Great Lakes Brewfest Fast Approaching!

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If there is one event in Wisconsin that I hit every year, it’s the Great Lakes Brew Fest (GLBF). This year is no exception. With over 250 different craft beers being offered from 100 different brewery’s, it is a craft beer lovers wet dream. I started going to the GLBF back in 2006 and have been back every year since. Attendance is limited to 4,000 people for the main fest on Saturday and limited to 2,500 on Friday. The fest has been selling out in past years so you should get your ticket soon. It’s a great time, I have never seen anyone at the fest not having fun. In past years the event was held at Festival Park in Racine, but several events this year lead to the Great lakes Brew Fest needing to change it’s location. This year it will held at The Racine Zoological Gardens, at 200 Gold Street in Racine. It will be interesting to see how this affects the festivals turnout, but I saw pictures on the GLBF website and it looks to be a beautiful location.

The Festival is a two-day event with Friday September 16th being a showcase to Wisconsin’s Craft Beer scene. The “On Wisconsin Brews” portion of the Festival will showcase over 100 of Wisconsin’s finest craft beer offerings from about 35 different brewery’s from around the state. If you would like to see a line-up of the beers being offered, I will provide a link here. This particular event runs from 6:30pm until 10:30pm. Aside from the beer there will food and live music as well. Last year I had a pulled pork sandwich which was awesome, I hope that same vendor is there this year.

Saturday is the “Full Monty” which runs from 3pm till 7pm for general admission and from 2pm-7pm for Vip ticket holders. This Saturday event is the one I make sure I hit not matter what. The most exciting part of the whole thing is the choices you have. You have all of these brewery’s to choose from (select Wisconsin or Nationwide to see the full list). From my experience, each of these stands will offer anywhere from 3 to 5 different beers to choose from and many of them them will have special tappings of their specials or seasonal beers. Generally there is a few different musical performers staged at a few different locations of the festival so Entertainment is never an issue. Sometime about mid-fest you also are treated to a performance by the Kilties Drum and Bugle Corps as well. There is a large food tent,(Again, pulled pork my friends. Pulled Pork!) with several vendors offering a wide variety of food.I should also note that there will be a prize for the best animal costume too. So if you love to dress up, this is your chance.

So, are you ready to buy a ticket yet?  Ticket prices are $40 for each day of the fest, or $71 if you buy tickets to both days at the same time. VIP tickets for Saturday only will run you $85 each, or $116 if you bundle with a  general admission Friday ticket too. designated driver tickets are $15 each for general admission and $25 for VIP designated driver tickets.  You can purchase tickets Here.

Since drinking and driving is not the responsible way to attend a fest, I have to add that if you don’t have a designated driver ticket, you should seriously think of purchasing a shuttle ticket if you are staying at one of the hotels. For either $4 or $8 round trip, it is really worth it. You can purchase those Here.

So hopefully you can make September 16th and/or the 17th. If you can’t make this year, make a plan for next year because this fest is one you don’t want to miss!

Sprecher’s Grilling with Beer Contest 2011

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The recipe poster in front of my grilling station

A week ago I posted that I was selected as one of eight finalists in the Sprecher Grilling with beer contest. The event was a great time, and I give a lot of thanks to Sprecher Brewing, Keg-a-Que, and the Beef council for sponsoring such a cool event. Anything that spreads awareness as beer as an ingredient in great cooking is A+ in my book. I am also happy to say I took a 2nd place spot in this competition with my Pub Style Skirt Steak Fajitas. I am sad to say at this time I don’t remember who took the 1st and 3rd place spots, but I promise to update this post with that information once Sprecher updates their site with the other winners. I did get a chance to sample some of the other contestants food around me and I have to say their recipes were very tasty, I can see why they were selected for the contest.

The day started at noon when I arrived to let the people at Sprecher know that I was indeed there to compete. However, since my turn-in time was 2:10 and my dish only takes approximately 45 minutes to prepare and cook, I didn’t have to start cooking until just before 1:30. At about 1:25 I start slicing my peppers and onions and turned on the grill. Once hot, it was just a matter of cooking the skirt steak to about 7 minutes a side. Normally on my charcoal grill I do about 5 minutes each side, but this grill seemed to feel a bit less intense than when I use charcoal. This worked well. I ended up pulling my steak off just shy of 1:50 and got started on the peppers and onions. Shortly after, the steak was done resting about 2pm and I sliced the steak. By the time I was done slicing the vegetables were done, and I had time to quickly grill a tortilla. I was nervous about my serving because I didn’t have time to make another or make it look pretty, so I bet I didn’t get the best score for presentation. But the meat was spot on for what I was going for and the vegetables were of good flavor and texture. Below are some pics from the event.

Here I am receiving my instructions for turn in times and so forth.

Here is the grilled skirt steak as it rests.

Here is the beer braised onions and peppers.

Here is the sliced skirt steak.

Finished product, I also quickly warmed the tortilla on the grill as well.

This is just a shot of the judges eating my entry. I'm probably the only one who likes this pic. :)

Called up on stage for 2nd place!!

