(8) NABC World Cup Trilogy (2010).

World Cup Trilogy, 2010

Football fanatic (and former NABC brewmaster) Jared Williamson conceived the Trilogy, with a unique beer unveiled for each of the USA’s opening round matches in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

USA vs. England – Ordinary Bitter
Classic cask ale malt from the UK, with Pacific Northwest hops for flavor and aroma. English ale yeast. Cross-referenced with NABC’s Session Series.
3.9% abv
26 IBU

USA vs. Slovenia – Keller Pils
European and North American malts, hopped seven times with 100% Slovenian-grown Styrian Goldings. Cross-referenced with NABC’s Session Series.
3.9% abv
36 IBU

USA vs. Algeria – Biere de Garde
Franco-Belgian malts, hopped to style, with spicing inspired by the Maghreb region’s cuisine, specifically tajine. Chouffe yeast.
3.9% abv
15 IBU

A belated Saturday report.

Apart from three bicycle rides back and forth to the Riverfront Amphitheater, I spent the afternoon yesterday at Bank Street Brewhouse watching the World Cup match. Naturally, it was a disappointing outcome for fans of the USA, but at the same time an "elite eight" pairing of Uruguay and Ghana surely is a good thing for the sport in a global context.

Meanwhile, the Booty Shakin' Blues Festival was unfolding down by the river, with Studio's Grill and Pub handling master supplementary catering duties and NABC selling kegs to Studio's in our wholesale capacity in a collaborative venture described earlier in the week. Both 1/6 barrels, one of Beak's and one Tafelbier, floated around 9:15 p.m., and while there might have been enough time to tap a third, it was close enough to the end of the show to call it a day.

The way it should work is this: We profit a bit, Studio's (or any other master caterer) profits a bit more, and event attendees have a genuine, locally brewed craft beer option. In fact, this is precisely the way it did work, and I feel good about the results. The Studio's crew was great, and I'm looking forward to next weekend, hopefully to expand the perimeter.

Honestly, I had no time yesterday to become involved with the NA 1 Night Stand Triple Up Beer Walk, although I saw a scattering of yellow tees. The walk appeared to gain steam at a point later in the day, which was another scorcher during one of the most intemperate Junes that I can recall in these parts.

Beer and exhaustion: Another Saturday in the life of NABC.

We have a crew heading to Indianapolis today for the annual Brew-Ha-Ha, perhaps the hippest "small" festival that NABC attends on a yearly basis. Speaking personally, I hate to miss it, but my shift comes elsewhere today.

Roughly at the same time this afternoon in downtown New Albany, USA kicks off against Ghana in the World Cup (coverage and firkin at Bank Street Brewhouse), the Booty Shakin' Blues Festival at the Riverfront Amphitheater begins, and the first of three summertime NA 1 Night Stand Triple Up Beer Walks gets underway. What a fine day and place to be on a bicycle, at least until it comes to delivering back-up kegs to the blues festival. I need one of those cute little bicycle gear wagons.

So ... I'll be back and forth, and all around. If there's a chance to post a few choice photos here later, I will.

Only one firkin of "USA vs Ghana – Former Colonies Bitter" for the match on Saturday at Bank Street Brewhouse.

In preparation for USA vs. Ghana on Saturday afternoon, I’ve done long minutes of diligent research, and found these five fascinating coincidences.

1. The United States and Ghana both are former English colonies.

2. In both the USA and Ghana, Dutchmen were there before the English – and Netherlands also has advanced to the elimination round in the World Cup.

3. Heineken, a brewer from the Netherlands, stole its red star from the Bolsheviks, whose superstar striker, Karl Marx, wrote his best material while living in England. NABC stole back the red star from Heineken, and in Ghana, there is a Star Beer. But the stars don’t stop there …

4. Prior to independence, Ghana was called the Gold Coast, and both then and now, the national football club has been the Black Stars. America has never been called Ghana, but its Gulf Coast is no longer Gold. It is Black, and the official team colors of the New Orleans Saints, its football team, are ... that's right, black and gold.

