Hop-infused mineral water (or lemonade) - Nachmielona vs D.I.Y.

Hop-infused mineral water D.I.Y.

After years in being in the beer-tasting, I have finally realized that I am a hop-head. It is not always about beer, it never is about alcohol, but, it almost always is about hops.

Therefore, finding that a brewery would make a mineral water that is infused with hops was one of my personal highlights of last years. Moreover, the final product was really a blast and I enjoyed it a lot. Nachmielona, from the Nepomucen brewery (https://www.facebook.com/browarnepomucen/) had just two problems – price and availability.

Imagine a bottle of mineral water at a price of €1.10-1.20 for 500 ml. This may not sound a lot for a geeky drink like that, but for comparison – 6x1.5 liter pack of mineral water costs around €2 (Polish price). With all respect to the brewers, I can hardly imagine what magical process would increase the price of water 100 times.

Availability is also a problem, even the shops I know, will always have just few bottles.

Altogether, I was a bit annoyed by the overall experience and have decided to do it myself. Trial and error method. 

And in fact, it worked.

Here is how you can do a hop infused mineral water yourself*

Materials:

·       6 pack of mineral water. I prefer to use the light carbonated ones. Taste is better and they will not explode that easily (cost €2 – Poland or €4 Belgium)

·       Funnel

·       Strainer

·       Optional: sterile gauze; cost €1-2

·       Optional: few empty PET bottles

·       Kitchen scale able to weight 2 grams

·       Hops e.g.: 30 g American hops costs around €3 (Poland https://browamator.pl/chmiel-cascade-usa-30-g-granulat-zbior-2015,3,3275,2827); alternatively 100 g for €9 (Belgium http://www.brouwland.com/nl/onze-producten/bierbereiding/hoppen/hopbloemen-en-hopkorrels/cascade/d/hopbloemen-cascade-2014-100g?gaCategory=search#.WZCtVVEjFnI)

·       Small pot

I will assume that every kitchen has funnel, strainer, scale and some pots. Therefore, overall costs of the materials do not exceed €7 (Poland) or €15 (Belgium). Also, note that Belgian price includes 3x more hops.

How to do it:

1.   Open all the bottles

2. Put approx. 2g of hops in each bottle. If working with hop cones - use them as they are. If working with pellets - mash them for a better effect.

3.   Close the bottles and turn them upside down a few times

4.   Carefully open each bottle to release an excess of CO2

5.   Put bottles in a fridge (or any cool place) for 48 hours

6.  Take 20 g of hops and 600 ml water (or proportionally less) and warm them up together. Keep the temperature high but don’t cook. If you have a kitchen thermometer – keep the temp between 70-80^OC. Keep it like that for 5-10 min, switch off the heating and cover the pot.

7.   Wait until it cools down

8.  Use strainer to separate hops from the extract. If you feel that there are too many hop rests in the extract – repeat the whole thing, but this time cover the strainer with the sterile gauze.

9.   Store in the fridge

 48 hours later

10.Use funnel-strainer-sterile gauze to remove the hops from  each bottle.

11. You can drink it as it is, or if you really like it bitter, you can infuse it with a hop extract prepared in the points 6-8. I usually use 10 ml of extract/1.5 liter of water.

Enjoy!

Additional comments:

Hop extract can be frozen using ice-forms of any kind. You can then hop any of your drinks on demand.

You can hop almost anything. You like hops and lemon? Use lemonade instead of water. Two things to remember – do not use anything that does contain artificial sweeteners. The overall effects are disgusting. Also, I haven’t got good effects trying to hop Fanta/Sprite or copies – probably because of the extremely high sugar content and way too heavy load of aromas – overall effect was never satisfactory.

*I am not saying that Nepomucen does it that way.

Can Witbier go dry? A story of accidentally aged bottle...

Browar Kormoran (Poland)

WITBIER (accidentally aged)

Witbier, also known as a Belgian white is a traditional, Belgian beer style. Brewed from wheat and barley malt with an addition of orange peel and coriander, Witbiers are characterized by a cloudy appearance and spicy, citrus and floral aromas.

In fact, Witbiers, because of their aroma and a feeling of being an everyday beer are one of my favorite Belgian beer styles.  

So, here is the story – I was cleaning my beer basement recently and have found a forgotten bottle of Witbier. First I was devastated – that wasn’t a common Wit, that was Kormoran. This tells you nothing – well, look through the ratebeer – this is a second Witbier in the world (https://www.ratebeer.com/beerstyles/witbier/48/).

