Yorktoberfest 2012 Video

Here's my video from Yorktoberfest 2012. More detailed post to follow.

Credits:

Cast -

• Justin Mann
• Man #1
• Man #2
• Man not Appearing in this Film
• Lots of extras
• Wik
• Als0 wik
• Als0 als0 wik
• Wi n0t trei a h0liday in Sweeden thi yer?
• See the l0veli lakes
• The W0nderful teleph0ne system
• And mani interesting furry animals
• Including the majestic m00se
• A M00se once bit my sister...

We apologize for the fault in the credits. Those who were responsible have been sacked.

• Cameo appearance by Will Ferrell (at marker 1:54)
• M00se Trained by Yutte Hermsgervordenbroti
• M00se Choreographed by Horst Prot III
• Miss Taylor's M00ses by Hengst Douglas-Home

We apologize again for the fault in the credits. Those responsible for sacking the people who have just been sacked have been sacked.

• Director - Justin Mann
• Writer - Justin Mann
• Producer - Justin Mann
• Music - the CD that happened to be playing when I recorded this (in between bands)
• Cinematography - Justin Mann
• Editing - Editing? We don't need no stinking editing. (Or at least, we didn't use no stinking editing.)
• Casting - Justin Mann
• Set Decoration - Yorktoberfest organizers (especially Matthew) and vendors
• Costume Design - GAP
• Makeup Department - Absolutely N/A
• Visual effects - Wee Wowem LLC
• Stunts - Evel Knievel and Robert Overcracker
• Transportation - my wife, Diana

Closing Thoughts:

Thank you, Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Full credit to you for the crazy credits and M00se references.

Broaching Beer Bias

Today, I'm pondering how bias plays a role in beer reviews.

Hmmmm...
("What Ales You?" Image Courtesy of http://goo.gl/t6ixA)

What makes a good beer? Is it taste alone? What about the color or appearance? Maybe it's the smell or mouthfeel. Of course, these are all attributes that are typically considered in an attempt to objectively assess whether or not a beer is "good". But I submit that for every beer review, there are some behind-the-scenes factors that readers are not privy to and of which the reviewer may not even be aware.

Artwork on package or label

"First impressions last, but don't judge a book by its cover."(1) Yet we do, consciously or not. Attractive packaging artwork catches our eye as we're browsing through the rows of six-packs. The colorful design on the bottle label practically yells "Look at me! I'm interesting. Drink me!" Even those that claim to overlook such marketing ploys would probably at least admit when the artwork is appealing, which has to play into the end result on some level. Otherwise, the craft beer industry wouldn't bend over backwards to create intriguing, eye-catching artwork for their packaging and labels. AmericanCraftBeer.com thinks so too: "A great label becomes part of the beer somehow. It's a doorway to the drink - both a reflection of and an invitation to the brewer's art...Very few [labels] are neutral."

Favorite Brewery

Okay, so I like Tröegs. So what? I'll tell you so what. It is more difficult for me to criticize a beer brewed by Tröegs than any other brewery out there. Brand loyalty plays a big part here. I would like to say that all beers from Tröegs' brewery are the best you'll ever have. But that's simply not true. They have made a few brews that are not my favorite, so when I'm being completely honest, I'll tell you that I think Dead Reckoning Porter's 53 IBUs make it too bitter for the style. Speaking of bitter, Perpetual IPA is over the top in that category and is just too far out there for my liking (though it's a bit more acceptable for the style). But when I'm trying a new Tröegs brew--one from their Scratch Series for example--I have high expectations before I even take the first sip. I fully expect to like it before I try it! I'd say that's a bit biased.

Circumstances or Environment at Time of Review

How about the time or place or circumstances surrounding the event (yes, event) of enjoying a brewski? Yeah, they certainly play a role. Following is a list of a few I thought of. I'll let you decide how they might affect the outcome of the beer review.

