Follow Sean Inman to the best in craft beer
These are the beers that I wish I could taste for the first time.
The Belgian beer keeps coming from the Cooperstown folks at Ommegang. I have been hearing about their new BPA for a couple of weeks but since I have a fellow beer geek whose first choice is always a tripel then the release of the Tripel Perfection is even better news.
This beer is three years in the making and clocks in at 8.9% alcohol. So it is not for the weak.
Let’s talk more Japanese beer!
Even they are getting on the locavore bandwagon!
“Kiuchi Brewery succeeded in reproducing ‘Kaneko Golden,’ the first beer malt in Japan. This Nipponia is brewed using only this malt.
We use ‘Sorachi Ace’ as the hop, one which was once breeding in Hookaido and now is cultivated in Washington D.C.
The color Nipponia is gold, worthy of the name, and the flavour is like a lemon produced by Sorachi Ace.”
The citra hop has worked it’s way to the east coast. I have had only a few rice forward brews and none have blown me away or shown something unique. Maybe this will prove different.
Take a read… “we’ve brewed this beer with wild rice. We also used brown and white rice, as well as two malts.
Rice helps the beer ferment dry to better showcase the five different hops we’ve added. Lots and lots of them. We then dry-hopped this Double IPA with even more-generous additions of Chinook and Citra hops to create a nose that hints at tangerine, mango, papaya and pine.”
It’s good to see Karl Strauss back in the game rather than resting on their laurels and it’s good to see a pale ale!
“Karl Strauss Brewing Company is releasing the next installment of their seasonal program, Pintail Pale Ale. The company has brewed Pintail Pale Ale for over nine years, however, this is the first time it will be available in bottles.
Pintail is a classic American Pale Ale, loaded with pine and citrus flavors from a blend of Newport and Cascade hops. After fermentation, Pintail is dry-hopped with a pound of Amarillo hops per barrel, for a distinct grapefruit aroma and flavor. The vibrant hoppiness of the beer is balanced by a blend of Carapils and caramel malts, creating a firm backbone to support the lingering, dry finish. Brewer Paul Segura says, “We’ve got a lot of hop heads who love this beer for its intense grapefruit flavors.”
Stone has teamed with two brewers from around the country. AGAIN!
This time Victory from Pennsylvania and the esteemed Dogfish Head from Delaware to create a saison. A Buff saison. Each back label has a different spin from each of the three different brewers. Collect them all!
Hopworks Ace of Spades (Gold Medal winner in the Imperial IPA category at the 2009 Great American Beer Festival) was released in bottles on April 13th at the awesome Belmont Station.
The label says, “This hopped out beast had Amarillo, Cascade and Centennial hops, added at every point; mash tun, first wort, kettle, and dry hop. All the green goodness results in a beer with a huge citrus hop aroma, flavor and deep clean bitterness.”
AS if that wasn’t enough for organic beer lovers, Hopworks is releasing another IPA called Google Gigabit as a pitch for the company to choose Portland as its destination for new high-speed fiber optics lines. Check out The New School blog for the complete story.
Saw this tidbit in NW Brewing News and thought, interesting new trend?
“Lazy Boy Brewing has partnered with Michael Wilton (aka Whip) from the band Queensryche to develop a beer called Whip Ale”
It will be a NW style pale ale. The rocker apparently helped create the recipe.
Whose next?
As in chocolate donut beer. This is one of those beers that may polarize people into two camps. The camp who think it can’t possibly work and the camp who believe it’s just crazy enough to be good.
I would be willing to taste it but I hope it is more chocolate and beer than it is doughnut.
Just when you are sick and tired of hearing another collaboration story. Here comes another one to re-excite….
El Camino takes you on a drive from San Diego to San Francisco with a stop in Paso Robles. I have liked previous incarnations but I have one potential roadblock.
Figs! I didn’t like them in Monk’s Blood and I hope they don’t dominate this beer cause they ruin things for my palate. I am not scared off and won’t try it but I will be wary.
Last month, I crossed Monk’s Blood off my list of beers that I MUST try. After hemming and hawing, I added Nebraska Brewing’s Chardonnay Blonde to the Top 5.
There will be no doubt about what to replace Jack D’or from Pretty Things Ale Project, if I am lucky enough to snag a bottle. It will be this….
A hoppy triple. Two great styles that go great together.