Bill Howell's Blog, page 14
December 13, 2013
Breaking News: New Beer Release at King Street
This came in from King Street Brewing Co. just too late to make yesterday's blog:
As the end of the year fast approaches, much like the diminishing daylight, many of us find ourselves scrambling to fit everything in during the limited time allotted. Seeing an opportunity, King Street's lead brewer, David Short, has been experimenting, and has concocted a special treat to help keep you going during this crazy time. Dave bills the creation as a Barrel Aged Breakfast Stout, and if you're a coffee aficionado, this beer is for you! From the brewer himself:
Sounds like the perfect beer for the snowstorm that we're in the middle of!
Until Next Time, Cheers!
As the end of the year fast approaches, much like the diminishing daylight, many of us find ourselves scrambling to fit everything in during the limited time allotted. Seeing an opportunity, King Street's lead brewer, David Short, has been experimenting, and has concocted a special treat to help keep you going during this crazy time. Dave bills the creation as a Barrel Aged Breakfast Stout, and if you're a coffee aficionado, this beer is for you! From the brewer himself:
Alaskans! We are a hearty bunch. We need a beer as robust as we are to carry us through the cold winter months. In that spirit, and inspired by the ingredients in my wife's homemade Irish Cream, we aged our Irish Stout for four months in a Jack Daniels whiskey barrel, and then finished it off with spicing additions of cocoa nibs, Madagascar vanilla, and locally roasted Steamdot coffee. The final product treats the pallet with a sublime blend of coffee, chocolate, roast, caramel, and graham cracker. At 4.9% alcohol, this beer is smooth and deeply sessionable. It'll have you racing out of bed in the morning to get your breakfast stout. And, given that we're only going to release one or two of the three available kegs right now, you might want to do exactly that!
Sounds like the perfect beer for the snowstorm that we're in the middle of!
Until Next Time, Cheers!
December 12, 2013
It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas...
Well, temperatures have again dropped below zero here on the Kenai, the forecast for this weekend includes 3 to 5 inches of snow, the tree is up and the wood stove is blazing, so it's Christmas time for sure. Time to break out all those strong brews you've been cellaring for a special occasion and celebrate the Winter Solstice, Christmas, the turning of the year, and/or whatever else suits your
fancy.
Speaking of the Winter Solstice, on Saturday, December 21st, St. Elias Brewing Company will be releasing H & H Winter Warmer. This is a collaboration beer between myself and Zach Henry of St. Elias. By collaboration, I mean that Zach supplied the ingredients, the equipment, and the brewing expertise. I supplied the "Hey, wouldn't this be a cool beer style to brew," a few suggestions on the recipe, and some grunt labor hauling grain bags and shoveling out the mash tun on brew day. That brew day was way back on September 6th, by the way; the beer has been quietly conditioning at the brewery ever since. Stylistically, it's a Burton Ale, a style that doesn't really exist anymore, but was once incredibly popular, both in Britain and around the world. I stopped by last Friday for a sample, just as Zach was dry hopping it with East Kent Goldings. Even without the dry hops and totally uncarbonated, I could tell it was going to be a great beer. It's darker and slightly sweeter than an IPA, but almost as hoppy, and at about 7% ABV, it'll keep you nice and warm through the coldest winter. As I said, it'll be on tap on Saturday, December 21st, so be sure to stop by St. Elias Brewing Company and have a glass, then let us know what you think of it.
On this Friday, December 13th, I'll be signing copies of both Kenai Peninsula and Kodiak Island Breweries (Beer on the Last Frontier: The Craft Breweries of Alaska) (Volume 1)
and Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Everything In Between (Beer on the Last Frontier: The Craft Breweries of Alaska) (Volume 2)
at Kenai River Brewing Company in Soldotna. I'll be there from 5:30 to 7:30 in the evening, so feel free to stop by and pick up a copy or two, either for yourself or as Christmas gifts, and I'll be happy to autograph them for you.
As long as I'm tooting my own horn, I might as well mention the class I'll be teaching in the spring semester, CED A157 The Art & History of Brewing . It's a one credit course taught on Tuesday nights from 5:30 pm to 6:45 pm at the Kenai River campus of Kenai Peninsula College. It starts on January 21st and runs through April 29th. We taste a different beer in each class, take field trips to the local breweries, have guest lecturers, and generally have a great time while learning about the origins of various beer styles, how to store and serve beer properly, how to pair it with food, and a whole lot more. If this sounds like something that might interest you, you can find more information at the KPC website at www.kpc.alaska.edu or by calling 907-262-0330.
Enough about moi, let's get to the latest beer news.
Things are starting to rev up with Alaska Beer Week. The website will be up soon, and you can subscribe to get email notices of updates here. Tickets for the Great Alaska Beer & Barley Wine Festival are on sale through Ticketmaster.
HooDoo Brewing in Fairbanks has just released a new brew, a Porter. It's brewed with a Maris Otter pale malt base, plus seven specialty malts, then aged on Madagascar Vanilla beans. Word is, it's smooth, rich and delicious. They also have their Mild, Kolsch, and IPA on tap.
Glacier BrewHouse's Twelve Days of Barley Wine Fest is in full swing; stop by and check it out!
Snow Goose/Sleeping Lady has their $5 Growler Wonderful Wednesdays & Fantastic Fridays. You can get fills of their Golden, Pale, Scottish, Porter, & Stout at that price.
Anchorage Brewing Company's Hibiscus Double IPA is on tap around town. There's only 8 kegs total, so it won't be around long.
Homer Brewing Company had some of their 2008 Barley Wine on tap; supplies were limited so it may be gone soon, if it's not already.
