Best of Baltimore Beer Week: Brent's Picks

Here we are at that magical time of year once again.  Homeowners scramble to stock up on candy to distribute to the masses of goblins and princesses soon to be knocking on their front door.  Legendary baseball games are being played nightly and having a major impact on workplace productivity the next day.  And the humidity that blankets the Mid-Atlantic region is quickly getting pushed away as our old friend, cold air, slowly creeps further south on a weekly basis.  These are signs that the fall season is here and what better way to bring in fall than by "celebrating all things beer in the Land of Pleasant Living."  Bring on Baltimore Beer Week!!!

I'll be honest, even as a local homebrewer and member of the beer community here in Baltimore, on the surface Baltimore Beer Week can be quite intimidating.  By quickly browsing the Baltimore Beer Week, you will soon find that there are an astounding 396 (as of this blog being written) events to choose from over a 10-day period.  Even for the seasoned beer geek, the number of events can be somewhat overwhelming.  I can't even imagine what it would be like for someone who is new to craft beer or homebrewing trying to choose which events to attend.  That is where I come in.  Having participated in many of the events at past Baltimore Beer Weeks, I figured I'd try my best at breaking down the best of the best in an effort to try and assist you through this marathon week of beer drinking.  Before I get down to my picks, I want to make sure you understand a few things.  

1)  This list is strictly based on events I have attended in the past and had an exceptional time at.  That does not mean events not listed here aren't worth attending.  In fact, you are very likely to have just a good a time at any of the other events that aren't listed here but that are part of Baltimore Beer Week. 

2)  I encourage even those who are not beer geeks or homebrewers to attend these events, ask questions of the people running the events or those sitting next to you.  Baltimore's beer scene is chock full of some of the nicest people I have ever met.  They love their beer, but also love to talk about beer.  So strike up a conversation with people attending these events.  You might just learn something, or better yet, find people who have a lot of the same interests that you do.  

3)  Most importantly, there are a lot of great beers, some of which contain a high amount of alcohol.  Please, please, PLEASE make sure you have a safe, sober ride home from any of these events.  This is a celebration of beer, the breweries, drinking establishments and other business that support our wonderful beer scene here in Baltimore.  One alcohol related accident, injury, or fatality could ruin something great for a lot of people.  Please be mindful in making sure you have a safe way home when attending these events.  

Okay and here you go....my list of the top events to go to (in chronological order):

The Chesapeake Real Ale Festival - Saturday, October 20th

Why you should go:  This event is always nothing short of epic and I'm glad to see they are having the best beer fest event of Baltimore Beer Week right up front.  Long story short, the number of cask conditioned beers available at this event is unseen here in the United States.  We are fortunate to have it right here in Baltimore at the Pratt Street Alehouse.  Couple the amazing, super rare beers with excellent music and people, and you have a recipe for a great afternoon.  

Price:  $40 in Advance/$50 at the Door/$60 VIP

For more information:  http://www.baltimorebeerweek.com/events/show/the_chesapeake_real_ale_festival1

Stillwater Day - Sunday, October 21st

Why you should go:  Stillwater Artisanal Ales brewmaster, Brian Strumke is one of the best new brewers on the international craft beer scene.  Max's will have pretty much every beer that Brian has crafted available to consume, plus a special bottle release of the "Now and Then Project - Cellar Door" will be available to purchase at 10am.  This dry hopped ale aged in french oak barrels and conditioned with brett is a very rare beer limited to 100 sets (so if you want one, get in line early).  One bottle is meant to be consumed now and the other is meant to be consumed in 6 months to 1 year later to observe the transformation from up-front hop aroma to the added complexity developed by the wild yeast.

Price:  Free to enter, pay as you go.

