Tag: The Session

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Session # 50

Fifty. Five. Zero. That means something for Canadians… and guys like me in their late forties. It’s the balancing point. The line between passing and failing. Your share of the draw. What topic to pick for such an important moment in beer blogging history?

I posted a few days ago about the topic for this month’s session and gratefully received comments as well as emails in reply. While meta-blogging was discouraged, some themes were there. I like ideas around service, respect and good value. It’s the cornerstone of any healthy consumer-producer relationship as far as I’m concerned. And, interestingly, Mark Dredge wrote a typically well-written post this week that speaks directly to my interest in that intersection between value and obsession. So, based on all of that, here is where I am going: what makes you buy someone’s beer? Elemental. Multi-faceted. Maybe even interesting.

* Buying beer. I mean takeaway. From the shelf to you glass. What rules are dumb? Who gives the best service? What does good service mean to you? Please avoid “my favorite bar references” however wonderful. I am not talking about taverns as the third space. Unless you really really need to and contextualize it into the moment of transaction at the bar. If you can crystallize that moment of “yes” when the bartender is, in fact, tender go for it.
* What doesn’t work? What fad or ad turned you off what had previously been turned on about some beer’s appeal? When does a beer jump the shark? When does a beer store fail or soar? When does a brewery lose your pennies or earn your dimes?
* Go micro rather than macro. You may want to explore when you got tired of “extreme” or “lite” or “Belgian-style” but think about it in terms of your relationship with one brewery rather than some sort of internet wave of slag… like that ever happens.
* What is the most you paid for a great beer? More importantly – because this is not about being negative – what is the least? I don’t mean a gift. What compels you you to say this is the quality price ratio (“QPR”) that works best for you? When does a beer scream “you would have paid 27% more for me but you didn’t need to!”?

Just ideas. I hope you see what I am suggesting. Let me know if not and I maybe can refine it. It’s for the fifty. Half a century. The last real milestone any of us will ever hit.

Check out the responses today HERE

At first, I thought this would be an easy topic. What makes me buy THAT beer? Obviously it is because of….ummm. Then I went back to the question. Then I started to analyze the thought process of why I buy the beer that I do. Then I started researching the beers that I have imbibed this year. Then I found myself at Whole Foods staring at the beer selection for an uncomfortably long time. (I got so caught up with trying to answer the “why” that I haven’t even touched the “why not”)

Suddenly I was in a craft beer choose your own adventure. And confronted with a generous bounty of beer either on tap or bottle, I was often times randomly selecting either something new or an IPA.

That realization was a bit disconcerting because each craft beer purchase is a monetary vote for not only the store or bar you buy at or the brewer who brews it but for the myriad of people in between as well. It is a tacit, if temporary, approval of their work.

Now I’m not going to require anybody or even myself to know every last detail of the beers journey from raw ingredients to the glass before you can enjoy a beer. But I do need to figure out what I deem as most important to the present, past and future of craft beer and reward those brewers and publicans who are on the same wavelength as me with my precious beer money.

Importance can be many things. Too many to list here. For me, I want to support the local breweries and bars as much as possible. I also want to support brewers who take chances and aren’t stagnant. And most importantly, I want to sample a wide swath of beer styles. These items of importance hopefully won’t induce paralysis by over-thinking and will allow for spontaneity.

I could come up with a clever mnemonic device using the word firkin or mash tun to shoehorn my criteria into but instead I am going to go completely ego centric and say that I now (thanks to this session) am going to be more mindful of why I am choosing THAT particular beer.

It may take me a little longer in the store or at the bar now, so I apologize, in advance, to anyone stuck behind me.

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Session # 49

In March of 2007 I couldn’t have guessed the topic March 4, 2011 might be “regular beer.” How vague is that? But when in December I was motivated to post my defense of “regular beer” the course was set.

Please write about a regular beer (time to lose the quotation marks). You get to define what that means, but a few possibilities:

* It might be your “go to” beer, brewed commercially or at home. The one you drink regularly.
* I could be a beer your enjoy on a regular special occasion. When in San Francisco I always like to start with draft Anchor Liberty Ale. But it might be your poker night beer.
* It doesn’t have to be a “session beer,” but it can be.
* It probably shouldn’t have an SPE of more than $25 (that’s a very soft number; prices may vary by region and on premise further confuses the matter). Ask yourself, is it what somebody in a Miller High Life TV commercial in the 1970s could afford? Because affordability matters. I’m all for paying a fair price (which can mean higher than we’d like) to assure quality and even more for special beers, but I’m not ready to part with the notion that beer should be an everyman’s drink.
* Brewery size, ownership, nationality do not matter. Brew length doesn’t matter. Ingredients don’t matter. It feels a little strange typing that last sentence, since the Mission Statement here says ingredients matter. But I hope you get the point. I prefer beer that costs a little more because its ingredients cost more, because there’s more labor involved. You don’t have to. Beer should be inclusive.

Visit Appellation Beer to see what other bloggers wrote about.

Right off the bat I am going to be too pedantic and/or split too many hairs, but the word “regular” does not work for me. So I will change to the name that I use for a quality everyday type of brew, “table beer”.

Now that the change is made, on to my definition:
It has to be lighter on the ABV scale. Maxing out at 6%
It needs to be milder of flavor
It should pair with a variety of foods
It should be newbie friendly
It should be readily available throughout the year

Yes, that does rule out quite a few contenders. But it does leave me plenty of options. You can find quite a few pilsners, pale ales, hefe’s and other wheat beers that meet my semi-stringent criteria.

To me, a good table beer is that needle in the haystack. Something that many drinkers and brewers have forgotten about. It hit’s that sweet spot of a beer that you can just flat out drink and enjoy but isn’t boring or a compromise.

And what I find myself coming back to is the Brown Ale from Mission Street (aka Firestone-Walker) that I can get at my Trader Joe’s across the street. A bomber is $1.99 and it is a tremendous value.

It goes great with burgers, BBQ and even a pizza if it has mild toppings. It comes in at 5.7% so no one will be under the table after a glass. It is mild but flavorful with a good burst of carbonation to lighten the mood. And best of all, it doesn’t scare anyway beer newcomers.

In the end, I need to add another criteria, it has to taste good enough to buy again and again.

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Session # 47

The first session of 2011 is hosted by Beer47. The topic? Cooking and Beer.

I wish that I had grand culinary exploits to wow the crowd with. Sad to say but my cooking skills are limited to following directions on boxes. So no Imperial porter foam on a beer soaked flourless chocolate cake nor IPA infused garlic mashed potatoes. (though I do have that Sean Paxton recipe printed out on my desk).

And since I do not have many beer dinners under my belt either, I can’t really comment on what works really well and what doesn’t. I do know a good amount about beer floats (but that really doesn’t involve cooking).

That leaves me with proposing my ideal and still unrealized dream beer dinner. Not all choices may be winners or even work but I would certainly like to try it.

So here goes….

APPETIZER
Sharp cheddar quesadillas
BEER TO USE:Strand Brewing Atticus IPA
I like the combo of cheddar and IPA and would like something bold to wake up the tastebuds. The Strand pale ale would work here as well if a lesser hop kick is warranted.

MAIN COURSE
Kobe Flank Steak in a Flanders Red spiked sauce.
BEER TO USE: Cascade Brewing’s Kriek
I don’t know how to make a sauce for steak and it might be sacrilege to use this Kriek but I would to see the contrast between the sour and the butter.

DESSERT
Apple Pie a la mode with an apple beer ice cream
BEER TO USE: Unibroue Ephemere
A double shot of apple. Scoops in Los Angeles makes great beer ice creams/sorbets and I would to have two wildly different forms of apple on the palate.

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Session # 46

Mike Lynch of Burgers and Brews has announced the topic for The Session #46: “An Unexpected Discovery.” He writes:

I recently drove out to Colorado for a concert, and realized this was a perfect opportunity to stop at as many “beer destinations” as I could. I researched, plotted routes, looked at maps, and generally planned the entire trip around beer. What I was surprised to find was that despite all the amazing stops I planned, one of the best beer experiences of the trip was completely accidental. I found great beer in the last place I thought to look for it.