If you add that my bottle best to drink date passed in June 2016 and I have never heard of aged Witbier, I haven’t had high hopes for this one. Somehow reluctant I have decided to give it a sip, and see what will happen.

And the effects of aging are amazing. It is clearly not like any Witbier I have ever had before. From the appearance – it is still cloudy, golden colored wit. Carbonation got more moderate and sophisticated, leaving beer carbonated enough to enjoy. Spicy aromas were gone, exchanged by something that I could best explain a s a dryness. Overall effect was like drinking and excellent, semi-dry to dry sparkling wine. A bit sour and a tad little bitter at a tongue but clearly nothing that I would connect to its original style. It was possibly the best thirst quencher I have ever had.

For the ones, willing to try to repeat my experiment – my beer basement is a dry, cool place (temperatures below 18 degree Celcius) and the beer have a minimal exposition to any light. Have fun.

Life is too short to drink bad beer - StFeuillien Belgian Coast IPA

StFeuillien

Belgian Coast IPA

My best guess is that this beer (or very similar) was previously brewed by a collaboration between St.Feuillien and American brewery Green Flash. My feeling is that at some point Belgians have decided that they can IPA themselves. So, they did it…wrong.

This time it is important to start from the content. Belgian Coast IPA was hopped with: Brewer’s Gold, Magnum, Fuggles, Nortern Brewer, Mosaic, Citra and Cascade.

Yes, 7 various types of hops!

On top, it was apparently dry hopped (even if it is not clear which hops were used when).  

I will try to start from the positive side – finally a bitter Belgian beer from one of the traditional breweries. A proof that even Belgian Brewing is not able to fully kill a combined power of 7 hops.

So much on the positive side. Rest is rather poor – Belgian Coast is very poor in aroma and taste. If fact, I am surprised that you can completely kill all the aromas coming from American hops. Congratulations to StFeuillien’s brewers. It is an achievement. Respect.

Btw. It is not impossible to try a good American hops aroma in the Belgian classic. Just go for Duvel Triple Hop series.

With all that said – we are coming to a cardinal crime of the Belgian Coast IPA. And whoever had this idea should be ashamed till the end of this person’s life.

They have put it in GREEN bottles.

For some precision – most of the hop-related bitterness comes from the alpha amino acids. This is proven that they are sensitive to light. The effects of UV on green bottled beers are professionally described as “light-struck”. Less friendly depicted as a SKUNK. It the “pleasant” aroma that you get when you open Beck’s beer. 

Now imagine: if UV can do the skunk in the rather light hopped Pils, what happens if you UV a heavy hopped IPA?

Within an hour from opening Belgian Coast in my garden I was visited by military, police and a local health agency. Apparently, neighbors claimed that I am producing chemical weapons here. That said, next neighbor lives at least 20 meters apart.

I strongly believe that green bottles are partially responsible for the lack of aromas. They probably just screwed the hops.

This or that way, at least the bottled version of the Belgian Coast is bad beer and you should stay away from it.

Can a celebrity chef brew? Jamie’s Italian Libertà.

Jamie’s Italian Libertà

Lager style

Bottle from Jamie’s Italian Greenwitch UK

Jamie Oliver has a special space in my heart. We have once prepared asparagus with oranges per his recipe, and this was the first time in my life I liked asparagus.

A Point for Jamie.

However, now, thanks to my wife and friends I have learned that Jamie has become a brewer. Why not, brewing is a kind of cooking and I haven’t seen anything wrong in it.

Bit sadly, the beer is brewed by Freedom brewery in the UK, and there is no information about Jamie’s involvement in the process.

Libertà pours nice, golden with small head. Aroma is rather mildly intensive and hard to define (maybe bit of sweet and cereal). First sip and…

It is clearly sweet. Not much, but clearly sweet, possibly honey… Honey and cereal aroma, medium carbonation. Brewery obviously saved on hops and the bitterness is very hard to detect. All together this is very drinkable beer, even if clearly not a world class one.

Now for the explanation – I rarely read the label of the beer before tasting. I don’t like to be biased. It is much more interesting to smell and taste first and read the label later.

So, I read the label and relaxed a bit. The beer is indeed brewed with an addition of acacia honey. This explains a lot.