• At a party with friends
• After a bad day at work
• At a beer-tasting event
• After being given a free beer
• At the brewery
• At home by oneself
• At a restaurant with delicious food
• At a restaurant with crappy service
• After receiving bad news
• Watching a Presidential debate

The Desire to "Fit In"

What about the beers with a lot of hype? Consider Russian River's Pliny the Younger (or Elder), The Alchemist's Heady Topper, 3 Floyds' Zombie Dust, or maybe even Tröegs' Nugget Nectar. (Refer to Beer Advocate's Top 100 most popular beers.) Each of these is purportedly among the best beer on the market. We talk 'em up; the suppliers mark 'em up. We go out of our way to get the good stuff. We pay more for a pint than we are willing to admit in mixed company, helping to shoot more holes in economists' theories about rational consumerism. And for what? A sublime swig of suds? Meh. I'm sure it's good beer, but I bet it's not all that and a bag of Chips Ahoy. Yet we perpetuate the hype by bragging to our friends and posting comments to our beer circle on Google+. Why? Because "everyone else is doing it". (Watch out for the edge of the cliff, my friends. It's dangerously close.)

Conclusion

Even the most conscientious beer reviewer will be influenced by one or more of the above factors, if not something else I've missed entirely. So as a reader of such reviews, you have been warned. Don't believe everything you read. When you're reading a review, take it with a grain of salt. Just as writers/speakers are admonished to know their audience, readers should know their writers. If you're not a regular reader of the beer blog upon which you've stumbled (perhaps this one!), get to know the author. Determine what predilections may prevent pure opining. Read more than one review of the same brew and take an average, as it were. And then form your own opinion. After all, in the words of LeVar Burton, "You don't have to take my word for it."(2)


Footnotes
(1) I had an idea about what I wanted to say here but couldn't quite phrase it right. After Googling for more ideas, I ran across this unique cliche mash-up and simply had to use it. Source: http://www.designweek.co.uk/industry-voice/what-does-your-first-impression-say-about-you?/3034985.article.
(2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reading_Rainbow

What is Oktoberfest?

It's a beer and a festival! This year marks the 179th Oktoberfest, which started yesterday and will last for 16 days. Held in Munich (Bavaria, Germany), Oktoberfest is the world's largest fair, with somewhere around 5 or 6 million attendees each year (1). During the festivities, visitors consume almost 2 million gallons of beer.

Beer maids and waiters must be able to carry 10 beer-filled mugs at a time. (3) (7)
(Image Source: http://goo.gl/75eOZ)

The Oktoberfest tradition started in 1810 (2) to celebrate the October 12th marriage of Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig to the Saxon-Hildburghausen Princess Therese. The citizens of Munich were invited to join in the festivities which were held over five days on the fields in front of the city gates. The main event of the original Oktoberfest was a horse race! Anniversary celebrations were held annually thereafter, which each becoming larger and more elaborate, including the introduction of carnival rides. (3)

Underneath one of the big tents at Oktoberfest 2012.
(Image Source: http://goo.gl/malIv)

Oktoberfest beer is a variety of the Märzen style, which I discussed in a previous post about smoked beer. Like all German beer, the Oktoberfest beer is brewed according to strict German standards called the Reinheitsgebot (4), which has been in effect since 1516. Also known as the German Purity Law, Reinheitsgebot precisely defines the four ingredients allowed to be used to brew beer: barley, hops, malt, and yeast (3). While I'm a big fan of innovative craft beer, I can certainly respect the brewing traditions that Germany has upheld all this time.

I've tried a few different Oktoberfest-style beers this year, including:

1. Tröegs' Scratch #73 "Fest Lager", which they've unofficially dubbed OkTröegerFest. At 5.5% ABV and 35 IBUs, this yeasty lager was growler-worthy. I very much enjoyed this one-off and would be appreciative of another appearance next year (hint to the Trogners if you're reading this!). You can read more reviews on BA and RB. Justin's Brew Review gives it an "A-".
2. Yuengling's Oktoberfest was also rockin'. However, it was a limited release because Yuengling does not have the capacity (5) to produce seasonal brews. I had difficulty finding any to try, but I did receive a sixer thanks to my father-in-law who was able to purchase an entire case! I'm milking it (beering it?) because I don't want to run out too quickly. BA likes it better than RB, but Justin's Brew Review gives Yuengling's offering a solid "A".
3. Samuel Adams calls their version Octoberfest (yes, they Americanized the beer's moniker). It is both excellent and available. Boston Beer (brewer of the Sam Adams brand) rarely disappoints in my opinion, and this is no exception. If you like the Oktoberfest style beer, you should go get yourself some of this. It rates well on BA, and RB ranks it very highly for the style. Justin's Brew Review gives it an "A+".

