Let's Brew Wednesday - 2006 Courage Best Bitter

This is a rather strange one. A version of Courage Best Bitter brewed at Youngs. And, even weirder, it’s way stronger than Courage Best usually was. The standard OG being 1039º. I’ve no idea why this version is so much stronger.

The recipe looks remarkably like those of Youngs own Pale Ales. With a grist mostly of pale malt along with a little crystal malt. With the addition of a very proprietary ingredient: Youngs Special Mix. A blend of sugars put together especially for Youngs. It was a mix of glucose, molasses and caramel with a colour of 220 EBC. I’ve added the individual elements to the recipe.

There was just a single type of hops described as Donnington Court. Which doesn’t tell me a great deal. Given the small quantity, I decided to go with something higher alpha than Goldings or Fuggles. But that is purely a guess. They could have been pretty much any English variety. 

2006 Courage Best Bitter
pale malt	9.50 lb	79.50%
crystal malt 20 L	1.33 lb	11.13%
glucose	0.85 lb	7.11%
molasses	0.25 lb	2.09%
caramel 2000 SRM	0.02 lb	0.17%
Brewer’s Gold 60 min	0.50 oz
Brewer’s Gold 15 min	0.50 oz
OG	1055
FG	1013
ABV	5.56
Apparent attenuation	76.36%
IBU	15
SRM	10
Mash at	152º F
Sparge at	165º F
Boil time	60 minutes
pitching temp	63º F
Yeast	Wyeast 1028 London Ale

Back home

The twelfth day of the trip. Longer than I’m usually away. I’m feeling it when I drag my miserable carcass from under the sheet at 6:15.

Ablutions abluted, it’s time to fill my fat gut with coffee, scrambled egg, cheese and fruit. Exactly the same as every other day I’ve stayed in this hotel. I’m such a wacky bloke.

My driver rolls up a minute or two before the appointed time. We quickly rumble out of town, which hasn’t totally woken up yet. At least, the swarms of cars haven’t.

It’s still pretty damp. Out in the countryside, the pastures are sodden emerald. With only the occasional sad, seated cow and erratic palms to punctuate its emptiness. The hills, pumped full of trees, are mostly invisible, steaming with mist.

Weirdly unconvincing billboards pimping luxury developments often block the view. As do the roadside restaurants. Many, inevitably offering buffet. In a not particularly subtle way.

A little of the Dupipe was left over yesterday. Shame to waste it. And that diet cola. Time to make a travel drink. I wouldn’t want to dehydrate during the journey.

When it starts getting more urban, I realise we’re getting close to the airport. Small, low houses and workshops. And my special drink bottle runs dry. That’s good timing.

I’m soon checked in. I know there’s nothing really to do airside. I just find a seat by the gate and read Private Eye.

I get on as one of the first – thank you, Brazilian law – and the flight is on time. With the usual slightly scary landing, where the brakes are slammed on as soon as rubber hits the tarmac. That’s Congonhas for you. 

There’s only an hour between my flights. Congonhas, being no Guarulhos, is pretty compact. In no time, I’m at the gate.

I built a lot of wiggle room into today. I land in Rio at 13:05. My flight to Amsterdam is at 20:50. Bit of an overkill, I know. Price might have played a role, too. Though I do need to transfer from Rio’s domestic to its international airport. Already having booked a car, the transfer is a doddle.

It’s not even 14:00 when I get there. Far too early to check in. Waiting it is. Several hours of it. Getting to catch up on some of Private Eye backlog is my positive way of looking at it.

Once, eventually, checked in and airside, I remember what I hate about this airport: the endless walking. Even worse than Schiphol. And almost no travellators.

After some initial trouble linking to the wifi (I blame VPN), I settle in to watch some crap with nibbles and a few caipirinhas. A bit disappointed, I switch to whisky. They were the weakest caipirinhas I’ve tasted. Nothing like enough cachaça.

A bit before it’s time to leave the warm embrace of the lounge, a storm starts with flurry of flashes. Hope that’s over before takeoff.

