Tag: firkin

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The Firkin for October 2011


I was inspired by the home brew column of Beer Advocate (the magazine) written by Drew Beechum about keeping it simple in beer recipes and I have taken it a step further to the professional side of things.

(I apologize in advance if I sound like Andy Rooney in this post but the topic this month lends itself to that tone of voice.)

So what’s the deal with all these strange ingredients in craft beer? What happened to plain old malt, hops, yeast and water?

Hear me out. I am all for experimentation. Add lemongrass, put it into a wine barrel and use an heirloom hop. Cool. Let me have a glass. I certainly do not want to return to the days of monoculture beer. But recent Bruery beers have pushed past my level of disbelief. (Sorry to pick on you Bruery, if it is any consolation, Humulus Wet is one of the top three beers I have had this year)

I mentioned in an earlier post this month that Dogfish and The Bruery got together and added all level of new Japanese ingredients to their earthquake relief beer. Then the Bruery creates Birra Basta with roasted zucchini used in the mash, and fennel seeds, lemon peel, and Spanish cedar in the fermentor. This is on top of their Salt of the Earth gose(?) that had truffle oil in it.

I know that I don’t have to buy it if I don’t want to. And I know that by posting about it, I am bringing more attention to them. But…

There are three issues that arise for me when yet another oddball beer comes down the pike. And I will repeat, I do not want to discourage “goin’ crazy” but rather taking a deep breath before deciding to “go crazy” because which beer that I enjoy got pushed out of the schedule to make room for fenugreek or hatch peppers? Many craft breweries are running at maximum capacity so to produce these beers means another beer gets a smaller batch or brewed later.

Secondly, it stokes the obsessive collector disease that causes people to temporarily lose their sanity in pursuit of a rare beer. Need I say Founders and a certain stout?

Third, the unwashed heathens who still don’t drink craft beer are not gonna jump in at the deepest end. I appreciate that I am in a consumer minority and that I am reaping the benefit of some of these experimental beers but if we want to get more and more people excited about what we are excited about then we need more beers that allow entrance to our club and not scare them away.

Leave the running and screaming for Halloween movies.

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The Firkin for August 2011

In my internet beer travels I found this little nugget from the uniquely named Building International Coalitions Through Beer and Pavement:

“(T)en things geeks, nerds, snobs, and connoisseurs do that makes it hard to take their advice and opinions on beer and indie rock seriously.”

I won’t re-print the list here because what I want to speak about is the role of of the geek, nerd and snobs of the craft beer world and why they shouldn’t be lumped together. Follow the LINK for the clever list and a strong closer.

Now that you are back, not to go all Lion King here, but there is a Circle of Life. In almost every hobby and passion and business. And the craft beer industry is no different. You may despise the hyena (I’ll let you decide which beer people fit that bill) but they are a link in the chain.

So we are all important. Now what? What needs to be recognized by us devotees of the craft beer, is which category do we personally fall into? Because a beer geek needs to whip up excitement amongst those new to full flavored beer and a beer snob needs to stay as far away from the newbies as possible.

And I do not say that to demean the beer snobs. They have a purpose here on earth too. They critique with more barbed words and create an expectation that brewers and bars have to meet. They have the crucial ability to find faults that might be missed by others.

To switch movies and go to the High Fidelity analogy, we need the geeks outside getting people in the store, the connoisseurs inside the store guiding people to great choices and the snobs in the back finding the gems for the store to sell. We need all the different levels working in the roles where their individual skills are used the best.

So take a moment. Re-read the list. Are you a snob? Or are you a geek? Whatever “house” you belong to, remember that it’s about promoting craft beer to more people not scaring them away.

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The Firkin for July 2011

I saw this in the Wall Street Journal at the beginning of July and all I could do was shake my head. Another giant international beer conglomerate focusing everywhere but on the product.

