How much is open fermentation affected by the environment?

(I'm assuming here you mean spontaneous fermentation, used originally in belgian lambics. Open fermentation is the practice of fermenting in an open vessel but in a controlled environment, not allowing other microorganisms to get in, like Anchor and Sierra Nevada still do these days, and sometime ago very common in the industry.)

You will probably never get a definitive answer to it but based only in my theoretical knowledge I would say terroir is not so determinant as people use to think, even for spontaneously fermented beer.

My first guess is that, aside from very extreme/sterile climates and landscapes, microflora in the air is pretty much the same, at least in terms of variety and the species that play a main role in spontaneously fermented beer, which aren't much more than a few (acetobacteria, sacharomyces, lactic bacteria and brettanomyces). I know, you can find hundreds of different bugs in a single lambic, but from all that, only a few really play an important role. You can see this study here from UC Davis, based on Allagash's Coolship.

One thing that supports this argument is that american breweries are successfully making lambic-style beers following almost the exact same traditional process as the belgian. But, then, one thing they've already learned is that one of the main factors in the early process of inoculation and fermentation is temperature, what implies year's season as well. Usually they leave the wort to be inoculated over night at fall. You can listen to what people from Allagash say about their Coolship Ale, for example.

The rest of the process, well, now it depends on infinite factors (barrels, wood, storage, temperature, etc). But, your question was about distance between places, what suggests the terroir aspect of the production. So, I would say (and that's a completely wild guess), since you're in a place surrounded by any vegetation, with a minimum of biodiversity, and have wind, it doesn't make a big deal of a difference.

Oh, and don't forget one thing. You get (if so) a consistent and regular flavor from those kind of beers only because people blend it before releasing, once different barrels even of the same batch turn out to be completely different one from the other. So, again, that's why I think there isn't much sense to talk about terroir. It's not like grapes are to wines.

PS1: Off course, as climate does play a crucial role in the process, it doesn't surprise me people are doing this only in the northern hemisphere at temperate climates. I guess it wouldn't work out very well in a tropical country, which doesn't have well definite seasons, although spontaneous fermentation can be done anywhere, you just can't guarantee what is going to come out of it.

PS2: If you are heavily interested in the topic, as I am, I recommend that you listen to Savor's Salons about barrel aging and blending, and sour/wild beers, available at Craft Beer Radio. There has been a lot of talkings about the matter in the last years. Really interesting.


As @Eric mentioned in the comments, it is similar to wine, where you would expect a dry (or brut for sparkling) wine to have low to no residual sugars.   A dry beer (porter, in this case) is brewed specifically to ensure that the carbohydrates are all converted to fermentable sugars, which are then fermented as the term would indicate, leaving you with a higher alcohol beer with less residual sugar than an a traditional fermentation.


It sounds like you live in a place that uses the metric system. A fluid ounce (fl. oz.) is a measure of volume in U.S. customary units: 1 fluid ounce = 29.5735 milliliters. A Fluid ounce in British Imperial Units is slightly smaller: 1 fluid ounce = 28.413 ml. However, you are unlikely to find any modern labeling that uses British Imperial units since the U.K. has fully adopted the metric system, so in all likelihood the labels you are seeing refer to U.S. customary units.


What can I do to prevent beer staling in a keg being pushed by air?

Avoiding agitating the beer and reducing the temperature are the two key ways to slow down the rate of staling, but really once there's air in the beer it's just a matter of time before it goes bad.

Have you considered using a small CO2 charger like this -

This uses small CO2 cartridges to push the beer. The advantage being that the keg won't stale quickly since very little air is introduced.


Your biggest worry with an open fermentor is contamination.
If you've added potassium or sodium metabisulfide to the wine must, you should be safe against most wine spoiling bacteria.  However, it is advisable to cover the fermentation vessel.  See this post about open fermentation.


Irish whiskey is one I like to do with tea. In fact I like to make an Irish coffee by substituting the coffee with a strong black tea.

Try it! I am rather fond of it.


An alternative to Vodka to pair with caviar

Your main criterion, especially if you are serving sturgeon caviar, should be something to freshen the palate without leaving a strong aftertaste.

A brut champagne goes exceptionally well. If keeping the Russian theme is important and you have a good eastern European shop at hand, you could try to get a Russian or Ukrainian Шампанское. Be aware that many Russian and Ukrainian wines tend to be much sweeter than a western European would expect; make sure it is Брют / Brut, and ideally try a bottle before serving it.


What dishes pair well the Maltese Harruba liqueur?

I'd say it is probably too sweet to be enjoyed as part of a meal except as an aperitif as @Eric suggested.

Since Carob tastes like chocolate and this is a sweet strong liqueur. Maybe consider using it in a Tiramisu recipe as a substitute for Marsala? I have used Amaretto in this way before and it was delicious!

Carob is often used as a substitute for chocolate so any liqueur based recipes where you want a hint of chocolate flavour would benefit from this. Maybe in a beef based dish (as we know a hint of dark chocolate in a beef casserole or chilli is a great trick!)

I found this article online which could give you some inspiration.


Way variable.  On the high end even from year to year the same vineyard and same grape will vary how long to hold. When it is released the vineyard and others will have a recommendation.  On the shelf at the liquor store is often ready to drink.  High end wine that is going to be put up is often bought out before it even hits the shelves.  Some wine that still needs to age does hit the shelfs.

Wineries will typically hold some back to mature. Follow when they release it.  But that often goes to high end restaurants.


How long will an opened bottle of whisky last while stored under ideal conditions?

Whisky will never go bad after it's opened and kept closed and away from sunlight.

  How should I store my Scotch Whisky? Unlike wine, whisky does not mature in the bottle. So even if you keep a 12 year old
  bottle for 100 years, it will always remain a 12 year old whisky. As
  long as the bottle is kept out of direct sunlight, the Scotch Whisky
  will neither improve nor deteriorate, even if it is opened. Whisky
  that is stored at very low temperatures can become cloudy, but the
  cloudiness should disappear when the whisky is returned to room
  temperature.


Almost but not boiling.

I've been over a few recipes and "simmering" seems to be the consensus.


Dry Martini can sometimes become a very philisophical topic.

As Eric Shain already pointed out, the classic martini consists of gin and vermouth 6:1. You should not forget the water, that is melted while stirring it. This is quite an important part of making a good Martini. You should stirr it for several minutes.

More puristic people go to a ratio of 10:1 or even 15:1. To get to a more extreme combination, you put vermouth into your ice cubes, stirr it for a short while, and then pour the vermouth away, so that only the ice cubes for stirring your gin are thinly layered with vermouth.

There are even recipes where you would simply put a bottle of gin in the freezer, put vermouth in an atomizer, then pour gin in a frozen martini glass, pfff vermouth once with the atomizer and voila - your martini. This is already very close to your suggestion of just drinking cold gin.

The famous Winston Churchill once said: "The best Martini is a bottle of gin, that stood in the shadow of a bottle of vermouth."

So there it is ;-)


You'll probably do best keeping the room layout simple and as easily organized as possible.  The main thing for the beer is to keep the temperature steady and relatively low (around 50F) and keep light out.  Even with brown bottles there's still some UV penetration, which you want none of.  So keep it dark when you're not in there and try to avoid florescent lighting when you're there.  Keeping it organized also helps you minimize your time in there, which keeps light and temperature steady.

I wouldn't worry too much about the air flow as long as it's not completely stagnant and all the areas of the room are getting some air of the right temperature.  Liquid and glass hold temperature a lot better than air on their own so they won't have significant fluctuation once you get them where you want them.  I think most collections prefer shallow shelves for this reason.


What would be good IPA choices in the midwest area?

IPAs are actually a pretty broad range of beers themselves.  If you want to amp up the bitter side of things, look for west coast IPAs.  Some nationally available ones would be things from Stone, Sierra Nevada, or even Sam Adams Rebel IPA, among many many more.

East Coast/NE IPAs tend to not be as bitter, have more sweetness and highlight some more of what the hops and other ingredients bring.  Sam Adams has a NE IPA as well, though I mostly know more regional brewers for this stuff.

Of course, categories often fall apart when you try to map the real world into them, so there are a lot of IPAs that won't fit cleanly into either, and some of these are really well known.  Heady Topper helped really get the IPA scene roaring in NE, but wouldn't really fit a lot of people's expectations for a NE IPA now.  Nor would Lunch or Dinner, though all three are delicious.  They're just markedly different from, say, Congress Street from Trillium or Julius from Treehouse.

So, the real way to get into IPAs will be to look for local brewers who are making things and go try them.  There's a ton of variety within the style, so you'll just have to try things to find what you like.

The national brands can give you a sense of what to expect from the different variations, but that will just help you point in the right direction.

I don't know how widely distributed things in the midwest are, but Listerman's Brewering in Ohio makes some decent stuff, like Hank the Dumpster Kitty.  M-43 from Old Nation Brewing in Michigan is not too bad either.  I'm unfortunately not super familiar with that area though.


I did a quick search and it seems that the brewery's distribution channel to North America dried up years ago. So, no you can't get it from here. But from what I am reading on Beer Advocate, you should just avoid it anyways since it has an "Awful" rating.


Why does the Saaz hop have a German name?
Along time back, the town of Žatec was part of Germany and not part of the now Czech Republic. Thus the name reflects an historical perspective rather than a cultural one.

Officially registered in 1952, the original Saaz, or Czech Saaz as it is sometimes known, has established itself as a staple variety for brewers and dates back more than 700 years. Originating in Zatec, Bohemia (now part of the Czech Republic) it is an esteemed red-bine variety that is now grown around the world. New Zealand in particular has embraced Saaz, breeding several descendants including the popular Motueka and Riwaka varieties (B & D Saaz, respectively).
Saaz is one of the four original Noble hops and has a distinctive and classic aroma. Known for its prominent use in Stella Artois and countless Bohemian Lagers and Pilsners. Its warm, herbal character stems from a high level of farnesene while its other oils are in fair balance.
With such a low alpha acid percentage, Saaz is inarguably an aroma hop, however, when used as an early addition it is thought to add a delicate bitterness. Additionally, its elevated content of polyphenols aids in abating oxidation, giving beer brewed with Saaz a notably longer shelf life.
Growing Saaz is not without its difficulties. Specifically, it endures a meager yield, has weak mildew resistance and light cones. The original Saaz variety has been successfully cloned 9 times between 1952 and 1993 in an effort to improve these factors. Originally, growers were hesitant to hybridize, fearing the loss of its signature and delicate aroma. This hybridization has become necessary though to breed resistance to wilt and mildew and make it a more viable crop. Despite these few shortcomings, breweries use it prolifically worldwide. - Saaz

Žatec and the Saaz noble hop have an interesting intermingled history.

