(another) Alton Brown/Good Eats "Amber Waves" Episode Discussion

[pen25]

alton brown owns the show. as well as owns a couple other food network shows. the guy is a production and development genius. as for his brewing style or what ever? i can say its not too much different then what i do. and since some are in atl. hrmmm wonder if they ever see him at the brew comps. maybe someone should invite him to a club meeting.

 

[BrewBob]

Say what you want about AB and even about that episode, but that episode is THE singular reason that I realized I could brew. Until I saw that episode I did not know how to homebrew and did not desire to learn.

It's the same with me. I thought that brewing beer would be too hard until I saw AB make it. It also made me wonder what an ale would taste like (I had only had BMC beers up until then) and I went and bought some Sierra Nevada and Bass PA. My life has never been the same. :rockin:

 

[nealf]

I agree with everyone else because this episode of Good Eats, while not up to our standards, got me into homebrewing. I was under the impression that homebrewing was very complicated until I saw how easily it could be done on this show.

On a side note I used to work at a restaurant that AB would come into from time to time and he would always order a Terrapin Rye or Sweetwater 420... So its not like he has bad taste in beer; just bad information on the process.

 

[Beerrific]

I agree with everyone else because this episode of Good Eats, while not up to our standards, got me into homebrewing. I was under the impression that homebrewing was very complicated until I saw how easily it could be done on this show.

On a side note I used to work at a restaurant that AB would come into from time to time and he would always order a Terrapin Rye or Sweetwater 420... So its not like he has bad taste in beer; just bad information on the process.

If you ever watch the show and pay attention to his fridge when he opens it you an usually see a Sweetwater in there.

 

[brauhaus]

SWMBO can't stand AB and I could never place a finger on why I just couldn't get into this guy's show...

 

[JustDave]

SWMBO can't stand AB and I could never place a finger on why I just couldn't get into this guy's show...

Because he's anal to the nth degree?

Cooking like him would take all the fun out of it for me .... just one man's humble opinion.

 

[Revvy]

On Basic Brewing Radio lastweek someone wrote in mentioning that he was using AB's method of making jerky (Using a box fan, several furnace filters and a couple of bungy cords) to dry his hops crop....So his info may not be accurate in terms of the episodes on beer, but some of his other stuff can be adapted for our breweries....

 

[monty73741]

i got that show on divx & it seems interesting. It seems to me he messed up terms but this is an informative show & not the definitive answer to all. I think the general method was down & maybe he messed up some terms, but i have seen other shows where he does cooking stuff that i dont agree with

 

[fratermus]

as previously stated, i love alton's show but it makes me wonder how accurate the info regarding his other topics has been..

It's like reading Consumer Reports. Looks great until they review something you know about, then you get a "what planet are these people on?" feeling.

 

[Turkeyfoot Jr.]

I like Good Eats well enough, our DVR is setup to record any new episodes, but he can be a bit too anal about some things. I'm really hoping he does another "Feasting on Asphalt". I thoroughly enjoyed both seasons of that.

I just started watching Jamie Oliver's show about a month ago and I'm hooked. His style of cooking is a lot more in line with what I enjoy.

 

[thewurzel]

I personally think he might not have all the correct terminology and makes a few of us laugh at his techniques.

But if people get interested in brewing from his shows and it brings others into our community that are interested in learning to home brew.

I am all for it

 

[BigKahuna]

It's like reading Consumer Reports. Looks great until they review something you know about, then you get a "what planet are these people on?" feeling.

This happens to me whenever MythBusters works on gun myths....or anything to do with high Performance Vehicles.

 

[MrManTX]

While the processes and terminology may be wrong. That particular show got me interested in home brewing. Being a chef I know better than to follow an A.B. recipe and or show. So that led me to you guys. I'll never be the same.

I agree with Short Drive. He also got me interested in brewing.

