Grand plans are noble, although also a grind. I intended to use today’s theme to challenge myself to create some food pairings for the beer I selected (intended = it didn't happen). But excuses are for losers. To preserve my masterplan, I'll do my best to churn out a few relevant paragraphs on beer and food pairings. And I'll still be drinking. So except for the possibility that I didn’t get raptured today, I’d say I’m still winning.

The rise of craft beers, miles apart from America’s industrially produced light lagers, has recently spawned a trend of beer and food pairing. Breaking into the mainstream has been slow. Wine is the sovereign food partner of fine dining. Every respectable restaurant has a wine list. Selections and quality of sommeliers can make or break a great restaurants’ reputation. Wine's place with food is based on its acidic, strong, and complex flavors. However, I question if the myth that wine is a superior food companion is not largely based on legacy.

Wine, crafted with arguably a superior ingredient -- the grape, is a one-dimensional beverage. All wines taste like fermented, aged grapes. Beers while crafted with more pedestrian ingredients -- grains and hops, are multidimensional beverages. Brewers craft their beers by tweaking the balance of malty sweetness and hop bitterness. Furthermore, flavor complexity is tailored using different types of malted grains and limitless amounts of adjuncts. Both wine and beer can utilize either naturally occurring or cultured yeasts to covert sugars to alcohol, but the yeast in beer making plays such a large part in the finished product’s flavor profile it can act as an important of an ingredient as  the malts and hops.

As a quick example, Saint Arnold Brewing Company recently replaced its lowest selling beer (Texas Wheat, an American-style Wheat) with an altered version of one of its more popular beers (Fancy Lawnmower, a German-style Kölsch). The brewery now has two beers with the exact same recipe, but fermented with two different yeasts that yield very different tasting beers. In a recent newsletter, Saint Arnold reported selling as many kegs in a week and a half of the new replacement (Weedwacker) as it did of Texas Wheat in a whole year.

With an unrestricted amount of flavor profiles, beer is unmatched in potential flavor pairing combinations with food. Beer can also leverage its carbonation to lift aromas and clean your palate between samples. Wine is challenged by spicy foods, pickles, asparagus, etc. Your local wine merchant may have thousands of wines to choose from, but only a small handful of them would even be acceptable for that coconut-curry Thai dish.

My first beer pairing education came from a session by the Texas Culinary Academy in 2005. The chef giving the seminar demonstrated the three C’s of beverage pairing: Cut, Compliment, and Contrast.

Cut: Spicy foods can be cut by malty sweet beers, like an English Pale Ale or a German Marzen. The richer the food, hoppy beers can clean the creaminess or fattiness from your palate. Dry stouts can even cut through the richness of a sweet chocolate dessert.

Compliment: Beer really shines as a food pair in this category. While wine basically enhances foods with acidity, beer can provide a subtle compliment to a food’s flavor. Belgian beers spiced with orange zest and coriander provides a great compliment to salads. Japanese beers brewed with rice are perfect companions to pieces of sushi.

Contrast: Like wine, any food that is enhanced with acidity can be adjusted to provide a good contrasting food pair (imagine something that tastes good with a lemon squeezed on it). Fish and white wine is a good pair, as is a light-bodied pilsner. However, no contrasting pair may be as sublime as a raw oyster and a dry stout. I first had this pair at SAVOR in 2009, where the Choptank Oyster Company was shucking fresh oysters. I made several trips through the line with samples of some of the best stouts and roasty porters in at the event.

Whether beer or wine, food pairing promotes the kind of creativity that I love when cooking. It also encourages a more thoughtful and enjoyable eating experience. In the end, my originally planned post probably would have been more enjoyable for me than it would have been for you (kind of like beer reviews, eh?)

Day 6
May 21, 2011
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Namaste (Milton, DE)

Website/Bottle Information:
"A Belgian-style White made with dried organic orange slices, fresh cut lemongrass and a bit of coriander. This beer is a great summer quencher.
Namaste was originally brewed at our brewpub in with our friend Leo from Birra del Borgo in Italy as a tribute to our friends at 3 Fonteinen brewery in Belgium, who had devastating production loss (1/3 of their annual production!) at their brewery in 2009. You can read more about the original brewing of this beer here on Sam's blog."


Serving: 750mL bottle
Style: Witbier
IBU: 20
ABV: 5.0%

He Said:
I haven't poured a beer from a 750mL bottle with as light and fluffy of a head as this one in a long time. The beer is very effervescent. All the carbonation really carries up aromas of the lemongrass and coriander that the beer is brewed with and some musty funk that it probably wasn't brewed with. I'll admit that if I hadn't used it in several homebrewing recipes, I wouldn't know coriander's aroma though. Some citrus is detectable, but it seems to be more from the yeast and not the oranges used in the brewing of Namaste.

I am always impressed with the incredible balance of each Dogfish Head beer. Even their hoppiest IPAs have a malty sweetness to perfectly balance the bitterness. Namaste is no different. Hops are present in the perfect amount to balance the beer and keep the flavor profile dynamic from start to finish.

Namaste is lemony, light, and refreshing. If I had attempted to craft some food pairings, I think this would have gone great with a salad incorporating some citrus. It would have also gone equally well with a chicken quesadilla.

I generally attribute the term "Namaste" with yoga or new age-type activities. Tonight this beer was enjoyed while bathing two little children, which is probably the furthest from that lifestyle. Translated, "Namaste" means greetings or good day. I think I'd say this is a pretty good day.

She Said:
Color - Golden

Carbonation - Very bubbly

Smell - Citrusy, Belgian

Taste - To be fair, I have tasted this beer before and enjoyed it even more the first time. The lemongrass and citrus flavors totally shined through in my previous tasting. This time those flavors are present but aren't as powerful (aging? storage issues?). I still enjoy Namaste's light bubbly taste that doesn't stick to your palate. The beer is a cool and refreshing treat for a hot summer day. I recommended this beer to friends after the first time I enjoyed it and would do the same now.

Monday marked the beginning the nationally recognized American Craft Beer Week (ACBW). At The Ferm, we celebrate for the third straight year this great and substantial week dedicated to all things craft beer. But we aren't the only ones celebrating. For the first time in ACBW's six-year history, official events are planned in each of the fifty states.

The Brewers Association reports that the American craft beer landscape now boasts over 1,700 small and independent craft breweries (FACT!), which is an all-time high. Not since Prohibition have so many breweries been in operation. 

