Homebrew Competition

For a while now I have felt that my strawberry Hefeweizen was pretty damn good. In fact, I feel like it's probably the best beer that I make. It's better than my California Common (or Both Coasts Common if I want to throw in the "official name."), and it's certainly better than the rest of my more experimental beers. However, I get tired of it after too long, and am ready for something with a bit more of a hop bite or malt backbone as time goes on. Add in that it's my most expensive beer to make (thanks to 10 pounds of strawberries) and i tend to make it about once a summer.

Don't get me wrong - I like this beer enough and am confident enough that I decided to enter it into a homebrew competition. This particular comp was the first of its kind at Gordon's Wine and Liquor in Waltham, and it went off pretty well.  There were 26 official entries, with a few extra thrown in at the last minute (I think 30 in total), and it took place in their rather classy "Culinary Center" located in the back of the store.

I had the "honor" of going first, as the staff poured my beer first to the three judges (a mixture of industry professionals, including one each from breweries Harpoon and Clown Shoes, and a third from a distributor that I cannot recall) and then to the rest of the crowd (Between 30 and 40 people). It seemed to go over well, and the judges suggested three areas for improvement - a creamier body, and a little more hop bitterness. The third judge (Ray, the distributor) mentioned that the brewer (me) must love strawberry-banana smoothies (exactly how I describe the beer to friends), because that's what he tasted.

As to those comments, I respect the opinions, but I also understand that they were coming from a place of personal preference. After the competition, all of the judges were complimentary of the beer and didn't seem shocked when it won second place overall (oh yeah, I won second place. I'll take it!). So with all due respect, I think I'll keep the recipe the way it is now.

After my beer, the competition went well and was a ton of fun. Some highlights included the winner (a double IPA with only summit hops), and a dry stout that wowed the judges, myself, and everyone sitting next to me (somehow this didn't place in the top three). The event also featured an incredible Tripel, and a couple of tasty Imperial Stouts as well that all could have justifiably beaten my beer.

But not all was honky dory - as one of the late entrants had a few surprises in for us. The brewer - clad in bike shorts, a tight t-shirt, and green plastic eyeglasses (to be fair he did ride his bike there) - introduced his beer by saying "If you really like tart cherries, then you'll like this beer. If you don't, then you're wrong." It was a tongue-in-cheek comment to be sure, but at the same time it points to the lunacy of the situation to unfold. The beer looked fine, even had a nice oud bruin brown color to it. However, as soon as I put my nose to it I had to take a step back. I asked the brewer what style it was, and he answered: "Whatever style uses 12 different strains of yeast." OK. That explained a lot actually.

The damn thing smelled like my kitchen, the part close to the cat box, right after my cat has a big meal. It tasted alright, with a funky and well-balanced sweetness to counteract the sour, but damn it smelled like cat-shit.

Then, the same wacky brewer had a beer called "sour time." Along the same lines of the first, this was a wild wild wild brew, and this one was beyond redeemable. Not only did it smell and taste awful (Bleach and metal cleaner come to mind), but it looked hideous with a slightly yellow head on top of a sickly tinted amber liquid. This was the last beer of the competition, and three hours later I can still taste it.

So overall, it was a great experience, and as a reward for second prize I won a pound of hops. However, considering I had to essentially drink toilet cleaner at the end of the night, I'm not sure it was worth it.

For those interested, I've posted the recipe below. If anybody has any ideas what hops I should get with my prize, let me know.

1.00 lb	Rice Hulls (0.0 SRM)	Adjunct	9.52 %
5.00 lb	Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM)	Grain	47.62 %
4.50 lb	Wheat Malt, Ger (2.0 SRM)	Grain	42.86 %
1.00 oz	Hallertauer [4.80 %] (60 min)	Hops	17.6 IBU
1 Pkgs	Weihenstephan Weizen (Wyeast Labs #3068)	Yeast-Wheat

10 lb strawberries - secondary fermentation - 7 days

NBA Finals Preview

I have managed to continue my trend of sporadic posting. I have been far too busy with graduation and graduation parties to take the time to ruminate about my two favorite subjects, but I'm back today to discuss the NBA Finals and the rematch of the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers.

I'm not going to go into detail about the rivalry, mostly because I'm too young to remember the 80's and Bob Ryan does a much better job of it than I could ever do (If all of the popup ads generated by Boston.com aren't a sign of the desperation of newspapers these days then I don't know what is). So let's already assume that this series will be great even if all it does is add another chapter to an incredible story. Instead, I want to focus on some of the key matchups (all of them) that will play a role in this series.

Pau Gasol vs. Kevin Garnett
I'm not the first writer to say this, and for good reason. If Gasol can have his way with Garnett and his limpy knees, then the Lakers should have a marked advantage in this series. However, if Garnett is able to fluster the seven-foot Spaniard, then the Celtics have the advantage down low. Any team that can get an advantage in the post against the Lakers has already accomplished a major task. For this reason, this matchup becomes the most important. It will also have ramifications on the next matchup as well.

