I don't know what to make of this song, "Small stout," by the Naija Bois. As I said in an earlier post, Nigeria is one of the top markets in the world for stout consumption and sales. I wasn't aware it had infiltrated their music content though.
Make sure to catch the religious message at the end too. It only makes the whole message of the song stranger.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
How to make a stout
This is a pretty comprehensive four-part series of videos on brewing a chocolate stout. I've included parts one and two since they show the ingredients used in chocolate stouts and the beginning steps of brewing (which are pretty universal for all beers). If you want parts three and four, just search for the videos on Google.
(Video disclaimer: The brewer guy, Brian Vandemark, is very cheesy. Try to take him seriously though because it appears he does know what he is doing, even if he comes across like a creeper in the video.)
Part 1 analysis: The amount of chocolate ingredients used in stouts always blows me away. Listen closely: A half pound of cocoa powder and 1.5 pounds of chocolate malt are included.
Video 2 analysis: You can already see the chocolate coloration of the brew in this part of the video. The stuff he is making is obviously not the final product. In fact, it's not even alcoholic yet. But it's a good visual of when a stout starts to look like the beer you expect in your bottle.
(Video disclaimer: The brewer guy, Brian Vandemark, is very cheesy. Try to take him seriously though because it appears he does know what he is doing, even if he comes across like a creeper in the video.)
Part 1 analysis: The amount of chocolate ingredients used in stouts always blows me away. Listen closely: A half pound of cocoa powder and 1.5 pounds of chocolate malt are included.
Video 2 analysis: You can already see the chocolate coloration of the brew in this part of the video. The stuff he is making is obviously not the final product. In fact, it's not even alcoholic yet. But it's a good visual of when a stout starts to look like the beer you expect in your bottle.
The keys to the perfect stout pour are ping-pong balls and string?
Some person set up a ridiculous, Rube Goldberg-style beer pouring device. I'm not quite sure it would meet the standards for Guinness and company, but I'll at least give the person credit for devising this crazy thing.
Video Beer Review: Old Rasputin
Here's a random beer review of Old Rasputin, a Russian imperial brewed by North Coast Brewing. The two guys doing the review provide some useful insight on the beer, but for the most part they sound like nerds who are ignoring the women at the party.
Old Rasputin was the first Russian imperial I ever tried. It comes in little short bottles, which is what first drew my attention (along with the picture of always-creepy Rasputin on the bottle.) When I read that the beer had 9% alcohol in it, I was anxious to find out how much of a difference an additional 4% would make in a beer (since most American lagers are around 4-5% alcohol by volume).
Of course I was shocked as hell when two bottles of this had me feeling warm and fuzzy inside. The alcohol smell and taste overwhelmed me but I refused to let that be a deterrence.
In retrospect, Old Rasputin was probably a typical Russian Imperial, with flavors of chocolate, dark fruits and smoke playing a prominent role in both taste and smell. It received a 91 from Beeradvocate, which is a trustworthy site for beer reviews.
Old Rasputin was the first Russian imperial I ever tried. It comes in little short bottles, which is what first drew my attention (along with the picture of always-creepy Rasputin on the bottle.) When I read that the beer had 9% alcohol in it, I was anxious to find out how much of a difference an additional 4% would make in a beer (since most American lagers are around 4-5% alcohol by volume).
Of course I was shocked as hell when two bottles of this had me feeling warm and fuzzy inside. The alcohol smell and taste overwhelmed me but I refused to let that be a deterrence.
In retrospect, Old Rasputin was probably a typical Russian Imperial, with flavors of chocolate, dark fruits and smoke playing a prominent role in both taste and smell. It received a 91 from Beeradvocate, which is a trustworthy site for beer reviews.
Video Beer Review: Brooklyn Chocolate Stout
This is an online video review done by Michael Lam of the Beverage Review. I don't have the technology or the know-how to do anything this cool. Listen to his review first, then check out my feelings on the stout below.
