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10:24
Belgian-plus beer dinner at Millennium
» The Thirsty HopsterI’ve been carrying the Millennium beer dinner around in my purse for almost a week now, so it’s high time I write it up. I realized exactly how incredible a job Eric (the chef) had done in picking beers for the dinner when I tried to list my favorites for a friend, and ended up [...]
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9:43
1,016 words
» Pfiff!
A decadent midweek lunch at Pizzeria Delfina made even more transcendent by an extraordinary off-menu addition.
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14:56
Millennium beer dinner - Vegan food with American Belgian beers
» What's On Tap
Millennium, a very fancy vegetarian restaurant at 80 Geary St. in San Francisco with a staff interested in good beer .held a beer dinner last week and Steve and Gail of beerbybart.com attended. Steve files this report.Don’t think vegetarian cuisine and beer go together? Check out this menu and read Steve and Gail’s report. Beerbybart.com, by the way, is a guide to reaching great beer bars by mass transit. Going to a pub tonight? Check out beerbybart.
The Menu:Belgian Beer Dinner
Tuesday June 24, 2008, 6pm-9:30 (ish), $70/person; 5-course prix fixeAmuse
Russian River Little White Lie
Trumpet Mushroom Ceviche,
coconut milk chiles, aromatics, little gem lettuceLost Abbey Red Barn Farmhouse Ale
Cornmeal Crusted Squash Blossoms,
herbed tofu “cheese,” roasted corn salad, saffron scented squash coulis
New Mexican chile emulsionRussian River Beautification
Apricot and caramelized onion flatbread
purselane salad, cashew ranch dressing
witte beer battered Blue Lake green beens, basil aioliRussian River Supplication
Butter Ball Potato Stoemp Cake
seared porcini mushrooms, wilted Bloomsdale spinach, smoked dried cherries
Supplication reductionRussian River/Avery Collaboration
Beer Braised Morel and Exotic Mushrooms
collaboration broth, grilled broccoli rabe, gigaante beans,Avery Samuels Scotch Ale
Summer Cherry Napoleon
bourbon glazed cherries, coconut vanilla bean ice cream,
toasted coconut tuile, black pepper-marionberry coulisMy note: Coulis is a French sauce which can be sweet or savory, depending on what it is meant to accompany…The word is French for “strained liquid,” and it is derived from colare, the Latin word for “strain.” Many fans of French cuisine are familiar with coulis, since it is added to a wide range of dishes from roasts to dessert cakes. The sauce is also used in fusion cuisine and fine dining establishments, especially by cooks who have been classically trained
Bill: Here’s a little summary of our night at the Millennium beer dinner. We enjoyed it greatly and enjoyed the company of Bruce Paton, (the Beer Chef), Jessica Jones, of The Thirsty Hopster, Christmas, from Russian River, Nicole from the Trappist and several other folks in attendance. There was one long table and we were at one end so we didn’t get to interact with many other of the 40 or so attendees.Vinnie Cilurzo was unable to be able to make it down for the sold-out event, due to commitments at the new RR brewhouse. Christmas, his associate from Russian River, attended in his stead and articulately and passionately described RR’s beers and told some of the stories behind their creations.
Millenium Executive Chef, Eric Tucker described his pairing strategies for the beer line-up. Jessica Jones of the Thirsty Hopster, who helped organize the dinner, provided some lively commentary on the beer and food pairings.
(The food was vegan, complex and delicious. Gail’s favorite pairing was the rich pinot wine-barrel and sour-cherry brewed Russian River Supplication with a big rich puff of potato “stoemp cake” (I have no idea - talk about being out of my culinary confort zone but loving it). This potato scoop was topped with delicious seared porcini mushroom, spinach, smoked died cherries and a Supplication reduction. Great echos of the beer flavor.!
Note to Steve and everyone. Stoemp is a Flemish word for a Belgian dish. Wikipedia says: The stoemp is a popular dish (in Belgium), rural simple and in general well appreciated. It is based on mashed potatoes and one or more other vegetable like onions, carrots, leeks, spinach, green peas or cabbage, seasoned with thyme and laurel…
Vegetarians and omnivores alike looking for a delicious dinner with interesting beer might look to Millenium on a non-beer-event night, too. The regular beer list there looks impressive!
Though we certainly didn’t take extensive notes on the pairings, several items of interest to me were:
According to Exec Chef Eric Tucker, goat cheese would work well with the Cornmeal Crusted Squash Blossom (2nd course)
RR calls their Beatification a “Sonambic” (Sonoma/Lambic). This pairing with the Apricot and Carmelized Onion Flatbead (3rd Course) was designed to mirror and contrast. It did so.
The Collaboration, Russian River’s latest blend, is 55% RR and 45% Avery was chosen to pair with the Beer Braised Morel and Exotic Mushrooms to allow the bitter greens to mirror the hops.
The dessert pairing was a challenge for me. The dessert itself was terrific. The beer, Avery’s Samuels Scotch Ale, had an aroma that was incredibly strong and not particularly pleasant to me. I couldn’t identify it. People around the table began to proffer guesses that fell mostly to Bourbon or Scotch. I agreed with what would later be revealed to me to be a misplaced identity.. I could not drink it.
This morning Bruce Paton called to Adam Avery to ask him what was up with this beer. Adam told him that it was a combination of raw oak and toasted oak. No booze involved. Bruce is guessing the toasted oak gave it that whiskey flavor.
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8:07
San Diego for Isabelle Proximus
» Summer of Beer
There she is. Isabelle Proximus brought to us by the good brewers of Port/Lost Abbey, Russian River, Dogfish Head, Allagash, and Avery. This would of course be Tomme Arthur, Vinnie Cilurzo, Sam Calagione, Rob Todd, and Adam Avery. If you aren't familiar with this beer, the group brewed this beer together and then each one supplied a barrel and a yeast strain to the making of the beer. It was an excellent sour beer and I thoroughly enjoyed my glass. It is almost on the sour level of Beatification, had a tiny amount of funk to it, and just overall bright flavors and sourness. If you happen to get any of the 400 cases total that were made consider yourself lucky.
We didn't stick around at Lost Abbey too long since we had to get back by the late afternoon and we had other place we wanted to hit. First up was Green Flash brewing company a few miles down the road in Vista. Their website states tasting room hours on Saturday are from 11-3, at least when I checked it last week. We got there at 11:30 to visit the tasting room only to find locked doors. Yeah, they now open at noon for their tastings and I hadn't checked back on their website to see if any changes had been made. My bad I guess. But we were really hungry so we didn't want to wait around, so we made our way another few miles down the road to Pizza Port Carlsbad. Here we had some pizza and I had the Poor Man's IPA. I was really hoping Hop Suey would be on tap but it wasn't, and I figured Poor Man's IPA was a single IPA. After finishing my tasty pint of this I was informed it is actually a double (the bartender said above 10%, although Beer Advocate lists ~8%). Got a growler of that and we were on our way.
The next stop on our journey was kinda out of the way, about a 45 minute drive from Carlsbad down to Alpine Beer Company to get 3 growlers of Pure Hoppiness. Yes, we drove that far out of our way (opposite of the way home was) to get just under 200 oz's of Pure Hoppiness. That's how much I like it. Unfortunately no other IPA's were available (Duet IPA should be ready next week) otherwise I would have gotten more. Oh, one huge shout out to Alpine. They charge under $10 a 64 oz. growler for this amazingly tasty Double IPA known as Pure Hoppiness (earlier in the day I was surprised Pizza Port charged me $20 to fill a growler of Poor Man's IPA in a growler I already own! Yes I checked to make sure that was correct and the guy at the bar said pitchers of it cost that much so my growler does too- sucks huh? If he hadn't already filled it when I found out the price I would have passed).
After the quick Alpine stop we headed up to Stone World Bistro & Gardens to purchase some 12th Anniversary tickets and a growler of their IPA. We also went to the bar to have a beer. I chose Oskar Blues Dale's Pale Ale which I've had before and enjoy. It's really an IPA, and a tasty one at that. My friend Steve ordered a Mad River Steelhead Extra Pale Ale which he started to drink but didn't like. We switched glasses and I drank the Mad River. I actually really liked it, since I was in the mood for something lighter in alcohol and flavor at this point. It has a fairly subtle fruitiness to balance out the light grain that comes though. Refreshing on this warm windy afternoon.
