Rye is a huskless grain and in the brewing process is similar to wheat. This can be good and bad, as rye has a tendency to muck up the lauter and be a bit of a hassle to work with. That being said, it’s becoming one of the most popular adjuncts used in brewing with craft brewers.

Personally, I’ve always liked rye beers. They seem to be more full flavored and satisfying. One of my friend even tells me he gets less of a hangover from rye beers. While this can’t be proven, I think it’s best we assume it as fact until proven otherwise. On second thought, a splitting rye hangover the next day may not be the best way to disprove a theory. Let’s move on.

To better understand rye I set out to try a handful of rye beers and see what the journey taught me. I thought the best place to start would be Bear Republic Brewing Company, the only known brewer of a 100% rye beer.

Bear Republic Rye Pale Ale and Roggenbier

While EZ Ryder wasn’t available to try that day, I was able to find two other rye offerings, the Rye Pale Ale and Roggenbier. In the pale ale I got a spiciness that added a sharpness to the hops. This wasn’t a soft or rounded out beer by any means, but one whose rough edges were brought out. With the Roggenbier I got a rich malt flavor and nothing like I experienced with the rye pale ale. So far the rye experiment was producing differing results.

Part two of the rye tasting involved sitting down with a friend and going through another selection of rye based beer. On this afternoon we had three Bay Area representatives of the rye brewing scene: Ale Industries Rye’d Piper, Bear Republic’s Hop Rod Rye and He’Brew’s Lenny’s Bittersweet R.I.P.A.

Ale Industries Rye'd Piper, Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye, He'Brew Lenny's RIPA

Each of these beers had their own style to them, making a comparison of the use of rye even more difficult. The Rye’d Piper was rich and robust with flavors of milk chocolate and rye jumping to the front. Surprisingly this beer uses only 4.9% rye malt. Brewer Morgan Cox notes the use of carafa malt as working together with the rye to bring out such rich flavors, unlike anything I’ve tasted in a beer.

Hop Rod Rye is possibly one of the more famous of the rye based beers. The flavors here are similar to Bear’s pale ale: sharp. The hops are accentuated by the spiciness of the rye leaving an almost metallic character that plays off of the caramel and toffee malt flavors. Hop Rod Rye uses 18% rye malt in the recipe, astonishing when compared to the less than 5% in the Ale Industries brew.

With He’Brew’s Lenny’s R.I.P.A. the hops are less pronounced with the malts and rye stepping to the front. Slightly sweet, the rye fades back in with the rest of the malt in a very “Shmaltzy” way, adding chocolate and caramel flavors that seem to act as a heavy base on which the rest of the beer sit.

In the end, rye proves to be surprisingly versatile. From light to dark, sharp to soft, rye can add a distinct flavor to a beer that can’t be achieved any other way. Some may expect the flavors they have become familiar with in rye breads, but in brewing, there is an ability to bring out other sides of this grain. With 5 beers down, I was only able to scratch the surface of rye in brewing, but hopefully this provides some sort of introduction to an adjunct that is becoming increasing popular.

Bill Brand at 21A's Monk Blood Dinner w/ Sean Paxton (photo by Jesse Friedman/Beer and Nosh)

I’m not the only person to have written about the influence of Bill Brand on the beer scene in the Bay Area. Even if I did try to recap what Bill meant to “the scene,” you still wouldn’t get the full impact. So I’m going to get personal and share what Bill meant to me.

For the longest time, I just read my Northwest Brewing News and was happy with that. I looked forward to some pieces more than others but didn’t pay much attention to who wrote what. Not until one day when I was trying to remember a place mentioned in an issue months prior. It was about a beer oasis on Highway 4 that was regularly overrun with bikers. I wanted to know more so I emailed the writer. He responded and we struck up a conversation. He didn’t shoo me away (as he probably should have) but instead welcomed the conversation.

