joey williams

Ooh, Grill!…

Entertain, Beer, Spec’sology Blog
“One of my favorite times and places to drink a beer during the Summer is with friends and family at a barbecue. There is something comforting and classic about the smells and flavors of the grill alongside a crisp, cold and refreshing beer. Big name cold bubbles are sufficient enough grilling fuel, but a good helles is the better option!” What Is Helles? Helles is a pale golden lager centered on the subtle grainy sweetness of pilsner malt, accented by spicy, floral hop aromatics with ... Read More

Oh my Michelada!

Beer, Bar Mixers, Beer Reviews, Entertain, Spec’sology Blog
“We’ve all experienced the lime and salt additions to a light lager, but how about a michelada? It’s traditionally a mix of beer, hot sauce, lime and salt that makes for a deliciously interesting thirst quencher. Finding your preferred balance of flavors along with your favorite base beer is part of the fun!” I’d like to start by saying that you can, and should, drink your beer however you enjoy it. People have been adding to and mixing in their beers for as long as the liquid has b... 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 Asso... 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, h... 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 ... 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... Read More