The Ryes Have It

Taste: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Sous Brewer. His ongoing mission: to explore strange new beers, to seek out fascinating flavors and peculiar brewing methods, to boldly go where most beer drinkers have never gone before.

These are the voyages

If taste is truly something you covet in your malted-barley based deliciousness, you owe it to yourself to try rye (which technically is a contrary grain to barley, however as most rye beers today are still majority barley, making the barley the base malt, they are still considered barley-based delicious… oh no, I've gone cross-eyed).

Amber waves of grain...

Rye beer, as an industry term, simply refers to a beer in which rye is substituted for barley in a percentage of the mash. It doesn't specify how much of a percentage, but most commercial rye beers average between 10-20% of the mash. Home brewers who really love rye have pushed it to near 50%, but not without driving themselves crazy along the way.

The reason they are often driven to madness by this simple grain is that this grain is particularly challenging to work with. Unlike barley, which is fibrous (resistant to mushiness) and has husks on it through which wort can pass while being lautered / sparged, rye is not fibrous and is husk-less  The result is a mash that becomes a sticky mess and takes FOREVER to lauter / sparge. Thus, the lower the percentage of rye in your mash, the less misery you bring on yourself.

This problem is somewhat mitigated in a commercial setup where the rig is more awesome, but the intense flavor of rye can make for a marketing nightmare if too much is used. While we beer nerds love the flavor of rye, not everyone is ready for it, and unsold beer isn't good for anybody.

Fortunately, rye’s intense flavor allows commercial and home brewers alike to tone down the percentage and still achieve a pretty awesome result.

Masking their hops since 2002

What is this result you ask? Rye beers routinely are spicier, more sour, and dryer than a beer made without rye. The flavor is very obvious (depending on how much rye was used) and usually dominates on the back of your palate. It is so pronounced that many if not most people are not enthusiastic the first time they drink it. But like so many things in the beer world, your palate can be trained, and just because you don’t like something the first time doesn't mean you never will. Believe it or not, I couldn't stand IPAs the first time I had one, but I grew up.

The unfortunate side of this flavor coin, getting back to the commercial brewers shying away from it in order to appeal to mass consumers, is that rye remains a low-key part of commercial operations. The majority of commercial rye use in beer is as a flavoring component used to add complexity to an existing flavor payload, but not as a main flavor itself.

Rye is starting to have a revival in the United States. There is a story out of Georgia that the Terrapin Brewing Company in Athens, GA began brewing with rye in order to mask the hops of their American Pales Ales and IPAs because “people in the southeast don’t like bitterness.” Meanwhile, several breweries around the country are bringing back an old Bavarian beer style called roggenbier, which is essentially a hefeweizen made with rye instead of wheat. In fact, the newly minted Forge Brew Works in Lorton, VA has created a phenomenal roggenbier that I highly recommend to anyone in the Northern Virginia area.

It fit so nice, he said I could keep it.

Speaking of rye-related news in the Northern Virginia area, I am currently in the process of brewing a collaboration brew with the Donnaubles Brewing Company out of Centreville, VA called Dread Pirate RYEberts Rye-P-A. For the recipe, we are using rye for roughly 10% of the total fermentables, which will be a delicate compliment to the hops in the final product. There will be no survivors.

As for your purposes, I highly recommend going to your local package store or purveyor of fine craft beer and look for rye beers. Give them a chance, expand your mind and take the red pill – the flavor is tremendous, and once your palate is ready, you’ll discover a brave new world of craft beer to explore. Trust me, as a traveler who has made this quest and returned to tell about it, it’s worth the trip.

Here’s to craft-brewed happiness… Cheers!

Two New Breweries!

I am going to continue my recent trend of writing about new breweries because, quite frankly, new breweries make me happy. And at the end of the day, that’s what this bloggity blog is all about – raising a glass to craft-brewed happiness (see the tag line at the end of all my blog posts).

I’m starting to think we are blessed to be living in the day and age we live in, particularly here in Northern Virginia, where more and more brewers are honing their crafts and taking their beer making operations commercial. Last time, I wrote about a relatively new nano-brewery in Manassas, VA called BadWolf. Today, I've got TWO MORE NEWBIES to tout, announce, and discuss. Let’s stop wasting time! Let’s get to it already!

