As opposed to quite a few beer geeks, I like fruit beers. When done well they are (heresy) better than high abv Stout bombs. So as I perused the Lost Abbey 2010 release schedule, this beer really stood out…
“Framboise de Amarosa. This is a barrel aged raspberry beer that has been aging in our distribution warehouse since last summer. In July, we had farm fresh raspberries delivered to our brewery and they went directly into all manners of barrels. And because it didn’t have enough Raspberry character, we added more fruit to the barrels in November.”
Minneapolis Town Hall
Craft beer in the midwest is really heating up and here is another place in Minnesota to try. The Town Hall Brewery in Minneapolis.
They have a nice Germanic take on beer styles. You can get a Dutch Enkle, a Trappist single or a Dortmunder Local. If you are feeling more exotic, try the seasonal Mango Mama which is their regular IPA with mangoes added.
FoodGPS + Ladyface Alehouse =
50 from 50 – Texas
Texas is scratched off the list! I get the feeling from beer afficionados that Shiner and the Spoetzel Brewery is somewhat unloved. As is most Texas beer, unless you are in Austin. Same theory holds for music and culture. This black lager was not as good as Full Sail’s Session Black, I must say. It’s OK, just a little thin for my taste.
Captain Lawrence – Golden Delicious
from New York comes this new release news….
Release: January 30th, 2010
“There’s nothing quite likes Mom’s apple pie…But I am willing to bet this beer is pretty darn close. An American Tripel, dry-hoped with Amarillo hops and aged in Apple Brandy barrels from one of this country’s oldest distilleries. The tropical aroma of the hops and the delicate apple aroma from the barrels are a perfect match. Straight from the Captain’s cellar to yours, we hope you enjoy.”
Review – Dale Brothers Winter Haze
50 from 50 – Vermont
Out here in Los Angeles, we have just started getting Magic Hat. Actually, all I have seen is #9. I had that in 2009 so it was verboten for the challenge. But thanks to Bruisin’ Ales, check Vermont off. I had their fall seasonal, Roxy Rolles
Here is the review…
2010 collaborations
I have heard through the grapevine of the interwebs that there are two planned collaboration brews coming up this year so far from Stone Brewing: one at the end of this month with 21st Amendment and Firestone Walker (Camino Un-Real), and another coming up in March, with Dogfish Head and Victory.
At this point, I need a website that tracks all of these projects and what there status is at any given point in time. In the past, you could easily keep up with the few “brewing get togethers” that happened but 2009 was the tipping point and it appears the floodgates have opened.
Here is what I would like to see…..
Brewers involved – where brewed – bottled or tap only – where available – name of beer.
It might also be cool to have a list of mythical collaborations that never came to be.
Uinta Brewing
I don’t think I have mentioned the beers of Utah but in keeping with the 50 Beers – 50 States theme, let me introduce you to some Salt Lake City beer…
“Uinta Brewing was established in 1993 to produce fresh, full-flavored beers for distribution. Named after Utah’s highest mountain range, Uinta was the first distributing craft brewed brewery in Salt Lake City.
At the time, no other brewery was concentrating on supplying the demands of Utah’s many pubs and restaurants. Our brews quickly gained a strong following.
The requests for bottled beer became louder and more frequent. In 1996, Uinta began to bottle its award-winning beers and quickly grew to become the largest craft brewery in Utah. In 2006, Uinta produced over 17,000 barrels. Cutthroat Pale Ale, Uinta’s flagship brand, is now the number one selling craft beer in the state. Uinta Brewing Company is now one of the top 50 volume producing craft breweries in the USA.
Uinta moved into a new facility in 2001. The 26,000 square foot brewery is located in the southwest section of Salt Lake City at 1722 South Fremont Drive (2375 West) and is open for tours and tastings weekdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.. Please call ahead to check for tour availability so we can accommodate you or your group.”
Two of these breweries…
…are not like the others. According to the Wall Street Journal, there is problem in beer land.
But after looking at the graph and then reading this…
“Domestic beer brands need to reinvent themselves and get that appeal back,” said Ron Vaughn, co-owner of Argonaut Wine & Liquor, a Denver liquor superstore. He said his beer sales rose by 2% last year, helped by strong sales of “craft” brews popular in Colorado, but mass-market brands such as Miller Lite “have taken a hit.”
It appears that crap beer is losing ground and craft beer is rising.