I only have one new beer review for this week:
Nissefar Christmas Ale from Haand Bryggeriet in Norway: I picked up a bottle of this brew at
Country Liquors
in Kenai. It poured a very deep, almost opaque ruby color with a nice, mocha-colored head. The nose was rich, with notes of licorice, caramel, dark fruit, and some subtle smoke. The mouth was medium to full with good carbonation. The licorice gives depth to the overall flavor profile, with more dark fruit elements, then a hint of smoke on the finish. Almost like a delicious slice of fruit cake in a glass. 7% ABV.
That's it for this week. I should have more reviews for next week, and hopefully some events for Alaska Beer Week .
Until Next Time, Cheers!
fancy.Speaking of the Winter Solstice, on Saturday, December 21st, St. Elias Brewing Company will be releasing H & H Winter Warmer. This is a collaboration beer between myself and Zach Henry of St. Elias. By collaboration, I mean that Zach supplied the ingredients, the equipment, and the brewing expertise. I supplied the "Hey, wouldn't this be a cool beer style to brew," a few suggestions on the recipe, and some grunt labor hauling grain bags and shoveling out the mash tun on brew day. That brew day was way back on September 6th, by the way; the beer has been quietly conditioning at the brewery ever since. Stylistically, it's a Burton Ale, a style that doesn't really exist anymore, but was once incredibly popular, both in Britain and around the world. I stopped by last Friday for a sample, just as Zach was dry hopping it with East Kent Goldings. Even without the dry hops and totally uncarbonated, I could tell it was going to be a great beer. It's darker and slightly sweeter than an IPA, but almost as hoppy, and at about 7% ABV, it'll keep you nice and warm through the coldest winter. As I said, it'll be on tap on Saturday, December 21st, so be sure to stop by St. Elias Brewing Company and have a glass, then let us know what you think of it.
On this Friday, December 13th, I'll be signing copies of both Kenai Peninsula and Kodiak Island Breweries (Beer on the Last Frontier: The Craft Breweries of Alaska) (Volume 1) and Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Everything In Between (Beer on the Last Frontier: The Craft Breweries of Alaska) (Volume 2) at Kenai River Brewing Company in Soldotna. I'll be there from 5:30 to 7:30 in the evening, so feel free to stop by and pick up a copy or two, either for yourself or as Christmas gifts, and I'll be happy to autograph them for you.As long as I'm tooting my own horn, I might as well mention the class I'll be teaching in the spring semester, CED A157 The Art & History of Brewing . It's a one credit course taught on Tuesday nights from 5:30 pm to 6:45 pm at the Kenai River campus of Kenai Peninsula College. It starts on January 21st and runs through April 29th. We taste a different beer in each class, take field trips to the local breweries, have guest lecturers, and generally have a great time while learning about the origins of various beer styles, how to store and serve beer properly, how to pair it with food, and a whole lot more. If this sounds like something that might interest you, you can find more information at the KPC website at www.kpc.alaska.edu or by calling 907-262-0330.
Enough about moi, let's get to the latest beer news.
Things are starting to rev up with Alaska Beer Week. The website will be up soon, and you can subscribe to get email notices of updates here. Tickets for the Great Alaska Beer & Barley Wine Festival are on sale through Ticketmaster.
HooDoo Brewing in Fairbanks has just released a new brew, a Porter. It's brewed with a Maris Otter pale malt base, plus seven specialty malts, then aged on Madagascar Vanilla beans. Word is, it's smooth, rich and delicious. They also have their Mild, Kolsch, and IPA on tap.Glacier BrewHouse's Twelve Days of Barley Wine Fest is in full swing; stop by and check it out!
Snow Goose/Sleeping Lady has their $5 Growler Wonderful Wednesdays & Fantastic Fridays. You can get fills of their Golden, Pale, Scottish, Porter, & Stout at that price.
Anchorage Brewing Company's Hibiscus Double IPA is on tap around town. There's only 8 kegs total, so it won't be around long.
Homer Brewing Company had some of their 2008 Barley Wine on tap; supplies were limited so it may be gone soon, if it's not already.
I only have one new beer review for this week:
Nissefar Christmas Ale from Haand Bryggeriet in Norway: I picked up a bottle of this brew at
Country Liquors
in Kenai. It poured a very deep, almost opaque ruby color with a nice, mocha-colored head. The nose was rich, with notes of licorice, caramel, dark fruit, and some subtle smoke. The mouth was medium to full with good carbonation. The licorice gives depth to the overall flavor profile, with more dark fruit elements, then a hint of smoke on the finish. Almost like a delicious slice of fruit cake in a glass. 7% ABV.That's it for this week. I should have more reviews for next week, and hopefully some events for Alaska Beer Week .
Until Next Time, Cheers!
December 6, 2013
Tis the Season to Drink Good Beer!
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas out there, and lots of cool new beers are being released. It's been a couple of weeks since my last blog (other than to announce the release of Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Everything In Between (Beer on the Last Frontier: The Craft Breweries of Alaska) (Volume 2)), so let's jump right into the beer news.
Silver Gulch Brewing and Bottling Co. got their Osculum Infame Belgian Golden Winter Warmer on tap on Thursday, December 5th, just in time to celebrate the 87th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition. See my review on 1/19/2010 about this excellent beer.
Denali Brewing's latest addition to the canned offerings, Chuli Stout, is now in stores. Look for it at
Brown Jug now and more stores in a couple of weeks. Denali also has a new beer out in limited quantities, called Chinook Pale, a West Coast-style Pale Ale. Here's how they describe it :
Look for this on tap at the usual venues, like Humpy's, Cafe Amsterdam, La Bodega, Tap Root , and Brown Jug . Next up should be a schwarzbier and their No Dam Way RyePA.
King Street Brewing Company has officially released their Nobility Barley Wine. They did a pre-release of a couple of cases of this barrel-aged English-style barley wine a few months back and I was able to snag a couple. See my recent review on 11/15/2013. It makes a great stocking stuffer!
