Out-of-Town Beers

Our theme for this month's beer club was an excellent one: since many in the group were taking trips somewhere or other during the last month, we tasted beers that aren't distributed to the great state of Georgia. We had folks go elsewhere in the deep south, to the midwest, to the gulf coast, and to the western deserts to procure the best beers you can't find around here. Starting off with 12 people and fluctuating between 11 and twelve throughout the night, we had more beers than we could even get through. So let's start the reviews...

1. Lazy Magnolia Southern Pecan Brown Ale

From Mississippi, this beer found its way to our living room table thanks to Chad and Ariel's trip to the gulf coast. It was "deep copper" in color with a "lively head," and tasted "quite sweet", like "nutty caramel," and had minimal hops. While one taster raved, "if you could have one beer with a pecan pie, this would be it," another one said "all I can smell right now is this chocolate cake."

Rating: 8 out of 12 (83%; a 68% on RateBeer)

2. Anderson Valley Hop Ottin' IPA

Anderson valley is a Boonville, CA brewery, acquired by Brennan on a trip to Arizona. While it was "definitely hoppy" and "pretty bitter," it was "not floral or citrusy hops," more like "grass," "sweat" or even "old gym socks." Finish was "sour - blech." One member thought it was "pretty good, just a straightforward IPA," while another said it was "a nice try... almost." An observant participant noted that the copy on the label "describes what they wished this tasted like." I think it said something about touching Rupesh all over, to which Sam offered a warning.

Rating: -7 out of 12 (21%; a 94% on Ratebeer) 

3.  Two Brothers Bonfire Dunkle Weiss

Christa picked up this Two Brothers (Warrenville, IL) limited-run special dark, smoky version of their Wheat beer on her trek through Indiana. We came up with a near-thesaurus of Asian terms to describe this "sesame oil" and "heavy on the soy sauce" brew: "stir fry," "Asian salad dressing," "General Tso," and "sweet-and-sour", just to name a few. While for one taster it was "soy sauce in a good way," for another it "burned the tongue", and the majority of us thought the dark and smoky wheat was just "one note." And that note was like a d-flat or something.

Rating: -5 out of 12 (29%; a 73% on Ratebeer)

4. Ska Brewery Modus Hoperandi IPA

This beer, brewed in Durango, was the one lugged down to the Colorado river last week. It had a "perfect floral bouquet," "poured thick and darker than your usual IPA," and its presentation in the can was "impressive." One taster even thought it "gives Dale's a run for best beer-in-a-can." It had a "grapefruit", "pine" and "flower" initial taste, followed by "tea", "leafy",  "woodsy" and "caramel" flavors, and a "bitter" finish that "went pine again." As one taster put it: "I'd do that all day." Vargo said, "it's well named, just like Gwenyth Paltrow's kids."

Rating: 9 out of 11 (91%; a 90% on Ratebeer)

5. Innis & Gunn Oak Aged Beer

Vargo procured this Scottish Ale, as it was featured as one of SleepingBrewty's only raves from her trip to England. In honor of Katie and Ben, we poured out a little bit of  this "thin", "carmel" colored ale out onto the street. It "smells garlicky," but "tastes very different," giving out a "roasty" and "slightly sour" but still "surprisingly sweet" "toffee" flavor. Many could "taste the oak" and the "butter-like" finish. One commenter said it was a dead-ringer for "huckleberry-covered espresso beans" that she had once enjoyed. In all, "it's way better than Boddington's". Vargo said, "I would give this as a gift, because I am trying to give really good gifts, just like Gwyneth."

Rating: 6 out of 11 (77%; a 62% on Ratebeer)

6. Boulevard Double-Wide IPA

Rupesh acquired this Kansas City IPA during his trip to St Louis. This "golden" and "smooth" IPA "smells delicious" even before tasting, with "lots of fruits" and "flowers" on the tongue, finishing with "apricot" and then "lots of bitterness". The "big carbonation" made it "tickle" one taster's mouth. One guest called this brew "my kind of juice." Some thought it "smells hoppier than it tastes", and that the hoppiness was "definitely not the west-coast style," even "subdued". It "tastes boozy," and "you can really notice the alcohol." Perhaps it should be called a double IPA at 9%? Or am I just not getting the "double-wide" pun? 

Rating: 8 out of 11 (86%;  97% on Ratebeer)

7. Otter Creek Copper Ale

Matt picked up this Middlebury, VT ale, as he has visited the brewery himself. Aside from Vargo's mainly color-based adjectives like "coppery," "penny-like," "brown metal tubing," etc, we felt it was "straightforward," "uncomplex," perhaps "salty" on the finish and "weak-finishing" otherwise. Yet again, the adjective "sweaty" arose, to some agreement. At first I thought they were talking about me, but that was just my subconscious at work.

Rating: -1 out of 12 (45%; a 45% on Ratebeer)

8. Southern Tier Un*Earthly Imperial IPA

From Lakewood, NY, Southern Tier is a huge and respected craft brewer...that isn't allowed in Georgia. Unless, of course, it stows away in my luggage. Many of the tasters thought it had a "good bouquet" and "intriguing but unusual" flavors on the front end, like "toasty maple" and "butterscotch," but that gave way to "grapefruit" and "fig" drizzled with "honey" and a "ripe bing cherry" finish (sounds like a good recipe). It "didn't taste boozy" but at 11% alcohol that means "they hid it well." There was some disagreement over the name: why unearthly? And what's with the asterisk? 

