Beer Blotter

The Surly Goat in Cali. Pic courtesy of www.surlygoat.com.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

The Bruery/Dogfish Head Collab Party: West Hollywood, California

6:00PM-2:00AM @ The Surly Goat

And I am in shock….

Join us as we celebrate the future realization of these two fine brewery’s love child with special guests from both camps.

Featuring Such Bitchin Keg as…

Dogfish Head:

90 minitue IPA on Coffee Bean Randel (!!!)

Arpihop

Burton Baton

Festina Peche

Hellhound On My Ale – Imperial IPA

Midas Touch

Red and White – Imperial White

The Bruery:

Bierbauch

Cuir (3rd Anniversary Ale) 14.5% Get a cab!

Humulus Lager

Iniquitous Belgian-style Golden Ale

Salt of the Earth – Gose

Seven Grain Saison

The Wanderer – Sour Ale/Wild Ale (super limited / brewed for SF’s City Beer Store Anniversary)

Wednesday, June 17, 2011

Firestone Walker Night with Parabola 2010 and 2011: San Diego, California

5:00PM-11:00PM @ Urge Gastropub

This is your chance to taste two years of Firestone Walker’s Imperial stout Parabola side by side. I have a bottle of the 2011 aging in the cellar as I type.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Brewers Night with Emerald City: Bellingham, Washington

6:00PM-8:00PM @ Green Frog Cafe

The Green Frog welcomes Seattle’s Emerald City Brewing to Tha ‘Ham for a Brewers Night. Expect a fine selection of tasty quaffs and the chance to go home with some free stuff.

Friday, June 17, 2011- HAPPY BIRTHDAY DSR!!!!!

Beer, Bourbon and BBQ Festival: National Harbor, Maryland

6:00PM-10:00PM @ Waterfront

The three B’s: Beer, Bourbon and BBQ. I know a handful of people that would die to go to this event. So if you live in the area- GO!

Join us at the festival for a great day of beer sippin’, bourbon tastin’, music listenin’, cigar smokin’, and barbeque eatin’. Your admission buys you a sampling glass so you can enjoy an ALL-YOU-CARE -TO-TASTE sampling of beer and bourbon. Some of the best barbeque vendors are on-site if you get hungry all while enjoying seminars in the tasting theater and LIVE music all day.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Founders Fest 2011: Grand Rapids, Michigan

3:00PM-11:00PM @ Founders Brewing Company

Of course, you know how much bb.com loves Founders Brewing Co. This event is jam packed with beer, music and food.

Our street party: The 4th Annual Founders Fest is set to take place on Saturday, June 18th, 2011 from 3pm-11pm. This outdoor event is our biggest party of the year and features multiple local, regional and national live bands and entertainers, local food vendors, local arts and crafts, and plenty of Founders beer. Ages 21+.

A variety of local, regional entertainment will rock this year’s Founders Fest, with nationally-recognized GALACTIC of New Orleans as the event’s headliner. Other performers include former Jerry Garcia Band Organist MELVIN SEALS performing with TERRAPIN FLYER Chicago’s own Grateful Dead tribute, Michigan’s favorite global groovers THE RAGBIRDS, Boston’s own RUBBLEBUCKET, Lansing, MI based Americana group STEPPIN’ IN IT, and Grand Rapids’ own AB & COCONUT BROWN. Local DJ SPYDRE MURPHY, and a super-group of Founders Employees return as the FBC ALL-STARS round out the entertainment line-up.

Discounted advance ticket sales will again be available starting April 14th at Founders Tap Room, as well as online, via www.foundersbrewing.com through our friends at www.brownpapertickets.com. The event is limited to ages 21 and older.

Sunday, June 19, 2011**

** This event is also on Friday, June 17 and Sat, June 18

Washington Brewers Festival: Kenmore, Washington

Saint Edwards State Park

This is my favorite Washington beer festival. Its outside, has great food vendors and the line up of Washington beers is always impressive. Last year, the highlight of my day was Twangzister by Snipes Mountain Brewing Co. This year, I will be spending sometime in the Rootbeer garden, but I wouldn’t miss this for the world.

Washington Brewers Festival is the biggest and one of the longest running of the six beer tasting events presented by the Washington Beer Commission.

More than 60 breweries (50+ from Washington state!) will be on hand to pour more than 200 craft brews in this annual pilgrimage of 15,000 to Saint Edward State Park in Kenmore, June 17-19.

Washington Beer is recognized everywhere as being high in quality and taste thanks to the energy and creativity of the craft brewers and abundance of fresh ingredients available right here in the evergreen state.