Speaking of barley wines, Alaskan Brewing Company has released their 2013 Alaskan Barley Wine. This brew weighs in at a hefty 10.7% ABV, 65 IBUs. It's perfect for cellaring, as the flavors tend to mellow and improve over the first three years or so. This beer was first released in 2003 for the GABBF, and it has become a real classic.
Speaking of the Great Alaskan Beer and Barley Wine Festival , tickets are now on sale via Ticketmaster. Unless tasting beer with 2500 drunken twenty-somethings is your idea of a good time, I strongly suggest you sign up for the Saturday afternoon Connoisseurs' Session, from 2 to 5 PM. It costs a little more, but it's certainly worth it. There will be lots of other events leading up to the GABBF during Alaska Beer Week , so be sure to like them on Facebook and keep an eye on their website. It hasn't been updated, but soon will be.
As long as we're still talking about barley wine, Glacier BrewHouse will be starting their Twelve Days of Barley Wine Festival next Tuesday, December 10th. It will run through Saturday, December 21st. Look for two or three barley wines to roll out each day. If you'll be in Anchorage at any point during those days, you need to check it out.
Gabe Fletcher of Anchorage Brewing Company has announced that he will be bottling this year's version of his amazing and award-winning barley wine, A Deal with the Devil. This 17.3% monster took first place in the barley wine competition at the last GABBF. See my review of it on 1/25/2013. The amount available will be extremely limited, but I will definitely be snapping up all I can. Oh, and the label is totally kick-ASS:
Click to enlarge
Gabe has also announced Between The Staves,a collaboration brew with Crooked Stave out of Denver. Here's the label for that beer:
Click to enlarge
Additionally, the date and brewery list for the 2014 Culmination has been announced. The festival will take place on Saturday, May 17th from 4 to 8 PM at the Dena'ina Center. I missed last year's due to a last minute family emergency, so I'm definitely planning to make it this year. The breweries are:
1.Jester King Brewery
2.Sante Adairius Rustic Ales
3.Grassoots Brewing
4.Cantillion
5.Allagash
6.Prairie Brewing
7.Crooked Stave Artisan Project
8.Jolly Pumpkin Artisanal Ales
9.Hill Farmstead Brewing
10.Russian River Brewing
11. The Rare Barrel
12. Mystic Brewing
13. Societe Brewing
14.Anchorage Brewing Company
15.Brewery Vivant
16.Evil Twin
17.The Ale Apothecary
18.Mikkeller
19.Logston Farmhouse Ales
20.Side Project
21.The Bruery
22.The Commons Brewery
23.Tired Hands
24.Surly
25.Alpine
26.Wild Beer Co.
27.Faction Brewing
28.Tree House Brewing
29.Off Color Brewing
30.Against The Grain
31.Heretic Brewing
32.DeMolen
33.Lost Abbey
Looks like a pretty amazing list, if you ask me!
Midnight Sun Brewing Company has announced their first AK Beer Week Event: Fermented and Frozen Ice Cream Social on Wednesday, January 15th. It starts at 5 PM and the first flavor on offer will be The Devil's Dulce De Leche made with Arctic Devil Barley Wine.
Broken Tooth Brewing has begun releasing some of its beers in 750ml crown-capped bottles. Last week, I reviewed their Double Winter Warmer and their Devil's Thumb DIPA. Those two brews have not been released yet, but two others, Foulweather IPA and Beg, Yarrow, or Steal Saison have gone on sale at the
Moose's Tooth
. Unfortunately, at the time I write this, the Foulweather has already sold out and the saison isn't far behind, so you may have missed your chance at them. See their reviews below.
Moving on to the Peninsula, Kenai River Brewing Company just released a new Single Hop IPA today. This one is hopped with Pacific Gem hops from New Zealand. The Herkules Imperial Rye Pale Ale is still on tap; see my review below. Kenai River will also be hosting a book signing by yours truly. I'll be there from 5:30 to 7:30 next Friday, December 13th, to sign copies of both Volume I and Volume II of my book,
Beer on the Last Frontier: The Craft Breweries of Alaska
. If you already have a copy, feel free to bring it by, otherwise you can purchase one at the brewery. They make great Christmas gifts...
Word on the street is that the Seward Brewing Company has been sold to a new owner. I haven't been able to confirm that, but as soon as I do, I will put the word out here.
St. Elias Brewing Company has several new brews on tap, starting with a delicious Peche Lambic. They have also released this year's Moose Juice Barley Wine, a blend of several previous years' batches. I haven't had a chance to try it myself, but Zach Henry says it's the best he's ever made. Also on tap is their Matushka Imperial Stout.
Speaking of St. Elias, mark you calendars for the release of H&H Winter Warmer on the Winter Solstice, December 21st. This beer is a collaboration between Zach and myself (Henry & Howell, H & H). It's based on one of my homebrew recipes which recreated a once popular but now extinct British beer style known as a Burton Ale. If you'd like to know more about it, check out this column I wrote for The Redoubt Reporter. You can expect the beer to be sweeter and darker than an IPA, and not quite as hoppy, but very warming on a cold day at about 6.5% ABV. If you try it, let me know what you think!
OK, let's hit the beer reviews:
Broken Tooth Brewing's Foulweather IPA: A companion to their flagship Fairweather IPA, this beer poured a lovely clear gold with a large white heavy; beautiful in the glass. The aroma was full of bright floral and citrus hop aromas; very enticing. Carbonation was good, and the upfront bitterness was very nice, followed by clean, crisp hop flavors and aromas, falling away to a nice finish. All-in-all, an excellent brew and a good match for their Fairweather IPA.
Broken Tooth Brewing's Beg, Yarrow, or Steal Saison: As the name implies, this beer is made using the ancient brewing herb yarrow. It has a sweet but slightly bitter taste and was once used in the recipes for gruit, the herb mixture used to flavor ales prior to the use of hops. It poured a clear gold with a small white head that dissipated to a collar. The nose had spicy, peppery notes, some from the Belgian yeast and some from the yarrow. There was good carbonation and a flavor profile with earthy, spicy Belgian yeast notes, as well as some herbal bitterness from the yarrow. An unusual brew, but one with an interesting flavor profile. I very much enjoyed it.