Rating: 10 out of 11 (95%; a 98% on Ratebeer)

9. Olfabrikken Porter

Hailing from Roskilde, Denmark, the Olfabrikken was offered by Matt. While it "poured like motor oil" and had a "sticky" feel in the mouth, this "smoky," "chocolaty," "licorice"/"Pernod", "tobacco" and "molasses cookie" brew "went down smooth." One taster noted that it "went really well with the cake," which I really have to agree with. It's "dark for a porter, maybe should be called a stout," and for some the "menthol" taste was off-putting. Vargo said, "it seems really down-to-earth, just like Gwyneth."

Rating: 7 out of 10 (85%; a 100% on Ratebeer - literally the #1 porter on the site) 

10. Ska Brewery Decadent Imperial IPA

Another Durango brew, this one in a bottle, had "nice label art." It poured "almost red," and had a "less appealing smell than their IPA," though it did "have a bit of citrus." The taste was "orange", "leaves" and "somewhat sweet pine." It "wasn't much like other Imperial IPAs" in that it was "not a hop explosion," "too malty" and "not enough going on." While the "initial taste was on," it "went downhill" and "faded away too fast," leaving some "wanting more." The pun (is this like a tradition in beer names, or what?) is that the brewery is a decade-old. Ha, ha, ha...um, not really.

Rating: 7 out of 11 (82%; Ratebeer 74%)

11. Abita Abbey Ale 

Another entry from Chad and Ariel's trip to the Big Easy, this Belgian style ale "even smells boozy", much like the city of its origin. It "definitely has that Belgian tang," and "has a good toasty, nutty flavor" along with "smoked cloves" and "yeasty, bready" tastes, but "is missing fruit" except for a "slight prune taste." There's "no orange, which would be nice," but one taster said "that doesn't matter for me, I like the alcohol." Another noted that "we're not a big belgian crowd" (though this author is, for sure). 

Rating: 2 out of 9 (61%; a 69% on Ratebeer)

12. O'Fallon's Smoked Porter

Rupesh brought this one back from St. Louis, though it is another KC brew. It "pours dark," and hits hard with an aggressive "beef jerky" aroma. Another commenter said it reminded him eerily of "the smell of a fleece at 2A.M. after a bonfire." It tasted of "meat and smoked gouda," much like a rauchbier served at the Brick Store not long ago. As one person put it: "I keep smelling it, and that makes me not want to put it in my mouth." Another entry: "burnt straw." Sense a theme? I think the smoke was a bit thick, but I'm "a sucker for anything tasting like smoke," along with Matt, perhaps because we're "both pyromaniacs." 

Rating: 0 out of 9 (50%, a 85% on Ratebeer) 

13. Schlafly Reserve Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout

Another from Rupesh's trip to St. Louis, this brew is a St. Louis native. It pours "like midnight" and smells like "brownies," making everybody hold their cups to their noses. The bourbon barrel made the taste "round," "sweet," and "with a distinctly bourbon finish," ending with "boozy chocolate" aftertaste. Others noted "brown sugar," "vanilla coffee," and "cinnamon." A hit all around. One commenter: "good thing I wore my depends, because this just made me crap my pants." Vargo's one comment: "not rich."

Rating: 9 out of 10 (95%; a 97% on Ratebeer)

14. Three Floyds/Mikkeller Oatgoop Oat Wine

A collaboration between the Danish Mikkeller and Munster, IN's own Three Floyds, this "Oatwine" is a play on the barleywine style. Pours orange, thick, viscous. Smells "fruity," tastes "grapefruity" and "surprisingly hoppy." Vargo "still smells garlic." Lots of calls for a refill; we run out all too fast.

Rating: 10 out of 11 (95%; a 97% on Ratebeer)

Post-tasting: 

Deschutes Hop Henge Experimental IPA: Great example of west-coast IPA, fruity, pine, floral, hoppy goodness. All-around hit.

New Holland Night Tripper Imperial Stout: Charcoal, licorice, coffee, not as much chocolate. Not as good as Schlafly's but still way up there for Impy Stout.

Weird Beer News Update

If you need to catch up on the latest:

1. Don't hire this guy unless you didn't like the deceased. By the way, that's way more than "stopping for a beer" unless he's drinking individual molecules. 

2. Watermelon beer?

3. Is this the guy from our Facebook group picture? (UPDATE: we now have video.)

4. From the Redundancy News Department of Redundancy: the headline, "For beer drinkers, summertime means summer beers". No joke. Opening line: "When you think about it, beer drinkers are a lot like grizzly bears." Gets better from there.

5. Beer for dogs. Also no joke. Look at the picture above. I guess it's better than a beer for kids.... Oh, wait, that has has actually happened, for real.

6. Actually, this is quite normal and good beer news: Alabama passed a law allowing beer above 6% alcohol to be sold (now it can be up to 13.9%). Why are any of these laws still on the books? And what happens at 14% alcohol that makes beer no-good for Alabama? What is the argument that there should be any ceiling whatsoever on beer alcohol limits? Grain alcohol is sold in the state's limits; seems like anything less than that should be legal, too. 

Beer Reviews From Odd Places

I'd like to kick off a new series that was inspired by one of Chrisstout's messages on the listserv. She reviewed Anchor Steam and Blue Moon while in the field in San Francisco, and I followed soon after with a review of Amstel Light while getting my haircut (a sweet little perk from my barber). I do think that, as my friend Duncan once pointed out, beer is contextual: it matters a lot where you are and what's going on as you drink it. So anyway, about the Amstel Light in the barber shop, I wrote: 

The choice was Corona or Amstel, and I chose the latter because I was sure they didn't have limes. It was kind of warm outside, I was for sure overdressed, and the unexpected offer of a cool beer when I checked in at the cash register felt great - but then I thought to myself as I killed off the first bottle, "but is it good?" There's a reason it's at every catered event ever. It is good enough for you not to complain, but not good enough for you to want to drink more for taste alone. Thus, you only drink a couple. Catering dilemma solved. So, it is for sure a light beer, inoffensive but not memorable. Slight caramel taste on the front end, simple bitter finish. Halfway through the haircut, some hair got in my second bottle, and I stopped drinking it. For sure, a sideways. BTW, do they even make a regular "Amstel"? 

