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Beer Examiner (14 items)

May 11, 2008
16:23
American Craft Beer Week and Savoring Washington, DC.
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There are lots of reasons to be in Washington, DC this coming week, May 12-17. It’s American Craft Beer Week, so you guessed it, beer is the reason I’ll be in the Capital from Monday through Saturday for lots of business, great beer and food.   Let me start at the end of the week and work backwards.

            On Friday evening, Saturday afternoon and then again on Saturday evening the Brewers Association will be hosting SAVOR; Savor: An American Craft Beer and Food Experience.

            Enjoy a reception-style sampling of your choice of 35+ sweet and savory appetizers and 96 craft beers from 48 American small craft breweries. Converse with the luminaries of the craft beer industry - brewery owners, brewers and representatives will be on-hand - serving you your beer. Meet and listen to presentations by an A-list of beer and food personalities, including Boston Beer founder and brewer Jim Koch, Dogfish Head founder and owner Sam Calagione, award winning California brewing legends Vinnie Cilurzo (Russian River Brewing Co.) and Tomme Arthur (Lost Abbey Brewing Co.) as well as Senior wine editor at Food & Wine magazine, Ray Isle, Dave Lieberman, chef and TV host on the Food Network and Marnie Old, award-winning sommelier and Director of Wine Studies at the world-famous French Culinary Institute in New York City.

            The event is surely to be a food and beer lover’s paradise and I’ll be there for all three sessions helping to host and toast America’s beer drinkers. Savor will be held at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW. Times: Friday, May 16 from 6:30 to 10 and Saturday, May 17 from 12:30 to 4 (this session already sold out) and 6:30 to 10 in the evening. Admission: $85; Click to link to ticket information and event details. No tickets will be sold at the door. Event information also call 1-888-822-6273.

            The Brewers Association is also a hosting a reception for Congressional members and their staff on Thursday afternoon.   Not open to the public, this event is a widely attended event which will feature several of the nation’s top craft brewers and their beers in an effort to promote awareness of the 1,400 small American brewers (and their beers), their business challenges and the contributions these small businesses make to their local communities. Did you know that the average American lives within 10 miles of a brewery?

            Monday through Wednesday I’ll be participating in a Legislative Conference with the nation’s brewers and beer distributors. With all this stuff going on it’s easy to confuse the issues and the reason why all this is important. In my eyes it’s all about the beer drinker. Creating value and helping assure that Americans are able to enjoy the flavor and diversity of America’s great beers. Brewers are one of the most heavily regulated types of business in the country.   Misconceived regulations, fees, rules and taxes can dramatically and quickly threaten the operations of a small brewing business.   That’s why I and hundreds of others are in DC the earlier part of this week, helping to make sure that our congressional leaders are aware of the challenges of making great beer and offering a choice to beer drinkers. It’s not all hops, malt, yeast and water.   But I’ll be enjoying some of the best. Just as you can this week.

            Just to mention a few other activities, check out the Brickskeller and RFD’s events calendars for their line up of beer personalities and beers. Also offering some special beers and brewers is Rustico Restaurant and Bar and Birreria Paradiso.

What’s in my glass?

Last week I was in the German town of Hohr-Grenzhauesen to present the World Beer Cup awards to the European winners. Hohr-Grenzhauesen was once a historical center for the countries ceramic industry. Now with Chinese imports at a lower price (and quality) the town’s ceramic industry has evolved to host a world center for beer glassware design, production and distribution.   A tour of the Sahm Glassware facility provides a fascinating insight into how beer glasses “happen.”   The sight of tens of millions of empty glasses in their warehouse and their production facility is impressive and to tell you the truth, thirst provoking.   I filled one of those glasses with one of my favorite German Pilseners, Bitburger.

Freshness and “local” is a virtue I embrace. The fresh Bitburger Pils I enjoyed in Germany had a lively freshness which imported bottles in America don’t come close to replicating. It’s a long way from Germany to America. No brewer will disagree when I say the closer you get to a brewery the better their beer tastes. So although there are great reasons to enjoy local beer where ever you are, there is justification to travel the world to try other local brews. I was working late.

        Bitburger Pils, topped with an attractive and lasting dense white head of foam, lacing the sides of the glass. Served at a cool 55 degrees F (by my educated guess) and not at taste numbing near freezing temperatures orchestrated perfectly between sweet malt character and the floral and earthy signature of hops. I was intoxicated more from the flavor and aroma than the alcohol.   Never ever drink beer with value out of a bottle, always pour into distinctive glassware. Glassware enhances the enjoyment of beer more than most people realize (more on this in another essay). A little exercise I always execute whenever I enjoy beer is to inhale while taking the beer into your mouth. The mingling of beer aroma and flavors is music unto itself. Gotta go. Beer time.
May 07, 2008
2:04
Fine scottish ales at the top of Loch Fyne
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What Americans do with malt, hops, yeast and water is so remarkably different than what the Scottish, English, Germans, Australians, New Zealanders, Japanese, Thai, Latin Americans, Africans and the rest of the world do.   Thank you for all this diversity. It’s not only about the ingredients, but so very important it’s also about the process, environment, marketplace conditions, excise tax rate, climate, and most importantly attitude.

