Urban Vintner Beer and Wine Making

Wine for Beer Drinkers

By UrbanVintner, on May 14th, 2013

One of my favorite posts from Wine Folly – I am always trying to convince my beer-drinking friends to try wine, but it can be difficult to find something that they really love (until now)!

For every bottle of wine drunk in the United States at least 20 bottles of beer are consumed. That means twenty-to-one your friends are drinking beer. So how do you get your friends to drink (and enjoy) more wine?

Below are six major styles of beer with a complimenting style of wine. Discover wine from a new perspective: wine for beer drinkers.

Lager and Light Beer
Pale Ale
India Pale Ale
Wheat Ale
Belgium Ale
Porters and Dark Ales

How Does Beer Stack Up? Check out the big differences in Beer vs. Wine

Light Beer (Lager) Drinkers

Lagers and Pilsner are some of the most refreshing beers out there. Cold and easy-to-drink, a glass of pils is a perfect way to reinvigorate after a long day. Light beers range from something as cheap and normal as Bud Light to Baltika 7, an imported Russian Lager.

Try Brut Cava

Cava is Spanish Champagne and it’s cheap enough to drink regularly.

Why Light Beer Drinkers Will Like Cava

It’s bubbly and refreshing like a lager and also pairs with a wide range of foods.

Pale Ale Drinkers

Pale ales are richer than light beers. They have body. A beer drinker who loves a pale ale chooses its balanced and not-too-bitter taste.

Try Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir is on the lighter end of the spectrum of red wine. It tends to be balanced and not too tannic (aka bitter).

Why Pale Ale Drinkers Will Like Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir and other light red wines offer great body but lack the structure of bitter tannins. Because it is lighter, Pinot Noir can also be served at a cooler temperature.

IPA Lovers

Someone who loves IPA loves how complex a beer can be. IPA’s can be fruity and sweet whilst being incredibly bitter. An imperial IPA has a higher alcohol level, which adds more body and complexity.

Try Carmenere

Carmenere is a fantastic balance between savory, fruity and bitter. It can be found mostly in Chile.

Why IPA Drinkers Will Like Carmenere

The savory quality of Carmenere is the reason an IPA drinker will like Carmenere. Check out these other similar-in-style varieties too: Cabernet Franc, Mourvedre and Aglianico.

Wheat Ale Drinkers

Wheat beers are smooth, creamy and sometimes even a bit sweet. A wheat ale offers refreshing richness.

Try a Buttery Chardonnay

A Chardonnay will give you refreshing notes of apple and lemon along with the sensation of vanilla or lemon curd from oak aging. You might also look into Viognier, Roussanne and Semillon.

Why Wheat Ale Drinkers Will Like Chardonnay

If you love wheat ale, Chardonnay is a great type of wine to start with because it also quenches while offering creamy-smooth taste.

Belgium Ale Aficionados

Belgium Ales like tripels use many different grains to produce a smooth, lightly bubbly texture and body. This is a stand-alone beer that has higher alcohol and is also a tad more sweet.

Try a Shiraz or Grenache Blend

Shiraz or perhaps a Grenache-based blend from the Côtes du Rhône will have a similiar smooth and unctuous quality to Belgium Ale with all the fruit and smoky sweetness.

Why Belgium Ale Drinkers Will Like Fruit-Forward Wines

Both Belgium Ales and Fruit forward wines, like Shiraz, stand on their own. Besides a similar profile of big body, high alcohol and inherent sweetness, they also both look great in a big glass.

Porter Drinkers

Porters are medium-bodied but very dark and earthy. They are light enough to drink but tough enough to grow the hair on your back. A Porter drinker likes a little punch in the mouth.

Try Bordeaux or Chianti

Bordeaux wines and Tuscan Chianti both have a healthy portion of earthiness in their taste profile. Both Chianti and Bordeaux tend to be a little lighter in alcohol level which give them more medium body vs bold. Still the tannin in these wines is high.

Why Porter Drinkers Will Like These Wines

A Porter drinker will appreciate how well these particular wines pair with the same foods. The balanced alcohol in both Bordeaux and Chianti offer a more drinkable profile while still lending out tons of dirt.

Canadian Brewing Awards 2013

By UrbanVintner, on May 12th, 2013

I love a great beer and this years top-ranking brews were just announced!