Well, in that spirit, here's a beer review from an odd place - not beer brewed in strange places, like the middle of the ocean or Antarctica, but beer tasted in places you usually don't drink. First up: Ska Brewery's Modus Hoperandi IPA, tasted at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

So my friend Duncan and I were hiking in the Grand Canyon this Tuesday, going down to the Colorado River and back up in a day, and we decided to bring along a couple of good beers to sample while we ate lunch and rested at the bottom. There's a place down there called "Phantom Ranch" that the park service operates, and it has a little cantina in it that serves some meals and, of course, beer. Last year we did this same hike and drank a Tecate. Needless to say, we felt such a momentous occasion deserved a much more memorable brew, so we hiked down with the beers in my pack, like so:

So the hiking plus the heat are probably not too good for the beer, but amazingly it held up ok. We chose the Modus Hoperandi because it was in a can (less breakage) and it was an IPA - enough flavor to revive our tired taste buds. When we got to the cantina, we were ten miles into the hike, five thousand feet down, three hours in, and already tired. We bought a bag of ice and chilled the beer as we sat by the river, like so: 

Then we enjoyed ourselves. 

Now I think there's a reason people don't really encourage mixing extreme hiking with alcohol. It was really hot hiking out of the canyon, and I felt pretty weird on my way up; I am sure the beer didn't help. But it was great for morale. I think the context was perfect: a great little stream, a cool breeze, a shady tree, a giant western national park, and a whole day of being outside in a beautiful place. 

The piney cascade hops seemed right at home, and the bold IPA style seems such a western thing these days. It had a good, sweet caramel malt to back up the pine-resin and grapefruit hop burst, a firm bitter finish, well-hidden alcohol (at 7% this is probably more high gravity than I'd bring on a tough hike again), and a good mouthfeel (slightly sticky, as a good big IPA should be). Maybe I was just delirious from the heat and exertion, but I think it gives the Stone IPA a run for its money. On the way back up, I was still tasting IPA for a while. When the sun started to bake out on the rocky trail, that wasn't nearly as exciting as it was under the shade tree.

Sampling New Orleans' Finest

Ariel and I recently took a road trip through the Deep South, and decided to make a small detour to pass through Abita Springs, Louisiana, home of Abita Brewing Co. I mean, c'mon! We would be crazy not to seize the opportunity to sample New Orleans' most famous beer, freshly brewed.

So, first the bad news. Abita doesn't get a whole lot of points for creativity or complexity. It's beer is shoot-em-straight, plain Jane stuff that doesn't try to push the boundaries of taste. It seems to me that they've been bottling mostly the same lagers, ales, and wheat beers since they first opened up shop in 1986. They have no real aspiration to be an innovator in the beer world, or to compete with the "extreme" craft breweries out there like Dogfish Head, Stone, and Victory.

But, here's the good news. Across the board, Abita makes pleasant, if mild, tasting beers that all have a smooth signature finish that I can really appreciate. Maybe it's the fact that they use natural "artesian" spring water in their brewing process. Whatever the reason, I like.

More good news? Lately, the brew masters over at Abita have shown some interest in experimenting with new styles that are more complex and flavorful than the ones of years past. The company recently introduced two such "big" beers to the market--Abbey Ale (a Belgian-style Dubbel) and Andygator (a Helles Dopplebock)--both of which are really good. Though the they weren't available on the sampling menu that Ariel and I ordered from at the Abita Brew Pub, we did have each of these new comers over dinner in the Garden District one night.

Without furher adieu, here's a list of the beers we sampled at the Abita Brew Pub, and what I thought of them.

Abita Light (4.0% ABV, 10 IBU)

Nothing special. Your standard lager, but with a pleasant, non-metallic finish.

Purple Haze (4.2% ABV, 13 IBU)

American-style wheat beer with slight raspberry flavor. Probably one of Abita's best known beers, but I really would rather not drink it, if I had the choice. As a general rule, I like to keep fruit out of my beer, with the excetion of Dogfish's Rasion d'Etre, which incorporates raisins in the brewing process and is just awesome.

Abita Amber (4.5% ABV, 17 IBU)

A Munich-style lager with a little more body than the Abita Light. It also has a slight malty, and caramely-flavor. One of my favorites of the lot. This would make a good session beer on a crisp Fall or Spring afternoon. Perhaps this is why the Amber is Abita's strongest seller in the U.S. Just goes to show that if you make a tasty beer that doesn't "dumb down" beer drinkers, folks will buy it. Maybe Coors and Anheuser-Busch should take note.

Abita Golden (4.2% ABV, 11 ABU)

An unassuming "continental" lager. As the folks at Abita like to say, "Abita Golden goes well with just about anything." Maybe that's part of the problem. I like my beers to have a little more character, and to bring out some of the flavors in whatever I'm eating rather than just serving as a palette-cleanser.

Abita Turbodog (5.6% ABV, 28 IBU)

Finally, five beers into our tasting, we got a beer that has some of that characteristic hoppiness and bitterness that I love in brown ales and IPAs. In fact, Turbodog is a dark brown ale brewed with Willamette hops and a combination of pale, crystal and chocolate malts, which give it bitter-sweet chocolate and toffee notes. Good stuff.

Abita Red Ale (5.2% ABV, 30 IBU)

Not a big fan. I have to say, I don't usually like red ales. They have a really cool rusty color, but I find that their taste falls short of the mark. Maybe it's just that I like bitterness with my malty-ness, and not either/or (red ales are relatively bitter, as you can tell from the high IBU rating this one has, but not especially malty).