            I’m in Scotland and sampling the local beers and it strikes me that even when English malt and American hops are combined in a fashion that is reminiscent of the American way, the beer has a completely different attitude to it.   It’s partly because I believe beer is alive.

            On the very north end of Loch Fyne there is the Fyne Ales Brewery. A farmhouse brewery if I ever have seen one producing about 4,500 hl of real ales and bottled versions of the same each year. Since 2001 they have developed their beer and their customers all over the UK and actually export a limited number of kegs of real ale to New York City. Johnny and Tuggy Delap (photo right) were contemplating what to do with their estate and farmhouse to keep them involved with the community. Tuggy suggested a brewery to the boys one evening as they gazed into the fireplace embers. “Crazy” was the initial reaction.   She says, “I guess we’re all still “crazy” 7 years now.

            They’ve managed to convince champion brewer Will Wood to move away from Oakham Ales Brewery in England. He brewed the Great British Beer Festival’s Champion Beer of 2001 – JHB. Now he’s happily brewing on the shore of Loch Fyne in Argyll, Scotland and already has taken a few prizes with some of the Fyne Ales at recent GBBFestivals.

            We tried Inishail at 3.6% abv brewed with Mt. Hood, Cascade and Liberty hops, an all American hop bill. Also Somerled brewed with Challenger, but late hopped with New Zealand Hallertauer and German Spalt.. On the darker side there was Vital Spark a refreshing fruity, toffee/currant-like brew with American Amarillo and Cascade hops. The list went on and the brews were hoppier than the traditional malty Scottish ales a beer enthusiast might expect. But today’s beer drinkers are demanding new frontiers in beer experience and Fyne Ales are certainly helping to provide them.

What’s in my glass?
Our favorite was hand-pumped real ale called Highlander Ale also brewed by Fyne Ales served at The George in the small port town of Inverary. A good malt base and flavor with a smooth hop bitterness and flavor. Served with a hand pump and offered with a creamy head. Brisk and refreshing at 4.8% abv.   A great session beer and not like any real ale I’ve had in the U.S.A. There’s a difference that I might discuss if the question arises. Yes I’ve had real ales that have been brewed in the U.S., but like I said earlier, the brewing attitude and environment are different. So are the beers. (Photo left: Brewer Will Wood)
May 04, 2008
3:56
Pints of Ale and Hanging out with the Firkin King
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I’ve been living out of a suitcase the past few days with little time to reflect between pints of English Ale. I’m presently waiting in Heathrow at infamous Terminal 5 for our flight to Glasgow. I pause for a moment of coffee, croissant and reflect on our recent visit with David and Louise Bruce. For veterans of the beer revolution both in the UK and U.S.A. in the 1980’srecall that they helped kick off the American brewpub revolution (see “The Brewpub that started a world revolution,” in my book Microbrewed Adventures, HarperCollins, 2006). David and Louise live west of London, but David frequents London often while managing as CEO a group of pub/restaurants called Capital Pubs.   Back in 1981 or thereabouts he reestablished the first brewpubs in London with the Goose and Firkin and Fox and Firkin.   This was at a time of The Campaign for Real Ale’s backlash at the “keg beers” which defined the direction which many British brewers thought they were heading.

            Needless to say brewpubs became popular in the London area, kicked off interest in other parts of the UK and in 1982 at the American Homebrewers Association Conference in Boulder, Colorado David gave an inspiring presentation about what he was up to. This resulted in the concept of “brewpubs” taking hold in the U.S.A. shortly thereafter.

            Now we live in a different world, yet brewpubs remain an important vanguard for presenting innovative beers a quality food.

            I enjoyed a few pints of real ale in London on our first day of arrival and a few pints at a local inn in the countryside.   Both the Bruce’s and my wife and I shared stories of our 25+ year parallel beer journeys.   And when there’s beer involved we discussed the state of the world from the perspective of pints of bitter.

What’s in my glass?

Good real ale is an art to find.   Not all is kept in good condition and served properly. I was fortunate to be accompanying David who has standards I can trust.   Great stuff I tried, every pint different, though I seemed to settle into Adnams Bitter. Why?   Because I’m attracted to hop character both bitter, flavor and aroma and while Adnams was nowhere near American levels, there was a subtle enough level that I enjoyed my pints, while yearning for more hop aromatics.

            My favorite so far was a bottle of Badger Champion Golden Ale, a “premium strong ale with a light fruity flavor” at 5% a.b.v. The label explained the “elder flower” aroma, which I attributed hopefully to hops. Though the aroma was also reminiscent of jasmine.   Quite well balanced and hoppy.   Brewed by Hall & Wood house in Dorsett.
May 02, 2008
9:48
Beer is My Business and I'm Working Late
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Today, I’m participating with several beer bloggers all writing on the theme: How did it all start for me? You can find links to other beer blogger’s stories at Beer Blogging Friday

            I was 4 years old and living in Cranford, NJ when my Uncle Paul offered me my first taste of beer. It was Ballantine Ale. I went through the next 13 years growing up without a drop of beer. But boy oh boy, I remembered how good it tasted.

