Tag: Session

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Holiday Beer Review – Session Fest

The second holiday beer up for review is the 3rd version of the Session line from Full Sail in Hood River, Oregon.

Here is Fest Session….

“When we decided to brew a special Session for the holidays, we knew right away what color it had to be: Red (and full-bodied). Next, we considered what kind of head it should have. Bright white was the obvious answer. And as for the label? Gotta be green, right? So there you have it. A new Session all decked out for holidays, ready to spread joy and cheer. Happy Holidays to one and all! And have a good Session.

Session Fest is a Czech-style strong lager (gotta love the Czechs!) called polotmavé or literally “light dark or semi-dark.” Brewed with 2 Row Pale malt, Munich malt, Caramel malt and Wheat malt and hopped with a blend of Glaciers and Cascades, Session Fest has a medium to full body balancing candy caramel and full malt flavors that are underscored by a spicy hoppiness that provides a nice perfume with citrus and pine overtones and a long clean finish. 6.2% ABV 26 IBU”

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Session # 57


Here is the topic from last minute host Beer’s I Have Known

“One of the things I most enjoy about blogs and personal writing in general is the ability to have a window into another’s life, in a semi-voyeuristic way. So I’d like to know your beery guilty secrets. Did you have a particularly embarrassing first beer (in the same way that some people purchase an atrocious song as their first record) or perhaps there’s still a beer you return to even though you know you shouldn’t? Or maybe you don’t subscribe to the baloney about feeling guilty about beers and drink anything anyway?

You’re also welcome to write about bad drinking experiences you’ve had as a result of your own indulgence or times when you’ve been completely wrong about a beer but not yet confessed to anyone that you’ve changed your mind.

Its fairly wide open, take your pick. Variety is the spice of life as they say (and I hope there’s more than 57 of them…)”

I am going to make a confession that just might lower my craft beer street cred.

I sometimes drink craft beer straight from the bottle.

Yup, I will read an article about proper glassware or how to pour a pint correctly and I feel a tinge of shame because of the bottle sitting next to me. The bottle that I could have easily poured into one of many pint glasses that I have in the cupboard.

I know that the bottle (or the can) is just the conveyance for the beer and to properly enjoy the aroma and to see the beer and listen to it as Fred Eckhardt instructs, I have to pour it into the glass. But after a day of work that includes Los Angeles traffic that is akin to hand to hand combat, I just want to enjoy a beer.

I refuse to drink the industrial water lagers but I empathize with the joy of sitting down with a bottle and just relaxing with a beer. Not caring about putting the beer into the glass, or what the correct type of glass I need, or the proper serving temperature or what food is goes with. Sometimes, I just want a beer and not savor a craft beer. Maybe it is some DNA coding from caveman days.

I have been caught red handed on a few occasions and at first, I would equivocate. Try to explain that the beer was not super aromatic or some other hogwash. Now I just take a long pull and say that I just wanted to have a beer.

This isn’t all the time of course, in fact it is in the minority. And there are some beers that I would never, ever swig straight up. And I will continue to tell people to always drink from the proper glassware with my one guilty caveat being the exception that proves the rule.

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Session # 55


Here is the topic du jour: “On September 2, bloggers from around the world will converge at HopHeadSaid to write about the fabulous world of beer art found on coasters, labels and caps. I am guessing that I am not so different from other beer enthusiasts – I like to collect beer labels, bottle caps and coasters. I think they are perfect souvenirs from beer travels or drinking sessions. Judging by the size of my collection you could say that I have had many enjoyable drinking sessions over the years!

Now it is time to dig through your stash and share your favorite label, coaster or cap art.”

I have a large stash of bottle caps. I have coasters and labels pasted into a scrapbook. So I could theoretically have gone through and picked out my favorites of all three categories and talked about why they caught my eye. Instead I am going to blatantly disregard a part of the instructions and talk cans.

Cans from Fort George Brewery in Astoria, Oregon on the NW coastal tip of the state. I think the design of their Vortex IPA and 1811 Lager not only stand out in a crowd but they also impart visual and written information that you can enjoy while sipping the excellent beer inside. And in 2011, these are the designs that I would put at #1 and # 2 on my “best” of the year list.

First up is 1811 Lager…..

The light blue on this can is such a different hue from 99% of the bottles and cans you will see. Plus you need to pour it to see the writing correctly. It really makes you look at it and then want to pick it up to see it correctly. And it doesn’t stop there, then you are hooked into reading the dates and events around the rim as well as the story behind the beer and how it is honoring the Astoria Bi-Centennial. Brilliant. Before you realize it the 4-pack will be in your cart.

