tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36634753122103524682024-03-14T07:55:56.880-07:00Brews Cluesa site for people who love beer.brews_clueshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743559201628821081noreply@blogger.comBlogger147125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3663475312210352468.post-82078003182452742562011-07-19T10:00:00.000-07:002011-07-19T10:00:00.960-07:00Beer Brats, Craft StyleBack in Los Angeles. It was a good month in the Far East, but I'm pretty happy to be back in SoCal for my favorite time of year: Summer. 2 fridges and a cellar full of delicious craft beers is quite a site to come home to, I wasn't even sure where to begin. My first brew back was a Dry Hopped St. Rogue Red and I wish I could say I liked it better, but it was still a nice re-entry into a world of brewing where they use copious amounts of hops and grain, rather than corn extract, yeast and water.<br />
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This weekend we were throwing a barbeque, and keeping with the tradition of beer dishes, I wanted to find a way of using beer in whatever we made. Since last December, I've had my eye on doing some beer brats, so it was a clear choice for the weekend. However, after quite a bit of research online I found very few sources that used anything beyond the crappiest beer in the fridge. On a side note, I did find a lot of recipes that instructed you to use one can of "ale or lager," as though those were specific styles you could find in the store. I found it pretty hilarious. These poor people are so uninformed about brew they don't even understand the basic types of beer. It'd be the same as if I suggested they cook vegetables or meat... leave's a lot of questions unanswered. <br />
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Anyway, after scouring the internet for the better part of a few hours, I found a handful (literally) of recipes that used something better than bud light. However, what I didn't expect to find in my research, was some excellent advice about how to cook beer brats from Wisconsin natives. Despite their lack of good beer knowledge, they had some excellent tips on the do's and don'ts of perfect beer brats. So using pieces of advice I gleamed from the beer brat veterans and ingredients from some of these recipes, I set out to make the perfect Craft Beer Brat.<br />
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In my case, I was making around 12 brats, so this recipe is large, but you could easily cut down the proportions. Credit to <a href="http://dethroner.com/2006/10/20/beer-friday-best-beer-brats-recipe/">Dethroner</a>, for much of the ingredients of this recipe, although I made my own variations based on some reading.<br />
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Ingredients:<br />
12 brats uncooked.<br />
- You can get the pre-cooked ones, but you're going to have a hard time imparting the beer flavor to them. Get the raw ones.<br />
1 - 2 Yellow Onions, cut into rings and halved.<br />
2 Tbs Butter<br />
1 Tbs Olive Oil<br />
2 Tsp sugar<br />
2-4 cups of beef broth or stock<br />
12 thick cut buns (the hot dog buns are a little too flimsy for this, get the thick ones)<br />
2 22 oz bottles of brown ale. (Brekle's Brown)<br />
- The beer of course took a lot of thinking. I decided to go with a brown because of their sweetness and toasted malt flavors. I've used a brown ale once before for cooking meat and had excellent results. Since I didn't want to spend a fortune on beer that was going to be cooked, I found a reasonably priced $5 Brekle's Brown from Anchor brewing.<br />
2 - 3 extra beers on hand, you could use almost anything, more browns, pale ales, even some pacificos. I chose Sierra Nevada's Kellerweis because it's also a little sweet.<br />
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Using a big pot, melt the butter and oil at medium-high heat, add the onions, and pinch or two of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are almost caramelized, about 15 - 20 minutes. The way to tell is if they're soft and just starting to turn brown. Towards the end of this cooking add your sugar. I used regular granulated white sugar, but brown would be good too.<br />
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Add your brats, beer, and enough beef broth to cover the the brats and then cook for about 30 - 45 minutes on medium heat. You don't want to boil the brats. Boiling will cause the skin on the brats to split which lets out all the flavor you've been cooking in. Instead keeping at a simmer, so you see little bubbles continually rise. Meanwhile your house will smell amazing as these babies cook.<br />
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After cooking them, transfer the brats with tongs to a grill. You should have the grill going at about medium to medium high heat. You can tell the ideal temperature for the grill by putting your hand about 2 inches above it. You should be able to hold your hand there for about 4 - 5 seconds. Score both sides of the brats to your liking, but probably about 3 - 5 minutes per side. Keep your beer and onions mixture on the stove and up the heat. It should start to thicken and you'll get some great glaze and beer onions.<br />
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When the brats are done, transfer them directly into a beer bath with the remaining beer, in my case the Kellerweis. This last second beer bath will add a little more beer flavor (so you may want to stick with your original beer choice), but also keeps them nice and moist, everyone hates those dried out disgusting hot dogs and sausages at bbqs. <br />
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Put the brats in buns and top with the beer glaze and onions and anything else you like. We offered people a hot pepper relish, sauerkraut, mustard and banana peppers.<br />
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They turned out fucking amazing. Try it out!brews_clueshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743559201628821081noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3663475312210352468.post-62942267117242234862011-07-05T07:32:00.001-07:002011-07-05T07:32:28.345-07:00Beer in China, Part 3, Homebrew<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD5y0_4pRvt3Yuh26NHPNaMWSq6X5vqLnkVK9dFfc-V0ImLN8HWf9ZL4197KK6_ysQqKZdg1Ij0q9p22sgBVCGpBe39oja4bMyQTnbqZVyhSRZdSLnSwSfVv39JV6jauaZeewIIu3bALo/s1600/IMAG0522-748346.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD5y0_4pRvt3Yuh26NHPNaMWSq6X5vqLnkVK9dFfc-V0ImLN8HWf9ZL4197KK6_ysQqKZdg1Ij0q9p22sgBVCGpBe39oja4bMyQTnbqZVyhSRZdSLnSwSfVv39JV6jauaZeewIIu3bALo/s320/IMAG0522-748346.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625876088942833474" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOBZ3ih8Sc1Qrfiqt6Aiy42FyQsEOocMaJBlx9jllc7sJ-MAtTMlClvwBrQQj1Y4-T-2D4GM3udWjM__ko6epS31wJoOG21NttQoda2moPIT6QOe3bZWEdara2iSH4pUDUvSc02nNXepg/s1600/IMAG0532-751204.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOBZ3ih8Sc1Qrfiqt6Aiy42FyQsEOocMaJBlx9jllc7sJ-MAtTMlClvwBrQQj1Y4-T-2D4GM3udWjM__ko6epS31wJoOG21NttQoda2moPIT6QOe3bZWEdara2iSH4pUDUvSc02nNXepg/s320/IMAG0532-751204.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625876096159452402" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9IKhyR01hQ6WyXWWg7OasgCGWlUinkT4yGdEyctty_lHXHEiFXHqzOt_C8-Iz06EBt2pnZD3hwFQjmneYG_L1EkFby3R2g2VhFNo8uWFgDMC0qLy5i9mAzGIr9Qlk0rbgekluOnOGPkU/s1600/IMAG0366-752884.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9IKhyR01hQ6WyXWWg7OasgCGWlUinkT4yGdEyctty_lHXHEiFXHqzOt_C8-Iz06EBt2pnZD3hwFQjmneYG_L1EkFby3R2g2VhFNo8uWFgDMC0qLy5i9mAzGIr9Qlk0rbgekluOnOGPkU/s320/IMAG0366-752884.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625876101182306082" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOgePglz4IZzfrAMCMGodzOm2C23mVvVrXVd_zkf4IQEjQur5OjYzGLHkrqymEytvAC9oaBBMqp_KY2aIJfOZbzAL3xwL0W8G4n-PuYxc9FNpMpxYk6Acz11NVe5JF8wjpFRjKSQ74lN0/s1600/IMAG0530-757003.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOgePglz4IZzfrAMCMGodzOm2C23mVvVrXVd_zkf4IQEjQur5OjYzGLHkrqymEytvAC9oaBBMqp_KY2aIJfOZbzAL3xwL0W8G4n-PuYxc9FNpMpxYk6Acz11NVe5JF8wjpFRjKSQ74lN0/s320/IMAG0530-757003.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625876118783771842" /></a></p><p>I find myself in South China, about 10 to 12 hours from the Vietnam border. We're walking down a well lit and touristy street simply called Xie Lue, or West st, in Yangshuo in the Guanxi Province. The reason we're wandering the banks of the Li river is in pursuit of a French Restaurant called Le Votre that supposedly brews its own beer. A French restaurant in China is definitely an odd concept, but I'm assuming that this close to Vietnam there was probably some overflow during the colonial era. However, that still doesn't explain why a French restaurant would be brewing it's own beer. The French have always been somewhat lukewarm to beer, never letting it surpass their infatuation with wine as the number one drink of choice. All of these are questions that I would normally expect to find answers to, but the one thing traveling in China has taught me is that there are often no logical or satisfactory answers to the anomolies you encounter.<br> We find the restaurant located midway down the street, it's a big establishment by Chinese restaurant standards with a large courtyard and steps leading up to the kitchen and more seating. There's a guy with a keyboard setting up at the top of the stairs and I can't decide if this is another one of young China's inane musical acts, or an homage to the synthesizer demo, which, after all, must be entering its 25th or 30th anniversary by now.<br> On the front of the menu it advertises two types of beers, available in two sizes. There's no descriptions of the beers, simply pictures, and I don't have the language skills to delve into the finer style details with a waiter in Chinese, and judging by the wait staff I'm not really expecting them to know anyway. But the pictures show light and dark and I'm quickly told that the light beer is not available tonight, making my choice relatively simple.<br> I suppose to an outsider this type of menu looks pretty cheesy, not the product of an expensive French restaurant. While I can't argue with the menu's resemblance to camembert or brie, such is the common design of menus in China. Menus are more akin to short novellas, complete with pictures and strange Freudian mispellings. One of the first restaurants we stopped at in Beijing had a menu that was 76 pages long!<br> So left with only one choice, I ordered the "dark" beer. It is, much as I expected, some basic variant on an export version of the Munich Dunkel. What I don't expect is the fact that it actually tastes homebrewed, true to the name! There's just enough roast and residual sweetness in the grain to give it some uniqueness before the flood of lagery water takes over. Still it's a nice change from the malt liquor and mass produced lagers that have been otherwise dominating my palate on this trip.<br> The lighter beer, while I'm unable to try it or get any description of it, I'm guessing is a blonde ale or more than likely since they have lagering capabilities, a Czech style pilsner. Questions such as their production process, ingredients, capacity, all had to be left in the giant chasm of misunderstanding that is the language barrier.<br> However, still an interesting discovery in the south of China. The journey continues...</p> brews_clueshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743559201628821081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3663475312210352468.post-27899046119084076442011-06-27T19:12:00.000-07:002011-06-27T19:13:11.123-07:00Beer in China part 2, Tibetan Barleywine<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8JA3TDLmMWf9fnlOx-UAZvnuR1LapgcyoPe0v68u73gIBk7sPFXH0GGqD5SAx55wuvPF0_tLI4MARHbCa-L0FZnEXgPFpcj85wCvc-F8DZes4hkyiecTHSVhgkZvJzq4JHVDj08qS_bs/s1600/IMAG0455-791124.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8JA3TDLmMWf9fnlOx-UAZvnuR1LapgcyoPe0v68u73gIBk7sPFXH0GGqD5SAx55wuvPF0_tLI4MARHbCa-L0FZnEXgPFpcj85wCvc-F8DZes4hkyiecTHSVhgkZvJzq4JHVDj08qS_bs/s320/IMAG0455-791124.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623087968463242690" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiMe64wPCpieStDJPuoPtAS5SaOUdqMHNgfSoDBwE0yAtSY4FCXudE-wTudikbTGhLAm0dAP3ZJOi1W6nEBHF5rnGYPrrFZqa4t6USpasmb8tqj_umH3O8zviF-xVdiaZ3nDOCDc5smEg/s1600/IMAG0468-792459.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiMe64wPCpieStDJPuoPtAS5SaOUdqMHNgfSoDBwE0yAtSY4FCXudE-wTudikbTGhLAm0dAP3ZJOi1W6nEBHF5rnGYPrrFZqa4t6USpasmb8tqj_umH3O8zviF-xVdiaZ3nDOCDc5smEg/s320/IMAG0468-792459.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623087974481843666" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioIR-Vo9797MbaXkiknDbT6xrrNKMDpgRwPVqrsSkQJ6cl1XSXieUp-8cbYV5eqyRb1uuC7e3-N2b03TJbUceAdetvZVWi7bjJ7CqzrkqT7LmgasscSJQ7Jls5VqBZbExh-QEP7eytyyk/s1600/IMAG0461-793543.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioIR-Vo9797MbaXkiknDbT6xrrNKMDpgRwPVqrsSkQJ6cl1XSXieUp-8cbYV5eqyRb1uuC7e3-N2b03TJbUceAdetvZVWi7bjJ7CqzrkqT7LmgasscSJQ7Jls5VqBZbExh-QEP7eytyyk/s320/IMAG0461-793543.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623087983353952594" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSn_Ziw3IOSJzz7BLU6j9q17EYMkT1sro4wkE8BtxilfgLcQTzlMlLO9FjUajbyRp4DgNXOVmd8J2MfTiLPRsIkXThkrN2remVBDTjrIaoaBzs5V2rOvUEHpZ0PijjNGnsRP-0fKNXo7Q/s1600/IMAG0466-795354.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSn_Ziw3IOSJzz7BLU6j9q17EYMkT1sro4wkE8BtxilfgLcQTzlMlLO9FjUajbyRp4DgNXOVmd8J2MfTiLPRsIkXThkrN2remVBDTjrIaoaBzs5V2rOvUEHpZ0PijjNGnsRP-0fKNXo7Q/s320/IMAG0466-795354.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623087986587870178" /></a></p><p>As our travel in China continues, we find ourselves much farther West than Beijing, in the fiery province of Sichuan. Megan and I came here largely for the famous spicy cuisine, but also because it sits at the base of the Himalayas and offers some amazing hikes and even more spectacular views. <br> Last week while pursuing some of those views, we found ourselves in Northern Sichuan, an area called Juizhaigou. The pronounciation on this name varies depending on who you ask, but "joe's-hi-go," seemed to be more or less correct. Its a stunning national park on par with our Yellowstone and Yosemite. The park consists of 9 lakes, all with crystal clear blue fresh water, making them completely transparent and breathtaking. Unfortunately, like many tourist attractions in China, the park is strictly controlled with paths and expensive one day passes and ridiculously overcrowded with Chinese tourists. However, the scenery is so stunning that it's still worth making the arduous trip up there.<br> Rather than staying at one of Juizhaigou's many overpriced hotels, we decided to stay with a small family that lived near the park. The villages in that area are all composed of native Tibetans and many of the women still wear a traditional dress. While staying with this Tibetan family, the grandmother showed me an area of the yard where she kept around 20 or so beehives. We had already tasted some of the honey with homeade bread and I was aware of how delicious fresh honey is, but this seemed like a tremendous amount of beehives for just a little honey and bread. It was then that the Grandmother showed me that she used it to make Barleywine. Amazing. It's unbelievable that I can travel halfway around the world, and bus out to the most remote Tibetan village in the mountains, and yet I still come across a new beer.<br> The Tibetan Barleywine, or Chiang in Tibetan, is a barleywine in name alone, and due to all the honey, is really much more like an Ethiopian T'ej. Due to the language barrier it was difficult to get all the information a hungry beer deprived mind like mine was looking for, but I was able to gleen a few things about the process. Barleywine is the most popular Tibetan alcoholic drink and is considered to have healing qualities. Before drinking, the Tibetans often dip the fourth finger of their right hand and flick three times to show respect for heaven, the earth, and ancestors.<br> Chiang is made from a barley base, which is washed, roasted, and then fermented along with the honey for anywhere from 3 to 12 months. It was difficult to find out what they used for yeast, but I read that it's usually yeast that's derived naturally from Tibetan wildflowers and medicinal plants. They said it's around 3% alcohol content, but it tasted closer to 5% when I tasted it. The flavor, as you might have guessed, was overwhelming sweet. Like T'ej, it had that sort of syrupy body bordering on boozy; it actually tasted a lot like an apple vodka. But all that being said, it was still fun to drink and was a nice alternative to the watered down mass produced lagers and malt liquors that were otherwise available.</p> brews_clueshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743559201628821081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3663475312210352468.post-48768823864603487662011-06-15T07:00:00.001-07:002011-06-15T07:00:43.306-07:00Beer in China, Tsingtao<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY6P0kPZrXQ_WvDTukZhjBAWNyonY_m_FbY681VZ5X3o3ur7e6fDeWNvMl9rWkBuqtgGMH_ssYFl8TTnwO0Fa-8y4Hjc3609FXmFCeiAykodDWPovAZqpNtR1azNF1vTa9kiZMIsRi8dE/s1600/IMAG0437-743307.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY6P0kPZrXQ_WvDTukZhjBAWNyonY_m_FbY681VZ5X3o3ur7e6fDeWNvMl9rWkBuqtgGMH_ssYFl8TTnwO0Fa-8y4Hjc3609FXmFCeiAykodDWPovAZqpNtR1azNF1vTa9kiZMIsRi8dE/s320/IMAG0437-743307.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618446199186953298" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghxIFlN3LFBv_70YEGI9QYXNdRiWKX3PAXX0Ql46nBdCw-xX00dPcMPAHW7W0GCaqEPJiQJs6gP2hWU-9uwMNdGF1-tGpkTc68tPpRfPp57_Q7VWdqBXydJZ0h2xxrZeWYck5HsCAs7Ts/s1600/IMAG0426-745393.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghxIFlN3LFBv_70YEGI9QYXNdRiWKX3PAXX0Ql46nBdCw-xX00dPcMPAHW7W0GCaqEPJiQJs6gP2hWU-9uwMNdGF1-tGpkTc68tPpRfPp57_Q7VWdqBXydJZ0h2xxrZeWYck5HsCAs7Ts/s320/IMAG0426-745393.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618446204775431394" /></a></p><p>For those that don't know, I'm currently traveling through China. In an effort to keep the unquenchable appetites of my readers fulfilled, I thought I'd try some mobile blogging.<br> So far while wandering around Beijing I've seen a few different mass industrial produced lagers. Most of them resemble the malt liquor I drank out of 40s in college, and a few seem to match that unmistakable essence of Milwaukee Best. However, when in China there is one name that dominates almost all beer, Tsintao, pronounced "chin-dao."<br> This staple of Chinese beer, widely available in the states, is something of a Budweiser of China, and in taste its not too far off the mark from that: watery malts, with no apparent hops presence, and massive carbonation. In pairing with all the rich and often spicy foods we've been eating, the beer is often too thin to stand up to such bold flavors. But even with all its faults, when served cold it does a remarkable job of cutting through the humidity and smog of the city.<br> Tsingtao comes from an area just Southeast of Beijing and nestled on the coast of the Yellow Sea called, Qingdao. The area was claimed by Germany in 1898, which helped to begin its beer production in 1903, and thus Tsingtao was born, making it one of the few active breweries in the world over 100 years old. After a brief ownership under the Japanese occupation, as Dai Nippon Brewery starting in 1914, they returned to their namesake under communist China in 1949. After that the beer flourished and is now owned by the giant InBev, I guess that explains the flavor similarities to Budweiser. </p> <p>While they started out with two styles: a light pilsner and dark munich, it's the pilsner that is found in most restaurants around the world. The taste as I mentioned isnt really worth writing about, but under Anheiser-Busch leadership they do remain consistent. Supposedly you can still get a version of their dark Munich if you go to the original brewery location in Qingdao, where the beers are served traditionally in bags rather than bottles. As of yet I have no plans to make it out there, but things may change as the trip continues.</p> brews_clueshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743559201628821081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3663475312210352468.post-12926141166509329472011-06-07T10:00:00.000-07:002011-06-07T10:00:03.875-07:00BrewDog and Mikkeller, Devine Rebel<style type="text/css">