            In 1969 I and four other 20 year olds were arrested with a case of beer in the car. We were all underage. After a $240 fine and the bad taste of beer still lingering I continued to modestly indulge in cheap beer during my first few years of nuclear engineering studies at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.

            The truth of the matter was that throughout my early college years I had not enjoyed the taste of beer.

            Then George Conner came to play marbles at our student produced Whoop Moffitt Memorial Marbles Tournament. George was a beer drinker and it wasn't too long before he suggested I visit his beer making neighbor. With little hesitation I found myself trying a neighborly brew. The novelty of making one's own beer intrigued me much more than the taste of what I recall as fizzy, cidery and alcoholic tasting prohibition-style homebrew.

I walked away buzzed, inspired and with the following cryptic recipe:

5 gallons warm water, 1 can Premier Blue Ribbon malt (light or dark), 1 1/2 cans full sugar, white or black, more or less. Mix. Add 1 cake bread yeast when cool,Ferment until bubbling stops (7 days to 5 weeks depending on your sugar content and temperature). Best at 45 degrees F., Tip (sic) bottle.

             My first three 10-gallon batches of dump-and-stir homebrew were undrinkable.   Being somewhat persistent I managed to discover beer friendly ingredients and procedures. Consequently, up from the 8 by 8 foot dirt floored basement of George's preschool emerged many an infamous palatable homebrew.

            My roommates and I homebrewed regularly and I eventually graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nuclear Engineering in 1972. But I think the beer made me dyslexic because “nuclear” became “unclear” and I pursued other paths.

            Pure whimsy brought me to Boulder, Colorado, that same year and I found myself a preschool teacher and a born again homebrewer. I taught 4 to 12 year old children through 1981, taking off each summer to hitchhike and backpack across the United States and British Columbia, as well as extended backpacking ventures in the Hawaiian Islands, Fiji, Bali and Central America. And yes, I sampled beer – homebrewed, village brewed and commercial – whenever I could afford it.

            It was in 1973 that I thought I knew enough about making beer (which was hardly anything at all) to teach a beer brewing class through Boulder's Community Free School. It was in these first class sessions that I actually boiled my first wort. I soon discovered many ways to improve on beer and developed a taste for what I'd call quality beer, an experience I had never known before. Yes, I've had my failures and memorable brews; I’ll never forget the original "Goat Scrotum Ale" or "Barkshack Ginger Mead."

From 1973 to 1983 I taught over 1,000 people in the Boulder-Denver, Colorado area how to make and enjoy great beer. My mimeographed 6-page class curriculum evolved to a funky but inspirational self-published, self-typed 40-page book titled The Joy of Brewing (1976). Four years later I again self published a 90-page The New, Revised and More Joy of Brewing (1980). Three years later I signed a contract with Avon Books to write The Complete Joy of Home Brewing (1984) and later revised that book to The New Complete Joy of Home Brewing in 1991 and The Complete Joy of Homebrewing, 3^rd Edition, (2005).

            Meanwhile most graduates of my class became avid homebrewers and beer enthusiasts, inspiring the formation of The American Homebrewers Association (AHA) and its magazine zymurgy. One of my first students, Charlie Matzen, along with a bottle of April Morning Honey Spruce Lager, were the catalysts for inspiring the idea of a magazine for homebrewers. I recall the moment quite vividly. It was Easter Sunday and we had just finished a few bottles of homebrew in the Utah desert. A thunderstorm approached from a distance. Lightning zig zaged across the sky. Curiously the brightest flash streaked from one cloud to another as the letter "Z." The rain never came, but we knew Z stood for zymurgy, the last word in the dictionary, meaning the science and art of yeast fermentation. Later that evening, we also saw a vision of the Easter Bunny walk across Lake Powell – but that's another story. Homebrew has been responsible for many visions in my life. Zymurgy magazine and the American Homebrewers Association were two of them.

            Charlie M and I founded the non profit educational association in 1978 with the contribution of three years of volunteer help from dozens of local Boulder homebrewers. Our $4,000 in personal seed money eventually got repaid five years later. In 1981 I left teaching to take on the one full-time position at the AHA drawing and living off of a salary of $300 per month. By 1987 the AHA and zymurgy evolved to serving as one division of the Association of Brewers. Still based in Boulder, Colorado the original organization has merged with another to form the Brewers Association under which the American Homebrewers Association still thrives with over 16,000 members.

In 1981 it was not homebrew but perfect pints of real ale at the Great British Beer Festival that inspired the first Great American Beer Festival (GABF) in 1982. The first GABF was a small event with 3 microbrewers, 17 large and regional brewers with about 700 Boulder beer enthusiasts in attendance. Remarkable numbers in those days. 26 years later it featurs over 400 breweries and 1,884 beers on tap for 46,000 attendees.   All originally inspired by bottles of great homebrew.

            I enjoy traveling incognito to developing and third world countries to learn more about people, myself and the way we are and have been.   I seek local beer and sometimes enjoy just drinking it and not having to talk about it.

            Through the years I've brewed thousands of gallons of mostly good beer. Thousands of times I've heard first-time homebrew drinkers say, "Hey, this stuff is good." I've heard as many times, "I like this, and I don't usually like beer." I get these responses from men and women, young and old. It almost seems as though no one dislikes well-brewed homebrew and the company of good people. There is something inherently likeable about good beer. It's appreciated and the taste for it naturally develops.