With so many breweries, it makes sense that the theme of our Day 1 celebration be "Drink Local." The #SLGT concept (support local, grow together) is not new to me, but I will admit I have been slow to adopt its practices. Take Central Market for example; the best fruits, vegetables, meats, and seafood from around the World are flown in and available for me to buy throughout the year. The beer and wine sections are even more diverse.

With the proper mindset, supporting sustainability, buying local, and taking down the mega-national-decepticon-beast (aka The Man) is an achievable objective. But when it comes to drinking local in Houston, TX, there are several caveats. First and foremost, modern day Houston has known only one craft brewery: the venerable Saint Arnold. Only in the last three years has the metropolitan area added Southern Star (Conroe, TX) to that list of one. But recently, we lost our only brewpub (corporate chain Two Rows), gained three start-ups (No Label, Karbach, Kreuz Creek), and – this just in – once again have our first brewpub (Freetail Houston). Among the breweries now in operation, only Saint Arnold and Southern Star package their beer for retail.

So it was in the spirit of craft breweries, and more specifically local craft breweries, that I selected Independence Jasperilla Old Ale 2010 to celebrate day one of American Craft Beer Week. Let me explain.

In 2004 my wife and I attended the now defunct Texas Craft Brewer's Festival (still my favorite beer festival held in Texas). Under one of the tents (and not serving beer) we met festival organizers, Rob and Amy Cartwright, who were starting a brewery themselves. Folks, one obvious way to support local businesses is to invest in them.

Today we open a Jasperilla Old Ale to celebrate Independence Brewing Company's tremendous success and to kick off ACBW11. I sincerely hope in the coming years I'm toasting "the mother of all beer weeks" with a No Label Brewing Pale Horse or a Kreuz Creek Black Eye IPA. Hopefully there are eager craft beer enthusiasts like myself who are looking to score major cool points and free beers by helping a some start-up brewery succeed.


Day 1
May 16, 2011
Independence Jasperilla Old Ale (Austin, TX)
2011

Photo courtesy of ron.frank @ Flickr

Website/Bottle Information:
"Brilliantly golden, Jasperilla is a unique take on an old ale. Biscuity malt flavors meld with subtle plum and berry notes, produced by a special blend of English Old Ale and Chico yeasts. Brewed once a year, and aged for six months prior to release, the Jasperilla is smooth despite its 9% ABV.

We named this beer after our dog Jasper because he has brought so much joy to our lives. We got Jasper from a local dog rescue group called Mixed Breed Rescue. He has been a constant source of smiles and kept our spirits high through many late nights and long hours at the brewery.

Jasperilla is so good and smooth that you'll beg like a dog for more, roll over for a belly rub, howl at the moon... you get the picture."


Serving: 22 oz bottle
Style: Old Ale
ABV: 9.30%

He Said:
In what now may be an ACBW annual tradition at The Ferm, I opened the latest Jasperilla release today. Last year I declared the 2009 vintage to be "the best Old Ale that I have ever tasted." Check that. 2010 is the best Old Ale that I've ever tasted. Soon after release, some of the previous vintages had some sharp flavors that ended up mellowing with age. However the dark fruit aroma, sweet malty notes, and boozy heat work very well together in this version. With 9+% ABV, this is no doubt an American interpretation of the style, but the heat is nicely disguised. It is hard to imagine this beer maturing and getting even better. It'll be even harder imaging how I'm going to keep any of these around for any length of time to test that suspicion.

Independence has really hit their stride recently and is producing first class beers in a Texas market still starving for local beers. I'm proud to be an investor and to be able to call Rob and Amy friends. Success tastes very good. I'm sure they would agree.

She Said:
First look – Puppy on the bottle. This is going to be awesome.
First sniff – Hops. Yummy.
First taste – "This is what a beer should taste like!" It has deep flavors that stay in the back of your palate. If you let the beer roll around your mouth you can taste each of the key ingredients: Hops, (lots of) malt, yeast, and water. Despite its strength, the beer does not come off as too heavy and is very drinkable ice box cold or room temperature.
Overall – A delicious and wonderful tasting beer. Starting with a beer from out great State of Texas to kick off the American Craft Beer Week was a stroke of genius (editor's note: what can I say?). Thanks SirRon! Texas Texas Yeehaw!

This blog is the third of a five part series throughout 2010 to compare the 2009 versions of Saint Arnold Seasonal Beers to the 2010 version.

Recall the test parameters. Two identical small beer taster glasses on a coaster with a mark under each to differentiate. Gameday temperature for the Okt was 42.8 degrees. FWIW, St. Arnold recommends 40 degrees for the Oktoberfest. A tasteless cracker to be consumed between all sips to clear the palate. Best of 7 series, World Series, Stanley Cup style. The beers are rotated left and right in circles so many times I lose track, then sipped and winner chosen.

Unlike the Summer Pils, the two beers were identical in color. This is the second test that involved beers from the two distinct breweries, a novice like me appreciates the challenge in matching the hue over two locations.

Locked and Loaded, let's get it on!

The first round was executed. I thought I really tasted no difference. Which surprised me, because it was a flavorful beer. Even a year of aging could have distinguished them, but it didn't. I took the one on the right, turned out to be the 2010.

Second round, again, really couldn't tell. It can be tough to drink them back to back (even with the cracker in between) and find anything different. Spring Bock I could, Summer, a little bit. But this was really close. Again, I chose the one on the right, this time the 2009. Might be "last impressions" tilting this. 1-1 headed to Game 3.

Third round, I go with the one on the right again. Turns out to be 2009. I'm not really telling a difference, but to control the test, I don't re-sip, I just have to decide.

Fourth Round, again I pick right, this time it's the 2010. So we're tied up 2-2. I tend to like what I just tasted, but am not sure why. I do know, I'm failing as a taste tester.

Fifth Round, I go with the left. Maybe I'm just trying to change it up. Either way, it's the 2009. It edges ahead.

Sixth Round, I go back to the right and choose the 2009. I obviously cannot tell. This makes it 4-2 victory for the 2009. Maybe I am telling something different, but really, I'm just picking one out of a hat practically.

Final Round, again the 2009, again on the right. Must be something I'm tasting different, but really I just throw my hands up and remember the last one, I fear.

I chose the second one 6 times out of 7 for 2010 (4-2 for 2009) and the first one once (1-0 for 2009).