The mayor of Munich ceremonially taps the first keg at Oktoberfest 2012.
(Image Source: http://goo.gl/7eucr)

Many places throughout the world hold their own (smaller!) version of Oktoberfest. Locally in York, PA, we have the 2nd Annual Yorktoberfest coming up on October 27-28. My wife and I will be attending, so let me know if you'll be there too -- we can toast a brew. Also, look for a post after the event. You can read about my experience at last year's Yorktoberfest here (a "live" post) and here (a more detailed, follow-up post).

How are you celebrating Oktoberfest? Are you planning on attending any festivals? Wearing lederhosen? (6) Or drinking Oktoberfest-style beer? Let me know in the comments or send me a message on your favorite social media site: you can get me on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+.

Prost!


Footnotes
(1) Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oktoberfest
(2) Note that the math does not add up: 2012-1810 = 202, but this is only the 179th festival. That's because the fair has had to be canceled 24 times due to cholera epidemics and war (3).
(3) Source: http://www.vistawide.com/german/oktoberfest/oktoberfest.htm
(4) I love long German words! This one is pronounced RYN-hytz-geh-boht. You can listen to the pronunciation here.
(5) Sources: a tour of Yuengling's Pottsville, PA brewery that my wife took me on over a year and half ago that I have yet to blog about (yes, I'm behind) and http://www.brewbound.com/news/yuengling-introduces-second-seasonal-oktoberfest
(6) You can get a nice, basic pair of lederhosen (leather pants) for a mere 165 euros ($215) here.
If you really want to go all out, you can get some premium pants for $325 on the same site. They also sell dresses and other authentic German garb on that site.
(7) The Guinness world record was set in November 2008 by Bavarian Anita Schwarz when she carried 19 full beer steins (5 in each hand and 9 on top) that weighed a total of about 90 pounds over a distance of 40 meters and placed them on a table without spilling a drop. (Source: http://www.harrimantravelbooks.com/Oktoberfest_Facts_Tips.html and Image Source: http://goo.gl/DmTPw)

Blogging 'Bout Bad Beer

I've had a question on my mind for a while: should I blog about bad beers?

 This meme is not meant to imply that Dos Equis is a bad beer.

I blog about good beers and rave about them. So why not rant about bad beers? Equal opportunity beer blogging, right? I guess my main hesitation in blogging about bad beers is that I know I'm no expert. Who am I to say that a beer is bad? Maybe I just don't care for the style. I certainly don't claim to be a beer savant, so what does my opinion really matter anyway? Your opinion is surely different than mine on occasion, so you're never going to fully rely on what I have to say. My opinion may have some sway with you (you are reading my blog, after all), but in the end, it's your opinion that matters as to whether or not a beer is good.

At the same time, as a beer blogger, I believe that I have an obligation to report my unbiased opinions to readers. After all, it's good to know what bad beer tastes like so that you have a point of reference for good beer. You really can't define something without its opposite. I like how Boak & Bailey puts it:

Taking the time to drink bad beer is a useful way to calibrate the tastebuds, correct your perspective, and stimulate the tastebuds. Sometimes, it's just about remindering yourself that bad beer is still beer and won't kill you.

So what do you think? Do you want to read occasional reviews about bad beer? Or would you rather just read about the good ones? Let me know what you think in the comments, or on Facebook, Google+, and/or Twitter.

#IPADay and Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA

Today is IPA Day, which means you should stop reading for a minute and go crack open a bottle of hoppy, craft-brewed India Pale Ale. Why are you still sitting there? Go on - git! I'll wait...

Alright, now that you've got a brew in-hand, let's figure out what this #IPADay thing is. (Hint: it has nothing to do with Apple's tablet. Someone just decided to capitalize the "D" too.) From ipaday.org:

Founded in 2011 by beer evangelists and social media personalities Ashley Routson and Ryan Ross, IPA Day is a universal movement created to unite the voices of craft beer enthusiasts, bloggers, and brewers worldwide, using social media as the common arena for connecting the conversation together.

