Brew Masters on Discovery w/ Sam Calagione

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Wigglyscuds said:
Okay, it is on! I'll get to it sometime, but it'll be in my mind. :)
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I was hoping the power of the double dog dare would have that affect on you. I mean, SOMEONE from here has to make one now.

I may be tempted to try making a spitliess version of it someday. Just using beeno or a commercial Alpha Amalaze product to do the work of the spitting.

As much as I would try DFH's version of it. I don't have the guts to do a spit brew myself.
 
I really liked last nights episode. I really enjoyed hearing more about the start of DFH and how he was only 24 (there's hope for me yet!!). I also agree with another post that I am really liking theird brewers. How they can take a tamarillo and make beer out of it is crazy. I would just never think of that.

I think the chewing in the Chicha episode was to keep it authentic. He even mentioned that they got a lot of crap for not being authentic and this was the most authentic part of it. All in all, it was gross, but cool learning about the history.
 
Mikethepoolguy said:
I'm not impressed. It looks like a 30 minute infomercial for DFH.
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After watching my second show last night I can pretty much agree with this. I will still watch it if I can't find anything else on but I won't be waiting each week for it. I just don't really find the show all that interesting, odd because I do like beer and brewing.
 
Revvy said:
So was last night's episode just a repeat of the Chicha one, or was it episode 3?
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I was wondering that myself...I thought Sunday night's Chicha was the newest episode but it sounds like they aired another new episode the next night??
 
It seems to have been a new one. I was going to bed at 10 and noticed the light came on indicating my DVR was recording. I checked it this morning and it was a Brewmasters saying it was a new episode. Fast forwarding a bit I didn't recognize any of it so it seems to be new.
 
Yes, it looks like they are switching to Monday nights instead of Sunday's. At the end of the show it said the new one would be next Monday with no mention of Sunday.

So far I have enjoyed the show for what it is worth. I'm not sure why people are surprised that its basically a long commercial promoting DFH. I would assume that if Papazian or Palmer were to have a similar show they might try to sell a book or two as well.

I'm a little confused as to who they are targeting with the show. Its tough to target an audience that has a fairly high scientific knowledge or the brewing process while still remaining entertaining for those that have no knowledge of the sort (i.e. craft drinkers that may not brew). But then again, the Discovery Earth series would not be very entertaining if they took a purely scientific approach. We watch them (or I watch them) because of the visual imagery and easy to understand way they are portrayed.

I guess i see it more as Sam's journey and how he got to where he is today. I think last nights show really showed his vision of creating things that have never been created before, as shown by the Emerson quote that is located on the wall in the brewery (shortened to "Off Centered Ales for Off Centered People)

If anything, I must say that the show is much more interesting than a lot of the crap on tv today. It may not be the best reference from a homebrewing standpoint, but it reflects on a hobby that I find fun and interesting so I will watch it.
 
I wonder how much corn, "if i was going to do it" It would take to do a 5 gal batch.
Downside, Herbs...And i dont think i am going to buy or make a grass woven basket!
Just a little impractical....But wouldnt mind trying a bottle of it...Just to try!
WHy not!, Expand your horizons! What dont kill ya, Supposedly makes ya stronger :mug:
 
it seems like they have moved the new episodes to monday nights, i got off work and watched chicha and was pleasently suprised to see a 3rd episode in the dvr. Never heard of a tamarillo but makes you appreciate this hobby even more with all the different things we can add to beer to make them interesting and exciting
 
I've watched all three episodes so far and enjoy the show. But I agree that it is pretty much an infomercial for DFH. I would enjoy the show better if Sam would take us to other breweries around the world and show the different ways beer is made and the local beer culture and not just his lame attempt at cloning it.
 
wcarter1227 said:
it seems like they have moved the new episodes to monday nights, i got off work and watched chicha and was pleasently suprised to see a 3rd episode in the dvr. Never heard of a tamarillo but makes you appreciate this hobby even more with all the different things we can add to beer to make them interesting and exciting
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Nice! I'll have to check out my dvr when I get home! That's exciting!
 