Two more to go, (Christmas and Winter). I'm still saving one from each year, so I've got a 2010 Spring, Summer, and Okt for next year or a special occasion.

In the series of 5, it's a strong win for 2009 (Spring), mild wins for 2009 (Oktoberfest) and for 2010 (Summer). Technically 2-1 2009.

*Above artistic fall photos were taken January 1, 2011 in Houston. The photographer can be seen in the reflection of the astute observer.

Teaser - I just did the Christmas Ale test, overwhelming selection for one over the other, so stay tuned!

This blog is the second of a five part series throughout 2010 to compare the 2009 versions of Saint Arnold Seasonal Beers to the 2010 version.

Recall the test parameters. Two identical small beer taster glasses on a coaster with a mark under each to differentiate. Gameday temperature was 43 degrees (for Spring it was 50 degrees, I had the fridge turned up a bit). FWIW, St. Arnold recommends 36 degrees for the Summer Pils. A tasteless wheat cracker to be consumed between all sips. Best of 7 series, World Series, Stanley Cup style. The beers are rotated left and right in circles so many times I lose track.

The first thing I noticed was that the color of the two vintages was noticably different (below). This makes it more difficult to drink the beers. If they are the same color, I can shuffle, then actually look at the beer as I drink it. Here, I had to keep my proverbial blindfold on, reaching for each small snifter and fumbling for crackers in between. Not as ideal, but manageable.

The camera doth not fool you, the left is 2009, right 2010.

The first round commenced. I thought I tasted a slight difference, but it was slight. Truly, I didn't have a strong preference, but it was a bit different. Decided the first one I had was superior. It was the 2010. A mild win.

The second round continued. They tasted a bit different, but I couldn't line them up with the first round. Or if I thought I did I didn't pick the same one. 2009 was selected. Okay, 1-1 headed to Game 3.

Third round, I'm convinced I'm not going to be able to pick the vintage like the Spring Bock Series. I'm really not picking too much of a difference up. This is surprising given the different hues of the beers. I go for the 2009 again. So it's 2-1, but every game was one run.

Fourth Round, same as the last two. I'm really losing any ability to distinguish. I don't go for multiple tastings as to change parameters. But when I'm done they are just so close. I pick the 2010. Might as well flip a coin.

Fifth Round, Another win for 2010. I'm trying to pick something, SOMETHING out to tell them apart and I can't. Another win for 2010. 3-2 for 2010 now.

Sixth Round, evened up. I choose the 2009. I obviously cannot tell.

Final Round, the 2010 wins a very very small victory. It would probably be 50/50 over 100 (with one passed out taste tester) but we'll call it a day.

Other parameters, I chose the first one 3 times (2 wins for 2009, 1 win for 2010), the second one 4 times (3 wins for 2010, 1 win for 2009). The 2010 was the first beer the first two rounds, the 2009 was first the last five (maybe my pseudorandom rotation was not so random, always even except once).

This is the first contest in which the beer was brewed in different breweries. Kudos for St. Arnold for showing little or no variation. Except color!

Three more to go, (Oktoberfest, Christmas, and Winter). I'm still saving one from each year, so I've got a 2010 Spring and Summer for next year or a special occassion. Oktoberfest is winding down, I've got two on reserve, one for this years taste test, one for 2011's.

In the series of 5, it's a strong win for 2009 (Spring), mild win for 2010 (Summer). Technically 1-1.

The saga continues!

To the curious beer drinker, the pedantic speak of beer nerds makes something as accessible as good craft beer seem off-putting. The truth is this, we craft beer enthusiasts are all full of crap. It's a FACT. For example, while I really enjoyed Saint Arnold Oktoberfest in years past, my opinion of the 2010 vintage... not so great. Fact? However at the 2010 Great American Beer Festival, this same beer won a Silver Medal. Fact! What does that say about my opinion? It's crap! This recent reminder of my uselessness to the cause has inspired me to attempt a personal renaissance as a genuine beer advocate. I will commit to providing weekly beer reviews written honestly, expertly, and with integrity. That last sentence was total crap, but what I will do in this post is attempt to dish out some beer information to our avid and very knowledge thirsty readers (fact).


Good beer is made from only four ingredients: Malted grain (usually barley), hops, water, and yeast. Except that's crap. Most beers have way more than four ingredients. You can use all kinds of grains (malted and unmalted), sugars (e.g. candy, honey, molasses, fruit), spices, herbs, etc. in your beer. Limitations exist (fact), just like baking a loaf of bread, but most reasonable experiments produce a beverage that is very drinkable. Fact.

Speaking of beer ingredients, don't even get me started on American lagers and all the rice (cheap, cheap) they use in the brewing process. This is a fact... a crappy fact. Budweiser does actually "beechwood" age their beer, but the wood is not for flavor. FACT. The beechwood chips are added during fermentation to give the yeast something to cling to, which basically maximizes the contact area of the yeast and beer. This speeds fermentation, which saves money. FACT! Beechwood aging also "creates a crisper, more sparking carbonation while imparting smoothness to the characteristic taste of Budweiser." Except that is marketing CRAP. The beechwood is boiled/cleaned/sanitized beforehand, preventing it from being able to impart any flavor whatsoever.


Hops are added to beer to balance the sweetness, and the beverage must contain hops to actually be classified as a beer. Crap. An unhopped beer is in fact a beer, it's just a crappy beer. Fact. Hundreds of varieties of hops exist, and just like English nerds can name all hundred and something prepositions, beer nerds can name every common variety of hops. That may be crap, but we can tell you a lot about cannabis, which is a cousin of the hop. Fact. You can smoke dried hops. Fact. But smoking hops won't get you anything but ridicule from your friends and maybe a coughing fit. Fact. 

The use of hops in beer dates back to 736 AD, but it was not until the 1500s before brewers started using hops in the brewing process. Historical Fact. Before that, brewers used items such as soot, herbs, mushrooms, and wormwood as bittering agents and preservatives. Wormwood is an herbaceous perennial plant. Wormwood is bitter. Wormwood is used in making absinthe. Van Gogh lopped off his ear while sipping on absinthe. All FACTS. 