Granted that seems to be the only arrow in the “water lager” quiver. Blanket all forms of media with ads in the hope that you can drown out the siren call of craft beer.

But that call is still getting through. It has been mentioned on many a blog but the state of Oregon now drinks 15% + craft beer. That is not a niche, boutique industry number. That is a player.

And as important as educating the consumer about craft beer is, I believe it is more important to just get the word out that craft beer exists. Break through the cloud cover of constant Miller ads and Coors billboards and Budweiser sports sponsorships.

How do you do that? Get outside the craft beer community. Partner with local restaurants that don’t have taps or beer lists. Give to charities in the community that are not affiliated with the food and beer industry. Get your beer on tap or in bottles where new people can find it. Or brainstorm your own, out of the box ideas.

Just get the name of the brewery out there. That is all the advertising you need. Let Heineken spend their money on Facebook and Google.

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The Firkin for March 2011

I had a nice little opinion piece set for March. I was going to talk about constructive criticism. Then Goose Island happened.

First, all beer bloggers and beer pundits need to take a deep breath. (Except for Andy Crouch and the New School who have written well thought out pieces)

Because what happened is not the end of the world. The worst case scenario of ABInBev owning Goose Island is that their beers will become worse over time and a landmark Illinois brewery will fade away. Certainly sad and worth lamenting over. But is it going to derail the craft beer train? I don’t think so.

But why is that the first thing that people think about? From what I have read, you would think this is the beginning of the end. And anyone not willing to boycott Goose Island beers is glossing over the mercenary tactics of the Busch clan and does not understand the severity of the situation.

But I return to my initial question, Why is disgust and horror the first thing that people think about? And why isn’t it opportunity?

Yes, opportunity. Is it so in the realm of science fiction that the beers might be just fine? God forbid, maybe even improve! Yes, ABInBev has proven time and time again that they can’t make a decent beer. And even more damning it seems they don’t want to. I fully understand their money grubbing part in this equation.

But maybe this will get Bud to stop their horrible half-efforts at craft beer. Maybe Goose Island can get more and newer equipment and the ability to grow. Maybe together they can distribute more good beer to a wider audience.

All I am saying is that with each change comes BOTH positive and negative possibilities and we should take both into account before frothing at the mouth instead of the pint glass.

One last thought to take with you, my dad was fond of the corny, hillbilly sayings. Usually involving animals for some unknown reason. He said, on many occasions, “Even a blind squirrel can find a nut once in awhile”. Maybe Budweiser is that squirrel.

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The Firkin for February 2011

PtY madness is a disease. But it is treatable.

This month’s Pliny the Younger release from Russian River Brewing was a much smoother affair than last year. Growlers were replaced with glasses and more people went away happy with a bitter beer.

The only downside to PtY or Dark Lord from 3 Floyds or Black Tuesday from The Bruery or Kate the Great from Portsmouth is the mania that goes with each beer.

I’m not going to get into the nuts and bolts about how to fairly distribute a scarce product. It’s hard. And what works one year may not the next.

First, let me be clear, these are great beers. You do not get people returning, year after year if they are not. That is not my issue.

My concern is that the rest of a brewer’s line up is settled for at best and dismissed at worst. This mania creates a small sub-category of beers that are worthy of treasure hunts or put on pedestals. And to me that is the opposite of what craft beer is about.

We spent years drinking one type of beer. We now have choice. Why limit ourselves again? I want to have Russian River’s entire selection, not just one beer. The brewery should always be first and foremost. Not PtY but Russian River’s Pliny the Younger and then add, “one of many fine IPA’s brewed by Russian River”. It’s redundant but the focus needs to be fixed onto the brewery and not individual brews. Otherwise we can end up with one trick pony breweries.

PtY day is like beer Christmas. A day that people wait for all year long. But I want people to remember that the other holidays are great too.

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Brewer’s Union Local 180

Some cities and states claim to be the premier beer destination and I don’t doubt their credentials. But for width and depth, the state of Oregon is in a league of it’s own.

