To compensate for flavour and to appeal to the “mass market” advertising executives have dreamed up an exciting range of words to hide their bland reality. Don’t be fooled and follow these tips to avoid bland beer:

• Avoid “LITE”
• Avoid “DRY”
• Avoid “COLD-FILTERED”
• Avoid “ICE”
• Avoid “SMOOTH”
• Avoid “CREAM/CREAMY”
• Avoid “CLEAN”
• Avoid beer advertised with words ending in “FLOW”
• Avoid beer advertised on TV
• Avoid beer with sports tournaments named after them.
• Avoid beer with “RICE” in the ingredients.
• Avoid beer “BREWED UNDER LICENSE”  it’s usually a different strength, a different taste and no resemblance to the original. Often just brewed down the road but they hint that it’s an exotic import.

The Flat Earth Brewing website has been improved, and will detail the fine craft beers (and now, sodas) available each Tuesday and Thursday. You can visit each Tuesday and Thursday, from 3:30 PM to 6:30 PM, to sample some of the newest, most exclusive offerings in the state, as well as exchange (or purchase your first) growler to take home and enjoy.

Some events Flat Earth where will be participating:

• August 6th – Visit the Cedar Cultural Center for Flat Earth Night featuring live music by Jon Rodine and the Cattails. Happy hour pricing on Element 115!
• August 8th – Head to Station 4 at 9 PM, check out the Rush tribute band Exit Stage Right. Rumor has it they’ll have Cygnus X-1 on tap. (Rush is Jeff’s favorite band, and the inspiration behind the names of many brews).
• August 9th – they will be participating in the Fresh Taste Fest at historic Nicollet Island Pavilion.
• August 11th – Head to the Electric Fetus at 6:30 PM. Stop by for live music by The Pines, Flat Earth beer and some munchies from The Wedge co-op.
• August 14th – Jump over to the Minnesota Zoo for Brew at the Zoo for Flat Earth beer and music by G.B. Leighton.
• August 14th – Join People Serving People (PSP), on their sixth annual Strike Out Homelessness event taking place at the Metrodome. 4:30-7:00 PM. Pre-game party at The Metrodome Picnic Pavilion (near gate D).
• August 22nd – Stop over to the brewery for a formal tour, starting at 4 PM. Tasting and sales to follow.
• Starting August 22nd, head to Shakopee for the Minnesota Renaissance Festival. Every weekend through October. Belgian Pale ale will be available at: King’s Pub, Royal Pub, Blue Lion Tent & The Foaming Stein.
• August 29th & 30th – free beer tastings during Highland Fling Weekend at the Renaissance Festival!

Hope to see you out at some of our events as we enjoy the last of the great summer weather. – Jeff & Cathie Williamson

This week’s episode is a bit out of the ordinary. Prepare yourself for four hosts, discussing four beers. Mike, Shawn and Jason are joined by homebrewer friend Tommy this week for a video edition of The Beer Genome Project. To celebrate this occasion, we have taken it upon ourselves to set out four Brown ales, to be reviewed in a blind taste test. After we reveal the names of the beers, our hosts have a discussion about getting into homebrewing, and how homebrew beers can be enjoyed just as much as commercial beers.

BGP #10: It’s All Over Now, Baby Brown from Mike VanDelinder on Vimeo.

We were able to sample the Saison, the Dubbel, and the Tripel. However, due to the limited quantity of bottles available, Tommy and I purchased a few other hard-to-find craft brews. I left with two bottles of Kiuchi Brewery’s Hitachino Nest XH Ale, two bottles of Well’s Banana Bread Beer, and a bottle of Brauerei Heller’s Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier (Märzen). Tommy picked up a bottle of Private Weissbier-Brauerei’s Aventinus Wheat Doppelbock, a bottle of Ommegang’s Ommegeddon, and a few other Belgian brews (I shall update the post later to name them).

We left The Four Firkins very pleased with the selection, and having finally met Alvey, I was able to put another face to a name (and his Twitter presence @fourfirkins). I received an email from Jeff Williamson of Flat Earth Brewing Company earlier this week, where he mentioned that growler sales would happen twice a week now, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 3:30 to 6:30. With nearly an hour left, we jetted back to Saint Paul, and met up with Jeff at the brewery. We sampled a few beers there, including the Belgian Pale Ale, Sunburst Ale (apricot-infused Belgian Pale Ale), the Cygnus X-1 Porter, Northwest Passage IPA, Black Helicopter Coffee Stout, and a maple-infused Cygnus X-1.

After an afternoon of sampling, we decided to have more than just an ounce of beer, here and there. Tommy wanted to enjoy the afternoon outside on a patio, so we made a few pizzas, and sat in my backyard, enjoying the spring weather. Later in the evening, we decided to actually review a few beers. I opened my November 2006 vintage of Avery’s Mephistophele’s Stout, and Tommy chose to finish the evening with a sour / farmstyle from Ommegang — the 2008 Ommegeddon. Here is the video (please sound off in the comments if you have had any of the beers I mentioned in this post):

The Ides of April from Shawn Horton on Vimeo.

Even before Mike and I sat down to record our first episode, Jason was helping us with the initial stages of development. We finally got the pleasure of sitting down and recording an episode in-house with him. This video is a segment of the pre-production, as well as a segment recording during the audio podcast.

Beginning to Record Episode 6 from Mike BGP on Vimeo.

Meanwhile in Iowa, I also shot a quick video to show the guys in St. Paul.

