Let's go to work

Tonight marks the beginning of a significant step towards laying the foundation of the Brouha House. Yup, tonight I will start my employment at O'Shea's Family of Pubs right here in weird and wonderful Louisville. I figured if we want to be successful in the bar business, experience and knowledge are going to be in great need...so why not try to gain that knowledge from the best?

For those of you unfamiliar with O'Shea's family of pubs. Here is a little background. The "family" consit of three members, Flanigan's, Brendan's and O'Shea's. Each of them are Irish Pubs and they are wonderful pubs at that. O'Shea's is the biggest and best of their pubs and is a regular staple in the city's social scene. O'Shea's does a great job of helping put on festivals, events and other things that take place in and around their bar. However, perhaps the best thing about O'Shea's (besides their outstanding beer selection) is that each Monday they raise money for a different cause. They call Mondays "fund days" and when they have one, 100% of their profits from that day go to a different charitable cause. It is truly great to see a bar as big and as good as their's give back to the community in such a big way.

Anyway, as you can see when it comes to the Louisville bar scene...the O'Shea's folks know what they're doing. Luckily, thanks to Jim (good friends with the owner) I had a bit on an in with them. I got into contact with them a couple weeks ago and met with them last week to discuss a possible "intership" in hopes of gaining some very valuable experience. They were really great about the whole situation and have set up about a 10-15 week crash course in bar management for me!

Starting tonight...I will work every Tuesday, Wednesday...and most Friday's at one of their pubs. I'll spend a week at Brendan's and then a week at O'Shea's or Flannigan's and for each two week period I'll be trained at one position. For instance, tonight I'll start as a host and bus boy...I'll work this week and next week at that position before moving up the totem poll a bit. Eventually, I'll shadow the manager and sit in on everything they do...from payroll to shift meetings...I'll be there for it all. It will be a lot of work, especially on top of my 9-5 job, but the opportunity is great! I really can't express enough thanks to O'Shea's pubs for helping me and the Brouha House out in such a great way.

The 10-15 weeks are sure to be a rollercoaster of madness...but they are sure to help us here at the Brouha House take a gigantic step toward our goal of sharing our beer with the rest of the world!

What's in your fridge?

As you might know, the 'Ville was hit with a hellacious wind storm on Sept. 14. Massive tree carnage as far as the eye can see. I was without power for a little over 4 days. When the power came back on, my beer supply was nonexistent. Things had to change and quick. So, Saturday I made the trek across the river to Keg Liquors in Clarksville. The new store is opening Oct. 6th. First off, don't judge this book by its cover. It may look like a hole from the outside, but the inside is glorious. Mind you the prices are a bit higher than most local stores, the impressive selection of beer makes it all worth while. Along with a walled cooler of six packs there is a second wall of big bottled beer and the best selection of Indiana beers in the area. I have become smitten with a few of the Hoosier state's breweries.

I walked away with quite a dent in the wallet. Salvation - the beer fridge is stocked again.

My purchase ...



Jolly Pumpkin - Maracaibo Especial
Brauerei Weihenstephan - 1809 Berliner Weisse
Brouweirij Van den Bossche - Buffalo Belgian Stout
Kasteel - Rouge
Brugge - Black
Barley Island - Bourbon Barrel Oatmeal Stout

If you haven't been to Keg, do yourself a favor and make the trek. Tell 'em Dude sent ya.

Well it's finally here

HAPPY FALL

looks fishy - courtesy of twilight earth

You know what that means – a chill in the air, brilliant colors all around, and Oktoberfest - the world's largest beer festival.

The 175th Oktoberfest celebration runs from September 20 until October 5.

The tradition developed as a celebration of the marriage of Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig to the Saxon-Hildburghausen Princess Therese on October 12, 1810. Citizens were invited to the festivities originally held over five days on the fields in front of Munich's city gates. The main event of the original Oktoberfest was a grand horse race. The festival was eventually moved to September allowing for better weather.

It's all about the beer and ponies people.

If you are lucky enough to have a decent beer selection nearby you can't help but notice the plethora of Oktoberfest beers coming onto the market. These medium to high ABV lagers were originally brewed in March (Märzen) and kept in cold storage until the fall.

According to the Beer Judge Style Guidelines, Oktoberfest is category 3B (European Amber Lager)classified as being “Smooth, clean, and rather rich, with a depth of malt character. This is one of the classic malty styles, with a maltiness that is often described as soft, complex, and elegant but never cloying.”

It's the beer that got me into home brewing. The beer we brewed for the first Brew-Ha-Ha. It holds a special place in my heart and stomach.

Some commercial examples are Paulaner Oktoberfest, and Ayinger Oktoberfest-Märzen on the import front and Victory Festbier, and Great Lakes Oktoberfest as domestic examples.

An Oktoberfest would go great with a few bratwurst and sauerkraut on rye and the Chargers/Jets MNF game tonight. There is a six-pack of Brooklyn's sitting in the fridge just looking for a mate.

