We’re homebrew heavy this week, mostly because I found a cool cache of homebrew articles. Also, we want to remind you that we’ll be sampling homebrew beers at this weekend’s Shore Craft Beer Fest. The exciting thing about that, if you’re into exclusivity, is that they will be the only beers you literally can’t buy anywhere (in liquid form).
Speaking of taste, there’s less financial stuff this week and a lot more flavor stuff. We’ll talk craft beer boilermakers, dressing recipes, marinades and portability, among other things. If you wanna join in live, we’ll be on at noon(ish) here.
Homebrew news
First, “What is Decoction?” and then, “Is it worth doing?” We’ll have Doug sort this all out.
Speaking of, ‘Is it worth it?’
Grow your own hops and dry them yourself? That’s pretty DIY. But making the dryer is an even bigger step. We’ll talk about whether the labor intensity is worth the effort.
Growlers for Homebrewers
I never really got into the whole high end growler thing. This might be because I don’t travel much or because I don’t let beer stay around long enough for its preservation to matter. Either way, as I thought about the usefulness of things like this, it occurred to me that, if I were a homebrewer, these would be really good investments. You don’t have to bring a bunch of bottles with you to, say, Thanksgiving in Pittsburgh, but you can still bring your beer places and give people their freshest taste.
Half extract? Extract plus? Adding Specialty grains to extract beers
Speaking of adding grain…
Layers of Jealousy
I have been meaning to write a story researching the craft boilermaker. It got away from me a bit. I don’t know how I feel about shooting single malt scotch. Also, I don’t know how I feel about trading sips between beer and whisky. I promise to do the necessary homework and check back in the near future.
Best of luck, I guess…
First off, I hope Oskar Blues is successful in its international expansion. I guess that’s what all the recent investment and acquisitions were about. Also, if you take a look at the story for a list of their partners, there’s an international distribution company called “AmeriCraft” which is pretty telling in and of itself. The big question is how well cans will sell abroad. I expect pretty well. Dale’s Pale Ale is a good beer on its own but as a pack-in/pack-out choice it was second to none for nearly a decade.
Recipe of the week
Even if you’re not nuts about the notion of quail, this marinade totally is worth trying out.The MaiBock Vinaigrette feels like something we all should be keeping in our refrigerators.
Like and Subscribe
In case you didn’t know, these are the show notes for the Beer with Strangers podcast. If you’re interested in the show it’s at BeerWithStrangers.com. Of course, you always can subscribe on iTunes as well.
Author: Tony Russo
Tony Russo has worked as a print and digital journalist for the better part of the 21st century, writing for and editing regional weeklies and dailies before joining the team that produces OceanCity.com and ShoreCraftBeer.com among other destination websites. In addition to having documented everything from zoning changes to art movements on the Delmarva Peninsula, Tony has written two books on beer for the History Press. Eastern Shore Beer was published in 2014 and Delaware Beer in 2016. He lives in Delmar, Md. with his wife Kelly and the only of his four daughters who hasn't moved out. Together they keep their two dogs comfortable.
