Brew Masters on Discovery w/ Sam Calagione

[Shooter]

HEY, not sure if it's out there yet, but I just found out that Sam Calagione is going to be doing this TV show about beer!!!!!

Also, has anyone heard about this beer that has been stuffed up the posterior of a dead squirrel?!?!?!?

 

[HItransplant]

Great, millions of people (eventually) will learn their first little info about craft beer on this show and that will be, it's made with lumpy, dirty looking, African honey or spit from a dozen people. Thanks Sam, way to **** on Craft beer in order to sell your show and your gimmicky beer.

I'm not bitching about the show....

really?

I think this show is going to have a wonderful effect on the "impression" of craft beer... certainly inspires me to go brew (not to mention, buy some DFH beer... last one I tried was Pangaea). For the BMC crowd, maybe nothing, but for the people actually interested in beer, this can only have a positive effect (negativity on this thread aside)...

on the other hand, maybe you are dead set that this IS bad publicity. But I think that even you can agree... bad publicity does not exist-------------------------->

As Tomme Arthur recently proved, there's no such thing as bad publicity.

Damn good point.

I guess I still dont understand the animosity that continues to present itself on this thread. Certainly not what I want to read....

Im going to do my part and just quit responding to them... care to join me?

 

[Pappers_]

So has the show inspired anyone to do something different with their beers? I'm making a potion by soaking juniper berries and lemon peels in vodka and will be adding it to a pale ale. I'd also really like to try a lemongrass beer.

Shooter, let us know how the squirrel beer turns out

 

[smakudwn]

. certainly inspires me to go brew (not to mention, buy some DFH beer... l

I just watched the first one last night and I couldn't agree more with this!! It was 10pm and I wanted to go out and fire up the kettle!

 

[PirateBrewer]

So has the show inspired anyone to do something different with their beers? I'm making a potion by soaking juniper berries and lemon peels in vodka and will be adding it to a pale ale. I'd also really like to try a lemongrass beer.

Shooter, let us know how the squirrel beer turns out

I know AHS has a lemongrass beer kit. I'm in the process of trying to formulate a recipe of my own based on a Thai dish called Panang Chicken (or beef/shrimp). I plan on using lemongrass, thai basil, and maybe some red curry powder using a Belgian wit as the base. Probably won't brew it until the spring/summertime, though!

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

Seriously, all these jealous "Sam bashing" remarks, "I don't like him," "He sound like Keanue," what ever, this is so annoying and has got to stop. Make a thread that says "I have sand in my DFH!"

I like the show, like/envy Sam, and am glad a brewery like DFH exists. But this is a discussion forum and people get to express their opinions, positive or negative.

IMO, the most annoying thing in this thread is the people 'bashing the bashers'. The people who seem to have more sand in their you-know-what are the ones that get so worked up because somebody else didn't like the show or doesn't like Sam. BFD. That should have been expected, not everybody likes a certain beer/person/TV show and these are just opinions.

 

[Thile]

Originally Posted by McKBrew
A few months ago I mailed Dogfish. I wanted them to brew a batch of their Palo Santo Marron but add pumpkin to it. I received an e-mail back (from Sam, or someone pretending to be him) saying it sounded like a good idea, but it would jack up production.

If a "big shot" like Sam can take the time out of his day to respond to me, then he earns bonus points in my book.
---
that sounds good!

Hmmmm. I still have some Santo Marron & Punkin at the house... was going to toss them in the fridge for the weekend... May have to try a taste of the two of those together!

 

[brew2enjoy]

I live about 20 minutes from Dogfish Heads brewery so I have access to lots of unique and rare beers that don't make it out of the state. I have watched DFH grow like crazy over the last few years. These guys are total beer nuts and take great pride in their brews. I am happy to see them get the publicity they deserve.

 

[Airborneguy]

I'd also really like to try a lemongrass beer.

Lemongrass is awesome in beer! If you use it the same way you would use a flavor/aroma hop addition, you will be very pleased. I did the AHS kit to see how I liked it and that got me thinking about a few different recipes it would be good for.


I actually knocked the show at first, but it is growing on me. I watched the latest one last night and it definitely made me want to brew right then and there. It also made us decide to drive to Rehoboth this saturday to hit the brew pub, I can't wait.

I've never been a big Dogfishead beer fan, but I'm going to really give it more of a go. The ultr-hoppiness of 60, 90, and 120 initially turned me off since I am not a hop head, but some of their other stuff is growing on me, as is the whole attitude of the brewery after watching this show.

 

[Shooter]

Shooter, let us know how the squirrel beer turns out

It tastes a little nutty!

