Tales of ales from the heart of Ohio to the ends of the Earth
These days mixed fermentation beers are all the rage, but the monks at Orval have been making a mixed fermentation Brett saison for 80+ years. In this episode Hans Gorsuch and Chris Mercerhill join Mark and I for an in-depth look at one of the world's truly iconic beers. Throw in some thoughts on home brewing... Continue Reading →
About two weeks ago I wrote a post highlighting my favorite British breweries with the promise to follow up with similar posts from my forays into mainland Europe. In today's post we move across the English Channel to the Low Countries. Last April I spent 10 days with my wife and daughter visiting Belgium, The Netherlands... Continue Reading →
Belgium is formally divided into three regions, Dutch speaking Flanders in the north, French speaking Wallonia in the south, and bilingual Brussels lying roughly in the middle. Setting the capital territory aside, the other two regions are separated by more than just language. Each has its own parliament, political parties, religious preferences, and of course... Continue Reading →
Beer is made by yeast, full stop. Given its pivotal role brewers are generally pretty picky about what type of yeast they let into their fermentation tanks. Scientists have classified over 1500 different species of yeast, but the vast majority of beers are made by just two species—Saccharomyces cerevisiae (ale yeast) and Saccharomyces pastorianus (lager yeast).... Continue Reading →
If you follow the happenings of the beer world on social media, every once in a while you realize you’ve stumbled onto a beer holiday without even realizing it. I’m not talking St. Patrick’s Day or Thanksgiving weekend either. I’m talking about little known days like IPA Day (Aug. 7), Stout Day (Nov. 3), Sour... Continue Reading →
Orval is one of the Trappist Breweries, a brewery owned and operated by monks. Located in Belgium like most of the Trappist Breweries, Orval means valley of gold. The current brewery was built in 1931, and they brew only one beer. The recipe is said to date back to 1100 AD. Orval has more hop presence that many of the Trappist... Continue Reading →
Pat's Pints 