Eli pays his debts
So we won a little beer blogger fantasy football league last year. No big deal [subtext: BIG DEAL]. As winners, we were promised a local 6-pack of microbrew. Most of the participants [subtext: LOSERS] paid their dues promptly. Some of them, including Eli “The Delinquent Beer Man” Shayotovich, did not. Eli blogs over at Confessions of a Beer Geek and is also half of Beer Tap TV.
So imagine my surprise when I received this in the mail last week:
Whoa, did Eli come through or WHAT?! It was almost worth the wait. Here’s what was in the box:
- Modus Hoperandi from Ska Brewing
- Steel Toe Milk Stout from Ska Brewing
- Pliny the Elder from Russian River
- Blind Pig from Russian River
Eli, we can now safely say that we look forward to playing with you [subtext: CRUSHING YOU] again next year. Thanks for the beer, we haven’t been able to try any of this stuff yet!
A new beer bar opens up in Atlanta
If Atlanta needs one thing, it’s more beer. That’s kind of the premise we’re basing starting our brewery on, and it’s definitely true. Marisa turned me onto The Porter Beer bar, a new joint that just opened up in Little 5 Points. And then my beer email list started emailing about, saying things like:
This was (IMO) the most exciting thing to happen in the Atlanta beer scene in quite some time. Think of food that matches the best brewpub in town and beer that matches the best beer bar in Decatur.
Quite an endorsement. I haven’t yet been ? sadly I’m still off of beer until the ulcers heal. But I encourage anyone who is able to check the place out and then leave us a comment so that I know what to order when I go. Check out their beer list, which is impressive, and their menu. Charred onion mayo? Sign me up!
The things I miss about beer
I’m still not sure what is wrong with me… but for the time-being I’m feeling pretty lucid. Anesthesia makes for good sleep. I started reflecting on the fact that I haven’t had a beer in over 3 weeks. At this point I’ve been trying to make every bite/sip count, and sadly I can’t justify the brewski yet. But it is weird for me, and I’ve come to realize the things I like most about beer.
- The subtle complexities. I love the fact that beer is a living beverage. A good beer, in my opinion, tells a story. That story can be as simple as keeping you refreshed on a hot day, but I’m usually driven towards the beers with layers of flavors. Balance. Subtle little hints of fruit that you can draw out with certain yeasts and different fermentation temperatures. I love a beer that evolves in your mouth. (That’s what she said)
- The company. Sure, we don’t NEED beer to make friends. Or to hang out together. But gathering together to enjoy something beautiful and tasty is just so dern fun. Good beer is flexible enough to be the main attraction, but it also has no problem playing bit roles in friendly conversations.
- Jeff and Joel. These aren’t as universal, but mostly pertinent to my dealings with ‘beer.’ Not being able to brew for 3 weeks now has been muy turrible. Not quite as turrible as whatever malady I’ve managed to aquire, but nonetheless it’s given me a new realization of how awesome my business partners are. I trust them completely and even enjoy their company. Jeff came by Friday night to watch a movie with poor lil me (Killer Klowns from Outer Space) and it struck me that I missed hanging out. Making fun of Joel regularly is something that I pine for again. I think it was good for my soul.
Just some thoughts while I feel good enough to jump on the computer… Hope to be back at it soon.
Homebrewing gets a facelift
We’ve been talking with John Carnett, creator of The Device, about his innovative cooling techniques (using a cold plate to chill water running through copper tubing that runs around whatever you’d like to chill). These talks originated from our pilot brewery discussion in which we were trying to find the best way to control temperatures during fermentation. John started acting all weird and mysterious, saying things like:
Sadly due to IP I can’t tell you about everything that we learned but we are no longer using cold plates in our process at all… If you can wait a a bit my patents will be fully filed.
Whoa. Ok NOW we’re intrigued. Turns out John was on to something big. An entire business, even, called Nanobrewing Technologies. And what they’re selling puts the original device to shame. A beautiful all-in-one brewing solution that even the wife or girlfriend might allow inside the house. Check out the article on PopSci.
Photo used WITHOUT permission from John Carnett
The art of planning a [burrito] business
We’re learning a lot throughout this whole business planning process, but it’s also interesting to see what our friends are up to. Specifically Wilson over at Brewvana, who will soon be opening his own Burrito shack called Electric Burrito.
Wilson, being a beer guy, spent some energy planning his beer menu recently. Sounds like he found a good balance between his natural beer-loving tendencies and the general headaches caused by adding a million taps. (He settled on 2 taps and about a dozen local microbrews.)
Granted, I rarely get out to Iowa. If Bryan Adams plays a farewell show there I might just have to make the trek.
It pays to have beer-loving friends
Many hugs and kisses to Troy and his wife for their lovely gift of beer! We opened up a mysterious package last night only to be greeted by a bunch of pigs.
A bunch of pigs with the words, “The only thing better than pigs are beer, and rabbit ?The world of gastronomy according to Troy”
Even better than the cryptic message (Troy cooked us a rabbit dinner a few months back) was the beer inside, a Bell’s Oberon Ale and a Calvinus (DANGER: annoying site alert). Oh John Calvin… You tickle our innards.
Belgium comes to Monday night
As much as we love drinking them, it’s been awhile since we tried brewing our last Belgian, a Peach Abbey Ale, which we decided to call Southern Monk or Mulletproof Monk. Unfortunately, this beer was a lot better in theory than it was on paper. Or in glass. Or in stomach.
We really want to get this beer right, so we’ve decided to start from scratch. Tonight we’ll be brewing a basic dubbel with a recipe formulated with the help of Stan and his Brew Like A Monk book. Come by Jeff’s and learn with us!