Author: Mark Linton

In a humble log cabin off an unregarded back road, somewhere, deep in the heart of Pennsylvania’s hill country, we find our intrepid hero — the Brush Valley Brewer.
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NHC 2012 Gallery

Trophy Fire performs at the Brewing Network 7th Anniversary party
The Brewing Network 7th Anniversary party at Elysian Brewing
Odin Brewing at serves a fantastic Kölsch at the Brewing Network 7th Anniversary party
The Brewing Network 7th Anniversary party was literally under a highway on ramp but the crowd did not seem to mind
I would recognize the back of Mike McDole’s head anywhere
JP waits patiently in line to sample the beers from Odin Brewing at the Brewing Network 7th Anniversary party
A guy in a Drake’s shirt serving Firestone Walker beers at the Brewing Network 7th Anniversary party
Justin and JP give out prizes to the crowd at the Brewing Network 7th Anniversary party
Justin offers a toast at the Brewing Network 7th Anniversary party
JP throws prizes into the crowd at the Brewing Network 7th Anniversary party
A toast at the Brewing Network 7th Anniversary party
I work with a guy named Ray whose doppleganger was serving at the Brewing Network 7th Anniversary party
Gordon Strong makes his way through the crowd at the Brewing Network 7th Anniversary party
They had a wide selection of beers at the Brewing Network 7th Anniversary party
Gordon Strong and his wife, Karla, at the Brewing Network 7th Anniversary party
We all had to wear a bracelet indicating we were over 21 at the Brewing Network 7th Anniversary party
The obligatory view from the hotel room window at NHC 2012
The quiet Evergreen Foyer of the Hyatt Regency Bellevue on Seattle’s Eastside. In a few hours this entire area to be awash in homebrewers, as the 34th Annual National Homebrewers Conference begins.
Side A IPA from Alaskan Brew­ing Com­pany, Juneau, AK, was one of the four commemorative beers at NHC 2012
Mike McDole chats with some of the people in line for registration at the 2012 AHA National Home­brew­ers Conference
Wash­ing­ton Grange Farm­house Ale from Elysian Brew­ing Com­pany, Seat­tle, WA, was one of the four commemorative beers at NHC 2012
Sort Sol from Black Raven Brew­ing Com­pany, Red­mond, WA, was one of the four commemorative beers at NHC 2012
This poster for NHC 2013 says it will be in Philadelphia, June 27-29, and the theme is “Brewing Up a Revolution”
Everyone attending NHC 2012 got a very nice commemorative glass
Sort Sol from Black Raven Brew­ing Com­pany, Red­mond, WA, was one of the four com­mem­o­ra­tive beers at NHC 2012
Wash­ing­ton Grange Farm­house Ale from Elysian Brew­ing Com­pany, Seat­tle, WA, was one of the four com­mem­o­ra­tive beers at NHC 2012
Side A IPA from Alaskan Brew­ing Com­pany, Juneau, AK, was one of the four com­mem­o­ra­tive beers at NHC 2012
The morning of the first day of NHC 2012, many of us waited in line for the Rock Bottom Beer and Food Pairing Kick-off Breakfast
The morning of the first day of NHC 2012, many of us waited in line for the Rock Bottom Beer and Food Pairing Kick-off Breakfast
The crowd waits for the doors to open on the wel­come toast at the 2012 AHA National Home­brew­ers Conference
An amazing lineup of brewers for Pro-Brewers Night at the 2012 AHA National Homebrewers Conference
Gary Glass welcomes the crowd to the 2012 AHA National Homebrewers Conference
Gary Glass welcomes the crowd to the 2012 AHA National Homebrewers Conference
Mark Emiley introduces Sasquatch to the audience at the 2012 AHA National Homebrewers Conference
Senator Ken Jacobsen offers the welcome toast at the 2012 AHA National Homebrewers Conference
Mitch Steele, brewmaster for Stone Brewing Co, steels himself in preparation for his presentation on Brewing Techniques for Historical IPA.
Mitch Steele, brewmaster for Stone Brewing Co, presents on Brewing Techniques for Historical IPA.
Jennifer Talley, brewing operations manager for the Redhook Brewery in Woodinville, WA, presents “Thank You; I’ll Have Another” focused on the growing popularity of session beers
Ray Daniels, founder and direc­tor of the Cicerone Cer­ti­fi­ca­tion Pro­gram and author of Design­ing Great Beers, presents “Drink What You Think” focusing on ways to pursue recipe formulation so that you both learn and create beers that are satisfying and enjoyable to drink
Gordon Strong, three-time winner of the Ninkasi Award and author of Brewing Better Beer: Master Lessons for Advanced Homebrewers, presents “Brewing Better Beer: Practical Applications” focused on seeing how your target beer preferences affect the decisions you make throughout the brewing process
Jamie Floyd, part owner and founding brewer of Ninkasi Brewing Company in Eugene OR, presents “Brewing Beer with Fresh Hops” focusing on how to use fresh hops, what to look for, preparing for the brew day and many other topics related to this wonderful annual tradition
Berniece Van Der Berg, partner at Moonlight Meadery, presents “Mead & Cheese: Perfect Partners” focusing on how to pair mead and cheese
Charlie Papazian introduces the keynote speaker at the 2012 AHA National Homebrewers Conference
Charles Finkel, of the Pike Brewing Co, gives the keynote address at the 2012 AHA National Homebrewers Conference
Justin, Jamil, Mitch, and Tasty record the perennial Arrogant Bastard re-brew episode of Can You Brew It from the show floor — Keep trying Tasty
Drew Beechum presents “Brewing on the Ones” attempts to to shine a light on the complexity of simplicity while blowing well past the limitations of the SMaSH concept
Denny Conn serves up a pint of his “Wee Shroomie” at Club Night at NHC 2012
Nate Muller, Will Fredin, Drew Beechum, and Chris P. Frey give tips and answer questions about running a homebrewing club
John Palmer, A.J. deLange, Martin Brungard, and Colin Kaminski talk about water in brewing
Ray Daniels, Jamil Zainasheff, Gordon Strong, Randy Mosher, and John Palmer answer audience questions on how to fix homebrewing issues
Jamil Zainash­eff, Gor­don Strong, Randy Mosher, and John Palmer answer audi­ence ques­tions on how to fix home­brew­ing issues
Sean Paxton, the Homebrew Chef, and Ray Daniels, founder and director of the Cicerone Certification Program and author of Designing Great Beers, pose for a picture behind me in the line for the banquet at NHC 2012
Fred Bonjour mingles with the crowd in line for the banquet at NHC 2012
The reception beer at the NHC 2012 banquet was Chatoe Rogue Single Malt Ale
If I am reading the label correctly, this beer was made with the first harvest from Rogues own hops and barley.
Sean Paxton, the Homebrew Chef, cooked up an amazing mean for the NHC 2012 Grand Banquet
Toasting the Grand Banquet at NHC 2012 with Cha­toe Rogue Sin­gle Malt Ale
The first course at the NHC 2012 banquet was Wild Mushroom Ale Bisque paired with Rogue Ales Mocha Porter
The second course at the NHC 2012 banquet was Pacific Northwest Salmon paired with Chatoe Rogue OREgasmic Ale
A bottle of Rogue Ales XS Old Crustacean with dessert
The third course at the NHC 2012 banquet of coffee and doughnuts trifle was paired with Rogue Ales XS Old Crustacean
The fourth NHC 2012 commemorative beer was a ProAm beer brewed in cooperation between Denny Conn and Rogue, Rogue Wry Smile Rye IPA
The fourth NHC 2012 commemorative beer was a ProAm beer brewed in cooperation between Denny Conn and Rogue, Rogue Wry Smile Rye IPA
Rogue Ales Brewmaster John “More Hops” Maier talks to the NHC crowd about the beers accompanying the banquet at NHC 2012
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A Six-Pack of Blonde Ale