Two weeks ago, I caught wind of the subtle announcement that Forge Brew Works in Lorton, VA was finally ready to open, and that they would be having a soft opening that weekend. I, of course, dropped everything I was doing and drove over there to check them out. For those of you who are from around here, they are located in Lorton at the end of Terminal Road (near the Fairfax County Parkway and I-95 intersection). Forge is not very advertised as of yet, so once you find yourself in the clump of warehouses at the end of Terminal Road, you will have to drive around for a minute or two until you see a big banner that reads “Forge Brew Works.” Other than that, there is no way to know that you’re in the right place.

As you may have guessed, Forge is located in a warehouse district, and they themselves have a very industrial vibe going on – inside and out. Their tap room is a wide open warehouse floor with a bar at the end of it and an awkward afterthought restroom jutting out into the middle of the room. There are no tables or chairs (at least, not as of two weeks ago when I went in) and all patrons and employees (including the owner/brew master) are huddled around the bar drinking and chatting.

The beer is phenomenal. You get the obvious first impression from these brews that the brewer (Matt) is very passionate about his craft and talented as well. On flight when I was there was their Petite Saison, Single Hop IPA: Centennial, Single Hop IPA: Galaxy, Roggenbier, Oatmeal Stout, and Abbey Ale.

The Saison tasted like a Saison, which I know sounds like a ridiculous thing to say, but in a world where people are always trying to add things to Saisons to flavor them up, drinking one that tastes like they’re supposed to taste is a welcome change. It is very crisp and quite sessionable at 3.3% ABV.

The Single Hop IPAs were interesting. As you know by now, most IPAs and IPA makers pride themselves on going extreme with hoppiness, seaking either to make a hop bomb that hurts your teeth or going for complex hop bills that have 25 different hops in them. And there is nothing wrong with either of those ideas. But Forge’s Single Hop IPAs (as the name would suggest) only use one, so you get a good idea of what the unique strand of hop used in the beer tastes like by itself, and what sorts of characteristics it imparts. Plus, when you have more than one of them back to back (like I did with the Centennial and Galaxy), you can compare and contract different hops as you drink them. It’s a pretty cool idea.

The Roggenbier was my favorite, partially because I am newly obsessed with rye beers, but also because it is a rare style, and of course, it was delicious. Roggenbier is a German style of beer that is brewed exactly like a Hefeweissen, but with rye instead of wheat. Everything else, from the yeast to the water and hop bill are identical. It gives you a hazy, refreshing beer that is darker than a Hefe and has that coveted rye spiciness to it. It was so good, I had a full pint of it and filled my newly acquired Forge stainless steel growler with delicious Roggenbier so that I could keep on drinking it after I left.

The Oatmeal Stout was excellent. Unlike many Oatmeal Stouts that you’ll find, this one was made with a lot of oatmeal, and that oatmeal was definitely the star of the show. The flavor was very robust and sweet, and the beer sat with you for a moment while you were drinking it. Quite wonderful.

The final brew from Forge was their Abbey Ale, which is Belgian Strong Dark Ale. Like all the others on Forge’s flight, their Abbey lives up to the hallmarks of the style. It hits heavier than the others at 9% ABV, so it’s much more of a sipping beer, but the flavor profile is complex and sublime, and makes you want to go to Belgium.

The current one-barrel pilot rig at Forge, soon to be joined by a 10 barrel production rig

At the moment, Forge is running a single-barrel system, but they intend to install a 10 barrel system here shortly. Once in place, I imagine that their hours will increase, and they may even start distributing locally as 10 barrels of beer is a lot for their current operation. They are open Friday during happy hour (5-8), Saturday (12-4ish), and usually for growler pours only on Sunday (11-12:30). As of last night, they were pouring Petite Saison, Roggenbier, Belgian Pale Ale, Abbey Ale, Centennial IPA, Oatmeal Stout, and Nugget IPA. You can check out their website and Facebook page for more details.

BUT WAIT – THERE’S MORE!!! This is the blog that keeps on giving.

You will never have to fear missing any important beer or beer brewery news. The Sous Brewer is so tuned-in the local beer scene, and so willing to share his findings with all of you loyal readers. Hurray interwebs!

So yesterday, while poking around on BadWolf’s social media exploits, I found a picture of a pint glass bearing a brewery logo I didn't recognize. With a name I didn't recognize. A few grueling moments of Googling later, I stumbled upon the website for a BRAND NEW BREWERY that is about to open in Manassas, VA called Heritage Brewing Company. Heritage is a future 20 barrel brewery that is slated to open in late-fall 2013. They plan to bring both large scale 20 barrel hand crafted batches to the market along with small 1/2 barrel artisanal batches and an oak aged cellar program from day one. Interestingly enough, they are located literally directly across the street from BadWolf, so brewery-crawling in Manassas will be a breeze.

