h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

If it was definitely bad they should have taken it off and sent it back - Rogness would have replaced it, so maybe that really is how it's supposed to be. Very peaty beers can sometimes come across that way. I'm going to have to look into this further by sampling some bottles.

It's a dirty job but someone has to do it

We had some Crabbies Ginger Beer (alcoholic) last evening. That is a very refreshing drink indeed.

That's starting to take off here too.

This gose really is the perfect beer to accompany a curry. The slight tartness cleanses the palate, and the big hit of coriander complements the coriander that's in the curry.

Last night I 'ave mostly been drinkin' Live Oak Grodziskie.

Live Oak what

Grodziskie is a Polish beer style, and like Gose, another one that had all but vanished. It's... an interesting brew. It's a top-fermented, hoppy, low-ABV, pale-coloured, slightly tart, smoked wheat beer. Now, when I say wheat beer, it's not a wheat like hefeweizen or witbier or Belgian lambics, which are made with a proportion of wheat malt, grodziskie is made with all wheat. No barley malt at all. And the wheat has to be smoked over oak or beechwood for it to be authentic.

It's named after the town of Grodzisk Wielkopolski, which has something in common with a certain well known beer town in the Czech Republic - they were both part of the German Empire for a while, and both changed their names from native to German (Grodzisk/Grätz and Budejovice/Budweis), which is why Grodziskie is also sometimes known as Grätzer (and Budejovický Budvar is also Budweiser Budvar)

It's yet another perfect beer for the Texas summer heat (along with Real Ale Gose and Austin Beerworks Einhorn (Berliner Weisse), not to mention Live Oak Pilz), being slightly tart, low in alcohol (the Live Oak is 3.2%), and incredibly refreshing.

Through my time at the Drafthouse I'm fortunate enough to know the people at Live Oak, including the owner, and he said they've brewed 60 barrels of it - that's 120 full size kegs, so I wouldn't be surprised to see some of it in Houston, BG

Both the tartness and the smokiness in this version are nicely understated - this isn't your full-on rauchbier with all those meaty flavours than you can often get in s smoked beer.

I really hope they start making it every summer

Tonight I 'ave mostly been drinkin' beer with salt in. Yes, you read that right. Well, you already know about the Real Ale Gose, and then a few days ago I saw this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnXp2NHUBEw

(By the way, wasn't Gozer the Gatekeeper? Or was she the Keyholder? I can never remember)

Any road up. I tried this a few days ago, albeit without the coffee press. It's actually not bad, but after having watched all 14 seasons of Good Eats and seen Alton Brown put salt in things that would give my mother an apoplexy, I'm not surprised, especially since the gose style already has salt in it anyway.

It got me thinking... I wonder if salt would work in other beer styles?

First up, not actually beer, but I've seen Alton put salt in his apple pie, so why not try it in cider?

It's not unpleasant, but if I did again I'd use about half the amount (1/8th tsp in a 16oz bottle).

By the way, I won't do it again.

Next up, Bass. It actually made the Bass halfway drinkable *Faints* ::THUD:: ©® I'm sort of glad that was my last bottle though.

Tomorrow night? Who knows. I wonder what it's like in a Russian imperial stout?

Gozer, The Traveler is the one summoned by Zuul, the Gatekeeper and Vinz Clortho, the Keymaster.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjzZhTS_xa0



You've never put salt in beer before?

Have you not seen those ubiquitous small shakers of Twang and Lucas on the counter of every convenience store in Texas.

Lucas and Twang make domestic and Mexican lagers quite tolerable.

I need to get another shaker of Lucas. There are several biker bars that I keep getting dragged to that have no real beer selection to speak of.

That's right, I remember now. Well, it's a good while since the last time I saw Ghostbusters

No, I've never put salt in my beer before. It's not something that anyone does with the kind of beer I grew up with (except for Bass, apparently, but that's not the Bass I grew up with), and I never thought to add it to anything like Tecate.

Perhaps because I rarely use condiments (ketchup and mustard don't count - they're bono fido foods in their own right), except during cooking. I never put salt and pepper on my food. If the chef/cook did a good job it shouldn't need it, unless you have particular cravings. I never put salt and vinegar on my fish and chips either - they taste good enough without it.

Well, pick up some Lucas/Twang. It's also great on fresh sliced tomatoes.

Or, like the kids do, just shake it on your tongue.

Tonight I 'ave been mostly drinkin' Lost Abbey Red Poppy. And that's my last bottle of the stuff. Blast.

I also microwaved some cheddar cheese. Why not.

Tonight I 'ave been mostly drinkin' Independence Redbud Berliner Weisse.

It seems like the Austin breweries are really getting into the low alcohol, slightly lemony and tart beer for summer drinking bandwagon. First it was Jester King with Le Petit Prince, a farmhouse table beer, then Austin Beerworks with Einhorn Berliner Weisse, then Real Ale with their Gose, then Live Oak with a Grodziskie (which I drank plenty of yesterday at the anniversary party), and now Independence with their own Berliner Weisse. And I hear a rumour that Live Oak are about to do the same.

And another beautifully designed label http://pbs.twimg.com/media/CARWFDYVIAED80V.jpg

Happy times

Any sign of Lager and lime?

gosh, do people still drink that?
(or "lager tops" which I have never understood)

I feel almost blasphemous for admitting this in a Gosho journal, but I did really enjoy a Radler the other day. 50/50 lager with lemonade and grapefruit. In terms of refreshment on a really hot day, I couldn't have asked for better!

oh dear...

Oh KB.

I know, I know. I'm a bit ashamed.

You should be Whichever way you look at it, there's no redemption. If you used cheap Eurolager, shame on you for drinking that; if you used a good quality lager, shame on you for doing bad things to good beer.