Follow Sean Inman to the best in craft beer
As summer rolls across the country with a blanket of heat and humidity, the types of beers that have maximum enjoyment factors are generally more effervescent and light.
This month’s suggestions still fall into light, medium and dark categories but are more tuned to the lighter side. July 2010 Beers
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.
A few months back, I warned that more Mikkeller single hop ales were on the way. Now that I have just sampled the Mikkeller 10. From the initial 10 single hop beers it is about time for the next set to start.
Personally, the two that I am looking forward to the most are Citra and Sorachi Ace.
Bravo is my 3rd in line.
Followed by Apollo and Summit…
So now I need East Kent Goldings and these new five to complete the series.
What about you? Which of these five are you looking forward to?
Sierra Nevada Brewing has sidelined Anniversary Ale and instead will use the fall release slot for Tumbler Autumn Brown Ale later this year when the leaves are turning brown.
It appears to be part of the strategy that heralded Glissade in spring to bookend the tremendous 30th Anniversary brews. The second of which, the Imperial Helles, should be on finer beer store shelves now.
Hall-Woodhouse home of the Badger brand is a beer line that I wish I could get over here (as I have mentioned before in previous posts) Now they have a summer seasonal that would be great..
“It is a refreshing ale which abounds a certain zing. Lemon grass is used in the brewing process, this compliments the citrus aroma from the hopping level. The malt character that supports the refreshing undertones makes this beer suitable for both warm summer days or cool spring evenings. Lemony Cricket is 4.4% ABV and is described as ‘a classic beer with a twist’.”
Great news from Beachwood BBQ! On two fronts!
1)“We are very excited to officially announce that Beachwood BBQ and Brewing will soon be coming to downtown Long Beach. We’re opening our second Beachwood BBQ, but we’re going to be brewing our own beer. We’ve partnered with Julian Shrago, a fantastic brewer, who is going to spearhead our brewing operations. Our Downtown Long Beach location will have 12 house beers plus a rotating guest beer program. We’ll be serving the same menu at both Beachwood locations and we are going to try our hardest to make sure that we create a space where everyone finds a friend, enjoys a good meal and drinks some phenomenal beer. We are so thrilled that this is happening and will keep you all posted as we get closer to opening day.
2) In the next several months, Seal Beach Liquor on Main Street will become Home of Beachwood Bottleshop. We’re working hard to get everything together to make this happen as soon as possible. We think that Beachwood Bottleshop is a great compliment to what we do at Beachwood BBQ, it gives us another opportunity to provide awesome products, educate people and interact with our patrons in another way. More details to come, but expect the bottleshop to represent some of the best craft beer, wine and spirits we can find.”
How about we head to the brewing mecca known as Idaho. I know that it is not well-known now. But it just might be in a few years. It has all the ingredients, literally.
In the meantime, lets take a quick peek at Sockeye Brewing in Boise.
They have an impressive selection of American IPA’s with great names including Widowmaker, Hopnoxious, Dagger Falls. But they have a beer list of over 20 beers from their regular line-up (Galena Golden Ale) to seasonals (Socktoberfest).
The brewers are Josh King & Lance Chavez. They craft each brew on site in small batches.
There are two “B”s that Portland has an affinity for. One is bikes and the other is the subject of this here blog, beer. Hopworks Urban Brewery has a bike motif and the newly opened beer bar, Apex is bike friendly as well.
“APEX is the beer bar Portland deserves. Combining a love of great beers from around the world with a life-long passion for all things two-wheeled.”
Here is a peek at a part (the part I like) of one of the beer menus to give you an idea of the eclectic mix and brewers they like:
Adam Hair of the Dog USA 10.0% 12oz
Cream Ale – (Nitro) Hales USA 4.9%
Cream Stout – (Nitro) Hales USA 5.1%
Erics Ale New Belgium USA 7.0%
Galactic – Imperial Red HUB USA 9.3%
Hop In The Dark CDA Deschutes USA 6.5%
Kraken Ninkasi USA 6.7% 16oz
Late Harvest Upright USA 7.0%
Molten Lava Double Mountain USA 8.2%
Pale Ale HUB USA 5.3%
Poppy Jasper Amber El Toro USA 5.3%
Procrastinator Dopplebock Fort George USA 8.9%
Seven Upright USA 8.0%
Spring Gose Cascade USA 4.5%
Truffle Shuffle Stout Fort George USA 7.2%
Workhorse IPA Laurelwood USA 7.5%
TODAY: HOLLAND V. SPAIN
Finally, the world will get a new champion of soccer!
Will Holland finally break the curse and finish off Spain?
Or will Spain continue it’s dominance of possesion and wear down the Oranje?
To finish the 2010 World Cup, we return to South Africa for our final beer from the Shongweni Brewery.
Here is the info from the website about the Durban Pale Ale, “Durban Pale Ale was inspired by the original IPA’s produced in Britian and then shipped to India for consumption by the soldiers and bureaucrats. The IPA came via the Cape and records show that some of that beer made its way to the British serving in South Africa. With Durban then, as now, a major shipping port it is hard not to believe that barrels of IPA were happily consumed here on the East Coast so we wanted to revive an old tradition.
We only use the best malts for our Pale Ale, and in order to achieve our 5.7% ABV we need to pack the mash tun full of grains. The beer is also packed full of hops to achieve the 45 units of bitterness that we want. We use Cascade hops since they provide the bitterness we want but don’t leave any lingering harshness on the palate. The inclusion of Challenger hops provide the crisp, fruity characteristic of the beer, which is complimented by the special strain of English ale yeast that we use to ferment the beer.
In the glass the beer is a light caramel colour, with an immediate blast of rich orange on the nose, a toffee character and just a hint of spice from the cascade hops. On the palate it is medium- to full-bodied, and the initial sweetness from the sheer amount of barley in this beer is balanced with solid and tangy hops and a gentle fruitiness with a dry after-taste.
Our Durban Pale Ale is a strong beer and we have found that its character will mature over time if cellared producing a complex ale that will reward the patient drinker.”
Double Mountain of Hood River has added Vaprorizer to its regular line-up, joining their Kölsch, India Red Ale, and Hop Lava NW IPA. Vaporizer was a seasonal last summer, and it must have passed the test to graduate a level.
It is a Pale Ale which features hops primarily of the Challenger variety, grown on a single farm in the Yakima Valley and Gambrinus malt. Brewmaster Matt Swihart and his crew dry-hop Vaporizer to amp up the hop. It is 6.0% alcohol by volume with 50 bittering units.