Dogfish Head Punkin Ale

The best part of trying to open a brewpub is all the "research" you have to do. We want our beers to be the best, so we try as many different offerings as we can (without drastically affecting our lifestyles) and we see what we like and what we don't. I figured it would be a good idea to keep you all updated on the various beers we try. Feel free to share your reviews as well.



Last night I picked up a four pack of Dogfish Head's Punkin Ale. For the most part I am a big fan of Dogfish Head. Their beers are always unique and usually tasty. Even when they don't totally appeal to me, I always respect the fact that they are constantly trying to expand the definition of beer. They use ingredients most would never even consider and methods others wish they had thought of themselves. They've become a major player on the beer scene, and while I often go after smaller, harder-to-find breweries when I'm at the liquor store, it's good to know that a company like Dogfish Head can have so much success.

I am very happy I jumped back into the Dogfish Head pool last night. I had never tried this fall offering, and I realize now that was a mistake. Dogfish describes this ale as "a full-bodied brown ale brewed with real pumpkins, brown sugar, allspice cinnamon, and nutmeg." More simply put, it tastes like Autumn in a bottle. This week the temperature dropped 5-10 degrees and I was starting to get really fired up about my favorite season, Fall. This beer took that to the next level. Pumpkin ales are very hit or miss in my opinion, and even the good ones often have a strange pumpkin flavor and are usually a little too weak for my liking (especially when it gets cooler outside). This beer rings in at 7% abv and has a wonderful flavor. It tastes more like pumpkin pie (maybe with a hint of sweet potatoes), but it's definitely not overly sweet. I can't wait to drink this with a warmed up plate of Thanksgiving leftovers in a couple months!

What’s up in the wonderful world of beer?

Just a few random items in the news:

Beer goggles: We’ve all experienced the beer goggle effect at one time or another. After a couple of brews, the girls (or guys, depending on who’s doing the drinking) just seem a little better looking, don’t they? It’s probably gotten a few of you in trouble once or twice. Made you think: “Where’s my wingman, Goose, when I really need him?” Well, it’s apparently not your imagination. It’s now been scientifically proven.

Beer is recession-proof: Once again, statistics are showing that, despite economic hard times, beer sales are not declining. In fact, they’re increasing! Best line from the article? "Beer will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no beer."

A man after our own hearts: One of the goals of all of us here at the Brouha Blog is to open peoples’ eyes (actually, their taste buds) to the wonderful world of craft ales. If you haven’t begun to at least experiment a bit, you really owe it to yourself to try. Here’s a guy in Maryland, who might just be our long, lost brother. Converting the Miller Lite crowd, one glass of ale at a time. Listen and learn, grasshopper.

The royal treatment: A beer delivery intended for the Windsor Castle Pub, accidentally ended up at the real Windsor Castle and Queen Elizabeth decides to knock back a few with the staff, before they realize it’s a mistake. Well, not really, but don’t you think the English would love her even more, if she did?

Brouha House Gets A Major Shout-Out

Good news, gang. Our friends at Flying Dog Brewery have posted a picture featuring our very own Bud! We spent some time with the guys from Flying Dog at Alefest Dayton last month. We had a great time at their booth, and they seemed to have a good time meeting Bud. They've posted the picture on their blog, and they give a very nice shout out to us here at Brouha! Check out Flying Dog's September 9th blog entry here.

This was very big news for the Brouha crew. For a new blog run by four guys with dreams of opening a brewpub, getting a little publicity at the hands one of the biggest craft breweries out there is about as good as it gets.

We have always been impressed with the beers of Flying Dog (my personal favorite is their Gonzo Imperial Porter. In fact, check out their entire Canis Major series, which also includes Horn Dog Barleywine, Double Dog Double Pale Ale, and Kerberos Tripel), but what's even more impressive is how a brewery with such high national notoriety will take the time to acknowledge us little guys. So do yourself a favor, pick up some Flying Dog Ales, check out the brilliantly bizarre artwork by Ralph Steadman (the close friend of Louisville's own Hunter S. Thompson), and enjoy great beer made by great people.

Thanks for the shout-out Flying Doggers.

Is your beer cellar well-stocked?

Do you even have a beer cellar?

Did you even know that there was any reason to have a beer cellar?

Well, this guy does -- and he might have the coolest beer cellar you'll ever see. It's located in a former gold mine, a tunnel stretching 3,000 feet into the side of a mountain, with a stream running through the middle and remaining a steady 50 degrees year round.

Okay, that might be a bit much for most of us, but don't dismiss the idea of having your own little beer cellar at home. You see, despite everything you've heard about freshness dating on your beer, many beers actually get better with age. I knew that high-alcohol beers often improve with age, but the story explains that many people also cellar bottle-conditioned beers, lambics, barley wines, imperial stouts and other strong, bold ales.

So clean out a corner of your basement, dust off that old wine rack and, next time you decide to try something big, or bold, or just plain funky, pick up an extra bottle or two and stash them away for six months, or a year, or even a couple of years. Imagine the anticipation of pouring it into the glass, checking the color, taking in the aroma and then savoring that first tentative sip.