Moylans and Bells: Next week at the Brick Store

Via DecaturMetro, Moylan's is coming to the Brick Store May 22nd (and remember, Bell's arrives TOMORROW, Monday the 18th, at 5:00PM (opening a cask of Hopslam then - not expected to last long.) Unfortunately, I'll be out of town when it's tapped, but I hope someone can let me know how it tastes.

Yet Another Thing To Celebrate

So: we've been promoting our party as a time to celebrate beer and Vargo's graduation from his Master's programs. But I have just learned (thanks to perusing the now-not-worthless "Decatur Focus") that we have another graduation milestone to celebrate at our party. This graduation was earned through the long, hard hours put in by one of our members at some rigorous program called "Decatur 101", and involved such things as looking at the Rec center, walking on the square, and showing up less than half the time. See if you can pick out what I think might be our representative of the Dirty South in the midst of otherwise upstanding citizens, his head poking out to the left of the word "teen": 

DIRTY SOUTH: slowly working our way into the halls of power.

Beer Club at One: A Reflection

Our beloved Dirty South Beer Club will soon be celebrating its one year anniversary. Actually, I have no clue when that anniversary is, and it may be that we already celebrated it. But it’s been a joyous year for us, for sure.

Yeah, sure, we’ve gone through the usual growing pains in trying to manage the wild excitement about our club (see a recent conversation on beer club guest policy), but we’ve come out of it stronger. And though we still don’t really have a formal rating system, we’re getting there and moving to a 1-5 pint system instead of our thumbs up/thumbs down policy. We have set monthly meetings (third Thursdays) with hosts and a monthly theme. Meetings are generally accompanied by delicious and sometimes beer inspired food (see: Chocolate Stout Cake—divine). We have a very active e-mail listserv and blog. And now a facebook group.

Katy's Beer Club Highlights
1. At number one, I have to pub the Unforgettable Teach’s Chocolate Stout. Sits in my mind (and the minds’ of others) as possibly the worst beer on the planet. I include the pilsners, which I really hate (in spite of Brennan’s post). :)
2. The Mountain Beers North Georgia Getaway: Yes, we escaped to the mountains to drink and rate beer. And yes, it was amazing.
3. Pairings: a Valentine’s Day beer club. This was one of my favorite beer clubs, hosted at Christout’s. We had some funky cheeses, homemade pretzels, chocolate, ice cream, you name it, stunningly paired with beers.

But there’s more in store for this beer club. Here’s what’s up(coming):

1. A guest lecturer from the Creative Loafing beer reviewer (my attempts to get the beer purchaser from Cook’s Warehouse massively failed)
2. DSBC Info session slash graduation party. That’s right…we’ll be doing an info session for all y’all out there interested in beer club. More on that one soon (or contact your local DSBC representative for info if we never get around to posting it).
3. Cans & camping: an event to be held at a farm in the summer featuring the finest beers available in cans.

Lots more is in the pipeline, but still in the idea phase: a trip to Asheville, a beer club festival attended en masse, and a world takeover. I am trying to nix the Viet Cong / Tet Offensive beer club night but it may just squeak on trhough.

DSBC has been an amazing journey for us all, I’m sure. And not just because we’ve sampled tens (hundreds?!) of good beers. We’ve made amazing friends of our fellow beer club members, and imagined to expand our beer palates beyond what I thought possible.

So there’s more where that came from. Ya heard?!

Beer Map

This map shows the number of medals awarded since 1987 at the Great American Beer Festival. Georgia is not in the top ten or the bottom 10. Of course, they don't have too many breweries but I would say that Sweetwater and Terrapin put out some pretty good beers. Terrapin particularly is showing creativity in their brewing.

It also shows some of the top breweries and beers. There are some odd entries, especially in the beers list. O'Douls has a beer on there and St. Ides Malt Liquor is up there as well. I think they may dominate a particular category without much competition.


Where I found this

More on the map

I Mean, Is He Even Over 21?

Hold on to your asses... Kid Rock is releasing his new beer around Labor Day. Take a look:

“It’s going to be called ‘Bad Ass Beer,’ '' Rock boasted to Rolling Stone magazine recently from his suburban Detroit studio...“It just tastes like good American light beer…an everyday beer,” he raves, extolling the fact that his brew will be an all-American endeavor, right down to the hops. “It’s creating jobs in Michigan at the brewing company. We know people are hurting here so we’re trying to take that whole approach.” 

But what's going to be the best (far, far better than the beer, I am guessing), is the ad campaign:

“There’s one [ad] where it looks like the Budweiser horses, and they’re all up in the air, just freaked out, like they went haywire, and whatever they ride on is smashed up, and it just has my beer sitting in the front. It says, ‘Bad Ass. And ‘…and the horses they rode in on,’ ” Rock tells the rock mag. 

Maybe he has something like this in mind. Or maybe not. Lest you get discouraged that this is only a marketing ploy, Kid (or when you just use one name for him do you say "Rock," since kid is a descriptor?) reassures us it's all about taste:

But for Rock, it all boils down to flavor: “It’s good, and there’s no aftertaste,” which sounds like as good a tagline as any -- definitely better than meaningless marketing boasts such as "triple-hops brewed" or "beachwood aged."

Yes, folks, the LA Times thinks that "there's no aftertaste" sounds better than "hoppy" or "cask aged". This is why Kid Rock's beer will probably sell more cases in the first weekend than Stone ever has. Oh, and while we're on the subject of brews meant to "mean" something, like being a bad-ass, or whatever, can you believe this? I do love that they chose a Baltic Porter. Nothing says free-market like beers from socialist climes.

