Epic Craft Beer In Low Down County

Since the end of the year is fast approaching, this will be the final post of 2014. Historically, I end the blog year with something either epic or reflective. This year is definitely more on the epic side.

Last weekend, I set out on another one of my epic beer drinking quests. On this particular occasion, we journeyed to the Leesburg, Purcellville and Lovettsville region of Northern Virginia to pop in on one of the area’s a surging craft beer markets. I don’t use the word “surging” loosely in this sense – Leesburg is home to Crooked Run and the Beer Joint (formerly Vintage 50), Purcellville is home to Adroit Theory, Corcoran, Old 690 and Belly Love and Lovettsville has the Mad Horse Brewpub. Not only that, but two major national breweries have taken notice and are moving into the area – Victory (out of Downingtown, PA) will be building a brewpub in Leesburg and Flying Dog (out of Frederick, MD) will be opening a hop farm/farm brewery in nearby Lucketts. Clearly, the area is booming with craft-brewed excellence.

So we went up there and spent the weekend drinking their beers.

We started with the Mad Horse Brewpub in Lovettsville. Mad Horse is one of those craft beer jewels that you would never know was there until you happened upon it (or unless you’re obsessed like I am). They had a solid flight of beers that consisted of their Hefrageous Hefeweizen, Blonde Bunny Blonde Ale, Resurrection American Pale Ale, It’s A Trap Belgian Golden Ale, Justus Lager American Light Lager and S. O. Stout. Their beers were all very approachable (which they told us was on purpose) and only the Belgian golden ale had any kind of nose on it. Still, they were all solid and the friendly and knowledgeable staff and overall atmosphere and experience were great.

Very warm, casual and inviting brewpub with great
beer and great food!

Next, we found ourselves at Crooked Run, a very small nano-brewery in the Tuscarora Mill shopping center in Leesburg. Crooked Run is a perfect example of how to maximize space, because they have none, and still manage to make pretty delicious beer. The beers we had that day were their Red Kolsch Irish Red/Kolsch, Breakfast of Champions American Pale Wheat Ale, Shadow of Truth Black Belgian Tripel, True Vision Belgian IPA and You’re Cool Cucumber Mint Wheat. They were all quite tasty and trended more towards experimental, particularly the cucumber mint wheat which was a lot better than it sounds. Owner/Operator/Brewmaster Jake Endres was there, and was fully willing to engage his beer drinking customers.

Small but awesome, and the beers are terrific!

Next up was the Beer Joint (formerly Vintage 50) in Leesburg. While the Beer Joint has the ability to make beer, and has historically made beer under the Vintage 50 flag, the Beer Joint is currently not making beer. Courtesy of the Virginia ABC, who decided to take the re-branding and ownership change as an opportunity to wield authority and rescind their license. The Beer Joint has reapplied for a new license, but until they get it, their tanks are dry and the beer they sell is someone else’s.

Next on the schedule was Adroit Theory in Purcellville. Adroit Theory is both exactly what you imagine it is and nothing like what you imagine it is at the same time. They have a large space – a warehouse – that is fully decorated and stocked with merchandise and marketing. They have a large cold room, production space, bar area and even a second story above their kitchen that they use to store odds and ends. They have the look and feel of a large production brewery, but they are a nano. They have a ½ barrel system and they contract with Beltway Brewing Company to handle the rest of their demand. Their beer is really amazing though. They had twelve beers on tap, including their Tenebris Barleywine, Trendy T.R.I.P.A. Triple IPA, B/A/Y/S Cognac Barrel Russian Imperial Stout, Ortolan Bunting Strong Ale, Zero Coffee IPA, BLVCK Celebration Imperial Porter, Caramel Macchiato Stout, Black Pepper Saison, Persona Non Grata Saison, Ginger & Lemongrass Wheat and Jicama Blonde Ale. These beers were all north of 7.5% ABV (most ranging towards 10%) and were very impressive, particularly the Trendy Triple IPA and Caramel Macchiato Stout.

Drink art indeed! Delicious brews at Adroit Theory!

After Adroit, we went to Belly Love Brewing in Purcellville. Belly Love is new, but their beer was pretty good. They had Shut the Fook Up Pale Ale, My Bitter X IPA and Eye of Jupiter Oatmeal Stout. All were tasty and solid representations of the styles. The food at Belly Love was also pretty good, but there was some incense burning in the tap room that really spoiled the atmosphere. It was difficult to enjoy the good beer and food with the incense in the room. Other than that, Belly Love was pretty good.

Belly Love beer is really good! Welcome new brewers!

Our last stop was Corcoran Brewing Company in Purcellville. Corcoran also has a solid and expansive flight of beers to choose from. The beers I had while I was there were their Wheatland Pale Wheat Ale, Waterford Wit, Corky’s Irish Red, Padawan Pumpkin, P’ville Pale Ale, Loco IPA, Hops The Bunny IPA, Slainte Dry Irish Stout, Paeonian Porter and Jeb Stuart Stout. I have to be honest – by this point in the weekend, I wasn't exactly all the way there anymore (I blame Adroit Theory) but I do remember Corcoran’s beers tasting pretty good. I particularly liked the Jeb Stuart, the Loco IPA and the Padawan Pumpkin.

Great selection and quality brews at Corcoran! Cheers!