For more information:  http://www.baltimorebeerweek.com/events/show/stillwater_day

Women of Homebrew Unite! - Sunday, October 21st

Why you should go:  This was a surprise hit last year.  It was foolish of me, but I didn't realize how many women brewers we had here in the Baltimore area.  Not only were there 20 or so women brewers serving up their beer, but there were some damn fine beers here.  At the cost of a $5 donation to the Maryland Women's Law Center, you get entry to the event and a cup to sample all the great homebrewed beers on hand.  I'll definitely be on hand for this event.  Judging starts at noon and to ensure you get some of the yumminess, I'd highly recommend getting there early because at $5, this event is a steal!!!

Price:  $5 donation

For more information:  http://www.baltimorebeerweek.com/events/show/women_of_homebrew_unite

Pumpkinfest - Monday, October 22nd

Why you should go:  24 pumpkin beers on draft from breweries like Heavy Seas, Flying Dog, Dogfish, Weyerbacher, Southern Tier, Uinta, RJ Rockers, and my personal favorite from this list Elysian?  Um please save me a seat!!!

Price:  Pay as you go

For more information:  http://www.baltimorebeerweek.com/events/show/pumpkinfest1

Maryland Homebrew Beer Dinner - Tuesday, October 23rd

Why you should go:  T-Bonz Grille and Pub, Maryland Homebrew, and the Cross Street Irregulars Homebrew Club have gotten together for their 2nd annual homebrew dinner.  Several courses of food will be paired with 5 beers brewed by the top homebrewers in the CSI Homebrew Club.  I went last year and loved it (not just because I am the president of CSI, but because the beers and food were amazing!!).  I think you would love it too.  Compared to the price of some of the other beer dinners associated with Baltimore Beer Week, this one is more reasonably priced.  

Price:  $50 for general public or $45 for members of T-Bonz beer club.  Note:  If you want to go, purchase tickets now as seating is limited.

For more information:  http://www.baltimorebeerweek.com/events/show/maryland_homebrew_beer_dinner

Homebrew Extravaganza Benefiting BARCS - Wednesday, October 24th

Why you should go:  This event is in its third year and it remains one of the most epic events of Baltimore Beer Week.  There is going to be tons of amazing homebrew here.  The entry fees paid go to a great organization, BARCS.  And the event is just a lot of fun.  Since it has been so popular, it has grown from taking over one corner in Little Havana to pretty much taking up the whole restaurant.  This year will be the greatest year yet and I can't wait to try all the awesome homebrews being served at this event.  At $10 to enter, this event is a steal!!!

Price:  $10 donation to BARCS

For more information:  http://www.baltimorebeerweek.com/events/show/3rd_annual_homebrew_extravaganza

Baltimore Beer: A Satisfying History of Charm City Brewing - Thursday, October 25th

Why you should go:  Baltimore has a real legend in Rob Kasper.  A long time writer for the Baltimore Sun, Rob has recently authored a book called Baltimore Beer: A Satisfying History of Charm City Brewing refreshing account of the history of brewing in Baltimore, from ancient craft brewers in the 18th century,through the beer wars of the Victorian era, to mass production in the 20th century, then back to craft brewers in the 21st.  He attended a CSI meeting and gave a great talk on his book and shared some really interesting stories about brewing in Baltimore.  I highly recommend going to this event and hearing him speak.  Even pick up a book and have him sign it.  I have a copy and it is great reading!!!

Price:  Free

For more information:  http://www.baltimorebeerweek.com/events/show/baltimore_beer_a_satisfying_history_of_charm_city_brewing


Charitably Charmin’ ChiliBrew VI - Friday, October 26th

Why you should go:  My friends in BaltiBrew put on an excellent chili and homebrew competition every spring and fall.  The homebrewed beer is amazing and the chili serves as a perfect pairing item.  $15 gets in you as a tasting judge.  That will get you a ballot to vote on any or all of the competitions (chili con carne, veggie chili, and homebrew, though you must be 21 or older for homebrew of course).  It's a fun time with some great people.  Previous installments have each drawn about 30+ entries and 200+ enthusiastic judges, so it's a great time!  The $15 donation goes to benefit the Baltimore Rock Opera Society, the Indypendent Reader, and Whitelock Community Farm.  It always feels good to drink beer and eat chili for a great cause!