 

[Pappers_]

I know AHS has a lemongrass beer kit. I'm in the process of trying to formulate a recipe of my own based on a Thai dish called Panang Chicken (or beef/shrimp). I plan on using lemongrass, thai basil, and maybe some red curry powder using a Belgian wit as the base. Probably won't brew it until the spring/summertime, though!

I was thinking about a basil beer, too - a guy who doesn't hang around here anymore said that he grows lots of basil and added it by the fistful to his boil in stages (like hops) and that it turned out really good. He even experimented (if I'm remembering right) with different types of basil - cinnamon basil, lemon basil, etc.

 

[mojotele]

This might be a function of the business end of the brewery too. I don't know what DFH charges for a sixer of their punkin ale, but I'm sure its on the higher end. Cutting back on the adjuncts might cost the beer some of its flavor, but its probably helping the breweries bottom line. One reason I'm glad im not in his shoes. Try to sell a 20 dollar six pack that is exactly what you wanted it to be, or try to sell a 12 dollar six pack that might be more bland than you hoped for, but is less costly to make. Glad on the small 5 gallon scale I brew, that's never really an issue ^_^

They actually sell the Punkin in 4 packs, and it is pretty expensive. You make a good point!

 

[PirateBrewer]

The Brew Masters facebook just posted this :

"Hey Brew Masters fans! We wanted to update you to let you know that the series is moving to Thursdays at 8pm ET/PT beginning December 9, in an episode featuring Dogfish Head Beer's first "cedar-fied" beer."

Another move but this time to more of a primetime slot...I guess it's been getting a good amount of viewers and think it can get even more by being on earlier

 

[Revvy]

The Brew Masters facebook just posted this :

"Hey Brew Masters fans! We wanted to update you to let you know that the series is moving to Thursdays at 8pm ET/PT beginning December 9, in an episode featuring Dogfish Head Beer's first "cedar-fied" beer."

Another move but this time to more of a primetime slot...I guess it's been getting a good amount of viewers and think it can get even more by being on earlier

LOL, I was just going to post this from MY facebook page...LOL

 

[mojotele]

I'm glad I'm not the only one that thought this!

Not at all, man!

And I'm not entirely sure the one where they didn't have a definite deadline for was necessarily a "made up" deadline. This is a commercial brewery, not a bunch of guys screwing around like us. They probably sell those beers in advance and make them for a specific time. So if a 60 minute IPA takes 2 weeks to make, and they need to ship out a large number in 7 weeks, by my math that gives a 5 week timeline for spitbeer to take up a fermenter. Any longer and they are interfering with their core products.

And its not like they can keep a few fermenters open for experimentation; every day a fermenter goes empty costs them lots of money, because it isn't making them any money and they are still paying for it. Likewise, a beer that takes 10 weeks to ferment out would also cost them lots of money, because they could not use that fermenter for their core products.

All of the things you say are absolutely true. They apparently do sell their beer in advance (they mentioned that with the Punkin). And the longer their beers sit in the fermenters the less money they have coming in the door. However, none of that really applies to the Chicha which is the deadline I said was "made up." The show, at least, presented it as a project they took on for fun. They brewed it using their test batch equipment - not their normal production equipment. And they only served it in their brew pub. Would it be disastrous if it hit the brew pub a week later? Probably not.

However, one thing I just thought of was the process of actually filming the show. I'm sure nobody wanted to spend 10 weeks filming a single 1 hour show about a single beer. They probably figured out a time line that both allowed them to brew a good beer and didn't have film crews going in and out for weeks on end. So, factoring that in, the deadline seems less arbitrary.

And I use the terms "made up" and "arbitrary" loosely. I'm in software myself and, like I said, I need to pick deadlines or people simply don't work. So, it is mainly a deadline driven by the work habits of my employees - not by a customer. That doesn't mean it is any less important.

If I were Sam, I would set hard deadlines even if there were not specific trade shows/anniversaries to meet, and I wouldn't consider them arbitrary at all.

And I'm sure that's exactly what he does, and I don't blame him one bit. A lot of things drive deadlines other than trade shows, anniversaries, or customer demand.

 

[JorgeIsKing]

... Nevermind. Already posted.

 

[jgln]

The Brew Masters facebook just posted this :

"Hey Brew Masters fans! We wanted to update you to let you know that the series is moving to Thursdays at 8pm ET/PT beginning December 9, in an episode featuring Dogfish Head Beer's first "cedar-fied" beer."

Another move but this time to more of a primetime slot...I guess it's been getting a good amount of viewers and think it can get even more by being on earlier

They should have picked another night for that time. Both CBS and NBC have very popular lineups on that night at that time. I for one will be watching Big Bang Theory as an example. (*this is not a bash and others may disagree)

 

[Revvy]

They should have picked another night for that time. Both CBS and NBC have very popular lineups on that night at that time. I for one will be watching Big Bang Theory as an example. (*this is not a bash and others may disagree)

Yeah...generally speaking, at least where network television is concerned, shifting a show around, especially if I recall from mass com classes, to Thursday nights, has historically been the kiss of death for many a show.

