On to the big question you may be asking: what the heck is Marcobrau?
The name Marcobrau is a spin-off of my own name, Marc, and is what I call my homebrew. I started drinking better beer about two years before graduating college in 1993. After graduating, and having more money, I really started to try differnet imported and craft beers. A few years later, I started to make my own brew. I've been making ales of all varieties using mostly extract and some specialty malts along with hops, yeast and water for quite some time now (about 12 years). I like my beer and wish everybody could have some, but I can't afford to expand the brewery, so it's only available to my friends and family, including my wife, a.k.a. the Marco-frau.
What's in Marcobrau?
Marcobrau, like all beer is usually made of malted barley, hops, water and yeast. Malted barley provides the sugars that the yeast ferments and turns to alcohol. Hops provide the bitterness, and spiciness that counteracts the sweetness of the malt. Everything is boiled together in water, the main ingredient in beer. There are two basic kinds of beer: ales and lagers.An ale is any beer that is fermented with a top-fermenting yeast. Top-fermenting refers to the yeast fermenting at the top of the vessel, while bottom-fermenting refers to yeast that ferments at the bottom. Typically, ale yeast produces beers that taste slightly fruitier, while lager beers are "cleaner" tasting and less fruity. All the Marcobrau I make is fermented with ale yeast. If you want to start brewing check out my homebrew page. If you're a brewer yourself, you might want to check out my brewing blog.
beer. I brew my beer with malt extracts, specialty malts, hops
and liquid yeast.
My Favorite Monk
As some of you may know, one of my favorite kinds of barley pop is from Belgium. When I'm not sitting on my balcony enjoying a fresh bottle of Marcobrau, I'm probably quaffing a Belgian ale. The image to the right is one of my favorites, although it does not represent a true Trappist beer.
A what beer?!
A Trappist beer. These are complex tasting beers made by monks at
monasteries in Belgium. They are sometimes difficult to find
in the United States, but in my opinion, are worth the trouble. I
highly
encourage everyone to try a Belgian or Belgian-style beer, I guarantee
it
will be an experience that you will not forget!
The Great Beer Epiphany
Some of you may ask? "Just how did this guy get to like beer so much?"I think I first discovered beer when I was in the first grade, which I know seems just a little young to be drinking beer. Well, I had just had a sip of my Dad's beer, and it was Stroh's. I spit it out immediately. I guess things have changed since then. I re-discovered beer at college (like a lot of people) and found it's effects most entertaining. As I learned about the effects of alcohol (i.e.; hangovers, waking up with people you don't know, etc.) I decided that beer maybe wasn't that cool. This attitude lasted only a brief time until what I call the Great Beer Epiphany.
The epiphany happened in 1992 with my friend Ryan at a bar in Macomb, Illinois, called The Café. At this bar, there were many bottles of beer on the wall (maybe a 100 or more) that were all from different countries! I had never seen so many different beers!! It was here that I tried my first Guinness Stout, my first Sam Adams and so on. There were many other beers of pilsner and ale variety at The Cafe and I tried all of them. What started in Macomb has since led to a hobby of homebrewing and constant appreciation of fine ales (and lagers) from around the world. There are many styles of beer that have developed from around the world. I encourage you to give them all a try.
These days you don't have to look any further than cyberspace to learn about beer. There are many web sites out there that offer a lot of information about beer, including how it is made, what styles exist and where to find them. This site is meant to offer some of my insight about beer, and to be a gateway to the rest of the beer-related internet for the entry-level beer drinker, as well the more seasoned "beer hunter."
Just what is a beer hunter?
A beer hunter is anyone who enjoys beer and seeks out the various
styles of beer from around the world. I've done this with great fervor
for several years. As a beer connoisseur, my mentor would be
noted beer critic Michael
Jackson whose own web site is an excellent resource for the novice
and more savvy beer hunter. By far the best, most comprehensive
beer-related web site is the Beer Advocate, a resource and community I discovered
just in the last couple of years.
Worth the Trip
These days it's very easy to learn a lot about different beers and breweries by surfing the Internet. Every so often we get out of the house and travel to different places that have beer such as taverns and pubs, brewpubs and breweries. My interest in touring breweries grew out of my own exploration into the brewing process. I like to see how beer is made on a commercial scale. Visiting a brewery also gives the beer drinker a historical perspective of the brewing tradition and how their favorite beer came into being. Many of our trips to breweries are detailed on this site, in our brewery reviews, or in the articles on the Suds Stories page. Of course, beer appreciation is a social phenonemon, and one that often takes place in the pub. As English and European-style taverns become more popular in the United States more people are interested in sharing their appreciation of beer with others. Lucky for me, and many others, the Chicago area is home to a great many beer bars. I've compiled a list of our favorite bars and pubs as well as brewpubs. If you live around Chicago or will be visiting soon, check it out!
We here at the
Marcobrau Beer Pages encourage the responsible consumption of alcohol.
Please be aware of your limits and choose a designated driver or take
public transit whenever possible!!
Thanks for visiting!