Second is Vortex IPA…..

Again, what a bold color choice. Brown and green with a shiny metallic tint to it. But this can brings the focus to a swirling hop tornado logo that ties into the story on the back of the can of how some of the brewing equipment was nearly lost en route to Oregon.

What is amazing is that despite the swirl of colors and mass of words. These do not come across as “too busy” or garish to me. I can’t wait to see further designs from Fort George.

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the Stone collaborations keep coming

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San Diego County Session Ale is the latest in the lovely etched collaboration bottles to soon grace our ‘fridges. It was brewed over the course of the summer by Colby Chandler from Ballast Point, Mitch Steele from Stone and Kelsey McNair from a brewery I have yet to taste from called North Park Beer Co..

I am glad the session is taking over!

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Bitter Brewer from Surly

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I still can’t get it here (in a large, large beer market) so I thought I would tantalize others as well with the Minnesota English style 4% summer session seasonal.

” A toast and Marmalade character from British Malt and American Hops. Dry hopping brings the Floral Citrus aromas.”

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Notch – The session beer

The session beer has (in my humble opinion) gone from a momentary trend to a full blown backlash against high abv monsters.

Here is some information about the latest entrant into the session scrum…
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“NOTCH, the American Session Ale. The only Session Beer Brand in the US. Every beer we brew is made to extend the good times, as every beer is below 4.5% alcohol by volume (ABV). Full flavor, long drinking, no headache.

Notch Brewing was founded by Chris Lohring, a craft beer industry veteran. Follow the Notch story on this blog, and be part of the Session Beer resurgence in the US.”

Check out more at their website

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William Brothers Brewery

I wanted to talk about this brewery during my World Cup posts but, alas, Scotland is not participating this year so I will have to sneak it in here. Williams Brothers has been available for awhile with their historic beers like Fraoch Heather ale and Kelpie the seaweed beer amongst others but now they are sending over some from their regular line.
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Williams Brothers Scottish Joker IPA
Joker premium pale is created from a complex blend of malt and hops with the sole purpose of bringing a smile to your face. Joker has a fresh citrusy aroma and bittersweet, full flavour.

Williams Brother Scottish Midnight Sun Dark Porter Ale
Midnight Sun is a black Porter style beer, created from a blend of malted barley, oats, roast barley and chocolate malt,balanced with a generous handful of hops and a wee bit of fresh root ginger.

Williams Brother Scottish Heavy Eighty Shilling Beer
80/- A traditional Scottish ale brewed with an emphasis on the malt charachteristics. Lightly hopped, as is true to this style of beer, with fruity malt aromas and a toffeeish mouthfeel.

Williams Brother Session Golden Ale
This premium beer is brewed and bottled by the Williams Bros in Alloa, Scotland. Every care has been taken to ensure that it reaches you in perfect condition. Our award winning ales are produced without the use of artificial preservatives: this may result in a fine settlement or slight haze, which are quite natural, Serve chilled, pour carefully and enjoy.

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The Session # 35

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Here is the question for Session # 35 hosted by the beer savvy Naked Pint authors, Christina Perozzi and Hallie Beaune, New Beer’s Resolutions.

“So we want to know what was your best and worst of beer for 2009? What beer mistakes did you make? What beer resolutions do you have for 2010? What are your beer regrets and embarrassing moments? What are you hoping to change about your beer experience in 2010?”

Here is my addition….
Best Beer of 2009 – Mikkeller Nelson Sauvin. It had a wonderful grape flavor that matched beautifully with the slight bitterness. Great cereal taste and all well balanced.
Worst Beer of 2009 – Budweiser American Ale. This was an amber that had been severely watered down. Almost as if they tasted it and thought it was too strong and just started dumping buckets of water into it.
2009 Beer Mistake – Tasting Utopias from Sam Adams at the Denver Rare Beer Event halfway through. Everything else that day tasted of bourbon and alcohol.
2010 Beer Resolution – To taste a beer from each and every state in the United States. I certainly hope there are beers from each 50 then I have to somehow get my hands on them.
2009 Beer Regrets – I regret each time someone offers me a taste of their beer and I said no, just because I either had a beer from that brewery that I didn’t enjoy or because it was an imperial aged monster. I need to continue to be more receptive to all kinds of beer.

2010 will be the year that I stop and enjoy each beer and give it it’s time in the sun.