One brewery we did not get to visit was Old 690. We missed them by one day, as they had a hearing on the Thursday prior to our arrival with Loudoun County officials to remain open in spite of a zoning ordinance violation. The short story is that Virginia legalized farm breweries in May and Old 690 opened shortly thereafter, but Loudoun County has not changed the county ordinance to allow farm breweries, meaning Old 690 was operating against the county law. The particularly irritating part is that the county already intends to change the ordinance and allow farm breweries on 23 January 2015. So in other words, Old 690 will be fully compliant in one month, but until that time, they have to shut down… all because Loudoun County is dragging their feet. Total drag.

But other than two instances of government interference, too much incense and a bit of a headache, the weekend was a total success and will go down in history as another successful beer quest. I recommend all of these breweries to you weary beer travelers, if you find yourselves in the northern-most section of Northern Virginia.

I hope you all have a wonderful and safe New Year's Eve that is filled with great beers like the ones I wrote about here today. There is large, potentially huge news in 2015, but for now, you're just going to have to wait for it. Unless you know it already, in which case... no spoilers!

Here’s to craft-brewed happiness… Cheers!

Ten Beers-a-Drinking...

Tis the season

There are less than two weeks until Christmas, which can only mean one thing… it’s time for me (and every other beer blogger for that matter) to publish a list of Christmas beers you must go try immediately. I know I do this every year, and many of these beers don’t change from year to year, but that should only serve to strengthen their case for why you should go drink them immediately. If you’re new, and would like to see past lists, click here and here.

And honestly, these Christmas beer list blog posts are some of my highest click-count posts, so obviously the readers are clamoring for more Christmas craft beer recommendations… who am I to argue with the people?

I will, however, refrain from using gimmicks this year – just 10 craft-brewed delicious Christmas-themed brews to get you through the holidays and increase your overall merriment. These are in order, starting with the best, in my opinion. The descriptions below, however, are those of the breweries themselves and are not my opinion. Let’s hit it.

1) Hardywood Park Craft Brewery’s Gingerbread Stout (GBS)

This beer is so good, it scored a 100 on BeerAdvocate. That should be enough of a reason right there, but if you need more… GBS is an imperial milk stout brewed with fresh local ginger and honey. The flavors range from milk chocolate and vanilla to honeycomb, cinnamon and a snap of ginger in the finish. The beer pours a dark mahogany color and has a caramel colored head and silky mouthfeel. Bourbon vanilla beans and cinnamon dominate the nose, making for a truly special drinking experience.

Like freagin' Christmas in a bottle!

2) Tröegs Brewing Company’s Mad Elf

The Mad Elf, a cheerful creation to warm your heart and enlighten your tongue, is a combination of cherries, honey, and chocolate malts that deliver gentle fruits and subtle spices. Fermented and aged with a unique yeast, this ruby red beer has significant warming strength that underlies the pleasant character of this intriguing yet delicious Ale. These guys vary from year to year, so even if you've had one before, you should definitely have one again. But tread cautiously – that alcohol heat does not mess around!

3) Great Lakes Brewing Company’s Christmas Ale

Great Lakes Christmas Ale is another perennial favorite. It pours ruby red with a beautiful white head and the flavors range from sweet roasted barley to honey, cinnamon and fresh ginger. There are also very subtle hops involved, but the spices dominate the flavor and aroma. The ABV is a modest 7.5%, so it’s a bit less menacing than the first two I listed – overall a wonderful treat to be had.

So that's how it gets to Virginia

4) Anchor Brewing’s 2014 Anchor Christmas Ale

Another Christmas beer that changes every year, and is always delicious, is Anchor’s Christmas Ale. This year is their 40th Christmas Ale, and just as in the 39 previous editions, the intent is joy and celebration of the newness of life. Not a lot is published about the recipe of this beer – Anchor has listed everything as “Top Secret” – but it pours a dark ruby red color and has a balanced sweet and holiday-spiced flavor and aroma profile that is sure to delight.

5) St. Louis Brewery’s Schlafly Christmas Ale

Schlafly’s Christmas Ale is a warming winter ale that blends the spices of the season with sweet caramel malt.  Orange peel, juniper berries, ginger root, cardamom and cloves are added for spiciness.  They also use honey in the fermentation process, which raises the ABV without producing too much heat from the alcohol content. The beer pours a beautiful deep copper color with white head and is 8% ABV. Sure to smooth the rougher edges of enjoying each other’s company this season.

Glogg it is not, delicious it is

6) Southern Tier Brewing Company’s 2xMAS Ale

2xMAS Ale was inspired by a Swedish concoction known as Glogg. This holiday brew combines traditional brewing ingredients with figs, orange peels, cardamom, cinnamon, clove and ginger root, perfect for knocking the ice off of toes while raising spirits – another reason to toast the season.

7) Avery Brewing Company’s Old Jubilation Ale

Old Jubilation is an English old ale / winter strong ale that has a gorgeous mahogany hue, a hint of hazelnuts, and a finish reminiscent of mocha and toffee. No spices, just a perfect blend of five specialty malts – two-row, special roast, black, chocolate and victory malted barley. Combined with bullion hops, this non-spiced holiday warmer is delicious, and a welcome addition to your holiday plans.

Baby it's cold outside...

8) Anderson Valley Brewing Company’s Winter Solstice Seasonal Ale

Winter Solstice is a take on the classic style of “winter warmer.” Boasting a deep amber hue and rich mouthfeel, its creamy finish will lift your spirits. Hints of toffee, spice, and caramel tease the senses making this the perfect ale to share with friends and family during the cold days and long nights of winter.