Price:  $15 donation

For more information:  http://www.baltimorebeerweek.com/events/show/chilibrew_vi


Beer Taps and Homebrew:  Made in Baltimore - Saturday, October 27th

Why you should go: Come meet me!!!  I'll be conducting a homebrew demonstration at this event on behalf of the Cross Street Irregulars Homebrew Club and serving up some awesome homebrew in the process.  All while the master beer tap handle makers at Mark Supik and Company do their thing, hand crafting some amazing beer tap handles.  While you are there, be sure to stop by the Beer Tap Handle Museum and check out all the awesome beer tap handles that were created by Mark and his staff over the years.

Price:  Free

For more information:  http://www.baltimorebeerweek.com/events/show/beer_taps_and_homebrew_made_in_baltimore


A Bar on Every Corner II - Historical Walking Pub Tour

Me chillin with a beer on top of the Natty Boh building

Why you should go:  How else could you ever enjoy a frosty cold one while standing on the roof of the Natty Boh building?  Yup that is what we got to do last year on this tour.  It was awesome!!  We stumbled around Brewers Hill and Canton for several hours, going bar to bar, drinking beer and having a blast.  This year's format is a little different in that it will be more laid back and hitting less bars, but it should be just as much fun.  The highlight is definitely the view of Baltimore from the top of the Natty Boh building.  We have a beautiful city here and I've never seen it more beautiful than last year as I stood on top of the Natty Boh building with a beer in hand.  How else would you ever get this opportunity?  This is a must attend event!!!

Price:  $40 and is limited to the first 50 people.

For more information:  http://www.baltimorebeerweek.com/events/show/a_bar_on_every_corner_ii


The bottom line, a lot of hard work goes into making Baltimore Beer Week 10 of the greatest days of the year here in Baltimore.  Get out there.  Support this event and the businesses and people that make Baltimore one of the greatest beer drinking cities in the world.  Cheers!!!

hocofood@@@

My Favorite Holiday....National Homebrew Day!

When I was a kid, my favorite holiday was Christmas.  For weeks on end I would dream about running downstairs on Christmas morning and finding an Optimus Prime Transformer under the Christmas tree with my name on it.

Not me on Halloween, but close!

As I became a teenager my favorite holiday became Halloween.  I just loved getting dressed up, looking like Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th, and terrorizing children or raising hell in and around the town of Westminster, MA.

Finally once I was in my twenties, I loved any holiday that meant my friends and I could go drinking (i.e., St. Patrick's Day, Cinco De Mayo, Marti Gras, Oktoberfest, National Weatherman's Day, National Adopt a Kitten Day, Grandparent's Day, um I think you catch my drift).

Well now that I'm in my thirties, I've moved on to having another favorite holiday.  And although I still love and have a lot of fun celebrating all the holidays previously mentioned, my new favorite holiday is National Homebrew Day.

Saturday, May 7th, is Big Brew!!!

Saturday, May 7th is National Homebrew Day.  It is celebrated around the US (and probably the world) by homebrewers of all skill levels gathering to brew together.  This social gathering is known as "Big Brew."

We are fortunate here in Howard County, and Maryland for that matter, to have what I consider one of the best Big Brew events in the US.  Every year brewers from all over Maryland gather in the parking lot behind Maryland Homebrew in Columbia, MD for a day of socializing, showing off their homemade equipment, grilling, drinking beer, and most importantly, brewing!  These are not just your run of the mill guys and gals playing around with a Mr. Beer kit.  These are some hardcore, award winning brewers living in our own neighborhoods. 

Brewing my first batch 4 years ago

Having only been homebrewing for a little under 4 years now, I've learned a lot from some amazing brewers...all of which have been right here in Maryland.  It has been awesome guys like Pete D., Chris G., Brandon M., Matt B., and a handful of others who have given me the confidence to go from extract brewing to all-grain brewing in what many consider a very short time.  No wonder my beer doesn't taste like crap (which by the way I though all homebrew tasted like until I moved to Maryland in 1999).  I learned from some outstanding brewers and I'm very thankful to have met them. 

