28 May 2010

WILK Friday Beerbuzz – 28 May 2010 (Ommegang Three Philosophers)

WILKFridayBerbuzz7 Hello and welcome to week 4 of the Friday Beerbuzz on WILK.  Before I get too far in this post I wanted to quickly thank our readers and listeners.  We received a lot of great comments and suggestions after the show and we are reading them all…so keep it up.  We want to know what beers you liked and what you think of the show…and of course what beers we should be tasting in the future.

 



This week we’re kicking off the Memorial Day weekend, and since it’s a big weekend, I chose a big beer.  The beers of Brewery Ommegang have always been some of my favorites, and I’ll admit that this one is perhaps my favorite Ommegang beer.  Three Philosophers is a wonderful bottle-conditioned beer blend that I love drinking.  How can you not love a fine belgian-style Quadruple blended with an authentic Lindemans Kreik lambic?  This beer has flavors of chocolate, vanilla, dark fruits and a very tasty and malty backbone that I think really works well. 
Ommegang3PhilSo what about the name?  Well I’ve heard all sorts of details, but I’ll go with what Phil Leinhart (brewmaster at Ommegang) and Larry Bennet (Ministry of Propaganda at Ommegang) tell me.  The beer was created as a result of a ratebeer dream beer competition and Ommegang was selected to brew the beer.  As Larry tells me, “The beer is named after a William Blake play titled Island in the Moon where three philosophers, a Cynic, and Epicurian and a Pythagorean debate the meaning of life. 

The cynic questions why we must do anything, the epicurean delights in the beauty and loveliness of all things, and the Pythagorean is the rational philosopher working how to make things actually happen. I think you can easily fill in the connections between their points-of-view and the beer.”

After some “thoughtful debate and pontification” by the brewing team, Three Philosophers was born.  And for those wondering, the three silhouettes on the bottle are Randy Theil (creator of 3P), Michael Moortgat (CEO of Duvel) and Phil Leinhart (brewmaster @ Ommegang).

 



Today’s show was a ton of fun and since you always ask, I can tell you everyone really enjoyed Three Philosophers.  This is not a beer to drink quickly, but a beer to savor and enjoy as you toast your friends, family and the beginning of summer.  This is also a beer that cellars well, and it’s readily available in Northeastern, PA so be sure to check it out.

So what beer should we taste next Friday…only time and your input will tell, so please do make suggestions.  Once again another fun Friday morning on the WILK Friday Beerbuzz.  Thanks to John, Nancy, Joe & Bosco for yet another fun Friday.  Bringing good beers and good people together.

 



As always you can check out the video on-line at the WILK Friday Beerbuzz page by clicking HERE.

26 May 2010

Friday Beerbuzz – The Friday Teaser 5/28

WILKFridayBeerbuzz4 We’re heading into our 4th week of the Friday Beerbuzz and I’m happy to say it’s not only been fun, but based on the comments I’m hearing, people may actually be listening.  We’ve had a lot of chatter this week after we premiered the yet-to-be-released Stegmaier Summer Stock Pilsner last week and followed that up with a meet-the-brewer event at Madisons where listeners and readers were able to taste the new pilsner (and some of Lion

s other new beers).  I think we’re on the right track and I thank Darel Matthews and everyone at Lion for making Friday’s beer possible.

I’ve answered a lot of questions and this week the most popular one seems to be, “what beer is next?”  We’ve hit a few hoppy ales, a pilsner-style lager and now in week four I’d say anything is possible. 

My goals in beer selection are three-fold.  1) I want to choose beers that would appeal to someone new to craft-beer and would make that person want to try more craft beers….or a beer that will appeal to existing craft-beer drinkers and is maybe a beer they simply haven’t tried yet.  2) I want to choose beers that craft-beer lovers will recognize as exceptional beers, but are beers that are still readily available in our area.  3) And finally, I plan to choose some beers that even the expert and long-time craft beer fans will say wow….or perhaps better yet, “wow, how did he get that beer?”  Obviously not every beer can meet all three criteria, but hopefully each beer we try will be interesting and exciting in some way.