9) Port City Brewing Company’s Tidings Ale

Tidings Ale is a strong Belgian style blond ale brewed with local Maryland wildflower honey and Virginia wheat. These special local ingredients store away the flavors and essence of summer, and later warm us during the cold winter months. It is gently spiced with coriander, cardamom, fresh ginger and grains of paradise.

Good tidings we bring...

10) Boston Beer Company’s Sam Adams Old Fezziwig Ale

Spicy & bold, this festive ale is bursting with the flavors of the season.  With a full body and spice it’ll help those long winter nights pass more quickly.  The rich malt character creates notes of sweet toffee, caramel, & roasty chocolate while classic holiday spices like cinnamon, ginger and orange peel dance on the tongue bringing with them the celebratory spirit of the season.

This is certainly not an all-inclusive list, but it is my top ten Christmas beers, as of 2014. These are all available for purchase in the Northern Virginia area, so those that are local to my neck of the woods should have no trouble finding these treats. And in the case of number one and nine, there is no reason you Northern Virginians couldn't stop into the breweries themselves to try these delicious brews in person. Now THAT is a recommendation. Happy holidays!

Here’s to craft-brewed happiness… Cheers!

Want to Make Your Christmas Party Better?

It happens every year when the calendar page turns to December (or perhaps earlier if you spend a lot of time in department stores)… it’s time to start thinking about Christmas. There’s a lot to think about – gift giving ideas, travel plans, party arrangements, you name it. This time of year can overwhelm even the most tenacious tactician among us. This is why helpful blogs like the one you’re currently reading are so *valued* this time of year.

For example, I’m about to give you the solution to your holiday party hosting woes. Specifically, “How do I keep my party guests from getting bored and thus making my Christmas party an abject failure?” I’m glad you asked.

The answer is a traditional white elephant gift exchange, except that all the gifts are craft beer.

If you’re not familiar, in a white elephant gift exchange, each participant brings a wrapped but unlabeled gift and then the group takes turns unwrapping a gift from the communal pile of gifts. Draw numbers to determine who goes first. After the first person has unwrapped his/her gift, the next person can either steal the first person’s gift (causing the first person to have to unwrap a different gift) or choose a different gift from the pile to unwrap. The stealing and gift unwrapping continues until everyone has had a turn and all the gifts are unwrapped. It is customary to set ground rules limiting the number of steals per turn so that the game doesn't take hours to complete.

Now imagine playing this game with beer.

Here are some suggestions

Each participant brings a delicious craft beer of their choosing, wrapped and unlabeled, and puts it into the gift pile. Then, we all take turns opening beers and stealing beers from each other until we all have something delicious to take home and enjoy. What a great way to make your Christmas party awesome and memorable.

For planning purposes, I suggest you decide ahead of time on things like quantity and price so that all the gifts are of relatively equal value. For example, have everyone bring a 22 ounce bomber or have everyone bring a six pack. Perhaps set your maximum price at $10. This way, value is a non-factor when people decide to steal, and it’s all about the beer itself.

You can also determine a theme for the exchange, like a specific style of beer or a particular location of the breweries. You could make it a “local beer only” exchange, or even an “opposite side of the country” or “only Japanese beers” exchange.

There are, of course, other games and craft beer activities that you could arrange to make your party that much better, but trust me… this one will be a hit. Your guests will always be talking about that time at your house that so-and-so stole that great craft beer from what’s-her-name. You’ll be the toast of the town!

You might say, you'll go down in history... just like a certain red-nosed reindeer

More holiday craft beer advice to come. Free of charge. All month long.

Here’s to craft-brewed happiness… Cheers!

Now Open for Business... Tin Cannon Brewing Company

In case you missed it, because you were too busy with your Black Friday shopping or were still in a food coma from Thursday, a new Virginia craft brewery opened yesterday in Gainesville, Virginia – Tin Cannon Brewing Company. And because I’m the intrepid hunter of craft-brewed deliciousness and shenanigans (and because I had nothing else to do), I braved the cold and made my way out to Gainesville for some new beer.

And just so I can be sure I don’t bury the lead, Tin Cannon makes some pretty delicious beer, and you should go check them out when you get a chance. They’re located off of Limestone Drive, not too far from Jiffy Lube Live.

Tin Cannon is a small brewery (only 2 bbl per patch) that is located in an industrial/office park location. They had seven beers on their flight for opening day which included two blonde ales, a chili beer, a black IPA, a dunkelweizen, a peanut butter porter and a winter warmer. Their staff was very friendly and welcoming, and the tap room was filled with thirsty patrons and an excited opening day buzz.

The tap room itself is warm, welcoming, intimate and fun. They have a stamped copper bar top which looks amazing and retro looking pendant lamps hanging from the ceiling that give off a golden glow. The artwork is pretty cool too – all made from used shipping pallets. There’s plenty of seating and you can even see into the brewing side of the operation from your seat. I didn't get a chance to pop back and take a look around in the brewing side, but I did notice the fermentation room door with the old “Intel Inside” logo that had been changed to read “Beer Inside.”

Co-owners and brew masters John Hilkert and Aaron Ludwig

The core four beers include a blonde ale called Virginia Blonde (it’s called Belgian Judy on the website and is identified as a Belgian blonde ale), their Busted Pipe Black IPA, their unkelWeizen (dunkelweizen) and their Vaughn’s Peanut Butter, which is a peanut butter porter. At first glance, this seems like a very unusual flight of core offerings. First of all, a black IPA is not generally found in a core flight, especially if a basic IPA is not there too. Peanut butter porters are also unusual for a core flight and would typically be reserved for a seasonal or other rotator series. All of that being said, I thought their core beers were all very solid. The dunkel was attentive to style, and being that it’s not a style of beer typically found around this neck of the woods, it was all the more appreciated. The black IPA was perfectly balanced between hops and malt. The peanut butter porter was also well balanced, which I was very pleased to learn because most peanut butter porters go too aggressive with the peanut butter.

Also on flight was a winter warmer/holiday spice beer called Honey We’re on a Date. They’re calling it a winter warmer, or at least that is the indication on their website and Untappd – this beer is really tasty, but a bit tricky to figure out. It’s cloudy, and has phenolic banana and clove notes, so it has the look and feel of a hefeweizen. I suppose there are other spices in there too, and technically a winter warmer can be whatever you want it to be as long as you use those “holiday” spices. Again, great beer, but a mystery wrapped inside of an enigma, and juxtaposed to a conundrum.

When you are this close to a line of cannons, make sure you bring hearing protection

Then there was the Breakfast of Champions, which is the first in their “experimental” series. This beer is labeled as a chili beer, and rightly so because the chipotle peppers dominate the beer through and through. According to their tasting notes on the website, this beer was brewed as an amber ale with bacon and chipotle peppers – I would have to drink it again to see if I can pick up the bacon, but it is definitely out-shined by the peppers. I thought the beer was tasty, but just like with most chili beers, I don’t think I could drink two of them in one sitting.

There was also a second blonde on the opening day roster, which one of the owners identified as a “California Blonde.” I suppose this means that it is an American blonde by style as opposed to a Belgian blonde. He explained that this second blonde was created while adjusting mash temperatures… which would explain the change in sweetness. Either way, it was good, and I actually liked it a little bit better than the Virginia blonde.

One glaring issue that immediately became a problem is Tin Cannon’s occupancy, which apparently is 50 people. The tap room isn't very big, but 50 people aren't very many, and I imagine they will routinely have a scenario where they are turning people away or asking them to be patient. Do the workers count against that number too, or is it just the patrons? What about any live music that Tin Cannon may potentially want to host? Yesterday, they had a lot of people standing around outside in the cold, waiting for their turn to come in and drink. Fortunately, Tin Cannon’s friendly staff was able to keep people informed and in good spirits, and even started a waiting list so people could wait in their cars and be called on their cell phones when it was their turn.

Really cool idea for tap room art

But other than that small hiccup, I’d say Tin Cannon has a great brewery going on this their second day in operation. It is evident that the brewers care and really want to build a lasting business in their community. It is also very obvious that they know how to make beer and are both committed to brewing classic styles and willing to live on the wild side. The staff is made up of good people and the atmosphere is inviting. You should definitely check them out when you get a chance, particularly if you live in Gainesville or the surrounding Northern Virginia area. Drink local and support your local small businesses!

Here’s to craft-brewed happiness… Cheers!

A Tasty Beverage to Wash This Down

From all of us in the Mash Tun... okay fine, it's just me.

I've put it off long enough. It’s time for my yearly recommendations on what beer to pair with your Thanksgiving dinner. I know you’re saying, “It’s about time! I need to start grocery shopping for Thursday and how can I do that without knowing which beers to get?” Never fear… I've got your back.

Hello Sweetie.

I've written extensively on the interconnection between beer and Thanksgiving over the years. After all, we Americans started out drinking beer on Thanksgiving (or did we?). Unfortunately, we lost our beer drinking ways as a nation, and during the bad beer era, Thanksgiving was an exclusively “wine” holiday. Now, we have good options in the beer world, and (not) surprisingly, beer can pair very well with food… even Thanksgiving food. For previous suggestions on the art of food and beer pairing on Turkey Day, click on this link. And when you are done reading that, click on this link. Then follow up the beer pairing posts with a list of reasons to be thankful for craft beer. It’s okay… I’ll still be here when you get done reading all of this stuff. It’s the beauty of the interwebz – As far as you’re concerned, I am a fixed point in time that you can access at your whim. But you can’t change a fixed point in time… everyone knows that. Unless your name is River Song.

Spoilers.

Anywho, as you no doubt gleaned from reading about beer pairings a few minutes ago, there are seemingly endless options, which make the task both daunting and hard to mess up so there’s no need to get overwhelmed (or underwhelmed for that matter). I've found the key to success is to provide individual bottles for individual self-paced pre-dinner consumption, a table bottle for dinner, a table bottle for desert and individual bottles for individual self-paced post-dinner consumption.

Like peas and carrots

For the individual pre-dinner bottles, I recommend you stay away from anything with an aggressive flavor profile because you want to preserve your palate for the food. Something in the amber/red/brown ale family or golden/amber lager family is best – not to mention that if you have any non-craft beer people in your audience, they will not be put off by these beers. They may even be converted once they taste how nonthreatening properly made beer can be. Bonus!

For your table bottle to pair with dinner, you first have to determine what’s for dinner. Assuming you are having turkey, mash potatoes, gravy and veggies, you can either choose a classic Oktoberfest/Märzen southern-German lager to highlight the salty starchiness (particularly in the gravy) or a highly-carbonated Belgian Bière de Garde (BDG) to cut through the rich flavors and literally cleanse your palate as you eat. BDGs may be hard to find at your typical beer store, but if you can find one, it really is the perfect pairing for the various food flavors on your Thanksgiving table.

The desert table beer is another important choice that has many right answers. Again, depending on what you are eating, and assuming the answer is pie (obviously), the best solution is a sweet English barleywine or sweet stout. Sweet on sweet may seem a touch too sweet, but since the beer has a subtle barley sweetness, it actually accentuates the sugar sweetness of the pie. Another direction to go, and one I may try this year, is to counter the sweetness with spice – like a chocolate chili beer. I know you’re asking yourself “Chili in beer? That sounds terrible!” Trust me, chili peppers pair really well with chocolate, and the two together will highlight your delicious sweet pies perfectly!

Or we can skip desert and go right to beer

And then there is after dinner. This is where the gloves come off. Obviously, depending on how experienced your guests are, you will have to gauge the likelihood that they will appreciate the beers you have. I recommend, assuming you are unencumbered by rookies, strong hop bombs and high ABV face-melters. By this point, the tryptophan has already kicked in and the desert is sitting heavy in your gut as you sit back to watch the football game… you’re going to fall asleep. I recommend you go out swinging with a beer that will properly finish you off. Double IPAs, imperial stouts, Belgian strong ales… this is where you want to be.

Just remember, it only looks overwhelming. Most of the tips and tricks of beer pairing are common sense if you think about it. The only difference with Thanksgiving is that you often have many different foods with vastly different profiles that you’re trying to pair with a single beer. In a perfect world, you would line up each food item with its perfectly matching beer, but you’re not hosting a beer and food pairing event, you’re hosting Thanksgiving. Find the commonality in your dinner items, like the fact that they are all coming out of an oven and have that “baked” taste… and pair off of that.

I sincerely hope that everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving, and that your beer and food are delicious!

Here’s to craft-brewed happiness… Cheers!

They Sold it to Who?!

You are freaking out... man...

In case you haven’t heard, the craft beer world is in a tizzy this week following the announcement that 10 Barrel Brewing in Bend, Oregon has sold itself to Anheuser-Busch In-Bev. I know what you’re thinking – Craft beer world in a tizzy? That never happens.

Usually it doesn't, unless a well-respected craft brewery sells out to big beer, and then there is flood of hyperbolic “the sky is falling” talk from anybody with a soapbox, be it actual media or pesky beer blogs, or my personal favorite – the old Twitface.

I’m tempted to join them, and if I’m being honest, at least half of me is truly bothered by this. After all, big beer is the enemy. Companies like Budweiser make their beer using substandard ingredients and processes so they can make more money. And then, they go around scooping up craft brewery properties so they can compete with the ever surging craft beer segment of the beer market, but usually end up sucking the “craft” right out of that brewery in the process.

But my inner critical thinking rational self tells me that the sky might not actually be falling and that we might all be okay.

First of all, I don’t own 10 Barrel Brewing. I don’t even own a brewery (yet). It is very easy for me to spend other people’s money, or to make outrageous hypothetical statements like “I would never sell my brewery to Budweiser! Those 10 Barrel guys are a bunch of sell-outs!” I’ll tell you right now, on the record on November 15th, 2014… if Budweiser ever shows up offering to buy my brewery for seven or eight figures, I may have an ethical conflict on my hands.

BTW – I have not yet seen how much AB paid for 10 Barrel – I have no idea how many figures it was.

A big part of the whole “big beer kills craft breweries” thing is that we craft beer superfans make any brewer who sells his or her brewery to big beer into a pariah, and nationally boycott their brewery. It would be interesting to see what would happen if breweries like 10 Barrel weren't branded with a scarlet letter… would they continue to be a fan favorite under an AB-InBev flag?

For the most part, the beer formulas stay the same when big beer buys a little guy. They may tighten up the brewing process on the experimentation side of the operation, but usually what happens is a few of the more popular labels from the craft brewery become major national flagship offerings and everything else is contained to the brewery itself, so that only the locals have ever heard of it. I’m thinking of Goose Island, who sold out to AB what seems like a lifetime ago – you can still find 312 Urban Wheat Ale, IPA and Honkers Ale all over the country and the taste is pretty good.

Adolphus Busch, co-founder of
Anheuser Busch

Then there is the actual benefit that the brewery gets from selling to big beer… as in access to more equipment, more ingredients, more resources… more everything! AB might want to be able to tell the brewer what to do and when to do it, but in exchange, they’re going to spend as much money as it takes to ensure that failure is not an option, otherwise why would they have bought it in the first place? Yes, Adolphus Busch and Eberhard Anheuser built the empire by buying all of the little guys just to shut them down in the post-prohibition era, but those days are long gone… at least, I hope they are.

But we have to remember the very foundation on which the craft beer revolution was built – what separated the pioneers from those they were attempting to reform… beer should be better. One thing I absolutely do not see from any big beer company is the desire to innovate, push the envelope, or make a better product. They’re always focusing on survival in the marketplace, or merging with other companies, or buying this company, or stock tickers and board meetings. They focus on sales, and while money drives this little world of ours, if the desire to make money outweighs the desire to make good beer, it will be evident in the final product and the consumer will know it. It’s one thing to say “our beer is better than Budweiser,” but it’s a completely different thing to say “we make great beer!”