Soon, I noticed the man I was emailing wrote not just one article I liked, but many. Not just in the Brewing News either, he wrote everywhere. And he kept emailing me. When I started blogging, he was one of the few people who regularly commented on my site.

As time wore on, we would discuss beer but also found common ground and fans of union labor and quick news briefs typically found on page 2 of newspapers (an ancient form of distributing news in a daily printed format).

Bill working hard, identifiable only by the notepad. Taken the day we met.

After more than a year, maybe more, I had still never met William (he wasn’t Bill to me quite yet). So we decided to grab a beer at The Trappist in Oakland and just hang out. I got there early and sat quietly at my table with a Hop 15. I noticed this small man scurrying about, notepad in hand, chasing the owners of the bar around. Could that be him?

It indeed was William Brand. We sat, drank some beer, talked as we always had, then headed out to door, him for the BART, me for my car.

Outside, a woman stopped us and asked if he was my father. If you’ve never met the two of us, you may not realize how humorous this was. Bill was a small man, and I’m well over 6′ tall. We looked at each, politely said no and laughed about it as we walked.

While Bill wasn’t my dad, he was a great influence on my life as a writer. He would tell me to chase down writing jobs, even ones that didn’t exist, and sell myself as a writer to anyone that might listen. Coincidentally, my first paid writing position was Bill’s former position as the Bay Area reporter for the Brewing News.

The week after he passed, I was invited to my first brewer’s interview. I instinctively reached for my cell phone afterward and started sending a text message. Sadly, I realized I didn’t know who to send the message to.

A fee days later a memorial for Bill was held at the Trappist. Many people spoke and I realized how much Bill had affected people. I wasn’t the only person he inspired.

During SF Beer Week 2009 we started toasting Bill at 7 pm every night. I hope tonight you raise a beer to Bill. We drank Anchor Porter that afternoon at The Trappist, but Bill loved so many beers that anything craft would make him smile.

I’ll leave you with a video from the memorial (sorry, no embedding). Shaun O’Sullivan delivered a poem that I can still feel today. The words are a little tough to hear and the video isn’t quite great, but I guess its one of those “you had to be there” type of moments. Read along, listen and raise a pint to Bill. We miss you buddy.

I woke up a couple of Mondays ago in Berkeley when i got the message about Bill I thought of two things

I thought how could this happen, how can you have an amazing dinner from Sean Paxton at the 21A homebrewchef dinner, walk outside and then get hit by a train…how can that happen? After a great meal, looking over there and seeing Bill scribbling away on his note pad, like a machine, never stopping. trying the beers and the food, that amazing dinner one of the best. the real deal. epic night.

And I thought of one more thing, it’s a little heavy but that’s what it’s about. Nobody else reaches across the distance and puts their hand on your shoulder about this shit…nobody. In the past when Bill and I were hanging out at Barclays trying beers with his fingers typing away on that Mac writing a story, that slight smile, listening and typing…taking in everything you were saying. Maybe missing a fact or typo here of there, but we are all human.

The last time we were on the Brewing Network together, where Bill told us stories about living in Mexico, riding horses and then moving to the Bay area, starting a family, becoming a writer, becoming one of the first beer writers when good beer was young and so were we…his wide eyed way of tasting beer and writing about beer, it was as big as time as it gets…and ol’Bill knew it, he knew it. we knew it.

And the other thought, the second thought, the warrior thought, the hard thought, the final thought, which is that we ain’t many, in any given situation there is always going to be more dumb people than smart people and we ain’t many. There is always going to be more bad beer drinkers than good beer drinkers….More macro swill, adjunct brewing marketing company breweries than good craft beer breweries…we ain’t many. No, we ain’t many. And ol’Bill knew it, HE knew it…

And the final thought, the last thought is a poem by e.e. cummings an old poem and it goes.