Andrew Bynum vs. Kendrick Perkins
The Lakers were without their starting center in 2008 when Boston humiliated them in a six-game romp that featured one incredible comeback and one embarrassing blowout. If Bynum is to prove that he would have been a difference-maker in the '08 series, then he must find ways to score against one of the League's premier defensive centers. Ten points and 10 boards for either of these players will be a major accomplishment, as they attempt to neutralize the other's offensive production.

For both big men, the key will most likely be who can stay out of foul trouble. Both are prone to riding the bench with too many fouls early in the game, and that could spell problems for either team. Essentially, the longer Bynum stays in the game, the longer Garnett has to guard Gasol. How much punishment will KG be able to take at his age and on his knees from Pau? Meanwhile, if Bynum is out of the game, the Celtics will be able to punish Garnett with a series of defenders that include the tenacious Perkins, Garnett, and the reanimated corpse of Rasheed Wallace.

Kobe Bryant vs. Every Celtic
Ask Dwayne Wade, LeBron James, or Vince Carter (ask nicely if you talk to Vince, he's sensitive) - they will tell you how tricky it can be to attack the basket against the Celtics. Perimeter players are rarely afforded the opportunity to go one-on-one, instead they often face double or triple teams as soon as they attempt to dribble-drive into the paint. (For a better description of the Celtics' defense, check out this post on the worldwide leader - Los Angeles) Can you think of a more ideal situation for the one player who loves to go one-on-five? If Kobe continues to sink ridiculous shots like he did against Phoenix, then the Celtics will be in trouble. However, if Boston can force Kobe into jacking up 30 or so shots to get 25-or-so points, then that's good news for the Green.

Rajon Rondo vs. Kobe Bryant
Meanwhile, expect Kobe to play rover defense off of Rondo. Rondo may have taken about 10,000 steps forward in his abilities, but he still can't knock down the three-pointer. Expect Phil Jackson to come out with Kobe on Rondo, and expect Kobe to play the passing lanes rather than respect Rondo as a shooter. If the Celtics point-star is able to punish Bryant and the Lakers with his quick drives to the basket or some timely shooting, then the Celtics have an edge here. However, Rondo still struggles from the free throw line and the Lakers won't be shy to knock him on his ass and send him to the line for two every time he comes into the paint (at least this is what they should do). How much punishment and embarrassment at the free-throw line will Rondo take before he settles into a slightly more controlled and passive role?

Ron Artest vs. Paul Pierce
Like Bynum's presence, Ron Ron's face is new to this heated rivalry that was first reignited in 2008. No Laker fan will ever forget Paul Pierce and the Wheelchair game . Ron Artest was born to defend sluggish scorers like Paul Pierce, who could easily become frustrated by the Queensbridge-repping forward's grab-happy hands and dedication to his craft.

However, the real key to this matchup will be what Pierce is able to do against Artest. Although, Artest is a streaky shooter at best, he is still a capable offensive player. Completely forgetting about him on the perimeter is an easy way to give up a quick 15 points. If Artest can make Pierce work on both ends of the floor, then he has earned his role on the squad and the comparisons to Trevor Ariza can finally rest. However, if Pierce is able to elevate his game in the face of a tough competitor like Artest, then the Celtics will have a distinct leg up. Pierce, like all great scorers, is an underrated playmaker, and when he is able to get his shot off, his teammates benefit from the attention he draws from the defense. A good game from pierce and any other Celtic could put the Lakers in danger.

Ray Allen vs. Derek Fisher
I didn't mention Ray when talking about guarding Kobe because he will have tons of help, and won't be guarding him on an island. However, the same won't be true of Fisher, who will have to chase Allen around screens and battle with the taller guard in the post. Everything about this matchup screams advantage for the Celtics, but Ray Allen has to be the driving force. Taking Fisher onto the block may be a bad idea, as he is incredibly tough and has a strong body. Boston's best bet is to wear down LA's second-best clutch shooter by making him chase the league's premier shooter coming off the curl. LA's best chance at gaining any advantage from this advantage will be if Fisher is able to create turnovers by selling some moving-screens on Boston's big men.

Lamar Odom vs. Rasheed Wallace (or bench vs. bench)
Neither team has had consistent bench production over the course of the regular season and playoffs, but Boston seems to have a slight edge here with bigs like Wallace and Glen Davis to body up the Lakers' massive front line. However, "Kobe-stopper" James Posey is missing from this roster, as is Stephon Marbury and his head tattoo (actually, that's a good thing for Boston). The bench may be the most pivotal matchup of all in this series, especially if Perkins decides to blow up at a referee and earn himself a one-game suspension from his seventh playoff foul.

Prediction
I've got to go with the Lakers in seven, but mainly because I'm a Laker's fan and that's how I want it to end up. Both teams are so evenly matched, that a close call, a lucky bounce, an injury, or a suspension could completely turn the series. With homecourt advantage and the game's best player, the Lakers have a slight advantage, but only slight.