Žatec (German: Saaz) is a town in Louny District, Ústí nad Labem Region, in the Czech Republic. It has about 19,000 inhabitants.
It is famous for an over-700-year-long tradition of growing Saaz noble hops used by several breweries. Žatec produces its own beer and hosts 'Dočesná', its hops-related harvest festival every year on the town square.
The earliest historical reference to the Bohemian fortress of Sacz is in the Latin chronicle of Thietmar of Merseburg of 1004, when King Henry II of Germany reconquered it from the Polish duke Bolesław I Chrobry. During the 11th century it belonged to the Vršovci – a powerful Czech aristocratic family. It received the privileges of a royal town under King Ottokar II of Bohemia in 1265. A coat-of-arms was given to the citizens by King Vladislaus II for their courage during the storming of Milan.
From the outbreak of the Hussite Wars in 1419 to the Thirty Years' War, the town was Hussite or Protestant, but after the Battle of White Mountain (1620) the greater part of the Czech inhabitants left the town, which remained German and Roman Catholic until 1945, when the German speaking inhabitants were forced to leave their home and expelled to Germany. On June 3, 1945 about 5,000 German inhabitants were gathered on the Market place and marched to Postoloprty, where at least 763 were murdered in the Postoloprty massacre, estimates range up to 2,000 victims killed by Czechoslovak military in Žatec and on the March.
During and after the World War II a Messerschmitt production facility and air base for testing aircraft, including new jet fighters, was located close to the town. In 1948 the production facility continued to produce the Avia S-199, a version of the Messerschmitt Bf 109 aircraft which were sold to Israel, with the initial training for the Israeli pilots provided at the air base. Many other military supplies were flown to Israel from the air base, which helped the new state to secure its independence.


International bittering units (IBU) measure the bitterness of different beer styles. IPAs have a wide range, and they're typically higher on the scale. If you can find the IBU of a beer you want to try (on Untappd, on the bottle, or some bars make this information available), you can compare it to other beers that you like to determine if it might be too bitter for your tastes.

I've tasted some beers that are way off the IBU scale that I linked to, but it's still subjective to say that these beers are "too hoppy." It's a matter of taste that I'd compare to saying that some foods are "too spicy." Some people might just like to try these novelty beers once, and other people might really develop a taste for them.


Unless you count Body Shots, then it would seem the answer to this question is a firm no.

But, there are cases of body parts being used in cocktails - fortunately, of other animal species. This article references an octopus tentacle used as a garnish, as well as another that uses Sea Urchin gonads... The article also references the Sour Toe cocktail.

I have also heard of using rooster feathers as a garnish to make a "Cock's Tail cocktail" but, I can't find a reference to that anywhere... Finally, this article details a pig's blood cocktail made in the UK.

It seems that, for now, the Sour Toe is a one-of-a-kind... Honestly, I myself would prefer that things stay this way (barf ;)


Primarily through the use of freeze distillation.   After the beer is brewed, using the normal process, the temperature is brought down below the freezing point of water, but above the freezing point of alcohol, so some portion of the water in the beer freezes into ice and can then be removed.  What remains has a far higher concentration of alcohol than what can be achieved via brewing alone.

Some beers such as Sam Adams Utopias do attain quite high levels of alcohol through the use of carefully engineered strains of yeast, though nothing like the percentages in the beers you list...Only in the high 20s ABV.  Beyond that point, we haven't yet cultivated yeast that can live and continue to produce alcohol so cheating, if you will, is required.


Why isn't Sam Adams Infinium being produced anymore?

I got a response from the Samuel Adams Twitter account:

  We brew around 60 different styles a year - sometimes we have to retire some brews to make room for new ones.

So it seems as if this beer is out of production. For good.


How to store a bottle of beer once it has been opened?

The short answer is that the beer will not last long after opening, and in most cases you are best off resealing the bottle with an airtight cap/stopper that can withstand mild pressure.

Two things you want to prevent in this situation are:

oxidation of the beer, which will change the taste of a beer.
loss of carbonation.

For non-carbonated drinks such as wine, a common method to combat oxidation in an opened bottle is to remove the air from the bottle using a vacuum pump.  This is a bad idea for carbonated drinks, since the lower pressure will force carbon dioxide to out of solution causing it to go flat.  One alternative would be to replace the air with an inert gas (perhaps with a product like Private Preserve).

To minimise loss of carbonation, you really only need to reseal the bottle so it is airtight: carbon dioxide will stop coming out of solution once the pressure builds.  The smaller the air gap in the bottle the faster the pressure will build, so if it is a large bottle with only a small amount of beer left it might make sense to transfer it to a smaller bottle first.


Is peaty whiskey made in other parts of the world besides Islay?

The short answer is yes.

Here are five examples from around the world:

  5 Smoky World Whiskies Challenging Scotch

  When the topic of smoky whisky comes up in a bar it’s usually in association with Scotland, and more so, the famed isle of Islay. From Lagavulin to Bowmore, Islay enjoys a long, rich history of peated (smoky) whisky-making, made possible through the island’s vast peat bogs, where the organic matter has been accumulating for centuries. Used throughout time on the isle, not only for whisky-making but as a source of fuel, peat and the whisky born through it is now synonymous with Islay. But the whiskey world is changing and peated expressions, bursting with notes of earth, wood, and smoke, are being created in countries you’d never imagine. From the land of the rising sun all the way to the Pacific Northwest, here are the smoky whiskies challenging peated Scotch on the global whiskey stage.

  Westland Peated Single Malt

  Based in Seattle, Westland has been a leading force in the recent movement of American single malt whiskey. The distillery utilizes a carefully thought-out mash bill and uses local ingredients to create a range of stellar single malts. The team also launched the Garryana-matured Native Oak series, which sees Westland travel across the West Coast in search of Garry oak, a rare type of wood native to the Pacific Northwest. Further expanding their portfolio, Westland Peated claims to have a ‘mash of peated malt that is among the smokiest in the world.’ The smoky malt is mixed with their unpeated variety to create a balanced whiskey bursting with notes of campfire wood, smoke, subtle fruit, and vanilla, present through maturation in American oak.

  Mackmyra Svensk Rok

  Sweden is known for many things. Good coffee, cinnamon buns, sustainability. They’re also making a mark on the whisky world. Mackmyra started in 1999 and has since launched successfully in markets all over the world. They keep it local too, as all the ingredients used in production are sourced within 75 miles of the distillery. The Mackmyra Svensk Rok is made using Swedish peat from a white moss peat bog (Karin-mossen) in the region of Gästrikland. The release also features the addition of Swedish juniper, with twigs placed on top of the peat stacks before burning. Speaking to Angela D’Orazio, Mackmyra’s master blender, she emphasizes that juniper makes up only 1% of the smoking material. As juniper’s profile is so strong, this percentage is enough. The nose brings fruit, vanilla, juniper, and subtle smoke. Aromas of raisins and plums continue on to the palate, where the smoke intensifies. Earth, wood, and soft juniper in the air deliver the whisky of Sweden.

  Paul John Peated Select Cask

  Based in Goa, India, the Paul John distillery is one of the pioneering forces behind the Indian single malt whisky boom. Alongside Amrut, Paul John creates one of India’s only single malt whiskies, exporting their expressions across Europe, Asia, and the US. Despite the company's huge size, modesty is quickly seen in their ethos. As the master distiller, Michael D’Souza, puts it during our chat, ‘we do not do anything special to create quality single malt whisky, we simply see that each and every whisky-making step is meticulously followed.’ Bottled at 55.5%, the Paul John Peated Select Cask is made using Scottish peat, as India doesn’t have peat bogs. The smoke from the peat fire dries the malt and flavours it, before it’s broken down, fermented, and finally, distilled. Matured in bourbon casks and distilled using six-row barley, the nose is sweet and surprisingly spicy, with ginger, pepper, and cinnamon aromas. The palate delivers abundant smoke, meatiness, and leather, while the spice turns sweet, bringing about a stellar balance. Colourful, vibrant, and balanced, this Paul John single malt is a must for lovers of peat.

  Kavalan Peaty Cask

  There’s not much to say about Kavalan that hasn’t already been said, even Paul Giamatti sings the distillery's praises on Showtime's 'Billions' series. The distillery is truly a wonder. In just 11 years the team have managed to create whisky which stands tall against the oldest, most established distilleries in the world. Based just outside Taipei, in Taiwan, the distillery utilizes the country’s hot, humid climate, which greatly accelerates maturation, making Kavalan whiskies burst with deep flavours far beyond their years. While Kavalan doesn’t (yet) make peated spirit in the traditional sense (drying the malt over a peat fire), this expression was matured in a cask previously holding peated whisky. This interesting approach delivers a subtle smokiness, with some pineapple and sandalwood on the nose. The smoke intensifies on the palate as does the presence of summer fruit and caramel, finally delivering a long, rich finish of balanced sweetness and smoke. A truly spectacular smoky expression, partially reminiscent of a traditional peated malt but with the exotic, oriental addition of sweet tropical fruit and incense.

  Yoichi 20 Year-Old

  Founded by the father of Japanese whisky, Masataka Taketsuru, Hokkaido’s Yoichi distillery has come to be known as the maker of intense, smoky Japanese whisky. Taketsuru dreamt of creating whisky similar to the Scottish, but in his own homeland of Japan. For this reason, he left his job managing Suntory’s Yamazaki distillery after 10 years and started Yoichi (and Nikka) back in 1934. Sadly, the Yoichi aged range was discontinued a few years ago, amidst stock shortages at Nikka. But some bottles of the 10, 15, and 20 Year-Old remain in the 'wild' for those willing to search.

  The Yoichi 20 Year-Old is the very definition of peated Japanese whisky. Powerful and bold, yet deep and rich, it all comes together to create this timeless expression. Aromas of deep smoke, umami, and leather blend in with the presence of vanilla and burnt caramel. The palate is unexpectedly lively, with winter spice and dried fruit joining the thick earth, oak, and smoke. Meaty notes with some liquorice bring a well-balanced finish to this truly exceptional whisky from Japan.


What is the micronutritional value of stouts such as Guinness?