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<div class="p1">The collaboration is all the rage these days. Hopefully, you've all at least had a chance to taste one of Stone's many beers from their collaboration series, which includes breweries like Ballast Point, Nogne O, BrewDog, Dogfishead, Victory, Jolly Pumpkin, and many other notable brewers. But it's not just brewers that collaborating these days. Some of you were probably lucky enough to check out the ColLAboration event at Tony's this past weekend. ColLaboration is a series of pop-up mobile craft beer gardens where true beer enthusiasts can gather and enjoy the best in brews under the warm California sun. It's led by some of the best beer bars in the city joining forces: Verdugo/Surly Goat, Blue Palms, 38 Degrees, and Tony's/Mohawk Bend. You can check out their page <a href="http://collaboration.la/">here</a>. So it seems only fitting that tonight I'm drinking one of craft beer's biggest collaborators and extreme beer makers, Mikkeller and BrewDog. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf1QfZKs1k1qx2B1XzHz1Bnj2Q497LtsUpOlP7CPxGC2BH9xRZsEg5l9F1hjpxTkZzYVxb5XxT55TkZGwnoJEk9vmXCsz2AExYumKWLg_9ueUFGEqBcNvVCvzAs_2SAcde0FJqXHIjXjQ/s1600/IMAG0350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf1QfZKs1k1qx2B1XzHz1Bnj2Q497LtsUpOlP7CPxGC2BH9xRZsEg5l9F1hjpxTkZzYVxb5XxT55TkZGwnoJEk9vmXCsz2AExYumKWLg_9ueUFGEqBcNvVCvzAs_2SAcde0FJqXHIjXjQ/s320/IMAG0350.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>For those that don't know, and there can't be many of you if you've even read my blog once, Mikkeller is a "gypsy brewer," originally hailing from Denmark with a love of American Style Ales. The self-titled term, "gypsy brewer," comes from his lack of a home brewery, relying on the kindness and collaboration of other breweries to make his beer. BrewDog is the Scottish brewery created by the young brewmeister rebels James Watt and Martin Dickie. They are known for their eccentric and high gravity beers, including the famous Sink the Bizmark and Nuclear Penguin, weighing in at over 40% abv. When these two get together, it only makes sense that they should chase after a style that is one of the grandest of all, the English Barleywine. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCgO9BYDV0Gi3Vv5GbX3iK2EXw02yZtBU-KKtUOVD4IELENHoiPCwVgaDE-ERg_zf4UWkHPhZkAqMXvL_exFkrosbQvf6n1YGWZBEb934BsiMFqTWD3PnNkWVjxamkF7ATq28_bM1PAME/s1600/IMAG0352.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCgO9BYDV0Gi3Vv5GbX3iK2EXw02yZtBU-KKtUOVD4IELENHoiPCwVgaDE-ERg_zf4UWkHPhZkAqMXvL_exFkrosbQvf6n1YGWZBEb934BsiMFqTWD3PnNkWVjxamkF7ATq28_bM1PAME/s320/IMAG0352.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>For the uninitiated, a barleywine is in fact a beer, not a wine. The term wine is applied because it has a similar alcohol content to wine and is one of the strongest beer styles. They tend to load up on every ingredient characterized by rich malt and fruit flavors and often bold hop bitterness. The color can range anywhere from amber to brown and the body is usually very thick. The only thing that separates the American Barleywine from the English is the use of hops. American Barleywines tend to use more high alpha acid hops than their British cousins. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_bSPpUgUP8MlR9SMwGclvBlSEIh8QMnBhZzsd0z8ZmgwOR8mi6aZCahtY2T62LuRgOIIlnYoIij4dsOCb8n7G9BP-WondRgrJFLBGWtrXq6Bzh_Zpj18G4Lp-j5bS11vc4K9yUKlfg6w/s1600/IMAG0351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_bSPpUgUP8MlR9SMwGclvBlSEIh8QMnBhZzsd0z8ZmgwOR8mi6aZCahtY2T62LuRgOIIlnYoIij4dsOCb8n7G9BP-WondRgrJFLBGWtrXq6Bzh_Zpj18G4Lp-j5bS11vc4K9yUKlfg6w/s320/IMAG0351.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>According to the bottle, this Devine Rebel is inspired by the experimental and rebellious nature of the two brewers who made it, using ale and champagne yeasts along with partially aging the beer in Speyside whiskey barrels. The color is a beautiful rich ruby with very little head. Aromas are of malts with sweet raisins and toffee. Despite having a failry boozy taste, it's still very drinkable. There's a very strong malt and rich raisin flavor with a roasted essence that wasn't apparent in the aroma, but is quite strong in flavor. True to the style, the hops are present, but certainly don't dominate. It's not overly carbonated, but has just enough from the champagne yeast to have a nice balance against the otherwise creamy mouthfeel. Unfortunately, I'm not tasting any of the whiskey barrels in this. Still an enjoyable drink though.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIooc-Q7w3THL1cj340YcrACZ_blGRaEth_zW9jLmhxBFdm6F_aqZY7TRqXI91PxGrxkiCbZhPcqc1_jNwdVX-ax_fRumwfmItYlazreme4AymQODlbW4te20ZGcjlVZK1ALK0dJtNj0I/s1600/IMAG0349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIooc-Q7w3THL1cj340YcrACZ_blGRaEth_zW9jLmhxBFdm6F_aqZY7TRqXI91PxGrxkiCbZhPcqc1_jNwdVX-ax_fRumwfmItYlazreme4AymQODlbW4te20ZGcjlVZK1ALK0dJtNj0I/s320/IMAG0349.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>Devine Rebel: ***1/2</div>brews_clueshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743559201628821081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3663475312210352468.post-73505086481271073422011-05-31T10:00:00.000-07:002011-05-31T10:00:06.653-07:00Grand Teton Trout Hop Black IPA<style type="text/css">
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<div class="p1">Last week I was speaking with a good friend who just finished a two week trek from Indiana to Oregon and one of the first things he tells me is what an amazing beer scene there is in… Idaho. For those of you trapped in the smoggy SoCal beer scene, the hip Bay Area beer scene, or the burgeoning Philadelphia and Maryland beer scenes, this may come as a bit of a shock. But if you've spent any time in Oregon, Washington, or had the fortunate opportunity to travel through the Gem State, you're probably well aware that there are some skilled artisan brewers starting to make a name for themselves in Idaho. And why not? Situated in the blue mountains, between Yellowstone and the Tetons in the East and the Blue Mountains in the West, Idaho has all the peaks, rivers, and valleys that really can't be called complete unless there's brewery not too far around the corner. <br />
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One of the leaders in Idaho brewing is Grand Teton Brewing. Grand Teton was originally started just over the border in Wilson, Wyoming by Charlie and Ernie Otto, two brothers who, like so many micro-brewers of the 80s, were inspired to explore their German and Austrian heritage. Twenty-three years later, they have a brewpub based out of Victor Idaho that houses a 30 barrel production line and 660 barrel fermenting tanks. Their signature brews include a pale, amber, ESB, pale golden, and a bavarian hefeweissen and are all made with glacier run off water, which is a nice touch. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW0A_biDHsvyYtUXzSuxxEZv1AjL9Z045oRb6vTPgmj9y6Ip3cKXja_zOMry0QhRor0dsAQVlkTMsAE13tI6M3WJTjjlC06T77BCKi-QBi1WkDRw3bhm43ec5pl498Epj4HDli5lGpz38/s1600/IMAG0343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW0A_biDHsvyYtUXzSuxxEZv1AjL9Z045oRb6vTPgmj9y6Ip3cKXja_zOMry0QhRor0dsAQVlkTMsAE13tI6M3WJTjjlC06T77BCKi-QBi1WkDRw3bhm43ec5pl498Epj4HDli5lGpz38/s320/IMAG0343.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>In the past six years, however, Teton has embarked on a Cellar Reserve series using specialized ingredients, bottle aging, and a longer production process, lasting anywhere from 3 to 8 months. The styles on these reserves run the gamit from imperial stouts and scotch ales to maibocks and farmhouse saisons. Megan bought me this bottle of their Black IPA last hannukah, and I've had it cellared... until now... The reserve bottles do look really nice and you can't help but feel like you're opening something special. It's a 1 pint 9.4 fl oz with the wider bottom and thick glass. The label is full glossy four color print with a custom local artists painting on it, but the material really picks up the light. Best of all, the bottle comes with a card hung around the neck that talks about the making of the beer and has a bottled on date. In my case it was July 30 2010. Since we're almost upon a year, it seems like the perfect time to open this bad boy. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqwGI_PsxVhPXWnMPHDcUKzzlcArUG4KYYb_bmPxaLQwIGQGttxLOd9SKEDImgqWmT67pggZ_WOalayFBlC59QYIyN10Nh8qHYoF5ij8-_VGBdT1KgndUN_b5WytsTTHn2gKOfz4tHQFM/s1600/IMAG0344.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqwGI_PsxVhPXWnMPHDcUKzzlcArUG4KYYb_bmPxaLQwIGQGttxLOd9SKEDImgqWmT67pggZ_WOalayFBlC59QYIyN10Nh8qHYoF5ij8-_VGBdT1KgndUN_b5WytsTTHn2gKOfz4tHQFM/s320/IMAG0344.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>I was a little disappointed to see that they called the style listed as "Black IPA," rather than Cascadian Dark Ale, which I guess just isn't catching on. Oh well, at least it's better than BJCP's atrocious moniker, "American-style India Black Ale." Blasphemy! Can you imagine walking into a bar and asking, "yes, I'm wondering what good American-style India Black Ales you have on tap?" They'd ask you to leave or perhaps offer you a straw with your beer. Anyway, enough venting, let's drink this. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRQeBxhyyeLP05mSYfJ6FVpVNqMVv29xmaRxJaWC9ws1b_S-7F7AvNaSWDvvqw5bqZHCl2G7eeAFolbmLvDGECxU-9dYx969BtVgW9CZtNMXpvKYohR9NNm-bRXwCY5tM-S3i_Vdp4_Q4/s1600/IMAG0345.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRQeBxhyyeLP05mSYfJ6FVpVNqMVv29xmaRxJaWC9ws1b_S-7F7AvNaSWDvvqw5bqZHCl2G7eeAFolbmLvDGECxU-9dYx969BtVgW9CZtNMXpvKYohR9NNm-bRXwCY5tM-S3i_Vdp4_Q4/s320/IMAG0345.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>The color is brown with a fairly sturdy head. Aromas are lightly sweet with a hint of chocolate and a backbone of sweet fruit. Minus the chocolate, it actually smells a lot like Titan IPA by Great Divide with that sort of saccharine powered sugar aroma. As I really get my nose in there I'm getting a little more cocoa than before. This is far and away the most unique Black IPA I've tasted to date. The body is definitely heavier than most Black IPAs I've had, which is a good thing, especially when you consider they've been able to preserve the strong chocolate and coffee flavors without getting that chalky mouthfeel that often comes with poorly made Black IPAs. What's missing though is that overbearing Northwest hop kick. The hops are tightly woven into the chocolate malts and never really separate themselves in a final bitter blast that you'd expect from the style. But the bitterness is undeniably present and it's piney essence creeps up ever so slowly until you're left with a very rich and dark bitterness in the aftertaste when you purse your lips. Otherwise the beer is just an amazing mixture of cocoa and coffee with a hint of smoke that is just a joy to drink. Even though this departs from the style as I know it, I'm still going to give it 4 stars. The style is relatively new and I think a fair amount of interpretation should be allowed. What's more, the drinkability on this beer is just off the charts.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu_g2T-UnKDzA6WkNZoiwaHb2dC9363Vks2JBYApYkqL91GJqrSLUQihClbWBEidIn7s_Pal4VrpQ4EMIWnwiNE6vC4fsfG265zXAQgELXhOaRvgBRzIfQMJj4seWWXrQ39z1jNeWQUh0/s1600/IMAG0346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu_g2T-UnKDzA6WkNZoiwaHb2dC9363Vks2JBYApYkqL91GJqrSLUQihClbWBEidIn7s_Pal4VrpQ4EMIWnwiNE6vC4fsfG265zXAQgELXhOaRvgBRzIfQMJj4seWWXrQ39z1jNeWQUh0/s320/IMAG0346.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>If you're interested in trying one of Grand Teton's brews, you can check out their distribution <a href="http://www.grandtetonbrewing.com/Distributors.html">here</a>.</div><div class="p1"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimaG9zS4QP5B1t6be3aJvB75YquSwYa1L7A1ZlPrNMcsLXKksGYITFZEACKvnGiiBo6D5ktdWuwUQ8JUQc0cJxslSJVBQ0FyzNFLZSRFArmouckaKnkfwepuLKedN5vCYu7_0RwS-prjk/s1600/IMAG0347.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimaG9zS4QP5B1t6be3aJvB75YquSwYa1L7A1ZlPrNMcsLXKksGYITFZEACKvnGiiBo6D5ktdWuwUQ8JUQc0cJxslSJVBQ0FyzNFLZSRFArmouckaKnkfwepuLKedN5vCYu7_0RwS-prjk/s320/IMAG0347.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
</div><div class="p1">Trout Hop Black IPA: ****</div>brews_clueshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743559201628821081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3663475312210352468.post-7220122350967873722011-05-24T10:00:00.000-07:002011-05-24T10:00:00.221-07:00Simmzy's<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">There are a few of us beer drinkers who still have hopes of trying to stay in good shape, while at the same time spending our free time and spare money consuming massive quantities of high abv beer and otherwise drinking in a manner that would suggest the complete opposite. I am one of those confused and naive patrons that still clings to that hope of health and beer, and while the results sometimes vary, I've managed to find a good balance. I've never been a fan of drinking low cal beers or low gravity beers in order to stay in shape; the beer world is too </span>delicious<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> and vast for that. Instead, I just say work off what you drink. So this weekend Megan and I cycled a roundtrip 25 miles from Santa Monica to Manhattan Beach and back in order to sample one of my new favorite beer bars in the Southland: Simmzy's.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I had been hearing about Simmzy's for some time on the weekly Beer Blast, where their excellent selection and beer pairing dinners had been touted. Sometimes it takes a while to make the short trip down to the South Bay, but we decided this was the weekend to do it. After getting some air in the tires and filling up our camelpak, we set out on our ride. Cutting through the side streets and back alleys of Santa Monica and Venice wasn't too tough and was actually a pretty enjoyable ride. Once you get to the Marina, you can pick up the bike trail, which leads you all the way there. It's actually amazing simple and I imagine even the directionless among you couldn't mess this one up. I did pretty well on the ride there, I was in decent enough shape to not get tired, but man my butt sure was sore after an hour or so of sitting on a hard seat.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">When we got to Simmzy's it was jam packed, standing room only. What's more, there was a line of people sitting outside with drinks that extended around the corner. We put our names on the chalkboard, I ordered a Cismontane Blacks Dawn Stout and sat down to prepare for a long wait. I knew by the map's location that it was close to the beach, but I actually had never seen pictures of the joint and so I wasn't sure what to expect. Despite being half inside half outside with mostly patio seating, the giant open deck on the place makes it feel like you're on some sort of patio bar as sunlight seeps in through every direction. This was a welcome feature as I wasn't looking forward to sitting in a dark bar after riding there in the sun. The place is pretty small, hence the wait, but they pack it full of people making for a pretty lively environment.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv92gtb2so74sGobYiCs5Mky0XC727vXR7rXU5lcP5jyBkvrKhOHyWWIjMuAEc6OAwcw70kh9BdyxRhDv8MC5awBT2zTpH_IAcTc4hGuwXQqXodRBH9Xn0-B2FYwOHTvy5PQAy8UkgY0M/s1600/IMAG0335.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv92gtb2so74sGobYiCs5Mky0XC727vXR7rXU5lcP5jyBkvrKhOHyWWIjMuAEc6OAwcw70kh9BdyxRhDv8MC5awBT2zTpH_IAcTc4hGuwXQqXodRBH9Xn0-B2FYwOHTvy5PQAy8UkgY0M/s320/IMAG0335.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The wait ended up passing fairly painlessly and it gave me a chance to check out the crowd. I was a little shocked that most people were drinking sangria rather than beer, but the manager got them off the collective hook after explaining that they do a sangria special on Saturday afternoons. It was definitely a Manhattan Beach crowd, predominantly white with a mix of late 20-30 somethings having a beer after a surf sesh, and 40 something beach bums who still refuse to grow up. Glad to see their down with craft brew too.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKMfVTk_MOjV2tz3jU4_Od8ieG7zfbFLIiWaC0Pusgh06GKNEQ9a6qwJbR1Z_W4D3U6QmVttzLbMoOB8pwSEL7S9VFTEP1wsMcwTq66k5wYcSe8k5ALxbwGd6QVBMmk5p8PUDMkbHopfY/s1600/IMAG0336.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKMfVTk_MOjV2tz3jU4_Od8ieG7zfbFLIiWaC0Pusgh06GKNEQ9a6qwJbR1Z_W4D3U6QmVttzLbMoOB8pwSEL7S9VFTEP1wsMcwTq66k5wYcSe8k5ALxbwGd6QVBMmk5p8PUDMkbHopfY/s320/IMAG0336.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I don't know what it is about beer bars that so often inspires well designed or just cool interiors, but this was no exception. Wood counters with about 20 tables and 10 bar seats and 24 taps. It's a bit hard to read some of the names off the blackboard, but highlights would include: Avery Dugana, Port Mongo IPA, Blind Pig, and of course staples of the trade like Allagash White, Green Flash West Coast IPA, Primo Island Lager, and Stone IPA. Emphasis was predominantly on ales, in fact other than Primo and Scrimshaw, I didn't see any other lagers on the list. They also featured a Simmzy's Heff, which is brewed for them by Firestone, but I didn't order this, so can't tell you much more than that.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie1RNRXt4lP1LgTGdvYwEgsv6T2scZMMke66J4jHIQ2OSoxHKp7V5XlJpYR6VgnGSypimXiGZAUAqRxEPYZA0yDkOD67Rgw2vxSEYp__WUN-nrbiJVA2Uoz1sk2vni8axw-IBO9juLtRE/s1600/photo+%252813%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie1RNRXt4lP1LgTGdvYwEgsv6T2scZMMke66J4jHIQ2OSoxHKp7V5XlJpYR6VgnGSypimXiGZAUAqRxEPYZA0yDkOD67Rgw2vxSEYp__WUN-nrbiJVA2Uoz1sk2vni8axw-IBO9juLtRE/s320/photo+%252813%2529.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><br />
