Keeping it cool: thinking outside the cellar.

A cool cellar temperature (think 50 - 54 °F) is a wonderful temperature at which to drink a cask ale. It's refreshing, yet no so cold as to mask flavor. Room temperature, on the other hand? That's not so refreshing: inappropriately warm for any beer.

And, then, what of of a summer day? Beer at 80+ °F? That's unpalatable, and a problem. More and more outdoor beer festivals in the U.S. have begun featuring casks as part of their beer lineups. Many of these festivals are held in the summer months. So, what to do?

The classic method is to use a wet towel draped over a cask. It's not so much the temperature of the towel that cools the cask, but a process called latent heat vaporization ... or in simpler terms: evaporative cooling. Water requires significant energy to go through a phase change from from liquid to gas (steam). As the water evaporates off the towel, it (the water) is absorbing a lot of energy (heat) from the cask. That energy transfer is what keeps the beer cool. (The human body sweats on a hot day for a similar reason.) Of course, a dry towel accomplishes little. Any cooling requires regular re-moistening of the towel.

And, a dry, cool day.



At the high heat and humidity of a summer afternoon in the lower 48 states, draping a wet towel over a cask is a futile refrigeration method. Using an ice blanket, or a simple bag of ice, draped over a cask will work but marginally better. The ice will chill only the top layer of beer. As more and more beer is served from the cask, it will be the uppermost layer of AIR in the cask that will be chilled, NOT the beer.

So, again, absent cooling coils and refrigerators, how to keep a cask cool on a hot and humid day? Here's a method I've employed to good effect.

• An hour before service, c-a-r-e-f-u-l-l-y submerge the cask upright in ice. (Don't worry!)
  
  
  
  
• Vent and tap through the keystone bung.
  
• Insert a cask widge or ale extractor.
  
• Pull the beer via a beer engine.

Purists, don't fret. The inefficiency of the melting ice will not chill the beer below 50 °F. The result: cool, NOT cold real ale. It's not ideal, but it is an attempt at cellarmanship under duress.

This photo, by the way, shows the use of an ale extractor: a rigid tube that also doubles as a tap and vent. It's a cask tool of older pedigree, and works well, but it is not quite as versatile as a Cask Widge.

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Fobbing at the Tut

• More about the Cask Widge device: here.
  
• In the U.S., the Cask Widge (and ale extractor) can be purchased from UK Brewing Supplies.
  
• This post is one in an occasional series on Cask Ale: Fobbing at the Tut.

In Memory

On this Memorial Day of 2012,
take time to honor all those
who gave the last full measure of devotion to their nation.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona nobis pacem.

Len Michalowski, a WWII veteran, maintained a memorial to his fellow veterans, year-round, in his front yard, in Falls Church, Virginia. He passed away last year in early May.

Pic(k) of the Week: Reno Eclipse

"By the light of the darkened sun."

A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partially obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth. An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is smaller than the Sun, causing the Sun to look like an annulus (ring), blocking most of the Sun's light. An annular eclipse appears as a partial eclipse over a region thousands of kilometres wide. This is also known as Ring of Fire.

Wikipedia

The first annular eclipse in almost 20 years occurred on Saturday, 20 May 2012, visible over Asia, the Pacific Ocean, and parts of western North America. According to The Examiner, the next partial eclipse over much of North America will occur on October 23, 2014. The next total eclipse over the U.S. will occur on August 21, 2017, in the Tennessee area.

Above is a photo of a couple watching the eclipse. I like the 'feel,' almost like folk in the 1950s who would wear stereoscopic bi-colored paper glasses to view 3-D movies, often Sci-Fi.

What: Annular Eclipse Watch Party

Where: Fleischmann Planetarium, University of Nevada, Redfield Campus, south of Reno, Nevada, along route to Lake Tahoe.

When: 20 May 2012, 6:30PM PDT.

Who: Carol Cizauskas and Don Prather, both of whom were wearing specially constructed filter viewers provided by the Planetarium.