If you find yourself in a liquor store and are not sure what to pick-up, steer clear of the standard cans of Miller/Bud/Canadian and give one of these beers a try!

Let me know your favorite – it might just be something we can try to clone at Urban Vintner!

VICTORIA, BC – The winners of the Canadian Brewing Awardsfor 2013 were announced last night during a gala ceremony at the Inn at Laurel Point, the final event in a two day conference that attracted brewers and other beer industry professionals from across the country.

Selected last month in a series of blind tastings by a panel of BJCP certified judges, the full list of winning beers for this year is as follows:

North American Style Lager
Gold: Alpine Lager, Moosehead Breweries Ltd.(NB)
Silver: Cool Beer, Cool Beer Brewing Co. (ON)
Bronze: Brewhouse Pilsener, Great Western Brewing Co. (SK)

North American Style Premium Lager
Gold: Okanagan Spring 1516, Okanagan Spring Brewery (BC)
Silver: Moosehead Lager, Moosehead Breweries Ltd. (NB)
Bronze: Yellowhead Premium Lager, Yellowhead Brewery (AB)

European Style Lager (Pilsner)
Gold: Traditional Pilsner, Creemore Springs Brewery Ltd. (ON)
Silver: Bohemian Style Pilsener, Propeller Brewing Co.(NS)
Bronze: Stone Hammer Pilsner, F & M Brewery (ON)

North American Style Amber Lager
Gold: Barking Squirrel Amber Lager, Hop City Brewing Co. (ON)
Silver: Premium Lager, Pump House Brewery Ltd. (NB)
Bronze: Belle Gueule Rousse, Les Brasseurs RJ (QC)

North American Style Dark Lager
Gold: Waterloo Dark, Brick Brewing Co. (ON)
Silver: Cameron’s Dark 266, Cameron’s Brewing Company (ON)
Bronze: Hermann’s Dark Lager, Vancouver Island Brewery (BC)

Light (Calorie-Reduced) Lager
Gold: Alpine Light, Moosehead Breweries Ltd.(NB)
Silver: Laker Light, Brick Brewing Co. (ON)
Bronze: Cracked Canoe Premium Light Lager, Moosehead Breweries Ltd. (NB)

Bock – Traditional German Style
Gold: Captivator Doppelbock, Tree Brewing Co. (BC)
Silver: Amsterdam Spring Bock, Amsterdam Brewery (ON)
Bronze: King Bock, King Brewery (ON)

Kellerbier
Gold: King Kellerbier, King Brewery (ON)
Silver: Central City Kellerbier, Central City Brewing (BC)
Bronze: Howe Sound Lager, Howe Sound Brewing Co. (BC)

Porter
Gold: Harry Porter, Great Lakes Brewery (ON)
Silver: Breakfast Porter, Indie Ale House Brewing Co. (ON)
Bronze: Black Death Porter, Russell Brewing Co. (BC)

Strong Porter (Baltic)
Gold: Pothole Porter, Half Pints Brewing Co. (MB)
Silver: Okanagan Spring Porter, Okanagan Spring Brewery (BC)
Bronze: Lost River Baltic Porter, Bellwoods Brewery (ON)

Cream Ale
Gold: Begbie Cream Ale, Mt Begbie Brewing Co. (BC)
Silver: Labatt 50 Ale, Labatt Breweries of Canada (ON)
Bronze: Mill Street Portage Ale, Mill Street Brewery (ON)

Kolsch
Gold: Lug Tread Lagered Ale, Beau’s All Natural Brewing Co. (ON)
Silver: St. James Pale Ale, Half Pints Brewing Co. (MB)
Bronze: Arctic Ale, Swans Brewpub (BC)

North American Style Amber/Red Ale
Gold: Red Racer ESB, Central City Brewing (BC)
Silver: Limited Release Irish Red, Granville Island Brewing (BC)
Bronze: Amber Ale, Steam Works Brewing Co. (BC)

North American Style Blonde/Golden Ale
Gold: Northumberland Ale, Church Key Brewing Co. (ON)
Silver: Amsterdam Natural Blonde, Amsterdam Brewery (ON)
Bronze: Station House Blonde Ale, Shuswap Lake Brewing Co. (BC)

