Hoppy New Year!

This year for Christmas I received a gift to supplement my beer drinking hobby: a beer tasting and hop appreciation kit. Just as the gift is intended to do, I started to consider what hops are and how they contribute to creating a beer. Beers are often described as hoppy, but for those who don't know what a hop is, this can be difficult to understand.

As you may already know, beer is comprised of four main ingredients: hops, malt, yeast and water. Hops, or Humulus Lupulus if you want to be technical, are small leafy cones of flowering plants used for flavoring and stabilizing beer during the brewing process. The bitterness of hops are used to counteract the sweetness from the malt, creating a well balanced brew. The bitterness, flavor, and aroma of beer are all greatly affected by the hops. There are several different hop varieties used for brewing beer, and there are several methods of adding the hops, which all affect the complexity of the beer.

The point at which the hops are introduced to the beer creates a varying impact on the final product. Hops added at the beginning of the process create a bittering affect, hops added 15-20 minutes prior to the end of the wort boil contribute to the overall finish of the hop flavor, hops added at the end of the boil are used for aroma, and a process known as 'dry hopping' is used when hops are left in the beer for days while it ferments, providing another layer of complexity that adds additional flavor and aroma to beer.

The beer kit contains 13 jars of processed small pellets of common hop varieties. They are labeled by name, region, common styles of beer in which they are used, and include detailed descriptions such as "a mild and pleasant bite with a delicate floral aroma that is almost musty and leaves a clean bitterness." Smelling the hops while tasting a beer helps your mind and taste buds distinguish the ingredients in the beer.

The moment I received the gift, I cracked open one of the jars, inhaled deeply, then proceeded to eat one of the pellets. It was immensely bitter and dry and absorbed all the saliva from my mouth. The more I chewed, the worse it got. I had a strong inclination to spit the thing out, but seeing as how I had already committed, I forced myself to see it to the end, despite the awfulness. I immediately realized that eating the hops was NOT the intended purpose of the kit. They should really include a warning about that. Nevertheless, it was a good learning experience. So, here's to a new year and my new tools for learning more about beer.

VaVoom: A Night of Art and Music

Most of you who read this are already familiar with McNellies. But what about that curious blue building next door, The Continental? Another downtown Tulsa hot spot, the Continental is an upscale venue that provides a relaxing atmosphere for a night on the town. On Wednesday, December 26th, The Continental is hosting VaVoom, a feast for your eyes and ears. A collection of original artwork by one of Tulsa's most creative and unique artists, Vanna McAllister, will be on display for one night only. Musical guests Valerie Eskridge and Steve Liddell, two of Tulsa's jewels, will be performing an acoustic music set for the show. The energetic passion these artists bring to the table will satisfy your artistic appetite and leave you hungry for more.

Vanna's colorful eye-popping artwork is genuinely one of a kind. The main focus of her work is generally a female figure, with much of the emphasis on the face. She incorporates words, phrases, or song lyrics in her prints that add to the complexity of her work. She describes her art as a visual diary. Her illustrations are inspired by certain events that have affected her life, and her emotional responses to these incidents. Her heart felt sketches stimulate a reaction and leave the viewer searching for the story behind the art.

While you're perusing Vanna's art, you'll experience the pleasure of hearing the melodious vocals of the exceptionally talented Valerie Eskridge, followed by Steve Liddell. The captivating presence of these musicians will have you perk up and draw your attention to the stage with interest. Their funky vibes will light up the Continental for a transcendent experience you won't want to miss.

The Continental is known for attracting an eclectic mix of local talent, and VaVoom is no exception. The brilliant art presented by Vanna, Valerie and Steve is a treasure that you must experience for yourself. If you can't wait for VaVoom to check out the art, you can get a preview of Vanna's work at www.vannamcallister.com. The opening reception begins at 8pm and lasts throughout the night. It's the perfect chance to wind down after the Christmas holiday and have a relaxing evening with friends, art and music.

Beer Specials for Disaster Relief

Thousands of Oklahomans have gone without power over the past week, but McNellies was lucky enough to make it through the ice storm unaffected. Many people camped out at the pub enjoying the food, lights, warm heat and cold beer. When a natural disaster strikes and people turn to the pub as their save haven, one concern to be had is walking away with a hefty bar tab. Luckily, McNellies has had (and still has) some pretty decent specials to choose from this month.