The Wheels: "Frankie," a 1993 Chrysler LeBaron convertible.

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• WARNING: Never attempt to look directly at any eclipse with the naked eye, telescope, binoculars, sunglasses, etc. Failure to use appropriate filtration may result in permanent eye damage or blindness.
  
  
• Pic(k) of the Week: one in a weekly series of personal photos, often posted on Saturdays, and often, but not always, with a good fermentable as subject. This photo courtesy Carol Cizauskas, haiku poet at Six Blocks From The City. Commercial use requires explicit permission, as per Creative Commons.

Clamps & Gaskets: News Roundup for Weeks 19/20, 2012

A non-comprehensive roundup
of news of beer and other things.

Weeks 19/20
6 May - 19 May 2012

• 2012.05.19
  National brewpub chain Gordon-Biersch to open a location in Inner Harbor East of Baltimore, Maryland. Via Baltimore Magazine.
  
  
  
  
• 2012.05.19
  Firkin Fest —at Stillpoint Farm in Mt. Airy, Maryland— closes out Frederick Beer Week. Via YFGF.
  
  
• 2012.05.18
  "The Voice That Made You Fall in Love With Lieder:" the great 20th century baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau has died at age 86. Via New York Times.
  
  
• 2012.05.18
  Casella -maker of Yellowtail, inexpensive wine from Australia- to brew 'iPhone hipster-designed' Perfect Lager. Via The Telegraph.
  
  
• 2012.05.18
  Nasdaq glitch mars Facebook IPA; banks prop up stock price. Via Yahoo.
  
  
• 2012.05.18
  National Bike to Work Day. Information and continuing resources for Washington, D.C., area via Bike To Work Metro DC.
  
  
  
  
• 2012.05.18
  "Crack One Open" a promotion by Maryland brewery Flying Dog Brewery using an image of Washington, D.C. Councilman (and former mayor) Marion Barry is pulled after legal action. Via NBC4. Coverage of advertisement itself via DCist.
  
  
• 2012.05.17
  RIP Donna Summer, gone from us at age 63. Via TMZ. Video of "Last Dance", via YouTube.
  
  
• 2012.05.17
  Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell signs several craft beer-related bills into law. Via All About Beer.
  
  
• 2012.05.16
  Chuck Brown, the "Godfather of Go-Go," has died at age 75. Via Washington Post.
  
  
• 2012.05.16
  The cult of 100-point Cabernet Sauvignons. Via The Drinks Business.
  
  
• 2012.05.15
  An essay on why "Modern 'craft' keg can be very good indeed, and certainly much better than badly kept cask." In Britain, a rift appears between older traditionalists and younger good beer drinkers. Via Zythophile.
  
  
• 2012.05.13
  God is groovin' now. R&B bassist Duck Dunn has died at age 70. Via BBC.
  
  
• 2012.05.11
  JP Morgan’s whopping $2 billion loss sends bank stocks down. Via Toronto Star.
  
  
• 2012.05.11
  American Craft Beer Week, Frederick Beer Week, D.C Beer Week. Via Washington Post.
  
  
• 2012.05.10
  Maybe the world won't end on 21 December 2012. An excavation revealed, with new insights into Mayan astrology and calendar. Via Washington Post.
  
  
• 2012.05.09
  Drinks giant conglomerate (Guinness, etc.) acts like a thug, and then is forced to offer public apology to small Scottish brewery BrewDog. Via Pete Brown Beer.
  
  
• 2012.05.08
  Maurice Sendak, author of "Where the Wild Things Are," and many other children's books, dies at age 83. Via CBS News. ["There must be more to life than having everything."]
  
  
  
  
• 2012.05.07
  Can craft beer save America? The redemption of the economy may start with type of brew in your fridge. Via Salon.
  
  
• 2012.05.07
  The Washington Post's take on the 2012 Craft Brewers Conference, on the state of craft beer, and on those breweries in Virginia and Maryland that won medals at the World Beer Cup.
  
