Monthly Archives: April 2012

Part of the Old Dominion: Lost Rhino Brewery!

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In December I had the pleasure of visiting the Lost Rhino Brewery with my good friend Brian (and his lovely bride).

I think the place has had a face-lift since then … it was pretty nice then–I’d like to visit it again to see the changes!  It is out a little ways in Loudon County (Virginia) … but worth the drive.  The folks who own this place were originally brewers in the Old Dominion Brewery.  When they saw their original brewery (and brewpub) closed in the area they decided to open another place … Lost Rhino.

We sampled all their beers (thanks for driving, Lynne!)  We also showed up for the tour … the fellow who gave it (I can’t remember his name, darn it) did a great job.

  

Very knowledgeable … you were able to walk around and look into everything … it was the way a brewery tour should be!  These folks are passionate about their beers… yes … we even got to sample the fresh stuff (see pic).

I only had one complaint with the trip … the ladies serving the beer weren’t very pleasant.  Actually they were downright cold (a little rude).  However, everything else was worth it.  Make the trip, drink the beer.  You’ll be glad you did.  And tell the ladies hi for me.

Beer Mentor

Throwback: Origins of the Brew Brothers

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Let’s talk about origins for a moment.  There’s a really nice home-brew club in Colorado Springs, Colorado called the Brew Brothers.  The history of that club and how it started is described nicely in the previous link!  The three guys pictured in the logo above were the founding members–me (James C (beermentor), Mike B, and Ray C … hence the name BC2 Brewers.  We started the first brew session at my house in Colorado Springs …

 

If I remember correctly, we actually started our discussions about brewing in 2002 but waited until 2003 to brew the first batch (we needed a good weather day!).  It was great fun — we started with partial mash brews (using malt extract).

 

This allowed us to start without a huge initial investment.  We had all brewed previously but we were all pretty rusty at it.  We didn’t have a lot of equipment at the time so the extract brewing was cheaper because we could use cookware we already owned.  As we got into it we obviously had to have some brews to sample (as well as a smoke).  You can tell in these pictures we were really enjoying ourselves!

  

The nice thing about brewing together is that everyone brings their own ideas, skills, and equipment.  There’s a lot of synergy in this type of activity!  We had three different recipes–I made a DoppelBock, Mike made a Porter, and Ray made an Oatmeal Stout.  Here are the labels I created to use on our bottles!

  

Another great thing about brewing together is the sharing of the brews!  Since we all made 5 gallon batches, we ended up with (typically) 2 cases and a spare 4 or 5 bottles.  We each gave the other two a couple of six packs each.  So you had a case of your beer and a case of the other two guys!  What a great experience and a wonderful origin to a great brewing tradition!  I will post more pics, recipes, and tales of the BC2 Brewers past …

Stay Tuned!

Beer Mentor

DC Brau … A mighty fine Washington, DC Brewery

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In December of 2011 I was fortunate enough to be visiting some friends in Washington DC who have the same “hankering” for good beer.  My friend Brian decided to tote me around to a few places I hadn’t been in DC, one of which is DC Brau.

I was pleasantly surprised … and not about the beer.  I had already had a six-pack or two so I knew what to expect.  I was surprised about how compact it was.  They really pack a lot of great things into a space under a Post Office.  Make the trek over and you’ll see what I mean.  They have a very comfortable tasting area.  The selection of beers they have is good (the beer is really good … give “The Public” a try!)  The day I was there they had a guy making brats/sausages–I wish I’d had one!  They smelled great.

Although the owners didn’t give the tour, they were serving up the beer (one of them is in the photo above).  This is kind of an upscale clientele hangout place though.  That’s not bad … just want you to know what to expect.  You’ll probably hear some pretty interesting conversations.  Maybe even some about the art in the place!

   

If you are in DC it is worth a trip over.  They are doing some great things with their beers.  They just celebrated their one-year anniversary.  You can tell by the wood casks above that they are not afraid to branch out into some experimental stuff too.  My hat’s off to them — I wish them the best (I’ll be back again … I want to try “The Corruption!”).

Beer Mentor

 

The Kama Sutra of Beer Drinking: 36 Ways to Maximize Your Enjoyment!

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Imagine you are reaching for the door of your beer fridge (you do have a beer fridge, right? If not, this “book” is definitely for you!  If you do have a beer fridge this book is definitely for you too!)  You pull open the door and you hear the clinking of the bottles.  Pavlov!  Ha ha! Your response is probably to start drooling because you know the enjoyment that is coming next.  I would ask you to close your eyes for this next section but then you couldn’t finish reading what I’m writing. So read this first without closing your eyes!  You reach in and wrap your hand around the cool bottle relishing the feeling of the condensation on the sides as you pull it out.  You reach for your opener and anticipate the sound as you pop off the cap.  You grab your waiting glass and gently fill it to the brim again finding pleasure in the sound of the pour and the sight of the bubbles rising to the surface.  Lazily you check the color holding it to the light.  You bring your penultimate sense into play by sampling the aroma of fresh hops possibly or a strong malty character.  You lift the glass to your lips engaging the last sense into this love fest.  That is pure, unadulterated pleasure in a fantastic beer.