Kenai River Brewing's Herkules Rye Imperial Pale Ale (H.I.R.P.A.): This beer poured a deep honey color with a nice, cream-colored head. The aroma has hints of pine, lemon, and black pepper, at least to my nose, but is fairly well-balanced with the malt elements. Carbonation was good and the mouthfeel was medium.A first-rate bitter attack is balanced by a solid malt backbone, enhancing its drinkability. The 8.6% ABV is evident in a slight heat on the finish. Extremely drinkable for 103 IBUs.
Boulevard Brewing's Reverb Imperial Pilsner: Another in this brewery's excellent Smokestack Series of brews, this beer makes it easy to understand how this style took the world by storm in the 19th Century. In the glass it's a beautiful clear gold with a nice white head. The aroma is of fresh, bright Saaz hops. The carbonation is effervescent, and the beer is full of crisp, clean hoppiness, balance by clean malt flavors. This is an outstanding example of just how good a pilsner can be. 7.7% ABV.
Well, that's it for this week. Be sure to keep an eye out for those great seasonal beer releases.
Until Next Time, Cheers
), so let's jump right into the beer news.Silver Gulch Brewing and Bottling Co. got their Osculum Infame Belgian Golden Winter Warmer on tap on Thursday, December 5th, just in time to celebrate the 87th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition. See my review on 1/19/2010 about this excellent beer.
Denali Brewing's latest addition to the canned offerings, Chuli Stout, is now in stores. Look for it atBrown Jug now and more stores in a couple of weeks. Denali also has a new beer out in limited quantities, called Chinook Pale, a West Coast-style Pale Ale. Here's how they describe it :
Burst hopping with Chinook hops creates a low ABV session ale. The strong aroma of grapefruit gives way to restrained bitterness in this easy-drinking pale ale. 4.1% ABV, 31 IBUS.
Look for this on tap at the usual venues, like Humpy's, Cafe Amsterdam, La Bodega, Tap Root , and Brown Jug . Next up should be a schwarzbier and their No Dam Way RyePA.
King Street Brewing Company has officially released their Nobility Barley Wine. They did a pre-release of a couple of cases of this barrel-aged English-style barley wine a few months back and I was able to snag a couple. See my recent review on 11/15/2013. It makes a great stocking stuffer!
Speaking of barley wines, Alaskan Brewing Company has released their 2013 Alaskan Barley Wine. This brew weighs in at a hefty 10.7% ABV, 65 IBUs. It's perfect for cellaring, as the flavors tend to mellow and improve over the first three years or so. This beer was first released in 2003 for the GABBF, and it has become a real classic.
Speaking of the Great Alaskan Beer and Barley Wine Festival , tickets are now on sale via Ticketmaster. Unless tasting beer with 2500 drunken twenty-somethings is your idea of a good time, I strongly suggest you sign up for the Saturday afternoon Connoisseurs' Session, from 2 to 5 PM. It costs a little more, but it's certainly worth it. There will be lots of other events leading up to the GABBF during Alaska Beer Week , so be sure to like them on Facebook and keep an eye on their website. It hasn't been updated, but soon will be.
As long as we're still talking about barley wine, Glacier BrewHouse will be starting their Twelve Days of Barley Wine Festival next Tuesday, December 10th. It will run through Saturday, December 21st. Look for two or three barley wines to roll out each day. If you'll be in Anchorage at any point during those days, you need to check it out.
Gabe Fletcher of Anchorage Brewing Company has announced that he will be bottling this year's version of his amazing and award-winning barley wine, A Deal with the Devil. This 17.3% monster took first place in the barley wine competition at the last GABBF. See my review of it on 1/25/2013. The amount available will be extremely limited, but I will definitely be snapping up all I can. Oh, and the label is totally kick-ASS:
Click to enlargeGabe has also announced Between The Staves,a collaboration brew with Crooked Stave out of Denver. Here's the label for that beer:
Click to enlargeAdditionally, the date and brewery list for the 2014 Culmination has been announced. The festival will take place on Saturday, May 17th from 4 to 8 PM at the Dena'ina Center. I missed last year's due to a last minute family emergency, so I'm definitely planning to make it this year. The breweries are:
1.Jester King Brewery
2.Sante Adairius Rustic Ales
3.Grassoots Brewing
4.Cantillion
5.Allagash
6.Prairie Brewing
7.Crooked Stave Artisan Project
8.Jolly Pumpkin Artisanal Ales
9.Hill Farmstead Brewing
10.Russian River Brewing
11. The Rare Barrel
12. Mystic Brewing
13. Societe Brewing
14.Anchorage Brewing Company
15.Brewery Vivant
16.Evil Twin
17.The Ale Apothecary
18.Mikkeller
19.Logston Farmhouse Ales
20.Side Project
21.The Bruery
22.The Commons Brewery
23.Tired Hands
24.Surly
25.Alpine
26.Wild Beer Co.
27.Faction Brewing
28.Tree House Brewing
29.Off Color Brewing
30.Against The Grain
31.Heretic Brewing
32.DeMolen
33.Lost Abbey
Looks like a pretty amazing list, if you ask me!
Midnight Sun Brewing Company has announced their first AK Beer Week Event: Fermented and Frozen Ice Cream Social on Wednesday, January 15th. It starts at 5 PM and the first flavor on offer will be The Devil's Dulce De Leche made with Arctic Devil Barley Wine.