After all that I have mixed feelings.

I was hoping on Jamie doing a beer – not clear if it is there.

I was hoping for a beer that would be a bit out of the box (like Jamie’s kitchen) – this is there.

Leuven Innovation Beer Festival 2017 (Part 2)

Leuven Innovation Beer Festival 2017 (Part 2)



Festival set:

Tasting glass.
Book.
Poster.
Bracelet (Ticket)
Water and Tokens already gone...

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Coffee Dark Lager

Brevonov Monastery Brewery (Czech Republic)

Not sure what to tell about it. Problem is that coffee has killed the beer. The effect is like you would dilute a coffee with slightly sparkling water. No matter how I try, I am not able to find any beer here. No malt, no hops, slightly carbonated watery coffee. Horrible.

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Amburana Barley Wine

Way Beer (Brazil)

Smells a bit odd, spicy, fruits and maybe anise. Taste is close to wine, bit sweet maybe honey, dry plum. Low carbonation, thick texture. Bit odd, not close to any barley wine I know but very positive. If you like original things, it is worth trying.

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TEA 'N BISCUS

Meantime (UK)

A beer brewed with a hibiscus tea addition. Bright pink, with pinky-hibiscus head. Sour, herbal and spice., very light but no watery, light body and low carbonation. Only blunt acidic finish is a bit disappointing, overall a wonderful summer beer.

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BB10

Barley (Italy)

Believed to be barley wine. Almost black with a cream-colored head. Aroma rather flat, very delicate and not appealing. Taste is the same, bit grape, bit dark malts some small chocolate hints. Overall, way too flat and not enough interesting to be a great barley wine. 

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Barrel Aged Hickory Stout

Scratch Brewing Company (USA)

That is one piece of the art here. Imperial stout aged in hickory barrels. I admit that the word hickory was new for me, therefore an info from Wikipedia:

“Hickories are deciduous trees with pinnately compound leaves and large nuts…” 

So basically, a far cousin of the walnut. Another new taste to add to the top 10 list. Aroma is vanilla, bit roast, maybe caramel and a bit alcohol. Medium body and soft, delicate carbonation. Flavor is marshmallow, roast and what I believe is hickory. Incredible, spicy, a bit like the effect you obtain when adding the leaves of walnut to a meal. Amazing stuff. 

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PIMP

Tempel Brygghus (Sweden)

Let’s go the whole hog. I am quite sure the brewers of Tepmel Brygghius had this idea in the morning, therefore they have created the PIMP. It is not an ordinary Imperial Stout. No, this one has been brewed with Kalaspuffar, muscovado sugar and molasses added through the boil.

I had 3 questions:

1. WTF is Kalaspuffar?

2. Is muscovado sugar another invention of Elon Musk??

3. Why would you add all this in your beer?

The answers are:

1. Kalaspuffar is a cereal style, popular in Sweden. Basically a honey-flavored breakfast cereal made from wheat. In UK known as Honey Monster Puffs.

2. Muscovado sugar is unrefined cane sugar. Most of it originates from Mauritius.

    Mr. Musk is free of any charges here.

3. Because we can!

Pimp is dark brown with a small brown head. Aroma and taste of chocolate malts, honey, dark bread, cocoa. Tiny sweet and malty taste. Soft mouthfeel, bitterness comes out after third fourth sip. Very delicate though not a high IBU. Overall effect kicks ass and. After finishing tis post I will probably forget the name of Kalaspuffar instantly, but PIMP will always be this beer.

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SOUR ANDRE

Brouverij de Leite (Belgium)

Smoked triple. Smoked notes, bit sour, going in the direction of filles, but a tad waterier. Not too intense, but incredibly drinkable. Bit plums, and sour fruits, maybe redcurrant. One time brew extra for the festival. Positively weird.

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Happy Hoppy Viking 

Hornbeer (Denmark)

It is good to know that also Vikings love hops. If I meet any on the way, I would try to “hop” them to make them happy.

Whatever.

The beer could be presented in any beer-brewing class as a typical West-Coast IPA. Fully loaded with American hops, bitter enough to make every beer geek happy. Grassy floral in aroma and taste. Overall, very solid example. Good to remember I you are in Denmark and have a problem with choosing a beer. This is your fail-safe option.