Buffalo Bill is defunct

Jesus he was a handsome man

he used to ride a white horse and shoot

clay pigeons onetwothreefourfive justlikethat

and what i want to know is

how do you like your blueeyed boy now

Mister Death

(Note: The poem was in part influenced by Ken Kesey’s tribute to Jerry Garcia at the Oakland Collisiuem Dead Show just after Jerry’s death. – Shaun O’Sullivan)

Pliny the Younger: February 2, 2009

First, let’s turn back the clock. The date was February 2, 2009 and I found myself headed to the Russian River brewpub. It was after noon, I couldn’t tell you what time exactly because I was in no rush. I arrived at the pub to find a slight uptick in business, but nothing extreme. I sat down at the tables near the bar and had a couple beers over a bite to eat. Afterward, a friend strolled in, casually filled his growler (just one), then left. It was nice, it was a great way to enjoy Pliny the Younger and we referred to that day as “Monday.”

That was 2009, this is 2010. In 2010, “Monday” became a Friday and was referred to as “Younger Day.” This was the unofficial kickoff to SF Beer Week and people were flying in from around the world for a taste of that sweet nectar. Plans were made, time was taken off from work, tables would be secured and watches were to be synchronized. The assault on the Russian River was to begin.

The first people in line (later in the day)

At 8:30 the first patrons arrived to begin the line. They had traveled all the way from Santa Barbara (more than 6 hours away) to be at “Younger Day.” They were joined by the next folks at 9 am and a series of others after that. The line continued to grow.

Inside, the staff was working frantically to get ready for a crowd. 150 growlers were pre-filled before the doors were to open. Two taps were set up on the bar to serve Younger, more growlers than ever had been purchased for the day and the full staff was on hand. Time to open the doors.

The line for Pliny the Younger at 2pm

The line was steady and unrelenting. The doors opened at 11 am and even by 2pm the line was out the door and seemingly getting longer. The bar area was standing room only as people crowded to get a beer. With such a crowd and such demand for growlers, a third tap was added at the bar and a growler filling station set up in the brewery.

Still, there wasn’t enough. By 10 pm, all the Younger was gone and people were still waiting. This is the time where it began to get ugly.

Reports have come back about angry craft beer fans taking their frustration out on staff at the pub and at bars around the Bay Area where Pliny the Younger had run out. Some who had bought growlers were selling them on craigslist and eBay for as much as $102 (they sold for $35 in the pub). In short, the happy-go-lucky craft beer fan turned into an angry BMC drinker at the end of a beer festival and a greedy profiteer taking advantage of that anger.

Let’s address these issues one at a time. If you had waited in line and failed to receive any Younger, your frustration is understandable. If you did get a beer but couldn’t buy a growler, too bad, you still got the beer, don’t be greedy. If you came Saturday, or arrived at a bar where the beer had run out, you have no one to blame but yourself. Apparently others had made the effort to be there before you. Besides, if you’re at a place where Younger would have been poured, I am certain there were other equally tasty options on tap. Have a beer and relax.

As far as those who chose to sell their growlers online, shame on you. This isn’t the first time breweries have had a problem with internet distribution. A few years back, North Coast Brewing would mail order through California their special release beers. Then someone started selling them on eBay. As a result, craft beer fans would have to make the trip to Fort Bragg to purchase Rasputin XI, not a simple task. Thankfully, North Coast now has better distribution, but the fact is that people selling beer illegally online cost the rest of us an opportunity to drink good beer. Do not support these people.

Changes are planned for the coming Younger Days. I talked to Vinnie the other day and he’s looking into solutions. There may be steps taken that mirror those for Dark Lord Day or Kate the Great, but the fact is that next year, Russian River will be doing more to make the event better for all involved and ensure more people get the beer that they want. If you haven’t read it, head over to Russian River’s website and read what Vinnie and Natalie have to say about Younger Day and their response.