Broken Tooth Brewing has begun releasing some of its beers in 750ml crown-capped bottles. Last week, I reviewed their Double Winter Warmer and their Devil's Thumb DIPA. Those two brews have not been released yet, but two others, Foulweather IPA and Beg, Yarrow, or Steal Saison have gone on sale at the
Moose's Tooth
. Unfortunately, at the time I write this, the Foulweather has already sold out and the saison isn't far behind, so you may have missed your chance at them. See their reviews below.
Moving on to the Peninsula, Kenai River Brewing Company just released a new Single Hop IPA today. This one is hopped with Pacific Gem hops from New Zealand. The Herkules Imperial Rye Pale Ale is still on tap; see my review below. Kenai River will also be hosting a book signing by yours truly. I'll be there from 5:30 to 7:30 next Friday, December 13th, to sign copies of both Volume I and Volume II of my book,
Beer on the Last Frontier: The Craft Breweries of Alaska
. If you already have a copy, feel free to bring it by, otherwise you can purchase one at the brewery. They make great Christmas gifts... Word on the street is that the Seward Brewing Company has been sold to a new owner. I haven't been able to confirm that, but as soon as I do, I will put the word out here.
St. Elias Brewing Company has several new brews on tap, starting with a delicious Peche Lambic. They have also released this year's Moose Juice Barley Wine, a blend of several previous years' batches. I haven't had a chance to try it myself, but Zach Henry says it's the best he's ever made. Also on tap is their Matushka Imperial Stout.Speaking of St. Elias, mark you calendars for the release of H&H Winter Warmer on the Winter Solstice, December 21st. This beer is a collaboration between Zach and myself (Henry & Howell, H & H). It's based on one of my homebrew recipes which recreated a once popular but now extinct British beer style known as a Burton Ale. If you'd like to know more about it, check out this column I wrote for The Redoubt Reporter. You can expect the beer to be sweeter and darker than an IPA, and not quite as hoppy, but very warming on a cold day at about 6.5% ABV. If you try it, let me know what you think!
OK, let's hit the beer reviews:
Broken Tooth Brewing's Foulweather IPA: A companion to their flagship Fairweather IPA, this beer poured a lovely clear gold with a large white heavy; beautiful in the glass. The aroma was full of bright floral and citrus hop aromas; very enticing. Carbonation was good, and the upfront bitterness was very nice, followed by clean, crisp hop flavors and aromas, falling away to a nice finish. All-in-all, an excellent brew and a good match for their Fairweather IPA.
Broken Tooth Brewing's Beg, Yarrow, or Steal Saison: As the name implies, this beer is made using the ancient brewing herb yarrow. It has a sweet but slightly bitter taste and was once used in the recipes for gruit, the herb mixture used to flavor ales prior to the use of hops. It poured a clear gold with a small white head that dissipated to a collar. The nose had spicy, peppery notes, some from the Belgian yeast and some from the yarrow. There was good carbonation and a flavor profile with earthy, spicy Belgian yeast notes, as well as some herbal bitterness from the yarrow. An unusual brew, but one with an interesting flavor profile. I very much enjoyed it.
Kenai River Brewing's Herkules Rye Imperial Pale Ale (H.I.R.P.A.): This beer poured a deep honey color with a nice, cream-colored head. The aroma has hints of pine, lemon, and black pepper, at least to my nose, but is fairly well-balanced with the malt elements. Carbonation was good and the mouthfeel was medium.A first-rate bitter attack is balanced by a solid malt backbone, enhancing its drinkability. The 8.6% ABV is evident in a slight heat on the finish. Extremely drinkable for 103 IBUs.
Boulevard Brewing's Reverb Imperial Pilsner: Another in this brewery's excellent Smokestack Series of brews, this beer makes it easy to understand how this style took the world by storm in the 19th Century. In the glass it's a beautiful clear gold with a nice white head. The aroma is of fresh, bright Saaz hops. The carbonation is effervescent, and the beer is full of crisp, clean hoppiness, balance by clean malt flavors. This is an outstanding example of just how good a pilsner can be. 7.7% ABV.Well, that's it for this week. Be sure to keep an eye out for those great seasonal beer releases.
Until Next Time, Cheers
November 26, 2013
Volume II Of Beer on the Last Frontier is in print!
As I mentioned last week, I won't be writing a blog this week, due to the Thanksgiving holidays.
However, I have some good news to report, news I am truly thankful for.
Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Everything In Between (Beer on the Last Frontier: The Craft Breweries of Alaska) (Volume 2) is now in print on Amazon.com. You can get the papaerback for $11.99 or the Kindle verion for $8.99.
If you live in Alaska, you should be able to find copies for sale at the following locations within the next two weeks:
Arkose Brewery
HooDoo Brewing Company
King Street Brewing Company
Kenai River Brewing Company
La Bodega
Midnight Sun Brewing Company
KPC Bookstore
I've you live in the central Peninsula, I'll be doing a book signing on Friday, Dec 13th, at the Kenai River Brewing Company in Soldotna from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. Stay tuned for other dates & places.
I hope you like Volume II. If you do, please consider writing a review on Amazon, regardless of where you buy your copy.
Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Until Next Time, Cheers!
However, I have some good news to report, news I am truly thankful for.
Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Everything In Between (Beer on the Last Frontier: The Craft Breweries of Alaska) (Volume 2) is now in print on Amazon.com. You can get the papaerback for $11.99 or the Kindle verion for $8.99.
If you live in Alaska, you should be able to find copies for sale at the following locations within the next two weeks:
Arkose Brewery
HooDoo Brewing Company
King Street Brewing Company
Kenai River Brewing Company
La Bodega
Midnight Sun Brewing Company
KPC Bookstore
I've you live in the central Peninsula, I'll be doing a book signing on Friday, Dec 13th, at the Kenai River Brewing Company in Soldotna from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. Stay tuned for other dates & places.
I hope you like Volume II. If you do, please consider writing a review on Amazon, regardless of where you buy your copy.
Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Until Next Time, Cheers!