Does Rajon Rondo even like playing basketball?

Rondo cracks me up. The kid can ball on the level of the best point guards in the game, has freakishly long arms and big hands, and can do everything except shoot a long jumper. He's an all-around beast that any team would gladly take at the one, and the funniest thing is that he never even cracks a smile. The dude's all business. Just look at this interview - I love the last question: "Do you take it as a compliment that Lebron wants to guard you?" "You can say that if you want to."

Brew Day - Strawberry Hefeweizen

It's a good day for brewing, so I'm brewing up an early summer favorite - Strawberry Hefeweizen. The recipe itself is simple enough:

1.00 lb Rice Hulls (0.0 SRM) Adjunct 9.52 %
5.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 47.62 %
4.50 lb Wheat Malt, Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 42.86 %
1.00 oz Hallertauer [4.80 %] (60 min) Hops 17.6 IBU
1 Pkgs Weihenstephan Weizen (Wyeast Labs #3068) Yeast-Wheat

But the real beauty of this beer is the 10 pounds of strawberries that get added to the beer a few days into fermentation.

Wyeast 3068 is known to kick off a lot of esthers (smells), particularly a compound that smells like bananas. Typically the warmer the fermentation temperature, the more esthers. Also, not adding enough yeast can add to esther production. If this were a normal hefeweizen, I'd like to keep those esthers somewhat under control, but this isn't a normal hefeweizen. I like to kick it old school with this brew and just leave the fermenting beer in a dark, cool corner of my apartment, which is about 65 degrees or so these days. That keeps the beer around 72-74 degrees and keeps those banana esthers popping out. The strawberries get dumped into the same bucket a few days later.

The banana smell really blends nicely with the aroma of the strawberries, and almost gives it a milk-shake like smell. However, the smell is a little misleading, as the beer is actually more tart than sweet. All of the sugar ferments out of the berries during fermentation, and all that's left is a tart fruitiness. Coupled with a high level of carbonation when it comes time for that, this ends up being a very dry beer perfect for warm summer days. I'm excited for it already.

On deck for tomorrow's brew day - Black Gold IPA:

10.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 81.63 %
1.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 8.16 %
0.50 lb Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 4.08 %
0.50 lb Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 4.08 %
0.25 lb Black (Patent) Malt (500.0 SRM) Grain 2.04 %
3.00 oz Cascade [8.00 %] (Dry Hop 7 days) Hops -
3.00 oz Goldings, B.C. [5.00 %] (60 min) Hops 50.7 IBU
2.00 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (60 min) Hops 33.8 IBU
1.00 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (First Wort Hop) Hops 16.9 IBU
1 Pkgs American Ale (Wyeast Labs #1056) Yeast-Ale

Long Overdue

Desperate times call for desperate measures, thus the red solo cup. For those of you not marooned in the waterless world of Massachusetts, I'm drinking like this because of contamination in Boston's water source that recommends not using the water for anything except bathing and fire prevention. In order to avoid creating dishes, I'm using reusable cups. And in order to avoid drinking water, I'm drinking beer.

The beer in question is New England Brewing Company's Gandhi-Bot Double India Pale Ale. Wow, it is a hoppy beer. The can (I love beer in cans) states that it comes in at 85 IBU, but it's a world-class hop bomb to be sure. Lots of piney notes in the nose and it smacks you with dry bitterness in the mouth (who doesn't like getting smacked with bitterness in the mouth). The smell is dank, but the bitterness isn't exactly my bag. I tend to prefer sweeter DIPAs like DogFish Head's 90-minute IPA. At 8.8% ABV, it packs a punch as well, although there is really no noticeable alcohol burn.

There was oodles of hype for this beer on BeerAdvocate, and discussions abounded like this one . So I had to go out and get myself a four-pack when I had the chance. It's good, and worth the buy, but I'm not sure I'd go out of my way to get it again. However, it does pair real nicely with some NBA, as you can savor one for a long time - at least one half. And that's the real point of this post - THE PLAYOFFS

As I say in the title, this post is long overdue. I was too caught up in the first round to even write about it, but now that it's over I've got some thoughts.

Thought 1:
As always I'll start with the Lakers. They proved to be as schizophrenic as they had been all season, and struggled with the Thunder's athleticism. However, ultimately there's just too much talent on that squad and on the bench (mostly the elevated chair close to the scorer's table) to lose in the first round.

I think the moment that best exemplified the Lakers' true depth was Pau Gasol's tip-in of Kobe's last-second shot in Game 6. Everyone expected that shot to be the last of the game, but Pau - who has superstar talent on his own - was the only one wide awake and he deftly tipped it back in. That bucket caused a sigh of relief across Lakerland, and sent Los Angeles back home to deal with a familiar foe - The Utah Jazz.

Thought 2:
Jerry Sloan is the best coach in the playoffs. The Jazz are rolling even without two of their best players (Memo Okur and AK47), and Deron Williams is proving why he's the best point guard in the playoffs (leading the postseason in assists). Yet for some reason, I'm not afraid as a Lakers fan.