You'll have to excuse me now ... I’ve got to go ... Beer is my business and I'm late for work.

What’s in my glass?

Aloha and a tip of my glass to Maui Brewing Company who have managed to get their beer on Aloha Airlines (see comments on Designing Beer at 36,000 feet). Brewed in the Lahaina, Maui area I visited the brewery in March and can attest to the terrific beers they have. While there my wife and I sampled Barracuda Bitter, Big Swell IPA and a Double Overhead IPA, Penguin Imperial Stout, Red Cock Doppelbock, Coconut Porter, Black Pearl (local) Rum Barrel Aged Coconut Porter, Belgian Abbey Ale, Pauhana (Czech style) Pilsner and Maui Pale Ale.   I particularly liked their Coconut Porter; rich, roast malt cocoa character, medium bodied, coconut and floral hops, a burst of moderate alcohol. Wonderful balance it goes extremely well with Thai red curries. Wow.
April 30, 2008
12:05
Beer at 36,000 feet
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I travel a lot at 36,000 feet and more often than I’d like to admit I’m doing time to the tune of 4 to 12 hours a leg. That’s a lot of time to think about stuff. As a result I have come to the conclusion that I simply don’t understand the deprivation therapy we’re subjected to at high elevations. It starts with those one ounce limited edition pretzels accompanied with free orange juice and finally the generic option of $5 beer and wine.   Virtually every other airline in the world offers premium beers and wine for the price of your ticket. Why do American based airlines need to charge while still not being able to figure out how to make money and offer a good experience? It may be the land of the “free” and a place to pursue happiness but up in the air it’s an entirely different experience. When I'm flying on foreign based airlines I seem to be significantly more content than flying in the U.S.

            So let’s get back to the beer served at 36,000 feet. It seems to me if you’re going to be charged $5 a beer why isn't a more exciting selection of beer offered?   I know one reason: sometimes airlines get paid by big budget brewing companies to “assure” exclusivity. Interesting beers which beer drinkers value are “money-muscled” out of the selection process. So it appears as though airlines really do not have the best interest of their paying customers in mind.   Now if we can just dream for a moment, imagine an airline that actually champions comfort, pursuit of happiness and customer contentment. Designing a beer selection for 36,000 feet isn’t jet science.

Okay, I will concede some beer drinkers go gonzo for light beer and that's fine if you want a beer you don’t want to think about. It’s not my $5. But when I’m flying at altitude I find I have a lot of time to think, so why not serve a beer that gets you thinking about something other than how little space there is between your nose and the seat in front of you?   Offer me quenching crisp pale ale, a malty and soothing brown ale, a full bodied meditative oatmeal stout, a gentle yet substantial malt-enhanced Scotch ale, bock beer or a zesty-fruity Belgian-style Tripel or Saison. Beer drinkers might actually look forward to flying! I’ll pay good money for beer kind and uplifting inflight choices.

Airlines are missing a great opportunity with their long haul overnight flights by not offering ultimate nightcaps. Wow, it tickles me to just imagine an offering of India Pale Ale loaded with aromatic and sleep inducing hops. What contentment! What service! Everybody wins. Are you one of those people that find it hard to sleep at altitude? Perhaps they might recommend with your meal an order of double IPA and a glass of water. Is that too strong for frequent fliers? No, you can’t use that argument at $5 for a glass of wine.

            Until those specialty ales and lagers start rolling down the aisle, I’ll wistfully watch the beverage carts cruise by knowing I’ll be thirstier upon arrival.
What’s in my glass?

I find myself flying to Washington, DC probably more frequently than any other city. There are several beer friendly bars and restaurants here. The choices continue to improve. One of my favorite “first beers” upon arrival is often available at Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant at 900 F St NW. Their house brewed and award winning Czech Lager is superb. The elevated malt flavor coupled with soft and soothing hop bitterness is preceded with an alluring floral-honey-like hop/malt aroma. Moderate in alcohol it’s not a beer that elevates me beyond ground level.   The flavors marry well with jet lag, rehydration (I’ll often order a glass of water to match every beer I order) and food. It costs less than one of those high flying beers that few beer enthusiasts find value in.
April 28, 2008
13:27
Big Brew is Coming - May 7
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What do Argentina, Australia, Canada, England, Israel, Kenya, The Netherlands, Russia and the USA all have in common when it comes to beer? On Saturday, May 3 there will be homebrewers in each of these countries participating in Big Brew. You can too.

Check out the list of registered Big Brew sites and join homebrewers who will be celebrating the fun. Last year there were over 9000 gallons of homebrew made by more than 4000 participants at 242 sites on four continents worldwide. The popularity of homebrewing beer is trending up. The American Homebrewers Association estimates that over half a million Americans will make homebrew this year.   The rest of the world’s beer enthusiasts have been fascinated with the beer culture transformation the United States has undergone over the last 30 years. Many still find it hard to believe that the United States is the best place to be enjoying beer these days. It is.