My second round was a Dugana and we accompanied that with a couple of burgers. The menu is fairly short, but focuses on quality over quality featuring mainly sandwiches and burgers with a few salads, tacos, and breakfast options. We of course went for the test drive on the burgers; after biking 12 miles to get there we weren't short on hunger. I appreciated their attention to local and organic sourcing, a tough aspiration for a bar located on the beach, but it's not lost on me. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYCpkI81vl6g7lCh4Pf8OYeZ_9tLqD1aNTNAs6Vay0xNnoysEbRo0wkirrAgSfG-wgqiGtUXhw0Kbk4s-OHT6S_9t_FzB2RCDLfftR0SL4v08pw5XL9wmBWQScvG1MYx5CFYtZQEQj-fQ/s1600/IMAG0338.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYCpkI81vl6g7lCh4Pf8OYeZ_9tLqD1aNTNAs6Vay0xNnoysEbRo0wkirrAgSfG-wgqiGtUXhw0Kbk4s-OHT6S_9t_FzB2RCDLfftR0SL4v08pw5XL9wmBWQScvG1MYx5CFYtZQEQj-fQ/s320/IMAG0338.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXyw-9O_jFLokA1TkAQphbM7IgtSKW58DDKCLadAu8Rd2ESBjbyCImuTFJB31jM0KknoeIN_zZuEanNpVnLdSkL5R-3brdbOpDrraoPdWUWaFphYk_VY7KwarKZTqHVmR-nLzu73Zo_v0/s1600/IMAG0339.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXyw-9O_jFLokA1TkAQphbM7IgtSKW58DDKCLadAu8Rd2ESBjbyCImuTFJB31jM0KknoeIN_zZuEanNpVnLdSkL5R-3brdbOpDrraoPdWUWaFphYk_VY7KwarKZTqHVmR-nLzu73Zo_v0/s320/IMAG0339.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We ordered a Simmzy's regular and added balsmaic roasted shitakes and fresno chili rings. Then we got there Bacon Bleu Deluxe which featured bleu cheese, candied bacon and frizzled shallots. As you can see here, both were incredible, although the bleu cheese was the clear winner. But definitely one of the better burgers I've had in a while, really great. We also got an order of fries, which were good although nothing to write home about.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiuWWa5eSxdt9CQFPNby1m0zrQV-Pn-sZPQLRniq-Bq1eVA-kjdDTVksIArkUIdUPBNNI1rAA7wt7RYj-kLYeJxIYAlD3_k-ogjpCdePQmoEX50BZW0Vw15_1jEVVYymBID0UNdX-TjOc/s1600/IMAG0340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiuWWa5eSxdt9CQFPNby1m0zrQV-Pn-sZPQLRniq-Bq1eVA-kjdDTVksIArkUIdUPBNNI1rAA7wt7RYj-kLYeJxIYAlD3_k-ogjpCdePQmoEX50BZW0Vw15_1jEVVYymBID0UNdX-TjOc/s320/IMAG0340.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUnfx3kZQJoGmEDC2HDfXtM9XsDg_6qgNI24ZN6p9d6NFGnB4EezXVTrLRu0lhc-Igf3PRbWOUlTeDnHB-NE8WBItC9gj3Fs0y7Jljgd2_2FOlzTr76ARNXLC7RQiOKaabJu2QrQBxo7s/s1600/photo+%252814%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUnfx3kZQJoGmEDC2HDfXtM9XsDg_6qgNI24ZN6p9d6NFGnB4EezXVTrLRu0lhc-Igf3PRbWOUlTeDnHB-NE8WBItC9gj3Fs0y7Jljgd2_2FOlzTr76ARNXLC7RQiOKaabJu2QrQBxo7s/s320/photo+%252814%2529.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>So after a nice two hour break of beers and burgers we headed back for a long ride. It was considerably harder on the way back after drinking and eating, but we still managed fine other than my butt being ridiculously sore.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW1N9m4PgH_xnE8zQtsgWmttz_Vb7vE-D3mrYreQ4MjuB_V-TbOESflI3tuHPQebMeAriFiCl157pLmIPql_VAZ1WYuzlG-fmLIQtPkLztSPyyr_tipd0FWHNI8C7K63fw2bPwXqD_T5o/s1600/photo+%252816%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW1N9m4PgH_xnE8zQtsgWmttz_Vb7vE-D3mrYreQ4MjuB_V-TbOESflI3tuHPQebMeAriFiCl157pLmIPql_VAZ1WYuzlG-fmLIQtPkLztSPyyr_tipd0FWHNI8C7K63fw2bPwXqD_T5o/s320/photo+%252816%2529.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>And that was the weekend trip. Pretty fun one and I highly recommend checking out Simmzy's and having a taste of their burger. It may be packed an weekend afternoons so I'm guessing weekday evenings may be a better shot. Be sure to check it out though. If you're interested in making a bike trip yourself, I've posted a rough, although not the exact route we took below.<br />
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Simmzy's is located at 229 Manhattan Beach Blvd. in Manhattan Beach</i></span></div><br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="350" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://www.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Unknown+road&daddr=Simmzy's,+Manhattan+Beach+Boulevard,+Manhattan+Beach,+CA&hl=en&geocode=FWwrBwIdcG_w-A%3BFUEMBQId8TTx-CE3c6Z65FCm_SnbcOmG7LPCgDGxPwtU3PidCQ&mra=dme&mrsp=0&sz=12&dirflg=b&sll=33.980948,-118.472443&sspn=0.174515,0.361176&ie=UTF8&ll=33.980948,-118.472443&spn=0.174515,0.361176&output=embed" width="425"></iframe><br />
<small><a href="http://www.google.com/maps?f=d&source=embed&saddr=Unknown+road&daddr=Simmzy's,+Manhattan+Beach+Boulevard,+Manhattan+Beach,+CA&hl=en&geocode=FWwrBwIdcG_w-A%3BFUEMBQId8TTx-CE3c6Z65FCm_SnbcOmG7LPCgDGxPwtU3PidCQ&mra=dme&mrsp=0&sz=12&dirflg=b&sll=33.980948,-118.472443&sspn=0.174515,0.361176&ie=UTF8&ll=33.980948,-118.472443&spn=0.174515,0.361176" style="color: blue; text-align: left;">View Larger Map</a></small>brews_clueshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743559201628821081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3663475312210352468.post-79513945512168252832011-05-17T10:00:00.000-07:002011-05-17T10:00:03.533-07:00The Lost Abbey, Red Poppy Ale<style type="text/css">
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<div class="p1"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sorry for the hiatus last week. Things are getting pretty busy as we prepare for our trip to China and I don't have my usual pipeline of blog entries already written. But since we had a week off I'm writing about a real gem this week, Lost Abbey's Red Poppy. For those that live in Southern California, Lost Abbey is a familiar name. Led by their virtuoso brewer, Tomme Arthur, Lost Abbey is owned by the same folks as Pizza Port, but takes a decidedly different direction with their brewing, favoring creative takes on styles like Biere de Gardes, American Wild Ales, American Imperial Stouts, Saisons, and many, many others. For the most part though, these aren't session beers, they're high abv, single bottle masterpieces, handcrafted with extreme attention to detail. I was lucky enough to find a bottle of their Oud Bruin, the Red Poppy, and snatched it up right away. But before I put this liquid gold in a glass, let's talk about the style. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7E1bYlsx5tOGPBkdvs8ZVX1B4UTab9b8d-EUQcFP_wgj1v5vJKiM7bB0_A5DDapFyVdpC1K3Vr4JUs6gy8YgJGW806MO1YAk3vsF4WcJXYbnTyeeU3dbH19s6QugfqVXo0VsUHZNG5iU/s1600/IMAG0328.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7E1bYlsx5tOGPBkdvs8ZVX1B4UTab9b8d-EUQcFP_wgj1v5vJKiM7bB0_A5DDapFyVdpC1K3Vr4JUs6gy8YgJGW806MO1YAk3vsF4WcJXYbnTyeeU3dbH19s6QugfqVXo0VsUHZNG5iU/s320/IMAG0328.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">Recently, I've introduced quite a few friends to the novel concept that beers can not only be bitter and/or sweet, but also sour. Usually, the discovery comes with disgust or amazement and some sort of statement like, "it tastes like vinegar!" Love it or hate it, the sour beer is definitely an unusual flavor. While they've existed for centuries in Europe, it's only in the past 10 years that American Craftbrewers have started to embrace this eccentricity in their beers. This souring flavor is caused by wild yeast strains such as Lactobacillus, Pediococcus, Acetobacteria, and the infamous Brettanomyces or "brett," which all leave powerful acidic notes behind when used in brewing. American beer drinkers are slowly starting to warm up to beer that has horse-blanketesque funk, and red vinegar tannons. The difficult part of describing these beers to new comers though, is when they say, "what's that sour beer called again?" The sour isn't a style in itself, really it's a flavor you could add to any beer, but there are a few different styles where sourness should be expected if not embraced. Roughly speaking, those styles are the Berliner-Weisse, Oud Bruin, Flanders Red, Lambic, Gueuze, and American Wild Ales. I'll try to make a point of writing a review about each one of these styles so you have some concrete examples, but for today I'm drinking an Oud Bruin. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The Oud Bruin, literally translates as "old brown," due to the aging process they go through, which can be up to a year, but they are also known as Sour Browns or the Flanders Brown. The style originates in the Flemmish area of Belgium known as Flanders. Over time, the sour beers of Flanders have been divided into two closely related, yet distinct cousins, and it's really impossible to talk about one without mentioning the other. The Flanders Red is a light bodied ale brewed more towards West Flanders, and is aged for over a year, often in oak barrels. Blending and aging lends some earthier flavors that help to balance the sharp acidity. But don't get me wrong, these beers are still extremely sour. The Rodenbach Brewery in Roeselare embodies the style. The East Flanders version is the aforementioned the Oud Bruin. While this ale maintains a similar red color, it has hints of brownish hues that bring its body much closer to medium. While they age often up to a year, they do not necessarily rely on oak barrels, and the browns are often described as having a "sweet and sour," flavor due to their mixture of acidity and sweet fruit flavors. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiH8IxE0MIUBMiTWafzrintZaVVsfVWRh1uy9VCNGQXaDwKl08uuYaq_90YM-2v7rn8zKcBjP7U0EFAO6L0-2lLkwhsgAdPVVDSa4QFTNVTRQ6sFV5DZ2xmvheL8GsqTmwgOC5RJgMWdQ/s1600/IMAG0332.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiH8IxE0MIUBMiTWafzrintZaVVsfVWRh1uy9VCNGQXaDwKl08uuYaq_90YM-2v7rn8zKcBjP7U0EFAO6L0-2lLkwhsgAdPVVDSa4QFTNVTRQ6sFV5DZ2xmvheL8GsqTmwgOC5RJgMWdQ/s320/IMAG0332.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">This particular brown is actually aged in oak and brewed with cherries. After popping the stubborn cork on this one, I'm met with very foamy dark brown beer. This brown is so dark I can only see the slightest hue of muddy red coming through when I hold it to the light. I can already smell the acidic aroma, with a slight hint of cherries and a backbone of plums. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXSmrsB7gHv8kVNxMSu6WnWTDBk0-gDaPe43cXO5y97EuFNZ2v_x_HNncsROhuEakYIVuUxNkGZ3aKWvyFwyMZ6HqIkWSsZzWnNGW8Z3u5-x1l3LQRpNq7sSUOMPEJBXLovOC8KxcBhqM/s1600/IMAG0330.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXSmrsB7gHv8kVNxMSu6WnWTDBk0-gDaPe43cXO5y97EuFNZ2v_x_HNncsROhuEakYIVuUxNkGZ3aKWvyFwyMZ6HqIkWSsZzWnNGW8Z3u5-x1l3LQRpNq7sSUOMPEJBXLovOC8KxcBhqM/s320/IMAG0330.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Drinking this beer is an absolute pleasure. Not only does its flavor match its aroma note for note, but it builds upon it with the back end, which brings on the brett, in othewords, barnyard funk. I know that a horse blanket doesn't sound mouthwatering, and if you were to distill it and drink it on its own, it probably would be awful. But mixed with the tart front end it makes for a wonderful contrast, introducing a rougher mouthfeel and spiciness. There's just the slightest hint of vanila and cinammon. The flavor isn't for everyone, but if you're interested in trying to learn about sour beers, the Oud Bruin should be at the top of your list and this beer on the top of that one. I got mine at the Wine House on Cotner, but Beverage Warehouse and Bevmo may also have it in stock.</div></div><div class="p1"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div><div class="p1"><div style="text-align: left;">Red Poppy Ale: *****</div></div><div class="p1"><div style="text-align: left;">Price paid: $14.99</div></div><div class="p1"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div>brews_clueshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743559201628821081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3663475312210352468.post-20199404107006851492011-05-03T10:00:00.000-07:002011-05-03T10:00:03.900-07:00Deschutes Jubel 2010<style type="text/css">
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<div class="p1">I originally bought this beer around a year and half ago and based on the "best after" suggestion on the label: 1/29/11, decided to age not one, but a few of them. After months of continuously pulling it out of my cellar only to remember the best after date and putting it back, I'm finally ready to open my first bottle of it. </div><div class="p1"><br />
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</div><div class="p1">Jubel 2010 is classified as an American Strong Ale and for those not familiar with the style, I'll define it a bit. An American Strong Ale isn't really a style per say, but a category encompassing very strong and generally dark beers, usually over 7.5%, but vague enough in nature to fall under any distinct style of beer. As such, BJCP (Beer Judge Certification Program) does not recognize American Strongs. You may find that some have similar qualities to Barleywines, Scotch Ales, and Old Ales, meaning big heavy bodies with strong malt flavors, but distinctly hopped with American style aroma hops, which gives the category it's name. It's not uncommon for them to be barrel aged as well. Since they can really run the gamut and are difficult to nail down, you can often drink one without even knowing. In fact, I'm guessing most of you in Southern California have sipped quite a few Stone Arrogant Bastards without ever realizing that it's a Strong Ale. </div><div class="p1"><br />
</div><div class="p1">The story behind this Strong Ale from Deschutes is an interesting one. 20 years ago or so, someone tried to steal a keg of their winter seasonal, Jubelale, but wasn't smart enough to realize that full kegs are heavy, and carrying them in the snow isn't fun. They found the keg burried in the snow, half frozen, and found that having frozen all the water off left for a super rich beer, a "Jubelale on steroids," as they called it. In tribute to this beer, they tried to recreate it in 2000, aging the beer in Oregon Pinot Noir barrels and again in 2010, giving the beer it's "Once a Decade," moniker. </div><div class="p1"><br />
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</div><div class="p1">It pours a deep brown embedded with red hues. Not much head here, but the retention is decent Aromas of bright berries, very much like a barleywine with maybe the slightest hint of cocoa lying underneath. Not nearly as hoppy as I was expecting. The flavors are barleywine like in the malts, sweet raisins and brown sugar. The back end ripples with a subtle combo of cocoa and hops, just enough bitter and sweet to leave you with a wonderful aftertaste. The body isn't as full as maybe you'd expect from such a dark beer. The presence of the heavy 10% alcohol is detectable, but not overwhelming and the beer maintains a fine line of drinkability.<br />
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The beer actually drinks much more like a red wine than a beer and there's just a hint of that pinot noir flavor. It reminds me a bit of a cross between Palo Santo and a barleywine, however, the flavors aren't nearly as ambitioius in their complexity. That's not to suggest they're bad, far from it. There is a starkness to the amount of flavors your palate detects in this beer that makes me think about the simplicity of beer itself. This strong ale succeeds by saying, "less is more,"and focusing all of its efforts on cultivating the richness of each of its flavors, few in number though they may be. I have to admit, as I'm getting deeper into this it's becoming a bit more boozy, but not at all taking away from the overall drinking experience. You may want to be here next time I open one of my other 3 bottles, because until 2020, they're going to be hard to find. <br />
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Jubel 2010: ****</div>brews_clueshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743559201628821081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3663475312210352468.post-52385596134426711052011-04-26T10:00:00.000-07:002011-04-26T10:00:04.855-07:00Steingarten LALooking for a new place to grab a brew on the Westside? I always am, and quite frankly the selection is limited. Oh don't get me wrong, I love me some Library Alehouse and Father's Office, but neither place is really great for watching a game, and we're right in the middle of NBA playoffs. The beer curve drops off considerably after those two. After a few bad experiences at Broadway Alehouse and West 4th and Jane, I think they're off my list, which means the nearest bar that serves craft is Tony's in the Marina.<br />
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So it was with that dilemma that I decided to venture a little farther west to the latest addition in LA's ever growing beer scene: Steingarten LA. I was able to swing by a couple of weeks ago for a Lakers Blazers game to see what they're up to. The German sounding beer bar keeps a fairly low profile, stashed away on the border of West Los Angeles and Culver City and is really more of a Belgian bar than the name might suggest.<br />
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Walking into the bar it was much bigger than I expected and what they lack in signage or website – it's a rather nondescript area on Pico – they certainly make up for with a gigantic space. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5OrrcNQJT8k/TbZSK2g4slI/AAAAAAAACXA/JEoEyhmBOOk/s1600/IMAG0270.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5OrrcNQJT8k/TbZSK2g4slI/AAAAAAAACXA/JEoEyhmBOOk/s320/IMAG0270.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On the far side of the restaurant are some great long German Beer Hall style tables. In addition to the roomy interior and high ceilings, there's a large retractable skylight above the tables that gives the bar a natural light feel that you can't beat. Ahh, no more wasting the days away drinking in the dark. You can see by the pictures, that decor is actually quite nice, they've obviously spent some money on the layout and decorating the place. I especially liked the non-desrcript taps.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There's also a small outdoor area with heat lamps.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qTEOV9EL1m4/TbZSWPrpP_I/AAAAAAAACXw/6CT606M6cAQ/s1600/IMAG0282.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qTEOV9EL1m4/TbZSWPrpP_I/AAAAAAAACXw/6CT606M6cAQ/s320/IMAG0282.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Guided under the tutelage of Dave Watrous, who has worked with Broadway Alehouse, the Woodshop Series, and Tony's, the beer selection is excellent. There are 20 taps, all of which rotate. The night we were there, some of the highlights were New Belgium's La Terroir, Firestone's Double Jack, Brasserie Dieu de Ciel's Rosee d'Hibiscus, Lost Abbey's Serpent's Stout, Port's Mongo, and many more; American, Belgian, German, Czech, and ahhh... what the hell, British brewing too, all represented here.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nqfzNXrxc5U/TbZW1mlb5VI/AAAAAAAACao/UQk6h4LPG28/s1600/IMG_1775.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nqfzNXrxc5U/TbZW1mlb5VI/AAAAAAAACao/UQk6h4LPG28/s320/IMG_1775.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Looking elsewhere off their menu of broad and diverse selection of rotating taps, Dave really loves bottle conditioned beers, so their bottle collection has a number of excellent selections. Here are some highlights, Russian River's Pliny the Elder and Supplication (which we could not resist ordering a bottle of), Mikkeller Rausch Geek Breakfast, Firestone Abacus, Cantillon de Rose Gambrinus and others.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YRH4-iZxWlU/TbZWoyOAWuI/AAAAAAAACZI/1CYstq1jsN4/s1600/IMG_1753.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YRH4-iZxWlU/TbZWoyOAWuI/AAAAAAAACZI/1CYstq1jsN4/s320/IMG_1753.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aQj6OIh_BXw/TbZSKct1EjI/AAAAAAAACW8/sTF10HbyCwQ/s1600/IMAG0269.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aQj6OIh_BXw/TbZSKct1EjI/AAAAAAAACW8/sTF10HbyCwQ/s320/IMAG0269.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In addition to their extensive beer collection, kept properly stored at appropriate temperatures in their beer cellar and fridge, they are doing mixed drinks. I'm not as knowledgeable about mixed drinks, but I am a fan. The charge is being led by Luke Wederbrook who is to spirits what Dave is to beer. Bartenders were mixing up some impressive concoctions, handing out samples, and the bar was littered with some of the most exotic bitters I've ever seen. On one of my subsequent visits I definitely plan on trying a special hopped up whiskey that I saw on the menu.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6IR-YAD3yTo/TbZSSnSsv6I/AAAAAAAACXE/ephKo_8fmXU/s1600/IMAG0271.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6IR-YAD3yTo/TbZSSnSsv6I/AAAAAAAACXE/ephKo_8fmXU/s320/IMAG0271.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7JiANxuiMOA/TbZWv2fjI1I/AAAAAAAACZ8/Q8uUrX76msU/s1600/IMG_1765.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7JiANxuiMOA/TbZWv2fjI1I/AAAAAAAACZ8/Q8uUrX76msU/s320/IMG_1765.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><br />