5. Ghana has Jerry Rawlings, a former flight lieutenant and longtime dictator. The USA has Jerry Lewis, formerly relevant, who is loved by the French and is the one-time performance partner of Dean Martin, who sang Italian songs. Neither France nor Italy remains alive in the World Cup, but the USA, Ghana and NABC still are.

Here’s the scoop for Saturday.

Obviously, three days isn’t enough time for a special beer to be brewed, but there remains one last cask-conditioned firkin of USA vs England – Ordinary Bitter. It will be tapped Saturday afternoon around 2:00 p.m. at Bank Street Brewhouse, and for the occasion, redubbed: USA vs Ghana – Former Colonies Bitter.

It won’t last long. Saturday also is the first of three summertime beer walks in New Albany: NA 1 Night Stand Triple Up Beer Walk.

NABC World Cup Series continues on Wednesday morning with "USA vs Algeria -- Maghreb Biere de Garde."

NABC’s World Cup trilogy of specially brewed and football-themed beers concludes on Wednesday with the morning release (and match) of USA vs. Algeria -- Maghreb Biere de Garde. Bank Street Brewhouse will be open at 10:00 a.m., four hours early for a Wednesday (don’t get used to it), and the Pizzeria & Public House will follow suit at its usual 11:00 a.m. time.

As the notes below indicate, this one is Jesse Williams’ baby, drawing on his culinary education as well as brewing experience. Jared Williamson co-captained and brewed the small batch at the original NABC brewery on the north side, proving that collaboration beers come from within as well as without.

Previous World Cup Series releases were USA vs England – Ordinary Bitter, and USA vs Slovenia – Keller Pils. As of yesterday, the Keller Pils was still flowing, and if you enjoyed the Ordinary Bitter, know this: Jared will be tapping another firkin of cask-conditioned USA vs England for his Gumbo Family Quartet performance at Bank Street Brewhouse, also on Wednesday, June 23, but in the evening (7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.)

USA vs Algeria – Maghreb Biere de Garde

Malts: Castle Pale, Castle Biscuit, Castle Special B

Malts note by Jesse: Franco-Belgian malts are traditional to Biere de Garde style. Castle malts produce a less sweet wort than English or American malts, allowing the yeast to really shine in the final product. Biscuit dries it out a little, and Special B is not just for color, but to impart its own cooked fruit/raisin quality to the bill.

Hops: USA Goldings

Hops notes by Jesse: It’s hopped to style, and not too much to hide the stars of the show, the malts and spices.

Fruit and Spices: Apricot, Cinnamon, Ginger

Fruit and Spice notes by Jesse: USA vs Algeria takes inspiration from the Maghreb region’s cuisine, specifically tajine spices. Tajine varies across North Africa, but is known to us as the long-simmered meat stews, fragrantly spiced and often incorporating dried fruit. These specific spices come from my
favorite tajine: Rabbit with ginger, cinnamon, and apricot. We've left out the rabbit … and kept the awesome.

Yeast: Belgian Chouffe

Yeast notes by Jesse: Our house Belgian strain works well for the style and adds a bit of fruity ester, as well.

O.G.: 1044

ABV: 3.9%

IBU: 15

Color: 11.7 degree Lovibond SRM

Style notes by Jesse: Biere de Garde was chosen as the style owing to the strong French tradition in Algeria, and while Algeria does produce some fine wines, the country’s beer culture is lacking. Pale lagers are dominant, and that’s a little boring: Freaking world domination of German brewing. Being session strength, this beer -- while complex -- is easily quaffable, and not overly spiced.

Style notes by Roger: Jesse now is obliged to prepare his Rabbit Tajine at a future brewery function. Both style and spicing couldn’t be more appropriate, given that Biere de Garde remains quite possibly the single most underrated of “food beer” styles hailing from Europe. As such, note that we’ll save some of USA vs Algeria (NABC’s first ever Biere de Garde, and the first Maghreb Biere de Garde, perhaps anywhere), for the special Bastille Day dinner on July 14.

NABC World Cup Series resumes Friday morning with the debut of "USA vs Slovenia – Keller Pils."