They seem a little behind schedule in getting boarding going. Leaving my poor old legs standing around for 15 minutes.

I plan on a good kip. And sort of get it. I fall asleep during Next Goal Wins. I don’t get further when I restart, nodding off only a few minutes on.

It might not be my first impression, but I seem to have had a reasonable amount of sleep. Maybe five hours. Just very disturbed. I woke up lots of times. Just not for long.

We’re served a yellow rectangle of something they don’t bother to explain on a base of some red stuff. If anything, the visuals oversell the flavour. And they’ve promised fuck all. I don’t care. I just have to one mouthful. Which I regret. Coffee and orange juice will do me.

It seems a very long walk, considering we arrived on E pier. And the carousel for our luggage is the very far one.

The wait for the first bag isn’t too bad. It just takes a while for mine to come out.

A taxi soon leaves me opening my front door. Where Dolores has tea ready for me. She’s followed my flight on her computer. The wonders of modern technology.

 

Thomas Usher malts in 1894

Some more ridiculous detail on Thomas Usher's beers. Well, it's all to do with me travelling again. In two ways.

First, it's spun off from some material I'd been preparing for a new talk. And it's to cover a period when I'll be travelling.

For most of the beers, there’s not much in the way of different malts. With the exception of the Stouts, all the beers only contain pale malt. Though there was more than one type of pale malt. Made from barley grown in various parts of the world. For example, Chile, Syria, Turkey and Scotland. With the locally-grown barley being one of the least common.

The malt percentage of these beers varies between 75% and 95%.

More interesting are the Stouts, which contain three types of malt: pale, brown and black. The continued use of brown malt is unusual, as, by this time, most brewers outside London had stripped down their Stout grists to just pale and black. And, at over 17%, the percentage is pretty high.

Also high is the proportion of black malt, weighing in at 13%. Anything over 10% is very high. 

Thomas Usher malts in 1894
Beer	Style	pale malt	brown malt	black malt	total malt
XX 60/-	Mild	94.03%			94.03%
50/- Br	Ale	85.71%			85.71%
60/-	Ale	75.00%			75.00%
60/- Br	Ale	85.71%			85.71%
80/-	Ale	75.00%			75.00%
100/-	Ale	75.00%			75.00%
3 XX	Stock Ale	95.24%			95.24%
IP	IPA	85.71%			85.71%
PA	Pale Ale	75.00%			75.00%
PA 60/-	Pale Ale	85.71%			85.71%
Stout	Stout	47.52%	17.82%	8.91%	74.26%
Stout Export	Stout	69.57%	17.39%	13.04%	100.00%
Source:
Thomas Usher brewing record held at the Scottish Brewing Archives, document number TU/6/1/2.

Festival talk

I have some weird dreams. I’m being chased by a bunch of neo-Nazi thugs. Not sure why, but they seem very angry. I awake with a vague feeling of unease.

I hit the breakfast room at 9:00. Where I eat the same as every other day. Jos soon joins me.

Only a handful of judges are around. Even fewer than yesterday. I suppose everyone is gradually drifting off home.

Annoyingly both the coffee and milk run out well before 10:00. I try getting a cappuccino from the machine. It’s unbearably sweet. I only take a single sip.

I’ve not much planned today. Other than the talk I’m giving later. That will only take an hour. Oh, and I also want to use the 15 real voucher for E-10. That doesn’t open until 15:00. In the meantime, I laze around in my room, occasionally sipping on cachaça.

Packing, too. I bought more cachaças than was wise when roaming the countryside a few days back. Now I’m wondering if they will all fit in my bag. Sadly, I conclude that four, at most, can be squeezed in.

Heavy of heart, I sacrifice the Dupipe silver. It’s very full flavoured for a spirit with no age on it.

I just about force the four bottles into my check-in bag. Hoping they were protected enough for their long journey.

It’s been raining most of the day. Raining most of the last few days. Not torrential, but a steady stream. And when it hasn’t been raining, it’s been overcast. Which has kept the temperature fair more bearable.

It’s getting on for four when I trail down E-10. It’s raining. Nothing crazy. I don’t mind getting a little wet. Half a dozen blokes are standing around outside.