  
• 2012.05.07
  The Washington Post's take on the 2012 Craft Brewers Conference, on the state of craft beer, and on those breweries in Virginia and Maryland that won medals at the World Beer Cup.
  
  
• 2012.05.06
  At the 2012 World Beer Cup, eight medals went to breweries in Virginia and Maryland. Recap via DC Beer.com.

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• Clamps and Gaskets is a weekly wrap-up of stories  not posted at Yours For Good Fermentables.com. Most deal with beer (or wine, or whisky); some do not. But all are brief, and many are re-posts from twitter.com/cizauskas.
• The Clamps and Gaskets graphic was created by Mike Licht at NotionsCapital.

Pic(k) of the Week: Cask Feng Shui

Four firkins (10.8 gallon casks) lie ready to be sanitized, filled, and primed ...

at Mad Fox Brewing Company
Falls Church, Virginia.
13 May 2012.

Sometimes, you get lucky with composition and lighting. Here, both seemed just right.

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• Read more about cask-conditioned 'real ale,' at Cask Ale USA
• Pic(k) of the Week: one in a weekly series of personal photos, often posted on Saturdays, and often, but not always, with a good fermentable as subject. Commercial use requires explicit permission, as per Creative Commons.

DC Brewers Kick the Keg!

Brewers from the greater Washington, D.C. area gathered last evening at Mad Fox Brewing Company in Falls Church, Virginia, to celebrate American Craft Beer Week.

Each brewer brought one kegged beer from their brewery. The challenge was whose beer would be drained first by the pub's patrons. The winning brewery would receive the Dominion Cup, a large trophy fashioned from a keg, originally used for a similar competition when Dominion Brewery was still based in northern Virginia.

Left to right:


• Brian Murphy: assistant brewer, Mad Fox.
  Orange Whip IPA.
  This brew is dry hopped with Citra hops from our friends in Yakima at Hop Union. The kettle additions of Citra hops, brings this brew in at a whopping 75 IBU’s and the hops flavors are much more pronounced with citrusy hints of pineapple, orange etc. This version is also loaded with malt flavors with plenty of crystal malt, medium to full bodied and deep copper colored. 7.5% ABV.
  
  
• Brian Quann (partially obscured): brewer, Sweetwater Tavern (Merrifield, Virginia)
  
  
• Rick Garvin: owner, Mad Fox.
  
  
• Jonathan Reeves: brewer, Port City Brewing Company (Alexandria, Virginia).
  Monumental IPA.
  "A rich copper color, and is intensely hoppy. We add a special blend of American hops throughout the brewing and fermentation process to create a complex combination of aroma and flavor. This ale exhibits floral notes, flavors of citrus and resin, combined with delicious caramel background notes. The balanced style will keep the palate fresh and invite the drinker back into the glass."
  
  
• Bill Madden (with mallet): brewmaster/owner, Mad Fox.
  
  
• Charlie Buettner: brewer, Mad Fox.
  
  
• Danielle: assistant brewer, Chocolate City Brewing (Washington, D.C.)
  The Ugly Sticke
  This is a bumped up and dryhopped version of our flagship Cornerstone Copper Ale. Caramelly and biscuity with lasting citrusy bitterness from generous american hop additions. 8.3% ABV, 80 IBU.
  
  
• Ben Matz: head brewer, Chocolate City.
  
  
• Nick Funnel: brewmaster, Sweetwater Tavern (Centreville, Virginia).
  
