Posts

Posted on

Project 12


Normally I do not use this space to talk about Budweiser unless it is to kick them in the butt to make better beer since they have great brewers and great equipment and wads of cash to spend. But I have to today, because they have taken up one of my suggestions that I have ranted about on this blog. (OK, not because of me, I don’t think). They have actually given their brewers some leeway to make something other than the corn flavored fizzy water. I can’t vouch if it will be good. Their American Ale was a dreadful watered down amber but maybe, keep hoping, they will make something at least drinkable.

“Project 12.” Twelve Anheuser-Busch brewmasters at Budweiser’s 12 geographically dispersed breweries worked together to create their own “tribute” beers to fit the Budweiser brand’s reputation for quality and consistency. The assignment pays homage to Budweiser’s “clean and crisp” taste by using the proprietary yeast directly descended from the original Budweiser yeast culture used by Adolphus Busch in 1876 and still used by Budweiser today.

Through internal tasting and analysis, the 12 small-batch beers – each a lager using all-natural ingredients – were pared to six to take part in a summer-long, nationwide sampling effort. Consumer feedback will help Budweiser narrow the six beers to three for inclusion in a limited-edition sampler pack, available for purchase this fall.

To launch the six sampler beers, private events with brewmasters are scheduled to take place in August in all 12 A-B brewery cities: St. Louis, Mo.; Merrimack, N.H.; Baldwinsville, N.Y.; Newark, N.J.; Williamsburg, Va.; Cartersville, Ga.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Columbus, Ohio; Houston, Texas; Fort Collins, Colo.; Fairfield, Calif.; and Los Angeles, Calif.

Each small batch Budweiser is distinguished by the ZIP code where the beer is brewed. Among the six beers being sampled this summer and the brewmasters behind them:

Budweiser Small Batch 91406 (Los Angeles): A deep-amber lager with 6 percent ABV that uses four different types of hops. The beer is brewed by brewmaster Bryan Sullivan in Los Angeles and was developed in collaboration with Scott Ungermannin Fairfield and Dave Cohen in Houston.

Budweiser Small Batch 63118 (St. Louis): A deep-gold 5 percent ABV American lager that uses the same types of hops (Hallertau and Tettnang) commonly used at the St. Louis brewery during the 19th century. The beer is brewed in St. Louis by brewmaster Jim Bicklein and was developed in collaboration with Katie Rippelfrom Fort Collins.

Budweiser Small Batch 43229 (Ohio): A light-amber lager using eight different types of hops with 6 percent ABV. The beer is brewed in Columbus, Ohio, and was the brainchild of the brewery’s general manager, Kevin Lee and developed with assistant brewmasters Travis Burge and Tyler Hunter.

Budweiser Small Batch 23185 (Virginia): A light-amber all-malt bourbon cask lager aged on bourbon staves and vanilla beans and with an ABV of 5.5 percent. The beer is brewed by Daniel Westmoreland in Williamsburg and was developed in collaboration with Mike Anderson in Jacksonville and Dan Kahn in Cartersville.

Budweiser Small Batch 13027 (New York): A bright-golden lager brewed with six imported and domestic hops and with an ABV of 7 percent. The beer is brewed in Baldwinsville, N.Y., by brewmaster Nick Mills in consult with general managerSteve McCormick.

Budweiser Small Batch 80524 (Colorado): A deep-gold, filtered wheat beer with 5.2 percent ABV using lemon peel, orange peel and coriander. The beer is brewed by Katie Rippel in Fort Collins and was developed by Nick Mills in Baldwinsville,Otto Kuhn in Merrimack and Tiago Darocha in Newark.

“The key to this project was the common yeast – which is a very important and often under-appreciated contributor to the flavor and aroma of beer,” said Jane Killebrew-Galeski, director of brewing, quality and innovation for Anheuser-Busch. “We are proud of all these beers – the variety and the quality – but we want consumer feedback. So, we’re looking forward to what we hear when we sample this summer. Our objective is to allow our brewmasters to show some creativity, but the beers must fit the hallmarks the Budweiser brand is respected for, such as quality and consistency, and have a very crisp and clean taste.”

