Author: Sean Inman

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Canned Hawaiian collaborations

Maui Brewing has been busy. Canning collaborations with Jolly Pumpkin and Dogfish Head before going all Mayan at the end of the year.

“Maui Lillikoi and Michigan Cherries? Saccharo-fermented in Maui while Brett-fermented and barrel-aged in Michigan – and all to get released during Savor in our nation’s capital in June? What’s that crazy name they’re calling this by? The Sobrehumano Palena’ole? Superhuman and without limits? Sounds about right…

If you think that’s not super enough, we plan to really blow some socks off with the third installment our 2012 canned seasonal series. This time, Dogfish Head superstar – Sam Calagione, will be our fearless collaborator! The result – a beer-epiphany never before innovated called Liquid Breadfruit!

To celebrate the cornucopia of a Maui-grown harvest, we will ingeniously combine local breadfruit (or ulu) & toasted papaya seeds into the recipe of an imperial golden ale fermented using Dogfish Head’s DNA ( Delaware-Native-Ale) yeast. You won’t want to wait until October to try it, but oh it will be worth the wait!

The forth and final seasonal of 2012 will be inspired by an indigenous people not so different from those of the ancestral kingdoms in Hawaii. The Mayans of Central America were civilized hunters and gathers who used a long count calender that measures the increments of time according to celestial movements they observed in the sky – the longest period indicated by the passage of a B’ak’tun (or approximately 394 Gregorian years). On December 20th, 2012 – the 12th such B’ak’tun will end and on the 21st, the 13th will begin.

To honor such an enduring occasion, MBC will release a Brussels-style Stout brewed with Mayan chocolate, cinnamon, and cayenne – to be called the Aloha B’ak’tun, with aloha carrying both the meaning of farewell and greeting. It’ll be a beer that you’ll want at your side no matter what happens…”

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Christian Albertson from the Monk’s Kettle


Tomorrow over on FoodGPS, I will have an interview with Christian Albertson from the Monk’s Kettle in San Francisco about aging beers, what to buy and tasting dinners. But to borrow the Hollywood movie lingo, here is a teaser of one question and one answer….

Q. What are your recommendations for beer geeks to cellar for themselves?
This advice goes out to not just people at home, but also other restaurants that are doing a vintage beer program. I think the most important thing that I’ve learned first-hand is that if you’re going to do it, you need to do it right: you need a cool constant temperature between 55 and 60. Good cellaring conditions make all the difference. We have had the opportunity (due to the large number of different beers in our cellar) to test other cellars/warehouses: there were a few times when a beer came in and I realized that it’s the same batch that we housed, and did a side by side tasting. Hands down, every time, the beer is better in the bottle we cellared—sometimes it’s a slight difference, and sometimes the contrast is stark (in some cases, it’s not the same beer at all). Get a “wine cabinet” and keep it in there at cellar temp—or at worst, your fridge (it will slow the aging process, but it won’t ruin it as much as a fluctuating, too-high temp will). We are talking here about the best beers in the world, some that can last 20 years and keep improving—it is necessary that the conditions are right. Wine enthusiasts are not putting their ’96 Burgundies in the back of their closet—don’t do the same with beer’s equivalents.

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Collage


For those of you who were scratching their heads at Conflux # 2. Here is the info on # 1!

“The beer is a blend of two Deschutes beers, The Stoic and The Dissident, as well as two Hair of the Dog beers, Fred and Adam. All four were brewed at Deschutes’ facility in Bend in March of 2010. All four were then aged in a variety of wooden barrels for two years including Rye Whiskey, Cognac, Sherry, Pinot Noir, Bourbon, used American Oak which previously held beer, new American Oak, and new Oregon Oak.”

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Uptown Market

Everywhere you look in my hometown of Portland is another great place to buy beer. And it seems like every month, I hear about yet another place.

Uptown Market has all of this going on, “Uptown Market strives to meet the needs of its clients. We have a large selection of domestic and imported brews in all shapes and sizes. One of the special features that we pride ourselves in is the two running taps that we have at all times. We offer regular tasting with a highlighted beer, stop by to find out our scheduled tastings. Along with the growler sales we also offer kegs to go for the more serious drinkers, a list of available kegs can be found on our product page. And for those of you who are the more do it yourself type we have all the fixings for making your own brew. We have Kegerators in stock as well as the parts and knowledge how to convert an old refrigerator into that kegerator you have always wanted. For those of you who live close and stop by often we have provided other convenient items that make your day to day shopping easier and efficient.”
As I write this post, they have Thai Wit from Laurelwood and Double Jack from Firestone-Walker on tap. That alone should get one to stop in.

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In the Tap Lines for April 2012

~ e-visits to three breweries in the Inland Empire of California
~ video reviews of three beers with no recurring theme or style
~ Three suggested beers to buy this month
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my opinion on the craft beer world
~ … and Session # 62 will converge bloggers onto a single topic
~ plus many more posts about new beers, beer products and breweries

Here are two events to get your April started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) April 1st Grand Re-Opening party at Blue Palms
2) April 1st – 7th Ladyface Hella’ Hop Week

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The Firkin for March 2012


Let’s talk economics. Specifically, supply & demand. And lets start with the supply side before trickling down to demand. I fear (from comments on blogs) that craft beer consumers and bloggers tend to think that this is an easily solved problem. If only there was more of Beer A brewed, then an equilibrium will be reached. And the craziness that surrounds some of these special release beers would diminish.

