Archive for April, 2010

This weeks episode was recorded at The Wonderland Ballroom. A great place, two parts dive bar, one part Beer Geek place. I highly recommend it. To Chris O’Brien the Beer Activist. If you have wondered about sustainability, or craft brewing business models, this is the episode for you.

For those blessed few who read the Casual Friday posts, you may remember the first Casual Friday in which I talked about 21^stAmendment’s Hell or High Watermelon Wheat. While I did not particularly like that beer I mentioned that I have a certain feeling towards wheat beers made with fruit, so I was probably more than a little biased. This week’s Casual Friday beer, due in no small part to Earth Day happening this week, is 422 Wheat Ale by Southern tier. An American wheat ale that is slightly less than 6% ABV.

This beer is simple and well made. Sometimes you want an extreme beer to push the boundaries of what your mind and taste can handle.  However, there are times you just want to enjoy a good solid example of a classic style. That is what this beer is.

MMMM

You see that lacing.  The way the foam slowly slides down the glass. That means there are a lot of protein chains. It means that this beer doesn’t feel thin. It feels full bodied, and it does it without having a stupid amount of IBU’s, or a crazy amount of alcohol. The taste is solid and uniform through out.

It tastes like wheat. It tastes like late spring and the first time you jump into a swimming hole for the season. It tastes like running through a storm in which the rain is hot, and the lightning is brought on from the heat. I think this is a beer you should try and appreciate for the way it approaches a concept and unashamedly achieves it without compromise.

I think taste is subjective and there is a chance you may not like this beer. But lets be honest, wouldn’t you rather say that you had tried it than not. It doesn’t try to conform to a trend, or try to be something its not. It does wheat and it does is well.

Here is the first Episode in the Monday release schedule. I want to thank Jonathan of Brewery Fans for coming on the show. Here is their Twitter, and Facebook pages. This is a good Episode for those of you thinking of launching a beer centric webpage. Learn some of the pit falls of outsourcing and what it takes to get a high volume of traffic.

This weeks casual Friday beer is Hanami ale from Smutty Nose Brewing. It is their current seasonal offering.

If you have a daughter who goes by the name Cherries Jubilee, you failed as a father.

This beer reeks of cherries, and I am using that word on purpose. It is way too upfront. Kind of like that neighbor who invites themselves over and you can’t find a nice way to tell them that Old Spice is not a substitute for good hygiene. I am honestly not certain how much the smell affects the initial taste. The first sip is tart, which I like. I have been known to enjoy the funk once in a while and I subconsciously prepare my tongue for the onslaught I have come to enjoy. Then I am left waiting…

The finish of this beer very dry and clean, it’s as if I have walked into a seedy motel that offers rooms by the hour with magic fingers beds, and once I walk through the front door I find that is merely a HoJo in disguise. If I truly want mirrors on the ceiling, I will have to go elsewhere. I am by no means saying this is a bad beer, it is a very solid ale brewed with fruit and juice. However, I have some preconceptions about beers that begin tart. They should finish the same way.

I think some of my feelings about this beer are probably all in my head. I am not one for drinking fruit beers often, although I can think of the perfect time for this beer. After a night of sour beer tastings and Belgian wild yeast this beer (especially as it is just under 6%) would make a great close out beer. Something to transition you to a cleaner palate so that your tongue does not feel like 99 smurfs had a mosh pit in your mouth the night before.

This weekend saw the beer twitter sphere blow up with minute by minute reports from Chicago. The rest of us read along longingly as our fellow beer geeks celebrated the Craft Brewers Conference, and the announcement of the winners of the World Beer Cup. There were twice the amount of beers entered as there were in 2004. This really is an amazing time to be interested in beer.

There have also had hearings in reference to the beer seizures that took place last month in Philly. There is a good article about it by John Baer of Philly.com. I think the worst thing about this is the precedent. While Philadelphia has some of the most strict and at the same time convoluted beer laws in the nation, I don’t think it will take much for other states to look  at this situation and see a potential for income through fines. It is the responsibility of all beer geeks to understand what could happen to the beer laws in their state.

So there has been good and bad in the last week. I will be shifting to a Monday release for the podcast. This way I will have a couple extra days to edit. The next couple of weeks I will be doubling up recording so that I have a buffer of episodes during finals. So here is a list of my next four guests:

Jonathon Lunardi Owner BreweryFans.com

Dave Fox of Skull Coast Ale Company

Tammy Tuck and Bruce Falconer, AKA “The Lager Heads” AKA “Young and Hungry”

Chris O’Brien Author and Beer Activist

Doesn’t that read like a list of usual suspects. If you have any questions about what they do, or how they got to be where they are at, why not send them in. There will be fewer posts through the week for the next month so that I can study, but I hope to have longer posts that are of a higher quality. After this run of guests I will be reaching out to people from up and down the coast for guests that aren’t just based in the DC metro area.  If you know of people who would be interested in being on the show  from Florida, all the way through Maine, shoot me an email with their contact info.

This Week I was at Flying Dog Brewing in Fredrick, MD.

The Tasting Room

I want to thank JT for showing me around and giving up his Friday morning. Have a good weekend everyone.

This is my first beer from Southern Tier brewing. I was not able to get to the store, so I asked my wife to pick up something for me on her way home from work. My wife proved once again more than up to the arduous task of living with a beer geek for a husband – she brought home Imperial choklat stout.

Try typing choklat into Word. Spell check goes nuts.

I have to admit to having preconceptions when it comes to stout. I have always enjoyed stout, but have seen it as a simplistic style that is representative of blue collar, hard working men and women. This beer has torn away such notions. The first thing I noticed was the alcohol. It slips in quickly and makes itself at home, like a long lost friend from good times past. Next is the roasted malt, which seems to have been invited to reminisce about the good old days. Finally is the chocolate. Now the chocolate lingers, because she’s an old flame. The next thing you know you have so many flavors you know and remember all together, and what’s more, you are having a fantastic time!

This beer is exceptional. It feels like you’re reliving the glory days, and like reminiscing about the past it’s not something that should be done too often.  As good as this beer is I’m not even sure that it would find a place in my desert island six pack. I do enjoy this beer; however it is something that is better enjoyed occasionally.  That being said, I will definitely be trying out the other offerings from Southern Tier.

A friend of mine sent me this on Facebook.  You have to admit, it is what we sound like, there is no denying it. Besides, if you can’t laugh at your self, whats the point. Wondermark is a great comic that makes the Victorian era humor more modern. Or is it modern humor more Victorian. I get so confused.

http://wondermark.com/c/2009-05-13-515ontap.gif

P.S. I really just picked this post so I could use the term Wenchbucket as a tag. I think that is what I will label my next home brew. Thanks Grant for the comic.

I am not a huge art person. I like certain pieces or styles, but a lot of art I simply do not understand. However I was reading the Brookston Beer Bulletin, which has a post every so often about beer and art. Most of these are classic or modern beer ads. The most recent though was a post about an artist named Shawn Kenny out of Rhode Island. The project is “Will Paint For Food“. The piece that stands out in my mind is the pint of Guinness. Unfortunately all of the beer pieces have been sold. I truly hope he does more beer themed pieces. Although if you can not wait, you could always use the fall back of old Guinness ads.

This weeks episode was with Brian Strumke of Stillwater Artisanal Ales.

His Twitter.

Have a good week.