We got home back to Upland and our friend Adam called us to let us know there were two extra tickets for his suite at Dodger stadium for that night's Angels (my favorite team) vs. Dodgers game. It was fun, I had 2 crappy Coor's Lights and a water that was more flavorful, and my Angels pitched a no-hitter..... AND STILL LOST! What a ridiculous game to have to watch amongst all the Raider... I mean Dodger fans. Anyway, we finished the night at The Back Abbey, a new Belgian beer bar close to home in Claremont, CA, with a Moinette Blond and Saison Dupont. I do recommend checking out The Back Abbey if in the Inland Valley, it's a great new place and not your standard Inland Empire trashy bar.
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13:21
The Future of Cocktails 2: Boozy Boogaloo
» Drink A WeekFollowing my recent missive regarding the state of the cocktail "fad", Professor Erik, CEO of Underhill Lounge, left some very thought provoking comments, and I decided to drag some of my response into the light of day.
One of the things he touched on is a classic -- Cost. With the economy doing less than stellar, it's not hard to imagine folks deciding that $9-10 for a drink is way more than they are willing to pay. I don't, however, think that it is a straight issue of price. Rather I think it is an issue of perceived value -- America thrives on value, and value over the last decade or so has come to be embodied in price vs. size. A double cheese burger from McDonalds is not a good burger. But sell it for a buck, and it becomes fucking delicious. Conversely, a lot of people will look at a cocktail that's 3-4 ounces, look at the $9-10 price tag, and see nothing but a money sink.
Complicating things, is the issue of quality vs. cost. While people are quite comfortable with the idea that if they are paying more for a meal out, they will be receiving (hopefully) a meal of higher quality, this is an idea that hasn't really taken a deep hold on a great many of today's imbibers. This is due to drinkers not thinking of cocktails in culinary terms -- That a drink made correctly, using quality ingredients, is going to be substantially better than a drink thrown together with whatever's cheapest, and the price of those quality ingredients, and bartender talent make the finished product worth the extra few bucks. Boiled down to its simplest, it's a mentality of; it's just a bunch of booze in a glass. What's the big deal?
All that said, one doesn't have to look too hard to see plenty of people packing into cocktail lounges drinking away with gusto. This seeming paradox links into another really interesting point Erik brought up -- that he's concerned that San Francisco is "becoming a sort of theme park for rich foodies..." The idea of gentrification in San Francisco is, to put it bluntly, huge. In a city where even middle class wages can require making concessions to keep afloat, and the idea of owning a home is a running gag for many, the influence of money on the social landscape is almost constantly being put under the microscope. It's a fair number of these rich foodies (many of them surprisingly young, if my informal system of looking at the drinkers around me has any validity) which are helping to prop up the current rise in the popularity of cocktails.
Don't get me wrong -- Having money, and an appreciation for food doesn't make anybody inherently bad, but many of these "wealthy foodies" also fall under the category of scenesters. Their interest lays more in being in on the latest "thing" that everybody is talking about. Because these are the people with purchasing power, these are the people that (even subconsciously) upscale bars are going to cater too (and who would blame them). In the more mild of cases, it means keeping an impressively large stock of spirits which ties up cash in inventory requiring higher prices. The more crass cases, and the ones which are more detrimental to the cocktail movement, involves bars churning out $15 Red Bull/Vodka, justifying it because there's a DJ, and you had to wait in line to get in, and convincing those people that they are tasting what the cocktail revival is about.
Eventually there will be a tipping point where those individuals will decide that cocktails are not longer the in thing, and take their money elsewhere. When that happens, one can only hope that enough people were swayed by the power of a truly good drink that the cocktail renaissance will turn out to be more than just a fad. This seems like an awful lot of hand wringing about booze in a glass, but nobody ever said it'd easy to be a cocktail geek.
Comments always welcome or feel free to e-mail us at drinkaweek [at] gmail [dot] com.
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Fermentation Friday - 99% pit-free
» Pfiff!
Admittedly, the answer to this month's homebrew carnival question didn't come quickly or easily for me, something that's difficult to admit as being quick to respond with no shortage of verbosity is the way things are expected to work around here. Digging back through the history of my more creative creations unearthed a series of recipes that revealed I wasn't quite as weird with ingredients or techniques as maybe I'd like to appear, the anarchic individualist improvising artiste to which I aspire. After looking at logs that revealed inclusions of sweet gale, an attempt at decoctions, a locally-picked fresh hop pale ale, and the odd bit of cacao nibs, it was pretty clear that whenever I'd tried to inspire a "whazzis!?" moment in my guinea pig tasters, my formidable brain trust was going to do it through more or less traditional means: extreme fermentation temperatures, oddball grain bills, and esoteric packaging matched with laser light shows synced to the music of King Crimson.
Last week, while dining with my sister-in-law, she commented out of left field, "Mom didn't really understand when you put her cherries in your beer." That's when the proverbial lightbulb went up: To this day, it's safe to say that my mother-in-law probably still doesn't comprehend why I wasted a perfectly good jar of her brandied cherries on a batch of homebrew. My contribution to Fermentation Friday (the brainchild of Beer Bits 2, this month kindly hosted by Travis at CNYBrew.com) was written before I even touched the keyboard.
Backing up... Flathead Lake hosts a local cherry appellation that's an understandable point of pride. Sweet, floral, and late in the season, they're also collected annually by the in-laws in the vicinity of their home in northern Montana and transformed, with the aid of an almost trustworthy pitter in the hands of my father-in-law and the cooking and canning guidance of my mother-in-law, into jars of maroon gold: brandied cherries. Understand, as we're talking about a process that's as involved and time-consuming as, say, homebrewing, they're quite the valued commodity, doled out sparingly to family members deemed worthy of appreciating the fine art of capturing the ephemeral essence of peak season cherries in little time capsules to be enjoyed when the shorter days of winter don't provide.
We all see where this is going, right? Here's the point at which we can divide the readers into two camps: those who see adding these cherries to a batch of homebrew as either as act of love and respect or as a reckless, wasteful sacrifice.
When Des and I discovered we'd be welcoming the arrival of a new member of the household back in 2006, it wasn't long before the brewer brain started pondering the best way to commemorate the occasion. I wanted a beer for sipping, something that could be slowly enjoyed while it aged, to be paired with long, quiet evenings in the rocking chair spent trying to figure out this whole parenting thing. But it also needed to have some soul, some deeper connection. Some heredity, as it were. One barleywine base recipe, some lightly charred oak chips, and one coveted jar of Patty's brandied cherries later, a singularly special, if not rather unconventional, beer was created in honor of this next mysterious chapter of our lives.
And it was good.
PS The recipe as I posted it two weeks before Mia was born doesn't even reference anything about the backstory here, which is interesting in retrospect. Was I so superstitious about talking about Mia before she was born that it warranted being entirely circumspect about the recipe's origin? Why all the shy roundabout "shucks golly" explanations about why I really brewed it? Nothing like discovering proof in your own writing that illustrates the levels of denial you go through in the moments leading up to an enormous, inevitable life change, eh?
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11:00
man, i got drunk
» Hall of BeersSo the other night I went to an O.A.R concert with Action Jackson. I knew nothing of O.A.R. other than that “crazy game of poker” song, which is just fantastic… which always makes me thinking of a someone starting a fist fight and flipping up the poker table for some reason. Anyway, since I didn’t know the music, we decided to visit the bar. After flirting with a saucy bartender named Jennifer i quickly chose to try a Foster’s oilcan beer mostly due to its incredible size (the can itself is quite girthy).
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9:01
Lost Abbey Inferno
» beer blah blog
89 / 100
I was happy to see this on the shelf at my local (Cap N Cork in Los Feliz, Los Angeles). Haven't been lead wrong yet by the good people at Pizza Port / Lost Abbey.
This Belgian Pale pours a straw color with the slightest of head. Aroma is clove, Belgian yeast and maybe even elderberry. The sweetness in the nose was far more subtle and complex in the taste. I got some lemon zest and honey in the mouth.
For the alchohol content, this was extremely drinkable - I wonder how this would age.
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8:39
LET’S GO…..DRINKING IN LITTLE ROCK (PART 1: BOSCO’S)
» Hedonist Beer Jive
I figured a business trip to Little Rock, Arkansas this past week might net me a couple of new beer discoveries, as I ticked this state from my list of seven states I’ve never set foot in (now down to a mere six: both Dakotas, Montana, Alaska, Wisconsin and Maine). Sure, my pre-trip research on BEER ADVOCATE netted me my agenda for the trip, as it so often does – and as it turned out, I pretty much conquered the top picks of the people. I’ll take you through my learnings over the next couple of posts, because you never know when life might drop you in the middle of Little Rock, Arkansas, a town I knew for a mere two things: our former President Clinton, and Central High School & the “Little Rock 9”. Now I can safely add two breweries and a local beer to the list.
We begin our adventures at “the restaurant for beer lovers”, BOSCO’S, in downtown Little Rock. Bosco’s, like BJ’s, Rock Bottom and Gordon Biersch, is a chain restaurant centered around beer, though Bosco’s appears to be confined to only a select few cities in the American South. I learned about them through their ubiquitous advertising in ALL ABOUT BEER magazine, whose most recent issue I read on the plane out here. They brew their own beer on premises, and tend to put a slightly more upscale spin on “beer food” then your typical sports bar/pub. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy a heaping pile of fried artichoke hearts with some high-calorie ranch dip – I mean, I was in the South. One must do as the people do. That was, I’m sad to report, the best part of the menu. Stay away from the duck spring rolls and especially from the gulf shrimp pasta in cream sauce – kinda gross. Edible, but just that.
Beer-wise, these guys are a much happier story. I immediately went for the ISLE OF SKYE SCOTTISH ALE, a very pleasing, malty, amber-colored beer that I daydreamed drinking by the bucketful while yelling “Soooo-ey!” at Arkansas Razorbacks football games. It has a nice slight bite to set it apart from other pedestrian ales of the Scottish/Scotch variety, though said bite was of unknown origin, and I am too pedestrian myself to figure it out. Great beer style, fast becoming a favorite of mine. HBJ says 7/10 for this one. Not too far of a step down for the BOMBAY IPA, either, though it was slightly more run of the mill. This IPA was mild in its hopping, and it’s the sort of IPA that you don’t really see all that often on the west coast, where everyone’s engaged in an effort to one-up the next guy with the most tongue-destroying use of hops (a trend, by the way, that I’m very happy with). No, this orange IPA was all right by me, but if I find my way back to Bosco’s ever again I’m going to go for other beers on the menu instead. 6/10.
I learned after the fact that this brewery had a bunch of other taps & bottles from Southern breweries besides their own “house” beers, but that’s not anything our server told us about it. Perhaps it is for the best, as I might have ordered the abysmal IPA from DIAMOND BEAR BREWING, but…..shhh…..that’s a drinking tale for another day. Stay tuned!
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Pyramid pub at Oakland International needs a makeover; G-B is decent, but tiny
» What's On Tap
Found myself at Oakland International twice in the last week, once in the old terminal flying Jet Blue to Boston and this week in the newer, Terminal 2 flying Southwest to Philadelphia. Each terminal has a craft beer pub.
Terminal 1 has a Pyramid pub, Terminal 2 a new Gordon-Biersch. They’re both very small, put the Gordon-Biersch Pub, like everything in Terminal 2 is brighter and much more interesting. My only disappointment at G-B was they didn’t stock their new Dunkleweizen,which I truly love, or Blonde Bock, my other fav.
They’re both tiny. The Port of Oakland, the airport operator, needs to tour other airports. No comparison. The two Oakland pubs are tiny.
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Question for Southwest Airlines? Why do you only sell light lagers?
» What's On TapOn the road again…to Philadelphia this weekend for a wedding…flew Southwest, an airline I swear by. Only trouble is the beer. All they have is light lagers: Bud, Bud Light, Coors, Heineken.
“Well, what kind of beer would you like us to have, “the flight attendant asked me? I was flummoxed. You know, so many beers, so little time. Started to say something stupid (and desirable to me like St. Bernardus Abt 12). “Uhh Sierra Nevada Pale Ale,” I manated to say. “Well, I really like a cold Coors Light,” another attendent chipped in. Enuf said.
Hint to Southwest: I still love you, but stock at least one beer of a different stripe. You don’t offer five Chardonnay wines. Why five light lagers? Even Delta sells Leinenkugel Wheat. Yes, Miller owns Leiny, but the wheat is decent and not a light lager.
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23:10
A Deschutes Good Time
» Beer at Joe'sLast Friday two events came together very nicely. At work we decided to finally throw a BBQ. We all cooked a bunch of food and got two grills going. So with food all figured out and the weather cooperating, the big question was what are we going to drink. Enter in my coworker Peter. He recently took a trip up the coast of Oregon, and stopped at both Mt Shasta Brewing Company and Deschutes Brewery. He is a very good beer scout, not only did he bring me back a new opener, but plenty of Oregon beer. I have always enjoyed Mirror Pond and Inversion but to get to try a bunch of new beers was a great treat.
The highlight for me was definitely the Twilight Ale from Deschutes. This is not an everyday summer beer. Full flavored but not that sweet, an ale for the outdoors. Sounds like a commercial maybe but really it was a perfect beer for the moment. I paired the ale with tandoori chicken marinated for a few hours then thrown on the grill (thanks Sachin!). The other beer I really enjoyed was Shastafarian Porter. A pretty standard light porter that had good balance of richness and bitterness. And hey it was brewed in Weed, CA!
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From Pizza Port to the port of Necromanteion
» Pfiff!
Arriving in Oakland after a quick weekend visit to San Diego, we were met by a bit of a surprise upon stepping out of the airport. With something in the range of 1,000 wildfires currently burning around Northern California, the midsummer light had taken on a yellowish hue, diffuse to the point that it now has an autumnal character, the air tinted with an aroma redolent of a morning's smoldering campfire. Heading into the secluded, windless nooks of the Ross Valley, the effect was intensified into a throat-scratching, permanent dusk, creating a bit of collective tension between the knowledge that the fires were miles away and the twitchy animal instinct for flight.
Why introduce a summary of our most recent visit to Solana Beach's little slice of craft beer heaven thusly, with such unrelated pissing and moaning? To be blunt, there'd be no greater pleasure than to sit down and extol the glory and virtue that Pizza Port can provide, but a deeply unsettling cranky factor has made it impossible to share with care. Now, four days after we've returned, the smoke not only continues to linger, but is intensifying; the headache it's caused has settled into a dull drone, accompanied charmingly by a nasty case of cotton mouth and the inability to take a good, deep breath, along with necessitating a cabin-fever inducing house arrest. Put together, it's not terribly conducive to good writing. But I can't put this post forever. Ergo, we'll just forgo the usual attempts at insight and humor, and hope that the images can provide enough interesting detail on their own:
I'd be remiss, however, if I didn't at least assert to you, the potential SoCal-bound, touring beer enthusiast, the importance of making a visit to Pizza Port in Solana Beach a high priority. Between the house brews, Lost Abbey labels, and the short but stunning guest draught list (La Folie on tap, anyone?) it's a can't-miss destination. When you're done there, swing by the Whole Foods in La Jolla to stock up on bottles of all the Port and Lost Abbey creations you forgot to get at the brewery (like the bottle of Devotion that I'm saving for the day my taste buds return).
Do I even need to bother mentioning the pizza's pretty good, too? And seriously, Junk in the Trunk Dunkel?
(For a little extra interest, check out the details about the stout mentioned in prolific brewer/blogger Tomme Arthur's recent post about the San Diego county fair.)
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14:17
From the Dis-information department
» Brewer's Log (Blog)Memo:
It’s official, we have to be the most confusing brewery on the planet. Or at least it would seem from the emails and online chatter about our beers. I posted a bunch of new information this week and sat back and watched as a bunch of postings and emails about Isabelle Proximus poured in. - So, in the interest of clarity, here are more details and confusing tidbits. We produced 17 oak barrels of this beer. We yielded about 350 cases of the beer as well as six 1/2 bbl kegs. Some of these kegs have been served for special tastings and events like Brouwer’s Cafe, Five Guys and a Barrel and a dinner we hosted here at The Lost Abbey. We have six 1/2 bbls left and one will be on tap this weekend during the Isabelle release at the brewery. I can’t wait. For the release on Saturday, we have allocated 200 cases of the beer for sale. If they do not sell out on Saturday, we will then offer them to our Patron Sinners and Saints.
We have also allocated 100 cases of this beer to be sold throughout our distribution territories and we’ll be designating on premise places like Brouwer’s, Monk’s Cafe, Toronado(s) and O’Briens to cellar this beer. This way when you visit these world class establishments, you’ll be able to find Isabelle Proximus. We will be putting this in their hands at a reasonable price point which should keep all these bottles below $40 in the market. As we don’t have enough beer to satisfy all of our distribution needs, we decided to increase the allotments to specific bars who have been part of the Belgian Beer movement and suppport great craft brewers from around the world. At this time, O’Briens is the only bar to have receieved any.
Each of the participating breweries in the project will be allocated 10 cases of beer. These 10 cases are for their personal cellars. No questions asked. They cannot legally resell them at their breweries so we just figure they’ll keep them for special occassions. Maybe if you’re lucky and special enough, this could be you.
You’ll notice that leaves some cases for The Lost Abbey. These cases will be used for Promotional tastings and the like. We feel a beer like this should be shared for many years to come. We also will be setting a percentage of the profits aside from this batch to send the 5 Brett Packers back on the road. Rumor has it that they will be pointing their collective compass towards Piozzo, Italy on a visit next summer.
Brouwer’s Imagination Saison. Yes, we only made 43 cases of this beer. We will be selling 35 cases and 4 half barrels of this beer to Brouwer’s. They will be the only ones who have it. It will be entered into the 2008 GABF and most likely we’ll put a keg of it on the floor for tasting at the event. No bottles will be sold at The Lost Abbey.
Ne Goeien Saison. This is a 100% Bottle only release. We made 234 cases. Most of these cases will remain in Southern California. We will be shipping a few cases to Monk’s Cafe as Tom Peter’s and Hildegard are great friends and they will want to be able to drink this beer when they visit. We didn’t make any draft of this beer as we felt there wasn’t enough to go around with cases.
Witch’s Wit. This is brewed and done fermenting. It is our Lost Abbey Summer Seasonal and we have very high hopes for it. The Grapefruit flavor came through incredibly well. We anticipate this being a full release to all of our distributors with draft for Southern California and Arizona.
That’s it for now. We have to get back to cleaning up for the crush on Saturday. Can’t wait!
See you then
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THE CURIOUS TALE OF ALLAGASH CURIEUX
» Hedonist Beer Jive
At THE TRAPPIST the other night I decided to up my ALLAGASH BREWING game and try out the ALLAGASH CURIEUX, an 11% ABV “big beer” that I’ve resisted buying it bottles due to its $10+ price tag. CURIEUX is indeed big. I could taste the fact that it was barrel-aged in oak from the very first sip of foam – even before I got to the liquid itself. The beer is obviously exceptionally well-made: it left an intricate pattern of lace on the glass (some people actually get off on that sort of thing), and it grew ever-tastier as it warmed, with sweet, thick tastes of maple and oak came through. It’s a “pretty” beer as well – a light orange, which belies its very thick mouthfeel. I don’t know, it was pretty good but maybe not something I wish to invest in again. What sayeth others? 6.5/10.
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Russian River Blind Pig IPA
» Summer of Beer
I think a lot has been said about Russian River on this website (go figure, it's a CA-based blog) and I know I've mentioned how much I love their Blind Pig IPA but I haven't given a good descriptor of it. A couple pints last night gave me a chance to really think about it.
As you can it pours clear with an orangish hue, which is probably escalated just a bit from the dark room and flash of the camera. They really focus on the hops in making this beer. If you've ever had a chance to taste their other single IPA which they just call "Russian River IPA" then you know that one has a touch more of a balance to it (while still being really hoppy). When you smell Blind Pig you get a huge wave of resinous citrus. The taste leaves you with that huge citrus punch combined with a bit of a tropical fruit like sweetness and a lot of bitterness. The body is really light. I could see some people wanting to use the term watery, but it's pretty much how I like them. It is such a tasty IPA, but to be honest it's one I could only drink maybe 2 pints of at the most. It just bruises my tongue so much I feel like I have a few layers of hop oils coating my mouth. Even when I woke up this morning I could still feel it (after brushing my teeth before I went to bed).
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17:13
I Don’t Have a Pool
» Beer at Joe's
So although I really like Smuttynose’s Big Brown Dog ale, it kind of kicks my ass every time I drink it. It is not a session beer, and certainly not a daytime drinking beer.
But today I bought a six-pack of Smuttynose’s Summer Weizen Ale, and it’s everything I wanted it to be–light and wheaty, crisp, but not really fruity. It goes perfectly with my red grapes and a long night of writing. And check out the label–retro blonde bombshell in a pool. My grandma had hair like that.
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15:42
It’s a long row to hoe… but damn, beer is worth it.
» Hall of BeersFriends, The Captain admits he’s been up on deck a bit less than usual recently. I’ve been busy but dammit, no excuses… I need to be there more often for you beautiful beervolk or my name is asshat. I do hope my recent absence hasn’t left a bad taste in your mouth:
* But, well, part of it that is… look what number post this is for good ‘ol Captain Beer! I am at the penultimate step before reaching the historic century post mark! DAMN!I have sampled and slammed many a-delicious beer all in service to the Fleet and to the Greater Beervolk and it’s been a pleasure. It’s all for you, beer readers. And even more than for you, it’s for me. Oh how I love beer! I may well make my historic one-hundredth post a humble yet proud affair… perhaps just a fine young review of a fine young beer. I guess… you’ll see. PROST!
* nice beard, Cap’n! (Is what you’re probably saying…)
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15:33
World Beer Dinner at Bar Crudo
» The Thirsty HopsterBar Crudo is back with the next of their near-monthly beer dinners, and they have a fantastic theme this time: World Beers. When thinking about great brewing nations, the places that usually come to mind (my mind at least) are Germany, Belgium, England and the US. Outside of those big four, things start to go downhill [...]
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Oddbits…English love their fish & chips, the Queen and beer, Sam Adams opens new brewery, remembering Miss Rheingold…
» What's On TapOddbits…I must have column-itis, because this “oddbits” thing is beginning to look like a daily column…What I’m doing is compressing a combination of tiny, but interesting items into a single post. So…here we go…THREE DOT journalism lives again … er- dotdotdot…
…There’ll always be an England, thank Gawd. According to UK blogger Pete Brown…a new survey of 7,000 people in the UK were asked what they loved ost about Britain: 1. Fish & Chips. 2. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth. 3. Old Fashioned British pubs. Read the whole post and the rest of the results here……They’re rolling out the first bottles and barrels of Sam Adams Boston Lager from Boston Beer’s new brewery in Macungie Township, Pennsylvania. Jim Koch said the brewery, last owned by Diageo North America to make Smirnoff Ice, before that, according to Lew Bryson, the ace-Philadelphia blogger-author, it belonged to Pabst and before that to Stroh and before that Schaeffer (creator of the famous New York Miss Rheingold contest of the 1950s.).
…Jim Koch, Boston Beer CEO, told me (and others) in Boston last week that the brewery will produce Sam Adams beer for the East Coast and that Boston Beer has re-hired the brewers laid-off when Diageo bought the plant. They were very happy, he said. He added that Boston Beer is also producing Sam Adams beers at the former Rolling Rock plant in Latrobe, PA., which Anheuser-Busch scuttled when it bought Rolling Rock and moved brewing to its mega-giant Newark plant.
That’s all on the Sam Adams front today… except this: It’s a 1950s Rheingold Beer commercial from the 1950s. Couldn’t find a video of Miss Rheingold in a quick search. Maybe someone else can…
Found a (blatantly sexist and very dated) March of Time video showing Miss Rheingold candidates in 1950. Here’s the link:
Last gasp… Like Firestone-Walker beer? Live in Oregon. You’re soon to be in luck. It’s coming your way. Bug your distributor now. Beers coming include Double Barrel Ale and Union Jack…and for your post 4th plans: Don’t forget the Breast Fest, at Marin Brewing, Larkspur, July 12, 1-5 p.m. Over 25 craft breweries, many beers…Tickets: $30. Call 415-461-HOPS.