What should I do with my 30 reals? It’ll get me about 200 ml of beer, depending on the strength. I start with a Van Dutch Double IPA. It’s full of citrussy goodness.

I sit outside under cover and watch as the rain thickens. The harder it falls, the more quickly people scurry past.

My next choice is an Imperial Stout. To get me in the mood for this evening. It’s not bad in a roasty sort of way.

It’s not yet 17:00 yet. Too early to go to the festival. So I load up another 30 reals and indulge in some more Double IPA. Then some more Imperial Stout.

The rain has picked up the pace even more. A bit like me when closing time is approaching. As my planned departure time ticks around, it’s streaming like from a busted watermain. Which is having an impact on Uber availability.

I have to wait quite a while for one. Once I’ve clambered in, the Uber isn’t getting anywhere in a rush, The traffic is abysmal. We crawl along, surrounded by cars and rain. I thought I’d left plenty of time to get there before my talk. I’m not so sure now.

It’s 18:45 when I get to Vila Germanica. Just about enough time to pick up an Imperial Stout. Solely for mouth hydration purposes. Wouldn’t want a dry throat while I’m speaking.

The speaker before me hasn’t finished yet. Leaving me some time to chill.

It’s not a huge crowd for me: 15-20. I rattle through the presentation pretty quickly. With a few excursions on tangents every now and again. The slides are just there to prompt me. The talk itself is different every time. Other than the many numbers. They always remain the same.

After chatting to a couple of the judges, I’m in search of beer. Tres Santas is very close by. I go there for a Double IPA. A style I’ve come to quite like. Possibly because it’s difficult to fuck up. The alcohol content may also play a part.

While It’s being poured, someone, presumably the owner, rushed up and tells the server to give it to me for free. Seems he’s a fan. We chat for a little, though it’s restricted by his limited English.

I start chatting with Shweeta and a German judge, while polishing off my beer. But before I can finish it, I’m grabbed by my arm and dragged over to another stand. Aqua do Monge. It’s the owner who’s just abducted me.

He’s dragged me over because one of his servers speaks much better English than he does. Enthusiastically, he shows me a photo of the front cover of my “proper” book on his phone.

“Do you like cachaça?”

“Ooh, yes.”

“It’s six years old.” He says, pouring me a generous shot.

It’s very nice. As is his Wee Heayy

After pouring me a few more of his beers, he asks “What are your favourite beer styles?”

“Quadrupel, Imperial Stout, Double IPA.” Those are the ones I’ve been drinking most over here.

Taking me aby the arm, he leads me to the stalls where they have what he considers the best examples. Leopoldina for Quardrupel, Karsten, Lassbier, Tres Torres. It all gets rather blurry after a while. Especially given the ABV of the styles I chose.

I bump into Fe and we chat a while. I wonder how much sense I’m making, The beers aren’t so much catching up with me as racing past me. 

Another one of those aged cachaças perhaps isn’t the best idea. What the hell? I’m on holiday.

I can’t stay too late. Need to be up at 6:15 tomorrow. I’ve an Uber booked for 7:30 to take me to Navegantes airport. And I want to eat breakfast.

A day is called at 10:30. I say my goodbyes

Dupipe directs me into dreams of tropical gardens.
 

Let's Brew - 2006 Youngs Waggledance

I was rather confused as to what this was when I spotted it in the brewing records. I read the name as “Way”, which was part of the problem. Whereas, in fact, it’s “Wag”. Standing for Waggledance.

There were two versions parti-gyled together, this, which was the cask version and a slightly stronger bottled version. The beer was originally brewed by Vaux and when they disappeared it was picked up by Youngs. Before being passed on to Charles Wells in 2011.

It’s very similar to the other Youngs Pale Ales, with a grist of just pale and crystal malt. Though with rather less crystal malt. And, of course, there’s quite a lot of honey. This being a honey beer, and all.

There are two types of English hops, from the 2004 and 2005 harvests. The hopping rate is lower than for the other Pale Ales, at 3 lbs per quarter (336 lbs) of malt, compared to 4.5 lbs. Hence the very low IBU count. 

