Category: Beer in the news

Great articles that you should read.

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the new Firestone-Walker Brewhouse


I recently got a press release from Firestone Walker Brewing Company that “announced that it has begun brewing beer at its new state-of-the-art brewhouse at the brewery in Paso Robles on California’s Central Coast.”

Here are the nuggets that I think are most pertinent to us beer geeks…..

“The brewhouse occupies a new three-story tower that has been integrated into the front of the brewery building. The tower now serves as the brewery’s primary visual icon and features broad glass walls on two sides of the second story, providing a permanent window into the brewing process.”

“The brewhouse was installed with extensive custom features made to meet Brynildson’s vision for maximizing beer quality, including his personal modifications for milling, hop dosing, and kettle efficiency. The new brewhouse equipment allows Brynildson the ultimate flexibility for making every beer style imaginable. “By the time we got done with it, it essentially became a full-blown custom hot rod brewhouse,” Brynildson said.”

“The new brewhouse tower was designed by local architect Val Milosevic and incorporates design features that honor two iconic structures in the Paso Robles region—the Farmer’s Alliance building in Paso Robles, and the Templeton Feed & Grain building in the nearby hamlet of Templeton. Both of these buildings are visible testaments to the region’s rich agricultural heritage, and Firestone Walker Brewing Company was inspired to reflect this heritage in the design of its new brewhouse tower.”

“The brewhouse is adjacent to the brewery’s new visitor center, which features viewing windows into the hop storage room and the brewhouse control room, as well as a tasting bar and retail shop.”

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The World Atlas of Beer

It is time to get back to the beer bookshelf and review another book about our favorite topic.

The World Atlas of Beer by Time Webb and Stephen Beaumont is a goodly sized coffee table book. But even the biggest book could not cover all of the current brewing world. And right up front both authors acknowledge that cover the world required pruning and that a brewery being mentioned once only was no slight. They were looking to showcase “above-average examples of a particular statement.” While also trotting around the globe and highlighting particular regional styles.

But the beer choices they did make are the strength of this book. They have unearthed gems and new breweries that I had never heard of before. Beer 33 from U Medvidku in Prague or XXX from Three Tuns in Shropshire, England. (I would have liked to see one of my locals get included, but it was not to be) I would suggest going through the book reading the beer choices first and then going back to read about the geographic locale and the style second.

The information presented is really solid and presented with a clear eye. No unwarranted rah-rah boosterism on these pages. Another strong suit of the book was inclusion of topics like “how to pour beer” and “buying beer” that I had not seen covered as well as in these pages. Yes, there was the obligatory history and process of brewing that could have been left out but it understand that it seems every book must have that.

The layout and some of the photographs though leave something to be desired. I would have bundled all of the beer choices together on a page and not as a scroll at the bottom like ESPN with sports scores. And some of the photos, especially the dual page spreads had nothing to do with beer or weren’t advancing the story at all. I am looking at a two page night time cityscape on pages 194-5. Is there a brewery there? Why spend the ink on a generic photo. I would swap out every two page photo for a snapshot of a brewer or the front of an iconic brewery building, or better yet, have included more beer choices!.

But those pages are easily skipped over and you can instead focus on beers like a Pale ale from Cerveza Zeppelin.

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I can Pickle That!


This was not inspired by the Portlandia episode. It was only inspired by one of those peanut butter & chocolate moments when Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head was pairing his iconic 60 Minute IPA with an artisan pickle from Brooklyn Brine. One call later and …. “a first-of-its-kind culinary leap of taste: the Hop-Pickle.The all-natural, earthy Hop-Pickle is made with Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA, caramelized onions and Cascade hops and is packaged by hand in Brooklyn Brine’s small artisanal kitchen.”

You can also partake of whiskey or bourbon pickles too! But you may need a NY hook-up. The Brine’s operations don’t include the West Coast yet.

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Hop in the Saddle


You only have to follow this blog for a short time to know that I am a huge fan of the combo of craft beer projects and Kickstarter.

And now I have another one that could use a shot of adrenaline (and cash) to get over the finish line. Hop in the Saddle mixes Portland’s beer scene with it’s bike scene to create a unique guide to peddling to your next pint. So head HERE to see the video and donate. They only have 2 weeks to go!

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Limited Release


A new beer show has arrived on Vimeo, it is called Limited Release. And it chronicles the craziness and passion of those highly sought after beers. They start with Kate the Great (which may be slightly less hyped since the head Portsmouth brewer has now left), they move on to Dark Lord and then to one closer to home, Black Tuesday.