With all of that said, Pliny the Younger was fantastic. It’s a phenomenal beer and had briefly taken over the #1 spot in the world on Beer Advocate (still #12 here on RateBeer). The atmosphere inside the pub on Younger Day was wonderful with beer lovers visibly joyful to be drinking the massive Triple IPA. Even though I had a 2 hour wait for my one growler (destined for the friend mentioned earlier in the article) I had a great time and look forward to attending next year.

The evening started with mason jars full of Lagunitas’ flagship brew, Lagunitas IPA. It’s funny, with access to so many of Lagunitas’ beers locally, I rarely have the IPA and honestly can’t remember the last time I had one. It was nice to get re-acquainted with the beer as it was fresh, hoppy and refreshing.

To start off the dinner, the glasses of IPA were topped off to go along with Asian-style duck confit on wonton chips. The maltiness of the beer matched the richness of the duck with the hops cutting through it all to balance the pairing.

The next course was a beer cheddar soup made with Lagunitas Imperial Stout. This was a twin pairing with the Imperial Stout and the double IPA Hop Stoopid. I felt the Imperial Stout proved to be an excellent pairing with the sharp flavors of the cheddar playing against the roasted malts of the stout. The Hop Stoopid missed the mark in my opinion but I talked to others who preferred the pairing. Either way it proved a good opportunity to try out Black and Tans in between courses.

Course three was a mixed greens salad with a Czech Pils Balsamic Vinaigrette. The idea behind this course was to acts as a refresher for the palate. The flavors were subtle but sharp with the hops, vinegar, onions and blue cheese all providing sparks that lit up the tongue and brought some excitement to the dish.

My favorite course was the fourth course, short ribs braised in hairy eyeball served over creamy polenta and paired with fresh Hairy Eyeball. The theme of this dish is “rich” and it was brought in waves. The short rib fell apart on the fork and soaked up the gravy. With the polenta on the same bite it brought back memories of meat and potatoes on cold nights. The Eyeball blended in perfectly with the other aspects of the dish in a completely complimentary way.

To finish the evening the party shifted upstairs to the private loft where vertical offerings of Gnarlywine, Eyeball and Imperial Stout made their way around along with a trio of Cappuccino Stout cupcakes. Mark and I went ahead and had a taste of the Gnarlywine flights. Vintages from 2006 and 2008 were offered up for us to try. I’ve always felt that Gnarlywine hits its stride at 2 years and this only strengthened that opinion. At two years the oxidative notes add body and complexity to the beer while they begin to fall away in the 4-year old.

All around, the dinner was a great experience. The beer flowed freely and the individual courses were well thought out and a great example of how beer and food can compliment one another. For pictures of the food and other happenings that night check out the slideshow.

The menu for this event was inspired by the Super Bowl. Chef Billy Reid used foods you might find at your own Super Bowl party and used that at a starting point when making this menu. Not only that, there were more than a few Saints related items as Chef Billy, not much of a football fan himself, showed his support for his grandfather’s favorite team.

Before the food arrived, the guest of honor, Fritz Maytag, spoke to the crowd and shared a wonderful collection of stories about the brewing industry. It truly is amazing how big of an impact one brewery has had on craft brewing today. Consider this; Steam, Porter, Liberty Ale, Our Special Ale and Foghorn essentially rescued styles and techniques of brewing that may have otherwise disappeared. Dry-hopping and seasonal releases were unheard of, but Anchor persisted and “made beer people didn’t like.”

Some quick notes and quotes taken from Fritz’s talk in no specific order:

• Influences included Mackeon’s, Dos Equis and Guinness.
• If Anchor could be like Guinness and sell a little beer to a lot of people they’d be doing ok.
• At the time of the release, Anchor Liberty Ale was the only dry-hopped bottled beer in the US or UK.
• Today’s Libert Ale is actually the Our Special Ale from 1983. It was exactly what they wanted so they kept it around.
• “Beer people are nice people.”

When the food started coming out, the afternoon really started “humming.” Course 1 was inspired by the obligatory party sub-sandwich. The basil dressing was the highlight of this course for me, bringing out the hops of the Liberty Ale and tying all of the flavors on the plate together. Billy also added a little golden saffron Saints mayo to the sandwich to through his support behind New Orleans.