Brown Ale
Gold: Nut Brown Ale, The Black Oak Brewing Co. (ON)
Silver: Old Boy, Parallel 49 Brewing Co. (BC)
Bronze: Nut Brown Ale, Dead Frog Brewery (BC)

American Style Black Ale
Gold: Black IPA, Brasserie Dunham, (QC)
Silver: Malevolent BIIPA, Nickel Brook Brewery (ON)
Bronze: Insidious IBA, Rockbottom Brewpub (NS)

Scotch Ale
Gold: Amsterdam Vicars Vice, Amsterdam Brewery (ON)
Silver: Iron Duke, Wellington County Brewery Inc. (ON)
Bronze: Stag Apple Scotch Ale, Tin Whistle Brewing Co. Ltd. (BC)

English Style Pale Ale (Bitter)
Gold: Butler’s Bitter, Niagara College Teaching Brewery (ON)
Silver: Distillery Ale, Mill Street Brewery (ON)
Bronze: Pail, Pump House Brewery Ltd. (NB)

North American Style Pale Ale (Bitter)
Gold: Old Jalopy Pale Ale, Powell Street Craft Brewery (BC)
Silver: Crazy Canuck Pale Ale, Great Lakes Brewery (ON)
Bronze: Wizard Wolf, Bellwoods Brewery (ON)

Wheat Beer – Belgian Style (Wit)
Gold: Dominus Vobiscum Blanche, MicroBrasserie Charlevoix (QC)
Silver: Mill Street Belgian Wit, Mill Street Brewery (ON)
Bronze: Mons Abbey Witte, Brasserie Belgh Brasse (QC)

Wheat Beer – German Style (Weiss)
Gold: King Heffy Imperial Hefeweizen, Howe Sound Brewing Co. (BC)
Silver: Denison’s Weissbier, Denison’s Brewing Co. (ON)
Bronze: Belle Gueule Hefeweizen, Les Brasseurs RJ (QC)

Wheat Beer – North American Style
Gold: Sun God Wheat Ale, R & B Brewing Co. (BC)
Silver: Sir John A’s Honey Wheat Ale, PEI Brewing Co.
(PEI) Bronze: Grasshopper Wheat Ale, Big Rock Brewery (AB)

Belgian Style Abbey Ale
Gold: Vow of Silence, Parallel 49 Brewing (BC)
Silver: Seigneuriale, Unibroue (QC)
Bronze: Mons Abbey Dubbel, Brasserie Belgh Brasse (QC)

Belgian Style Strong Specialty Ale
Gold: Blitzen, Bellwoods Brewery (ON)
Silver: New World BPA, Nickel Brook Brewing Co. (ON)
Bronze: Dominus Vobiscum Lupulus, MicroBrasserie Charlevoix (QC)

Barley Wine Style Ale
Gold: Legacy Ale, Swans Brewpub (BC)
Silver: Old Cellar Dweller, Driftwood Brewing Co. (BC)
Bronze: Mill Street 2012 Barley Wine, Mill Street Brewery (ON)

Stout
Gold: Diamond Head Oatmeal Stout, Howe Sound Brewing Co. (BC)
Silver: Stone Hammer Oatmeal Coffee Stout, F & M Brewery (ON)
Bronze: Lighthouse Keepers Stout, Lighthouse Brewing Co. (BC)

Imperial Stout
Gold: Rang 10, Microbrasserie du Lac St-Jean (QC)
Silver: Hellwoods, Bellwoods Brewery (ON)
Bronze: Apocalypse, Les Brasseurs RJ (QC)

English Style India Pale Ale
Gold: Beaver River, Beau’s All Natural Brewery (ON)
Silver: Devil’s Elbow IPA, Howe Sound Brewing Co. (BC)
Bronze: Mill Street IPA, Mill Street Brewery (ON)

American Style India Pale Ale
Gold: Karma Citra IPA, Great Lakes Brewery (ON)
Silver: Lord of the Hops, Parallel 49 Brewing (BC)
Bronze: Cameron’s RPA, Cameron’s Brewing Co. (ON)

Imperial India Pale Ale
Gold: Central City Imperial IPA, Central City Brewing (BC)
Silver: Twice as Mad Tom, Muskoka Brewery (ON)
Bronze: Hop Therapy, Russell Brewing Co. (BC)