But supply cannot be magically increased to demand. There are no Keebler beer elves. It requires capital expenditures for mash tuns and ingredients and more brewing space. And it also requires more time. Either from the brewer already there or from new employees. Or you could stop brewing the other beers in the line-up and just pump out gallon after gallon of the famous beer. Option 1 is a hard business choice to make and Option 2 is, in my opinion, incredibly stupid because our whole craft beer revolution is based on choice from a wide selection. And both options will probably make the beer snobs feel that the beer isn’t special anymore because it now comes from a “large” (read:evil) brewery and it is now being drunk by the masses which lowers the “cool” factor.

And I am not even going to go into the issue of whether or not a brewery is looking for that special release exposure and wouldn’t make more if they could because again I do not dare care to stifle the creative impulse because that is what got us into this fine (and delicious) mess.

But since supply is perpetually intertwined with demand, is there a way to dim the fervor and acquisitional frenzy without damaging the brand name? I think that would be even harder to accomplish then brewing around the clock. You can’t tell someone not to want to have Special Beer B or C. They are great beers and beer lovers everywhere should be free to be fans of whatever beers they want to be. (Short of buying illegally on E-Bay. Justify it all you want, it is doubly illegal)

So really, the only solution that I see and I am hopeful that it can happen, is to have more and more breweries, brewing more and more beers. So that people in any city will be so awash in craft beer that the special releases will have cachet but there will be so many choices that if you miss one this week, the next week(s) will bring another fantastic beer. Maybe we can get to a point where there are hundreds of uber-special, BeerAdvocate praised, Beer snob desired beers.

Or we could all not get so worked up over one beer when there are SO MANY to drink.

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Irish Brewery # 3 – Metalman Brewing

Our final Irish stop had one of the most intriguing names on the Beoir website, Metalman

According to their blog, they didn’t get the hops that they had ordered so their flagship pale will be tweaked this time around but I still put i down as one to try just to see how the American hop gets used by Irish brewers. Their Summer and Fall seasonals sound tasty as well.

Metalman Pale Ale

“American style pale ale, dark gold in colour with a delicate white head. Citrus and floral aromas lead into hop flavours characterised by grapefruit and mandarin produced by American hops. A dry bitter finish makes this an eminently enjoyable and refreshing beer.”

Windjammer – Summer Seasonal

“A pale amber beer, hopped exclusively with lots of New Zealand varieties. An antipodean extravaganza, lightly carbonated with a soft bitterness from a combination of Southern Cross and Pacifica, leading into tropical fruit flavours of pineapple and mango, with the wonderful addition of grapes from Nelson Sauvin hops – a delightful spring beer!”

Alternator – Autumn Seasonal

“Hazy golden wheat beer with a punchy Belgian twist! Alternator is a light-to-medium bodied beer, lightly bittered, with a citrus finish from Cascade hops which is complemented by spicy flavours from coriander, pepper and a saison-style yeast.”

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substitute L.A. Beer Blast

The L.A. Beer Blast that pops into your inbox on Thursday nights courtesy of yours truly and FoodGPS is on hiatus for a couple weeks as the delivery system and other behind the curtain changes are made.

But that doesn’t mean craft beer stops in L.A. Far from it! Here is a totally unalphabetical, non-geographic look at what is on tap and in store for the craft beer lover this weekend and into next week.

1. At the Azusa chapter of Congregation Alehouse – Uinta Brewing Company Event with owner Steve Kuftinec, Thursday March 29th
Stone Tap Takeover Weekend with brewer Kris Ketcham Fri March 30- Sun, Apr 1.

2. The Factory Gastrobar in Long Beach is leading the way again this week by being the first taphouse to pour Triple Voodoo Brewing in Southern California. Their aptly-named first brew, Inception, is a great meld of belgian strong ale (8%) and a hoppy dry pale ale–unique and refreshing, but it also packs a punch. Also pouring right now are Hangar 24’s Small Stout and Double IPA, El Segundo White Dog IPA, Chelsea Moylan’s Porter, Sudwerk Helles Lager, Anaheim 1888 California Steam Beer, Green Flash Barleywine, and Eagle Rock Revolution Pale Ale. The cooler is chock full of awesomeness with the likes of: Avery Maharaja, Hangar 24 Columbus IPA, New Belgium La Folie, Heretic Evil Cousin, Knee Deep Resurrection Red and Grand Teton Lost Continent! Don’t forget that The Factory has $4 pours on Thursday, and 50% of food after 8PM on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.

