episode #113 - w2
by DonavanWe’re talking about Southampton and Pabst. We’ll catch up with the Wit Project. All that a more…
Before we get into the main part of the show, let’s take a look at the calendar…
All these events are listed on the Long Island Beer Calendar at thebeerhall dot net.
On the beer calendar for April: (18) Frikin Friday at DEKS. (19) Sixpoint Craft Ales at Bellport Beer. (21) B.E.E.R. Meeting at the Brickhouse. (23) Beer Dinner at DEKS. (26) Legacy at Bellport Beer. And on May 3rd, the Atlantis Beer Festival.
If you have an event you would like to add to the calendar, just send me an email: donavan at radiobeerhall dot com.
I was delving into the blog-o-sphere to catch the buzz on the Southampton/Pabst thing when I ran across a term that has bugged me ever since. The term (introduced by Stan Hieronymus in “Phil Markowski talks about Pabst deal” posted November 12th, 2007 on his Appellation Beer blog) is “beers of conviction.”
Stan describes the Southampton beers as “beer of conviction.” He ends that post with: “It’s hard to overstate the importance of conviction.” Okay, Stan. It’s important. But what does it mean? More specifically: What does conviction taste like? To find some answer, I trolled through Stan’s “beers of conviction” posts on Appellation Beer trying to find imparts conviction to beer. Is it a quality of the beer or of the brewer who makes the beer?
Two years ago (I think) Brewer’s Publications released a set of three books by prominent brewers and beer writers on Belgian and French ales. At the time Stan Hieronymus, author of Brew Like a Monk, pointed out that there aren’t really any good books on brewing Wit (or White beer). I like Wit beers a lot. Stan’s statement (while not intended as a challenge) planted the seed for the Wit Project. It’s very simple. The goal is to brew a batch of Wit (approximately) once a week (Friday night?), take copious notes, and record my experiences and observations in a book (and on this blog/podcast).
That’s all for this edition Radio Beer Hall.
Next time… As promised before, we’ll be doing a recap of the Spring Craft Beer Festival.
Listen: download the mp3 (12.4 MB, 25:44 mins) [other info]
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April 15th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
Donovan,
I agree that it is a somewhat nefarious term. Perhaps it should be “beers of conviction I agree with.” The “I” being the person who is speaking or writing.
And I’m certainly with you on favoring small and local. But back to conviction, it doesn’t have a taste and it doesn’t guarantee quality. It must go back to some brewer approval - “yes, I’m happy with the ingredients” or “yes, it’s lagered long enough” or “yes, it is up to my standards.”
And to wit. I’ve started working on another book for Brewers Publications about brewing with wheat, so obviously that includes Belgian White beers.
Thanks for asking.
April 15th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
Stan,
I hear what you are saying on “beers of conviction.” That’s how I approach the beers that I brew which I bring to festivals. I brew them and evaluate them. If they meet my standards, then I serve them. If people don’t like it, that’s not my problem. I’m not a commercial brewer though.
Nice to hear that a book on wheat beers is forthcoming. I’ll keep working on my Wit Project though. Let me know if you want any input.
Cheers!
D