In the aftermath of USA's draw against England, American opening round football action in the World Cup resumes on Friday morning (June 18) at 10:00 a.m. local time. NABC's Bank Street Brewhouse again will be the scene of a special tapping to commemorate the occasion, as the second of three small batches, designed to debut on the same day as USA's first three World Cup matches, makes appearances in multiple formats.

Friday's "USA vs Slovenia – Keller Pils," with a gravity-poured countertop pin (Anstich, anyone?) broached at the special opening hour of 10:00 a.m. at Bank Street Brewhouse, and a firkin on the hand pull at the NABC Pizzeria & Public House (Sportstime and Rich O's). Standard CO2 pours will immediately follow depletion of the pin and firkin at the respective locations.

Got it? Here's the report, with beer facts supplied by Jared Williamson, who conceived the World Cup Series, and historical meanderings by the Publican (me).

USA vs Slovenia – Keller Pils

Malts: Weyermann Bohemian Pils, Weyermann Vienna, Briess Cara-Pils, Rahr White Wheat

Malts note by Jared: Comprised of both European and North American malts, this Pils aims to be a hybrid of sorts. While Euro malts dominate the grist, the Cara-Pils and Wheat supply a subtle depth to the body.

Hops: 100% Slovenian-grown Styrian Goldings

Hops notes by Jared: Providing the true Slovenian aspect, Styrian Golding hops are a hybrid in themselves. Long ago, transplanted Fuggles hops from the UK were established in the suitable microclimate of modern day Slovenia, and became what we now know as Styrian Goldings.

Styrian Goldings are not quite as spicy and earthy as Fuggles, but they’re not completely Noble hops, either. They have a unique quality in European continental hops, and I approached their use much as the American-bred brewer I am, hopping the Keller Pils seven (7) different times, including first wort hops, and dry-hopping in both the cask and draft versions. The results are a comprehensive study of Styrian Goldings’ across-the-board capabilities.

Yeast: San Francisco Common Lager

Yeast notes by Jared: Bringing an American aspect is our beloved house lager strain. Versatile and trusted to handle whatever style and gravity we throw at it, the Common Lager again echos the hybrid aspect of this Pils. I fermented somewhere in between the usual German lager temps and that of our Common styles.

O.G.: 1044

ABV: 3.9%

IBU: 36

Color: 3.4 degree Lovibond SRM

Style notes by Roger: Less about style, more about history this time. From the Middle Ages, the Duchy of Styria was a possession of the House of Habsburg, ethnic German rulers of the Austrian Empire. Multi-ethnic Styria was a part of the Holy Roman Empire until its formal dissolution during Napoleonic times, then was administered by Austria-Hungary until the end of World War I.

Historic Styria now is divided between Austria and Slovenia, the latter holding the distinction of being the first Yugoslav state to break away (largely non-violently) prior to the civil war during the 1990’s. Slovenia is the first former Yugoslav entity to join the European Union, and has emerged from regional turmoil as perhaps the most stable and progressive Balkan country.

Jared’s Keller Pils for the USA vs Slovenia opening round match in the World Cup stirs overlapping personal and olfactory memories.

In 1987, Slovenia was my very first point of entry into the Communist zone, even if Yugoslavia itself was considered to be non-aligned. Furthermore, the notion of Keller Pils, while differing in precise formulation from the well-made golden lagers I drank while touring Slovenia, remains evocative of many wonderful beers enjoyed since then: Styles like Kellerbier and Ungespundetes in Franconia, and Zwicklbier in Austria, stand out as enduring exemplars of classic lager brewing technique, with clean but firm malt profiles, inimitably Noble hop burnish, and an innate ability to make pork dishes sing light opera. A sprinkling of Jared’s New World brewing touches merely adds to the tasty intrigue.

For those interested in my travels, circa 1987, here are links to the as-yet uncompleted "Red Stars, Black Mountains" series. Parts 2 and 3 are the most relevant today.

Red Stars, Black Mountains: Roger in Yugoslavia ’87 (Introduction)

Red Stars, Black Mountains: Roger in Yugoslavia ’87 (Part 1)

Red Stars, Black Mountains: Welcome to Slovenia (Part 2)

Red Stars, Black Mountains: Mellow Ljubljana (Part 3)

Red Stars, Black Mountains: Raddy and what came after (Part 4)

Red Stars, Black Mountains: What’s Habsburg got to do with it? (Part 5)

Red Stars, Black Mountains: Sarajevo on $10 A Day (Part 6).