 

[Homercidal]

Look, there is a lot of variability in brewing. You can do it quick and dirty, or all the way up to scientific and anal. Alton's method was based on the basics, and what a lot of people would be able to do in their kitchen. You get the gist of what's going on, and the ability to do it at home with no prior experience, and it's pretty entertaining as well.

Now, is it the be-all-end-all of brewing? Not even close, but the show is not supposed to make master brewers, but to introduce brewing to the common person. If he included much more technical info, it would be put-offing to the everyman. It's a good episode to get people interested in brewing, and to show how easy it can be to make your own beer.

 

[BlindLemonLars]

...do i know the proper way to cook a souffle (sp?) no...does alton? your guess is as good as mine

In defense of Alton, he's much better at making souffles than beer. I've made his souffle recipe many times, it's great. I add a pound of drained, frozen spinach, otherwise it's his recipe exactly.

 

[billtzk]

In defense of Alton, he's much better at making souffles than beer. I've made his souffle recipe many times, it's great. I add a pound of drained, frozen spinach, otherwise it's his recipe exactly.

Now that looks good. That would pair nicely in the summer with a malty light brown ale. Maybe even a strong porter on a cold winter day.

 

[Homercidal]

I've tried making his ice cream and it was great. I'm gearing up to try his pulled pork too. I wish I could afford to spend hundreds on a cooker, but $30 will get r done too. Plus, I get the science behind why to cook it that way.

Ever see the episode where he dresses up like the Holy Grail knight? He has a Patsy following him with coconuts and all! Hilarious!

 

[EvilTOJ]

I don't have food network, and have never heard of Alton Brown, so all this banter and bitching about him is rather amusing to me.

 

[FireBrewer]

Look, there is a lot of variability in brewing. You can do it quick and dirty, or all the way up to scientific and anal. Alton's method was based on the basics, and what a lot of people would be able to do in their kitchen. You get the gist of what's going on, and the ability to do it at home with no prior experience, and it's pretty entertaining as well.

Now, is it the be-all-end-all of brewing? Not even close, but the show is not supposed to make master brewers, but to introduce brewing to the common person. If he included much more technical info, it would be put-offing to the everyman. It's a good episode to get people interested in brewing, and to show how easy it can be to make your own beer.

THIS. Couldn't have said it better.

Overall a good episode and I've heard a lot of new brewers say it got them interested, so mission accomplished.

I do like Good Eats. Made the overnight cinnamon rolls the other day, turned out amazingly well...wife was very impressed.

 

[Hegh]

I suppose I'm reviving a dead thread, but I figured I'd put my $0.02 in, since I wasn't a member back when the discussion was going on:

I love the show, and have seen every episode (up through the beginning of season 12) multiple times. I think it's great for learning cooking techniques and the science behind why food behaves the way it does and why recipes are formulated the way that they are.

On the other hand, I don't really trust his recipes. I've made three of them: The baked tomato sauce, the broccoli casserole, and the plain bread (from Dr. Strangeloaf). The tomato sauce was awful, the broccoli casserole would probably have been good if I'd used ranch instead of blue cheese dressing, and the bread, although quite good, was plain.

I have, however, made quite a few recipes based on his techniques, such as pouch cooking fish. I've even adopted his knife wielding style, since it offers so much more control than what my mother taught me.

I like the beer episode for introducing the hobby to a huge audience, but it bugs me because it seems like he didn't do enough research to get the things right that most people get from his show: technique and food science. Well... His researchers didn't get them right (and I know he has researchers; I have a cousin who dated one briefly).

Perhaps that was more like $0.05... longer than I'd intended

 

[Lmuggs]

AB actually corrected a lot of the mistakes with this show in his latest book "Good Eats the Early Years". He uses a muslin bag for the specialty grains and actualy removes them after steeping for 30 mins at 155 degrees, boils for an hour and has the correct hop additions. He even adds Irish moss toward the end of the boil and let's the yeast warm up to room temp before pitching the yeast. Though he still uses ice to cool the wort. I think I recall Papazian adding cold water and using bleach in TNCJOHB though heh.

