Follow Sean Inman to the best in craft beer
One of the breweries that has international cred along with Mikkeller and BrewDog is the unpronouncable Nogne O, from Norway. Their most sought after brews are the Horizon series.
Dark Horizon, the 3rd edition of this epic 15.5% imperial stout.
Red Horizon, a 17% ale fermented at low temps with sake yeast. Redolent of vanilla, caramel, and toffee.
Sweet Horizon, a 14% coffee stout. Intensely sweet; don’t drink it with dessert… it IS dessert!
No it is not the latest in the George Clooney caper movies. It is a sequel of sorts or a side project for the mad brewers at BrewDog.
They have two beers ready, an IPA and a Stout. Pedestrian for people who stuff beer into taxidermy but the twist is that this is a private label type thing. These two beers will be a store exclusive. What store? Tell me if you find out.
Sierra Nevada is fast becoming the big IPA game in town and today (in limited release) comes a Beer Camp Brew sure to please the lovers of bitterness.
Here is what the brewery says about it …“A group of hop-heads and publicans challenegd our Beer Camp brewers to push the extremes of whole-cone hop brewing. The result is this: a 100 IBU, whole-cone hurrican of flavor. Simply put- Hoptimum: the biggest whole-cone IPA we have ever produced. Aggressively hopped, dry-hopped and torpedoed with our exclusive new hop varieties for ultra-intense flavors and aromas.”
A New Year to celebrate all the craft beer goodness that is available! And since the holidays mean curling up at home (be it adopted or hometown), I decided to start off 2011 where I currently call home, Southern California.
Here is what is planned this month for all of you readers/drinkers.
~ e-visits to four breweries of California
~ video reviews of three beers from my local, Eagle Rock Brewing
~ suggested beers of the Golden State to buy this month (maybe all brown ales in honor of our new governor)
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my opinion on the craft beer world
~ my 2011 Beer challenge will be unveiled
~ plus many more posts about new beers, beer products and breweries
And if you haven’t noticed, some minor site changes have taken place…..
~ The 50 Beers / 50 States Challenge has it’s own dedicated page
~ There is a page dedicated to the great Eagle Rock Brewery
~ My best of lists and monthly suggestions have been combined into one page
~ The beer links listing has been both added to and subtracted from so as not to overload (even though there are some really great sites missing)
When I started back in January, I looked at a map of the US. Then looked at a listing of breweries and said to myself that “if” I can get 40 states in 12 months, that I would be happy.
Well, it is now December and I have tasted a beer (a beer brand new to me) from 44 of the 50 states!
Here is # 44….VIRGINIA
That is an impressive 88%.
The hunt is not yet over either. Title of this post notwithstanding. I plan on notching all 50 states into my beer belt. I do not care if it takes years. That is why a new page has been created to show the states checked off and any updates that may occur. The reviews will be posted there along with possible breweries from the missing states. But most importantly the blank pdf will be there for YOU to print out and create your own list!
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!
Here is my best of 2010 list.
My only rules
I had to have tasted it for the first time in 2010.
Only 1 beer per brewery.
Kern River Brewing – Citra IPA
Southern Star Brewing – Buried Hatchet Stout
Anchor Steam Brewing – Our Special Ale 2010
Duck Rabbit Brewing – Milk Stout
Eagle Rock Brewing – Stimulus
Rising Tide Brewing – Ishmael Alt-Bier
The Bruery – Loakal Red
Peace Tree Brewing – Hop Wrangler
I know Alabama is not a beer destination yet. But with Good People and the soon-to-open Blue Pants, it is moving in the right direction.
The name is a head scratcher but their initial beer is not…
Knickerbocker Red
“Here is our preliminary planned product, Knickerbocker Red. Its a moderately hoppy, but balanced, agressive American Red Ale with a good Cascade taste and a strong malty backbone. The good head retention and foam lets you know that this beer has a lot of body, which complements the rich hop aroma and taste.”
I might have to buy a bottle of this to pair with my Batch 9,000 that is in my beer cellar. When I would pull them out is still in question but I think they might make a very compelling duo.
“After combing through the catalogs of many malt and hop suppliers, our brewers used over 100 different malts, grains, and other fermentables, and followed them up with a blend of 60 different hop varietals between the kettle additions and dry-hopping. The resulting beer presents a deep, chocolate brown hue and offers roasted and caramel notes from the malts mixed with an assertive hop character. Sharply bitter, the beer possesses a full mouthfeel without being heavy and will withstand aging in your cellar, if you prefer.”
Here are some excerpts from the press release about this special beer…
“Vintage 2008 was aged in oak vat number 96 at Brouwerij RODENBACH in Roeselare, Belgium for the last two years. The 750 ml bottles are cork topped and the Flanders sour ale resembles an Oloroso sherry wine with its deep red, coppery glow. Cask 96 was chosen for this year’s special Vintage because its track record in producing sour beer over the years has been superior.”
“Vintage 2008 is 7% ABV and is more mild than RODENBACH Grand Cru. Like other good sour beers, RODENBACH Vintage pairs perfectly with food because of the absence of hop bitterness. Vintage 2007 took home the Silver award in the Wood and Barrel Aged Sour category at this year’s World Beer Cup in Chicago.”
“There are only 30,000 750 ml bottles of Vintage 2008. RODENBACH is often called the missing link between beer and wine.”