FW + DM = New & Improved Paso

After I put this week’s L.A. Beer Blast to bed, I started rifling through my e-mail and came upon one from Firestone Walker.

I reflexively smiled thinking about some barrel-aged beer or new sour surprise from Barrelworks. But when I clicked the link, this is what I saw:
Announcement_Letter
My first thought was “Oh no, I now have to see a bunch of ill-informed beer snobs posting about how they won’t drink FW beer because they aren’t independent anymore.”

Then I calmed down and realized that this might just be the straw that breaks the beer snobs anti-consolidation back. How can they use their copy/paste rant here? The near universal love of Firestone and the stewardship of Duvel with Boulevard and Ommegang will pretty much lay to rest any qualms that the auto-haters have.

I will post more about this next week over on Food GPS as I process the news with some pithy answers from the David Walker himself to my hasty questions that I e-mailed last night.

# 4

Boulevard-Ommegang-Collaboration-No-4-Saison

Ommegang brewmaster Phil Leinhart is the latest to join Steven Pauwels the brewmaster at Boulevard for a collaborative brew. And befitting the Belgian background of these two Belgian owned breweries they have gone the Saison route.  They brewed up a batch of wort wand split it into two fermentors. One had Boulevard’s primary Belgian yeast strain pitched into it, and the other got Ommegang’s house yeast strain. Then the two now different beers were blended into one, Collaboration No. 4. Oh and some sweet orange peel, lemon peel, coriander and grains of paradise were added in which is very wit-ish.  Maybe it’s a new hybrid? SaiWit. Witson?

Sean suggests for October

Been back from the Great American Beer Festival for a couple days and getting back into the swing of the blog again with the monthly beer shopping list….

October 2012

Click the link (once or twice depending on the type of computer) then print out the list or memorize (depending on the type of brain) and then shop for beer. It’s my favorite pastime.

Gnomes in New York

“This delectable blonde ale is a co-creation of two famed farmstead breweries: Brewery Ommegang and Brasserie d’Achouffe. It employs five fine malts, two noble hops, and both of the distinctive Chouffe and Ommegang yeasts. You’ll enjoy the smooth drinkability, fruity aromas and flavors, and warming finish.”

Good to see that the cross pollination of Duvel, d’Achoufee and Ommegang is continuing. It will only make for better beer. And who doesn’t like that little red-nosed gnome?