Desolation

Fresno is beer desolation capital. Very few places to get good beer around here. Out in public that is. Sure, we have a local brewing company, Sequioa, but they are, well, only all right. Their actual brewing location smells like fish, and their northern location is in the ritzy part of town. An area where smugness wafts from the people as they amble by. In general, this place has a lack of exposure to good beer, I'd say. Why that is, I can't say. Lack of income? Although Fresno has its nicer areas, in general I would guess that incomes are not exactly high here. But are they really that high anywhere else? Is it lack of interest? That I see as the more plausible of the two. I do know quite a few people who are interested in tasty, quality beverages, but being an enology major, you'd come to suspect that. All I can really do is sit back, brew something to my liking, and wait. Will I do anything to help the Fresno beer scene? Absolutely not. I won't be settling here, no sirree. Too hot. And flat. Give me somewhere coastal, or at least somewhere in the mountains. And some damn cold weather, while you're at it. I'll take ice over heat any day.

P.S. There is one establishment that does justice to beer. BC's Pizza and Beer has a great selection of bottles, and pretty good pizza too. If you can afford the bottles, that is. 8$ for a bomber of Stone Ruination. Damn! It's worth it, though.

A Monster Load of Crap

Hansen Beverage company, owners of the trademarked Monster energy drink, are currently threatening a very one-sided war of attrition against Vermont-based Rock Art Brewery. Rock Art makes a beer called The Vermonster, which Hansen claims is an infringement upon their trademark of the Monster name. It's ridiculous. No person is going to mistake a can of Monster for a bottle of The Vermonster. Yet, Hansen claims consumers could mistake the two. Or, is it because Hansen wants to enter the alcoholic beverage industry? Could be both. Different sources say different things. Check out Rock Art's website, and check other blogs (I follow Starting A Brewery and A Good Beer Blog) to see what you can find.

It seems to me that Hansen doesn't really have a case. They are two easily distinguishable products. Also, there are dozens of beers with the word monster in their name, most, if not all, of which Hansen has not contacted. The problem arises, however, when you take into account Hansen's ability to throw loads of money at court hearings and lawyers. It's doubtful that Rock Art has the money to fight more than one or two court cases. Who does? But Hansen can keep suing if they choose, and financially run Rock Art into the ground, unless they give in.

No worries as of yet, Hansen sent a "cease and desist" letter to the brewery. The brewery's response is on their website, and as far as I know Hansen has not taken any other action. Shit like this show's a huge problem with our legal system: frivolous lawsuits. I don't like your face, so I'm suing. If Hansen does potentially want to enter the alcoholic beverage market, would it really be wise to retain the Monster name? Monster Long Island Iced Tea, anyone? Much less distinguishable from an energy drink since they would both likely come in cans. Let's hope they don't try to enter the beer market. Thinking of the possible monsters (ha!) they could create makes me shudder.

Who cares about the damn Russians, anyway?

Sampled the RIS a few days ago. Figgy, oaky, with a very slight chocolate aftertaste. Pretty much what I was going for, but a little strong on the oak, and this was the blended bottle, mind you. I'm not sure what'll happen when I open the barrel-only bottle. For those who don't know, I made three separate bottle groups. No-oak, all-oak, and some no-oak/all-oak blend. Very roughly blended on a one-to-one ratio. Honestly, not something I would drink more than two of in a night. It's also around 8% ABW, so it's not like I could drink much more anyway. I've been a bit of a lightweight recently.

Had a barrel scare when I opened up the barrel recently. Smelled strongly of sulfur(from the storage solution), but had a weird white, moldy-looking film on top. Rinsed multiple times, and scrubbed as best I could. Currently, it's soaking with a star san solution. Will run a test batch to see if there are any spoilage type flavors in there.

Finally, planning a winter ale and some ciders. Winter ale will be chocolaty and spicy, from the spices (duh). Ciders will be dry and sweet. One gallon with cider yeast, another gallon with ale yeast. I'm thinking of lightly spicing them with cloves and cinnamon. Had a two year old cider I made the other night, the cinnamon and cloves really mellow out over time and provide a very pleasant aroma. Yay me! I made something good!

Cheers brothers, and happy drinking!

And for those who care...

Mainly myself, I think. I haven't brewed in more than a month. My IPA is still on tap. It went on hiatus until I got my new tap handle, which works beautifully. Gonna be a hop harvest ale next. Low yield from the yard this year, though, so I'll use them as an accent towards the end.

Bottled the RIS, now just gotta wait a few months for full maturity. Only broke one bottle and spilled two in the process! Not bad, huh? I was pissed.

Making wine now. Calm down. I'll never love anything more than beer. I have to do this for school. BS in wine, brewing school after that. Why? Two birds with one very large, drawn-out stone. Grapes were free, too. Used a two-by-four to crush the grapes. Gonna call him "Ol' Mashy".

Cheers, brothers, Le'Chaim!

Dear God, calm down already!

Is it me, or does the beer world seem situated to forever be at war? I admit, I am part of the problem, but, it seems to me that everybody has a negative opinion of some other countries beer styles. I know we all have our preferences, but damn! Calm down! Someone else's favorite style may not match up with your own. Deal with it. Don't insult them. Don't go on about how their beer sucks, attributing it to their country. Honestly, every country has their divisions, and they should be accepted. I don't like particular beers, but that doesn't mean those beers suck. I prefer my beers "a little colder than they should be served", but who gives a damn? There is no one right way to brew, and no one right way to do much else. If you think I'm wrong, you can burn in hell.

I realize I may be a hypocrite (sometimes I complain about certain countrie's beer styles), but the things we hate in others are the things we hate in ourselves.

A true interest?

"Dude, I wanna drink some of your beer!"

"You mean, like, beer I bought or beer I made?"

"Haha, beer you made."

"Do you like stouts?"

"Yeah, I had Guinness Extra Stout the other day. It was awesome."

"Well, mine's like ten times better than that. I normally don't say that. And stupid question anyways, cause it's not a stout. It's a porter. A coffee porter. You'll like it"

Finally, I think someone may have more than a feigning interest in my beer. Feigning interest is exactly what friends are for. Although he's a friend, he may be genuinely interested. I wasn't even talking about beer when he brought it up.

Updates, updates...

RIS is doing well in the barrel, gonna leave it for another month or so.

IPA is being dry hopped with Columbus and Cascade(no Amarillo at the store).

Thinking about ditching the cooler system and investing in a stainless, heatable mash tun. Expensive, but it allows for multi step mashes, which could mean increased efficiency.