In 1516, the Germans went all "German" and passed The Reinheitsgebot (also called the German Beer Purity Law). The law stated that the only ingredients that could be used when making beer are 1) Water, 2) Barley, and 3) Hops. Another historical fact. The German lawmakers had good intentions, but those intentions were to keep all the wheat and rye from being used to make beer instead of bread. It is nearly impossible to pick bread over beer when given both options. FACT! What is Dogfish Head Brewery founder and owner Sam Calagione's opinion on The Reinheitsgebot? Total crap! I attended a discussion of historical beers he gave at SAVOR in Washington DC where he actually said "F#*k The Reinheitsgebot." His words, not mine Mom. Fact.

But The Reinheitsgebot really *is* crap. Law abiding citizens can make "beer" with a variety of grains. Free folk can choose from hundreds of bitter plants to provide their beer balance (or imbalance). 

Beer is mostly water. Fact. And to make beer, you must boil your wort, so feel free to draw from any watering hole you want for your beer. Eh, fact and crap, depending on what kind of beer you are making. Boiling the water does kill most of the bugs though. Fact.

Some quick definitions:   

• Wort is the sugary liquid that you get after mashing your grains. In other words, it is unfermented beer.
  
• Mashing grains refers to soaking your crushed gains in hot water and extracting the sweet wort.
  

Your wort doesn't become beer until it ferments. Fact. And as it turns out, Germans, you need one more ingredient to make beer: Yeast. Fact. In the mid 1800s, when he wasn't creating the first vaccines for rabies and anthrax, Louis Pasteur discovered that microorganisms played a key role in the process of fermentation. It is pretty amazing that people had been guessing their way to fermented beverages for millenniums. Until the 1800s, wild yeasts, bacteria, and/or a little bit of the dredges of from the previous batch magically did the work. Seriously, these beverages had to taste like crap. It still took the Germans over a hundred more years to repeal The Reinheitsgebot. That is a fact… like seriously, it was just recently repealed 1988.


A malt beverage is an alcoholic beverage made by brewing grains. Malt beverages can be further categorized into beers, ales, and malt liquors. A beer is defined as a malt beverage with more than a half percent of alcohol by volume (ABV), but NOT more than five percent ABV. Ales and malt liquors are malt beverages with MORE than five percent ABV. Besides the first sentence, this entire paragraph is CRAP! But this is how the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission regulates beer in the state. Fact!?!?


The term "ale" has nothing to do with the strength of the beverage and everything to do with the type of yeast used. Ale yeast is top-fermenting, meaning the yeast rises to the surface during fermentation. Yeasts of this type generally do their job between the temperatures of 50F and 77F, although many yeast types will not actively ferment at the low end of that spectrum. Fact. The colder the better though. Crap.


Lager refers to beer fermented with yeasts that do their business in the 44F to 59F range. Fact. They work a little slower and hang out on the bottom of the fermenter. Fact. Your Millers and Budweisers are lagers. American malt liquors are lagers. Fact (despite that crap the TABC would like you to believe).

Yeast, especially ale yeast, imparts more flavor than you think, and sometimes produces the most dominant flavors in your beer. Fact. A yeast starts his job by reproducing, and then he starts eating sugar. After eating he'll pass some C0₂ gas and crap esters and ethanol. Fact. Putting yeast in the wort is called "pitching the yeast." Fact. 


Oxygen ruins beer and *really* ruins fermenting beer. Fact. However, oxygen is added to the wort after it is cooled because the yeast use it to reproduce and become stronger. Fact. After the yeast starts fermenting the beer, contact with oxygen is to be avoided at all costs.


Byproducts from the synthesis of yeast include green apple, bananas, strawberries, butter, butterscotch, sweet corn, cooked veggies, cloves, medicine, plastic, Band-Aids, smoke, acetone, lacquer thinner, rotten eggs, and burnt matches. FACT! For all beers I open for special occasions and all my homebrews, I keep a tasting log with notes on flavor profiles. CRAP!


I'm drinking a Saint Arnold Oktoberfest right now. Fact. Here's my honest review:

Pours a deep copper color with some darker highlights in the head. Light lacing. Well-balanced barnyard scent, and I also get some complex caramel and odd sweet. Excellent boozy taste, with overtones of sherry and orange. Watery mouthfeel and medium finish. Score: 3.52/5.

J/K... CRAP
 

This blog will kick off a five part series throughout 2010 to compare the 2009 versions of Saint Arnold Seasonal Beers to the 2010 version. The Ferm is a decent fan of Saint Arnold, except for some notable dissensions for the Divine Reserve.

For some reason a good 15 months ago, I decided to save one bottle of each of the Saint Arnold Seasonals. I thought maybe there would be one time the next year when I really wanted one of the off season variety. Well, it ends up being, as Sir Ron has published, with one and only one, you end up holding back for that really really special occasion which never comes.

So as I got up to one of each, the question became. What next? Do I save a second of each? For Spring yes (actually two from this year for three total). Wait, I have an idea. I wonder if I (a very amateur beer taster) could tell the difference between brews of a different year? We're talking same brewer, same style, different vintage. Probably not. I've tried a couple of taste tests before (Kona vs. St. A. Lawnmower, Red wine with and without the Vinturi). Very mixed results. Some would call them "within the statistical mean". But what the hey, I've got a few St. Arnold Spring Bocks to burn.

So the test was set up like the two above. Two identical small beer taster glasses on a coaster with a mark under each to differentiate. Gameday temperature was 50 degrees (the temp of my aging beer fridge, but unlike most, I actually do like beer a little warmer than ice cold). FWIW, St. Arnold recommends 40 degrees for the Spring Bock. A tasteless wheat cracker to be consumed between all sips. Best of 7 series, World Series, Stanley Cup style. The beers are rotated left and right in circles so many times I lose track.

Round 1: The Bock is a pretty flavorful beer ("robust, deeply flavored lager" according to the website link above), I feel like my taste buds are more or less just woken up by the flavor but not really tuned in yet. I probably like the second sip better, seemed to have a bit more flavor which I like. Turned out that was the 2009. Okay, 2009 takes a 1-0 lead.

Round 2: I take both sips. Whoops, I forgot the cracker in between. What to do? Well, the first tasted more flavorful (but maybe the second was on it's coattails and blended in). It's 2009. A contingency point is awarded, if it is within one at the end, we'll re-play it. But for now, 2009 2, 2010 0.

Round 3: Hmmm, this second one really does taste different and better (to me, just more alive with flavor). The other one, good but more toned down. It was 2009 again. A near sweep at 3-0 (contingency still in play).

Rounds 4-5. I've got it now, I can tell a difference. If 2009 was first, I knew right away. If it was second, I would think "hmmm, that might be it" then take the second and say "nope, it's #2".