According to their website, their staple beers will be their Revolution Organic American Amber, The Teddy Full Bodied American Pale, Ironsides American Session Ale, and King’s Mountain Scot-American Ale. They will also offer three seasonals – American Expedition (a light bodied American Wheat Ale) in the summer, Bradford (a full bodied amber brown ale with pumpkins, cinnamon and bourbon) in the fall, and Battle of White Marsh (a spiced imperial winter ale) in the winter. Additionally, they will offer limited releases like General Will-A-Mett’s Tar Mouth Porter (which is a chocolate mint porter), Concord (which is an organic oak-aged amber) and Ferguson’s Revenge (which is a Scotch Witbier with Muscat wine).

You can check these guys out on their website or their Facebook page for more details, and I be sure to keep everyone apprised of their pending opening.

Here’s to craft-brewed happiness… Cheers!

Size Doesn't Matter... or Does It?

Manassas, VA 

Oh no! He placed a double entendre in the title of the blog post! That can’t be a good sign.

Last weekend, in what can only be categorized as a stroke of brilliance on my part, I ventured off to Manassas, Virginia in order to pop in at the BadWolf Brewing Company. For those not from our area, BadWolf is a small, relatively new brewing operation that opened on June 28, 2012 and brews beer in one barrel batches. They describe themselves as a family-owned and operated nanobrewery (don’t worry – we’ll get into this term in a minute).

BadWolf’s business model is an interesting one. As I mentioned, they brew using a one barrel system, a barrel equaling 31.5 US gallons. When they finish a batch, it replaces a batch on the tap line that just kicked, ensuring that there are always six craft-brewed choices for us to drink. What makes it interesting is that BadWolf is constantly changing recipes and brewing new things. There is very little repetition, and the odds are, if you go in there 10 times, there will be six beers you never had before all ten times you go in. They are almost like a home brewery in this way, except with a professional-grade rig and a store front.

The tap room is small and intimate, and doesn't offer much in the way of seating, but the people are friendly, and the atmosphere is inviting. There is an oversized chalk board on the wall where the brewers list what’s on tap, as well as various other scribblings of interest. And as the name may have given away, they have a Dr. Who theme going on throughout their operation, to include the door to their office which is painted to look like a TARDIS. Honestly, you can’t help but feel like you’re part of the group when at BadWolf.

Don't blink, just drink.

I helped myself to a flight of six tasters while I was there, which included a rye saison called The Rising Sun, a dry Irish stout called Irish Wrist Watch, an American blonde ale called Ahtnum Gold, an American amber/red ale called Jesse’s Girl, an adjunct American pale ale called Jezzebell, and a scotch ale/wee heavy called Scotty’s Heavy. With the exception of the Jezzebell, which had a dominant lavender note that detracted from the otherwise good pale ale, all of the beers were amazing. I was exceptionally impressed with the rye saison, being that I am a professed fan of rye beers, and filled my trusty growler with it.

And now to shift gears, what’s the deal with this word “nanobrewery?” We've all heard the word “micro” in front of a brewery, but “nano” is still relatively unknown. Quite simply, “nano” and “micro” (and even “peco” believe it or not) are all words referring to the size of the brewery. As best as I can manage, the words only refer to the yearly output in total volume, or to the size of the batch, and have nothing to do with the physical size of the building or staff or operation. So when BadWolf refers to themselves as a “nanobrewery,” they are merely drawing attention to the fact that they don’t make as much beer as other breweries do.

The counter, in the tap room of BadWolf Brewing Company

The problem is that there are no universally accepted criteria for determining whether a brewery is macro, micro, nano, peco, or whatever. The feds (as in the US Department of Treasury Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, or TTB) do mention nanobreweries in their regulations, but only in terms of whether or not home brewers are subject to taxes, based on how much beer they make. There is no attempt made at defining what a nano brewery is.

There are a few folks within the industry who have defined the term, but none that are universally accepted. For example, when Rogue Brewing Company hosted a festival and competition for “nanobrewers,” they arbitrarily cut off the nano-breweries at a yearly production of 996 barrels. It’s hard to figure out why they chose number, but it has nothing to do with any nationally discussed and agreed upon cutoff point. Interestingly enough, BadWolf would have to brew almost 1000 batches of beer in one year in order to hit that threshold.

BadWolf's giant chalkboard - perfect for announcements, beer menus and random shenanigans

The term “nanobrewery” is also causing a bit of a stir within the brewing world. Not only can we not agree upon what the criteria are, we can’t even agree on how to measure it in the first place. Many brewers think it should be gauged by how much beer one makes per batch (IE: 3 barrel system or lower is NANO; over 3 barrel is MICRO) and others on how much beer one makes annually. There are others in the community who are upset at the intentional misuse and coopting of the term from a strictly marketing stand point. There was a small brewer a few years back that claimed that many microbreweries were calling themselves nanobreweries in order to create a “mom and pop” appeal in the minds of their consumers. He likened the effect that this was having on “actual mom and pop” nanobreweries to what happens when Budweiser tries to market one of their lines of beers as “craft.”

BadWolf's store front. Dentist's office?

The interesting thing is that many years ago, “craft beer” was not a buzzword – the word used to describe small, artisanal brewing operations with proper ingredients and love in every pint was “microbreweries.” Eventually, that term was for all intents and purposes replaced with “craft” because it was decided that the size of the brewery doesn't matter as much as the quality of their operation. I have a feeling that when the dust settles, nanobreweries and pecobreweries will embrace the craft label and not worry too much about their size labels. Microbreweries still exist, but nobody worries about whether they’re a microbrewery or not – as long as they make good craft beer.

If needing to sell yourself as a tiny mom and pop operation is critical to your marketing campaign, and I certainly appreciate that aspect of craft marketing, you can still do that without relying on an industry-approved size label. Customers do care about supporting their local economy, personal interaction with the brewers, being part of a community, and so on. What they don’t care about, and probably don’t understand either, is a buzzword like “nanobrewery” or “pecobrewery” which seem gimmicky at first, and quickly become nothing.

All of that being said, here’s to BadWolf Brewing Company! Their brews are delicious; their business model ensures a world of possibilities, and their outlook on brewing and life in general is tremendous. Plus, they’re Whovians – what else needs to be said?

Here’s to craft-brewed happiness… Cheers!

A Cold, Dreary Night in October

Last night, like many of my Friday nights to be honest, I tried a beer that I had never had before. In fact, it was a beer made by a brewery that I don’t have much interaction with, as they don’t distribute to my neck of the woods. Nevertheless, the few and far between brews that I have managed to get my hands on from this particular brewery have been sublime – each and every one of them. The brewery in question is the Cigar City Brewing Company in Tampa, Florida. But before we get in to all of that, let me further dissect the sequence of events that lead me to last night, in the vein of good story telling.

Pride of Tampa, Florida

As I have preached in the past, the secret to tracking down beers from faraway lands that don’t distribute to your home region is a robust network of friends, snitches, well-wishers and benefactors. After all, drinking craft-brewed excellence is a team sport. In this case, the key to my success is a friend of mine who I will refer to throughout this post as Galen.

I'm kind of a big deal. People know me.

Galen is something of a muckity-muck in his career field. People know him, and he’s kind of a big deal. From time to time, his work takes him down to the Tampa Bay area, and being a conscientious beer guy (in training), he thinks of his fellow craft beer enthusiasts from Old Dominion while enjoying the sunshine-soaked Florida brews. It just so happens that he has a relation who works for Cigar City Brewing Company, so he is granted unfettered access to all of the goodness contained therein. Galen has been the nexus between Cigar and myself as long as I've known him.

About six months ago, Galen was sent to Tampa on one of these junkets of his and he brought all kinds of goodies back with him. He brought a six pack of Cigar’s Jai Alai IPA, which was out of this world, and also a six pack of their Hotter Than Helles Lager, which was also quite enjoyable. But the real jewel of his treasure haul was a 750ml wine bottle of Cigar’s special release Big Sound Scotch Ale that was aged in bourbon barrels. This was the specific brew that we enjoyed last night, after letting it sit for six additional months.

Being that it was a very cold, rainy night in October, to say that this beer was perfect for the occasion would be underselling the timeliness of the affair. I would have said the stars aligned perfectly to this beer and the night at hand, but I couldn't see the stars and I have no idea what they were up to. Regardless, let’s just say that the bourbon barrel aged Big Sound went with the last night’s atmosphere like peas and carrots (too many metaphors?).

A rare and delicious find.

The beer was dark (obviously), heavy and very sweet. The sweetness was a careful balance of malt, toffee and oaken vanilla notes from the bourbon. The peat from the scotch was there, but it was subtle, as though the scotch was yielding its rightful claim to “star of the show” status to the bourbon. Also, I might be crazy, but I think I picked up the slightest cherry and coffee notes as well. The alcohol heat was quite noticeable for an 8.5% ABV brew but it was not overwhelming, and the beer was quite heavy and demanded to be sipped. It poured dark brown (almost black) with a tan head and was absolutely phenomenal. Five out of Five, ten out of ten, whatever you want to do – this one is a rock star.

I would tell you to go out and get one (and I definitely recommend it) but distribution limitations being what they are, it will be tough to find this on the open market. The fact that it is a brewery-only release only further complicates matters. If you’re in the Tampa Bay area, certainly stop in and see if this is available. The Big Sound Scotch Ale (minus the bourbon barrel) is a seasonal brew that they release in September, so maybe you should try in the fall. Then again, Galen found our bottle when he was there in April, so who knows? If you know someone in the Tampa area, set up a barter arrangement.

So here’s to Cigar City, team-work, my buddy Galen and his hook-up at Cigar City, and of course, a beautiful beer in Big Sound bourbon barrel aged scotch ale. I can’t wait for my next one.

Here’s to craft-brewed happiness… Cheers!

Shut 'Er Down

...and there was much rejoicing... yeah.

You may have missed it if you don’t live in the DC/Northern Virginia/Maryland area, but the Federal Government has been shut down since Tuesday. I assure you, it’s not as bad as the main stream media is describing. There is a lot of arguing, name calling, and virtually nothing is being accomplished, but how is any of that any different from usual?

As the shutdown was becoming a reality, the media pundits tried to convince us that this thing was going to have a very real effect on the local economy, including the craft beer industry. The argument was that with people not working and not earning money, less money would be spent and the economy would decline. This, of course, is nonsense, intended by both sides of the fight to scare and convince you that the other side is evil. It’s even more of an abstract concept in the craft beer world, as I maintain that tough economies are actually good for the beer industry. Simply put, people will spend their last dime on a product that helps them forget about their worries. Every time.

However, I have discovered that the Federal Government shutdown actually does effect the craft beer industry. This effect is not abstract, and is not contained to the DC local level – the effect is nationwide. There are two main issues for the craft beer industry to deal with during the shutdown.

They also make you use one of these annoying ink well
pens to fill out the forms... frakin government

The larger of the two issues is the Treasury Department’s Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) ceasing approval of new beer labels and recipes. According to the beer news site Beerpulse, an estimated 400 labels per day won’t receive approvals during the shutdown, based on the over 110,000 labels that TTB had approved over the course of 2013 through the end of September.

What does this mean exactly? By federal law, breweries are required to submit requests for approvals for new products before they can offer them to the public. So every time a brewery plans to release a new beer (new as in they never offered it before), they have to first get a permission slip from the overly regulated federal government. As long as the TTB is shut down due to its non-essential status, there will be no new brews at your favorite local breweries. This pain will not be felt so much at the bigger breweries as they don’t create new beers nearly as often, and when they do, they submit applications well in advance.  But the little guys will certainly feel the sting, particularly breweries like Bad Wolf Brewery in Manassas, VA, that release never before released beers all the time.

What difference does it make?

The other issue, which is perhaps more immediately detrimental to the health of craft breweries, is the Small Business Administration halting approval of new loans for the duration of the shutdown. This one means that until these executors and legislators get their heads out of their butts, new breweries will not be able to receive a small business loan to help them open their business. The craft beer industry, unlike most segments of our economy, has been growing exponentially for years, and shows no signs of letting up anytime soon. But the inability to receive federal loans will almost certainly slow that growth down. There are, of course, other funding streams to draw from, so this second one isn't necessarily a deal breaker.

This is not a political blog, so I will refrain from making this post any more political than it is already is. Needless to say, let’s hurry this thing along so our small breweries can get back to being uninhibited in their mission to give us locally crafted deliciousness. Stupid government.

Here’s to craft-brewed happiness… Cheers!

A Late-September Omnibus Blog Post

Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the
stranded witch or wizard. My name is Stan Shunpike and I will be
your conductor this evening.

There are entirely too many things to catch you all up on if I dedicate an individual post to each, so I’m launching the first ever “Inspirations From Inside of a Mash Tun Omnibus Post.” There are many ways to look at this, and being that I am a visual person, I like to picture the Knight Bus from Harry Potter. This omnibus moves quickly, the muggles will never see it, and it’s going to be a bump-y ride. Take ‘er away Ernie. (Blogger’s Note: That’s two HP references in as many weeks… what is going on?)

Also, by way of facilitation, I will frame this omnibus as a question and answer style of exchange.

Do any home brewing lately?

Yes, though it wasn't my home. I was recently invited to help launch a new home brewing venture in Centreville, VA called Donaubles Brewing Co. The home brewer long intended to start brewing beer, and decided the stars were finally aligned, though a watchful hand of a seasoned veteran never hurts. We brewed-up a 5 gallon batch of Irish Red Ale, which is currently resting comfortably in primary fermentation.

This may or may not have actually happened.

A few things to note: This was a partial-mash brew, and being that I've been in an all-grain frame of mind as long as I have, I struggled to recall much of the partial-mash process without consulting the directions. I also hadn't brewed from a kit in while, so it was a re-learning experience for me. Also, if you are setting out to home brew yourself, you ABSOLUTELY MUST acquire a turkey fryer or similar type of single burner propane fueled cooking surface to boil your wort. We had a pot of 2.5 gallons of water on his kitchen cook-top and it sat there for 45 minutes, and only reached 170 degrees. Once we finished steeping the grains, we moved the boil kettle over to his turkey fryer, and within minutes… boiling.

Do brewing kits go bad?

Probably not. Obviously, it will depend on the kit, and how the ingredients are packaged, but for most kits, the yeast is powder, so it won’t go bad, and the hops and extract are vacuum sealed, so they won’t go bad. The only real wild card is the grain. Grain bought in a kit is pre-cracked so all you have to do is add to the water and let it sit. Like so many food items, fresh-cracked equals maximum flavor (think black pepper or coffee beans). But also like most food items, just because it isn't fresh-cracked doesn't mean it will taste bad – it just means it won’t have as much flavor. Same principle applies to your brewing kit grains – they may be a little stale, but for the purposes of home-brewing (especially out of a kit), the difference in the finished product will be negligible.

Ever try Mr. Beer?

People, please. DO NOT BUY ONE OF THESE!!!

I have never made beer using a Mr. Beer system, and I do not own one. I have, however, tried the finished product. It’s not good. I tried some Mr. Beer that was made by someone who pays a meticulous amount of attention to process and following instructions, so I know that this beer was made the way it was supposed to be made… to the letter. The finished product was barely palatable. It was very tart and thin, with practically no body at all. It felt like drinking a liquor drink as opposed to a beer. But not a good liquor drink - a very flat, thin, unsatisfying liquor drink. I maintain that Mr. Beer is to brewing what the Easy-Bake Oven is to baking. Now I have proof.

Any new breweries to rant and/or rave about in the local area?

It is an exciting time to be living in the Northern Virginia area if you’re a beer fan, as there is a lot of growth (not just Donaubles Brewing Co in Centreville). Earlier this year, Bad Wolf Brewing Co opened their doors in Manassass, and the reviews are strong. Bad Wolf has a fairly newish business model, where they brew small batches, serve until the kegs are floated, and then move on to the next style. There is a lot of turnover, so chances are, there will be something new and different every time you go. Their place is small too, and coupled with the small batch/quick turnaround of the beer, it creates a very intimate brewery experience.

Sometime in the next few weeks (we hope), a new brewery is coming to Lorton, VA called The Forge Brew Works. I don’t know a whole lot about them yet, as they aren't open yet, but it looks as though their operation will be small too. They tried to launch in late August, but are somewhere stuck in the big-government-bureaucracy of Fairfax County. However, the last report was favorable, and they are predicting that they might open this coming weekend.

How are the pumpkin beers?

I love pumpkin beers, but it is getting hard to find the ones I've never had before. That doesn't mean that my local craft beer doesn't have lots to choose from, but rather that it has the same ones to choose from, and I've already had them. Yesterday, I went to my local Total Wine, and I noticed that the pumpkin beers available on their singles shelf were all in bomber form, and I wanted to build my own six pack. I also noticed that many of the six packs of pumpkin beers were missing one or two, as though I wasn't the first person who wanted to mix and match pumpkin beers. In the end, I did what the Romans had been doing and built my six pack out of other six packs that I’m not sure were intended for that purpose, but Total Wine got their money and I got my beer, so I suppose all’s well that ends well. Still, would it kill the distributors to bring in greater selection? The answer is yes, it would kill them, but the problems with the distribution chain is a topic that demands its own post, and cannot be sufficiently deconstructed within a paragraph of an omnibus post.

