beer

What the Helles?– THE TASTING

Beer, Spec’sology Blog
Who’s not a fan of “cold bubbles”? You know, the kind of beer that’s just beer flavored. Not every liquid that touches my lips or tickles my fancy has to be thought provoking, or even memorable, but it does have to be enjoyable! That’s where the Munich Helles, a light, crisp, pale golden German style of lager beer, comes in handy. So let’s take a little dive into what the Helles going on. Right off the bat, Helles (pronounced something like “Hell-ess”) is German for “bright,”... Read More

What the Helles?

Spec’sology Blog, Beer
THE TASTING I’ve done a handful of these style tastings and have had good results with this format. What I do is go to both the BJCP (Beer Judge Certification Program) and Brewer’s Association websites to get style guidelines. https://www.bjcp.org/docs/2015_Guidelines_Beer.pdf https://www.brewersassociation.org/resources/brewers-association-beer-style-guidelines/ These are the parameters that are used to judge amateur/homebrew (BJCP) and professional/commercial (Brewer’s Association) com... Read More

We Need to Talk…2

Entertain, Beer, Beer Reviews
The holidays are a time for good food and drink, with great family and friends. I’m here to tell you that some of that “good drink” can (and should) be beer! There are countless beers produced around the world that deserve a place at any dinner table, in every glass all the time, but few carry the quality, consistency and prestige of the Trappist ales. Trappist ales are less of a style of beer, and more of a family viewed as the “cream of the crop” – so much so that non-Trappist brew... Read More

Oktoberfest: Story of a Party

Entertain, Beer, Beer Reviews
It might come as a surprise to many of you, but Oktoberfest didn’t start as a beer festival and it is celebrated more in September, than October, in Germany! Oktoberfest Origins The first “Oktoberfest” was a wedding reception for Prince Ludwig I, who married Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. The marriage took place on October 12th, 1810 and the citizens of Munich were invited to attend the festivities held outside the city gates. Despite copious amounts of beer being consumed, hor... Read More

Tropical Beers for Tropical Storms

Beer, Entertain, Spec’sology Blog
With Harvey, the Texas Gulf Coast’s first major tropical storm of the season, looming off the coast, we’ve started thinking about what beers we’d like to make sure and have in our fridge just in case things get rough, and the thought struck us… Why don’t we stock up on tropical beers for tropical storms?! Many of the hot, new hop varietals like Mosaic, Galaxy, Citra and Amarillo are prized for their bright, tropical fruit character. Their use in Pale Ales and IPAs have created a deluge... Read More

Hazed and Perceived

Entertain, Spec’sology Blog
For much of its history in American craft beer, the IPA has been a golden, or amber, beer with good clarity; meaning you can see straight through the glass. For any of you unaware, a movement has been under way for a handful of years now of IPAs that look like something other than what we’ve come to expect an IPA to look like. This movement, coming out of the Northeast, is towards IPAs that look cloudy like a hefeweizen (German wheat beer), resembling a glass of orange juice. Many articles hav... Read More

what’s the HAZE about?

Entertain, Beer Reviews, Spec’sology Blog
With the introduction of the pilsner hundreds of years ago, the look of a beer became a point of focus for drinkers. At the time, it was an interest in having brilliantly clear, golden beers like liquid sunshine. In recent years, starting in the American Northeast, a move towards cloudy beers, resembling orange or grapefruit juice, has begun. These “hazy” IPAs are prized for their bright, juicy hop-derived fruit flavors, restrained bitterness and softer mouthfeel. Texas being much further so... Read More