Brewmasters Series

I DVR'd it, but haven't gotten a chance to watch.
I'm curious if he's going to go through the same method he did with the Midas Touch beer...

i think they expected like dirty jobs numbers and are getting something a bit lower

New episode tonight for anyone that's following (or trying to follow this crazy schedule)

In tonight's episode of Brew Masters, Sam visits Egypt to come up with ideas for a new Ancient Ale! That beer, Ta Henket is on tap at our Rehoboth Beach brewpub (along with 22 other Dogfish beers). Tune in for an all new 'Brew Masters' on Discovery channel at 7pm (Central) tonight.

frankly if you put your spit in my beer, you just bought it!

i had to explain that crap for a week, and the fact that i think it is gross.

BUT i give him props for not sell out to 10 beers or so he totally could and he already has the name so it glad he isn't selling out

yet

randi philleo wrote:I found yours TylerS!

I had Mike write one for me to submit, since he never gets on facebook anyways.

Tears fall from our eyes
As the amber tide rushes
And we die inside

Pretty darn good!

I just had one more comment on the series. Did anyone else get a little quesy watching the Chichi (sp) episode? I mean, I'm no prude, but all those spit closeups started to get to me after awhile.

And I have just one, teansy, weansy criticism. Sam kept talking about making "authentic" chechehchch, whatever the heck its callled, but when it came down to actually brewing it, the result was pretty darn different. I mean, the normal stuff was, from what I understood, somewhere in the range of 2-3 percent alcohol. By the time Dogfishhead's was said and done, it was 4.5.

I understand there are some FDA guidelines and whatnot, but I dunno. I guess the intent was there, but I was a tad disappointed with the final result.

I found yours TylerS!

I had Mike write one for me to submit, since he never gets on facebook anyways.

Tears fall from our eyes
As the amber tide rushes
And we die inside

that is way to creative for me! suck to see that beer drain though!

That's hilarious! Here's my addition:

Beer lovers mourn loss
A mighty sacrifice made
The beer Gods rejoice!

Haha! Brew Masters just posted this on Facebook:

Brew Masters

We know many of you are still mourning the loss of that batch of 120 Minute IPA last night. Instead of shedding tears, how about writing a Haiku about the 120? We'll re-post our favorite to the wall for all to see.

I had no idea so much went into that 120 IPA! Talk about quality control tho...sheesh! Sure made me want to spend the money and try some. That's a heckuva high ABV. No wonder they have such a hard time fermenting. Has anyone had the pleasure of trying their 120? Or even 90?

That was one sad sad drain pour. I agree with it though, they tried all they could and its not worth hurting their reputation to release something not up to par.

FYI, the Discovery Channel has moved Brew Masters again, now to Thursdays at 7pm central.
So no new episode on Monday, the next episode is on Thursday the 9th.

randi philleo wrote:*Shakes bottle* Do you hear a vent tube in there?

That is one level, but next week when 9,000 gallons of 120 Minute Imperial IPA does not ferment right, they display an extreme level of commitment to quality.

Dean Gundberg wrote:In the last episode and the next one, you will see how much DFH is concerned with quality due to problems with Punkin and 120 minute and what they do to make sure only a quality product is sold to the public.

*Shakes bottle* Do you hear a vent tube in there?

I've been following the news about this show since it was first announced and it always looked like Sam's show but he would be doing some brewing with others like he did on the 3rd show last Monday (time change if you missed it, now on Monday nights). The next 2 shows deal with a cedar-fied beer and a bad batch of 120 minute, then an ancient chinese beer and a trip to Egypt.

If craft beer needs a single face to promote it, Sam is a great choice. I have been following him since I started working on beer and food pairings and listened to podcasts of him promoting the "He Said Beer, She Said Wine" book he was part of and I did read his book "Brewing Up Business".

So far the show seems to have been helping Dogfish Head products fly off the shelves around the country (according to what people are posting on Beer Advocate) and lots of people asking for 'Bitches Brew' from the first show. I do see craft beer in general getting a boost as people follow the show and try DFH beers and then decide to try some more. Not everyone will, but enough. Maybe it will catch on like American Chopper and then you will see DFH merchandise all over like you saw OCC stuff everywhere before that family had problems.