So if you are a homebrewer looking for some tips or someone wanting to get into homebrewing, but don't know where to start, I definitely suggest going to Big Brew tomorrow.  There will be some pretty impressive homebrew systems there and some great people who can tell you all about homebrewing.  Chris and the guys at Maryland Homebrew will also be on hand to get you the equipment and ingredients to get you on your way to brewing your first batch.

Here's the information on Big Brew.

Date / Time:  Saturday, May 7th at 10am - 4pm
Location: 
Parking lot behind Maryland Homebrew
6770 Oak Hall Ln # 115
Columbia, MD 21045
Admission:  Free 


Hopefully I'll see the faces of some of my readers out there.  If you don't know me personally, be sure to stop by and say hi.  I'm the big guy with the goatee and Red Sox cap.  If you can't find me, ask someone and they should be able to point you in my direction.


Cheers!
-Brent

Church is in Session...the Birth of Atomic Church Brewing Co.

For the last year or so, as I collected the equipment necessary to brew beer on my own, I've been thinking about what "name" and "theme" I wanted for my beer.  As most of you have probably noticed, most brewers (on a large or small scale), usually go with local geography or landmark names when coming up with a theme for their beer.  Meaning, the name of the brewery and the names of the beers usually have a local theme to them.  Heck, some brewers usually try to use locally grown products in their beers as well.   

A good example of what I am talking about is Boston Beer Works.  A quick scan through their draught board will reveal beverages with names like Fenway American Pale Ale, Back Bay I.P.A., and Bunker Hill Blueberry Ale.  All of which are common landmarks around Beantown.

If not going with a local theme, most brewers go with some sort of experience or topic that interests them.  A good example of this could be The Lost Abbey which took a religious theme with their name, beers, and even decor a their brewery.  Beers like Angel Share, The Gift of the Maji, Judgement Day, and The Ten Commandments, are just a few of the beers that you can find from this brewery. 

My point here is that I needed to come up with something that I was either interested in or represented my local ties.  Well truth be told, I'm not a life long Marylander.  I grew up in Massachusetts and went to college in Vermont.  So having spent just a 1/3 of my life here in Maryland, I figured that the local angle wasn't going to work.

Ok so what are my interests?  Well I love sports, weather, and music.  The sports and brewing angle is always tricky from a trademark end of things, especially if I ever went commercial.  So that's out the window.  Weather themed beers?  Seems like a good idea, but it's been done.  Plus you can only take that so far before sounding like a total geek.  So that left music.  Well those of you who know me, know I love my music fuzzy, loud, and rockin.  Come to think of it, that is how I like my beers.  So it seemed like a no-brainer to go with a music name.  Now the big question was "What should I go with?"

Well that's what gets me to the name "Atomic Church".  When it comes to stoner rock bands, there is one band that really blew me away within the first 5 seconds that I started listening to them....Roachpowder.  This band was formed sometime around 1995 and was brought to my attention when I received a copy of their "Viejo Diablo" album while working at WWLR in 1998.  To say I was floored would be an understatement.  This was stoner rock the way it should be made, no ifs, ands or buts!  In 2001, Roachpowder released their second album, "Atomic Church" and it was even better than the first.  In fact, if it weren't for Down, I think it would be my favorite stoner album of all time.  Bottom line, this album was legendary and game changing for me.

Another reason why I like the name Atomic Church is because it wraps in the religious beginnings of brewing.  For those who don't know or are new to craft beers, if you go back in history, a lot of beers were brewed by monks at abbeys...hence the name of some styles like Abbey Ale and all the religious tie-ins with beer naming.

So with that in mind, I decided that Atomic Church Brewing Company was a damn good way to pay tribute to probably the greatest stoner rock band next to Black Sabbath and Down.  Then from there, I could name all my brew concoctions after songs that I love.  To date, we have "The Writ's Wit" (named after the Black Sabbath song), "Sky Pilot Scottish Ale" (named after the Eric Burdon and the Animals song), and "Breakfast in America(n) Pale Ale" (named after the Supertramp song).  It seems to fit.  I want my beers to be different.  Ya know, something "fuzzy, loud and rockin".  I think the ACBC name fits who I am and what I do with my beer best.