So stay tuned…I plan to mix in some seasonal beers in the upcoming summer months, mix in a few surprises when I can, and make the beers and beer-chatter fun for everyone.  With that in mind, I have a great beer in mind for this week that you’ll want to try for yourself…and your hint of the week….I won’t need a bottle opener ;)

Bringing Good Beers and Good People Together…

21 May 2010

WILK Friday Beerbuzz - 21 May 2010 (Stegmaier Summer Stock Pilsner)

WILKFridayBerbuzz7 Week three of the Friday Beerbuzz and I’m starting to get the hang of things.  Nancy and John make it all look so easy, but trust me…they are very good at what they do (thank god).  I’ll admit it’s taken me three weeks to notice the “On Air” light in the studio, and with my back to board operator Bosco, I suspect I’m still missing quite a bit of what goes on behind the scene.

Last week the Friday Beerbuzz followed a live interview with Joe Biden, which was a lot of fun for me.  Now granted I got to sit quietly in the studio while Joe was on, but it was still a really fun experience….thanks to Nancy for landing that interview.

I know as you read this you're already saying, “two paragraphs and no mention of the word beer?”  Well here we go.  Today we were lucky enough to have a real treat.  Our beer of the week offered us all a sneak peek (or should I say sneak-taste) of a yet-to-be-released beer.  Today we tasted the re-released Stegmaier Summer Stock Pilsner.  This is a beer that was put out in 2006 as a summer seasonal following the spring addition of Stegmaier Bock.
LionStegSummerStock
Summer Stock Pilsner is the first lager-style beer we’ve tasted on the show, and I think a really solid choice in that it is not only a traditional northern-German lager but also a Pilsner style.  Since most Pilsners have a little more hop-backbone to them, this fit nicely with our first two weeks of tasting hoppy-ale-style beers.  This beer is a crisp, clean VERY slightly-lemony and VERY sessionable and drinkable Pils.

I’m not sure why so many people ask, but I think it is usually evident what everyone on the show thinks of the beers.  I encourage people to taste them several times, but to also be honest about their preferences.  Also many times after the show, we get a chance to talk and taste more and opinions many times do change in a positive way after a few more tastes.  Needless to say this was a beer everyone enjoyed.  Look for Stegmaier Summer Stock Pils to available very soon and look for it to be priced similarly to the other Stegmaier seasonals.

If you’d like to taste it NOW….there will be a special Meet The Brewer Night tonight (5/21) 5:30PM at Madisons in Nanticoke.  Darel Matthews from the Lion brewery will be on hand with Summer Stock Pils and some of the other new Stegmaier brews like their Pale Ale and IPA.  Stop in to Madison’s tonight and try today’s beer for yourself.

Thank you to Leo Orlandini, Bob Klinetob, Darel Matthews and everyone at the Lion Brewery for brewing some new and exciting beers, for seeking the input of our local beer community, for listening to our input AND for sharing their new beers with everyone on the show.  A second thank you goes out to John, Nancy, Joe, Sue and Bosco for making this yet another fun Friday Beerbuzz……

Bringing good beers and good people together.

As always to check out the show video on WILK you can click HERE.  We encourage your beer suggestions, input and opinions so please be sure to comment on WILK, or here on mybeerbuzz.com OR feel free to e-Mail Nancy, John or myself.

19 May 2010

Friday Beerbuzz – This Week’s Show (5/21/2010)

WILKFridayBeerbuzz4 Now I’ll admit last week’s show was a touch frantic.  I think with Vice President Joe Biden being on the Webster and Nancy show live right before the Friday Beerbuzz and the excitement revolving around that, it was a little hectic.  I’m also realizing that even though I have a show or two under my belt, that sometimes I’m a little nervous.  Thankfully the video doesn't show how much my hands are shaking when I’m pouring the beers, but live radio is not something I’m quite used to yet.

It was fun to try two beers on last week’s show, but perhaps a little too crowded for time.  I have a fair idea of what John like’s in a beer, but I’m still figuring out Nancy & Joe.  My 2nd beer of the day was an attempt on my part to learn, and I think it helped.  As we move forward on the show I will find a soulmate beer for everyone in the studio, and hopefully all of you.

This Friday we have a great local beer to sample.  This beer is a great example of what a local beer community can do to influence a brewery and how well that can work for everyone involved.  Tune in and see what I’m talking about on the Friday Beerbuzz this week on WILK (103.1 FM or wilknewsradio.com)  I promise you won’t be disappointed.

The Friday Beerbuzz….bringing good beers and good people together..

