Session # 45
Our 45th Session will be hosted by Bruce Tichnor, who runs the Canadian BeerTaster.ca. He’s taking us back to our roots, to spend a cloudy afternoon with wheat beers, or has he describes it:
We wanted to get back closer to the roots of the Session and pick a topic which was simple and yet gives a wide range of interpretations so we chose, simply (or perhaps not so simply), Wheat Beers.
Feel free to take this topic in any direction you like, specific reviews, historical information, or any other twist you’d like to use. Wheat beers are a pretty wide topic and actually cover German style Weizen, Heffe Weizen, etc. along with Belgian style Witbier and even Flavoured Wheat beers.
There are very few guidelines here, just have some fun drinking Wheat Beers in the fall instead of the summer.
Whenever I see or hear the words “wheat beer”, my steel trap of a mind heads straight to the first beer that made me think that beer could be more than plain and watery. Thomas Kemper WeizenBerry which the RateBeer sites describes thusly, “This wheat-brewed beer is bursting with refreshing all-natural raspberry flavor.”
I drank a lot of that beer. Mainly because it was sparkly and fruity and low in alcohol. I did not care one bit of the Weizen part of the equation. It was all about the berry.
At the time it was probably one of the better NW beers out there. Nowadays, it would probably not rank high due to the prejudice against fruit beers and most wheat beers. And truth be told, if I was handed a bottle today, it probably would not taste or rank as well as I remember. Part of me is glad it is not made anymore. A treasured memory can’t be tarnished by your own self or made fun of by others.
Now, wheat beer conjures up a more complicated stream of thought. Which sub-style are we talking about? Is it German or American? Sessionable or not? All good questions and part of my evolution in craft beer but sometimes I wish I could go back to that first WeizenBerry and just really enjoy it, unencumbered by all the thought.
another beer blog to check out
The craft beer world is filled with reviews. And there is a process underway, in my mind, of winnowing down to trusted craft beer sources. I hope to be one such person for those just embarking into the realm of flavorful beer.
Another great source is KSW Beer. They are review focused with good, solid writing. But they have two twists that I think differentiate themselves from other sites.
1. Female Perspective. They are prominently featuring women drinking beer. Awesome. The beer industry cannot grow without 1/2 the population behind us. They give voice to an under heard group and to that I say bravo.
2. Single Hop madness. They discuss hops and their flavors straightforwardly and because of home brewing knowledge, they aren’t feeding you a bucket of bad internet information.
So check them out.
Pete Brown videos
I have sung the praises of Pete Brown’s books and blog. Now he has added video to the mix.
After kicking a few ideas around, we decided to start off by making a series of video blogs. Once a month, we will be filming in a particular region of the UK, to produce monthly pairs of blogs. I believe (though I may be wrong) that these represent a bit of a depatrture for V-Blogging in that they´re made with a full film crew and hopefully therefore have a veneer of professionalism to them.
They´re not necessarily aimed at a beer geek audience but at a more general public, and we´re exploring ways to give them a wider reach in an age where TV channels won´t commission many serious content about beer. So if you´re a fellow beer blogger and you´re thinking ´this is rally basic stuff´ – fine, but it´s not basic to most people.I certainly will watch and learn. Us Yanks tend to forget about the ongoing British craft beer revolution.
Beer Bloggers scholarship
Scholarships aren’t restricted to just students. Beer Bloggers can get one too.
I will be heading to Boulder this November for the 1st ever Beer Bloggers Conference. And if they are any craft brew bloggers out there who have been on the proverbial fence about joining up, here is a financial incentive.
The Beer Bloggers Conference scholarship.
Beer Reviews
You may have noticed that my site started with more reviews of beers than it does now. That is a conscious choice. I am not a great beer reviewer. My skill is more in choosing beer for people and getting beginners onto the beer bandwagon. But I would be remiss if I didn’t showcase some people who review well. Movies have reviews. iTunes reviews songs so I see the niche that is filled.
So if you want to see a clean site with lots of photos and well written reviews of a variety of beers, here is another that I can recommend…
Hoggie’s Beer Reviews. You can also check out his YouTube channel via his site as well.
Pintley
There are a lot of beer websites out there. Some work better than others. Obviously, I prefer mine but pintley.com is an intriguing entry.
It is still in the beta phase but from the little bit of playing around that I have done it is quite addicting. I am impressed by the graphics though they could probably stand to add more beers to their list. (I say that of everything except the encyclopedic RateBeer and Beer Advocate sites)
Here is what they say about themselves: “Pintley is a new kind of beer website—one that only recommends beer you’re sure to love.
Unlike other beer sites, Pintley doesn’t just know beer; it also knows you. Pintley learns from your ratings and tasting notes to understand exactly what pleases your palate the most, so you can be your own beer expert.
Personalized beer recommendations, tasting notes, and a vibrant community are just a click away. It only takes a few minutes to get started, and best of all, it’s free.”
So check it out and let me know what YOU think of the site. Does it work for you?
Send the Search Party to Reno!
Here are your marching orders…
1. Click HERE
2. Vote for ME! Sean of the Beer Search Party
Your push could shove me into the best canned craft beer festival in the country, Canfest 2010 in Reno, Nevada.
Hop Logic
The more beer info the better is what I say and I will take on all who disagree!
Now there is another source of beer opinion from Hop Logic.
Here is their take: “Hop Logic is a new podcast which delves deep into the rapidly evolving world of the craft beer industry emerging with the personal stories from the characters who give this world life. Hosted by two lovable losers, T-Bone and M.C., Hop Logic is a fun and not-so serious romp behind the curtains of craft beer.”
Women Enjoying Beer
There has been plenty of stealth and not so stealthy marketing of alcohol to women. Some people are wise to the fact that they are half of the marketplace and should be treated as a large buying group. Most attempts are crass, mis-leading or both. Select 55, I’m looking at you.
Instead of pushing for better marketing from the mega-internationals, it is time for others to take the lead. That is why I think Women Enjoying Beer is soo cool. They want better beer in the hands of more women! Here is what caught my eye from their website:
1. To Service The Craft Beer Industry
“To help the industry grow and authentically develop the female craft beer enthusiast. In order to create new market segments and gain market share, you have to equally dedicate marketing efforts and a budget that go with the new markets. Marketing to women is not a token or single initiative idea. It’s an enormous opportunity to engage in IF you know that marketing to women is different than marketing to men. If you’re a brewer, brewery, distributor, and any other beer oriented business call WEB to talk about differentiating yourself to appropriately market beer to women. Developing the female market and getting them to buy and enjoy your beers and related goods is a way to strengthen your business and serve more customers.”
2. To Encourage Female Beer Enthusiasm.
“Women are 50.9 % of the population. By courting the female beer buyer more and more women can learn about and learn to enjoy the incredible flavors of beers. As a beer specialists, WEB can help you create affinity groups to help share and grow the beautiful thing we know as beer. These groups are formed to provide a comfortable and fun format to learn about beer and connect with other women – which can help you grow your female clientele (read: no cannibalization of your existing market share).”