I play through all 7 rounds for sport now. Hit the 2009 7/7. I mean that's me, I like more flavor. I have a feeling I could have picked it 100 times in a row if a) I didn't lose mental focus and b) I didn't pass out.

Of all the taste tests I've done, this one was the first where I knew what I was drinking. I was surprised at the result, but maybe others have noted the flavor difference as well. Maybe the brewer tweaked the recipe. Also consider the year aging, somebody smarter than me can tell me what factor that might have.

I do remember last year I would hit up about one 2009 Spring and think "I need to move on". Maybe my taste buds were saturated or something. This year, I could go two deep before lightening up. I had thought it my taste buds that had changed (which happens frequently, sometimes I can't stand IPA's, sometimes I can't get enough of them).

Interesting, the next four contests (Summer Pils, Oktoberfest, Christmas, and Winter) will be from two different brewery locations. I like waiting until out of season to do these, just to enjoy the flavor when I can't get it at the store any more.

And you remember I saved two from this year, one was tested for this, the other 2010 is available for test, or special occasion, whichever comes first!

More to come!

No, not talking about a swimming pool here. One has to wonder, when and how many astronauts/cosmonauts nipped a little bourbon, vodka, sake, beer, wine, etc. between space walks, exercise, and running science experiments?

It's rumored back in the Soviet days, that vodka was part of the USSR's standard allotment of provisions for MIRs inhabitants. It was also rumored that a cigarette or two were allowed, although that remains largely unconfirmed.

There's also been a history of astronauts using their very limited personal allotment of space/weight to take things meaningful to them. Alan Shepard brought a golf club head and ball, Buzz Aldrin brought consecrated bread and wine and celebrated the first Eucharist on a heavenly body in our Solar System other than Earth. It remains to be seen if other civilizations in other systems and galaxies have done the same, but pretty sure for our Solar System that is true. So there is concrete (okay, anecdotal since they wouldn't broadcast it) evidence that wine (in sacramental form) has traveled all the way to the moon.

Hollywood reenactment of Buzz Aldrin (or he looked really different and cameras were more advanced than I thought in 1969). Subtitled in English in case you don't understand their thick American accents.

You have to wonder if Alan Shepard enjoyed the "19th hole" with a refreshing beverage?

I'd have to think a number of astronauts have brought a little something something to celebrate their trip of a lifetime. Think how many times you went somewhere and the trip was made all the more meaningful by breaking out a beverage of choice to commemorate?

There is probably a non-trivial stash of alcoholic provisions on board. Having been permanently occupied since October 2000, there have been many a birthday celebration, space milestone (see video below), even new fatherhood worthy of a cultural tip of the glass.

Yuri's Night 2008

In fact, The Ukraine appears to have featured a vodka drinking "experiment" on a local TV news show. I don't speak Ukrainian, but the tags at the host site imply that indeed this is how to drink vodka in space (skip to the 2 minute mark unless you know Ukrainian and can follow the dialogue). The crewmember is Yuri Malenchenko.

How to slam a shot in space

There are PR reasons against a government space agency making this public. In the era of people being hypersensitive to government's every dollar spent, and NASA (in particular, as compared to ESA, FSA, JAXA) in need of nothing but positive publicity, it doesn't make sense. I even recall that briefly on Twitter/Twitpic, a St. Arnold floating bottle cap on ISS was posted, it seemed to be taken down within minutes as I sent the link out to friends and many were too late and I've never found it again (presumably didn't pass muster for the public affairs office of NASA)

I submit this censorship of sorts is the wrong approach. As the space shuttle winds down, NASA and its international partners are missing out on a golden opportunity. The beer and liquor industry are heavy hitters in the advertising world. How much would they chip in to "sponsor" a happy hour event on the station? These days, when upwards of 6 residents permanently float around in the ISS, with over a dozen there during Shuttle Missions, the idea that European, Russian, American, and Japanese astronauts could sit down, each holding up a beverage of their home nation (beer, wine, sake, vodka, etc.), and toasting to human space exploration (with ad banners in the background) would be worth way more than a 30 second spot on the Super Bowl. Well, that is debatable, but the agencies could use this money in a way that would be socially acceptable, too. Funding scholarships for science and engineering, funding outreach programs in schools, facilitating trips and tours of facilities to those who couldn't otherwise afford it.

I certainly would not pass up an opportunity to have a swig of something in space and I'm sure other astronauts haven't passed it up either. One has to wonder to what extent or whether or not it will ever become more mainstream, as ISS will be utilized for upwards of another decade.

Merry Christmas to all from The Ferm!

I was pleased to see at my local grocer a new progressive beer product, the "Pick Six" beer sampler. The a la carte beer buying technique gives the power to the consumer to assemble his or her favorite beers without being locked into six of 'em (or multiple six packs to satisfy varying tastes). As I offered before, I prefer to stay on one beer for more than one when enjoying multiples, but that doesn't mean there isn't room to try this out. After all, I'm a sucker for beer gimmicks.

Upon deciding to try it out once, I immediately gravitate toward things I haven't tried and may not like or things I know I like, but don't really want to go for the full six. After much consternation, I go with this lineup.


1) Kona Longboard
2) Sam Adams Black Lager
3) Guinness
4) Sapporo
5) Smithwicks
6) Spaten-Oktoberfest



Each has its reason...
1) I'd been dying to do a blind taste test b/w Longboard (a beer I vow to love) and St. Arnold Lawnmower (a beer I typically avoid, but had one saved in my fridge for just this reason). Results coming later in the blog, stay tuned.
2) I really like the Sam Black, but it's tough to drink more than one, perfect filler here
3) Guinness is always great on tap and they try the fancy little pellets, etc. to make it the same, another good add.
4) Love Sapporo when eating Hibachi grill or Sushi, just don't need six of 'em.
5) Solid beer, one of the better options.
6) Oktoberfest (which I own via the 2nd overall pick in the "Anything Mock Draught") has obviously come and gone and my taste buds stayed with it, but it was an Okt that I hadn't tried (or remembered trying). Getting one definitely a must in case I don't like the flavor.