14 May 2010

WILK Friday Beerbuzz – 14 May 2010 (Bells Two-Hearted Ale)

WILKFridayBerbuzz7 Late last night the Friday Beerbuzz changed a little.  Somehow when the Vice-President of the United States is schedule to appear, and scheduled right before the Friday Beerbuzz….things change.  In the end it was a really exciting and fun change, and congratulations to Nancy, John and WILK for landing the interview.
JoeBiden
There was a noticeable difference in our second ever live beer radio show today.  Most noticeable for me was the fact that I was actually able to breath during the show, (including exhaling).  In week one there were a lot of shaky hands (mine) and I’m not sure if I even remembered to breath.  Fortunately for me I now actually seem to enjoy the fine-line between excitement and terror.

It’s a ton of fun chatting about beer with beer lovers and future beer lovers, and so easy to get lost in great conversations over a great beer…and today was no exception.  In the run up to our first show, Joe Snedeker worried out loud that Nancy may “girl up” our “manly beer show.”  After speaking to Mrs Beerbuzz about this, she encouraged me to get John, Joe Thomas and even Joe Snedeker to embrace their feminine side…so we did.  I brought a special “Nancy beer” and the very “doily” that Snedeker was concerned about….but don’t get too lost in the fun.  The Peche Lambic Nancy tasted today is a really good beer that I’ve never seen anyone dislike….so be sure to try it out.  Most exciting for me is perhaps that Nancy actually liked the Bell’s Two-Hearted IPA even better. 

WILKWeek2Bells 

After tasting the Peche Lambic we moved on to the Bell’s Two-Hearted Ale.  Coming to us from the manly state of Michigan, Bell’s Two-Hearted Ale has not only been a favorite beverage of mine, but also a gateway IPA for many hop lovers.  Two-Hearted Ale is a really nice way to introduce people to a hoppier beer style like an IPA without knocking their socks off.  Try it for yourself, especially if you don’t traditionally like a hoppy beer and let me know what you think.  IPA’s aren't for everyone, but this is an IPA that may surprise you.

As always a big thank you to John, Nancy, Joe, Sue, Bosco, Joe Biden and everyone at WILK for making this another fun experience….and as always we encourage YOU to join in.  Please feel free to comment here or on WILK’s Friday Beerbuzz page (listed in their left hand menu bar).  We’d also love to hear what you thought about the show and any suggestions you have for future shows and beers.  All of our e-Mail and show links are on the mybeerbuzz Friday Beerbuzz page (linked from the top right of my main page).

So drink up and join in so we can all bring good beers and good people together and be sure to check out WILK’s Friday Beerbuzz page for our beer details and video’s of the show.

As always click HERE to check out the video of the show on WILK.

13 May 2010

WILK Friday Beerbuzz – Joe Biden

I’m just finding out that Vice-President Joe Biden is schedule to appear on WILK at 8:20AM tomorrow either right before or perhaps even instead of the Friday Beerbuzz….so stay tuned!  Will Joe bump the buzz?! ;)

12 May 2010

Friday Beerbuzz – Coming Up Friday

WILKFridayBeerbuzz4 We’re marching toward our sophomore episode of

the Friday Beerbuzz on WILK’s Webster and Nancy show and it’s been a really fun week.  Last Friday we featured Troegs Hopback Amber Ale and ironically enough we found it on draft at Dugan’s Friday night.  It won’t last long so be sure to stop by and try our first week’s “show” beer for yourself and let me know what you think.

After last week’s show, I ran into a lot of friends, readers and even family members who tuned in last week.  Most common question I’ve been asked is “What beer will be on next week AND can I come on the show and drink it with you guys?”  Funniest question I’ve been asked is, “What day of the week are you guys on?”…and mostly funny because people somehow were asking what day of the week the “FRIDAY Beerbuzz” would be on….hmmm….let’s see…..

Of course I’m kidding but it’s been exciting to hear all of the chatter and questions…things like “Was that really YOU?” or “Is that really LIVE?"”…or even “Who writes the script?”  Well to answer them all at once, Yes it’s me, Yes it’s live and No there is no script….that’s what makes it fun and hopefully that’s what makes it fun to listen to.

We also encourage you to interact with us.  Tell us what you think of last week’s beer, tells us what beers we should bring on the show and lets us know what you like (and don’t like) too.  We want this to be a show that beer lovers and future beer lovers can all enjoy, so speak up.

