The Hopback

The Devil Went Down to Georgia

2010-07-14T16:44:00.005-04:00

There's a simple rule I like to try to follow when traveling: Drink Local. Whether you're out of town on business or on a family vacation, nothing beats being able to grab some fresh pints or bottles of whatever the local breweries have to offer, especially if said offerings are not available in your area.

I've had some great beers from breweries in Mississippi, Alabama, Nevada and beyond that I wouldn't find just about anywhere else and certainly not back at home in New Jersey. My opinion has always been that if I'm in say, Georgia, it's silly for me to spend my cash on stuff I can pick up any day of the week like Sam Adams or Anchor products when instead I can grab some beer from SweetWater Brewing Company out of Atlanta, which is not available in New Jersey...so that's exactly what I did.

First up was some 420 Extra Pale Ale, which SweetWater describes as a West Coast Style Pale Ale, so I guess means it'll be a bit hoppier..although wouldn't that just make it an IPA? Let's find out:

It pours from the tap with a fairly watery, copper color with barely any head retention and no residue left on the glass. Typically average overall and not a great first impression for this one.

The aroma is a bit better with sweet caramel notes blending with floral hops. This carries over into the flavor and some biscuit-y bread notes start to shine through a bit here as well. I'd say we're still stuck on simple here, which wouldn't be a problem if it wasn't combined with average. Sierra Nevada does simple with their regular year round lineup but does so with bigger, bolder flavor, so the simple part of the equation works. The 420 Extra Pale Ale, on the other hand, just sort of sits there.

I thought this one was just too bland and easily gets lost in the sea of pale ales that are available in the market today. I'd probably pass on it in the future unless it was sitting amongst a Bud, Heineken and Corona lineup as my only craft option. I wouldn't mind having one again...it's just doesn't do anything for me.

So, you're probably thinking to yourself that I tell you to drink local and then with the first local beer I mention basically say it wasn't anything special...so what gives? Well, you're certainly not going to fall in love with every beer you try, and for every one you do try that may be mediocre, the next might blow you out of the water, which was pretty much the case for me with the SweetWater IPA.

I can't say enough about this IPA. It's incredibly easy to drink, has a full flavor and aroma that throws sweet caramel, pine, pepper, grapefruit, rugged earthiness and more at you, all while remaining balanced but with a definite nod to the hops as should be the case with any IPA.

Even the appearance was spot on, withe a creamy head atop the copper liquid body and lots of soapy residue left on the glass after each sip.

Again, I enjoyed every sip of every pint of this IPA that I had and it quickly shot to the top of my list of favorite IPA's, along with the likes of Bell's Two Hearted Ale and Smuttynose IPA. It reminded me a bit of a hoppier, IPA-d out version of the Troegs HopBack Amber. This one is just uber-enjoyable. I wish SweetWater distributed in New Jersey, because their IPA would be a staple in my fridge. If you're in Georgia, make it a point to find and enjoy as many pints of this stuff as you can...

Abita Asks Beer Lovers to "Save Our Shore"

2010-06-22T19:42:00.006-04:00

In the first high profile move that I've seen within the craft beer industry to support the Gulf Coast communities affected by the BP oil spill, Louisiana's Abita Brewing Company will soon be announcing it's plans to roll out Save Our Shore, a Charitable Pilsner where "75 cents of every bottle sold goes to the rescue and restoration of the environment, industry and individuals fighting to survive the disastrous Gulf oil spill."

As for the beer itself, the label text continues that "this unfiltered Weizen Pils is made with Pilsner and Wheat malts. It is hopped and dry hopped with Sterling and German Perle hops. It has a brilliant gold color, a sweet malt flavor, and a pleasant bitterness and aroma." Check out the full label artwork below.

The ABV weighs in at 7.0% and bottles should begin hitting the shelves sometime in July.

Abita gets a big thumbs up for it's efforts here, and it's not the first time they've done something like this. Shortly after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast in 2005, Abita brewed and released Restoration Pale Ale to help the recovery efforts of New Orleans and the surrounding area.

I would challenge all production breweries to incorporate a special release beer into their lineups that has a portion of it's proceeds donated back to charity. It doesn't and shouldn't have to be for major events like the oil spill either: giving back to medical, educational and athletic programs on the local or regional levels is just as important and necessary. I know that most craft breweries aren't exactly cash cows when it comes to overall profit and cash flow, but donating back with just one beer for just one cause would be a great thing to see.

As it stands now, this spill obviously hits close to home for the Abita family and I'd urge everyone to pick up a few bottles when they spot them.

Another New Magic Hat Seasonal? Hex Ourtoberfest Arrives This Fall

2010-06-21T22:04:00.008-04:00

This one's been out there for a while via the TTB COLAs Online site, but I did a Google search and scoured some of the more popular blogs that uncover this sort of thing and found nothing on it: Magic Hat, the craft brewing industry's unofficial king of lineup changes, is getting ready to introduce Hex as a new fall seasonal for 2010.

Not much information can be found on this beer as of yet, but if and when I receive an update from Magic Hat or elsewhere this post will be updated accordingly. Right now, it looks like it's coming in at 5.4% ABV and will be available in 12 ounce and 22 ounce bottles. I do know that it was poured this past weekend at BeerAdvocate's American Craft Beer Beer Fest in Boston and that RateBeer.com has it listed as an American Pale Ale, but with no reviews on the latter thus far it seems as if that style tag is a best guess at this point. All that the label notes is "Ourtoberfest," which doesn't help much in terms of style but does seem to suggest that there will be a typical Magic Hat twist with this one.

Hopefully this doesn't mean that Roxy Rolles, the current Fall Seasonal, has fallen into Magic Hat's ever growing pool of axed beers, as it is one of my favorite offerings from them and seems to be a fan favorite as well, but with these guys you never know.

Stay tuned for more info when it become available...

2010-07-13 UPDATE: Beernews.org confirms via a MH distribution rep that Roxy Rolles has indeed been replaced by Hex Ourtoberfest. I guess MH never got around to replying to my email inquiry. You can also see the beer's specs there as well, via the official MH website.

2010-07-13 UPDATE #2: I just checked my email to see when I sent the inquiry to MH so that I could post here and rip them for not responding, but noticed the email was sitting in my Draft box rather than Sent box...so they never responded because I never sent it. Oops. My fault. NOT MH's, and they did not ignore me in any way.

Ain't No Sunshine

2010-06-21T17:55:00.006-04:00

Florida is known for a lot of things: beaches, alligators, the Golden Girls...but beer is not one of them. Sure, there have been some acclaimed breweries to open in the Sunshine State over the past couple of years (Saint Somewhere in Tarpon Springs and Cigar City in Tampa come to mind. Hmm, maybe you just need to be in the Tampa Bay area to brew good beer here), but by and large Florida has always been sort of a beer wasteland, and it kind of makes sense. The state's primary industry is tourism and most folks heading down for a nice, tropical vacation don't have an Imperial Stout or a hoppy IPA on the brain.

The other craft beer issue in Florida is simply finding the stuff, be it anything brewed within the state or beyond. Walk into your typical liquor store or supermarket (at least in the Orlando area), and you'll be greeted by a boatload of Bud, Miller, Coors and Corona. You might find a smattering of Samuel Adams products or maybe some Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, but more often than not that's just about it. So for my recent trip down there I knew the pickings would be slim, yet was semi-lucky enough to stumble upon a store that stocked some craft stuff, including locally brewed beers from the Florida Beer Company out of Melbourne, FL. Although I seemed to recall some lukewarm things at best about the brewery, I happily grabbed one six-pack each of the Key West Southernmost Wheat and the Hurricane Reef Pale Ale. Unfortunately, my cloudy memory turned out to be mostly right.

The Southernmost Wheat was up first and it actually starts out nice enough in both the aroma and flavor, with wheat notes blended with hints of lemon, lime, yeast and some sugary candy from the Belgian yeast. The problem begins at the end of each sip, which comes across as a bit too lime-y with even a bit of saltiness in the mix at times. Not awful, but certainly off-putting and it definitely took away from the overall flavor of the beer.

The next issue was the mouth feel. This one was light bodied, as it should be, but waaaay over-carbonated to the point that it was noticeable time and time again and made it seem at times as if you were sipping a Sprite and not a beer.

In the end I didn't hate this one as the flavor was pretty good for the most part, but the little things here and there as noted above made the Southernmost Wheat less than memorable and more of an average beer than I was hoping it'd be.

So, maybe the Hurricane Reef Pale Ale will be a little better, right? Wrong.

The only place where the Pale really excelled was the appearance, which came across as a nice looking, lighter bodied English Style Pale Ale with a decent copper color and a nice frothy head.

Flavor and aroma were downhill from there, coming across as average at best and at times worse than that: malty and biscuity with hints of grass, but there was an odd butter/rubber/perfume blend that jumped in here (and I've seen it in a few other beers too) that just seemed out of place. The base of the beer was pretty good but the mashup of other, odd/off flavors that were thrown into the mix really took this one down a few notches and made it a pedestrian beer overall that I just wasn't crazy about.

Sadly, I'd almost certainly pass on both of these beers on my next beer excursion in Florida, and they've left a bad (or at least bland) taste in my mouth for the Florida Beer Company as a whole. I love to drink local as often as I can when I travel, but will be looking elsewhere in the future.

Is Fat Tire the Next Sam Adams?

2010-06-21T14:30:00.005-04:00

You would certainly think that Fat Tire, the wildly popular Amber Ale from Colorado's New Belgium Brewing Company, is on it's way to becoming the next Samuel Adams Boston Lager based on both how often and where I saw it available during a recent drive down to Florida.

Until recently, Fat Tire had been a mystery to much of the East Coast, almost like a craft brewed counterpart to Coors, which was similarly mysterious to and sought after by East Coasters 25-30 years or so ago. And while the Coors brand has been well entrenched nationwide in the world of macro beers for quite some time now, Fat Tire has been the little-craft-brewery-that-could, slowly crawling across the Mississippi River and finally finding it's way into some East Coast states within the past year or so.

North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia are amongst the latest states to fall under the Fat Tire distribution footprint, and while I did spot the beer here and there during a similar trip around this time last year, it's presence has grown amazingly since then: from bars and restaurants to packaged goods stores and even gas stations, Fat Tire is everywhere. On tap, in six packs, twelve packs and 22 ounce single bottles as well, the marketing blitz that this beer has made at the retail level is insane.

This is a great step for the overall availability and acceptance of craft beer and I hope that New Belgium continues to push Fat Tire further into more states with a strategic growth plan. That said, there's still a long road ahead.

Fat Tire is currently not available anywhere in the Northeast/New England regions, and both will be tough nuts to crack. Craft drinkers from these areas are not only typically fiercely loyal to the breweries from their respective regions, but are generally also more loyal than the rest of the country to the Samuel Adams brand as a whole, especially New England where there roots of the Boston Beer Company of course remain. And while it's neither a full on craft operation nor craft beer, Yuengling's Traditional Lager has a dominant hold on much of the "tweener" market in the Mid-Atlantic states.

Regardless, I think such a push can be successful, and they've got one huge advantage that the Sam Adams brand has intentionally ignored thus far: Fat Tire in cans.

Canned craft beer is making a huge push (nearly 100 American Craft breweries can their products now), and canned beer can be taken any number of places where glass bottles are neither allowed nor practical: music festivals, camping, fishing and the beach are just a handful of said places. Plus, by keeping out both light and oxygen, cans help to keep beer fresh for a longer period of time.

So, while New Belgium has got a long way to go before Fat Tire catches up with Sam Adams (and hell, maybe that's not even their intent, but it certainly seems like that's the long term goal), it's doing a bang up job now in the states that it does have distribution in, or at least the ones that I've been to. If you live in a state where Fat Tire is not yet available, keep your eyes peeled and shoot the brewery an email if you want to see it sooner rather than later. If you live in one of the newly added or long standing distribution states, keep on drinking that Fat Tire and help to make a better case for it's continued, successful growth.

Dogfishtrombones

2010-05-22T18:37:00.010-04:00

Whether he is taking inspiration from a 2,700 year old Turkish recipe, brewing a beer using one ingredient from every continent on Earth or simply slipping a Golden Shower past the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales is always pushing the envelope in the world of craft beer. At Dogfish, what often starts out as a quirky, brainstorming project is still almost always done for the greater good and advancement of craft beer. Sure it's fun to take what many would call over-the-top risks, but doing so without purpose is just plain silly, and thankfully the Dogfish crew is constantly looking to provide the consumer something new and worthwhile to experience rather than just looking to generate some press with some zany, new concoction.

For Palo Santo Marron, an unfiltered Brown Ale aged on Palo Santo wood from Paraguay, Dogfish decided that they wanted a wood-aged and flavored beer yet did not want to take the typical bourbon barrel approach and in turn end up with the typical bourbon flavor that most of the breweries that experiment with barrel aging end up with, so what did they do? They built a 10,000 gallon wooden brewing vessel on-site at their Milton, Delaware facility specifically for the production of this 12.0% ABV beer. Said behemoth is claimed to be the largest wooden vessel of it's kind to built in America since pre-Prohibition.

So, what started out as a smaller scale, experimental project eventually turned into a large scale, year round beer worthy of it's own expensive-ass holding tank, and the results are absolutely fantastic.

The deep brown color of the liquid here is basically black and looks much like a porter or stout would. That, combined with a nice creamy tan head atop the body, makes for a very inviting beer.

A smorgasbord of awesome aromas then hit you head on: this one is boozy with bits of caramel, wood, semi-sweet chocolate, licorice and brown sugar...all of which are tied together by a bread vibe that creeps in throughout. The aromatics all carry though to the flavor where a nice bitterness comes out to play and blends with more burnt wood and roasted malt characteristics that didn't show up in the aroma very often, if at all. It's even a bit smoky here and there, with brown sugar and somewhat of a raisin bite seemingly carrying you through each sip. The finish is dry and quite harsh but fits perfectly here with the medium bodied, slick and somewhat hefty beer that most definitely has some hotness to it from the higher alcohol content. Great job.

Palo Santo Marron has quickly become arguably my favorite Dogfish Head beer. I've always been a big fan of their 90 Minute IPA, but I think this one may have surpassed it on originality and overall flavor and balance. It's absolutely a sipper, but a damn fine one at that and one that you'll certainly want more of once your glass is empty. Make it a point to try the Palo Santo Marron. Soon. Seriously. Get up, go to the store and get some. Now.

Hopback, beer, Dogfish Head, Delaware, Palo Santo Marron, Brown Ale, Sam Calagione, Paraguay

She Grew Up in an Indiana Town...

2010-05-06T13:56:00.008-04:00

I've always found it interesting that Chicago's most sought-after brewery is located in Indiana (and when I say sought-after, I'm not kidding: Three Floyds Brewing Company is amongst the most popular and most traded breweries in the America, and they also host Dark Lord Day, a once a year event that draws in thousands of beer lovers from all across the country, if not the world).

Founded in Hammond, Indiana in 1996, Three Floyds moved slightly south a few years later to it's current Munster, Indiana location and has been selling the crap out of it's beers from there ever since. Their beer used to be available in and around Philadelphia, New Jersey, New York City some time ago, but with minimal brewing capacity, the brewery had to scale back it's distribution footprint and now focuses largely on the Chicagoland area while being available in Indiana and select parts of Wisconsin and Kentucky as well. Needless to say, limited availability plus insane popularity makes obtaining their beers outside of their home territory a difficult task, but I was able to get my hands on several bottles of their regular lineup not too long ago.

Gumballhead started things off and quite frankly it's a dangerously drinkable session ale. There's a very nice blend of citrus and pepper along with a juicy candy-like vibe mixing with a bit of bread in both the flavor and aroma. Juiciness shines through a bit more in the flavor. Wheat comes into play here and there but does not pop as much as you'd expect for an American Wheat Ale. It's not as simple as I remember it being in the past (not that it was ever simple), but I seem to recall it having much more of a wheat profile. This is an endlessly refreshing beer.

Pride and Joy takes the juiciness of Gumballhead, cranks it up a touch and adds a good dose of pine to the sweet candy and bread notes that are in the mix here as well. Pine and fruit sweetness is always a kick-ass combination for me, and there's no exception here. The flavor is juicy throughout and hops pack a punch but don't overpower. There's also a slightly burnt woodiness at the finish. This one is well balanced overall and again, highly drinkable. It's not a traditional Mild Ale by any means but it's a nice Americanized version of one and I'd take it any day of the week.

Three Floyds flagship beer, Alpha King, is a bigger take on the American Pale Ale style but is careful not to slip into "Imperial" territory. The aroma brings notes of caramel, pine, citrus, grass and pepper. Lots of hops, but again stays away from Imperial or even standard IPA territory. The flavor takes the reins from the aroma and hits you with pine and caramel up front, citrus in the middle and then more of a bitter, rugged finish that still holds a hint of sweetness.

Robert the Bruce stands out the most amongst the year round portfolio as it's the only real "dark" beer of the bunch and certainly the only one that leads the way with a malt-heavy flavor. Earth, darker berries and nuttiness is the theme of the aroma here, along with hints of juicy hops in the back. This carries into the flavor which has that rugged earthiness but maintains a healthy sweetness as well. It's a bit juicy and a bit smoky with some roasted malt at the finish. The medium body on this one is a bit slick and tough and just perfect for a Scottish Ale. Solid.

Finally we have what turned out to be a big disappointment for me: Dreadnaught. This beer is one of the highest profile beers that Three Floyds offers and consistently lands on lists of Top Beers in America and Top Beers in the World. It's a well respected, insanely popular and much loved beer...but I just don't get it. Don't get me wrong, it's okay, but it's no where near best-of-the-best level in my opinion. I've had scores of Imperial IPA's that were better.

It pours a clear light copper color with a surprisingly small sized head that is quick to dissolve. Interesting. Maybe the aroma will be better? Not really. It's got a pepper/sweet candy/citrus/wood thing going on with a hint of booziness, but everything is very faint and very tame. The flavor steps it up a bit by actually taking a slightly different direction: there are hints of smoke and tobacco here, along with more of an earthiness. Hoppy. Bitter. Dirty. Sweetness is definitely lacking. Citrus and pepper may come out in the middle on occasion. Pretty good flavor, but the overall experience is a bit lacking.

Again, I can't believe the hype around this one. I don't want to bash it as a bad beer because it's far from that, but it's just not memorable. Certainly not worth $10.00 or so per bottle. Sorry Dreadnaught.

The big winners here were the two beers I was expecting to enjoy the least: Robert the Bruce and Pride and Joy. Both are quite enjoyable all around. Alpha King and Gumballhead are very good as well, but I just preferred the others a bit more.

Give Three Floyds offerings a go if and when you can and while your at it, send me a few more bottles of Dreadnaught. I'm willing to give it another chance. Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't think so...

beer, Hopback, Three Floyds, Indiana, Chicago, Gumballhead, Pride and Joy, Alpha King, Robert the Bruce, Dreadnaught, Dark Lord Day

Harpoon Continues Brewing Through Water Main Break

2010-05-04T14:17:00.004-04:00

Harpoon Brewery maintained production at it's South Boston facility over the weekend despite a water main break on Saturday just west of the city that left more than two million people in the Boston metro area under orders to boil their tap water before consuming it.

Although the boil water order only ended as of today, Harpoon was able to keep production moving because they already boil their water via the brewing process each day for 70 minutes, which is 69 minutes longer than the one minute the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority recommended that citizens boil their own tap water.

Check out the NECN video for more:

Old Dirt Hill

2010-05-04T08:18:00.006-04:00

First off, an apology to any Dave Matthews Band fans out there for using one of their worst songs off of their worst album for the title of this post. I know it sucks (although it has gotten better as it has evolved over the years) but it fit. DMB is from Charlottesville, Starr Hill was founded in Charlottesville (but has since moved to Crozet). Utterly cheesy I know, but you get the picture.

Anyway, I had been hearing good things about the Starr Hill Brewery for some time now, but despite the fact that the Virginia state border is only a three hour or so drive from my house (i.e. it's pretty damn close to New Jersey in the grand scheme of things), none of it's breweries distribute here. Needless to say, I was stoked when I came into possession of a six pack of their Northern Lights IPA, which was supposedly one of the highlights of their arsenal of beer. I'm happy to say it's pretty damn good stuff indeed.

For whatever reason, I tend to gloss over the appearance of most beers, but just can't do that here with Northern Lights. It looks friggin' fantastic, pouring an awesome hazy orange/copper color with a huge, pillowy head that has great retention to it. Once it settles in a nice, web-like residue pattern is left on the glass. This is just great looking stuff.

The flavor and aroma dial it back a notch from awesomeness of the appearance but are both still quite solid. Hops take the citrus route with more subtle grass and pepper notes coming into play as well, and a nice earthy maltiness balances things out yet still lets the hops lead the way. There's a bitter, biting pop from the hops throughout along with a toasted bread vibe at the end of each sip.

While this one is available year round and I could certainly drink it year round, there's just something about it that screams "Summer IPA" to me. I guess maybe it's that lighter, non-extreme feel that it's got to it, but this one would be perfect to knock back on the porch at the end of a hot summer day.

A relatively tame, more traditional IPA? Sure, but it's a solid one, and it's got me itching to try some more Starr Hill stuff, so a job well done.

beer, Hopback, Starr Hill, Charlottesville, Virginia, Northern Lights, IPA, India Pale Ale

It's Hard to Be a Saint in the Citi

2010-05-01T22:16:00.006-04:00

As a life-long Yankees fan, I've grown accustomed to the higher standards of baseball in the Bronx. At the same time, I've grown equally accustomed to watching their cross-town rival Mets screw the pooch 99.9% of the time. So, when both opened grandiose new stadiums last year it should have been a foregone conclusion as to which would be the nicer finished product, right? Wrong. Yankee Stadium is elegant indeed, but Ebbets...strike that, Citi Field takes the cake for the best stadium in Gotham.