Perhaps it's because Phil Jackson is the second best coach in the playoffs, perhaps its because Derek Fisher has owned D-Will defensively in the playoffs, or perhaps its because LA has home-court advantage and the Jazz only do well with home-court calls (nobody abuses bodies down low like Carlos Boozer, and nobody gets away with it more often). Lakers in 6.

Thought 3:
I hate LeBron James. Seriously. I hate him. I think I may submit a posting to my friends over at The Puppy Kicker about this clown. I've never seen a player milk an injury like LeBron does. Give me a break, I'm not saying he didn't hurt it in Game 5 against the Bulls, but there's no way he was still bothered. The list goes on why he's miserable, but I'll save that rant for later.

Thought 4:
The Spurs are better than we all thought (except Skip Bayless, who picks them every year), and the Hawks are as bad as we thought. The Spurs are self-explanatory, and well, so are the Hawks. This Game 7 (which at the time of this post Atlanta is leading by 20 with 4:27 left in the game) should just be called "The Game to Determine Who Will Lose to the Orlando Magic in Round 2." Seriously, if the ATL can't put away the Bucks without their best center, how will they stop Dwight Howard and his co-stars in Orlando? They won't. No way.

Thought 5:
The East still sucks. The Celtics, Magic and Cavaliers all have a great advantage playing in the East. Not only do they benefit from the regular-season gift of playing the Nets four times (although not exactly a gift for the Celtics, who lost to them in Boston), but they start the first round with essentially a warm-up against the likes of the Dwayne Wades, the Larry Browns, and the Derrick Roses. Stop one player (or coach) and advance. Out of all the teams to benefit from this soft-toss opening round, I expect the Magic to make the most of it, as they had the most time off thanks to this embarrassingly bad Hawks-Bucks series. Health is key to the playoffs, and Orlando has had plenty of time to rest and heal up any bumps or bruises.

Final Thought
The Celtics will beat the Cavaliers. Shockingly enough, they are better coached - although my retarded cat could outcoach Mike Brown. But I bet that the deciding factor will be when the series gets tight, the Cavs will turn into the LeBron Jameses, with every player in red turning to their star to bail them out. Nobody is better at locking down a single player than the Celts in the playoffs (see: 2008 NBA Finals), and it's going to cost them. Celtics in 6.

A few Good Minutes with Jason Malone

It hasn't been easy, and the stars seemed aligned to prevent it from occurring, but I finally spoke with Jason Malone from Good People Brewing Company Although I'm not sure if I'm legally allowed to post the entire interview because it's for BeerAdvocate Magazine, but here are some juicy excerpts from my conversation with Jason:

Q: What has been your experience as a brewer in Alabama?

A: We’re really fortunate to kind of get involved in brewing in Alabama when we did. There were breweries that came before us in the 90s that, given the market, were ahead of the time. They had to do two things and do it really well, they had to make good beer - but just as important they had to educate folks that it was good beer. With no trailblazers ahead of them, they were trying to navigate uncharted waters. The demographic here, especially at that time, was quite different than places like Colorado and Oregon where craft brewing was thriving… I really think those guys were ahead of their time and because of that they weren’t successful and had to close down back when the first craft wave was coming though.

Q: (OK I don't remember what question I asked, in fact I think he brought it up on his own, but Jason mentioned was talking about beer culture in Alabama as Free The Hops and legislators were working on repealing prohibitive restrictions on ABV)

A: What we did have is a lot of people tuned into what was going on because of this grass roots effort. A lot of the people, instead of saying “Gosh it’s so great we can get all this great beer here,” they were saying “I wish we could.”... People knew that something was going on and that there were a bunch of guys and gals trying to get something going on in the beer world. That really worked well for us when we came down because we had a large group of folks who were interested in drinking good beer. The fact that they couldn’t get a lot of good beer made them even more interested.

Q: How did you get started in the brewing business?

A: We were basically just homebrewers that made beer for a long time without any inclination to start a business. We weren't looking to find a business, the business just found us. You take beer to so many places so many times, and you can only hear someone say this is really good beer you should start selling this, before you take them seriously… when it becomes evident that people think as much about your beer as you do and enjoy drinking it as much as you do, before long you take it seriously.

Q:How did you come up with the name "Good People Brewing?"

A: We just thought it was a really good representation of what we were trying to do and the folks we were serving. It’s less about us and more about our customers and community. The folks who support us and the retailers out here.

Q: Anything else you would like to add?

A: We’re very passionate about being what a local brewery should be. We’re dedicated of taking care of our local market before looking at expansion. We try to involve our local market as much as possible. There’s something to be said about living in a city with a brewery. Most decent sized cities these days have a brewery, so it’s not a novelty its an expectation. One of the benefits is being keyed in and having pride in ownership of what goes on at the local brewery. We’re just trying to be keyed into that.

