Every once in a while, I get caught up in excitement over a beer and it unfortunately cannot live up to my expectations, and it happened with this beer from Mikkeller…..
Is it over-rated?
File this under “beer names that make me chuckle”. Surly Brewing does some impressive beers that I wish I saw more often in my ‘fridge and this one might make for an interesting flight alongside some West Coast IPA’s that might have inflated ratings.
A French IPA from New Belgium?
For awhile it did not look like New Belgium would play the hops game. They seemed content with their sours and barrels and their lovely flagship Fat Tire but since the release of Ranger they have caught the bug and now they have an entire Hop Kitchen!
Out of the kettles of the Hop Kitchen first is Hoppy Bock Lager followed by the beer whose label you see on this post, French Aramis that utilizes an under-used hop variety grown in the French region of Alsace. Still in “the oven” so to speak will be an IPA using Oregon hop varieties. These unnamed hops will be certified by Salmon-Safe, a nonprofit “works to keep our urban and agricultural watersheds clean enough for native salmon to spawn and thrive.” They have worked with Deschutes in the past. A final Hop Kitchen IPA will take us time traveling to hops that were popular back in the day. The days being the ’80’s and 90’s.
Saint Archer Brewery
San Diego has (yet another) brewery to frequent! I know new San Diego breweries was my theme in January but I have a feeling that it could be my theme every month.
Here is their mission: “Saint Archer Brewing Company was founded on a unique strain of creative talent: World-class brewers. Artists and musicians. Surfers, skateboarders, and snowboarders…. All coming together with passion and commitment to express our collective true love — handcrafted beer. Saint Archer’s been a long time in the tank and we hope you taste our appreciation and gratitude in every sip.”
They have a starting line-up that includes a blonde a pale and the de rigeur IPA. You can probably now spend a full month drinking in San Diego and not get your hands onto every brewery’s beers. Amazing!
Beachwood + Pliny (yes, the Younger)
Readers of this blog know that I firmly, staunchly and unabashedly cannot stand the hype around Pliny the Younger. Granted, it is a really good beer. But I can usually find Blind Pig or the Elder and I don’t have to fight a frenzied crowd and I can get a full pour.
That is why I love the way Beachwood handles it. Raffle the tickets off. Donate to charity and people who win can get a peaceful experience of the beer when they want to. This is the way to do it.
Rhizing to the Horizon
Looks like the collaboration between Dogfish Head and Sierra Nevada was fun enough and didn’t harm Life and Limb. So now they are back with a beer name likely to be misspelled on many a blog.
I would have liked to see them do a pilsner of helles but I will be trying this out if I run across it.
2 Beer Books on the horizon
There are two books on the near and far horizon that will appeal to craft beer fans and especially to the lot who have been bitten by the home brewing bug. And though the Amazon site has been glitchy with me. I have ordered one in Kindle version to arrive next year. But first…..
Mitch Steele – IPA. It makes sense. Stone has a definite bitter style and this book which includes both history and recipes. As the liner notes to the book go on to explain, “Explore the evolution of one of craft beer’s most popular styles, India pale ale. Loaded with brewing tips from some of the country’s best brewers, IPA covers techniques from water treatment to hopping procedures. Included are 48 recipes ranging from historical beers to recipes for the most popular contemporary IPAs made by craft brewers such as Deschutes Brewery, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Firestone Walker Brewing Company, Pizza Port Brewing and Russian River Brewing Company.” And even if you are not a brewer but a fan of the style the recipes should be interesting from the vantage point of which hops are used and how much.
Ken Grossman – Sierra Nevada. I wish I didn’t have to wait until 2013 to read this one but I will. I hope this is a harbinger for more books on craft beer pioneers. I read a slim tome about the famous Bert Grant that did not meet expectations and I think there are quite a few newbies who can stand to learn about the old guard. I know the outlines of the Sierra Nevada story but I hope this book digs a little deeper.
Enjoy by…..
This is a unique spin on the whole “born on” dating system that also is good education for many a craft beer drinker about the fragility of hops in our favorite IPA’s and pale ales. But at this point, I expect nothing less from Stone.
English Brewery Tour # 1 – Chapel Down
Our first English stop is a winery! But this winery also does beer. Chapel Down currently offer three curious beers including Curious IPA, Curious Porter and Curious Brew.
I heard about this vintner/brewer from this article in the Guardian.
And if Pete Brown approves then the beers must be pretty good.
IPA Day version 2.0
Year 2 of the #IPADay is TODAY!
So get over to Twitter or follow the action on Untappd to see what the blogosphere is drinking from the world of IPA. And if you need a reminder of FAQ’s from last year then click HERE.
And I have the perfect choice for this momentous day. You can’t go small. So I have decided to go huge. Actually GIGANTIC!