I'm over the trend of breweries not giving me beer for free. I know it's just business as usual but does every one need to jump on that bandwagon?
Haven't seen this around this area. Won't get much of a pour but all will let you try one or two small splashes. Most have tiny taster glasses. Sorry to hear that going on. I suppose idiots take advantage of it then don't actually buy a beer. On another note sample flights usually are cheaper by the oz than a pint in some places.
It's this trend trend that gets my goat. I was in Warszaw this summer, at their beer festival. Lots of homebrewers serving their brews, competing for the public's votes. And it was almost impossible to find one "normal" beer. Every beer was a beer with a twist of some kind; either soured, smoked, megahopped or having odd ingredients added. Often all four. Very few were not hazy. It was the same out on the town the night before. I intensely pined for something like a straight beer of some kind - I mean; something that just conformed to some BJCP definition (except IPAs, of course) - but no. I found one beer that claimed to be an english bitter, but that was something undrinkable packed with far too much crystal malt. And that was all.
If you've ever had a flavored seltzer (essence) these are very similar. I like seltzers so I've enjoyed some of the ones being produced by locally by some of our 'craft' breweries. To be clear, I like the ones that are essence type flavors and not the heavy, sweet, sugar flavored ones.
Ive herd they have have a farmhouse style yeast similar to a kviek type yeast? You didn't happen to see or here anything about this on your travels or am I getting that mixed up with Lithuania ?
It's this one: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grodziskie Ron Pattinson about it in 2007: http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2007/12/grodziskiegrtzer.html Here's something more Ron Pattinson has to say regarding it: http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2013/04/grodziskie-i-wish-they-just-wouldnt.html The homebrewers brewed a lot of it - and mixed it with all sorts of things. Souring it, too. It didn't really make it any worse to me, 'cause I don't like it anyway. Neither do I like the Norwegian trad brews, brewed with kveik. It's a hype, it'll blow over. Both the Polish one and the Norwegian one appeals to nationalist instincts. Not necessarily nasty kinds, but still ... . It also carries an idea of the natural, original, not tainted by the sins of industry etc.. That's basically romanticism, and that's an ideology I do not adhere to.
Well each to their own that's the beauty of brewing we don't all have to brew the same beer or with the same yeast . Ive used voss kviek a time or two now and I can see it's advantages in summer not having to chill wort down as much and it's super quick out the gates like a greyhound starts and 3days fermentations are crazy cool. Best of all it provides a pretty clean fermentation character but in have got a sulphur note in two beers that were fermented a little cooler which is weird. Just interested in their similar farmhouse strain and what you thought of it but if you don't like Kviek your probably not going to like the polisb one neither. Thanks for the links will have a read cheers.
There's a pretty good brewery near my work. Out of about 12 beers on tap a solid 75% are some sort of fruited, sour, double dry hopped NEIPA combination. Funny thing is, I had talked to the owner a while back and he said they specialize in Belgian beers. I almost spit my beer out when I heard that. I've really only ever seen a grissette on tap, and from what I understand that's basically a Belgian adjacent beer. How can they specialize in those beers when less than 10% of the tap list is one of those beers?
The polish beer is rather well smoked, and it's nothing wrong with it if you like that. I'm not a big fan of smoky beers, but I can enjoy an occasional glass. There are som 40 or more different kveik strains, and they're definitely not all the same. Some may well provide a good solution to the problem of brewing in a hot summer climate. It's the traditional brews I don't like much, but I have not tasted any beer made with kveik which I wouldn't rather have fermented with an other yeast. So far, I should add. Btw; I tasted a Latvian (or maybe it was Lithuanian?) farmhouse brew with a traditional yeast at that festival, and that one was delicious.
Ah yes it must be Latvian I'm sure it started with L anyhow don't get me wrong I'm not say kviek is the be all and all just a good alternative in certain situations.
I did some research, and it seems there is traditional yeast that has survived in Latvia, too. (http://www.garshol.priv.no/blog/328.html)
I don't think I can count PBR as a craft brewer but they are getting into the fizzy water biz as well! Hey Craiger! Maybe you can get this an import! 8^) https://www.brewbound.com/news/pabst-launches-pabst-blue-ribbon-stronger-seltzer-in-4-states
I just listened to a Drew Beechum podcast on making hard seltzers at home. He gave a very simple recipe for kegging one up that I think I'm going to try. We do like them here at home. Here's the podcast if anyone is interested:https://www.experimentalbrew.com/podcast/brew-files-episode-68-hard-times-seltzer-town In a nutshell 2.4 liters vodka in a 5 gallon corny. Fill the rest with water. Flavor how you want.
I just had one at one of the local breweries, they did a 10% 2-row batch, carbon filtered the hell out it and watered it down to 5% with RO then flavoured and carbonated it. It is really good, I could get drunk of my ass without realizing it.
I'm not sure how one of our local breweries is doing theirs, but it's very good. Hands down better than any you can buy like White Claw. They sell a ton of the stuff.
I was amazed how much I liked it. I wonder how many brita filters I would need to make a corny of it at home.