Let’s brew a six-pack of beer.

Goal

I am a craft beer drinker. I like the full body and flavors that I cannot find in mass produced beers. That said, there is a time and a place for everything. On a hot day after hard work, or when I just want to quench my thirst, it is convenient to have a good lawnmower beer on hand. Something that is not complex. A clean, simple, balanced, low-alcohol beer. An American Light Lager may be what comes to mind, but lagering is a challenge, especially for small batches, and brewing with adjuncts has never been my thing. So I would really like something similar, but that can be brewed as an ale with simple ingredients. That, my friend, is what the American Blonde Ale style is all about.

Continue reading “A Six-Pack of Blonde Ale”

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Buying by the Sack

I brewed 35 batches of beer between 4/19/2008 and 2/27/2012. That means I have brewed about every seven weeks. I would have guessed it would have been more frequent. In the last year, I have brewed about every four weeks. That is more like it. The average grain bill for my last 13 batches has been about 12 pounds. If it were all base malt then I would be going through a 55 pound sack of grain every five months or so. I have been using Crisp Maris Otter as my base malt, so let us see what the marketplace for sacks holds.

Just for comparison, here are the same vendors for 10 pounds of Crisp Maris Otter, noting that Fifty Pound Sack only sells by the sack.

While they do not sell by the sack, I have been buying my Crisp Maris Otter from Rebel Brewer. Here is their price for 10 pounds.

  • Rebel Brewer: $14.31 + $14.02 shipping = $28.33 -or- $2.83 per pound shipped

So, I could pay just over 50% of what I have been paying by buying by the sack.

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Designing an Anonymous American Ale

Anonymous Flag
By Anonymous (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

The Goal

I am designing a new recipe for my next brew. I had designed the house ale around my wife’s likes and dislikes. It is a tasty beer and I like it, but it is very “in your face.” It is full bodied, which was a goal, but it does so by being sweet and heavy. Two is my limit.

Over the holidays, I made “Hey, Zeus!” I used medium English crystal, rather than light and added some pale chocolate, as well. I was thinking of something like Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale, but ended up with something much more like an American Brown Ale. I was concerned she would not like it, since she hates English Brown Ale, but by the time we kicked the second keg, she preferred it to the house ale.

Now I have a brew day coming up and I am trying to come up with a new recipe that incorporates these new taste preferences, as well as my own desire for a drier, more subdued beer.

Continue reading “Designing an Anonymous American Ale”