NuclearRich said:
Really? Have you NEVER had a problem on a small scale as a homebrewer? Imagine the crazy things you have to deal with as a commercial brewer. RDWHAHB, I applaud Calagione's efforts, and mistakes aren't a matter of utter carelessness, but a matter of sh*t happening. It happens to everyone.
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Yes really, I didn't even include the vat of glue that was spilled and took hours to clean up. I guess spending my work career in Manufacturing makes me less tolerant of these type of preventable mistakes.:)
 
lincoln said:
there is still the obligatory "Sam is a dumb A$$" Rocky moment, but he is my kind of dumb A##. ie left to my own devices with a (inter?)national platform it would quickly devolve into drunken nut shots......... you like?
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They already made that...it's called Jack a#!
 
iaefebs said:
Yes really, I didn't even include the vat of glue that was spilled and took hours to clean up. I guess spending my work career in Manufacturing makes me less tolerant of these type of preventable mistakes.:)
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Well I'd rather work for Sam than you then. I work in medicine, where mistakes are basically completely forbidden. They happen, and the house comes down on you. It sucks, but mistakes get made less. Or... they get covered up better and people live in fear. The people employed at DFH are more likely to have satisfying jobs where they can smile all day. I mean, come on, the kid lab tech who was walking around collecting spit samples and handing out donuts was having a blast. sorta
 
My two thoughts are (1) infomercial for DFH like many others have said, and (2) Craft does not = crazy ingredients. The former is just mildly annoying, but tolerable. The later drives me absolutely crazy. Great, millions of people (eventually) will learn their first little info about craft beer on this show and that will be, it's made with lumpy, dirty looking, African honey or spit from a dozen people. Thanks Sam, way to **** on Craft beer in order to sell your show and your gimmicky beer.
 
yellowthere, if a person was at least half paying attention, they would hear Sam constantly throw out there 'off centered ales for off centered people', and i can't count how many times he explains that he does things differently and uses unique ingredients. surely anyone with half a brain would realize they are an exception to the craft brew world.

I do find it a bit weird that, sure they try all these strange brews, but are any of them actually in production? their biggest sellers are the 60 and 90.. and those are standard IPA's, save from the 'continually hopped part.


anybody else think sam looks a lot like henry rollins?
 
It's been my experience that there are two types of "beer geeks":

1) Those who spend the majority of their time talking about how amazing and awesome beer is, and

2) Those who spend the majority of their time looking down their nose at 99% of beer and talking about how much beer sucks

If you've ever been curious about which one you are, watch this show.
 
metaltim said:
anybody else think sam looks a lot like henry rollins?
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sort of, the both have dark hair and a c### but aside form that....

henryrollinssolo.jpg

3665394631_28ffd26b62.jpg
 
metaltim said:
surely anyone with half a brain would realize they are an exception to the craft brew world.
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IMO, I don't think so. Why would you assume this? This may be the first real expose to craft beer for thousands of people. If this is your only exposure to Craft beer (meaning actually being around people that are actually talking what makes craft beer different), then it would not be unreasonable for a non craft drinker to assume other craft breweries are like this, if not all. I'm not debating sales percents of DFH, but what is being shown on the first two episodes doesn't exactly promote real craft beer, it promotes gimmicky beer, whether it be Sam's or not. This show makes Sam the poster boy for craft beer, and I just hope he quickly shies away from this crazy ingredient format for the show and goes to...well...maybe......maybe talking about regular- non shock, craft beer.

Up next week... how DFH makes a mountain-oyster stout!!!! "The secret is to clip them up high" Who else remembers Funny Farm?
 
yellowthere said:
My two thoughts are (1) infomercial for DFH like many others have said, and (2) Craft does not = crazy ingredients. The former is just mildly annoying, but tolerable. The later drives me absolutely crazy. Great, millions of people (eventually) will learn their first little info about craft beer on this show and that will be, it's made with lumpy, dirty looking, African honey or spit from a dozen people. Thanks Sam, way to **** on Craft beer in order to sell your show and your gimmicky beer.
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How would a brewery who makes standard beers hold up in a tv show? The reason DFH is the brewery on the show is because there is more than a different variety of malts and hops in the beer. I'm sure the mass public wouldn't be too thrilled if the show consisted of "Okay guys, the excitement in this episode comes from us using roasted barley and kent golding hops! Wow!"
 
metaltim said:
I do find it a bit weird that, sure they try all these strange brews, but are any of them actually in production?
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That got me thinking, I rarely see many of their beers being sold so I went to their website to see just how many they claim to have and I counted 92. Granted that includes brewpub exclusives and seasonals etc but that is a LOT of beers to claim to produce. Maybe that is just a list of beers he brewed at some point and time??