They've got a few brand new LCD TVs, which were perfect for sitting at the bar and watching the game. I wore the appropriate attire:<br />
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We weren't exceptionally hungry so we ordered a pretzel and a deer salami sandwich. The pretzel was pretty good, very soft, served hot with a sweet mustard. It could have used some big salt flakes, but otherwise we enjoyed it.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vUj5p67en64/TbZWh8rp4iI/AAAAAAAACYY/3HvHKkbLCuQ/s1600/IMG_1741.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vUj5p67en64/TbZWh8rp4iI/AAAAAAAACYY/3HvHKkbLCuQ/s320/IMG_1741.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The deer salami sandwich was a little harder to pick out from their exotic list of game meat sausages and sandwiches, but we ordered it upon recommendation. The salami itself was very good, however, the rest of the toppings didn't live up to the salami and overall it was sort of dry. They're highlighting their sausages though, so next time I plan on trying some of those.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-429PDQ55IKY/TbZWyIE1oyI/AAAAAAAACaM/gscmx8QAWWQ/s1600/IMG_1769.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-429PDQ55IKY/TbZWyIE1oyI/AAAAAAAACaM/gscmx8QAWWQ/s320/IMG_1769.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The place was sparsely crowded when we got there at around 7pm, but really hopping when we left around 10pm. The crowd was a mix of co-workers, groups of friends, and a few dates, mostly in the late 20s to mid 30s range. On the night, I drank a Double Jack, Serpent's Stout, and finished with one of my favorite Wild Ale's, Supplication. Megan had a La Terroir, Rosee d'Hibiscus, and split the Supplication with me.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Otherwise it was a great time and the Blazers even won, which was a nice button on the night. I'm actually glad it didn't turn out to be a traditional German Beer Hall. While I enjoy said places of Bavarian inebriation, I can't help but feel that with the westside Wurstkutche opening in the old Air Conditioning building this summer, we're reaching our tipping point in LA. Steingarten offers its own take on something between European bar and an American Gastropub that gives it a bit of distinct character. With excellent taps and room to stretch your legs it's a great place to get a beer that I'll be adding to my short Westside list. Dave has really made sure that the servers all have at least a rudimentary knowledge in beer, which means they can answer your questions and have taken the time to serve your beer properly. Best of all, Dave has a wealth of beer knowledge he can share with you. I'll be interested to see how the mixology goes for them. When I was there, it was a about 60/40 beer to mixed drinks and Dave said they're hoping to incorporate some cocktails with beer in them. Be sure to check it out!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Steingarten LA is located at 10543 W Pico Blvd in West Los Angeles.</i></div>brews_clueshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743559201628821081noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3663475312210352468.post-820066509099691632011-04-19T10:00:00.000-07:002011-04-19T10:00:06.766-07:00Victory Baltic Thunder<style type="text/css">
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<div class="p1">The Baltic Porter is an interesting style that you don't see too many of in your daily beer travels. Despite what the name suggests, the style originated in 18th Century England, but was named Baltic because they were mostly made for export to Russia. Countries along the Baltic coast such as Poland, Finland, Russia, Ukraine, and others enjoyed the beer so much that they took up their own production of it. That's why most Baltic Porters you'll find are from those regions or from American Craft Breweries who are interested in the style. <br />
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The interesting thing about this style though is that despite the porter name, it's actually a lager. The style should ideally have roasted malt flavors and aromas with a smooth mouthfeel. You might have a little bit of hop flavor depending on the brew, but ideally it should take a back seat in a major way to the heavy toasted malts. <br />
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The Victory version of this beer is a tribute to the Baltic God of Thunder and has a fair amount of head with a thin roasted chocolate aroma. The color is a very nice ruby brown. My first sip is immensely complex with loads of roasted grain flavor. <br />
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There's a lot of chocolate mixed with toasted grains laced with the most ever so slight hints of coffee. The alcohol content is on the higher side at 8.5%, but the beer remains immensely drinkable with a smooth mouthfeel conjuring flavors of cherries and dates supporting the bold toasted grains. There's just the slightest hint of a chalky mouthfeel towards the end of the sip that keeps this beer from being a five-star, but any flaws in the brew certainly wouldn't be due to flavor. <br />
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Because it's a lager it maintains a light body despite its bold flavors. This one is real pleasure to drink. Ideally, this would be great to pair with heavy barbeque, but tonight I'm just having some roast chicken. I'm curious if it could also hold up to some chocolate desserts? The malts are just rich and sweet enough that I think they might.</div><div class="p1"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtZEwo1-Z0CN_UVv_zajDm3nDoVajqt10_lmAWmA4xgiTVbML968QDkLFOo-E1TUiWsX60jgvDhFW96883P49wLeaP4V2a8lUGIy9R2GbS2tNoPPjQcinetEl1h4lyBBEYeAUTj6-JTZs/s1600/photo+%25287%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtZEwo1-Z0CN_UVv_zajDm3nDoVajqt10_lmAWmA4xgiTVbML968QDkLFOo-E1TUiWsX60jgvDhFW96883P49wLeaP4V2a8lUGIy9R2GbS2tNoPPjQcinetEl1h4lyBBEYeAUTj6-JTZs/s320/photo+%25287%2529.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><br />
</div><div class="p1">I picked up my bottle at the liquor store on Pico just east of 20th St in Santa Monica, but chances are BevMo or Beverage Warehouse will have this one. Definitely call to check first.</div><div class="p1"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpPt_vXPygHQ1pHdNr5tejCx0QvsebZ5UhwQdFRYKhTJAcXErN41RQsW0X7SuT4eBzd6jzTtpQO162qCN61rorfBgSZk8oSz8oamYdcquuQVtsYdw87OOqEKWyOwZkKc3IkYENmv58GxA/s1600/IMAG0286.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpPt_vXPygHQ1pHdNr5tejCx0QvsebZ5UhwQdFRYKhTJAcXErN41RQsW0X7SuT4eBzd6jzTtpQO162qCN61rorfBgSZk8oSz8oamYdcquuQVtsYdw87OOqEKWyOwZkKc3IkYENmv58GxA/s320/IMAG0286.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
</div><div class="p1">Baltic Thunder: ****</div>brews_clueshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743559201628821081noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3663475312210352468.post-27763224797315292612011-04-12T10:00:00.000-07:002011-04-12T10:00:06.987-07:00Estrella Damm Inedit<style type="text/css">
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<div class="p1">You don't often hear about beers from Spain. Spain, along with much of Southern Europe is far better known for its winemaking than its beer drinking. Historically, this stems from the Mediterranean region's warmer climates, which were more ideal for growing grapes than hops. However, we're starting to see some more experimental and hand craftd beers coming out of places like Italy and Spain, and we owe the historic winemaking countries at least the decency of drinking their beer. <br />
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The Witbier, or White Ale as it's also known, is a wheat beer with a cloudy appearance that first appeared around the eleventh century. Wit means white, which comes from the color and cloudy appearance of the beer. It was one of the first beer styles brewed with hops although ironically today most versions let hops take a back seat to flavors like orange and coriander. The style has enjoyed immense success in many countries and with multiple variations. There are different variations of light and dark witbiers, but most often you'll find them on the paler side like this one. In that case, what you're looking for is notes of orange and corriander with a creamy texture and maybe a slightly acidic finish. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU8m078V6KwNjwTBWeqPqMe4xQzGFbc2OTxHyKsgBwNJVu5EzeMILdf68yfkAFqdNk015yPbzlJ9RM3-HvrZTGCauVKpElynR4WWfEqdhP4tNFQ_2kL6-R8zEWWrKuOK3vVY47KRb-l2g/s1600/IMAG0232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU8m078V6KwNjwTBWeqPqMe4xQzGFbc2OTxHyKsgBwNJVu5EzeMILdf68yfkAFqdNk015yPbzlJ9RM3-HvrZTGCauVKpElynR4WWfEqdhP4tNFQ_2kL6-R8zEWWrKuOK3vVY47KRb-l2g/s320/IMAG0232.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>Having poured Senor Estrella here, I see it has a pale straw appearance with just a hint of cloudiness. Head retention is fairly decent, although I'm not seeing a lot of lacing at the moment. A lot of orange in the aroma mixed with some other spices, sort of a freshness to it. There's a slight funk going on here where it should be floral, hard to tell what it is; nothing as strong as a lambic, but there's something a little out of character. Not much carbonation, which would help to make it a bit creamier, however, otherwise the body is alright.. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisHZvs43e8X4U5aeY9vanNQXj9MGTg6hZOwUXWDX2fUMuIUDiG8ntdzwUuV_XgB0eVSP7PpXOWzHwVh-QPzEXXRFESQDNBAKMwKcVx__9jicweqbL_XghxPkOjImEjoKiHXDfHPxrY-cA/s1600/IMAG0234.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisHZvs43e8X4U5aeY9vanNQXj9MGTg6hZOwUXWDX2fUMuIUDiG8ntdzwUuV_XgB0eVSP7PpXOWzHwVh-QPzEXXRFESQDNBAKMwKcVx__9jicweqbL_XghxPkOjImEjoKiHXDfHPxrY-cA/s320/IMAG0234.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
Tonight I'm pairing this with some Thai food from Bangkok West, which is all wrong, but obviously I didn't have time to plan this one out. Ideal pairings would be something lighter that won't overpower the light body and flavors of this beer; think seafood like mussels and salmon, or chicken and game hen in the bird world.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVQ8_iJzkIMaVFUN9gf-bfptozrmCTnfiFoG7jRHA6BJF7ilPiTx7TJXc5fZIUXDrHddhLZDSxTjNH-vD8xSvS4elOwMEdtNckMJlsFbXF3ETl3mvXgTi_QHc2fKfD7ks_rreMF2TF_zU/s1600/IMAG0239.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVQ8_iJzkIMaVFUN9gf-bfptozrmCTnfiFoG7jRHA6BJF7ilPiTx7TJXc5fZIUXDrHddhLZDSxTjNH-vD8xSvS4elOwMEdtNckMJlsFbXF3ETl3mvXgTi_QHc2fKfD7ks_rreMF2TF_zU/s320/IMAG0239.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
While the flavors are all in the right place, there's something missing that should be bridging them a little better. The orange, while very strong, finishes a little watery letting the hop acids strike where there should be more a little more body and richness of flavor. This means the bitterness is abandoned a little bit naked and cold in the wind and what you're left with is a weak citrus flavor. Overall, this beer just doesn't pack enough of a punch to really leave a mark. However, if you're still interested in trying it I've seen it popping up all over town. You can find it's fancy starred bottle at Umami Burger, West 4th and Jane, BevMo, The Bazaar on La Cienaga, Santino's Tapas Wine bar on Lincoln, and the liquor store at Ocean Park and 28th.<br />
</div><div class="p1"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjag48f-yPOnB_FPpqlVaJ6FI4yL0QmsyE8Wtq7avrqtlH6X2JrMoT8Yu4DjetFbmzaNDTOQcn8hZjYpqoRf9f_ev7Bq56gQ30UiIioveROF370jHlGEhslfPSbipi2pPo7bPDqG2aMteQ/s1600/IMAG0236.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjag48f-yPOnB_FPpqlVaJ6FI4yL0QmsyE8Wtq7avrqtlH6X2JrMoT8Yu4DjetFbmzaNDTOQcn8hZjYpqoRf9f_ev7Bq56gQ30UiIioveROF370jHlGEhslfPSbipi2pPo7bPDqG2aMteQ/s320/IMAG0236.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
</div><div class="p1">Estrella Damm Inedit: **</div>brews_clueshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743559201628821081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3663475312210352468.post-43123896804674653892011-04-05T10:00:00.000-07:002011-04-05T10:00:02.091-07:00Back to School!This weekend I finally got a chance to check out Public School 612 in Downtown LA. Since LA is a big city and it's often hard to get around to different neighborhoods, I thought I'd share some pictures and experiences with you. Add this to your list of places to drink craft beer in Downtown.<br />
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In case you haven't heard about PS612, I suggest you read my <a href="http://www.publicschool612.com/">earlier post</a> about the concept bar from last month. The bar opened in early March and has been pretty packed since it opened. I went with a few friends on a quiet Sunday to sample some of the food and brews. <br />
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The ethos behind this gastropub, which shares an entrance and kitchen with the Daily Grill on 6th and Flower, is that they're giving you an education in food and beer; trying to elevate the experience and taste-buds of their customers. Hence the back to school theme.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgTTBd8spDZV8b8M8sodzY5S1YNRHbp2fdF_NR84atlHqGJx3CBN4V5GybOi-Ivaufa_O549GJvcCJ9ca4ENN3BDayuexH06-TqFP5grwStLb3VOHeMRMUz9IsFYaZkbF8hKQjw5ssDzI/s1600/IMAG0265.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgTTBd8spDZV8b8M8sodzY5S1YNRHbp2fdF_NR84atlHqGJx3CBN4V5GybOi-Ivaufa_O549GJvcCJ9ca4ENN3BDayuexH06-TqFP5grwStLb3VOHeMRMUz9IsFYaZkbF8hKQjw5ssDzI/s320/IMAG0265.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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The place looks really amazing and has the advantage of being completely new and remodeled. The money they put into making it feel like a singular place really shows: soft lighting, hardwood tables, and paisley wall paper. The bar is wide and is beautifully presented and best of all they've installed 2 dart boards in the back adding themselves to the short list of bars that serve good beer and have games. The crowd seemed like late 20s to late 30s and a mix of co-workers taking some time to blow off steam, a group of friends sharing a drink, and a double date or two. We were there pretty early on Sunday so it wasn't too crowded and the place felt very spacious, but it isn't hard to imagine it bustling with a late night crowd.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNU0DcLgEQq7L3b-qeiIQDJl2chOgIbMZ-soxFINOUoYZWuJKC6m3QHievcFa_A6KIiWWoAYAgZoX2amk4pNXVXnFO-vpPN-ibwyHwQ4G-cEglCcXwpirK73O5VEWdhyHYkfFsMZ_ULZU/s1600/IMAG0256.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNU0DcLgEQq7L3b-qeiIQDJl2chOgIbMZ-soxFINOUoYZWuJKC6m3QHievcFa_A6KIiWWoAYAgZoX2amk4pNXVXnFO-vpPN-ibwyHwQ4G-cEglCcXwpirK73O5VEWdhyHYkfFsMZ_ULZU/s320/IMAG0256.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbwNYZYDyRt4JrPXEZ3GOEaIoeL-v4efhHosjFA5NLUTaLMbZLVRgcrbdk73Y8DvE5ks0nomPKDnKH-HN8bXfVjIIuHzQr8k98LON3KbbosfAxlAFqJZ8P5gaLLbeD_iamFk8AXk9zE7g/s1600/IMAG0262.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbwNYZYDyRt4JrPXEZ3GOEaIoeL-v4efhHosjFA5NLUTaLMbZLVRgcrbdk73Y8DvE5ks0nomPKDnKH-HN8bXfVjIIuHzQr8k98LON3KbbosfAxlAFqJZ8P5gaLLbeD_iamFk8AXk9zE7g/s320/IMAG0262.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On to the beer... Sad to say they lost their impressive Peachy Folder menus that were presented to me at the concept dinner. They've been replaced by the old composition books with the black and white fronts. Not a bad substitute, but the Peachys would have been awesome. They're sporting about 20 taps with about one representation from every major style. I asked about rotations and the bartender said they're working on that. For now they have the resident taps listed below. These aren't super geek out rare beers, but they're standards and classics in each style and they far surpass what you'll find in the sports bars down the street. Beers like Racer 5, Black Butte Porter, Allagash White, Arrogant Bastard, 1903, Rasputin are all excellent gateway brews for beer geek novices to explore different styles and expand their knowledge of breweries. While I stuck to draughts this time, I was very interested to see that they had Orval, Curieux, Telegraph's Stock Porter, and Wipeout IPA in bottles.... next time.</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> A cheers to kick off the afternoon. I started with the Echt Kriekenbier, I was very happy to see it come in the proper glassware, looks like Hallie trained the staff pretty well.<br />
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You order at the bar and they bring out to you at your table, so it's a perfect place for ordering a bunch of small dishes and taking your time with them. First course was the Huevos al Diablor, or deviled eggs. Notice the jalapenos on top. These were great, I've always been a deviled egg fan.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Q0SCe8TgHM3O7MeNlYQKkSdc831GbCxSxjAfUwz-sB-B5SPpB5j-pPkLNp3Ug9QlQGw2h5q0YDnez_fnqDnyC0WRJ1h4P1onhcHAqnsc9wgS_WIj1HHQ1beEMtp2TqhuxGIkNBYRA3k/s1600/IMAG0250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Q0SCe8TgHM3O7MeNlYQKkSdc831GbCxSxjAfUwz-sB-B5SPpB5j-pPkLNp3Ug9QlQGw2h5q0YDnez_fnqDnyC0WRJ1h4P1onhcHAqnsc9wgS_WIj1HHQ1beEMtp2TqhuxGIkNBYRA3k/s320/IMAG0250.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Next up was the fried chicken. This was probably one of my favorite dishes. It was real pieces of chicken with a thin, but solid breaded crust, none of this amalgamated chicken with cereal on the outside nonsense. They came with great Siracha Ketchup and BBQ Mustard dipping sauces: subtle touches that set places apart from your run of the mill bars.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUdiDun82y4DCKmnwtnvaJCjWi4GvD5G8_vyh3WELEUPOfo5sfsxmEfcFZ6TX1yUApd_myCTNyxqyLtvCxMW8AJgQGzo4V4y2xzAJWBBL_Gy7H7NFYC5pFnENrtlSSBUYobTBe5xSwBFc/s1600/IMAG0252.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUdiDun82y4DCKmnwtnvaJCjWi4GvD5G8_vyh3WELEUPOfo5sfsxmEfcFZ6TX1yUApd_myCTNyxqyLtvCxMW8AJgQGzo4V4y2xzAJWBBL_Gy7H7NFYC5pFnENrtlSSBUYobTBe5xSwBFc/s320/IMAG0252.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