I know the rules are somewhat different for Cable, but still it is hard to develop a following if you move a show around, and they've already gone from Sunday to Monday, and now to Thursdays? I don't see it as a good sign.

 

[MBasile]

They should have picked another night for that time. Both CBS and NBC have very popular lineups on that night at that time. I for one will be watching Big Bang Theory as an example. (*this is not a bash and others may disagree)

My DVR is going to get burnt out on Thursdays! Sunny in Philly, Community, Outsourced, Terriers, and now Brewmasters

 

[Eddiebosox]

Seriously. now that I know craft brewers are sending out five week old Imperial IPA's it makes me wonder if I should age them before drinking.

There was a small brewer’s caucus meeting and reception last night and I was able to ask the question to both Charlie Papazian and a number of brewers over a few beers (OK, a lot of beers) Namely:

Does it really only take them 2 weeks to get a beer to market?

The answer is, a lot of times yes. And the reason is simply because of the tools they have at their disposal that we as home brewers do not. They work with much better, healthier yeast and pitch a LOT more of it. They almost all do cell counts before and after fermentation. Charlie said he was at guinness brewery in dublin some years ago and asked how old was the beer they were drinking and they said it was brewed 8 days ago.

 

[steinsato]

Boo to Thursday nights. There is way too much other stuff to watch on Thurs. My dvr can only record 2 shows at once. Hopefully it'll be on at like 11pm on a diff. night as well cause I won't be watching it on Thursdays.

 

[DrawTap88]

Boo to Thursday nights. There is way too much other stuff to watch on Thurs. My dvr can only record 2 shows at once. Hopefully it'll be on at like 11pm on a diff. night as well cause I won't be watching it on Thursdays.

Agreed. Depending on the time.

 

[mojotele]

I know the rules are somewhat different for Cable, but still it is hard to develop a following if you move a show around, and they've already gone from Sunday to Monday, and now to Thursdays? I don't see it as a good sign.

Really. It's like I'm watching Fox or something.

 

[JorgeIsKing]

Really. It's like I'm watching Fox or something.

What are you talking about, Fox is excellent at identifying great shows and not giving them unworkable showing schedules. *Cough* Family Guy *Cough* Futurama.

 

[motobrewer]

i didn't see the episode, but did Sam run into any FDA issues with putting out a product that has been made with his spit?

 

[Revvy]

i didn't see the episode, but did Sam run into any FDA issues with putting out a product that has been made with his spit?

It didn't come up in the show. But since the chewing was "pre-boil" he did mention that any bacteria was obviously killed off.

 

[Flomaster]

My DVR is going to get burnt out on Thursdays! Sunny in Philly, Community, Outsourced, Terriers, and now Brewmasters

I watch Sunny in Philly, Outsourced, and Brewmasters

-=Jason=-

 

[HItransplant]

They should have picked another night for that time.

or just left it on monday... I liked it there.

oh well.. at least with discovery you can almost guarantee that it will be on like three more times later that night.. and the next day.

 

[stageseven]

Fortunately community is available on-demand and on hulu, so that makes my DVR scheduling easier.

 

[mikeysab]

There was a small brewer’s caucus meeting and reception last night and I was able to ask the question to both Charlie Papazian and a number of brewers over a few beers (OK, a lot of beers) Namely:

Does it really only take them 2 weeks to get a beer to market?

The answer is, a lot of times yes. And the reason is simply because of the tools they have at their disposal that we as home brewers do not. They work with much better, healthier yeast and pitch a LOT more of it. They almost all do cell counts before and after fermentation. Charlie said he was at guinness brewery in dublin some years ago and asked how old was the beer they were drinking and they said it was brewed 8 days ago.

I wondered this about their timeline. On the show, Sam has repeatedly given a timeline of about 2 weeks, give or take. I always thought there was some kind of filtering process that sped their process up. Is that really the answer, more yeast? If that's the answer, then why don't we just build bigger starters so we could have our beers ready quicker? 8 days seems very quick to let fermentation finish and yeast to clean up after themselves. I'm drinking a 6 pack of Raison d'etre right now, and the first thing I thought after tasting this was "This could use another couple of weeks in primary". This is after watching the show and knowing what their timeline was, but it just has a taste that seems like it needs to be cleaned up a little bit. True, it's clear as glass, and has a great taste, but it just has that initial burn to it. Maybe more time in primary wouldn't help that burn, but it just seemed like something went wrong somewhere.