Jim Koch’s Secret to Drinking All Night

An Esquire writer recently met brewer Jim Koch of Samuel Adams brewery in Boston.  Koch introduced the writer to several different beers, at which point the writer said that he’d be very drunk if they drank everything Koch had brought to the table.  At that point in the interview, Koch shared his secret to drinking lots of beer all night without getting as drunk – consuming a teaspoon of Fleischmann’s dry yeast (per drink) before he started drinking.

As the article explains, yeast has an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenases (ADH).  This enzyme breaks alcohol molecules down into carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen – just like your liver does when it metabolizes alcohol.  If you have this enzyme in your stomach before you start drinking (which you would if you consumed the yeast beforehand), the ADH will help break down the alcohol in the beer you drink while it’s in your stomach – and before it hits your blood.

Koch says that he mixes the yeast into yogurt to mask the taste, and eats it before he begins drinking. 
The Esquire writer, who claimed to be a lightweight, said that he performed a test.  He/she took a six-pack of the yeast and a six-pack of beer home.  After consuming the six-pack of yeast and then drinking the six-pack of beer, “I felt nothing more than a little buzzed.”

Major disclaimer time here… This blog post should not be taken as any kind of medical, legal, or other professional advice or guidance.  I do think this would be worth trying at the next beer festival I attend, and will consider it.  However, whether I consumed yeast or not, I would never operate a motor vehicle after consuming any significant quantity of alcohol.  I hope that you will not, either.  The potential risk of loss of life (yours or others), damage to property (yours or others), etc., is simply not worth it. 

Belhaven Scottish Ale–Nitro (7/10)

Belhaven (or Greene King) is a brewery located in East Lothian, Scotland.  Their Scottish Ale is one of about 10 beers they brew.

Belhaven’s web site says “Malty and hoppy, we at Belhaven love the classic Scottish Ale and we’ve been brewing it longer than any of the other beers we produce.  Delivering a sweet, smooth, and creamy finish, Scottish Ale has a stunning ruby color in the glass.  Magic.”

It pours a clear coppery brown color with a bit-more-than-finger-thick white head that barely dissipates, given its nitrogen backing.

The aroma is that of a balance of malt and hops, leaning toward hops.

The flavor starts malty, creamy, and very mildly hoppy.  There’s not much else to it, but it’s a very well-balanced and smooth beer to drink.  The mouth feel was a little watery, but this didn’t affect its drinkability to me.

Beer Advocate rates it 86-91 (very good to outstanding).  Rate Beer sides with me on this one, giving it a 73 overall.  I rate it 7 out of 10.  It’s fair to note that the Beer Advocate and Rate Beer ratings may not be based on the same nitro-carbonated draft version I tasted here.

I tasted this particular draft at the 101 Beer Kitchen in Dublin in January 2013.  I haven’t seen it for sale in any local retailers recently.

Flavor Profile:

Sweet, Malty, Dry, Bitter, or Sour:  Malty
Spice Level:  None
Hops Level:  Very Low
Dominant Flavors:  Malt and hops in balance
ABV: 5.2%
IBU:  unknown, but I’d estimate around 25
My Rating:  7/10

The Week in Beer News–April 20, 2014

I’m posting this a couple of days late due to a busy weekend.  Here are the interesting news items I’ve found related to beer in the past week:

• Fox News posted a list of the Top 10 Fruit Beers.  At least six of them are available in Ohio.
• Brewers are upset that they won’t be able to sell spent grain from the brewing process to livestock farmers as animal feed, if a new regulation is passed by the FDA.
• A little late for Easter this year, but by next year you’ll have had time to practice making Bourbon Chocolate Bunnies for your Easter basket.
• Introducing Taedonggang Beer, the favorite of North Korean leader Kim-Jong Un.
• A Brief History of Beer from Gizmodo
• Some interesting facts around National Beer Day (April 7).
• ABC News lists The 10 Best Beers You’ve Probably Never Heard Of on their web site.  I hate to tell them, but I’ve not only heard of – but actually HAD – #1, #2, #3, #5, and #8.  I’m pretty sure several of the others aren’t available in Ohio.
• According to Reuters, Belgian Trappists are overwhelmed by the fact that their beer is considered some of the world’s best.  (Perhaps they’re not enjoying enough of it?  Or perhaps they simply haven’t had some of the competition’s products…)
• Although it has nothing at all to do with beer, this milk glass made of cookie sounds like a perfect dessert.
• Need to remove the labels from some bottles?  Try soaking them in washing soda.

5 Rabbit Cerveceria 5 Lizard Wheat Beer (7/10)

The 5 Rabbit Cerveceria of Bedford Park, Illinois, is the home of the 5 Lizard wheat beer.

It’s a Belgian style witbier brewed with malt, wheat, and oats, and flavored with coriander, fresh lime peel, and passion fruit puree.  It’s won a Gold Medal a the 2011 Great American Beer Festival.

It pours a cloudy yellow with a thin white head that vanishes quickly and leaves behind no lacing.

The aroma is that of toasted wheat and passion fruit.

The flavor starts with a rather sour citrus note, followed with a hint of the coriander and passion fruit.  Hops bitterness, or perhaps it’s the coriander, is mild and lingers a bit in the aftertaste.

Beer Advocate rates 5 Lizard 80/100 or “good”.  Rate Beer gives it a 68 overall, which is pretty close to my own rating of 7 out of 10.  I like 5 Lizard, but it’s a bit too sour for my taste.  I love passion fruit.  For me, a sweeter beer with a stronger passion fruit element would have been better.