Sour ale house. Check.
Belgian. Check.
Cask ale? Check below…

Brewers Union Local 180 is owned by Ted Sobel. His goal is to serve all of his beer, cask conditioned and stored in firkins.

Here is a sample of a past beer list to whet your taste buds:
Wotcha A La Amarillo Best Bitter
Good With Bacon Amber Special Bitter
Cumbrian Moor English Porter
Union Dew I. P. A.
MUTT O. R. A.
Tanninbomb Oak-Aged English Old Ale

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The Firkin for December 2010

It is the last day of 2010,  did you make the most out of your beer year?

I am not talking about how many beers you downed.  I am talking about being a craft beer ambassador.  You don’t have to go out on the street waving a beer pamphlet and trying to convert the water lager drinkers of the world.

I am talking about breaking out of your own beer bubble.

~ Go to beer bar and brewery events

~ get acquainted with your beer seller or bartender

~ tell your friends about great beer

~ ask your local paper to cover beer more

~ get a shirt from your local brewery and wear it around

~ ask your favorite restaurant to carry good beer (if they don’t already)

~ bring craft beer to parties or get-togethers (I think there is one tonight)

You get the picture.  Let’s promote craft beer.  The more people that buy better beer the more better beer you (and I) will get.

Cheers to 2010 and I wish you all an even better 2011!

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The Firkin for November 2010

Here is my firkin’ opinion for November…..

Let’s be thankful people.

There are issues that raise the ire and fire up the blogosphere.
~The high ABV race.
~Pumpkin beers
~Tickers
~beer blogger bashers

I’m sure everyone has their craft beer bugaboos to add to the list. But unlike the nightly news (which I hope no one watches), we in the beer community should always be promoting the positive more with a healthy dose of constructive actions and not get stuck in the stream of schaedenfreude.

Why? Because constant negativity reinforces the notion that craft beer is for snobs. If we are barking about problems more than we are praising the highlights, then why would people listen to us. No one likes the guy in the cubicle whose “always” bitching about the company. Eventually it gets old. What’s wrong with leading with what’s right in the beer world?

That’s why I only opinionize once a month. And sometimes my opinion is an idea that I think should be implemented and not some foaming at the mouth rant. I firmly believe that there is enough good craft beer news out there in the world to write and talk about.

That’s why you don’t see me on forums like BeerAdvocate. Too much griping. Too much whining. That’s why you don’t see me taking potshots at people from a beer snob tower. Whenever I feel the urge to complain, I open up my ‘fridge and the feeling goes away. Happiness from Pure Hoppiness from Alpine can do that. But some people seem to get off on being cranky.

You can label me a beer Pollyana. You can say that I am naive in the belief that one beer blog can stem the negative tide. I understand. But I prefer to think that I see the pint glass half full.

Of awesome craft beer.

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The Firkin for September 2010

Here is a rant that you may have seen on my other writing outlet, the wonderful FoodGPS. I brought it over here because it got the most comments of all of my posts.

I am growlin’ mad about growlers.

Let me backtrack a little and set the scene. I live in Southern California. I have ONE brewery near me and two or three that are drives to get too under the best freeway conditions. Secondly, I am what economists term as “underemployed”. Not complaining but not swimming in steady cash. Lastly, I do not have unlimited shelf space. I have a small and growing “beer cellar” but I am reaching overload in pint glasses and bottles.

Now I can return to my rant. I would like to have one growler. A growler that I can fill at my local (Eagle Rock Brewing) but that I can also fill at Ladyface in Agoura Hills or Hangar 24 in Redlands or at Nibble Bit Tabby downtown. I don’t A) have the space for separate growlers and B) can’t afford them anyway.

I know that current law is against this. They want growlers labeled in a similar fashion as to labels on beer sold conventionally in stores. It is a pure CYA choice. But why do we want something similar to the sometimes comical and irritating label laws in place? Can the state cover it’s … with a different approach?