With all that said, I officially release the logo of Atomic Church Brewing Company, designed by my cousin Jocelyn (a.k.a. Doggie).  Here it is.  Hopefully you enjoy!

Oh and at some point, I'm going to have some t-shirts made.  Here's what they will look like:

Thanks for taking the time to listen (or read) about the background behind the naming of my beer.  I hope your brew adventures are as rockin as mine have been so far.

Cheers!
-Brent

The Writ's Wit Recipe

In case you were wondering what the recipe for The Writ's Wit was, here you go:

Download in Beersmith:  TheWritsWit.bsm
Download in BeerXML:  TheWritsWit.xml











BeerSmith Recipe Printout - http://www.beersmith.com
Recipe: The Writ's Wit
Brewer: Brenton MacAloney
Asst Brewer:
Style: Witbier
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (35.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 11.00 gal     
Boil Size: 13.69 gal
Estimated OG: 1.048 SG
Estimated Color: 2.9 SRM
Estimated IBU: 14.8 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
 Amount    Item                               % or IBU
11.50 lb  Pilsner (2 Row) UK (1.0 SRM)         60.53%
7.50 lb   White Wheat Malt (2.4 SRM)          39.47 %
0.50 oz   Saaz [4.00 %]  (60 min)             3.4 IBU
1.50 oz   Tettnang [4.50 %]  (60 min)        11.3 IBU
0.50 oz   Saaz [4.00 %]  (1 min)              0.1 IBU
0.50 oz   Coriander Seed (Boil 0.0 min) 
0.50 oz   Ginger Root (Boil 0.0 min)
0.50 oz   Orange Peel, Bitter (Boil 0.0 min)
2 Pkgs    Belgian Wit Ale (White Labs #WLP400)  


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Light Body, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 19.00 lb
----------------------------
Single Infusion, Light Body, Batch Sparge
Step Time   Description                     Step Temp    
60 min      23.75 qt of water at 163.7 F    152.0 F      


Notes:
------
Started with the Allagash White clone on Brew-Dudes.com.  http://www.brew-dudes.com/belgian-white-ale-recipe/248

-------------------------------------------------

The Brewing of The Writ's Wit

So on Sunday, May 9th, I took to the back yard of Casa MacAloney to brew the first of many beers that will be brewed on the patio.  It was also my first time brewing alone with all the new equipment I've been putting together over the last few months.  So it was really an exciting day in my book.

The recipe I used was one I lifted from Brew-Dudes.com for an Allagash White like beer and I scaled it to the size of my brew system using BeerSmith.  With summer right around the corner and my homebrew club's competition schedule having whites and wheats on tap for the June meeting, I wanted to try something light and refreshing.  Allagash White is amazing and I had to get some going before it gets too hot here in Maryland. 

So now to the naming of the beer.  I wanted to name all my beers after Black Sabbath songs, but for some reason that is probably unreasonable.  There is a limited catalog of songs and I could probably only take it so far.  Anyways, I figured the first one had to be named after a Black Sabbath song and because I was brewing a Wit, the only song that came to mind was the song "The Writ" off of the Sabotage album.

"The Writ" is a song that Black Sabbath wrote about all of the foolish people running the music industry back in 1975.  It's amazing that things really haven't changed at all in the last 35 years as the music industry is still run by a bunch of buffoons.  The song is powerful and timeless.