2006 Youngs Waggledance
pale malt	8.25 lb	83.25%
crystal malt 40 L	0.33 lb	3.33%
honey	1.33 lb	13.42%
Fuggles 70 min	0.50 oz
Goldings 15 min	0.50 oz
OG	1044
FG	1010
ABV	4.50
Apparent attenuation	77.27%
IBU	11
SRM	4
Mash at	150º F
Sparge at	165º F
Boil time	70 minutes
pitching temp	65º F
Yeast	Wyeast 1968 London ESB (Fullers)

A new local

The closing of Butcher's Tears was a sad day. And not just because I wasn't there for the last day. Swanning off to Brazil.

Once the sobbing subsided, a question was voiced: where to next?

There weren't many options. With these criteria:

- reasonably priced
- easy to get to
- decent beer
- not overrun with fucking tourists

That ruled out anywhere in the centre. Pretty much. We gave Siouxie's Saloon a try. Not my sort of place.

Soundgarden was suggested. Ticking many boxes. But, from some reason I can't recall, we decided to go with Checkpoint Charlie instead.

Last Saturday was or third time there. Not really giving me a local vibe yet. But that takes time to build. Harder to bear is the lack of draught Mild and Stout. Especially Headroom. A beer that took me closer to the 19th century with every sip. Weihenstapher Dunkles Weissbier is OK. But three of four pints is enough. And Checkpoint Charlie does sell korenwijn. Drinkable jenever. Not like the industrial cleaner called jonge jenever.

The presence of a pool table and pinball machine mean Alexei is much more likely to come along. And reminded me of a previous local.

"We always used to play pool in Rick's Cafe. And pinball. During Happy Hour, at the weekend. Drinking De Koninck."

"And?"

"That was our local for several years. Me, Lucas, Will and Mikey."

"Can you just take your shot?"

I surprisingly potted two balls in fairly convincing fashion. Then totally missed the 8-ball. I did win, though. Unlike at pinball. Where he thrashed me.

Rick's Cafe was our local for quite a while. At least five or six years Probably more. Drinking half-price, happy-hour De Koninck.I had a couple of Guinness breakfasts there, too, after a night of clubbing.

 I can't remember why we stopped going there.

Then there was Cafe Belgique. We hung around there for a few years. I had my 40th and 50th birthday parties there. Where the beer tokens were miniature Czech 50 and 100 crown notes. Mikey worked there for a while. Lucas DJ'd once.

Even earlier, back in the early 1990s, me, Lucas and Will often hung around in the De Pijp. Like Centurion on the Ceintuurbaan. Or the odd little place close to Sarphati Park where we'd play pool. And heard cumbia for the first time.

Both are long gone.

Late drinking started at Korsakoff. A bar/club sort of thing that looked like it had started as a squat. It stretched through several floors of a pakhuis - an old, narrow warehouse. They had some OK beers: witbier, De Koninck on draught. Duvel and a Trappist or two in bottles.

When Korsakoff closed, if we still had a thirst, Mazzo wasn't far. A club where we could drink for two hours more. Though a couple of years later we did go there for clubbing. When they had to move after a fire, Lucas had a regular DJ slot in the chillout room. Happy days.

Both are closed.

Ter Brugge was another regular meeting place. When Will and Lucas used to play football with me and the kids in Vondel Park. One of the cheapest pubs around. Where I drank Westmalle Tripel or La Chouffe.

It was remodelled and renamed in 2016.

We've been through quite a few regular haunts over the years. Me and my long-term mates. When somewhere closes or changes or gets too fucking expensive, we move on. As we have done many times before. 

 Butcher's Tears closing was sad, but we're moving on. The group of friends is what matters. And is the whole point of going down the pub. Not where we choose to meet.

Let's see if Checkpoint Charlie sticks. If not, I'm sure we'll find somewhere else. We always have.

Festival!

I rise at 8:40, brush my teeth and descend for breakfast

There’s almost no-one there. I get my usual breakfast and after a little while Jos turns up and sits at my table.