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12:26
New Belgium Night at Toronado
» The Thirsty HopsterFollowing last week’s Drake’s tasting, it seems like Toronado is on a roll. They’ve been running special tastings almost weekly. This week, it’s New Belgium, and they are bringing their special release Belgian-style beers. This is especially exciting given that these beers are especially hard to find anywhere in California. The line-up Descriptions from New Belgium materials Abbey Dubbel: [...]
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CALENDAR: Anchor Beer Dinner Thursday night at Spenger’s in Berkeley
» What's On TapThe third in a new series of beer dinners, this one featuring Anchor Brewing, at Spenger’s Fresh Fish Grotto is tomorrow night (Thursday, June 26, 2008) at 6 p.m. Chef Devon Boison just forwarded me the menu.
I went to the New Belgium dinner last month. Great time. Very informal, small crowd, New Belgium reps were there. We got to to taste a usually unseen New Belgium beer. The Anchor dinner should be fun too. Cost is $40. Call 510-845-7771 to reserve a seat.
The menu:- Reception, Anchor Summer beer
- Honey Walnut Prawn Grilled Salad, Liberty Ale
- Barbecue Oysters with Citrus Relish and Brown Butter, Anchor Steam
- House Cured Smoky Grilled King Salmon, Anchor Bock
- Grilled local peach cobbler with sweet vanilla ice cream and pomegranate gastrique, Old Foghorn Barley Wine
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Rare New Belgium Beers on tap tonight at the Toronado
» What's On Tap
It’s late for me. I start work at 7 a.m. But just got an e-mail from David Keene at the Toronado , 547 Haight St. in San Francisco. Wednesday night, (tonight, if you’re reading this after midnight) June 25, 2008, is going to be
New Belgium Brewing Night.There are going to be some very interesting beers. It’s doubtful you’ll see some of these elsewhere. One was selected at the brewery by David. They start pouring at 6 p.m. No admission, of course, just pay for your beer. Here’s the list:
Erics AleThis Peche, or Peach beer, started as an ale aged in 130 hl wooden vessels called Foedres for 3 years. It was then transferred and real peaches were added. A second Strong Golden Ale was brewed and blended back into the sour ale. Subtle peach, tropical fruit and tart aromas in the nose, plus some vanilla and oak. The flavor is a balance of sweet and sour. A drinkable and refreshing sour beer hybrid.
Love #34A single batch from a 60 gallon wood barrel. Not usually kegged as it is used as the starter for all of New Belgiums wood beers. Started as a brown ale brewed with cherries (no longer produced), barrel aged for 3 years, giving this specific barrel a unique blend of bacteria and yeast, which make the final product a manifestation of New Belgiums unique specialty styles.
Foedre #3The base beer for the Le Terroir, hand selected by Dave Keene at the brewery and kegged for him alone. We cant describe it yet because it has never been tasted outside of the NBB facility.
Abbey DubbelComplex, sweet with some chocolate and banana aromas and flavors. A full bodied, warming traditional Belgian Style Dubbel.
TrippelPhenolic clove and spice aromas are followed by a creamy mouthfeel and some noble hop character. Alcohol is evident in the palate, finishes bittersweet and spicy.
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Ale Street News plans a Great American Beer Festival tour
» What's On TapDid you know…there’s a deluxe way to go to the Great American Beer Festival held each fall in Denver: Take the 14th annual Ale Street News GABF tour. Founder Tony Forder.
The cost from Denver is $699 per person double occupancy. It includes three nights at the Sheraton Denver, a lunch with beer sampling and a beer dinner and world of touring Front Range breweries, including New Belgium, Left Hand, Dry Dock Brewing,Oh yes, admission to the Members-Only Connoisseur’s Tasting at the GABF. Tony Forder and his business partner make the whole trip and will be on hand to answer questions. Info: 800-351-2537.
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Tasting three Sam Adams experimental beers in Boston
» What's On TapThere is no time…I get items for this blog, mean to write them and get caught up in the relentless crush of time. Enough complaining. On with the news…
I got to help judge the Sam Adams Longshot Homebrew Competition in Boston last week at the Sam Adams/Boston Beer Co. brewery. When we finished the judging, Boston Beer CEO Jim Koch and brewery manager Jennifer Glanville brought out some samples of their barrel-aged beer.
I should say “barrel aging beers,” because two came straight out of the barrel. Names are the unofficial ones Jennifer and the other brewers gave the beers. The star (or rather ‘asterisk’) ratings are mine. Basically:
The beers:
* - don’t toss it, demand a refund.
** acceptable beer, no obvious flaws.
*** Excellent beer.
**** Superior. Stands out. One not to miss.
***** World classic, take it with you to that desert island.– Blonde***1/2. 11 percent. Jennifer said it was a traditional Belgian-style blond. It was spiced in the brew kettle with cardamom, a spice from India, popular in the Middle East. (They use it in coffee.) To add to the spicy hit, the beer was also “dry-spiced.” More spice was added in the fermenter. I don’t believe this beer was barrel-aged, but I’m not sure.
It was a dark copper color with a slightly acidic nose, more like a Belgian Lambic. The taste was mild, slightly sweet with a wonderful dry, spicy finish.
I guessed the spice was coriander. Wrong. Cardamom also provides a drier finish. Any homebrewers or brewers reading this? Let me know the difference.
–Kriek***. 10.5 percent. Aged on black cherries. It had a mile, cherry noes. The taste was mellow, not sweet, rather dry not sour. It had been on wood since January.
– Cosmic Motherfunk ***, 10.5 percent, 6-12 months in barrels, mostly wine barrels. Fermented with brettanomyces (wild yeast) and various bacteria. The nose was slightly sweet and malty. There wasa hint of sourness in the taste, but it wasn’t overpowering. I found it delicious.
Don’t know what the future holds for these beers. Perhaps, they’ll be components in the next Utopias, Sam Adams $100-plus, strong beer. I’d buy all three individually without blinking.
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35) Demon Water Punch
» Drink A Week
1 oz. Zaya Rum
1 oz. Rhum Neisson Rhum Agricole
.5 oz. Rhum Clement Creole Shrub
.5 oz. Lime juice
Hand full of blueberries
Bundaberg Ginger Beer
Muddle the blueberries in a shaker, add the rest of the ingredients, and shake until well chilled. Double strain into a Collins glass filled with fresh ice, and top with Ginger Beer.
As San Francisco is wont to do, the weather leading into this last weekend went from blazing to frigid in the blink of an eye. Nevertheless, as I strode into Elixir on Sunday, my mind was still in the tropics. What this meant for me is that I wanted to work with Rum, and I wanted to work with different rums together. Kind of like a total bastard of a tiki idea (because I have yet to really delve into the tiki area of drinks). I was most interested in seeing what sort of interplay we could get from a molasses-based Rum, and a cane sugar juice-based Agracole.
As we talked about the idea, Ed pulled up a bottle of Zaya rum, and said we should give it whirl. One taste, and I was firmly on his side. That's some damn fine stuff. He also thought the addition of Creole Shrub would not only add a bit of brightness, and sweetness to counter the lime juice, it would be more Rum! Then we began combing through the fruit that Elixir had on hand -- At first we were tempted to use some fantastic plums that had just come in, but decided that they were perhaps a bit too mild for what we were using. When we hit blackberries we knew we had found our baby -- They looked great, and tasted even better.
As for the ginger beer, it's something I've been getting a bit obsessive about. It's never been a beverage that I much cared for, but have found that it can be a great addition to a cocktail. One gets the nice fizz that one would from soda, but it brings its own spicy bit to the party. I was somewhat worried it might be a bit much for the drink, but as it turned out we didn't end up needing to add too much (thank you Collins glass!).
It turned out to be one of those drinks that Ed and I were especially happy with. It's smooth as hell, with the ginger and blackberries hitting up front then giving way to the notes of both rums. Last Friday's weather, some meat on the grill, and six of these, and I'd be happy as a monkey in a peanut machine. By happy, of course, I mean stupid drunk.
Blog bonus! Much to my embarrassment, I haven't explored Rum nearly as much as I'd like. This is partly due to my unending obsession with Gin and Whiskey, but also because Rum holds over me a strange sort of intimidation level. Which is why I wasn't familiar at all with the Zaya Rum. A bit of research revealed to me that it's a bit pricey, and is much more a sipping Rum rather than the sort of thing one would want to obscure in a cocktail (though it sure made it tasty!). So with that, I have two questions for you, our dear readers.