3. From the Golden Gopher – Here’s our info: Currently on draught at this DTLA luxe lounge are Craftsman 1903, Brouwerij West 5 Blond, Oskar Blues Mama’s Little Yella Pils, Cismontane Citizen Common, Cismontane Black’s Dawn, El Segundo Blue House Pale Ale, El Segundo Citra, El Segundo White Dog, Golden Road Hefeweizen, Hangar 24 Orange Wheat, Allagash White, Allagash Black, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Ballast Point Big Eye IPA, New Belgium Belgo IPA, Bootlegger’s Knuckle Sandwich, Bootlegger’s Black Phoenix, Bootlegger’s Rustic Rye IPA, TAPS Irish Red, TAPS Cream Ale, The Strand Atticus IPA, Anchor Brewing Porter and Lindeman’s Peche Lambic.

Craft beer “to go” also available at the Beer Chicks 8th Street Bottle Shop inside the bar.

4. Tuesday, April 3rd is the City Tavern 1 Year anniversary in downtown Culver City.

5. Also on April 3rd at the Blu Jam Cafe, Hosted by chef & owner Kamil Majer, along with beer expert Larry James, the evening will feature a five-course tasting menu to complement the five delicious brews. With an emphasis on Belgian beers (Larry James is a Knight of the Belgian Brewer’s Guild in Brussels) and global cuisine, this is an event not to be missed by any beer enthusiasts.

6. At Ladyface in Agoura Hills, Hopping your way April 1-7 is Hella’ Hop Week, a head-spinning, tongue buckling, palate wrecking collection of hop-centric, hop-forward, hopilicious brews. Brewer Dave has created something we’re calling Batch 200 to celebrate our 200th batch of beer. It’s a special version of Chesebro IPA, made with extra barley and 10 pounds of 10 different kinds of hops. At 10.5% abv, it’s also a full percent bigger than our regular Chesebro. Cheers!

7. Wades Wines in Agoura Hills, Firestone Walker Brewing Flight Night Thursday, March 29th from 4:30pm to 7:00pm

Firestone Walker Brewing Company is one of the most awarded, and creative breweries in the craft world. Beer enthusiasts specially seek out Firestone Walker’s yearly release of their Anniversary Ale. Each year Firestone Walker selects a panel of wine and beer makers to create this blend of mostly barrel aged beers. As well as this year’s 15th Anniversary Ale, we will have two of its individual components (Double Jack Double IPA, and Parabola Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stout). To round out the tasting, we will pour Black Xantus, a popular beer from past anniversary blends. We will have Firestone reps on hand to answer any questions about the beers, or anything to do with the brewery.

Firestone Walker – Double Jack Double IPA 9.5%, Nectar Ale – Black Xantus Java Stout 11%, Firestone Walker – 2011 Parabola Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stout 13% and Firestone Walker – 15th Anniversary Barrel Aged Blend 12.5%

Come in for a special $20 taster flight…stay to enjoy the 40 unique beers on taps!!!

We have a limited amount of each library beer available…first come…first served!!!

8. Sunset Beer Company in Echo Park has a Uinta Night with the Grill ’em All truck in attendance on Friday the 30th.

9. At the Oinkster in Eagle Rock, This week we are pouring Cismontane Coulter IPA, Anchor Liberty, Craftsman Monkey See Monkey Do DIPA, AleSmith Nautical Nut Brown, Telegraph Los Padres, and Smog City Penumbra Stout. On deck we have Surfers Point Black IPA, Uinta Monkshine, Uinta Wyld Organic Extra Pale Ale, Telegraph Stock Porter, and Eagle Rock Manifesto.

10. Maximilliano’s in Highland Park – Drop by anytime to enjoy our new draft beer lineup which consists of all Craftsman Brewing Co Beers 1903 Lager, Poppyfields Pale, Heavenly Hefe, El Prieto Sour Black Ale, Acorn Saison, Monkey See Monkey Do Double IPA, & the Brand New Juniper Ale. We also have some fresh Hair of the Dog Blue Dot Bombers!

11. Vendome Toluca Lake will be holding their weekend beer tasting. The theme this weekend is Thirst Quenchers. You will find Jester King, Avery, Epic, Green Flash and Grand Teton on the list along with many others.

12. Haven Gastropub in Pasadena – Beers that should tap this weekend: De Koninck Belgian Amber, Grateful Dog Barleywine, Sea Monster by Ballast Point, Brouwerij West Saison, Art of Darkness by Ommegang and Sculpin on Nitro (hopefully!)

13. The info for Far Bar – Highlights on tap: Green Flash Palate Wrecker, Ballast Point Sculpin, Firestone Walker Pale 31, Bruery Humulus Lager, Firestone Walker Double Jack, Ballast Point Sea Monster, Eagle Rock Manifesto, Eagle Rock Libertine, Lost Abbey Avant Garde, Marin Chocolate Airporter, Dogfish Head Aprihop, Avery Maharaja, Kern River Class V Stout, Taps Schwarzbier, Cismontane Classified Dopplesticke and many othere.

Event This week: Final Four of Pale Ales with El Segundo Brewing Tuesday, April 3rd at 7pm. On tap will be:Four Double-Dry Hopped Blue House Pale will be on draught: Citra, Cascade, Nelson, and Simcoe. Rob Croxall (Owner, Brewer) and Tom Kelley (Sales Manager) will be in the house joining us.