We then had the Short Ribs, cooked in Dragoon's Irish Stout. Some of the folks were only so-so about this one, but I really liked it and enjoyed the mashed potatoes which were drenched in a caramelized onion au jus. Behind that you can catch a glimpse of the Lamb Burger. Maybe I'm just not a lamb burger fan, but this one didn't really do it for me. The bread, arugula, and cheese were all well thought out, but perhaps I just prefer beef burgers. Lamb burger fans will probably rejoice though as it was cooked perfectly.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiluY-Jfiz4thIq0HtMQFxG8XeKArp2TPPnGOWftfHGT4lnko26UqGP15djCTNmD0Td4r4KIwTj3TLuUYCOlakIT6i8S9DB1I7WBGBgYdtA-1edRp7yduHZOzy_kmYE5uwH1gmB010TBJI/s1600/IMAG0253.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiluY-Jfiz4thIq0HtMQFxG8XeKArp2TPPnGOWftfHGT4lnko26UqGP15djCTNmD0Td4r4KIwTj3TLuUYCOlakIT6i8S9DB1I7WBGBgYdtA-1edRp7yduHZOzy_kmYE5uwH1gmB010TBJI/s320/IMAG0253.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
By this time I was ready for my second beer. It's been a while since I've had anything from Eagle Rock Brewery, so I tried their Solidarity, which is a English Dark Mild Ale. Very glad to see that PS612 is supporting the local breweries as well.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp-FX3iRqOi7jpFPxFByWM2eyvaulOUmK0YcVs_63pcXIsvs5l9qfRr1AkQ50CdwO_YvvoZ0qkUJW7weQ8Ds_p2R3y2pfKYneiWWokG9H65Mdap6EXT6Xd0JwWDSynvhL_iQmkWoP-o4k/s1600/IMAG0257.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp-FX3iRqOi7jpFPxFByWM2eyvaulOUmK0YcVs_63pcXIsvs5l9qfRr1AkQ50CdwO_YvvoZ0qkUJW7weQ8Ds_p2R3y2pfKYneiWWokG9H65Mdap6EXT6Xd0JwWDSynvhL_iQmkWoP-o4k/s320/IMAG0257.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here's a nice picture of some of the Saison DuPont that Megan was drinking.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7IqFOhTTRyzJRPIcXoyoz1-U-fNUnWzDQYCD0amkeilc52nZQf1sMI9Ez9PPA0d1dxQyGLmGWcO8nPtYRA9BYnV9eLvV-fZHO7PvpKzk7QdacCvnC3MpCkzdCqs1g2Sq9Pl5841DA7Oo/s1600/photo+%25284%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7IqFOhTTRyzJRPIcXoyoz1-U-fNUnWzDQYCD0amkeilc52nZQf1sMI9Ez9PPA0d1dxQyGLmGWcO8nPtYRA9BYnV9eLvV-fZHO7PvpKzk7QdacCvnC3MpCkzdCqs1g2Sq9Pl5841DA7Oo/s320/photo+%25284%2529.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Next up for food was the Wild Mushroom and Taleggio Lavash Pizza. This was probably the food highlight of the afternoon. Arugula, mushrooms, and Taleggio galore, but what really made it was the hints of chili flakes and truffle oil, really delicious! I'd like to try this one again paired with some of the lighter Belgian ales they have tap.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaH-2CAHxjS20NVI6aYe6cupVkYrMIGZzablmIdxiziuVZVoVkl9jfJgRQlrjQF1m-SGlNom13XJVzjoe2jLGhwOwEjR6h7dgodR2xXGgY3CSsDLcM2CMOMgbc_L6lZk4jktCQepuZCW8/s1600/IMAG0254.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaH-2CAHxjS20NVI6aYe6cupVkYrMIGZzablmIdxiziuVZVoVkl9jfJgRQlrjQF1m-SGlNom13XJVzjoe2jLGhwOwEjR6h7dgodR2xXGgY3CSsDLcM2CMOMgbc_L6lZk4jktCQepuZCW8/s320/IMAG0254.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
The afternoon wouldn't be complete unless we tried their beer float, made with Young's Double Chocolate Stout, and signature PB+J cookies and milk. The float was great, they nailed the amount of ice cream to beer ratio perfectly. I'd like to see them branch out and offer some other flavors of ice cream or styles of beer.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQCNWvOLcbqmmk0INeor8q9tzX7ZidBY9McAFyNxkEbdnGAlVvH6EovShyphenhypheniyDXfmEIz3Icuu4IzpTS1jGEeWJ8KS6Q9-6efQo7PxPgrLQvZAD9uSHtvNJPxm5pcNjGZmOxZLCmbrH4DI/s1600/IMAG0259.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQCNWvOLcbqmmk0INeor8q9tzX7ZidBY9McAFyNxkEbdnGAlVvH6EovShyphenhypheniyDXfmEIz3Icuu4IzpTS1jGEeWJ8KS6Q9-6efQo7PxPgrLQvZAD9uSHtvNJPxm5pcNjGZmOxZLCmbrH4DI/s320/IMAG0259.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxZB_IpDMHHcfqXzlDvCK8RORqsnAfH3GRbP8xM-16fgoavN5-JSx2EF85GT2XN6Nb0aH4kxdSC5tt4e_xMnVjMDOB9SVP-jD3sQuuOT9TkJ_qZ1Q3L-jXFMbZa1-YrOLU08V5oUgb8Wk/s1600/IMAG0260.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxZB_IpDMHHcfqXzlDvCK8RORqsnAfH3GRbP8xM-16fgoavN5-JSx2EF85GT2XN6Nb0aH4kxdSC5tt4e_xMnVjMDOB9SVP-jD3sQuuOT9TkJ_qZ1Q3L-jXFMbZa1-YrOLU08V5oUgb8Wk/s320/IMAG0260.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
Overall, I was pretty pleased with my trip to PS612. Sitting by the big windows and looking out on the busy streets of Downtown made me happy I was inside drinking a beer and relaxing. Despite being on the busy corner of 6th and Flower and sharing a space with Daily Grill, the bar maintains its own space, which is a relaxing space to have a quick bite and drink a good beer. Often it's difficult for new bars that stem from existing franchises to maintain their own identity, but PS612 definitely has personality and character.brews_clueshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743559201628821081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3663475312210352468.post-48885905406387256172011-03-29T10:00:00.000-07:002011-03-29T10:00:00.755-07:00Great Divide Titan IPA<style type="text/css">
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<div class="p1">Great Divide Brewing is on the short list of my favorite breweries that I think consistently make great beer and I will always buy when I have the chance. However, their beer was never for sale in California, so for years this has meant buying through ebay or making bottle exchanges with wandering beer gurus. This past fall, Great Divide Brewing signed distribution deals with Stone and since that time Great Divide beers have been showing up on shelves in SoCal. I couldn't be happier about this and it's just another reason why we should love Stone.<br />
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When thinking of Great Divide, I generally think of their big beautiful stouts and barleywines – dare I say Yeti... However, they make some other interesting beers outside of the big category that are very worth talking about. This week, I present you with Titan, their single IPA. I love that they're putting suggested food pairing on the side of their bottles; it's fantastic, it helps you to drink the beer as they intended and aids people in the difficult task of beer and food pairing.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9p65RrhvruQABU2NYcKXo17lYLU-ucod5ht60zoFLltEJ9XdtNUKyvUkmRlpZcdNRJBhQliVUWLKkGggaKfSQTfpp63o6mkW6ZMwUWKXk3HhCkynmKL-0vsQBsD4Ocv1hBB42gSZ4ksM/s1600/P1070122.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9p65RrhvruQABU2NYcKXo17lYLU-ucod5ht60zoFLltEJ9XdtNUKyvUkmRlpZcdNRJBhQliVUWLKkGggaKfSQTfpp63o6mkW6ZMwUWKXk3HhCkynmKL-0vsQBsD4Ocv1hBB42gSZ4ksM/s320/P1070122.JPG" width="214" /></a></div>The color is deep golden and there's just the slightest hint of cloudiness. A fairly miniscule head, with little retention. I smell a decent whiff of piney hops, guessing cascade, with overwhelming sweet malts. Seriously, the malts smell so sacrine and gentle, it conjures up mental images of powdered sugar. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhye2ULb6-mUp2RdS8l5SP8WBsLQ2SQDBYAXNzGO5wJ0neI6dOGCfyHN_Pqzj2fO-etK4s4Je0nKyiDJAIvywkVRRYLZhER6mYw9PlIK4JUTJ1zTeb8SHrLm2nkNJX6fX4Z-66Qjmq8gec/s1600/P1070125.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhye2ULb6-mUp2RdS8l5SP8WBsLQ2SQDBYAXNzGO5wJ0neI6dOGCfyHN_Pqzj2fO-etK4s4Je0nKyiDJAIvywkVRRYLZhER6mYw9PlIK4JUTJ1zTeb8SHrLm2nkNJX6fX4Z-66Qjmq8gec/s320/P1070125.JPG" width="214" /></a></div>The body is on the heavier side for a single and it definitely coats your mouth with its thick resinous hop and sweet malt flavors. This beer has a hop bite arching all the way through the sip. The bite is less floral and more resinous and grassy. The malts are on the sweeter side leaving a little caramel that when mixed with the heavy hops produce a wonderful sweet mixture, not unlike tasting a piece of pineapple. At times the finishing hop bite can be so strong it borders on a slightly fishy aftertaste. It's a small flaw in this otherwise fairly perfect beer. Despite being at 7.1 and being very bitter, I think the drinkability is off the charts. Thanks again to Great Divide and Stone.</div><div class="p1"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcHK2sgeV8cLP1Q1DtiwJjds0eWh2l6NA022NVLpWK0ZJzgfLf0vq1AEeACC61eiHIU2hBnYk3ZaedvpAzrBu7RPItxhZaK8vjzinAL4pmIKtwuwZIoVe3hB-ygFm9Z_I6hRq1gDJkDEU/s1600/P1070124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcHK2sgeV8cLP1Q1DtiwJjds0eWh2l6NA022NVLpWK0ZJzgfLf0vq1AEeACC61eiHIU2hBnYk3ZaedvpAzrBu7RPItxhZaK8vjzinAL4pmIKtwuwZIoVe3hB-ygFm9Z_I6hRq1gDJkDEU/s320/P1070124.JPG" width="214" /></a></div><br />
</div><div class="p1">Titan IPA: ****1/2</div>brews_clueshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743559201628821081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3663475312210352468.post-60084193350924410832011-03-22T10:00:00.000-07:002011-03-22T10:00:07.142-07:00Flying Dog, Raging Bitch<style type="text/css">
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<div class="p1">I'm surprised that Flying Dog hasn't made an appearance on my blog before this entry. They've certainly been around for awhile, but I've never been a big purveyor of their beers. Of course that all changed with the release of their Belgian IPA, Raging Bitch, which I've seen recently rise to popularity levels not unfamiliar to Green Flash's, California IPA when it first came out.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsHffj5-MSP_DcAhsDhFo7yW4Sdvwy6YGO94VkowDOfkwttI-x9NnlZ4j3fXodnSqcgxaUbBDdHPYrWgw-SRWTueyDyNkneXeWUa-2fxg_Q_JzyaYGuYcV_wKQ3Bv8u0oIqk4XDLAeorA/s1600/P1070121.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsHffj5-MSP_DcAhsDhFo7yW4Sdvwy6YGO94VkowDOfkwttI-x9NnlZ4j3fXodnSqcgxaUbBDdHPYrWgw-SRWTueyDyNkneXeWUa-2fxg_Q_JzyaYGuYcV_wKQ3Bv8u0oIqk4XDLAeorA/s320/P1070121.JPG" width="214" /></a></div>Clarity on the body is very nice and color borders perfectly between orange and golden. Almost no head to speak of and certainly none worth going into detail about. The aroma is a ripe richness of Autumn Belgian fruit harvest emanating with pollens and nectars.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrXXAWLid3Zj5JhViMd10oG8pywzHB7mA6ympXWTVGP28t053THnRKUE7sulnJ8Bxs8k1K-nJ8SwwaNs2Yfq9ZrmYzTTWnDP80pGhq993tXPGx4gGr8iY5D-TK_kqU02j7iJDfRDU6THE/s1600/P1070120.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrXXAWLid3Zj5JhViMd10oG8pywzHB7mA6ympXWTVGP28t053THnRKUE7sulnJ8Bxs8k1K-nJ8SwwaNs2Yfq9ZrmYzTTWnDP80pGhq993tXPGx4gGr8iY5D-TK_kqU02j7iJDfRDU6THE/s320/P1070120.JPG" width="214" /></a></div>I've decided to pair this Belgian Bitch with a meal decidedly un-Belgian: In-N-Out. Some may question my choice of burger, however, In-N-Out holds a dear place in my heart and I'm pretty sure there's a unwritten law that when you're passing an In-N-Out and there's not a long line, you have to stop and get a double double animal style.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCPeinmyf_tEuMBiV1UlcpW6uDnEI6fywcSyiLAVUyqdMl7isgb21g8U8d73kMmMk3rtHd4-iej8u4riGUrSna7GgLuETlQhdbuJO1eMKAX1d5H7h8vxWtoO97iX6dHxfiw8nwh5UKGbs/s1600/P1070116.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCPeinmyf_tEuMBiV1UlcpW6uDnEI6fywcSyiLAVUyqdMl7isgb21g8U8d73kMmMk3rtHd4-iej8u4riGUrSna7GgLuETlQhdbuJO1eMKAX1d5H7h8vxWtoO97iX6dHxfiw8nwh5UKGbs/s320/P1070116.JPG" width="214" /></a></div>Despite the heavy alcohol content, clocking in 8.3%, the beer has a very light body, lots of carbonation and floral front end. The herbs taste like chamomile and the fruit coming across the strongest is pear, which binds nicely to the alcoholic tannins. The flavors break near the back of the palate and drive for a nice hop finish; hard to zero in on exactly what type, but my guess is a flavorful mix of both noble and alphas. The front flavors never break though and mix well with the hops without creating an overbearing Belgian fruit/alcohol flavor that you can sometimes find in Belgian styles.<br />
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A very crisp and surprisingly drinkable beer, this is a great beer to introduce your non hops loving friends to, and definitely one worth trying yourself. While I picked up mine at Beverage Warehouse, I'm pretty sure you can find these at BevMo and other places (including mainstream bars) around town. As far as the burger, In-N-Out actually probably wasn't the best pairing, but both beer and burger were delcious nonetheless.</div><div class="p1"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJMmBtlF1wPXmCCxSrcZgQAgCdBw-0ehTw1NQOfpiCIbGpcbYYP9lbqJkSE_5oKvkExenxld1ErVy8YfEm5_jeAvADIZ3Oy67npDn1wIL37X9K2sOaMYq6NtW_CKg1eB6EUtMGmfRV-Jc/s1600/P1070117.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJMmBtlF1wPXmCCxSrcZgQAgCdBw-0ehTw1NQOfpiCIbGpcbYYP9lbqJkSE_5oKvkExenxld1ErVy8YfEm5_jeAvADIZ3Oy67npDn1wIL37X9K2sOaMYq6NtW_CKg1eB6EUtMGmfRV-Jc/s320/P1070117.JPG" width="214" /></a></div><br />
</div><div class="p1">Raging Bitch: ****</div>brews_clueshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743559201628821081noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3663475312210352468.post-72891620384442276652011-03-15T10:00:00.000-07:002011-03-15T10:00:07.566-07:00Echigo Beer Pub, Premium Red<style type="text/css">
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<div class="p1">And so the Japanese beer series continues; this time, with Echigo Beer Pub's Premium Red Ale. I picked this up at the Venice Whole Foods, which interestingly enough has a very fine selection of Japanese beers. If you go there for some, don't look in their usual beer aisle. You'll need to head over to the sushi bar on the deli side, where they have a mix of interesting sakes and beers.<br />
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</div><div class="p1"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigRDYnEwX0OeqDGIaOo5NexyAYsioPjK5Ck8Qs9is5Ja0tEZrTWRFAZUKU-RmRzHl5P4yOpLjcg1O_oy_SXtkkmppKdP6325DkiBPHfE6-gG2T3SAGA0c2yk7cf6XQiVX8tpNA0xZscuI/s1600/IMAG0161.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigRDYnEwX0OeqDGIaOo5NexyAYsioPjK5Ck8Qs9is5Ja0tEZrTWRFAZUKU-RmRzHl5P4yOpLjcg1O_oy_SXtkkmppKdP6325DkiBPHfE6-gG2T3SAGA0c2yk7cf6XQiVX8tpNA0xZscuI/s320/IMAG0161.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>I haven't heard anything about this brewery and I'm yet to have a Red from any Japanese brewer, so that's why I happened on this particular bottle. First a few notes on the Red style. </div><div class="p1"><br />
</div><div class="p1">The American Red and Amber are really very much the same beast and was one of the first styles to emerge out of the American Craft Beer movement. The goal is to create a very drinkable medium bodied beer that has a fairly even balance between the malts and hops. You might have a little floral aroma, but most of your hops are going to be concentrated into a bitter finish. Malts should dominate the aroma and should skew to caramel flavors.<br />
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</div><div class="p1"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYr3SDat9TK-E-ghH2avh4nMA6pcrQ2yFgPm9XX0fS-bNkmuej-CfHq6Ry1BDjXL4fmTOY-gUe7ZozfXtynzW-4O7V0M8851FJkB0U6cZt4H9q0T369_Gwb7urTwbDwFW3RXd1RZDQezM/s1600/IMAG0162.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYr3SDat9TK-E-ghH2avh4nMA6pcrQ2yFgPm9XX0fS-bNkmuej-CfHq6Ry1BDjXL4fmTOY-gUe7ZozfXtynzW-4O7V0M8851FJkB0U6cZt4H9q0T369_Gwb7urTwbDwFW3RXd1RZDQezM/s320/IMAG0162.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>The aroma is definitely caramel, but not overwhelming. Head retention is about zero, it collapsed almost immediately after I poured it. Color is a deep amber with shades of red. The body is surprisingly thin and the mouthfeel is somewhat alkaline. While a lighter body does make for a more drinkable beer, this is too delicate. The carbonation really cuts through the malts and creates a cider-like quality. Part of this may be because of the caramel and apple flavors in the malts. The hops take a bit of work to detect, and it actually took me a few swigs before I could really grasp hold of them because I was so distracted by the unorthodox mouthfeel. The bitterness arises very naturally from the malts and it's a decent mix, but the hops are incredibly short lived. </div><div class="p1"><br />
</div><div class="p1">I suppose you could say this is an incredibly drinkable beer with its light body and low alcohol content, but the all around flavors are simply too delicate to really want to make you drink it in the first place.</div><div class="p1"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcUBAVrTWMW0_RWldI1ZLdCa76jZhspECz99WT9khVOcNwbx_693F4lvAjE5_59xqofXJfGD9gknr8GA3inYMBJCpmYpGJOOS0iNvbqU9LeKdRf5yB12XBgqoof-XVuYtOZ0Sfwad4XR8/s1600/IMAG0164.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcUBAVrTWMW0_RWldI1ZLdCa76jZhspECz99WT9khVOcNwbx_693F4lvAjE5_59xqofXJfGD9gknr8GA3inYMBJCpmYpGJOOS0iNvbqU9LeKdRf5yB12XBgqoof-XVuYtOZ0Sfwad4XR8/s320/IMAG0164.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
</div><div class="p1">Premium Red: *</div>brews_clueshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743559201628821081noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3663475312210352468.post-73537630706459672532011-03-08T10:00:00.000-08:002011-03-08T10:00:06.282-08:00Public School 612Since my LA neighborhood beer guide was such a hit, I thought I'd take the opportunity to tell you about one of the newest pub houses that's hitting the LA beer scene. <br />
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Last month, I was invited with a few food bloggers to The Daily Grill at the Westin in Westchester. The goal of the meeting was two fold: they wanted to tell us about some new burgers they're making and to tell us about a new beer bar they're opening.<br />
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Normally, I wouldn't take time to talk about food in such depth on a beer blog, and if you've just tuned in for the beer talk, then perhaps you'll be happier skimming down the page to where I start talking about beer. But chances are, if you like beer, then you like burgers, and even if you've only read my blog once or twice, you probably know that I LOVE burgers. <br />
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Under the creative guidance of Chef Phil Kastel, the Daily Grill has decided to put the daily grind in their ground beef. At all their locations, they're now grinding their own ground beef for burgers, the plank steak, and their meatloaf. They're using a 100% chuck and grinding fresh everyday, twice a day. I'm not a food blogger, so I don't know how common a practice this is, but I certainly haven't heard about it much if it is. But I love the concept, which basically boils down to fresher meat. In a world where we're increasingly trying to get closer to the production of our food, this struck me as a fantastic endeavor.<br />
