Yes, January IS a good time to brew beer!

Wow!

Matt is right in that there seems to have been a drought of posts here on the blog since the New Year. I wish there was some monumental excuse or event I could blame the lack of keeping all four of you informed on the happenings in the world of beer, but alas it is not the case. Just plan laziness on my part. Although, on the up side, even though our posts have been anemic, our beer consumption (especially new beers!) has been quite healthy.

So much to write about, where to begin? I guess the most important is to let you all know Matt and I are brewing Monday MLK day. Yes, we know it is January, and that this winter in K.C. has been on the slightly frigid side but we are willing to brave the cold all in the name of brewing great beer (and perhaps the greater driving force, in desperate need of re-stocking our homebrew fridge). We are getting back to our homebrew roots by brewing our Inaugural Belgian Ale - the first beer brewed by M&B. An excellent example of the Belgian style using an authentic Belgian Ale yeast strain and the use of candied sugar to boost the alcohol. Slightly less heavy than a true Belgian double, but a good tasting session beer. Our two other beers will be from the same base grain bill but will turn into two distinctly different beers, one will use a Belgain Saison yeast strain the other our first ever lager - a Czech Pilsner. Both should be quite tasty and Matt and I are very excited at the opportunity to stretch our brewing skills with the Pils!

As I noted earlier, Matt and I have been busy expanding our beer tasting horizons over the Holiday break. Mostly with Lagunitas Brewing Company offerings, all quite tasty (and becoming one of our favorite brewers). We also made a nice little pilgrimage to Freestate Brewery down the road in Lawrence sampling many of their fine brews. If you have the chance to get over there, right now they have Cape of Good Hope IPA on tap - absolutely phenomenal!

Of course being the New Year, we all have new resolutions that we are rapidly breaking. Hoever, one I hope to maintain is to be a little more faithful in posting to the blog. So keep tuned for all things beer!

Cheers!

-Ben

Saturday night's all right (for reviewing six day-old craft beers)

So, we're both sitting at my house, waiting for our dutiful wives to cook dinner for us, beers in hand, and Ben says to me, he says, "We should review these." So I says "Good idea! Give me a beer!" So here goes:

I (Matt) and Robyn and friends visited Free State Brewery in Lawrence last weekend. Ben couldn't attend, though he was there in spirit, and his growler was there in reality, so I returned with two, count 'em, two full growlers. After an interminable 6 days in the fridge, we are now able to enjoy an evening of libation. I can attest that these have lost a little something since they were filled; the aroma has subsided a bit, the hops are more subdued, but still, the beer held up well. We just had a sidebar discussion with the wives, discussing the merits of our a bromance built on beer, and now we're ready to review:

Santa's Helper: Described as a "Belgian IPA," it falls a bit short of being a true IPA, lacking the necessary hoppy nose and bitter finish. Belgian yeast is very much apparent—fruity, citrusy, dry. An interesting take, not the most memorable; very malty and would be improved with more hop character. (I say it was hoppier a week ago, but it is what it is.)

Vortex Red: A red that is actually hoppier than the IPA, not too hoppy, but with more nutty bitterness. A lovely red color. Slight astringent bitterness at the finish, perhaps a bit too sweet for a red, but good with white chili and beer bread, so good enough. My decision to buy it was based on a good experience with Lagunitas' Imperial Red a few weeks back.

We've had better at Free State, but I chalk some of that up to the time it sat in the fridge—the nose was greatly diminished. I think we prefer the Red to the Belgian IPA, but in any case, this makes us want to get back to Free State to compare our experience to the fresh stuff on tap.

Incidentally, we are tenatively planning to brew on Monday, December 28. Our potential lineup has changed; we are now considering our Belgian Ale (with a Mexican twist, courtesy of Dr. Todd Martin), our take on a Saison, and our first ever lager, an M&B Pils. Watch this space, or follow us on our web site for full details. We will probably be inviting guests to serve as assistant brewers, so if you're interested in braving the cold, keep it in mind. Happy holidays!