There is a table of amino acid composition in beers on page 105 of Beer: Health and Nutrition (C. W. Bamforth, 2004) (page 119 of the overall PDF):

Other than that, I cannot find any nutritional breakdowns that include vitamins for stouts (and porters, in general). However, as far as micronutrients are concerned, there may not be as great a difference between stouts and other ales as one might think, since, despite the perceptibly large differences in color and taste, the ingredients and processes in brewing are largely the same. Here are some findings on beer in general:

Querying alcohol on USDA's National Nutrient Database yields breakdowns for

Alcoholic beverage, beer, light
Alcoholic beverage, beer, regular, all
Alcoholic beverage, beer, regular, BUDWEISER
Alcoholic beverage, beer, light, BUDWEISER SELECT
Alcoholic beverage, beer, light, BUD LIGHT
Alcoholic beverage, beer, light, MICHELOB ULTRA

Here's a screenshot, because the host doesn't always resolve for me for some reason:

I'm willing to bet that The Irish Food Composition Database has a similar report on Guinness, but the document must be purchased for 15.00€ from EuroFIR. According to a table of contents viewable in the demo link, the document should contain compositions of 57 manufactured beverages.

Perhaps you can infer some properties of Guinness by knowing its ingredients and process and also knowing how these ingredients and processes affect micronutrient levels.

According to this paper1, as far as major B vitamins are concerned,

beer contains very little thiamine (B1), of which malting the barley causes a slight loss, but otherwise stays intact through the rest of the brewing operations,
riboflavin (B2) increases during the malting and brewing processes, resulting in nutritionally significant amounts (e.g. seven pints supplying total daily requirements),
nicotinic acid (niacin, B3) fluctuates throughout the malting and brewing process, but also results in nutritionally significant amounts (e.g. three-and-a-half to four pints supplying total daily requirements).

This study2 measured phylloquinone (K1) composition of beers, specifically a "bitter," a lager, and Guinness, and concluded only trace amounts in each.

1 Stringer, W. J. Vitamins in Beer. Journal of the Institute of Brewing. 2013.

2 Bolton-Smith, C. et al. Compilation of a provisional UK database for the phylloquinone (vitamin K1) content of foods. British Journal of Nutrition. 2000.


Will temperature changes cause a beer to "skunk" or otherwise spoil?

In short, no.

As explained by George de Piro, a biochemist and Brewmaster of C. H. Evans Brewing Company—

  When light hits beer, it provides the energy necessary to drive a reaction that transforms the iso-alpha-acids into 3-methyl-2-butene-1-thiol. The “thiol” part of that somewhat cumbersome name indicates that there is sulfur present. Sulfur compounds often have strong, offensive aromas. Some musteline animals, like skunks, have evolved the ability to produce this chemical, and use it for self-defense. [...] This photochemical reaction is the only cause of skunked beer. Warm storage, while damaging to the flavor of beer, does not skunk it. Cycling the temperature of beer from warm to cold and back again is also not implicated. Storing beer in the dark is the simple way to prevent skunking.

It's actually pretty amazing how quickly this reaction can happen! From the same article,

  The photochemical reaction that skunks beer occurs very quickly; a well-hopped beer in clear glass can become noticeably offensive with just 30 seconds of exposure to sunshine.

To wrap it up,

  Since light is an essential ingredient in the skunking process, beers packaged in kegs, cans, and opaque bottles cannot be skunked.

Here's the most detailed experiment I could find—The Impact of Lightstruck and Stale Character in Beers on their Perceived Quality: A Consumer Study.


In short, the main factors in aging is a combination of compounds breaking down and oxidation.

IPAs - hop aroma breakdown

For IPAs, it's the hop aromas that break down fairly quickly - the aromatic compounds are volatile and break down noticably within a short timeframe:

  Tom Nielsen, Sierra Nevada’s senior research analyst focused on hop
  degradation, says that their research has shown that after about two
  and a half to three months, hop aroma in a packaged beer, derived
  mainly from beta acids in the hop flower, has already started to
  diminish significantly. It’s a sentiment backed by Patrick Langlois at
  Great Divide in Denver, brewers of notable hoppy beers including their
  Fresh Hop Pale Ale, Titan IPA, and Hercules Double IPA. “Hops tend to
  dissipate in three to four months, which is why that is the
  recommended shelf life for most of our beers.
  (Source)

Barley Wines - Oxidation

Barley wines are not hop flavor or aroma focused beers - the major hop component is bittering acids, so they don't suffer the same problem with aroma losses as IPAs. However, some of the bittering compounds also have a half-life of 1 year, so clear changes are happening in that timeframe to the bitterness.

However, the major change for a barleywine is oxidation. There is always oxygen in the beer - either small amounts introduced during packaging, or from oxidization during the mash, which is then later released into the beer. When alcohol in the beer oxidizes, it becomes ethanal (acetaldehyde) which is a main component in sherry, and gives apple or sherry-like tones, which in a big barleywine are considered positive effects of aging, if kept in check.

Stouts

Contrasting with both IPAs and barleywines, Stouts that are meant for aging are neither hop focused nor benefit much from oxidation. Oxidizing the medium roasted malts in the wort would produce cardboard flavors due to production of trans-2-nonenal. Fortunately, the highly kilned malts act as an anti-oxidant to help prevent the beer from oxidizing. What little odization does occur tends to produce port-like flavors.

The roasty character in stout comes from large Maillard compounds. These are still poorly understood, I can't find research to back it up, but I would guess the roasty character mellows due to the large compounds breaking down into shorter ones. This might explain why in some stouts the dark fruit flavors become more emphasized over time (since they are shorter Maillard compounds.)


What's the difference between Amaretto and Crème de Noyaux?

Amaretto

County of origin: Italy (Saronno, Italy)
Alcohol by Volume: 28%
Flavor: Slight bitter almond
"Flavoured from bitter almonds, various modern commercial brands are prepared from a base of apricot stones, peach stones, or almonds, all of which are natural sources of the benzaldehyde that provides the principal almond-like flavour of the liqueur." - Amaretto (Wikipedia)
Etymology: "The name amaretto originated as a diminutive of the Italian word amaro, meaning "bitter", which references the distinctive flavour lent by the mandorla amara or by the drupe kernel. However, the bitterness of amaretto tends to be mild, and sweeteners (and sometimes sweet almonds) enhance the flavour in the final products. Thus one can interpret the liqueur's name as a description of the taste as "a little bitter". - Amaretto (Wikipedia)

Bottles of Amaretto Liqueur

Crème de Noyaux

Country of origin: France
Alcohol by Volume: 40%
Color: Pink or Clear (Bols is red)
Flavor: Almond
"Crème de Noyaux (pronounced is an almond-flavored crème liqueur, although it is actually made from apricot kernels or the kernels of peach or cherry pits, which provide an almond-like flavor. Both Bols and Hiram Walker produce artificially colored red versions of the liqueur (either of which contribute the pink hue to Pink Squirrel cocktails) while Noyau de Poissy from France is available in both clear (blanc) and barrel-aged amber (ambre) versions." - Crème de Noyaux (Wikipedia)
Definition: A liqueur with a brandy base flavored primarily with essential oils derived from the kernels of peaches, plums, and cherries or from almonds, the predominant flavor being that of bitter almonds. - Crème de Noyau

Bols Creme de Noyaux Liqueur 1L

To me amaretto tastes a little less bitter than creme de noyaux, while crème de noyau tastes a little bit more nuttier at the same time. I am not a professional connoisseur so you can take or leave what I say here.


What's bitters to use with bourbon, blood orange syrup, lemon juice and pinot noir?
Bitters have been around for along time, but have come back into favor as part of the current craft cocktail trend. The two most traditional kinds are Peychaud’s and Angostura, both crucial players in whiskey cocktails such as the Manhattan and the old-fashioned. But these days, the sky’s the limit.
Taking into consulting the ingredients of the cocktail you are interested in, I would recommend using Angostura bitters based on this particular recipe.
The only additional ingredient would be the Pinot noir wine.
I am confident that the Angostura bitters will work it’s magic quite well.
And by the way.
Bone Appetite!


In Brazil, we have a few. But, in general, they're not an original beer, really created by some musician, but more a marketing thing. They only contract a micro brewery to develop a recipe for then, or even use a previously existent beer and re-brand it with their names.

Examples are: Raimundos, Sepultura (which is a brazilian hardcore band well-known around the world) and Paralamas do Sucesso, bands which have a beer with their names produced by Bamberg Brewery, a microbrewery of São Paulo state dedicated exclusively to german styles. The former 2 being merely a re-brand of Bamberg's flagship beers.

Velhas Virgens is a rock band from São Paulo which have their own brand too, and more than one beer, and I think someone inside the band homebrew. Nowadays they produce in association with Invicta brewery, and I guess they have some contribution for them in the products development, although, of all those "rock band beers", they seem to be the most genuine/authentic initiative.

The way I see this thing on the craft beer scene is: people trying to take advantage of this trending market and make money out of it. It's a pure marketing thing. It's like you being a famous person and associating your name with some product, whatever it is, just because you know people will buy it only because of your image/name, and not because of what is really inside of it.

Particularly, I think this is pure opportunism.


What are some of the historical ways that people have employed to conceal alcohol on their person?

Check out this great article: 10 Ingenious Ways Booze Was Hidden During Prohibition

The old "alcohol-in-the-cane" trick ;)

Here are four examples from the list:

The Hollow Cane Trick

  The Library of Congress labels this one "Woman seated at a soda fountain table is pouring alcohol into a cup from a cane, during Prohibition; with a large Coca-Cola advertisement on the wall, 2/13/22."

  So-called "flask canes" or "tippling sticks" are still a thing, even in the booze-soaked wonderland of 21st century America. One site even targets veterans by putting seals from the various branches of the US military on top of the cane. War is hell, after all, so who are we to judge?

The Booze Mule Trick

  From the Walter P. Reuther Library at Wayne State University, this circa-1920s photo depicts a man showing off his trick for transporting booze throughout Detroit. He reportedly only showed this to the press, for obvious reasons, and remained anonymous.

  A shocking 75% of all the alcohol smuggled into the US during Prohibition crossed the border at the so-called "Windsor-Detroit Funnel," the nickname for waterways between Michigan and Ontario. By 1929, the second largest industry in Detroit, believe it or not, was "rumrunning," which netted $215 million per year.

