We stay in Texas for our next holiday beer from St. Arnold Brewing….
“A perfect blend of our Elissa IPA and Christmas Ale.”
from the Austin Beer Guide – Adelbert’s Brewery
Our first stop in Texas is Adelbert’s Brewery…
…in Austin. They have been brewing with Bohemian Floor Malts and a multi-step decocotion method since 2010 and these are the beers that jumped off the computer screen and got me thirsty.
“Scratchin’ Hippo is a dark reddish-brown ale brewed in the style of a traditional, rustic artisanal French farmhouse ale, Bière de Garde. Complex flavor profile with a prominent malty sweetness and earthy character.”
Philosophizer is a “hearty flavorful reddish orange beer with natural spices, clean hops, and a dry finish.”
Maybe, if a trip to Austin happens, I will be able to buy a pint at the Alamo Drafthouse and watch a movie with an Adelbert beer.
Xmas 2012 – The Bruery / Five Golden Rings
2012 has been a good year at The Bruery and here is a snapshot of their holiday offering…
“This is the only golden ale in the bunch but it definitely packs a holiday punch. We spiced up this 11.5% ABV ode to Winter with cinnamon, allspice and ginger along with some delicious sweet and tangy pineapple.”
Portland in November & December
Flying the week after Thanksgiving is the way to go. Literally, no one was in the TSA line. I just walked right up and was through. That quickly, my trip to Portland had begun.
Each time that I head north, I make a list of places to go. Belmont Station is on it every time. Other points on the map come and go but for this trip, I wanted to make my first visits to two specific places and a long awaited return trip to an old favorite.
After buying way too much at Belmont Station, I headed along with my mom and wife to Upright Brewing. Near the Trailblazer’s Rose Garden. The brewing space is in the basement of a multi-use building. Little to no seating and no bar! The server was standing next to some taps and a chalkboard. You order and you try to find a spot to stand amongst the brewing equipment.
My sampler included Todo Modo, Pearwood Smoked lager, Bad Brains and Seven aged with Brett. Personally the lighter colors were the best. The two dark lagers were fine but could not compete with the flavors of the other two.
Next stop was Widmer. I haven’t visited the Gasthaus in forever. Checking their website before I left, I noticed they had a trio of New Zealand hop offerings. So I ordered that!
The Pacific Gem was the best of the group. But all really showcased the difference in hops from one part of the world. I got citrus, fruit punch and grape notes and pear too. All with a pleasant kick of bitterness.
My other new to me visit (though I have had a few of their beers was Gigantic Brewing. Tucked into (you guessed it) an industrial part of SE Portland is their very pretty space with Portland Timber and label artwork adorning the walls. No Axes of Evil. Though I wanted to try it. I started with Ume Umai…
…a red hued beer with a nice effervescence and a nice push of plum taste. A really great fruit accented beer. I finished with their winter tipple, Old Man Gower which was a pleasant strong ale.
The last stop was spontaneous and I will talk more about Base Camp Brewing in a later post but suffice it to say it was a beautiful tap room and their S’more Stout had a toasted marshmallow!
Xmas 2012 – Karbach / Yule Shoot Your Eye Out
I am a big fan of the now classic “A Christmas Story”. (All other versions and sequels are abominations unto my eyes) and this cheekily named beer from Karbach has a cool label and hopefully a cool beer inside….
“This, our Winter seasonal, is a black ale spiced generously with cocoa nibs, orange peel, ginger, cardamom, allspice, nutmeg, and cinnamon. It truly is the holidays in a glass.”
Hate to see this happen
I never like to see a batch of beer having to be tossed. But I do give kudos to Port / Lost Abbey for documenting what happened. I am always fascinated by what happens in the brewhouse in good times and bad.
Xmas 2012 Sam Adams / Merry Mischief
One of the joys of winter warmers are the spices. Ginger, cinnamon and the like that just have a wonderful aroma and add backbone to a beer. Here is one such beer from Sam Adams….