With course number two, Chef Billy blew me away. I’ve steamed my Dungeness in Anchor Steam in the past, so I knew this pairing worked well, but the balance present in the dish along side the beer was fantastic. The Anchor Steam’s hops cut through the richness of the crab and cheese while bringing out the subtle flavors of the artichoke against such a bold background. Brilliant pairing. The Super Bowl party inspiration behind this course were nachos.

Course three kept the momentum going with the game hen being done two ways. Representing the tradition of the barleywine going to the royalty and the small beer to the peasants, Chef billy cooked the breast in a foghorn BBQ sauce while the dark meat was used in the sausage along with Anchor Small Beer. This dish was meant to represent the chicken wings present on a Super Bowl buffet table. The Foghorn and game hen were perfect with roasted beets and sweet potatoes.

To finish Chef Billy made his own take on Cracker Jack paired with Anchor porter and served with a truffle and cranberries. The surprise of this meal came with liberal use of truffle oil, both in the chocolate and on the cranberries. The muskiness provided a contrast to the sweetness and was tied together with roasted malts that brought out the sweetness of the caramel while also making the beer taste lighter and more refreshing.

Before the final course I stood up to give a toast to our late friend Bill Brand. Bill’s favorite beer was Anchor Porter and we drank it at his memorial. I’ve mentioned Bill already this week and will continue to do so as many in the area dearly miss our friend. Cheers, Bill.

In the end, the afternoon was fantastic. The weather was beautiful and at times proved to even be a little warm for some of us. There wasn’t a low point in which a pairings didn’t quite work and the chance to talk to Fritz was amazing as expected. Thanks to Brian Yaeger and his fiancée Kim for joining us at our table. Check out the slideshow to see magicians, food, beer and friends.

The gala was held in a large room with breweries and food vendors lining the wall and Brewers Guild members pouring from an island set up in the middle of the room. One of my first stops was the Imperial Common, a collaborative brew by the Brewers Guild for SF Beer Week. Malty but smooth, it provided a great starting point for the rest of the evening.

Highlights among the beers poured included numerous selections from the Strong Beer Month releases. North Coast was seen reaching under the table for Rasputin XI and XII and paired Humboldt Fog with La Merle. Valley Brewing was a popular spot with a selection of sours, barrel-aged beers and brewer Steve Altimari working the crowd.

A somber theme that ran through the crowd was the memory of Bill Brand. Jay Brooks led a toast to Bill from the stage and tribute beers were poured by Valley and Devil’s Canyon.

In all, the event was a great start to the week. the event was packed with beer lovers, writers, personalities and brewers. The selection of beer was excellent, ranging from the sessionable to the sippers (despite one British Hop Press writers dispute of the former). If this is a sign of what SF Beer Week has in store for us, its going to be quite a week.

Check out the evening in photos here:

SF Beer Week 2010 Opening Gala Slideshow

]]> http://mariorubio.hoppress.com/2010/02/06/sf-beer-week-2010-opening-gala-2/feed/ 0 http://mariorubio.hoppress.com/2010/01/28/callistoga-inn-restaurant-and-brewery/ http://mariorubio.hoppress.com/2010/01/28/callistoga-inn-restaurant-and-brewery/#comments Thu, 28 Jan 2010 16:21:24 +0000 Mario Rubio http://mariorubio.hoppress.com/?p=48 Wine country is known for being the home to many great breweries. Sonoma County is known for Russian River, Bear Republic and Lagunitas among others while Napa County is home to one of the father’s of California craft brewing, Don Barkley. Hidden along the Napa River in the town of Calistoga is an another example of fine craft brewing taking place among the vineyards at Calistoga Inn.

