A beer lovers ramblings

The last time that I was dropped off in a van, by a parent, to any social event was probably a decade ago… I’d forgotten how convenient it is to have a personal chauffeur. Thank you Mr. And Mrs. O’Neil for putting up with a car full of twenty and thirty something “kids”, for driving us to and from the stadium and smiling all the while an adult was throwing up on your van door. We raise our plastic taster glasses to you.

As for the beer, that was impressive also. My cohorts and I attended the Friday event and we weren’t disappointed. With more than 50 breweries to choose from, it wasn’t long before we made friends with a sunny patch of grass and spiced up samosas.

Breweries that I had no problem with standing in line for: Ninkasi, Central City, Driftwood, Stone and many more. And there were line-ups, oh were there line-ups! But everything in life happens for a reason and the reason that the Beer Gods created line-ups is to keep beer lovers sober long enough to at least remember some of the fantastic beers that show up at beer festivals.

Some of the few beers I do remember are…

Three Skulls Ales, Blood Orange Wit – This beer was interesting with zesty blood oranges and spiked with hand crushed coriander.
Ninkasi, Tricerahops – Not only is this one of the best beer names ever imagined, but it’s also a damn fine beer.
The Moon Under Water, Blue Moon Best Bitter – While their description of this beer as a “traditional English bitter” might be slightly misguided, since the hop factor is a little on the high side, you won’t hear me complaining.

There were many more notable brews. Only to be matched by the notable moments. See pictures for random beer fun. For all the friends they may implicate, I’m sorry.

Cheers!

For anyone who has read my few random ramblings, you should be aware that many moons ago I wrote the Certified Cicerone (beer nerd extreme) exam and have been eagerly awaiting/dreading the results ever since. Well, the results were emailed out a few weeks ago and I am finally able to stop blubbering long enough to share with the world that I failed.

Wait one second! Don’t lose hope for me yet! I barely failed… By 6%! And the passing grade is an 80% average for the entire exam! While I’m sad that I will have to rewrite a portion of the exam, I’m proud to say that I did pretty damn well on the tasting and food pairing portions. This is, of course, the most pertinent aspect of being a Cicerone…

I also have to say that although I’m not stoked about having to fork out a bunch more money to retake the exam, I am glad that the bar is set high for this qualification. It validates the title, in my mind at least, and it means that I’ll be that much more proud to call myself a Certified Cicerone when I pass the next time round.

So if for some crazy reason, someone out there actually reads my ramblings and is rooting for me, don’t lose faith and check back in a few months. The next chance will be coming up either in November or January. And for anyone who is looking to venture into the world of Beer Sommeliering, check out Chester Carey’s “Serious Beer ” course held at the Pacific Culinary Institute. He is a mentor and a friend and he loves beer so he can’t be all that bad. Cheers!

Light American Lager, Standard American Lager or Premium American Lager. We’ve probably all had one of each of these, but do we know the difference? No? Don’t worry, they really aren’t that different. Here is the basic breakdown ala GingerBeer interpreting BJCP guidelines.

First, however I have to premise this with a note about my love for lagers. Quite simply, I have very little of it. While I can appreciate a wonderfully crisp Pilsner when it’s sweltering out or I’ve been jumping around the Railway Club during a Rich Hope show, that slight hint of glorious hops just leaves me wishing there were more! And more and more and more! But that is just a personal disability and I will try not to let it affect my beer reporting.

Ok, Light American Lager: these beers are easy(er) on your waistline and light on your taste buds. They fizzle and pop in your mouth with refreshing carbonation and a high percentage of rice or corn instead of barley gives them an airy body that makes them perfect for extended sunbathing sessions at Wreck Beach or team shotgunning in the elevator. In fact they go down as easily as a pint of good ol’ aqua. Though perhaps less hydrating. These beers are designed to appeal to everyone, everywhere, all the time. Except for me. They are lower in alcohol than standard lagers, hence why they make such good session beers. Examples? Sam Adams Light Lager, Miller Light, really all those big name North American brands with “light” in the title.

Moving on. Standard American Lager: in short, as above, but NOT light in alcohol. This is an international style and the mass market lagers from countries around the world usually fall into this category. Think PBR, Budweiser, Kirin or Fosters.

Now on to the high class stuff. Premium American Lager: this is an interesting category because it includes a lot of the beers that us beer nerds turn our noses up at, but also some really well crafted beers from breweries that we proudly consume at tap havens like the Alibi Room. Because this category encompasses such a vast array of beers, the actual products can vary quite dramatically. The BJCP guidelines, however, describe it as being similar to the other styles of American lagers but more body and flavour. Examples of these beers run the gambit from the lager of your favourite brew pub down the street, to Stella or Heineken.

Even though it is not my beer of choice, I have a lot of respect for a well crafted lager. It’s pretty damn easy to brew an average lager that will make you a well loved friend during hockey season, but it takes a lot of skill and love to create a fantastic lager that will entice even hop heads to switch it up once in a while. Now if only the sun would come out and give me a reason to break out the summer beers.

Cheers!

For those of you that know, well, you know. For those of you who don’t, not to worry, the Cicerone Certification is just starting to gain steam around the world. At this present moment there are only three people in Vancouver who hold the title of Certified Cicerone. And I am not one of them… Yet. Now I know that I could be shooting myself in the foot here by admitting that I will be writing the exam at the end of June, thereby opening myself up to ridicule should I fail, but I’ve decided that this same fact will prove to be good motivation to study my ass off.

The Cicerone program is in essence a Sommelier program developed for beer. If you’re interested in the details, check out the website? It’s a fascinating and exciting development for craft beer around the world and I’m excited to be a part of it. Now let’s hope I pass.

In the days preceding the exam I will be posting info on different beer styles in an effort to commit them to my memory. For the amazing beer lovers out there that already have all this information floating around in the pint glass in their brain, man up and write the exam with me! For all the newbies, perhaps this will make for some interesting reading.

Cheers fair Beer Lovers!