The Bootlegger's Life Preserver Trick

  Jennie MacGregor was arrested by federal agents in Minneapolis on April 10, 1924 for this audacious get-up that dispensed "wet goods." It was known, according to a note on the back of the original photograph, as a "bootlegger's life preserver." The New York Times purchased the photo 10 days later and published it in their weekly Mid-Week Pictorial under the caption "A Perfect 36."

  (David Dunlap of the Times' "The Lively Morgue" blog guesses this was a reference to "Tennessee, the 36th state to ratify the 19th Amendment, granting women’s suffrage?").

The Thigh Flask Trick

  "Flask" might not be quite the right word for these behemoths. The original 1928 caption called them "tins" concealed by a "floppy overcoat." No word on how exactly these were held in place, but it they were full, they must have given this young flapper quite the workout.


Would Japanese happoshu or third-category beer be considered beer in other countries?

Well in Germany these wouldn't be called beer because in Germany beer can contain only malt, hop, water and yeast. Since many Asian beers contain rice these aren't called beer in Germany.
I don't know if other countries even have regulations whether a drink is allowed to call itself beer.


Shrove Tuesday - what alcohol can I serve with my pancakes?

Some people might like wine with their pancakes on Shrove Tuesday.

Seeing that Shrove Tuesday is the day before Lent, please allow me to make two recommendations.

My first recommendation would be mead. Mead would be a fitting drink to ease the knowledge that tomorrow is the start of the traditional 40 days of fasting.

My second drink would be a nice good bottle of Rauchbier or "smoke beer". In today's way of fasting during Lent alcohol is no longer a forbidden food, so any left over could be consumed during Lent.

  Rauchbier, or “smoke beer,” is made using malts that have been dried over fire—-thus gaining the smoky taste of cured meats like ham and bacon. At one time all beers malts were produced over fire, but in medieval Bavaria beers of this type came to be associated with Lent when the rich, smoky tones of meat were dearly missed. There is, of course, an official blessing for beer (“Bless, O Lord, this creature beer . . . ”) which one may safely assume is more efficacious in the original Latin: ” Benedic, Domine, creaturam istam cerevisiae, quam ex adipe frumenti producere dignatus es: ut sit remedium salutare humano generi, et praesta per invocationem nominis tui sancti; ut, quicumque ex ea biberint, sanitatem corpus et animae tutelam percipiant. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.” - Ten Weird, Wonderful Foods for Lent


The only concern I'd see right away would be making sure you don't lose your deposit if you have a blow out during fermentation and beer sprays all around.  I've not done it in an apartment, but I just use my stove and a wort chiller that attaches to my sink, so there isn't anything in that process that would be a problem in an apartment.

I suppose if you want to use a big propane burner for boiling the wort you might need to check if such things are permitted at your property.  If they don't allow BBQs you probably couldn't use that type of burner.  If you've got the time you should be able to do it on most stove tops though.  And more time to brew means more time to enjoy previously brewed after all!

For the fermentation, ideally you'll want a dark place that's reasonably temperature controlled, but if your apartment has its temps in a reasonable range you could probably make it work without a special fermentation chamber--which you could also likely buy or make if you care enough to.


Malbec is a French wine and at one point was grown in 30 different departments of France, a legacy that is still present in the abundance of local synonyms for the variety. However this variety of grapes is in decline in part due to its' sensitivities to so many different vine ailments (coulure, downy mildew, frost).

  In recent times, the popularity of the variety has been steadily declining with a 2000 census reporting only 15,000 acres (6,100 hectares) of the vine mostly consigned to the southwestern part of the country. Its stronghold remains Cahors where Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) regulations stipulates that Malbec must compose at least 70% of the blend, with Merlot and Tannat rounding out the remaining percentage. Outside of Cahors, Malbec is still found in small amounts as a permitted variety in the AOCs of Bergerac, Buzet, Côtes de Duras, Côtes du Marmandais, Fronton and Pécharmant. It is also permitted in the Vin Délimité de Qualité Supérieure (VDQS) of Côtes du Brulhois. In the MIDI region of the Languedoc, it is permitted (but rarely grown) in the AOC regions of Cabardès and Côtes de Malepère. There is a small amount of Malbec grown in the middle Loire Valley and permitted in the AOCs of Anjou, Coteaux du Loir, Touraine and the sparkling wine AOC of Saumur where it is blended with Cabernet Sauvignon and Gamay. But as elsewhere in France, Malbec is losing acreage other varieties—most notably Cabernet Franc in the Loire.

  The grape was historically a major planting in Bordeaux, providing color and fruit to the blend, but in the 20th century started to lose ground to Merlot and Cabernet Franc due, in part, to its sensitivities to so many different vine ailments (coulure, downy mildew, frost). The severe 1956 frost wiped out a significant portion of Malbec vines in Bordeaux, allowing many growers a chance to start anew with different varieties. By 1968 plantings in the Libournais was down to 12,100 acres (4,900 hectares) and fell further to 3,460 acres (1,400 hectares) by 2000. While Malbec has since become a popular component of New World meritages or Bordeaux blends, and it is still a permitted variety in all major wine regions of Bordeaux, its presence in Bordeaux is as a distinctly minor variety. Only the regions of the Côtes-de-Bourg, Blaye and Entre-Deux-Mers have any significant plantings in Bordeaux. - Malbec (Wikipedia).


Recommendations for Kegerator conversion kit?

Some things to consider:

If you don't tap a beer every so often, the beer that is left in regular beer faucets can dry out and lock the tap shut.  I suggest a perlick faucet as it seals without drying out.  I've used mine for years without any "sticky tap" problems.

If you are going to have a tower on top of the fridge, the beer line in the tower will warm up to the ambient room temperature.  This means that the first part of the first pour of the night will be very foamy as the pressure is different in the warm tower.  Some way of insulating the tower or circulating the air inside the tower will ensure the quality of the beer in the line.

When cutting the top of the fridge, be very careful to avoid damaging the cooling lines (if there are any in the top) as that will destroy the cooling ability on that wall of the refrigerator.

If you're keeping it in the garage, you may want to consider some way of sealing the tap when you're done for the night.  A plug will prevent flies or ants from enjoying your beer while you're out.  A lock will prevent any neighbors from doing the same.

Probably not as direct as a link to a conversion kit, but hopefully this will help you decide.


What are some online sources for information on beer of high repute?

There are quire a few poorly-sourced beer blogs out there, many of whom get their information from other beer blogs.  If you want high-quality information, I'd suggest:

Well-known authors.  Anything by Michael Jackson is usually pretty well-regarded.  Randy Mosher is also reasonably trustworthy.  Honestly, any published author is likely to be considerably more authoritative than random blogs.
Beer-related Organizations like the bjcp or the aha and their magazine "Zymurgy"
Industry publications like the brewers association
Brewing literature.  There's a very active homebrewing community out there, and you can find answers to some questions on beer production there.  How to Brew is one of the better ones available for free online.


If you are having a beer tasting, what is a good way to clear the palate?

Not have any experiense on Beer testing but here are few tips from beer.about.com

Do not taste new beers with food or soon after eating. The lingering flavors from food can greatly affect your impression of the brew.
Cleanse your palate with water. Crackers or cheese are fine but you should remember that even these foods can affect the apparent flavors of the beer.
If you're tasting a number of different beers, let the color be your guide. It is best to taste from light to dark.


What are tannins in wine?

  Tannins refer to the diverse group of chemical compounds in wine that can affect the color, aging ability and texture of the wine. While tannins cannot be smelled or tasted, they can be perceived during wine tasting by the tactile drying sensation and sense of bitterness that they can leave in the mouth. This is due to the tendency of tannins to react with proteins, such as the ones found in saliva. In food and wine pairing, foods that are high in proteins (such as red meat) are often paired with tannic wines to minimize the astringency of tannins. However, many wine drinkers find the perception of tannins to be a positive trait—especially as it relates to mouth feel. The management of tannins in the winemaking process is a key component in the resulting quality.

  Tannins are found in the skin, stems, and seeds of wine grapes but can also be introduced to the wine through the use of oak barrels and chips or with the addition of tannin powder. The natural tannins found in grapes are known as proanthocyanidins due to their ability to release red anthocyanin pigments when they are heated in an acidic solution. Grape extracts are mainly rich in monomers and small oligomers (mean degree of polymerization <8). Grape seed extracts contain three monomers (catechin, epicatechin and epicatechin gallate) and procyanidin oligomers. Grape skin extracts contain four monomers (catechin, epicatechin, gallocatechin and epigallocatechin), as well as procyanidins and prodelphinidins oligomers. The tannins are formed by enzymes during metabolic processes of the grapevine. The amount of tannins found naturally in grapes varies depending on the variety with Cabernet Sauvignon, Nebbiolo, Syrah and Tannat being 4 of the most tannic grape varieties. The reaction of tannins and anthocyanins with the phenolic compound catechins creates another class of tannins known as pigmented tannins which influence the color of red wine. Commercial preparations of tannins, known as enological tannins, made from oak wood, grape seed and skin, plant gall, chestnut, quebracho, gambier[18] and myrobalan fruits, can be added at different stages of the wine production to improve color durability. The tannins derived from oak influence are known as "hydrolysable tannins" being created from the ellagic and gallic acid found in the wood.

  In the vineyards, there is also a growing distinction being made between "ripe" and "unripe" tannins present in the grape. This "physiological ripeness", which is roughly determined by tasting the grapes off the vines, is being used along with sugar levels as a determination of when to harvest. The idea is that "riper" tannins will taste softer but still impart some of the texture components found favorable in wine. In winemaking, the amount of the time that the must spends in contact with the grape skins, stems and seeds will influence the amount of tannins that are present in the wine with wines subjected to longer maceration period having more tannin extract. Following harvest, stems are normally picked out and discarded prior to fermentation but some winemakers may intentionally leave in a few stems for varieties low in tannins (like Pinot noir) in order to increase the tannic extract in the wine. If there is an excess in the amount of tannins in the wine, winemakers can use various fining agents like albumin, casein and gelatin that can bind to tannins molecule and precipitate them out as sediments. As a wine ages, tannins will form long polymerized chains which come across to a taster as "softer" and less tannic. This process can be accelerated by exposing the wine to oxygen, which oxidize tannins to quinone-like compounds that are polymerization-prone. The winemaking technique of micro-oxygenation and decanting wine use oxygen to partially mimic the effect of aging on tannins

  A study in wine production and consumption has shown that tannins, in the form of proanthocyanidins, have a beneficial effect on vascular health. The study showed that tannins suppressed production of the peptide responsible for hardening arteries. To support their findings, the study also points out that wines from the regions of southwest France and Sardinia are particularly rich in proanthocyanidins, and that these regions also produce populations with longer life spans.