They videos are a fun which I wasn’t expecting since I am not a big fan of these hyper hyped brews when there are so many other great beers out there. Nice chunks of history of the style of beer and the brewery. Check them out. It is much better than some of the new shows that will be airing later this year. Plus now you don’t have to brave the crowds.

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FoodGPS Teaser – Ohana interview & more

Ohana Brewing is featured tomorrow in my weekly column over on FoodGPS. I e-mailed some questions over to the crew that are working hard to get some Ohana beer into our pint glasses. Some of which you can see on their blog post HERE.

You will also see a lemony beer of the week from a certain brewery in Escondido and your homework will involve logging into the interwebs and reading about what Girls Who Like Beer

andThe Beerista

have to say about craft beer.

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Define Beer for the State of California

Here in the state of California on the political craft beer front comes this piece of news….

“Before the Governor for action, A.B. 1812 seeks to clarify that beer aged in empty wooden barrels previously used to contain wine or distilled spirits will continue to be defined as “beer” in order to protect the existing regulatory and licensure structure in California. The California Craft Brewers Association, the sponsor of this bill, sought this clarification due to concerns that current law creates ambiguity on how wooden barrel-aged craft beers are defined and categorized for purposes of regulation, distribution, retail sales and taxation.”

Seems obvious to me and many other craft beer geeks but you know politicians, they would have trouble finding a piece of their anatomy with two hands and a flashlight (one of my dad’s favorite political jokes). But seriously, there are so many tiny underwritten sections to state laws regarding beer that it can be frustrating that a little common sense can’t be applied and either have a fast track for fixing things or a way to just ignore it and not enforce it. Thankfully Governor Brown signed this so now we can move on to more legal tweaks to the twisted mess of beer laws in this country.

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Green Flash is Brewing it Forward

To be blunt, I have had a few more misses than hits* from Green Flash Brewing but I do highly applaud there new charitable action like the…..

“Brewing It Forward initiative, a charitable program built to benefit grassroots humanitarian organizations. On June 26, Green Flash will hold a kick-off event for Brewing It Forward where the San Diego series beers will debut, and a portion of proceeds from sales of all three will be donated to local charities.”

You can read more HERE at the San Diego Reader.

* Linchpin White IPA with Founders was quite delicious

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Rare Beer at GABF

What are you doing tomorrow? If you are planning on going to GABF this year, then you should probably buy these tickets too..
Denver Rare Beer Tasting IV (Tickets Go On Sale June 17, that’s tomorrow!) and the event is set for October 12th.

“The Denver Rare Beer Tasting IV, an awareness event and fundraiser for the Pints for Prostates campaign, will be held on Oct. 12 from 1-4 p.m. at the Wynkoop Brewery in Denver.

Tickets for the event go on sale on Father’s Day, June 17, at Noon (ET) and are $100 each. They include the chance to sample rare, exotic and vintage beers from 32 of America’s top craft breweries and meet the men and women who made them. Each attendee receives a commemorative tasting glass, t-shirt, program and pen. Guests also receive a three issue trial subscription to the award-winning All About Beer Magazine. A buffet lunch is included in the ticket price and guests will have the chance to bid in an exciting silent auction that includes a variety of unique beer experiences and collectibles.

Presented by All About Beer Magazine, tickets for the event are among the most sought after of any beer tasting. The event is held while the Great American Beer Festival is taking place in Denver. The first three Denver Rare Beer Tastings each sold out several weeks in advance.

“The Denver Rare Beer Tasting brings together America’s best craft breweries in a relaxed format where brewers and beer lovers get the chance to talk and taste a unique collection of beers,” said Daniel Bradford, publisher of All About Beer Magazine. “This is the quintessential rare beer tasting and gives people in Denver for the GABF the chance to experience a true boutique-style tasting.”

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Teachings from the Tap


The craft beer books show no sign of abating. Which is good because I need something to read while I am drinking!

Here is one that focuses more on the journey than travel tips or brewing how-to….
“After several years of hard work, we are so pleased to announce the release of Merideth’s first book, Teachings from the Tap: Life Lessons from our Year in Beer.

In 2008, after nearly 20 years of visiting breweries as a hobby, Merideth Canham-Nelson and her husband Chris embarked on their most ambitious adventure yet: a year-long journey discovering the world through beer culture.

Aiming to fulfill their fantasy of becoming professional beer travelers, the couple spent a year visiting a major beer event or destination each month. What started out as a lofty escapade turned into a year of Canham-Nelson’s self-discovery, conquering insecurities and coming into her own.

Narrated in the first person, Teachings from the Tap explores the journeys of each month and pairs those beer travel tales with a corresponding life lesson. The result is a detailed account with one-of-a-kind stories that cover the range of emotions created by interesting encounters and new experiences.”