“Do you know what time the festival starts today?”

“I don’t know. I’ll look it up.”

He can’t find the opening times. Oh well.

As it looks pretty cool outside, I go straight to the supermarket after breakfast. Despite it only being 25º C, I still feel pretty warm when I get there.

I pick up some stuff for lunch: rolls, cheese and salami. That should stop me from starving. And give me some ballast come festival time. Despite the relatively low temperature, I’m bathed in sweat by the time I get back to my room.

Looking at the festival website, I see that the festival opens at 17:00 for industry people and 19:00 for the general public. I guess us judges count as industry.

It’s going to be a fairly lazy day. Not much on, other than an appointment with Fe Brasciano at 13:30. Which then gets delayed until 15:00, in Bier Vila.

I get myself a Catharina Sour on arrival. I ask for “medio”, thinking that will get me the middle size. It actually gets me a half litre. I also get a caipirinha to keep it company.

After a while of chatting with Fe, Jos arrives and sits at our table. He gets himself some schnitzel strips. Which gets me thinking: maybe I should get some food. Nothing too big, mind. I look in the small meal section of the menu. They seem to have an odd concept of “small”. For example, a full-sized portion of fish and chips. I get deep-fried mash things. They’re quite pleasant and not too filling.

Fe goes off to pick up her accreditation, saying she’ll be back in a few minutes. Half an hour later and she hasn’t returned. As it’s already way past 17:00, Jos and I pay and leave. The hall is fairly empty.  Now how do we get a beer?

Payment, it seems, is by a card you charge up. Except the desk selling them isn’t open yet. Next to it is the Patanegra stand, where they’re still setting up, but are happy to serve us some beers for free. I get an American IPA, while Jos goes for a Session IPA. I’ve made the better choice. Mine is really rather nice. While his is oxidised.

Next I get an Imperial Stout, which is deeply roasty and packed with alcohol. My kind of beer.

I try a Double IPA next. I’m going for all the session stuff. By the time I’ve finished, a queue has formed at the till. Jos gets a card with 200 reals on it. Which allows me to use one of the few phrases I know in Portuguese:

“O mismo.”

We find ourselves some seats and look around for beer. Being a lazy git, I opt for the closest stand. Which in Alcapone. Wanting to stick to the session stuff, I ask for a Barley Wine.

When I’ve sat down again, someone from the Alcapone stand comes up and talks to me. At first, I think, are they asking if I’ve paid. What they really want to know is what I think of it, as it’s their first attempt at a Barley Wine. I haven’t actually tried it yet. It’s maltily rich, balanced with a decent hop bitterness.

“It’s very nice. With the right balance of sweet malt and bitterness for the style.”

They seem pretty chuffed at my answer.

When the band starts up it gets too loud to have a comfortable conversation. I hate overly loud music at beer festivals. I can’t understand why anyone likes it. Don’t they want to converse with their companions? We decant to the next hall. It doesn’t have any beer stands, just other things like coffee. But the noise level is way lower.

I discuss Brexit with Jos. Well, mostly shout and froth at the mouth. It’s that time of day. After several caipirinhas and strong beers.

“I haven’t used any of the money on my card yet.” I tell Jos.

“I‘ve starting paying.  I don’t want to freeload.” Jos replies.

“I’d normally charge for the talk I’m giving tomorrow. More than the cost of a few beers.”

I have a few more beers from Alcapone. More low-alcohol stuff: an Imperial Stout, a Double IPA and another Barley Wine, just to check if it’s still OK.

“Do you want a full measure?” the man serving asks.

“Yes, please.”

I bail out a little before ten. I don’t want to go to bed too late.

On the way out there are some cachaça stands. Including Wylaardt. The owner is there. I go up and shake his hand and tell him how much I loved his 18-year-old. I’m not sure he totally understands, but maybe my smiles and thumbs up give him an inkling.

I get an Uber in a couple of minutes. One of the advantages of leaving early. I’ve only had beers from two breweries. That works for me. No way I can get around them all anyway. I’m happy to stick with a brewery whose beers are good.

