Best of Brooklyn 2005 Homebrew Competition

American Lager won the best of show!!!!! The is an extremely tough beer to brew. This dude really got the balls to submit this style of beer in the first place. Is he smoking hops again??

How to Serve Sake

How to serve sake??? Two words, "Chill Out"!

Good sake is always served chilled, mediocre sake can be served warm and bad sake should be boiled or stay away! Economy sake may be served warm and this has its place on a cold winter night with that special someone (forget foreplay, this is a prelude to an excellent boom-boom). The ceremony of serving sake warm, where you don't pour for yourself, but pour for others, sends a sign of respect (Ahhh...that honor vs. disgrace bs).

Chilled premium sakes were first introduced in the late sixties. Sake-making technology, particularly in rice milling or polished, had improved dramatically that it enabled sakemakers to make sakes so delicate they are can damaged by heat.

Some people enjoy using the traditional square masu boxes to sip sake. This was a traditional rice-measuring device, typically made from aromatic cedar, which infuse aromas to the sake. Other people enjoy their sake served a tumbler. My way to serve sake is chilled in a wine glass, which enhances the enjoyment of the subtle aromas and flavors of premium sake. When serving it chilled, I recommend serving it at 7 degrees C (45 degrees F for all y'all folks outside of the US of A); this yields wonderfully refreshing first taste. By serving the sake in a wine glass, its temperature gradually increases, which changes the aroma and flavors!!!



These "Water of Life" from the East should be stored in a cool place and stay away from strong light. Also, it's not gonna age like wine, and is best when fresh. So, if some dude from a liquor store tried weaseling you a "vintage" clear or Nigori (unfilterd) sake, tell him to go eat sh*t. There is only one type of aged sake and it is Koshu. Koshu or old sake is basically sake that has been aged for a year or more before bottling. Koshu is classified by brewery year (BY). "3BY" means it was brewed in Heisei 3 (1991). "Shinshu" (new sake) is the opposite of koshu. A good Koshu has all the characters of Xiao Xhing (Shao-Shing) wine from the Xiao-Xhing region of China. Also, if the same f*cker misformed you that to serve sake on the rocks, then you must jab him in the face for such ignorance! One more thing, once opened, sake will stay fresh for about a week in the fridge.

Kanpai!!!

Playboy March Issue II

Miss March, awesome!
Debbie Gibson, sucks!

Mu Sake

Well, this is gonna be my first Sake review on this blog. My friend Jamie and I ordered a bottle of well balanced Mu at the infamous East Village's Decibel last Saturday nite. This place is well recognized for it's $8 minimum per person policy. It is quite impossible to walk out alive at any well established sake joint without shedding $30 per person. Hey, the heck with that when the atmosphere is right and the glass of sake goes down smooth. Going back to my review, this Junmai-ginjo beauty is a fine product from the Hyoko Perfecture of Japan. Like it's name Yaegaki, "Mu" Junmai-ginjo-shu "Mu," or "nothingness," is a wonderfully settled and calm sake. Without saying much it is a dry sake with a hint of anjou pear. This is by far one of the greatest Junmai available today. I am so convinced that it is a Daiginjo. It presents a fairly low acidity, which allows the flavor to maintain its concentrated richness.


Second to none.....

I am no expert at this sake business but I am definitely not gonna jump back to the Miller High Life tasting Ozeki.

Dad's Going Away

I am not a kid's person nor do I want any for the time being. However, I do have nieces and cousin who are under 10. Alex is 8, Emily is 4, Jeff is 8 and Dolly is also 9; they are the most adorable little rascals that any parents would love to have. I just cannot picture a day of their lives once the beer drinking pops are gone and missed out their childhood. To some reader, this post can be quite disturbing. Take a good look at this picture. What the f*ck is going on? Will she ever again see her dad after this day? Pick one....Afganistan or Iraq?


Daddy will be gone for a long time.

I don't watch C-SPAN and definitely no politic will be discussed among friends. My political agenda is not on the liberal's corner nor am I standing on the conservative's platform. And as for my foreign policies, I would like to enjoy their cuisine, sample their local brews and chat with the local hotties ranging from age 18-25. I am no expert in military defense or countries branded with the name "Axel of Evil" but I am gonna mouth-off the following thoughts:

Besides OIL, what the hell are we doing in the Iraq and Afganistan(yes, one of them is not an OPEC nation but certainly got some oil pipes there). Okay...do we really give a sh*t about liberating these people from their evil dictator or fundamentalistic mullah? I don't think so....these people are just fine without our present there. Do they really hate their previous government....that much? I think we need to restore their previous leaders and let them live their lives. Since when did their citizens asked us to lend them a hand and search for WMD?? I really don't give a damn how other people run their countries to the ground. Kids here in the States (yes, home sweet home) should be our focus. They are under-educated both academically and culturally; a 14 years old 6 grader???? And wassup with high school senior who thinks Canada is the 51st state and that the only natural resource there is maple syrup. How wonderful that we are living in such a tragic world. Skies are not always blue and clouds are not always white...you trumpet playing sweaty f*ck.

