I knew as soon as I hit submit on a reply in Egbert's AMA that he would nominate me... So here I am! I expect this will be a slower AMA due to a)I don't like talking about myself, and b) it's a holiday week. Additionally I am about to go out of country for a week so I apologize if some replies come much later than expected. Not a frequent poster, I hope I do this right and feel free to tell me otherwise!
Background:
Grew up an Army Brat, lived in lots of places including various European stints.
Graduated VT Food Science '98 (small major you likely have never heard of, in College of Ag, we had 12 of us in my graduating class)
After Graduating VT went to work as an assistant winemaker in upstate New York. Lasted one winter there and then moved west, young man! To California and a small ag town in Sonoma County where I was a cellarmaster for some time. Long hours, very low pay (I was making less than I was in NY but cost of living was ridiculous – but if you love it, you do it.) Lots of learning, hard work and experience was gained, especially during harvest and crush when I would basically work at other wineries overnight to earn some more money. When you are young in the wine business you basically sell yourself cheap for experience... but fine memories now. Perspective is everything.
During that time I was approached by a colleague who wanted to start up a hard cider company from scratch – so I joined in on that venture and was in charge of all production while he did sales and marketing. Long Story short I found he was pretty much embezzling investor funds, so I had to laywer up and get out of that situation, sadly.
Worked for awhile in Napa (Calistoga) leading a second shift production job in a larger facility. Didn't enjoy working for a larger company, so I left there to go and work on a family ranch in Sonoma where we grew wine grapes and made some specialty food products for companies like Trader Joe's and Williams-Sonoma. Somewhere in there I got married and had three kids. That was an awesome job and would still likely be there but the owners sold the business to grow old and travel in retirement.
Following that I was approached by a fellow Reserve Augmentation Program Firefighter (it's a CA thing) who had a small craft brewery and wanted me to run his QA lab as he was growing. Signed on for that gig, and we went from 15kbbl to ~80kbbl/yr production in about 2 years. This was during the big craft beer boom, and we had a well known flagship old school IPA that sold nationally.
Kids+California = not affordable unless you are a trust fund owner.... so a few years ago a job came up back here at VT and I took it! Back in the same Department I graduated from, came back to share with the students what I learned in my career. My wife, who is from CA, never lets a winter go by without reminding me about the weather in CA... She is a saint.
Things I enjoy: carting my kids around to their activities, fishing, smoking and bbqing meats, travel. That should also answer the question about how and why I enjoy The Key Play!
I will do my best to check in this week and answer as best I can!
Comments
By winters in Blacksburg does she mean November through May?
yes. especially that horrendous Canadian wind that starts in November. I brace myself every winter for that chill and the looks from my wife that say it all.... my daughter has picked up on how to throw looks that are very communicative as well.
Oh, that's all of them. When in kindergarted they pull all the little gurls off to the side and teach them 2 things.
That look and that screetch.
Right, Lancer?
I teach not screeching... The look is taught/perfected but we have it from birth.
What's the soundtrack to your life?
What's your favorite personal story?
I'll have to put some thought in to the soundtrack question - come back at me if I forget.
favorite personal story - while single in CA, I had a roommate, and one of my best friends to date, who was an avid OU fan. Saturdays were fun in our house as we each hung our flags out the windows and college football all day long including dueling playing of school fight songs whenever our teams scored! that small ag town and CA had never seen such pride in school and love of college football which is unheard of there. anyway, I digress.
Every season we would host visiting winemaking students from around the world, who interned at various wineries in the area. One time we had this young lady from South America, and with her accent she could not pronounce my roommate's name correctly. Instead of his name, she could only say what sounded like "Beans." So one night I was helping crush as the same winery she was interning at and I had to clean out the horizontal bladder press. We had just pressed some red and someone had to go in and clean out the grape skins that did not come out. it was my turn and it was 2am. I had forgotton my change of clothes, so not wanting to drive home soaked I stripped down to my undies and climbed in. It's a confined space now that I think about it, and really not safe. Well, red grapes stain everything, so when I came out I was basically purple and red from head to toes, and who is at the bottom of the ladder? the intern. She freaked out and ran down the cellar hall screaming for "Mr. Beans, XXXX is all bloody and dead" and just repeating that screaming across the cellar. Mr. Beans! Mr. Beans! Mr. Beans!.... I'll never forget and neither did the rest of the cellar crew for the rest of the season. Mr. Beans and I still laugh at it all these years later.