I sort of regret getting the card and putting 200 reals on it, as I’ve spent nothing. The Alcapone people seem to have liked my comments and are happy to give me full measures for free. Their beers are really good. I wasn’t bullshitting.

Back in my room, a cachaça nightcap soon has me stumbling down the stairs to sleep.



Choperia Bier Vila
R. Alberto Stein, 199
Sala 100
Velha, Blumenau
SC, 89036-900.
https://www.biervila.com.br/

Let's Brew Wednesday - 2006 Youngs Super Lager

And here’s the other half of the Lager parti-gyle. A super-strength Lager that I’d never heard of. Looking like a competitor to classy beers like Tennent’s Super. I didn’t realise that Youngs had dipped their toes into that particular swamp.

It differed from Export in being fermented a bit cooler, being pitched at 54º F and only rising to 58º F. Not really proper Lager temperatures, but around 10º F cooler than their top-fermenting beers. Which explains why, along with the high gravity, the fermentation took so long: 17 days. Which is just a day short of two weeks longer than most of their beers.

There must have been a decent market for this beer as it was brewed in a batch of 115 barrels, compared to 215 barrels of Export.

Looking at online reviews, it seems that this beer is still being brewed. So how come I’ve never heard of it?

2006 Youngs Super
lager malt	17.25 lb	100.00%
Styrian Goldings 80 min	2.00 oz
Styrian Goldings 15 min	1.00 oz
OG	1079
FG	1015
ABV	8.47
Apparent attenuation	81.01%
IBU	29
SRM	4.5
Mash at	150º F
Sparge at	165º F
Boil time	80 minutes
pitching temp	54º F
Yeast	Wyeast 1968 London ESB (Fullers)

 

 

Thomas Usher beers in 1894

Looking at the range of beers Thomas Usher brewed in 1894, it’s clear that it was in a process of transition. While there are still five examples of the older style of Shilling Ales, there are also multiple X Ales and Pale Ales.

Starting with the older types, the Shilling Ales. Which run from 50/- to 100/-. And from 1032º to 1068º. The weakest three, which are 1040º or below, are very low gravity for the 19th century. In London, at that time, you didn’t really find any beer under 1050º.

The rates of attenuation, which get as low as just 55%, mostly look very poor. The only question is: was that really the final FG? I know that the last gravities given in some brewing records, such as William Younger’s, were cleansing rather than racking gravities.

Not sure what the “Br” suffix stands for. Though the two beers with it are lower gravity, but more heavily hopped. And more highly attenuated. To put those hopping rates of 5 lbs and 7 lbs per quarter (336 lbs) of malt into context, in the same period, London X Ales had between 7 lbs and 9 lbs per quarter. Meaning Usher’s hopping rates are a bit on the light side, but not crazily so.

None of these Shilling Ales survived WW II, the last examples being brewed in early 1918.

Moving on to the two XX Ales, I’m not totally sure what style they were classed as. I’ve got one as a Mild Ale and the other as a Stock Ale. But they are just my random guesses. The gravities look low for Stock Ales – the weakest London examples were over 1070º - while the hopping rates are too high for Mild Ales.

The attenuation isn’t the greatest. Though if these were true Stock Ales with a secondary Brettanomyces fermentation, the real FG would have been a good bit lower.

Continuing the theme of the Shilling Ales, the Pale Ales have gravities a bit on the low side. London Pale Ales were, the exception of the odd AK, generally over 1050º. And the top-of-the-range examples were over 1060º. I often bang on about how low-gravity IPA is nothing new, and here’s proof. With Usher’s weighing in at just under 4% ABV. Which is a session beer even by modern standards.

The hopping is also, compared to London, a little on the light side. In the capital, 10 lbs to 12 lbs per quarter (336 lbs) of malt was typical. Compared to just 8 lbs per quarter here at Usher.

Finally, we come to the two Stouts. Which, given their gravities in the 1050ºs, look more like Porters. At least by London standards, where the weakest Stouts weren’t far short of 1070º.