November 21, 2013
Volume II is Almost Here
It's been an entire year in the making, but Volume II of
Beer on the Last Frontier: The Craft Breweries of Alaska
is almost here. In fact, if you're the sort of person who likes to do their reading on an electronic device, it is here already. This volume is titled Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Everything In Between (Beer on the Last Frontier: The Craft Breweries of Alaska)
and covers the dozen breweries and brewpubs located in the part of the state. It is currently available on Kindle on Amazon.com for $8.99 and includes full-color photos. Click on the title above to check it out.If you are the sort of person who still likes to hold a book made from dead trees in your hands, the 166-page paperback version, with black & white photography, should be available by the end of the month for $11.99 on Amazon as well. Or you can pick up a copy at several breweries across the state or at La Bodega in Anchorage. Don't forget about Kenai Peninsula and Kodiak Island Breweries (Beer on the Last Frontier: The Craft Breweries of Alaska) (Volume 1)
); if you haven't gotten a copy yet, why not grab both at once? They also make great Christmas gifts...
Speaking of
La Bodega
in Anchorage, I just learned from owner Pamela Hatzis that she will be opening a second location. This one will be in Girdwood, on the "boardwalk" at the base of the mountain, three doors to the right of the Bake Shop. It will be considerably smaller than the Metro Mall location, with a 4-tap growler bar. Target opening date is December 15th.Next entry in the more good news department: After numerous requests from around the country (and maybe the world), Anchorage Brewing Company is indeed going to release their amazing Deal with the Devil Barley Wine in bottles. See my review on 1/25/2013 of this outstanding brew. Look for it in January in extremely limited supply.
Anchorage Brewing has also released the label for this year's Rondy Brew. Here it is:
Click to enlargeHooDoo Brewing has their Mild Ale back on tap. Malty and low in alcohol, this beer makes a good pairing with the big traditional Thanksgiving dinner.
Speaking of Thanksgiving dinner, this is the time of the year when everyone offers their suggestions as to what beer would go best with such a meal. I have read about a hundred of them in the last week, but I have to award the prize for most unusual and intriguing to Beer Author Stephen Beaumont, who proposed a gueuze lambic is this blog post. Granted Stephen is Canadian, so his Thanksgiving credentials are slightly suspect, but I still find his suggestion to be intriguing and worth trying out. Now if I can just get hold of a gueuze before Thanksgiving...
Arkose Brewery has anew beer on tap, Peach Supreme. Here's how they describe it:
"A slightly spicy wheat beer kissed with peaches. Peach Supreme features Late Addition German Northern Brewer hops and peach puree for a decidedly different take on a peach ale."
I love the label too:
Keep an eye out for the return of their Olde Colony Winter Ale next month.
I had another update from Tyler Jones at Broken Tooth Brewing. They've just put two more new beers on tap at Moose's Tooth . Here's what Tyler had to say about them:
Double Winter (Double Winter Warmer): With a winter as long as ours, why not brew another winter warmer? For this one, we took our popular Williwaw recipe and jacked it up in both alcohol and hops. The result? A delicious and deceptive treat. Double your pleasure, double your fun... Brewed By Dave Parker OG 1.082, ~45 IBU, 9.1% ABV
Czech Your Head (Czech Pilsner): This traditional Bohemian Pilsner pours a bright Gold. It’s assertive bitterness balances nicely its clean and solid malt base. Crisp, clean, bright & refreshing. The way a Pilsner should be! Brewed by Tyler Jones OG 1.045, ~22 IBU, 4.4% ABV
So the current lineup at the Moose's Tooth looks like this, according to Tyler:
American Hefeweizen
Beartooth Ale
Chugach Session
Fairweather IPA
Hard Apple Ale
Rye Me to the Moon
Moonflower ESB
Northern Lights Amber
Pipeline Stout
Polar Pale
Prince William Porter
Wild Country Raspberry
Wheat Oh My Gourd!
Double Winter
Pinot Porter
Don Oso
KiloWitt
Devil's Thumb Double IPA
Williwaw Winter Warmer
Beg, Yarrow or Steal
Czech Your Head
17er XPA
He asked: "Is 22 too many?" My response: "No, I'd say it's just about right."
I'll have reviews of the Double Winter and Devil's Thumb below.
Midnight Sun Brewing Company is running a special at The Loft , starting on Monday, November 25. Buy a bottle of Hop Dog Wheat IPA and get one free. Also, on Saturday, November 30th, they are serving a free piece of bacon from 11 am to 3 pm. They will be offering a Cellar Pack, consisting of one bottle each of Second Hand Smoke Stout, Moscow Rye Russian Imperial Stout, and Brewtality Espresso Black Bier. Plus, if you buy the Cellar Pack, they will toss in a Belgian beer glass for free!
Glacier BrewHouse is getting ready for their Twelve Days of Barley Wine, which starts on December 10th. Here's the flier:
I have yet to make it to Anchorage during this event. Maybe this year...
At Kassik's Brewery they have the 2013 Christmas ornaments on sale, along with new stainless steel growlers, and bottles of their Chocolate Cherry Stout and Spiced Cream Ale.
That's the news, so let's have some reviews:
Devil'sThumb Double IPA from Broken Tooth Brewing: I was given a bottle of this by Tyler Jones a couple of weeks ago.It poured a light copper color with a big, off-white head that left good lacing on the glass. The nose had plenty of nice floral hops notes, without the heavy citrus that you get in so many DIPAs. The carbonation was good on the palate and the initial bitterness attack was good but not unbalanced. Lots of hop flavor and aroma as a follow-up, with perhaps the littlest touch of alcohol warmth on the finish. Quite delicious.