Tom Horgen’s article regarding the beginning of the Hop Festival covers a decent amount of that evening, and I have to admit, I even shared stories about my birthday on Inauguration Day with the two guys pictured in the article. (Pat even gave me a few Jamaican Jerk chicken wings; you will see his shirt in a few of my iPhone pictures, below.) I took 4 pictures; one of each of the varieties, since the EPA and IPA appeared identical to the second of each variety.

The first beer of the six, five-ounce Summit cask ales that evening I tried was the first of two Extra Pale Ales, this one dry-hopped with Cascade. As Summit described it:

This is the regular finishing hop in EPA and should compliment the beer well. A classic US aroma hop, Cascade delivers a very smooth and balanced citrus flavor and aroma, most notably of grapefruit. (ABV) = 5.2%

The second Summit cask ale that I enjoyed that evening was the second of two Extra Pale Ales, this one dry-hopped with Glacier. As Summit described it:

Glacier is a relatively new US aroma hop. A relative of Fuggle, it tends to be slightly more British in character with some mild, woody herbal and spicy aroma notes. (ABV) = 5.2%

The third Summit cask ale I sampled was the first of two India Pale Ales, this one was dry-hopped with Amarillo. As Summit described it:

The most aggressive hop featured! Amarillo is a unique dual-purpose hop combining an aggressive flavor with a floral, citrusy and fruity aroma. Notes of apricot are often present. (ABV) = 6.2%

The fourth Summit cask ale I sampled was the second of two India Pale Ales, this one was dry-hopped with East Kent Goldings. As Summit described it:

Britain’s premier aroma hop. EKG gives a superb balance of flavor with a subtle floral aroma often containing notes of orange marmalade. The standard dry-hop variety used in beer. (ABV) = 6.2%

The fifth Summit cask ale I sampled was the only Winter Ale, this one dry-hopped with Crystal. As Summit described this brew:

Another Popular US finishing hop, Crystal has a spicy noble quality combined with some citrus notes. Should combine well with dark malts and slightly character present in this ale. (ABV) = 6.3%

The sixth and final Summit cask ale I sampled that evening was the Oatmeal Stout, dry-hopped with Target. Summit remarks:

Developed in the 1970′s, Target is the foremost bittering hop now grown in Britain. Underrated as a flavor and aroma hop, its slightly aggressive characteristics should work perfectly in a stout. (ABV) = 5.4%

I also sampled a Flat Earth Rode Haring Flanders Red Ale. It was rather unexpected; I merely asked the server if it was available, however upon the $16 asking price (after the server left) I decided I wasn’t going to order one. Yet without fail, my elderly server returned with a bottle, uncapped, and I obliged. It was after all, extremely constrained. I had bottle 404/500. This was my first sour ale, and it immediately reminded me of a lambic, but only more sour.

The rating system goes as such:

• 1/5 – not a good drinking experience. This score is for the beers I would not care to try again.
• 2/5 – Beers I simply did not care for.
• 3/5 – I liked it. Perhaps it does not have a unique flavor or anything particularly special about it. I would try it again, but won’t seek it out.
• 4/5 – Really good beer. If I go to a restaurant, these are the first items I look for on a menu.
• 5/5 – Outstanding and delicious. I would seek these out every day, as they are typically a little harder to find.

Of course in our ratings, we also try to discuss several characteristics of each beer. These are:

• Appearance – the clarity and color of the beer
• Aroma – what can you smell in the beer? is it fresh and flowery?
• Taste – what’s the body feel like in your mouth and what flavors are coming through?
• Overall Evaluation – last chance for comments, and a rating on the five-point scale

There you go, a brief explanation of the rating system we use here at The Beer Genome Project. What characteristics do you keep in mind when trying out a new beer? Sound off in the comments.

In this week’s show we will be reviewing 2 Below, a winter seasonal by New Belgium Brewing. Shawn gives us his thoughts on the Mocha Porter by Rogue Brewery and Mike presents his take on The Millstream Brewing Company’s Schild Brau Amber Lager.

Afterwards we will be presenting our tips of the week, focused on prepping to take your own tasting notes, as well as some information on the beginning of craft brewing.

<

p style=”text-align: left;”>New Belgium Brewing Company – 2 Below Style: Extra Strong Bitter (ESB), seasonal winter warmer ABV (Alcohol by Volume): 6.6% IBU (International Bitterness Units): 30

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p style=”text-align: left;”>Rogue Brewery – Mocha Porter Style: Porter ABV (Alcohol by Volume): 5.3% IBU (International Bitterness Units): 54

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p style=”text-align: left;”>Millstream Brewing Company – Schild Brau Amber Lager Style: Vienna-style lager ABV (Alcohol by Volume): 4.9% IBU (International Bitterness Units): 25

The Beer Genome Project #3 Show Notes

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p style=”text-align: left;”>0:00-0:50 – Introduction 0:51-3:54 – New Belgium’s 2 Below 3:55-6:51 – Rogue’s Mocha Porter 6:52-7:54 – Millstream’s Schild Brau 7:55-9:41 – Tasting Tip: Prepping to Take Your Own Tasting Notes 9:42-11:01 – Style Tip: Introduction of the “Macro vs. Micro” Framework 11:02-12:48 – Conclusion 

I saw one other example of breweries stepping outside of their cooler aisle, and that was Goose Island’s Root Beer. Goose Island is one of my favorite midwest breweries, and responsible for the ever-so fantastic Goose Island Oatmeal Stout. Unfortunately I didn’t grab a sixer of the root beer, but I plan to get it soon and follow up here with a review.