Follow Sean Inman to the best in craft beer
Ten years ago, beer writer Joshua Bernstein published “The Complete Beer Course,” his overview of craft beer in 12 lessons.
Bernstein has a completely revised, updated, and with a new look version 2.0 out now.
If you want to hear him talk about it before you buy it, head to Radio Imbibe to listen to the podcast about it.
Here is your heads up for a new beer book coming in September from Joshua Bernstein. Here is the blurb: “Drink Better Beer features the must-know insights of more than 30 professionals, including competition judges, beer consultants, and master brewers. Find out how to shop clever by heeding two simple rules. Learn the art of selecting the right glass, cleaning it, and executing the perfect pour. Make sense of all those aromas with just a couple of sniffing tricks. Unlock the taste secrets of different styles, learn when to drink and how to know if your favorite beer store is treating their beer the way they should.”
Bernstein’s IPA book and Complete Book Course didn’t quite do the trick for me though I found fun beer knowledge in both, so I hope this book has more.
Can design has come both a long way and in some instances devolved into IP copycats. And writer Joshua Bernstein has quantified a list of his personal best designs. To his credit, Brouwerij West is on the list for their Falling Water IPA.
Now, I will take the this list and pick my best, worst and almost there…(from left to right in the graphic below)
The Alvarado Street design mixes the font, design and name to great effect. It is also of a style that makes you lean in and look at it. The middle design is just flat out lazy to me. The font is as close to generic as possible and it just screams done in a few minutes. The final “close” one is a good idea but the art just doesn’t do it for me. This could be a fun series with different people in each box, heck even employees of the brewery might be fun choices too.
I don’t cover home brewing all that much. Mostly because I don’t do it myself so I have little to offer when it comes to hopping rates, equipment and the latest trends. But I know who does know that stuff and who has access to many home brewers. And now, Joshua Bernstein has compiled that knowledge in his new book HomeBrew World.
Here is the blurb: “Meet the award winners, visionaries, and scofflaws leading the homebrew revolution. How did they get started? What equipment do they use? Where do they find storage space? What are their hopping techniques, yeast strategies, and aging methods? How do they keep temperatures constant without sophisticated climate controls? What’s their best recipe? Get to know the Stylists who hammer home perfect takes on time-honored beers; the Hop Pack who boldly push IPAs and other hop-forward brews into fragrant new territory; the Wild Ones who are harvesting ambient yeast, unleashing rowdy microbes, and experimenting with souring bacteria to extend the boundaries of good taste; and the Creative Front, who follow one simple rule—no rules at all.”
Is it weird that I really like the design of the book jacket for the Complete Beer Course by Joshua Bernstein but that I think the inside design doesn’t really reach that level?
Nitpicky for sure but a coffee table book kind of demands a design that a simple novel or non-fiction book doesn’t require. The information provided within is absolutely fine. Bernstein personalizes the proceedings throughout making him a relatable guide through the book. But the flow of the book just keeps getting slowed with little boxes of fun facts throughout that combined with the graphics and photos make going from one paragraph to another a little more of a hunt than it needs to be.
I also did not like the chapter heading collage for each “lesson”. It was if someone slapped down a few representative labels and called it a day. I also would have liked more style coverage to replace the beer and food pairing section especially considering the fact that Bernstein was merely a conduit for that part of the book.
That being said, this is a really nice gift to give someone who is entering into the world of craft beer or someone who has started but could round out their education. The words work.
Our final hop stop is at Odd13 Brewing in Colorado.
This brewery has a heroes and villains and comic book theme running through their beers so lets get to the lupulin threshold which is more powerful than any infinity stone out there.
Noob – American IPA
“The first batch brewed at our production facility, n00b is an American IPA. Heavy dry hopping with Mosaic and El Dorado combine with restrained bitterness to create a juicy flavor and aroma profile. The hops and yeast work together to provide hints of blueberry and orange candy.”
Thirdeen Cent – 100% Centennial
“Thirdeen Cent is an IPA with Centennial hops that was initially brewed as a celebration of our 100th batch. It was too good not to bring back in our rotating IPA series. The Centennial imparts an intensely fruity citrus character.”
Bad Guy with an Agenda – American IPA
“Bad Guy With an Agenda is an American IPA designed to showcase Experimental Hop 07270 from Hopsteiner. The hop is so new it doesn’t even have a name yet. 07270 imparts a resiny pine flavor and aroma complemented by strong citrus characteristics reminiscent of mandarin orange. Chinook, Mosaic, and Equinox add complementary flavors of pine and tropical fruit. The malt bill is extremely simple, intended to showcase the hops.”
Fairy Hopmother – IPA
“Fairy hopmother is a ridiculously delicious IPA featuring hops from three different continents. New Zealand’s Nelson Sauvin adds flavors reminiscent of white wine grapes and gooseberries. Notes of honeydew and strawberry come from German Huell Melon. American Mosaic rounds out the hop bill, kicking in notes of blueberry. A full body with slight caramel sweetness balances the rich fruity flavors from the hops.”