And the best part (for me) about Citi Field? The beer selection. While you are for the most part stuck in a sea of Heineken and Nine Dollar Schlitz at Yankee Stadium, Citi Field has Big Apple Brews, a large-ish beer stand in the Taste of the City section of the ballpark that offers about 30 different beers from around the world. Want more? Three of the eateries (from Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group) in Taste of the City offer up specially brewed beer from the Brooklyn Brewery that are available only at said establishments.

First up is the Shackmeister Ale, a pale ale brewed for the Shake Shack, an uber-popular burger joint who's original location opened back in 2004 in Manhattan's Washington Square Park. Shackmeister comes in on the lighter side of things overall, from color to aroma to flavor, but that's not a bad thing here as you should be looking for an easier drinking beer to complement your burger and fries, not overpower them, and that's exactly what this beer accomplishes. There's an overall sweetness to it from some caramel malt blending with some floral, grassy, even candy-like flavors at times. Very easy to drink and again, a nice beer to pair with your burger which, if you didn't know already, you may have to wait 45 minutes or more in line to get one. Yep. Shake Shack is that popular and it's burgers are that good.

Next in line is what was for me both the highlight beer and far and away the best food I had at the ballpark. Hell, it's the best food I've had at any ballpark. I'm talking about El Verano Taqu eria and their Sabroso Ale. Once you enter the gates at Citi Field make a mad dash to this stand and order the taco combo, which consists of a pork, chicken and steak taco and each one is fantastic. As for the Sabroso, I've seen it listed as a Pale Ale by a few different places but it struck me as more of an ESB. It's got a caramel, earthy malt vibe to it with floral and grassy hops balancing things out, along with a hint of citrus. I'd even say there's a slight bit of nuttiness at the bittersweet finish to this one, which comes in with a slightly creamy mouth feel overall. Great balance all around. I thought it went fantastically well with the spicy (but not overpowering) tacos.

Finally, we have Blue Smoke Original Ale brewed for the BBQ-themed Blue Smo ke. I've heard great things about the original restaurant but wasn't terribly impressed with the pulled pork offered at the game. It was a bit dry and fairly bland overall. As for the Ale, I'd have to say that it's the least impressive of the three Brooklyn ales we're discussing today. That's not to say it's bad (it's not), but one of them has to come in last and well, the Blue Smoke Ale is it. The aroma and even the flavor are somewhat faint, with caramel and grass leading the way and providing a very mild but balanced base. There's a slight juiciness and a bit of a hop kick here as well, but again everything comes across as tame. It's almost like a lighter, less flavorful version of the Sabroso. I'd call this one slightly above average.

In the end, all three of these beers are fairly similar to one another but each one strays slightly from that similar base they all seem to have and that makes for definitively distinct beers. For me, the clear winner is the Sabroso, which by the way is the only one here that is truly unique to Citi Field. While you won't be able to run down to your corner store or bar to grab the Shackmeister or Blue Smoke, they are available at their restaurants' other locations in the city. As this is the only El Verano Taqueria in operation at the moment, it's your only option for the Sabroso Ale.

Kick-ass, wildly creative beers? Nope all around. Solid, flavorful beers that pair well with the styles of food with which they are sold? Absolutely.

An Emperial IPA for Stone's 14th Anniversary

2010-04-30T13:36:00.006-04:00

The folks at Stone Brewing Company posted a brief yet info-packed video yesterday announcing the details of their ever-changing Anniversary Ale that is released each summer.

For their 14th Anniversary this year, it seems as if they are taking one of their most traditional approaches ever with a Brit-inspired Emperial IPA, and by traditional I mean it sounds a bit off the beaten path nonetheless yet still a bit tame for Stone at the same time.

Check out the video for more info:

Stone 14th Anniversary Emperial IPA Announced from stonebrew on Vimeo.

Craft Beer Stunner: The Griffin Group Acquires Anchor Brewing Company & Establishes Anchor Brewers & Distillers, LLC

2010-04-26T16:22:00.006-04:00

Wow. Fritz Maytag, owner of Anchor Brewing Company since 1965 and one of the long standing pioneers of the craft brewing industry, has sold the brewery. Again...WOW.

Hot off the press via BeerAdvocate:

...

THE GRIFFIN GROUP ACQUIRES ANCHOR BREWING COMPANY AND ESTABLISHES ANCHOR BREWERS & DISTILLERS, LLC

Acquisition Continues the Legacy of a San Francisco Icon

(San Francisco, CA) - April 27, 2010 - The Griffin Group, an investment and consulting company focused on beverage alcohol brands, announced its acquisition of Anchor Brewing Company which includes its portfolio of craft beers and artisan spirits, including the award winning Anchor Steam Beer.

The Griffin Group is led by beverage alcohol veterans, Keith Greggor and Tony Foglio, two longtime San Francisco residents who have been working with Anchor Brewing Company's owner, Fritz Maytag to maintain the iconic brewery and distillery in San Francisco.

"Anchor Brewing Company has a long history in San Francisco and The Griffin Group is ushering in an exciting era while maintaining our proud, time-honored history," said Fritz Maytag. "Combining Keith and Tony's passion for the Anchor Brewing Company, their industry experience and expertise only means that Anchor will be enjoyed in San Francisco for generations to come."

"Since 1896, Anchor Brewing Company has been an icon of San Francisco's history and culture," stated Griffin's Founding Partner, Keith Greggor, "I am honored to bring Anchor Brewing Company into our family of craft beers and artisanal spirits through establishing Anchor Brewers & Distillers, LLC."

Anchor Brewers & Distillers intends to establish a "Center of Excellence" in San Francisco for craft brewers and artisan distillers from around the world. An epicenter of development, education, entertainment and innovation, all designed to further contribute to the culture and heritage of craft beer and artisan spirits.

"San Francisco is the perfect place to establish this center," stated Tony Foglio, "Through our extensive portfolio of craft beers and fine spirits our focus will be to educate and satisfy the increasing consumer demand for authentic, quality and natural products that reflect the passion of their creators."

Continuing the Anchor heritage, Mr. Maytag has been named Chairman Emeritus of Anchor Brewers & Distillers.

The Griffin Group operates as both boutique merchant and investment bank for premiere craft beers and artisan spirits. In addition to the Anchor Beers, The Griffin Group will assume control of the spirits brands including Old Potrero Whiskey, Junipero Gin and Genevieve Gin through the acquisition of Anchor Brewing Company. Additional affiliated companies to be held under Anchor Brewers & Distillers include Preiss Imports, a leading US specialist spirits and beer importer, and BrewDog USA, LLC, the US division of the leading UK craft beer.

The Griffin Group is headquartered in Novato, Marin County, California.

Hopback, beer, Anchor Brewing, sold, San Francisco, Griffin Group, Fritz Maytag

Carolina Blues

2010-04-21T18:46:00.006-04:00

North Carolina is the most under-rated beer state in the country. Sure, places like California, Colorado and much of New England receive all the hype, but North Carolina is home to some real brewing gems. From the Pisgah Brewing Company in the the mountains of the western portion of the state to the Weeping Radish Eco Farm and Brewery along the eastern shores of the Outer Banks and with The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery, Top of the Hill and more in between, North Carolina is a growing force to be reckoned with in the craft brewing world.

My personal favorite brewery from the state however is fortunately also one of it's easiest to come by. Highland Brewing Company cranks out it's beers in Asheville, one of the coolest little cities you'll ever visit.

Highland was founded in late 1994 by Oscar Wong and started with a 6,500 barrel capacity that was draft or 22 ounce hand-bottled offerings only. A few years later they added a bottling line that allowed them to start packaging in 12 ounce bottles and they have been steadily growing since, now having the capacity to brew up to 20,000 barrels annually.

Their portfolio includes a nice range of styles from a wickedly tasty Oatmeal Porter to a tongue tingling Kashmir IPA, but the beer we'll be looking at today is their most popular offering, Gaelic Ale, a highly quaff-able Amber Ale with a nice balance to it.

What I like about this one is the simplicity paralleled with a bit of uncertainty. For instance, I couldn't really completely put my finger on what was going on in the aroma. It's got a nice sweet malty caramel base for sure thanks to a good dose of caramel malt, but is there some cocoa in there? Some faint, juicy, citrus hops in the back? A slight tick of pine, and perhaps even some spice notes like a hint of cinnamon? Hmmm. I'm probably over-thinking it but there seems to be more here than meets the eye, although the flavor is much more direct.

Earthy, rugged notes lead each sip with a good roasted malt tone, but the sweetness from the caramel is still there as well, and the juicy hops that I thought I picked up in the aroma are certainly present at the finish. Although they certainly make their presence known, hops never really come out and attack the palate (which works nicely for the style) and they let the malt do most of the talking for a balanced overall flavor.

A very easy beer to drink, and at 5.8% ABV it's still arguably at the top end of what would be considered a session ale. Many people like to max out session ales at about 5.0% ABV, while others will push it up to about 6.0% ABV. I tend to fall in the latter group. Regardless, it's still quite good. It's not going to blow your palate away with bold or new flavors, but that's not the idea here. Take this one for what it's aiming to be and you won't be disappointed.

Hopback, beer,
Highland, Asheville,
North Carolina, Gaelic Ale,
Pisgah, Weeping Radish,
Duck Rabbit, Top of the Hill

Dripping in This Strange Design

2010-03-30T13:15:00.001-04:00

Packaging makes or breaks a beer. What's that you say? I'm crazy? Well yeah, but not really. Beer in and of itself should be judged solely on the liquid that is either in the bottle or from the tap. This alone is simple enough, yet it's getting to that liquid that can often prove difficult.

Here's the deal: I'm a sucker for slick packaging and presentation and really, we all should be. Why? Craft beer choices for the consumer continue to grow. Here in New Jersey we now have more than 100 American breweries that offer their products to us. I am of the mindset that as a brewery if you are taking the time to care about how your product is presented to the marketplace, be it through labeling, logos, tap handles, etc, then you'll be equally if not more so concerned with and attentive to the quality of the product you put in those same packages you took such pride in creating. That well designed packaging scheme is basically saying, "Check out how wonderful I look. The beer inside is even better. Take me home to drink and I won't let you down."

You can't be loyal to a product you've never tried, so why not start with trying to stand out from the myriad of other options surrounding your products on the shelves?

And yes, as is the case with everything, there are exceptions. There are breweries with top notch marketing and packaging efforts that couldn't brew a decent beer if their life depended on it, yet there are also breweries that have abysmal packaging schemes that put out some of the finest ales or lagers in the United States. But when push comes to shove, if I'm looking to try something new and am deciding between two or three brewery offerings that I know little to nothing about, then I'm picking the one that on the shelf is most appealing to my eye.

Sure, I understand that some craft breweries might not have the budget to develop their brand as much as they'd like beyond word-of-mouth marketing, and others may have both the marketing budget and also the creative brewing mind to capture liquid genius in a bottle yet can't fathom how to actually market that bottle, but in the end it's a shame that so many breweries are just unable to take that extra step to get their beers into the hands of consumers more easily.

Fortunately, there's a movement of breweries within the industry who do seem to get and thrive on the overall scheme of complementing great beer with great presentation (Great Divide, Stone, The Bruery and Dogfish Head are just some examples), and the latest to jump on board is the Left Hand Brewin g Company out of Colorado, which is in the midst of drastically overhauling it's brand labels yet still very much keeping with the brewery vibe and marketing approach of the past.

Check out some of the changes below. While the old set wasn't terrible, it never really stood out either and got to the point where it had been around for so long that it seemed to be caught in that stale, 1990's looking, flat design. The new look just pops a whole lot more with more vibrant colors and lively graphics and certainly draws me in more at a quick glance to make me stop and find out what that beer is. I can easily see more people now doing the same and picking up these Left Hand brands to learn more and ultimately holding onto them to purchase, which in my mind means mission accomplished with the design reload. An excellent job all around by Left Hand.

OLD / NEW

OLD / NEW

OLD / NEW

Time of the Season

2010-03-29T16:38:00.015-04:00

Seasonal creep has hit a new low in the brewing world. For those of you that have no idea what I'm talking about, seasonal creep essentially refers to breweries releasing their more popular seasonal beers sooner than the season that they represent dictates in order to maximize sales on that particular style from their portfolio.

From a business perspective, this makes complete sense. If you've got a Winter Ale that typically sells twice as much as your Octoberfest, then you best get the former on the shelves as soon as you can. The problem is that from a craft beer consumer standpoint it often leaves you scratching your head.

Case in point, and the reason for this post: I went out to dinner over the weekend and while the beer selection was limited, the bar had tap handles for Magic Hat Vinyl, Samuel Adams Boston Lager and Samuel Adams Noble Pils, which if you didn't know is the new Spring Seasonal from Boston Beer Company and is actually quite enjoyable and in my opinion is a significant step up from their former Spring seasonal, the White Ale. Anyway, I happily ordered up a pint of the Pils and not five minutes later our waitress had returned to inform me that the Pils keg had recently kicked and had since been replaced by the Summer Ale. Huh? Spring was barely a week old and the Spring Seasonal from one of the largest breweries in the country was already being shoved aside. Unacceptable. I decided to pass on the Summer and go for a pint of the Vinyl instead as while it's not nearly as flavorful or enjoyable as the Noble Pils or even the Summer Ale at that, it's still decent enough and is actually Magic Hat's Spring beer. A light, refreshing lemony summer wheat beer just didn't seem right on a cold, windy and rainy April evening.

(As an aside, and this is not Boston Beer's fault in any way, if a keg of one beer kicks and you replace it with something else, change the tap handle! I'm pretty sure it's actually illegal in New Jersey to dispense beer from a tap that's marked as another brand. Bad form by the restaurant.)

And while Boston Beer might not be the biggest culprit, they are almost certainly the most visible simply because of their size, yet are of course not the only offenders. I've been able to pick up four packs of Dogfish Head Punkin' Ale in early August, have already seen Leinenkugel's Summer Explorer Twelve pack on the shelves this year and just recently purchased a Lakefront Brewery Sampler Eight-Pack (reviews of these beers coming soon) where one of the slots was reserved for a seasonal beer from the brewery. I assumed that slot would be occupied by Snake Chaser, their Irish Style Spring Stout, but alas was greeted by a bottle of White Beer which is, you guessed it, their Summer offering.

Now, I'm not suggesting that a Summer Ale for instance should only be available from Memorial Day to Labor Day, but having it out in the market from late April until early September seems much more reasonable (although it's still too early for my liking).

Hopefully we've maxed out the seasonal creep for the breweries that are current offenders and others won't follow suit. The problem is that, again from a business standpoint, you can't really blame them for making the decision to do so as they'd just be trying to keep up with the other guys.

The only way to make these breweries realize that their release schedules can be a bit ridiculous is to refuse to purchase a beer that comes out with a crazy early jump on it's intended season. Maybe then they'll realize that they're doing a disservice to their other brands (you certainly can't grow a brand if you limit it's release window) and change their ways. Speaking for myself, I can say that my first sip of Samuel Adams Summer Ale is still weeks away...at least.

Otis Blue

2010-03-11T10:06:00.004-05:00

Sure were still in the early part of the year and it's not a new beer by any means, but I'm telling you now that Otis, a fantastically tasty Oatmeal Stout from Brooklyn's own Sixpoint Craft Ales, will be on my Top Ten Beers of 2010 list. It's that good.

From the rocky off-white head and luscious near black color to the aromas and flavors which both impressively balance a roasted malt, heartier base with sweeter caramel and chocolate/cocoa notes, along with a touch of coffee. Bitterness is fairly tame overall and the great balance along with a bit of chewy ruggedness makes this one impossibly easy to drink.

I paired it with some lobster enchiladas which were layered with a spicy red diablo sauce, rice and beans and it worked perfectly. Much as the beer itself strikes a nice balance between roasted and sweet, it helped to balance the meal as a whole with the sweeter notes complementing and somewhat taming the overall spiciness of the food.

While the obvious and most common beer style pairing with spicy dishes is the IPA because the boldness of the hops stands up nicely to the intensity of the food, I usually prefer a sweeter based Porter or Stout to accentuate some of the flavors, especially if there is any seafood in the dish, as a spicy dish/IPA combination can often overwhelm the palate.

The Sixpoint lineup is draft only and is fairly difficult to come by in New Jersey, so if you live or find yourself near Asbury Park I highly recommend stopping into Langosta Lounge on the Boardwalk. The food is great and they've got Otis on tap, but who knows for how long...

Hopback, beer, Sixpoint, Otis, Oatmeal Stout, Brooklyn, New Jersey, Asbury Park

Say Hello, Wave Goodbye

2010-03-04T13:23:00.003-05:00

Some good news and some sad news arrived from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania today via the Tröegs Tales March 2010 Newsletter. Let's start with the bad stuff:

Tröegs has announced that the last batch of Rugged Trail Nut Brown Ale was brewed back in February and has officially shipped out for the last time. According to the newsletter, there was simply no longer any room in the portfolio (or the tanks) for Rugged Trail given the current beers that Tröegs is currently brewing.

I for one am sad to see Rugged Trail go. It has always been amongst my favorites from Tröegs (bet you can't guess my actual favorite...) and was a wonderful take on the style and a great session ale for sure. If you're a fan, I suggest you grab any and all six-packs of the stuff while you can.

Yet from this sad news comes some good, and while it's been out there as rumor for a while, Tröegs has officially given word that Javahead Stout, which was to be a limited, seasonal beer originally released last Autumn, has been given year round status and will now be available in 12 ounce, 22 ounce and draft formats. The 12 ounce bottles have already begun shipping and the 22 ounce and draft will be available starting in late March/early April.

Finally, Tröegs has also announced a new variety case called Anthology. It will replace the Tröegs Dozen variety case which has been around for a long while now, and will have two slightly different incarnations. Anthology Number One will contain Hopback Amber Ale, Tröegs Pale Ale, Dreamweaver Wheat and Sunshine Pils, while Anthology Number Two will swap in the Javahead Stout for the Sunshine Pils. The former is anticipated to be available from April until September and the latter from September until March.

beer, Hopback, Troegs, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Rugged Trail, Nut Brown Ale, Javahead, Stout, Anthology, Pale Ale, Sunshine Pils, Dreamweaver Wheat

Sweet Home Chicago

2010-03-02T14:59:00.004-05:00

Collaboration beers are all the rage in the craft brewing world right now, and with the Brewers Association's annual Craft Brewers Conference coming up next month (April 7-10) in Chicago, a new one time only beer will make an appearance as the ultimate Windy City collaborative effort.

Heartwood Symposium Ale was brewed by members of the Illinois Craft Brewers guild at Chicago's own Goose Island Beer Company. It is 100% Aged in Bourbon Barrels and, according to the print on the label is the result of 15 Illinois breweries which "formed four teams, each creating a recipe and brewing it at Goose Island Beer Co: Imperial Stout, Imperial IPA, Scotch Style Wee Heavy and a Barley Wine Style Ale." These were all aged separately in Bourbon barrels and then blended into the beer that will be presented at the conference.

This sounds like an amazing project. I'd sure love to get my hands on some, and I'm sure most of you would too, but good luck in your quest. The Symposium beers are typically tiny batch offerings that are bottled and given only to conference attendees and perhaps some members of the local press, so coming across one for non-attendees will be next to impossible.

Beer, Hopback, Craft Brewers Conference, Chicago, collaboration, Goose Island, term one, Heartwood Symposium Ale

Stone Skips Across the Pond

2010-02-26T22:15:00.004-05:00

The guys over at Stone Brewing have finally posted the final part of their most excellent Stone Skips Across the Pond mini-documentary and the entire saga is now available for viewing in it's complete form.

For those who don't know, Greg Koch, Steve Wagner and Mitch Steele from Stone made the trek over to Europe in July of 2009 to brew the latest edition of a collaborative Stone/Jolly Pumpkin/Nøgne Ø Holiday Ale at the Nøgne Ø facilities in Norway. From there, they shot across to Scotland where they set out to brew Bashah, a Double Black Belgian IPA, in collaboration with BrewDog.

This isn't a technical look behind the scenes by any means, but rather a fun peek into the world of brewing and collaborations amongst friends and colleagues, and is definitely worth a look. Click below to watch or click on the image above to go direct to the Vimeo site for a larger, HD version.

Stone Skips Across the Pond | Full version from stonebrew on Vimeo.

Hopback, beer, Stone, Nogne O, Jolly Pumpkin, Norway, Scotland, Bashah

Thelonious Monk(shine)

2010-02-24T22:14:00.003-05:00

Ah, Utah. I've never been, but it's a state that has always intrigued me for a variety of reasons. While my parents say it's far and away the most beautiful state they've ever visited, I've always seen it as the place that's chock full of bizarre laws: boxing matches that allow biting are not allowed (sorry, Iron Mike), no one may have sex in the back of an ambulance if it is responding to an emergency call...you get the picture. More importantly, and for our purposes here, the liquor laws have always been odd as well, with alcohol by volume maxing out at 4.0% for beer and private club membership being required for full alcoholic beverage service.

Thankfully, things have loosened up a bit for Utah residents in recent years. While taverns, restaurants, brewpubs and grocery stores can still only sell 4.0% ABV beer, private clubs have morphed into non-membership bars with full alcohol service and state liquor stores can also sell beers that weigh in over that 4.0% ABV threshold. This has really allowed Utah breweries to get their creative juices flowing, and one such brewery is, ironically enough, Four + Brewing out of Salt Lake City, which is a division of Uinta Brewing Company.