 

[philrose]

also, I see in one of this season's episodes that he has a bottle of starsan in the background of his beer/wine room. Must have been a nod to the angry homebrewers out there

 

[captianoats]

I'm joining the forces of the people who never thought of brewing before that episode. He may not be perfect, but at least he's not craigtube http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=sAJKWCdaPq4&feature=related

 

[jamezracer]

well, i'm sticking my name out there as someone who got into brewing because of AB, just a few days ago in fact!

thursday i went to the brew store and picked up the equipment AB suggested and made his recipe. Now that it's sitting in the fermenter i decided to pass time by joining you guys and read the "joy of homebrewing". Luckily I have decided to let it ferment for more than his recommended 7 days and will take in all of this newfound knowledge. I hope this batch still turns out well!!

 

[CrazyP]

well, i'm sticking my name out there as someone who got into brewing because of AB, just a few days ago in fact!

thursday i went to the brew store and picked up the equipment AB suggested and made his recipe. Now that it's sitting in the fermenter i decided to pass time by joining you guys and read the "joy of homebrewing". Luckily I have decided to let it ferment for more than his recommended 7 days and will take in all of this newfound knowledge. I hope this batch still turns out well!!

Yeah, me too. I had a couple of friends in college who homebrewed but the whole process seemed mysterious and inaccessible to me. (Their beer wasn't that great either). But after watching the Amber Waves show I saw how simple it was. It's funny how quickly this show becomes cringe-worthy though. I've only got about 6 weeks under my belt and looking back on it I can already pick out all the errors. These forums are an amazing resource.

 

[samhell]

sorry to revive an old thread but as a complete noob it would be nice for someone to post a list of things he gets wrong and a list of things he gets right.

 

[jamezracer]

sorry to revive an old thread but as a complete noob it would be nice for someone to post a list of things he gets wrong and a list of things he gets right.

that's a very good idea. My good eats brew is currently conditioning in the bottles and my second batch of beer is now in the fermenter. Just from reading this site here are the big mistakes i can now recognize:

1) AB left the specialty grains in for the boil. They should be removed after the 30 minute steep with a strainer or just put into the water in a cheesecloth/steeping bag for easy removal. Otherwise you get a horrible bitter astringency from the husks of the grains.

2) You can't use a number of days or time between bubbles as a way of checking the progress of fermentation. the best way of checking the progress is with a hydrometer which he throws away at the beginning of the episode. If the hydrometer reading is consistent for 3 straight days then it's safe to say the yeast is done converting sugar to alcohol. However, leaving it in the fermenter longer will let the yeast condition the beer and it will improve.

are there any other significant mistakes he made that can mislead noobs like me?

 

[Hegh]

... are there any other significant mistakes he made that can mislead noobs like me?

3. You should not use bleach as a sanitizer (use StarSan or Iodophor instead), because:
a. Bleach needs rinsing, which means you are washing off your protection with unsanitized water.
b. Bleach, if not properly rinsed, produces some really nasty (and strong) flavors, even in really small amounts.

4. He got a few terms wrong. I know he said "sparge" when he meant something else, but I can't remember the others or how he used them.

5. He shoved everything into his bucket to sanitize, forcefully. This could scratch the inside of the bucket, leaving places for bacteria to hide from sanitizer, leading to an infection at some point in the future. If he had used StarSan, he could mix some up and put it in a spray bottle, and just spray the larger items immediately before using them. StarSan only needs about 30 seconds of wet contact time.

Any others I'm missing? Somebody want to watch the episode again to find the misused terms?

 

[itzkramer]

(watched it today)

6) Poured in the LME, didnt mix, and cranked the heat to high *burn!*
7) pitched cold yeast into near 90* wort.
8) called straining the finished wort into the fermentor "sparging"
9) did like a 10 minute boil with whole leaf hops. haha, so much for extracting those AA

 

[passedpawn]

On Youtube:

Part 1:
Part 2: