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.