Monkshine is their approach to the Belgian style Pale Ale, and I have to admit that I was a bit shocked at just how well this one came together. There's a lot of sweetness to the aroma from the Belgian yeast that gives off a nice candy-like vibe, and it mixes in with some banana and citrus notes and a good dose of grassiness/graininess. There is also a slight tick of corn in the aroma which I have found to come out in this particular style from time to time. Nothing offensive and nothing negative about it, but it is there.

The flavor continues on with the aromatic characteristics, and pulls off a more bitter than expected finish to compliment the sweetness that lingers throughout. General candy gives way to a slightly more specific bubble gum vibe. Again, there are some nice grassy qualities here. Refreshing.

There's a certain wispy farmhouse quality to this one that was really quite enjoyable from start to finish. It actually reminds me of a specific beer, but I can't put my finger on which beer that is. I'm sure it'll come to me eventually. I would certainly pick Monkshine up again and would say it is absolutely worth your time to try a few bottles. It's not a big beer that will knock your socks off, but rather something that holds truer to the style and is highly quaff-able.

Hopback, beer, Utah, Salt Lake City, Four +, Uinta, Monkshine, Belgian, Pale Ale

Let There Be Rock (Art)

2010-02-16T20:37:00.004-05:00

The Double India Pale Ale has come a long way lately and it is finally starting to catch the attention of my palate. While the style is fairly young in comparison to most others in the beer world (it has really only been brewed for the past 15 to 20 years or so, and only truly became uber-popular and trendy in the early to mid 2000's), it arguably contains some of the most sought after products in the market within it's family, at least here in the United States. My problem with Double IPA's has been that in the past they've largely been something that was brewed to out do the previous guy in trying to create the hoppiest beer possible. Thankfully, this has started to change in recent years, and we're getting Double IPA's that are more balanced than ever, yet can still provide a palate shredding hop burst that standard IPA's just can't touch, and nor should they. A great example of what I think is a newer wave of the Double IPA is the IPA (II) from Vermont's own Rock Art Brewery.

It pours out of the bottle a murky amber/copper color with minimal head retention, but the real story here is the flavor and aroma. As noted above, a much more balanced attack is the key: there's a bit of citrus and also a peppery, slightly spicy bite and all of this blends quite nicely with a hint of caramel sweetness but more so a nice bread-like quality throughout. The aroma takes on a bit more of a biscuit quality while the flavor sticks more toward the traditional baked bread characteristics. Similar yes, but quite different at the same time. To add just a bit more complexity to the mix, a slight hint of pine comes through at times as well.

Balance is again the key in the mouthfeel, where there's a good bit of chewiness and a tongue-tingling bite from the hops meshing with the carbonation, but it's not as heavy handed as a typical Double IPA where often one's mouth can feel like it's being slashed with each sip.

This is a very drinkable beer in general, and especially so for the style. Hops certainly still lead the way but never overshadow any of the other flavors. I'd call it a bit of a "tweener," straddling the line between a standard and Double IPA, but still leaning heavily toward the latter. It could be seen as a nice introductory beer into the world of Double IPA's, but by no means would I call it tame, and it's 8.0% ABV is actually hidden quite nicely. Nice stuff.

Hopback, beer, Rock Art, Vermont, Double India Pale Ale, IPA

Some Like It Hottenroth

2010-02-08T21:59:00.005-05:00

Who's in the mood for a low alcohol, sour ale that's made using a wild bacteria culture? I'm guessing there aren't too many hands raised, but the truth of the matter is that these are all elements of a rare style of beer from Germany called Berliner Weisse.

The Berliner Weisse, as you may have guessed from the name, has roots in the city of Berlin and it's surrounding area dating back to about the 16th century, and is brewed with a large proportion of wheat. The beer tends to stick to the lower end of the alcohol by volume (ABV) spectrum, typically coming in around 3.0% ABV (to compare, most macro beers like Budweiser, Coors, etc tend to fall in the 4-5% ABV range, while most "sessionable" craft beers come in around 5-6% ABV), with the sour flavor created either by secondary fermentation in the bottle or by adding lactobacillus during the brewing process.

While a Berliner Weisse can certainly be enjoyed on it's own, it is often paired with flavored syrups, with raspberry and woodruff being two of the most popular choices.

The style is still somewhat difficult to come by, yet a growing number of craft breweries in the United States have been diving into it to offer up their own take. One such stab at the style is Hottenroth from The Bruery, a less than two year old establishment out of Southern California that has been cranking out an array of incredibly solid and flavorful beers since day one.

Hottenroth pours a light golden color that is mostly clear but has a slight haze to it. The mid-sized head quickly dissolves leaving no residue on the glass. Interesting. This one looks very much like a beer, yet at the same time doesn't. Very difficult to explain.

The aroma is incredibly tart and sour, with a bit of a funk to it. Green apple, a touch of lemon and maybe a bit of grass and wheat are present. There's not a ton going on here, but the tartness is very cool, especially when mixed with the apple. This carries over into the flavor which I really enjoyed. There is a LOT more tartness, with the beer being sour to the point of puckering your lips after each sip. Green apple blends in well throughout. Lemon notes are kept on the backburner for the most part but are definitely there as citrus plays a part throughout. Wheat chimes in toward the finish of each sip, which gets a bit bready at times, especially as the beer warms up a bit. There is certainly a lot of funk here too, but it fits in well.

This is good stuff. I can't really compare it to much else as the only Berliner Weisse that I can recall sampling in the past is the Dogfish Head Festina Peche and the last time I had it was years ago in a small sample glass at a beer festival. As the Hottenroth stands, it does a lot with a little. I really loved the overall sourness throughout. Could I drink this one or this style in general often? Probably not, bit it is most definitely a nice treat to have every now and then. I urge you to seek this one out and in fact seek out any beers from The Bruery, as I've had the pleasure of trying four or five different styles from them thus far and they've all been top notch.

Hopback, beer, Berliner Weisse, Germany, lactobacillus, The Bruery, Hottenroth, California

TTB Find of the Week: Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary, Round One - Fritz and Ken's Ale

2010-02-03T18:50:00.005-05:00

Fritz and Ken's Ale, The first of Sierra Nevada's 30th Anniversary Celebration beers, will be hitting shelves soon and here is a sneak peek at the label, which is quite similar to the 30th Anniversary web page logo posted here a few weeks ago:

This stout is a collaboration between Anchor Brewing Company owner Fritz Maytag and Sierra Nevada Brewing Company founder Ken Grossman. Fritz and Ken's Ale is a "nod to the dark ales and stouts that seduced both Fritz and Ken in the early years."

Per a recent post by Sierra Nevada's own Bill Manley on BeerAdvocate, the beer was to come in at 10%+ ABV, but as the label here clearly shows it settled in just below that at a still-hefty 9.5%ABV. Manley continued that Maytag was to be in Chico on the 29th of January and that the beer should be "ready to go" by mid-March. One final note is his post was that as of now there are three collaboration beers with other brewers planned for 2010, and a fourth that will be a collaboration of all brewers in the Sierra Nevada family.

Sierra has really gotten into a creative zone in the past year or two (yet has still very much kept these new beers tied to their traditionalist roots) and for their 30th Anniversary it sounds like they're going to raise the bar even higher...

Hopback, beer, Sierra Nevada, 30th Anniversary, Stout, Anchor Brewing, Fritz Maytag, collaboration, Chico, California

Brooklyn, Brooklyn Take Me In

2010-01-19T21:44:00.003-05:00

A few weeks back I stumbled upon an intriguing ten minute or so clip of a Simply Beer interview with Brooklyn Brewery brewmaster Garrett Oliver. Today beernews.org posted the entire unedited clip, which comes in at a whopping 45+ minutes, but is worth every one of those minutes. For those who have never heard Garrett speak, he is one of the most well-spoken and enthusiastic members of the craft beer community.

Some of the topics covered here are collaborations, the Brooklyn Brewmaster's Reserve Series, beer and food pairings, beer versus wine and more.

Check it out:

Garrett Oliver Unedited and Uncut from Simply Beer on Vimeo.

beer, Hopback, Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn Brewmaster's Reserve Series, Collaboration, Simply Beer, beernews.org

Beer Works Gets Bottled

2010-01-10T21:38:00.008-05:00

Brewpubs bottling their beers and extending their brand to retail outlets is nothing new to Massachusetts. Offshore, Opa-Opa, The People's Pint and The Tap / Haverill Brewing Company have all thrown their hats into this particular ring over the years, so it's not a huge surprise that the Beer Works mini-chain of brewpubs has followed suit.

For those who've never visited a Beer Works location, they started out in 1992 with a strategically placed location in Kenmore Square in Boston that is essentially across the street from Fenway Park. They added a second location in historic Salem, MA in 1996, another Boston location a stone's throw from the TD Garden in 2001 and their most recent addtion to the family is their Lowell, MA location, opening in 2008. The Lowell location also houses a bottling line, which means that this is of course the location from which all bottled Beer Works offerings originate.

Initial offerings from the company have just hit the shelves and include:

Fenway Pale Ale: This one comes in at 5.8% ABV and is "an an 'extra' pale ale, with lots of hops and more malt" than the regular Beer Works pale ale.

Bunker Hill Bluebeery Ale: Coming in at 4.8% ABV, Beer Works dubs this one "New England’s premier 'bluebeery beer' since 1992."

Boston Red Ale: 5.5% ABV. Beer Works calls this "a malty, Amber Ale that was our very first brew. 'High Dry' German roasted malt gives this ale its signature red color and malty flavor."

Having lived in Boston for about six years, I've certainly tried each of these on more than one occasion and while it's been a couple of years since my last sampling, I can't say that I recall anything memorable about them, good, bad or otherwise. Still, it'll be interesting to see how they translate to a bottled product and more importantly if they're successful, what other Beer Works beers would drop into the bottling pipeline. Call me when the Buckeye Oatmeal Stout or Peanut Butter Porter are available!

And finally, just to balance out the unfortunate amount of Red Sox related content in this post (minimal at best with the Fenway references, but too much nonetheless), I'd like to congratulate the New York Yankees on their 27th World Championship this past season...let's get 28 in 2010!

beer, Hopback, Beer Works, Boston, Salem, Lowell, Massachusetts, brewpub, Boston Red, Fenway Pale Ale, Bunker Hill, Bluebeery Ale

Winterlong

2010-01-09T10:15:00.003-05:00

Changing a beer's recipe each year is an awful idea. Changing a beer's recipe each year is a great idea. Huh? Let me explain. There are a handful of breweries out there who like to take a seasonal offering and tweak it slightly, or in some cases more than slightly each year. One of those breweries is Stoudt's Brewing Company out of Adamston, PA. They use their Stoudts Winter Ale to throw you a curve ball every holiday season. Some years the changes seem subtle...sometimes it's a completely different style altogether.

The good? A new beer hits the market each season so the brewers get to experiment more and give drinkers something new to try. The bad? Year to year changes often mean a once-and-done life span for certain beers. For instance, the Stoudts Winter Ale from back in the 2006-07 range (I can't remember the exact year) was an incredible Porter-esque ale, with rugged malty notes, lots of chocolate/cocoa and a nutty vibe to it. I enjoyed the hell out of it, but of course when the next release was rolled out the beer had changed. Was this next release better than the previous year's? Well, that's kind of subjective. I could have personally loved the previous year's and hated the release from the current year, and someone else could have been the exact opposite. And therein lies the problem with the constant change. You'll never be able to please everyone. Granted, you'll never be able to please everyone anyway, but at least when you stick to the same beer/recipe, it is what it is. You either like it or you don't and you move forward from there. Changing things up intentionally just begs for criticism and complaints...yet it has to be admired at the same time as the brewery has certain recipes that are constantly evolving into something else. And so it goes...

So, on we move to the 2009-10 version of the Stoudts Winter Ale. This year they've given us what seems to be a slightly spiced Amber/Red/Winter Warmer type hybrid, and while I can't say that it was bad in any way, shape or form, my problem with it was twofold. First, it's not the beer I fell in love with a few years ago. Undeserving criticism for sure, but those are the pitfalls as discussed above. Second, it's just too run of the mill, which is surprising from Stoudt's. I sort of sometimes see them as an East Coast counterpart to Sierra Nevada. They don't take huge risks (most of the time..although that seems to be changing recently for Sierra), yet consistently produce solid, flavorful beers that are usually very much to style but very quaffable. This time around we've got a caramel, buttery, fairly sweet aroma and flavor to match that hits the mark for the style, but doesn't grab a hold of you. The dry, bread-like finish was nice indeed and what appears to be a subtle mix of spice in each sip gives this one a bit of an edge, but still, I just couldn't get into it. The thin mouth feel doesn't help as I'd prefer a heartier body for the winter months. This beer is just sort of there. You don't mind it, but it doesn't set itself apart from the rest of the options thrown at you each winter season.

Oh, well. I certainly won't try to sway you from this beer as again, there's nothing glaring that's wrong here, and many others may very much enjoy this one. It just wasn't for me.

Hopback, Beer, Stoudts, Winter Ale, Pennsylvania

Clipper City Engulfed by Heavy Seas

2009-12-23T21:31:00.005-05:00

Interesting bit of news out of Baltimore today, in that the city's own Clipper City Brewing Company seems to be making a move away from that name and will now be branding all of their beers under the not-so-new Heavy Seas moniker (they've used the name for a lineup of beers under their banner for years already).

The new logo, as seen here, will adorn all bottles, and while the still-fairly-new Mutiny Fleet of 22oz. "big beers" (big in both bottle size and ABV) will remain and continue to grow, several of the more standard Clipper City beers will see major label art changes and even slight name tweaks.

BeerInBaltimore.com broke the news today and has even more details on these and other developments from Clipper City/Heavy Seas, including new beers, soon to be retired beers and more, and you can click here to get all of the info direct from them.

Hopback, beer, Baltimore, Maryland, Clipper City, Heavy Seas, Mutiny Fleet

Rocky Mountain High

2009-12-22T23:07:00.004-05:00

Every craft brewery should have a mixed twelve pack. It just doesn't make sense to not have one: you get to put three to six offerings from your brewery into one package in an effort to turn a consumer on to as many of your products as possible. Plus, you're maximizing the chances that said consumer finds something that they like and would purchase again. If someone picks up a six pack of a particular brewery's IPA for the first time and hates it, the odds of them returning to that brewery to try a different style have decreased greatly. But, if they pick up a mixed twelve pack and hate the same IPA, yet really like two or three of the other styles that are included, then the pack has done it's job and that consumer will likely return to you to purchase the styles they did enjoy.

These mix packs are also a great investment for folks like myself who like to try a lot of different beers but don't want to blindly spend and potentially waste money on multiple six packs in fear that they may not be very good. For example, the Brewer's Lunchbox from the Fort Collins Brewery, which we will discuss in further detail shortly, was a no-brainer: $16 to sample two bottles each of six different styles from the brewery, or I could've spent $50+ on individual six packs for each style. Sure, I would've ended up with a lot more beer from the latter, but what's the point in that if I end up not liking two or three (or more) of the styles?

Anyway, back to the topic at hand: the Fort Collins Brewery out of (you guessed it) Fort Collins, Colorado. They don't provide much in terms of company history on their website (save for the fact that they are expecting to complete construction on a new brewing facility and restaurant slated to open in May 2010, but that is more company future than it is company history), but they do provide what is one of the more unique mixed twelve packs that I've seen available, at least in terms of the styles offered within, which include an American Wheat Ale brewed with pomegranate juice, a Schwarzbier, a Rauchbier, a Red Ale, an American IPA and an American Stout. Here are my brief thoughts on each:

Kidd Lager (Schwarzbier) - A nice deep brown to black color with chocolate, caramel, earth, smoke and perhaps even some brown sugar all balanced quite nicely in the aroma. The flavor is not as sweet as the aroma would lead on but definitely gives off a chocolate vibe and has a nice smoked, burnt finish. This one is very drinkable and is a nice winter, session-type beer.

Chocolate Stout (American Stout) - Pours near black in color with a nice chocolate milk-esque creamy head. The aroma has a mix of slightly burnt malt, a hint of licorice and some cocoa, while the flavor takes on a harsher tone with the burnt malt and what seems to be more bitter than sweet chocolate notes leading the way. A good beer overall save for what was a surprisingly thin mouth feel for a stout.

Z Lager (Rauchbier) - Copper color with a big white head. This one gives off scents of grass, caramel, smoke and some bacon (yes, bacon). The flavor leans toward the sweet side with the caramel playing nicely off of the grass and sometimes floral taste that comes through. Smoke is indeed present but much more subtle than anticipated for the style, which makes this one of the more universally appealing rauchbier's I've ever had. Pretty good stuff again here, but I personally would've liked to have seen a tick more of a hearty smoke presence in the flavor.

Rocky Mountain IPA (American IPA) - Hazy copper color with lots of web-like residue clinging to the glass...nice. The aroma is an excellent blend of pepper, pine, fruit juice, bread and earth and the flavor is similar, but sweeter and juicier, with a bit of fruit shining though amongst the pine notes. Hops lead for sure but don't overpower or distract. The finish takes on a bread-like taste with a tiny bit of the pepper coming through. Big thumbs up for this IPA.

Major Tom's Pomegranate Wheat (American Wheat Ale) - Slightly cloudy darker golden color, with passable but faint wheat, grain and pomegranate characteristics in the nose. The flavor thankfully steps it up a notch from the aroma, with the wheat and pomegranate coming through much more pronounced for a taste that's sweeter and that has more pep in it than expected, yet also provides a slightly dry bread flavor at the finish. Not bad overall but nothing memorable. Decent across the board with no major flaws. Tasty yet unimaginative, I'd say.

Retro Red (Red Ale) - A nice crisp ruby color with a soapy beige head. The aroma leads with caramel and slightly burnt malt and is complimented by some darker fruit and juicy hops. This continues in the flavor with even more roasted burnt malt throughout, some smoke in the middle and hops mostly noticeable at the finish. Another nice job by Fort Collins. Hearty and sweet, and I really dug the subtle smoke flavors that came out at times.

The big winners here for me were the Kidd Lager and Rocky Mountain IPA, with the Retro Red lagging not too far behind those two. I definitely see regular purchases of these in my future, and I'd be happy to drink all six styles again. I'd say the Brewer's Lunchbox is definitely worth checking out, as there is something in there for everyone, and there's a good chance that you'll find at least one beer (and hopefully more) that's to your liking...

Hopback, beer, Fort Collins Brewery, Colorado, Retro Red, Red Ale, Major Tom's Pomegranate Wheat, American Wheat Ale, Kidd Lager, Schwarzbier, Rocky Mountain IPA, American IPA, Z Lager, Rauchbier, Chocolate Stout, American Stout, Brewer's Lunchbox,

Stone Brewing Does Europe?

2009-12-22T13:03:00.001-05:00

Greg Koch, CEO and co-founder of the Stone Brewing Company in Escondido, CA, has been using his Twitter account over the past few days to hint at some big news regarding Stone. Well, the news just hit and it looks like Stone is exploring the possibility of opening a brewing facility in Europe. Very interesting indeed. If this does actually happen (and it very well may not), it could re-write the book on American Craft Beer production and distribution.

A comprehensive video explaining their thought process, where they're at and where they'd like to get to with this project was just posted on the Stone Blog, so I'll let it do the rest of the talking:

Stone to open a Brewery in Europe? from stonebrew on Vimeo.

Hopback, beer, Stone, California, Europe, Greg Koch

TTB Find of the Week: Flying Fish Exit Series Goes to Twelve Ounces

2009-12-21T20:07:00.006-05:00

In what I personally see as a great move, New Jersey's Flying Fish Brewing Co. appears to be taking their Exit Series to twelve ounce bottles. For those that don't know the story behind these beers, they each "focus on a unique aspect of an individual exit" of the New Jersey Turnpike. The series seems to really be taking off for the brewery and this is the next logical step in getting the beers into the hands of more consumers.

The Exit 4 label seen here was uncovered today on the TTB site's approved label list. No word yet as to if each beer in the series will be given twelve ounce status or if it will only be select offerings that carry over from the standard 750ml bottles.

While I tend to find much of the regular Flying Fish lineup to be mediocre, the Exit Series has certainly renewed my interest in the brewery. Exit 4 (an American Trippel) was very good, Exit 11 (a Hoppy American Wheat) was even better and I've had a bottle of Exit 1 (Bayshore Oyster Stout) in my fridge for some time now and it has been calling out my name recently.

Check back often for updates on availability of other beers from the series.

Hopback, beer, Flying Fish, New Jersey, Exit 4, American Trippel, Exit 11, Hoppy American Wheat, Exit 1, Bayshore Oyster Stout, Exit Series

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

2009-12-17T21:46:00.004-05:00

Don't know why, but I'm a sucker for any sort of Christmas beer: slap a Santa Claus, snowy landscape or a decorated tree on the label and chances are I'll buy it. Damn you, cheap marketing ploys. Of the myriad of Christmas-time offerings from American Craft brewers, there are of course a handful that really stand out as the cream of the crop. One of those is Our Special Ale from Anchor Brewing Company in San Francisco. It's been a few years since I've enjoyed this one, but it's a whole new experience regardless. This may be the 35th Anniversary of OSA, but Anchor changes both the recipe and label each year, and each year OSA fans rave about what a great beer that particular year's batch turned out to be. The concoction for 2009 is no exception.

It pours wonderfully, with a murky brown ruby body and a somewhat creamy beige head that leaves thick rings of soapy residue on the glass.