Why all the brewhaha?   Homebrewing has been a phenomena that has bred beer enthusiasts and inspired most of today’s small craft brewers.   My extensive assessment indicates that over 95% of today’s American craft brewers have their roots with homebrewing.

It is Big Brew Day worldwide and since 1979 it's also National Homebrew Day in the USA. The U.S. Congress made it official with their own proclamation in 1988.   There are many reasons to celebrate. If you are inclined to love beer and the people who respect and make it themselves, check out the Big Brew site nearest to you and join in on the fun. You're invited.

What's in my glass?

Each year the American Homebrewers Association offers one or two Big Brew recipes to celebrate a particular theme. This year homebrewers will be brewing Fullers (of London) Chiswick Bitter honoring Michael Jackson, the world-renowned beer writer, who passed away in August 2007. At his local pub, the Andover Arms in Hammersmith, London, Chiswick Bitter was often Michael's beer of choice. I can personally say, that there were many sessions I had with Michael over pints of Chiswick.

This Big Brew Day, I'll be raising the closest beer I can get my hands on to toast homebrewers and Michael Jackson, a man who celebrated beer and brewing by appreciating the brewers' efforts and extolling their virtues in his writing.

Unfortunately, I'll actually be in the UK on May 3, but I homebrewed a 5 gallon batch of beer this past weekend. It is currently fermenting and enjoying life.
April 24, 2008
20:55
Beer, gardens, elections and no comfort in yesterday's beer
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In one of yesterday’s front page New York Times headline stories Hillary Clinton is quoted, “I won the states that we have to win – Ohio and now Pennsylvania. It’s very hard to imagine a Democrat getting to the White House without winning those states.”
            Southern magnolias in Pennsylvania? Kiwis in St. Louis? On the front page of yesterday’s USA Today a headline story starts: “Warming shifts gardeners' maps”

            Tacked to my bulletin board I have a commentary I clipped from the International Herald Tribune. Peter Bernstein a financial consultant and economic historian headlines, “How to botch a business forecast: Rely on past experience.” The quote pulled, “The best lesson from the past is to forget it before it leads you into trouble.”

            I didn’t have to read the USA Today story to know the reason why I’ve been planting my tomatoes and beans earlier each year.   I’m undecided on the presidential election. And no matter how hard I try I seem to never be able to predict what the stock market is going to do based on past experience.

Not long ago a brewpub owner on the west coast was making the rounds and welcoming some of his regular customers. He noticed a heavy set biker dude with leather jacket, long black and gray hair, and an air about him that suggests he had a one ton hog parked outside.   Expecting the biker dude to be drinking one of the lighter offerings, the brewpub owner is pleasantly surprised to see huge hands wrapped around a delicately stemmed globed glass holding one of the unique barrel aged and delicate sour ales. He sips, savors, dwells and it is quite evident he really is appreciating the beer he is drinking. This is today.

Somewhere in Washington, DC area a heavy set, biker with a leather jacket goes into a bar, sits down and orders a beer. A nearby beer enthusiast related to me that he was enjoying his Imperial IPA or Abbey brown or perhaps it was a Fresh Hopped Ale. The beer enthusiast was thinking, “What a pity, this typical biker dude has probably ordered a tasteless light lager.”   The waitress returns and serves up the biker dude a bottle of Lindemann’s Framboise (a raspberry soured beer from Belgium) with a special glass.   The beer enthusiast while passing the biker on his way to the restroom, asked, “Howse the beer?” “This is good s**t!” he replied. This is today.

             In case you hadn’t noticed it’s past tense already. The times are not changing. They’ve already changed.   Old assumptions and models for living life are history.    Yesterday is great for gathering around your favorite beer and telling stories. There’s comfort in this.   But there is less comfort in yesterday’s beer.
What’s in my glass?

Homebrewed “Kloster-Pils” modeled after the rice adjunct and German influenced pilsener that used to be brewed in Thailand. I say “used to be” because the hop character has recently been reduced to appeal to the masses and not the beer lover. Today’s version is not as thirst quenching as the original.   No worry, I made my own version. 10% rice with plenty of barley malt with old world German crisp hop flavor and aroma to enhance the end of any day.   Secret ingredient: late hopping (steeping hops in the cooled and aging beer results in beautiful hop aromas) with French Strisselspalt hops, contributing a fascinating apricot aroma. Now I’m getting my brewers yeast ready to brew this weekend a German style Helles (light) Lager. My current stash is diminished and if the past is any indication of the future I’ll be thirsty in June. Whoops. Maybe I’ll be in the mood for Oatmeal Stout in June. One never knows and shouldn’t rely on past experience. Right?
April 23, 2008
17:29
Pink Boots and the Women of Beer.
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While marketing people are trying to figure out how to make beer attractive to more women, it seems that in a parallel, hidden world is another perspective that portrays what’s really going on.   Women do like the taste of beer and love to brew it - and brew it well they do.   Welcome the Pink Boots Society.

            Headed by award winning Portland, Oregon craft brewer Teri Fahrendorf, the Pink Boots Society held its inaugural meeting in San Diego last week. Welcoming “any professional woman brewer, cellar woman, or lab technician, past or present, from any brewery of any size, anywhere in the world,” the call was attended by 22 brewsters and other women in the brewing community. Their “voting” ranks have swelled to 61 U.S. members and 49 International members. Look for developments at www.pinkbootssociety.com

            Of the women brewsters I know, they rock. Not only are they extraordinarily knowledgeable and passionate, but they are not surprisingly capable of consistently making and being involved with award winning beer.