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We were offered three new menu choices for our burgers: mushroom havarti, pepper bacon, and the classic. The Classic was sort of a California style burger with your standard toppings; think gourmet version of Fatburger. Tough call here, but I went with the pepper bacon. The way that Phil described how he prepares the bacon and peppers was just too appetizing. And I didn't choose incorrectly, the burger was really amazing. Here's a pic, feast your eyes:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2XI2w23BW1Q1UJeRIMCtsmLigne433FFmnOIxrBfp9v1zBbsV20KtTNIMOaCmOX8NLCr9XDYJaVEuPUCHogFpcv3UeKAF7rIwSRDawWwL4HtOVWCdh48hNIDiUhTsNc1ezY-FuH5CYBs/s1600/IMAG0149.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2XI2w23BW1Q1UJeRIMCtsmLigne433FFmnOIxrBfp9v1zBbsV20KtTNIMOaCmOX8NLCr9XDYJaVEuPUCHogFpcv3UeKAF7rIwSRDawWwL4HtOVWCdh48hNIDiUhTsNc1ezY-FuH5CYBs/s320/IMAG0149.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
First, the meat was a nice big 1" thick patty and it was extremely flavorful; you could really taste the in house quality too: a lovely mixture of fat and red meat while still tasting just lean enough that you don't have grease all over your face. These days in LA though, what you put on your burger is a big deal. Personally, with the flavors they had going I didn't need the pickles. Don't get me wrong, I love pickles, but they just didn't need them. Why? Because they had an amazing pepper and cheese mixture that took its place. Phil buries crumbled bacon and pasilla pepper pieces in a gracious amount of cheddar cheese and places that on top of the burger. The ultimate result: yes...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSZHIJH_mS9R1UpPhyFc9ACdzPbGhC9PIuhAr_Mv1KOoxcee_82PxyYZftCLNdEEaaiIJrx1hzNZeuDshfB7hzI-tw7GG1WvH5LfULj1Ov34nAY1WXd3BpnnKVRgTLsm6eP_HkDjwWt4I/s1600/IMAG0150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSZHIJH_mS9R1UpPhyFc9ACdzPbGhC9PIuhAr_Mv1KOoxcee_82PxyYZftCLNdEEaaiIJrx1hzNZeuDshfB7hzI-tw7GG1WvH5LfULj1Ov34nAY1WXd3BpnnKVRgTLsm6eP_HkDjwWt4I/s320/IMAG0150.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
We were also treated to a few of their other specialties that feature their ground beef, namely their meatloaf....<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwvRMjpkUVkgDAgqxMtTwKvEAUKorU7ijO4j0f1ehx21mgre-jpttqa66B1-QGstOO0JC_uFIDdTuASpjv4cmDiNfSx2QJRtGkuXxQdh-a2UIfVA5ugF1DRTo69m6MamO5vnMGCeMYDB4/s1600/IMAG0151.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwvRMjpkUVkgDAgqxMtTwKvEAUKorU7ijO4j0f1ehx21mgre-jpttqa66B1-QGstOO0JC_uFIDdTuASpjv4cmDiNfSx2QJRtGkuXxQdh-a2UIfVA5ugF1DRTo69m6MamO5vnMGCeMYDB4/s320/IMAG0151.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
and plank steak...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhwlbW89x0YlwZJ6eyz1w1pMkOB0dzjvwn9d3sXTXt1Q7rz7Vm7_o2qMXbzmKERZNov7RjvZyPxJ1kQnQX8BZitnPnxrOHivGpRVeBHqo9DpEyWCx4pZHwr1RkkthvehlQcRX_gD_hUiE/s1600/IMAG0152.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhwlbW89x0YlwZJ6eyz1w1pMkOB0dzjvwn9d3sXTXt1Q7rz7Vm7_o2qMXbzmKERZNov7RjvZyPxJ1kQnQX8BZitnPnxrOHivGpRVeBHqo9DpEyWCx4pZHwr1RkkthvehlQcRX_gD_hUiE/s320/IMAG0152.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>These were both also good, but the highlight of the night for me was really the burger. I will also add that for those that are a fan of coleslaw, Phil has a very understated coleslaw that comes with the burgers that features a bit of vinegar, peanuts, and maybe a tad bit of mayonnaise. Not excited? Well, I like coleslaw, and I liked it. Now, on to the beer...<br />
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Those who have been to the Daily Grill before know, it's no beer bar. So after listening to their list of bud and miller variants, I begrudgingly settled on a Sierra pale to go with my burger. Yes, yes, I know, not too exotic, or even really even all that interesting. But Sierra still keeps it going strong and Bob Spivak, the owner of Daily Grill, managed to whet my beer appetite with information rather than beer itself.<br />
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That information was this: today (yes, today, March 8th), Daily Grill is officially soft launching a brand new venture. The idea is a gastropub, and it graces the relative beer oasis that is Downtown LA. Based in their downtown Daily Grill location, they are converting a portion of the restaurant to be a separate pub house called Public School 612. The goal is to create a communal bar experience with beer savvy bartenders who help to educate you about beer choices and pairings, hence the name: Public School. Under the guidance of Hallie Beaune, one half of the Beer Chicks, they've selected 22 taps and 12 bottles/cans to serve you in a bar like atmosphere. <br />
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Taking a look at their concept menu in a peachy folder, a few items jumped off the page. First it was the large variety of beers that they'll be serving. From sour Krieks to the bitterest of IPAs, they've got a fairly diverse range of regionals and styles for 22 taps. Some highlights were Allagash Curieux, Orval, Oskar Blues, Eagle Rock Brewery, Port Wipeout, Taps Irish Red, and Bruery White. In addition to some of the small food fare, they have a Pub Burger and a Colorado Lamb Burger. Every beer place has to have their own burger and the lamb burger is an intriguing take on that, can't wait to try it. There are also a few other items that set them apart: Dragoons Irish Stout Short Ribs, Horseradish Mashed Potatoes with Caramelized Onion Au jus, and in the continued throwback of public school days, Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies with Milk.<br />
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So why is this new place significant? Looking over the beer landscape of downtown LA, there are a few places like Villains, the Lazy Ox, Library Bar, and Corkbar that have started incorporating four to six selections of craft beer and good food on their menu. But the scene is still in its infancy. The only places that have succeeded in maintaining more than eight taps are The Lab and Wurstkutche, but for Angelinos living downtown, The Lab is pretty far south and Wurstkutche pretty far east; not to mention, going to Wurstkutche these days requires quite a wait to get in. PS612 is modeling themselves after places like Father's Office and Congregation Alehouse with no servers and an emphasis on lots of taps, craft beer, and high quality food. The emphasis on beer education combined with the Daily Grill's broad appeal, should lead to bringing in a number of non-craft beer drinkers and introducing them to new craft beer choices. With a fully functional kitchen it also opens up the possibility of creating interesting beer and food pairings. <br />
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As a Westsider that lives and works in Santa Monica, I don't often have many an occasion to leave the Westside. However, the one thing that does get me out of the house is a new beer bar, so I'll definitely be making the trip Downtown to check out this new place.<br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Public School 612 opens today and is located at 612 South Flower Street, Downtown Los Angeles.</span></i>brews_clueshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743559201628821081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3663475312210352468.post-48246367192619894922011-03-01T10:00:00.000-08:002011-03-01T10:00:02.617-08:00New Belgium, Lips of Faith Series, Sahti<style type="text/css">
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<div class="p1">Well, San Francisco Beer Week has come and gone. There were actually quite a number events happening in the Southern California area as well. I hope you all managed to get a glass of Pliny the Younger this year. I was able to grab one about 5 minutes before it kicked. Although the real highlight for me was having a few glasses of Russian River's Consecration. <br />
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This week's beer, is another creation from New Belgium's highly ambitious and extremely experimental Lips of Faith series. They certainly keep that reputation with this beer, Sahti, which is both the style of beer and the name. </div><div class="p1"><br />
</div><div class="p1">The Sahti is an unhopped Finnish beer from the 1500's made through a Juniper infusion process. I'll spare you the traditional brewing details, but suffice to say it features an unboiled wort, wild yeast, and juniper twigs for filtering and hopping. They're usually loaded with proteins making a heavy bodied, fairly cloudy beer. I don't have a tremendous amount of experience with the style, but I can never resist trying something new.</div><div class="p1"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcKnZtXpSdcvUkAyKqeeVPcXSihH0DB8GWbKn91DcdzmBDwl0JanjkOYqMC_a5e8mHODO_0Zv45gkUq7JKPnbhPefJTzQkR5hnJe0FIttPd_sOTVbj01TXH19sxiphJTL65THjEsQ699E/s1600/IMAG0154.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcKnZtXpSdcvUkAyKqeeVPcXSihH0DB8GWbKn91DcdzmBDwl0JanjkOYqMC_a5e8mHODO_0Zv45gkUq7JKPnbhPefJTzQkR5hnJe0FIttPd_sOTVbj01TXH19sxiphJTL65THjEsQ699E/s320/IMAG0154.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>A little confused by New Belgium's take on this as their description has it as a rye ale with juniper and spices. I'm not sure if that's an interpretation on their part or if there is a branch of this beer's family tree that is also considered a rye ale. Also, the inclusion of cascade and amarillo hops is somewhat breaking from the tradition, although those are mighty fine hops and I'm interested to see how they effect the flavor. </div><div class="p1"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvyUr4gejk4gHKM2VgcZT3TwBloCYNtImHzNKZRZ0n14LVCLQGaX-Wo_cHx62U36YMqNEJnROTu-gO9znq1YtV-10tYoK5SudS9gY2YjDMAsLkjXKAvxZA83i7g5efymrvete4pS_Xs-E/s1600/IMAG0155.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvyUr4gejk4gHKM2VgcZT3TwBloCYNtImHzNKZRZ0n14LVCLQGaX-Wo_cHx62U36YMqNEJnROTu-gO9znq1YtV-10tYoK5SudS9gY2YjDMAsLkjXKAvxZA83i7g5efymrvete4pS_Xs-E/s320/IMAG0155.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>It pours a clear copper color with very little head. Not much aroma here, which is a little surprising. I'd expect those wild yeasts to leave some sort of pungent mark. The only real trace of scent here is a slight raisin-y sweetness.</div><div class="p1"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDOnUg1hQg7eIObgDXNWUEpIZlUPjKjfvMjYD2z9ETEjZl3GPKn_KAi8O_FtWblslj03Oh62XbzAGs57UxWGqT4J93U9nWNs961r5TfiZBveZntATfGVT2R3JCC_2g3nEfn_XFlWaqoG8/s1600/IMAG0156.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDOnUg1hQg7eIObgDXNWUEpIZlUPjKjfvMjYD2z9ETEjZl3GPKn_KAi8O_FtWblslj03Oh62XbzAGs57UxWGqT4J93U9nWNs961r5TfiZBveZntATfGVT2R3JCC_2g3nEfn_XFlWaqoG8/s320/IMAG0156.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Moving to the taste, it's definitely got a big body, and a surprisingly heavy alcoholic backbone for 7.2%. I definitely taste the rye and orange peel, but it's hard to find much separation from the big body. At the finish there's a slight hint of the amarillo hops, but it does neither of the hop strains any justice as it's pretty hard to distinguish from the juniper. If it had just been this juniper finish, I probably wouldn't have complained because that's more along the lines of what you expect from the style. However, you can't tell me there's cascade and amarillo in here and the make it hard to single them out; it's just disappointing.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimR-4Wb58kPfuXwkY-ua79MlFQ4hcD0hLADSE44NBVwpvXo5s9mFli-vzYDRm5vtKcD09IKd4IEo_JgGTEfqqL0NmCWEKxmb26su6UZ8IkQKXKmrC1KXHD8kwuO33n1ErmkhdBnY5GCc4/s1600/IMAG0157.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimR-4Wb58kPfuXwkY-ua79MlFQ4hcD0hLADSE44NBVwpvXo5s9mFli-vzYDRm5vtKcD09IKd4IEo_JgGTEfqqL0NmCWEKxmb26su6UZ8IkQKXKmrC1KXHD8kwuO33n1ErmkhdBnY5GCc4/s320/IMAG0157.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>In all, the resonating flavors aren't much to get very excited about. The juniper doesn't do anything to really distinguish itself from the overwhelming rye body, there's no heavy sour effects from the yeast like I was hoping, and the inventive hop additions just get lost in a big body and juniper bite. The Sahti is an ambitioius attempt, but this one just falls flat.</div><div class="p1"><br />
</div><div class="p1">Sahti: *1/2</div>brews_clueshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743559201628821081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3663475312210352468.post-49706284267311120512011-02-22T10:00:00.000-08:002011-02-22T10:00:07.168-08:00Tony P's and Oskar Blues Beer Dinner<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For the past few months, Tony P's has been hosting a beer pairing dinner once a month. Last week, I had the opportunity to join them for their Oskar Blues night. In full disclosure as a blogger, I was invited and paid for to attend, but I think my observations are still pretty impartial. Here's a little recap.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
I wasn't too familiar with Tony P's. In my mind, I pictured it more as a Gator dominated sports bar than a beer bar. However, I was quite surprised when I arrived here to find out that they have 40 beers on draft and 60 to 70 different choices of bottled beers. Of those 40, 30 are resident and 10 are rotating. Obviously, with their beautiful brand new LED flat screens they're catering more to the interested beer and sports fan then uber craft beer nerds. But that being said, I was able to find several beers on their menu that I hadn't tried, which is saying something indeed.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx9JqzRCYQTf0z5Gu33VIPutajhHnWBzBq07pX_cB9ZGuswevo3UAPG4N9HsbTH1TCqAJUNO7vMEnr2M4OTNlKk83jCcAO5iOKasPjxLbz4rukZoJHLeXxi6jCcMZLulCa0xwaFAn0OCI/s1600/IMAG0125.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx9JqzRCYQTf0z5Gu33VIPutajhHnWBzBq07pX_cB9ZGuswevo3UAPG4N9HsbTH1TCqAJUNO7vMEnr2M4OTNlKk83jCcAO5iOKasPjxLbz4rukZoJHLeXxi6jCcMZLulCa0xwaFAn0OCI/s320/IMAG0125.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first pairing was Dale's Pale Ale with a chicken cordon blue calzone. Dale's is a pretty good and standard pale ale. I find it's body to be slightly metallic and thin, but it's got a very nice hop finish and a very even malt front end. Here's Kat and Naheed cheers-ing with a Dale's.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuLK8d8HkxPzxxFsooQKL21Os2q6LNfY0zZgd9nrIQa8tIzxgQVu22jMqJuzRvkHm5arzeY1nOwTltL3VB8wJ5CvKXfjTgWbtE5B6gpNCxwLBaCL05KN-BiQByqKXZBvLOSg6_5GChOPA/s1600/IMAG0127.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuLK8d8HkxPzxxFsooQKL21Os2q6LNfY0zZgd9nrIQa8tIzxgQVu22jMqJuzRvkHm5arzeY1nOwTltL3VB8wJ5CvKXfjTgWbtE5B6gpNCxwLBaCL05KN-BiQByqKXZBvLOSg6_5GChOPA/s320/IMAG0127.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">... And MJ cheers-ing to camera with a Dale's</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi-KzJlgkTjo00UHrv72O5HqcYxnRrkQci2HWCaULFhsHF2bI5videFkYL7sUp4AlgyaS-Y7WhS9U9IOPNS-NvBjIzMkHy5f9Bo_c_kiL1P7bFOgjYfUOyIlLq_oI6m_nBuUmF-BsK7A4/s1600/IMAG0128.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi-KzJlgkTjo00UHrv72O5HqcYxnRrkQci2HWCaULFhsHF2bI5videFkYL7sUp4AlgyaS-Y7WhS9U9IOPNS-NvBjIzMkHy5f9Bo_c_kiL1P7bFOgjYfUOyIlLq_oI6m_nBuUmF-BsK7A4/s320/IMAG0128.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The calzone came stuffed with chicken and spinach with an alfredo sauce poured over the top of the whole thing. The pairing was really quite enjoyable; the carbonation and light body of the beer cut nicely through the heavy alfredo sauce.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMXXwlwwHOulgbLvEFsiRBoGfFg3eikGP1hFCSHQcgC2vL6TD5rY3KYsDnuTgie_VA_4mLznk8CES90GVSPW9gqa1PNXdCtcxbTTiuPIhRiNYbnCjH7nfP_0yKNlcHOeAzEYP9MOprPw0/s1600/IMAG0129.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMXXwlwwHOulgbLvEFsiRBoGfFg3eikGP1hFCSHQcgC2vL6TD5rY3KYsDnuTgie_VA_4mLznk8CES90GVSPW9gqa1PNXdCtcxbTTiuPIhRiNYbnCjH7nfP_0yKNlcHOeAzEYP9MOprPw0/s320/IMAG0129.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next up was the Gordon, which is a blend between an Imperial Red and a Double IPA. I've never really heard of anyone doing this before and I'm not really even sure what it means. I'm not sure why that hybrid isn't just... an Imperial Red? At least that's what I imagined the flavors would be. But I think the key point here is that it's a blend, not a hybrid, so I'm imagining they mixed the two beers post brew, rather than during the boil. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCZdqV31WOZWXhERardnIM5XCCXa3_VMTx7oH8j79aI7XPxjDhwLS9aQdPHSc3bi3I7ZqPQaJ2RUNzFg3lIefN6ahJ_dbMmKRqwEcOdOQuNC3BHDkjCtTUQODJYbGm4Q0h68Huy6YLIFg/s1600/IMAG0132.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCZdqV31WOZWXhERardnIM5XCCXa3_VMTx7oH8j79aI7XPxjDhwLS9aQdPHSc3bi3I7ZqPQaJ2RUNzFg3lIefN6ahJ_dbMmKRqwEcOdOQuNC3BHDkjCtTUQODJYbGm4Q0h68Huy6YLIFg/s320/IMAG0132.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ-ZWWYmy-mSpkHHVPN6OaFJ_7wRa0jRQFKosPvqWJpDkkQkORUIIIMLueIUskhbh2UDVSYlQgezTl9ooTY34xevQc_-XFVpKl3wTW2i0AKftkMsWtYaN3OgasylsHrtexhwcEkdMblAE/s1600/IMAG0133.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ-ZWWYmy-mSpkHHVPN6OaFJ_7wRa0jRQFKosPvqWJpDkkQkORUIIIMLueIUskhbh2UDVSYlQgezTl9ooTY34xevQc_-XFVpKl3wTW2i0AKftkMsWtYaN3OgasylsHrtexhwcEkdMblAE/s320/IMAG0133.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This was served with a Spicy Mac-N-Cheese, which has chorizo and roasted pasilla peppers. This was probably my favorite pairing of the night. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6yfeQogJP1ZwRuxpPxkcp6KHXItl6Iy9nhSm8zPzwyuIHfkOtpJRFDiFi1iXgmruY8tjADzdCn9Ep_Xu_sC4jSIpGZz-MFsyVH6wDaV3eGh3oNs6NktWbj5DGW68ozT_eMny17sjV508/s1600/IMAG0134.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6yfeQogJP1ZwRuxpPxkcp6KHXItl6Iy9nhSm8zPzwyuIHfkOtpJRFDiFi1iXgmruY8tjADzdCn9Ep_Xu_sC4jSIpGZz-MFsyVH6wDaV3eGh3oNs6NktWbj5DGW68ozT_eMny17sjV508/s320/IMAG0134.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While the Gordon was good on first taste, it wasn't blowing my socks off. I tasted raisins with a touch of caramel and I thought it actually tasted a lot closer to the Old Chub with a little hop finish at the end. It did have a good body though. However, the spiciness of the chorizo complemented the beer perfectly. It made the hop finish really pop. The Gordon has just enough body to stand up to the much bigger hop rush that's brought out from the spice. This was really nice!</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Course number three started with the Gubna Double IPA. Gubna is a great double. What's most impressive is they created the beer using only Summit hops. Summit is high alpha stuff and leaves a wondeful piney, citrusy aroma with a great bright hop finish. Brewed with Dark Munich grains, it still maintains its balance and light color for a double. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOVtC3V8KUxoiEn0swclr9qFCUfdsVv0ZcAqMSaSJWyAQ1aqfuDlswW0dQhPOTXuPXa-k4GPlMnSjtNRNhQzY9jHIq9qOqNU1Qe8CM-QjKDZ6v0iANlR0k6lvoNAL43T2ph6m1zGR4V3g/s1600/IMAG0136.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOVtC3V8KUxoiEn0swclr9qFCUfdsVv0ZcAqMSaSJWyAQ1aqfuDlswW0dQhPOTXuPXa-k4GPlMnSjtNRNhQzY9jHIq9qOqNU1Qe8CM-QjKDZ6v0iANlR0k6lvoNAL43T2ph6m1zGR4V3g/s320/IMAG0136.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This was served with a smoked pork mole, which was quite good, and very spicy. Unfortunately, the two didn't work as well together as I would have hoped. While spices are usually good with hoppy beers, the mole was so heavy that it killed a lot of the beautiful Summit flavor in the beer. Otherwise though this was pretty enjoyable.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP0ORJ5lrzVHFhHAV4xXrLLEpZXfWEJ7xmdjdKo3FITS4CcqxWV_aPJl1tLVor2gnraFilslZ7EXRNlJfj1uOWsvbbHTH1FKoUpOhNi6C6ekHMgFn1i5aGY0cvu-YAyCh63bv5eVKXwWs/s1600/IMAG0137.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP0ORJ5lrzVHFhHAV4xXrLLEpZXfWEJ7xmdjdKo3FITS4CcqxWV_aPJl1tLVor2gnraFilslZ7EXRNlJfj1uOWsvbbHTH1FKoUpOhNi6C6ekHMgFn1i5aGY0cvu-YAyCh63bv5eVKXwWs/s320/IMAG0137.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next up was the Old Chub, their Scotch Ale. Tony (of Tony P's), proclaimed this beer as his favorite, and he may be on to something. I've been seeing Old Chub popping up more and more and I think this beer may be a big winner in the end for Oskar Blues. It's currently rated as the top Scotch Ale on Beer Advocate and it has the potential to gain a lot of popularity due to its appeal to both novice and experienced Scotch Ale drinkers. For those who aren't familiar with Scotch Ales, they undergo long boiling periods in order to caramelize the wort. This creates a fairly potent and sweet with a full mouth of roasted grains in a full-bodied mix.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi38meWEedwYp5Q8PG8M9XNAaIyr_tdnX9NWnFkjmouSKAro7OX91xMkLJuCvalx-YefQ6FhahwAU0qzfChVV7adxkowORIUcSSlBSyEhm2gpgC1v-tWK9wRwKD1R8J7urQqfDS4BglRCw/s1600/IMAG0139.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi38meWEedwYp5Q8PG8M9XNAaIyr_tdnX9NWnFkjmouSKAro7OX91xMkLJuCvalx-YefQ6FhahwAU0qzfChVV7adxkowORIUcSSlBSyEhm2gpgC1v-tWK9wRwKD1R8J7urQqfDS4BglRCw/s320/IMAG0139.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unfortunately, due to these characteristics, it's a hard beer to pair with. In this case, it was paired with a Catfish Po Boy, with collared greens and ham hock on the side. I'm not really a big catfish fan, nor did I have much room left in my stomach after 3 prior courses, so I didn't have too much of this one. My impression on the pairing though was that it wasn't bad, but the dish and the beer didn't do too much for each other.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3LnHyfqkBMYr0926iswruM9pAXrpCNOtHToJOYt4rIi-Z6MEeOrFRJLxPm_RNKBjfcJW9sWDhHvZwU0NP1pvabV5tu7gV1RREleB5cLJ0QtAyU7FYdYeg5MUrGpiUxRQo-sPb39xUyrU/s1600/IMAG0141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3LnHyfqkBMYr0926iswruM9pAXrpCNOtHToJOYt4rIi-Z6MEeOrFRJLxPm_RNKBjfcJW9sWDhHvZwU0NP1pvabV5tu7gV1RREleB5cLJ0QtAyU7FYdYeg5MUrGpiUxRQo-sPb39xUyrU/s320/IMAG0141.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For dessert we had Ten Fidy, their Imperial Stout with a Chocolate Brownie tart and vanilla ice cream. Ten Fidy was fantastic as always, but it simply couldn't hold up to the level of sweetness in the tart. Still, I enjoyed eating and drinking both. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikOmmV7FIcWwThyzoYGVh_af3ggBk9Lc2e1r3atYCFf_D19z4L_bGL-_PM-uO4sj7wd7nl28i0ijDBZ5J8d4Tw0sKsDsrqU5j65gW7M0NAh79AksQ23sHL81JwUwfue8ZXHjiX_qpgEMI/s1600/IMAG0142.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikOmmV7FIcWwThyzoYGVh_af3ggBk9Lc2e1r3atYCFf_D19z4L_bGL-_PM-uO4sj7wd7nl28i0ijDBZ5J8d4Tw0sKsDsrqU5j65gW7M0NAh79AksQ23sHL81JwUwfue8ZXHjiX_qpgEMI/s320/IMAG0142.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJGAkLAdp7TNmMyQ7mUHRmbP2zYiVYv0B0QJ4MMrsvCZTsxEOIS6TbKBJobLvLZ7fNKo1wdSkCt_F1cZuO5fELBRLN1F9pk-a0Bvlws-9ynON6QobY8cbjVcdUktIRe7_spvrwsUQOxM/s1600/IMAG0146.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJGAkLAdp7TNmMyQ7mUHRmbP2zYiVYv0B0QJ4MMrsvCZTsxEOIS6TbKBJobLvLZ7fNKo1wdSkCt_F1cZuO5fELBRLN1F9pk-a0Bvlws-9ynON6QobY8cbjVcdUktIRe7_spvrwsUQOxM/s320/IMAG0146.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's MJ drinking his Ten Fidy, acting like he's too cool for school... actually he is, I've seen his high school book reports.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqSqwsis0N9vjSwZ23zTvIXXQNDyOebwiTlx8AF74beqHBNeVBk-i5mgFt_E4KXUGc1BxsPK6UKtUtXrdNAoF5LjmSZm2uGta04-QGWtgjmZIxR5H6d3ltIe6CsCHVGTyRng2AtJA19WI/s1600/IMAG0143.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqSqwsis0N9vjSwZ23zTvIXXQNDyOebwiTlx8AF74beqHBNeVBk-i5mgFt_E4KXUGc1BxsPK6UKtUtXrdNAoF5LjmSZm2uGta04-QGWtgjmZIxR5H6d3ltIe6CsCHVGTyRng2AtJA19WI/s320/IMAG0143.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have to hand it to Tony, he gave us pretty sizable portions of beer and food all night; this wasn't a little tasting session. Afterwards, I spoke with him and he's really trying to get people to drink better beer. He's got an amazing setting to do it in with a secluded dining room and sports bar in the same building, he's on his way to getting people to drink better beer.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tony P's will continue to hold beer pairing dinners once a month. Next month he's doing a special Irish themed meal with several beers from the UK.</span>brews_clueshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743559201628821081noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3663475312210352468.post-71723477564681280042011-02-15T10:00:00.000-08:002011-02-15T10:00:03.012-08:00Port Brewing Midnight Sessions<style type="text/css">
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<div class="p1">In case you haven't read my blog before, or in a while, let me just say: I love Port Brewing. I love the names, the beer, the attitude, and I love that they started with a pizza and beer place. In honor of opening this Midnight Sessions, which has been sitting in my fridge for quite a while, I've ordered a pizza from Dagwoods to go with; half Woody's, half Greek, should be delicious. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvrkCSEbUhhdUVPYVIzYKJq9y0hyphenhyphenXSBSwwob9hT_lMl_RpFCPR9TDf5vGQ21TxKK3wKyMqxhvfW1j8YfE3wf7X8Ree31tgDVMIHrl-jKLdgl7q7F6Hg4B-DuXZ-AHRqEiqAgTFgtnmhvI/s1600/P1070110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvrkCSEbUhhdUVPYVIzYKJq9y0hyphenhyphenXSBSwwob9hT_lMl_RpFCPR9TDf5vGQ21TxKK3wKyMqxhvfW1j8YfE3wf7X8Ree31tgDVMIHrl-jKLdgl7q7F6Hg4B-DuXZ-AHRqEiqAgTFgtnmhvI/s320/P1070110.JPG" width="214" /></a></div>For those that may not have read my posts about Black Lagers before, here's a little review. The Black Lager is basicaly an American take on the German "Schwarzbier." Schwarzbier sounds like something they might have drank in Spaceballs and while I won't rule that out, Shwarzbier literally just means "black beer." It's a fairly simple description for what actually is a fairly complex lager. A good Schwarzbier is going to be a dark brown, bordering on black, yet should still have a very light body; being a lager helps with that. The goal is to drive out all the fruit flavors and have nothing other than roasted malt flavor and a bit of hops. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwUVXTyk1nEor_gCqnb_aU1AwEndEC1qLHHTyOV0Hn6CQZXJcuK6c2eef1UPjbR0i9t9CbfNUfaO-JzRPd7Cj-rggTdoKFfOrh9vhrjvBBaWtVrPQiuSAD748gt6f_tTw9Xrglong8m6c/s1600/P1070112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwUVXTyk1nEor_gCqnb_aU1AwEndEC1qLHHTyOV0Hn6CQZXJcuK6c2eef1UPjbR0i9t9CbfNUfaO-JzRPd7Cj-rggTdoKFfOrh9vhrjvBBaWtVrPQiuSAD748gt6f_tTw9Xrglong8m6c/s320/P1070112.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>The aromas have a distinct roasted malt flavor. It's a deep smell with hints of salty sea air and a dry body. The head lacks a tremendous amount of retention, but it's a good amount for the pour. The color is extremely dark, bordering on black. It's only when you hold it to the light that you can catch the subtle amber and brown tones. The first part of your sip is a load of carbonation with a distinct taste of bitters. As it opens up it becomes a concentrated blend of roasted grains and coffee, but is supported the whole way by that thin undercurrent of bitterness. Oh hell yes, the pizza is here, looks amazing. Here you go, you get to share the experience a bit. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimC7tg7c6Tw238Eu90I1yzJ0HR0pTV1pR9Dp1ZtwWJB15o6k1jCPs38gk1AS7qlSacuJHsUkJozgyxyWOx2pvhjeg2Y73XmwGdtnDK9VlvffKiKT5TEwC2b32mFEmaMTMzUs0HpWJvWig/s1600/P1070113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimC7tg7c6Tw238Eu90I1yzJ0HR0pTV1pR9Dp1ZtwWJB15o6k1jCPs38gk1AS7qlSacuJHsUkJozgyxyWOx2pvhjeg2Y73XmwGdtnDK9VlvffKiKT5TEwC2b32mFEmaMTMzUs0HpWJvWig/s320/P1070113.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqTCLmZj8e4caZN2hvKgNyO6Pe9ZlMBTrwYdBadtq5_ZL4HElgLe_dsJ6siqTohv0XqfhT9nJUzhAj9o82fT5JruW0_mcFtw_pMP0D45LVUrKAGb7r3T6nhaoxSnk3FMBVgRJ-_9VSTgo/s1600/P1070115.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqTCLmZj8e4caZN2hvKgNyO6Pe9ZlMBTrwYdBadtq5_ZL4HElgLe_dsJ6siqTohv0XqfhT9nJUzhAj9o82fT5JruW0_mcFtw_pMP0D45LVUrKAGb7r3T6nhaoxSnk3FMBVgRJ-_9VSTgo/s320/P1070115.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>So back to the beer. Hints of chocolate in the grains, a beautiful mix with the coffee, but a totally different experience than a coffee stout because of the light body. As it finishes, the coffee and hops take over leaving a lovely rich bitterness on your tongue. My only complaint on this beer is that its mouthfeel is so carbonated that it borders on soda like quality. But otherwise it's a solid black lager. The coffee addition is brilliant and mixes perfectly with the choice of hops and roasted grains. Nicely done Port!<br />
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</div>Midnight Sessions: ****1/2</div>brews_clueshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743559201628821081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3663475312210352468.post-32352298350452019002011-02-08T10:00:00.000-08:002011-02-08T10:00:07.056-08:00Founder's Breakfast Stout<style type="text/css">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-rDcyUZdVel2XDv5O-qwNOykSQP57GudoU_hfyr8bEg05SW2A7HY3p4b-cu1tcFYaDIwzLAgTjkQGgLTn_XpXqa6Tfrc2r24ygk9MoNcTng-fR_x_WryIEfva60Eq6DTi6evzgiLj2y4/s1600/P1070104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-rDcyUZdVel2XDv5O-qwNOykSQP57GudoU_hfyr8bEg05SW2A7HY3p4b-cu1tcFYaDIwzLAgTjkQGgLTn_XpXqa6Tfrc2r24ygk9MoNcTng-fR_x_WryIEfva60Eq6DTi6evzgiLj2y4/s320/P1070104.JPG" width="214" /></a></div>While this is a breakfast stout, I'm not having it for breakfast. In fact I'm having it after a long day at work and a dinner long since digested. This is the irony of coffee Stouts. While their coffee flavors would suggest a morning beverage, the rich chocolate malts also make for wonderful after dinner drinks. I've heard about Founders quite a bit in reading magazines and through the "hop-vine," however, I hadn't found them in many places in Southern California. I was able to pick up this bottle on ebay for a hefty price though. You'll notice these pictures were taken at the new place.<br />
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This pitch black beverage has zero head and looks completely opaque, although when held to the light you can detect the slightest hint of ruby brown. Aromas are of rich chocolate, strong coffee, and hearty alcohol. The flavor is simply put, a mouthful of coffee. They've enriched this beer with both Kona and Sumatra coffees, which is really coffee heaven if you're someone who likes coffee. The effort they went to for these beans certainly pays off, as the flavor is distinct, rich and bitter. I've had quite a few Coffee Stouts, but this has got to be by far the strongest coffee flavor I've had in any of them; perhaps almost too a fault. While the flavor and tone of the coffee is delicious, it's hard for the chocolate and oat flake flavors to distinguish themselves. Towards the end of the sip, the coffee begins to thin out and leave a slight metallic sort of ringing on the palate. <br />
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As I have a few more sips, I'm able to pull out some of the chocolate and flavors of roasted grain and jut the slightest hint of oats, but it's serious work to distinguish them from the coffee. Now I love coffee, so you won't have many complaints from me about this. However, part of what I like about this breed of beer is it's ability to mix coffee in with the other flavors. So while the taste distibution is somewhat limited, it's hardly a fault I can hold against it.</div><div class="p1"><br />
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</div><div class="p1">Breakfast Stout: ****</div>brews_clueshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743559201628821081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3663475312210352468.post-9884108928029243512011-02-01T10:00:00.000-08:002011-02-01T10:00:02.563-08:00Santa Cruz Aleworks, California IPA<style type="text/css">
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<div class="p1">Wow, there's a surprise for you. This beer poured almost all foam, much to my disappointment, as you can see in these photos.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQzmCas7GzZRzEHmVu81Hb2LXnsqQ02eUwnkVlrw1XIQGkOcEbZGK_TpA7el_POzCqfRHZ82B9BEk21EkCQxLy3iLBJ5Q4Xns_o1pM1MAbZWCYYZbzUkSZfaDLZ_ZbQdO49qcMGJTEh_c/s1600/P1070100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQzmCas7GzZRzEHmVu81Hb2LXnsqQ02eUwnkVlrw1XIQGkOcEbZGK_TpA7el_POzCqfRHZ82B9BEk21EkCQxLy3iLBJ5Q4Xns_o1pM1MAbZWCYYZbzUkSZfaDLZ_ZbQdO49qcMGJTEh_c/s320/P1070100.JPG" width="214" /></a></div><br />
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Sort of ridiculous, I don't know whether I accidentally hit the bottle on it's way out or if it was just bottled under extreme pressure. Took about five minutes to get this to calm down.<br />
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The aroma is surprisingly far more floral more reminiscent of Belgian styles than the piney hops I was expecting. There's a little bit of fruit in there, but far more orange pulp than lemon or grapefruit rind since I'm getting sweet aromas. The color is an orange bordering on golden, but it is a little cloudy which gives it a deeper hue.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtlU0_2eXM4XNQGIWfO5yo_tEoJKo0If7i2AmpQiW5tKAp9_8jdW5ziWqzZorDVuxOpKIFRZbmB9hUjbM5PlGhMCZwNJuFi4Q6bbGQFo_DZySBQqclIiZ3W_39rGgtvurZF8ZtfodpkKM/s1600/P1070102.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtlU0_2eXM4XNQGIWfO5yo_tEoJKo0If7i2AmpQiW5tKAp9_8jdW5ziWqzZorDVuxOpKIFRZbmB9hUjbM5PlGhMCZwNJuFi4Q6bbGQFo_DZySBQqclIiZ3W_39rGgtvurZF8ZtfodpkKM/s320/P1070102.JPG" width="214" /></a></div><br />
The flavors in this beer are a little disappointing. Maybe I was expecting an American IPA based on the bottle description, but this is clearly a Belgian IPA by the use of grain, yeast, and hops. Flavors are very sweet up front with loads of carbonation. This really gets too sweet for me and I'm reminded of a carbonated fruit juice. Otherwise there isn't much at all up front, what few flavors there are feel muffled, or perhaps drowned, in an excess of water. The taste does an about face towards the middle of the sip moving rather abruptly for the hop finish; too soon I'd say, as the fruity front end really dissipates into a highly watery mixture that doesn't do a good enough job of bolstering up the hops. The hop finish is strong, but very lopsided since it feels like a thin layer of industrial styled bitterness offering very little in accompanying flavors.<br />
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Ultimately, this is far more of a Belgian IPA than an American one, and almost borders on a Saison. But even after reclassification it doesn't do much for me since the malts don't impress any paticular urgency in their identity. Somewhat surprising that a Santa Cruz beermaker would choose to go in this direction; with a name like California IPA, I'd expect American IPA flavors. Apologies to the makers, but I just didn't like this one.<br />
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</div><div class="p1">California IPA: *1/2</div>brews_clueshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743559201628821081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3663475312210352468.post-49577948696137550802011-01-25T10:00:00.001-08:002011-01-25T10:00:05.463-08:00Nogne O Imperial Dunkel Wit<div class="p1"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">This strange creation from Nogne O (a name I still can't pronounce) is meant to be a pleaser for everyone: people who like Belgians, people who like dark ales, and folks who like big beers.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy9VMVIMer3qRqFcudHcQqEt7IeE1wOPB8mpUddNzP_nyQjwMg80Cb6kCXXvnu17h0iXdgtyGqcm1CdmZMB8ZcBtdZ4cgp6FM2s3TjT1yNrQuBQ9vKMapx5CcpiJ-gWNIbvHjMB-UnqWg/s1600/P1070092.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy9VMVIMer3qRqFcudHcQqEt7IeE1wOPB8mpUddNzP_nyQjwMg80Cb6kCXXvnu17h0iXdgtyGqcm1CdmZMB8ZcBtdZ4cgp6FM2s3TjT1yNrQuBQ9vKMapx5CcpiJ-gWNIbvHjMB-UnqWg/s320/P1070092.JPG" width="214" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">There's very little head and even less retention on this beer, which strangely has the color of root beer. Aromas bring to mind plums and raisins, but only slightly as there isn't much aromas coming off this.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">My first sip brings quite a bit of confusion, but plently of enjoyment. The best way to describe it might be a beer of many movements because it seems to have distinct flavors of taste in multiple waves rather than one building arc. Hops strike first combined with a concentrated burst of carbonation that directs right to the front of your tongue. There's hints of purple grape underneath the bubbles. From there the beer expands out to the rest of your pallette bringing a strange mix of fruity esters, roasted grain, and acids.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVdXZsA2NWtQfQkW9zn_kgr5ezfxpAxK5nKvBU-oyjGkM8YemkODE_ghI9ysrGTdoUl-TU4O487xrS9_Pe8nA3QgRiJW6165VwXF0e29RtlEn2UkDZ4ZwjEANnHqePABNrW6wt5QWBJF8/s1600/P1070093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVdXZsA2NWtQfQkW9zn_kgr5ezfxpAxK5nKvBU-oyjGkM8YemkODE_ghI9ysrGTdoUl-TU4O487xrS9_Pe8nA3QgRiJW6165VwXF0e29RtlEn2UkDZ4ZwjEANnHqePABNrW6wt5QWBJF8/s320/P1070093.JPG" width="214" /></a></div><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">There's a little bit of an orange tang to the medium-heavy body, which makes sense since they use orange peels in the brewing process. That orange mixes nicely with the slightly plum flavored alcohol taste that creates quite a bit of heat on the tongue. The alcohol and fruit build to a nice finish on their own and are quickly followed by an additional finish, which is a mixture of roasted barley and hops. Once again, this finish is good in its own right, but seems so distinct from the one you just enjoyed only micro seconds before. Finally, the real finale kicks in with moderate a hop attack at the back ends of your tongue.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Unfortunately, all three finishes do not combine to any sort of building orgasmic symphonic arrangement, instead remaining relatively distinct, like three musicians unaware that they are all playing in the same practice room. The only thing that connects these three movements is the hot taste of alcohol running through the palate. This warm streak, mixed with the decently heavy body makes the beer seem a little boozy.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPY1iv50p8_NcILLxiWdn-n0OW7gRzLDAJbypaR6opL09o5CpSLo6wUx4dPZybSEHVGEzTrXWCijWHsxopnI3umcsHC9BP0MH7ylVCRkSXB497Hsm7WNlljwSrCHE_aO2vstaAoWYyYHc/s1600/P1070094.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPY1iv50p8_NcILLxiWdn-n0OW7gRzLDAJbypaR6opL09o5CpSLo6wUx4dPZybSEHVGEzTrXWCijWHsxopnI3umcsHC9BP0MH7ylVCRkSXB497Hsm7WNlljwSrCHE_aO2vstaAoWYyYHc/s320/P1070094.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The beer has excellent qualities and some great flavors, however, the packaging could use some work as those flavors are delivered intelligently but perhaps not as delicately as needed. It's probably most similar to a Belgian Dark/Strong despite the description because the fruity esters are certainly the most overwhelming flavor; a similar beer would be Trois Pistoles. All that being said, it's doing the trick for me tonight, and while it's drinkability might be considered to be on the lesser side of average, I'd still say it's worth a try if you can find it.</div></div><div class="p1"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