French and Belgian Style Saison
Gold: Le Paysan Saison, Nickel Brook Brewing Co. (ON)
Silver: Dominus Vobiscum Saison, MicroBrasserie Charlevoix (QC)
Bronze: La Tintamarre, Acadie-Broue Inc. (NB)

Special Honey/Maple Lager or Ale
Gold: St. Ambroise Maple Beer, McAuslan Brewing Inc. (QC)
Silver: Boréale Dorée, Les Brasseurs du Nord Inc. (QC)
Bronze: Maple Stout, The Cannery Brewing Co. (BC)

Fruit Beer
Gold: Steamworks Pumpkin Ale, Steamworks Brewing Co. (BC)
Silver: False Creek Raspberry Ale, Granville Island Brewing (BC)
Bronze: Blueberry Ale, Pumphouse Brewery Ltd. (NB)

Wood and Barrel Aged Beer
Gold: Bourbon Barrel Aged Robust Porter, Great Lakes Brewery (ON)
Silver: Maverick and Gose, Amsterdam Brewery (ON)
Bronze: Greener Futures Project Burnt Rock, Beau’s All Natural Brewing Co. (ON)

Wood and Barrel Aged Strong Beer
Gold: Central City Bourbon Porter, Central City Brewing (BC)
Silver: From East Van with Love, Parallel 49 Brewing (BC)
Bronze: 25th Anniversary Bourbon Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stout, Great Lakes Brewery (ON)

Wood and Barrel Aged Sour Beer
Gold: Yaletown Oud Bruin, Yaletown Brewing Co. (BC)
Silver: La Bretteuse- Brassin Special, Microbrasserie Le Trou Du Diable (QC)
Bronze: Co-Hop V, À La Fût (QC)

Gluten Free Beer
Gold: Glutenberg Belge de Saison, Brasseurs Sans Gluten (QC)
Silver: Glutenberg Blonde, Brasseurs Sans Gluten (QC)
Bronze: Glutenberg Rousse, Brasseurs Sans Gluten (QC)

Experimental Beer
Gold: Glutenberg Imperial Sotolon, Brasseur Sans Gluten (QC)
Silver: Série Signature Hopfenweisse, Les Trois Mousquetaires (QC)
Bronze: Winter Brewed Coffee Amber, Beau’s All Natural Brewing Co. (ON)

Beer of the Year – Old Jalopy Pale Ale, Powell Street Craft Brewery (BC)

Brewery of the Year – Great Lakes Brewery (ON)

Train Yourself to be a Better Beer Taster

By UrbanVintner, on May 6th, 2013

Below is an interesting look at figuring out what style of beer you really prefer. Exercises like this are great ways to discover new styles and varieties that you probably would have passed on otherwise.
*Note: Not all of these beers used as examples will be available at BC Liquor Stores, but you should be able to find something similar if you ask the staff at larger stores like Firefly or Legacy Liquor.

Beer Tasting Workout:

At its most basic, beer starts with water and grain (malt), flavored with a kind of flower called hops and fermented by yeast. F&W’s Megan Krigbaum and brewer Dave McLean of San Francisco’s excellent Magnolia Brewing explain the essentials and propose four taste-training exercises.

original Train Yourself to be a Better Beer Taster

Beer Tasting Exercise: Hops

Hops Defined

Hops are the flowers of the Humulus lupulus plant, a crawling vine that grows in many parts of the world. Most brewers use dried hops, though some like to use fresh “wet” hops, when available. Many brewers today use hop pellets (which are made from dried hops) to ensure consistency from batch to batch.

How Brewers Use Hops

Hops give beer both flavor and aroma. Brewers can choose from among dozens of varieties, many of them quite distinctive. “Saaz hops from the Czech Republic are spicy and peppery,” says McLean. “English hops can be grassy, and Pacific Northwest hops can be citrusy or piney.” Hops also contribute bitterness, measured in International Bitterness Units, or IBUs. The amount of IBUs depends not only on the type and amount of hops, but also on when the hops are added during brewing.

“I think bitterness is becoming more accepted in the US because of cocktail culture,” McLean says. “People are now into bitter drinks, like Negronis.”

