Denver day one

I've tried to make this tour as easy as possible. Which is why my flight is at the very reasonable hour of 11 am. Why make myself get up in the middle of the night if there's no need to?

Though I've already got my boarding card printed, I show up pretty early at the airport. Why? General paranoia - I had a bad experience checking in with United at O'Hare airport in Chicago - and I plan getting breakfast there. There's always somewhere serving breakfast in an airport.

Once past security, I check a map to see what my dining options are. There's something called a grill that looks my best bet. But that's at another set of gates which is a train ride away. I'd rather stay closer to where I'm going to board, so I check out the nearby options. None sound very promising. First one I get to has a sign outside saying "Breakfast being served". A glance at the tables confirms that they have the egg and bacon style stuff I crave.

It's called Africa Lounge. That's why I hadn't been very hopeful of finding a fry-up. The name seems to only refer to the décor, which is kitschily African. I don't give a toss as long as I get my bacon fix. What to drink with it? Coffee, obviously, to wake me up. Orange juice for some vitamins. A double Jack Daniels because, well, I can. And that's what I usually tuck into in US airports. I order a second when I'm half-way through my food.

The plane is packed. I'd already had emails offering me $250 if switch to a later flight. No chance. At the gate they asked again a few times. The flight is uneventful so I liven it up with a couple of whiskies. I realise now how far out of my way Denver is - it's a 3.5 hour flight.

I've been to Denver before, back in 1989 when I was still working in the airline industry. The airport doesn't look familiar. Then again, afer racking my brain for many minutes, all I can remember of the city is a steak house close to my hotel where I ate in a couple of times. It was much like the one where Homer Simpson attempts a steak-eating challenge. A 24 oz steak - did I really eat that? I was a strange person when younger.

As my taxi bumps along the freeway towards town I realise it's a different airport. This one is much further out of town. Not that I expect I would have recognised the old one. I've been through so many recently that they're all blurring into one.

The weather isn't bad. A pleasantly mild 15º C.

I'm stopping at what looks like a pretty nice hotel, the Magnolia. It's right downtown, in a former bank. Sadly, the city centre is as bland and dismal as I remember it.

After opening my room door I pause for a while, jaw scraping the carpet. I've got a suite. It's bigger than most of my friends' Amsterdam flats. The kitchen is double the size of the one I have at home. Unfortunately, I don't have much time to appreciate it. It's already 4 pm and today's event is at 6. I've just time to nip to the 7 Eleven to buy some water and to discover that ordinary shops don't sell beer in Colorado.


Hogshead is already pretty full when my taxi drops me off outside. So full, that there are punters seated on the patio. It's warm enough for that. They've brewed a couple of my recipes: 1865 Lovibond XX, some of it in a wooden firkin, and a cask-conditioned Stout based on Barclay Perkins 1928 OMS.

Jake Gardner and Englishman Steve Kirby greet me when I enter. How did they know it was me? When I see my handsome face smiling out from a poster advertising the event, I understand why.

I'm impressed by the number of handpulls - seven in total. Steve tells me that 60% of their beer is sold in cask form. Or is "proper beer" as he calls it. I'm not going to disagree with him. I love me some cask. So I get stuck into some straight away. Really good stuff - properly conditioned, served through a sparkler and not too cold. I could drink it all night. Sorry, I do drink it all night.

After a while Todd Alström turns up with a pile of BeerAdvocate magazines. It's good to see him again. We always have a good laugh. There's a decent crowd again - must be at least 50.

By the time it's showtime, I've had time for a few pints. I speak better with a properly wetted throat. We attempt to use a PA, but it's picking up a radio signal that annoyingly chatters away behind me, like an unappreciative audience. It's a small, if crowded, room, so I do it the old-fashioned way: shouting.

After my 20-minute spiel (or was it 30? I find it hard to estimate, I get so caught up in the sound of my own voice) about the beers and historic brewing in general, it's time to get down top the serious business of selling books. Pretty quickly they're all gone and my money box is overflowing with dosh.

They've a food truck and I tuck into a barbecue sandwich. Just what I needed. I've had nothing to eat since my whiskey-accompanied breakfast.

A few of us stay behind after closing, shooting the shit and supping the cask. It's all great fun.