So wonderful. Want to drink them all!

This is starting to feel like I’m the head coach of a football team conducting a press conference.

Any random epicness you’d like to write about?

A fellow beer quester came up with an idea the other day which I think has legs. He has proposed that we drink a new beer every day for 365 days in a row. This is similar to the “Big Year” concept if you’re a birder. I think the idea is solid, but I warned him that it will be hard to find 365 new brews given the fact that, according to my Untappd profile, I have 585 uniques and I fear I am on the verge of exhausting the local market. Though, I could always reset myself and drink 365 different beers in a row. Either way, the idea has legs.

A Big Year is a tough thing to accomplish

What do you have to do differently on defense if you want to make the playoffs?

Playoffs? Don’t talk about… playoffs? Playoffs? I just hope we can win a game. Another game.

Any shameless plugs?

First of all, all of my plugs are shameful, as a rule. If you aren't already on the Craft Beer Drinkers Alliance train, you should check out their Facebook page and see what all the fuss it about. These guys are local Northern Virginians, but they are servicing a national audience at this point. It’s growing a lot faster than this blog, and there’s a lot of helpful knowledge to be shared. Check them out.

Also, follow me on twitter @SousBrewer to stay up-to-date on all the beer drinking shenanigans in real time. 

Well, I think that wraps up this first ever omnibus blog post. It could have been worse, right? At least nobody got thrown under the omnibus.

Here’s to craft-brewed happiness… Cheers!

Ein Prosit

Oktoberfest starts today! Perhaps the highest of the beer drinking high holidays is once again kicking off in Munich, and the entire world it seems will be joining them in the fun. My Facebook wall and Twitter feed are blowing up with announcements of scheduled Oktoberfest events in my local area, mostly held by awesome local breweries. It’s safe to say that the German tradition has firmly cemented itself into American culture.

Live from Falls Church, VA

But Oktoberfest isn't just a three week long drunken party – it’s also a style of beer! One that I’m sure you've seen ample selections of in the past month on your local grocer’s and specialty beer store shelves. Oktoberfest, or Märzen as it’s more accurately called, is a darker, more robust, lager that is traditionally brewed in March and left to age until September. I could go into more detail on this, but I already have, so there’s no reason to do it again. If you want to know about Märzen, click here. If you want to learn about Oktoberfest the festival, click here.

“So if you’re not going to discuss the festival, or the beer itself, than what, pray tell, is the topic of this blog post?” I’m sure I took the words right out of your mouth. Today friends, I am going to give you suggestions - recommendations if you will - both in beer to drink and local events to check out. It’s all about spreading the knowledge, so that all can enjoy their beer drinking lives as completely as I do. Don’t say thank you. It’s implied.

So first, let’s discuss local Oktoberfest events coming up in the DC/Maryland/Northern Virginia area. I apologize in advance if I miss a few here and there. Please reach out to me via Facebook, Twitter, or in the comments of this post if you think of some I missed. Let’s do this.

The scene from inside one of the beer tents at Weis'n... makes you want to get on a plane

District Oktoberfest
September 21-22, 2013. New this year! Head to Washington DC’s Chinatown bars RFD, Penn Social, Rocket Bar, Iron Horse, Fado, Bar Louie, Capitol City Brewing Company and Redline for beer specials and entertainment. Admission: $37-70. A portion of the proceeds will go to the DC Firefighters Burn Foundation and Dreams for Kids DC. 

Biergarten Haus Oktoberfest 
September 21, 2013. 1355 H St NE Washington, DC. The Bavarian pub offers their regular 12 drafts and 11 additional Oktoberfest drafts, food and live music.

Hoppy Oktoberfest

September 28 from Noon to 6PM – Mad Fox Brewing Company in Falls Church, VA. Don't miss our 2nd annual outdoor event putting a Mad Fox twist on the traditional Oktoberfest by showcasing some of the region's top IPA's including the tapping of our Oktoberfest Lager, plus delicious grilled items and live music from The Justin Trawick Group (1-5pm).

Das Best Oktoberfest 
September 27-28, 2013. National Harbor, MD. The outdoor festival will include over 100 unique beers, German wines and schnapps, German foods and other festival goodies, Oompah bands, live music, contests and much more. Admission: $39-45, Children ages 12 and under are free. 