Hops Workout: Bitterness

Super-hoppy beers are all the rage, because they deliver a flavor wallop. They can also be very bitter. When that bitterness is balanced with sweetness, however, the effect is refreshing, not wince-inducing.

What You Need

3 glasses
1 1/2 cups grapefruit juice
Water

To determine your bitterness threshold, pour 1/2 cup grapefruit juice into each of the three glasses. Add 1/2 cup of water to the first glass and 1/4 cup of water to the second. Taste in order of increasing bitterness.

Beers to Try
From mildly to very bitter
Gritty McDuff’s Best Bitter > Firestone Walker Pale 31 > Russian River Blind Pig

Hops Workout: Flavor & Aromas

What You Need

Grapefruit wedge
Fresh pine needles
Black peppercorns
Just-picked grass
Freesia
Thyme and sage

Give each of the above a sniff or a taste to get a sense of the range of citrusy and “green” (herbal, piney) flavors and aromas that hops can impart to beer. Put a check mark next to the ones you enjoy. The more you choose, the more you will like an intensely hoppy beer.

Beers to Try
From citrusy to herbal

Citrus: Brooklyn Sorachi Ace
Pine Needles: Weyerbacher Double Simcoe IPA
Pepper: Victory Prima Pils
Grass: Tröegs Nugget Nectar
Flowers: Three Floyds Blackheart
Herbal: Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye

Beer Tasting Exercise: Malt

Malt Defined

Malt is created by first germinating grain, usually barley. The grains are heat-dried and sometimes roasted to further caramelize the malt and develop toasty flavors. Then, during fermentation, yeasts get to work, converting sugars in the malt to alcohol. Any remaining sugar not only contributes sweetness but also body to beer. Malt also adds a lot of flavor.

Malt Workout: Sweetness

What You Need

Whole-wheat bread
Oatmeal cookie
Rock candy

Malt contributes a range of sweetness to beer, from mild (as in packaged whole-wheat bread) to intense (rock candy). Taste the foods above to learn your sweetness threshold.

Beers to Try
From mildly to very sweet
Magic Hat Plus/Minus > Oskar Blues Old Chub > Goose Island Big John

Color Connection
In addition to sweetness, malt gives beer its color. Counterintuitively, a dark-colored beer can be light-bodied, and a light-colored beer can be full-bodied.

Malt Workout: Flavors & Aromas

“There is a pure sweetness to malt, plus flavors and aromas like coffee, nuts and toast,” says McLean.

When it comes to malt, the darker the roast, the deeper the flavors. Taste through the list below and put a check mark next to the flavors you enjoy. The more you choose, the more likely you are to appreciate an especially malty beer.

What You Need

Malt ball candies
Brewed coffee
English toffee
Pecans
Slice of toast
Dark chocolate bar
Dried cherries

Beers to Try
From malt-ball-like to fruity

Malt Balls: Red Hook ESB
Toffee: AleSmith Old Numbskull
Nutty: SweetWater Georgia Brown
Coffee: Founders Breakfast Stout
Toast: Bell’s Smoked Vienna Lager
Chocolate: Left Hand Milk Stout
Dried Fruit: Ommegang Abbey Ale

How is White Wine Made?

By UrbanVintner, on April 30th, 2013

The other week I posed about the process of making red wine, and had a great response from customers. So, without further ado, here is the process of making white wine!

Did you know that white wine can be made with red or white grapes? The major difference between making red wine and white wine is that the juice is fermented without the grape’s skins when making white wine. See how white wine is produced with an easy-to-understand infographic.

THE BASICS
The basic concept behind winemaking is very simple, but the process can vary greatly depending on who makes the wine and what techniques they prefer to use. Use the visual aid below as a baseline to how all white wines are made!

Part 1: Crush Grapes and Collect Juice

White wine can be made with either white or red grapes. The major difference between white and red wine is that white wines are fermented without the grape skins. First the grapes are pressed off the skins and the sweet grape juice is collected in vats to be fermented into wine.