edited for clarity
Being in food science did you ever find out if you were overly cautious about feeding your kids certain foods? Like not letting them have a hamburger until they were like 12?
nah, I'm more reality based than theory based person. I think our kids have tried more foods than other kdis we hang out with, including things like beef tartar and the like which might be unsafe.... by Food Science Standards. But if done properly by a professional - go for it. I even cook hamburgers to medium with some pink. It's all about understanding risk and your comfort level.
Where in upstate NY? My family has houses on Piseco Lake and Spy Lake in the Adirondacks-
Favorite New York Red and White wines?
At VT now, are you involved with the brewing program?
Where are you headed out of the country?
in NY closer to Lake Erie and lake effect snow. That winery is no longer around.
And I hate to say it, but I fell in love with CA wines and haven't had a NY wine since I left! I would love some recommendations though, so let me know! My favorite CA wines are Zinfandels made with grapes from the Dry Creek Valley (where I lived and worked) and Cote-du-Rhone varietal wines. Carignan is my favorite grape varietal after Zin. A good Zin should be like walking through a bramble patch. All deep dark fruity.... tasty.
Yes, I am involved with the Brewing and Fermentation Program at VT, including the licensed beers. It's been great fun and I hope helpful for the students. Some of the proceeds from the beer and ice cream go to scholarships for our students.
Switzerland! Where a slice of pizza costs an arm and a leg. Actually working on something for our students....
I'm mostly a beer guy, and when I do drink wine I usually drink red wine, i dont have any particular NY winery offerings i like, but I've had some really nice Cab's, and Pinot Noirs, and I really like Gewurztraminers, and Niagaras in the whites....very 'earthy' to me.
Switzerland is outrageously beautiful. Take it in. I got to go in 2010 and all I could think was Lord of the Rings the entire time.
Red Zins are the best!
One of my brothers was in food science. Do you agree with his take on ice cream manufactures and (regardless if your answer is yes or no) why do you say that?
His view is the best way to tell if a company is good at making ice cream is to try their vanilla. Unlike other flavors where you can hide flaws with chocolate or nuts or fruit syrups, with vanilla, there is nowhere to hide. It is crisp and clean or it isn't.
yes, I agree with your brother. Just like beer - if they can't make a good base, then they are missing something. And just like beer (IPA's in particular) you can hide a lot with variegates (swirls) and inclusions (chips, chunks) in ice cream! In beer, a lot can be hidden with hops. It's why a good helles is hard to make and hard to find. A good Balanced IPA is hard to make, and find these days. In fact, we stopped entering our IPA (flagship) in the IPA category at GABF because it just became a hop bomb fest and no reward for a carefully crafted beverage. That ship may be starting to turn, but it's a long slow turn...
I recently took Mrs. Freefall to Napa & Sonoma for her first trip out there. Any recommendations for off-the-beaten-path wineries that are worth a visit?
Outside of wineries, any particularly notable destinations up the coast, from Bodega Bay north?
Regarding the hard cider venture, with the full benefit of hindsight, were there red flags that could have alerted you to the issue(s)? Anything you'd do differently if you had it to do all over again?
This post I could spend hours on. in Short: Skip Napa and head to Dry Creek Valley. You could spend 3 days just in that small valley and hit wineries, no more than 3 per day. It's a smaller valley, but tourists are finding it. It used to be more rual and less posh, but when we were leaving the posh and movie starts were moving in. but the ranches are holding out, and the people are real peoples - farmers still run the valley.
The coast - I never made it more north than Point Arena. After that it's basically all the same. but Mendocino is rugged shoreline beauty, redwoods galore. I can recommend TimberCove Resort, Russian Beach and Salt Point State Park. But after awhile it all gets the same. If you are into golf on the shore, I hear Sea Ranch is fun, but I'm not a golfer.
Let me know if you want to hit up Dry Creek and we can dive into specifics.