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Lobotomy Dextral BA Brandy

(Лоботомия Правосторонняя)

AF Brew (Russia)

As the name, Russian Imperial Stout clearly states, these beers originate in the UK. But, these were Russians who apparently loved this style, so the at the end the beer got the name. If they loved it, there is a fair chance that a Russians will know how to make a solid RIS.  AF Brew is the only Russian brewery invited to LIBF2017. Even more important for me – it is the first Russian craft brewer I met.

And the first contact is very positive, because their barrel aged RIS is just brilliant. It is the whole load of plum in the rich, thick body. Slight notes of smoking, caramel. Strong but not alcoholic. Bit bitter after third sip. And the amazing barrel-aged, tickling feeling on the tongue. Clearly landing in my personal TOP10 of the best beers ever.

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DARK HOPFLER

Weird Beard (UK)

New interpretation of classical dark beer. Jet black, huge white-beige head. Aroma slightly roasted malt, bit fruits but mostly herbal hops. Taste is the same, but hops are even more dominant an it is good. Not too bitter, very refreshing and very drinkable. Great example of a fact that craft is not only for beer geeks. A beer for everybody. 

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Experimental RBKM 1.0

Art Cervesers (Spain)

It is supposed to be experimental rice saison. Not sure what is experimental here. Rice gives the overall feeling of smoothness and makes the beer a tad more delicate, probably adding some balance to Belgian hops. Overall not too bad, but not my primary choice.

Clearly the end of LIBF2017 for me. Interesting observation is that the vast majority of the beers I liked are dark and strong, complex creations. Worth to see how this develops.

Leuven Innovation Beer Festival 2017 (Part 1)

Leuven Innovation Beer Festival 2017 (Part 1)

Before I continue with KBW and its beer I need to give you an introduction to the event I have visited just 2 days ago.

Leuven Innovation Festival 2017.

Just another beer festival you could say. But two things are unusual there – the place and the invited breweries.

The place is very special – it is De Hoorn. Traditional Belgian brewery that in the early XVIII century was bought by a brewer called Sebastien Artois (does it ring a bell?). The brewery has issued its special Christmas beer in 1726 and named it after the Christmas star.

Yep, we are in the place of birth of Stella Artois. Even I nowadays Stella is manufactured in the humongous factory just 500 meter down the street. It is worth to remember that its origins were based on a small company and closer to craft.

And the view is breathtaking. I have seen a few breweries in my life, but De Horn leaves them all in the dust. Humongous brewing tanks placed over 2 levels of the building are not something that you see every day. If you add the post-industrial climate of the whole thing that I simply love – it is clearly a view that I will never forget.

This is what you see when you enter.

Close caption.

Prisma really allows to squeeze the max out of the location. 

The building allows you to go almost whenever you want, therefore I could see how the tanks look from the bottom. With the use of lights, it is an amazing view.

They even have a bar in the basement, selling Stella. For the time of the festival it looked closed…

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On top, of the location – there is one thing that got my attention. For the first time since I am visiting Belgian beer festivals – there is a Polish brewery invited. I am not trying to say it has never happened before, but I have been on 10+ festivals in the last 1.5 years and have never seen one.

For me, this is a clear sign, that, finally, even Belgians start to recognize the power of the Polish craft scene. This is very important, because Belgium is still seen in the world as the land of the beer innovation and getting attention here may be a good start for the rest of the world. Even if attention of on-line community (based on the RateBeer awards) is already there, it is good to change it to the real-life presence.

Polish Brewery invited to Leuven is Pracownia Piwa (pracowniapiwa.pl), relatively small brewery from Modlniczka close to Krakow. Considering the fact that Pracownia Piwa have brought a variety of beer styles starting with sour and fruit ales, through IPA and finishing with specialties like gratzer and imperial stout, I strongly believe that they have made an impression in Leuven. Also, the feedback from the brewers was positive (even if they had to accept that locals have some serious problems with proper writing polish names – see the photo below).

Here, I screwed the photo. Luckily Pracownia Piwa allowed me to use their own.

 I have decided to go for the imperial stout with the appealing name “Sweet Dreams”. And they are rather sweet – chocolate, coffee liquor and some fruity notes (orange? plum?). Taste is very similar, bitter coco, some coffee, slight roast and clear praline. Good thing is that the alcohol does not come out at all. In connection with a very low carbonation, this is a perfect beer to enjoy not just drink. Good job and great representation of Polish craft.

TO BE CONTINUED…