Ever heard of White Zinfandel? White wine made with red grapes: White Pinot Noir
Find out what happens to winery waste

Part 2: Fermenting Grape Juice into Wine

White wines are typically fermented much cooler than red wines. This is to preserve the fresh fruity flavors. During this time the 2 parts sugar ferments into 1 part alcohol. So, if you start with 2 Brix of sugar you’ll get a 1% ABV wine. The higher the sugar content of the juice the higher the resulting alcohol level. White wines are also much more susceptible to discoloration (e.g. turn yellow-brown) and don’t commonly cellar as long as red wines.

Part 3: Oaky Wine and MLF

Oaking white wine adds vanilla flavors. MLF adds a creaminess to white wine. These 2 processes take time and cost extra money for the winery, that’s why oaky wines tend to be more expensive.

Have you tried an oaky White Bordeaux from Pessac-Leognan?

Why Some White Wines Taste “Creamy”

After the wine is fermented, an additional fermentation called Malo-Lactic Fermentation (MLF) will increase the texture of white wine to oily or creamy. MLF alters the type of acid in a wine (some acids taste tart and some acids taste smooth like milk). Starting a malolactic fermentation involves a different kind of yeast that gobbles up malic acid and poops out lactic acid. If you want a rounder, more creamy-feeling wine, look for a wine that has undergone MLF

See all the Different Types of Wine

Part 4: Filtering and Bottling

White wines are almost always filtered before bottling. If you make white wine at home, often it will end up being cloudy. This is because it hasn’t been filtered. Believe it or not, white wines tend to be more unstable than red wines and usually winemakers have to add more sulphites to white wines than red wines.

Where is Wine Going?

By UrbanVintner, on April 25th, 2013

BOA need 1 Where is Wine Going? I often get asked, “What is the best wine?”/”What’s new in wine?”/”What should I be drinking?” – this recent survey gives a bit of insight into what is happening in the industry to keep you in the know:

- United States sippers reaffirmed their role as the world’s No. 1 wine consumer, drinking 3.8 billion bottles in 2011, up 4.5 percent from 2010. They are also projected to sip an additional two bottles each a year by 2016.

- Champagnes and sparkling wines continue to be popular, with consumption up 18 percent between 2007 and 2011.

- North Americans still like white wines, with consumption up 10 percent since 2007 – led by Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc and Moscato, with chardonnay slumping. White wines make up 40 percent of the wines we drink.

- Sixty percent of the wines North Americans drink are red, although combined we are behind France, Italy and China as the world’s largest red wine consumers. We’re predicted to increase red wine consumption by 18 percent by 2016. Our top three reds: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Pinot Noir.

- Malbec, the mellow, hearty red wine from Argentina and elsewhere, is also gaining fast – up 21 percent in the past year, according to Gomberg, Fredrikson & Associates, industry analysts.

- Meanwhile, European wine drinkers are cutting back – with German wine consumption down 3 percent, Britain down 4 percent, France down 7 percent and Italy down 3 percent and unemployment-wracked Spain down 20 percent between 2007 and 2011.

- As North Americans drink more wine, France, ironically, is drinking more Coca-Cola – tripling its consumption in the past 20 years to 149 cans apiece per year.

- In spirits, worldwide vodka consumption was down 5 percent, brandy up 23 percent and rum up 22 percent.

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Wine for Beer Drinkers

Light Beer (Lager) Drinkers

Try Brut Cava

Why Light Beer Drinkers Will Like Cava

Pale Ale Drinkers

Try Pinot Noir

Why Pale Ale Drinkers Will Like Pinot Noir

IPA Lovers

Try Carmenere

Why IPA Drinkers Will Like Carmenere

Wheat Ale Drinkers

Try a Buttery Chardonnay

Why Wheat Ale Drinkers Will Like Chardonnay

Belgium Ale Aficionados

Try a Shiraz or Grenache Blend

Why Belgium Ale Drinkers Will Like Fruit-Forward Wines

Porter Drinkers

Try Bordeaux or Chianti

Why Porter Drinkers Will Like These Wines

Canadian Brewing Awards 2013

Train Yourself to be a Better Beer Taster

Beer Tasting Workout:

Beer Tasting Exercise: Hops

Hops Defined

How Brewers Use Hops

Hops Workout: Bitterness

Hops Workout: Flavor & Aromas

Beer Tasting Exercise: Malt

Malt Defined

Malt Workout: Sweetness

How is White Wine Made?

Why Some White Wines Taste “Creamy”

Where is Wine Going?

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