Deciphering People: yes, there were some red flags - I would have asked to see ALL the financials from the get go - I was too trusting and let that fly. I can now also say I can see better a snake oil salesman - cut through the fluff and let's see and talk details.
Appreciate the advice! I don't know when we'll make it back out, but I have added Dry Creek Valley to our "next time" list. Would love any additional details you're willing to share.
As for the coast, we took a day off wineries to visit the Armstrong Redwoods Reserve (really cool, especially for east coasters like us who had never seen trees like that) and drove up the cost to a little ways north of Fort Ross. But we didn't have time to go much further, especially since we were staying in American Canyon/Napa. Our conclusion was like you say: while beautiful, after awhile it's just a whole lotta miles of rugged coastline, and I don't know that I want to spend 3+ days to go all the way up to, say, Humboldt, or Redwood National Park -- I think I'd rather spend that time in Yosemite instead.
Shoot me an email at v t b e e r at v t d o t e d u.
Love to share my thoughts and ideas on Sonoma.
What year did you start with the food science program? My brother was a 2010 grad. The brewing program didn't really get big until after.
I enjoy brewing quite a bit. Was successful with a beer in competition. Did a business plan and decided it wasn't feasible. Continued to homebrew and have one killer pale ale (all day drinker, not corn silage level hops) that I've come up with since. But I still dream of getting to brew a bit on bigger equipment. What's the learning curve like stepping up?
Forgot: if you could have lunch with 5 people from tkp, but it has to be all at once, who would it be?
I came back to the program in 2013/14 along with a few other key folks, and that is about when we started the fermentation option up. Brewhouse arrived in 2015. Now we are doing well, but are still chasing UC Davis and Oregon State a bit, but we are well respected and focus on perhaps a few different things (without the funding that they have we have to). Each summer we send up to 8 of our students to study at TUM-Weihenstephan Brewing Program for 4 weeks, where they get excellent technical knowledge and exposure to hundreds of years of experience and research knowledge. Then TUM sends up to 8 of their students here to learn about US Craft Brewing for 4 weeks. This is how I know Egbert cause we descend on his brewery and he has fun with them, and they really get a kick out of him and enjoy his beers.
Raise your hand if you would be willing to pay and go on a guided brewery tour in Europe through VT? Seriously, we've been talking about putting it together.
For brewing equipment size: I would go no larger than 10gal for home brewing. Allows for single day brew days but also a lot of flexibility to be had re: beer styles you can make. Any bigger and you are stuck with a lot of beer that you may not like. This way you can cycle through and work on consistency. Learning curve is easy in scale up. Biggest things I would look at improving rather than scaling up are your mill (get a 4 roller) and look at your malt supplier- mill your own! Also Hops - pellets would be best. get an accurate hydrometer, and record all your data in a place where you can store it - review it and learn from it. Stay away from Plastic Fermenters. And try liquid yeast like smack packs etc. from Wyeast or White Labs.
Home brewing is where it's at. That flexibility, the fun, it's all worth it
forgot about the lunch question:
Honestly I know I've been lurking on TKP for awhile, but I still feel like a newby, so picking 5 would be difficult. How about this: I've always wanted to come to the tailgate, and the tailgate is very, very near to the pilot brewery on campus. Let's tailgate, and then I invite you all up for a tour of the pilot brewery?
bitchin' idea.
Oh: TEAM PIE!!!!! So much more depth in a pie available than a cake.... unless it's my wife's flourless chocolate cake (which by definition and subsequent review - the flourless part makes it a PIE and NOT a cake). Her baking is phenomenal and that flourless chocolate cake is perfection. except technicall it is a pie and not a cake, someone who didn't know better just put cake in the name...
What is your favorite way to cook the fish you catch on the grill/smoker?
What other country would you most recommend to someone looking to travel and why?
Which do you enjoy making more, wine, cider or beer, and why?
How old are your kids, and how involved are you in their "activities"?
Salmon: I lived in Seattle area for a bit - hardwood fire, with a rub from Tom Douglass, skin on. when you can pull it off the skin on the grill, it's done.
