Category: I would love to taste,,,

These are the beers that I wish I could taste for the first time.

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Winter (and Beer) is Coming

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I will admit that I get geeky when it comes to my favorite TV shows, movies and books. I am still harboring resentment to George Lucas about the damn prequels he made. But I will watch Doctor Who and Fringe and any Bond movie because I love the mythology around the characters no matter the crazy situation.

Now Game of Thrones is a different beast. I came to this show/books after Lord of the Rings so I watch/read with that filter in place and I am just not into it like everyone else is if Top 10 Lists of TV are to be fully believed.

That being said, if Ommegang is doing the beers then I am in to trying them. I will probably not hoist them while watching the show though.
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Evolution – Generation

I end the year with a glimpse into a possible beer trend.
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Read this from Ale Industries, “Evolution is a beer that I have been dreaming of for the last sixteen years. The concept is simple, create a beer that is constantly evolving through blending with new and complementary batches. As easy as the concept is, implementing this into a breweries schedule that is currently maxed out took the idea of getting creative to the next level.

We have really been ramping up our Barrels and Uniquities department here at A.I., and until Evolution it consisted of either 100% brett ferments or whiskey/bourbon barrel aged beers. We coincidentally also recently made the acquaintance of Jay Goodwin, of The Rare Barrel, a start up here in the Bay Area thats focus is on barrel aged sours. He had stopped by the brewery during an Orange Kush brew day, and I was telling him about our bottleneck issues. Our fermentation space has limited our production, and until we got that figured out we were stuck at around 1200 bbl/year. He pointed out that we had eight barrels sitting there empty, just asking to be filled with beer. We had them sitting there waiting to be put into rotation for our sour projects. Until Jay suggested it I had never even thought of using old wine barrels as fermentation space for “regular” beer.

That was when it all came together. We would use the barrels as the fermenter for Evolution. Quickly Evolution became cooler than I had thought possible. Not only was this going to be an ever changing beer, meandering down the pathway of the brewers imagination, but it was going to be barrel fermented to boot!

A.I. Evolution, Generation 1 is an English Strong Brown, 8% abv. We are really loving the subtle oak character that the barrels have given the beer. The color of this beer has come from English Brown malt, a very earthy and nutty malt. Victory and Special B malts give it a beautiful caramel flavor and depth. Nugget hops from the U.S. are used for bittering and Willamette is for flavor hops. Finish is malty and toasty.”

Wow, that is ambitious and unheard of to me. And if it comes to fruition, it would be quite the tasting to try even just 3 years of this experiment. This is why I love craft beer. Ingenuity is lurking everywhere.

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A Collectible Badger


One of the few nicknames that I knowingly carry is “badger”. Mostly because I get under my wife’s skin a bit too much so I follow the updates from anything Badger themed. And this came across my computer screen recently…

“On 26th November we are launching the first in our Badger Collector’s ale series. The Collector’s Edition 2012 is like no other ale and its journey has been a little out of the ordinary! It was brewed using four types of hop; Boadicea, Bramling Cross, Target and Goldings; then matured in an oak cask from the Somerset Cider Brandy Company, where a second fermentation took place. The beer was then taken from the cask and bottled into full-size champagne bottles to allow for a further tertiary fermentation and the full champagne process of riddling and disgorging, as carried out by the finest champagne houses.”

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Packinghouse packaging beer

I got to taste my first Packinghouse beer which is semi-close (depending on freeway traffic) to L.A. while I was in Denver. I know it was a long way to fly for their beer but now it appears that a closer option may be at hand.

I mean bottles of both their stout and pale ale among others. Feel free to geek out on the labels like I did. (I seriously like to see new breweries in southern California)


Hopefully, some of these bottles will make their way out to Glendale and my ‘fridge.

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Thanks


I will be posting any and all Ohana news that I can because it is a “fresh face in beer”. So here is another beer from L.A. for you to be on the lookout for. This one might be made with Bill Walton in mind.

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Whiskey and Hops

If you can’t get enough hops and must have it in every spirit you drink, well you are in luck. A distillery fronted by Marko Karakasevic has made two version of hop flavored whiskey using Bear Republic’s Racer 5 IPA.

Yoy can get Charbay Hop Flavored Whiskey R5 Clear or the more expensive Charbay Hop Flavored Whiskey R5 Aged.