IPA Day is not the brainchild of a corporate marketing machine, nor is it meant to serve any particular beer brand. IPA Day is opportunity for all breweries, bloggers, businesses and consumers to connect and share their love of craft beer. It is an opportunity for the entire craft beer culture to combine forces and advocate craft beer through increased education and global awareness.

Getting involved is easy; the only requirements are an appreciation for great beer and the will to spread the word. Anyone can participate by enjoying IPA with friends, making some noise online with the #IPADay hashtag, and showing the world that craft beer is more than a trend.

Sounds like something I can get behind! So to celebrate, I raise a glass of Dogfish Head's illustrious 120 Minute IPA. Prost!

WOW!

I picked up this bottle during a recent trip to Lewes, Delaware, which is only a few minutes away from the DFH brewery in Milton. As you can imagine, being so close necessitated a visit. (If you missed my blog post about the brewery tour, you can read it here.) Unfortunately, when I got there, the brewery did not have any 120 Minute. I had wanted to try the oft-discussed, highly-sought beer for such a long time, but I had never been able to get my hands on any. I thought for sure I would be able to get it straight from the source. Alas and alack, such was not the case. It appeared I was going to be leaving a sad and empty-handed fellow, but thankfully, I found a few single bottles in a beer-liquor-wine shop in Lewes! At $8.99 for a 12-ouncer, it was a steal. It is not uncommon for the highly-demanded beer to command a price of $13+. I bought two: one to enjoy in the near future and one to age for a few years. The near future has come and gone, so here are my tasting notes:

Appearance: A deep, hazy orange with a thin cream-colored head. Look at those hop particles floating around in my glass. Makes my mouth water just watching.

Smell: You can tell there's a high alcohol content to this one, but it's not knock-you-off-your-feet overwhelming. Noticeably sweet smell mixed in there, too. Actually, it reminds me of DFH's Burton Baton (which I haven't formally reviewed yet - stay tuned).

Taste: WOW! I have never had anything like this! It's beyond great. Extremely smooth. You know that it has a high alcohol content (18% ABV!) from the first sip, but it's amazing how well the beer hides it with the sweetness. Fizzy yet smooth...soooo smooth! Is that scotch? Wishing I had bought a third and fourth bottle. Now my mouth is tingling from the hops, yet it is offset by the slight numbing effect setting in from the alcohol. It's amazing to me that this isn't more hoppy-tasting; 120 IBUs is nothing to sneeze at! I mean, it's boiled for a full two hours while being continuously hopped, dry-hopped daily in the fermenter for a month, and aged for another month on whole-leaf hops. It's a hophead's dream-come-true! But the 18% ABV isn't extremely evident either. It's as though DFH found the perfect mix of hops and alcohol: both very high and balanced. I'm impressed.

Mouthfeel: It doesn't get any smoother than this. Full-bodied fizziness to be enjoyed.

Overall: Impressive. This beer lives up to the hype. The only downside in my view is the availability factor. Rock on, Dogfish Head. You know what's up.

1770 BeerAdvocate users rate it an overall 87/100.

1980 RateBeer users rate it an overall 99/100 and a 97/100 for the style.

Clearly, people like this brew.

Justin's Brew Review gives it an A+.

Clearly, Justin likes this brew.

Do you? Let me know in the comments, or hit me up on Facebook, Google+, and/or Twitter. Also, let me know how you're celebrating #IPADay. Cheers to beers!

Christmas (Beer) in July

Feliz Navidad en julio!

Today is July 25, exactly five months until Christmas. So I decided it was appropriate to celebrate (with a) Christmas (beer) in July. Okay, so it's not exactly a Christmas beer, but the label has a Poinsettia on it. That's good enough for me. I figured we all need something to help keep us cool during these hot summer days, and this beer does the trick!

This beer is brought to us from Mexico by Cervecería Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma (part of the Heineken company). The only other Mexican beer that I've ever had (thanks to my father-in-law, by the way!) was Tecate, which incidentally is also brewed by CCM. In fact, I believe that the large majority of the beer I've consumed to-date has been domestically brewed. Makes me wonder what I've been missing. If you've got any suggestions for great foreign-brewed beers, please let me know.

