Follow Sean Inman to the best in craft beer
my occasional rants and raves about what is going on in the industry.
As I have mentioned before (and I will probably mention repeatedly), I cannot possibly keep up with the variety and opinions on the interwebs when it comes to beer writing.
So sometimes, I run across well written pieces that I think, “I have got to share this”. Then I see that it was posted three months ago.
Anyway, that is not going to stop me. This article on Flagship Beers was fascinating in early June and is fascinating now in late July.
Here is the latest news (VERY GOOD) from Mystery Brewing…
“We hit our goal – and with 10 days to go! A huge, hearty, and hefty thanks to everyone who donated – in the past two days, including the matching funds, we’ve raised over $17,000. That is just phenomenal. I cannot describe how difficult it will be to sit through the rest of my work day.
…We go on raising money for the next 10 days. Anything above goal means we’re that much closer to our first batch of beer and that much more of it. Kegs get ordered, ingredients are lined up, we look at warehouse space and refrigerated storage. We’re already on the path through licensing and getting ready to make beer.”
Just because they reached their goal doesn’t mean you shouldn’t become a backer. Think of the great beer you could help make a reality.
Oregon is full of ideas in the beer world. Here is one that should make any home-brewer cry with joy:
“For many homebrewers it’s a dream to brew their own recipes on a large scale brewing system. Well not only do the members of the Oregon Brew Crew (OBC) have the opportunity to do just this, but the beers are sold commercially and the club is receiving some money for it.
Thanks to the OBC’s efforts, Green Dragon Bistro & Pub in Portland has grown to the 94th largest brewery in Oregon since the club began brewing there. Led by the Green Dragon Project Committee (made up of OBC members John Heasley, Todd Beach, Rich Hawthorne and Josh Blender), the OBC has been brewing at the Green Dragon for the last year and have consistently put out big new beers every couple weeks including Alpha Dragon IPA, Golden Dragon Ale and the recent 5-Point Exploding Palate Technique.
Designated as The Green Dragon Project, the joint venture between the Oregon Brew Crew and the Green Dragon Bistro & Brewpub is more than just allowing club homebrewers to brew recipes for public consumption. The emphasis of the project is aimed at the educational aspects of all-grain brewing techniques, recipe formulation, marketability, as well as quality control. Furthermore, the group is hoping that the project will help improve the link between craft breweries, their customers, and the homebrewing community.
The Green Dragon Project Committee is responsible for nominating brewers and their recipes in order to meet the goal of releasing a new beer from Green Dragon every two weeks. This means that the OBC is brewing a batch of beer two to three times a month, with one of those slots typically filled by the winner of the club’s monthly homebrew competition.”
I promise to get back to happy beer news with the next post today but it seems the State Government of Oregon has reinterpreted ORS 471.403 so as to ban home brew competitions!
IN OREGON! IN 2010!
Now I think the Tea Party (aside from choosing an ironic name, since they are represented by chosen politicians before being taxed) is too “me” first and community second but when government does stupid crap like this, you can see why the anger has arisen.
Enough vitriol by me. Check out this well written post by Lisa Morrison, one of the leading lights in the Oregon beer scene. After reading, please write to the Oregon government and let them know as a purchaser of beer from Oregon, you think they have misread the law.
More hops for the midwest! I love seeing small, local, boutique operations and that extends to beer ingredients. Simple Earth Hops “is a new 1/4 acre hopyard located at Greenspirit Farm CSA in Dodgeville, Wisconsin. The hopyard was founded with the idea of providing a much needed agricultural product for local craft brewers. Simple Earth Hops was established to demonstrate that local farmers can produce a consistent, sustainable supply of ultra high quality hops by working directly with local craft brewers while still maintaining a focus on ecology, the land and the people involved.”
Here is a partial list of the hop varities that they will grow:
cascade, eroica, liberty, Mt. Hood and perle.
The more hop crazed of beer searchers may have already heard or consumed beers made from these hops but I thought it would be good to give a quick primer on them so you can choose what will make your palate sing.
Palisades – a new hop variety from the Pacific Northwest. It has moderately strong bittering, with a grassy, apricot-like aroma that’s often described as “pretty.” Can be tasted in Alameda Brewing beer.
Citra – A brand new variety first released in 2008. Citra is generally used in IPAs and hoppy specialty beers, prized for flavor and aroma of tropical and citrus fruit; including lime, melon, pineapple, grapefruit, passion fruit, papaya, lychee and others. Can be tasted in Kern River beer.
Glacier – is another 21st century variety. It was specifically bred for a balanced bittering profile and excellent aromatic qualities. Glacier is generally 4-6 percent alpha acid, and works well in American or British-style ales of all types. Can be tasted in ???
The British Beer & Pub Association has created quite an interesting beer site. Beer Genie has a nice mix of fun and solid information. Such as…..
Beer & Wedddings, Beer and the World Cup, Beer and BBQ
Neither do I. But thanks to the industrious bloggers at the HopPress, now I have a link to the History of Malt Liquor!
Did you know the first malt liquor showed up in 1937?
And now you can find new variations from Rogue or Dogfish Head.
Mobile canning is starting to catch on but this is one tricked out rig. Here is what the press release has to offer.
“For small brewers around the world, bottling a beer is something that must typically be done manually on a very small scale or—with commercial help—on a very large one. Enter Tom Wood’s, a British brewer that recently launched a mobile bottling operation in the form of a well-equipped truck that can drive to virtually any UK location.
Tom Wood’s has been brewing beer since 1995 under the Highwood Brewery name. More recently, the company’s versatile operation-in-a-truck has begun offering full bottling service for other brewers as well, including everything from pre-production bottle washing through a range of bottle capping options, labelling and finally shrink-wrapping. With trained staff on-board, the bottling truck was recently showcased on British celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay’s “The F-Word,” where it was used in London to bottle Ramsay’s own home brew.
Whether for local craft brewers, individual enthusiasts or sellsumers with a side brewing business, a mobile bottling alternative that requires no capital investment or travel will be a compelling option indeed. Other large or medium-sized brewers around the world: time to equip a truck of your own for some new mobile services…?”
When I started creating my beer travel recommendations that you see to the right of this post, I used Beer Advocate and the Beer Mapping Project to make sure my facts were right.
With each entry added this site becomes more and more useful and I cannot recommend using it enough.