| A little bit o' me in every bottle! Just a little! |
Sep
2
2010
You like Unibroue right? Who doesn’t? The Québécois brewery puts out some excellent beers: Maudite, La Fin du Monde, Trois Pistoles, and my newest fave, Quelque Chose.
Keep you eye on LadiesOCB because there are a LOT of fantastic things in the works! I’m really glad I have an opportunity to join the lovely ladies writing in that space—but fear not, I’ll still be over at BB writing away!
Aug
25
2010
Sunday I received an email from the lovely Amy Strauss. It went a little something like this:
Hey Mel!
Hope you are having a great weekend, even for today’s rain.So, I work for this local Philly ‘burb-based food company, The Town Dish, who tackles Chester County and beyond.
With the assistance of Southwest Airlines, we’ll travel to another city and back in one day, meeting a few food bloggers who are kind enough to to guide our way of eating through their town.
We are hoping for our first trip to connect the bloggers of our area with the bloggers of the newly trekked city (Tuesday we are going to Boston) — thus why I am connecting you. Being that between Philly, the burbs both my way and your way, there’s a ton of people that can be represented, but since Bathtub Brewery is unique and worth the national mention, I would love for your blog to be included in our traveling-out-of-state roundup.
Of course I said yes! What an awesome opportunity for one of our homebrews to wind up in the hands of someone else who most likely ALSO appreciates fantastic beer?
Ray was onboard from the get-go, so I selected a 12 oz bottle of our Barleywine (it’s been aging over a year now), made an impromptu label and, at the last minute, attached one of our business cards with a rubber band and staple, making it a not-quite-so ghetto tag.
Monday I passed the bottle (donning a classy brown bag) along to Amy, who then got it over to her boss Mary, who packed it along with all the other goodies. Early Tuesday morning she boarded a Southwest flight for Boston with her suitcase full of Philly-appropriate goods for a “Dish on the Fly,” where she spent the entire day running around Boston with the city’s local food bloggers who have the 411 on the food and drink scene.
Talk about friggin’ awesome.
Riding along with our Barleywine was a bottle of Summer Love and HopDevil from Victory Brewing Co. Talk about an honor to share a suitcase with their brews! The Victory beers were gifted to Harpoon Brewery, another excellent contributor to craft beer.
Courtesy of Mary of @wcdish
Our Barleywine went to Charlie Cummings, brewer of Harpoon Brewery, who is also a homebrewer (of course). Doesn’t he look so happy to have our bottle in his hand?
So, not only was this a great opportunity for Bathtub to represent Philly, but I think the heart of this project is facilitating a connection between like-minded folks across the country. Folks who care about what they eat and drink, as well as the people behind the food and drink (or in other cases, the services and products they purchase).
This is a trend that several business books have looked at, showing how people are opening their wallets, but with their values in mind. We don’t just want stuff, we want goods that have a story behind them. We want eggs from the farmer who packs each dozen in a beautiful assortment of colors to make his customer smile; we want to buy vintage cookbooks from a bookshop owner who spends her off-hours searching for treasures high and low; we want to buy jewelry from someone who created a tiny studio out of her home and makes each ring from scratch. We want a story.
The Town Dish’s “Dish on the Fly” does that. It connects bloggers and connects our stories. It also shows the country what the Philadelphia-metro area is capable of, and it’s capable of A LOT.
Aug
10
2010
Recently, Beer Advocate named its Top 100 Beers based on a nifty equation that goes a little like this:
weighted rank (WR) = (number of reviews for the beer ÷ (number of reviews for the beer+minimum reviews required to be listed (currently 1000) )) × review average for the beer + (minimum reviews required to be listed (currently 1000) ÷ (number of reviews for the beer+minimum reviews required to be listed (currently 1000) )) × the mean across the list (currently 4.03)
Or, in other words: weighted rank (WR) = (v ÷ (v+m)) × R + (m ÷ (v+m)) × C
Check out Beer Advocate’s post for a more in depth explanation of the math behind the list (look for it at the bottom), but in the meantime, peruse the list here and note which beers we’ve had off of the Top 100 list.
Some rights reserved by DR000
Based on my count, Ray and I have had at least 65 of the beers, so we’ve drank 65% of the best beers on the planet. Not too shabby! I guess we’ll need to start working on the ones we’ve missed, though.
One thing I noticed was that Stoudts Brewing Co. was not on the list, which I find odd. The Fat Dog Imperial Oatmeal stout is top notch, and the DIPA is so smooth. Scarlet Lady is also a excellent beer … at least in my opinion they’re all worlds better than Sam Adams’ offerings.
Aug
9
2010
Back in late June I was all ready to share the recipe for the chai I brewed for Boris the Spider Chai Oatmeal stout. And I was, I really was. Then I discovered that the recipe, inked onto an index card had gone missing, but I gave you the process so you could play around and make your own (which is really the best way).