Noche Buena is a Bock weighing in at an average 5.90% ABV. Apparently I'm on a Bock-blogging kick, since my last post was also about a Bock. Noche Buena is of the darker variety of Bocks. Admittedly, I am a big fan of darker beers. Their colors color my opinion before I even taste them. They just look like they're going to have more body, more depth than a lighter-colored beer. Of course, some of the lighter-colored wheat beers such as Hefeweizens are fairly alluring simply because of their hazy, unfiltered, golden-clouds-in-a-glass, come-and-drink-me look that foreshadows the tantalizingly tart flavor profile awaiting your tongue. There's still just something about the alluringly dark beer that beckons my taste buds.

But I digress.

"Get on with it!"

Appearance: An opaque burnt sienna with a frothy, off-white head.
Smell: A good "dark beer" smell. Hard to say exactly what that means, other than it seems to fit the style.
Taste: At first, there's nothing particularly interesting about the taste. But as I thought about how to describe my tasting experience, I realized that there was a slight bitterness present on the back end. Not so much that after having one beer you'd notice it all that much (unless you're trying to write about it!), but I believe that it'd start to catch up with you after having several. So the finish was not entirely clean (would you call this "somewhat messy"?), but it was satisfying.
Mouthfeel: Smooth with a bit 'o bubbly, though not too much.
Overall: This beer was a refreshing reminder of cooler weather. Pretty good.

71 BeerAdvocate users rate it a 78/100.
115 RateBeer users rate it 26/100 overall and 66/100 for the style.
Justin's Brew Review gives it a solid B.

Beer Born on the Bayou

You may recall that right after Christmas, I wrote a post called "A Taste of Brew Reviews to Come" and included a picture of the 18 different beers I had received for Christmas. Well, I'm not slacking in the writing department...I'm slacking in the drinking department. I've only had one of these so far! As they say, so many beers; so little time!

At any rate, I have been trying many new beers, one of which is the subject of today's post: Covington Brewhouse's Bayou Bock.

I thought Bock was German for "dark"?!

This beer comes to us from Covington, Louisiana. I was quite confused when I poured it into my glass because the beer was so light-colored. I have only ever seen dark Bock beer, so I did a double-take. I figured I had either cracked a different bottle than I thought or Covington put the wrong label on this brew! Turns out I was wrong on both counts. The German word Bock does not mean "dark"; dunkel is the German word filling that role. (Duh, Mr. German minor.) Bock is actually the German word for "goat".

Boy, do I feel sheepish!

Turns out that this particular beer style is a Maibock or helles Bock. (In German, you capitalize nouns. The German word helles simply means "light".) According to Beer Advocate, "The Maibock style of beer tends to be lighter in color than other Bock beers and often has a significant hop character with a noticeable alcohol around the same as a traditional Bock. Maibocks are customarily served in the spring and are oftentimes interrelated with spring festivals and celebrations more often in the month of May." That pretty much sums it up. So without further ado, here are my tasting notes:


Appearance: Golden yellow. No head but it evidenced thin white lacing on the sides of my glass.

Smell: Almost like what I call a "typical beer" (run-of-the-mill type stuff, you know), but I caught a hint of passion fruit. It reminded me of a Juicy Juice® [1] flavor.
Taste: Nothing remarkable. And by that, I mean there isn't really any special flavoring. However, it has an easy-to-drink quality. The hint of passion fruit was not as evident in the flavor, but it's definitely in the background. The aftertaste isn't noticeable in a bad way, and it certainly is not a bitter beer. I'd drink more than one at a time.
Mouthfeel: I wouldn't say that you really notice the carbonation, but the mouthfeel is good. It is not too light and not too heavy. It's Goldilocks just right.

Overall: I would rate this beer as a B+. I thought it was pretty good.

Sixteen BeerAdvocate users gave it a 74 / 100.

Twenty RateBeer users were not so kind. They ranked it a very low 18 / 100 with a mere 6 / 100 for the style.

Have you tried this beer or any others by Covington Brewhouse? Let me know in the comments below or through one of the following avenues:

1. Twitter @BrewReviewMann
2. Google+ page
3. Facebook page
4. Email JustinsBrewReview@gmail.com

Prost!

Footnote:
[1] References and/or links to Juicy Juice® are provided strictly as a convenience to our users and are in no way intended to express or imply an endorsement of these companies or their products by Justin’s Brew Review. Plus, it isn’t even a beer.