Has this happened to you? Maybe you stumbled upon a no-name brewpub somewhere and found the perfect pale ale. Maybe, buried in the back of your local beer store, you found a dusty bottle of rare barleywine. Perhaps a friend turned you on to a beer that changed your mind about a brewery or a style. Write about a beer experience that took you by surprise.

Well, there was the time in 1995 when we stopped at the Cat’s Paw Casino in Bozeman, Montana. Maybe I’ll write about that Dec. 3.

You would think that with a blog called Beer Search Party that I would be discovering all kinds of craft beer surprises or accidentally finding that stunning brewery that only the locals know about.

I would pose two reasons why that doesn’t happen to me. One is that I check out a lot of different beer blogs, I subscribe to (at last count) three beer magazines and I attend my share of beery events. So, breaking news rarely gets by me for too long before I hear about it. Second, like our gracious session host, I enjoy the planning stage. Especially when craft beer is on the agenda. I will plot out vacations based on beer destinations and I rarely stray from my targets. When I visited Boulder, Colorado for the Beer Bloggers conference, I knew I wanted to visit Twisted Pine and Oskar Blues and taste beer from Upslope Brewing and Odell’s. All four goals, accomplished!
Now, having explained how I am never taken off guard, here is my “unexpected” story. It involves sitting in the right place at the right time, twice!

During this year’s LA Beer Week, I was helping out at the Beer Float Showdown at the Verdugo. (If you visit Los Angeles, this is one of “must” the beer stops). After my shift was done, I took a seat with a friend of mine and a fellow beer geek to enjoy the imaginative beer float creations. Beer talk was flowing as I finished my last sample and our tablemate brought out a new beer from Green Flash Brewing, Silva’s Stout. Before I could say anything, my glass was filled! It seemed that Lady Luck was smiling upon me as it was a tremendous beer and a special limited release to boot. I figured this type of good fortune wouldn’t happen again soon but….

Lo and behold it did!

A couple of months later, sitting at the Blue Palms in Hollywood (another “must” for beer geeks in LA); I was tasting the 14th anniversary beer from Firestone-Walker. The place was packed. But in the crowded space of the bar sat another generous soul with a growler from Kern River Brewing. Because I and my friend were in the seats near some acquaintances of his, we also got samples of the famed Citra IPA. On aroma alone, that beer is one of the best that I have had all year. Another surprise based solely on where I was sitting.

I certainly hope I get surprised again.

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Session # 44


“The 44th Session will be hosted by Ashley Routson a.k.a. The Beer Wench. In honor of Halloween month, she’s chosen “Frankenstein Beers” as her topic, which Ashley likens to Frankenstein’s monster, a creation that was “constructed of human parts and various other inanimate objects,” defying nature’s laws and ultimately “unlike anything the world had ever seen before.” She continues.

Many craft brewers are like Frankenstein. They have become mad scientists obsessed with defying the laws of brewing and creating beers that transcend style guidelines. These “Frankenstein Beers” challenge the way people perceive beer. They are freaks of nature — big, bold and intense. The ingredients resemble those of a beer and the brewing process might appear to be normal, but some aspects of the entire experience are experimental, unorthodox and insane.

An altercation with these beers produces confusion in the eye of the taster … is it a beer, or a monster?

“I do know that for the sympathy of one living being, I would make peace with all. I have love in me the likes of which you can scarcely imagine and rage the likes of which you would not believe. If I cannot satisfy the one, I will indulge the other.” — The Monster.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to write a blog post on “Frankenstein Beers.” There are no rules about how to write about this topic — feel free to highlight a Frankenstein brewer, brewery, beer tasting notes … or just your opinions on the concept.

So don’t be afraid, pull out the surgical tools and make a trip to the cemetery (or bar) for parts — just don’t grab the jar marked — “abnormal” — for your own post for the next Session, on Friday, October 1.”

It was a dark and stormy night…

Let’s rewind a little first. In the past year alone, I have imbibed beers with ingredients (prickly pear, ginger, pecans, figs, apricots, apple cider, lemongrass, mushrooms, chammomile, parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme) more suited, one would think, to ghouls and goblins than beer.

Before the first sip of these experimental beers, I would ask myself “Why?” and more importantly “I hope this works”. Then I slowly tip back the glass and voila, it does, (Eight times out of ten) because beer is a forgiving canvas upon which to paint. Dark and stormy becomes blue sky clear.