Hell's Bells

It's about time: Bell's Brewery, supposedly one of the best craft breweries in the States, is breaking into the Georgia market via the Brick Store. Here's the scoop, from DecaturBeer:

Bell's Brewery comes a ringin' to Decatur next week! Brick Store Pub will be tapping a super limited cask of HopSlam and a keg of Special Double Cream Stout on Monday May 18 around 5pm.

HopSlam, which is released yearly in January/February, gets an A score on BeerAdvocate with over 1200 reviews. I am really looking forward to the cask version of this bad boy. At this time, Brick Store Dave ain't too sure what they will carry full time from Bell's, but I'll keep you posted.

I look forward to it! I won't be in the state on the 18th or I would be there. It's too bad I got some Bell's for my 'can't get in Georgia' brews. Thankfully, I got the imperial stout, which won't be in state for a while.

Innis & Gunn: Love at First Sip

My recent side trip to London yielded my first positive beer drinking experience. Another local pub—this time only with one brand of beer on tap. My luck though, Samuel Smith! I skipped the Alpine lager and English Bitter, and went straight for the Extra Stout. Smooth and delicious (the quintessential “soy sauce beer”), a real treat and perfect as a half pint to accompany a great conversation with long-time family friends.

Come Sunday I was able to check out yet another pub, this time with cousins-in-law in Notting Hill (no Hugh Grant though). Believe it or not, no English beers on tap. Still, I held onto a glimmer of hope: a bottle that sounded tempting in the fridge and apparently even (sort of) local. Gimme that one!

A ha! The beer was poured a rich amber color. The taste was divine and truly love at first sip. This beer was something truly unique: a Scottish oak-aged beer called Innis & Gunn. Frankly, I’m not surprised it reads “Supreme Champion 2004—International Competition” on the bottle (though it’s not quite clear which international competition they are referencing). Perrine, my cousin-in-law’s wife, quite liked the beer, but her husband Jeffrey made a sour face and said it tasted like a chardonnay. I disagreed, and dare say it’s the first English beer I’ve had with real character.

Nice one, Brits!

Colbeert Nation

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
American Craft Beer Week
colbertnation.com
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In honor of Colbert honoring Congress' honoring of American craft brewers, I say we brew a beer called "The Stephen T. 'Colbeert-Me That Beer' All-American Extra Bitter Pale White Hoppy-ing Mad Teabagger Ale", and that it should be flavored with Bald Eagle feathers and Glenn Beck's tears.

In a related note, I'd like to serve it in this glass, so you could enjoy the flavor while keeping the beer-bottle shape in plain view, just to make sure you're not getting all elitist.

Just another week... in the life of a beer taster

Monday - Day trip to Sweet Grass Dairy (artisan cheese maker ad 1st in GA) with the Georgia Restaurant Association: aka - day of eating fabulous food on the farm, drinking with Atlanta's top chefs, and watching a little chevre goat cheese, and Green Hill (my fave Sweet Grass cheese) in the making. Starting at lunch we cracked open some bottles of wine and tapped the pony keg of Atlanta Brewing Company's Ale. Have had ABC brew a number of times, primarily at their Friday tasting, tour, and music at their brewery in downtown ATL, but here's the synopsis of that day's delights. The ale is light and hoppy. Not too much to write home about and neither is their Number's Ale, but I do enjoy their tasty brown ale. It's carmel flavor is not too heavy and hints of chocolate satisfy this "picky" beer drinker, as was commented about me by one chef. Seriously, these guys are going to chastise me for being choosey on my consumption and want for something that tastes good?

The food was phenomenal. My first tomatoes of the season, the pig skins ridiculous rich, salty, sweet flavor (raised on the dairy -they eat the whey by-product from the cheese making process) and it's confirmed that pork is def a gateway meat, and the highlight was a home grown chevre cheesecake with fresh strawberries on the side.

We stopped in their storefront to make some purchases. They had a nice selection of wines and beers as well, and I picked up a few interesting ones to try for future DSBC meetings. But on the 3.5 hour bus ride home we ran out of libations so I saved the day with my purchases and had the bus of chefs chanting "CDC, CDC, CDC" (my nickname for the day). Yikes, hope I don't loose my job. The Saison Dupont Farmhouse Ale is tangy, creamy, refreshing and moldy. Goes great withe the Green Hill cheese and probably a blue cheese, as well.

Tuesday - Impromptu beer club gathering for Cinco de Mayo at 5 Season's Westside opening party fundraiser for Georgia Organics. A little disappointment here, as far as beer clubs go. They still don't have their liquor license so were instead serving a keg of Sweetwater 420. I guess $5 for unlimited 420 and plentiful, unique, and delish apps at a great setting overlooking the city skyline on their rooftop bar was nothing to complain about, but we'll look forward to returning when we get to enjoy 5 Season's well-crafted originals. The food samples did give inklings of certainly good things to come from this joint. We head out a bit early to make a pit-stop on the way home at good old Brick Store. Brennan gave the hint that a new must try was on tap - the double wheat from a combo effort of Avenitus and Brooklyn Brewery. This beer was thumbs up - 10 for me. My favorite wheat ever. Creamy, just barely sweet, no fruit needed to cut into this wheat beer. This was a "dirty" beer, super cloudy, opaque, and unfiltered. The double wheatiness was like drinking the perfect fresh loaf of whole honey wheat bread with a touch of butter. Mmmmmmm.