Here goes.

If you don't know it by now ...

We're only a few hours away from an exciting day, with the NABC World Cup Series of small batch/USA match beers kicking off at 2:00 p.m. and the debut of "USA vs England – Ordinary Bitter" at Bank Street Brewhouse.

Concurrently, NABC's Haggis Laddie Celtic Red goes on tap for the "Celts on the River" concert at the Riverfront Amphitheater.

As far as I'm concerned today, downtown New Albany is the center of the universe. Maybe just my universe, but the analogy holds. I'll be at the Brewhouse for an Ordinary at 2, then near Rosa L. Stumblebus on the waterfront. Come on down, pull up a pew, and have a few.

NABC World Cup Series starts Saturday with the debut of "USA vs England – Ordinary Bitter."

A little history is in order. In Brazil in 1950, USA played football (soccer) powerhouse England in the World Cup, and the result was the Miracle on Grass, a 1-0 USA victory. Reading the score in the newspapers next day, many Englishmen assumed it was a misprint and that England had won 10-1. The victory remains a benchmark in US football history.

Sixty years later, South Africa is the scene, and kickoff for the renewal of the rivalry is at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 12, New Albany time. NABC's Bank Street Brewhouse will be the scene of a special tapping to commemorate the occasion, as the first of three small batches, designed to debut on the same day as USA's first three World Cup matches, goes on tap.

First up is "USA vs England – Ordinary Bitter," with a firkin tapped at 2:00 p.m. at Bank Street Brewhouse, and a keg of the CO2 version on at the Pizzeria & Public House at the same time.

NABC's Jared Williamson conceived the project, Jesse Williams collaborated on the recipes, and I've added style notes to the report below.

---

USA vs England – Ordinary Bitter

Malts: Simpsons Golden Promise, Simpsons Medium Crystal

Malts note by Jesse: "Simpsons Golden Promise is early maturing barley primarily grown in Scotland. It produces sweet, clean wort that I have always preferred to the more famous Maris Otter, which can be a bit nuttier. Golden Promise in fermentation and beyond has a depth of flavor that is perfect for balancing any hop, be it our mostly fruity/citrusy US varieties or the traditional herbal/grassy English varieties. A small Crystal malt addition only adds to the depth of flavor and allows a little color into the malt palette."

Kettle hops: Columbus, Chinook, Simcoe, Amarillo
Dry hops: Columbus, Amarillo

Hops notes by Jared: "To bring out the American aspect of this ale, I used pungent and aromatic Pacific Northwest hops, but in keeping with the style, kept the IBUs low. I dry hopped both the cask and draft versions, resulting in a wonderful floral and citrus nose."

Yeast: House London Ale

ABV: 3.9%

IBU: 26

Color: 5.4 degree Lovibond SRM

Style notes by Roger: "Historically, the emergence of efficient kilning techniques during the malting process roughly 200 years ago led to paler malts and new types of well-hopped ale. Since then, 'Bitter' has been understood as a low-gravity, English pale ale (as opposed to 'brown' and 'black' ales), seen most often in cask-conditioned form in the UK. Ordinary generally describes the lowest strength of the Bitter range (including Best, Extra Special and Premium), at less than 4.1% abv."

NABC's World Cup Series: Three new beers for the global game.

Bank Street Brewhouse will be open and serving for USA's opening matches, as detailed in Tony Beard's artwork (above). Of course, numerous establishments in metro Louisville will be airing the matches, but how many of them created and brewed three new beers as specific accompaniment?

Never seen Budweiser do that for NASCAR, have you?

Nope.

Ordinary Bitter, Keller Pils and Biere de Garde are the result of NABC's World Cup-status brew team's artistic collaboration, as brewed by Jared Williamson at the original garage brewhouse at the Public House & Pizzeria.

Stay tuned for the Publican's 50th Anniversary beer, to be called Ancient Rage, and coming to NABC's two locations in early August.