Lam really emphasized the chocolate flavor. I didn't notice the chocolately flavor quite as much. Of course it was there, but I found the roasted dark fruity smells to be much more evident. Maybe I had my Brooklyn chocolate at a temperature that was too warm, which would cause a difference in the kind of flavors that stand out.
The alcohol taste snuck through at the end for me. Lam suggest on the video info that the range of flavors largely covered masked the high alcohol content (10%). Again, a difference in the temperature of the brew would change this aspect.
Lam ended up giving Brooklyn Chocolate a 93-95 on his scale of 100. I think that is overrating an otherwise average chocolate stout. I'd place the beer somewhere in the 85-88 range.
Lam really emphasized the chocolate flavor. I didn't notice the chocolately flavor quite as much. Of course it was there, but I found the roasted dark fruity smells to be much more evident. Maybe I had my Brooklyn chocolate at a temperature that was too warm, which would cause a difference in the kind of flavors that stand out.
The alcohol taste snuck through at the end for me. Lam suggest on the video info that the range of flavors largely covered masked the high alcohol content (10%). Again, a difference in the temperature of the brew would change this aspect.
Lam ended up giving Brooklyn Chocolate a 93-95 on his scale of 100. I think that is overrating an otherwise average chocolate stout. I'd place the beer somewhere in the 85-88 range.
Like eating a loaf of bread in 2 seconds...
Guinness, despite all of its positive qualities, is not a beer worth chugging. It's very heavy (though not as bad as many think) and just generally has too much flavor to be consumed quickly.
This guy, unfortunately, couldn't care less.
(Video note: It is very dark for almost all of the video. If you focus on the actual beer though, you can see that it is a pint glass of black fluid with a creamy white head...probably Guinness.)
According to the video description, this chug (1.5 seconds) in March set a new Guinness World Record for the fastest consumption of a pint of stout. The previous record was 2.1 seconds.
This guy, unfortunately, couldn't care less.
(Video note: It is very dark for almost all of the video. If you focus on the actual beer though, you can see that it is a pint glass of black fluid with a creamy white head...probably Guinness.)
According to the video description, this chug (1.5 seconds) in March set a new Guinness World Record for the fastest consumption of a pint of stout. The previous record was 2.1 seconds.
New Release: Big Eddy Russian Imperial Stout
The Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company, based in Chippewa Falls, Wisc., recently released its first stout--Big Eddy Russian Imperial Stout.
The Big Eddy stout clocks in with a 9.5% alcohol content, which fits in perfectly with the industry standard for the stout style.
According to the Leinenkugel Web site, 11 different malts and three different hop varieties were used in the making of the stout. The effect of the malt and hop combintation is a stout with dark fruit, chocolate and toffee notes. The Big Eddy stout sounds about par for the course in terms of smell and taste.
The stout is the second in a series of Big Eddy brews. The first installment was an Inida Pale Ale released last summer. The series is named Big Eddy after a spring that runs through Chippewa Falls.
Unfortunately, it appears the stout will only be available in the Madison, Wisc. and Milaukee areas. Interstate distribution laws prohibit the use of direct sale from Leinenkugel to individual customers, so you'll have to find a local distributor to get your hands on the Big Eddy stout.
The Big Eddy stout clocks in with a 9.5% alcohol content, which fits in perfectly with the industry standard for the stout style.
According to the Leinenkugel Web site, 11 different malts and three different hop varieties were used in the making of the stout. The effect of the malt and hop combintation is a stout with dark fruit, chocolate and toffee notes. The Big Eddy stout sounds about par for the course in terms of smell and taste.
The stout is the second in a series of Big Eddy brews. The first installment was an Inida Pale Ale released last summer. The series is named Big Eddy after a spring that runs through Chippewa Falls.
Unfortunately, it appears the stout will only be available in the Madison, Wisc. and Milaukee areas. Interstate distribution laws prohibit the use of direct sale from Leinenkugel to individual customers, so you'll have to find a local distributor to get your hands on the Big Eddy stout.
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