The website goes on to say, “The beer is distilled in double copper alambic charentais pots 24 hours a day for nine days straight before being aged for 22 months in French Oak. The result offers a definite whiskey taste profile with clear notes of hops, fruit, and malt when sipped. Distiller Marko Karakasevic, who started such experimentation with a pilsner-fueled light whiskey for Charbay nearly fourteen years ago, says he used 6,000 gallons of Racer 5 to produce 590 gallons of the spirit.”

Karakasevic is also working on a version using Bear Republic’s stout.

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Utopias

Continuing with Sam Adams day, here is the information on this year’s Utopias which is the 10th anniversary edition.

“The 2012 batch of Samuel Adams Utopias has its entire lineage in it, some of the beer has been aged in a variety of wood barrels for 19 years. This long aging process and variety of spirit barrels enhances the beer’s distinct vanilla and maple notes, and its high alcohol content creates a heated aroma of ginger and cinnamon. As a result, this big brew invokes the flavors of a rich vintage Port, fine Cognac, or aged Sherry while feeling surprisingly light on the palate. The brew has sweet flavors of honey, toffee, caramel, cocoa and vanilla, balanced by distinct notes of molasses, raisins, plums and berries.”

You can see a video detailing more information right HERE

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Longshot 2013


Of the many regrets of GABF 2012 was missing the Sam Adams brunch which featured the new crop of LongShot winners. There is only one of me and I had put off a visit to New Belgium for too long. So here is a late but informative look at the new batch of LongShotter’s.

About the winners:
James Schirmer’s Beerflower Wheat is an ideal balance of smooth, sweet malt flavors with an exotic kick of citrus and herbal notes. Brewed with hot summer weather and fun gatherings in mind, this American wheat beer pours a dark amber color, and imparts a light floral and sweet aroma with the delicate flavors of hibiscus. Beerflower Wheat is a medium bodied brew that finishes crisp and refreshing on the palate.

Zack Adams ’ Magnificent Seven is a showcase of seven American hop varieties that impart a big piney and lingering resinous flavor. A true Imperial American IPA, this brew pours a rich bronze color. The slightly sweet malt character is pleasantly balanced by a pronounced hop bitterness with grapefruit, pine and earthy notes from the American hops. This medium-bodied IPA also delivers caramel, citrus, lemon and piney aromas.

Dave Anderson ’s Strawberry Lager is a bright and fresh wheat beer, with a strong strawberry character balanced with toffee and citrus notes – the brewer’s vision of the perfect summertime beer to enjoy after a round of golf on a hot day. Brewed with fresh strawberries, this beer pours a bright golden color and imparts a malty sweetness with hints of lemon and earthiness. Strawberry Lager finishes with a wonderful intensive strawberry flavor without being overwhelming and leaves a lingering creamy sweetness on the palate. Dave has worked as a member of the Samuel Adams Packaging Operations team since 2007.

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XVI

Tomorrow is the official release date of the latest Anniversary blend from Firestone-Walker.

The website where the photo above was taken details the thought process behind the blend and the beer and includes this breakdown of what is in numero 16…..

The following are descriptions of key components with their original code names:

Velvet Merkin (8.7% ABV) – Aged in Bourbon barrels

-Traditional Oatmeal Stout (23% of final blend)

Stickee Monkee (12.5% ABV) – Aged in Bourbon and Brandy barrels

-English Barley Wine (22.5% of final blend)

Double Double Barrel Ale (14.2% ABV) – Aged 100% in retired Firestone Union barrels

-Double strength English Pale Ale (20.3% of final blend)

Parabola (13% ABV) – Aged in Bourbon barrels

-Russian Imperial Oatmeal Stout (10.8% of final blend)

PNC (13.0% ABV) – Aged in Tequila barrels

-American Strong Buckwheat Stout (8.1% of final blend)

Helldorado (11.5% ABV) – Aged in Bourbon Barrels and Brandy barrels

-Blonde Barley Wine (5.4% of final blend)

Bravo (13.4% ABV) – Aged in Bourbon and Brandy barrels

-Imperial Brown Ale (5.4% of final blend)

Wookey Jack (8.3% ABV)- 100% Fresh, Dank & Hoppy 100% Stainless Steel

-Black Rye India Pale Ale (4.5% of final blend)