We’ll be live in the WILK studio this Friday (5/14) on 103.1 FM 98 AM and on-line at wilknewsradio.com in the 8:30AM half-hour.  I’ve chosen this week’s beer already and lets just say this is another beer I know you’ll want to go out and try for yourself.  It’s also a beer that has made more than one of my friends a beer-believer…so don’t miss the show.

07 May 2010

WILK Friday Beerbuzz – 7 May 2010 (Troegs Hopback Amber Ale)

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There is a fine line between excitement and terror, and with today being my very first LIVE radio show, I suspect I flirted with both emotions.  Today marked the premier episode of the “Friday Beerbuzz with Bil from mybeerbuzz.com” (that’s me) on the Webster and Nancy show on WILK News Radio. 

First off a huge thank you to Nancy Kman, John Webster, Sue Henry, Joe Thomas and the others at WILK for making my first show so much fun.  Our segment went very quickly and I suspect that’s a measure of just how much fun I was having and how good they all are at what they do.

There are beers that unite and beers that divide.  My beer-loving friends and I taste dividing beers that polarize our opinions. Some love it some hate it.  My non-beer-loving friends taste dividing beers and exclaim that “beer shouldn’t contain nuts or chocolate.”  So today I chose to feature a beer that unites….Troegs Hopback Amber Ale.  Hopback Amber is a beer that long time craft beer lovers enjoy and a beer that beginning craft-beer lovers also seem to enjoy.  It’s a beer we can all share and all enjoy.
WILKTroegsHopbackShow1 Today we talked a lot about Hopback Amber and the Troegs brewery in Harrisburg, PA.  Hopback Amber is this little brother of Troeg’s wildly popular Nugget Nectar seasonal and a wonderful beer that I think flies under the beer-lover’s radar.  Hopback Amber gets it’s name from the brewing device used at the brewery to impart additional hop flavor.  The brewers at Troegs fill a large stainless steel device called, ironically enough, a “Hopback” with hop cones.  As the beer is brewed and the wort comes out of the kettle, it is forced slowly through the hopback on the way to the fermenters.  This process imparts some wonderful hop flavors into the beer, without it becoming a higher IBU (international bittering unit) Imperial Amber Ale or India Pale Ale.  The combination works wonderfully for Hopback Amber and it’s a beverage I recommend you try…and yes as the photo shows our Hopback were “protected” from aliens by their little tin-foil hats.  From left to Right it’s (Princess Leia, the devil, the scorpion, the flying nun, lightning bolt and space helmet hats).

I have a few goals for the future of the Friday Beerbuzz show.  First and foremost I don’t want it to suck, and I’m confident it won’t.  I’d like to create a show that welcomes not only craft-beer lovers, but also people new to craft and micro-brewed beer.  I want to responsibly promote the growth of the craft beer community in Northeastern PA and perhaps most importantly, I want people to laugh and simply have fun.  If we can accomplish this, then I suspect you will enjoy the show as much as I did today.

So let us know what you think.  e-Mail me, Nancy, or John and give us your comments and opinions.  Suggest beers for the show or topics for future shows.  We have a lot of ideas, but we want to create a show that you look forward to hearing every week, and hopefully get some of you to try some of the beers we taste each week.

Thank you all for listening and reading….
Bringing Good Beers and Good People Together…

To view the Video on WILK click HERE!

04 May 2010

The Friday Beerbuzz – Starting THIS Friday (5/7)

WILKFridayBerbuzz7 Just a not-so-subtle reminder that the Friday Beerbuzz will begin on WILK News Radio THIS Friday morning (5/7/2010).  The show will appear on WILK 103.1FM in the 8:30 half-hour (probably closer to 8:45AM EST) and will feature little ‘ol ME talking beer.  You can also listen live at wilknewsradio.com by clicking on the Listen Live link at the top of the page and we are working toward making the shows available later on-line for your listening pleasure.

I’ve added a link on the right that will take you to the mybeerbuzz.com Friday Beerbuzz page.  I’ll be blogging after each show  (and before some as well) and you can also use this page or WILK’s page to contact any of us with beer suggestions and show ideas.  This promises to be a LOT of fun, so be sure to tune in and check us out!

Lets Talk Beer!

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