'Craftbeer News' Category
Beer Apps For The Beer Lover In You
Getting Social Using Beer Apps
If you are anything like me, you like apps. Plus, you enjoy trying new beers. So combine those two loves (apps and craft beer) to turn your phone into a social environment where you can share your love of beer with friends.
CNET Reviews Apps For Beer Lovers
Today CNET posted a video highlighting some of their most recommended beer apps. These apps cover the spectrum from rating beers to looking up the BJCP style guidelines. And all of them are already on my phone being used regularly.
Here is a review of some of those same apps mentioned in the video, plus a few others that I highly recommend.
UnTappd
Drink Socially is the Untappd moto. This location base social app allows you to review the beers you are drinking, then share them with your fellow friends. It can also find nearby bars, trending bars and beers near you. Think Facebook, but for beer reviews. The app is made for both Androids and iPhones.
You can search for me on Untappd; username “cchotz”. Leave your username in the comment section below so we can follow your ratings as well.
RateBeer
This one is mentioned in passing on the CNET video. But it is one that I like to use regularly when having to make a hard decision between two beers on the menu.
RateBeer is one of the largest databases of beer ratings online. This app allows you to quickly look up a beer to find what others have rated it. This is a great tool for getting an accurate rating; RateBeer has a world wide community of users rating every style of beer.
One of my favorite features of the RateBeer app is the “Top 50″ list. Click the “Top 50″ icon on the apps home page to view a list of the current Top 50 beers from around the world. At this moment, Westvleteren 12 (XII) holds the number one spot with 2510 ratings and a score of 100 out of 100.
Note: I also love checking out BeerAdvocate.com to compare ratings. But they do not have an app for their site that I know of.
BJCP App
Want to sound like a beer snob? Too late.
But, do download the BCJP app for Android and iPhone to lookup style profiles. Click on a style to view a description of that styles aroma, appearance, flavor, mouthful, impression, history, general comments, ingredients, examples from breweries and brew stats. Wow that is a mouthful on its own.
This is a great app to use when creating your own homebrew recipes as well.
More Must Have Apps NOT Mentioned By CNET
There are a few more apps on my phone not mentioned by CNET that I feel are must have apps.
Tap Hunter
TapHunter is a local San Diego company that is quickly spreading across the country. While apps such as UnTappd may point you towards a location caring a certain beer, I find that nothing is as accurate as Tap Hunter. This app is a great way to look up your favorite bar to find what they currently have on tap.
I find that most of the beer establishments I visit regularly do a great job keeping their beer list current on Tap Hunter (San Diego Brew Company, O’Brien’s, Toronado…etc). And since many of these same places change their taps weekly, check out Tap Hunter’s app for Android and iPhone to find which bar is caring your favorites.
BeerSmith
For the homebrewers out there using BeerSmith, this is a must have app for your Android or iPhone. The BeerSmith app lets you view your recipes from your BeerSmith Cloud and easily look up ingredients, stats and use helpful tools such as hydrometer adjustments, infusion step tool and conversions to name a few.
I like to create my recipes from my home computer, upload them to my BeerSmith cloud, then use the app while buying ingredients from my local homebrew store. It even has a timer that is very helpful during the brewing process.
Let Us Know What You Think!
These are just a few of the many apps available for the beer connoisseur. If you have any favorite apps that were missed by CNET or myself, let us know by leaving a comment below.
Also, lets get social on UnTappd. Follow me on UnTappd (cchotz). Let us know your username below in the comment field so we can follow your beer reviews as well.
Homebrew Recipe from Stone’s 10.10.10 Vertical Epic Series
The Stone Brewing Co. has just moved up in my book. As if they weren’t already at the top.
They promote craftbeer endlessly and strive to spread the word. I hope they will be doing so in Europe very soon. But sharing the recipe for their most sought after Vertical Epic Series? They always do!
Here is the 10.10.10 recipe for the daily homebrew community. Thank you Stone!
I accept the challenge…
Once I move to All-Grain later this year or recreate the recipe using extract.
Beer Makes The Today Show
Can Beer Be Gourmet?
Where have you been? For those that read The Daily Homebrew, we’ve known that for a long time now.
The episode follows one of the best in the craftbeer world, Sam Calagione.
Stone’s 10.10.10 Vertical Epic
It is almost that time again when the month, date and year all consist of one number, finally making it easy for Europeans and American to understand each others date and time notation.
But is also the time when Stone creates another beer to add to their Vertical Epic Series.
The Vertical Epic Series
If you are unfamiliar with the series, than here is the scoop.
Stone’s Vertical Epic Ales are designed to be saved and consumed in an epic vertical tasting on 12.12.12.
It all began in 2002 when the notion that Stone might still be around in 2012 was ‘more hope than certainty’. The Stone Vertical Epic Ale series has given Stone brewers an avenue for creative expression while helping spread the good word about the benefits of cellaring beer. I, for one, have been unable to cellar any beers from this series as they are too good to hold on to for so long. This year, perhaps I can keep one around in the cellar pantry.
How to properly store beer?
Well, at 55 degrees or less and in a dark location of course!
You provides a great experience and education about cellaring beer if you have been lucky enough, or strong enough to resist the drinking urge, to save each beer for the 12.12.12 drinking fest. I had the privileged to have drunk a 1994 Chimay earlier this year in Belgium. And wow, what a difference from a 2010 Chimay. Tastes like a fine Porter. So I can only imagine how much better the beers in this series will be on 12.12.12.
Stone 10.10.10 Vertical Epic Ale
Stone just announced what can be expected of there 10.10.10 Vertical Epic Ale.
Fermented with the legendary Ardennes strain of Belgian yeast, 10.10.10 is a Belgian Strong Pale Ale brewed with pale malt and triticale (a cross of wheat and rye), hopped with German Perle hops, and steeped with chamomile during the whirlpool stage. In secondary fermentation, we added a juice blend of Muscat, Gewurztraminer, and Sauvignon Blanc grape varieties. The wine grapes came from Temecula’s South Coast Winery, located about 30 miles north of our brewery…
The juice and beer blend fermented with surprising vigor to produce a dry, complex, full-bodied beer brimming with floral, fruity aromas. The beer cannot be described as “grapey” or “herbal,” as neither the juice nor the chamomile overwhelm the Belgian yeast character; in fact, identifying the ingredients would be a challenge for even the most astute nose. The constituent parts instead impart layer upon layer of nuance and flavor, with the result being a highly drinkable and royally delicious Belgian-style beer.
So there you have it. Head brewer at Stone, Mike Steele, and his crew have done it again. Another fine beer that I know will be almost impossible for me to hold on to till 12.12.12. It will be released on 10.11.10 (or 11.10.10 for some of you) as 10.10.10 falls on the Lord’s day of Sunday.