Well, the condo’s on the market AND I found my original chai recipe. Awesome, right?
Chai Recipe (cold brew)
1 oz of tea (blend of 5 bags of the Breakfast Blend and 3 of Darjeeling)
2 star anise
7-10 cardamom pods
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1 tsp coriander
3-4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1 tbsp whole clovesThe star anise, cardamom and cloves will all need to be cracked a bit, using a mortar and pestle. Don’t pulverize.
Place chai mix in a French press and add 8 oz cold filtered water. Stir, place top on and chill for 12 hours.
After the tea has brewed, push the plunger down and pour into a measuring cup. Add to your fermenting beer in the secondary and let it mull.
Jul
20
2010
Yes, I know Philly Beer Week has come and gone. This year, the revelries took place Jun 4-13, with 195 participants and more than 1,000 successful events. Suffice to say, the event freaking blew up from 2009—which had 700 events over the course of 10 days—with a lot of new faces and venues clamoring to get in on the action. Talk about a good thing gone great.
In 2009, Ray and I attended a couple of events, but it was tough with some of the more interesting ones being smack dab in the middle of the workday. However, in 2010, we missed every single event. Not because we have no love for Philly Beer Week, but because we were A. super busy with condo prepping and ACL sprains; and B. going to SAVOR. But I downloaded the Philly Beer Week iPhone app—designed by six members of Philly’s CocoaHeads—and was pretty impressed.
So a month and change has gone by, the Royal Stumble survived, and I just received a press release letting me know to prep my drinking arm, because Philly Beer Week 2011 will be back with a vengeance, spanning June 3-12, 2011. According to the release, PBW 2011 will see the return of the Hammer of Glory (HOG)—”the official keg hammer of Philly Beer Week, and its over-the-top journey across the city to arrive at the Opening Tap, conveyed by everything from kinetic sculpture to zip line to Philly Roller Girls”; The Forum of the Gods, with some of the biggest names in brewing for an informal round table talk; and tons of events ranging from beer pairings to meet the brewer to festivals. There is also talk of an enhanced iPhone app, inspired by the 2010 version. I will definitely be downloading that!
So consider this a “Save the Date” of sorts, and prep that drinking arm. If Philly Beer Week could grow from 700 to 1000 events in a single year, just imagine what’s in store for 2011.
Jul
13
2010
What a weekend! Ray, Ryan, his epic GF LeeAnne and myself all stumbled on into Nodding Head’s Royal Stumble No. 11, themed “It’s Always Sunny at the Royal Stumble” (more on that misnomer tomorrow). We had a great time, followed by some kick ass roller derby mayhem in University City where the Broad Street Butchers beat the Philthy Britches to take home the championship trophy. You go girls (someday I will be one of you).
So, busy busy busy. While we gather our stumbling thoughts, here’s a wee bit o’ preview video for you — shot by the ever talented (and ever Scottish) Ray.
Jun
22
2010
Homemade chai mix, just add water and BEER
It’s amazing what happens when you unclutter your home. You dig through all this stuff you’ve accumulated and you get rid of 75%, either donating stuff that still has some life in it or tossing it for good.
So what does this have to do with my chai recipe? Think about it.
I’m famous for thinking out loud on index cards, and that’s exactly what I did. Then that index got shuffled from the breakfast bar to my desk, and then, who knows where.
So will you get the original recipe? No. And neither will I — it’ll be back to the drawing board if we do this beer again. Nonetheless, I really think chai should be made to your individual preference, so grab some traditional chai spices, some tea, and put my steps to the test!
Chai is made with a black tea, like Assam. I couldn’t find that at my local Wegmans, so I decided to blend English Breakfast (this particular brand was a blend of Assam and Kenyon) with some Darjeeling, which is considered the “champagne” of tea. I used 5 bags of the Breakfast Blend and 3 of Darjeeling.
I added a ton of cinnamon (love it!), whole cloves, coriander and 2-3 star anise (all of which I cracked down a bit with my mortar and pestle), some ground ginger and allspice. I also used probably 5-8 green cardamom pods, which I gave a thorough cracking before adding them to the blend.
You need to smell your chai mix constantly. Does it smell like something you’ve had in a reputable tea or coffee shop? If so, you’re on the right track.
Once you have your mix, add COLD filtered water. Brewing it hot, like coffee, could make the chai bitter as it cools. No one wants to taste an odd, woody-bitter taste in their beer, so cold brewing it is.
After adding the water to the French press, I gave it a good stir and put it in the fridge for about 12 hours. Then I took it out, pressed and poured into a measuring cup — if the bottom of the press looks to have a bunch of dregs floating in it, avoid pouring that into the cup. Then from there you can either add it to the fermenter or directly to the bottling bucket.