This beer is available in bottled and draft forms, but I’ve not seen the bottle in any stores recently.  This sample was on tap at the Daily Growler when I tasted it in April 2013.

Flavor Profile:
Sweet, Malty, Dry, Bitter, or Sour:  Sour
Spice Level:  Very low
Hops Level:  Low
Dominant Flavors:  Citrus, passion fruit, coriander
ABV: 4.3%
IBU:  20
My Rating:  7/10

Avery Karma (6/10)

Karma is a Belgian Pale Ale brewed by the Avery Brewing Company of Boulder, Colorado.  It’s described by the brewery as “a decidedly fruity and estery ale, intricate in body and nose, all driven by a unique Belgian yeast strain.”  It’s released annually in April.

The beer pours a clear medium brown with a thin white head that generates lots of sheet-like lacing on the glass.

The flavor reminds me a bit of Magic Hat #9, but with a lot more hops to it.  There a hint of apricot in among the other flavors.  Overall, it’s not bad but nothing I’m too crazy about – mostly because of the hops bitterness.  It’s hoppier than its 10 IBUs would indicate.

Beer Advocate rates Karma a 72-78 (“okay”).  Rate Beer is tougher on it, giving it only a 45 overall.  I’m somewhere between the two, giving it a 6 out of 10.  I like it, but not a lot.

Karma is available on draft (as sampled here) or in six-packs and cases of bottles.  I sampled this particular glass at The Winking Lizard in April 2013.  You can probably find it at any number of local stores which carry Avery products, though I’ve not seen it as of this writing.

Flavor Profile:
Sweet, Malty, Dry, Bitter, or Sour: Bitter
Spice Level:  Low
Hops Level:  Medium
Dominant Flavors:  Apricot, hops, malt
ABV:  5.4%
IBU: 10
My Rating:  6/10

The Week in Beer News–April 4, 2014

Following are some interesting beer and beverage-related articles I found this week:

• The Wall Street Journal posted an article about building a collection of beer to age in your cellar like wine, and even recommends a few beers you might want to age.
• Researchers used Twitter posts and geography to build a map of preferences for different beer brands around the country.
• Cincinnati Reds fans now have an impressive selection of beer choices available at an 85-foot bar at Great American Ball Park
• Airlines are now beginning to serve craft beer
• A Gizmodo article suggests that if you want the most alcohol per calorie in your beverages, look to champagne
• Scientific American has an article about Bone Dusters Paleo Ale, a beer made with yeast taken from a 35-million year old fossil
• According to the Huffington Post, Whole Foods is about to start brewing its own beer.
• Scientists at Johns Hopkins University are working on a synthetic yeast that may someday be used to brew beer.
• Meat marinated in beer before grilling/cooking may reduce cancer risk.
• An opinion piece in The New York Times talks about the challenges craft beer producers face in distribution of their products and why they think the system needs to be changed.

BBC Brewing Horse Piss Beer (7/10)

It’s a common insult in some parts of the world to tell someone that a beer “tastes like horse piss” when it’s not very pleasant.  Bluegrass Brewing Company (BBC, not to be confused with the British television network) of Louisville, Kentucky, decided to take that insult and turn it into a product.  Yes, gentle reader, it’s possible to drink an honest-to-goodness beer called “Horse Piss” and this is it.
The web site (linked above) says that their efforts are dedicated to “bringing you a smooth tasting, micro-brewed beer for your drinking pleasure.”  A portion of the sales of the beer and merchandise go to help disabled jockeys and horse adoption programs, so you can feel good about drinking your Horse Piss.

The beer pours a clear, pale amber color with virtually no head.  The little you see in the picture required a fairly strong pour to achieve, even in a frosted glass.

The aroma is sugary and sweet, with no hint of hops to it.
The flavor follows the aroma closely.  The strongest hint in the aroma is probably corn.  It’s not at all hoppy, which I like.  It’s very smooth, mildly sweet, and finishes with a very nice balance.  There is no bitterness at all in the aftertaste.  If you’re an IPA lover, you’re going to hate this beer because it in no way resembles an IPA.  A Yuengling lager is probably five times as hoppy as this, to give you a basis for comparison.

That said, it’s not a complex or particularly exciting beer.  Maybe it’s not meant to be.  You won’t find the spice notes you get from a good Belgian ale.  You won’t get the vanilla and oaky flavors of an Innis & Gunn ale.  You’re not going to swish it around in your mouth and marvel at how you pick up honey, brown sugar, vanilla, cardamom, or subtle smokiness… because it’s not here.  For many craft beer fans, that lack of complexity and subtlety is a turn off – and I won’t disagree with them.  I like this beer, but it won’t be on my list of “the 10 brews I’d want to be stuck with on a desert island” any time soon.  But would I rather have this than a Budweiser, Miller, or Coors product – oh yeah!
It’s no surprise that the Beer Advocate crowd doesn’t like this blonde ale.  They give it a 64/100 or “poor” rating.  The folks at Rate Beer are even harder on it, giving it a 2 out of 100.  On my scale, where a 5 rates “equal to drinking a Budweiser product”, a 1 means “I had to force this down or I poured it out”, Horse Piss rates a solid 7.  It’s pleasant enough and very drinkable, just not that special.

Flavor Profile:
Sweet, Malty, Dry, or Bitter:  Sweet
Spice Level:  None
Hops Level:  Extremely low, so as to be almost non-existent
Dominant Flavors:  Corn and malt
ABV: 5%
IBU:  Unknown, but can’t be more than 10-15
My Rating: 7/10