Fall 2007 - Mainbrew

VOLUME XVII, ISSUE 3
FALL OF 2007
The Main Street Brewer
News from the Storefront
Autumn is, without a doubt, my
favorite time of the year.
229 East Main Street
Hillsboro, OR 97123
(503)648-4254
www.mainbrew.com
New Oaky Things
If you made any wine
this year, it will soon be
time to put it to bed for the
long, cold Winter. Before
you do, you might want to
add some oak, particularly if
you plan on having a dry not a sweet - wine.
Grapes are being crushed, apples are
being picked and the the stronger,
darker beers of the Winter are starting
to come around. As a homebrewerslash-winemaker, this is often the
busiest time of year for “alcohol
production”, since many of us try to
brew a little extra prior to the Holidays.
Also, summertime tends to have wiped
out much of our stockpiles, and so it is
now - Falltime and its cold rainy days that often brings us around to brew up a
new batch or two.
And so, there are several new things
in the store these days:
Wyeast - the “smackpack” yeast
company - has been able to convince
New Belgium Brewing Co. to release to
you - The Teeming Masses - the exact
strain of yeast used in Fat Tire Amber Ale. For the months of October through
December, we will be carrying the true, actual yeast strain used in the making of
Fat Tire. And with Main Street’s proprietary Fat Tire Clone Recipe™, you can
now reproduce this popular Amber Ale down to the same damn genetic yeast
sequence.
We are also carrying a new “spice and hop infuser,” just in time for the
Holiday Ale season. This is a long, skinny stainless steel mesh tube that opens
up, can be stuffed with up to four ounces of hops - or spices (or oak, or ??) - and
then slid right into a carboy. It is heavy enough to sink right down, and then can
be pulled out by its four-inch chain after you have reached the desired flavor and
aroma. For those that like to add infusions into their beers or wines, this looks
mighty handy...
Oak not only adds a
“woody” complexity to both
red and white wines, but I
strongly believe that it also
absorbs some of the
harshness of the wine and
contributes to a smoother,
mellower product. In the
past we have had six
different types of oak chips
to choose from. but now- to
add to your indecision - we
are carrying oak staves, oak
cubes and oak spirals. For a
complete list of our new oak
items and their prices, see
our updated web page.
If you have any
questions about oaking your
wines, please feel free to ask
us, although oftentimes
there is no single answer as
to what may be best for
your particular batch.
2007 HOP CROP COMES EARLY TO MAINSTREET - MAYBE
In other news, there is a strong
rumor that the new hop crop will be out early
this year. I have been hearing that the fresh
2007 crop of hops (full of oily, sticky resins!) will
be in our hands (and our noses) before the end
of October. In years past we have not seen
some of the varieties arrive until almost
Christmas, and we almost never see anything
before Halloween. Once the new crop does
arrive, be sure to brew up a quick IPA or pale
ale -- no beer all year will be as hoppy or
aromatic! And we hope to have Summit hops
come back to us in near-unlimited quantities.
Stay tuned to the web site for periodic updates
and breaking news about this year’s hops.
Now on with the newsletter...
PAGE 1
VOLUME XVII, ISSUE 3
FALL OF 2007
PIRATES THAT “CARRY-BEER-IN”
Pirates - as everyone knows - drank rum.
pirates, being the inebriated,
undisciplined sea-dogs that they were,
were not too particular about what other
types of alcohol they allowed on their
ship. There are actually several welldocumented cases of pirate ships found
carrying barrels of ale, port wine, and gin
as well as various other concoctions and
mixes. (Blackbeard’s favorite drink was a
mixture of rum and gunpowder...)
But
Indeed, when a pirate ship pulled into
a tropical port, it most likely would have
loaded up on as much alcohol as it could carry for the
next leg of its long sea voyage. And, not surprisingly,
there are at least three famous pirate ships that were
boarded and easily captured by the British navy because
all of the pirates on board were too drunk to resist.
Alcohol played a large part in piracy.
But, to be fair, even British and Spanish naval ships
of the time had liquor rations for their crew, and used
alcohol - usually heavily watered-down rum
(called grog) - as a reward, an
incentive or (most likely) merely
to mask the flavors of spoiled
food or water that was no longer
potable. Interestingly, it was the
stingy rationing of this watery grog
that led many naval seaman to
mutiny against their captains and
countries and take up a life of
piracy - and unfettered
alcoholism.
Ales of this time and
place would not have been
the same as we have today.
Barley would have been
expensive and hard-to-find
in many of these tropical
ports, and molasses (the
sugar from which rum is
made) would have been
plentiful and cheap. Trade
w i t h Africa would have brought in various spices
and herbs and the beers would most likely have been
brewed to high alcohol in order to survive as long as
possible on the open sea.
(GET IT?)
The following recipe is a modern interpretation of a
Caribbean
Pirate Ale.
Although probably not
historically accurate (there
were most likely a lot of nasty
flavors in beers back then), this
includes some of the
ingredients that were in use
during this time period,
including cinnamon and the
e v e r- m y s te r i o u s g r a i n s o f
paradise.