Thursday - In Chicago I had my friends meet me up at Hop Leaf in Andersonville. This establishment has been there for 17 yrs, yet I had never been. Other beer clubbers, not even from Chi-town, told me about it. Completely embarrassed that I had never been, I made it my meeting spot for the one night in town to meet up with some college friends. GREAT selection. I really enjoyed the Two Brothers Dupage County Brewery's Cane and Ebel. Grimbergen Double was pretty decent for a Belguim, rich but smooth. A new brewery from a few blocks away was on tap - Dynamo Copper Lager from Metropolitan Brewery. They are new so I'll give a little leeway here, they can keep working at it ;) My friend had a Brasserie Lefebvre Barber that I was very impressed with. A lighter beer, great for summer drinkin, honey ale, hints of sweeteness, creamy, brewed with coriander gave a nice depth with hint of spice.
The winner of the night was the Verhaeghe Duchesse du Bourgogne.
One person at the table was the first to order, I tasted and kept taking sips, so decided I needed my own, then once everyone else tasted, they all needed their own , as well. This was a beautifully complex beer- Flemish red ale, oak barreled (aha, proof again I can like reds). Rich, rich, rich dark fruit and maple syrup, hint of spices - like a spiced fruit cake. This one's for good sippin. (Hop Leaf also had an inspiring, mouthwatering menu. My coconut curry, ginger, sweet potato, jalapeno mussels, and sister's Gruyere and Nueske ham sandwich were both top-notch gastro-pub grub)

Friday - On the way down South to Bloomington, IN, we stopped at Fair Oaks Dairy, one of the countries largest family owned dairies, anti-biotic and hormone free milk and cheeses. They grow their own feed, bottle on sight, and so basically quality control the whole process. Their ice cream was over the top creamy- literally like frozen, slightly sugared, pure cream.
That night I had Belle's Pale Wheat Ale Oberon from MI, which was on tap. Fine for light ale drinking, indeed pale in color and light on taste.

Saturday - Knowing my passion, my brother suggested we see their local liquor store known for having an extensive selection of beer and wine. Man, was he right. This beer aisle put ATL's Green's to shame. I'm serious. I was there forever, the fam, finally left waiting out in the car for me, as I pressed their less then knowledgeable staff to help me make the best possible selection. I was in straight-up analysis paralysis. I finally came to terms with a very expensive IN, 3 Floyds (of course) collaborative effort with Mikkelller from Denmark. I can't wait to try this oatwine, humorously named Oatgoop, at the next meeting, theme being "recent travels". My other pick was another DuPage County brew, since my other try that weekend had been a hit - selected their "dark wheat" - sounds interesting.
We also stopped at Blooingfoods, their town's grocery Co-op, so I could pick-up some local rhubarb. This tart vegetable doesn't grow in the South, so I desired some to bring back for strawberry rhubarb creations.
That night had a pint of the local Bloomington's Upland Brewery Wheat. This one needed it's slice of orange and could have used more.. or something, anything, not bad, but, blah.

Sunday - On the way back to Chicago we stopped at Oliver Winery. Packed for Mother's Day, we stuck around only long enough to try their award winning and original wine - a honey mead, and their passion fruit wine. Ma made enough purchases to fill a box, and I threw in some midwestern cheeses. (a morel and leek jack from Wisco, and a raw goat's milk cheddar from MI).

All in a week of eat, drink, and be merry. Fo shur.

In Da Pub

Greetings, Americans! I’ve been dispatched to England to represent the interests of Beer Club, local one (Decatur Chapter).

More specifically, I’ve been deployed to Oxford, a truly beautiful and lovely city, where pubs and students both abound. Here in the UK, they’ve really got the pub thing down. I went to truly a quintessential pub called Angels and Greyhounds on Thursday night. I was impressed: warm lighting, neighborhood feel, students playing Trivial Pursuit, and an 80 year old couple with a big white fluffy dog. On Friday I went to another pub called the Cape of Good Hope, also with a great feel to it.

But in spite of the terrific ambience at both locales, the beer quite literally fell flat. I introduced myself to the bartenders, telling them I was in a Beer Club and there to represent my country. They staggered behind the weight of my visit, and then let me try several beers on tap.

I drank a total of five beers and must have tried a total of 10 over the two nights in two “da pubs.” They was all “da nasty,” especially the English bitters. Upon tasting it, I shouted out “DISGUISTING!” The man who was drinking that beer to my left was mildly amused (or offended?). I’m sorry, but I’m used to the supportive nature of our beer club, where any and every thought is welcome, calmly stated or shouted.

My initial thoughts? English cask beer is nothing to write home about (don’t ask why I’m writing home). The many beers tasted flat and…pretty tasteless. I missed the big flavors and exciting tastes and strong hops of American beers. At one point I got desperate and ordered an English cider. Which also disappointed and, was nasty. I stopped after a few sips. What can I say? The Brits really don’t do beer like the Americans.

One note for any upcoming travelers: you order and pay at the bar; this is da rule at da pub!

PS: I’ve finally had a chance to catch up on our beer blog posts, and I must say they are hilarious (love the Ali G quote)!!! Cheers, mates!

Best Bar in the World?

In light of Ben and Katie's trip to Boston, I found this interesting: RateBeer has put out its 2009 ratings of the best bars, brewpubs, stores selling beer and restaurants serving beer in the world (as well as best beers in the world). (About the bars: what a weird concept, because how many people have even been to a handful of these? But I digress). They have the Brick Store Pub listed at #5, which is like saying they are B-team in comparison to BeerAdvocate's 2008 ranking, where the BSP was #2 (BA's 2009 list is forthcoming). What's worse is that the two American bars ahead of BSP are in Florida. I just mean, they probably love EPCOT.

So what do you all think of the rankings? Has anybody been to any others on the list? Ben just blogged about the Publick House. As for me, I'm ashamed to say I haven't made it to another on the list. Are they as good as they say? And I love the Brick Store, but is there anyone out there who thinks it's overrated? 

And now, for something completely different, beer haiku. My favorite:

My paddleboat’s speed
Is about two miles per hour.
Or two beers per mile.

Michael Pollan on Beer

Unfortunately, he only seems to use it to kill things.