* * * * * * *

Interested in more? Check out BeerAdvocate in a few months for a real story. Sorry, I hate to be a tease, but I don't want to give away the good stuff!

Cheers!

iPhone Beer Thoughts

This is my first crack at blogging from My phone, so please excuse any errors. It's also safe to assume I won't be bothering adding many links either.

So I had a thought today as I looked at all the beer in my fridge. Some of it I made myself, some of it I bought, and some of it was given to me. Of the three choices, the last is my favorite kind. There's something about free beer that warms a man's soul. I love making beer and I tend to think I do it pretty well, and what beer geek doesn't enjoy spending half his paycheck at the liquor store with a basket full of beer? But when you get beer from some else, it's simply one of life's great moments.

What I'm talking about here is a bottle of Indigo Imp's robust porter, Jester. You probably haven't heard of indigo imp, unless you live in Cleveland. They're a small outfit that only puts their product in bottles. There's more on them in the next beeradvocate magazine, but some things didn't make the cut. Stuff like brewmaster and co-owner Matt Chappel and his wife Kathy (the other owner) decided tofollow a dream of making beer and didn't let the fact that they live in a city home to several great breweries deter them. It's people like Matt and Kathy that make me love the beer industry. To Indigo Imp, breweries like Great Lakes aren't competition or enemies - they're just neighbors. I also didn't mention the fact that Matt agreed to send me some beers (incredibly good and unique) in exchange for some homebrews. And of course I didn't mention that, like a complete jerk, I promptly forgot about that pledge to trade until a sixpack showed up in my building's foyer. Don't worry Matt, six tasty homebrews are headed your way sir.

And while we are talking here about good people, I'm excited to finally speak with Jason Malone from Good People Brewing Co. out of Alabama. We've been playing phone tag for a couple of weeks, but we're all set for a phone interview on Sunday. Details of the interview will be posted - probably tomorrow night.

That's all today folks... Cheers.

Brewday - Brewing 101

Any day that ends with six gallons of wort fermenting in my fridge is a good day. Today is a good day, with an IPA on its way in a few weeks.

For my first homebrew post on the blog, I will go step by step through the brewing process, with the hope that maybe one person might learn something here today.

We start with the Mash.  To your right you will see your typical igloo cooler, with not-so-typical ingredients. Inside is 10 pounds of crushed 2-row barley, 1/2 pound of munich barley (a German malt that lends a nice grain flavor) and 1/2 pound of Crystal 10 barley (a highly modified grain that has been crystallized and adds a caramel sweetness to the beer. On my kitchen stove I bring 3.44 gallons of water to a temperature of 168.4 degrees, then add that hot water (called hot liquor) to the grain (called grist). The result is a mixture called the mash which sits at about 152-154 degrees. Temperature control is critical, as the hot water activates enzymes in the barley that converts the complex starches in the grain into sugars that yeast can eat and turn into alcohol. Too high, and the enzymes denature and don't work, too low and the enzymes remain inactive and don't do anything (slight variations in temperature also have varying effects, such as increasing the protein levels in the mixture which can give a beer a full body).

After a 45 minute rest, it's time to start collecting the runoff. By now those 3.44 gallons of water are a syrupy sweet liquid loaded with sugars from the mash. But they are also loaded with grain particles and need to be filtered out. Fortunately, there's 12 pounds of grain ready to act as a natural filter. I pour the runoff back over the grain (notice the aluminum foil with holes punched in it. This ensures that the pouring liquid does not create channels in the grain that would lead to a lower efficiency). After about 15 minutes, the foil is removed and the process, called the vorlauf process, is completed. At this time we move on and begin to collect the full volume of wort. In this case, it's just over seven gallons. To add more water and rinse the sugars from the grain, a second tank of hot water (in this case a five-gallon igloo cooler) supplies 168 degree water to rinse the grain. This process, called sparging, can also be done with the aluminum foil, or can be accomplished with the setup I use (built into the lid of the large igloo cooler is a set of small pvc pipes with small holes. The holes sprinkle water on top of the grain that doesn't cause any channels).

After collecting the wort (almost an hour), the kettle is moved to the stove and it's time to boil. This process is trickier than it sounds, as this is when boilovers can occur. Proteins in the wort coagulate as the liquid heats up, and form a foam that can rise and go over the top as the wort comes to a boil. Notice in the photo I've got my spray nozzle from the sink in hand. Spraying cold water on the foam keeps it from rising over the kettle and making a mess of the stove. Once the boilover is prevented, it's time to add the hops.

In this case, I added 3 oz of hops at the start of the boil, and they stay in for 60 minutes. The longer hops are in the boil, the more bitterness they contribute to the beer. This bitterness is measured in units called International Bittering Units (IBUs). When hops are added late in the boil, they add flavor and aroma. The longer they stay in the boiling liquid the more the aroma and flavor is boiled off and evaporates with the steam.

