The Road to Beer Judging Certification: Light Lager and Pilsner

This week’s BJCP class was Light Lager and Pilsners – which is to say, beer I haven’t drank in 15 years.

And oh how the quickly the memories returned; the smell of DMS and hormonal college kids in a cramped basement, the epiphany that is the first sip of a Spaten Pils, constantly asking yourself ‘where did I go wrong?’ with each sip of Grain Belt Premium.

Even though there are 8 substyles across these 2 styles, the range of characteristics is quite narrow. Cumulatively:

IBU: 8-45 (human taste range is 8-100 IBU in beer)
SRM: 2-6 (straw - gold)
OG: 1.028-1.060 (water is 1.0)
FG: 0.998-1.017 (again, water is 1.0)
ABV: 2.8-6.0

In other words, these 8 substyles range from highly carbonated water to highly carbonated, slightly sweet, crisp water. The only function of the hops is to balance out any malt sweetness. The lack of any flavor characteristics means flaws and defects are not only more noticeable, but both more likely and more common. The DMS from the corn or pils malt can quickly dominate. The same for issues caused by poor handling (skunky, light struck, old). These are very fragile styles. It is only in the high ends of these styles that any positive characteristics other than high carbonation levels become noticeable. It’s only in the German and Bohemian Pilsners that a hint of hop flavor and alcohol are both noticeable and appropriate.

Yes, despite the narrow characteristic range and propensity for defects – there was a surprising breadth across the tastings. If you concentrate – it is possible to notice a definite difference in carbonation, mouthfeel, and flavor between Miller High Life, Miller Lite, and Miller Genuine Draft.

Across the board, there’s a refreshing crispness that is both a significant characteristic of the all the styles and most often absent from the tastings. Instead, there’s frequently a dull flatness or wet cardboardy-ness. Not ideal.

    Overall Ranking:

  1. Spaten Pils (German Pilsner)
  2. Staropramen (Bohemian Pilsner)
  3. Left Hand Polestar Pilsner (German Pilsner)
  4. Coors Light (Light American Lager)
  5. Miller High Life (Standard American Lager)
  6. Miller Genuine Draft (Premium American Lager)
  7. Amstel Lite (Light American Lager)
  8. Miller Lite (Light American Lager)
  9. Dortmunder Gold (Dortmunder Export)
  10. Avery Joe (Classic American Pilsner)
  11. Grain Belt Premium (Standard American Lager)

I wasn’t looking forward to these styles. I fully expected to be holding my nose and choking down bad beer (just like in college). In the end, it was quite enjoyable (just like in college).

Open Loop #4 – Enough Win for Everyone

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everything’s unbroken

“You see this goblet?” asks Achaan Chaa, the Thai meditation master. “For me this glass is already broken. I enjoy it; I drink out of it. It holds my water admirably, sometimes even reflecting the sun in beautiful patterns. If I should tap it, it has a lovely ring to it. But when I put this glass on the shelf and the wind knocks it over or my elbow brushes it off the table and it falls to the ground and shatters, I say, ‘Of course.’ When I understand that the glass is already broken, every moment with it is precious.”

thx to david @ unclutter.

16 years later – revisiting my very first Amazon purchase

Over lunch today, I dusted off my very first Amazon.com purchase:
Television at a Crossroads by Stefan Marzano et. al.

Television at a Crossroads, published in 1993 (nearly 20 years ago), is a huge enveloping book documenting Philips Design’s exploration of what television will be like in the future.

From television as “tele-lesson” delivery, as ambient information device (like a lamp or clock), as social entertainment device. Much of the exploration depict things we take for granted in 2012 – not from the television – but our banal internet experience.

While the specifics are as quaint and naïve as flying cars the underlying thinking holds up quite nicely. Oh sure – we’re not playing chess through our televisions – but we are playing games with players on the other side of some screen somewhere. Our guitar lessons may not be delivered over a device called a TV – but it’s still the ‘tube.

Marzano and team correctly predicted our lives would be increasingly filled with digital video displays large, small, and everywhere in-between.

Paging through TaaC, I’m reminded of two things:

  1. we can only describe the future with our current vocabulary and our vocabulary is continually evolving.
  2. despite their ultimate manifestation, the projected solutions and scenarios are realized.

The Road to BJCP Certification

A year and a half ago when I started formulating my own beer recipes – my friend Chris asked me if I had looked into hopville.com. Since then, Hopville has helped me understand and target the bounds of beer styles. By the numbers. But not by the ingredients. Even in the latest iteration Hopville warns of that discrepancy.

To get a better understanding of style-appropriate ingredients and tasting profiles – I declared one of my 2013 goals is to be BJCP certified.

This week, I start the process – an 11 week course leading to the BJCP exam.