Bar Dupont’s Oktoberfest
September 28–October 6, 2013. Dupont Circle Hotel, 1500 New Hampshire Ave. Washington DC. The popular Dupont Circle bar will transform its outdoor patio into a Biergarten serving German favorites like Paulaner Hefeweizen, Oktoberfest, Pilsner and Spaten as well as German specialties from the grill like soft pretzels, sausages and mustards, and traditional garnishes. Live German bands Liab Und Schneid, The Polka Brothers and Continentals of Washington, DC will play on select days. Daily beginning at 12:00 p.m.

Frederick Oktoberfest
September 28-29, 2013, Saturday: 11 – 10 p.m., Sunday 11 – 6 p.m. Frederick Fairgrounds, East Patrick St., Frederick, Maryland. Huge Oktoberfest with live music, kid's games, German foods, Biergarten and family fun. Admission: $5 in advance, $10 at the gate. Children ages 2 and under are free. 

Fort Belvoir Oktoberfest
October 3-6, 2013. Located off of Rt. 1 in Fairfax County, Virginia, The annual festival, open to the general public, includes authentic German food and beer, carnival rides, live entertainment, kids activities and more.

Germantown Oktoberfest
October 5, 2013, 9:45 a.m.-5 p.m. New Location this year, Clarksburg, Maryland. The festival includes live music, kid's games, German foods, Biergarten and family fun. 

Oktoberfest at Capitol City Brewing Company
October 5, 2013, 12-7 p.m. Shirlington Village, Arlington, Virginia. Sample more than 60 beers and a variety of foods, while enjoying lively German entertainment. Admission: $25. Shirlington library will host kid’s events. 

Oktoberfest Reston
October 11-13, 2013. Reston Town Center, 11900 Market Street, Reston, Virginia. Sample the best in fall brews and traditional Oktoberfest fare provided by some of Reston's finest eateries. Live entertainment. 

How can a person be in two places at once?

Literally, there is no shortage of opportunities for fun in the local area. If only I had Hermione Granger’s time turner so that I could be in more than one place at once. Seriously, if you see her, tell her I’m looking for her.

Now let’s look at Oktoberfest Märzen lagers that I strongly recommend you go get. I’m going to divide these into two sub-categories, because I love to apply order to a complex system. The first subset of Oktoberfest Märzens is called ACTUALLY GERMAN. These beers are brewed and imported from the mother land and are actually served and enjoyed by the locals in Bavaria during Oktoberfest. These are Hacker-Pschorr, Lowenbrau, Spaten, Hofbrauhaus, Augustiner, Paulaner, and Weihenstephaner. All delicious. Can’t go wrong.

The other subset of Märzenbiers that I will recommend to you is called AMERICAN CRAFT. These are Oktoberfest brews that are created with love here in the states, using the same methods and ingredients as the Germans use. These options are just as good as the authentic ones, and in some cases are better, but for the sake of distinction, we’ll separate them. Some of the best American Craft Oktoberfest beers are Victory Brewing Company’s Festbier and Zeltbier, Heavy Seas Beer’s Prosit! And Märzen,  Harpoon Brewery’s Octoberfest (spelled wrong), Great Lakes Brewing Company’s Oktoberfest, Old Dominion Brewing Company’s Octoberfest (spelled wrong), Abita Brewing Company’s Fall Fest, DuClaw Brewing Company’s Mad Bishop Oktoberfest, Port City Brewing Company’s Oktoberfest, Flying Dog Brewery’s Dogtoberfest Märzen, and Lancaster Brewing Company’s Oktoberfest. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it is a good start.

Look how lovely

So hopefully I've armed you with the necessary ammunition to go festing. I apologize to those of you who aren't local to the DC Metro Area, Maryland, and Virginia, as most of this post was locally focused, however, I bet you can find a complete list of events in your local area by Googling it. Also, if my recommended brews aren't sold in a store near you, go to your local specialty beer store and proceed directly to where they keep the seasonal brews. I’m certain you’ll find a healthy selection to choose from.

And remember to shout “Oans, zwoa, drei, Gsuffa!” before downing your brew. If you pronounce it right, people will think you’re from Bavaria. If you pronounce it wrong, they’ll just assume you’re a crazy person, or perhaps that you have had too many. Either way, you’ll be the toast of the party.

Here’s to craft-brewed happiness… Prost!