That standard Stout has a pretty low level of hopping: just 5 lbs per quarter (336 lbs) of malt. London Stouts generally had between 8 lbs and 10 lbs per quarter. The hefty 12 lbs per quarter in the Export Stout imply that it really was intended for shipping overseas. 

Thomas Usher beers in 1894
Beer	Style	OG	FG	ABV	App. Atten-uation	lbs hops/ qtr	hops lb/brl
XX 60/-	Mild	1055	1015	5.29	72.73%	10.00	2.77
50/- Br	Ale	1032	1009	3.04	71.88%	7.00	1.17
60/-	Ale	1040	1018	2.91	55.00%	5.00	0.86
60/- Br	Ale	1037	1010	3.57	72.97%	7.00	1.36
80/-	Ale	1053	1020	4.37	62.26%	5.00	1.15
100/-	Ale	1068	1030	5.03	55.88%	5.00	1.47
3 XX	Stock Ale	1049	1015	4.50	69.39%	10.00	2.42
IP	IPA	1044	1014	3.97	68.18%	8.00	1.83
PA	Pale Ale	1049	1014	4.63	71.43%	8.00	1.89
PA 60/-	Pale Ale	1055	1015	5.29	72.73%	8.00	2.12
Stout	Stout	1058	1019	5.16	67.24%	5.00	1.48
Stout Export	Stout	1055	1016	5.16	70.91%	12.00	2.77
Source:
Thomas Usher brewing record held at the Scottish Brewing Archives, document number TU/6/1/2.

Awards!

I rise at 8:30. Not exactly feeling totally refreshed.

Downstairs, it’s the same breakfast as always. I sit with Jos Brouwer.

It’s much quieter today, as many of the judges have either left or moved to a cheaper hotel. I only recognise a handful of faces.

I’ve arranged to meet Rafael for lunch. We’re meeting at 13:00 in the lobby. Which leaves me three hours or so to laze around the room. I can do with a bit of leisure time. And the opportunity to write up yesterday’s fun.

Down in the lobby there are quite a few judges, including Thomas Sjoberg and Shweta. They’re going to Xanadu, which they missed out on yesterday as it was closed. They disappear off in an Uber, while Rafael picks up me and Jos.

When we get to Beer Vila there’s a band playing German music. Rather loudly. So loud, that just after getting our beers, we move to further away so it’s easier to chat.

I kick off with an Enigma Gororoba, a Catherina Sour with passion fruit, amongst others. It’s very pink. Including the head. It’s OK, but as good as the one I had the other day. I get a caipirinha to go with it.

“Do you want to share some snacks?” Jos asks.

“Sure.”

We get some polenta fries. Basically, polenta cut into chip shapes and deep fried. Quite nice. And not too heavy.

My next beer is Das Bier Morango & Maracuja. Another Catharine Sour with passion fruit. It’s not as pink and rather tastier than the last one. I wash it down with a caipirinha again.

The band has finished playing when the judges who’ve been to Xanadu show up. As we’re only on a four-seater table, we move back into the main part of the room.

Being a bit soured out, I plump next for a Dogma Hop Machina, an American Double IPA. It’s not bad in a citrussy and alcoholic way (it’s 8.5% ABV). Along with another caipirinha.

Various food is ordered. Though not by me. I don’t think I’m ready for food yet. Later, maybe.

The next band turns up. Judging by the long hair and leather, I’m guessing it’s a more rocky outfit. Which turns out to be true. Though, weirdly, they’re quite a bit quieter than the Schlager bunch. They play covers of rock classics.

The drummer really annoys me. He keeps just missing the beat whenever he does a frill. When they start playing Smoke on the Water, I listen carefully to the bass part. I’ve always found the guitar riff a bit lame. The bass riff on the original recording is way better. Sadly, that’s not what the bassist plays.

Time for more beer. I turn to the dark side with Invicta Black Cat, a Black IPA. It’s very dark. And quite roasty. Closer to a Stout than an IPA. But it tastes OK, so I don’t care. I also get a caipirinha to keep it company.