How does the Kama Sutra fit into this?  Quite nicely I might say.  Kama is the enjoyment of appropriate objects by the five senses of hearing, feeling, seeing, tasting, and smelling, assisted by the mind together with the soul.  The ingredient in this is a peculiar contact between the organ of sense and its object, and the consciousness of pleasure which arises from that contact is called Karma.  Hearing those bottles clinking raised your Karma … “music to your ears” as it were.  All your other “organs of sense” had this peculiar contact with the “object.”  I would assume, also, that your mind was also involved.  For many of you the soul probably was too—for the rest of you? Well, just wait!

Most of you, when you hear the words “Kama Sutra” already have an image in your mind of what that is … however, the Kama Sutra is actually aphorisms on love.  For the sake of the beermentor (me), it will be aphorisms on Love of Beer Drinking!

Now, as I was perusing the Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana, I noticed there were 36 chapters.  In honor of this I will be writing about 36 ways to maximize your enjoyment of beer.  Don’t be afraid to embrace all the positions I move you into as you build upon your beer drinking experience.  I will start easy … trust me.  You will move from beginner all the way through master beerdrinker when you finish AND put this “book’s” concepts into practice.

Are you ready?  Chapter 1: “Beginners should begin at the beginning.”

Enjoy!

Beermentor

Fullsteam Brewery — I love that place!

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Back in December I had the chance to go MTB riding in the Raleigh-Durham area … it also afforded me the opportunity to visit one of my new favorite breweries–Fullsteam Brewery.  After being photo-bombed by the owner at the World Beer Festival I knew I had to visit this place in Durham.  Wow!  Well worth the trip … check this place out …

   

They embrace the weird here … I guess that’s why I like them.  You won’t find any menu … but if you want something to eat, just head out to the food cart (or two) outside.  They are in a ‘renewing’ neighborhood–a very nice experience.  I showed up on Saturday for two reasons.  1) To take the tour (see below) and 2) to drink the Hogwash–their own hickory-smoked porter.  Well, dang, they were out of the porter (I’ve had it … it’s good), so I had the Working Man’s Lunch and the Carver Sweet Potato (oh, and Maybe the Rocket Science IPA).

 

These beers were a good warmup for the tour … given, not surprisingly, by the owner.  These guys are definitely passionate about their beer, they all seem to enjoy themselves, and the tour was well done, well documented and presented.

    

Even better, they served samples through out … and it was free.  You just show up at the right time on the right weekend (first Sunday of every month … reserve your spot on-line … only 25 people get a spot!)

They are a pretty small operation really (a somewhat limited selection) but all of their beers were very good (plus, if you look close at the tap picture above  you will see they also have guest local beers).   Interestingly, one of the things that limits them is this combined mash-tun/kettle setup … first one like it I had seen … I think the owner mentioned that they may be changing this setup somewhat.

 

You could tell that they really liked experimenting — they had their hombrew setup in the brewery … all the extra kegs, different brew materials–I mean, who thinks to brew with Sweet Potatoes?  Again … this place is great!

No photo-bombing in the following photo! Haha.  Thanks, Sean, for the great tour!

Beer Mentor

The Birch Bar (Norfolk, VA) – A Great place to Drink Great Beers!

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Back in December I was in Norfolk for a couple of weeks and I just happened to find this place – The Birch … how did I find it?  A sheet of paper with the name and the words “good beer” was tacked to the wall in my classroom.  Obviously I will be the judge of whether it has good beer or not.  haha.  So, I did what any self-respecting beermentor would do … I looked it up on the internet.  It received great reviews for beer geekness so I headed on down there!  Pretty unassuming entry way …

 

Once you get inside though … look out!  What a great list of beers they had on tap … check this out …

  

A Japanese Witbier? An Italian IPA? Craziness!  And this was a rotating list.  The young couple (I think are the owners) were very passionate about their selection, what they served, how they presented it, etc.  They really put some effort into gathering an astonishing selection of eclectic and unique brews.  This place is deserving of its rating and well worth a trip.  Now I will tell you not to go there if you think you are going to have a sit down dinner.  The have a very small selection of bar foods — but that’s not the point of this place.  This place is a place to drink Great beer … here are a couple of examples of bottles that the owner brought out .. fantome and kukumerla.  Both art house and worth trying just see the different brews being made around the world.

 

How was the presentation you ask?  No need to ask … always the right glasses for the right beers.  My wallet was quite a bit lighter when I left here the 3 – 4 times I made it over to this place.  I didn’t mind.  It would be very difficult to match the selection they had on tap and in the cooler (and you never knew what he might have lurking in the back … all you had to do was ask!)

 

Give it a go!

Beer Mentor

#39: The Brick Store Pub (#106)

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Another stop on my way through Atlanta — the Brick Store Pub. This is my 39th stop on the Growler List (#106 on their list).

I snuck in here on 27 Nov 2011. Just a quick stop through — fantastic selection of beers! Not only great beers but served in the appropriate glasses … no wonder this is a highly rated stop on Beer Advocate.  It was very difficult to hold myself to just one (ok two)–but I had to hit the road … very cool pub and worth a stop (actually, it’s worth a detour or a planned trip).