The aroma and flavor are, for lack of a better term, like Christmas in a glass. There's a healthy dose of molasses, brown sugar, cinnamon and spruce, with perhaps a bit of pine as well. Throw in a touch of caramel and even some cocoa in the back for good measure. Everything just noted is balanced impeccably for a unique and impressive aroma. The flavor remains balanced yet allows for some of the characteristics to breathe through a bit more. Molasses leads the way up front and blends with a bit of a fruity flavor, while the finish is dry and a bit earthy even from a bit of roasted malt, but also a bit spicy from a dose of cinnamon and even a pinch of nutmeg. Spruce and pine mix in throughout the entirety of each sip but shine the most in the middle and just before the finish.

What really makes this beer what it is might be the mouth feel. Carbonation is kept at lower levels which leads to a medium bodied, heartier, chewier beer that just feels traditional, like you should be taking your mug of OSA from the bar and pulling up a chair next to Ben Franklin and Paul Revere in a Colonial tavern. A bit nerdy? Perhaps, but it is what it is.

You want to try this beer. Really. It's that good. Spices are not over the top and invasive as they are with, say, Harpoon's Winter Warmer, but they're not subtle either. Everything just blends together and hits the mark across the board, and the end result is a great beer to enjoy either with friends and family during the holidays or all by your lonesome next to the Christmas tree and fireplace.

Hopback, beer, Anchor, San Francisco, California, Christmas, Ale, Our Special Ale

BIG Plans for Sierra Nevada's 30th Anniversary

2009-12-14T20:56:00.005-05:00

With their uber-hyped Life and Limb collaboration with Dogfish Head still trickling into certain markets, Sierra Nevada has decided once again to smack it's fans upside the head with some incredibly cool news for it's 30th anniversary in 2010: more collaborations with some of the pioneers of the craft brewing industry, with proceeds from said beers going to select charities. See below for more details in the official press release, but if you're looking for rumors about the beers, Brewed For Thought notes that the collaboration with Fritz Maytag of Anchor Brewing looks like it may be an Imperial Stout, the third beer may be brewed with both Charlie Papazian and Fred Eckhardt and the fourth may be a barrel-aged blend of existing Sierra Nevada beers. Again, these are all rumors, but they all sound pretty intriguing to me.

And now for the full release:

Four collaborations for Sierra Nevada's 30th.

Chico, CA (12/14/09)--Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. will mark 2010 with a yearlong celebration of the trailblazing brewers who helped transform America into the world's most exciting brewing nation. Next year is the 30th anniversary for the Chico-based brewery, and Sierra Nevada is teaming up with the founders of the movement to benefit select charities and beer drinkers across the country.

March of 2010 will see the first of four beers in a series of collaborative projects with America's craft-brewing pioneers: Fritz Maytag of Anchor Brewing; Jack McAuliffe, founder of New Albion Brewery; and authors, homebrewers, and beer advocates Fred Eckhardt, and Charlie Papazian. Together, this group is credited as 'the men who launched a thousand breweries;' and without them, our current day craft-beer-renaissance might never have happened.

"We wanted to pay tribute to the original pioneers who helped me and hundreds of others get started," said Sierra Nevada founder Ken Grossman. "Few people in the craft-brewing world have accomplished more than these guys, and we thought it might be fun to get the original crew together and make something special."

This project will begin where craft brewing started--Anchor Brewing Company in San Francisco. Maytag bought the historic brewery in 1965, and his vision for American beer changed everything. In December 2009, these pioneers gathered at Anchor to catch up, reminisce about craft beer's beginnings, and share their vision for the project.

"I feel honored to sit at the table with these guys," said Grossman. "Without the help that these guys gave me in the early days, I never would have gotten started. Each of them has shaped craft beer in some meaningful way, and without them, who knows what American beer would be today?"

The beers will be released periodically throughout the year, starting with the first release in March, and continuing until Sierra Nevada's 30th Anniversary on November 15. These limited-release 750ml cage-and-cork bottles will be available at select retailers and beer-centric bars.

These beers will be much more than a tribute: Proceeds from the project will go to benefit select charities chosen by the four pioneers.

Sierra Nevada started in 1980 with a humble hand-built brewhouse and some interesting ideas about beer. Today it's America's longest-running craft startup, and boasts the number-one best-selling craft brand in the country--the legendary flagship, Pale Ale.

A lot has changed in the generation since Grossman first met these brewing pioneers. When Sierra Nevada first opened its doors, there were less than 50 breweries in the United States. Today, there are more than 1,500 craft breweries in operation, and American brewers lead the world in variety of styles, innovation, experimentation, and quality.

http://www.sierra30.com/

I'd get in line for these now if I could. This just sounds like an amazing project all around. How about that 30th Anniversary logo, by the way? Stunning.

Check back often for more details as they are released from the brewery...

Hopback, beer, Sierra Nevada, California, Dogfish Head, Life and Limb, collaboration, Fritz Maytag, Anchor Brewing, San Francisco, Charlie Papazian, Fred Eckhardt, Ken Grossman, Jack McAuliffe, New Albion

Motownphilly

2009-12-01T21:17:00.011-05:00

Brewery mergers have been the talk of the town in recent days, so let's go the opposite direction and talk splits. A little over two years ago Tom Kehoe, founder of Yards Brewing Company, and Nancy and Bill Barton, Yards co-owners since 2001, came to an agreement to part ways. In a nutshell, Kehoe retained the Yards name and existing recipes and relocated the brewery shortly thereafter, while the Barton's held onto the Yards facility (originally constructed as a part of the Weisbrod & Hess Oriental Brewing Company in 1885) and equipment in the Kensington section of Philadelphia and formed the Philadelphia Brewing Company in 2008. The brewery now cranks out four regular beers (Newbold IPA, Rowhouse Red, Walt Wit and Kenzinger), along with a handful of seasonal offerings. I had the good fortune to sample a bunch of their stuff recently and here's how they all fared:

Kenzinger (4.5% ABV, a "golden session ale" and PBC's flagship beer) was up first and it looked amazing: a crisp golden color with a huge rocky, foamy head that lingered atop the liquid. Everything finally settles in and leaves hefty gobs of residue on the glass. Quite frankly, the head out of the bottle was actually a bit too crazy, as even the most careful of pours foamed up very easily. Regardless, this one was incredible looking.

There's a blend of sweet, subtle hop juice, some caramel and a bit of grainy bread in the aroma, and these all carry over to the flavor where they meet up with a nice hint of pepper which hits you with a quick hop bite at the finish of each sip. Mouthfeel was maybe a touch thin, but this is a light bodied beer so that's to be expected to an extent.

Kenzinger was ridiculously easy to drink and quite enjoyable. Simple, flavorful and certainly one to revisit.

Next we had the Walt Wit (4.2% ABV, Belgian Style Wit) which poured with your typical (for the style) looking cloudy golden color and hits you with the basic wit aromas and flavors of lemon and other citrus notes, some wheat, a bit of yeast, and some herbs and spices such as coriander. The flavor brought the citrus and wheat to the forefront a bit more for a slightly bolder taste than aroma but overall everything was fairly tame. Balanced? Yes, but tame.

In terms of fitting within the style, this one did, but fell pretty close to the middle of the pack as it was average in just about every area. I wouldn't say to pass on it, but don't expect to be wowed either.

I was most curious to see what PBC's take on an IPA would be, as it's been the "in" style for some time now. Everyone's brewing them and most are going big with Double IPA's as well. I'm happy to say that the Newbold IPA (6% ABV, India Pale Ale) took one of the more unique approaches to the style that I've seen recently.

This was another one that looked amazing, with a nice murky amber color and a huge off-white head that is chunky as hell and which also left large patches of itself on the glass as it subsided.

The aroma and flavor were where this one started to stray from IPA territory, yet remained in character for the style at the same time. Sweetness and earthy malt dominated, with a good bit of fruit presence as well. Hops were in the mix for sure, but not nearly to the level that you'd expect, even for a basic IPA. They did come to the front a bit more in the flavor yet still remained tame, to the point where I'd say it even leaned toward a Pale Ale, yet not. I liked the murky, smoky undertones here as well. Weird. Good.

Interesting stuff and an odd one to pin down, but I liked it. A lot of atypical flavor and really unlike any other IPA I've ever come across.

Finally we had Joe (5% ABV, Coffee Porter) which was just released to the market in bottles and was a world apart from the three beers just discussed.

It's near black in color and had a rugged, coffee/chocolate aroma and flavor to it, yet was cut with a good amount of sweetness for balance. Come to think of it, the chocolate was actually more cocoa-like than straightforward chocolate. Coffee took over in the flavor yet still remained fairly balanced as the cocoa mellowed out a touch. A big fault of many porters is that they come at you with a hefty stout like body, but this one did not. It's certainly medium to full bodied, yet remained thin enough and spot on for the style.

I personally can't stand coffee as a stand alone beverage, but find myself liking a lot of coffee stouts and porters, and Joe was yet another one that I thoroughly enjoyed.

So there you have it. Overall I'd say there's some solid stuff coming out of the Philadelphia Brewing Company tanks with a few of the beers having some unique twists on their respective styles. When you sample four beers from a brewery and really enjoyed three of them with the worst thing you have to say about the fourth is that it was tame/average, that it's a nice place for them to be, or so I think. Hell, it's just one man's opinion, and who says I'm right anyway? If you live within their distribution area (only Pennsylvania and New Jersey right now as far as I know), pick up some of their stuff and prove me wrong...or right.

Hopback, beer, Philadelphia, Brewing, Nancy Barton, Bill Barton, Yards, Tom Kehoe, Kensington, Kenzinger, Walt Wit, Newbold IPA, Joe, Coffee Porter, Pennsylvania

Two Vermont Craft Brewers Plan to Join Forces

2009-11-30T14:35:00.006-05:00

Here is the official press release on the Long Trail/Otter Creek merger news reported last week. Click here for the original post, which was later updated with my thoughts on what could potentially happen to the brands:

(Bridgewater Corners, VT) Excitement reigns at two local Vermont breweries in Middlebury and Bridgewater Corners, as word comes of a signed Letter of Intent by Long Trail Brewing Co. to acquire the Otter Creek Brewery, home to Otter Creek and Wolaver's Certified Organic brands. Long Trail anticipates the completion of the diligence process in the coming weeks.

"We are excited about the potential of two great Vermont companies joining forces," according to Long Trail Brewing's CEO, Brian Walsh, "We hold the same, proud Vermont traditions as creators of award winning craft beer. Our roots are in Vermont, and we are looking forward to growing our business together."

Long Trail and Otter Creek are Vermont's oldest craft breweries, with a combined brewing history of nearly 40 years. The brands are poised to continue to grow and develop in Bridgewater Corners and Middlebury, Vermont. As Mike Gerhart, Otter Creek and Wolaver's Brewmaster puts it, "We're all extremely excited about the partnership with Long Trail. There's a lot of creativity and talent in this building. Now, we'll have the resources and tools to up the ante and make each other stronger, pushing the craft beer envelope. At the end of the day, it's about making great beer." Bill Hill, Chief Financial Officer at Otter Creek added, "This is a great opportunity for each of Otter Creek's constituencies; our consumers, our distributors, our suppliers, and our associates."

Long Trail received the 2009 Vermont Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence, recognizing the brewery's innovative approach to preserving and protecting the environment. "Wolaver's is a natural extension to our ECO Brewing™ program," said Walsh, "to have a brand with such strong commitment to sustainability, and being one of the first certified organic craft beers in North America."

Two great, local, craft breweries are now looking toward the future as they continue to develop all three brands, right here in Vermont.

Hopback, beer, Long Trail, Otter Creek, Wolaver's, Organic, Vermont

TTB Find of the Week: Two New from Harpoon

2009-11-28T14:19:00.012-05:00

It appears as if Boston's Harpoon Brewery is expanding the offerings in it's regular lineup as well as getting ready to introduce the latest beer in it's Leviathan Series.

First up we have Harpoon BPA, a Belgian-Style Pale Ale that according to the neck label is a "golden amber ale that boasts a mellow malt body and a spicy, fruity aroma." This looks like it is a larger scale bottling of the BPA that was brewed in 2006 and offered at both the Belgium Comes to Cooperstown festival and the BeerAdvocate Belgian Beer Festival that year, and has sporadically popped up here and there since then. It seems to be a take on their IPA, just brewed with a Belgian yeast strain. No word yet as to if this will be a seasonal or one-off offering or if it is a new year round addition to the Harpoon family, but I will update if and when the brewery provides more details.

Next is an Imperial Red for the Harpoon Leviathan Series, of which each "big beer" is brewed in 120 barrel batches. This one comes in at 9.2% ABV and is "a deep amber ale [that] has an intense hop flavor that balanced by a complex malt character." The label continues on to note that the "yeast's fruity esters blend perfectly with the citrus hop aroma."

Belgian Pales and IPA's seem to be more and more popular these days so Harpoon's take on it will be interesting to see, and at the very least if it is simply the Harpoon IPA with a different yeast strain, it'll be nice to compare the two side by side, a la Victory HopDevil and Wild Devil.

As for the Imperial Red, both the 100 Barrel Series and the Leviathan Series are always interesting and more often than not are also well done, so this is another offering to look forward too...

Beer, Hopback, Harpoon, Boston, BPA, Belgian, Pale Ale, Leviathan, Imperial Red

Zero Hour, Nine A.M.

2009-11-27T23:03:00.004-05:00

Going back five or six years, Bear Republic was amongst the Holy Trinity of breweries (at least to me) to seek out as a New Jersey resident. Stone Brewing Company and Bell's Brewery completed the trifecta, with none of them being available in the state at the time. Save for the likes of Sierra Nevada, Anchor, Anderson Valley and North Coast, California breweries weren't really making a big push here and Bell's was sticking to it's Michigan roots by remaining primarily a Midwest brand. I can recall a trip or two up to Half Time Beverage in Poughkeepsie, NY and coming home with a haul of stuff from these breweries (well, not Bell's as they weren't and still are not in New York either) and feeling like a kid just back from the candy store. Fortunately, Bear Republic and Stone have been available now for some time in New Jersey, so I can now drive five minutes down the street as opposed to two plus hours north to satisfy my craving (Bell's on the other hand, is still leaving the state in the dark...come on, Larry, you're in Pennsylvania...just keep going across the river!). Unfortunately, because they are in New Jersey now I skip over them more than I should, as I can get them anytime. Tonight I decided to revisit one of the beers that has eluded me (my own fault) for a while now: Red Rocket Ale.

I remember this one being much hoppier overall, with a distinct pine flavor to it, but it is much more subdued and balanced now...or perhaps I just remember incorrectly. Regardless, it's still nothing to scoff at. Caramel malt takes hold of you in both the nose and flavor and guides you throughout. Along the way, you pick up some toasted malt and the aforementioned pine hops, as well as a decent bit of darker fruit, although I'd say the fruit comes into play in the aroma more than it does in the flavor. While the ABV is fairly tame (6.8%), there's a definite alcohol presence here, but this time it comes through more in the aroma than the flavor, where it primarily keeps to the end of each sip. Mouthfeel is medium bodied and has what can best be described a a 'stickiness' to it. Interesting, in a good way.

This isn't exactly the beer I remember, as noted above, but it's close enough and works just fine as is now. Maybe I did pull a Roger Clemens and misremember this one (kinda fitting given the beer name here), or maybe my taste buds have changed over the years...who knows and really, who cares as long as it's still good in the end? Starting with the great looking pour that's a deep amber color with a huge foamy off-white head, and ending with the last sip, I've got no complaints at all with the Red Rocket Ale. It's a nice hybrid of the Red and Scottish styles and will be finding it's way back into my refrigerator soon.

Beer, Hopback, Bear Republic, California, Red Rocket, Ale, Stone, Bell's

Long Trail to Purchase Otter Creek

2009-11-24T11:11:00.015-05:00

Word on the street is that Long Trail Brewing Company of Bridgewater, Vermont will be purchasing Otter Creek Brewing Company, which is located in Middlebury, Vermont. Otter Creek also brews the organic Wolaver's line of beers. No word yet on how things are going to shake out in terms of all brands staying in the market, movement of production or closure of any facilities. Otter Creek would not confirm or deny the sale, saying only that they "have no meaningful information regarding this," and a Long Trail rep basically gave the same answer when I placed a call there to find out more. Read a bit more about craft brewery consolidation here at Andy Crouch's site as he is also reporting the news. Thanks to Keith Giberson for the news tip and stay tuned for an eventual press release...

2009-11-25 UPDATE: For what it’s worth, here’s my gut reaction to the sale: I don’t have a problem with the decision for either party, provided Long Trail keeps the Otter Creek and Wolaver’s brands in the marketplace. I sincerely hope this isn’t Harpoon/Catamount redux where Harpoon talked a big game about respecting the Catamount brand and products and how they were going to continue on with them in the marketplace, yet when push came to shove, Catamount was left to die after a brief mini-revival.

Keeping Wolaver’s alive is a no-brainer to me. While still holding a small piece of the pie, organic food and beverage is a growing segment for sure and Wolaver’s has been the leader in organic beer for about a dozen years now, especially in New England and much of the rest of the East Coast. Shutting the brand down would be a crushing blow to the organic beer market as a whole.

As for Long Trail and Otter Creek, clearly there’s going to have to be a bit of consolidation of portfolios, yet if you look at what each offers, there really isn’t a huge amount of crossover in terms of competition within the same style. From that perspective, I think this merger is a near perfect fit. The big one to look at right away would be the two flagships beers, Long Trail Ale and Copper Ale from Otter Creek, as both are Altbiers. In the end, the company that is making the acquisition usually does and likely should win out when it comes to cutting something from either the acquired company or their own, so if one is eliminated I’d expect it to be the Copper Ale.

Other than that, there really aren't many spots where they're brewing the same thing: Long Trail has an IPA, fruit/wheat beer and a beefed up Altbier rounding out their year round beers while Otter Creek offers up a Pale Ale, Porter and Euro-style Lager. It’s a witbier, Scottish Ale and Amber Ale for Long Trail seasonals versus Kolsch, Pale Wheat, Amber Ale and Brown Ale seasonals from Otter Creek. Sure. autumn is a bit of a hiccup with Long Trail Harvest Ale and Otter Creek’s Oktoberfest and the Belgian White and Otter Summer are fairly similar, but overall brewery vs. brewery you’d be hard pressed to put two together and have as few internal competition issues as you see on the surface here.

The “Big Beer” Series is a bit stickier, and although they’ve also been surprisingly different thus far, I’d expect one of them to be dropped at some point.

As details emerge we’ll all have a better understanding of where this is heading, but for now this seems to be a good match with any capacity increase Long Trail is looking for from this acquisition hopefully coming at the minimal expense of the Otter Creek line of beers.

2009-11-28 UPDATE: Per a post from Otter Creek Brewmaster Mike Gerhart that just went up on BeerAdvocate, it looks like the official announcement and details are coming this Monday morning, as he notes that "Long Trail and Otter Creek will be sharing some extremely great news." Gee, I wonder what it could be...

Hopback, beer, Long Trail, Otter Creek, Wolaver's, Organic, Vermont, sold

Jumpin' Jack Flash

2009-11-23T21:19:00.003-05:00

Long live American Craft Beer! While the craft beer boom has been amazing here in the United States over the past decade, it really started in earnest only a few years earlier around the mid 1990's, yet there are a handful of craft breweries that have been champions of the industry for much longer than that. One of these pioneers is the Boulder Beer Company located in Boulder, Colorado, which is celebrating it's 30th anniversary this year.

The brewery was founded in 1979 when "two Colorado University professors applied for and received the 43rd brewing license issued in the United States." Over the years they have grown considerably, now distributing in 30 states and holding a spot amongst the Top Fifty Craft Brewers in America, according to the Brewers Association. Their biggest reason for growth in recent years has arguably been the popularity and expansion of their Looking Glass Series of beers, which includes favorites such as Hazed and Infused and Mojo IPA. For their 30th anniversary, Boulder revisited the series once again by introducing Flashback Anniversary Ale, an India Brown Ale. What is an India Brown Ale, you ask? Well, in a nutshell, it's a hoppier version of the Brown Ale style, which traditionally leans toward the malty and sweet side of things overall.

So, what is presented here is a deep amber beer that does indeed come across with a big roasted malt profile in the aroma, and also gives off a very healthy dose of bread notes, along with a good bit of pine from the hops. This continues on into the flavor with a lot more of the roasted malt coming through, to the point where a bit of smokiness is almost brought out at times. Hops are mostly picked up toward the finish of each sip where the aforementioned pine blends with a nice burst of citrus and provides a good bit of slickness to the mouthfeel.

This one is definitely what it set out to be: a hoppy brown ale, and I liked it yet can't completely wrap my head around it. The hops seemed out of place, yet very much enjoyable at the same time. Maybe it was just a matter of experiencing the style in a new way. Every time I caught myself feeling that I wasn't crazy about it, I was drawn back in for another sip. It certainly makes you think, and I like that. It's one of the more interesting and unique beers that I've experienced in some time. Personally, I usually prefer a heartier/maltier/rugged/chocolaty brown ale, but that's not what Boulder was going for here and I think they did a nice job with a slight twist on the style. It's a worthwhile addition to the Boulder family for sure.

Congrats on 30 years and here's to (at least) 30 more!

Hopback, beer, Boulder, Colorado, 30th Anniversary, Flashback, Hazed and Infused, Mojo IPA, Looking Glass

Tonight I'm Gonna Take That Ride, Across the River to the Jersey Side

2009-11-15T23:34:00.011-05:00

New Jersey needs to show more respect to it's own craft breweries. Finding Brooklyn Brewery beers in New York or Harpoon in Massachusetts? No problem. Tröegs has been on tap or served in bottles in every bar or restaurant I've ever been to in Harrisburg, PA. Pyramid Brewing is a staple in Seattle and beyond in Washington and I've even had beers from SweetWater Brewing Company available both on tap and in bottle at a hotel stay in Savannah, GA earlier in the year. But New Jersey? Many stores don't even bother with our six production breweries, and the ones that do often stock one or two regulars from a brewery or two (usually Flying Fish or River Horse) and that's it. Finding them on tap at a bar or restaurant? Damn near impossible, at least around here in Central Jersey. I will very rarely see a Flying Fish tap handle and have seen Climax on tap once or twice, but that's it. Yet stuff like Long Trail Ale, Magic Hat #9, Anchor Steam and Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat can consistently be found on tap all across the state. Nothing against those breweries or their beers, but I say support your local guy first and then take care of the others!