Blackbeard’s Red Ale
9 lbs. Light Malt Extract
12 ounces Barbados Sweet Molasses
(added with extract)
12 oz. English Crystal Malt
10 oz. Carastan Malt
8 oz. Special Roast Malt
3 oz. Chocolate Malt
2 oz. Goldings hops.............................60 minutes
1 oz. Fuggles hops................................30 minutes
2 inches of fractured
cinnamon stick.............20 minutes
1 gram Grains of Paradise...................15 minutes
0.5 oz. Fuggles hops............................10 minutes
1 gram Grains of Paradise....................3 minutes
Ferment with White Labs London Ale, Nottingham
dried yeast, or yeast of choice.
Option: Add 2 ounces of oak chips into the
secondary, wait till they sink to the bottom and then
bottle with 3/4 to one cup of corn sugar.
This beer will get better with a month or two of
aging. Enjoy
PAGE 2
VOLUME XVII, ISSUE 3
FALL OF 2007
Winexpert’s 2007 - 2008 Limited Edition Wine Kits
Yes, boys and girls, once again it is time for Winexpert’s
March
very special Limited Edition wine kits. So, without
This wine showcases bright fruit, excellent structure
further ado, here they be:
and a long finish. Vidal from British Columbia gives
spiciness and stone fruit. Chenin Blanc from California
gives a wonderful melony-honeyed aroma with hints of
January #1
apple. Gewürztraminer from Washington contributes
Chilean Carmenere/
lychee, rose petals and floral notes, and Muscat from
Australia’s Murray-Darling Valley gives wonderful grapey
Cabernet Sauvignon
Similar to Merlot, Carmenère is a synonym for notes with dried fruit and hints of orange peel.
brilliant red, ‘carmine’. Blended with the King of red
grapes, Cabernet Sauvignon, it produces exceptionally
powerful, rich red wines of great length and structure.
Deep crimson red colour with luscious fruit aromas of
plums and blueberry, a touch of chocolate and hints of
coffee and toasty oak. On the palate, notes of red fruit,
dark plums, damsons and spice, generously framed by
toasty oak with a soft and well structured mouthfilling
texture, velvety on the tongue with very supple tannins.
January #2
Australian Riesling
Medium bodied, crisp and refreshing, with aromas of
white fruits, juicy apple, and the perfume of spring
blossoms. It’s wonderfully drinkable,
but still shows depth of flavour with
minerals and a bracing backbone of
acidity and structure. The main
difference between a German and an
Australian Riesling is that Australian
Riesling tends to be drier. The
Australian version exhibits the characteristics of the grape
that we expect: the perfume, the complexity and the zest.
February
Sicilian Nero d’Avola/Shiraz
Sicilian winemakers often treat Nero d’Avola like
Shiraz, which is why the two blend so well together. It has
the classic Shiraz notes of blueberry, blackberry and dark
fruits, with a delightful scent of rose, cherry and herbs.
This dark-garnet wine shows ripe, berrylike fruit aromas
lent complexity by hints of toast and smoke. Warm and
plummy with a touch of raisins and a hint of almonds in
the flavour, there’s sufficient acidity to give it structure,
but the overall impression is soft as velvet.
April
Italian Brunello
Brunello is a large-berried variety of the Sangiovese
grape, most famous in Brunello di Montalcino. Italy’s hot,
dry climate allows Brunello to thrive, displaying great
varietal character and intensity. The flavour profile of
Sangiovese is fruity, with strong natural acidity, a firm and
elegant to assertiveness and a robust finish that can extend
surprisingly long. The aroma is generally subtle, with
cherry, strawberry, blueberry, and violet notes.
Sounds like another awesome line-up.
Check out the web page for more details about these
limited kits. And be sure to place your order on or before
December 15 -- many of you were shut out last year because
you waited too long and we were sold out
These wi! a! be award-winning wines! And
they a) wi) se) out sometime before January 1.
Don’t be late!
PAGE 3
VOLUME XVII, ISSUE 3
FALL OF 2007
Holiday and Winter Ales
Although
the Holiday
season still
seems a long
way off, it is
beyond a
doubt
rapidly
approaching. In the
World of Homebrewing, one must
always be thinking a few months
ahead and now - no, really, * right
now * - is the time to brew up your
spiced Holiday Ales. If you wait
until November, you will be
enjoying your Cinnamon Nutmeg
Porter sometime in late February.
At the store we have three very
popular Holiday Spiced Ale
Main Street Homebrew Supply Co.
229 East Main Street
Hillsboro, OR 97123
(503) 648-4254
www.mainbrew.com
recipes: the one that has been in
the rotation the longest is Fourth
King Amber Ale. This has been
very popular among our customers
for six or seven years now and is
brewed year after year by many.
We also have a pumpkin ale
(Skellington Ale) and a modern
interpretation of a Wassail Bowl, a
beer using spices and fresh apples.
All have
been highlyreceived by
our brewers
over the
past Holiday
seasons; we
have copies
of all these recipes ready and
waiting at the store...
Lagering Season
Cometh
The traditional start of
lagering season here in the Portland
area is October 31. It is around this
time of year when garages, basements
and back porches will begin to stay
below sixty degrees both day and night
- the critical temperature for properly
brewing lager beers.
We have full instructions
online for fermenting lagers - they are a
little different than a traditional ale,
but they are really no harder; they just
take longer.
Have some room in your
garage this Winter? Be sure to take
advantage of our perfect Northwest
weather to whip out a creamy pilsner,
bock or Oktoberfest. We can help you
with recipes in the store...