I also enjoy smoking salmon - 30 minute set in bourbon or rum, then sit in brownsugar, kosher salt and pepper for 4 hours. hot smoke at 225 for 45-60 minutes. sprinkle with fresh ground pepper (big chunks) on takeout and let cool.
Other fish - simple rub or just salt and pepper plus lime.
Edit: For those interested, I have two smokers: an Offset Barrel Smoker and a Kamado Joe. I'm willing to learn, listen and discuss Smoking and Cooking meat anytime!
Travel: hmm so many. I love Bavaria and Austria. probably cause I grew up there. Bucket list but havent' been yet are Thailand, Japan and New Zealand.
Wine and Beer are tied, like them better than cider. Wine and beer are really different animals. Beer you have a lot more turnover with (can be every 4 weeks cycle), Wine it's once per year harvest, and then you are playing with blending and maturation differences and putting the puzzle together.... so don't tell Egbert but Wine!
I really enjoy turning agriculture into something we consume - and working with what the land and the seasons give us to play with every season - it's always different!
The kids are all in High School now. when they were younger I would coach soccer etc. Now I am an assistant coach on the MTB team and I help officiate and man the swim meets.
I got the Joe-tisserie for my egg as a fathers day gift one year. Been a lot of fun tryin big pieces of meat on it - Thanksgiving turkey, porchetta, beef round.
Do you dry between the alcohol and the sugar mix on the salmon? ratio on suger/salt? I assume this is done in the fridge?
For the other fish, are doing whole fish or fillets, or does it depend on the fish?
One of the things I enjoy about growing different peppers and other vegetables every year.
The school has a biking team? I hated swim team. Leave at 6:00 AM to spend you whole Saturday at the pool not being able to get in. Respect for stepping up to help with that one. Give me rec soccer any time. One night of playing with the kids and two hours of actually coaching on the weekend. Both my kids went back to rec level soccer in high school after getting tired of the over-commitment required of upper level travel and I got to coach again.
Smoked Salmon - 15-30 minutes in bourbon or rum, Rinse and Dry. Then mix 1 cup Brown Sugar + 1/2 Cup Kosher Salt+1 tbsp fresh coarse grind pepper. MAX 4 hour "cure" time in fridge. Rinse of the cure and dry, then onto the smoker.
And to clarify - I usually make my own rubs up, but you have to start somewhere. And the Tom Douglass Salmon Rub is perfection for the grilled salmon - no improvements can be made to that blend. He is after all a Seattle based Chef!
There is a High School and Junior High Mountain bike team in the area - both race in NICA league (Fall) and VAHS (Spring) race series. It's quite fun. Although I gave up trying to keep up - it's all XC style Racing and I am no spring chicken anymore.
I actually prefer swim than rec soccer - the parents were getting crazy in rec soccer. At least in Swimming the parents can't yell at the athletes, they are too far away and the swimmers can't hear them anyway. It also helps that I know nothing about swimming, but I did grow up playing Soccer so maybe I was a little too invested and "knowledgeable?"
Oh man - hot pan fried Shishitos are the best, Jerry, the best!
Wine is too easy. Squeeze some fruit and let it spoil.
What part of California were you brewing in? Was the IPA your recipe? Got a copy that you can scale down to 5 gal homebrew volume?
Sonoma County, CA. The Brewing scene, at least old school, is relatively close and we all talked to each other and shared stuff all the time, it's a great group of people. the IPA was not my recipe, in fact none of them were, until my last month there, and then I was allowed to come up with my own recipe and brew it at the pub location (5bbl, not our 55bbl brew house).
I am sure there are clones of the IPA out there you can find... it is named after a famous cartoon character from the 80's, zoom zoom.
Nice, a buddy of mine has been at Sudwerk for like 15 years or so, been head-brewer for maybe 10 of those? He got me into homebrewing back in like 2007, just out of VT, been at it ever since
Went out there for a week 10 years ago or, would love to spend more time there.
Edit:
If it is the beer I'm thinking of, I have brewed a clone several times
Named after a make believe racer.
Company was named after an animal common to CA.
Yeah, thought more about it, and got it
Brewed a clone several times, one of my favorites
Share your clone and I'll provide some comments/edits...