I was mildly surprised at how much trouble I had filling out the six. By the time AB, Coors, and Miller products are eliminated (despite some tricks of theirs to make beers look like independent labels) there were a handful of imports or "meh" choices, stuff I try and enjoy all the time (some St. Arnold products, Fireman #4, Shiner, etc.). But I was happy with my six and all were enjoyed the following days. The Guinness was the biggest disappointment, the capsule thing sure didn't provide much carbonation, and it tasted flat. Nothing like the smooth flavor out of the draught. The rest were as advertised, enjoyed as something I don't usually get!

Before I move onto the second very loosely related part of the blog, a quick cost analysis shows that the "Pick Six" is not a bad deal. Each beer was priced at $1.49, so that's $8.94 for the six of them. If I were to buy a six pack of any of those, they were between $8.49 and $8.99. So the premium price paid for each is less than 10 cents a bottle, not bad in the grand pricing scheme (less than one cent per ounce).

As a follow up, I tried another "Pick Six" a week or so later, this time focusing on all German beers. I really had trouble finding much interesting and probably disliked half of what I picked. The next time I stopped by the aisle, the novelty had worn off and there wasn't much I really wanted to try that was new, and what I liked I'd prefer to get a sixer anyway. So there is a diminishing return associated.

So as for the taste test, I frequently execute home, blind taste tests, using a couple of sampler glasses and a coaster marked underneath with each. Most of the time to test myself rather than the beers, can I really tell the difference b/w two similar products of the same style.

While looking away, move the beers around in circle on their coaster enough times that my mind can't recall how many. Most times, I don't look at the beer before sampling, as hue or other visible factors might give it away.

So for this bout, in the Red Corner, we have the Hawaiian Puncher, the Lei Lager, the Pacific Rim Pilsner...Kona Longboard Lager!

In the Blue Corner, we have the Houston Hopiness, the Texas Titan, the Bayou City Beer...St. Arnold Lawnmower!

Versus

Blue Corner

Red Corner

And the winner is...it was honestly a tie. During the test I could barely distinguish, and after about four rounds, I guess which was which only half the time. Now I'm not a connoisseur by any means, purely amateur. But I'd say going forward I could buy either. This surprised me, I thought I'd be able to pick the St. Arnold flavor that is pervasive throughout their beer line, but I couldn't.

One disclosure regarding the test, the Longboard in your mainland store is brewed up in Oregon as I understand it. I first tried Kona from taps on Maui, brewed locally and (at least in my mind), vastly superior. Of course when drinking a beer in 80 degree sun on a Lanai with the beach a stone's throw away might have affected my mind! I also really prefer the Fire Rock Pale from Kona, but it gives me hangovers (and I usually don't get those) so I have to avoid. I've also tried the Wailua Wheat, which has a hint of passion fruit and is worth a try if you can find the seasonal spring brew.

J.R. Enjoys Kona Draft in various Maui bars

The "Pick Six" is a great way to do your own blind taste test, or try things you might not otherwise. I'm hoping my grocer mixes up the options a bit more frequently, or I'm probably not going to go that route very frequently. But all in all, a victory for beer drinkers, just having the option!

On this -- this seemingly average October but post-Oktoberfest hump day -- Mayor Bill White bestowed upon the city of Houston a day celebrating our beloved local brewery.

October 28, 2009 is now officially Saint Arnold Brewing Company Day.

For me this is a day not just to celebrate, but a day to recognize the achievements of Brock Wagner and crew. I readily admit that I have been critical of the Saint Arnold brewery in the past. But today is a day to reflect upon and honor Texas' oldest craft brewery, much like Americans gather on Thanksgiving to forgive the Native Americans for giving the Pilgrims dysentery and thank them for sharing Pocahontas... or when we invite semi-distant relatives into our home for a meal with three dozen side dishes and forget that they did not even bother to send a card on our birthday.

For this reason I have decided to pull out a bottle of every remaining Divine Reserve that I have in the beer cellar and try them again. There is no better day than Saint Arnold Day to reassess my relationship with the brewery's limited offerings.

The Lineup

Divine Reserve No. 1
Style: Barleywine; Cases Made: 327; Date Brewed: August 18, 2005; Date Bottled: October 17, 2005; Original Gravity: 1.099; Final Gravity: 1.027; Alcohol: 9.3% ABV
Smells nice. Pours brown and typical of a barleywine. Taste up front is sharp, with hops and alcohol attacking the palette first and then mellowing into malty and woody flavors. The beer is not too sweet, rather a complex raisin-like flavor prevails. My only complaints are that it seems thin for a barleywine and there are a ton of yum yums floating in the bottle. Overall, my first apology has now been filed.




Divine Reserve No. 3
Style: Double IPA; Cases Made: 542 Date Brewed: July 17, 2006 Date Bottled: September 21, 2006 Original Gravity: 1.082 Final Gravity: 1.010 Alcohol: 9.5% ABV Malts: Maris Otter, Wheat, Caravienne, Carapils and Dark Crystal Other Sugars: Honey, Molasses Hops: Chinook, Centennial, Ahtenum, Cascades
I am a big Belgian beer fan, and DR#2 was a bit of a disappointment as a "keeper," at least that is my excuse for not pulling back one of the sixer that I bought. To make up for it, I bought over a case of DR#3, the 2IPA. The orange color seems about right for the style. Not overly hoppy on the nose. Well balanced flavor, but something is off with this beer. I cannot pinpoint if it is the beer itself or the stiff competition in this style. If memory serves me right, age has not improved my impression of this beer.




Divine Reserve No. 4
Style: Wee Heavy; Cases Made: 823; Date Brewed: December 20, 2006; Date Bottled: February 20, 2007; Original Gravity: 1.0835; Final Gravity: 1.021; Alcohol: 9.5% ABV
I was only a wee bit excited when I found out the fourth iteration of the DR series would be a Wee Heavy. It is just not my favorite style. I cannot really remember my original evaluation of this beer, but I can tell you my current evaluation is a huge thumbs up. This beer is much more flavorful, rich even, than typical beers of this style. Smoky, dark, complex... bravo!




Oktoberfest (2007)
While digging in the back of the shelf holding my reserved Divine Reserves, I found a two year old Oktoberfest. This is one of my favorite of Saint Arnold's seasonals, so I decided to have it bat clean-up in my Saint Arnold Day lineup. Measuring in at only 6.0% ABV, this is the "light beer" tonight. It is sweet and malty with notes of caramel. Since this is one of my favorites, I wish I knew why I felt this year's offering was not as good as previous years', such as this '07 gem. I hope the variance is only in my head.