            Shortly after their first meeting, member Tonya Cornett, brewmaster of the Bend Brewing Company, Bend, Oregon won the “Small Champion Brewpub and Brewmaster Award” at the 2008 World Beer Cup. A first and ground breaking achievement for the women of beer and the credit they deserve.

            On the other side of this glass of beer is to consider why some women love beer and others don’t. I think the population at large has it right. When the option is only an American light lager style of brew and there is little awareness of craft beer alternatives, women are likely to choose an even lighter beer (falsely assuming that they are saving on calories) or a fruited beverage that might resemble beer.   But from my consistent observations, it seems that I rarely seem to hang out with the women belonging to the population at large.   Women anywhere near sniffing distance of a craft beer respect its full flavor and diversity just as much as their male counterparts.    Brewing beers designed for women? That in my opinion is an absolutely absurd idea.

            I once observed a young woman at the Great American Beer Festival questing for dark porters and stouts. She said she used to just drink light American-style lager without thinking about it.   I asked her why she switched from drinking light beer to robust dark fully flavored porters and stouts. She paused for a millisecond, smiled and confidently revealed, “I guess I just grew up.”   I suppose that says it all.

What’s my beer? Yesterday at 5 p.m. I poured a round of homebrew for my wife and the lingering crew who have been putting the finishing touches on our new (soon to be named) pub/lounge/taproom. The beer? - My homebrewed Jokester Mild English-style ale.   Brewed earlier this year from pale English malts and small amount of dark malts, including caramel (like the syrup) malt, fresh baked cookie-like aromatic malt and an exotic malt called “Special B” from Belgian, contributing a toffee/raisin-like complexity. Refreshing at less than 4% a.b.v. (alcohol by volume), I reach for this one when I want to quench a tired thirst yet have other stuff to do in the evening. Thirst quenchingly hoppy, and with the assertive authentic earthy aroma of English countryside grown Kent Golding hops. I also add a subtle amount of Brazilian rapadura dried sugar cane juice/sugar – lending a hint of molasses.

            Though I’m heading for London in about a weeks time, I don’t have to go far for a pint of English tradition. It doesn’t get better than this, until tomorrow.
April 22, 2008
0:38
Don't Tell Me Beer is Fattening!
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“I’m not drinking beer, I’m trying to cut down my weight.” Every time I hear I recall those long airplane flights with nothing to do but read the ingredients label on the pitifully meager snacks I’m so generously offered. Have you ever taken the time to read the nutritional values of the juices, soft drinks and those micro tiny package of peanuts, pretzels and chips. So it was with much confidence I went to the U.S. government’s web site for beer and food comparisons searching the USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference at www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/cgi-bin/nut_search.pl

Don’t tell me that beer is fattening! Please spare me. Take a look at the facts yourself. There’s not a whole lot to write about in order to make my point. The data speaks for itself.

According to the U.S. government a 12 oz. serving of “regular” beer has less calories than 12 oz. of apple juice, orange juice, 2% milk and cola. If you are really serious about losing weight and don’t want to drink beer, then drink water.

A 12 oz. serving of beer has fewer calories than a one-ounce serving of potato chips or peanuts. A 12 oz. serving of beer has half the calories of a just under a quarter-pound hamburger. So go ahead and eat the hamburger, but trade out the extra handful of potato chips or half handful of peanuts for two beers! I won’t even get into a discussion about French fries, the cheese on the cheeseburger or the sugar spiked bun!

And just in case a wine drinker ever tells you that beer is fattening, tell them 12 ounces of wine has 75% more calories than 12 ounces of beer.

So please, let’s cut the fat talk and get real. This data is not new. I realize I have simplified a discussion involved with many extenuating circumstances, but if the consumer is going to simplify “beer is fattening,” then an equally simple response is warranted. Beer is no more fattening than so many other things we eat and drink. Enjoying beer should be about quality not quantity. Overdoing anything is not healthy. Beer is about being an individual with individual responsibilities. Our friends need to be reminded.
April 20, 2008
5:44
Winners Announced at World Beer Cup
» ‎ Beer Examiner

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With 2,864 bottles of beer – each one different and representing each entry in the 2008 World Beer Cup international competition, there was enough reception beer to go around for the 1,500 who attended this evenings World Beer Cup Awards Dinner.

            129 judges, 87 volunteer beer competition stewards managed to organize and judge 2,900 beers earlier this week. Beers were entered from 644 breweries from 58countries.   The results have been carefully kept under wraps for the past few days as preparations were made for the awards.

