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A concise brewery bio
Our second Icelandic stop is at Ölgerðin which has been around since 1913 and is not only in the beer world but basically in the food and drink culture.
They are big in the Euro Pale Lagers and American style Adjunct Lagers but there are a couple other beers to add to a taster flight…
Páska Gull – Hefeweizen
Malt Jólabjór – Euro Dark Lager
Sterkur – Euro Strong Lager
Polar Beer – Euro Pale Lager (because I like the name)
Why Iceland as a brewery focus this month? Well it is more to do with the name combined with the wintry month of December more than anything but also, it never hurts to hear about and remember about breweries from other countries.
Plus Iceland is a unique case as brewing was banned in the country from 1915 to wait for it….1989!
So brewery culture is still taking root and growing. We start with Brewery Ölvisholt helmed by Jon Gunnlauggson and located in the south of the island near an active volcano! The brewery started in 2008.
Here is what would be in my taster tray…(italicized beers are available in the US)
Skjálfti (Premium Lager) contains a wide variety of malts an hops, resulting in more complexity, aroma and taste than the conventional Euro Lager.
Freyja is a Belgian style Witbier. Freyja is lightly spiced and easily drinkable.
Móri is the big brother of Skjalfti, containing more varieties of malt and hops. Móri is top fermented.
Lava (Smoked Imperial Stout) is quite unique in the Icelandic beer history as it is very higly rated on an international level.
Skaði – Farmhouse Ale
Chetco Brewing is based in Brookings, Oregon. And thanks to Radio Shack downsizing have a home next to a Thai restaurant on Chetco Boulevard where they serve up 16 taps to the crowd in the Brookings Harbor area.
My first taster tray would include:
Chetco Logger
“Pale Ale, sweet, lightly malted with a small percentage of Maris Otter grain.”
Re-leaf Session IPA
“Delightful blend of Summit, .Cascade & Zeus hops. Might just be all things to all IPA fans. But then again, we’re a wee bit partial. A little avante garde dry hopping with Magnum, gives it a surprisingly bold, strong finish despite the low 4.3 ABV”
Appreciation Ale
“A nice, soft, sweet IPA to say “Thank you!” to all our our investors and supporters – it takes a village to get a Tap Room up and running and that village likes it’s hops! Tangy Chinooks and fruity, sweet Mosaics make this IPA very drinkable.”
Our Unite Series
“An eminently drinkable pale with hints of raspberry in both aroma and finish as the flagship standard. As seasons allow, we also do plum, blueberry, and kiwi offering a bright, lively finish”
Imperial Coconut Porter
“Brewing with 60 organic lbs of coconut is not pretty, my friends. But it sure is delicious! Rich and weighty, but not too sweet.”
Our second stop is in Coos Bay and 7 Devils Brewery.
Brewmaster Annie Pollard has gone from ecology to brewing and here are the beers that I would put into my initial taster tray….
Lighthouse session ale
Advocate pale ale
Arago amber
Blacklock Oat porter
Coalbank Stout
Single Hop Cascade Lager
Smith River would be an OK name for a brewery but I think that Defeat River is much better. The river near Reedsport is now named after Jedidiah Smith but the nano brewery sticks with the original name.
The brewery was founded in the Old Town by former home brewers Levi Allen and Trevor Frazier in the town they were drawn to by their wives. They occupy a building that has stood for 70 years.
My initial taster tray would include the following:
Early October Marzen
Communion IRA
Thor CDA
Beachhead ISA
The Bravest Pale Ale
When you think of best use of hops, even the most knowledgeable craft beer fan doesn’t think of Billings Montana. Nor would one probably place a bet that the Small Brewing Company of the Year would hail from Big Sky country.
But Überbrew from Montana left Denver with (4) medals and bragging rights among small brewers.
Following on the heels of their Alpha King Challenge win in 2015, they bagged two golds, a silver and bronze at this year’s GABF. And those are the beers in my first taster tray paddle, if I ever find myself at their brewery.
GOLD – White Noise (American-Style Wheat Beer with Yeast)
GOLD – Humulus Insani (Imperial IPA)
SILVER – Average at Best (Double Red Ale)
Bronze – Alpha Force Double Tap (American-Style Black Ale)
Congratulations to all the winners and I look forward to seeing the surprise winners next year.
Our second Great American Beer Festival GABF winner comes from the great state of North Carolina.
Lynwood Brewing Concern started as The Lynnwood Grill in 2004 with the addition of a small craft brewery in the back of the restaurant in the “Triangle” in North Carolina.
Over 12 years, their reputation grew and they were forced to add space thus the move to a bigger facility in Five Points where they took over the space of a brewery that was itself moving to an even larger space. Now they have two brewing operations to produce their award winning beers. Such as Once You Go, a black ale that won gold or Drop Bear Australian Pale Ale that also snared gold.
Here is what I would order to start….