1) What might any of you with more Rum expertise recommend as a less expensive (less heretical?) Rum to use in this drink?
2) It's about time I get my Rum game going. Anybody have any recommendations as to a good cocktail place to start? The obvious choice is Forbidden Island; however, since I am lacking a car, and Rum education is the sort of thing that makes driving a bit of a bad idea, somewhere in San Francisco would be nice.
Comments always welcome or feel free to e-mail us at drinkaweek [at] gmail [dot] com.
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10:07
Isabelle Proximus releases Saturday
» My Beer PixFive great brewers - one incredible beer
It’s official — the long-awaited Isabelle Proximus will be released this Saturday (June 28) at 10 a.m. at Port Brewing / The Lost Abbey in San Marcos.If you’ve been locked in a closet for the past year-and-a-half, then you’re probably not aware that this is the Gueze-style beer made in a collaboration between Lost Abbey, Avery Brewing, Russian River, Allagash and Dogfish Head.
It started with the boys brewing a base beer which was divvied up and aged in barrels contributed by each of the breweries. We stared at those barrels for over a year, asking at least once a week, “is it done yet?”
Finally a few months back, they blended the barrels and Isabelle was born. Now it’s ready for it’s coming out party.
All the details are on the Lost Abbey website right here: [www.lostabbey.com]
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Ne Goeien Saison
» Brewer's Log (Blog)I always wanted to learn how to play the guitar when I was younger. I just felt it was something that I would REALLY like to know how to do. And, I wanted to write songs. Thing is, I tried to play guitar. And I sucked at it. Chalk that up as another one of lifes failures I suppose? At the end of the day, it means that I can’t sit down and collaborate with another singer/songwriter and compose a song and chords to go along. Yet, my job as a brewer means that sometimes, I get to do exactly this, albeit in a different medium. Instead of lyrics and chords, I get to use hops, yeast and malt. Not too shabby of a trade off.
Back when this year began, I commented to a fellow blogger that I felt 2008 was going to be the year of the Collaboration between Brewers. From what I have seen, I am quite the prophet. It wasn’t hard for me to imagine this being the case. Last year, I had traveled to Belgium to work with the DeProef Brewery on a beer called Signature Ale. This union of American ingredients and creativity coupled with the technical brewers at De Proef yielded incredilble results. It made me want to work with more brewers from Belgium.
In the fall of 2007, I was in Denver for The Great American Beer Festival. I ran into Hildegard van Ostedan and her husband Bas from Brouwerij Leyerth which is known better as Urthel. It was during a judging session that Hildegard and I began discussing brewing a collaborative beer together. We had met 3 years earlier in Belgium during the 24 hours of Belgian Beer. Our paths crossed from time to time. It wasn’t until we were at a table judging Belgian and French style beers last fall that we agreed we should get together and work on a project.
We left Denver knowing she’d be traveling to San Diego in April. It was decided that she would come brew with us on the Monday prior to the World Beer Cup and Craft Brewers Conference. Via email, we began discussions. From the get go, Hildegard made it clear that she wanted a very traditional Saison styled beer with a “firm” bitterness. No problemo we replied. If there was thing we do well here, it’s firm bitterness. A simple recipe consisting of Pilsner Malt a splash of wheat and some hops was devised. We pointed our collective compass at 5.5% ABV and set out to “Collaborate” that day.
The day began around 7AM and finished about 3PM with another round of beers to celebrate the brewing process. It was an excellent day on all fronts. We actually brewed a batch of IPA that day as well so Hildegard was exposed to a full brew day at Port Brewing. Her husband Bas sat quietly at the bar and sketched out some thoughts for the label. It’s the first time in my life that I have been drawn as cartoon (that cruel picture of me from 7th grade doesn’t count)!
We have sent the label off to print. It’s pretty cool. I’ve put my name on two bottles of beer in the past but never my face. I suppose after 12 years of brewing professionally, I’ve earned the right to splash my mug on a label? Either way it’s a done deal so we just have to roll with it. As it was a Collaborative beer, I decided to allow Hildegard to name the beer. She chose the phrase Ne Goeien. This is a Flemish phrase which tranlates loosely as “A Good One.” If you walk into a bar in Flanders and order Ne Goeien, you are telling the bartender to give you a good beer. It’s simple and Flemish. How cool is that?
We’re waiting for the proofs on this label to come back to us from the printer. We expect that it will be on the shelves the 2nd or 3rd week of July. It was packaged back in May and has been taking up space at our brewery ever since. We made 234 Cases of this beer and when it’s gone, there will be screams of oe ta meulick (how can this be?) at the brewery. All in all, it has been a fantastic experience. Sure, Ne Goeien Saison joins the list of beers we just didn’t make enough of. It sucks. Just like not being able to pick the intro to Stairway to Heaven on a guitar. But, life goes on.
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Brouwer’s Imagination Saison
» Brewer's Log (Blog)Okay,
We’re going to try to play catch up around here. It seems that I am always behind schedule with things relating to new releases and the infinite amount of new beers we seem to unleash. First things first, we have lifted the moratorium on new beers (thanks Rex). Last week, we brewed a new batch of our Summer Seasonal. It is a Wit bier brewed with Grapefruit honey (Thanks Rex the honey guy) and some grapefruit zest (thanks Terri and Sage for all those fruits).
If you recall back in May, I mentioned in my first blog in months that we wouldn’t be brewing any new beers for a bit. That was a half truth. Mostly it was a half truth as we had already brewed two new beers that resting in our brewery but wouldn’t be released for a while. How did this happen? What does this mean for me your loyal Lost Abbey drinker?
Since I love a good back story, let’s dive into another one here. Last October I went to Seattle to launch our line of beers with Click Wholesale. During my time in Seattle, I visited Brouwer’s Cafe (home to Seattle’s most amazing dracft and bottled beer list) and spent some time with Matt Bonney the owner. Matt drilled me on the subject of our limited releases. Brouwer’s “had” to have them. I explained that our Non Denominational Ales and limited releases were produced in incredibly limited quantitities and as such, we just didn’t have enough to go around at this time.
I mentioned this would not always be the case but presently, we demand far exceeds our production. I countered that we at The Lost Abbey would be more than willing to work on a very small scale to create a unique beer for Matt each year that would be sold only at Brouwer’s Cafe (maybe Bottleworks?) Matt seemed to think this was an acceptable solution and he tasked us with creating a Saison styled beer for the Original Release of the Imagination Series.
Those of you who have met/shared a drink with me understand that I am a huge fan of Saison styled beers and will jump at any chance to work one into our production. It so happened that we were considering a new beer to mark the start of the Lenten Holiday in February. It was to be a very low alcohol beer made with some unmalted wheat, oats, Amarillo and Simcoe hops fermented with a Saison strain of yeast. We released this beer as Carnevale and partied the night away.
A portion of this beer was diverted at bottling time to our small grundy tank. It was spiked with Brettanomyces Anamolus and packaged for Matt and Brouwer’s Cafe. Bo and I felt that the addition of the fruity Anamolus Brett working with the citric American Hops would be a slam dunk. It was! The beer dried out to a very nice level and the Brett is available in the nose but not so overwhelming. For all intense purposes, it is a smashingly drinkable summer beer. Which is good. Because, Brouwer’s is about to receieve the shipment of this beer in early July.
One last note about this beer. It was sort of a stealth project. We really didn’t talk much about the beer around here as we were always waiting for it. It was brewed in January. We then waited for the Brett to do its’ job. Then we waited for the artist to create the label. AND most recently, we waited for the TTB to approve that label. Now that we have gone to print with it, we are waiting for the labels to arrive. It’s nice to be done with it all.
However, the waiting has only served to heighten the awareness of this beer and increase the expectations. This past April, we entered the Brouwer’s Imagination Saison in the 2008 World Beer Cup. It won a bronze medal in the 91st and final Category of the competition. This was the beer that literally delivered us to the podium for the Small Brewery of the Year Award. Without the Brouwer’s Beer, we would not have earned enough points. So thanks Matt for giving us a little push. It doesn’t take much to motivate us around here. We can only hope that you’ll find yourself in Seattle soon enough AND that Matt has some left. There were only 43 Cases and six 1/2 bbls produced of this beer. Simply put, you will not find it on sale in San Marcos at the brewery. Sorry! There is a rumor on the street that this beer was an overwhelming success and as such the 2009 version of Carnevale may take on more of the attributes from this version…Stay tuned.