---

Sincere congratulations to all the staff and volunteers at Saint Arnold Brewing Company. Keep up the good work.

Next year... parade!

DISCLAIMER: This post reflects the personal views of the author, in his individual capacity. It does not necessarily represent the views of TheFerm.org or its other resident bloggers, and is not sponsored or endorsed by them.

If Saint Arnold's Divine Reserve #8 hits the shelves and I'm not there purchase any, does it make a difference?

I am admittedly a little less dedicated to the cause than the rest of the Saint Arnold Army. And when I say less dedicated, I mean I spent my lunch hour four years ago visiting several local Specs Stores (and a few grocery stores) to get my hands on the first release of Divine Reserve, a heavily hopped barleywine. After over an hour of enthusiastic search, I drove back to work frustrated and empty handed. It seems there were loads of local beer drinkers more passionate than myself.

Breweries are known to instill a sense of community among the local population. However, the Saint Arnold Army phenomenon is staggering, awe-inspiring, and enviable. Besides having a welcoming attitude at the brewery itself, Saint Arnold actively supports local businesses and participates in countless community efforts. Hosting Saint Arnold at an event means getting two to four times the amount of attendees than you would have without them. Saint Arnold has that kind of following. Having almost no local and very little regional competition probably helps, but as Texas' Oldest Craft Brewery, they play more of the role of a pioneer than pirate.

This is why their introduction of small batch, special edition beers ordained for craft beer enthusiasts like me sounded so exciting. Saint Arnold may have been late to the small batch party, but this is *our* local brewery. Unable to get my hands on any Divine Reserve #1 in Houston, TheFerm.org's own K-Dub brought me some… from Dallas.

And my first impression? Eh…

Inevitably the beer could not live up to such heavenly expectations. However, paired against its peers, it honestly comes off as mediocre. K-Dub's own hoppy barleywine, which he brewed for me to celebrate the birth of my daughter, blows the earthly Saint Arnold product away. *Gasp* I can almost hear the Internet comments rolling in now ("You Suck!!" –anonymous). The next six releases also failed to live up to expectations, although I will admit, the brewery started to hit their stride around DR#5.

"But SirRon," you say (because you probably only know me by my online pseudonym), "you should support local businesses." To this I say "Sure!" But does the support local movement apply to all businesses, regardless of size or quality? Coffee shops, independent farmers, the old hardware store guy, chef owned restaurants... I understand the correlation and importance here. Is a brewery with statewide distribution on par with these local businesses?

I support countless craft breweries (nightly), all of which are small businesses situated in somebody's local community. I've visited Victory Brewing Company, located in the small community of Downingtown, PA a handful of times. I believe their output exceeds Saint Arnold, but they make outstanding beers. In the end, the experience is what means the most to me. Otter Creek Brewing Company is located in the Middlebury, a Vermont town of just over 8,000 residents. Now that they have distribution in Texas, I wish they were still brewing their Middleberry Ale, a tasty beer brewed with locally grown elderberries and blueberries. Proceeds from the sales benefited their town, if memory serves me right. Ever tried Austin Amber? Guess where this small five year old, distributor-less brewery is located?

On 9/10/09, the Saint Arnold Army will probably be out in force, clearing the shelves of their local groceries and liquor stores of Divine Reserve #8, a Scotch Ale inspired by a homebrewer's winning entry in the 2009 Big Batch Brew Bash. Myself, I'll probably be supporting someone else's community that night. I'm not saying I will never pick one of these up at over at my closest Specs liquor emporium if available, I just have lost that excitement I had in the days leading up to the DR#1 release. I support our local troops and their defense of Saint Arnold Nation, but I think I'll just hang one of those ribbons in my garage instead.

That gets me thinking... If a cynical blogger from an obscure drinking blog is uninterested in the Divine Reserve series, does it even cause any waves?

Today I will be brewing a Kolsch style beer, in fact, it'll be the same recipe as one of my wedding beers. I'm going to try and have this ready for Addison! Oktoberfest, my in-laws will most likely be in town and my mother-in-law really likes Kolsch beers. Aren't I so nice? And just like Sirron's brewday, today will be filled with awesome weather (scattered rain and Houston humid-ish). Perhaps after I brew and clean up we'll go to the Ginger Man and have some beer and beer food. Even though it's hot, more than likely it won't be filled with the Chris-Chris, douche bag tools who drive their low end BMWs due to no Dallas Mavericks game tonight.

9:47am - Crap, I can't find my stir bar for my yeast starter, off to Homebrew Headquarters, my
local homebrew shop (LHS), with my morning Dunn Brothers Coffee.

11:06am - Alright, got the yeast starter boiling, I need to keep an eye on this sucker as it likes to boil over almost every time, little bastard. I usually try to make the starter the night before but due to no stir bar, it's this morning it is.

12:05pm - Mash has started, 90 minutes from now I'll begin to recirculate then sparge the mash. Aren't you mesmerized by my super awesome ghetto mash tun? If not, you should be, it is truly greatness, how could Jimmy Buffett and a Texas A&M blankey not be cool?

12:29 - Beer time, better start with something light, and the winner is, Saint Arnold Summer Pils. This has to be my favorite summer varietal, if you don't know, you better axe somebody.....or just go get a six pack......or case......whatever you're into. Just try it and you'll see what all my fuss in about.

1:00pm - My buddy from work, Greg, just got here with his kid, quality parenting showing up to a house where drinking and making beer are favorite past times. Good job homes! I guess I'll go ahead and eat some lunch that my wonderful wife made for me.

1:30pm - It's spaaaarging, it's spaaaarging time. I use a gravity system for this, second drinking beer is another Saint Arnold Summer Pils. Just checked outside, temperature reads about 86F, humidity is quite strong though, how unfortunate.

3:29pm - Alrighty now the boil is going, this is going to be a 90 minute boil. I do that to reduce DMS precursors, DMS can leave a canned corn type of aroma and taste in the finished beer and one way to reduce those precursors is a longer boil. Since the Kolsch style is a German type beer, 95% of the grist (grain) is pilsner malt. Pilsner malt is one of the lighter types of base malts and since it is not kilned as hot or as long as other base grains, the DMS precursors remain in the malt. It's hot out there, only 91F though, Sirron must be jealous, oh yeah, no rain right now and the humidity has gone done considerably.

3:57pm - Bittering hops are in, a blend of Hallertauer and Tettanger, I'm trying to clean out my hop supply and both are appropriate so, why not? Oh yeah, I switched to water for the moment, the sweat factor is high.