Will do, I havent done it in a while. Will have to check my notebook and find the recipe. Might be tomorrow before I get it up
Phrasing?
This is one of the clone recipes I have used for it
12.5 lb 2 Row
1.66 lb Wheat
.75 lb Crystal 20L
.5 lb Carapils
.5 oz columbus (60)
1 oz cascade (20)
1 oz columbus (20)
.5 oz cascade (10)
.5 oz columbus(10)
.5 oz amarillo (DH)
.5 oz centennial (DH)
.5 oz columbus (DH)
2 packs US-05
Bonus content, here is my recipe American IPA that I brewed that went on to the final round of judging in the National Homebrew Competition back in 2018, I think it was...been tweaking it for years since, but I think I'm going to brew this original recipe again and enter it in a competition or two- my techniques have gotten better, so thinking maybe it wasn't the recipe that needed adjusting, it was me
12.75 lb 2 Row
1.25 lb 60L
1 oz Nugget (60)
.5 oz Amarillo (15)
.5 oz Cascade (15)
.5 oz Centennial (15)
.5 oz Amarillo (0)
.5 oz Cascade (0)
.5 oz Centennial (0)
1 oz Amarillo (DH)
1 oz Cascade (DH)
1 oz Centennial (DH)
US-05
What's your favorite style to brew and why?
What's your biggest brewing pet peeve?
Hard/mean question: what is your favorite beer?
tough question... For me this would be a battle between a Rye IPA or a Wheat Beer. Both can go so many ways, and there are so many technical aspects that you can hit to play with flavor and aroma but they can also go sideways pretty fast. The thing about brewing is it can be an amazing blend of art and science if you really take the time to learn and apply. The good brewers can take into account year to year variation in ag products (hops, malt) and dig back into their flavor library and make some really cool new things, or make the same thing with slightly different inputs. Hop Selection time in Yakima was always one of my favorite times - walking in the hop yards, evaluating different varieties and lots and hanging with other brewers at the Sportscenter bar in the evening.
- brewers not being patient (releasing a beer before proper maturation time) and covering mistakes with hops.
the extension agent in me will answer: "the cold one in my hand right now that I am enjoying." Personally I would say Schneiderweisse Festweisse or Hop Rod Rye. Two completely different beers.
Fantastic answers, thank you!
I haven't dabbled much with rye IPAs, but I am pretty familiar with all of the fun levers you can pull with wheat beers! Going to make a hefeweizen in the next couple of weeks (60% wheat malt, ferulic acid rest, protein rest, double decoction, underpitch @ 66°F and free rise to 72°F with a new Weizen strain I haven't tried before).
You mean you can't make a pale lager in 3 weeks?!? Can't I just throw in some kveik, gelatin fine it, and call it a day? /s
Nice choices! Is a component of your preference related to the difficulty to brew these?
Nah, I would rather it not be difficult! These are my choices because a) it is the options that you have during recipe building and brewing that can give you a lot of different tastes; and b)my favorite styles to drink.
Cheers!
I know it's off by a few decades from your experiences but do you find that you relate with the movie bottle shock (rip Alan Rickman)
I'll have to watch this one.... never seen this movie but I am a Hans Gruber fan RIP.
You obviously have a great palette for wine. I obviously do not based on my wine buying criteria ($).
What do you think is the price point to get a decent bottle of wine?
There are a lot bottles with points from different rating services out there. I see some rated in the 90's by some magazine for a $12 bottle that I think tastes "young". Is there a general guide or rating system that does a better job of rating less expensive wines than others, or is so much of it really individual tastes you just have to figure it all out for yourself? Are the open to public voting ones like untapp'd, where popularity seems to have a lot do with the rating, or is there a public type app for wine that seems pretty good that you are aware of?
I've always subscribed to the idea of 'drink what you like and within your spending comfort' - don't let anyone tell you what you should be drinking or why what you're drinking is wrong. If you like it, you like it. You can apply this idea to so many things in life- food, vacations, your political or social views....everything.
So this question, let me come back to it when I have more time to give a non-rushed answer. hokietopher has a great answer below, but we an get more nuanced. If I don't come back by Thursday, bug me again because there are directions you can go to help. If you have a Costco nearby - whomever is doing their buying is doing a fantastic job. and their Kirkland brand wines are a really, really good deal.
