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St. Patrick's Day Special!
All About Beer
With Mark Loveland
Master Brewer,
Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant
Monday, March 12, 2001; 3 p.m. EST
Mark Loveland knows beer. As master brewer at D.C.'s newest brewpub and an active member of D.C.'s home brewing club, Brewers United for Real Potables (BURP), Loveland is a fixture in the Washington brewing scene.
Loveland will take questions about beer making and D.C.'s new Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant.
Prior to Gordon Biersch, Loveland was the assistant brewer for the Native/Fordham Brewing Company as well as for the Virginia Beverage Company. He is an active member of several beer associations, including the American Society of Brewing Chemists (ASBC) and the American Home Brewers Association (AHA).
The transcript follows...
Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control
over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
Mark Loveland: Hi, everyone. Thanks for joining in. Feel free to ask me anything about Gordon Biersch, German style-beers, or brewing in general. As we say aroung GB, PROST!
Bethesda, Md.:
How does Gordon Biersch beer differ from other local breweries like Rock Bottom and Capitol City Brewing Co.?
Mark Loveland: The biggest difference between GB and just about every other microbrewery and brewpub is that we brew only authentic German-style beers. That includes all German lagers and wheat beers. Also, we brew according to the 500-year old German Purity Law which only allows malted grains, hops, water, and yeast. So no fruit, honey, spices, suger, rice, corn, or any other adjuncts. Some may think this limits our brewing, but it actually challenges us to brew our beers as closely as we can to how they would be brewed in Germany. One last difference, and no offense here, but we view our food menu as a little more upscale than your average "brewpub". That's why wwe call ourselves a "brewery restaurant". Small difference, but one we are proud of.
Hunting Valley, Ohio:
What was your background before becoming a brewer and how did it help you prepare for your current job with Gordon Biersch?
Mark Loveland: My background is sprinkled with a little bit of everything. I have a PhD in Molecular Biology from Georgetown, so that helps out on the science side of things. Not every brewer has one, though. I started out brewing as a homebrewer in BURP, a local homebrew club. It is one of the largest and most active clubs in the country and provided a great foundation for learning to brew. Other than that, I spent two weeks at the Siebel Institute in Chicago, a renowned brewing school. Finally I spent the last two years working as the Assistant Brewer at Native Brewing Company in Alexandria, VA. They also brew German-style beers, which really prepared me for my job at GB.
Arlington, Va.:
Hi, Mark. Can you give us a brief description of the styles of biers you'll be brewing?
Mark Loveland: We brew four year-round flagship beers, the Golden Export, Marzen, Dunkles, and Blonde Bock. Each is representative of the German style for which it is named. We will also rotate in a seasonal beer every couple of months. These will range from traditional Fest beer such as a Mai bock or Octoberfest to some more seasonal offerings, such a our Hefeweizen in the summer or our stronger winter bock in the winter, obviously.
Arlington, Va.:
Mark,
Do you think that you, and other brewers, consume more beer than the average person? Since it is a labor of love, I would imagine that you enjoy tasting the fruits of your labor.
Mark Loveland: Actually, most of my friends (and wife) were worried I would become some fat drunk after I started brewing. Actually I don't drink at all while I'm working. Trust me, a ten-hour brew day only gets longer after you start drinking. Of course we have to perform some quality control everyday, but that usually happens early in the morning, so I generally keep tasting to a minimum. After work is another story. However, after just having a new baby girl and spending 14 hours a day getting ready for the opening, I had very little time to sit around drinking the Fruits of my labor.
Sunnyvale, Ca.:
What is the difference in taste between ale and lager beer?
Mark Loveland: OK, this seems to bring a lot of confusion to any beer drinking forums. Essentially there are two main differences between ales and lagers. First, the yeast strains used for each are different. Lager yeasts generally ferment at lower temperatures and take longer to finish fermenting. Ale yeasts ferment at warmer temps and finish much quicker. Second, ales generally have much more aggressive flavors, such as in a stout or IPA. This is in part due to the warmer temperatures used in fermentation, but is also due to the aging process. "Lager" means "to store" in German and most authentic lagers are cold-aged for at least a month. This results in a smoother, more subtle flavor. Most people are more familiear with the stronger flavors in ales and take a while to adjust to the subtle differences that lagers offer.
Washington, D.C.:
The FLY GIRLS would like to know... what steps would you recommend to someone who would like to get into the brewing business?
Mark Loveland: First, go to BURP.org and check out what the local homebrewers are doing. Many professional brewers also hang-out at BURP meetings, so that's a great way to get a foot in the door. I was lucky enough to start out with an Apprenticeship at Native brewing Co. Other brewers are always looking for help with bottling, kegging, pouring beers at beer festival, etc. Where there's a will there's a way. Usually the brewing way won't make you rich but there are a lot worse ways to earn a living.