  Reactions of tannins with the phenolic compound anthocyanidins creates another class of tannins known as pigmented tannins which influences the color of red wine. - Phenolic content in wine


When and why did wineries start diluting wine?

There are several factors at play here. If we think about how grapes were maintained hundreds or thousands of years ago, it was kind of a slapdash affair. In the beginning they probably just grabbed whatever grapes they could off a vine growing up a tree. Later they just haphazardly planted grapes in a field hoping for the best and they mixed everything, Red and white grapes and IF they got a harvest they were grateful. This style of grape growing does not lend itself to high sugar grapes.

This illustration below shows some middle ages grape growing in Burgundy. It's basically a hillside planted every few inches. No trellis or anything.

Several things changed that equation, especially after WW2.

New World grape growing. Growing grapes in the new world exploded after WW2 and continues to expand rapidly to this day. Why is this a problem? It is and it isn't. You have to remember grapes like Pinot Noir, Riesling, Cabernet, Grenache were probably grapes that had been domesticated over hundreds or thousands of years to adapt to the climate the original vines were from. Cabernet is a good example. The dreary coast in Bordeaux where the weather is not especially warm. In a good year, the grapes might make a 13% ABV wine. You take Cabernet and stick it in Napa Valley where it is MUCH warmer and sunnier and voila, you have 17% ABV monster cabs. IMHO, it's mostly too hot in Napa Valley to make a balanced wine. Same with much of Australia and South America.
Modern Viticultural practices. Also after WW2 irrigation was introduced this enabled growers to grow wine in areas that were too dry to grow grapes without it. Washington State is a good example. The Yakima valley gets around 9 inches of rain a year, but the temperatures are within a range of growing grapes, if a little too hot and sunny. Now you have a region that looks nothing like where the grapes originally came from. This also pertains to just about everything about growing grapes today. Trellis systems, fungicides, rootstocks, soil management, canopy management. Everything is done with a high precision to eke out the most of the vines, resulting in wines that are super ripe.
Modern Tastes - As our palates seek out more and more sweet things, many of these modern wines are made with higher alcohols on purpose because many times high octane wines come with a fair amount of residual sugar.
Because we can! In the new world we don't have the baggage that they do in Europe. We are allowed to pretty much do anything to our wines as long as it's legal and food grade. So, if you grapes accidentally got a few extra days in 100+ degree weather and started to turn to raisins and they are at 29 brix. You paid good money for those grapes and you can't waste them so you dump some acidulated water into your fermenter to water them down to acceptable levels and replace some acid that was lost because your grapes are over ripe. All perfectly legal in the New World, but absolutely verbotten in Europe.
Brand name grapes - Everyone wants Cabernet and Chardonnay. Sure you can grow them in the Central Valley in California where it is super hot in the summer, but what type of wine do you get? Hardly recognizable from the original areas they came from, but the consumers just want to have these brand name grapes so we plant them in places of abundant heat having to water them down in the fermenter to make acceptable wines.

I remember my viticulture teacher telling me that you should plant grapes that would ripen almost at the last possible day of the season. This would result in grapes that are in harmony with the local climate. What you see in many places like California where grapes are harvested in July and August and there is still MONTHS of hot weather ahead.

All of this leads to a situation where many of the grapes we plant in the new world are simply not in the best climate for the best wine. 99% of the time it's grapes planted in a climate that's simply too hot. That's why we water our wines down.


Why would one choose to use Nitro vs CO2 as a beer gas?

In general, nitrogenation imparts a creamier, smoother texture to a beer. The bubbles are smaller in size than CO2 bubbles, and the reduced solubility results in a thicker beverage, which is both delicious, and results in that visually appealing 'cascade' effect.

Also, you can do this with a Nitro beer. And that's awesome.


Are there Hefeweizen beers with coriander?

Generally you won't find coriander or other spices added to hefeweizen beers, due to the traditional beer purity law.  However, one famous exception is Gose: http://www.germanbeerguide.co.uk/gose.html


What are the factors that determine how long whisky is aged?

Aging or 'Finishing' is an extension of the maturation process, when the spirit is subsequently filled into empty casks that previously held other
wines or spirits for a further relatively short period at the end of maturation.

  The selection of casks can affect the character of the final whisky.
  Outside of the United States, the most common practice is to reuse
  casks that previously contained American whiskey, as US law requires
  several types of distilled spirits to be aged in new oak casks. To
  ensure continuity of supply of used oak casks some Scottish distilling
  groups own oak forests in the US and rent the new barrels to bourbon
  producers for first fill use. Bourbon casks impart a characteristic
  vanilla flavour to the whisky.

so really the longer you age the whiskey the more of the flavor you are going to capture form the cask


Are there examples of "Trappist" beers that lost that label (or ceased to exist)?

The La Trappe beer lost for a while the Trappist label (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Koningshoeven_Brewery).
It had, then it lost, and now it has.


Beers that are popular but hyper-localized

The kings beer sold in the goan state of India. Super popular, but only available within the state. Granted, it's a state vs a city but its a really small state.


Hooch means "cheap whiskey" and here is the origin of the term:

  hooch (n.)

  Also hootch, "cheap whiskey," 1897, shortened form of Hoochinoo (1877) "liquor made by Alaskan Indians," from the name of a native tribe in Alaska whose distilled liquor was a favorite with miners during the 1898 Klondike gold rush; the tribe's name is said by OED to be from Tlingit Hutsnuwu, literally "grizzly bear fort."

  As the supply of whisky was very limited, and the throats down which it was poured were innumerable, it was found necessary to create some sort of a supply to meet the demand. This concoction was known as "hooch"; and disgusting as it is, it is doubtful if it is much more poisonous than the whisky itself. [M.H.E. Hayne, "The Pioneers of the Klondyke," London, 1897] - The Online Etymology Dictionary


There are strains of Saccharomyces Cerevisiae (brewer's yeast) such as WLP099 - Super High Gravity Ale Yeast that reportedly can tolerate up to 25% alcohol by volume.

The world's strongest beer is Snake Venom coming in at a colossal 67.5% abv. Sources cite it as freeze-distilled, where the beer is frozen and the ice (pure water) is drawn off, leaving a more concentrated beer behind. Although, comments in the same link cast doubt upon if the beer is truly the abv claimed.


What is the highest alcohol content achievable through brewing?

That depends on what you mean by "naturally".  There are some strains, such as the "Super High Gravity Ale Yeast" by WyLabs, which can handle up to 25%.  But there are techniques, such as freezing the beer to create a more concentrated product, which have been used to get up to 60+%.  In this case, alcohol is not added, but rather, water is removed, altering your ABV.


When pairing dishes and drinks, you shall first ask yourself what kind of pairing you seek.

Reinforcing pairing, aim to emphasis the tastes of either food or beverage, or both. A Jura oxydized wine over a smoked poultry.

Correcting pairing aim to neutralize an unwelcomed taste from either,
Edam cheese and Lambic/Ould Bruin, to cut the acidic dryness of the beer for those whom don't enjoy it.

Zero pairing, aim to wash out the taste of one by the second, just to always have the first bit/sip flavours. Ginger with japanese gastronomy

Contrast pairing, aim to a deliberate yet welcomed discrepency between food and beverage. Earthy beer over shellfish.

=> Do keep in mind that the pairing can not only be on the taste, but also on texture. A "greasy" food with a "drying" drink for example.

In your case, more than the spider itself, you plan a chili sauce. So, the drink will deal with spicyness : it implies a lost of tasting capacity by overcrowing of one or various of the fundamental tastes (Saltiness/Sweetness/Bitterness/Sourness+Umami+Astingency+Pungency). In this case, saltiness and pungency will be the dominant you'll have to pair with.

If you want to reinforce it, you shall look to strong liquors, which will get the pungency stonger (ethanol have it's own burning sensation) ; but you may have to water not to burn your tastebuds. A salty vodka ?
If you want to correct it, you shall seek fat drinks, as spicyness agent are mostly lipophyllic. Thats why many a western guest enjoy Lassi with Indian curry.
If you want to zero it, but only with a light chili, you may try a red wine from old vineyards, the kind of wine where spices notes are powerful. Wine itself will be lost, but it'll reset your tastebuds as alcohol is a solvant and the wine is quite tannic, the astringent side will make you salivate. Syrah wine on fifty, eighty years old vines.
If you want a contrast, try a malted and hopped beer, where rye is involved. It's rich mouthfull will compete with the crispy feeling of the bug, and rye, even more than oat, bear spice quite well.

Obviously, if you abandon the chili, those recommandation are void ; but you now have the keys to make the match yourself.


Alternative ways to know the impact of ingredients

This discussion would be more suitable in the homebrew stack as Andrew said, but I will answer it anyway.

You are on the right track, making a simple pilsner recipe will show you the effects of the malt, yeast, water and hops.

There is a technique called SMASH (single malt, single hops), which is widely used to "test" the effect of a new ingredient. It is pretty much exactly what you are doing.

The best technique: brew as often as possible. Be critical of your beer. Get a BJCP judge (or similar) to try your beer and give you feedback.

Relax, dont worry, have a homebrew. (Papasian).


It's it better to use mineral water or distilled water for my mash when making vodka?

It can be used, and distilled water and mineral. The output will be different taste. Distilled water gives a softer taste.


Why do some non-alcoholic beers have sugar?

It could very well be natural or added sugar, it depends entirely on the style of beer and how it is produced.

The absence of sugar could be due to low sugar levels inherent in the substrates chosen for the beer. Or, it could be due to being fermented out. Keep in mind you can ferment things, have their sugar content reduced from the fermentation process, and end up with a beverage with only negligible amounts of alcohol. Think kombucha.

On the other hand sugar can be leftover from the fermentation process because the life form doing the fermentation (bacteria, yeast, etc) stalled before it could consume all the sugar. Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the yeast strain typically employed by bakers and brewers, does not like living in high-ethanol environments. That's why it's typically been a challenge for brewers and wine makers to get their alcohol content above the 5-10% range without undesirable components (congeners) being produced as a major side-effect. Alcohol is toxic to yeast!

