Beer Culture

“Beer Culture is a documentary film about the growing trend in Craft Beer set in the epicenter of it all, Colorado. Beer Culture explains the cultural phenomenon behind the growth of craft beer telling it through the stories of struggles and successes of some top brewers in Colorado including, New Belgium, Oskar Blues, Avery Brewing Company, Tommyknocker, Upslope, including much more. This film is set to debut in the Summer of 2011.”

That had better pique your antenna up. There are a slew of beer doc’s in the pipeling. Personally, I can’t wait for them to hit theaters and DVD.

Beer Culture Trailer 1 from FM Productions on Vimeo.

Thanks to Jay Brooks for unearthing this for the world

Gimme MORE!

Our craft beer distribution is an imperfect but workable system. But from time to time, I wish I could lay my hands on some beers that other folks take for granted. I was reminded of this when Great Divide Brewing started bringing their beers to Los Angeles last year. I was glad to see Hibernation and Claymore in the stores but it got me to thinking about other breweries that I would like to see here in SoCal.

So here is this months list:
Boulevard Brewing – They get to Oregon! How about some Double Wide IPA love here.

Nebraska Brewing – Again, seen them in Oregon. Move a bit south.

50/50 Brewing – I wish they could hop a lift on the Firestone-Walker supply train.

Session # 47

The first session of 2011 is hosted by Beer47. The topic? Cooking and Beer.

I wish that I had grand culinary exploits to wow the crowd with. Sad to say but my cooking skills are limited to following directions on boxes. So no Imperial porter foam on a beer soaked flourless chocolate cake nor IPA infused garlic mashed potatoes. (though I do have that Sean Paxton recipe printed out on my desk).

And since I do not have many beer dinners under my belt either, I can’t really comment on what works really well and what doesn’t. I do know a good amount about beer floats (but that really doesn’t involve cooking).

That leaves me with proposing my ideal and still unrealized dream beer dinner. Not all choices may be winners or even work but I would certainly like to try it.

So here goes….

APPETIZER
Sharp cheddar quesadillas
BEER TO USE:Strand Brewing Atticus IPA
I like the combo of cheddar and IPA and would like something bold to wake up the tastebuds. The Strand pale ale would work here as well if a lesser hop kick is warranted.

MAIN COURSE
Kobe Flank Steak in a Flanders Red spiked sauce.
BEER TO USE: Cascade Brewing’s Kriek
I don’t know how to make a sauce for steak and it might be sacrilege to use this Kriek but I would to see the contrast between the sour and the butter.

DESSERT
Apple Pie a la mode with an apple beer ice cream
BEER TO USE: Unibroue Ephemere
A double shot of apple. Scoops in Los Angeles makes great beer ice creams/sorbets and I would to have two wildly different forms of apple on the palate.

Don Younger (and other beery news)


If you want to hear one of the people that made craft beer drinking as easy and fun as it is today, then take a listen to part 1 of Lisa Morrison’s interview with Don Younger of Horse Brass fame.

You can listen on iTunes HERE or go to her website HERE to listen to Don as well as learn about Fort George Brewing’s expansion and Full Sail’s Bump in the Night.

To learn about where craft beer was back in the 1970’s is amazing. Most bars had one tap and that one tap had one beer. Their beer menu was the neon sign outside that said either Olympia, Blitz, Rainier or one of the other breweries.

An Expanding Ladyface

Ladyface Ale Companie doublind downits annual production capacity, from 600 barrels in 2010 to a estimated 1,200 barrels in this year. How? With the delivery of new 15 barrel brewing vessels at their facility in Agoura Hills, California.

Here is what the press release says:
“With the arrival of new brewing tanks, we’ll have the means to keep more of our regular ales on tap as well as brew special and seasonal ales,” said Brewmaster David Griffiths.

“It is very gratifying that demand outstripped production in our first year of operation. This will also allow us to increase availability to wholesale accounts,” added Cyrena Nouzille, General Manager of Ladyface Ale Companie.

The Firkin for December 2010

It is the last day of 2010,  did you make the most out of your beer year?

I am not talking about how many beers you downed.  I am talking about being a craft beer ambassador.  You don’t have to go out on the street waving a beer pamphlet and trying to convert the water lager drinkers of the world.

I am talking about breaking out of your own beer bubble.

~ Go to beer bar and brewery events

~ get acquainted with your beer seller or bartender

~ tell your friends about great beer

~ ask your local paper to cover beer more

~ get a shirt from your local brewery and wear it around

~ ask your favorite restaurant to carry good beer (if they don’t already)

~ bring craft beer to parties or get-togethers (I think there is one tonight)

You get the picture.  Let’s promote craft beer.  The more people that buy better beer the more better beer you (and I) will get.

Cheers to 2010 and I wish you all an even better 2011!

Last minute beer gift

Thanks to the ever alert Jay Brooks, I heard about another brewery going the Kickstarter route.

Pipeworks Brewing of Chicago is trying to get the funding to brew such offerings as
PipeDream and Hopverdomme. Belgian inspired American breweries are a great idea and catch on well with the public. Check out The Bruery or Upright if you don’t believe me.

Check out the video and decide. But I think this would make a great Christmas gift! Plus no shipping fees!

Malt this!

The science and agriculture behind beer making is fascinating. That’s why this POST on the Oregonian’s Beer Blog caught my eye.

This will really help create more local malt growing if it works and that means fresher beer with less of a footprint. Green is good.

Hop Candy

If you are still looking for something to stick into the stocking of your beek geek friends this Christmas (oh and if you are near Belmont Station in Portland), grab some hard candy.

Oh, it’s made with hops. Bitter and sweet and tasting of Fuggles or Cascade hops.

I googled and bing’d the heck out of the interwebs but could find no company that manufactures them or any photos. All I know is that they exist, like the Yeti.

Homebrew DVD

A while back I was contacted about reviewing the Beginning Homebrew DVD. I jumped at the chance because…

A) I have tried to brew and failed (twice)
B) I find the process fascinating

I preface my review with the fact that I am not the guy to review this for detailed, step by step accuracy. I am reviewing the production and the way the material is presented from the standpoint of someone who has tried and would like to try again.

Overall the presentation was very good, for two reasons. First, it was paced extremely well. A tutorial with this many steps could easily bog down in the picky details to the point where people would lose track of what was going on. Each step was clear and led to the next one.

Second, the host had an approachable quality and was easy to listen to for the duration of the lesson. A little bit more comedic touches might have helped keep the proceedings more lively but he did a commendable job talking and doing at the same time which is not easy. Try making an omelette while describing it without saying “ummm” every other word.

Here are my constructive criticisms. At the beginning, I would have like to learned more about the host and his beer history. Maybe even a bit on what he was brewing now. A quick primer on tools and equipment and ingredients needed at the start would have been good too. Lastly, a bit more history of the beer that was being shown would have been fun and invested the viewer in the process some more.

Pop up information on the screen could have been utilized more without distracting the viewer. Information about the types of hops and yeasts could be conveyed to add a second layer of help to the home brewer.

The DVD comes with an instructional disc as well to help the beginner with the journey and adventure that is home brewing.

UPDATE: If you want to win a DVD go to the A Beer in the Hand website and try your luck!