Funny things you've overheard about beer

[bzwyatt]

That answer would be 'regal kcalb'.

Trebek is never wrong.

 

[thatjonguy]

That answer would be 'regal kcalb'.

Trebek is never wrong.

Kebert xela.

 

[Cheesy_Goodness]

Kebert xela.

Solid reference.

 

[thatjonguy]

Solid reference.

Thanks. First thing I think of when someone mentions his name or the show.

 

[Cincy17]

Thanks. First thing I think of when someone mentions his name or the show.

Pretty sure something from that show can apply to any situation in life.

 

[thatjonguy]

Pretty sure something from that show can apply to any situation in life.

I tell my friends they better know South Park, Family Guy, Futurama, Bob's Burgers and Archer to understand after of my jokes. A familiarity with American Dad would good as well.

 

[bzwyatt]

Dam I didn't realize this was from today's episode. You ruined a clue for me! Hahaha.

 

[Trippel-A]

I thought the margins on craft beer were still tight. Beer will always be a volumes game, just like most things the best way to maximise profit is to maximise volume.
I have read an article that actually was to try and convince bar owners to drop their margins on craft beer so that the actual $$ amount was similar to that of BMC - the mentality was that you would sell more of a premium product that is only $1-2 more than the BMC (instead of $3-5) and in turn bring in more money.

If that article is accurate it demonstrates my point that margins are higher on craft beer. When BMC buy and scale up craft breweries, they could drop the price, but they don't have to, because the competition isn't that fierce when market share is growing for the craft beer segment the way it is rightnow. If you can make the same profit selling 5 units at high margins versus 10 units at lower margins, and your competition isn't forcing you to lower margins (and at least for now, it's not), then you'd be short-sighted to squeeze your own profit chasing volume. Time enough for that game later, when craft beer is less fashionable and people are tired of paying so much for beer.

 

[mattd2]

If that article is accurate it demonstrates my point that margins are higher on craft beer. When BMC buy and scale up craft breweries, they could drop the price, but they don't have to, because the competition isn't that fierce when market share is growing for the craft beer segment the way it is rightnow. If you can make the same profit selling 5 units at high margins versus 10 units at lower margins, and your competition isn't forcing you to lower margins (and at least for now, it's not), then you'd be short-sighted to squeeze your own profit chasing volume. Time enough for that game later, when craft beer is less fashionable and people are tired of paying so much for beer.

I get it, you were refering to the InBev rep saying they would buy all the craft breweries and his concern for decreasing volumes (which is more about people getting more value by buying less of a higher quality product).

 

[wailingguitar]

If that article is accurate it demonstrates my point that margins are higher on craft beer. When BMC buy and scale up craft breweries, they could drop the price, but they don't have to, because the competition isn't that fierce when market share is growing for the craft beer segment the way it is rightnow. If you can make the same profit selling 5 units at high margins versus 10 units at lower margins, and your competition isn't forcing you to lower margins (and at least for now, it's not), then you'd be short-sighted to squeeze your own profit chasing volume. Time enough for that game later, when craft beer is less fashionable and people are tired of paying so much for beer.

While the margins on craft beer may be higher, they are still paper thin... The only time you make a good margin on craft beer is when you either a)sell it by the glass over the bar at the brewery (fantastic margin), or, b) are lucky enough to be able to self distribute (good margin).

Mega or craft, the money is definitely in volume

 

[thatjonguy]

While the margins on craft beer may be higher, they are still paper thin... The only time you make a good margin on craft beer is when you either a)sell it by the glass over the bar at the brewery (fantastic margin), or, b) are lucky enough to be able to self distribute (good margin).

Mega or craft, the money is definitely in volume

He speaks the truth.

 

[Keith66]

We all know that dry hop = adding any hops straight to the beer post fermentation, while wet hop = adding fresh undried hops to the beer at any point...

Ummm... I'm still a rookie, and I've never dry hopped, but doesn't dry hop = adding fresh hops to wort at any time after the boil or during fermentation, and wet hop = adding fresh hops to wort during the boil? And dried hops are only used in lambics, right? OK, bring on the "well actuallys".

 

[emjay]

Ummm... I'm still a rookie, and I've never dry hopped, but doesn't dry hop = adding fresh hops to wort at any time after the boil or during fermentation, and wet hop = adding fresh hops to wort during the boil? And dried hops are only used in lambics, right? OK, bring on the "well actuallys".

Those lambics use "aged hops".

Wet hopping is using freshly picked hops without drying them first. The hops you can buy at a homebrew store are pretty much all dried after picking, and probably somewhere around 99+ % of beers are brewed with dried hops. Usually hops are dried until there is very little moisture left, as it reduces the weight and volume of the hops per IBU considerably. But perhaps even more importantly, they allow the hops to last far longer, because even though they are harvested only once a year, brewers need to have them available year-round. This is also why wet-hopped ales are often called harvest ales, because that's the time of year they need to be used.

You were mostly right about what dry hopping refers to, though. It's in the fermentor after the wort has been chilled and (generally) after the yeast is pitched. Ideally, it's done after a the FG has been released, but some people will still do it while the beer is actively fermenting, though there's no real benefit (unless you really desperately need it a few days earlier into bottles) compared to waiting until afterwards.

 

[mcspanner]

Oh god no! I thought "Economics Derailment 2 - this time its fiscal" was going to be a straight to DVD release.

 

[zachattack]

Ummm... I'm still a rookie, and I've never dry hopped, but doesn't dry hop = adding fresh hops to wort at any time after the boil or during fermentation, and wet hop = adding fresh hops to wort during the boil? And dried hops are only used in lambics, right? OK, bring on the "well actuallys".