“This rich dark gingerbread stout entices with the aromas of the holidays, hinting at the merriment and spices within. The flavor of gingerbread comes alive beginning with the smooth sweetness and heartiness of dark roasted malts and a touch of wheat. But it’s the intensity and spices of cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, & ginger that add a wicked kick for a jolly playful brew full of merry mischief.”
Session # 70 – Don’t Believe the Hype
Here is the December topic courtesy of Good Morning….
“Back in the summer, I shared a bottle of Westvleteren 12 with my brother and my father. Whilst I was aware of it’s reputation as “best beer in the world”, they were not. Whilst we all enjoyed it, we all agreed that we much preferred the other beer we had that night. The question that came into my head was this…
If I had told them it was the best beer in the world, would their perceptions have changed?
How much does hype have an effect? Are we much better off knowing nothing about a beer, or is it better to have the knowledge as to what the best beers are?
Which beers do you think have been overhyped? How do you feel when a beer doesn’t live up to it’s hype.
Is hype a good or bad thing for beer? Tell me what you think. I’m looking forward to seeing what the general consensus is.”
Hype, in and of itself, is neither correct, incorrect, good or bad. It is simply the blowing up of something that heretofore was unknown.
That means, to me, that any beer that is considered a “let down” after you have tasted it is not the fault of the hype but of the beer itself. Because, if you then say that the hype was exaggerated or over the top then you are basically saying that you believe what other people say and not what your palate is telling you.
But it seems, if you look at the top beers on the various craft focused websites, that a lot of people are either parroting back what has been told to them because they fear writing down their true reactions or it isn’t hype and the beer is just that damn good.
I believe it is a bit from both column A and column B. I used to check out the “scores” and “ratings” of beers before prying off the crown cap. I used to strain to locate the faint notes of pineapple and/or caramel in a certain beer and I realized that I wasn’t paying attention to the actual beer that was in my glass. Not to say that I am not overtaken by certain beers with reputations that precede them but I pour it into my glass and swirl as if it were the beer before and the beer after. If it astonishes then I am in agreement with the crowd. But if I pull back and think of what needs to better the beer then I know that my taste buds are not in alignment.
For an example, I recently lucked into trying Heady Topper from the Alchemist. Barring me winning the lottery and traveling the beer world with my winnings. I probably was not going to sample this beer. So I read about it. Perused some reviews and put it into my wish list. When the can was handed to me, I smiled and profusely thanked the person who brought it and tasted it. But I didn’t taste it like it was heaven sent. I didn’t taste it like I was part of some BeerAdvocate clique. I simply tasted it as a lover of craft beer.
Heady was indeed up to snuff and then some. One of the best beers that I imbibed in 2012. So, to me it is not overhyped. But to you or the person next to you it might be. And that is not a bad thing, or a good thing or correct or incorrect. It is just we all have different reactions. And some reactions are more passionate than others.
Xmas 2012 Upslope / Christmas Ale
If Upslope were anywhere near my beer buying radius, I would always have their cans on hand and in hand too. It would be especially nice to crack open a can of this Christmas cheer…..
“Celebrating the wintry nights and lights of the season, this lightly spiced English old ale is caramel colored and malty sweet. Second generation to the traditional Winter Warmer, allspice, orange peel and ginger round out the piney aroma of crushed juniper berries.”
Angel City – New Look Labels
Angel City has been quietly plugging away in the background of the Los Angeles scene. Sure they have been at the L.A. Beer Week and other events and you can find their beer especially downtown. But the tap room is still in process and the beers and the beer names were in R&D for awhile.
But now, here are some label images for what you will be seeing on store shelves….
I like that they are evoking the grand movie palaces of downtown with these looks. It ties in with the Hollywood theme and plays nicely with the Angel City logo. All of a retro L.A. Noir piece but with room to grow and be creative.