That said, let's discuss a couple of New Jersey beers. First up is Fall Festivus from Cricket Hill. It pours nice enough, with a lighter amber color and a beige head that has good retention to it and leaves a very nice amount of residue on the inside of the glass once it subsides. I'd say the beer perhaps looks a tad thin overall but it's nothing to fret over.

There's a good balance of earthy malt and a blend of floral and pine hops in the nose. Bread/biscuit notes mix with caramel sweetness. It's simple but well done, and this continues on with the flavor, although the bread characteristics jump out at you here more so than expected, the aforementioned hops and caramel once again do their job to complement the rest of the flavors. Mouthfeel is light with a slight lean toward a bit of a medium body here and there and I also picked up a bit of slickness at times as well.

This was an enjoyable one for sure and it's a no frills beer in every way. It actually reminded me a bit of Cricket Hill's own American Ale, which is another simple but flavorful beer from their portfolio. I think brewmaster Rick Reed would be the first to tell you that he's not trying to blow your palate away with a hop or malt bomb, but is rather gunning for a quaffable, sessionable ale, and in my opinion he pretty much nailed it. While I enjoy the Pumpkin Ales and straightforward Oktoberfest beers that are common to the season, this is a nice change of pace from those styles.

Up next we've got Hefe-Ryzen from River Horse, which is in the midst of a revival as they have been revamping everything from recipes to introducing new beers into their lineup and right on down to their logo and labels. The Hefe-Ryzen is one of their newest offerings from the Brewer's Reserve series.

I was initially not impressed, as it poured looking like a glass of iced tea more than it did a beer, with a murky copper color to it and no head to speak of. It really looked like a lifeless pint of beer.

Thankfully the aroma flavor stepped it up a notch, yielding big bursts of wheat, candy/bubble gum and also banana. Yeast mixes in nicely throughout. It's pretty typical stuff for a hefeweizen but still nice nonetheless. As for any detectable rye, I maybe picked up a bit toward the back of the aroma, but it was incredibly subtle.

Banana takes control right off the bat when it comes to flavor, and bread/yeast follow closely behind. Rye is a bit more present here, yet still toward the back where it blends with a hint of cloves.

Disappointing appearance aside, I liked this one as well, but wouldn't say that I was wowed by it. I think it could certainly make a play to be a beer that appeals to someone who is just moving into craft beer for the first time, yet still work for the beer geek as well. I'd say that it is middle of the road compared to other stuff that's been coming out of Lambertville recently, such as the Oatmeal Milk Stout or Hop-a-lot-amus, but is still enjoyable in the end.

Support Local Craft Beer!

Beer, Hopback, New Jersey, Cricket Hill, River Horse, Fall Festivus, Hefe-Ryzen, Rick Reed, Climax

TTB Find of the Week: Otter Creek Rebrands Itself and a New Seasonal From Magic Hat

2009-11-12T07:43:00.016-05:00

While they have certainly made minor tweaks over the years, Otter Creek Brewing Company's brand identity has remained basically the same for nearly 20 years now. That's all about to change according to the Alcohol Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), as labels were recently approved to drastically overhaul their image, and I have to say that I'm torn. While I like the new look for it's cleanliness and sophistication, I don't love it. That said, I do always lean toward the nostalgic side of things and hate to see the old look go, especially since I think said look very much ties into and plays off of their New England heritage, something that gets lost in the more generic branding of their new labels.

Also of note is the introduction of a new beer to the lineup: Solstice Ale. The label itself calls the beer an "interpretation of the perfect session ale," and at 4% ABV it certainly fits the bill.

And finally in what could be classified as the least shocking news ever as it seems to be never-ending news, Magic Hat is tweaking their lineup yet again! This time they are introducing Vinyl Lager as their new Spring seasonal beer. It comes in at 5.1% ABV and via their Twitter account, Magic Hat gave it the basic description of "a malt-based lager that will be [our] spring offering in 2010." It looks like this beer has been around in some form since at least early 2009, as there are a handful of reviews that have popped up on the internet already. The label for this one (seen below) was designed by Jim Pollock, perhaps most famous for his Phish concert poster designs, which makes him a fitting tie-in for Magic Hat.

Beer, Hopback; Otter Creek, New Hampshire; Solstice, Magic Hat; Vermont, Vinyl; Jim Pollock, Phish

Tripel Dubbel Q&A: Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project

2009-11-10T07:29:00.008-05:00

And so it returns. After a four or five month hiatus for no reason other than lack of sending out questions on my part, the Tripel Dubbel Q&A has descended upon us once again. Bob Sylvester from Saint Somewhere Brewing tackled the first session here, and this time we've turned to a Massachusetts/New England fixture (except for when he decides to brew overseas): Dann Paquette of the Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project.

Dann has been brewing professionally since the early 1990's and his career has included stops at Ipswich Brewing Company, The Pilgrim Brewery, Mill City Brewing Company, John Harvard's Brew House, North East Brewing Company, The Concorde Brewery, The Haverhill Brewery (all located in Massachusetts) and The Daleside Brewery (in North Yorkshire, England).

His latest labor of (beer) love is Pretty Things, a "Beer and Ale Project" that was founded with his wife Martha and which brews a small but growing lineup of artisanal beer that includes, amongst others, flagship Jack D'Or (an American-Belgian saison hybrid), Baby Tree (a quadrupel brewed with dried plums) and Saint Botolph's Town (a "big malty brown ale"). All of Dann's beers are not contract brewed at Buzzards Bay Brewing in Westport, MA, which he will explain to you, well, now:

What made you choose Buzzards Bay as your production facility for Pretty Things, and please explain to those who might not understand the business side of the brewing process how you are NOT in fact a contract brewed brand.

Well, I've been friends with Bill Russell from Buzzard's Bay before there was even a brewery. For a while back in the mid 1990's when I was a brewer at North East Brewing Company in Allston, MA we were the only brewery in New England doing wood-aged beer. Since I've always been a weirdo, sour beer in wood was on my radar. I called Bill at his winery and he let me take a lovely French wine barrel off his hands. We made several of the first sour beers made in the US, using lactobacili for acidification in that barrel. By the way if you want to see it, last I knew it was sitting in a corner in the dining room of The Tap in Haverhill.

Anyway, there's a really amazing brewery down in Westy, on a 500 acre farm. Why wouldn't I like to be brewing there?

Why is Pretty Things NOT a contract? Well a contract brewing situation is where you pay someone to make beer for you. I make beer for us in someone else's brewery. That's why!

You've done the brewpub thing, been a brewer at production facilities both domestically and overseas, and even developed Rapscallion, a unique artisanal line within the structure of an existing brewery: which has proven to be the most valuable challenge for you and why?

Yorkshire was a decent challenge. It took me ages to understand my coworkers' accents and it felt (brewery-wise at least) that I had gone back in time. But I have to admit that I'm not eager to brew at brewpubs. I've worked at three over the years. With brewpubs you can be only as good as the neighborhood that drinks your beer wants you to be, and if the nachos come out cold then my beer sucks. It's all about all of that restaurant stuff. I prefer to be in the brewing industry where you connect with people who love beer - not good table service.

Anyway, I've done a lot since 1992. The biggest challenge was ages ago when most people didn't want good beer. We were marketing to anyone who would even pretend to want us. I remember many tastings, charity events and festivals back in the day (like many dozens) where I wasted a lot of time setting up, pouring and driving home late at night for people who would never even think of drinking good beer again (at least anytime soon). We're all spoiled now with the great consumers here in our market. We all need to thank Jason and Todd Alström for bringing it all together. The only problem is that these days, consumers that have been drinking beer for three months are spoiled for good beer, it's a different place than where my generation is from. For instance, growing up in good beer in my late teens I knew almost no one else who was into it or knowledgeable - so it was largely a personal thing. Now it's ALL about other people's opinions. I think that's sad.

Pretty Things has grown steadily but fairly quickly. Besides your home turf of Massachusetts, you're now available in Philadelphia and parts of eastern Pennsylvania, New York City and Minnesota. What's next in terms of distribution expansion? Is there even capacity to do so within your current facility agreement?

There's plenty of capacity and Rhode Island is an obvious place to go to. We're also in an agreement with a new distributor in Vancouver BC. But our biggest growth market is Massachusetts and that's our focus.

Which Pretty Things beer is your favorite and why?

Jack D'Or is my favorite. It was the first and just like children you always love the first one the best.

If you could brew a collaborative beer with any other US brewer/brewery, who would it be an why?

Am I the only one who doesn't get the whole collaboration thing? You fly a thousand miles to make a throw-away beer for what: ego and one shelf space? But if someone were to ask me I'd like it to be in a brewery I was interested in brewing on their equipment. How is Yuengling for an answer?

What is your proudest moment as a professional brewer?

With Pretty Things I've had some great moments. It's been like a rebirth for me. Around the time John Lennon was killed I remember hearing and reading all of the interviews about how happy he was at 40. I remember as a young kid wondering how anything could be better than standing there in a green Sgt Pepper's costume knowing you had just recorded "A Day in the Life" with the Beatles? But there comes a time when it is your time and it's all positive. Listen, I do things my way and I'm happy to have the opportunity with Martha to put this all together. We brew beer to our tastes, based on real experiences in Europe and the US as beer-lovers. There's no style, no nonsense like that. Just flavours and ingredients we know. Style is essentially a bunch of numbers that don't translate into flavour and imposed on culturally-authentic beers in the past tense. They were never meant to be "recipes", just historical records. Beer is an ephemeral thing - it's got a very short relevance. In other words: styles are meaningless in the present tense to American brewers. Doing my own thing with Martha and having people out there to enjoy it? That's the best thing ever.

Thanks to Dann for a quick reply with answers that were both thoughtful and insightful, and keep on the lookout for the next round of Tripel Dubbel, which I assure you is not months away this time...

Beer, Hopback, Pretty Things, Massachusetts, Dann Paquette, Jack D'Or, Baby Tree, Saint Botolph's Town, Yuengling, New England, Buzzards Bay, Rapscallion

The Low End Theory

2009-11-05T17:29:00.005-05:00

Oatmeal Stout is probably my favorite beer style. There's just something about it's overall smoothness mixed with it's typical sweetness that gets me every time, especially when said sweetness is countered with a nice dose of roasted malt flavor. So, when I saw a single bomber of Conspiracy Theory from Manchester Brewing Company sitting all by it's lonesome on the store shelf, I had to take it home.

This one is such a deep, dark brown color that you could almost call it black as night. A slightly creamy tan head tops the beer off, but subsides fairly quickly leaving bits of residue clinging to the sides of the glass. Not bad.

The aroma and flavor go pretty much hand in hand here: there's a good amount of sweet milk chocolate in the aroma, however it takes on more bitter characteristics in the flavor as it blends with coffee notes that are present but more subtle in the aroma. Darker fruit notes help to keep the sweetness alive throughout. I think I picked up some hints of licorice here and there, and there is also a fairly strong alcohol presence. You can sense it in the aroma and it definitely helps to accent any burnt or roasted malt flavoring. It actually makes the beer seem a bit "hot" at times, especially in the mouth feel, which is a bit thin at times for the style. I tend to associate a stronger alcohol presence with Imperial Stouts, and would much prefer a creamier, smoother body with an Oatmeal Stout.

This is a decent take on the style overall and is actually quite an easy beer to drink. It also gets bonus points because I finished off the bottle just as the World Champion New York Yankees were clinching their 27th World Series title. But seriously, it was an enjoyable stout in the end but I would definitely rein in the alcohol. Toning that down a bit and giving this one a bit more of a full body would take Conspiracy Theory from good to very good, but that's just my opinion. Still, I'm intrigued to try more from these guys, who I hadn't even heard of until this weekend as they are fairly new to the craft beer scene, brewing out of New Hampshire for only about a year or so now from what I can gather. Check out their stuff if you can.

Beer, Hopback, Manchester Brewing, New Hampshire, Conspiracy Theory, Oatmeal Stout

TTB Find of the Week: Sam Adams Strikes Yet Again

2009-11-03T21:48:00.006-05:00

My apologies if my sporadic posts have been heavy on the Samuel Adams chatter of late, but they've clearly had a lot going on in 2009. The latest find from them via the always great TTB site is the forthcoming release of a new seasonal beer called Noble Pils.

According to the label it is one of the only beers to be brewed using "all five noble hops from the world's oldest growing regions." It appears as if it will be available in both 12 ounce and 22 ounce bottles.

To give credit when it's due, user MarioL66 from BeerAdvocate provided some further details on this one, noting that it will be replacing the White Ale (which previously replaced the Spring Ale) as the SA Spring seasonal in 2010. It was supposedly originally developed and brewed for the wedding of Jim Koch's daughter. Said user apparently got the details from a Boston Beer Company marketing e-mail that was testing names for the beer.

It'll be nice to have a pilsner back in the SA lineup. The Golden Pilsner that got the axe in the late '90's was always solid, and while I didn't hate the White Ale, it didn't separate itself enough from the Summer Ale in my opinion and especially now with the recent introduction of Coastal Wheat, which to me is a White/Summer hybrid as previously mentioned, the White just didn't fit in anymore. I wouldn't have minded a return to the underated Spring Ale kolsch, but the Noble Pils seems like it may be a welcome addition.

Hopback, beer, Samuel Adams, Noble Pils, White Ale, BeerAdvocate, Jim Koch, Boston, TTB

Smashing Pumpkins

2009-11-03T16:13:00.006-05:00

For reasons I still can't figure out, I always seem to overlook the Heavy Seas lineup from Maryland's Clipper City Brewery at stores. It's not that they make bad beer. Aside from one or two hiccups their lineup is actually quite solid, and has some real gems like their Loose Cannon IPA, Peg Leg Imperial Stout and Winter Storm "Category 5" ESB. Anyway, a recent trip to the store had me staring at a few of their most recent offerings from their Mutiny Series of big beers. Always on the lookout for a new Pumpkin Ale, I picked up a bottle of The Great Pumpkin and gave it a go.

It's got the typical Pumpkin Ale look to it: an orange-copper color with an average sized off-white head that settles into a thin lace fairly quickly. It looks very clean and crisp overall.

Although many say that the use of actual pumpkins in beer provides little to no aroma or flavor, I actually found there to be a definite pumpkin vibe here that was balanced nicely by a subtle spice blend that consisted of cinnamon, a bit of nutmeg and a healthy dose of caramel. There may have even been a hint of ginger in the mix.

Sip after sip the flavor takes on all of the characteristics of the aroma but pumps up the spice a bit, yet not to the point of being overbearing. Cinnamon and nutmeg take the lead most of the way and then caramel finds its way into the mix toward the finish of each sip. I'm still picking up a bit of ginger as well. Call me crazy, but it's there.

Where Clipper City hits the mark with this one is that they beef everything up to make it "Imperial," but they don't go over the top with the spices, which is the dagger that most breweries fall on when they miss the mark with a spiced ale. The Great Pumpkin thankfully makes the grade across the board and also hides it's somewhat high 8.5% ABV quite well over the course of the bottle. A very good job. This one is as direct as can be for the style yet packs a nice flavor punch that's balanced and memorable. I would definitely pick it up again...

Hopback, Beer, Clipper City, Maryland, Mutiny Series, The Great Pumpkin, Imperial, Pumpkin Ale, Heavy Seas, Baltimore

A Hazy Shade of Winter

2009-10-20T21:19:00.004-04:00

Word is in that the 2009 Samuel Adams Winter Classics Mix Pack (always a favorite for SA fans) has hit the streets, and the Boston Beer Company has apparently shit the bed big time with this years edition.

In a nutshell, the pack offers the only chance each year to obtain their most excellent Old Fezziwig Ale, equally impressive Holiday Porter and also the liquid death known as Cranberry Lambic. Two others, their flagship Boston Lager and seasonal Winter Lager, are also always included, and justifiably so: The Boston Lager is Samuel Adams and is a great year round beer, and having the Winter Lager in a Winter themed twelve pack is just a no-brainer. The sixth and final beer (two bottles of each are to be had in each pack, for those not in the know) has been up for grabs over the years. Previously they had tried to fit the Sam Adams Light into the pack and, well, it just didn't work with the rest of the collection. The past few years the BBC has gotten it right and included their Cream Stout in the mix. This year? They made what is arguably their biggest mistake yet, by putting their brand spanking new Coastal Wheat in as the last beer. Yes, you heard me, Coastal Wheat. The slightly above average wheat ale that tastes strikingly similar to their Summer Ale (actually, to me it's sort of a Summer Ale-White Ale hybrid) and is more beaches and palm trees than it is snowballs and Christmas trees.

This really is shameless force-feeding of the beer into the marketplace by the BBC. Yes, I get that they want to push their newest product, but in a Winter Pack? Not a chance. For as horrid as the Lambic is, at least it fits in with the Winter/holiday theme of the pack, and at least in that sense I can't argue with it's inclusion. Make no mistake, the Coastal Wheat isn't a bad beer. It's not that great either, but it is marginally enjoyable in the end. It simply has no place in this collection of beers.

Of their current offerings, there are some obvious choices to fill this beer slot: Black Lager, Scotch Ale, or the aforementioned Cream Stout. I'd say the Honey Porter too but there's already a porter in the mix. Hell, the Irish Red or Brown Ale would even work (although I see them as Spring and Autumn beers, respectively). I'd even accept a price increase on the pack if they threw in a couple Imperial Stouts as the final beer. Now that would be an awesome collection.

I found it to be odd that they released the Coastal in late September and this move is even more bizarre, at least from an overall collection standpoint. Unfortunately the sad part is that in the end this tactic will work for them. People aren't going to shy away from the Winter Classics. The love for for the Fezziwig and Porter is off the charts and you can't get them anywhere else. They're just going to hope that people enjoy the Coastal. I for one was unimpressed overall when I sampled it, but we shall see.

Oh and one final thought for the BBC folks to ponder: you know those bombers of Boston Lager and Octoberfest that have been showing up on the shelves in recent months? Both Old Fezziwig and the Holiday Porter would look great in those. A case of each would easily make it into my stash every holiday season. I know it'll almost certainly never happen, but one can dream...

Hopback, beer, Samuel Adams, Winter Classics, Old Fezziwig, Holiday Porter, Coastal Wheat, Cranberry Lambic

TTB Find of the Week: BIG Beer from Blue Moon?

2009-10-17T09:07:00.005-04:00

This one was actually approved by the TTB back in the summer, so I'm surprised I hadn't heard about it until now, but MillerCoors' faux-craft Blue Moon brand appears ready to test the waters of the big beer market with Grand Cru, an 8.2% ABV behemoth (for them) brewed with coriander and orange peel, and available in 750ml bottles. Wow. Just, well...wow. One things for certain, I can't say that I'm not intrigued.

If you notice, it still has the "Belgian White, Belgian-Style Wheat Ale" tag to it that the standard Blue Moon beer carries, so it would seem that this is just an amped up version of their flagship for the brand, but we shall see...

The label clearly notes a 2009 "vintage," so look for it to hit the shelves sometime in the next couple of months.

Hopback, beer, Blue Moon, MillerCoors, Grand Cru, Belgian White

The Foam Keeps Getting Thicker

2009-10-16T17:33:00.006-04:00

Just a quick post to note that Phish announced today via it's website for Festival 8 that Sierra Nevada has brewed a special beer exclusively available at the festival in Indio, California two weeks from now. Word is that it is a pilsner, has been given the name FOAM and will be draft only, no bottles.

They also note that over 50 beers will be available, including "microbrews, ‘beers of the world’, Pabst Blue Ribbon." While I'm guessing beers of the world will be the likes of Bass, Stella Artois, Guinness, etc., this is still great news all around for festival-goers!

2009-10-16 UPDATE: I spoke directly with Sierra Nevada earlier this evening and the girl who answered the phone had no idea what I was talking about regarding this beer. I was put on hold for a minute or two and when she returned, the story was that the beer was simply their "regular pilsner." While SN has brewed a few pilsners over the years, their only real "regular" one is the Summerfest, So I wouldn't be surprised if FOAM is simply that beer renamed, which, while still nice to have on tap, is still a bit of a letdown after the initial news.

2009-10-29 UPDATE #2: Apaprently the girl on the phone @ Sierra Nevada had no idea what she was talking about. From the SN press release:

Sierra Nevada Brewing is pleased to present FOAM, a special beer created especially for the Phish Festival 8 in Indio, California.

FOAM is a German-style pilsner beer that we are brewing specifically for the Phish Festival. Phish have been longtime fans of Sierra Nevada and after talks with the band, event organizers, and management, we agreed to brew this beer for the festival.

A lot of us here at the brewery are Phish-heads, including several of our master brewers, and it only seemed natural to team up with a great band and a great California festival. This is a fun way to offer fans a liquid souvenir and to show our support for the music scene.

For the beer itself, we were looking for a lighter style with a lot of character. Here at the brewery we occasionally brew different Pilsner-style beers throughout the year, and decided a special Pilsner would be just the thing for this festival. We brewed 150 kegs of beer, all of which will be sent to the show. This is a draft-only product and we do not expect the beer to be available outside of the event.

Come out to the Phish: Festival 8 and hear great music and enjoy great beer.

