Sake

I mentioned I would revisit the world of sake.

Sake is an interesting beverage, brewed to perfection using Rice, Yeast, Koji Spores, Citric Acid and of course Water!


Although the brewing process of sake is compared to that of brewing beer, there are a few differences that need note.


While brewing beer, one must convert the starches to sugars, then allow the yeast to sit on the sugars to create alcohol. 


In making sake however, this is all done at once. The Koji spores are what convert the starches to sugars, while the yeast converts the sugars to alcohol.


If you ever walk through a store and see the sake bottles that all have different titles at the bottom, these are the quality labels.


For example; something that says Ginjo in it's title is claiming better quality. DaiGinjo would be the next step up.


The word Honjozu means that alcohol was actually added to increase content.


Junmai is the term used for good quality rice, therefore Junmai Daiginjo sake, would be a high quality rice milled to a smaller grain making for better sake. The less rice grain that is left after milling the higher quality the sake.


I could go on for hours, so there is an intro to sake. Try some out if you are ever interested.
The best way to drink the lower quality sake is to heat it up, while higher quality is to keep it chilled or room temp.


While you are at it, might as well purchase a drinking gourd and carry it around everywhere you go! I bet people would love that!

Tanuki (Racoon Dog)

Imperials and Doubles

Imperial in craft beer means exactly what you think it means. Super F***ing Big. Imperials are what people who lack taste buds drink!


No not really, but they are so flavorful they make me want to vomit. Many of the Imperial IPA's tend to have a sickly sweet taste to them along with the serious bitterness. This is the malts (which they throw in at least a minimum of one billion tons of) and hops (which is at least half that).


Another common example is the Imperial Stout. These are so extreme in the malt field that they are like drinking a chocolate malt! Now don't get excited... by this I mean the malt character (roasted to perfection) gives off flavors of dark chocolate, and sometimes coffee which are typical flavors in stouts. Imperial Stouts are just far more intense in sweetness and flavor.


Imperials are something that we all go trough the state of. At some point the remedial beers start to be lacking in a certain field... flavor. We all get tired of the same taste and look for something more.


After I had done all this I balanced out to a good full bodied beer, not overly done.


I feel that Imperials and Doubles (which also mean exactly what they sounds like as well... stronger) are a stage in all drinkers journey's and for the health of these drinkers, we can all hope that they don't get stuck on these strong beers. They have like 100000 calories and 100000000 carbs in each. These stats are completely bogus but they really are pretty bad for you.


Strong beers are fun though so check em out and go through the stage where you actually like these ridiculous beers, then come back and try something normal and see how much you enjoy it.

Making history modern

Out of a strange desire to do something random and enjoyable, I created these more modern alterations of very old paintings. These are in no way meant to insult anyone... they are demons of course, and if I insult you with these then you are obviously a demon and can go to hell.

Here ya go.

They are now at the foot of my page to keep pondering the universe over cigars and beer.

You go demons... you go.

Kameosa

Kameosa by Toriyama Sekien

One of the Yokai (preternatural creatures) of Japanese folklore, the Kameosa is known to continually create an infinite supply of whatever liquid is put inside it.

Many of the Yokai are creepy and dangerous, but this one seems to have no negative attributes. Who could argue with an infinite supply of sake, beer or scotch?!

Most definitely a resource I would take advantage of! 

Much better than the Kasha, which steals corpses away from funeral ceremonies...

Kasha by Toriyama Sekien

To learn more about Japanese folklore and most Yokai, check out this website:

http://www.obakemono.com/introduction.php

Find your favorite Yokai and let me know!

Gods and Sake

I was looking into all sorts of mythology from different countries and cultures today for quite some time. I was trying to find the deity from each that I relate with the most.


I realized that these gods were all nonsense. The power to do what we think is best, and to live our lives does not lie in some strange deities, and never has. It is interesting how much clout these ancient mythologies had over people. 


Out of them all, I really only felt one of these really had good meaning. The ancient Chinese writings all pushed toward a valorous and peaceful life, most were supposedly people that had once lived who had left a strong mark and were raised onto a pillar of "godhood".


Either way this is a much stronger message to be sent. Men have what they need to survive. They do not need the backing of false hope... hope is just a word for the strength to carry on and succeed, which resides in us all.


So to try and make this relevant again, i will bring up some Eastern drinks... Rice wine!


I have only had one Chinese rice wine and it was (to be honest) a bit rough. I think I found out later that it was actually cooking wine labeled as something different. 


