The tale of a disappointing Raspberry Stout

Once upon a time lived a home brewer who dreamed of one day creating a fruity flavored beer that would blow the mind of even the most traditional beer connoisseur. He pondered all day and night looking at recipe after recipe until one day he found it! Oatmeal, Chocolate and Raspberry together? Can it be done? Would this small one gallon test batch really be the beer that he has searched for all these months? So he broke out his pot, he dug out his fermenter, and he pulled out his grain bag. He brought his water up to a temperature at 165 degrees and then added the ingredients:

The Joy of Home Brewing

 Home brewing beer can be one of the most rewarding experiences in a beer lovers life. Making beer that actually tastes good is not only satisfying, but it will also bring you numerous friends who just want to hang out and drink your beer all day which is completely okay because then you get to brew again. Extract brewing is the easiest way to get started on the adventure of brewing your own beer right from your house. Extract is a syrupy, gooey, molasses like substance that is the base for your beers. Just add water, boil, then toss in a few hops maybe add some specialty grains and presto beer is made (I know I sound like a late night infomercial but it's true its that easy).

Well it's done but not finished

Well it’s done… My own attempt at a blonde ale. This is the first time I have dared to venture into this style of beer. For a long time I have been nervous about trying to create them but I finally decided to go for it and here is the result:
It has a light yellow color that to the untrained eye would seem flavorless but that thought is immediately thrown away the second you smell its hoppy aroma.  I nervously poured the drink into my mouth and as it touched my tongue it danced and with every step a new hoppy flavor tickled my senses. Dare I swallow; if I do this flavor, this sensation, this exotic dance would end and then what. I swallowed; and once I did the dancer that was once there left a new taste, this one different but equal to its predecessor. As good as it was I was left unsatisfied, where was the rich malt flavor that I had hoped for? Yes the dance was nice but it lacked a certain sweetness to balance its many steps. So I am left to do only one thing and that is to drink until it is gone so that I may brew it again only this time with the sweetness that I so desire. 

Why I love Blondes

Blondes are pretty. They are simple and yet their bubbly nature brings out a complexity not found elsewhere; they are light but deep and rich in character. When one passes by my nose it is their fruity scent that makes my mouth water. When one touches my wet lips my eyes will roll back as a waterfall of flavors are tantalizing my senses. They are seductive. With every look and smell and taste and desire not felt for the other breeds I cannot help but ask the bartender, “may I have another?”

Widmer why not?

Last Friday I got the opportunity to take a private tour of Widmer’s brewing facility and what a facility it is. From their tanks that stretch from the basement of the building all the way up to the roof tops; from their bottling plant where they can bottle 300 beers a minute to their brew kettles where the magic happens I saw it all. Alan Taylor is one of the brew masters and he was the one giving the tour. Alan went to a brewing school in Germany before coming back to Oregon and working for Full sail then Widmer. The most interesting (and also one of the most gratifying) things about the plant was that the process of brewing was the same as the one I do at home.