            Town & Country Resort (San Diego) chef Josh Phillips perfectly executed Chef Bruce Paton’s (CEC) beer exotic dinner for 1,500.   Hungry? Here’s the menu:

Appetizer

Amuse Bouche of Peeky Toe Crab Cocktail with Louis Dressing

Served with Session Premium Lager

Full Sail Brewing, Hood River, OR, USA

2006 WORLD BEER CUP BRONZE AWARD • AMERICAN CREAM ALE OR LAGER

First Course

Mini Tostada of Duck Confit with Avocado Mousse, Chipotle Salsa

and Cilantro Crème

Served with Cutthroat Pale Ale

Uinta Brewing Co., Salt Lake City, UT, USA

2006 WORLD BEER CUP BRONZE AWARD • ORDINARY BITTER

Second Course

Carpaccio of Day Boat Scallop with Micro Salad and BloodOrange Vinaigrette

Served with Midas Touch

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, DE, USA

2006 WORLD BEER CUP SILVER AWARD • SPECIALTY HONEY LAGER OR ALE

Third Course

Seared Medallions of Berkshire Pork with Parsnip Flan, Baby Spinach

and Belgian Dubbel Reduction

Served with Green Flash Nut Brown Ale

Green Flash Brewing Co, Vista, CA, USA

2006 WORLD BEER CUP SILVER AWARD • ENGLISH-STYLE BROWN ALE

Fourth Course

Chocolate Bread Pudding with Balsamic Accented Compote of Fresh Berries

Served with Three Philosophers

Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown, NY, USA

2006 WORLD BEER CUP BRONZE AWARD • BELGIAN-STYLE DARK STRONG ALE

Apres Beer

Aventinus

Schneider Weisse, Private Weissbierbrauerei, Kelheim, Germany

2006 WORLD BEER CUP BRONZE AWARD • SOUTH GERMAN-STYLE

WEIZENBOCK/WEISSBOCK

     The World Beer Cup continues to help add value to beer for beer drinkers. Celebrating flavor, diversity, brewers and their beers worldwide.   The award recipients celebrated their achievements.    Every participant celebrated the added value they continue to offer to beer drinkers. And of course beer drinkers are raising their glasses in celebration of today’s wonderful world of beer.

    Thirsty? The winners in over 90 style categories can be found at www.beertown.org/events/wbc/PDF/2008_winners_list.pdf

The 2008 Brewery Champions are:

Brewers Association

WORLD BEER CUP^®

2008 CHAMPION BREWERY

Port Brewing Company and The Lost Abbey

BREWMASTER, Tomme Arthur

Small Brewing Company Category


Brewers Association

WORLD BEER CUP^®

2008 CHAMPION BREWERY

Privatbrauerei Hoepfner GmbH

BREWMASTER, Peter Bucher

Mid-Size Brewing Company Category

Brewers Association

WORLD BEER CUP^®

2008 CHAMPION BREWERY

Blue Moon Brewing Company

BREWMASTER, Warren Quilliam

Large Brewing Company Category

Brewers Association

WORLD BEER CUP^®

2008 CHAMPION BREWERY

Bend Brewing Company

BREWMASTER, Tonya Cornett

Small Brewpub Category

Brewers Association

WORLD BEER CUP^®

2008 CHAMPION BREWERY

Pelican Pub & Brewery

BREWMASTER, Darron R. S. Welch

Large Brewpub Category
April 19, 2008
5:02
Searching for Beer Excellence
» ‎ Beer Examiner

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Ivan Chramosil is the brewmaster of the world’s oldest brewpub.

Prague is a city of beer and architecture.   The country is flooded with Czech light lager. Only Pilsner Urquell can be called Pilsener, all the rest is referred to as “just” light lager. Ten, 11, 12 (referring to the strength) degree lagers are ubiquitous choices. There are no ales nor is there diversity of style. So while it is not a beer culture with a kaleidoscope of beer choices like we enjoy in the USA, the Czechs still seem to drown at the rate of 158 liters per person of light lager a year. For the most part every one of those 158 liters all taste similar.

There are a few smaller brewers that produce lagers with a bit of hop aroma and flavor. But for this beer lover (me!) there is not a whole lot of distinctiveness between brands was to be found

            There is an exception. U Flecku is a small oasis in a vast ocean of light lager. By my account it is the oldest continually operating brewpub in the world. Established in 1499, U Flecku it has been operating pretty much continuously on a side street in the city of Prague in the Czech Republic.   I had made my pilgrimage in 2005 to enjoy and experience their famous dark lager at U Flecku.

What is fascinating about Ivan Chramosil is that he has been the brewmaster there for 34 years. He is an accomplished individual, having survived no fewer than three sets of owners since 1971 when he began his brewing charge at U Flecku. He has navigated a communist regime, the return of family owners and the more modern business oriented management. He has had challenging times, always trying to make the best beer possible given the circumstances. The beer’s excellence speaks for itself!

            Today Ivan is visiting in San Diego and is one of 120 international judges who have been evaluating the 2,915 beers from all over the world entered into the 2008 World Beer Cup. He has been helping to identify beer excellence and the winners in this the world’s largest commercial beer competition.

            Tomorrow evening, nearly 1,400 brewers from all over the world will be attending a gala beer dinner and ceremonies announcing the winners in this competition.

            There is an electric sense of anticipation and nervousness in the air.
April 17, 2008
12:39
If it's Beer it's Here
» ‎ Beer Examiner

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What happens when 2200+ brewers & suppliers from over 30 countries get together in San Diego for the annual Craft Brewers Conference?    Beer ! And it’s happening right now in San Diego for the next few days.

