Monday, September 20, 2010

Keg of Links: Oktoberfest and Bad Homebrew Advice

The Mad Fermentationist has a great article today on bad homebrew shop advice.  My personal favorite was "Liquid yeast doesn't need a stater unless you are brewing a barleywine."
I don't know if these guys stopped reading brewing books in 1987, or if they've just drank a few too many homebrews over the last few decades. It seems like if this was your job and your passion you should put a bit more effort into staying on top of the latest trends, techniques, and ingredients.  The better the advice is you give, the more brewing success people will have, and the more repeat brewers/business you will create.
The Big Picture has 40 photos from Oktoberfest in Munich.
On Saturday, September 18th, with the tapping of the first keg by Munich Mayor Christian Ude and a cry of "O'zapft is!", Oktoberfest 2010 officially started in Munich, Germany. While this year marks the 177th Oktoberfest to be held, 2010 is the 200th anniversary of the very first Oktoberfest in 1810 (some years were missed due to war or cholera outbreaks). The Oktoberfest tradition started in 1810 to celebrate the October 12th marriage of Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig to Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. The citizens of Munich were invited to join in the festivities which were held over five days on the fields in front of the city gates. This year, festivities will run until October 4, 2010. Collected here are a few images from this opening weekend.
This only makes me look forward to our 10 gallons of Märzen beer, given that it has about 10-12 weeks left in the lagering fridge.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Keg of Links: Back from the Dead Edition

Hello all, I'm emerging out from under a rock after a two-week hiatus to bring you the best beer links from around the fermento-nets for your clicking pleasure.