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All three of us winners up on stage. 1st place was a rueben burger, then my skirt steak fajitas, and at third place was Farmer's Fantastic Ribeyes grilled by Shana Johnson (no relation).

For second place I received a grill, various beef shwag, a gift certificate for beef, a grilling with beer cookbook, a case of Sprecher beer, and 2 tour passes.

Sprecher Grilling With Beer Contest

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This is just a quick post. I have been selected to compete in the Sprecher Grilling with Beer Competition. I will be bringing you a full account of what happened probably sometime next week. I’m pretty excited, this is the second year I have been selected. However last year I had to back out because of an obligation at work. This year, I am able to make it down. I will be grilling a pub style skirt steak with beer braised onions and peppers.

Firken Follow Up

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Well if you missed it, you probably want to reserve this time of year next year for the next Firken Craft Beer Festival.  The festival may have only been in it’s second year but it is already proving to be a beer event to hit in Wisconsin with a crowd of over 1100 Craft Beer Lovers in attendance. The weather was warm and sunny which didn’t hurt. After all, that’s perfect beer drinking weather….not that there ever is bad beer drinking weather right?  The event took place at Cathedral Square Park in Downtown Milwaukee, on July 23 from 3-8 p.m.

When the gates opened at 3pm,  VIP ticket holders had first crack at their favorite beers. The advantage of VIP is you do not have to contend with lines and you have a lot of open beer options.  The general admissions line wrapped around the block, as they waited for their turn into the fest.  It was not long after opening The Squeezettes made their rounds through the fest, playing everyone’s favorite polka tunes while brandishing their very own tasting glasses.  The Reverend Raven and the Chain Smoking Alter Boys set up on stage and began a set that rumor has it, even the Klements Racing Sausages couldn’t help but dance to.

The Squeezetss playing Wisconsin's favorite Polka Music

Reverend Raven and the Chain Smoking Alter Boys Rockin the fest

In the Firkin Tent,  Fest goers tried one of the eight brews up for the Beer Buffalo Lodge Big Firkin Award (an amazing piece of art which was designed and created by Art Milwaukee).  Attendees were able to vote on their favorite nominated brew. The winner was Big Bay Brewing Company with their Wavehopper Kolsch, a clear fest favorite!

Firken Tent

Fest goers also enjoyed many options for food, including George’s Big Dogs, Miller Bakery Pretzillas (which boasted the longest food vendor line!) and Flannery’s.  The Brewriana Tent was jam packed with displays of antique beer cans, caps, photos and signs.

In the end, it appears that the 2nd Annual Firkin was a huge success.  When you have the best Milwaukee has to offer on the craft beer scene, great music, and sunny blue skies;  you are bound to have a Firkin good time.

Prost!

Brix to Specific Gravity Chart Available.

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If you have a refractometer and have either a conversion program nearby when brewing or have the Specific Gravity range right in the refractometer, I have created an easy one page chart that I use for my brewhouse. I thought I would share with you and I hope you find it useful. Here is the link to the PDF file. You can save the document by selecting the “file” tab on the left side of the page. Select “download Original”.

Milwaukee Firkin Craft Beer Festival Approaching

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With beer festival season in full swing this summer there are a few Wisconsin festivals worth making your way to this summer. The first is the Milwaukee Firkin Craft Beer Festival on July 23rd, a date which is fast approaching. The Milwaukee Firkin is a celebration of Milwaukee brewing traditions of the Past, Present, and future. So what can you expect if you plan to attend this event? That is what this article is going to cover.

The Beer!

The beer is the most important part of any beer festival, but that should go without saying. Milwaukee Firkin Craft Beer Festival will have over 90 beers from the Milwaukee area for you to sample. The brewery lineup is quite good with some craft beer lover classics like Lakefront Brewery, Milwaukee Ale House, Milwaukee Brewing Co, and Sprecher. But the lineup does not stop at those classics. Also making a showing at Firkin will be Horney Goat, St. Francis Brewery, Stonefly Brewing Company, Water Street Brewery, Rock Bottom Brewery, Buffalo Water Brewing Company, Leinenkugels, III Dachshunds Beer and Cider, Chameleon Brewing Company, Miller Valley Brewery, and Big Bay Brewing. So you can see there is quite a great representation of Milwaukee brewing tradition here as well as newer breweries that starting to make a solid mark in the craft beer world. Many of these breweries are favorites of mine. For example Milwaukee Brewing Company has their Sai Son Farmhouse Ale which I will be reviewing shortly on here. I think it is fantastic. I have also heard a rumor that there may be a special commemorative beers being served at the festival as well.

Something else that unique and exciting that the Firkin Festival is offering that you may not find at many other craft beer festival is that they are serving 10 authentic cask ales served from Firkins. People who have been to Oktoberfest may be familiar with Firkins. They are about the size of a quarter barrel and hold roughly 40 liters of cask conditioned beer. If you want to see exactly what a Firkin is, check out this link on Youtube. A huge part of the fun is tapping the Firkin. But this festival offers more than just beer.