Double Winter from Broken Tooth Brewing. Also a bottle from Tyler. This is an souped up Winter Warmer. It poured a deep, almost opaque ruby color in the glass, with a cream-colored head that left excellent lacing on the glass. The aroma was primarily of caramel malt, rich and inviting. On the palate it was quite malt forward, but with enough hope bitterness for balance. This is a classic English-style Strong Ale, with plenty of caramel malt backbone. It reminds me a bit of a homebrew of mine, Captain Benjamin Merrill's Strong Ale, except that I oaked my version. It's just the thing for a cold winter's afternoon by the fire. 9.1% ABV, 45 IBUs.
The entrance to De GarreTripel Van De Garre from Brouwerij Van Steenberge: One of my absolute favorite place in the world is the lovely town of Bruges in Belgium. And my favorite place to drink in Bruges is De Garre, a cozy little two-story cafe tucked down a small side street. It's been over a decade since my last visit, but I'd return in heartbeat, given the chance. So when I saw this house beer on offer at the
La Bodega
growler bar, I had to get some to take home. It poured a clear gold with a nice white head. The nose had plenty of the fruity and spicy notes that are associated with this style. I got bananas, lemons, oranges, apples, perhaps even peaches, along with pepper, coriander, and even a touch of clove. The excellent carbonation gave it an effervescent feel on the palate. On the tongue there is some sweetness and some bready notes, mixed with plenty more fruit flavors, eventually falling away to a hint of the 10.5% ABV on the finish. A wonderful tripel, and one I'd like to have some day sitting in its namesake cafe.Temptation Sour Ale from Russian River Brewing: This is a beer I brought back with me from my recent trip to the Bay Area, since we don't get Russian River brews here in Alaska. It's billed as a sour ale aged in chardonnay barrels. It poured a clear light gold with a dense white head that left good lace on the glass. The aroma was peppery, earthy, and tart; obviously there's some Brett at work her. Great carbonation, giving it an airy mouthfeel. The attack is pure Brett funk, followed by some oaky notes. Very dry. The tartness and the carbonation combine to make this beer hugely refreshing, even at 7.5% ABV. A world-class beer.
Saison Rue from The Bruery: I mentioned back on 11/1/2013 that Specialty Imports had gotten in a limited supply of brews from the exceptional California brewery, and I was lucky enough to snag a few samples. This saison made with rye is one of their flagships and is absolutely superb. It pours a clear gold with a massive white head. The nose has the earthy, spicy notes of a Belgian yeast, plus a touch of Brett funk. On the palate, the pepperiness of the rye blends well with the Brett funk and the warmth of the 8.5% ABV. It finishes long and slightly dry, with more funk at the end. This beer is both unique and spot-on for the style, two characteristics which seldom go together. Seek it out.
Rugbrød Julebryg-style Dark Rye Ale from The Bruery: Taking it inspiration from Danish Christmas beers, this brew poured a dark, clear ruby color, with a big, mocha-colored head. The aroma was primarily of malt, plus some yeasty notes as the beer warms. There carbonation is good, and the mouthfeel is medium. Very much a malt-forward brew, it is smooth ans sweet of the palate, almost like a slice of good fruitcake. The 8% ABV makes itself known ever so slightly on the finish. A beer to have with dessert or perhaps even as dessert.
Well, that's about it for this week. Next week is Thanksgiving and I doubt I'll have the time to get a blog out, so let me take this chance to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving. I hope you get to spend it with family or friends, enjoying lots of good food and plenty of excellent beer.
Until Next Time, Cheers!
November 15, 2013
Snow At Last
Well, we finally got some snow this weekend, so I guess winter is here at last, even if it is about 42F as I write this. Surely it won't be too long until we've got lots of snow and the temperature is hovering around zero, so now's the time to stock up on those winter warmer type beers.By the fact that I'm writing this, you can surmise that I'm just about finished with Anchorage, Fairbanks, & Everything In Between , Volume II of Beer on the Last Frontier: The Craft Breweries of Alaska . I'm waiting for one last contribution to come in, and then it will be ready to upload to the printers so I can get the proof sent to me. It should be available for purchase in early December, for a $11.99 cover price, on Amazon or at local breweries. It will be about 164 pages (70 more than Volume I).
So now that I've got that monkey (mostly) off my back, let's get back to some beer news.
There's a new website to assist you in planning your beer travels: the Brew Trail. It lets you map out an itinerary of brewery visits for a particular state. Looks like it's a pretty cool tool. I plan to go over the Alaska data in the near future to check it for accuracy. I'll be surprised if it's perfect, but even with some errors, it should still be very useful.
Here's a new release from Broken Tooth Brewing. Thanks to Tyler Jones for the info:
Oh My Gourd! Here’s a our take on a holiday favorite. Brown in color, aromas of pumpkin spice are prominent but not overwhelming. Light in body, this malty brown ale offers a well balanced, not-too-sweet slice of pumpkin pie in every pint. Exclaim the name!I was actually up in Anchorage this Saturday and stopped by the brewery for a quick tour. Tyler was kind enough to give me several of their beers to bring back to try, so look for reviews in up-coming blogs. While there, I had some of their excellent Anniversary Ale. It's in the style of an XPA, so look for good hoppiness without the bitterness or alcohol of a full-blown IPA. Also, there are now Hydroflasks with the Broken Tooth logo for sale at the Moose's Tooth.
Silver Gulch has 40 Below Imperial Stout back on tap. Here's their description:
An Imperial Stout with an intense flavor of bittersweet chocolate and a hint of raisins and dates. A full-bodied brew with a luscious velvety texture. 8.5% ABV, 77 IBUs.
HooDoo Brewing Company is holding a mustache contest through November to raise money to support men's health. Their Pumpkin Ale is still on tap -- along with their Kolsch, Stout, XPA, and IPA-- but it almost gone, so act fast if you want some.
Today, Friday, November 15, the guys from Denali Brewing will be in Chicago at Spiteful Brewing to make a collaboration saison using an as-yet-undisclosed ingredient.
