http://beerovision.wnymedia.net/blogs A Monthly Internet Magazine about Beer & Brewing Fri, 30 May 2008 02:57:39 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en (photo ripped from WKTV) My bloggy silence (don't ask) has to break over this terrible news: Utica' NY's F.X. Matt, makers of Utica Club and Saranac (and contract brewers of, among many other brands, Brooklyn Brewery) have had a fire this evening in the building that houses their canning line. ... http://beerovision.wnymedia.net/blogs/2008/05/29/fire-at-fxmatt-grab-saranac-now/ It's been a while since I did my beerly duty and covered the local beery events scene here in WNY, but with Spring, well, springing, to say the least, there's just too many things going on to ignore. So, I thought I could probably whip off a succession of ... http://beerovision.wnymedia.net/blogs/2008/04/17/alternative-brews-beer-club-april-21-june-28/ For whatever reason, I'm really currently fascinated by two German styles that are often overlooked: Kolsch and Altbier. We'll save the former for another post, but seeing Uerige, a classic example of the Altbier style the other day down at The Village Beer Merchant, (and it comes in a ... http://beerovision.wnymedia.net/blogs/2008/03/20/altbier-is-the-bomb-uerige-sticke/ I didn't really know what category to judge it to, was the issue here. They bill it as an Imperial Chocolate Stout. Ok, but it's not a Russian Imperial Stout (13F)- and though it's got flaked oats, it's not an Oatmeal Stout (13C). So, is it Category ... http://beerovision.wnymedia.net/blogs/2008/03/02/southern-tiers-choklat-gets-the-bjcp-treatment/ OK, so- another thing I should be practicing is, duh, judging beer. Ideally, I'd go about this by selecting some beers that have been recently given the Commercial Calibration treatment in an issue of Zymurgy, wherein renown beer judges give the once-over to a commercial style. Then I'd ... http://beerovision.wnymedia.net/blogs/2008/02/19/rogue-santas-reserve-gets-the-bjcp-treatment/ Among the myriad reasons for some paucity in my posting is that at long last, I'm digging in and studying up for the Beer Judge Certification Program's exam. Our local brewing club, the Niagara Association of Homebrewers, is sponsoring an exam at the end of April, so we're also ... http://beerovision.wnymedia.net/blogs/2008/02/19/bjcp-studying-vol-1/ True, they're been hyped pretty thoroughly over on another site, but I know some of my readers refuse to be seen over there. And anyway, I'm personally very excited about this: after all, I live a short walk away from both them and soon-to-open Wine Thief, so my beery ... http://beerovision.wnymedia.net/blogs/2008/01/29/elmwood-village-beer-merchants-taps-apourin/ (all photos ripped, thanks to Caltech/Stanford) Apparently, the more wine costs, the better people think it tastes- not just subjectively, but even as viewed through the cool, empirical eye of fMRI and scientific psychology. The neuroimaging data was accompanied by this lovely graph of behavioral data, which demonstrates the researchers ... http://beerovision.wnymedia.net/blogs/2008/01/14/why-am-i-not-surprised/ One of the sure signs of the impending present holiday season is the arrival of strange beers and packaging. I'm not talking about the release of all the Christmas/holiday style beers- that's certainly great in- and of-itself. But no, I refer here more to interesting packaging options, which ... http://beerovision.wnymedia.net/blogs/2007/12/21/beer-is-the-reason-for-the-season/ [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=260-nFiVAD0[/youtube] I decided to check out the beer knowing really, honestly, nothing about it. Which, really, is a great way to approach a beer. Not long afterwards, BOV's crafty video editor, Marc, found this link and info: BUFFALO from Brouwerij Van Den Bossche is dark, almost black, top fermented Belgian ... http://beerovision.wnymedia.net/blogs/2007/12/18/new-video-buffalo-stout-from-belgium-review/