Whichever way the sugar got there you can be pretty certain it's there for flavour! That could be direct flavouring: sweet things taste nice. It can also be there for balance: sugar "cancels" out acidity (and vice versa).


A plastic bottle of gira (kvass) expanded in the plane: what are the possible consequence?

One possible consequence is that the bottle will pop, sending gira all over the place and possibly hurting someone's eardrums.

I don't know if opening the bottle before it bursts helps or, on the contrary, ensures that it bursts in someone's hands.

An in the end, you don’t get to know what it tastes like. :’(


What flavours of ice cream can be used with different types of alcoholic drinks to make a great float?

One of the great ones we grew up with was the Cider Spider - a cider float with vanilla ice cream, using proper cider, not the strange thing that seems to pass for cider in the US. I assume it came from Australia, as it was my mother who introduced us to it.

But since then experimentation has showed that most basic ice cream flavours can work well in fairly normal drinks. Strawberry with rums and gin, vanilla with everything, and even chocolate with dark rums and chocolate liqueurs.

There are some weirder ice creams that work in cocktails - chocolate, orange and rosemary ice cream can work well with a spiced rum or tequila-based cocktails.

In reality, I think the use of ice cream is only limited by your palette or imagination. Ice cream cocktails are generally sweet and creamy, which puts some people off. They can also congeal rapidly - which can be offputting.


Will certain types of beer get me more drunk more quickly?

The process of becoming drunk involves becoming dehydrated. So the higher the ABV, and less water you're taking on, the faster you'll feel the effects.

This is why shots get you drunk very quickly: there is little to no extra water in the mix. Other ingredients can add to this affect, and as I've personally noticed, some beers can produce very different "drunk experiences" than others - just like being drunk off wine, beer, shots, or mixed drinks can produce different results.

So, absolutely if you drank half a beer with twice the ABV while your friend drank 1 beer with half the ABV, you'd probably feel drunk faster than him. Assuming you're drinking at the same pace. Less water.


Is there a widely agreed upon beer ranking or competition?

There are some that claim this, such as the World Beer Cup - but like this one, these are mostly US only, so the range of beers is very limited - as well as generally charging to enter.

The International Brewing Awards, now in it's 128th year is probably the best known global competition, with a truly international line-up (although this year the cask ales category was dominated by the UK)


"Pumpkin" beers made with actual pumpkin?

I drank once Post Road Pumkin Ale from Brooklyn brewery that is brewed with, to quote them,

  Hundreds of pounds of pumpkins [...] blended into the mash of each batch: Post Road Pumpkin Ale


Some sugars won't start a fermentation with brewer's yeast at all, such a lactose. In such case, sooner or later other organisms would take over (e.g. lactobacteria).

Any sugars that can be fermented, would ferment at different speeds. As there is usually more than one kind of sugar present, the easy ones ferment first until the alcohol kills off the yeast, leaving the more difficult ones behind. Fermentation usually continues at that point, just a lot more slowly.

The difference in the effect is minor as long as everything is fully fermented. An example of such a difference is fruit wines and beer. Fruit wines contain minor amounts of methanol while beer usually does not. Differences in flavour are more about what is not fermented.

Mannose can definitely be fermented by brewer's yeast. Dextrose is just another name for glucose.


Why is not sake freezing in the freezer but on the air after serving?

The sake was most likely supercooled.  It was cooled below its freezing point, but there were no impurities to form ice crystals.  When it was poured into a glass, as the author of that video suggests in his comment, it created turbulence that produced ice crystals to form, and once that process starts, accelerates until it is completely frozen.  It is a fun experiment to do yourself with just water.


Why did my cherry juice turn directly into vinegar while never being wine?

It's difficult to answer why fermentation did not complete without further information.

It's quite possible the sugar content was too high and pH to low for whatever yeast was added to survive and begin fermentation.

Vinegar however is created when bacteria that produce acetic acid are present in an environment with a sugar source and oxygen. They will thrive off of the sugar just like brewer's yeast, but will also produce acetic acid as a byproduct of their life processes.

If you wish to make cherry wine, I would suggest diluting the juice down to somewhere in the range of a sugar concentration of 10 percent, measuring with a hydrometer or refractometer, and using a yeast, possibly a dry wine yeast, that can withstand alcohol in ranges of 10-14 percent abv.


As your link indicates there is evidence of beer going back to around 5000 BC, however, this is only the first time that it is known to have been recorded. Alcoholic drinks made by naturally fermenting fruit are drunk by monkeys and elephants and probably long pre-date the evolution of humans. Evidence of breads, which could result in a type of beer if allowed to ferment in the same way as the fruits if the mixture was left with yeast in too long, exists from 30,000 years and pre-dates the advent writing ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_bread ). It is likely therefore that beers existed tens of thousands of years ago through accident at first and eventually design and were likely to be similar to traditional African beers such as the Kenyan busaa, which by coincidence is still made by my girlfriend's grandmother for the elder men of her tribe. I.e. these beers would be a form of thick, alcoholic liquid bread. In other words we cannot know who "invented" beer as

it probably pre-dates written language and
it wasn't "invented" by anyone really it was made serendipitously at first.

the date was probably some time over 20,000 years ago but that is unknowable for the same reasons.
Interestingly, as it is a drink made from a cheap foodstuff that was widely consumed by the people rather than by nobility who could record such things, it is not known who invented lager either. It is likely that Lambics were the precursors of Lagers though.


What are the real differences between barley wine and old ale?

When considering barley wine there are two varieties recognized by the BJCP in the 2015 style guidlines.

The American version which has an emphasis on hops, IMO not as similar to old ale.
The English version which while hoppy is also sweeter and has more fruity flavors than the American version and IMO does seem similar to old ale.

If I were to compare an English barley wine to an old ale the differences among the higher end of the style seem minimal. However, I think that even on the higher end the old ale has an emphasis on the aged quality. In the smaller versions, less ABV, examples of English barely wine I think it is less malty than an old ale.

I also found the BJCP style guidelines style comparison useful for the English barley wine and old ale because they are so similar. I've included them below for reference.

"Old Ale Style Comparison:
Roughly overlapping the British Strong Ale and the lower end of the English Barleywine styles, but always having an aged quality. The distinction between an Old Ale and a Barleywine is somewhat arbitrary above 7% ABV, and generally means having a more significant aged quality (particularly from wood). Barleywines tend to develop more of a ‘mature’ quality, while Old Ales can show more of the barrel qualities (lactic, Brett, vinous, etc.)." (From BJCP 2015 guidelines)

"English Barley Wine Style Comparison:
 Although often a hoppy beer, the English Barleywine places less emphasis on hop character than the American Barleywine and features English hops. English
versions can be darker, maltier, fruitier, and feature richer specialty malt flavors than American Barleywines. Has some overlap British Old Ale on the lower end, but generally does not have the vinous qualities of age; rather, it tends to display the mature, elegant signs of age." (From BJCP 2015 guidelines)


Can quick beer cooling have a negative effect on the beer's taste?

As long the beer's sealed, there should be no difference in taste due to rapid or slow cooling. Lowering the temperature only increases the solubility of CO2, which should dissolve later.

Temperature itself does impact taste, supposedly due to our taste buds being number in cold, hiding certain flavors (which can be desirable or undesirable depending on the beer). But this isn't related to the rate of cooling of beer.


Snake Venom is beer not a spirit because spirits are distilled. Beer is technically not distilled.

As the definition you cited says, beer is the product of fermenting sugar derived from cereal grain which is dissolved in water. So water + grain + yeast = beer. The grain has to undergo a saccharification process where the carbohydrate chains (starches) in the grain are transformed into sugar (glucose, fructose, sucrose, maltose...) which is then converted into alcohol by yeast. Fermentable sugar is extracted from barley through malting and mashing. The yeast is generally added to the wort (unfermented sugary water) manually by the brewer or wild yeast can fall into the beer from the air.

Other processes may be involved with fermenting other grains. For example, in sake brewing, koji (a type of mold) is grown on rice (and soybeans) before fermentation in order to convert starches into fermentable sugars, as rice does not contain the enzymes needed to convert its starches into sugars (note: sake is generally not consider beer, but there are beers made with significant quantities of rice, up to 100% rice beer is possible).

Hops is not a necessary ingredient in beer, and beer was made for thousands of years before people started adding hops to it.

These strong beers like Snake Venom are generally brewed to this high ABV level through freeze "distillation." This isn't really distillation, because no heat is involved, so people still call them beers. But this is a concentration process similar to distillation. Alcohol has a lower freezing point than water, so when you freeze beer, you can remove the ice and you're left with a more concentrated beer. This is the process used in the German eisbock style. The brewers also start with a high ABV beer, using special ingredients (sugar sources other than malt, like table sugar) along with strains of yeast that can tolerate high levels of alcohol and still continue to live and ferment. This process can be somewhat difficult and expensive, so it gets attention. In my opinion it's a novelty, but I guess people like it, because they sell a lot of it.


Would a beer still be good after being cold then hot then cold again?

There should be no reason why beer would lose any quality from being left out at room temperature then being re-cooled.
During the brewing and distribution process beer is exposed to a wide range of temperatures numerous times.
Some specialist beers may include "adjuncts" or additional ingredients (fruit, honey etc...) that may be affect quality with a temperature range (none spring to mind).  However normal beer made with malt, hops & water should be fine.
Exposure to sunlight is more likely to affect beer than temperature.


Traditional drinks for St Patrick's Day?

I don't think the Irish really care too much as long as they have a drink in front of them. How about Irish Whiskey and Guinness? Maybe some Irish Coffee, Bailey's or cider. All the Irish I know aren't too picky. I don't think you find too much green beer in Ireland, that's a made up American thing.

Origins of Green Beer

Ireland's top 10 drinks


Which beverages are least likely to give one a hangover? What induces hangover on a drink-to-drink basis?

Two things have to be considered:

The first, as Lying Dog said, is impurities. In fact, if they give taste, they also give you hangover
The second, much more important is the fact that alcohol is diuretic. Once drunk, the alcohol is converted into several substances (in several steps) by your liver. The problem is once the last substances cannot be converted into anything useful, it will be ejected from your body. How ? By urinating. But urinating requires water. The problem is that if you do not drink water as much as needed, your body will take it from where it can, including from your brain. Now think about a sponge left without water inside and you'll have a good idea of what your brain looks like after a night, inducing hangover the next morning.