Tomorrow I've a free day in Denver. Todd has offered to share a few beers. Can't say no to that






This is where I either beg or order you to buy my book. You can choose which you want to listen to. Please buy my book. Buy my book you tight bastard.

The Home Brewer's Guide to Vintage Beer.















Africa Lounge
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport,
17801 International Blvd.,
Seattle, WA 98158.


Magnolia Hotel
818 17th Street,
Denver, CO 80202.
http://www.magnoliahotels.com/denver/magnolia-hotel-denver.php


Hogshead brewery
4460 W 29th Ave,
Denver, CO 80212.
http://www.hogsheadbrewery.com

New Poll

You may have already noticed it. But in case you haven't I've started an end-of-year poll.

It's been inspired by a classic BeerAdvocate discussion on what the word "Ale" means. The mutual understanding and respect it's generated have been inspiring:

http://beeradvocate.com/forum/read/3310579

I'm quite neutral on the topic, as you can doubtless tell from answer options I've chosen.

Rattling and Humming (NYC part five)

Sill on Saturday, I'm afraid. The Saturday of my second New York pub crawl in two days. Don't worry. There;' not much left. At least not much I took notes on.

Rattle 'n' Hum
Looks quite small from the outside. The frontage is as narrow as many Amsterdam pubs. And, like many Amsterdam pubs, it stretches far to the rear. I'm sitting most of the way to the back. Where I can gaze admiringly at the Cask Ale Bar.

Green Flash IPA
The glass is sitting on the table a couple of feet away and I can smell the grapefruit. Guess I'm in for a citrus bomb. Not a bad temperature (i.e. quite warm). A bit like lemon and lime. Or alcoholic lemonade (have I used that one before?). It could actually do withe being a tad cooler. It's drinkable enough, but I wouldn't want a whole session on it. Definitely does taste like its 7% ABV and works pretty well as a cask beer.

Fuck. The beer menu lists the BA rating. That puts me off for a start. They have 3 UK cask beers. For those the BA rating is 100% meaningless.


See how sparse my notes are getting. That's fatigue setting in. We're so nearly, nearly finished.


Rattle 'n' Hum
14 East 33rd street,
New York 100016.
http://www.rattlenhumbarnyc.com/

Innovation

I regularly read the BeerAdvocate and RateBeer forums. It's a form of cheap and harmless entertainment. But something I read today just made me gasp.

Here's the quote: "There has been more innovation in American brewing in the last 25 years than in European brewing in the last 250 years."

I wouldn't say that was a contentious statement. More like complete bollocks. And bollocks that insults the generations of brewers who helped progress brewing to where it is today.

Let's see what important innovations I think have taken place in brewing (not necessarily European, but mostly) over the last 250 years.

• the thermometer
• the hydrometer
• very pale malts
• patent malt
• steam power
• mashing machines
• underlet
• steam cleaning
• pure yeast cultures
• pasteurisation
• colour measurement
• bitterness measurement
• electric power
• brewing sugars
• Farbebier
• decoction mashing
• steam heated copper
• filters
• conical fermenters
• Burton unions
• symbiotic yeast/lactobacillus cultures
• continuous fermentation
• attemperator
• refrigeration
• stainless steel vessels
• metal barrels
• beer engine
  
• CO2 dispense
• the microscope
• force carbonation
• bottling machine
• whirlpool
• heat exchange cooler
• powered roller malt mill

That's just what I can think of off the top of my head. I'm sure there are many I've forgotten.
Maybe I've missed something, but what exactly are the wondrous innovations that have taken place in the last 25 years in the USA?

Innovation isn't just mixing up existing ingredients in a different way. Or sticking beer into a variety of barrels. Or am I misunderstanding the meaning of the word?

Faggots

I've always had a soft spot for faggots*. I can remember my mother feeding me them when I was but a lad. What could be nicer than a hot faggot with mushy peas?

Imagine my surprise when, moving to Thornton Heath in South London, I discovered that they had faggots there, too. Not quite the same as you classic midlands faggot. Not as rounded. But still pretty tasty. Though my mum's faggots were always better.

So let's hear it for faggots. Stonch should get some for his pub. He's already got scratchings. What could be a more perfect match that faggots and scratchings?


