Czech and German Lager Workshop

[Pappers_]

Last night in Chicago, another BJCP judge and I led the second of six monthly BJCP Sensory Training, Beer Evaluation and Styles workshops. We covered Czech and German lagers (mostly). After going through all the styles, we tasted four of them - Great Central's Munich Helles, Fruh's Kolsch, Metropolitan's Megatron Schwartzbier, and Paulaner's Salvator Doppelbock.

Thank you to Great Central's Briana Hestad for hosting us, and to the other staff for helping out and staying late. We appreciate it!

We had 14 participants last night, representing a diverse spectrum of current BJCP judges, prospective judges, and homebrewers.

No workshop in December, we'll start up again in January, covering Stouts and Porters. Send me a note if you want to get on the email list about the remaining four workshops.

 

[IslandLizard]

That sure looks like a serious and very intense training session!
Hat off to you and everyone else involved in getting it all together.

BTW, I don't spot any saltines, pretzels, or other favorite palate resetters.

 

[passedpawn]

Last night in Chicago

Looks like a lot of fun!

BTW, I don't spot any saltines, pretzels, or other favorite palate resetters.

Intermezzo. That's the culinary word for a palate cleanser. I worked in a fancy restaurant once, and we served sorbet as an intermezzo. It's really a musical term, but then food and music, some overlap.

 

[IslandLizard]

Intermezzo. That's the culinary word for a palate cleanser. I worked in a fancy restaurant once, and we served sorbet as an intermezzo. It's really a musical term, but then food and music, some overlap.

Hah, learned something! Didn't know the culinary usage of that term. Sorbet is excellent, yes.

For beer, I noticed a 2 bites piece of watermelon works better for me than anything else. Not sure why saltines and pretzels kill my palate, many swear by them.

 

[Pappers_]

I forgot the (unsalted) crackers, but we had plenty of RO water to clear off the palate.

 

[IslandLizard]

Yes, unsalted, of course.

 

[Miraculix]

If you go to cologne and throw Pilsener and Kölsch into the same basket they will beat you with a stick.

 

[Pappers_]

If you go to cologne and throw Pilsener and Kölsch into the same basket they will beat you with a stick.

Right, we covered two hybrid beers in addition to the lagers - Kolsch and Altbier.

 

[passedpawn]

Right, we covered two hybrid beers in addition to the lagers - Kolsch and Altbier.

If you go to dusseldorf and ask for a kolsch they'll laugh at you. I sadly made this exact mistake. They are only 30 miles apart though!

 

[Miraculix]

If you go to dusseldorf and ask for a kolsch they'll laugh at you. I sadly made this exact mistake. They are only 30 miles apart though!

Fun fact on the side, Dussel is a friendly German term for idiot. Dorf means village. So you went to idiot village, which you might have confused with Düsseldorf, or alternatively spelled Duesseldorf.