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InState Magazine
Nina's Corner
THIS WEEK: Scroll for 2 articles
Nina Rizos
How to be a Beer Snob
 Adjunct“Adjuncts are other flavors added to the beer, corn and rice being the biggest in beers like Natural Light,” said Mills. |
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Beer Tap |
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Beer Tap |
 Cheers |
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Cask Beer“Canned beer has some carbonation to it, but cask beer is naturally carbonated and dry hopped (adding hops into cask), which allows it to naturally carbonate,” Mills said. The softer carbonation gives a different mouth feel and is not as stingy as hard soft drinks you might get out of a pop machine. (Also see handpump beer engines) Mills said that Z Bar at The Deli Restaurant serves cask beer from Elk Creek Café, Troegs and Yards Brewing Company in Philadelphia. |
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GrainyA grainy beer refers to the malts being more pronounced. It tends to be sweeter and not as many hops but some malts taste more like bread, Brugger said. |
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Handpump Beer EnginesMills explained that handpump beer engines have a handpump that pumps back and forth and pulls beer from the asks. He said what is unique about casks is that the beer is served from its original state. “Beers that come from these casks with handpumps are meant to be sold at cellar temperature, which is around 55 degrees. Most beers that come out of draft generally are about 38 degrees,” Mills said. The advantage to this is you get more aroma and flavor out of them than when colder. |
Beer Tap |
Imperial India Ale (Imperial IPA)Imperial IPA’s are more heavily hopped than IPA’s and are stronger in alcohol content. Davies suggests Happy Valley Brew’s LeMonster. You can also try Otto’s Double D Imperial IPA. |
Beer Tap |
India Pale Ale(IPA)Mills said IPA’s goal is to showcase the hops. The malt bills are made to complement hops but malt is the clear flavor. It is bitterer than average beers. IPA’s have more hops and tend to have more alcohol than pale ales. Brugger suggests trying Otto’s Slab Cabin IPA. |
Lager“Lagers are bottom-fermenting beers and are brewed cooler,” Brugger said. Lagers are turned over in about 3-5 weeks and are aged longer than ales. |
LambicDavies explained that lambic beers are the easiest of sour beers to find. He recommends Rodenbach Grand Cru, which has a faint cherry taste to it. Davies warns that the sourness is something beer novices might not like but that “if you have the right attitude,it’s awesome.” Mills suggests trying Cantillon Brewery’s unique and fun Gueuze beer. |
MaltThe malty character taste in beers is made with the right amount of starches and proteins, Davies said. “It’s going to be a different combination of flavors from grains from real sweet to bread to toast to pie crust to cereal to caramel to coffee and chocolate, depending on how much the grain is cooked,” he said. Brugger suggests getting the Otto’s Red Mo Ale to experience the malty flavor in beer. to experience the malty flavor in beer. |
Pale“Think of a ladder,” Mills said. IBU (international bitterness unit) is a scale used to rate the bitterness of a beer. “When you read that number, it is a rating of how bitter the beer is. So, the lower the number, the less bitter the higher the number, the more bitter,” he said. “Sierra Nevada is on the second rung of the ladder -it’s a pale ale developed to showcase hops. IPA’s ramp up the hops and it increases withImperial IPA’s and Double IPA’s,” Mills said. |
PorterDavies said that porters are brown in color, more mildly hopped and less roasted character. The more hopped the stronger in alcohol and more flavor from malts. |
Stout“Stouts carry strong flavor from the use of roasted barley,” Davies said. He said that there are dry stouts like Guinness. Imperial stouts are stronger or more heavily hopped. “There can also be milk stouts that use lactose, which cuts the roasted character,” he said. Davies suggested trying Happy Valley Brew’s Phyrst Phamily Stout, which is an Irish stout that has the creaminess of Guinness and poured out of a nitrate faucet to give it a clean and dry finish. |
Chug! Chug! Chug,” the crowd chants as they surround you in a dimly lit and packed party on campus. Miller Lite, Natty Light, Coors Light, Bud Light: the go-to supplies for large gatherings and consumption in college. You’ll chug it, beer pong it, shotgun it, whatever it takes to get it down fast, feel the buzz and not spend a fortune doing it. Most people learn to drink with these beers, but what happens when you grow up?
You turn 21, you graduate, you grab a beer with the office folk during happy hour in the city and you are absolutely clueless on what to order.
So, you ask the bartender, “What do you have that tastes like Miller?”
Embarrassing.
To some, beer is an art form. It can be hand crafted and brewed with as much soul as grandma’s home cooked meals. It shouldn’t be chugged, but enjoyed. With the endless combinations of ingredients, cooking temperatures, recipes and beer lingo, it’s hard to tell what quality beer your taste buds would fancy.
Have no fear. I’ve compiled, defined and simplified a list of confusing beer terminology for the newbies of beer snobbery. I’ve
searched State College for its expert brewers and beer connoisseurs to get the best definitions, advice and information to better help you wean out of the college beer pallet.