* Some ignorant people spell the word "fagget". Such a mistake is typical of a person of limited IQ and an inability to question what he's been told. A fag get, you could say.

Checking out Mild and Brown Ale styles

Given all the recipes I've been posting for Mild and Brown Ale, I thought I'd best check out how the experts describe them.

First off, Ratebeer:

Mild Ale
Slightly malty, no hop flavor or aroma. Medium to dark brown in color with very little head or carbonation. Mild refers to lack of any hop flavor or aroma. Serve with traditional pub fare.

Brown Ale
Color ranges from reddish-brown to dark brown. Lower in alcohol than porter, medium to full body flavor. Appropriate foods are apple pie, pork with brown sauce, beef vegetable soup and cheddar.

This is what BeerAdvocate has to say:

Dark Mild Ale
The quintessential British session beer, like its name suggests, a Mild is known for its low level of hops character. Alcohol content is traditionally very low. Grainy to toasty malts might be present, but expect some body from the high dextrins produced in brewing. Low carbonation with a near still, bubbly head. Colors can range from gold to dark brown. Traditionally a draft beer made popular in London and the Midlands of England.


English Brown Ale
Spawned from the Mild Ale, Brown Ales tend to be maltier and sweeter on the palate, with a fuller body. Color can range from reddish brown to dark brown. Some versions will lean towards fruity esters, while others tend to be drier with nutty characters. All seem to have a low hop aroma and bitterness.

And finally, the most pretigious of all, the BJCP:

Dark Mild Ale
Overall Impression: A light-flavored, malt-accented beer that is readily suited to drinking in quantity. Refreshing, yet flavorful. Some versions may seem like lower gravity brown porters.

History: May have evolved as one of the elements of early porters. In modern terms, the name “mild” refers to the relative lack of hop bitterness (i.e., less hoppy than a pale ale, and not so strong). Originally, the “mildness” may have referred to the fact that this beer was young and did not yet have the moderate sourness that aged batches had. Somewhat rare in England, good versions may still be found in the Midlands around Birmingham.


Southern English Brown Ale
History: English brown ales are generally split into sub-styles along geographic lines. Southern English (or “London-style”) brown ales are darker, sweeter, and lower gravity than their Northern cousins. Developed as a bottled product in the early 20th century out of a reaction against vinous vatted porter and often unpalatable mild. Well suited to London’s water supply.

Ingredients: English pale ale malt as a base with a healthy proportion of darker caramel malts and often some roasted (black) malt and wheat malt. Moderate to high carbonate water would appropriately balance the dark malt acidity. English hop varieties are most authentic, though with low flavor and bitterness almost any type could be used.

Do you think these descriptions match what we're seeing in the recipes? I'd appreciate your comments.

I will say one thing. BeerAdvocate says of Dark Mild: "Alcohol content is traditionally very low". I like that one. Like "IPA is strong". When exactly does the "Traditional" period cover? For Dark Mild, it's post WW II. For IPA, it seems to be 1830.

Making friends and influencing people

This is a friendly beermail I just received on BeerAdvocate:

drewmprs -[ BA Since: Dec 12, 2005
In A Van Down By The River, California
BJCP
Sent: Mon Aug 18, 2008 18:02 UTC (3 hours ago)
--

You will soon be banned from beer advocate, good day to you sir.

I confess, I've cried quite a bit since I read that. I'm going to be banned from BeerAdvocate. I cried so much, my St. Bernardus Abt turned into St. Bernardus Pater.

What am I going to do? When I want to be entertained by discussions such as

Will the next "great American beer" be an ale?
Biere de Champagne Worth the Price?
Question about firkin vs cask
Coming up on review #400: any suggestions?
What Beer & Music have you been frequenting of late?
Thoughts/opinions on Double White Ales?
Finally got my beer porn ready!!!
Pregaming? anyone do it?
What's your favorite Pumpkin Ale?
Do lagers have an inherent skunk?
"Imperial Pale Ale" as a style?

My life won't be worth living. Please, plead with them not to ban me. I really can't be responsible for my actions if I get banned. It could be really bad. I may even start watching Hollyoaks. You wouldn't want that, would you?