Dispatches from Beer History

Here in the Dirty South, we are all about some learning. As for me, I passed my dissertation proposal yesterday (sounds like passing a kidney-stone or something - not a bad analogy) and am now in the land of ABD (all-but-dissertation). I'm taking some of this day off to do...well, more research. Just on beer. It's like I am writing a third-grade paper on beer, you know, the kind of paper where you would just look at the Encyclopedia Brittanica and re-word that crap. Here's what I've come up with:

THE ANCIENT WORLD

Check out this cylinder seal impression from Mesopotamia (a.k.a. Iraq); it dates from around 1800BCE. Cylinder seals like this were used as signatures; you would roll out your unique picture on clay tablets to show you agreed to what was in them. This dude here picked a sweet, sweet image: namely, he is on the left, drinking beer out of a straw with an enthroned goddess while a servant refills the beer jar. He's all like, "You want to know who I am? I'm the dude that gets to drink with the gods while you all just ask them for rain and lame stuff like that." By the way, everyone used straws back then to filter out all the nasty crap that would float around with the beer. And: no hops were used in beer yet. Basically, they would bake a loaf of bread with some honey and fruit, and then let it sit in a jar with some water. Mmm, sounds delicious. If you want to try some Anchor Steam Brewery created a recipe gathered from ancient poetry: namely, a four-millennia-old hymn to the goddess of beer, Ninkasi, and brewed it. So, besides being liquid bread and preserving well, beer served several social functions: it was used in religious rites, and, as in the modern world, it seems like beer got people totally in the mood (those links might be in the "too much information" category for some). 

THE MEDIEVAL WORLD

Monks are famous for making beer; but did you know that, from ancient times until well into the middle ages, all beer-brewers were women? It was only when it got to be big business that the monks stepped in. And then things got really weird: enter the beer witches.

So maybe the women-beer connection explains one of the most interesting figures of the medieval world (with her own Great Divide beer to boot). Check out her legends (from beer history):

Probably the best known Irish saint after Patrick is Saint Brigid (b. 457, d. 525). Known as "the Mary of the Gael," Brigid founded the monastery of Kildare and was known for spirituality, charity, and compassion. St. Brigid also was a generous, beer-loving woman. She worked in a leper colony which found itself without beer, "For when the lepers she nursed implored her for beer, and there was none to be had, she changed the water, which was used for the bath, into an excellent beer, by the sheer strength of her blessing and dealt it out to the thirsty in plenty." Brigid is said to have changed her dirty bathwater into beer so that visiting clerics would have something to drink. Obviously this trait would endear her to many a beer lover. 

Wow, she was way ahead of the curve on grey-water recycling (into beer, no less). But my favorite thing about Brigid? A sample of her poetry (I sure like her style):

I'd like to give a lake of beer to God. 
I'd love the Heavenly 
Host to be tippling there 
For all eternity...
I'd sit with the men, the women of God
There by the lake of beer
We'd be drinking good health forever
And every drop would be a prayer.

Now praying about getting tipsy in heaven? My kind of saint. By the way, maybe these people are her intellectual descendants. 

THE EARLY MODERN WORLD

Controversy Brews: IPA, as we all have heard, was made with lots of preservative-like hops in order to survive the long trek from Britain to India; but is this story actually just a myth? 

LATE TWENTIETH CENTURY

If there were a Guiness Book of Records entry for "Most prolific beer consumption in the history of the world," this dude would win hands-down. Check out the stories from Hulkster.

Alright, so I kind of slowed down there at the end. But I got to the point where I would have quit in third grade anyhow. Let's hope that programs for PhDs in Beer History will flourish everywhere.

Bean Town Brews

Quiz time: Where do the Beer Advocate "Bros" from?
Answer: Boston

Quiz Time: Where did the Lovehardsteins go last weekend?
Answer: Boston

Coincidence? You betcha.

As you might have guessed, I tried to take advantage of Boston's unique beer landscape. Thus, I hit up two of the best Boston beer bars. (Let me just say from the outset that my gold standard for bars is the Brick Store Pub - and not just because it is a couple blocks from my house.)

Night one: The Publick House - Brookline, MA
Ambiance: Eh...felt a little dingy and not in a cool dive-ish way
Beer: Solid. I tasted several, but only remember two - the Green Flash West Coast IPA was a great citrusy, crisp experience. I wasn't the biggest fan of the Angel's Share Brandy Barrel Aged Strong Ale. I might have been affected by companions' wrinkled noses and opinions (e.g. "tastes like robitussin!"), but it was too sticky, syrupy and sweet for me. Perhaps I should have tried it on its own rather than while moving back and forth with the Green Flash IPA.

Night two: Deep Ellum Bar - Allston, MA
Ambiance: Decent...liked the big open windows at the front of the place. Didn't really understand the texas longhorn skull over the bar, but whatevs.
Beer: Dope. My favorite was Port Brewing's (CA) Old Viscosity (what a cool name!). A rich full bodied experience that lingered on tongue for ages. Whew. I think I also had Port Brewing's Wipe Out IPA. It wasn't as memorable (obviously) - but I definitely enjoyed it.

I couldn't resist picking up a couple of beers at the store that we don't have down here in the dirty dirty. I sampled Mass' own Berkshire Brewing Company's Traditional Pale Ale, which kinda took me by surprise - but not necessarily in a bad way. It had a much bigger mouthfeel and "funky," sweet flavor than I am used to with Pale Ales. I think I'd like it more the second time around. I also picked up a bomber of Moyland's Brewery (CA) Moylander Double IPA, which, despite the ridiculously garish label was totally tasty. Not the most "balanced" beer - but hey, sometimes you just wanna get hoppy, right!? A puckerer for sure.

And that was Boston. Oh, and I helped my friend make vegan chocolate stout cupcakes which were delicious.