  
• Jacob Jay from DC Brau (Washington, D.C.) visited earlier earlier in the evening. He brought:
  Ground Wolf™.
  A Tribute to Humulus Lupulus (Hops!). Meridian Pint is has been a partner of ours for a long time. We celebrated our launch together. We celebrated our first anniversary together. So, it's only fitting that we finally put our heads together and come up with a brew! 'Ground Wolf' was brewed to celebrate the bittering and aromatic wonders of the hop plant, also known as Ground Wolf (so named for its tenacious ability to overrun most any neighboring plant), while keeping the booze restrained to a quaffable 4.5%. Columbus hops added at the beginning of the boil give Ground Wolf a strong bitter backbone. Multiple additions of Centennial hops throughout the brew, as well as a heaping dry addition afterwards, give it a bright citrus nose and flavor that is sure to please IPA fans.
  
  
• Devils Backbone (Roseland, Virginia) couldn't attend but sent a keg of:
  8 Points IPA.
  A cornucopia of hop varities imparts a citrusy floral aroma and a crisp bitterness. Concocted from Pilsen and a dash of Caramel Malts. This burnished-gold ale has a touch of malty sweetness for balance, which makes it easy to enjoy all night long. 60 IBU 5.9% ABV.
  
  
• Likewise, Lost Rhino Brewing Company (Ashburn, Virgina) was unable to send a representative, but sent a keg of:
  Zlatý Rhino
  Zlatý Rhino is an American interpretation of a classic Bohemian-style Pilsner, which takes its name from the Czech word for "Golden". Brewed with imported floor-malted Bohemian spring barley (the Tolar and Bojos varieties) and 100% Czech Saaz hops, this beer brings a balance of malty sweetness and delicate bitterness, thanks to the use of a painstaking decoction mash schedule and long kettle boil. Modeled after the beer that won first prize by Aaron Hermes in the inaugural Pilsner Urquell Master Homebrewer competition in Washington, DC in 2011, this is an easy-drinking beer for the warmer days ahead. As the Czechs say, 'Na zdraví!'"

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And the winner was ...

Orange Whip from Mad Fox!

It's ACBW. Where are the events in DC?

Now, there may be many pubs, restaurants, stores, and breweries in Washington, D.C., that are celebrating American Craft Beer Week this week. And, there may be some posting their calendars to Facebook, Twitter, and their own websites: things such as Happy Hour pricing on draft American craft' beers. But, not one has listed an event for today to the national American Craft Beer Week website.

Click on the graphic to expand.

Brewpub Gordon-Biersch —maligned by some in the D.C. 'craft' beer scene (not me) as not really a D.C. brewpub— did post a general invitation yesterday to "Bring Your Friends and Celebrate American Craft Beer Week." But that's it, that's all. For the rest of the week, there's not one single posting by anyone else in Washington, D.C. (except for a misplaced Dogfish Head event in Delaware.)

American Craft Beer Week is a nationwide celebration of 'craft' breweries, of the pubs and stores that serve their beers, and of and for the drinkers and consumers nationwide that enjoy and purchase their beers. A beer tourist looking at the national website would be unfortunately underwhelmed by the beer culture in the Nations's Capital. Since that is not so, that would be a shame.

The Washington Post's Going Out Gurus yesterday published a short list of events, and so has website DC Beer, with a larger list, but the question still stands: why not, with the click of a mouse, alert the world to your event at the ACBW website?

Neighboring Maryland and Virginia fare better, where several pubs, breweries, and other locations took the time to post their events.

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All this week, I'll be posting on topics of American 'craft' beer and/or searching out local beer. Local to me is the greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, and the states of Virginia and Maryland. Yesterday, it was Batch 100 at Mad Fox Brewing Company, a brewpub in Falls Church, Virginia.


Batch 100 is a strong dark ale, the 100th batch (naturally!) of beer brewed at the brewpub, fermented from a starting gravity of 100 brewers points (get it?), with Centennial hops (get it?), calculated at 100 IBUs (get it?), and then aged 6 months in an Evan Williams bourbon barrel. The beer is indeed dark with a strong bourbon nose, flavor, and alcohol presence, and with a dark fruit flavor like plums. The beer is indeed strong: the brewers estimate the alcohol by volume to be in excess of 12%. The brewery will tap two kegs for American Craft Beer Week, and reserve the remainder for aging.