But I'll come back at you more later. don't let me forget.
What is the ideal pizza (style, toppings, sauce, size, etc.)? And what beverage do you pair with it?
We do family pizza nights here at the abode on the Kamado Joe. My fave: Thin, homemade crust. Mozzarella (fresh). thin sliced roasted new potatoes, Prosciutto pieces and then when it comes out top it with rosemary and chopped pecans. That and a good red (right now we have a box Cab from Costco that fits the bill, but any red blend would work.)
The key to this pizza is to pre slice the potatoes (thinly), lightly toss with oil , and I mean light on the oil, and pre-roast them on a sheet pan (use parchment). You can use small new potatoes or small golden Yukons. Either one works as long as you have quarter size slices.
Also, fresh chopped rosemary. Not dried.
As someone who dislikes hoppy IPAs, I sometimes struggle to find a beer that isn't overpowering in hops with all the options there are now. What are some of your favorite beers and/or breweries for the summer season?
Do you have anything to suggest to someone whos favorite beers include: Hell or High Watermelon (First Amendment Brewing), Vanilla Barrel Cream Ale (Kentucky), #9 (Magic Hat)?
before I make a recommendation, where are you located? don't want to recommend something you can't get...
I'm in Winston-Salem, NC. I appreciate the consideration!
Hell or High Watermelon is one of my favorite beach beers.
Any scottish beers will have very low hop. Hops don't grow well in Scotland and they are sold by the English.
Summer Beers that might be up your alley, and these will have a west coast slant:
Hokie Helles Lager (I had to say that),
Anderson Valley Summer Solstice (so to drink this, follow these instructions: Hot day. Get on boat. Put life jacket on. Grab Beer. Jump in Lake. Float and sip said beer for the rest of the afternoon.)
Firestone-Walker Cali-Squeeze & Pivo Pils
Almost any Hefeweizen (Mecklenburg Brewery nails this, if you are in that area).
For a fun slightly hoppy hefe which may introduce you to some hops: Schneiderweisse Tap No 5 hopfenweisse.
If you go to Denver - you must visit Bierstadt Lager House. you would love it. excellent drinking with friends beer - no hop craziness.
Thank you so much for this great list! Denver is high on my list of places to visit, so I will remember Bierstadt. I'll give what I can find of these a try!
Allagash White is phenomenal
I visited Allagsh Brewing Company over 20 years ago on vacation when they were just getting started. Really nice folks at the time. I remember them having an awesome ginger beer.
Since there isn't much consistency in what you like, just start chasing varieties until you find what suits you.
Bocks, Maibocks, bitters (there are a bunch of different bitters out there. Fullers is usually available (they supposedly do parti-gyle brewing and generate their different levels) old speckled hen, tanners Jack), brown Porter (Baltic and other roasty porters don't sound like they'd be your thing. Start will Fuller's London Porter), helles.
If you want to dabble in sours, get good stuff breweries were cranking out Berlinerweis like crazy when sours caught on. And most were trash; they tasted like stomach acid. But they were quick and easy. Good sours are aged. Chase down some Flemish red, oud bruin, or something along those lines.
Saisons vary greatly. But, I'd recommend saison DuPont as a starter one.
Steam beers or commons might also suit your taste buds.
I don't really have any recommendations that align with magic hat. Sorry...
Thanks for the tips!
If anyone needs a book recommendation: Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan. Excellent and all based on true story and interviews. About a family in northern Italy as they deal with Nazi takeover. Focuses mostly on one of the boys who becomes a spy.
What else are you reading?
On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee. It's always on my night stand, I never read it straight through but I'll pick it up and read a section at a time periodically.
Good one. I borrowed it an read it many moons ago when I couldn't afford hardcover books.
I can second that recommendation. I read that a couple of years ago and really liked it. I would also add The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris.
Have you ever brewed a rauschbeir? Triumph brewing in Princeton NJ near me makes one occasionally that I love. Also they make a rye beer sometimes that they call a 'Jewish Rye' which is like drinking a piece of rye bread from the (now gone) Carnegie Deli in NYC.