To answer your question, yes, Vodka is the most efficient alcohol to avoid hangover. But you can also avoid it by drink enough water while drinking alcohol (typically, if I'm at a party where I drink a lot of alcohol, I drink a pint of water after 2 or 3 beers)


Why do beer bottles overflow when hit from above?

tl;dr

Tapping the top causes compression waves started through the air in the opening (which is why it only works from the top.) The compression waves bounce at the bottom and become expansion waves. The compression and expansion causes agitation which foams up the beer.

Tell me more...

The layman's summary from Scientists discover why beer bottles overflow after a sudden impact:

  A lot happens in the short period of time between tap and torrent. The
  moment some jerk clocks your bottle's mouth, a compression wave
  travels down through the glass. When the wave hits bottom, it's
  reflected as an expansion wave that travels through the beer. These
  waves keep bouncing back and forth, with the compression waves
  breaking up the CO2 bubbles in your beer into thousands of incredibly
  tiny microbubbles, and the expansion waves causing those microbubbles
  to violently expand into skyrocketing plumes.

  The result? Millions and millions of expanding CO2 bubbles turn your
  beer into foam shooting out of your bottle. With any luck, it spills
  all over your jerk friend's pants.

The abstract from the published article:

  A sudden vertical impact on the mouth of a beer bottle generates a
  compression wave that propagates through the glass towards the bottom.
  When this wave reaches the base of the bottle, it is transmitted to
  the liquid as an expansion wave that travels to free surface, where it
  bounces back as a compression wave. This train of
  expansion-compression waves drives the forced cavitation of existing
  air pockets, leading to their violent collapse. A cloud of very small
  daughter bubbles are generated upon these collapses, that expand much
  faster than their mothers due to their smaller size. These rapidly
  growing bubble clusters effectively act as buoyancy sources, what
  leads to the formation of bubble-laden plumes whose void fraction
  increases quickly by several orders of magnitude, eventually turning
  most of the liquid into foam.


How do I know if home brews are safe to drink?

I have personally drunk beer that was unintentionally sour, and smelled like a sewer, without a problem.*

If it has alcohol, and a low-ish pH (was made from reasonable water, barley and hops) then it is, according to history, safe. Many contaminating bacteria will produce acetic or lactic acids under these conditions, but they are also safe to drink.

If you really screw things up, (forget to add yeast, drop  dead mouse in there) maybe its possible to grow some listeria or something, but you'd probably find the smell to be intolerable.

Typical beer infections will produce various levels bad flavors along with some scum on top of the bottled beer (since yeast produce bubbles and foam when working, this scum might not be visible until the yeast are completely finished, usually after the beer has been bottled). Some kinds of bacteria will also give a ropey (snotty) texture to the beer, but even this is safe to drink. This page lists common beer off-flavors, note that danger isn't discussed, because there really isn't any.

And if you contaminant is a wild yeast, the beer might turn out OK (or even great) after a long aging, despite initially smelling horrible.

*Not a beer that I made


"Bottom fermentation" is one of the two main types of fermentation which take place during beer production; the other being "top fermentation". A third less common type would be spontaneous fermentation (a natural beer fermentation process taking place in the wild). Typically, only one fermentation process occurs during production (either bottom, top, or spontaneous fermentation). It basically describes what happens to the yeast during fermentation- some yeast float to the top of the liquid during fermentation, while some types of yeast sink to the bottom. Which type of fermentation takes place, depends on the type of yeast used in the process. So to answer your question, if it effects the type of drink (and taste), the answer is yes. It's not so much whether the yeast sink to the bottom or float to the top that affects the taste/style, but it is rather due to the type of yeast which determines what will happen to during fermentation (float to top/sink to bottom). For instance, lager strains of yeast typically float to the bottom.

From Beeradvocate.com:
"Some of the lager styles made from bottom-fermenting yeasts are Pilsners, Dortmunders, Märzen, Bocks, and American malt liquors."

"Top-fermenting yeasts are used for brewing ales, porters, stouts, Altbier, Kölsch, and wheat beers."

A more in-depth summary can be seen at the Beer Advocate's Yeast Guide.


Why are there so few "real" trappists and why are six from them from belgium

The Trappists are members of a Roman Catholic religious order. Trappists follow a rule of St. Benedict stating that they should "live by the work of their hands", which means many Trappist monasteries sell goods for income. The order has no particular prohibition against alcohol, so producing beer is an entirely reasonable profession for the monks.

The order is centuries old, and originated in France. However, many of the French breweries were destroyed during the French revolution (and later, the world wars). Fortunately for us today, the monasteries in the beer-loving Belgium survived (or in cases like that of the Rochefort Abbey, were restored).

Today, the "Authentic Trappist Product" logo, which defines a "real" Trappist beer, is owned by the International Trappist Association, an organization founded in 1997. The founding members include six abbeys from Belgium, one from the Netherlands, and one from Germany (which doesn't produce beer). It is only in very recent years that the ITA has expanded to recognize breweries aside from the original 7, the first "new" one being Stift Engelszell from Austria in 2012.

As the craft beer revolution pushes forward, I'd say we're likely to see more monasteries start their own beer production and apply for the logo. But right now, it's still mostly the original Belgians.


Why do some grocery stores in Colorado have regular beer and liquor but some only sell 3.2% beer?

Retail stores in Colorado sell spirits, wine, and beer. Grocery and convenience stores sell 3.2 percent beer only, and then not between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. Package stores are open 8 a.m. until midnight and are closed on Sundays. Bars stop selling alcohol between 2 a.m. and 7 a.m.
http://www.alcohollaws.org/coloradoalcohollaws.html

I would guess those "grocery stores" selling spirits and such are probably classified as something other than a grocery store.

This information may be a little out of date, Colorado does allow Sunday sales now. I found this on Wikipedia:

  Spirituous, vinous & malt liquor available in liquor stores and
  liquor-licensed drug stores only.  Liquor stores closed on Christmas
  Day. Sunday sales restriction lifted on July 1, 2008. Liquor stores
  and liquor-licensed drug stores may have only one location, while 3.2%
  beer may be sold in gas stations, supermarkets, and convenience
  stores. Appropriately licensed businesses may also sell 3.2% beer for
  both on and off-premise consumption. A small number of grocery stores
  are licensed as drug stores and sell full strength beer, wine, and
  spirits. As an example, a chain grocery store that has pharmacy
  services at most or all locations may elect a single location in the
  chain as the licensed establishment to sell beer, wine, and spirits.


Is it ok to take antacid tablet after drinking beer?

It depends... I don't see an issue with the standard Tums or Rolaids but there might be issues with ranitidine according to some studies.

http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/news/20000215/zantac-alcohol-dont-mix

  "The effect was striking," says author Charles Lieber, MD. In a
  three-hour test period, conducted under conditions similar to social
  drinking, the study showed that ranitidine can increase blood alcohol
  content by 38%. Levels reached in the study exceeded the legal
  drinking limit -- and the effects lasted up to two hours after
  drinking stopped.


What's responsible for the "metallic" taste in Belgian beers?

Common causes for a metallic taste are dissolved metals such as iron or copper, either from the water supply or brewing equipment, or due to the oxidation of fat molecules which can bind with metals.

Personally though, I find that I can regularly taste metal in the finish of any of a variety of beers that are over-chilled.  I don't recall Belgians being particularly an issue (but I love Belgians and am probably more likely to ensure they're properly temp'ed before drinking) but when served too cold, I can almost guarantee that I'm going to get a strong taste of cold steel right at the end of many brown ales, red ales, and stouts among others, and that it will generally disappear as the beer warms.


What's the best way to store beer while camping in hot climates?

I use 3 methods to store the beer, and others, while camping:

Cooler: The way you mentioned in your question.
Sunk in water: If possible, put the beer either in a plastic bag or in a hole in a nearby water body, creek or river.
In the ground: Dig a hole in the ground in a shady area and store it in there.

Second and third possibilities will keep it cool, but not really cold, depending on the area. The you can cool it even more by placing it in ice shortly before consuming it.


Drinking less is the obvious solution.

But you can also reduce the causes:

One cause for a hangover are the metabolic products of the fusel alcohols (unwanted alcohols) in your drinks. First your body metabolizes the ethanol and then the fusel alcohols. That's why drinking alcohol helps against a hangover as if gives the body some more ethanol to work on and thus reduces the toxins of the fusel alcohols. That's why a Bloody Mary is a well known hangover cure.
So try reducing the amount of fusel alcohols you consume by choosing high quality drinks that have less of them.

Another cause is dehydration and lack of electrolytes. So start hydrating yourself before, while and after you consume alcohol. And to keep the water in your body, make sure, you add enough electrolytes to bind the water. In russia and other slavic countrys there is a culture of eating salty (electrolytes and increasing thirst), sour (helps making you thirsty) and fatty (proteins and delays alcohol absorbtion) food along with drinking. In a way it's like having a hangover breakfast while drinking.

All of this can be done when you wake up with a hangover: drinking some alcohol as "hair of the dog" (this will reduce the symtoms but increase the time you feel them but won't fix anything!), eating a rich breakfast, drinking lots of water (tea, juice, ...) and maybe pop a blood-thinner like ASS (Aspirin).


What to and what not to mix with alcohol

The main hazards of mixing alcohol with milk are that you may denature the milk proteins and get curds.  Unpleasant, but probably not likely to provoke an allergic reaction.

Does your friend have any nut or pollen/tree allergies?  Depending on what the whiskey was casked in, there could be some residual allergens that were the actual culprit.


Is there an example of the Trappist style that's considered the best of the style?

"Trappist" isn't so much a style as it is a commercial label.  Something like "Organic" or "Kosher" that comes with a set of regulated conditions that product was produced under.

Per wikipedia, to be able to be labelled a Trappist beer:

The beer must be brewed within the walls of a Trappist monastery, either by the monks themselves or under their supervision.
The brewery must be of secondary importance within the monastery and it should witness to the business practices proper to a monastic way of life
The brewery is not intended to be a profit-making venture. The income covers the living expenses of the monks and the maintenance of the buildings and grounds. Whatever remains is donated to charity for social work and to help persons in need.
Trappist breweries are constantly monitored to assure the irreproachable quality of their beers.

A lot of those monasteries also make lighter or hoppy beers.  Engelszell even uses honey in their beers, so there's a pretty significant variety when it comes to what you can call "Trappist".