Finally it's time to cool the wort, this can be accomplished by submerging the kettle in an ice bath or with a wort chiller. I use a wort chiller. When it's down to about 65 degrees, I transfer the wort to a sanitized bucket and pitch a packet of yeast from a homebrew store - you can also get them online. Then it's into the temperature-controlled fridge in the living room - where it stays at a cozy 68 degrees for a week or two.

That's about it - for those of you interested in the specific recipe:

Amount	Item	Type	% or IBU
10.00 lb	Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM)	Grain	90.91 %
0.50 lb	Caramel/Crystal Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM)	Grain	4.55 %
0.50 lb	Munich Malt (9.0 SRM)	Grain	4.55 %
1.00 oz	Cascade [8.00 %] (Dry Hop 7 days)	Hops	-
3.00 oz	Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (60 min)	Hops	51.2 IBU
1.00 oz	Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (15 min)	Hops	8.5 IBU
1.00 oz	Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (10 min)	Hops	6.2 IBU
1.00 oz	Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (5 min)	Hops	3.4 IBU
1 Pkgs	English Ale (White Labs #WLP002)	Yeast-Ale

Do I Trust the Lakers?

Skip Bayless brought something up on first take this morning... Do I trust the Lakers?

OK, maybe he wasn't really asking me exactly, but I'll answer him anyways. No. I don't trust the Lakers one little bit. I have hated watching the games lately, and have been lucky that there is good college basketball to satisfy my hoops desires. My friends and family know a few things about me, and right up there near the top is that I'm a huge Lakers fan. So these next few words are going to hurt me.

I haven't been impressed with how the Lakers have handled themselves ever since the Christmas Day game against Cleveland. Apart from one player, we all know who that is, the team has been rocked with inconsistency. Specifically the other guards have been disappointing as hell. Jordan Farmar continues to develop as an offensive threat, but he is insanely streaky and often looks lost on defense. Derek Fisher is no longer the one-on-one defender he used to be, and he takes too many bad shots. His shotmaking never used to be a problem because he was knocking them down, but now it feels as though he's chucking it up and clanking like never before. As for Shannon Brown, I love the athleticism, but teams are able to take him off his game just by playing a touch of defense. He was a force last season because he was constantly left alone as other teams didn't respect him. Now that teams know they have to pay a modicum of attention to the guy, he's much less effective.

Up front, Ron Artest has not been what we all had hoped he would be. So he plays good one-on-one defense, big deal. Defense is a team thing, just ask the Boston Celtics. Paul Pierce and Ray Allen were key cogs in a championship defense because the Celtics focused on the team concept. PAUL PIERCE AND RAY ALLEN! (OK... KG, James Posey, and Rajon Rondo all played big parts in that championship team and they are all great defenders, but still... Pierce and Allen were laughable defenders before that season) What good is it when you have a great one-on-one guy like Artest, but everybody else is asleep? Same goes for Kobe - who cares that he sometimes gets in that lock-down maniac  mode where he squats down and hikes up his shorts and starts licking his lips? It doesn't matter if he forces a guy baseline if Pau Gasol is going to wave him by like a Matador. I'm afraid to even mention Artest's offense. How can an athlete his size barely be able to dunk? His severe lack of elevation is a problem, as he is consistently denied medium-difficulty layups by the rim. He gets blocked by the rim. How embarassing.

Pau Gasol, ugh. If he isn't a consistent part of the Lakers attack, then he starts to lose interest. Once he starts to lose interest, he starts to miss shots. The best thing for him and for the Lakers is to feed him early and often. He's a "kick them while they're down" sort of player that loves stepping on the throats of other teams, but only if it's in the midst of a full-out rout. These numbers are arbitrary, but say there's three minutes left in a close game and Gasol has had 12-15 shots all game, do I trust him to handle his business on the low block when he's facing double teams? No. I don't. Last season he was able to find a cutting Lamar Odom over and over in the hi-low game, but that seems to have vanished.

Speaking of Lamar Odom... actually, no I'd rather not. Good rebounder, spotty defender, spotty shooter, all-around enigma. Will I ever figure him out? No.

Andrew Bynum... will he play? Will he play hard? All we have is question marks surrounding LA's starting center.

What it all boils down to is this - I miss Trevor Ariza. How many big plays did that young man make during last year's playoffs? How many bad shots did Ron Artest jack up and miss during last year's playoffs? If it were up to me, I'd take Ariza 10 times out of 10 in a trade. He was an x-factor, and a game-changer. He had a Rondo-like tendency to poke the ball away from defenders, and his attitude was infectious. He inspired a thievery competition (this is not figurative language, he literally was in a competition for most steals with Kobe and Jordan Farmar) that got all the guys active on the defensive end. When Shannon Brown came over in the Radmonovic trade, he got in on the act too. Does anything get a crowd more pumped up than a pick-pocket steal that leads to a fast break and an Ariza/Bryant/Brown thunder dunk? Or how about the times those steals led to Kobe or Farmar pulling up for three (they could do that because there were three guys running the break with them) and drilling a fast-break dagger. Those are game-changing plays.