In the last episode and the next one, you will see how much DFH is concerned with quality due to problems with Punkin and 120 minute and what they do to make sure only a quality product is sold to the public.

I've been DVRing the series and only have watched the first episode so far. Based on the promos, I was really hoping for more of an insight into the Craft/Microbrew scene. I get the notion that its "his" show and they'll do the majority of shooting at Dogfish Head, but for some reason I got the impression it would be a bit deeper than that.

Still, the show is about beer...and good beer...so I can't really complain.

My standards are based on BrewingTV, so the bar is pretty high

Mike Philleo wrote:Regarding the show specifically, Sam is a pretty charismatic guy and having met some commercial brewers, I can say they're not all equally blessed in that area. He's a good frontman and tv face for the microbrew industry. If nothing else, I like the attention the show brings to craft brewing, though I hoped there would be a nod to homebrewing too.

Spoken like a true holder of a Bachelors of English Degree.
... Dang, I wish I had your writing skillz.

mike i would say, "i should have waited for you to answer" you said everything i mean and a bit easier to hear. after re-reading my post you my get the impression i wouldn't watch it, or that it sucked.

not true, i think mike nailed a great deal of what i was thinking about it!

Mike Philleo for president!

randi philleo wrote:I do like that they think outside the box and arn't afraid to try something new. It always frustrates me a little when I hear homebrewers trying copy things the big boys do. I think that's what makes homebrewing great, we have the play and ability to do so much more. Anyways, that's another tangent in itself...

Either way, I'll keep watching the show. It's still about beer.

ryanjilek wrote:That is so true. "It's still about beer"!!

I agree 100% with you guys. The one thing I do take away from the show, since it's a bit fluffy, is the message that you should enjoy the latitude you have as a homebrewer since you don't have to worry about pleasing a wide audience the way commercial brewers do. If nothing else, it's inspired me to rethink what brewing beer means to me and how I want to make something nobody, myself included, has never enjoyed before but wished they had. Randi and I have determined that we compare our beers against a scale of craft beer as whole, not homebrew versus commercial.

Regarding the show specifically, Sam is a pretty charismatic guy and having met some commercial brewers, I can say they're not all equally blessed in that area. He's a good frontman and tv face for the microbrew industry. If nothing else, I like the attention the show brings to craft brewing, though I hoped there would be a nod to homebrewing too.

That is so true. I was hoping the exact same thing as you. It would have been really nice to see a different feature each week on a different microbrewery. There would be a lot of latitude there to make some really interesting shows. However, the Dogfish Head infomercial/reality series is fun to watch too and you are exactly correct... "It's still about beer"!!

I've caught them too.

It's more entertaining than a lot of things on TV, but I'd have to agree with you:

a little too much the Sam's dog and pony show...

In the beginning I was kind of hoping they'd go to different breweries for other episodes. I mean how long can we follow one place?

I do like that they think outside the box and arn't afraid to try something new. It always frustrates me a little when I hear homebrewers trying copy things the big boys do. I think that's what makes homebrewing great, we have the play and ability to do so much more. Anyways, that's another tangent in itself...

Either way, I'll keep watching the show. It's still about beer.

Well the first couple of episodes are done and over with and I was wondering who has been watching and what their impressions are so far.

For me it is kind of mixed. I really like the whole brewery scene and seeing inside the day to day operations and such. However that being said I think that it is maybe a little too much the Sam's dog and pony show and not enough of a look into the thought and minds of other brewmasters. Maybe they should drop the "S" and just call it Brewmaster. I think that Sam has done a lot for microbreweries and their image and has had great success beyond his or others wildest dreams. He is certainly an inspiration for striving brewers and so that part is nice to see.

Overall, it is a very entertaining show. Maybe not technical enough but for something mainstream it is a nice change of pace from the mindless brewing show I commented on previously. So let me know what everyone else thinks!

Ryan