Lynnwood Light – Golden Ale
“Crisp, light-bodied, and easily approachable. This is what we call easy drinking. The pale malts and Perle hops give this ale a golden, straw color that simply begs to be enjoyed.”
Czech Yourself – pilsner
“Before you lump this in with watered-down, mass-produced pilsners, give it a try. Brewed in the German lager tradition with a pilsner malt character, it’s spicy, slightly sweet, and grainy, with a moderate bitterness to the finish.”
Mosaic Pale Ale – American Pale Ale
“There’s a reason the Mosaic hop is getting attention in the beer world. This hop-heavy ale brings aromas of mango, pineapple, citrus and tropical fruit balanced with a touch of caramel and lightly toasted bread from the malts.”
Kiss my Irish stout – Dry Stout
“This dark Irish style stout has some serious attitude. Like you’d expect, it’s hearty, rich and medium-bodied—and completely unapologetic about mixing hints of coffee and chocolate. Dry and moderately bitter.”
Our first Great American Beer Festival GABF Winner of the Small Brewpub & Brewery award from Indiana, ZwanzigZ Brewing (which also does pizza, which is a double win for me).
They picked up silver medals for their The Ticket Chocolate Beer and Frankenwald Eisbock. That’s a duo from two different styles which shows a nice range. This Columbus based brewery also has some other beers that I would try (after the medal winners of course):
Cucumber Lime Kolsch
“Kolsch style German Ale brewed with key limes and cucumber. Very light and refreshing making it a great summer time beer. Garnished with a cucumber wheel and rimmed with optional chili powder.”
Shh Anne D
“A summertime beer brewed with raspberry and lemonade. A sessionable beer at 3.2% ABV that won’t slow you down.”
Triple Z IPA
“Balanced with pale malt and hopped every 10 minutes for an hour. Hop lovers crave Cascade, Columbus and Centennial hops. This beer is assertively hopped with all three. A true American IPA.”
Bourbon Barrel Scotch Ale
“Balanced with pale malt and hopped every 10 minutes for an hour. Hop lovers crave Cascade, Columbus and Centennial hops. This beer is assertively hopped with all three. A true American IPA.”
Frogtown Brewery has opened! Just down the road from Eagle Rock and near the hip taco spot, Salazar.
Seven beers were on tap on opening day and in checking the names out, I thought I could see a pattern but my word puzzle skills left me as I started tasting. The Man Da Rin IPA tasted like mandarin oranges from a can without any hop bitterness. The Feather it In Session IPA had a wonderful aroma and lovely hop bite to it. The Marmalade, which is their stout, was solid if too hard on the anise flavor for me. The Broken Vessel pumpkin beer was a nice balance of pie spice and actual pumpkin flavors and it was quite substantial at 9% ABV.
There was a wit and a blonde on offer as well and overall everything tasted well made. No glaring off notes. The Man Da Rin might be liked by other people but I found it too unbalanced and was my least favorite while the Session IPA and the pumpkin beer won my top honors.
The space is American brewery warehouse style. The bar doesn’t have too many seats but they do have a long rail to stand and enjoy your beers. The space zigs to the left before continuing deeper inside towards the brewing area. Nothing fancy but don’t be put off if the front looks crowded.
Look for further reviews because this brewery is off to a solid start.
Our third and final Sacramento stop is the Sactown Union Brewery. We are stopping here because when I asked a rep from the Beers in Sac website for recommendations. This was first on the list. So let’s check out the Union….
#KöLSCH Köln-style Ale
“Technology and social media have revolutionized communications, education, business … human interaction … and for all its pro’s and con’s, the interwebs cannot be overlooked for its power to give a platform to be heard, a voice to the otherwise voiceless. The revolution will not be televised … but it will be Tweeted! As a nod to this, we bring you “#KÖLSCH” Köln-style Ale.”
First Responder – Helles Lager
“German for “bright”, this beer salutes our brightest rays of hope that go through Helles to protect us: Fire and Police Departments, who are the brave First Responders. A portion of the proceeds from this brew go to the Sacramento Firefighters Burn Institute.”
El Campeon Del Campesino – Vienna lager + tamarind
“This Vienna Lager has a dry tartness brought on by organic Agua de Tamarindo, a Mexican Summer beverage. Named in honor of Cesar Chavez, the unifying force behind the ’70s California farm workers rights movement, & in thanks for the efforts of all those who work the land to grow the ingredients for our beers. Proceeds support the Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services.”
The Catalyst – Sacramento Common
“In keeping with Sactown’s rich German history, we re-create the original recipe with the Cluster hop that once made the Sacramento Valley world famous. This is the beer that made the miners smile after a long day of work, and will bring a smile to your face as well!”
Risen City Double IPA
“Bottom line: this is a really big beer . Named in honor of our town’s long history of overcoming adversity. A strong cast of Galena, Columbus, Citra and Equinox Hops join forces to set off a land mine of herbal and citric flavor on the back of your tongue!”