These fright inducing, sometimes cringe worthy ingredients are tossed into the kettle for many reasons. There are breweries raising nearly extinct beer styles from the dead. There are breweries pushing the ABV boundry. There are breweries that use brettamyoces just to add another note to an already great beer.

But this is no lab work in a castle on a hill during thundershowers creating monsters. It is a genuine craving (not for brains) but for big and brash flavors. I may not end up raving about each new mash-up of styles and brewing techniques, but none are unlovable monsters to be cast out to fend for itself. They are all logical extensions of one train of thought. Beer with flavor!

That’s right. In fact, the mad scientist who unleashed this bounty of crazy craft beers are the makers of the industrial water lager. Because of a lack of desire or understanding, they left a whole market open to our loved and admired demented fermenters of today. They created their own horror movie. And it is defintely in 3-D.

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In the Tap Lines for August 2010

Here is what you (faithful blog reader) can look forward to in this months posts.

– Video reviews of Caldera Kettle Series beers
– Quick tours of Irish and German breweries that you should visit
– Session # 42 – A Favorite Beer Memory
– A recap of the Stone 14th Anniversary party
– I suggest (3) beers to put into your ‘fridge
– Beers to try and events to attend
– 50 Beers from 50 States updates
– The monthly tapping of the Firkin, my opinion on the beer world.

Cheers!

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Session # 39 coming soon

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Mario Rubio is hosting the May edition and here is the topic….
“The Session is collaboration of beer writers from around the world working on a common topic on the First Friday of the month. The Hop Press is a collaboration of writers from around the world working on a common site. As host of The Session for May, I thought it was only appropriate for the Hop Press to be a place for a gathering of posts about collaborations.

Feel free to have fun with the topic. Drink a collaborative beer. Who’s brewed some of your favorite collaborations? Who have been some of your favorite collaborators? Who would you like to see in a future collaboration?

As the topic is collaborations, working with each other is encouraged. Look forward to seeing what everyone comes up with.”

I already have some embryonic ideas for this one, do you?

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Session # 38 REMINDER

Just a reminder that the next first Friday Session is coming up the day after the April Foolishness.

To refresh your memory, here is the topic:
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With Kate the Great Day a recent memory and the day of the Dark Lord fast approaching, I started thinking about what beer or beers that I would get up at 4:00 in the morning, drive across state lines, stand in a long unmoving line in the cold and rain for the chance to taste with a crowd the size of Woodstock.

So here is my question to you (with a couple addendums).

What beer have you tasted recently (say, the last six months or so) that is worthy of their own day in the media sun?

And to add a little extra to it, how does “great” expectations affect your beer drinking enjoyment?

AND If you have attended one of these release parties, stories and anecdotes of your experience will be welcomed too.

To join in:
1) Publish your blog post by Friday, April 2, 2010.
2) Leave a link to your blog in the comment section of this post or put your response in the comment section or email me your link to beersearchparty@gmail.com.
3)On Monday, I will post a round-up with comments and links to all entries.

Thanks to Stan and Jay for starting this fun communication and for giving me the opportunity to host.

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Session # 38 – Announcement

This April, the Beer Search Party has the privilege of hosting Session # 38.

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With Kate the Great Day a recent memory and the day of the Dark Lord fast approaching, I started thinking about what beer or beers that I would get up at 4:00 in the morning, drive across state lines, stand in a long unmoving line in the cold and rain for the chance to taste with a crowd the size of Woodstock.

So here is my question to you (with a couple addendums).

What beer have you tasted recently (say, the last six months or so) that is worthy of their own day in the media sun?

And to add a little extra to it, how does “great” expectations affect your beer drinking enjoyment?

AND If you have attended one of these release parties, stories and anecdotes of your experience will be welcomed too.

To join in:
1) Publish your blog post by Friday, April 2, 2010.
2) Leave a link to your blog in the comment section of this post or put your response in the comment section or email me your link to beersearchparty@gmail.com.
3)On Monday, I will post a round-up with comments and links to all entries.

Thanks to Stan and Jay for giving me the opportunity to host.