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DOUBLE SHOT OF RUSSIAN RIVER LOVE
» Hedonist Beer Jive
Unless I’m up at the brewery or at a bar that pours more than one RUSSIAN RIVER BREWING beer, I don’t often get the chance to drink two of their outstanding, world-class beers in a single week. Perhaps if I were more of a drinker I would. That’s the thing with me – for all my frequent posts on this blog about all the beer I’m drinking, at the end of the day, those are the only beers I’m drinking, to the tune of about 3-5 glasses in total per week. Sometime I truly wish I were more of a lush. That said, it makes me appreciate near-perfection that much more. The other night, before venturing out to watch some archival punk rock films in Berkeley, I went to one of my Top-5 bars ever, THE TRAPPIST in Oakland, CA (I say this despite being somewhat ashamed to admit that this was only my third time there…..it’s that good!). Seeing that they had RUSSIAN RIVER’s REDEMPTION on tap, I immediately sprang into action. I’ve had this dark blonde ale before, but I don’t think I liked it quite as much as I did this time. Tastes of bittering and slight candy sweetness immediately dart about the tongue, and by “dart” I mean dart – this thing’s got some serious zing to it. It’s tangy, with medium hopping, which keeps it from being too puckering. I’m starting to develop this sense of beers that are “above the line” (the special few that totally blow me away) and “below the line” (the grand majority of beers). This one’s definitely above. 9/10.
Last Saturday we broke into our home stash and busted out a bottle of RUSSIAN RIVER BEATIFICATION. I had this once before, at this Russian River night at San Francisco’s Toronado, but rather than a 6-oz glass I got to savor the whole bottle all by myself in the comfort of mine own home. You know what? If I said this was my “least favorite” Russian River beer, and yet still rated it a big 7/10, would you get a pretty good sense of what I think of this brewer. It may not have been “above the line”, but it was still damn good. It had an initial smell of grapes and wine, so much so that I swore I was drinking some strange sour wine at first rather than beer – must be the serious oak-barrel aging they put this one through. Very citrus-y, full of grapefruit flavor and tang, and a real “dry” taste. Sour like crazy. No head at all. Seriously, the most wine-like beer I’ve had in some time. It’s not quite up to the level of that MONK’S CAFÉ FLEMISH SOUR ALE we were telling you about last month, but it’s still a ringer.
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Who woulda ever thought?
» Pfiff!
Granted, this is as close as I got to an encounter with the newest outpost of beer ambassadorship while visiting San Diego over the weekend, but still. It's a trip.
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Isabelle Proximus is coming!
» Brewer's Log (Blog)It’s true. Saturday June 28, 2008 Isabelle Proximus will officially go on sale at the brewery. Of all the beers that we have produced in our two and a half years in business, this one comes with the biggest expectations. It has to. It has the biggest back story of any beer we have ever produced. And that my friends is saying a LOT!
Perhaps you’d like to humor me, if you will, as we take a journey back in time. It’s November of 2005. I am sitting in a coffee shop in Solana Beach working on my laptop. We’re in the midst of acquiring the old Stone Brewery (currently the home of Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey). I am reading some email when I come across an invitation from my good friend Sammy at Dogfish.
Apparently, he’s working on his second book entitled “Extreme Brewing.” He’s requested that I join him, Rob Tod from Allagash, Adam Avery of Avery Brewing Company as well as Vinnie Cilurzo from Russian River on a pilgramage to the Holy Land of brewing that is Belgium. We’ll be joined by Lorenzo Dabove (the prince of Payontenland) who will act as our Embassador of Breattnomyces while we’re touring numerous of the best Gueze and Lambic producers in Belgium. It’s a trip not to be missed.
We book our flights in early 2006 and all head to Belgium for what promises to be a once in a life time opportunity. As part of our Ambassador like duties, Sam has requested that each brewery ship 6 cases of two different beers over for press and enthusiast tastings and dinners. In this way, we are never empty handed when it comes to discussing our beers and breweries with the respective Belgian Brewers we are to meet along the way. For our part, we ship Pizza Port Solana Beach SPF 45 Saison and Cuvee de Tomme over.
On our journey, we visit Cantillon, Drie Fontenien, Boon and other great breweries. It becomes clear in the course of all of our conversations, that there is no one way to make sour beer. As we travel from one brewery to the next all sauced up on sour beer, we begin to envision a project back at home. It is decided that an homage to the storied production of Lambic is what we should attempt.
I offer Port Brewing as a great place for this experiment and homage to take place. When we built this brewery, we made a concerted effort to focus on barrel aged beers. As such, we have excess capacity in our barrel room for a beer of this scope. Somehow, we manage to get everyone on board and in November 2006 we are suddenly all reunited in San Marcos at Port Brewing. We’ve gathered to make a run at immortality. Or at the very least, we’ve gathered to drink Margaritas, watch women with questionable morals dance on our bar and all the while hope we won’t screw up a whole batch of beer.
By now, you’re probably wondering why Isabelle Proximus? Well, funny you should ask. When we were in Belgium both Vinnie and Rod had acquired International Cell Phones. When we landed in Belgium, they switched them on. The words Bel Proximus streamed to life. There were then ensuing numerous guy jokes about the size of their respective “Bel Proximus’s.” At the end of the day, we couldn’t call it anything BUT Bel Proximus.
Except of course, there is a brewery in Kalamazoo, Michigan that uses the words Bell’s Brewing and as such, there was a conflict at hand. We agreed at the end of the day that our dear old Bel Proximus would live on in a kinder gentler feminine form and henceforth has been known as Isabelle Proximus. BTW, she’s WAY sexier than the Bel Proximus we ditched.
There were so many great parts to the making of Isabelle Proximus. Just getting the five us us to brew in one location was pretty damn sweet. Did I mention the beer tastes pretty good too? And now we return to the back story… I wanted the project to have great diversity and not just be a sour beer produced by Port Brewing. As such, I asked each of the breweries to deliver 4 Oak barrels to Port Brewing along with house cultures from their sour beer program. It was my thinking that this would be a great way to create flavors and diversity outside the scope of solely our bugs and barrels. Vinnie sent some American Oak barrels which we can certainly taste in the finished blend. Sam sent some cultures from the Festina Lente project they had worked on. Without a doubt, they lent a nice fruit component to the beer.
One large base beer was brewed that November day under the direction of 5 American Brewers and our crazy Mexican Muse Don Julio. The goal would be to take the same base beer and then age it on different cultures contributed by the participants of the trip. We fermented the base beer with our lager strain at 80F because that’s what we had around and figured it truly wasn’t going to matter what we used. The beer was racked into barrels ten days later. The beer spent the next 16 months doing whatever it damn well pleased. It did quite well. We filled 18 oak barrels with Isabelle Proximus.
At the end of the 16 months, we had one tragedy in the barrel and it was summarily dispatched by our illustrious tasting panel. All told, we ended up blending 17 Oak barrels worth of beer. We think it is an excellent homage and one that exudes the energy and passion for brewing we found on our trip.
This past April, we reconvened the Brett Pack here at the brewery and launched Isabelle Proximus in front of about 100 of our closest friends the media. It was a stunning night. Rob Tod said it best that night. “This tastes way better than I would have ever imagined.” I couldn’t have said it better myself Rob! Beers like this don’t come around very often. I am personally very excited to be a part of something that has a great back story. It’s right up my alley. We look forward to Isabelle Proximus finding you wherever you may be.
We’ve targeted some of the best on premise accounts (read bars) around this country and each of them will be receiving no less than 10 cases of this beer. In this way, it will appear on beer menus thereby giving a wider audience a chance to meet Isabelle Proximus in person. This week, Isabelle Proximus is set to hopefully take the brewing world by storm. It’s good to dream. It’s better to dare, dream and execute that vision. I’d like to think that Isabelle Proximus will take more than a few sour beer lovers over that proverbial rainbow. And for that, I am thankful to have met such a talented group of brewers. They make my job look easy.