Gather all your ingredients, a scale, bowl and mortar and pestle
Make sure you weigh your chai mix
Add water to the chai mix you already put into the French Press
After 12 hours, press down the plunger and voila! You have your chai extract, ready to add to 5 gallons of beer
If you need some help coming up with a recipe, check out the following for some inspiration:
Chai Tea from Simply Recipes
Jun
21
2010
So, um, yeah. It’s been awhile. But never fear, we’ve been brewing and brewfesting and even TEACHING people how to brew their own! Oh, and we’re getting ready to put our condo up for sale, so how’s that for a bunch of excuses? Nevertheless, on to our fairly regularly scheduled content (or some BS like that …)
When dreaming up Boris the Spider, our Chai Oatmeal Stout, I decided that homemade chai was the way to go. The concentrate you might buy at the store (Oregon Chai and Tazo) has sugars and other stuff going on, and I wouldn’t want to play around with their powdered offerings. Instead, the best bet was to do some research and figure out the best recipe for us.
Except there isn’t just a singular chai recipe. In India, there are numerous varieties of chai hailing from all the different regions — sort of like how every Italian grandma has her own very special (and often secret) recipe for meat sauce. So that meant I had a lot of reading to do.
In the end, I winged it a little, but the test batch smelled authentic (based on what I’ve had before from various tea and coffee shops) and when brewed as a concentrate and added to milk, tasted great. Though I’m sure some Indian grandma would have a few critiques.
Check back tomorrow for the full recipe with photos and get ready to brew some chai to either toss into a homebrew, or enjoy in a comfy chair with a good book.
Dec
31
2009
Holy crap, where did 2009 go? It feels like the year just began, and now it has come full circle.
Last January we made some brewing resolutions. I resolved to brew new styles, which we definitely accomplished: Dry Irish Stout, dry-hopped Dubbel, Kölsch, hybrid Pale Ale (the Bee Sting!), hybrid Belgian Hefe, Barleywine, IPA, Tripel and Oatmeal Stout. The only overlaps from 2008 would be the tripel (or Ginpel), which uses our original Tripel recipe, but adds classic gin aromatics.
We also kept to a fairly regular brew schedule, and essentially kicked fruit extract to the curb—simply because we didn’t brew with fruit this year, unless you count dried cranberries and raisins. Ray kept to his resolution of being adventurous—his recipe for Hefe the ORC was bold and playful, which came out in the beer’s flavor, aroma, and of course, its name.
In 2009 we went back to the Brandywine Craft Brewers’ Festival, glad to be back after missing it in 2008. We also attended the Philly Beer Fest at the Navy Yard, which was mammoth but good, and a Winterfest at Stoudts in late February. Hopefully in 2010 we’ll make it back to Savor, and possibly GABF for the first time.
Maybe most important, we got married in 2009. In a brewery. Stoudts Brewery to be exact. It’s pretty hard to top that, and we were told by a number of our guests that it was one of the best weddings they had been to. We loved the fact that we had over 11 beers on tap to choose from, including Smooth Hoperator, Stoudts’ Winter Ale (this year it was a hoppy red), Gold (a Munich-style Helles), Pils, Double IPA, Scarlet Lady (an ESB), a robust porter, Stoudt’s Pale Ale, Peppercorn Pumpkin Ale (aka Peppercornhole), Oktoberfest, and for our wedding toast: Old Fat Dog Imperial Oatmeal Stout (for me) and Stoudts’ Tripel (for Ray). Then we honeymooned in Denver, one of the other great beer cities in the US.
Also in November, I was selected to be the Philadelphia Homebrewing Examiner for Examiner.com. It’s an exciting experience that’s providing me with the tools and initiative to dig deeper into our local homebrewing community. Next stop: writing for the BA’s publications—someday, hopefully.
2009 has been great, but I’ve got a feeling that 2010 has a lot of great things pushed up its sleeves. Until then, Happy New Year!
Nov
20
2009
Long time, no write … I know, I know. We’ve been bad. The Ginpel (Ray’s Belgian tripel with rosemary, juniper berries, and other traditional spices) we brewed back in August — it’s in the secondary, waiting patiently for the herbs and spices to be added. Boris the Spider Chai Oatmeal Stout that we concocted in late September — it’s hanging out in the bathtub in its secondary as well, waiting for me to finally wade through all my various chai recipes I’ve worked on.
We’ll get to them. I mean, heck, the culmination of 14 months of wedding planning and DIY projects finally hit on Saturday, Nov. 7. Ray and I tied the knot and shared a pint (or four). But that will be for another post where we can regale you with stories of what it’s like to bring together 75 people into the brewery that Carol and Ed Stoudt built and how the best open bar is the one with more than 10 local craft beers on tap.
Until then, here are couple more photos from our amazingly talented photographer, Georgi Anastasov.
