Beverage Innovation Coach, Inspiration Partner, Quality step up, Advisor
They both involve fermentation, kilning, roasting, milling. They are both about acidity, bitterness, fruitiness, freshness, balance. They were both involved in ritual 1000 years ago.
It’s a natural combo made in heaven. So as we head to Valentines I wanted to share with you some fundamentals about Beer and Chocolate Pairing.
Campfire is a place of togetherness. A place of marshmallows, smoke, bacon, pancakes, ice and fire, cosiness…and beer!
@thebeertrale and @beerisaconversation (yup that’s me) settled in Virginia, along the Appalachian, next to Devil’s Backbone brewing to run some “Beer & Campfire” experiments.
Warning: try this at home
Turn up the heat and the volume as we’re going to Smoke (on the Water). Just like Scotch Whiskey and cured ham beer has been smoked for ages. Actually all beers were smoked up until recently. Not the beer itself but the grains. The old school way to dry malted barley was to kiln it above wood fire and that was still the case until the 19th Century. As the heat was kilning the grains, the smoke was also imparting flavors. Smoke is a natural heritage flavor in beer. Some beer styles are still living to that tradition nowadays, using a portion of beechwood or oakwood smoked malts in their bill, like German Rauchbier, London Porter, Lichtenheiner or Grodzikie…
In this video we smoke beer on the spot, by the campfire, choosing our smoke in the wild (spruce, pine, oak,…). It’s not smoking the beer itself so much but add a complementary aromatic component floating on the glass and the foam. A beautiful way to turn a Jalapeno Sour or a Baltic Porter into a complex smoked beer! Enjoy and try this at home!
We named our best result the Baltic Mallow. Roasted Marshmallow and Baltic Porter!
Long time in the making HOPPY™ is now available to everyone (above LDA, I mean).
HOPPY™ started as an ambition to bring beer culture to everyone in a new, different way. Not too academic, not too sophisticated, not too technical,… in a fun, casual and engaging format.
So what is HOPPY™?
It’s a web access app. The look and feel directly sets the tone. A playful smiling beer glass! Because HOPPY™ is a learning game, unlocking badges and collecting beercoins along the way.
The content can be accessed in any sequence. No need to complete the ingredients 101 before you can explore glassware or learn about Octoberfest. You choose to learn what you want and there’s content for every beer lover. How beer is made, beer culture, styles, how to taste, gluten free beer…
The pace is gamified, with quizzes at the end of each lessons (beer flights) and a leaderboard to compete with your friends! The daily challenge (which you can repeat as much as you like) will challenge your knowledge with 5 questions. Nail them 5 right before the glass is empty and you’ll collect extra beercoins!
BBB (Buggenhout Bosteels Brewery) has been brewing beer since 1791, even before Belgium became Belgium. It’s famous for its 3 awarded beers: Kwak (and it’s signature epic glassware), Tripel Karmeliet (and its perfected 3 grains blend) and Deus (brewed following a Champenoise method). Check our short video to learn about some of these beers secrets!
Hop heads! Ben (@thebeertrale) and I (@beerisaconversation) hit the road of Pacific North West to immerse ourselves in hop crop 2019.
After a long flight to Spokane and a 2h drive up to the Canadian border, we arrived at Elk Mountain Hop Farm! It’s quite a distance from Yakima valley where 90%+ of USA hops are grown so there must be a reason why one of the largest hop farm sits on the border…want to know why ?
Rubbing hop is a sticky, oily, fragrant, exhilarating but …gross experience. Let’s ask our friends from Devils Backbone what’s the Rub ?
When I visited Mexico City a few years ago I got to try a few very unusual drinks. Pulque in particular, Smokey Mezcal with orange wedges and gusano worm salt,… and Tepache, a more or less sponteneously fermented pineapple juice.
So on this Columbus day I brought my SS homebrewing equipment in the backyard to brew an IPA inspired by Tepache. I also added Jalapeno to give it a kick…. want to see more? Check this out!!
Dinant Belgium. This is where one of the most famous abbey beer was born from the name of a small river, the river Leffe.
An Authentic Abbey Beer must follow some key fundamental rules. Be genuinely connected to a monastery and give back to charities.
Abbey beers have a unique distinct quality. Heritage from time when beer was offered to pilgrims as only safe beverage to sustain.From time when only the monks had the knowledge to read and write.
And as per medieval tradition , we were warmly welcomed to visit the courtyard of the abbey…
Want to see the most incredible barley wine cellar on earth? Follow me as I head to Hertog Jan brewery in Arcen. This microbrewery is nested in the south east of Netherlands, along the Germany border.
15 years ago, a flood filled the basement of the brewery. 5 years later some bottles of Hertog-Jan beer were pulled out of the cave and Gerard Van den Broek, the brewmaster was curious enough to taste them. He discovered a perfectly matured barley wine. Since then “Grand-Prestige” has won plenty of awards in the most challenging competitions. The basement has been converted into an aging cellar where 10000+ bottles wait to reach their prime! You can even have your own!
There’s much more to see in this brewery and when you’re done, follow the beer line that goes straight to the pub on the other side of the road to taste brewery fresh beer!!!
On to our 2nd stop of this European Beer Road Trip! We arrive in the Flemish town of Hoegaarden. Pronounce HOO-GAAAAR-DEN. This small town gave birth to the world renowned Witbier style back in the 1500s. A style promoted by the Prince Bishop of Liege who gave them a tax break on wheat, promoting both agriculture and beer! The cross of the bishop honor the town’s flag and also the label of the eponymous beer Hoegaarden Witbier. Let’s have a sneak peak in the brewery and have a taste of countryside in a tiny town that used to host more than 50 breweries!
Where best to start our tour than in the Pajottenland in Belgium? That small region is famous for it’s Lambics: Boon, Girardin, Lindemans,… We are going to Belle-Vue lambic Brouwerij in St Pieters Leeuw where it all started for me 18 years ago! We talk wood and Krieken (sour cherries) and sample some fantastic beers form the barrels!