Japanese sake however is an area I have more expertise in. Brewed like beer, but treated like wine. Spores are used to create the perfect sake's along with yeast and rice. 


The polish of the rice is what results in the quality. More polished rice creates higher quality and more refined sake.


I will post some more about sake when I am more awake. 

The purpose of airlocks

Airlocks in home brewing may seem small and unnecessary but they hold a true purpose.

1. To allow gas to escape and keep the inside of the tank at optimum pressure.

2. To keep contaminants from entering as the gas escapes. This is why there is water. It makes the escaping gas have to pass through the water instead of just drawing random particles in.

3. Allows the brewer to watch as the beer ferments. The gas bubbles allow us to actually monitor the progress of  our beer.

Just one of the many simple yet useful tools in home brewing. 

Shamrocks

Ever notice how clovers close up at night and open during the day? Well that was definitely not what happened on St. Patricks Day. Contrary to what I thought I was going to indulge in... I actually consumed Texas beer (it was on sale!).

This brings to rise a thought. We all drink on occasions. Could you imagine good clean fun on St. Patty's Day? For example. A group of people get together and talk about life a little then play charades. The whole while not drinking on beer. 


Think back to your last family get together or social event. Adult beverages bring out just enough of that goofy son of a gun inside you to make things interesting. 

I think that most people are innately awkward in social occasions and booze is the tool that loosens them up.

Time and Place

Something I have always believed is that there is a time and place for every beer, and as much as I do not enjoy cheap light beers, I do not condemn them for what they are.


What was the most enjoyable light drinking beer right before/after turning 21? The cheapest of course. Keystone, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Natural Light... All cheap enough a college student could afford them with the money they scraped off the bus floor.


On the beach, while relaxing in the sun and feeling the breeze on your skin, Central and South American beers do the trick. I have never been a fan of Corona, but I will easily pop a few tops if I am in the right environment!


While on a ski trip or in a cold environment, a good old stout or porter will warm you right up, even if you don't usually drink beer that dark and heavy.

Do not condemn all beers because you do not like them, because in the right situation, you may find yourself drinking those same beers.

The Allure of Mystery

Although not as mystical as the title may suggest, I find it hard to not buy these godforsaken limited edition beers that appear on the market occasionally.


Even though 80% of them end up tasting just like every other I find... I still keep pushing coin toward them.


For example; Deschutes releases their 2010 Jubel, to be brewed but once a decade... how can I not buy it? 


The only exception to this "diving into a mysterious bottle of beer head first" act, is when the beer is outrageously priced. I find Samuel Adams Infinium on the shelf at almost twenty dollars a bottle and have to pass it up.


I just cannot bring myself to spend half of what I would on a nice bottle of Scotch on such things, especially when I hear they are only half decent. NOW if the rumors spread told of amazing brew, then I would most likely give in and purchase. 


Beer should not be so expensive, but these damn limited releases keep me spending too much.

Craft Contradiction

Canned beer brings joy to hillbillies across the continent, from the simplicity of crushing the once filled drinking apparatus on ones skull, to making aluminum wedding arches, to saving every Busch can consumed to add to your collection in Paw's compost pile. Sure this may seem prehistoric and unnecessary to some of you, but remember... happiness is in the eye of the beholder. 


To everyone else's eye it just seems idiotic. 


Think of it this way... Remember being a kid and eating bugs? Wait, I sometimes still do that. Let me try again. Remember being a kid and constantly shitting yourself? Everyone else was repulsed by it but we just felt relief in what we truly enjoyed, which just so happens to involve feces. Anyways you get the picture (if not close your eyes and try to imagine).


On to the point.


Not long ago (2002), Oskar Blues Brewery in Colorado released their craft pale ale in a can. This was a funny hoo-hoo ha-ha joke act at first, until it actually proved to work.


Now at only (around) $8-$10 a six pack you too can feel like a country boy with your very own cans! They taste better sure... but who will notice?


The Beer Can revolution is beginning (or so they say) and people are starting to really appreciate the beer can. Other breweries, for example; Southern Star in Conroe, TX, use only cans and kegs to batch their beer.


I admit I really do enjoy the cans more. Nothing is more satisfying than downing a canned beer and being able to slam it on the ground angrily without cleaning up glass!


Canned beer is slowly making its way into the world of craft beer, so give it a try some time if you have the chance. You might just like that dad-gum darn-tootin good ol' canned beer.


Now for your viewing pleasure, my portrayal of what is happening to bottles in the beer world.