Here is my idea to solve the problem and boost the economy:

Step 1 – a “Made in California” growler. It could be sold by Chambers of Commerce or by the California Brewers Association or other outlets. I would refrain from having the breweries themselves sell them so as not to impinge on their own growler sales.

Step 2 – Create a label / sticker that can be filled out on the premises at the time the growler is filled with a link to the beers information on the brewers website. (Maybe via a barcode?)

A California growler would be accepted by whichever brewery wanted to make a $10 sale vs. a sale of $0.00. At least from my standpoint. I couldn’t buy (though I was tempted) a growler from Hangar 24 to bring home some of their Polycot beer (which was great) but if I had a California growler at home, I could have and Hangar 24 would have received $15.00 from me. The same at Stone in Escondido or 50-50 in Truckee. And for those establishments that cannot afford to get approved growlers, this would be entree to a new customer set.

It would also be a great way to promote the great beer you can find in this state. You could do a a great promotion about a growler tour of California breweries. The beer community makes pilgrimages to Russian River and The Bruery. Why not incentivize them to stay a little. You can even promote a design contest for the growler (see my design below). So many possibilities.

That’s my two cents. Poke holes in it. Add to it. Let’s get a discussion going.

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Equinox Brewing

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More beer for Colorado. A great craft beer state. This one adds to the impressive Fort Collins roster, Equinox Brewing.
from Equinox website:
Our standard draft list features six rotating taps. These beers cover a wide range of styles, from light to dark, strong to mild. Our tap selection also features two beers served from beer engines and a weekly firkin tapping. These beers are naturally conditioned (carbonated) in the cask and dispensed through a manual pump (beer engine) or through gravity dispensing (firkin). Check out what’s on tap.

Draft Beers
Sunrise Golden Ale
Sunrise Golden Ale is our lightest beer, but don’t let that fool you. The malt is clean, light and crisp, with a slight sweetness. The aroma captures the distinct graininess of pilsner malt. Cascade and Mt. Hood hops balance the sweetness, contributing a slight citrus / spicy character. In the finish, the hops give way to a light maltiness. Overall, refreshing and clean, yet somewhat complex.
Cumulus Wit
A traditional, Belgian style white beer. Crisp, light and ghostly white, this is a refreshing beer. Additions of coraiander and bitter orange peel produce a clean, light and spicy brew.
Eclipse Brown
The term “brown ale” is very broad and can refer to any number of beers ranging a wide variety of colors and flavors. Dating back to the 1600’s, the term brown ale was used to describe anything from a mild ale to Brown ales from northern England tend to be strong and malty, often nutty, while those from southern England are usually darker, sweeter and lower in alcohol. North American brown ales are usually drier than their English counterparts, with a slight citrus accent and an aroma, bitterness, and medium body due to American hop varieties.
Orbit ESB
The aroma is distinctly hoppy, citrusy and earthy. The assertive hop profile quickly gives way to a rich maltiness. The finish is dry and clean with a distinct toffee roastiness, but balanced by a light sweetness.
Zenith IPA
Zenith IPA is all about balance. Hops dominate the aroma with a musty / citrus character. The flavor is also very hoppy, but, a clean malt profile balances the hops and contributes to the overall complexity. Light malt sweetness counters an aggressive bitterness. The lasting impression should be a dance of malt and hops that lingers on the tongue.
Sunset Stout
Sunset Stout has a roasty flavor, with a light smokiness, from dark, roasted barley. The aroma is light, with hints of coffee and cocoa. The roasted barley contributes a light acidity to the flavor, balancing a bittersweet chocolate finish. Flaked barley adds a creaminess to the mouth feel, while keeping the body medium.

Java Jonas!
Jonas Porter conditioned with French Roast coffee from the Bean Cycle. Dark roast malts and dark roast coffee…mmmm.