Shiner Black, a Bohemian black lager is on special for a mere $2.00. It's a rich deep dark black/brown color, light to medium body and has a slight chocolaty malted flavor. It's not highly complex and seems rather flat, but for two bucks it's not bad.

Flying Dog Old Scratch is our other special, available on draft for $3.75. This Colorado brewed lager features a ruby amber color, medium body and a decent amount of alcohol, at 5.3%. It has a very smooth drinkability, fermented at a medium temperature to give this brew both ale and lager characteristics. There's a slight carmel trait which is particularly appealing. I find this beer to be very easy and enjoyable to drink.

The specials are likely to change before the month is over, so I'll do my best to keep a current update. I would have liked to have gone in more detail or perhaps posted a picture, but I'm one of the unfortunate ones still without power, writing from a computer at the library, and my session is about to expire.

'Tis The Season To Drink Beer

Many breweries produce a special holiday brew in spirit of the season. The Rogue brewery of Newport, Oregon, creates Santa's Private Reserve to commemorate the Christmas season. This brown bottle features a festive red, white, and black label with a cartoon Santa raising a glass as if to say “cheers.” Or maybe that's “ho ho ho.”

Santa's Private Reserve is an American amber ale with brewmaster John Maier's trademark top-fermented Pacman yeast. An abundance of Chinook and Centennial hops are used, which give this brew a pronounced aroma and added bitterness. There's also a mystery hop added, which Maier calls the 'Rudolph' hop. The brew pours a deep reddish translucent color and features a thick off-white foamy head that leaves considerable traces around the glass. The flavor hints of herbal, smoky tones with a touch of citrus and molasses. The beer leaves a hoppy pine taste lingering on the back of the mouth. It has a heavy body which is very complex, with 6% alcohol. Rouge prides themselves in producing brews that have no chemicals, additives or preservatives, creating a nice clean taste.

The Rogue Santa's Private Reserve Ale is available in limited edition silk screened 12-ounce and 22-ounce bottles during the winter months. If eggnog doesn't float your boat but you want to feel festive with your booze, you can raise a glass of this Rogue beer, just like Santa.

My Goodness, Where's My Guinness?

A few days ago a lone bandit robbed the Guinness brewery in Dublin, making out with 450 kegs of Guinness, Budweiser, and Carlsberg. Apparently the suspect drove into the brewery at St. James Gate, hitched his truck to a fully loaded trailer and drove away. This heist is the largest in the 248 year history of the brewery.

I wonder where might one hide this lofty loot? Ireland isn't a large country, about the size of Indiana, plus it's an island. This must be one pretty shrewd thief to conceal such a huge shipment of beer barrels. This guy is getting away with bloody murder! Someone send out the lions!

Green's Tripel Quest

A slew of new and interesting beers have recently arrived at McNellies, and one that caught my attention was the new line by Green's from Belgium. There are three varieties of the brand: Tripel Quest, Endeavor Dubbel, and Discovery Amber. Green's boasts all natural, gluten free, organic products. They are marketed towards those with gluten (wheat) intolerance, and suitable for vegetarians and vegans. I don't fall into any of these categories, but the idea of an organic beer was appealing nonetheless. I contemplated which style I would drink, and since they were all the same price I decided on the one with the most alcohol, which was the Tripel Quest, at 8.5%. My mama didn't raise no fool.

I found the description on the label to be intriguing. A tag was attached to the top of the bottle that read, "No barley. No Wheat. All Natural." Green's makes their product with millet, rice, buckwheat, and sorghum. The backside of the label states that Green's beers DO NOT contain: crustaceans, eggs, fish, peanuts, soya beans, milk, lactose, nuts, celery, mustard, sesame seeds, sulphur dioxide and sulfites. I read this and thought it to be rather puzzling. No crustaceans? Really? I could have sworn that all beers were made with crustaceans. Foolish, foolish me. I'm not sure why they felt the need to overly state what the beer did not contain, and deduced the list was for the allergy prone drinker with paranoia.

The Green's Tripel Quest had a taste unlike any beer I could compare it to. It reminded me of a highly carbonated port wine more so than beer. The taste was very clean, effervescent, sour and tangy, with a sweet aftertaste. I thought it to be very tasty and full of flavor, with a long solid finish. I don't know how I would feel about drinking it on a regular basis, but I suppose if I fell into the category of the target market and my options were limited, I would consider it satisfactory.