Enjoy!

Beer Mentor

#38: 5 seasons brewing (#122)

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Went to 5 Seasons Brewing in Atlanta on the 27th of November, 2011 … I was on my way to the East Coast for some training … and since it was on the way!  haha.  This is listed as location number 122 on All About Beers growler list (see previous post)–it is #38 on the list for me.  This location is the original — I think there are now 3 “5 Seasons Brewing” locations in Atlanta.

As I stated, I was passing through — you can see that my car actually fit in their parking garage!  Sweet …

Once out of the parking garage, you have a nice view of the interesting entrance into the “Brewery.”

  

Since I was driving I had to limit myself to the sampler … nice selection of beers.  I sat at the bar–I really liked the way they had their bar set up — good looking taps.  All of the beers were fresh tasting with no off-flavors from infected lines.  That’s always a plus!

 

Of course, you can’t just drink the beer … you’ve got to sample the menu too!  I did and it, too, was very good.  I highly recommend this place if you are passing through Atlanta.  The staff were very nice, their menu items were very palatable (I had the alligator eggrolls and the Spaetlze), and the beer was excellent!  Of the five I sampled I really enjoyed both the Kilt Lifter Scotch Ale and the Hopgasm.

 

Enjoy,

Beer Mentor

Summary Update #2: All About Beers Growler List

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Wow, it’s been right at a year since I last provided an update on my Growler list work.  A lot has happened since then (I moved from DC to San Antonio, I got divorced, and I’m now working in Africa for the next year)!  As you might guess, I didn’t work the list as fast as I wanted … however, I’m now back on track.  Here’s my update:

This list is my effort to complete the All About Beer Magazine’s “Growler List.”  This is a list of 125 best places in the world to have a beer.  Here’s a quick update on places visited since my last update:

From the summary — see my earlier post for explanation:

Total (actual) places visited: 33.  I had to remove number 26 (I haven’t been to Mardi Gras yet, Bourbon Street during a festival, but not during Mardi Gras (on my list)) . Those I’ve visited since my last post:

71) Brewer’s Art (Baltimore, MD)
106) Brick Store Pub (Decatur, GA)
122) 5 Seasons Brewing (Atlanta, GA)

Place substitutions: 5

Substituting for a place no longer open: 1

That gives me a total of 39 “visited.” With my being in Africa for the next 11 months, I’ve been able to project these places as some of the next ones on my list:

3) U Fleku (Prague, Czech Rep)
6) Augustiner Keller (Munich, Germany)
28) Zum Uerige (Dusseldorf, Germany)
37) Atelier am Dom (Cologne, Germany)
40) Arend’s Nest (Amsterdam, Holland)
41) Blues Bar (Stone Town, Zanzibar)
56) In de Wildeman (Amsterdam, Holland)
61) Krcma (Ceske Krumlov, Czech Rep)
68) Gösser Bierklinik (Vienna, Austria)
73) Schlenkerla Brewery Tavern (Bamberg, Germany)
74) De Hopduvel (Antwerp, Belgium)
77) Die Weisse (Salzburg, Austria)
78) Halve Maan Brewery (Bruges, Belgium)
96) Heineken Brewery (Amsterdam, Holland)
112) t’Bruges Biertja (Bruges, Belgium)

That will get me to 53.  10 more after that will get me to half the list.  Man, this is a lot of work.  haha.

Beer Mentor

A Beer Story: Stranded in Djibouti!

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As many of you know, I go to great lengths to find and provide the most interesting updates I can … sometimes it is more of an adventure than at other times … take this one instance … I was out looking for my next adventure for posting when we ended up stuck in some doldrums …

Yes … can’t you tell we are stuck?  Why don’t we just use the motor?  Well … according to these gauges … that could be a problem.

I quickly begin to scan the horizon for a safe place to which I should swim!  Of course, I was wearing my life preserver just in case!  Fortunately I sighted a beach that looked promising!

 

Throwing caution to the wind I grabbed my snorkeling gear and swam for it!  Fortunately I learned to swim at a young age (10 or 11 … that’s young isn’t it??)

I knew I had to find water soon (or something to drink) — looking around, I realized I’d have to travel some distance to find that for which I was seeking.  I hopped the nearest camel and began my quest for H2O …

The search continued for what seemed like hours … even my guide was getting thirsty …

 

All of a sudden … in the distance … I spied something … a glint of sunlight … something …

We began to make our move in that direction …

Yes … there was definitely something sitting there … waiting for me …

I began to crawl to it … recognizing it for what it was!

A Bavaria Premium Pils?   What is this!?!  A German-style Pilsner made in the Netherlands sitting here in Djibouti? And it’s cold too … quickly I reach into my pocket to bring out my BJCP style-guidelines.  I mean, of course, I haven’t had this before so I should definitely record my opinion and rating on this for the masses … but then, I think … hold on.  Can’t I just drink a beer for beer’s sake?  Yes … after a long swim and a hot camel ride, this was a fantastic beer!  Sometimes you can enjoy beer just because it is.

Who am I, you ask?  I’m mentor.  Beer mentor.