10.14.08
Moving
moved blog to http://beerhelps.blogspot.com
More user friendly.
10.13.08
You should start a blog
A friend of mine recently suggested I start this blog. “People are interested in what you have to say”, he said. “People like talking to you about beer”, he said. Ok, so I started this blog. Problem is, this server (Yahoo!) is a little wonky, and it appears I have to be a computer programmer to modify my backgrounds, graphics, visuals, or whatever. Can’t seem to get a simple, crisp screen. And at Kelso, we’re all about simple and crisp. Let that be a lesson to you–stick to what you know. Again I find myself over my head. Last time was website design. Before that, logo design (clearly). Any computer/graphic types out there willing to work for beer? It helps. . .
10.08.08
Beer vs Wine
I’ve frequently been asked if beer is better than wine for pairing with food, or if beer can match the complexity of wine. So. . .
Beer, in my view, is more versatile than wine. Not only does beer rely on differing varieties of malted grain (barley, wheat,etc), but also different varieties of hops, yeast, and water supply. Barley, for example, can have dozens of varietals grown around the world, each varietal dependent on soil/weather conditions. Then the grain goes to the maltster, where it is handled in a way to bring out is strengths and reduce its shortcomings. We, as brewers, have an array of grains/malts to choose from, ranging from English Pale Malts, German Lager Malts, to locally grown barley and wheat. Wine makers do not have this flexibility, and their product can suffer from it.
Now, hops, also, are a plant that grow around the world. New Zeland organics, German Noble, and even good old US native hops all lend different nuanced flavors to a beer, or even texture if you dry hop.
Water chemistry plays a huge part in beer production and flavors. Simply put, local water supplies can determine if a beer will be richer/fuller or somewhat light and sweet. The chemistry affects how hop bitterness works, how mashing the grain works, and how the yeast performs. All these play together to make the subtle nuance of each raw material work together to achieve the ultimate balance .
Different yeasts provide different aromas, flavor, and texture to a beer. Some are fruity and robust, some are more subtle, some crisp and clean, some minerally and some more round and smooth. We can even blend
yeasts to get different effect, and can filter/age/or change fermentation temps to get the yeast flavor just the way we want.
Synopsis: Beer is the oldest recorded recipe and has been around civilization as long as bread has. Every society in the world has a form of locally made beer, and has had this form since society became, well, a society. Beer comes from grain, and has many of the charactaristics of grain, so in turn pairs nicely with any dish (when have you had a dinner without some form of grain?) Wine is a nice treat. Beer is a staple.
10.06.08
Beer Helps
We’ve been using this slogan for over a year, and have gotten a lot of positive comments and feedback from our customers. People seem to truly feel that beer helps in every sense (except the “beer helps drive home” sense, of course). I thought it would be a good place to start blogging. With the economy tanking and people less sure than ever about the the future, perhaps now is a good time to get back to basics, sit down, take a breath, and have a beer (not 5 or 6).