There’s a lot to be excited about beer these days. If you’re a beer drinker never in the history of the world has there been as much choice as there is in today’s USA.   Simply said, it’s a “Wow” experience to be enabled to make such wonderful decisions.

            If you’re a brewer – you love your job just as much as you did yesterday and will tomorrow. Keeping up with beer drinker’s interest and the excitement is a welcomed business challenge by today’s brewers, especially if you’re small and brewing interesting stuff that beer drinkers are celebrating.

            There’s no one more excited than Danny Williams of Sunshine Canyon, Boulder, Colorado. He’s been hired by the Craft Brewers Conference to deal with two truck trailers containing over 20,000 bottles of beer. They’ll be methodically and purposefully sampled by the professional attendees of this week’s event.   We used to call him the Beer Guy in prior years, but now he has a team of 4 and his official title is “Beer Service Manager.”

            Danny captured it all last week before we all descended upon San Diego. He blew into the office for a pre-con meeting and couldn’t help bubble over, “Not only do we have beer, but we have a lot of beer. Not only do we have a lot of beer, but we have a lot of quality beer.”   Danny is tirelessly passionate especially after he’s sorted through thousands of different beers that will be judged, sipped, evaluated, sampled, assessed and celebrated. Danny can’t be stopped if he gets going about his month long job of prepping for this event, “Brewers are simply not making lousy beer any more,” his voice impassioned up another notch he continued, “It’s all good stuff.” And then he stops talking, but you know he is just there with the beer.

            Yesterday as he was unloading a carefully sorted pallet for one session of the World Beer Cup Competition Judging (also taking place in conjunction with the Craft Brewers Conference) a grateful brewer from Belgium hands him a special label less beer that he brought over on the plane just to offer Danny in thanks for all he does.

          Last night, 30 busloads and 1,500 brewers journeyed to the Stone Brewing Company officially kicking off the conference reception.   There were over 25 beers on tap.

Where was Danny?   He and his team were making sure it was all flowing world- perfectly.

            The world needs more Dannys
April 16, 2008
16:33
1968 Olympic Torch, Scandal and Beer.
» ‎ Beer Examiner

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In 1968 a blurry image of me was splashed on the front page of newspapers all over America. There I was having the real flame of the Olympic Torch clandestinely handed to me in the hills of Mexico in exchange for a fake flame.   In possession of the real flame the publishers of Rapier Magazine (whom I voluntarily worked for) at the University of Virginia claimed that we were the true keepers of the flame.    Front page controversy erupted and the benevolent publishers which we were, decided to return the true flame to the Mexican Embassy in Washington, DC.

            In two days we organized a 116-mile relay run from Charlottesville, Virginia north along Highway 29 through Georgetown and eventually to the Mexican Embassy. On the Virginia highway news helicopters hovered above charting the progress of the endangered flame. We communicated logistic by way of the nearest pay telephone booth. Once we crossed Key Bridge we were met and escorted by a full police escort, sirens blaring to the Embassy.   After the two-day marathon, we arrived at the entrance of the embassy. No one answered our knocks. Our publisher extinguished the flame and later assured the Olympic Committee that we had a candle burning back at our Charlottesville office above the Prism Coffee House.   It was over.   That afternoon in DC, we schemers and runners went quietly back to M Street in Georgetown to have a beer and watch our escapade on the national news coverage.

            There was no scandal. No finger pointing and outrage. No politics embroilment.   No embarrassing apologies by governments. No investigations. Just a sense of nervousness in Mexico and Greece.

            These were simple times. I had been chosen to be the covert Mexican runner in the blurry photo. I am not Hispanic looking, but I am of Armenian descent. I specifically recall that the staff figured I was the most ethnic looking person they knew on campus and I would do just fine in an out-of-focus image portraying this scandalous exchange. Go figure.

            Simple times.   Did we have any grand direction other than a mere publicity stunt? Not really.   I suppose the whole scheme was reflected in the kind of beer I drank.     As a young student I was legally drinking 3.2%, 69 cent a six pack Ballantine Ale.   And when offered anything else yellow and fizzy for free I indulged.

            These were simple times and the whole notion of having a choice and embarking on a beer journey would have been outrageously absurd.   We drank yellow, fizzy, cold, cheap beer on M Street and wherever they’d serve us. That was about as sophisticated as it ever got. Did I enjoy the beer? Not at all. I drank it for the buzz and it was something to fit in the crowd with. I probably would have stopped drinking beer if it were not for an invitation I received in 1970. But this was 1968, two years before my first taste of homeb

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American Craft Beer Week and Savoring Washington, DC.

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Fine scottish ales at the top of Loch Fyne

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Pints of Ale and Hanging out with the Firkin King

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Beer is My Business and I'm Working Late

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Beer at 36,000 feet

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Big Brew is Coming - May 7

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Beer, gardens, elections and no comfort in yesterday's beer

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Pink Boots and the Women of Beer.

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Don't Tell Me Beer is Fattening!

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Winners Announced at World Beer Cup

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Searching for Beer Excellence

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If it's Beer it's Here

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1968 Olympic Torch, Scandal and Beer.

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