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In the Tap Lines for March 2011

March. The month where I spend every waking hour buying birthday gifts because all of my relatives are born in these 31 days. I will need some good beer to get me through. So I will post about beers that are coming your way, are already here or are just plain hypothetical plus I also have this planned for you……

~ e-visits to four breweries based in Canada
~ video reviews of gluten free beers
~ Three suggested beers to buy this month
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my opinion on the craft beer world
~ my 2011 Beer challenge will be expanded, again
~ photos of my growing cap collection
~ plus many more posts about new beers, beer products and breweries

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The Firkin for February 2011

PtY madness is a disease. But it is treatable.

This month’s Pliny the Younger release from Russian River Brewing was a much smoother affair than last year. Growlers were replaced with glasses and more people went away happy with a bitter beer.

The only downside to PtY or Dark Lord from 3 Floyds or Black Tuesday from The Bruery or Kate the Great from Portsmouth is the mania that goes with each beer.

I’m not going to get into the nuts and bolts about how to fairly distribute a scarce product. It’s hard. And what works one year may not the next.

First, let me be clear, these are great beers. You do not get people returning, year after year if they are not. That is not my issue.

My concern is that the rest of a brewer’s line up is settled for at best and dismissed at worst. This mania creates a small sub-category of beers that are worthy of treasure hunts or put on pedestals. And to me that is the opposite of what craft beer is about.

We spent years drinking one type of beer. We now have choice. Why limit ourselves again? I want to have Russian River’s entire selection, not just one beer. The brewery should always be first and foremost. Not PtY but Russian River’s Pliny the Younger and then add, “one of many fine IPA’s brewed by Russian River”. It’s redundant but the focus needs to be fixed onto the brewery and not individual brews. Otherwise we can end up with one trick pony breweries.

PtY day is like beer Christmas. A day that people wait for all year long. But I want people to remember that the other holidays are great too.

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Let’s Tour – 8 Wired

Our final stop of New Zealand breweries is 8 Wired.

Here is what they have to say about themselves:”8 WIRED BREWING is inspired by the legendary Kiwi can-do mentality and fellow craft brewers who have dared to challenge the masses and show us all that beer is no longer “just beer”! Crafted by Søren Eriksen, a nomadic Danish brewer who has finally found permanent ground in Marlborough, New Zealand. Expect unique brews, expect ingenuity in flavour.”

And here is their brew listing:
ReWired – Brown Ale
HopWired -I.P.A.
The Big Smoke – Smoked Porter
iStout – Imperial Stout

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California Growlers

Phase two of the operation to bring California growlers is to get the word out while I seek to figure out how to either amend the current law or add a piece to make this dream a reality.

First things first, go to the online petition HERE and sign it if you didn’t click on the widget on the side of the page.

Then start telling people that Whole Foods in New York sells growlers of different beers from different breweries. Heck, even a pharmacy chain has an outlet that sells it in Brooklyn. Why can’t California do that?

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And the Oscar goes to….

Here are my pun filled, too obvious and tenuously linked beers to pair with the films nominated for Best Picture Oscar:

The King’s Speech – Duchy’s Original Organic Ale
Inception – Troeg’s Dream Weaver Wheat
127 Hours – Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA
Toy Story 3 – McMenamin’s Toymaker
True Grit – Millstone’s True Grit
The Social Network – Stone’s Arrogant Bastard
The Kids are All Right – Mother Earth Chaos
The Fighter – Sam Adam’s Longshot Traditional Bock
Black Swan – Allagash Black
Winter’s Bone – Grand Teton’s Coming Home Holiday Ale

from Oscar.com

Feel free to make your recommendations in the comment section below.

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Beer Advocate – Best of 2010 – Part 2

Earlier today, I dove into the master Best of List from Beer Advocate and I found it left out 99% of the beer styles in existence. Nary a Zwickelbier or Saison in sight. Now I go through the Alstrom brothers list.

Wow! What a difference. I know that they probably get many a beer that us normal beer geeks don’t get but wish we could. So they are working from a whole different list. But I am struck by the variety of styles that was missing from the other list. Sours, English pale ales, small beers and even a pilsner! A pilsner would NEVER make the main ranking. NEVER. This list would be the variety pack from the Beer Gods. And I am going to boast that I sampled 4 of them. I was especially glad to see Avery’s Rumpkin on the list. They make some tremendous rum beers. I was glad to see a Cascadian dark on the list as well as two other Oregon IPA’s.

Click on the image below to get a good look at what you should try to find this year:

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Beer Advocate – Best of 2010

When I saw that issue # 48 of Beer Advocate had the tally of Top 25 Beers of 2010, I had to say that I braced myself for mostly monster stouts. And yes there are 5 in the top 10 alone and 10 overall (not counting the 5 strong ales, which fall under the same BIG BEER rubric for me). What surprised me was the strong showing of # 2 for the Kern River Citra DIPA one of my favorite beers of 2010 and I had only a teeny glass of one. The second surprise was 2 rye beers making the cut, one from Summit and one from Boulevard (granted in the 20-25 section).

SO I am pleased that anything broke through the Stout barrier of the top 10 and I like that rye is gaining acceptance. But still the list is tremendously one sided. Nothing in the top 10 is below 8% abv. Amazingly all but 2 beers are above that 8% mark and 14 of 25 beers are above 10% abv. It is almost as if a beer geek can take most of the year off and come cold weather time start drinking because that is where the great beers are apparently. No session beers to be seen. No brown ales. No hefeweizen. It’s really a turn off.

Click on the image below to see the full list and let me know what you think of the group. By the way, not to boast, but I sampled 7 of the top 25.

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Untappd

What do you get if you cross FourSquare with beer?

You get Untappd.
Take a look…..

It allows you to check on what others are drinking (right now) as you input what you are drinking.

The only downside other than being pretty addictive to watch the beers scroll by is when an industrial water lager pops up. So sad that people would waste time and money on that and then proclaim it. It’s like tweeting that I aerosoled some Cheese Whiz into my mouth. (I would never, ever do that)

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Really?

Take a close look at this picture….

The garish colors and bold graphics are Colt 45’s brand extension into the vast and lucrative fruity malt liquor market.

All kidding aside, this looks to be the winner of the worst beer idea of 2011 and we are hardly out of the starting gate.

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Beer on the TV

The trend of craft beer on the TV continues. Here is another show that I heard about from a friend of the BSP.

“Who doesn’t like craft beer? Well, the folks at New York-based indie production company Overcrest Media are betting you do. Last month they launched their first original series, The Brewery Show, which dives into the craft beer movement, one microbrewery at a time.

“We explore the greatest microbreweries, brewpubs, and craft beer houses this country has to offer. From interviews with the trendiest brewmasters, owners, technicians, and home brewers, we find out what’s brewing in the world of craft beer and beyond,” says the series’ fledgling YouTube page.

For the uninitiated, The Brewery Show provides an excellent introduction to the process and philosophy behind craft beer production. And for those well versed, it provides a thorough behind-the-scenes look at some of the East Coast’s top artisinal breweries.

The first episode takes us to Pleasantville, NY’s Captain Lawrence Brewing Company—famous for their ‘Liquid Gold’ brew—and features interviews with Owner and Head Brewer Scott Vaccaro and Cellar Operator Justin Sturges. Vaccaro offers a piece of advice you homebrewers won’t want to hear: “I’m the last person to tell you not to follow your dreams, but remember it’s a business first, and it’s not just about making beer.”

Following episodes take us to Keegan Ales, Brewery Ommegang, Thomas Hooker Brewing Company, Cavalry Brewing, and Sixpoint. Thirsty yet? New episodes are released every two weeks.”