Established in July 2007 the Washington Beer Commission represents all 145 craft breweries in the state with a mission is to ensure that more beer enjoyed in Washington is made by its own craft brewers.

Support your local breweries and Drink Washington Beer!

Check out the event website for more details!

Monday, June 20, 2011

Pig Roast with Captain Lawrence: Stamford, Connecticut

7:00PM-10:00PM @ Coalhouse Pizza

On June 20th, join us at Coalhouse Pizza as we team up with Scott Vacarro of Captain Lawrence for a night to remember – an outdoor pig roast with live music!

Tickets on sale now – 203-977-7700. Food, beer, entertainment all included. The fun starts at 7pm.

On the menu … Crisp Crudite with Roasted Tomatillo Chile Salsa, Spanish Green Gazpacho, Fresh Seasonal Summer Salad, Mexican Corn on the Cob, Slow Roasted Pork with Smoked Baked Beans, Espresso Stout & Buck’s Vanilla Ice Cream Beer Float.

This will be the first of four big outdoor events this summer and each are going to be great fun!

If you go to an event, want us to post about an event or just have something to say, leave a comment or email me at jess@beerblotter.com.

Cheers!

Tonight, Friday April 15th, Seattle’s greatest craft beer Mecca, Brouwer’s Cafe will be celebrating its 6th Anniversary with a party featuring the newest release in the always impressive ‘Imagination Series’.

This year, Portland, OR’s Hopworks Urban Brewery (also know as HUB) has brewed the signature concoction.  As always with Brouwer’s Imagination Series beers, this beer was brewed in a way that is somewhat similar to a collaboration brew, with significant input coming from Brouwer’s owners and management on the recipe creation and often even in the brewing or bottling process.

The Matts (Vandenberghe and Bonney, owner and general manager respectively) are adamant about making these beers more than just commissioned ales.  For more information about the the goal behind the Imagination Series beers I suggest you take a gander at this interview filmed by the New Brew Thursday crew during this years Hard Liver Fest.

These releases are typically not available through any retailers other than Brouwer’s and Bottleworks (same owners as Brouwer’s), so get it while you can.

For this 6th anniversary, HUB and Brouwer’s created an Imperial Oatmeal Stout.  The keg will be tapped at 6pm and there will be a toast at 7pm.  You can expect to see several other HUB beers on draft this evening as well.  Brewery representatives will be in attendance to help with the festivities and answer your questions.

If we are really lucky we may find previous year’s Imagination brews available, as well as recent Bottleworks Anniversary beers which are created in an almost identical fashion (in collaboration with the brewers that is).  This year’s Bottleworks XII Anniversary release was an “imperial sour wit ale brewed with spices and aged in wine barrels with raspberries” at Placentia, CA’s The Bruery.  It is absolutely fantastic and a must purchase if available.

I had a little bit of a hard time finding information online about previous Brouwer’s Imagination Series beers but I know for sure that the following  exist, or at least did at one point:

2008 – Port Brewing/Lost Abbey Saison with Brett

2009 – Port Brewing/Lost Abbey Ale brewed with honey, raisins and rosemary and partially aged in bourbon and wine barrels.

Oh you beautiful thing, you

***This was one of my favorite reviews that Timperial ever did and I wanted share it with you all. Enjoy!***

Enjoyed on: 1/11/10

Brewery: The Bruery

Location: Placentia, CA

Beer: Hottenroth

Web: http://www.thebruery.com/

Presentation: 750 ML – Brown Glass Bottle

Vintage: 2009

Style: Berliner Weisse

Barrel: N/A

ABV: 3.1%

IBU: 2

Hops: N/A

Malt: Wheat

Vessel: Goblet

Recommended Serving Temp: 45 degrees

Notes from the bottle: Brewed in memory of Fred & Sarah Hottenroth, this traditional ale can be served with raspberry or woodruff syrup, or simply enjoyed as is! Sour = Yum!

Food Pairings: Salad, chicken, raspberry or woodruff syrup

Cheese Pairings: Brie, gouda, havarti

Beer Advocate: B+

Rate Beer: 94 (3.68)

Timperialstout’s Notes:

Once again, one requires a degree in linguistics to pronounce The Bruery’s latest offering. Luckily, their creations continue to be so downright inspirational that it’s easy to forgive them for their indulgences. Well, in this case, it seems to be a noble cause. This one is named in memory of owner and head brewer Patrick Rue’s grandparents.