4:26pm - Crap, rain looks like it's rolling in, lemme check weather.com.....double crap, it really looks like it's going to rain on me. CRAP!!

5:05pm - Well, here's a quick shot of the prepared wort, after boiling with the hops, going into the fermenter. Nothing fancy, just pumping from one vessel to another via a heat enchanger cooled by the garden hose water.

5:14pm - Now that the wort has been cooled down I'll start to aerate it. I just use an aquarium pump and a stainless steel stone thing. It works ok I guess, an Oxygen tank with a rate controled regulator would be better though.

6:21pm - Everything is put away and the wort is chilling, it's not technically beer until the yeast gets pitched (ie. yeast + wort = beer). And after all the concern, it didn't rain, sweet. I'll take care of pitching the yeast tomorrow, for now it's Spicy Chicken Pad Thai from a box and homebrewed American IPA, yummy.

While I am certainly no beer flavor pairing expert like our resident bloggers SirRon & TwoPints, but I do believe that not all beers can be drunk in any random order and be enjoyed equally. Now I'm not expecting a national gathering of beer pairings any time soon, but it's worth exploring what works and doesn't work, at least for me. Before I outlay my strategy, I thought I'd explore a few of the more famous beer drinkers in history to see if anything can be gained:

Wade Boggs - Miller Lite, then Miller Lite, then...you get the idea. Repeat 62 more times and thus legends and blogs are made. Hmm, I do like Miller Lite and when I am in a situation where it's going to be a long drinking day, it is a mainstay. But not much help in deciding how to combine.

The Most Interesting Man in the World - now while he doesn't always drink beer, when he does, he makes sure it's Dos Equis. Likewise, XX is one of my favorites. TMIMitW is probably too busy wrestling sharks, unhooking bears from traps, and diving for treasure to put too much thought into pairing XX with anything else, so again, no help.

George Washington loved a beer as much as anyone, but probably can't gain much insight into whether he would recommend a Indian Pale Ale before or after a Bud Lime. He probably just stuck with his own recipe to avoid paying too much taxes to the British. And he liked his whiskey, too.

Norm Peterson definitely likes beer. A lot. On his never-settled tab. While certain Hall of Fame material for beer drinking in general, he never did seem to grasp that Cheers swill was not necessarily all there was out there. Yes, sometimes he'd go to Gary's Olde Town Tavern when Sam wasn't looking, but he doesn't seem to be THE guy to go to here.

I think my point is that in pop culture, you never see people discuss how to combine beers of different flavors to make it "work". Commercials will only talk about their one product, TV Shows and movies are similar, what with product placement and all. But I seldom start a night on one type/flavor/brand of beer and then finish in the same place. So here is J.R. Ewing's guide to combining beer. This is not to be attempted by amateurs, please consult your local physician.

Doogie says "Beer? Never had it..."

Guideline #1: I seldom go with a beer for one and only one. Unless it's > 20 oz. If I'm going to visit a flavor, I need to exceed the 20 oz. threshold. There are exceptions, but in an average night of throwing them down, it's a couple to a few, but...

Guideline #2: If I am rotating beers in, I avoid going more then 3 (~40 oz.), with the exception of the end of the evening that will be covered later. I violated this myself last weekend on a Fireman #4 binge, it had been too long since I had the superior tap version, and friends were buying rounds so I stuck with what they could remember. The exception that proves the rule.

Guideline #3: Load flavor up at the top. The flavor of a rich flavored beer (St. Arnold Christmas Ale or Kona Wailua Wheat) is going to be compromised if it is rotated in after two Shiners, a Miller Lite that your date didn't finish, then a few Buds that the drunk at the end of the bar bought you.

Barney says "This Bud's for You"

Guideline #4: If food is going to be a central part of your evening, start with the beer paired there, then build around it. Example, I like Shiner with BBQ, the Bock flavor seems to blend will with the sweet sauces therein. So if I'm going to Salt Lick and bringing Shiner with me, I'm making sure I load up the top of my beer drinking evening with something that flows to Shiner, then layer the later part of the evening with something that chases it well.

Shiner and Stubbs...made for each other

Guideline #5: Lighten up at the end. After I've saturated my taste buds with flavors early, food paired ones in the middle, it's time to get lighter as the evening gets later. Here's where you might exceed the 40 oz. guideline. There are times when the tailgating goes on and on and you want to keep going. The lighter beers (even Ferm banned ones like Miller Lite, Milwaukee's Best Light, Olympia) can be safely consumed ad infinitum. As they are more water-laden, it won't hurt your hangover situation either. So maybe Wade Boggs in onto something, I mean if you're going to go 64 deep, you'd better lighten up.

Guideline #6: Shiner for me goes really well after just about anything, but can ruin my taste buds for just about anything else after it. Except lighter beers, Shiner leads to lights okay.

Guideline #7: A water between beers (every 3-6) can help in a lot of ways. Hangover of course, clearing the palate a bit.

Guideline #8: Beer specials (such as Singha on Astros opening day) can be enjoyed in more than 40 oz. limits on principle. Somewhat similar to my Fireman #4 reference, if something is working for you that day, go with it, and it goes with Guideline #5.

Guideline #9: Beer samplers should only be tested before everything else. Above guidelines don't apply Great way to start the evening, trying a flute of everything, then settling in for your 20 oz - 40 oz. for what you like going forward.

Guideline #10: Audibles can be called at any time. Go with your gut, but remember the above, and your beer enjoyment will go much further than otherwise.

So a few examples, these are Texas beer centric, but you can fill in your own favorite local brew:

Start with two St. Arnold Summer Pils, lean toward 2 or 3 Shiners, then finish with Miller Lites at the cousin's wedding when that's all that's available.

Go with a St. Arnold Texas Wheat (or any other wheat/Hefe) with squeezed Lemon, move on to St. Arnold Amber, finish with a few Shiners

Feeling like a Guinness. Stick there for two pints, then over to a Stella Artois for a couple, then finish with a blonde of any sort.

Go with one uber-flavor beer (St. Arnold Divine Reserve, any of the heavier beers SirRon and TWoPints reviewed during craft beer week). But only one if it's too heavy. Then go with something a little bit lighter to clear the palate, then delve into your favorite Amber, Wheat, etc.

I look forward to SirRon, TwoPints, and anyone else's thought and opinions!

-JR