I think on episode 5 he and his staff squeeze millions fruit flies to get extract their poop to see if they can get a hint of fruit flavoring into a brew.

....just kidding, hey if I owned a brewery I would be experimenting too. :D
 
bknifefight said:
How would a brewery who makes standard beers hold up in a tv show? The reason DFH is the brewery on the show is because there is more than a different variety of malts and hops in the beer. I'm sure the mass public wouldn't be too thrilled if the show consisted of "Okay guys, the excitement in this episode comes from us using roasted barley and kent golding hops! Wow!"
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haha so true but I would watch that
 
metaltim said:
I do find it a bit weird that, sure they try all these strange brews, but are any of them actually in production? their biggest sellers are the 60 and 90.. and those are standard IPA's, save from the 'continually hopped part.
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Many of them are pretty widely distributed. In Florida, I have seen the 60/90/120, World Wide Stout, Raison D'Etre, Raison D'Extra, Midas Touch, Punkin, Festina Peche, Pangaea, Theobroma, Chateau Jiahu, Sahtea, Burton Baton, Indian Brown, Palo Santo Marron, ApriHop, Chicory Stout, Fort, Red & White and Black & Blue in bottles.
 
bknifefight said:
How would a brewery who makes standard beers hold up in a tv show? The reason DFH is the brewery on the show is because there is more than a different variety of malts and hops in the beer. I'm sure the mass public wouldn't be too thrilled if the show consisted of "Okay guys, the excitement in this episode comes from us using roasted barley and kent golding hops! Wow!"
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Good point. It would be terribly exciting to me, but boring as hell to the mass public.
 
metaltim said:
I do find it a bit weird that, sure they try all these strange brews, but are any of them actually in production? their biggest sellers are the 60 and 90.. and those are standard IPA's, save from the 'continually hopped part.QUOTE]

Where I shop (boston area) you can choose from at least 20 different DFH beers at any given time.

I don't love his approach to brewing but I accept that if a TV show about craft beer is to make it onto primetime cable television, this is it.
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bknifefight said:
"Okay guys, the excitement in this episode comes from us using roasted barley and kent golding hops! Wow!"
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Don't even tease me like that :D

Someone way back said he sounds like Keanu Reeves. They were right. Sorry if that ruins it for someone else now too.
 
I think show has done a remarkably well job of representing the craft brew industry. Sure, Sam wants to sell his beers, but you can tell what he cares about most are people's reactions to the taste of them, which is what drinking craft brews is all about. Some ingredients aren't all that ballsey, but that being said they have shown how on several occasions they enter international contests and put their reputation on the line with hardly even a test batch, which says alot about how confident Sam and his team are in their products. Some beers may be crafted for initial "shock value" but if they taste good who the hell cares? Show is great, cheers to Sam Calagione and the whole DFH crew
 
yellowthere said:
IMO, I don't think so. Why would you assume this?
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Because:

1) They state it's unusual

2) They spend some time covering production of their normal beers

3) Most people understand that reality TV isn't 100% reality.