First, a bit about the Berliner Weisse, for the tale is an intriguing one. A German story says that the Berliner Weisse style was once called “The Champagne of the North”. “Champagne” was actually one of the first words that came into my head after sipping this rare style, after, of course, thinking: “whoa…sour, I wasn’t expecting that”. Berliner Weisse literally translates to wheat beer from Berlin, and in addition to the obvious use of wheat, it is also characterized by a sour flavor and a very low abv. The style was once the most popular drink in Berlin, with over 700 breweries producing it. Not so rare back then, but now there are only 2 breweries left producing it in Berlin.

One thing (yes, there is a few) that Germany has been good at through the years, when it comes to brewing, is making up strange laws to govern beer’s production. The Reinheitsgobot, or German Purity Law, once strictly stated that all beer brewed in Germany must be made with water, barley and hops, and nothing else. The word “Berliner Weisse” has been reserved, much in the way that the word “Champagne” is throughout the world for sparkling wine from the Champagne region of France, for beers brewed in Berlin. In other words, you can’t produce a Berliner Weisse in Germany unless your brewery is in Berlin. Unlike the Champagne rule, the Berliner Weisse rule seems to only apply within Germany.

A final intriguing note on Berliner Weisse is that it is often traditionally served with flavored syrups to cut the tartness. The two suggestions given on the bottle are raspberry and woodruff syrup. Woodruff is a potently scented herb that is used in a variety of foods and drinks, mainly in Germany. Beyond its addition to beer, it can be found in sausages, jellies/jams, and even ice cream.

Oh by the way, we are drinking a beer here.

Pours a very peculiar hue. Extremely pale, straw-yellow that reminds me of white tea. It’s quite hazy, with sediment clumps found on the bottom of the glass. A pure white head barely rises on the pour and settles quickly. Despite the fleeting head, this brew has a lot of carbonation. Tiny bubbles quickly race from the depths of the goblet up to their freedom. This breathing lasts for quite a while. The sharpness of the fluid dancing in your mouth plays a large role in its reminiscence of Champagne.

If it weren’t for the carbonation I’d say this looks a lot like a lawnmower beer. Maybe we call this a plough beer? Either way, there is a lot of land around us…and farm animals.

We have just traveled to a backcountry German farm. A curious stroll from pasture to horse barn brings a battering to the olfactory nerves. Hay and earth and wet wood and mold and all sorts of horse related funkiness. It’s all there.

Side note: If I ever own a horse, his name will be Hottenroth, end of story!

Point is, the smells are plentiful if you really breathe deep and reflect. Wheat/hay and lactobacillus/brettanomyces (both used in fermentation) funkiness are most present, with some unleavened sourdough, a bit of lemon peel, white or skinless grapes (possibly infiltrating my mind due to the lingering Champagne thoughts) and periodically, a very faint strawberry and green apple odor persist.

The flavors…well…tart and funky, but in a really good way. Also, she is surprisingly sweet for a wheat beer. The carbonation makes it feel more like a lemon soda pop…that was…possibly left in the sun for too long…but in a good way. The wheat is omnipresent and makes it feel all the more like a hot summer day at the homestead. Ahh, escapism at its finest.

And then there is the matter of Hottenroth’s extreme session-worthiness. There is no mistake above. This beer is 3.1% abv. This is where Hottenroth is most noteworthy in my opinion. What do you session with, a lawnmower beer or a plough beer?

I’m not going to tell you that this 3.1% beer is the most complex-mind-blowing-must-buy-immediately beer I’ve ever had, but I can tell you that this sessionable beer is not thin and boring, and it sure doesn’t taste like the mash was cut with rice. It is a darn tasty beer, and you can easily drink a few of them in one sitting without slobbering on yourself and blathering like an idiot about farm animals or god-knows-what. Hottenroth is exciting, refreshing, delicious, and most of all inspiring. I choose the plough beer, and plenty of it.

My hat’s off, yet again, to the Famille Rue.

If you like Hottenroth you should try:

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery’s Festina Peche; Telegraph Brewing Co.’s Berliner Weisse; Sly Fox Brewing Co.’s Berliner Weisse

Disclaimer: This beer was purchased on my own with my own hard earned money at a local bottle shop.

Who's down for a game of Bolita?

***Notes of a Beer Nerd is a column written by resident cellar dwelling mammal, Timperial Stout. Feel free to e-mail him at timperial@beerblotter.com with any questions, concerns or comments***

Enjoyed on 2/22/2011

Brewery: Cigar City Brewing LLC

Location: Tampa, FL

Beer: Bolita Brown Double Nut Brown Ale

Web: http://www.cigarcitybrewing.com/

Presentation: 750 ml – Blown Glass Bottle – Capped

Vintage: 2009

Style: Double Nut Brown Ale

Barrel: N/A

ABV: 9.0%

IBU: N/A

Hops: N/A

Malt: N/A

Vessel: Snifter

Recommended Serving Temp: 45 degrees

Commercial Description:

Bolita was a type of lottery popular with the working class citizens of the Ybor City district of Tampa. Bolita means, ’little ball’ but profits from the illegal (and often rigged) game were anything but little. In the 1920’s Tampa native Charlie Wall was the undisputed kingpin of the Bolita racket.