JP Mills, who is in charge of Dante’s Inc. marketing and nightlife, offered his expertise in my research as well as Chris Brugger, brewer at Otto’s Pub and Brewery and former employee at Troegs Brewing Company and Josh Davies, head brewer at Happy Valley Brewing Company and former brewer for Arcadia Brewing Company, helped me break down the craft beer terminology.
See the above slideshow for the list of terms
Gradual Beer Progression
Natty, along with many of your favorite cheap college beers, have adjuncts of corn and rice, said Brugger. Ultimately they fall in the wheat category, Davies said.
Davies suggests easing yourself into drinking different kinds of beers by training your pallet and trying different beers. So in strategy from moving on from your Natty break up, try this progression provided by Davies:
Natty - wheat/Belgium white beers – lager – stout/porters – pale ale – India pale ale – Double IPA – then just explore the varieties of Belgium beers.
With a wide variety of ingredients and recipes for Belgium beers, the taste can be all over the place, so just see what you like! You should start out with the ones that are easy to get and then move on to the rare strong ones.
After you have tried all those, Davies said, “it’s time to try the sour beers once you’ve trained your pallet to try new flavors.”
Where to Get It
There are a lot of places to get beer in one of America’s craziest colleges, but try some of these locations to experiment with local and craft beers.
Dante’s Inc.
“Dante’s Inc., (which includes The Deli and Z Bar, The Saloon, Bar Blue, Hi Way Pizza, Inferno, The Hopshop and Mario’s) has 136 taps in State
College, specifically 57 drafts at The Deli and Z Bar (113 Hiester St.), which has a handpumped beer engine as well,” said Mills.
Happy Valley Brewing Company
http://www.happyvalleybeer.com/
137 Elmwood St., State College, PA
Happy Valley Brew offers six beers on tap right now. “We also have growler fills that are purged with carbon dioxide to keep the beer fresh for 2-3 months versus the average 3-5 day growler life,” Davies said.
The Hopshop
http://www.dantesinc.com/locations/the-hopshop/
117 Heister Street, State College, PA
The Hopshop has over 500 unique selections of beers and eight taps for growler fills. Mills assured that the employees there would assist you in helping to find new beers that you might enjoy.
Otto’s Pub and Brewery
http://ottospubandbrewery.com/
2235 North Atherton St., State College, PA
Otto’s brews 17 of their own beers as well as a variety of wines and spirits, according to their website. They also have a restaurant side if you want to explore beers while enjoying a meal.
Wegmans
345 Colonnade Blvd, State College, PA
Next time you’re grocery shopping, check out the beer selection in the Market Café at Wegman’s. You can create your own six-pack of craft beers for $11. 99.
Zeno’s Pub
http://www.zenospub.com/index.php
100 W. College Ave., State College, PA
Zeno’s Pub has a wide variety of local brews on tap as well as foreign and domestic bottles. Their website lists the current drafts and bottles they are carrying.
Talking Your Way to an Internship
The traditional process of finding an internship is bland:
the paperwork, the cover letters, the formal phone calls. The
desperation and need for students and rising grads to fill the
“experience” portion of their resume is daunting. The process
becomes robotic and impersonal. But it doesn’t have to be
this way.
Have you ever met someone who seems really interesting?
A person who seems to really enjoy his or her job? Just ask
them about it! Be personable and curious when you meet
someone who has a job that strikes your fancy, because you
never know what networking connections they have.I am
currently in a photojournalism course and am really enjoying
the class. I recently bought my own DSLR (digital single-lens
reflex) camera, those big fancy cameras that hang around your
neck and make you look professional. One of the projects for
my class was to do a photo story: covering a subject over a
number of shoots to tell a story through pictures. I loved the
idea of this project and my cousin’s Southern/Greek/Cypriot
wedding coming up in North Carolina provided the perfect
subject for the story.But, of course I forgot my camera’s battery charger in State College.
After running on low battery after three days of shooting on the wedding day, I was desperate. So I approached the cinematographers who had just arrived and prayed they had the cord I needed to recharge my battery. They didn’t have anything to help me, but it did lead to a great conversation.
What is cinematography you may ask? Well their company turnsshort videos into cinematic productions. So in my cousin’s case, they turned her wedding clip into a movie trailer basically, and I had seen their work before. Anyways, I was really impressed by their company.After they sadly informed me they couldn’t help me out with a charger, we started talking about photography. I told them I was in my first photography class and that I really enjoyed it.
I asked them what cameras and software they use. I started easing my way into conversation. He started showing me the equipment they use and the gadgets on their camera that bring it in and out of focus so easily and fluidly.It was time to make my next move. I asked if their company, ShoFilms, offers internships and he told me that they have about three a semester. This was great news, but I’m still in school almost three hours away from Pittsburgh. So I inquired about an internship that would fit my schedule. I casually asked if they offer internships over winter break.
He looked surprised, but said no one ever really asks to do it over that time but they could definitely work something out. Interested, I asked about the competitiveness of getting an internship. And that’s when he handed me his card and said, “You already got it.”