The Music

There are two musical acts in the line-up for the fest. First is the Milwaukee blues band Reverend Raven and the Chain Smokin’ Altar Boys (Click the link for a taste of their music). There is not much better drinking music than some good old classic blues if you ask me. Reverend Raven is a well seasoned, and fairly well known blues band. I have seen them perform here locally before and they were quite good. One of the songs featured on their website is a funny blues tune called Jiggle My Junk which is a satirical look at Airport security, the scanners in particular, and wondering what Uncle Sam wants with those photos.

What Wisconsin festival would be complete without a Polka Band? Well, if you ask most Wisconsinites, the answer would be none. The Squeezettes bring polka to life like I have never seen before. I listened to some of the their music and with rock styled vocals and what they are calling Power Polka, they sort of remind me of a combination of the low rock styling of The Twinemen meets Irish folk music. Personally I am not a fan of Polka music, but this band I could really listen too. Let’s just say it’s not your Grandpa’s Polka.

Wait, there’s More?

So what else is going down at the Firkin Craft Beer Festival? There is more than just beer an music going down at the Festival. There will be a talk given by renowned Milwaukee beer historian Len Jurgensen. You will also be able to view various displays of Breweriana as well as beer exhibits put on by Discovery World and the Pabst Museum. You will also be able to find a beer kiosk on the grounds as well.

The Low Down

So the bottom line is where is this fest located, how much are tickets, and what do I have to bring?  The Milwaukee Firkin Festival is located at Cathedral Square Park in Downtown Milwaukee on July 23rd from 3pm to 7pm (Unless you purchase a VIP ticket in which case the doors open at 2pm)

You have two options, you can with a regular admission ticket for $40 and get unlimited sampling of the 90+ beers on tap plus a Milwaukee Firkin Craft Beer Festival Pint Glass. You can also roll like  VIP and get the unlimited sampling and pint glass, but you will also get in an hour before the general admission (no risk of missing out on your favorite beers) , a T-shirt, a chance to mingle with the brewmasters, and some crackers and cheese sampling in the VIP tent. All that for $25 more ($65). You can purchase tickets directly here.

To answer the question about what to bring, you only need to bring your love of great craft beer, a thirst for some good music, and bring an appetite. There will be local food available at the fest as well. One other thing to consider bringing is a designated driver. The Milwaukee  Firkin Craft Beer Festival does off designated driver tickets for only $15. Always remember, have fun but be safe. Drinking and driving does not just endanger yourself, but everyone who shares the road with you.

This craft beer festival should prove to be a Firkin good time, and with Milwaukee’s rich brewing tradition, provide some solid craft beer choices. Prost!

Review of New Glarus Two Women Classic Country Lager

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New Glarus Country Lager

I’m not sure what BJCP category a Classic Country Lager would fall into, but I don’t think it is a German Pilsner that many of the beer rating sites have this beer listed as. I feel if you can’t find a category, list is as a specialty lager. For me, I think this beer is much closer to fitting in category 4a, Dark American Lager than German Pils. I think whomever classified this went strictly off the fact that it used German hops and floor malted Bohemian malt. But no part of this beer in the flavor or aroma categories fit a German Pils. Since a big part of my blog is work beers in the way of the BJCP style guidelines, I try to fit the beer into a category that I would enter it in if it were my beer going into a competition. For me, I will judge this beer as I would if I were enter it in category 4a. Once you try this beer you will see it is more  “A somewhat sweeter version of standard/premium lager with a little more body and flavor.” And represents “a  broad range of international lagers that are darker than pale, and not assertive bitter and/or roasted.” Rather than the German Pils which many of these site wrongly put the beer into.  So let’s get reviewing Two Women from New Glarus.

Aroma:Some clean malt with slight hint of sweetness. Some soft bready aroma with a touch of toffee. Hops aroma is low with a slightly floral and herbal character. This beer is not very complex, as it shouldn’t be. But really that’s about all I find going on. (8 points)

Appearance: Dark amber, with a good clarity. Nice white head that persists. Good lacing on the glass. (3 points)

Flavor:Some sweet bready malt with a touch of toffee. The hops are also on the low side, with a bit of subtle spicy flavor. The beer is fairly clean, and finished just slightly sweet. I do get a bit of metallic twang, possibly from the water. While the malt and hops are present, it comes off a bit thin in flavor for me. I taste a bit too much of the water perhaps and not enough of the ingredients. Still, a good lager, it is an easy drinking beer. (13 points)

Mouthfeel:lighter in body than I was thinking when I looked at it and smelled it. Carbonation is medium. (3 points)

Overall:it is a very good easy drinking beer for this summer. It’s well balanced and put together very well, it could just use a touch more of everything. Not much, just a touch. A German Pils it is not, but as a  Dark American Lager this thing is very good. I rather like the malt profile. While I personally would like a touch more bitterness to finish this beer out, the hops does it’s job. I wouldn’t say it is my favorite beer, but I like it. (7 points)

Score: I give this beer a 34 out of 50 points. I give the beer a good solid C to C+. While it is very good, it is not great. There is a metallic twang to the beer I had and it seemed a bit thin to me.  Back to the German Pils thing. Once you have this beer, tell me, do you think this beer is much closer to Sam Adams Boston Lager or a  Victory Prima Pils?