Author: Sean Inman

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Session # 38 – The Beer Bloggers speak….

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As promised, here is the round-up for Session # 38. Thanks again to Jay and to Stan for allowing me to host and to all of you in the beer blogosphere who contributed your thoughts!

I have read Mario’s posts on RateBeer, so I know he has a way with words. But I was especially taken by the last paragraph of his addition to the session, “In the end, whether you get in line or skip it, do one thing, enjoy the beer that is available when you get there. If you wait in line and end up empty handed, don’t throw a fit or make a big display of your frustration. Anywhere that pours these incredibly rare beers is sure to have something else worth your money and time on tap. If nothing else you have a story. Think of the free beer someone may buy you when you break out this tale of woe.”

The Wallace Brothers took a different tack and talked about their favorite “fictional” beers. Check out the labels HERE

The Bay Area Beer Runner shined a spotlight on not just one beer or a style but the not widely known brewery El Toro “I have to believe if El Toro was in San Francisco, everyone would be talking about it. But being way down in Morgan Hill, not too many people venture out to it.”

The Beer Nut from Dublin made a strong point in his rant that I think all beer hunters can relate to, “HaandBryggeriet Norwegian Wood. Because I knew the name and reputation, I picked up a bottle when I saw one on sale in Bier Koning: that’s the sort of cult-beer-seeking I like. Serendipity beats standing in line every damn time.”

The great Jay Brooks compiled a list of worthy beers. I was surprised how many I had tasted!
* Black Albert (De Struise)
* Black Tuesday (The Bruery)
* Cable Car (Lost Abbey)
* Cuvee de Tomme (Lost Abbey)
* Dark Lord (Three Floyds)
* Exponential Hoppiness (Alpine beer)
* Kate the Great (Portsmouth Brewery)
* Leviathan Barleywine (Fish Brewing)
* Local 1 (Brooklyn Brewery)
* O.B.A. (Anchor Brewery)
* 120 Minute IPA (Dogfish Head)
* Pliny the Elder (Russian River Brewing)
* Pliny the Younger (Russian River Brewing)
* Poseidon Imperial Stout (Fish Brewing)
* Raspberry Tart (New Glarus)
* Sink the Bismarck! (BrewDog)
* Speedway Stout (AleSmith)
* Tactical Nuclear Penguin (BrewDog)
* Toronado 20th Anniversary Ale (Russian River Brewing)
* Westvleteren Blond, 8 and 12 (Westvleteren)
* Wisconsin Belgian Red (New Glarus)

The Brew Site gave a shout out to Tonya Cornett and Sean Paxton for their collaborative Desert Rose. One of my goals in life is to be at a Paxton beer dinner and I know that the American brewing scene is going to hear alot of Cornett and Bend Brewing.

Lastly, my fellow beer traveler Richard sent a contribution on his birthday when he should have been drinking his favored St. Bernardus.

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A Beer a day

This is the latest addition to my growing beer bookshelf…
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This is part of what the author, Jeff Evans, says about this book…
Find out why Franziskaner’s Hefeweissbier is the perfect drink for
4 October.

What’s the link between Bamberg and St Lawrence?

What happened on 18 April to inspire a beer from San Francisco?

I looked at what beer was on my birthday. Fruh Kolsch. Not a bad choice.

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Faro Boon

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Let me confess two things. One, I much prefer lambics to sour beer. Two, I still have not had a Faro, especially the one from Boon that sounds damn good. I guess that I need to get off the porters one night and IPA’s the next and get a bottle of the Faro.

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Hop-portunity Knocks

You can label me a west coast hop junkie if you want but even the most jaded bitter hater has to love this name….
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This is part of a series of bottles from renowned can brewers, Caldera from Ashland, Oregon. They also have a Lawnmower beer out and a big dark malty beer is in the works along with an uber smoke beer.