But if we're talking the classic dark Belgian-y abbey ale.  According to the Beer Advocate ratings, the top Trappist-produced beers are:

Westvleteren 12
Rochefort 10
Chimay Cinq Cents
Achel Extra Blond
Rochefort 8

Through user rankings.  The Brothers that run the site give Rochefort 8 a higher rank than 10, which I agree with, and give both Rochefort's a higher rating than Westy 12.

So I guess the answer is that somewhere between Westvleteren 12, the Rochefort 8 and 10, and Chimay is the best Trappist beer.  But even in the top 5 here there's some variation since Chimay and Achel are blondes, and Rochefort 8 is a fair lower ABV than the other 3.

With the styles being so wide, the real answer is probably whichever one you like drinking the most.

Though really, Rochefort 8 forever.


Which gas will make a beer last longer in a keg, CO2 or nitrogen?

I don't see CO2 versus nitrogen making a difference in freshness. You are probably thinking that because nitrogen is an inert (ie non-reactive) gas that is used in some packaging to extend the shelf life of some foods like fresh pasta, using it instead of CO2 would extend the life of your beer. However, beer already has significant amounts of CO2 dissolved in it so using nitrogen isn't going to keep it any fresher as a result.

Nitrogen is used versus CO2 because some people like the texture it creates as opposed to CO2, however that's a separate topic which has already been covered in another question.


What does it mean if a wine is an "ex-domaine?"

I think ex-domaine is the same as ex-chateau which means it's being sold directly from the producer to the consumer, something that almost never happens on a large scale in France. Mainly for collector wines that were held back and released many years later. Here is a definition of ex-chateau


Distinguishing features between Rochefort 10 and Westvleteren 12

1) While largely the same (make wort, ferment, bottle/keg) the two beers you list are made by different companies. Therefore, you can assume they will at least claim they have proprietary brewing methods. There is a reason why people try cloning beers with some successes but mostly fails.

2) Most definitely just look at This Westvleteren 12 Clone Recipe and instruction* compared to This Rochefort Trappistes 10 Clone Recipe**.

3) If you want to learn about the subtleties in beer and what types of hops/yeast/adjunct additions/etc influence beer and their flavors - pick a topic and branch out. There are SO MANY THINGS that can change the flavor of a beer for better and for worse. There are courses and schools to help (google local beer eductaion)... Or, if you aren't sure where to start look at sites like Cicerone Certidications (think Wine Sommelier, or The Beer Judge Certification Program.

*Information taken from first link

Ingredients:

12.5 lbs Dingemann's Belgian Pilsner
2.00 lbs Dingemann's Belgian Pale
0.10 lbs Belgian Debittered Black
0.15 lbs Belgian Special B
3.00 lbs D-180 Candi Syrup (The Candi Syrup, Inc. D-180 syrup NOT the D2 syrup from darkcandi. Only the D-180 will produce an authentic Westy 12)
8.0 gallons (filtered)
Brewers Gold 1.00oz 60 min
Hersbrucker 1.00oz 30 min
Styrian Goldings 1.00oz 15 min
White Labs WL530 & Westmalle strain (2.0 liter starter)
1 cap of servomyces
2 tsp gypsum

Adding 2 liters of yeast is clearly incorrect. We couldn't contact the author of the recipe so here is the recommended yeast from another site.

Wyeast 3787 and White Labs WLP 530 (both Westmalle Strains) should be added right away

Wyeast 1388 (Duvel) and White Labs 550 (Le Chouffe) should be added on day 3

Wyeast 3787 and White Labs WLP 530 (both Westmalle Strains) should be added right away

Wyeast 1388 (Duvel) and White Labs 550 (Le Chouffe) should be added on day 3

Additional Instructions
Primary Ferment: 7 days
Secondary Ferment: Until FG is reached

Beer Profile
Original Gravity: 1.090
Final Gravity: 1.012
Alcohol by Vol: 10.21%
Recipe Type: all-grain
Yield: 5.00 Gallons

THE MASH AND BOIL:

Use 2 tsp Gypsum in mash water. Initial protein rest at 138F for 30 minutes. Low decoction saccharification at 152F 30 minutes. High decoction saccharification at 156F for 30 minutes. 90 minute boil. 1 cap of Servomyces 10 minutes before flameout. Add 3 lbs D-180 Candi Syrup, Inc Belgian style candi yrup 3 minutes prior to flame-out. Note: you will not get the flavor of a true Westvleteren 12 unless you use this particular syrup. It is out of this world!

FERMENTATION:

Chill wort to 65F. Pitch yeast starter. Let rise to 83F over 5 days and bottom heat until gravity is 1.018, (can be up to 2 weeks). Agitate if necessary to invigorate yeast. Decant to glass secondary. Let ferment for 2 more weeks in glass at 65-70F. Move to cooler rack location and let ferment 8 more weeks.

BOTTLING:

Create a fresh stir-plate 2 liter yeast pitch using high quality Pils wort. Decant to 500ml. Boil 152 grams dextrose with 1 pint water. Cool and add to bottling fermenter. Decant ale to bottling fermenter and pitch yeast. Stir well then stir well again :) Bottle leaving 1 inch from top of long neck. Let prime for 3 weeks at 78-80F. Move to cellar temps and let chill for 6 months at 55-60F. Drink after 6 months to 1 year.

**Information taken from second link
Ingredients:

12lb Belgian Pilsner

1lb Flaked Wheat

1.125lb CaraVienne

1.125lb CaraMunich

0.25lb Carafa III

2.25lb D2 Belgian Candi Syrup

1.5lb Amber Belgian Candi Syrup

6 AAU Styrian Goldings (80min)

4 AAU Hallertauer Hersbrucker (10min)

0.5oz Coriander (10min)

Servomyces (10min)

Irish Moss (10min)

Wyeast 1762

Decoction mash
122 (rest 10 min)
153 (rest 60 min)
170 (mashout)

Recipe Volume: 5.5 gallons
Boil Time: 90 min
OG: 1.098
FG: 1.014
ABV: 11.2%
IBU: 27
SRM: 44

Additional information:
Pitch yeast at 68, let rise to 73, when fermentation is near complete, rack to secondary, cold condition for 6+ weeks, repitch yeast and add sugar and bottle condition.

Here is what I know about Rochefort 10 and some notes regarding this recipe:

Pilsner and belgian caramel malts are the grains used (according to BLAM and Sean Paxton). CaraVienne and CaraMunich are two possible belgian caramel malt choices. They only use one belgian caramel malt but which one they use is a secret so I figured it would be best to use a little of each (Sean Paxton does the same in his clone).
Carafa III is used mainly for some color (the candi syrup isn't dark enough alone) and for some aroma and body and flavor stability.
It isn't possible to get the real light and dark candy sugar used by Rochefort and I feel that D2 and amber candi syrup are the highest quality and closest we can get.
Sugars are reportedly 20% of the fermentables (as they are in my recipe)
Rochefort says they use wheat starch (used to be corn) which should add some dryness and some head retention and body. Sean Paxton says it is about 5% of the fermentables (as it is my recipe).
Sean Paxton claims they use 3 step mash is used with a protein rest at 122 and a saccharification rest in the "mid-low 150s". 153 seemed to be a good number in the mid-low 150s.
While Rochefort likely doesn't use a decoction mash, I've found that decoction mashes give better efficiency, better flavor, and better fementability for a minimal amount of additional effort.
The bittering hops are the "traditional belgian hops". I'm guessing Styrian Goldings. The flavor hops are a German hop. I'm guessing Hallertauer Hersbrucker. The hops are fairly subtle in this beer so those guesses are likely close enough if they aren't correct.
Rochefort centrifuges and bottles rather quickly but since most homebrewers don't have access to a centrifuge, 6 weeks of cold conditioning should suffice.
A starter should be used, but should be slightly under-pitched in order to get the yeast to produce the desire esters.
Still not sure on the amount of flavor hops vs bittering hops but IBUs should be 27 according to BLAM.
I'm tempted to pitch colder at 65 and let rise to 80 as I do with Westmalle yeast but I'm not sure if that will work with Rochefort yeast or if I'll get horrible fusel alcohols. For now, I'll try 68-73 as Rochefort does.
Rochefort ferments beers on top of older beers. I wonder if this is possible to replicate by starting with pitching into just 1/4 of the wort and adding an additional 1/4 more wort each day for three days. Probably not worth experimenting with this on the first attempt but might help with attenuation.

Sorry for the different formatting- the recipes came from different sites with different standards.


Are growlers considered open containers?

Here is what the PA Liquor Control Board has to say:
PA LCB answer to legality of selling growlers

In a nutshell, a growler is an open container, but it is up to the local police or state police to decide whether or not to enforce the law. My guess is that if the growler is full and out of your easy reach, you are probably OK unless you have given the cop some reason to hassle you. As I read the law, you are 100% legal if the growler is in the trunk of the car.

If the growler is empty and clean (at least rinsed out), I think they would have a hard time pressing a case. If there is any beer or residue in it, then keep it in the trunk.


Can a can of beer keep its taste after emptied into a bottle and stored for a week?

Unfortunately, beer will go flat if you put it in a plastic bottle after a few hours. However, the best option is a beer saver, which is a cap made out of silicone. This can be put onto any type of bottle, and the beer's carbonation stays intact


What makes IPAS stronger than "regular" beers

Answer to the easiest part of the question: Yes, IPAs (India Pale Ales) are beers.

Unfortunately, there isn't a clear and concise answer to the rest of you question.

Let's assume, for the sake of argument, that by "regular beer", you mean Budweiser. Budweiser sits at 5% ABV. IPAs are often in the 5-7% ABV range, so let's call an "average" IPA 6%. You will feel the alcohol substantially more quickly in the 6% IPA than in the 5% Budweiser.

Lifehacker has a nice article that explains this phenomenon well, but it boils down to the rate at which your body can process alcohol. Suppose that 1% ABV corresponded to 1 "alcohol unit." If, for example, your body could process 4.5 alcohol units/hour, after 6 pints of a 5% ABV beer (1/hr), you'd have 3 alcohol units left in your body [(5.0-4.5)*6]. However, you'd reach the same mark after only 2 beers (1/hr) of a 6% ABV beer [(6-4.5)*2].

TL;DR Version: It probably has to do with the beer's ABV you were drinking.

Side note: There is a lot of variability in strength within any given style. If you like IPAs, you should check out Session IPAs - They are IPAs designed to be lower in ABV than the average IPA, so you can drink more of them in a drinking "session." For a list of the top Session IPAs and more information on the style, check out Ratebeer's Session IPA page.