The game-changing days are over in Los Angeles.

Alright - perhaps I've been a bit harsh. If you read this far (which you haven't, because I have no readers) you are probably starting to wonder where the stats are to support my fears. Well, they aren't there. Statistically this is a good team. I think the biggest glaring stat would be the bench production, or lack thereof, but at the end of the day this team still has the most wins in a demanding Western Conference. That says a lot. I'm just not going to bet my life on them repeating as champions, and that causes me more stress than it should. I need a beer.

Are You Kidding Me? Expansion?

If you're like me you already saw this on ESPN... If you're not and you're a fan of the NCAA Basketball Tournament, then you need to see this. Sounds like the worst idea I've ever heard. What is it they always say? If it isn't broke don't fix it?

Blue Hills and Me

The best part of this blog thing that I'm finding is that it isn't necessary to be objective. The newspaper world, and certainly the academic world, stress objectivity (or at least an appearance of objectivity), but here I'm free to be as biased and one-sided as I want. I can root for my friends, and I can openly boo my enemies (I hope Duke and West Virginia somehow both lose).
Knowing full well that I am about as subjective as I can be on the subject, I'd like to take a moment to thank Andris Veidis - the brewer at Blue Hills Brewery for hooking me up with a growler of their tasty spring marzen lager (see photo). It is a surprisingly good beer that fits perfectly with the miserable springs we have here in Boston. It is still cold and wet out, and the smooth caramel malt backbone provides sustenance to deal with it. However, baseball season is a weekend away, and with it comes promises of sunshine and warmer temperatures. Blue Hills matches this budding optimism with a note of citrusy-grassy hops in the nose and in the mouth. By far my favorite spring beer, and I'm a much bigger fan of it than I am of Sam Adams' Noble Pils.

I've got to be honest and admit that I'm a friend of Andris, and that I got this growler on the barter system rather than the capital system. I met him a year or so ago when I was working on a From the Source on his nascent brewery, and as we chatted he essentially made it clear that he would welcome any help he could get from a homebrewer. So once or twice a week last summer I would head down on brewdays, or sometimes on filter days, and lend a hand in exchange for beer and experience. I no longer have free mornings, so working there has become impossible, but we still keep in touch and trade beer. For example, I traded him a six-pack of homebrewed IPA and California Common for this growler.

I figure that any relationship that revolves almost entirely around beer is a good one, and it doesn't hurt that I'm in good with one of Massachusett's up-and-coming breweries. For those who aren't in the know yet, you should definitely check out Blue Hills. They have tastings every Friday at the brewery in Canton. And if you've got homebrew, bring that too.

Tennessee vs. Michigan State Running Diary (first half)

With apologies to Bill Simmons for stealing his diary format, here are my thoughts that come from watching Tennessee vs. Michigan State, starting about halfway through the first half when I decided to hop on the blogspot.

10:24 - I was just reading on BeerAdvocate a few posts from a man from Tennessee who was proclaiming his newfound love for ALES. He used all caps each time. I don't know why that's funny to me, and I don't know why that's in this blog.

9:25 - I can't tell if all of these steals are great defense or really sloppy offense. That's what I love about this tournament is how readily these kids throw their bodies into the game. Many of them know that this is the last game they'll play in College, perhaps at all, and it shows.

9:15 - great shot of Tom Izzo squatting on the sidelines. He is quietly making a name for himself as one of the greatest basketball coaches in the history of the college game. As I type this CBS posts his curriculum vitae on the screen. Maybe it's not so quiet.

9:00 - #4 for Ten. is a big boy. He just crushed a Sparty defender for an easy layup.

Commercial break - During this Ochocinco shoe commercial, I can't help but ponder something completely unrelated - I'm loving the tournament this year. Another thought, why am I watching this on my laptop in my room instead of in the living room on the television? I think this counts as doing homework...

6:34 - J.P. Prince just threw down another filthy alley oop, followed by a nice shot by Raymar Morgan for Mich. St. Great back and forth game, I wonder how the Spartans would fare if Lucas were healthy.

6:04 - Michigan State takes the lead 33-32 off a pair of free throws by Lucious. Another great thing about this tournament is some kid like Lucious stepping up big time on the big stage to fill in for an injured star like Lucas.

5:06 - I hate the term "big baby." I hate Glen Davis and his man boobs, and I don't understand why it gets tossed around so frequently in college basketball. It's stupid... Tenn up 34-33.

4:20 - Bruce Pearl may be the sweatiest coach in the history of both sweating and coaching. But he is keeping it under wraps today, makes me wonder what antipersperant he's using.

Commercial break again - Bud light autotune commercial kills me. Only good beer commercial to come out of the superbowl this year.

3:12 - another great steal by Gomes, this is good defense. Of course Green answers right back for Mich. St.

1:48 - Raymar Morgan finishes a second-shot opportunity to tie the game at 37. He's super talented.

