Beer School

J. Wilson prepares the off flavor beer samples under Cory O'Neel's watchful eye

 Have you ever had a beer that tasted "off" but you didn't know why?  There are a lot of factors that can cause those off flavors in your beer.  Maybe the brewer needed to boil the wort a bit longer?  Maybe there was too much oxygen in the beer when they packaged it?  Maybe the beer was bottled in clear/green glass and was exposed to sunlight?  There are so many things that can make a good beer go bad, and the brewery doesn't always have control of them all.

The Iowa Brewers Guild held an Off Flavor Beer Class for both professional brewers and beer enthusiasts alike.  I was lucky enough to sit in on the brewers class (although I was told they are basically the same class.)  The class was taught by Brewing QA/QA Microbiologist Cory O'Neel.  Cory has worked in the brewing industry for many years for both small and extremely large breweries.  After a quick hello with him before class, it was obvious why J. chose him to teach the class, he know his stuff.

We all tried 12 different samples that were spiked with off flavors.  Some off flavors I didn't taste at all, some were very subtle to me, and were very obvious.  As it turns out, I'm more sensitive to the off flavors that come during and after packaging, but I'm also pretty sensitive to different acids.  The final sample of the afternoon was butyric acid, and Cory described it as "baby puke" to the class.  I heard one brewer ask, "how would anyone even know what that tastes like?"  Obviously he's not a dad yet!  Of course, that probably was the strongest flavor of the day too.  All in all, it was a good class that I would recommend to anyone who's into craft beer, and to everyone that home brews.

This class was hosted at the Quarter Barrel Arcade and Brewery in Cedar Rapids.  https://www.thequarterbarrel.com/
This was my first time here, but hopefully not my last.  It's in an older industrial brick building with classic brewery signs on the wall, and classic arcade games everywhere.  Not only did they host the off flavor class, but they made a few pizzas for everyone to enjoy after the class was over.  They were top notch.  Not to put anyone down, but I ate at a very popular Cedar Rapids pizzeria earlier in the day, and this was better.  When you visit, I would plan on taking a taxi or an Uber as parking seems to be an issue around the brewery, but that just means you get to enjoy a few more of their beers responsibly!

While the beer class was very educational and a great experience, it was just a bonus for me.  The main reason I drove nearly two hours was to record a podcast with J. Wilson.  J. is the Minister of Iowa Beers for the Iowa Brewers Guild.  http://www.iowabeer.org/#home
In the podcast we discussed what the Iowa Brewers Guild does for both Iowa breweries and craft beer fans alike.  We talked about the Iowa Beer Army, you can sign up on the Guild's site, and a special event just for the Iowa Beer Army later this summer.  He even talks about being named "Beer Drinker of the Year."  We also discussed the Iowa Craft Beer Festival, happening in Des Moines on June 16th.  I urge everyone that can go to do so, you will be amazed at how much great beer we have in Iowa.  https://app.tikly.co/events/2727  Click on the link to get your tickets while you can.  The VIP tickets have already sold out (that's OK, there will still be more beer than you can possibly try in a day.)

You can find my podcast with J. Wilson on iTunes, Google Play Music, SoundCloud, and Patreon.  Just search "Crinkltalk"  Once you find it, you can click to subscribe so you never have to search for it again.

Don't forget to check out Uncle Medard Outdoors at https://unclemedard.com/  Dan will have up new inventory soon!!

Pivo

 By now everyone's heard of Toppling Goliath and Pulpit Rock breweries in Decorah, IA, but less than 15 minutes south of them in the little town of Calmar, IA there's a new brewery in town called Pivo.

I recently sat down with Craig, the owner of Pivo Brewery to record a podcast (more on that later) and share a few beers.  The first thing I noticed was the warmth in the huge beer hall.  It was very open and inviting.  I immediately wanted to grab a beer and sit in the courtyard (coming soon) in the sun with friends to relax.  After talking with Craig, this seems to  be exactly the kind of feel he was shooting for.  A gathering place for the town and travelers to come and enjoy each others company while also enjoying a beer from his gigantic tap list.  Craig currently has nearly 30 Pivo beers and ciders on tap with another 9 guest beers and even a rootbeer on tap.  I've been to a lot of breweries over the years, and this may be one of the largest tap lists I've ever seen.

 During my tour I quickly noticed the planning and attention to detail that went into opening Pivo.  Little things like saving old church pews for 10 years, or patches, bottle openers, stickers and other knick knacks that became the bar top under a hefty layer of lacquer.  To larger things like space for 6 more tanks (already plumbed) to go into the brewhouse, and even room for an event center.

Then of course, there is the beer.  Even with the large tap list, Craig wants his beer to be approachable by all.  Styles ranging from Czech Pilsner, to Saison, IPA to Milk Stout.  How about a Chipotle Pumpkin Saison (great chile flavor with a good amount of heat, but not so much that you don't want to keep drinking to,) or a Cucumber Pale Ale?  This may have been my favorite of the afternoon.  A nice solid Pale Ale with loads of fresh cucumber flavor and aroma.  I could see enjoying a few pints of this in their courtyard, or even getting a growler or crowler (yes they do have both if you would like some beer to go) fill to enjoy in my own backyard.

 Craig hasn't gone through the process of starting a brewery on his own, his wife and business partner Sara has been with him the whole time, while creating a business of her own to complement Craig's in the same building.  Sara is an artist that uses ceramic tiles to display her talent as well as creating incredible Baltic Eggs.  She also do several art classes in her art studio located in the second floor (I'm told there's a free beer for every class.)  You can check out more of Craig's and Sara's creations on their website http://www.pivoblepta.com/  Or just stop in for a beer and check out their gift shop.

The giant homemade bar with 40 taps behind it

As always you can find my podcast on your favorite carrier, iTunes, Google Play, SoundCloud, and Patreon, just search "Crinkletalk" and enjoy Episode 4, recorded with Craig from Pivo Brewery.

Don't forget to check out the great designs from my good buddy Dan on https://unclemedard.com/
He'll have new inventory up soon!  Dan has been designing since before I knew him (and that's over 20 years now!) I encourage everyone to check out his website.  You can take a look at some of his awesome designs on Instagram "unclemedardoutdoor."  He even created my awesome new podcast logo.

This is going to be a big year for the Crinkletalk podcast.  I have some exciting guests line up and some things in the works to make the podcast bigger and better than ever.  Thanks to all that have given me their support and help along the way.   I hope you enjoy listening to the podcast as much as I enjoy creating it.  Cheers!