DISQUS

drool.

I'd suggest using organic pilsner malt instead of 2-row. You get a much milder flavor from the base and can then let the accessory malts do the work. I have a slight bias against the flavor of organic 2-row though - it just imparts its own flavor that I can't always get behind.

Since the USDA didn't change its regulations on percent of organic ingredients, you'll be able to use non-organic hops if you're only going for USDA organic certification.

Best of luck - its a noble cause and I have proof that it can be done well.

No Means No? D.O.A.? Do Make Say Think? Swollen Members? Oscar Pederson? Those are just musicians too. Do me a favor and watch some Trailer Park Boys before writing off Canada. It's a wonderful place.

How do you possibly add a caption to that. The gift of an artist is knowing when to stop.

Are you going to reformulate the IPA to use fewer hops?

I was raised in the Lutheran tradition so beer and wine have had a relatively normal place in daily life. I didn't learn of religious stigmatism until some family members were born again and added alcohol to the list of things that were "wrong."

You can cut that puppy back to the main vine and start over, but if you're hoping to supplement your hop needs, make sure it's a big alpha variety.

I've never tried using lupalin oil, but you can buy it online. The only commercial beer I knew of that used it was not good, so it might not be a reasonable option.

I'm prepared to drop my average IBU consumption level to a meager 60 BUs as a personal sacrifice. I'm not sure that'll help much though.

I love the answer to question 5. Almost reminds me of homework:

Q: Can I see your answers?
A: No.

Sounds like a stellar guy. How was the beer though?

Score!

Maybe just Pumpky Brewster.

Punky Brewster is awesome. If they don't use it, can borrow it?

I do a squash beer (yeah, just to be different) called "Squash! my wife; spiced ale." No one else thinks its funny though, so my suggestion will probably get booed as well. "The Legend of Sleepy Hollowed ale." You know, because of the whole hollowed pumpkin you baked. ;)

Please tell me you had some real ales while there. I think there is very little on this great earth finer than a hand-drawn cask ale. My vote is for true brew, but I think "Cold filtered" is how macrobrewers remove all the flavor from beer.

I've not been to the UK since 2000, but when i was there last, I was somewhat appalled to see the number of people drinking either Coors and other lagers, but also folks drinking red bull & vodka. I guess you don't know what you've got 'til its gone.

Deuchars IPA was one of my favorites from the trip, but I was incredibly biased having just toured the brewery, then having sampled it from the cask.

to me, Laissez-faire suggests you let it ferment naturally. Or a bug got in it and you're trying to pawn it off as intentional. Maybe it's just me that does that.

Great logo, excellent interview.

Did you dry-hop? Hops, while they have antiseptic properties, can be a vector for "baddies." I too have lost a batch of IPA to mold, and I think it may have been the dry-hopped addition.

http://www.rooftopbrew.net/?p=80

That really sucks. Distributors can really muck up a good thing. Very recently, I've noticed a couple smaller distributors popping up to fill in the niche left by the big guys. One of our local offerings, Point Blank Distributing, started out only doing small local craft brewers, but it appears that their mission is attractive, and the number of beers they offer is now growing. Hopefully there's someone foolish enough to take on the big guys in Georgia.

It's really hard to say what kind of beer will pique his interest - it seems to have varied among my friends. Wheats, fruit-beers, Fat Tire, coffee stout, and amber were all starting places for my friends. No one ever says - "Yeah, once I had that double IPA, I never looked back."

I suppose if your friend likes bitter - grapefruit and such, he may like an IPA - but I'd probably start with something else.

The problem with "scrooge" is that we know how much you spent on grains, so it would be somewhat hypocritical. :)

Witch isn't a bad word, but the problem with that name is that barleywines are best once they've warmed up. I suppose the same could be said for, well... nevermind.

The polar bear/eskimo graphic is awesome. If you don't use it for the barleywine, save it for an Eisbock.

Anheuser-Busch has the best of everything - the best marketing, the best ingredients and the best quality control. So that's where the marketing kicks in. The beer itself is so nondescript that the only way to steer people toward it is through marketing. So Bill is on with his statement, though I imagine there is not a brewer out there that couldn't learn volumes from AB.

That's awesome. My friend is an amateur moto racer and nothing is better than a good beer after a day in leathers. 300 beers is a tall order!

I've brewed for a couple weddings and usually do it well enough in advance so if i get an infection or something just doesn't taste right, I have time to rush another batch. That may sound like a lack of confidence, but I've had may share of bugs too.

Wow - those are early! I guess climate's a bit different there, huh.

Cool - my blog started as replacement for a paper brewing log (you know, so you seem thoughtful and in control, like a chemist), but I can't help occasionally dip in to the culture and comment on other beers. I don't post much lately as we're about to move, and I've been working full time and going to grad school. Hoping to pick up again in a few weeks when I start all-grain brewing.

I much prefer whole hops, but the supply determines what I get to use. We just did a Czech pils as well using whole hops, and even dry hopped with 2 ounces, which really cut in to our final volume.