Foam is a German-style Pilsner, light bodied and easy drinking, yet loaded with flavor. Brewed with a mix of European and American malts, balanced by a spicy, and herbal hop kick. Brewed specifically for Phish: Festival 8, Foam is a crisp and refreshing traditional pale gold lager beer. In the words of Phish—“I’m looking through, And it all would be, So crystal clear, If it wasn’t for the foam.” Great music, great beer, and good times.

beer, Hopback, Phish, pilsner, Foam, Sierra Nevada, Indio, California

Bob Dylan's 115th Dream

2009-09-09T23:51:00.012-04:00

It's been seven years since I've lived in Boston and I've missed it just about every day. One of the things I miss the most is being able to pick up the "New England only" beers on a regular basis: Hooker, New England Brewing, Berkshire, Coastal Extreme, etc. I was able to make a trip up a couple of weeks ago and stocked up on some of said New England only beers. I was also very eager to try stuff from one of the newest additions to the New England beer scene, Mayflower Brewing, as I had enjoyed Matthew Steinberg's beers whilst he was still at Offshore, and I always dig anything that has the slightest historic/colonial theme to it.

First on the agenda was the Porter: it pours a nice looking dark brown color with lighter shades of brown shining through. The head is decent sized and has a slight creaminess to it and settles in to a nice thin lace.

The aroma is just great: heavy bitter chocolate with hints of coffee and roasted earthy malt. There's a nice bit of caramel sweetness that cuts through it all to balance the aroma out nicely.

Flavors really grab a hold of you and continue on with the excellence of the aroma. Bitter chocolate again leads, with roasted malt becoming a bit more pronounced here and coffee taking a slight back seat, as I found it to be noticeable only toward the finish of each sip. Even the caramel is toned down a bit, which I like as it brings out the more rugged qualities of the flavor. I did think this one seemed a touch thin at first but quickly realized that it's actually spot on for a porter. I think I was expecting or wanting a heavier body due to the rugged flavor but think that would have pushed this one more into stout territory. It's just fine and just right where it is.

This was quite simply a pleasure to drink and a very quaffable beer. ABV is still low enough at 5.5% to make this one an excellent choice for a session beer. I know I could certainly drink it all night. The porter was a great first step into the world of Mayflower, and it is definitely now on my list of things to pick up when in town.

The Golden Ale was up next and it looks great: there's a slight haze to the golden color and a huge frothy head nearly spills over the side of the glass.

There's a nice grassy sweetness to this one but also a bit of juiciness as well. The outdoors-y floral, grassiness is a nice change of pace for the style and very welcoming.

The flavor takes on a bit of a pilsner characteristic that brings in a slightly grainy malt base to compliment the wispy grass sweetness that carries over from the aroma. A simple but nice combination. Not as juicy as I would've expected from the aroma, but said characteristic does come through a bit toward the finish of each sip.

This is just a nice easy drinking sessionable brew that would make for a nice transition beer for the macro drinker yet still packs enough of a flavor punch to satisfy most any beer geek. This is a nice take on the style for sure.

Finally we've got the Pale Ale, which has a sparkling, crisp copper color to it and a medium head that leaves thick rings of residue on the glass.

The aroma here is similar in some ways to the Golden, as there's a grassy, somewhat floral sweetness flowing through, but it then incorporates some caramel and a bit of a biscuit breadiness. Unfortunately, everything's a bit faint here so the overall impression is a bit average. The flavor steps it up a a notch or two by bringing out the sweetness and the grassy flavors and also throwing a subtle hop bite. It's quite balanced and tasty in the end.

The Pale was light and crisp, with a simple, flavorful presentation in the end. It was my least favorite of the three that I sampled, but still liked it quite a bit overall and would call it a solid brew for sure.

Well, there you have it. Mayflower made a great impression on me with three well crafted beers. The Porter in particular stood out and I'm already jonesing for more. There's actually a fourth regular beer from Mayflower, their IPA, and I still can't figure out why I didn't bring any bottles back with me. It was in stock at the store and I think I even had it in my hand at one point. Clearly I set it down and forgot to pick it back up. Oh well, just another excuse to seek it out when I have the chance to get back up to Boston again. Hopefully their Thanksgiving Ale will also be available, as I am intrigued by it's description of being a blend of an American Strong Ale and an English Old Ale. These guys are a great addition to the craft beer world and I highly suggest you check them out if and when you have a chance.

Hopback, beer, Mayflower, Massachusetts, Boston, New England, Porter, Golden Ale, Pale Ale, IPA, Matthew Steinberg, Offshore

Over the Hills and Far Away

2009-08-29T22:38:00.004-04:00

A new brewery from Massachusetts? Yes, please. I'd actually read up on the Blue Hills Brewery in the BeerAdvocate magazine a while back and liked what I read, so I was eager to pick up some of their stuff when I had the chance. All that I was able to grab was the Blue Hill India Pale Ale, and I gave it a spin the other night.

First off, I know the contents are what matters, but the label on this one is like the cut and paste job from hell. I know the marketing budget's probably non-existant, but it looks like something my soon to be seven year old threw together.

Anyway, back to more important stuff: the beer. There's a slightly hazy, copper color here, with a frothy, smallish off-white head atop the liquid that leaves spotty residue on the glass. Off to a pretty good start, but...

It's all downhill from there. The aroma give off a general maltiness, with some grassy hops (yet the malt still dominates). Some hints of toasted bread float about as well. The problem is that there are definite spots of cooked vegetables here, which is just totally out of the blue and out of place.

The flavor is just more of the same: hops are minimal (this is an IPA, people!) and have a slight bitter bite at the finish. Toasted malt leads again, and cooked veggies still persist...why? It's got a bit of a rubbery taste at times too. There is decent bready finish with each sip, so I will give it that, but that's about all I'll give it.

I was very disappointed here. This is not an IPA at all, and is really a mess all around with unbalanced and out of place flavors. It's all over the map and I most definitely walked away disappointed. I checked some reviews on BeerAdvocate and they're all over the map with just about equal amounts of A's and B's as there are D's and F's. Perplexing, which leads me to believe that there are some serious quality control issues and this could be a good brew eventually once said issues are worked out. Avoid for now.

Hopback, beer, Blue Hills, Massachusetts, IPA, BeerAdvocate,

Tröegs JavaHead Stout Released!

2009-08-29T14:08:00.004-04:00

It's official: Tröegs Oatmeal Stout is back...well, sort of. JavaHead Stout is the latest beer to be added to the Tröegs arsenal, and per their latest newsletter is based on the original oatmeal stout from 2005. The new incarnation features "a blend of locally roasted espresso and Kenyan coffee beans by St. Thomas Roasters in Linglestown, PA."

Can't wait to Try some. I loved their original oatmeal stout and these new tweaks/changes/additions/whatever you want to call them sound like an even better beer. Bottling took place on August 25 and I've heard reports of it being on the streets already. Look for it if Troegs is available in your area!

hopback, beer, Troegs, stout, oatmeal, JavaHead, Pennsylvania

Ruben and the Jets

2009-08-25T22:12:00.006-04:00

Well, that was easy enough. If you haven't noticed, most of my post titles are ripped from song/album names or lyrics. Seeing as the beer from Lagunitas Brewing Company that we're about to dive into was named after a Frank Zappa album, the work was already done for me. So thank you, Lagunitas.

It pours a decent looking dark brown to near black color, with a mid-sized tan head that is quick to dissolve, leaving a spot or two of itself lingering on the glass. Not bad.

There's a nice booziness to the aroma. It blends well with chocolate, some hints of coffee and definite dark berries. There's even a bit of a bourbon vibe here that brings out some wood notes. Very nice.

The flavor picks up right where the aroma left off, and even incorporates some vanilla into the mix toward the front. This one seems to be getting more and more complex by the sip. Coffee fades a bit and chocolate and berries still hold their own. There's not a harshness here that you'd expect with the style, but a nice smoothness, and said smoothness goes hand in hand with the slight alcohol warmth in each sip.

I really like how this one played out. It's an enjoyable, flavorful Double Stout that packs some heat but doesn't go over the top in any way. VERY easy to drink. I'm quite happy that I decided to pick this one up and would suggest that you do the same should you still be able to find it. In fact, I may head out soon to ransack the store in which I found it for their remaining bottles.

Hopback, beer, Lagunitas, California, Zappa, Ruben and the Jets, stout

Live Art

2009-07-24T15:40:00.006-04:00

I really dig the Rock Art Brewery. Their beer is always solid and they are always putting out new and interesting stuff without falling into the trap of becoming too over-the-top extreme. Plus, founder and head brewer Matt Nadeau is probably one of the nicest people you'll ever meet (check out a quick video from Matt at the end of this post for a bit more info on the beer we'll be reviewing here today).

While Matt's beers have been available here in New Jersey for some time now, they are sometimes a bit difficult to come by. So when I do spot a new Rock Art style on the shelves (or at least new to me) I tend to snatch up a few bottles right away. This time around, I was able to grab some Belvidere Big IPA.

It pours a crisp, amber color with a big, cascading, frothy head that leaves gobs of residue on the glass. Sweet juicy aromas immediately come to the forefront with a bit pf pine added into the mix (always a bonus in my mind...more pine, please), along with some caramel, a bit of bread and a touch of citrus.

The flavor is similar to aroma, but with much more of a bread vibe to it. There's a bit of pine in the middle and a sharp bitter finish. Alcohol is well hidden and is only picked up slightly at the finish. There is a medium body to the liquid here that presents a bit of slickness and is perhaps a bit light for the style but still has a nice carbonation bit overall.

This is a very enjoyable beer to drink, and is certainly one of the smoothest and easiest drinking Double IPA's that I've ever come across. Perhaps that is due to a mouth feel that is tamer than most others in the style category. Very balanced flavor that is hoppy but not overly hoppy by any means, and certainly a step beyond a standard IPA but not an over the top hop blast. Well worth a try.

Hopback, beer, Vermont, Rock Art, Matt Nadeau, Belvidere, IPA

Breakfast at Tiffany's

2009-07-22T22:06:00.006-04:00

I was only just able to sample Founders Brewing Company's Breakfast Stout for the first time about six months or so ago. It blew me away. It's just an amazing beer all around and easily one of the top five that I've ever had the chance to try. Needless to say, I was giddy as hell when I was able to come across a bottle of the just-as-famous Kentucky Breakfast Stout (or as it's now seemingly known, KBS) not too long ago. Side note: can distillers really claim "Kentucky" as their own, thus seemingly prompting the name change? That's shameful. I could understand if it had been called Jim Beam Breakfast Stout, but Kentucky? Really?

Anyway, the beer poured from the bottle looking like liquid coal, and settled in with a thickness that made it seem as if I had just drained my car's engine oil into my glass. Nice. No real head to speak of, but spots of brown are left on the glass here and there.

The aroma gives off strong notes of wood and vanilla, along with a fair amount of alcohol, all of which compliment the chocolate quite nicely. Coffee might be noticeable here and there but the barrel aging really takes hold in the aroma and makes for a boozy yet enticing experience.

The flavor definitely leads with vanilla as well. Coffee chimes in a bit more here, although is still pushed to the back most of the time, and mostly toward the finish of each sip, where it mixes with a bit of roasted malt and a touch of chocolate. Bourbon of course also comes into play here. It hangs around mostly in the middle of each sip I'd say, and has less of an alcohol vibe to it than one would expect given it's stronger presence in the aroma.

This is a a damn good beer, but I think the "basic" Breakfast Stout recipe blows this one out of the water (yes, they are two completely different recipes/beers. This isn't just the Breakfast Stout aged in barrels). Most people seem to prefer the KBS, but not me. Don't get me wrong, I'd never turn down a bottle of the KBS, but I'm just not typically a barrel-aged type of beer drinker. So for me to say I enjoyed just about everything about this beer says a little bit extra about it in my opinion. It'll be pricey if and when you can ever actually find it, but do yourself a favor and at least pick up a bottle to try if you ever do come across it. A great job all around by Founders.

Hopback, beer, Founders, Michigan, Kentucky, Breakfast, Stout, KBS

TTB Find of the Week: More from Boston Beer

2009-07-19T16:32:00.010-04:00

The Boston Beer Company appears to be set to roll out some new additions to their Brewmaster's Collection.

The TTB site has label submissions listed for a Dunkelweizen and something called Coastal Wheat, which is described as a Wheat Ale brewed with Lemon Peel. Interesting. I wonder if they are going to phase out some of the current Brewmaster's selections or if they are just going to keep adding to the arsenal of beers they already brew. If it's the former, I wouldn't mind seeing the mediocre Hefeweizen or Pale Ale get the axe, or even the new Blackberry Witbier, although I suspect it's still too new for them to consider eliminating it already. Actually, my first choice might be to eliminate the Cherry Wheat, but it's been a staple and a top seller for far too long for them to even consider it's demise, I would suspect.

Also listed by the TTB was the info for this year's Patriot Homebrew offering. The winner for the year's competition was an Oatmeal Stout, and will be available only on draft at Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots and New England Revolution.

Click the images below for larger versions:

Hopback, beer, Boston, Samuel Adams, Dunkelweizen, Coastal Wheat, Oatmeal Stout, Patriot Homebrew,Gillette Stadium, New England, Patriots, Revolution

The Captain and the Kid

2009-07-16T21:14:00.004-04:00

I could watch Deadliest Catch all day. All the episodes are basically the same but there's just something about the insanity of doing that job that reels me in (pun intended) every week (plus it's set up to record on my DVR so I couldn't miss it even if I tried). Needless to say, I was stoked when I saw that Rogue Ales had a special release called Captain Sig's Northwestern Ale, which they've billed as an India Red Ale, so I picked up a bottle and recently gave it a try.

It pours a mediocre but still not bad looking amber color with a somewhat frothy, somewhat creamy (but altogether slightly thinnish) off-white head that leaves a nice amount of residue on the glass after each sip.

I liked the aroma, simple as it was: caramel sweetness, some fruity hops and a hint of toasted bread here and there. These characteristics all hit in the flavor as well, but in a different fashion. They were more balanced overall in the aroma. Here, there's more of a bite from the hops and sweetness is subdued and left toward the back of each sip. There's a nice breadiness that leads the way here as the dominant flavor.

This wasn't a bad beer overall. Again, the aroma doesn't match the flavor. Well, it matches but is flip flopped in terms of dominant charateristics. It's easy to drink and flavorful but not overly memorable. Very much middle of the road in those terms. I would have this one again for sure, but it wouldn't be my first choice, especially given the overly inflated prices of Rogue bombers.

I suspect that most people who try it will like it but not love it, just as was the case with me.

Hopback, beer, Deadliest Catch, India Red Ale, Rogue, Oregon, Northwestern, Captain Sig's Northwestern Ale

NYC Homebrewers Rejoice

2009-07-15T22:23:00.005-04:00

It has baffled me for years: New York, the largest city in the United States and one of the biggest in the world, has had only one homebrew shop to it's name, and said shop is located in Queens (which isn't New York).

Luckily things are starting to change in the city and not one, but two establishments are setting up shop in Brooklyn. The first, Brooklyn Brew Shop, has already opened for business as a part of the Brooklyn Flea. They are in Fort Greene on Saturdays and under the Brooklyn Bridge on Sundays. Proprietors Stephen and Erica have set up an online shop for you to make your selections ahead of time and then simply pick up at the flea market. If what you are looking for isn't listed on their site, they seem willing and able to make the effort to find it for you.

The second of the two is Brooklyn Homebrew. Benjamin Stutz and Danielle Cefaro have been blogging about their progress for some time now and have also been selling certificates offering up to $20 in free hombrewing supplies if you purchase a $40 or $80 certificate now. All certificates are guaranteed for a full refund of the purchase price if they do not open up shop by June 1, 2010 (and they are making a strong push to open much sooner than that, I might add). They also have some supplies already for sale, so check their blog often for updates if you live in the area.

Cheers to the success of both businesses and hopefully this is a sign of other things to come for the homebrew community in NYC. Please support them both in any way that you can in order to ensure their success.

Hopback, beer, Brooklyn, Homebrew, New York

QUADrophenia

2009-07-08T22:51:00.005-04:00

Having spent six or so years in Boston in the late '90s/early '00s, I certainly drank my fair share of Harpoon products. It's nice to be able go back to them from time to time here in New Jersey, but we usually only seem to get the staples from the brewery: Harpoon IPA, UFO Hefeweizen and whatever the current seasonal is. So it's good to see the Leviathan Series making it's way out of New England and into stores around here. I believe of the four releases thus far from the series, the only one I didn't see at some point was the initial offering, which was a Baltic Porter.

For this go around I was able to grab a bottle of the Quad. It looks nice, pouring a murky brownish amber color with a thin head that settles in nicely atop the liquid.

I want to like the aroma but something is holding me back a bit: there's a nice blend of both dark berry and banana, pepper and caramel here along with subtle earth notes, but I think the alcohol presence may be a touch heavy-handed here, taking away from the other aromas instead of complimenting them.

Thankfully, the alcohol is scaled back somewhat in the flavor. It's still there for sure as this one is absolutely boozy, but it gives way a bit to those berry flavors, some candy sweetness toward the middle and also to the earth notes picked up in the aroma. I think the alcohol plays much better with the pepper flavor here as well, as you are hit you with a sharp pepper bite in each sip and then a nice warming effect from the alcohol.

This is a big beer for sure and at 11.75% ABV, a single twelve ounce bottle will do you just fine for the evening. I enjoyed it in the middle of the summer but think it'd be spot on sitting by the fire in the dead of winter. A good beer as it stands and one that could be even better with some taming of the alcohol in the aroma.

Hopback, beer, Harpoon, Leviathan, Boston, Quad

Sign o' the Times

2009-06-24T14:20:00.003-04:00

Great article from Eric Asimov in the New York Times today about the state of craft beer in restaurants and bars in New York City. Click the link below for the full article. You may have to sign up (for free) to the Times website in order for article access. I say may because the site has always been finicky for me. Sometimes I have to sign in, other times I am sent right to the article I am trying to access. Oh, well...onto the link:

The Pour - Good Beer Demands Good Food - Review - NYTimes.com

New York Times, beer bar, Hopback, beer

Put Your Makeup on, Fix Your Hair Up Pretty and Meet Me Tonight in Atlantic City

2009-06-24T14:09:00.003-04:00

Resorts Atlantic City recently decided that it'd be alright to mislead it's patrons by having a Miller Genuine Draft tap handle and a Miller Lite tap handle both pour from a Miller Lite keg. The New Jersey Casino Control Commission felt otherwise and fined the casino $5,000 for it's lack of attention to detail.

The CCC should have then fined the casino $50,000 for wasting two tap handles on crap beer.

Atlantic City, New Jersey, Hopback, beer, casino, Miller, Resorts, Miller Genuine Draft, Miller Lite

Stone 13th Anniversary: The Hoppiest Beer We've Ever Brewed

2009-06-23T10:26:00.003-04:00

Leave it to Stone to up the ante once again, this time by brewing their 13th Anniversary Ale (an Imperial/Double Red) with 4.5 pounds of hops per barrel (to compare, Stone notes that their ultra hoppy 10th Anniversary IPA was brewed with only" 2.5 pounds of hops per barrel. Yikes! Some more info, direct from Mitch Steele at the brewery:

“Big, red, and a hop monster!”

1 This is the first time we’ve ever released the Imperial/Double Red style.

2 We used more pounds of hops per barrel than any beer we’ve ever made.

3 We used Chinook hops in the brewhouse for bittering and flavor, then dry-hopped this beer with a 50/50 blend of Simcoe and Centennial.

4 As an added bonus, we then dry-hopped it again, just prior to filtering and packaging. That’s right, our popular double dry-hopped process, for the first time ever in one of our bottled beers!

Stone 13th Anniversary Ale pours brilliant deep red with a light tan foam. Up front, the aroma is all piney, resinous and citrus hops. Upon tasting, the hops are still on the front, and they are balanced with the malty, toffee like flavors contributed from the blend of crystal and amber malts used in the brewhouse. The finish is deliciously bitter, with a touch of warmth provided by the 9.5% alcohol. Bitterness comes in at 90+ IBU.

I want some. Now. June 29th cannot come soon enough.

Stone, Mitch Steele, beer, 13th Anniversary, Imperial Red, Double Red, Hopback

TTB Find of the Week: Magic Hat HOWL

2009-06-22T23:41:00.005-04:00

Magic Hat is reshuffling their seasonal deck a bit in a few months by moving the uber-tasty Roxy Rolles into their autumn seasonal slot and introducing (well, sort of, as you'll see in a moment) a new beer as their winter seasonal: Howl, a "black as night Winter Lager."

Rumor has it that Howl is simply a slight reworking of the Orlio Organic Black Lager, and judging by the fact that both have a matching ABV of 4.5%, I'd say that's a pretty good guess as to the origins of Howl at this point.

If this info stands as correct then I'll be a happy camper for sure, as the more Schwarzbier's the better in my opinion. It's an oft overlooked style that packs a healthy dose of flavor into a lighter bodied beer, despite it's appearance. Can't wait for this one to hit the shelves.

Magic Hat, Howl, Roxy Rolles, Orlio, organic, Black Lager, schwarzbier, Hopback

Dear Abbey

2009-06-20T22:49:00.005-04:00

I picked up a bottle of Abbey Ale from Abita Brewing Company on my way down to Florida with the intent to drink it while on vacation and just never got around to it. So, I purchased the bottle in Maryland, dragged it all the way down to Florida and then trucked it all the way back up here to New Jersey, where I was finally able to crack open the bottle. Let's see how she fares:

The color looks nice: hazy copper with a big (at first) off-white head that quickly settles to a thin lace, leaving only hints of residue on the glass after each sip.

