010/02/05/olde-hickory-ruby-lager/ Brewery: Thirsty Dog Brewing CompanyWhere: Akron, OhioBeer: Old Leghumper Robust PorterStyle: American PorterIBU: 24ABV: 6.7%Today's sample is another beer from Thirsty Dog Brewing Company in Akron, Ohio.  The Old Leghumper Robust Porter caught my eye on the shelf of the World Market in Mooresville on my last visit, so I ... http://www.brewsandblues.org/2010/01/30/old-leghumper-robust-porter/