Ooh, rauchbier is great. Good range from acrid smoke to greasy bacon.
If you get a chance to try Alaskan Smoke Porter, it's great.
A properly brewed Rauchbier is excellent. There are few of those around, I've had more that are not to my taste, than ones that I enjoy. Personal preference. It can go really quickly into the bad side - too much smoked malt or the wrong type of smoking wood can lead to too many phenols for my taste buds.
Ones that I have had and liked: The Alaskan One mentioned above is one. The other that I have had and is outstanding is the Shlenkerla Smoked beers. They have quite the selection, but I like the Marzen and the Lager. The best way to enjoy these is in Bamberg - they taste the best right there and are served directly from the Cask. And it tastes better than what you can get here in the bottle - trust me it's worlds apart. They age in barrel and are patient, and don't overdo the smoked malt in the bill. When done properly it's actually a quite refreshing beer!
We brewed one at my old work, but there is not a high demand for them - they are strictly a specialty beer and in the US a very seasonal beer. But more and more Craft Malsters are making wood varietal (Oak, Hickory, Cherry etc.) smoked malts which could be interesting and open up to use in other seasons or as an malt bill profile changer in other styles. Typical European Smoked malt is made with Beechwood.
Alaskan uses an alder smoked malt. I used to know a good bit of the grain bill, but I feel like I've probably lost the info.
Will confirm about your take on Shlenkerla at the brewery. It was truly one of the best beers I remember from my time in Germany
Parenting philosophy? Has it changed as your family has grown?
I try to lead by example, but also am not afraid to tell it like it is - no sugar. I try to teach Respect (for Self, others, environment, actions) and Humility. I also think that if you teach people to pay attention to the details, the big picture will work out.
I also believe in providing as many varied opportunities for discovery (for my kids and the students I get to teach). And Failure or not liking something that is "discovered" is sometimes the best thing.
sometimes I think I'm failing, sometimes I think I'm doing okay.
Soup and a sandwich- what ya got?
3 things that really grind your gears?
Got a nominee for next?
Soup and a Sandwich - Homemade Chicken Noodle soup and a grilled cheese on sourdough
3 things that grind my gears - big ego's, people who are late with no excuse, wasted time in meetings because people are either unprepared or just want to tell you their opinion rather than get to work.
nomination: not really, maybe ashore?
I would nominate Hokie Fireman if possible?
Thanks for the nomination. I'll throw something up.
You can have three guests from any time period in history over for dinner. Who do you choose and why?
Let me think on this one and get back to you.
So were you on a handcrew in California?
I would work 2 ea. 24 hour shifts per month. Small town, and on the weekend we were down to 2 full time FF over the weekend which doesn't work for 2 in/2out protocol. So I was part of the Reserve Augmentation Program where we did a lot of the training and then were paid (not handsomely) to fill out a 4 person crew and respond as needed at any time. Frequently the second engine or truck out of the station was entirely made of us RAP FF as we were always on call. I was training to be an Engineer when we left CA. I also went out on Strike Teams to a few Wildfires and spent time away from home on those. It was great fun, and great people. I miss it. I joined because I was tired of driving by accidents and fires etc. and not knowing how to help. got my FF, EMT-B and Emergency vehicle driving training which was definitely put to use on Fire, Medical, Support and Public Assistance calls of all varieties. Saw the good and bad of people.
Have you joined Blacksburg EMS or Blacksburg fire? Or looked at VT student run EMS as an advisor?
If you could eliminate one college from existence, who and why?
If you're a bourbon drinker, what are your top three?
Harvard, Yale and .... I'm more of a get the work done, boots on the ground don't talk about it to death let's get it done kind of person. but no reason to eliminate them as there are good people there for sure - let's just guide them and bring them back down to earth.
In my cabinet now:
Makers Mark (I like anything wheated, and would take any and all recommendations for wheated bourbons)
Jim Beam Signature Soft Red Wheat
Woodford Reserved Double Oaked
Gonna have to try that one.
500ml or 375ml size and I think you can only get it at the distillery, at least that is the way it was pre-COVID.
We have to fix that we are only communicating more often now on TKP!