I like what the aroma brings to the table, and that would be a bit of candy, hints of wood and that Belgian yeast vibe. There's definitely a good dose of darker, slightly tart fruit in the mix as well, which in turn brings out a touch of earthiness. This was Belgian for sure, but at the same time it wasn't and it worked nonetheless.

The flavor is a touch tamer than expected from what the aroma gave off, but is still nice. The tart fruit is more subdued here, as are the rest of the characteristics mentioned above. They're all still in the mix, but mellowed out. This helps to bring out the earth flavors a bit more than anything else and brings out some bread flavors as well, which means you might expect a bit of a heftier body, but instead the body ends up falling a bit on the thinner, slightly watery side which was a bit of a disappointment.

The end result here for me is that I enjoyed this one and would certainly drink it again, but would like the flavor to have some more of the pop that the aroma has, and certainly a bit more of a bite or heft to the body. Also of note: this is a very easy beer to drink and it hides it's 8.0% ABV quite nicely so be aware, as while it's not an uber-ridiculous ABV, it's still high enough to kick you in the ass.

It's nice to see Abita bottling more of their bigger beers or at the very least making them more readily available (I had never seen them in these parts until recently...only the regular lineup of Turbodog, Purple Haze, etc along with their seasonals). Let's keep this series going, Abita...

Abbey Ale, Abita, beer, Belgian, Louisiana, Turbodog, Purple Haze, Hopback

Tripel Dubbel Q&A: Saint Somewhere Brewing Company

2009-06-12T15:51:00.006-04:00

I decided that I wanted to launch a Q&A feature to the blog and wanted to keep it as simple as possible, but with a bit of a twist. With that said, I came up with and present to you the Tripel Dubbel: two sets of three questions each, with the first set being geared specifically toward the featured brewery and the second remaining constant for each "interview" (I hate to call it that, because it's really not). That said, the constant questions will likely be a work in progress for the first few entries as, while I like them as they stand now and am happy to keep them as is, I am open to suggestions to tweak them.

First up for the Tripel Dubbel is Bob Sylvester of the Saint Somewhere Brewing Company located in Tarpon Springs, Florida. Bob opened Saint Somewhere in 2006 as a small batch brewery that specializes in "traditionally brewed, hand crafted Belgian style ales."

What are your feeling on the current state of the Florida brewing scene?
Growing by leaps and bounds with new breweries opening every few months, it's an exciting time to be a Florida Brewer...finally!

How has the public outside of Florida responded to your beers now that you are available nationally through an agreement with Shelton Brothers?
We've been received very well. Being a niche product I realized that we couldn't survive on Florida alone. We've also been blessed with a lot of great press. We structured the packaging to reflect Florida, but not in an obvious way, which makes us more approachable throughout our market.

Can you provide any insight into the decision to go strictly with 750ml bottles for your products as opposed to the traditional 12 oz. bottles for six pack sales?
Well, that's easy. When we decided to jump into the beer business, my promise to myself was that I would cut no corners. I would never do anything to the product just to save money, or just for marketing purposes. The 750's do make a great presentation, but the larger volume of beer reacts differently than 12 oz. More volume means more yeast in suspension, less oxidation, better fermentation dynamics and so on.

Which of your own beers is your favorite and why?
You're asking me to pick a favorite child. I love them all!

If you could brew a collaborative beer with any other US brewer/brewery, who would it be and why?
No question...Ron Jeffries from Jolly Pumpkin.
(Note: I've followed up with Bob to get some more info as to why he chose Ron and will edit the post accordingly if/when he responds)

What is your proudest moment as a professional brewer?
Seeing Saison Athene chosen for a beer dinner by Gourmet Magazine.

And there you have it...thanks again for being my first victim, Bob!

beer, Bob Sylvester, Florida, Gourmet Magazine, Jolly Pumpkin, Ron Jeffries, Hopback, Saint Somewhere, Saison Athene, Shelton Brothers, Tarpon Springs, Tripel Dubbel

What Would Disney Do?

2009-05-25T20:41:00.007-04:00

We are t-minus four days and counting until our family excursion to Walt Disney World begins, and it got me to thinking that the last time I was there (just under a decade ago) the craft beer options were few and far between (I particularly remember Dixie Blackened Voodoo being offered at a few establishments, but that's about it), and understandably so to an extent. It is after all a family vacation destination first and foremost and there are many more important things for the Disney folks to focus on ahead of craft beer.

As I understand it, craft beer availability on Disney property has not changed much in the past ten years, so it got me to thinking: if each Disney-owned resort on site (the Hilton, Swan, Dolphin, for instance, don't count) had one American brewery paired with it by offering their beers as a compliment to that resort's theme, which brewery might match up well with each resort? I came up with what I think is a pretty decent list, but was completely lacking in ideas for a few of the resorts as you'll see below.

Contemporary Resort - Something California based: Sierra Nevada, North Coast, Stone, Anchor, Bear Republic, etc.

Polynesian Resort - The obvious choice here (although the mainland beer is brewed in either Oregon or New Hampshire) would be Kona Brewing Company.

Grand Floridian Resort & Spa - Keep it local with Saint Somewhere or Cigar City Brewing.

Wilderness Lodge - Offerings from a brewery like Alaskan Brewing or Big Sky Brewing Company out of Montana would be spot on here.

Animal Kingdom Lodge - Sprecher Brewing Company. Why a Wisconsin based brewery for an African Safari themed hotel, you ask? Because they brew two African style beers: Mbege and Shakparo.

Yacht Club Resort - Keep the New England vibe rolling with Cisco Brewers.

Beach Club Resort - New England is represented here as well, but it's a bit more laid back at the Beach Club. I'd go with something like the Harpoon Brewery or Buzzards Bay Brewing.

BoardWalk Inn - The early 20th century mid-Atlantic resort theme calls for something like Flying Fish Brewing out of New Jersey or Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales from Delaware.

All-Star Sports Resort - The only all sports themed brewery I could come up with (and it's a pretty good one, at that) was Cooperstown Brewing Company.

Coronado Springs Resort - Santa Fe Brewing Company: A nice little Southwestern brewery to compliment the southwestern theme.

Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa - Let the Saranac beers from the Matt Brewing Company take you back to upstate New York.

Old Key West Resort - Dunedin Brewing Company could work well here, along with the two previously mentioned Florida breweries I tabbed for the Grand Floridian above.

Port Orleans Resort French Quarter - If it's the French Quarter, then it's gotta be Dixie Brewing or the new-ish New Orleans Lager and Ale (NOLA) Brewing Company.

Port Orleans Resort Riverside - Louisiana's biggest brewery, Abita Brewing Company, belongs here for sure.

That leaves these resorts as the last ones standing, as I've got virtually nothing for them so far:

All-Star Music Resort
All-Star Movies Resort
Pop Century Resort
Caribbean Beach Resort

Caribbean Beach is tough because, well, it's theme reaches beyond the United States...although beers from St. John Brewers could work here, as they are brewed under agreement by Maine's Shipyard Brewing Company.

I'm truly lost on the other three, and can't even think of a starting point for them.

I think just about any business, particularly a small craft brewery, would jump at the chance for some exposure from Walt Disney World. Hopefully it is something that they might consider down the road as they run through their lists of minor detail improvements on property.

Rain Dogs

2009-05-23T22:38:00.007-04:00

New Jersey has really been on a tear the past twelve months or so bringing new craft breweries into the state for distribution. As mentioned here a month or so ago, one of the new breweries to descend upon the Garden State is the Laughing Dog Brewing Company from Ponderay, Idaho. I picked up their Alpha Dog Imperial IPA on a recent beer run and gave it a whirl the other night:

It pours into my favorite Dogfish pint glass (Hey, what can I say, glassware from Idaho is a bit hard to come by here in NJ...glassware from much closer Delaware, however, is not!) with a very nice looking glowing orange color and a big soapy, semi-creamy head that leaves a nice amount of residue on the glass.

Aroma is a nice balance of pine, biscuit/bread, some fruit and caramel. It's actually very nice, just perhaps a touch faint for the style. I was expecting something bigger and bolder, but at the same to have no real complaints about the relative tameness here.

The flavour expands upon the aroma in the sense that it has some of the boldness I anticipated there, but it still maintains a very nice balance. There's some wood in the mix here as well and maybe even a hint of smoke at the finish of each sip, which is where the hops really kick in after a few seconds. Caramel cuts through nicely to blend with any sweetness from the citrus notes. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with some slickness and chewiness as expected, and just the right amount of carbonation.

I tend to be hesitant of a lot of IIPA's just on the sheer non-balanced factor alone, but I liked this one and it really hits the mark as possibly the most drinkable IIPA I've ever tried. It's by no means a huge hop bomb but is certainly bigger than your run of the mill, standard IPA. Idaho should be proud.

Alpha Dog, Idaho, beer, Imperial IPA, Laughing Dog, New Jersey, Hopback

American Land

2009-05-23T21:22:00.003-04:00

Anheuser-Busch has actually been doing some decent things lately with the newly refurbished Michelob Craft line (their Porter and DunkelWeisse are both very nice and the Irish Red and Pale Ale aren't half bad either), and although the Budweiser American Ale is not a part of the Michelob family, I figured I'd give it a second shot in hopes that it was more in line with the Michelob offerings and I just had an off bottle the first and only other time I've sampled it.

The pour looks decent enough with a lighter, slightly watery amber colored liquid topped by a quick to dissolve bubbly off-white head that leaves tiny spots of residue on the glass.

The aroma is very sweet. To the point that it's somewhat intrusive. Strike that, it's definitely intrusive and overpowers any other faint charateristics, which in this case are a hint touch of grassy hops and maybe a bit of earthy malt. Flavor gets a little better by building on the aromatic traits, but not by much. There's more of a toasted malt flavor here which is nice enough, and the sweetness is tames a bit and is balanced better, but it is still too overpowering.

By toning down the sweetness, jacking up the hop presence even just a touch, and taking the mouthfeel from watery to something with just a bit more heft, this could be a much nicer beer that still plays to the masses (which is the obvious attempt here) but can also appeal to the more hard core beer lover. Anheuser-Busch really crapped the bed here. This isn't awful but they just miss the mark in so many places. If it were me, I'd have modeled this one after beers like Fat Tire from New Belgium or Red Tail Ale from Mendocino. Neither one of those hits you with a ton of flavor, but they work nonetheless and a brand like the Fat Tire has achieved a ridiculous cult following by working simple flavor into a balanced beer. Sorry, A-B, but you need to go back to the drawing board with this one.

Nine Dollar Schlitz

2009-05-21T16:02:00.006-04:00

Nine Dollars. That's not the cost for a case, or a twelve pack, or even a really pricey six pack. Nope. That is what I paid for a single tallboy of Schlitz at the new Yankee Stadium this past weekend. The saddest part is that initial reports were that the tallboys being sold at the Stadium's Retro Beer stand (other available brands included Pabst Blue Ribbon, Ballantine, Schaefer and maybe one or two additional offerings) were of the 24 ounce variety. Well, they're not. These cans are only 16 ounces, so what you're getting here is a nine dollar pint. Of course I'm probably the biggest fool of all for actually paying the money for the beer (because if people are buying it then it's not overpriced), but the other options were just as ridiculous. Coors Light for ten dollars. Heineken for eleven dollars. Ouch.

And where are the craft beers? No where to be found, at least not in the "public" parts of the stadium. I did see a fan one section over from mine with what appeared to be a draft pour of Samuel Adams Boston Lager or a Brooklyn Lager or something similar, but he was in one of the fancy club/suite sections that are quarantined from the rest of us and require fans to sign away the rights to their first born child for access to said seats and amenities. If you've got a Retro Beer stand and a Beers of the World stand (although the worldly offerings that are Beck's, Stella Artois, Heineken, etc. are hardly enticing), than why not at least one craft stand with local offerings like Six Point Craft Ales, Brooklyn Brewery, Chelsea Brewing Company?

Although, at nine bucks a pop for a pint of Schlitz, we'd probably be looking at twelve to thirteen dollar (or more) pints of craft beer...

Kind of Blue

2009-05-18T21:04:00.005-04:00

An 80th birthday party for my wife's grandfather recently brought me out to Long Island for the day, and I was hopeful yet not optimistic that there would be some sort of craft beer offering at the establishment that was being used for the party.

Once we finally arrived (Saturday afternoon traffic through Staten Island and Brooklyn = an awful drive), we settled into the back room of Johnny Malone's, a fairly unassuming bar/restaurant in Wantagh, NY. A quick scan of our room noted that we had our own private supply of wine and beer. Excellent. A more detailed scan noted that said beer being poured appeared to be of the watery, light yellow colored variety. Damn.

Not to fear. There's still the front bar that is open to the public. Time for another scan of the bottles and tap handles: Miller Lite? No thanks. Blue Moon? Pass. Samuel Adams Summer Ale? Maybe, but I can get that just about anywhere for the next four months...and then they caught my eye: two tap handles from Blue Point Brewing Company. Score. All is not lost. The bar was pouring both the Toasted Lager and Blueberry Ale, so let's see what each brought to the table:

The Toasted Lager poured a crisp copper color with a minimal sized head to it, and had a nice balanced aroma that had notes of caramel sweetness, toasted bread and some floral hops here and there as well. The flavor was pretty much in line with what I picked up in the aroma, although I'd say there was a bigger than expected toasted bread presence toward the end of each sip.

The Lager is Blue Point's flagship beer and they do a nice job with it. I hadn't sampled it in quite some time and have to say that I wasn't expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. It's a no frills beer that actually reminds me a lot of the Samuel Adams Boston Lager, but with more of the previously mentioned toasted bread flavor to it that gives this one it's name.

Up next was the Blueberry Ale: it poured a watery copper color with a frothy white head and had a sweet blueberry smell to it that just pushed over the top enough into somewhat distracting territory. It's not ultra-offensive, but does get in the way a bit and certainly cuts into the general maltiness that is the only other aroma that is really present here. The flavor is similar, with blueberry dominating and taking just a bit too much away from the rest of the beer. There's a touch of caramel here, and like the Toasted Lager (but far more subtle) there are some bread notes at the end of each sip. Mouthfeel is light and a bit watery.

I can't say that I was terribly impressed with the Blueberry Ale. It was kind of like a watered down version of the Toasted Lager with too many blueberries added during the brewing process. It's not awful but not recommended. I'd like to see a bit more heft to the body and have the blueberry notes toned down a bit in both the aroma and flavor. The key to a solid fruit beer for me is keeping the fruit involvement simple and balanced, and that just didn't happen here. One pint of the Blueberry Ale was enough and then it was back to the Toasted Lager for the rest of the party for me.

Help Free the Hops in Alabama

2009-05-15T09:47:00.003-04:00

The campaign to Free the Hops in Alabama scored a major win yesterday afternoon when the state Senate passed the Gourmet Beer Bill, which would lift Alabama's current 6.0% ABV restriction on beer. Read more about it here, but currently in Alabama wine has an ABV cap of 24% and no container size restrictions and liquor can be up to 100% ABV and also has no container size restrictions, while beer ABV is capped at the aforementioned 6.0% and can be sold in containers no larger than 16 ounces. Absurd.

The final step to having the bill become official is to have the Governor sign it into law, and that is where you come into play. If you live in Alabama or have friends or family in Alabama, please send a brief message to the Governor's office via phone/fax/email letting him know that you support the bill with a quick explanation as to why. Here's the contact info for Governor Riley:

Switchboard: (334) 242-7100
Fax: (334) 353-0004
Email form: http://www.governor.alabama.gov/contact/contact_form.aspx

Let's help to make all of the efforts of the Free the Hops campaign pay off!

TTB Find of the Week: Samuel Adams Beer Lover's Choice 2009 - Pils vs. Ale

2009-05-14T22:57:00.008-04:00

The TTB site comes through again this week, showing off the likely labels for the two beers fighting to be victorious in the 2009 version of the Samuel Adams Beer Lover's Choice competition, in which the winner goes into regular production for the company.

It looks like the Boston Beer Company is getting back to the basics this year with two simple beers: Sample A is a 5.2% ABV Pilsner "brewed with only Noble hops," and Sample B is a 5.8% ABV Ale "brewed with hops from three traditional growing regions."

Should be interesting to find out more about these beers as the year goes on, but here are the labels (extremely basic, as always for this competition) as they stand now:

Goodbye Portsmouth, Hello Star Island

2009-05-13T14:08:00.006-04:00

It's about a month and a half old now, but do yourself a favor and check out the link here (and below) for a great post by Peter Egelston of the Smuttynose Brewing Company that goes into tremendous detail about the story behind the creation and ultimate demise of the Portsmouth Lager. Yes, it's a bit of a lengthy post, but is well worth the read, particularly if are from or have ever spent any time living in New England, as I did.

While for me the Portsmouth Lager typically got lost in the sea of lagers out there, I still picked it up on occasion and it will always hold a special place in my heart as it was introduced right around the time that I started becoming interested in craft beer while living in Boston. I'm sad to see it go, but ultimately respect and completely understand and agree with the reasons for it's departure as noted in Egelston's post.

Star Island Single, the beer that has been tapped to replace the Portsmouth Lager, has been on the market for a brief while now and I think it's quite tasty and a hell of a session beer, and in the end was a smart choice for replacing the Lager.

Enjoy: Why we've Retired Porstmouth Lager

.

Light My Fire

2009-05-11T22:44:00.003-04:00

Tonight's selection is Fire Rock Pale Ale from Kona Brewing Company. The brewery's mainland bottles and kegs used to be brewed exclusively in Portland, Oregon by Widmer Brothers, but now through the Craft Brewers Alliance they are able to brew the Kona beers for the East Coast on the East Coast, via Redhook's Portsmouth, New Hampshire facility. I'm always a bit hesitant when it comes to contract or special agreement brews, at least until I find out a bit more about the setup. In this case, I was pleasantly surprised with what Kona has to say about the agreement, or at the very least the spinners in their marketing department did their job. From the Kona website:

Recipes and beer specifications are dictated by Kona Brewing Company's brewmaster, who oversees each of Kona Brewing Company's partner breweries as the beer is brewed and packaged. The beer brewed at Kona Brewing Company's partner breweries utilizes Kona's hops, malt and proprietary yeast. The water mineral levels at each brewery are adjusted to replicate the water used in Hawaii. A sample of each batch of beer is sent to the Kailua-Kona brewery for sensory evaluation. The brewmaster and quality assurance employees are in daily contact with mainland partner breweries.

Kona Brewing Company recognizes the importance of crafting its tasty ales and lagers close to their markets. By brewing the beer close to distribution markets, Kona Brewing Company ensures beer drinkers are receiving the freshest beer. This also enables Kona Brewing Company to minimize its carbon footprint, expending limited resources to deliver quality beer.

Now, onto the beer: it's got a copper color to it that's a bit light overall but nothing out of the ordinary for a Pale Ale. The aroma is a basic but somewhat beefy blend of caramel and bread, with slight hints of grassy hops mixed in.

The flavor takes it a step further by amping up the bread notes a bit, along with the grassy hops, but also incorporating some floral notes as well that bring a different dimension of sweetness and flavor by giving this one some perfume characteristics. Caramel is still here but dulled a bit in favor of the previously mentioned qualities. The finish is smooth with a nice biscuit vibe that still has that touch of sweetness to it.

I've sampled a few of the other Kona styles in the past and this one is far and away my favorite of the group that I have tried. Again, it is fairly simple but still packs a nice flavorful punch while being easy to drink at the same time. I can't say that the Fire Rock will wow you, but it's a solid beer all around.

Cold Irons Bound

2009-05-10T23:46:00.004-04:00

Iron Hill Brewery and Restaurant has just announced that after five years at their West Chester, PA location, Head Brewer Chris LaPierre is heading to New Jersey to open the company's first Garden State location in Maple Shade, with Larry Horwitz taking over in West Chester. This will be the eighth Iron Hill location overall, with the others spread out over Delaware and Eastern Pennsylvania.

Look for the Maple Shade location to open it's doors in mid-July. If you've never been to an Iron Hill, do yourself a favor and find time in your schedule to visit one. I've been to the Wilmington, DE and Media, PA locations on several occasions and cannot say enough good things about them. The beers are always spot on and the food is quite good as well. The staff is also well versed in the styles and selections on hand, which is a pleasant change of pace from the many bars and brewpubs that simply throw their bartenders into the fire without proper beer education. While I would certainly like to see a location open even closer to me still (I think a location in a place like Red Bank, NJ would do a ton of business), I am happy that my journey to pick up some growlers of Pig Iron Porter just got a little shorter.

Speaking of both Iron Hill and beer-to-go, it just recently dawned on me that New Jersey has some very outdated liquor laws that may throw a wrench into the Maple Shade location being able to sell their bottled products to go. I initially did not think they'd be able to even sell the bottles for consumption on site, but after an email exchange with Iron Hill Director of Brewing Operations Mark Edelson, he confirmed that they do not foresee an issue filling and selling 750mL bottles for sale on site (and I would have to agree as after I received his reply I did recall that the Tun Tavern in Atlantic City has sold their anniversary beer in 750mL bottles on site in the past), but the laws only allow for beer-to-go to be sold in refillable containers and they are still trying to understand if the 750mL bottles would classify as such. Personally (and unfortunately) I have a feeling that is going to be a battle that they will not likely win, at least in the short term.

No Sleep till Brooklyn

2009-05-08T21:40:00.004-04:00

Garrett Oliver's Local 2 for the Brooklyn Brewery has been a long time coming, as I thoroughly enjoyed the Local 1 upon it's release a couple of years back. So, let's pop the cork and see what we've got:

It pours a deep brown color with a puffy off-white head that has a bit of creaminess to it. As it dissolves an almost soap-like residue is left on the glass.

Aromas come through as fruity with a bit of tartness. There's a bit of alcohol here, along with some honey and maybe a touch of floral notes, but darker fruit dominates.