Just to remind you, I have absolutely no experience in video – this opportunity came about by fascination, curiosity, and conversation. In later research via Google, I found out he was the owner. Only adding to the incredible story about my 10 minute conversation that led to an internship. In later discussion, he said that I was really eager and seemed really into the subject, which was very good. I know that this type of opportunity doesn’t pop up too often, but I want to give you some tools on how to casually speak with people who could even just lead you in a direction to getting an internship.
Jeff Garis, director of Bank of America Career Services Center at Penn State, said that informal networking connections and conversations happen quite often.
“I worked with a student this past fall that I was home visiting family who said she wanted to get an internship. Her mom said, ‘Here’s a good friend of ours who works in a hospital.’ And they worked to build an internship just for that student,” Garis said.
Although these types of connections and opportunities can come across unexpectedly, Garis also emphasizes the importance of networking. Whether talking to a professional or talking casually to a potential network, Garis said to always communicate your professional or personal goals right away. Be sure to tell them what type of experience you want and if you’re pursuing an internship.Garis outlines three cornerstones in internships:1. Networking 2. Networking 3. Networking!
He said when you combine internet and networking you get a powerful tool, like LinkedIn. More importantly than networking via internet, Garis stressed the value in reaching out to your department’s career offices as well as the university career services. University Park’s resource is the Bank of America Career Services Center.
“Instead of talking your way into an internship, there may be an internship posted and waiting for you,” said Garis.T
here’s a common belief that in life “it’s not who you know it’s what you know.” Garis has a slightly different outlook on things, though. “It’s what you know, but the who you know gives you an opportunity to demonstrate what you know," Garis said.
Ryan Saba (junior-accounting) works in the Business building on campus on Thursday December 5, 2013. Photo by Emma Carwright
November 15, 2013
Vintage Shopping in
D.C.
Good style never goes out of style. Many are starting to realize this with a
large boom in the vintage shopping industry. Sometimes, if you look at
the right places you find some real gems. I went to D.C. this past weekend
and always enjoy hitting up the vintage, consignment, and thrift shops. With
D.C.’s large hipster-but-I-won’t-classify-myself-in-a-genre population, you’re
bound to find something you like, and if not, you can drown your sorrows at
Starbucks on virtually ever block.
So now I present to you the ultimate vintage shopping guide to America’s
beloved capital.
U Street has a bunch of shops lining both sides of the street and it’s right
off the U Street metro stop on the yellow and green lines.
There are probably a dozen vintage shops along U Street but especially
check these spots out:
Dr. K’s Vintage
1534 U St. NW
Dr. K’s has a TON of vintage shoes. The shop has attire for men and women
as well as a case of accessories that include sunglasses and old glasses.
When I went this past weekend, they had two Dooney and Bourke leather
cross-bodies – a bit pricey, $79.99 each, for the thrifty college student, but
probably less expensive and definitely cooler than the newer bags. As an
owner of a 15-year-old hand-me-down D&B from my grandmother, I can
testify to their durability!
Meeps Vintage
2104 18th St. NW
Meeps is a good spot to get something wacky and different. Last fall I found a pair of 70’s Italian sandals with hidden wheels that you could retract from the sole – the pre-cursor to the Heely fad in the early 2000’s – for only $14. Granted, the wheels were damaged from being old but nothing a simple replacement can’t fix!
Cathy Chung, partner of Meeps, said, “We have a Cosmic Costume Room to meet the needs of all of the fun D.C. parties but we emphasize that vintage is a great way to have fun with fashion and obtain well-made one-of-a-kind pieces at affordable prices.“ Chung also said that most of their items are very affordable, generally ranging from $10-$30.
This time around I got costume hippie pants for THON weekend – a solid investment at $17. Meeps is also a buy-sell-trade shop, so you can upgrade your vintage pieces for better ones if you’d like.
Chung pointed out a few unique items the store holds, which includes a Washington Redskins’ Doug Williams Sweatshirt from the year he lead the team to Super Bowl XXII.
Don’t forget to also check out:
Eastern Market
225 7th St. SE
http://www.easternmarket-dc.org/default.asp?ContentID=1
Consignment Paradise. Open 6 days a week (closed on Mondays), Eastern Market also has its own metro stop on the orange and blue lines. Various vendors post up in the market to sell their vintage attire, repurposed vintage-style knick-knacks, costume jewelry, antiques, and handbags. There is also an indoor marketplace where you can indulge in buying fresh produce and yummy food. Shop while enjoying live music on the weekends!
Honorable Mentions
Arlington Goodwill Stores
As with every Goodwill, it’s mostly hit or miss. When I went, it was a hit. The good thing about going to a metropolitan area Goodwill is the variety. I scored a $5 barely used Urban Renewal dress last fall.
Secondi
1702 Connecticut Ave. NW, Second Floor
Vintage purse hoarding site. A rack full of old-school bags just waiting for you to rummage through and make a mess. This store is a high-end consignment shop. I would say this is better for work attire at your next internship! They have seasonal sales in February and August if you’re planning your next D.C. trip. The closest metro would be the Dupont Circle metro stop.
Next time you’re in D.C., don’t just check out the monuments!