Beer and Taxes

I'm surprised that Brennan left out the recent news about Oregon's proposed beer tax of 1900%. (and the fans in Asheville go crazy) The state enjoys the second lowest beer tax in the Union (I talk that way since I have been down here in Dixie) and has not raised it in 32 years. If that sounds familiar, it's kind of like Georgia's gas tax policy. Oregon aims to keeps its citizens drinking and brewing, and Georgia wants its people driving and building roads.

The proponents of House Bill 2641 (pdf) say that this tax is aimed at assisting recovering addicts, but brewers say that pints could increase by as much as $1.50 and six packs by $2 to $4. The whole debate sounds very similar to that around tax increases on cigarettes, which I tend to agree with. While I would be upset about more expensive beer, it wouldn't really detour me from drinking it. Already I am more likely to buy a bomber or a six pack and drink a fine beer at home to save some cash and higher taxes would likely increase this behavior. Thus pubs might be the real losers. But if you want to attack the real addiction problems of the state, why not up the meth tax by like a million percent?

More coverage of the Beer Tax

Support for the Beer Tax

Stories on Oregon's Meth Problem

World Beer News Roundup

Ok, so the world economy is in the crapper, there's no end to the environmental devastation that we are unleashing every day, and just about everybody in every country is pissed off and willing to fight. But that's not the whole story: get ready for the Beer News Roundup.

1. There's a nationwide poll to see who is the best city for beer in America. Asheville, NC is currently tied with Portland, OR for first place. How is Atlanta doing, you may ask? Less than 1% of the vote so far. Perhaps it's cause they don't know the Drrty.

2. The Declaration of Independence isn't only for Whigs and other people wearing powdered wigs.

3. Depression? What depression? Coors asks itself.

4. Thank god I'm a Caps fan. Oops, offer is only valid in D.C.

5. Maybe I should polish up on the rules and etiquette of beer pong before I challenge anyone to a game of beer pong.

Alright, well, I guess beer news is no match for politics...but don't let that keep you uninformed.

National Homebrewing Day and National Craft Beer Week

Apparently they are both coming up soon. Should we celebrate accordingly?

Pils: The Forgotten Fruit of Craft Brewing?

During our Beer Club meeting in the mountains of North Georgia, Rupesh noticed that we never rated lighter beers, such as lagers, anywhere near as high as darker and more complex beers, like  India Pale Ales or Stouts. Some lagers, like baltic porters and dopplebocks such as Samichlaus, are definitely worth our while, but these are a really small percentage of lager sales in the US. Almost every lager sold over here is a Pilsner, and almost every one of those is a macrobrew. Which means they are, by and large, pretty tasteless, and that changes our perception of those lagers out there that aren't.

So anyway, Rupesh's insightful comment got me to thinking. I must admit, my palate tends to favor the dark roasted coffee and chocolate notes of an Oak Aged Yeti or the citrusy bitterness of a 90-minute IPA. And I realize that, even among the rich beers that I just mentioned, I picked an Imperial Stout and a Double IPA. I guess that I crave as much taste as possible crammed in there along with the hops, barley, and water when I drink a beer; and, if that's the case, most lagers, such as the now-ubiquitous American Pilsner, is going to taste like a warm bucket of spit in comparison. And that makes me think that I would only get spit laced with a tinge of metal, or something like that, if I were to pay a couple of bucks more for a premium Pilsner. And my suspicion becomes even stronger since now we know that most American Pilsners are made with rice or corn.  (Though that's not necessarily such a bad thing these days; just ask Rogue and that cute little owl-beer called Hitachino. But this isn't the sort of thing Coors is up to.)

However: this article from the New York Times made me think a bit differently about Pils. It starts with the author musing about all the bad lager poured at the ballparks throughout America - and he especially despises the $9 Pabst stand at the new Yankee Stadium (and I would agree, if only because of this book that describes Pabst's amazing but troubling marketing strategy. But damn, aren't they hip and cheap?) 

Four years ago, the NYTimes tasted the best Pilsners from around the world, but could only come up with four from American craft brewers that were worth trying. Why so few? One might think, at first, that the daunting prospect of attacking Coors, Miller, Bud and Busch face-on was what pushed craft brewers into Ales. But as Eric Asimov suggests (please, please let him be related to and thus look like this guy, mutton chops and turquoise bolo tie included), the longer and more difficult brewing process of lagers might have played a part in the craft brewer Ale obsession, since lagers need to be brewed at a much lower temperature. Buying lots of fridges and renting lots of space - and, by the way, doubling the fermentation time - doesn't sound appealing to any CFO of a fledgling company. 

Yet one other thing probably provided the tipping point: namely, the simple taste of Pilsners. It means that you can't screw up. You have to be dead-on; you can't just throw spices and lots of roasted malts into a brew and cover up any mistakes like you can with most ales. As Asimov writes: 

[A]les tend to offer a more complex array of flavors, which can sometimes hide a flaw or unintended note in a beer. Pilsners are stark and exposed, glorious in their lean, pared-down simplicity. They demand disciplined, precision brewing, which can be initially daunting.

So, that line of thought made me rethink being a lager-hater. I don't have to think Coors is awesome, but I do have to respect that brewers who make clean, crisp, drinkable Pilsners are doing something technically flawless. It's like appreciating the cook who makes perfect sunny-side up eggs. And I'm cool with that. As Ali G says: Respek.

By the way, Asimov was able to find 18 good American craft Pilsners for this year's taste-test. That's a big increase from only 4 a few years ago. As for the results: Victory Prima Pils came in first, followed by Kaiser Pils from Pennsylvania Brewing (never heard of them before). Maybe we could include some good Pils sometime soon and see if we can taste the flint, or something like that.

Or, we could do what most Americans do with their lagers.