If this is your only exposure to Craft beer (meaning actually being around people that are actually talking what makes craft beer different), then it would not be unreasonable for a non craft drinker to assume other craft breweries are like this, if not all.
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A lot of them are just like this. Lost Abbey makes a lot of mainstream Belgians, and also does some bizarre raisin barrel-aged beers. Stone makes a ton of IPA's, and also does collaborations where they use parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme instead of hops. Ballast Point makes a lot of pales and IPA's, and also does Sour Wench. Maui does mainstream beers, and adds coconuts to their porters. That's craft brewing.

but what is being shown on the first two episodes doesn't exactly promote real craft beer, it promotes gimmicky beer, whether it be Sam's or not.
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Both are shown, and both are part of "real" craft brewing.
 
billvon said:
A lot of them are just like this. Lost Abbey makes a lot of mainstream Belgians, and also does some bizarre raisin barrel-aged beers. Stone makes a ton of IPA's, and also does collaborations where they use parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme instead of hops. Ballast Point makes a lot of pales and IPA's, and also does Sour Wench. Maui does mainstream beers, and adds coconuts to their porters. That's craft brewing. Both are shown, and both are part of "real" craft brewing.
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I see your point on the rest of your response, and I hope that the mass public sees it the same way and not unusual when compared to BMC (as in all craft beer).

Are you really saying coconut porter is just as "out there" as a spit beer? Is spit beer really craft? None of the examples of yours seemed to be in the same ballpark. It seems more like a silly gimmick to me, though I'll admit I've never tried it. I'm not a purist in any sense, and I do like DFH regulars. I just hope this show ends up promoting craft beer.
 
yellowthere said:
Are you really saying coconut porter is just as "out there" as a spit beer?
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Nope. But abandoning hops for parsley is pretty out there; many would not even consider that beer. And imagine how bizarre a "true lambic" would seem to us if we didn't know the history of Belgian brewing.

Is spit beer really craft?
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Probably not, although it's an interesting part of brewing history (and has led to commercial chicha beers that use commercial amylase and malting rather than natural amylase.)

I just hope this show ends up promoting craft beer.
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I think it already has to some degree. Portamarillo, Punkin and Fusion are all pretty good examples I think. As Tomme Arthur recently proved, there's no such thing as bad publicity.
 
I've really enjoyed the show. Disclosure: I enjoy some of DFH's beer. Not all. In fact, I really only like a minority of what they produce. Some of what they produce is absolutely fantastic. Other things are completely disgusting. I find the beer they were really pimping last episode - Punkin - to be a fairly bland pumpkin ale. Not my favorite at all. I like my pumpkin ales to be bigger on spice flavor and such. I really like Raison D'Etre, Poppa Skull was amazing, and Old School was very tasty pre-aging (I'm aging the remaining 3 bottles at least a year). I'm not a big fan of IPAs but 60 minute is OK. 90 and 120 minute are too much for me.

Regarding the Chicha episode and chewing versus germinating - that bothered me at first too. Then I thought about it. I recently made a Pilsner Urquell clone and tried to make it as authentic as possible - used the least modified pilsner malt I could find, did a triple decoction, followed the hopping schedule as best I could, fermentation schedule, etc. My point is, I could've done a lot to make it easier. But I didn't. I wanted to see what it was like to make the beer like Pilsner Urquell makes it. I think Sam really just did the same thing. He knew he could take shortcuts, but he wanted the experience of making it like the Incas made it. I wouldn't be surprised if he did it much differently in the future now that he has that experience. I really don't see it as grandstanding at all. Just my opinion.

Sam seems like a genuinely nice guy. He's also interested in trying new things. I don't know why people have such a problem with that. I compare it to scientists and engineers. The scientists are discovering new things, and the engineers take that and figure out how to make it practical and appealing. Sam is trying new combinations, and more traditional breweries can take his findings and come up with something more practical. Each person and brewery has their place. Let them be and chill with the nerd rage.

EDIT: Getting a case of beer every pay day is awesome. I'd be a total fat a**, but it would be awesome.
 
Also, that Ethiopian supply store is apparently in the town right next to where I work. I'm really tempted to make some Tej.
 
I'm really enjoying the show personally, the one thing I think would be really nice to see is more promotion of other breweries. It's great that they got Epic on there last night, and I'm hoping they continue that trend, whether it be with Stone and Victory for Saison du Buff, or Sierra Nevada with Life and Limb, etc. I definitely think people are going over the top for Dogfish right now, which is great for them, but it is time to spread the love.

I really don't get all the Sam/Dogfish hate though. Taste is subjective, if you don't like it that's fine, but no need to be so critical just because you don't agree with their perspective on brewing.
 

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