Our Bolita is a Double Northern English-style brown ale that has a complex malt forward character with notes of chocolate, toffee and hints of roasted nuts in the finish. Bolita pairs well with Baklava, Big Band Music, Cool Evenings and robust cigars.

Food Pairings: Pork, brownies

Cheese Pairings: Camembert, Asiago

Music Pairing: Sun Ra

Beer Advocate: A- (4.09)

Rate Beer: 98 (3.76)

Timperialstout’s Notes:

Background.

I have been saying for a while now that The Bruery and Cigar City are the two most exciting new breweries to open in the past 5 years.  In the case of The Bruery, I have relatively strong access to their beers and can speak with experience.  With CCB, I am forced to go completely by word of mouth, publications and ratebeer/beeradvocate ratings…until now.  Thanks to the overwhelming kindness and social grace of Jess and DSR, the better 2/3 of Beer Blotter, I was gifted with this bottle after they toured NYC in 2009.  I had been waiting for a special occasion to open it.  When I received a god-awful bill from a recent ER visit I made, I decided that I’d substitute “special occasion” with “extreme desire to escape reality”.  Let’s see if they live up to the hype.

Appearance.

Just after opening the bottle, at a very cold temperature mind you, a bit of foam formed and began to slowly creep over the rim of the bottle.  Out of fear of losing some of this rare brew to the table top, I quickly filled my snifter.  A lively head rose up but I was able to get a good pour and not overflow the vessel.  Bottle-conditioning success!

The fluid itself is a gorgeous mahogany color, and when held directly to the light it appears slightly toward a very dark, murky amber.  Light does not pass through and though it is evident that the carbonation is strong, it is nearly impossible to see any rising effervescence.

The head is tan in color and fairly light in density.  It falls somewhat quickly from its initial heights but leaves behind immense globs of lace, eventually settling into a soft, brownish-tan wisp.  As I revel in the appearance, from a top view, I’m reminded of being on a beach, right at the point in which the crashing waves dwindle and recede.  A froth of salty water resting upon dark, drenched sand, awaiting the next gravity fed barrage of the mighty sea.  If I could shrink myself down and anxiously submerge my feet in these cool sands, I would not hesitate.

Odor.

The scent is surprisingly vinous and estery…almost tart.  It takes a deep waft and some searching to find the nuts and malts beneath, but they are there.  The full experience in the nose – that being the combination of the before mentioned attributes – is actually really enjoyable, though my first impression is that this was not intended by the brewers.  Though, upon further reflection, this is a Cigar City beer and there is no doubt that, in its current state, this would pair effortlessly with a cigar.  Even still, as this is my first and only experience with this beer, I ponder the role that travel and age may play here.  It may require a trip to the Southeast to truly know.

Had the label come out and told me that this beer was aged in wood I would feel much better about everything, but really, if it isn’t, and this isn’t the intended scent, maybe it should be because it’s amazing!  It’s full of cherry notes and brown sugar, strawberries and rhubarb, pie crust and sugar cookies filled with jam.

Nuts and chocolate, again, can be found, but much deeper than the rest.  The moment that they are found, it all comes together in a holiday-like harmony that really sends me to another place and time.  It’s a magical experience.  Very, very much unlike most brown ales, there is no subtlety to the nose.  It bursts out of the glass like an overly perfumed grandmother.  In this case, I want to rest my shoulder on granny all evening long.

Mouthfeel.

The MF is on the high side with respect to carbonation, which slightly inhibits my ability to gauge anything in this category.  Through many sips I determine that it’s above average in body but not overly cloying or oily.  It’s spot on for a double brown ale.

Flavor.

It’s in the flavor that the nuts and chocolatey, roasted malt characteristics truly shine, but that only really holds true when the beer is colder.  In that stage the flavor is much reminiscent of Nutella.  When you couple that with the fruity nose, well, quite literally… it’s like enjoying a Nutella dipped strawberry, which, let me tell you, is simply stupendous!