The 2nd Annual Brewtopia

This is one of the Superbowls for all beer geeks in the city and the boros.


The 2nd Annual Brewtopia
The Metropolitan Pavilion at 125 West 18th Street

Special Guest Speakers To be Announced
Meet the Brewers who develop the nectar
Support your local brewers and local beer culture
Learn more about beer, the history of beer and how its made
International Food Court
Live Entertainment
The largest assembly of brewers under one roof ever to meet in New York City


Please check out the website for more info.

Playboy March Issue

No way dude...This cannot be real. Debbie Gibson is posing nude on Playboy! I was being cheap trying to google for some free pics last night but no luck. I guess that $5.99 is gonna come out from my softcore porn fund. My middle school classmate, Joey Padula is gonna sh*t his pants once flipping thru those pages. This Cavaricci wearing guido used to be the sickest gino in the class who kept talking how much he wanna see her naked. Well, his 3rd wish finally came alive!! His first two wishes were to own a Cadillac Eldorado and live with his mother until he is 30.


Take this...Britney!

So what type of beer should I pair with the tasty Miss March? I am a sophisticated drinker with an unusual taste. Therefore, a Sierra Nevada's Big Foot Ale with do the justice. Ahhhhhh.....no more Han Solo!

Unmasking AzianBrewer

Sh*t, my cover is unveiled!!! That's all me over there running a 5k race last year in Central Park. Look at my struggle toward the finishing line. I must had couple of pints of that cheap Seranac Pale Ales the night before the run.


Beer geek 

The Year of the Cock (Rooster)

Yo, Gung Xi Far Chai (Mandarin), Gung Hay Fot Choy (Cantonese), Say Hay Boke-Mahn He Pah Du Say Oh (Korean), Chuc Mun Nam Moi (Vietnamese) and Akemashite Omedeto Gozaimasu - Kotoshi Mo Yoroshiku Onegaishimasu (Japanese-A belated one at least). Keeping it simple and real, we are celebrating a family affair, a time of reunion and thanksgiving. Why can't we do it like the Cinco De Mayo or St. Patty's Day?? Getting all soaked up with Soju, Sho-Chu and Taiwanese Moonshine. How many days do we need to honor the Heaven and Earth?? Why not just do that in two days and then feast our a*sses off. AzianBrewer got a head start and slammed couple of brewskies last night at David Copperfield to kick off this spectacular 15 days of celebration. In complying to the Chinese tradition, I decided to order any beer associates with the word "Red". Red symbolized luck and good karma (Is that why you see so many Chinese folks carrying red grocery bags and doing the third world squat?).


Happy New Year


RedHook WinterHook and Harpon Winter Ale are the two highlights on the happy hours beer list. For $3 a pint, you really can't say anything harsh about these 2 winter style ales. However, I will still bash both of them with humbleness. The mohagany red Winterhook is too cascade hopped right of the start with a nice kick of that 6.11% abv. The mouthfeel is kinda thin comparing to some other winter lagers or ales. I didn't expected it to be a hardcore winter brew but this is weak stuff. Just lack of the pounding taste of Sierra Nevada's Celebration Ale. Moving on to the next beer is Harpoon Winter Warmer-decent and harmless petite brew but lack of the big taste of winter style. The moral of the story, the word "Winter" is getting to be used as gimmick brew from the months of December to March.

Cheers!

Happy 60th Birthday Robert Nesta Marley

I am smoking lotsa "ganja" to celebrate the Legend. Enuff said!!!


The Legend

Emancipate yourself from mental slavery!!!

Dude, where is my real beer??

What's up with bars that do not have Yuengling on tap??? What... Bud, Miller and Coors are far superior than Yuengling?? Yes, Yuengling is another worthless beer to mention here, however it is the best cheap beer around. It is lager with a cheap ale taste! Dive bar owners, it is time to make the switch. Yuengling, is just as "blue collared" and American as your adjunct craps that came in bottles. What, pigs don't like quality cheap beer? Bet ya, pigs won't know the difference if you make the switch and tell them you are boycotting those garbages to prevent another "po-lise" brutality!! Sure they all have families to go home to after their shifts but they are still pigs with 60 college credits (this is actually required by NYPD). Hahahaha....

Cheers

Super Bowl XXXIX

Whadda disappointed game. I thought there's gonna be a shoot out. T.O. is definetly one cocky a**hole. Talking big and didn't delivered. Well, the guy pretty much got double quite often. McNabb is great but he is not a champion...yet.