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</div></div><div class="p1"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Imperial Dunkel Wit: ***</div></div>brews_clueshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743559201628821081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3663475312210352468.post-74038711668758588952011-01-18T10:00:00.001-08:002011-01-18T10:00:02.647-08:00In Defense of Hops part 2This week I'm responding to Lizzie Buchen's response to my response on her article from last week. Her original response is at the end of this post.<br />
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Hi Lizzie, first of all, thanks so much for taking the time to read my blog and write such a coherent response.<br />
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I'm glad to hear you like hoppy beers and I hope no offense was taken by my response. I realize your article was much more about the science and origins of our (in)tolerance for bitterness and I thought your research was very interesting.<br />
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From a beer drinker and brewer's perspective, it triggered a familiar though slightly tangential complaint I hear a lot about hops. Whether it's novice drinkers or beer traditionalists, they all seem to have something negative to say about the over hopping trend. I have a fairly defensive attitude towards these folks, not only because I love these beers, but because I believe American hops have had a transformative effect on the creativity that has defined and caused a resurgence of American beer. So I'm glad to hear that you actually like hoppy beers and that's a lovely reference you make to the relative newcomer Ninkasi. But for the purposes of furthering general discussion between the unlikely candidates of a beer blogger and a science writer, here's a few things I wondered about.<br />
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Your question whether I would drink Pliny if it didn't have any alcohol is a great one. It goes without saying that removing alcohol from the beer would alter the balance of flavors and the consistency of the beer. You would end up with a liquid that bears little resemblance to Pliny at all (I shudder at the thought). So yeah, chances are I wouldn't want to drink that strange brew. <br />
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But I assume you mean in the hypothetical that the flavor was unaltered and it magically had no alcohol content? Well sure, why not? I'd be drinking Pliny right? The same taste I've grown to know and love? The fact that I'm not getting drunk isn't really a big issue if the flavors are the same, it's the taste that I think is amazing. I probably wouldn't drink it in the same locale and chances are they wouldn't have it at my favorite bar. When I order a beer, high or low alcohol content, I'm thinking about what flavors I would enjoy, what styles I like, not how drunk it will get me. If I was concerned primarily with sobriety, why spend all this extra money on beers for my beer fridge and travel to far off specialty beer bars? I could just sit at home with a 40 oz of Steel Reserve. Now that being said, the associated effects of alcohol are certainly welcome participants in the drinking process, but it's always flavor first.<br />
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Take a real world example of this point with something like Yerba Mate. It has an incredibly bitter taste with no alcohol content and yet is enjoyed all over South America and now in certain areas of the Middle East. Here's an extremely bitter drink that has become quite infused with Argentinean culture. Now you could make a similar argument replacing alcohol with its stimulative effects. But I think heavy Mate drinkers would say something similar. Perhaps the stimulative qualities are why they tried it for the first time, but the taste they have grown to love. <br />
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I'd be interested to know if there has been research done in similar areas regarding other cultures' where bitter foods are more prevalent. Food items like arugula, raddichio, bitter melon, dark chocolate, just to name a few. I don't know the research, but I wonder what prompted their infusion into the cultural cuisine?<br />
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Lastly, I like to remind people that America's brewing roots are as much Germanic as they are British and up until the advent of mass market beer, we actually had a rich and vibrant beer culture here in the US, complete with our own Oktoberfest. Of course the hop varieties back then were nothing like the super alpha strains we have now, but when we talk about acquiring a taste for hops, it's important to remember that we're actually re-acquiring those tastes.<br />
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Regarding Toronado's fullness factor, I absolutely agree: people generally don't like to hang out in empty bars drinking by themselves... unless maybe it's a pub in Lancashire. However, to reduce the popularity of said bar, or any of my favorite beer bars really, to a crowded room, might be an oversimplification.<br />
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First of all, there's clientele and atmosphere. It's not just that it's crowded when I go to a beer bar, it's crowded with people that generally I'm more interested in. We both made the choice to come to this establishment for better beer than they're serving down the street. I respect that choice. There's also whatever the purveyor puts into the place that maybe can't be conveyed with simple descriptions. Creating a space where people can happily socialize isn't easy, just ask the hundreds of restaurant and bar owners that close up shop every year. <br />
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However, diving into the social psychology of what makes people choose particular bars might be opening up too large a can of worms to tackle and I certainly feel like I'm at the limit of my expertise. So let me return to a factor that I know more about and is not to be overlooked: selection. I'd argue that the number one factor behind a bar like Toronado's success is the amount of taps and the fantastic selection in their choices of what to pour.<br />
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Having this kind of selection not only requires having knowledge of and access to these beers, but having enough space in which to keep them fresh, which is no easy task. If Toronado was known to serve funky beer, undoubtedly their attendance would suffer. At least among beer geeks like me it would.<br />
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Thanks again for writing, reading, writing again, and reading again. It's great to have these kinds of dialogues.<br />
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Cheers! (Written while drinking a Mikkeller Tomahawk Single Hop IPA, very grassy, a bit too earthy with a nice bright finish)<br />
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<b>Original comment from Lizzie Buchen:</b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18px;"></span><br />
<div style="line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Hi, thanks for posting about my article. I was inspired to write this article because I absolutely love hoppy beers -- but I know that wasn't always the case. I certainly remember when Sierra Nevada Pale was the hoppiest and most bitter beer I could handle. But then I started drinking other IPAs (Racer 5, Lagunitas), and suddenly, I found Sierra Nevada somewhat boring. And the trend continued -- I started drinking Pliny, Torpedo, Tricerahops etc., and suddenly, even Lagunitas had lost its bite.<br />
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This fascinated me. Bitterness is a sensation that we evolved to dislike because it often indicates poison. Yet I found myself craving increasing levels of it. (I know hoppiness isn't all about bitter--I love the aroma as well--but it's the overwhelming sensation). I started wondering -- are my taste buds adapting? Are my expectations changing? I even spent a while looking into whether Sierra Nevada had changed its recipe to decrease the hops! And the most interesting aspect is I'm not just "getting used to" the hoppiness; rather, I actually *like* it. How would humans evolve to enjoy something they're supposed to spit out?<br />
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I list a number of theories in the article. I certainly never connected drinkers of craft beer to addicts of any sort, but I do think alcohol plays a role. (The link to caffeine was that perhaps it helps people come to like the bitterness in coffee. I assume you drew the marijuana link from my reference to its aroma, which I think is quite pleasant, even though I'm not addicted to marijuana). Would you drink a non-alcoholic beverage that smelled, looked, felt and tasted exactly like the true Pliny the Elder? I certainly wouldn't.<br />
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As for the wealth/popularity/wealth view, I think this is a really interesting area of consumer psychology. A number of tests have shown that humans are influenced by price tags, such as the psych experiment I referenced where people judged "$90" wine as better than "$10" wine, even though, in reality, they were the same exact wine.<br />
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As for popularity -- don't you think one reason The Toronado is always so crowded is that, well, because it's always so crowded? People like being with other people, and sharing in the same activities as their neighbors. People try new beers all the time at the recommendation of friends. If they don't love it the first time, they might keep drinking it because they trust their friends' judgement. It doesn't mean they're "followers". It's another interesting part of our evolutionary history -- we are social animals.<br />
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And then, of course, there is the taste and the aroma, which people genuinely come to enjoy. Perhaps we get used to the bitterness, and come to appreciate these lovely, subtle notes.<br />
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These are all theories, and I'm not saying they all apply to everyone in every situation. But I think some of them apply most of the time. They were all fascinating for me to learn about, so I thought my readers would be interested to learn about them too. I hope so!<br />
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Cheers!</div><div class="comment-timestamp" style="color: #777777; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">January 17, 2011 2:54 PM</div>brews_clueshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743559201628821081noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3663475312210352468.post-30496992778249294292011-01-11T10:00:00.000-08:002011-01-11T11:47:08.175-08:00In Defense of Hops<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Recently, a friend sent me this <a href="http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20827920.800-extreme-beer-no-accounting-for-taste.html?full=true">article</a> from the New Scientist. My apologies that this isn't an open link, however, the registration is free and the article is fairly short if you'd like to read it. If you'd rather not, it's called, <u>Extreme Beer: No Accounting for Taste</u>, and I'll summarize by giving you the tag line: "<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">American craft beers are getting ever more bitter, expensive and undrinkable – so how do we learn to savour tastes we're hard-wired to spit out?" The article goes on to make a few observations about the surge in craft beer popularity and then tries to suggest some possible evolutionary reasons behind our predilection for odd tastes, namely bitterness. The article also spends some time talking about Russian River's Pliny the Younger, which needs no explanation or introduction for my audience, except to say that it seems to have reached a new level of recognition even beyond the confines of the craft beer world.<br />
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It's interesting science, although the conclusions seem to be incredibly negative, painting the motivation behind craft beer drinkers as drunken, caffeine and marijuana addicts, looking to prove our wealth, popularity, and masculinity, from an evolutionary standpoint that is. It's a portrait that might have some truth as you gaze across American culture, but probably less so in the craft beer market as compared to the mass beer market. </span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">But accurate or not, something bothered me about this article as I read it. I actually was just drinking Pliny the Elder (Younger's lesser, but much more attainable cousin) and Russian River's Temptation '08 (one of the famous sours she refers to in the article) last week at Toronado in San Francisco. The place was packed, the beer was delicious, and it was a great time. Surely this Thursday afternoon could be attributed to far more than the evolutionary outcomes of a bar full of people's misguided desires and addictions. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From a beer drinker's perspective, whether a hops lover or not, I think there is a foundation in history that has informed culture and is worth mentioning. Surely, when someone thinks of the unpalatable flavors in beer, the first flavor in question is bitterness. And true to form, this article spends much of its time questioning (although I'm tempted to say "bemoaning") the bitterness flavor that most craft beer drinkers have become accustomed to drinking. </span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's an understandable critique. The first time I tried an extremely hoppy beer, I wasn't charmed immediately. It took a few drinks and some exposure of the subtle flavors it contained and accompanied the bitterness, the way the alpha acids worked with the flavor of the grain and yeast to really understand how good the taste could be. I know a number of beer snobs who think the overabundance of hops in beer is a real tragedy, and ever since hops were outlined as a required ingredient by the German Reinheitsgebot in 1516, they've been a pivotal, yet sometimes controversial part of the beer process.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hops are a vine flower that share a lot of similarity to grapes used for making wine. And just like grapes, they are subject to a concept called "terroir." Terroir is the idea that the geographic climate, soil, and atmosphere impart specific characteristics to the plant. So while Germany, the world's largest hop producer, and the US, the world's second largest hop producer, have similar conditions for growing, say a Noble hop variety, there will be subtle taste differences in the hop pertaining to the region in question. Magnify this effect over centuries, add modern technology and a knowledge of genetic breeding in plants and we get quite a wide variety of Alpha and Super Alpha hop strains produced in the US and specific to its soil. Names like Willamette, Chinook, Simcoe, Summit, and Cascade, just to name a few. It doesn't take long for people to start using these hops in experimental brewing and suddenly we give birth to the distinctive flavor of the American Ale. The American Pale, the American IPA, the American Red, and really almost every beer from the British style, all with a new bite and finish because of the hop production based locally here.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The hops arms race, started around 20 or so years ago, and saw its biggest rise in the past 10 years, as different brewers pitted against each other, trying to cram all these new super high acid hop strains into their beers. I'm not really sure it's over, but it's a period marked by strong experimentation and individual creativity among craft beer brewers. Now how can that be a bad thing? In fact, I would extend that argument to say that it was this opportunity to step outside the conventional stylistic guidelines and restrictions with hops that opened up the idea of using different ingredients, experimenting with styles as a whole. </span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some embrace the hop explosion and ridiculous levels of IBUs in these new beers. Others see it as a gimmick that ruins the natural flavors of traditional beer. Whether you're a hops fan or not, you have to admit the important role hops played in shaping the beer renaissance that followed. That renaissance is a reflection of the real heart of American ingenuity and agriculture. Beer, is not simply a beverage, it is a cultural reflection. For centuries, beer has been defined by Belgian Monasteries, German Beer halls, British Pub Beers, and Czech Pilsners. Finally, American beer has a way to separate itself from these giants with something other than mass produced flavorless lagers in cans. Whether you like hops or not, it's important to understand that they opened the floodgates of an American revolution in beer. </span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So maybe the next time you pick up a pint of whatever you happen to be drinking, hoppy or not, show a little love to the bitter coned flower that helped pave the way for so many other brews.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cheers!</span></div>brews_clueshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743559201628821081noreply@blogger.com2