The grains do not present any acridity or chalkiness and it all goes down smooth and sweet.  As the beer warms the experience has much less of a yin and yang effect and the flavors seems to devolve more into what was experienced with the surface scents.  The maltiness is pressed to the aftertaste and it all transitions into something very Belgian in nature.  If there was ever a time that I’d bet wood was involved in the production of this beer it would be now.  Strawberry bubblegum screams the loudest, but a woody, earthy flavor rests below.  That may be my palate misinterpreting the nuts since they are rare in this context.  The booze really brightens up here and plays yet another role in my (spiked?) barrel theory.

Amidst all this seeming mayhem, there is not an ounce of me that is disenchanted by any of it.  In fact, I can’t get enough.  It’s a chameleon of a beer.  What strange shade will I see the next time I blink?

Aftertaste.

The aftertaste is an afterthought for most of my time with this beer.  It’s all sweet and just slightly acidic, but with warmth there is a lasting, cocoa powder graininess that gives the impression of a chalky dryness that isn’t actually there.  This is probably the worst part of the entire experience of Bolita Brown but that is a bit of a misnomer because the whole experience is grande.  There is no doubt that I want to continue to the next sip.

Summation.

It’s been a long time coming, this foray into the realm of Cigar City, and whether I “compromised” the product or not, I really enjoyed my time with it.  I have great hopes that the time will soon come that I have full access to CCB’s product line.

If you like Cigar City Bolita Brown, you should try…

Samuel Smith’s Nut Brown Ale; Smuttynose Brewing’s Old Brown Dog Ale; Lazy Magnolia Brewing’s Southern Pecan

Disclaimer: This beer was purchased by Beer Blotter with our own hard-earned money, and aged to perfection by yours truly.

Thirsty for Belgians?

If you are following me on Twitter (@timperialstout), I’m sure that you have noticed that I have been blowing up your timeline with beer check-ins via Untappd.  Sorry about that.  Hopefully, you’re just a little jealous that I get to have an entire week of unencumbered liver destruction at the hands of many Eastern and Southern beers that I either very rarely get to drink or have never had before.  Needless to say, I’m having a blast!

I’m pretty sure that I could be happy living in Asheville solely thanks to two establishments.  First, Thirsty Monk.  Thirsty Monk is one of the best beer bars I have ever been to.  The owner actually lived in Seattle for a while and is a huge fan of The Stumbling Monk in Cap Hill, as well as Brouwer’s and Hale’s Ales.  The Thirsty fella is much larger than the Stumbling one, and I’d venture to say that it’s more true to form in its Belgian authenticity.  The layout and minimal food offerings (cheese, soft pretzels, humus plate) bring much reminiscing to my time in the true home of the Belgian Beer Bar Experience.  Though, the top floor is home to all American beer taps, many of which are local.  It’s the bottom floor that is the real lair of the monk.  All taps in the depths are of Belgian style, though not all are imports.  During my visit there were several Belgian styles on tap from American brewers such as The Bruery, North Coast and Allagash.

The best part about Thirsty Monk, other than the decor and great taplist, is that they offer taster trays (four samples) and half pints.  No beer is excluded.  This is very similar awesomeness to Uber Tavern’s relatively new service upgrade in allowing tasters of any beer on tap.  When you order a taster tray at TM you are also given a tasting notes card and a pencil so that you can, of course, write tasting notes and have something to take home with you so that you can remember what you had and if you enjoyed it.  This is especially helpful for me in my current situation…drinking beers that I very rarely if ever have, that is.

That brings us to the second establishment that would make it easy for me to permanently reside in Asheville, Bruisin’ Ales.  Before I made it here I had stopped into a few local markets, wine shops and the other bottle shop in town, Hops & Vines.  No one seems to compare to Bruisin’ Ales in selection, and really, that’s what you want in a bottle shop.  BA has an exceptional selection of locals, regionals and Belgians (lots and lots of Belgians).  They also have a great collection of glassware available and sell t-shirts with their logo on them.

The location is prime, right in the mix of it all downtown.  It’s actually on the same road as Barley’s Taproom and Mellow Mushroom, two great beer bars.  I found the staff to be very kind and knowledgeable.  As is always the case when I’m in a new place with a huge collection of beers that are unavailable in Seattle, I was wildly overwhelmed.  I decided that I should hold off on purchasing the final bounty of bottles that I will smuggle back to Seattle until later in the trip when I have a better idea of what’s good, rare, etc.  I grabbed a few bottles to take back to the dwelling for late night options.  These included Terrapin So Fresh & So Green fresh hop IPA, Terrapin Gamma Ray wheatwine, New Holland Blue Sunday Sour, Weyerbacher Riverva 2010 and Ska Nefarious Ten Pin imperial porter.  Good times.