Yup emjay explained it perfectly. "Wet hops" just refers to the fresh, undried hops pretty much straight off the vine. I think you have to use them within a matter of hours, but I'm no hop expert so I don't really know.

It is confusing, because you can "dry hop" with "wet hops" if you have them available. I do think that "fresh hop" or "harvest" are less confusing terms.

 

[wailingguitar]

Fresh hop is the preferred term over wet hop for the sake of clarity

Emjay is correct about dry hopping being post chilling. Also, as noted, if you dry hop before FG is reached you lose something... it's a trade off between speeding the process and losing some hop character. I found on the commercial scale that I had to increase my dry hop addition by about 10% to compensate. There are, in my opinion only 2 reasons to dry hop before FG is reached 1) speeding the process (more important in a commercial setting) and 2) fermenting in a sealed vessel with a spundig (you don't want to open the fermenter and lose CO2)

 

[DoubleAught]

I know your pain my daughter goes to school and tells her teacher she brewed beer with daddy during the weekend. When the tell me about it I have to explain for like 10 mins that it's not illegal.

A couple years ago my daughters teacher asked the class if they knew what yeast was used for. After all the obvious answers were said my daughter raises get hand and says, beer! At least I'm raising her right.

 

[WesleyS]

A couple years ago my daughters teacher asked the class if they knew what yeast was used for. After all the obvious answers were said my daughter raises get hand and says, beer! At least I'm raising her right.

That's funny.
And thank you for getting this thing back on track.
This is starting to turn into the "Lets argue about things that aren't funny about beer" thread.

 

[Halbrust]

"Hallertau isn't a noble hop"
and
"I was getting an earthy, almost raw potatoe taste from the hops (hallertau)"

Both said by me this past Saturday

 

[BudzAndSudz]

Not really something I overheard, but yesterday I was at the LHBS getting some stuff for my next brew and saw an elderly gentlemen just casually eating little bits of all the grains they have in stock. He said hi to me and then mentioned that he never brews with a recipe, he just likes to taste what the grains have to offer and then build a beer around that. I thought that was a damn cool approach so I stuck around to see what happened, and I watched him build a beer with about 5lbs of base malt (pilsner), and about 1/2lb of literally every single roasted or dark kilned malt on the rack..... probably about 20 of them. I like his approach, but good lord am I ever happy I don't have to drink that beer.

 

[hunter_le five]

....and I watched him build a beer with about 5lbs of base malt (pilsner), and about 1/2lb of literally every single roasted or dark kilned malt on the rack..... probably about 20 of them.

Ah yes, the "kitchen sink" approach.

That is going to be an awful beer....

 

[rockbasementbeer]

Not really something I overheard, but yesterday I was at the LHBS getting some stuff for my next brew and saw an elderly gentlemen just casually eating little bits of all the grains they have in stock. He said hi to me and then mentioned that he never brews with a recipe, he just likes to taste what the grains have to offer and then build a beer around that. I thought that was a damn cool approach so I stuck around to see what happened, and I watched him build a beer with about 5lbs of base malt (pilsner), and about 1/2lb of literally every single roasted or dark kilned malt on the rack..... probably about 20 of them. I like his approach, but good lord am I ever happy I don't have to drink that beer.

And you didnt stop him?! Shame on you!

 

[mcbaumannerb]

And you didnt stop him?! Shame on you!

Hey - you can't stop the grain whisperer!

 

[roastquake]

I actually wouldn't mind trying that

edit: did he do the same thing with hops?

 

[Trail]

I brewed a mild with about 6oz each of roasted barley, torrified wheat, chocolate malt, brown malt, and biscuit malt. I was going for complex and I ended up with a weird, slightly astringent hazelnut flavor.

Maybe that old guy's beer will turn out OK but I wouldn't count on it.

 

[cpl-america]

Maybe all the specialty malts weren't for the same beer. I mean 10 whole pounds plus five of a base. Something tells me he was a stovetop brewer.

 

[brewguyver]

Fresh hop is the preferred term over wet hop for the sake of clarity

Emjay is correct about dry hopping being post chilling. Also, as noted, if you dry hop before FG is reached you lose something... it's a trade off between speeding the process and losing some hop character. I found on the commercial scale that I had to increase my dry hop addition by about 10% to compensate. There are, in my opinion only 2 reasons to dry hop before FG is reached 1) speeding the process (more important in a commercial setting) and 2) fermenting in a sealed vessel with a spundig (you don't want to open the fermenter and lose CO2)

Depending on who you're buying from, fresh hops can also mean recently picked, dried hops (not sure if freshly pelletized hops counts). Wet hops always(?) means recently picked undried hops. Technically you can freeze wet hops, but I'm not sure what the result would be. Wet hops have an extremely short shelf life.

With the advent of hop union packaging and people freezing their hops, I'm not sure how much the "fresh" concept really matters. But I still pay for the harvest beers that use them (go figure).

 

[wingedcoyote]

Depending on who you're buying from, fresh hops can also mean recently picked, dried hops (not sure if freshly pelletized hops counts). Wet hops always(?) means recently picked undried hops. Technically you can freeze wet hops, but I'm not sure what the result would be. Wet hops have an extremely short shelf life.

With the advent of hop union packaging and people freezing their hops, I'm not sure how much the "fresh" concept really matters. But I still pay for the harvest beers that use them (go figure).

This is what I was on my way to post -- in particular, SN has a slightly testy message on their website about how Celebration is "fresh hopped" and why that is a useful term even though it isn't the same as "wet hopped".

 

[flars]

General Beer Discussion.

 

[Keith66]

Thanks everyone for your replies to my hop question. I now understand the terminology much better, convoluted as it is. In an attempt to get back to funny things about beer, I have this great image of all of us standing around on the Berkshire Brewing Company tour having this wet/dry hop discussion with the two ladies behind llan34.