Arlington, Va.:
Mark, since you're confined to four ingredients and German rules at GB, do you have like the mad scientist set-up in your basement where you produce other kinds of beers that include other ingredients?
Mark Loveland: Not in my basement. I am, however, a big fan of going out and trying the beers that other area brewers are making. I love Belgian-style beers and am a closet Hop-head, so I do enjoy beers that are different from those that I make. If you are looking for hops, just wait until our Czech lager comes out.
Washington, D.C.:
What types of beers would you recommend for someone that doesn't like very strong tastes?
Mark Loveland: I once went to a Belgian restaurant that said if you don't like beer, you just haven't had enough kinds yet. I agree with that very much. For example, most wine-lovers kind take there favorite wine, break it down into its different flavors and find a beer that matches those flavors. It just may take some time to find the right one, but don't give up too soon! AS for my recommendation, come in for one of our Golden Exports, or even our Dunkles. The Dunkles may be our darkest beer, but it is also relatively light in body and many "light" beer drinkers are surprised at how much they like it.
Takoma Park, Md.:
What do you think is the best temperature for serving beer, and does it matter what type of beer you are serving?
Mark Loveland: Each style of beer has its own personality which is best appreciated at a particular temp. Most lagers are served on the colder side, say 36-38 degrees. Most ales should be served a little warmer. One misconception is that British ales are served at room temperature. Actually, they should be served at "cellar" temperature, which can be arounbd 50-55 degrees.
Sunnyvale, Calif.:
I have seen the size of the tanks you store the beer in. How long does it take to empty on of those tanks? How much beer does the resturant sell in a week?
Mark Loveland: With out going into too much detail, we served over 5600 of our half liter glasses this past week. That's a lot of beer, but we hope to sell even more as time goes on. Especially when the weather warms up, our outdoor patio opens up, and the Caps make a run through the play-offs.
Cleveland Heights, Ohio:
Does GB have any plans to host nights where meals are specially coordinated with beers? Great Lakes Brewing in Cleveland, for example, will have roughly four of these throughout the year to show off certain parts of their menu along with both their regularly brewed beers and their seasonals.
Mark Loveland: At Gb there is a particular emphasis on pairing the food with the beer. Our head chef, Ed Evans, and I are working on a number of different ideas involving the food and beer. These will range from special beer dinners with Ed and I there to present a special menu paired with the beers, to brewer's happy hours, to recommended pairing made with our everyday menu items. In addition to these, we will also have seasonal food menus that will complement our seasonal beer offerings.
Stockton, Calif.:
What type of beer drinking club will you have? If any.
Mark Loveland: We have a couple rows of lockers above the bar that hold our special Stein Club glasses. They hold a little bit more beer for the same price and are free to whoever gets them. The trick is getting them. The bartenders and managers will reserve them for our guests who they feel have put in the time and have become regulars at the restaurant. In the German tradition of offering a stronger version of their beers to the regular patrons, we are looking to reward our faithful with our Steins.
Fells Point:
One of the things I like most about places that brew their own in the uniqueness of the final product. If I go to different outlets of your chain, is there any variance in the flavors of a particular beer from location to location? I would hate to think that the brewers hands are tied to a corporate formula.
Mark Loveland: One of the questions that I am asked most is do I feel constrained by brewing for a "chain"? Well, first of all, we consider our quality above what most people expect from a chain. Second, we pride ourselves in offering the same quality product at each of our locations. What this means for me as a brewer is that I am challenged in my brewing by tring to meet certain standards with each brew that I make. I must know my brewing system and process well enough to adjust for the differences between my equipment, water, etc and what other brewers in the company have. What some people call a lack a creativity is what others call traditional, professional brewing. Setting a standard and being expected to meet it. I can't just decide to make-up some recipe for a style, brew it, not have it come out right, and then just change the style and give it some cute name. I am responsible for brewing German styles that have been around for centuries. There is enough pride and responsibility that goes into carrying on that tradition without mucking it up with a bunch a "creative" flavors.
Bethesda, Md.:
A friend and I are planning to have lunch at your establishment later this week. He's a bit concerned that, because he doesn't drink, he'll be "looked down upon" or some such. I told him I'd be amazed if a successful outfit such as yours would do anything of the kind. Your thoughts?
Mark Loveland: Obviously we like our customers to at least try our beers. That's why we offer every patron one of our samplers for free. This gives them a chance to try our beers with out making a commitment to a whole beer. For those that don't drink, we feel that that just leaves more room for one of our delicious desserts.
Mark Loveland: Thanks for all the questions. Come by GB at 9th and F, NW and chat some more over one of our beers. Prost!
washingtonpost.com:
That was our last question today. Thanks to Mark Loveland, and to everyone who joined us.
Stay tuned on Live Online:
The Starry Eye at 7 p.m. EST
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