I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens to 10 Barrel. Will they become another cold national franchise like Goose Island, Blue Point, Terrapin, Leinenkugle, Widmer Brothers, Red Hook and Kona, or will they maintain their identity that they worked so hard to foster and continue to be celebrated as great brewers? I suppose only time will tell, but if I had to guess based only on recent history, I’d lean towards the former.

Here’s to craft-brewed happiness… Cheers!

A Beer Tribute in Prose (on a Cold Evening in November)

Great beer

Winter is coming. Know how I know? It wasn't the white walkers I saw the other night and it isn't because Ned Stark told me so. It’s because Jim Koch and the boys up at the Boston Beer Company have released their “holiday and winter-themed” Sam Adams variety pack. Which brings me to my annual rant about Old Fezziwig Ale and how it is the best Sam Adams beer there is and how they should offer it by itself in bombers and sixers. Needless to say, this rant is not that dissimilar to my rant about why the chex mix people don’t package a bag of JUST RYE CHIPS and spare us all the other garbage that goes into a bag of chex mix. (actually, you can get such a thing from Nuts.com)

But I digress.

My obsession with Fezziwig goes back many years, and yet I remember the first one like it was yesterday. The spice blend that goes into that brew is sublime. It’s not necessarily which spices and barley blends they use, but the proportions as well… it’s a thing of beauty. I don’t typically get excited to the point of mania over other seasonal brews, but the first Fezziwig siting of the year is an event to celebrate.

So last night, while at someone else’s house, I spotted the Sam Adams winter seasonal collection by the fireside and knew right away I had only one mission… drink the Fezziwig. Both of them. I didn't even feel bad about it. I am a generous soul until there is Fezziwig involved. I would've had three if there were three in the box. Why aren't their three in the box? Or four? Seriously, Jim… what gives? Why can’t we have more than two Fezziwigs in a single package? See my previous comments about sixers and bombers of Fezziwig.

An artist's rendering of Fezziwig's feast - also how I behave
when drinking this fine winter warmer

Full disclosure – I really enjoy this time of year because of beers like Fezziwig. The pumpkins are great in the fall, and then they make way for the winter seasonally spiced beers. If ever the phrase “craft-brewed happiness” was manifested into a real thing beyond just being a concept, this is it. These beers are unadulterated joy and elation in a bottle (or can, or from a tap… whichever you got). And having never been to the Boston Beer Company, I have no idea if they fill growlers of Fezziwig, but they should… for all you Bostonians.

As for the rest of us, I recommend drinking this beer if you happen upon it at a holiday party this season. Unless you’re at the same party I’m at… then we will fight. Winner gets the Fezziwig.

Here’s to craft-brewed happiness… Cheers!

I Fear You've Underestimated the Dark Side

Party time on the Death Star

I hope everyone’s All Hallows Eve festivities were safe and memorable. I hope you had your fill of pumpkin ales and other spooky creations. I hope you got a lot of candy, and nobody called the cops.

October is over – November is here. Generally, November beer consists of the pumpkin beers left over from Hallowe’en and the beers you will pair with your Thanksgiving feast. Those are both perfectly legitimate ways to categorize your November beer drinking plans, but there are others, and since we've covered pumpkin beers ad nauseam and will get to Thanksgiving when we’re a little closer to the holiday, I propose a third option.

Dark beers.

A few years back, I wrote on the topic of dark beers, specifically to separate myth from reality and expose the shenanigans that BIG BEER marketing had managed to pull off regarding light versus dark beer. Now it’s time to further develop the idea of dark beer, with a focus on the total landscape of what dark beer is and can be.

Obviously, everyone knows about stouts. Stouts originated when the Irish decided to one-up the English by adding darker-roasted barley to the English porter ales to create a darker, stronger beer. Believe it or not, dry Irish stout (like Guinness) is only one type of stout porter ale. Other variations include sweet/milk stout, oatmeal stout, coffee stout, foreign extra stout, American stout, oyster stout and imperial Russian stout. Some breweries like to experiment with putting different fruit combinations into stouts, which sounds weird, but since stouts tend to have chocolate characteristics, blending fruit with them usually results in a dessert-like beer.

Look at that cloud!

The other style which usually comes to mind when thinking of dark beers is the porter ale – which is technically the same style as stout, but with less or slightly lighter grain in it. Porters were created during the Industrial Revolution in England and were a local favorite among the industrial workers of the day. Porters are divided into three approved categories: brown porter, robust porter and Baltic porter, with each getting progressively stronger. I've also seen imperial porters before, which of course would indicate that the brewer used more malts and hops than a Baltic porter allows for.

You may also encounter an English Brown Ale, which range from mild (as in not a lot of hops) to Southern English or London-style Brown, which are darker, sweeter and lower gravity than their northern cousins, to the third and strongest Northern English Brown Ale which are higher gravity, more hop-oriented and drier than the Londoner varieties. Nut brown ales generally fall into the third category as well.

If you leave the UK and travel to Germany, the dark beers move into the lager category. One such style of dark German lager that is a personal favorite is the Schwartzbier, or black lager. Schwartzbiers are a variation of a Munich-style Dunkel but with darker roasted-barley and a touch more hops. The hops are completely overwhelmed by the malt so the beer is sweet as opposed to bitter. They have a light body and are typically lower ABV so they are quite easy to drink.