Careful, though, someone might accuse you of becoming a beer connoisseur. If that bothers you, just keep a six-pack of of something with a "born on" date handy. Your secret will be safe.

If a creek was a beer ...

Besides all things beer, another passion of mine is fly flying, more importantly, fly fishing for trout. The best water in the state is the Cumberland river at 2 1/2 hours away. With current gas prices, I find myself heading down that way only a few times each year. It's also quite finicky being a cold tailwater with a leaky dam. That being said - I am a fly fishing nomad. I travel the country in search of that next trout. The tug is the drug. The closest trout water and the water I claim as my home is Otter Creek.

Otter is a tributary of the Ohio River in Meade County, KY. Most of the water containing trout is located within Otter Creek Park. The park is maintained by Louisville Metro Parks. There is a second portion of water located within Fort Knox that requires a special permit to fish.

I'd venture to say that I've put more time on Otter than any other water I've fished. It holds sentimental value as it's the site of my first encounter between a fly rod and a rainbow trout (10” caught on a hand tied Prince #14.)

What can I say about Otter Creek.
It's a quick 45 minute drink to the entrance of the park. Listed as having 9.7 miles of trout water starting at the confluence with the Ohio, it's very accessible with a trail system running along most of its length. Blessing or curse it holds numerous other species. On my last trip I managed to catch smallmouth bass, bream, a freshwater drum, and a small catfish.

Part of Otter's problem is a lack of stream side stability. It's prone to washouts after heavy rains. The water muddies up quickly and stays that way for way too long. In June 2007 the local chapter of Trout Unlimited joined forces with metro parks as steward of the stream. Hopefully there are plans in place to remedy the situation. It's a put and take fishery with stocked trout. There are a few holdovers. The water just gets too warm and oxygen levels too high to support a sustaining population. The trout average 10-12” and in my experience are taken more on nymphs than dries. The exception is during the fall when Otter gets it's last stocking of the year and goes into a seasonal catch-and-release season from October 1 - March 31. During this period a size 22 cream midge is my go to fly. Otter also holds a surprising population of small stream smallmouth. I find myself fishing for them more often than trout.


As for linking it to a specific beer I have the following criteria

1.Has to be one easy to find and drink.
Otter Creek is very close and accessible and this beer can be found in most stores, bars, and bowling allies.

2.Has to be a gateway beer being familiar yet a just a tad different.
Otter Creek is pretty easy to fish with nothing really standing out. The water is easy to read and wade and offers very few surprises. This beer is quite ordinary with nothing jumping too far out the bottle. It's neither too sweet, roasted, or hoppy. The beer has an overall slightly sweet smooth malty taste with a simple hop character.

3.Has to be drinkable all year long.
Otter is a year round fishery and a good place when I feed a fix. While I wouldn't purchase this beer on a regular basis, I wouldn't turn it down if bought for me or if it was the best option on a night on the town. I could drink it year round - if I had to.


Any guesses...


Otter Creek would be...


you guessed it - Michelob's Amber Bock

A Fest of Ales

Last weekend two of my favorite things collided...beer and festivals! First of all, I'm sorry for the delay in posting about this wonderful event. Let's just say I needed a little time to reflect on the greatness of Alefest Dayton.


Here's how it happened. One hundred brewers hauled over 250 different beers into Carillon Park, and each attendee got 20 beer tickets and a small glass. Once your ticket was scanned, you were let loose in the park and allowed to run like mad from tent to tent trying as many different beers as possible. Everyone from Anheuser Busch to Ommegang to Hopping Frog was there. Some of our favorites, among the many, were Bear Republic's Hop Rod Rye, Unibroue's 17 Belgian Dark Strong Ale, and the always tasty Left Hand Milk Stout. Also, I have a much greater respect for Flying Dog Brewery. Their tent was clearly the most fun...and the most irreverent.

If I could offer one piece of advice for the next beer festival you attend, it would be to stay until the very end. You see, as the end of the festival nears, the brewers realize that the beer has to go, and the attendees realize that the beer has to go...and, well, the beer goes. The last thirty minutes of Alefest Dayton were a free-for-all. The orderly lines turned to mass crowds of beer glass wielding savages craving one last taste. The beer tickets no longer had any value. It was first come first serve...and it was awesome. Unfortunately, our friend Bud had long since passed out.

Beer festivals are a really good way to get out and try a variety of good beers. And the crowds are usually pretty fun. Of course, you have plenty of beer snobs who will snub any beer that doesn't burn your tongue off with an extreme hop load, but you also have people who couldn't care less what gets poured in their cup. They just want to drink a lot and pass out in a field (just like Bud). I like to think I fall somewhere in the middle, enjoying the quality beers that were served, but also never forgetting that the majority of the time good beer leads to good times. That's why we love beer. And that was definitely the case in Dayton. Next time you hear about a beer fest in driving distance, load up the car and go. Oh, and book a hotel room. Twenty 4-oz glasses of beer are more than you think.

Oh, also, don't wear pants to an outdoor festival in late August. I'm an idiot.