Brewmaster Brad Smisloff started his brewing career on the East Coast with Cambridge Brewing Company. This experience brings a fresh approach to the typically hop-driven styles of Northern California. This approach to brewing beer is particularly on display in the current seasonal offerings available at the brewery.

Start with the Pumpkin Wit, a unique take on a seasonality. The pumpkin, traditionally used in the fall, and the wit, a great summer drinker, blend perfectly in this beer thanks to a wonderful balance. The spice of the wit compliments the pumpkin and allows the subtle sweetness of the orange vegetable to shine through in the aroma and finish. Fantastically refreshing and like nothing you’ve ever tasted, Calistoga’s Pumpkin Wit is a must-try for those looking for creative and innovative beers.

Left to Right: Pumpkin Witbier, Belgian Pale Ale, Blitzen IPA, Barleywine

Equally creative is the Belgian Pale Ale. Initially, the beer may seem rather pedestrian, nothing significant in the nose and the malt washes over the tongue without much fanfare. As you move to dismiss the beer, an earthiness rises from the back of your mouth, bringing to mind herbs and that familiar dusty yeast character for which Belgium is known. It is through the use of rosemary that the beer seems to build on itself with each sip. Funky, refreshing and increasingly intriguing, the Belgian Pale Ale grows on you, then compels you to not just drink, but gulp down the remainder of your pint.

The final two beers are best experienced together. These would be the Blitzen IPA and Barleywine. The reasoning behind this I will explain a little later.

Blitzen IPA is a nice change-of-pace for those of us living in the midst of hop-topia. Bringing a sense of balance from the East, this beer is rich and cake-like, powered by a full body and malt sweetness with the hops providing a stiff floral finish. Not what one might consider ground breaking in the grand scheme of things, but unique given the geography and local tastes.

The barleywine may be a misnomer. Malty and with a generous amount of hops, the color and flavor profile skews slightly lighter than one would expect from a barleywine. As a barleywine I think it misses the mark, but as a Double IPA, I see this as a wonderful beer.

In all, Calistoga Inn Restaurant and Brewery is a place many may not have heard of. Their license allows only for in-house sales. This means no keg distribution and no festivals. The only place to try their beer is at the pub, so make sure to head down Highway 29 and grab a pint or two. You may even want to take a bottle home with you.

Bacon and beer have been companions for many years. The journey started as any food and beer friendship would, side by side. Soon it was discovered that similar flavors to bacon could be found in beer and the race was on.

Garrett Oliver of Brooklyn Brewing has claimed to have brewed the first bacon beer. Actually a rauchbier, Brooklyn’s bacon beer was only available at a ultra-limited Per Se dinner back in September. The beer was brewer with malt smoked in the same room as bacon and took on an incredible amount of flavor from it’s roommate. Oddly, there has yet to be a RateBeer review of the beer, so I couldn’t tell you what the response to this beer was as even google doesn’t seem to have an answer.

All of this is just a warm up for the real show stopper, an honest bacon beer. Uncommon Brewers of Santa Cruz has been using interesting ingredients in their beers since they opened their doors, but the use of actual cured pork belly is a first.

The method used to mix beer and bacon has yet to be shared with the public. “The exact method on that will have to remain a trade secret for a little while,” says headbrewer Alec Stefansky. What we do know is that the base beer will be a brown ale and a release date has been announced.

Saturday, January 30th, The Brewing Network will be hosting their Winter Brews Festival at Linden Street Brewery in Oakland. In addition to the release of the bacon beer, there will be food from The Homebrew Chef as well as beer from more than 30 other breweries.

Are you excited for a bacon beer? Have you experimented with the style as a homebrewer? Have we gone too far? Please, share your thoughts on this. Personally, I’ve been waiting months for this beer and can’t wait to try it.

Within Sonoma County, there is only one nanobrewing candidate, Healdsburg Beer Company. Owner and brewer Kevin McGee started his fermentation career as a home winemaker, admittedly not very good wine. In an act of self defense, to prevent herself from having to try any more of his wine, wife Katee suggested he give beer a try. That was over 4 years ago and Healdsburg Beer Company opened back in July of 2008. Today, Healdsburg Beer is brewing approximately 800 gallons of beer a year with three selections available locally.