Though the range is still limited and the term “light” is used so as not to scare or offend those who have yet to discover craft beer at least there is a modest effort involved. I don’t think it will come close to matching the quality of the Sam Adams Longshot beers but this writer is very cautiously optimistic.

Posted on

Mosaic

There is a new hop varietal to be on the lookout for, Mosaic. (not to be confused with the virus mosaic)

The first major beer that I have seen that uses it is from Odell in Colorado and their Woodcut # 06. They describe it as, “The distinct character of the Mosaic hop presents wafting aromas of tropical fruits like mango, papaya, and guava.”

I have had a homebrew that utilizes this hop and it did provide a very heavy fruit and earthy characteristic that really grew on me.

I have a feeling that this might be a hop we see much more of in the coming years.

Posted on

some special Chimay


This looks like something to add to both your ‘fridge and your cellar. According to the label, “To celebrate the 150 years spent at the Abbey Of Scourmont, the Chimay Trappist brewery has developed this exceptional anniversary beer brewed specially for the occasion.”

Posted on

the latest Barrel Roll


Looks like Hangar 24 is ramping up the Barrel Roll series again. I missed the first two of the series but starting with # 3 Pugachev’s Cobra was not a bad way to go but I am glad that they are heading into sour territory with Chandelle. It is a good change of pace from the barleywine, Hammerhead and it uses the apricots that they are famous for with their wonderful Polycot beer.

Posted on

Guiness Brats


I still haven’t seen these in my local supermarket but it might make an instant pairing with some cheese and Guinness.

Or you could head over to Gilt Taste and order some even more gourmet beer bratwursts for your next BBQ.

Posted on

Something’s Off

On August 7th you can taste some bad beer for a good cause. That cause? BEER EDUCATION:

“WHAT HAPPENED? OFF FLAVORS TASTING

You’ve likely heard terms such as diacetyl, acetaldehyde, DMS, and so forth in the context of beer flaws and off-flavors, but what do they really taste like? Join us Tuesday, August 7th from 7-9pm for the second in a series of sensory analysis sessions to find out.

We’ll conduct a tasting of ‘doctored’ beers, each highlighting a specific flaw. Prepare to savor such flavors as cardboard, green apple, creamed corn, and if you’re lucky maybe even a little baby diaper! This is a great opportunity, particularly for newer brewers, to learn to identify beer flaws and troubleshoot their process. If you have any beers that didn’t turn out as you’d planned, bring them along!

In order to prepare course materials, have enough sample beer, etc. everyone attending the class must be registered via online store. There are only 25 spots available so it will fill up fast!”

Posted on

another Stone anniversary!


“Stone Brewing Co. may be celebrating its sweet 16 this year, but true fans know that the brewery’s aggressively-flavored bitter ales are anything but sweet. To commemorate the happy (hoppy?) day, Stone is releasing Stone 16th Anniversary IPA on August 13, and will hold its annual 16th Anniversary Celebration & Invitational Beer Festival August 17 and 18. One hundred percent of the profits from the festival will be donated to local charities including: Boys & Girls Club of San Marcos, Fight ALD, Palomar Family YMCA, and Surfrider Foundation.

The two-day event begins Friday, August 17 with the Brewers Reception held on the grounds of California State University San Marcos (CSUSM). The $75 ticket price includes a commemorative glass, tastings of special beers, meet and greet with the world-class brewers featured at the festival, and complimentary gourmet fare and live music. The Stone 16th Anniversary Celebration & Invitational Beer Festival is also held at CSUSM and tickets are $40 per person, per session – Session A is 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Session B is 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. The Festival features more than 40 breweries and 100 beers, as well as the infamous Arrogant Bastard Ale onion rings, complimentary homebrewed sodas, and samples of Mike’s Beer Cheese. Ticket holders will receive a commemorative tasting glass with 10 four-ounce samples. All Access Pass/Rare Beer Section tickets have already sold out.”

Posted on

Session # 66


This month is hosted by DrinkDrank and here is the topic with apologies to Gollum.
“We all have our favorite brews—even if you say you don’t; deep,deep down we all do. From IPAs to Pilsners, Steam Beers to Steinbiers, something out there floats your boat. What if we look that to another level? What if you were to design the perfect brew—a Tolkien-esque One Beer to Rule Them All. The perfect beer for you, personally. Would it be hoppy and dark or strong and light? Is it augmented with exotic ingredients or traditionally crafted? Would your One Beer be a historic recreation or something never before dreamt of? The sky is the limit on this one. If you need to travel back in time to brew at Belgian farm during the 1870s, go right ahead—just say hi to Doc Brown and the Delorean for me. Maybe you’ll need to mount a expedition to the treacherous Amazonian rain forest to bring back some chicha, to spike your brew with; or perhaps, you’ll just dust off that old Brown Ale homebrew recipe, tweak it a bit, and call it an evening.

I’d suspect that most of you out there probably have a good understanding about the brewing process—but if you don’t, no sweat, just wing it. This exercise isn’t about making sure you’ve checked all the right boxes for the BJCP or some homebrew competition. This Session is all about imagining the possibilities—no matter how ridiculous! Feel free to create a recipe, right down to the aplha acid in your hops or conjure up a review just like you’d do for any other beer. However you want to come at this, it’s your ultimate beer, your One Beer to Rule Them All!

One small caveat, however, you do need to name your concoction—no imaginary super beer would be complete without some glorified moniker to seal the proverbial deal!”

The hardest part of this “mythic” beer challenge was the right sounding name. I wanted some history, I wanted to convey fun and I wanted to make sure the beer style was incorporated in there as well. I rejected more before I could finish typing them. But I guess I should go back to the beginning of this session.

What would be my perfect pint? I had to set parameters. I wanted something hoppy but not double or imperial. I wanted to pick up ingredients and elements of some of my favorite beers and re-jigger them into a brand new configuration. I also wanted something light (or dare I say, sessionable) because here in Los Angeles, there are more hot days than not and as good as Double IPA or Russian Imperial Stout can be, they are not easy to drink in the heat of August. (I know this is an imaginary beer that could be drunk anywhere at anytime but I want to stay somewhat tethered to reality.)

Without further ado, here is what I want in my glass. I want a hopped up Helles with a touch of sage in it. This fills my self-imposed parameters. I want this beer to be a bit fizzy but with a pronounced hop aroma from one of the hip New Zealand / Australian hops like Motueka with it’s lemon and lime burst followed by a background of tropical fruit or Rakau with it’s tropical fruit aromas of passionfruit and peach. Then just to add a secondary burst of flavor add some locally grown sage to add a bit more zing to the proceedings.

This recipe would hit a few more points of interest for me. I want to see more pilsners and helles’ on tap and it will showcase the diversity of hop styles and be a bit worldly and less West Coast-centric and the sage addition comes from my enjoyment of Farmer’s Markets that are all over the SoCal area.

This is also a nod to some beers that I have had that in the past like the Sand Dune Sage Pale Ale from El Segundo Brewing and the Saison du Buff from the collaborative efforts of Stone, Dogfish Head and Victory and to the excellent helles made by Hangar 24 in Redlands, California.

That being typed, the name of this lovely summer sipper is The Helles Reclamation Project # 1 – NZ Sage. That’s right. I am thinking about a whole series of new flavors for Helles. Now I just need to think of what I would add to # 2.

Since time machine’s were invoked, how about making sure it is in my hand before I finish this post?

Posted on

IPA Day version 2.0


Year 2 of the #IPADay is TODAY!

So get over to Twitter or follow the action on Untappd to see what the blogosphere is drinking from the world of IPA. And if you need a reminder of FAQ’s from last year then click HERE.

And I have the perfect choice for this momentous day. You can’t go small. So I have decided to go huge. Actually GIGANTIC!

Posted on

FoodGPS Teaser – Barley Forge

Last week I profiled the brewers behind Pipe Dream Brewery and this week yet another profile of another westside homebrewer who is looking to go pro.

This week over on FoodGPS is Barley Forge….

I had the opportunity to taste Greg Nylen’s beers at a home brew evening at the Craft and Folk Art Museum on Wilshire. He had two versions of the Santo amber brewed with two different yeast strains.

I also sampled the Double Imperial pale called Delicious and two versions of Black Dahlia a Belgian strong ale.