It’s getting late in the afternoon and some of the group go back to the hotel. While I finally order some food – a rosti filled with mince and cheese. It’s nice, but very rich and filling. I don’t manage to finish it off.

Four of us decide to go straight to the awards ceremony, sharing an Uber. The event was scheduled to start at 19:00 and we turn up half an hour or so later. There’s a big queue outside which we push past. Inside it’s still fairly quiet.

They’re serving the leftovers from the competition. Which means it’s a total lottery as to the quality of the beer. I have a rather oxidised Vienna Lager.

There are no seats. Not a single one. The best me and Jos can do is to sit on one of the speakers next to the stage. After a while, one of the organisation team approaches us. I think she’s going to tell us to not sit there. Instead, she invites us to the VIP room at the back.

Where they have seats. Well, stools, but it’s a lot better than nothing. And they’re serving Leopoldina Grape Ale. A waiter comes around with trays of canapés. This is so much more civilised.

At 20:15, there’s no sign of the ceremony beginning. I feel pretty tired. And it’s obvious that it will be hours before we’re done. I start to ask myself some pretty basic questions. Why am I here? What am I going to get out of this? Why don’t I fuck off back to the hotel?

The reality is this: I’d rather be lying on my hotel bed watching crap TV.

I say goodbye to Jos and make my way through the main hall. Which is getting pretty packed. Outside cars keep pulling up as people are still arriving.

I get an Uber in a couple of minutes. This is the main reason I bought a data sim: so I could escape from events without the need for wifi.

It’s quite a drive back. Twenty minutes or so.

My room is still quite cool. Because they didn’t leave my windows open today. The last couple of days it’s only been in the low to mid 20s. Still incredibly humid, but much more bearable.

Tonight, it’s Dupipe silver cachaça driving me to sleep.

After a couple of hours in bed I wake up feeling quite chilly. After the best part of a week, the airco has finally got down to the 17 C it’s set to. I turn it up to 20 C so I can sleep.



Choperia Bier Vila
R. Alberto Stein, 199
Sala 100
Velha, Blumenau
SC, 89036-900.
https://www.biervila.com.br/

Cairnes processes in 1898

Let’s take a look at some of the processes now. Starting with the mashing schedule.

While this is for Table Beer, the schemes for all the other beers are pretty much the same. It looks very much like the type of process used by many breweries in England and some in Scotland. That is, an infusion mash, followed by an underlet and a stand for two hours. Finishing off with a sparge.

Next boiling and fermentation.

Not much to say about the boiling process. All the beers were boiled for two hours. With the exception of Single Stout, which had two, all the beers just used a single copper. That is, that there was only one wort. Which is no problem, if you aren’t parti-gyling. Which Cairnes weren’t.

Every beer was pitched at 60º F. Which is a bit unusual. Standard practice was to pitch stronger beers cooler. The point being to keep the maximum temperature to around the same. More heat being generated during the fermentation of a stronger wort. Which may explain why, here, the maximum temperatures of the stronger beers are very high. X Ale, in particular, was allowed to get very hot: 89º F.

The fermentations are a little on the long side, lasting as long as nine days. Though, oddly, the strongest beer, X Ale, has one of the shortest at just seven days. 

26th October 1898 Table Beer
action	barrels	strike heat	mash heat	time stood (minutes)	tap heat
mash	20	165º F	154º F	30	149º F
underlet	4	175º F		120	145º F
sparge		170º F			153º F
Source:
Cairnes brewing record held at the Guinness archives.

Cairnes boiling and fermentation in 1898
Beer	Style	boil time (hours)	boil time (hours)	Pitch temp	max. fermen-tation temp	length of fermen-tation (days)
TB	Table Beer	2		60º F	73º F	7
Ale	Mild	2		60º F	78º F	9
E.I. Ale	Pale Ale	2		60º F	76º F	7
IP Ale	IPA	2		60º F	74º F	7
SS	Stout	2	2	60º F	80º F	9
DS	Stout	2		60º F	82.5º F	8
X Ale	Mild	2		60º F	89º F	7
Source:
Cairnes brewing record held at the Guinness archives.