(I love the 33 Beers) Get their tasting book! HERE

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Pickled Hop shoots

The old adage that you learn something new every day is so, so true.
hop shoots
Just read this bit from the Cascade Brewing folks….Brewmaster Ron Gansberg is somewhat of a visionary, and he’s at it again. This week he’s in the hop fields, picking pounds of fresh hop shoots. Why? He’s going to pickle them, using white wine vinegar and several bottles of Cascade Kriek Ale. Young hop shoots are a culinary delicacy enjoyed in Belgium – they have also been called poor man’s asparagus! Fresh hop shoots are only available from mid-March to late April, after which they develop a bitter taste. Pickled hop shoots make a delicious garnish or tasty hors d’oeuvres. Look for them on the menu when the Cascade Barrel House makes its debut!

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Session # 38

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One of the reasons why I selected the topic of What Beer(s) would you stand in line for hours to taste? is that I secretly hoped that I was not the only one out there that would stand in line for a beer that wasn’t a Russian Imperial Stout.

I hope to see some session beers mentioned but I think I am realistic enough to know that I might not get agreement on my specific selections because it is a style that is old and semi-forgotten.

I am talking about the style of beer known as GOSE. And if I can sway one person to try it then I will count myself a success. I had heard of this beer in vague terms from mentions on various beer blogs but I never ran across one in the beer bars I frequented or breweries I visited. Then, one day in Leipzig, after succeeding at getting myself lost on the outskirts of the city, I decided to salvage the remains of the day at the Bayerischer Banhof. Sitting at the bar at the crossroads of Leipzig with their Gose instantly made my day better.

Flash forward to this year and two breweries (Cascade and Upright)from my home state of Oregon are making brash American versions of this old style. And that is what I would stand in line for with a stupid grin on my face. And maybe, there will come a day, when I will have to wait in line for a beer that nearly became extinct.

When it comes to “Great Beer Expectations”, I will use the example of my first 3 Floyds beer. (Not Dark Lord) I was the lucky recipient of a bottle of Moloko Milk Stout. I held onto that bottle for less than a week before cracking it open. I thought to myself, “This is one of those premier breweries that a relative handful of beer geeks has the opportunity to sample”.

Upon that first swirl and sip, I admit to being let down. But as I drank and slowed myself down mentally, the beer grew on me. I started to detect nuances and flavors that I had missed in that first go around.

Did the expectation hurt my beer experience? I would say no. Did it force me to slow down and re-adjust my thinking, yes.

I will stop there because I need to start reading what others are saying.

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9 Months left

Disclaimer – this is not an April Fool’s Joke.

The 50 Beers from 50 States challenge is now entering the fourth month. As you can see from the stats, the progress is good, around the half-way mark.

But due to a combination of the arcane and sometimes bizarre liquor laws in some states and the limited distribution scope of some breweries, I forsee some states falling into the cracks. This is where YOU come into the picture.

If you have access to a beer from a state that I have not crossed off my list and you are willing to ship (1) bottle or can to California then I will make a donation of $15.00 to a food bank in your area of the country. You will also earn my gratitude and a shout-out on the website.

If you have a question or want to make sure that I don’t have something in my ‘fridge already then e-mail me at beersearchparty@gmail.com.

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Migration Brewing

A brewery that blatantly loves the Portland Trailblazers. All I can say is Red, Hot and Rollin’
Migration

They started with guest taps but will slowly fold in their beers as they are ready. First up is the MPA. Their take on a pale ale. West coast style.

Get the latest news on Migration Brewing HERE

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The Firkin for March 2010

Words like green, recycle, envio-friendly are seen alot in the craft beer industry. Primarily because you have to be a bit of a rebel to start a brewery. And, unfortunately, earth awareness, is still a fringe effort.

That is why I am all for ballooning a trend that I have heard about from various beer media sources. Captured by Porches Brewery in Portland charges extra (I believe $1) for their bottles. So you buy their Invasive Species IPA and it costs more. But! You can return the bottle to the brewery (unwashed) and you get your buck back.
The same deal for retailers who buy a bunch of Miskatonic Dark Rye.

Because the bottles cost a bit over a buck, CBP ends up not losing any money on the deal and they help the environment!

I think that any new brewery should be offered a tax incentive to enter this type of program. Or if money is a problem, how about offering speedee service on label approval in exchange for a bottle return program?

Every day we read about new breweries opening. Eagle Rock in California, Revolution in Illinois to name two. Imagine if all the breweries opening in 2010 came on board as a bottle return participant. That is a lot of glass being recycled.