The honey squeaks through much more in the flavor but still doesn't overcome the darker fruit notes. That said, the two provide a nice counter for each other and are also balanced by more of a general malt flavor than expected. It's earthy, with a bit of a toasted bread taste as well. The finish has a touch of what seemed to be brown sugar and left a bit of an alcohol taste lingering at the same time.

Not bad. I think my expectations were a bit high after the Local 1, and while I wouldn't put the Local 2 on that level, it is still a nice beer. I would absolutely drink this one again, but if you put it and the Local 1 in front of me and told me to pick, then I'd end up grabbing the Local 1 just about every time.

Torpedo Shortage?

2009-05-07T14:30:00.005-04:00

Thanks to a demand that is approximately 400% higher than Sierra Nevada projected, there is a bit of a short supply of their Torpedo Extra IPA at the retail level right now.

Brewery Communications Coordinator Bill Manley took to the BeerAdvocate message boards on multiple occasions in the past few months to share the above information. He has also noted that the Citra hops that are used in production of the beer are in very limited supply right now, with under seven acres in total worldwide production in 2008. He continued that until the new hop harvest hits in October they have asked both distributors and retailers to order only what is necessary as they will only be able to accommodate about half of the Torpedo orders through then, meaning there may be times when the beer is simply out of stock at your local store.

While I can say that I haven't seen the Torpedo on the shelves as much around here as the other Sierra Nevada year round offerings, I have still seen it in pretty good supply. It seems that if one store does not have it then the one five minutes down the road likely will. To me that five minutes is well worth it if you're craving the Torpedo, because it really is a well crafted, tasty beer that has a juicy hop bite to it that is never over the top and makes for a nice middle ground between a standard and a double IPA.

In other Sierra news, look for their other new year round offering, the Kellerweis Hefeweizen, to hit the shelves starting early this summer. The brewery describes it as being brewed via open fermentation, a technique that adds "uncommon depth and flavor complexity" such as banana and clove. I've obviously not had the chance to sample this one yet, but my gut says that Sierra Nevada will knock it out of the park, as is the case with just about everything they brew.

White Ladder

2009-05-06T23:11:00.004-04:00

Beer selection of the night was made by my wife this evening and it was a pretty good one: Long Trail Belgian White.

The brewery introduced this one as their new summer seasonal in 2008 and I've had the opportunity to sample it on several occasions, as our local Long Trail distributor does a pretty good job getting their lineup both on the shelves and on tap here at the Jersey Shore.

The main focus with this beer is the sweetness. It's very sweet, but at the same time not too sweet. There's a fair amount of citrus (mostly lemon, with a touch of orange) pushing through both the flavor and aroma, and it mixes with a healthy dose of coriander. Wheat cuts through nicely to provide some balance in the flavour, but the aroma can be a touch perfume-y at times, and even bring out notes reminiscent of Trix cereal here and there. Don't get me wrong, it works, but I'd have toned the overall presence of the aroma down just a slight touch.

I enjoyed this one overall but it never turned the corner from good to great. At the same time, I think that Long Trail was aiming for a fairly simple but flavorful summer session beer, and that's pretty much what the Belgian White is.

It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)

2009-05-06T10:25:00.006-04:00

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery recently revealed that the new beer they have been touting as "Brand X" is actually a Finnish Sahti that will be known as, well, Sah'tea. This style is traditionally brewed using juniper berries in addition to or in place of hops, and often includes a healthy dose of rye as well. Dogfish Head's founder Sam Calagione incorporated both of these elements into the mostly traditional recipe, and took that tradition one step further by utilizing hot rocks to boil the wort. This excerpt from a New Yorker article on Dogfish Head written late last year explains Calagione's thought process in a bit more detail:

When sahti was first brewed, in the Middle Ages, Calagione told me, Finnish farmers used wooden kettles. The wood couldn’t be set directly on a fire, so the brewers heated up rocks and threw them into the mash, caramelizing the barley and giving it a smoky flavor. Calagione wanted to use the same method, but he wasn’t sure that he had the right material. “I told my maintenance guy to get rocks without a lot of quartz in them,” he said. “Otherwise, when they get hot, they’ll explode in your face.”

With tradition thrown into (or in this case, on top of) the fire, the brewery decided to incorporate their own twist to the style, as they typically do. This time their stamp on the beer was adding a bit of black chai tea at the end of the boil.

The Dogfish crew recorded the process of heating and moving the rocks and the resulting videos are linked below. The first clip shows Bryan Selders explaining the brewing process and the second shows the transportation of the rocks into the wort.

Gotta say that I'm really looking forward to trying this one out when it is released this summer. I've really enjoyed the few Sahti's I've been able to sample in the past and Sam and the Dogfish team always find a way to put their unique mark on traditional beer styles.

Get Local with Schlafly

2009-05-05T15:11:00.011-04:00

While browsing through various brewery websites recently, I stumbled upon a documentary on the Schlafly Beer home page. The cool thing about the doc (which is embedded below) is that in it's brief eight minutes it talks about a lot of things, but not the beer. I liked the twist of finding out about the other side of the brewery, so to speak. Most would assume that although this was a graduate student project, it would still be an eight minute fluff piece used to market their beer. That simply isn't the case here, and after watching it you'll realize that's just not what the folks at Schlafly are about. Yes, as a business they are looking to brew (and sell) the best beer possible, but beyond the beer the essence of the business is in it's history, it's pride in being local, the fact that they are green, etc. and that is something that to me is quite admirable.

That said, something did catch my attention while viewing the doc, and it ties back into my note about their pride in being a local brewery. Said local roots and ties were noted a few times and brewery Vice President Dan Kopman even commented that "this should be a local brand and a local brewery, without aspirations for anything more." I found this to be a bit perplexing as we've been able to purchase a couple of Schlafly offerings (the Barrel Aged Imperial Stout and the Oak Aged Barleywine) here in New Jersey since late last year. So, was he blowing smoke or was there actual substance to Kopman's words? I emailed the brewery direct for some clarification and received a quick but detailed response back from Schlafly Design and Multimedia guru Troika Brodsky.

He reiterated that Schlafly is still very much a local brewery with distribution mostly in Missouri (90% of their ≈30,000 barrel capacity is promised to the roughly 300 mile radius outisde of Saint Louis, and most of that beer stays within 50 or so miles of Saint Louis), but limited distribution in other Midwest states. Plus, it was also emphasized that keeping it local means keeping it fresh. It's the approach they have decided to take and one in which they are not looking to stray from. I certainly can't argue with that.

So what about Schlafly showing up here in New Jersey, which is well beyond a 300 mile radius of Saint Louis?

"We are sending 56 cases of each of the two reserve beers each year to: MA, NY, NJ, MD/DC, VA, OR and WA to "friends." We have no intention to expand this program," Brodsky said.

Very cool, and I have to say that I was impressed with the response from the brewery, as when I visited Saint Louis about a year ago and had the chance to sample four or five different Schlafly offerings, not only did I enjoy the beer and note how fresh it seemed, but I got the impression from the locals that the brewery was indeed very much a part of the community and had strong ties to it. I'm glad to see that nothing has changed since then and doesn't seem like it will change anytime soon. Their outreach of supplying some of their special beers to friends in further reaching states ties right into that community-based direction, because while New England, the Pacific Northwest, etc. aren't exactly local to Saint Louis in the geographic sense, the sharing of small batches of beer within the craft world makes it very much local in the community sense.

I'm sad that I won't be able to pick up any Dry Hopped APA at my local store anytime soon, but am very happy with the reasons behind it.

Schlafly Beer - Documentary from Adrian B on Vimeo.

TTB Find of the Week: Pollenator Returns!

2009-05-03T11:08:00.001-04:00

For those who don't know, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau's TTB Online site is a great resource to get a sneak peek at what American breweries have in the pipeline for both limited and wide release, as said site posts all submissions for both bottle and keg label review/approval.

Popping up recently was a label for the relaunch of Long Trail Brewing Co.'s long gone, oft-missed Pollenator. This time around the beer will be tagged as as their 20th Anniversary Brew and will be available in 22 oz bottles.

The Pollenator had it's last wide release about six or so years ago and, while it was always a fairly basic, non-revolutionary beer, it was easy as hell to drink and in it's heyday definitely had a grasp on the overall vibe of New England beer scene in the late '90's/early '00's. I'll certainly be picking some up for nostalgia's sake once it hits the shelves as it reminds me a lot of my time spent living in Boston.

I Am a Craft Brewer

2009-05-02T22:02:00.000-04:00

Saw this video pop up on numerous craft beer websites and thought I'd throw it out there as well for anyone who hasn't yet seen it. It was put together by Stone Brewing Co. CEO Greg Koch for his keynote address at the Craft Brewers Conference that took place in Boston last week. It is, in a word, awesome.

Check it out:

I Am A Craft Brewer from I Am A Craft Brewer on Vimeo.

Is Magic Hat Listening?

2009-04-30T13:13:00.000-04:00

Are the Magic Hat Variety Paks about to start showing some real variety?

Ever since they released Circus Boy around the beginning of 2006, Magic Hat has been pimping it. Hard. They seemingly want to replicate the overwhelming success that they've enjoyed with the #9, and as such shove both beers in the face of the consumer at every chance they get. This includes putting them both in every mix pack they have offered from 2006 until present (the Mardi Gras, Pandora's Box, Summer Variety Show, Feast of Fools, Night of the Living Dead, Participation, Joe's Garage...and the list goes on). The formula has been simple: three bottles of #9, three bottles of Circus Boy, three bottles of the current seasonal offering and three bottles of a "special" beer such as one from their Mystery Batch Series or, of late, their Odd Notion Series. This quickly became a stale formula that drew complaints and negative feedback from craft beer lovers everywhere.

Well, it seems that Magic Hat has heard what many of their consumers have to say and is finally throwing wrench (a small one, but a wrench nonetheless) into their formula with the new Summer Scene Variety Pak. Yes, we're still getting the #9, the latest Odd Notion Beer (a Belgian Blonde), and their Summer seasonal (Wacko, a red colored beer made with beet sugar...that's right, I said beet sugar), but the Circus Boy has been axed in favor of their new-ish year round offering, Lucky Kat Ale, and I have to say that although I like but don't love both the #9 and Circus Boy, I too was sick of seeing them both in every Varity Pak and am quite happy with the decision and hope that something similar is done with future Variety Paks as opposed to this just being dumb luck this time around.

Yes, I understand the need to get flagship brands out there, but if it can be kept to one of the two flagships per Variety Pak with said brands alternating from season to season, then we're finally looking at some nicer packages. That said, I propose that the brewery take it one step further with one of these two options:

1. Utilize a Variety Pak format of three bottles each of either the #9 or Circus Boy, the current seasonal and a special series beer, but use that fourth slot to resurrect some of the great beer that Magic Hat has mysteriously retired over the years with little to no explanation, yet were loved and highly regarded by many. Sure, slow sales were likely the reason for their demise, because if they were selling they'd still be on the shelves today, but limited runs in seasonal packages are the perfect spot for these beers because variety packages are going to be released anyway as they almost always sell well on the novelty factor alone, and the resurrected beers wouldn't be competing against the other Magic Hat brands for six-pack shelf space. Let's see the return of Heart of Darkness, Humble Patience/Bob's 1st Ale, Fat Angel, Blind Faith, Ravell and others!

2. The Vermont-based Magic Hat recently merged with Seattle-based Pyramid Breweries. How about a real mix package that offers the best of both coasts: two bottles each of a flagship, a seasonal and a special release from Magic Hat and the same from Pyramid, all in one box?

Now those are two packages that I and many other beer enthusiasts would be all over.

Some Devil

2009-04-28T22:35:00.000-04:00

Back in mid 2008, Victory Brewing Company decided to play around a bit with their most popular beer: HopDevil Ale. They kept the hops exactly the same but substituted in a new yeast strain, Brettanomyces (or Brett), that is more "wild" in it's nature and as such would hopefully bring some new characteristics to the beer. The result was WildDevil, and it is now being bottled and offered on a wider scale. So, let's crack open a bottle and see how it stacks up against the original, which has always been one of my favorite Victory offerings.

It pours a medium amber color with a big frothy head that dissolves fairly quickly. Aroma is a bit mellower than expected, but nice. There's a fruity, juiciness (apple?) here that might even hint at bubble gum at times. This is much more muted than the HopDevil, and I suspect the flavor will be the same way.

The first few sips confirm my suspicions. This yeast has tamed the flavor for sure. There is still a nice hop presence that bites with citrus flavors and perhaps even a bit of that apple again, plus there's a spicy kick as well, but the palate is hit no where near as hard as with the HopDevil. Missing the most are the pine notes. The Brett helps to bring out some funkier, off-tasting flavours as well. I don't want to say this one is sour, because it's not, but there are definitely some tart characteristics floating about that mix with a very bread-like finish and aftertaste. There's a nice, fluffy and bubbly feel here that's almost Saison-like at times.

I've got to say that the Brett mellowed this beer out a lot, and in a good way. It's a bit more drinkable than the HopDevil but on a completely different level. I don't know that it's got that much of a Belgian feel to it as Victory has described (Stone Brewing Co.'s new Cali-Belgique IPA was much more Belgian-inspired/flavored than this one), but that isn't a knock in any way. I also don't understand why many people have noted that the WildDevil is barely distinguishable from the HopDevil. They're two completely different beers in my opinion and both are well worth your time.

Take Me to the River (Horse)

2009-04-28T09:22:00.001-04:00

I first sampled River Horse's beers about a dozen or so years ago. From that time up until around late last summer, I had always found their overall portfolio to be mediocre at best. Sure, some of the bigger beers like the Tripel Horse were decent, but in the end there always seemed to be an overall lack of inspiration from the brewery. A general disregard for the public perception of their brand even. Anyway, back to late last summer: it was just about the one year anniversary of the purchase of the brewery by Glenn Bernabeo and Chris Walsh, and their efforts to reposition River Horse and take it to the next level along with Head Brewer Christian Ryan were finally starting to pay off.

It started (at least for me) with the Brewer's Reserve Series, which is a small(er) batch release of new styles from the brewery. First in the series was a tasty Double White, which was so successful that it was repackaged as their Double Wit and made available in four packs as a permanent fixture in the River Horse lineup. Next up was the Imperial Cherry Amber Ale which thankfully focused on the Amber portion of the name and kept the cherry notes to a drinkable minimum. The most recent in the series was the Oatmeal Milk Stout and it was far and away the best of the bunch. You may still be able to find some of it on the shelves, but fear not if you don't, as this one is also being resurrected later on in 2009. The coffee/chocolate/earthy malt blend here is just great and as such this was one of my favorite beers of 2008.

Along with the return of the Oatmeal Milk Stout, other beers to look for from River Horse in 2009 include their Hop-A-Lot-Amus, Dunkel Fester Lager, Hefe-Rye-zen (the next in the Brewer's Reserve series) and limited draft only releases like the already released Burnt Sugar Ale, Dubbel Honey Weizenbock and the summer release of the Huckleberry Wheat. Many of the existing River Horse styles are also going through a revitalization with a bit of recipe retooling as well. Finally, label branding is also being recharged with new graphics based around the logo shown above. What we're looking at here is basically a 180 from the previous regime. The enthusiasm from the new River Horse team has been nothing short of amazing and I am once again proud to have them represent New Jersey craft beer.

The one minor gripe I still have is that the cost of River Horse six pack is still about a dollar or two higher than others on the shelf that have been brought in from New England, the Midwest and Even the West Coast. Yes, I know that the hop shortage of the past few years, existing contracts, general production costs, etc can vary greatly from brewery to brewery, but the norm (and it is certainly not the rule) is that the local craft brewery is typically a touch cheaper on the shelves than the competition from other states, not the other way around.

That said, if the trade off for turning over the old ways of River Horse into what they are doing now is a bit higher of a price for much better beer and a passion behind it, then that's a deal I'm willing to make.

Two Breweries Enter the NJ Market

2009-04-27T14:27:00.001-04:00

Just a quick post to note that folks in New Jersey should start seeing beer from both The Bruery and Laughing Dog Brewing on local store shelves soon.

I had the opportunity to sample some of The Bruery's stuff in New York City a few months back and must say that I was impressed by said samples and look forward to picking up their other offerings. Arizona beer enthusiasts should note that beers from The Bruery will also soon be available there as well.

Have not had the opportunity to try any of the Laughing Dog stuff yet, although I hope to remedy that this week, and will report back when I do. Very cool to see an Idaho brewery now represented here in the Garden State. It appears as if we are getting the Alpha Dog Imperial IPA, Devil Dog and DogZilla Black IPA from them to start. An email from owner/brewmaster Fred Colby also noted that they will be in New York and Delaware soon as well.

Twenty-Twenty-Twenty Four Hours to Go

2009-04-24T23:23:00.001-04:00

About two weeks ago, a trip west to Seattle for the first time ever left me with just about 24 hours on the ground there in which to explore the beer culture of the city. Subtract time for meetings and sleep and my already limited time in town became that much more scarce.

After a quicker than expected cab ride into town, my first stop was the Pike Pub & Brewery. It's essentially a part of the Pike Place Market yet a touch beyond it by a block or so, I'd say. I only stopped in for a quick pint (a tasty but not necessarily memorable Pike Kilt Lifter Scotch Style Ale) but noticed that while there was a pretty decent locals crowd soaking up the Mariners game, there was a definite touristy vibe to the place. I wasn't completely sold on it and would like to hit up places like Elysian or the Pyramid near the sports complex for comparison, but would come back nonetheless.

A stroll down the road brought me to the Pike Place Grocery and Deli, which had an arsenal of Northwest and West Coast brews available from the coolers in the back of the store. Nice selection indeed that had me tempted to make some purchases, but I had neither the time to drink them at my hotel that evening nor the luggage to bring them back in as I was armed only with my carry-on bag.

The final stop for the evening was at a non-craft beer dedicated restaurant called Cutter's, yet I was still impressed with the loyalty to and selection from the local craft scene. Tap list included offerings from Mac and Jack's, Pyramid and Georgetown to name a few, plus other local and regional offerings. I enjoyed tasty Manny's Pale Ale with my dinner and called it a night.

Perhaps the best part of the trip beer-wise was the airport and the return flight home. Nothing stellar in terms of rare finds, but the airport itself offered three quality bar selections (The Alaska Lodge, Seattle Tap Room and Anthony's Restaurant) and may have had the best overall selection that I've ever seen at an airport. Locals and regionals dominated the tap handles once again, and after a quick bite and an Alaskan Pale at the Lodge I was off to catch my flight on Alaska Air.

Capping the trip was the option to purchase bottles of Alaskan Amber on the flight. A couple of swipes of my debit card later (cash free only on board Alaska, which I found to be quite convenient) and my return trip cross country was made that much better by a few bottles of said Amber. This alone has sealed the deal for me to book any future flights into Seattle with Alaska Air.

In all, Seattle made a nice first impression on me as a city that is well versed in and dedicated to it's local breweries. I hope to make it back soon to explore even further...

LongShot

2009-04-24T16:06:00.002-04:00

So, the third installment of the resurrected LongShot series from Boston Beer/Samuel Adams has just started hitting the shelves, and I must say that while I look forward to and for the most part enjoy the chosen winners each year, I've never walked away thinking any particular beer was memorable. As such, I've typically purchased one six pack per release and no more, but that's about to change after sampling all three of this year's offerings:

The Traditional Bock is as spot on and solid as can be, but very simple at the same time, and that is what makes this one stick with you. Loads of malt all around with a toasty, bready vibe and a nice bit of alcohol warmth. A great take on the style.

I was a bit hesitant to try the Cranberry Wit, as fruit beers tend to be overly fruity more often than not for me, but thankfully this one avoided said potential issue. Cranberry lingers but does not intrude and mixes very nicely with the spices used here for a well balanced beer that I would love to see replace the embarrassingly awful Cranberry Lambic that wastes two slots in the otherwise great Winter Classics pack that the BBC puts out each Holiday season. This is a nice fall/winter beer for sure.

And finally, the Double IPA: hoppy as hell with citrus and pine notes, plus a big peppery bite, and backed up and balanced with a nice dose of malt. Who cares how this one came to be (it's an admitted clone/slight tweak of Russian River's Pliny the Elder recipe) as long as it's good, right?

Do yourself a favor and try to find this LongShot pack. It may seem a bit pricey at the $9.99 suggested price (although I found mine at only $8.25 here in NJ) given the lower average cost of most other SA products, but it's worth it.

And here...we...go!

2009-04-24T15:29:00.000-04:00

Welcome to The Hopback, a blog where yours truly will provide you with the latest news and thoughts on what's what in the world of American Beer. Sure we'll focus on craft been much of the time, but we'll also dive into the Bud, Miller, Coors pool at times as well, especially since all three are dipping their toes in the craft beer pool much more lately.

As a virgin blogger, be prepared for me flub my way through this for a bit until I get the hang of it, but the ultimate goal is to provide you with great craft beer-related content on a consistent basis. Speaking of which, we're going to almost be "all beer all the time," but I'm occasionally going to throw in some posts or reviews of good music and good film when I see fit because, well, that's what I like and that's what I want to do with this blog.

So grab a beer and sit back, enjoy the ride and watch me grow with the blog...it should be interesting.

1	This is the first time we’ve ever released the Imperial/Double Red style.
2	We used more pounds of hops per barrel than any beer we’ve ever made.
3	We used Chinook hops in the brewhouse for bittering and flavor, then dry-hopped this beer with a 50/50 blend of Simcoe and Centennial.
4	As an added bonus, we then dry-hopped it again, just prior to filtering and packaging. That’s right, our popular double dry-hopped process, for the first time ever in one of our bottled beers!