So why am I writing so much about the song itself?  Well there's a lyric in this song that kinda strikes home with my Writ's Wit recipe.  It goes something like this:  "Are you Satan? Are you man? You've changed a lot since it began."  Truth be told, I was frustrated to all hell with this beer.  The brewing process rocked and the fermentation started off like a champ.  Then I did what all brewers shouldn't do.  I was checking the gravity of the beer and smelled something rank coming from the 2 carboys.  I thought to myself "Oh shit, what happened?"  Then I got freaked out and worried.  I know that it's a big no-no to smell your beer when it's fermenting, but it's too damn hard not to.  I even had my friend Chris G. tell me not to worry.  He said "it smells fine for a wit."  I should have listened, but I didn't and worried.

To make matters worse, The Writ's Wit made its debut at a friend's party.  I had a sample that morning and was really unhappy with the beer. I can't really pinpoint what the issue was other than I thought I overdid the ginger in the recipe and didn't put enough orange into it.  The carbonation level was off too and I really didn't have the time or know-how to fix it at that point.  Unfortunately there was a lot of buildup that there was a homebrewed beer coming to the party and I didn't want to disappoint the party goers.  So I sucked it up and brought it.  Most people liked it which further proves my point that most beer drinking Americans can have a cup of piss put in front of them and if you told them it was beer they'd gladly drink it.

Well to make a long story short, after the party, I just left the two 5-gallon kegs in the basement and let it sit.  A wiseman once told me, "If you make a shitty beer, let it sit for a while and who knows what will happen.  Whatever you do, don't pour it out."  So taking these amazing words of wisdom (or whizdom in the case of my pissy beer), I let it sit a month.

Saturday, June 26th was my wife Manina's 30th birthday.  She is really proud of my brewing and wanted all of her friends to sample what I have made, even though I didn't like it.  She probably thought I was being too hard on myself.  Either way, it was her birthday and I threw a keg of The Writ's Wit on ice.  As I was hooking up the party tap and CO2 canister to it and took my first sample, I was floored.  What was really a disappointing beer turned into a delicious, refreshing summer beer.  This is what I wanted!  People loved it.  Hell I even kicked a whole 5-gallon keg in about 30 minutes.  When it was gone, people were asking for more. Who would have thunk that it would have turned into such a good beer?

Well with that experience out on the table, here's the important part of this blog.  Lessons learned. 

1)  Don't smell the beer as it is fermenting - People say it all the time and doofus' like me never listen, but it is really true.  At the point it is fermenting, your beer is a work in progress and not complete.  So why judge it as if it were?  Don't worry.  Sit back.  Let the yeast do its work and relax.  Most of the time, if you have a sterile environment, everything will turn out OK.

2)  If it's yellow, let it mellow - I guess this is in reference to all beer in general.  Once you are done with your fermentation and it is ready to keg (or bottle), don't judge your beer too hard or get discouraged enough to dump it out if it doesnt taste exactly the way you envisioned it.  In my case, I could have tossed the whole batch and it would have been a HUGE mistake.  All it needed was a little time to mature and let the flavors settle out.  We are not talking long either....in my case, it was about 3 weeks and it transfered into a decent beer.

3)  Have some damn confidence in yourself - This is the last thing I leave you with.  I'm normally a confident guy, but in this case I had no confidence in what I was doing (mainly because I was brewing alone for the first time).  This lack of confidence could have really tanked my homebrew right out of the gate.  The key here, if you lack confidence, is to think back and remember the steps that you were taught on homebrewing.  Whether it's from a beer making class you took, learning from a buddy, or reading a book, the steps have all been laid out for you.  Before you brew, sit back....think about things....Do you have all your supplies?  Do you have all your equipment?  Do you have a step by step plan so you don't forget anything?  If so, have some confidence, step up to the plate and knock your homebrew out of the park! 

So that's that.  The last keg of The Writ's Wit will be consumed at my friend Brandon and Steph's housewarming party later in July.  Should be a grand old time.  In the meantime, it's time to prepare my second batch.  I have the whole month of July and most of August where I'm in town, so I'm really planning on hitting the back patio to brew up about 3 or 4 batches of beer during this time.  Should be fun now that I have the confidence that I need to crank out some amazing beers.  You can read about them here in a few weeks.

Thanks for reading.  Best of luck with your homebrew.  Cheers!

-Brent