The best place to start would be the Golden Ale, admittedly Kevin’s go-to when drinking at home.  Brewed with a pilsner malt and intentionally forward yeast flavors, this amped up blonde ale has noticable wine-like qualities and a solid fresh grass hop flavor that is definitely not just a beer brewed to bring in your BMC drinkers. Kevin has plans of “aging” hops for future batches to give this beer more traditional Belgian flavors and remove some of the bright qualities in the finish.

Next in line is his award winning English IPA. This beer took home the bronze in the 2009 U.S. Beer Open Championships. This beer stands out in the northern California scene because of a distinct lack of hops by local standards. Malty and rich to start, the hop flavor builds with each sip until a comfortable hop sting remains on the tongue after the first pint goes down. Kevin uses only Fuggles and East Kent Goldings hops in this brew and a continual addition of hops that begins with first wort hopping to create the “layers” in the hop profile that he strives for.

The final beer in Healdsburg’s current offering is the newly released Winter Ale. This beer is brewed following the Reinheitsgebot and falls somewhere between a stout and a brown ale. Rich and malty with coffee and berry notes coming out in the end, the Winter Ale is surprisingly refreshing for beer of this style. This is a common theme among the Healdsburg Beers as their beers tend to be highly attentuated and clean on the palate.

With only 3 beers currently available and the Golden and IPA the only year-round offerings, it is nice to try the full spectrum of a brewer’s offering by the pint and in one sitting. For Sonoma County residents, head to Affronti in Healdsburg to find these beers on draft and expect more Healdsburg beer to make it to taps around the Russian River Valley in the future.

Random Healdsburg Beer Company Fact: Owner and brewer Kevin McGee also works with thoroughbreds during the day. You may have heard of some of the horses: Curlin and Rachel Alexandra.

We started the day with Brewer’s Art’s Green Peppercorn Tripel. This beer came to me from Baltimore, MD by way of some generous friends. While this has nothing to do with the peppercorn, I wanted to note how beautiful this beer looked in the glass. A fluffy, rocky, beaten egg-white head sitting on top of a clear golden body, absolutely striking. I was instantly reminded of Duvel promotional images.

The peppercorn in this tripel sneaks up on you. It hides in the back end of every aspect of the beer. The aroma, flavor and finish are very much that of a tripel, but with a dry, slight burn of pepper tickling the nose and sticking to the tonsils.

Second on the menu was Route des Épices from Dieu du Ciel. This is a rye based beer with both green and black peppercorns. At first the aroma is rather sweet and decadent with a significant pepper presence. The first sip washes across your mouth without a hint of pepper except in the aftertaste. Then the sensation of pepper spreads across the back of your mouth, slowly wrapping around the tongue and finding the hidden corners of your mouth. From this point forward the pepper stands out against the beer.

We finished this experiement with a bottle of Lagunitas’ Cruisin’ with Ruben and the Jets. This chocolate stout was finished with white peppercorns and has been aging for 14 months. The peppercorn is overpowered by everything else going on in this beer. The burn of the pepper and dry sensation heighten the big nature of this beer, leaving a numbing sting but hiding within the burn of the alcohol.

With the bottles empty, we had learned somethings about the peppercorn and how it can interact with the beer. When allowed to shine through with the base of a session strength beer, the peppercorns can be overpowering and all encompassing. Against bigger beers, the pepper hides behind the alcohol and sneaks out in the linger stings that it leaves in the back of the mouth and on the tongue.

When it is all said and done, the peppercorn is another great ingredient that brewers have begun to play with. For those afraid of the spiciness of chiles, the peppercorn offers a drier sting that won’t bring you to your knees. I hope to see more brewers play with this spice and see how it can heighten their beers.