Follow Sean Inman to the best in craft beer
..if you ask me.
French for “good idea,” “Bonne Idée” is an Americanized Saison (8+%) from the “other” Hood River brewer, Double Mountain.
If you get the chance, try this at Saraveza in Portland or at the brewpub in Hood River. (Also check out their other fantastic seasonal, Molten Lava)
Tomorrow is the kick-off for Seattle Beer week, so if you are lucky enough to be in the general vicinity of the Pacific Northwest, it would behoove you to sample some of their events and beers.
One tradition that I am glad to see catching on is a signature beer for the festival. Hales Ales has the honor of doing the official DIPA for the week.
Doesn’t this sound festive…
For all of you lucky enough to be in Los Angeles, Parabola from Firestone-Walker will be pouring soon from many of the fine craft beer establishments.
So check out Blue Palms, The Daily Pint and this Tuesday the 18th, the Surly Goat for a chance to taste why F-W is a World Beer Cup winning brewery.
Thanks to the lovely and talented Kristine Oller, I got not one but TWO beers from New Mexico. Here is the one from Sierra Blanca Brewing that I chose.
Here in Los Angeles we are not only blessed with great beer but great coffee too. Groundwork and Intelligentsia to name two. But a case could be made that LA Mill is the strongest of the bunch. And now they have added beer to the menu. Check out the following:
Black & Black
North Coast Old Rasputin and hand drip iced Lamill Coffee
Ozeno Yukidoke IPA
Using five times the hops of other beers, this IPA is well balanced, with smooth flavor, mellow bitterness, and citrusy tones. This hoppy IPA is surprisingly California in style.
Tama No Megumi
Bottle conditioning is the process of putting live yeast into the actual beer bottle. This process is used to continue aging the beer, even as it sits on the shelf. It can be aged for 5 years.
Coedo Beniaka
Fermented for an extended period of time, this premium lager features an aromatic sweetness in its amber tones. This truly unique beer is a rare combination of high quality malts and “Beniaka”, the roasted Kintoki sweet potato of the Kawagoe region.
OK, Portland! I get it. I need to re-visit. So many new places to try. It is obvious that the web snub of Asheville has pushed Beervana to new heights. Mt. Tabor Brewing is another place to go to.
Dragon Lounge Pale Ale – American Pale Ale with a Chinese twist. Custom Brewed for the Canton Grill. 5.6% ABV/41 IBUs.
Asylum Ave IPA – Bittered with Amarillo and finished with loads of Cascades, this beer will drive hop heads insane. 6.3% ABV/85 IBUs.
Qwest Porter – A hoppier version of the classic UK style. 6.0% ABV/25 IBUs.
Soapbox Blonde Ale – Pilsen malt with a dash of honey malt gives this beer a crisp but sweet taste. Finish that steep descent and this beer will reward you. 5.5%/28.2 IBUs.
Little Bull Stout – Dark, hoppy, and delicious, the only thing “Little” is the name. 7.0% ABV/130 IBUs.
Reinheitsgebot Alt – We pay homage to the German Beer Purity Law with this traditional “Old” German beer. Prost! 6.2% ABV/32 IBUs.
The Wall Street Journal interviewed Jim Koch of Sam Adams recently and this one question and answer really struck a chord.
WSJ: Could craft beer ever represent the biggest segment of the industry?
Mr. Koch: No. I hope not. Because that would mean we dumbed the beer down for volume, and I don’t ever want to see that. I used to say I make beer for 5% of beer drinkers. The reality has always been that 95% of beer drinkers don’t like my beer. Now, that number has probably gone down to 90%. Because most people drink beer for refreshment, and that’s fine. And that’s the domain of the big brewers and they’re great at that.
This is something that I have thought about occasionally. The less good beer other people drink the more there is for me. But if demand isn’t there then the beer isn’t. So I need craft beer to grow. But how much. If we are 5% of the overall market, is that enough? Is 10% too much?
I, unlike others, do not hate big companies just because they are big. Stone is large now as is Sierra Nevada and Boston Brewing. The beer can still be flavorful or not depending on how it is made.
What I think the industry needs are enough large micros that are on solid footing, financially, who can mentor younger start-ups but also distribute to and educate the non craft consumer.
I don’t think there is a magic number but we should keep pushing. The enlightened few shouldn’t hoard the good stuff.