The two brewskies that I drank yesterday were Smithwick's and Blue Point Toast Lager. Smithwick's is pretty tasteless. The bartender told me that it is a lighter version of Guinness. Well, I must apologize that it taste nothing like a light version of Guinness or Bottington....It's brewed by Guinness Ltd and not to be confused with Irish Ale Breweries Ltd/Smithwick Brewery. Other characters of this weak brew are toffee and cheap malt. Don't let anyone misinformed you that it taste like Bass or a light version of Guinness.

The Blue Point Toasted Lager is another it's aite (alright) beer nothing special about it. Simple and decent comparing with pizza. I am not saying it's a bad beer but I have had something better from Blue Point. The ESB (Extra Special Bitter) is actually the flagship product of Blue Point. Basically, what the Toasted Lager lacked of is the hard impact toastiness. No other major complaint but a simple beer to drink with a cleaning finish.

Friday night Feb 4th was the last day of Restaurant Week NYC. Check out this 2 1/2 stars restaurant by Chelsea and ordered a Rouge Dead Guy Ale. Wow!!!! It will wake up any deads!!! This burnt orange colored beauty has a nice hint of molasses and a finish of toasty but no trace of grapefruit as our waiter promised. No worries, I am not a big fan of Ruby Red brew anyway. The best of all, I paid happy hours price for it!!!!

For the time being, a lot of chicks digged my homebrew Jazmin Ale!!!! I don't wanna be stucked with the guy that only brews with Jasmine. My VIS (Vanilla Imperial Stout) is in the secondary carboy and I am working on a Soba Ale under the strict supervision of my mentor Phil Clarke. I am also looking at infusing my ale with Earl Grey tea. Not sure what's that gonna taste like but won't hurt to try.

Cheers!!

Canadian...eeh.

On my recent trip to Vancouver BC, I had the opportunities to sample couple of beers from the Great White North other than the usual Molson’s or Labbat’s. The first one is a national brand and the other one is a local brew from the Gransville Island, BC. I know Canada is our NAFTA partner and next door neighbor but there are actually folks here in the US who think Canada is the 51st state with a maple leaf state flag.

The Ontario based Sleeman is the third largest brewery in Canada. There are sixteen flavours of beer from the Sleeman beer factory. I am sure if it is my taste bud after enlightened by some BC Buds, my bottle of Sleeman’s Honey Brown Lager tasted like Yuengling. The copper colored lager lacks the hint of honey as it promised but the maltiness provided a smooth finished. The after taste seems weak but yet acceptable since it is a light-hopped lager. Last words, I won’t drink it’s Cream Ale, Honey Brown, Silver Creek, Clear (Michelob’s One), Original Dark, Premium Light (Coors Light), Steam (No comparison to Anchor’s), and Amber again unless it is free. Pardon me, I preferred Sleezy Sherm’s Oktoberfest anytime to Canadian’s generic beer….eeh.

I vouched not to leave Vancouver before checking out its local brew. While waiting for my flight back to the Big Apple, I spotted the Granville Island’s English Bay Pale Ale on the tap at the airport bar. Bad news first, I will pick Dog Fish Pale Ale not because of its “East Coastness” but the brew simply lacked of that big bad West Coast flavor, hop. I actually expected the aroma to be more hoppy than it is or I am just being naïve to compare this to Sierra Nevada. On the bright side, what more to ask when this caramel colored pale ale flavoured with nice sweetness of malt with a hint of dried fig. Plus, my pint only cost me five loonies and change along with the 7% GPS which totaled exactly 6.00 CND. The bartender slammed me another one while I was watching the dud next to me ready to order his next round of adjunct lager, Molson Canadian.

Cheers!

Launch Party for My First Blog

Welcome to the AzianBrewer Blog Launch Party. I am actually sitting in my cubicle at work sipping a cup of vintage Columbia's finest brew with skim milk. Kanpai!!! Speaking of kanpai, I got pretty hammered on Rob Roy last night at this martini place on W3rd and LaGuardia. I was kinda disappointed with the place at first spotting the tower without the handle and some crap beer bottles (2 imported lagers and 1 domestic adjunct lager) displayed behind the bar. My disappointment disappeared as the cute Japanese bartender greeted me with a smile and asked me if I am willing to try out the "new" beer they brought in last week. She reach over to the fridge and open a bottle of Fuller's London Porter without a word. My buddha!!! She must sensed that I am sophisticated gentleman with a distinct taste for women and malted beverages. The London Porter is slammin'!!!! And here's my humble review of this bad boy:

Bold, smooth and rich. A great blend of chocolate, crystal and brown malts with a nice balance of Fuggles hops. By the way, I am totally over with cascade hops. It also has a great finishing note of caramel. The best of all the cute bartender charged me $4 (happy hours pricing) with a smile. I would like to take her home to ma but it is against my religion to date bartenders.

Later on that night, I hooked up with a group of Martini drinkers and learned that it is a front for divorce support group. Couple of these les femmes divorcee are quite tasty and perhaps vulnerable especially the MILF (Hey MILF does body good). I definitely don't mind lending her my support!!!!!

Cheers!!