We have reached the 2nd stop pulled from the book Complete IPA – The Guide to Your Favorite Craft Beer, Great Notion Brewing of Portland, Oregon.
What a combo! Great Notion Brewing is next to a Pine State Biscuits. Now if only there were apartments right above.
GNB is a 7 Barrel brewery plus tap room in N.E. Portland which is appropriate since they “focus primarily on juicy New England-style IPA’s and creative sour ales”..
As you will see from my choices, they don’t stop there. Really cool fun fact: they age some of their beers in clay amphoras.
Instead of starting with their lauded hoppy ales, let’s go breakfast first, then finish with more breakfast for the initial taster flight….
Blueberry Muffin Sour Ale
This Blueberry sour will remind you of your Grandma’s freshly baked blueberry muffins!
Mandela (with Nelson) IPA
Mandela (w/ Nelson) is an IPA brewed with Citra, Mosaic and dry-hopped 100% with Nelson Sauvin hops from New Zealand.
Over-Ripe IPA
Over-Ripe is an experimental IPA brewed with Azacca, Simcoe, Columbus & Motueka hops. We get loads of overripe fruit like cantaloupe, honey dew, and papaya.
Juice Box Double IPA
Bursting with pungent American hops, with aroma’s of peach, mango, and passion fruit. Juice Box is brewed with over 4 pounds of hops per barrel, but the creamy smooth mouth feel and mellow bitterness makes this Double IPA dangerously drinkable.
Double Stack Stout
Imperial Breakfast Stout brewed with Clutch coffee and Vermont maple syrup.
Joshua Bernstein has made an admirable stab at the inimitable and intimidating IPA style (and sub-styles) in his book Complete IPA – The Guide to Your Favorite Craft Beer and he mostly succeeds.
Where I find fault is not so much the execution but the format chosen at the beginning. A book based on primarily reviews of IPA’s or in this case, more accurately, highlighting beers from U.S. regions that signify the IPA leads to a certain almanac type of style which can be repetitive even in the most descriptive of writers hands as Bernstein is.
It also leads to the inevitable stale aspect. Bernstein tosses out fun facts and covers a wide swath of breweries in this heavy hardback book which is great. I now have breweries to check out all across the country but he also tosses in other beers brewed of the non-IPA variety that distract from the topic at hand. It is great, overall, to know that brewery A in state B has a great stout but I would have preferred to know about the IPA philosophy of that brewery and how it was brewed to showcase the hops used. If that means less beers focused on, that is fine. I would rather have read ten longer pieces that detailed ten different IPA’s than a Top 10 list however well curated.
All of that is not to say that Complete IPA is not helpful. It is. It is succinct and clear and the beers that appear in the book are fine choices. (Though L.A. got extremely short shrift with only Beachwood getting a page for Amalgamator and Smog City getting a quick mention.) I really like Bernstein’s writing style as well. For such a narrow-ish topic, the book never gets repetitive with its adjectives. For what it wants to do, it is absolutely fine.
In the end, I am also still waiting for a history of the IPA in America to date.
The complete review of The Complete IPA will be posted sometime this month, and then I will select two other breweries that I first heard mentioned in that book to make e-visits to. The first stop is in New Hampshire and Stoneface Brewing Company.
Stoneface started brewing in 2014 by Erol Moe and Peter Beauregard (plus a third, silent partner). In that short time, they have been hoppy enough to get a mention in Bernstein’s book as well as have a hop in the logo.
Here are the beers that I would add to my first taster tray…..
Oated Ella
“A very pleasing pale ale that was brewed with oats and dry hopped with Australian Ella hops. As they say in Australia, “this beer is sweet as!””
APA
“Our American Pale Ale is the first beer we ever brewed here! It has an assertive bitterness and a big aroma. It’s dry hopped with Falconer’s Flight 7 C’s.”
Blip
“A balanced and bright IPA that has been dry hopped with Mosaic, Columbus, and Simcoe hops.”
Porter
“This beer drinks very smooth with a restrained bitterness and pours a rich, almost black color. It was brewed using chocolate malt and roasted barley; imparting delightful roasty and toasty flavors.”
India Red Rye
“Complex grain bill and moderate bitterness, spicy, malty and magical; aggressively dry hopped with a blend of American aroma hop varietals.”
Good riddance to 2016! Let’s get 2017 off on the right foot with some rays of light and hope and great craft beer in the L.A. area.
~ e-visits to three breweries found in the pages of the Complete IPA book by Joshua Bernstein
~ special featured reviews of beers that I bought with my Craft Beer Cellar – Eagle Rock gift cards from Christmas.
~ Heads-Up on Los Angeles Beer Events
~ Three suggested beers to buy this month. One light, one medium and one dark
~ A Book & A Beer reads All That Man Is (and I did not care for it)
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.
Here are two events to get your January started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) January 8th – Cheese and Beer Tour with LA Beer Hop and Vagabond Cheese
2) January 28th – L.A. Beer & Food Festival