1:21 - Goins gets away with a blatant carry and gets rewarded for it with a trip for the free throw line where he puts Tenn up by two - 39-37.

1:06 - Lucias also carries with no call, I don't think the refs no that rule.

Commercial break - if I never have to see another Southwest.com bags fly free commercial, I'll be fine with that.

0:41 - Tennessee scores quickly on an easy layup after a badly missed shot from Mich. St. How does Mich State answer? with another missed three (this time badly) and by teeing up a shot for Williams to swat into the fifth row. Nothing "baby" about that man. No sir.

0:01.7 - a great play to end the half with Michigan state getting a layup on an in-bounds play. I'm so glad I'm intimately familiar with all these players because the announcers didn't bother saying who made the play... and with that it's halftime and Michigan State is down by a couple. That does it for me, I'm going to prep for my interview with Good People's Jason Malone for my BeerAdvocate story.

Cheers.

Good People Brewing

Basically I'm spending my day today waiting for Jason Malone, the brewer at Good People Brewing Co. to shoot me a call so we can get an interview going. His little seven-barrel brewery out of Birmingham Ala. is the subject of my next From The Source article for BeerAdvocate Magazine. As I'm waiting, I'm periodically reading Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston and formulating a recipe for my next homebrew.

I was fortunate enough to get some 20-odd pounds of 2-row grain from my buddy Andris at Blue Hills Brewery the other day when I brought by some of my California Common and an IPA for trade. I'm not sure what I will brew, as I traded some of my labor for a few ounces of hops, but didn't measure them out and grabbed far fewer than the six ounces I wanted to use for another IPA. This leaves me in a slight predicament, as I will now head to the brewshop out in Cambridge for some extra hops (and some more yeast, as I don't trust the sludge that I've had in my fridge for a couple of months), but if I'm going to the brewshop I might as well add in some specialty grains as well. And since I'm going to add in specialty grains, I'm thinking I might as well brew that porter I have been wanting to brew lately.

I suppose these are all good dilemmas to have. While I wait for Mr. Malone to call me, I'll settle down with Michigan St. vs. Tennessee. This tournament is proving to be fantastic this year.

Cheers

BeerAdvocate and Green Street Rocked - Jay's phone

Those who know me know that I'm a writer for BeerAdvocate Magazine, and they also know that I'm a beer fanatic. I love the stuff - This is after all Basketball and BEER. Last night, BeerAdvocate did what they always do when they're preparing for the Extreme Beer Festival, and that is to throw a badass preparty.

As far as last night is concerned, the party was at Green Street Grille in Cambridge. This was my first trip to this nice little pub hidden on Green Street in Central Square, but it won't be my last. Allagash brewer Rob Tod was in the house along with the Alstrom brothers from BeerAdvocate, and Rob brought with him some special treats.

First up was bi-curieux, which was a treat for a bunch of reasons, not the least of which was hearing people tentatively ordering it and saying "By-curiau," as if they didn't want anybody hearing them ordering the beer to assume that they were, in fact, bi-curious. Hillarious. The beer itself was Allagash's Curieux, a tremendous tripel on its own, aged in oak barrels for two years. My palate for these kind of beers isn't developed enough for me to tell you exactly what it tasted like, but it was just a little bit tart with a great taste. This was paired with a fried oyster taco, which was much better than anticipated. I was ready to hate the oyster tacos, but thankfully didn't have to. Here's the best part - all of this was $3.99, and our server poured us a second round on the sly. Quick recap - $3.99 for two beers and an oyster taco. Score.

Next up was some waiting, and some eating of a fried yuca taco, and a shredded duck taco. Both were fantastic. Wednesday may turn into taco night every week for me. When the Bi-Curieux finally kicked, Rob broke out Vagabond, an American wild ale that lived up to its name. We only got a small, 2-3 oz pour (for free), but it was perfect. That was about all I could handle, as it was very tart, with what I thought tasted like maple syrup or brown sugar notes providing a ton of complexity. Good stuff.

Finally they switched the kegs and went with Interlude, another tremendous offering from Allagash. We got two of these each for about $3.50 or something, which hardly seems fair. Maybe I'll send all proceeds from this blog to pay back Allagash and Green Street.

It was a fun night, and a cheap night, except for my buddy Jay. While we ran to try and catch the bus (which turned out to be the wrong bus anyway), Jay slipped on some ice and landed straight on his hip. His hip is fine, but the phone in his pocket was not. Needless to say everyone involved thought it was hilarious, except for Jay. Even so, one broken phone didn't come close to putting a damper on a fine night.

Blog Cherry

This is my first blog since www.sportsoundoff.com didn't pan out. That was good fun, but this is going to be different. It's going to be better, more personal, and more varied. Here we've got sports, we've got beer, oh we've got lots of beer, and we might even have some poetry from time to time. That doesn't mean that it's going to be good poetry, in fact it's mostly going to be bad poetry, but feel free to share your thoughts on the postings regardless. Aight, I'm out.