Stone has teamed with two brewers from around the country. AGAIN!
This time Victory from Pennsylvania and the esteemed Dogfish Head from Delaware to create a saison. A Buff saison. Each back label has a different spin from each of the three different brewers. Collect them all!
Jolly Pumpkin on NPR
4 1/2 minutes to learn a little bit about the beer of Dexter, Michigan!
Thanks to Beer Searcher Rich for pointing this out.
A Little Bit softer now…
from K.M. Weaver at the HopPress blog
“Over the last ten years, about 30-40% of new international beers have had alcohol levels with 5.5%+ ABV, while the proportion of U.S. beers with this characteristic has steadily risen to nearly twice that. Today, more than 70% of new American beers are these bigger, bolder, less-sessionable beers.
In 2009, the average ABV of new U.S. beers rose beyond 7% for the first time. New non-U.S. beers, in comparison, have continued to hover around 5.5%.”
These numbers are sure to intrigue the beer geek crowd because they put a number to alot of anecdotal evidence seen at breweries across the country.
What I would like to see is the future of this graph. Because I think the peak has been reached. Numbers will drop because there is a ceiling to the ABV before it’s not beer anymore. (For me that is 31%). My guess is that the median will drop to about 6%. Session beers and extreme beers will occupy swaths to the left and right but the sweet spot in the middle will be the king IPA. A trend that I don’t see leaving anytime soon.
Review – Kern River Brewing Annivesary Ale
50 from 50 – Nevada
Canned beer on the list from Reno’s Buckbean…
Coalition Brewing
Another NEW brewery in the beer rich City of Roses? Yes, please.
Now it’s Coalition Brewing!
They will be opening sometime this month. Beer start-ups are still accelerating.
More news to follow.
Defense against Dark Beer – Smoke Jumper
From time to time, I have a guest review of dark beers. Here is the summation of Left Hand’s Smokejumper.
“Dark, good head, nice lacing for a dark beer. Smoke hits you on first taste, top and back of palate, but it quickly changes to a molasses-y smoothness, before finishing with a light bitter, also akin to molasses. Sweetness grows as you drink.
I think for the second half of the beer, i’m going to barbecue some salmon in meyer lemon/molasses(just a little)/lemon basil marinade and see how that flies.”
Zipp’s Liquors
Beer store day goes from sunny SoCal to the wintry climes of Minnesota to highlight Zipp’s Liquors.
They have a very spot on mission, “Zipp’s strives not only to keep you content and happy, but also to help you exlpore the ever expanding and changing world of craft beer.”
Need Surly Smoke or Goose Island Night Stalker? They are the place to try.
2618 East Franklin Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55406-1188
(612) 333-8686
Hi-Time
Today (for no particular reason) is beer shop day. Since my dream job would be running a small craft beer store, I love highlighting places that sell a great assortment of beer.
First up is Hi-Time in Orange County, California.
Be sure to enter in the beer area or you might get lost amongst the wine and spirits. They have a large selection of nicely chilled craft brews. Nice amount of Sierra Nevada, foreign beers and even more than just the Just Outstanding IPA from Kern River!
250 Ogle Street
Costa Mesa, CA 92627-3808
(949) 650-8463
Pale Horse Brewing
For quite awhile, if you drove south from Portland, your next beer destination was Eugene. You drove right past the state capital of Salem.
But now there are signs of life. One is Pale Horse Brewing.
They have a Hillbilly Blond, the Hopyard Dog and the signature Pale Horse Irish Dry Stout.
Pale Horse Brewing
(brewery only, no pub)
2359 Hyacinth ST. NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-364-3610