In Belgium, they have the Belgian Dark Strong Ale, which isn't typically black like some of the others I've listed here, but they are dark, very rich, complex and very strong, bordering on dangerous. They can range up to 12% ABV and are generally quite full-bodied, depending on the brewery. Malt sweetness and alcohol dominate the flavor and aroma.

No... what do they say?

Here in the States, we've concocted a beer that is either called black IPA or Cascadian ale, depending on where you are. Essentially, this is a beer that is heavy in both hops and dark-roasted barley… think of either a hoppy stout or a dark IPA. They are usually sweeter than they are bitter and can either be modestly alcoholic or full-on face-melters.

Of course, the secret to all of this is the malt. If the ratio of dark-roasted barley to lighter grains is high, the beer will be dark. It can be any style of beer, though the forefathers had names for most of the dark applications of malt… and that’s why we have the BJCP style guide… so we brewers have something resembling standards by which to design our beers.

Don’t be afraid of dark beers. They may look menacing, but are generally sweeter than their lighter counterparts, and are not necessarily “bigger and full-bodied” the way you might assume they are. Now that it’s November and getting cold again, they can be a perfect way to stay warm and full of cheer.

Here’s to craft-brewed happiness… Cheers!

Just Exports? No Imports?

An arbitrary Saturday in October calls for an arbitrary blog post on a style of German beer that is not so common here in the States… the Dortmunder Export, or 1E in your BJCP Style Guide.

Das Union Brauerei, Dortmund, Germany

Dortmunder Export, or simply Dortmunder, is a pale lager that was originally brewed by the Dortmunder Union Brewery in Dortmund, Germany in 1873. Dortmunders quickly became a hit among the industrial workers of Dortmund and led to Dortmunder Union becoming Germany’s largest brewery, and the city of Dortmund having the highest concentration of breweries in Germany. This of course changed with the decline of heavy industry in the area and by 1994, Dortmunder Union merged with several other breweries in Dortmund to form Brinkhoff’s Brewery.

Dortmund was an early commercial brewing center in Germany, with many breweries producing a dark wheat beer and exporting it to the neighboring cities in the Westphalian area of Germany. But in 1873, Pilsners were all the rage and a group of Dortmund brewers got together and formed the Dortmunder Union Brewery to brew their own golden colored, pale barley based, slow fermented beer under the guidance of brewmaster Fritz Brinkhoff. They produced two types: a Lagerbier and a slightly stronger Export version at around 5.5% ABV. The weaker version never caught on and was eventually scrapped.

So much fun to be had...

After WWII ended, Dortmunder Export was the most popular type of beer in Germany until Pils took its place in 1970. It hit a low point in late 1990s (right around when Dortmunder Union closed its doors) but has risen back up a bit in recent years.

Since 1873

Dortmunder Exports are pale golden in color and balanced – with the malt profile of a Helles/Munich Lager and the hop characteristics of a Pilsner, although slightly stronger than both. Neither hops nor malt dominate, but both are well balanced to provide a smooth, crisp and refreshing beer with a touch of sweetness. The subtle hop bitterness lingers in the aftertaste, although some Dortmunders finish with a slightly sweet taste. Low to medium hops are present in the nose, as well as moderate malt aroma.

Hard, minerally water is another common trait of Dortmunder lagers. The Dortmund water consisted of high levels of sulfates, carbonates and chlorides, which were often present in the taste and mouthfeel of the finished product. Some contemporary purist brewers may try to recreate that effect through burtonization, but I really don’t think that is necessary.

Some good commercial examples of this style to be on the lookout for are Germany’s DAB Export, Ayinger Jahrhundert Bier, and Great Lakes Brewing Company’s Dortmunder Gold and Dominion Lager here in the States. I also hear through my network of informants that local favorite Forge Brew Works in Lorton, VA is working on a Dortmunder… so stay tuned for that!

A very fine American version

Here’s to craft-brewed happiness… Cheers!

When the Levee Breaks...

Almost seems like a job for the Doctor

Here’s a bit of fun beer history trivia for your mid-October Saturday afternoon needs: Yesterday was the 200th anniversary of the London Beer Flood. It’s exactly what it sounds like – over one million liters (264,172 gallons) of delicious porter erupted from a broken vat at the Horse Shoe Brewery  in London on 17 October 1814, creating a tidal wave over 15 feet high that killed eight people and demolished two nearby homes. Between 8 and 9,000 barrels of beer were lost in the accident.

After the initial tidal wave, the beer inundated the nearby slum area of St. Giles Rookery, flooding basements where whole families lived. Local Londoners responded to the disaster to aide with search and rescue, and according to some reports, didn't steal a drop of the brew that was all over the streets. Other accounts, which appear to be unfounded, spoke of drunken riots as people drank the lost beer.

According to inspectors’ notes, there had been an indication that the vat was unstable earlier in the afternoon the day of the accident. Apparently, a metal hoop had snapped, however the brewery was cleared of any wrong doing and received a refund for the excise duty they paid prior to making the beer. Horse Shoe Brewery went back to work producing beer shortly thereafter, but they closed their doors for good in 1921.

From the newsies of London Town

This of course makes me wonder how it would've gone down in 21st Century America.

First of all, we need to suspend reality for a moment, because obviously, our completely unoppressive laws don’t allow for production breweries to exist in commercial, retail or residential areas. In fact, our government has a tough time differentiating between production and nano/peco “neighborhood” breweries, which are also difficult to place in a retail space, at least for now.