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Sweetwater IPA
» Summer of Beer
Maybe not the most notable brew from the Sweetwater brewery in Atlanta, that would of course be the Sweetwater 420 Extra Pale Ale. They also have beers called Happy Ending, Donkey Punch, and Jack Ass for your personal information. This IPA turned out a little better than I expected, as the brewery has a somewhat good reputation but from what I have gathered none of their beers are really that highly rated. There's quite a malt base to this with more of a lightly toasted feeling but the citrus tasting hops are there too. Really a pretty easy beer to drink. If it wasn't almost 7% ABV I would say it's pretty sessionable. 3.95/5
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11:48
Writer’s Camp: week 2
» Beer at Joe's
Week two was both harder and easier–at least, I had fewer mental breakdowns. It seems that we have graduated from beer to hard liquor very quickly. This was only our second Friday all together, and you can see by the picture that stronger libations were needed. And no, the lone beer is not, in fact, mine. I was drinking Captain and Coke.
I’m afraid to contemplate what will happen by next weekend. I imagine us all drinking straight from the bottles in the parking lot behind the apartments. And the week after that? Who knows. We’ll be brewing moonshine in our bathtubs, perhaps.
Speaking of moonshine, the latest story I wrote was set during the 1920s in a speakeasy (who, me?). Since most of my knowledge revolves around beer, this meant I wound up doing a lot of research on moonshine, whiskey, and distillers, among other things. Here are a few random fun facts I found:
Shochu, a beverage distilled from barley, was the favorite beverage of the world’s longest-living man, Shigechiyo Izumi of Japan, who lived for 120 years and 237 days. He was born on June 29, 1865 and died on February 21, 1986.
Being intoxicated had desirable spiritual significance to the ancient Egyptians. They often gave their children names like “How Drunk is Cheops” or “How Intoxicated is Hathor.”
And my favorite:
During the reign of William III, a garden fountain was once used as a giant punch bowl. The recipe included 560 gallons of brandy, 1200 pounds of sugar, 25,000 lemons, 20 gallons of lime juice, and five pounds of nutmeg. The bartender rowed around in a small boat, filling up guests’ punch cups.
Facts via Alcohol problems and solutions website.
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GORDON BIERSCH'S SOOPRIZE PACKAGE
» Hedonist Beer Jive
Doesn't really matter where I drink 'em - the brewpub, a barbeque, on tap, in a bottle or at the ballgame - I really enjoy GORDON BIERSCH beers. Even the pilsner. You might have noticed I'm not really a lager kind a guy - no matter. Gordon Biersch, no matter how much their corporate tentacles spread across the country and soon the globe, just plain make good beer. Take the MARZEN, for instance. Why I just did the other day, as I watched my San Francisco Giants and Barry Zito get pounded during an afternoon scorcher. This beer is a malt-lover's deight. Beautiful red amber with zero head at all, the Marzen is refreshing and delicious. It's smooth, clear and caramel-tasting, with a medium body and just an overall feeling of being untainted by anything but good ingredients. That's pretty amazing for a brewer churning out as many barrels as these guys are, and yet I like 'em as much as I did when I first encountered their beers in the very early 90s. I keep thinking they're gonna suck, and they never do. 8/10.
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1:09
4th Monthly Beer Tasting Event: Un-Ordinary IPAs
» The Thirsty HopsterI know details on this month’s tasting event have been a long time coming, but here they are: I hold themed beer tastings once a month at my apartment. So far, we’ve done a “Beer: 101″ course, covering one or two beers in each of about 10 different styles, a Belgian sour ale tasting, and a [...] -
22:36
Drake’s Night: Blending up a brew
» The Thirsty HopsterI am so glad I made it to Drake’s Night at Toronado. I almost skipped it, what with book club that night (the book this last month was Lolita, and I didn’t want all those dirty looks I got while reading on the MUNI this past month to be for nothing), and this being my [...]
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17:11
REVIEW: Dos Equis Cerveza
» Hall of Beers
Readers:
Yes, it’s cheap. Yes, it’s from Mexico. Yes, it’s summer in the DC area, and when dining on Tex-Mex, nothing tastes better than a decent Mexican lager like Dos Equis. While my last review was perhaps one of the most full-flavored ales available year-round, it’s time to head back to basics for the wonderfully drinkable beer–if anything else, it is perfectly paired with chips. (more…)
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Congratulations
» Brewer's Log (Blog)This past Saturday, they announced two very important set of awards for excellence in brewing. Yesterday, we had the distinct pleasure of attending the 2nd Installment of the San Diego County Craft Brewers Festival and Competition. It was an amazing event featuring over 250 of the best beers to be poured in San Diego at one time. The selection was staggering. I for the life of me can’t remember the last time I attended a County Fair where they were pouring Drie Fontenien, Dogfish, Malhuer and many other great beers. Made me want to sneak off and see if Bessie the Cow was in agreement. MOOOOO would have been confirmation enough. Special Thanks to Tom and Chad for organizing the competition and one of the better selections of beer we will have access to this year.
As part of the San Diego County Fair, there is now a Commercial Craft Brewers Competition. You may recall that last year at this innagural event, we at Port Brewing graced the stage 5 times for our beers. We shared the title along with Firestone Walker for most awards earned. This past May they held the second competition and when the rauch settled, we at Port Brewing had earned 6 ribbons for the 10 beers we entered. With our six awards, we continue to set the competition circuit on fire. Combined with our incredible success at the 2008 World Beer Cup and the 2007 Great American Beer Festival, we are truly pumped by the collective success of our beers. For those who care to know which beers scored well with the judges.
Gold Ribbon- Lost Abbey Serpent’s Stout
Silver Ribbons- Veritas 003, Cable Car, Older Viscosity, Gift of the Magi
Bronze Ribbon- Red Poppy
Not a bad haul for us. Chad also pointed out during the awards ceremony, that when you include the Pizza Port family of beers, we earned a total of 16 Awards. If you throw out the Ribbons for Mead Categories which we didn’t enter, there were 75 Total Ribbons possible. With 16 Ribbons in tote, the Port Brewing family of brewers put their stamp on this event with resounding success.
When I got home last night, I fired up my computer and was surfing the net when I came across the results for the 2008 National American Homebrewer’s Competition. It was staggering! This nationwide competition featured over 5600 entries. To put this in perspective, the 2008 World Beer Cup that just concluded this past April judged some 2800 entries and was the largest Commercial Competition in the World! The Homebrew Competition featured double the number of entries.
I want to take a moment to send a shout out to Julian Shrago. Many of you in Southern California have no doubt crossed paths with Julian here at Port Brewing/ The Lost Abbey. We’re blessed to see Julian and Nigel (his English Bulldog) no less than once a month even though he lives behind the Orange Curtain in the OC.
Julian is one of the best homebrewers any of us know. In fact, Sage calls him the best brewer no one has ever heard of. Me, I think of him as the Great White Hype. I don’t know of too many homebrewers who have as much recognition as Julian does around here. I’m beginning to think that he’s more famous than my ego. In fact, my ego went shopping for a dog today. He mumbled something about needing a four legged co pilot. Silly me. I thought he wanted to bring man’s best friend into our life to chase the cats around the brewery.
Either way, Julian’s award comes with a major kudos from us at The Lost Abbey. You see, Julian won a silver medal in the Belgian and French Ale Category. There were only 317 entries in the category!!! DAMN! That is some kind of competition. It’s been a great weekend for us around the brewery. We went to the San Diego County Fair and were decorated for our excellence in brewing. Our Pizza Port bretheren were rewarded as well. Topping it all off, some of our best friends earned awards at the San Diego County Fair and The National Homebrewers Conference. All in all, I would say it’s an inspiring weekend. Congrats to Julian and my brothers at Pizza Port. A job well done on all fronts.
(late night edit) Just got word that Tovarish Imperial Stout brewed by Julian Shrago was the Best of Show winner at the San Diego County Fair Homebrew competition today. Apparently Julian has a large “S” tatoo on his chest and is afraid of Kryptonite?
PS, there’s a batch of Tovarish Imperial Stout on tap in Solana Beach at the Pizza Port that Julian brewed with Greg and Yiga sometime last month. It’s tasty…