But if we pretend that a production brewery could exist juxtaposed to a residential neighborhood area, and that facility did have an accident similar to the London Beer Flood of 1814, I have a sneaking suspicion that your average American would in fact help themselves to free beer from the street. There is obviously a health concern involved, but I still think people would find a way to get over it and take advantage of the lost brew.

Save the beer!

I do not perceive that it would be quite the emergency that the London flood was, and therefore the urge to play the hero wouldn't be present. There would be nothing stopping people from dropping what they were doing for a good old fashion drinking party.

Not to mention that the cleanup involved would shut down traffic for a month (here in the DC metro area anyways) and the subsequent inability to move would only lend to the lack of motivation among the general populace, and therefore push them towards getting drunk on free beer.

In other words, while the stories of drunk Londoners might be unfounded, I think Americans in 2014 would absolutely take the opportunity for a party. In fact, it seems highly unlikely that the Londoners didn't get plastered during their flood too, but if the storytellers say so… so be it.

Anyways, there’s some interesting history for you.

Here’s to craft-brewed happiness… Cheers!

Beers That Go Bump In the Night (Redux)

A few years back, I published a blog post on the topic of selecting beers to serve at your Hallowe’en party. I figured that since that topic is reemerging leading up to the 2014 observation of All Hallow’s Eve, and that particular post is a few years old now, what better opportunity to update my thoughts on the subject and give you some current Hallowe’eny recommendations. Although, the ones from two years ago still apply as well.

This list is in no particular order, and is nowhere even close to comprehensive.

Mischievous little beer

Warlock, by Southern Tier Brewing Company in Lakewood, NY

The first beer I recommend you go get for your late-October partying needs is Southern Tier’s Warlock. Warlock is an Imperial Stout that is brewed with pumpkins and weighs in at 8.6% ABV. It’s dark, mysterious and delicious, with a huge roasted character and spicy pumpkin pie aroma. And since it’s made by the same people that make the world famous Pumking (pumpkin ale), it pairs well with that beer, almost like they did it on purpose. Warlock also pairs well with BBQ, smoked or roasted food, vanilla ice cream (especially floating in the beer) and carrot cake!

Bear plus deer equals beer. Get it?

Fall Hornin, by Anderson Valley Brewing Company in Boonville, CA

This pumpkin ale is a lot less menacing than the Warlock… much more of an easy drinker at 6% ABV. Flavor notes include caramel and spices, and the nose consists of caramelized malt and baked bread, with subtle hints of cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin and seasonal spices. Fall Hornin goes quite well with sweet fruit desserts, roasted vegetables, and steak.

Ole reliable

Pumpkin Ale, by Schlafly Brewing Company in St. Louis, MO

Schlafly’s pumpkin ale is definitely one of the best pumpkin ales on the market, and it is easily found in just about every region of the country. It’s an 8% ABV brew so it packs a little punch, but there is no alcohol burn at all. This is a very smooth, balanced, sweet pumpkin beer that is everything you want and nothing you don’t. Flavors consist of roasted pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg and clove. This one will pair well with hamburgers, roasted vegetable dishes and sweet desserts.

Great beer

Pumpkin Hunter, by Devils Backbone Brewing Company in Roseland, VA

Getting a bit more local (to where I live anyways), I give you the Pumpkin Hunter from Devils Backbone. It is a delicious orange/amber colored brew with subtle pumpkin sweetness and pumpkin pie aroma in the nose. It’s an easy drinker at 5.1% ABV, and pairs well with grilled meat, roasted vegetables and deserts.

Rare, but awesome

Fermentation without Representation, by Epic Brewing Company in Salt Lake City, UT and DC Brau from Washington, DC

FWR is a collaboration between two terrific breweries that sought to build a spectacular imperial pumpkin porter. This beer is smooth, blending light and dark roasted barley, pumpkin, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon and cloves. The resulting beer is delicious, with chocolate, burnt raisins and plum notes in the flavor. It’s 8% ABV, so you’ll need to be careful with it, but definitely worth the effort it takes to find it.

Bet you can't drink just one...

Post Road Pumpkin Ale, by Brooklyn Brewery in New York City, NY

Post Road is a very sweet pumpkin beer. It is orange/amber colored with a pumpkin nose and biscuit and pumpkin centered flavor. It’s only 5% ABV, so you could drink several with little problems, but the sweetness can be overwhelming. Still, very delicious and a welcome addition to your partying needs. Pair this with roasted ham and turkey, root vegetables, or mac and cheese.

No filter required.

UFO Pumpkin, by Harpoon Brewing Company in Boston, MA

Harpoon’s UFO (UnFiltered Offering) Pumpkin is an unfiltered pumpkin ale that combines Pacific Northwest hops, spices, barley and pumpkin to create a cloudy orange brew that is sweet and earthy. It is 5.9% ABV and drinks easily with a sweet finish and aftertaste. I recommend pairing it with desert, or with anything off the grill.

It’s certainly not a comprehensive list, but it’ll get you to where you want to be. Some of these are heavy hitters, and others are perfect for your guests who are little gun-shy about the whole craft beer and pumpkins thing. I’ve also given you some informal tasting notes with which you can plan your menu. You’re welcome.

And happy Hallowe’en.

Here’s to craft-brewed happiness… Cheers!!!