Arkose Brewery will be having another Beer Meets Chocolate event next Friday, November 22. Here's the flier for it:
Click to enlargeTomorrow will be the annual fund raiser at the Sea-Life Center in Seward. Here's the flier for it:
Click to enlargeOn Tuesday, the guys at Anchorage Brewing bottled their collaboration beer Arctic Soiree. They just shifted to a new bottle supplier, which caused them more than a few headaches adjusting their bottling line, but they got it done in the end. You can see a short video of the bottling run here.
King Street Brewing Company has their Winter Warmer on tap now. This is a Belgian-inspired Dark Ale with notes of chocolate, raisin, dried fruit and a subtle balance of spice. Also, the Wheel Good Food truck will be at the brewery from 4 to 8 PM this evening.
CruiseExperts.com named the five top places to eat in Anchorage. Glacier BrewHouse was #2, Humpy's was #4, and Wheel Good Food was #5. You can read the entire article here. And don't for get about the Flavors of Fall Dinner at Glacier next Thursday.
Click to enlargeKassik's Brewery has released another batch of their Pretty Fly for a White IPA. They have also just received a new shipment of stainless steel growlers.
At Kenai River Brewing, the Winter Warlock has come and gone. However, their new Herkules Imperial Rye Pale Ale (I.R.P.A) will be going on tap today. It's 8.6% ABV & 103 IBUs of beery goodness!
I mentioned last time about the slew of beers from The Bruery that Specialty Imports had gotten in. Well, one of them, Tart of Darkness Sour Stout, has actually made it down here to the Peninsula. We even had a bottle of it at the last Kenai Peninsula Brewing & Tasting Society meeting. You can find it at Country Liquors in Kenai. I reviewed it back on 10/14/2013.
OK, let's do some reviews.
King Street Brewing's Nobility Barley Wine: I finally got around to trying King Street's second
bottled offering. This English-style barley wine was aged for several months in used whiskey and chardonnay barrels before being bottled.It pours a very dark honey color, with a small cream-colored head that dissipates rapidly to a collar.The nose is of caramel and toffee, with hints of oak.The mouthfeel is good and the carbonation is moderate.The flavor profile is quite malt-forward, in keeping with the style, with elements of toffee and vanilla, quite rich and flavorful.It falls away gradually to a nice, long finish. 9% ABV.Anchorage Brewing Company's Salvation IPA: I had this beer on draft at Humpy's in October. It poured a lovely clear gold with a small white head. The aroma was packed with bright, citrusy American hops.It was clean and crisp on the palate, with good carbonation and a snappy hop bitterness, plus lots of aroma and flavor. Very much of piece with the other draft-only IPAs Gabe has produced recently. Worth seeking out. 6% ABV, 70 IBUs.
Suede Imperial Porter: This beer is a collaboration between Stone Brewing in San Diego, 10-Barrel Brewing in Bend, Oregon and the Blue Jacket Brewery in Washington, DC. I had it on draft at Humpy's as well. It poured opaque with a small mocha-colored head. The nose was a pleasant mix of malt sweetness and roasted notes, like a coffee with plenty of cream and sugar. Carbonation was good and the mouthfeel was medium. On the palate the flavor profile was quite rich, with more sweet notes than roasted ones in evidence. Suede seemed an apt description of the smooth, silky way this beer went down. 9.6% ABV.
Stone Brewing's Enjoy by 10/25/2013 IPA: I drank this one on 10/22/2013, so I complied with the instructions on the label. It poured a clear gold with a nice white head. As expected, the aroma was full of citrusy American hops. Carbonation was good, and the initial attack of bitterness was not overwhelming, and it was followed by plenty of hop flavors and aroma. All the flavors were exceptionally bright and clean, as you'd expect in such a fresh beer. Very nice. 9.4% ABV.
Allagash Brewing's 2012 Fluxus: A little something I brought back from the Bay Area, which we can't get up here in Alaska. In the Belgian farmhouse style, this beer poured a slightly cloudy gold with a big white head that left excellent lacing on the glass. The aroma had the classic spicy, earthy notes that screams Belgian yeast, at least to my nose. The excellent carbonation made it very light on the palate, with some spicy, peppery notes, both from the yeast and from the addition on peppercorns. Overall, one of the most "Belgian" tasting beers I've ever had, from a brewery I wish we could get up here in Alaska. 7.7% ABV.
Midnight Sun's Second Hand Smoke Stout: Brewed from the second runnings of MSBC’s popular Barfly Smoked Imperial Stout, this beer pours opaque with a slight brown head. The aroma is rich with chocolate, coffee and smoke. On the palate, the beers is thick and chewy, a pleasing blend of roasted flavors and smokiness. I had tasted this on draft back in May, but this was from the bottle. 8.4% ABV, 56 IBUs.Well, that about it for now. Look for more reviews next week, as I should be back on a regular blogging schedule, at least for a bit.
Until Next Time, Cheers!
[image error]
November 1, 2013
The Latest News
Hello! This blog will be a short one. As I said in my last one, I'm putting all my spare time (except for meeting column deadlines at
The Redoubt Reporter
and the
Northwest Brewing News
) into finishing Volume II of
Beer on the Last Frontier: The Craft Breweries of Alaska
. But there's been some news items in the local beer scene that I want to relate now. Otherwise, it will be too late when I do get around to writing about them.
So no reviews or comments this time, just news.
First, the US will be home to the newest Trappist brewery. St. Joseph's Abbey in Massachusetts will be brewing and selling beer under the name Spencer Brewing Company. Word is that they are getting help from Scourmont Abbey (the brewers of Chimay) and Dann Paquette from Pretty Things. I'm looking forward to trying their beer.
Second, Rob Weller of
Specialty Imports
let me know that they have received several beers in from in Southern California. I've reviewed some of there beers here (and got to visit the brewery in person a couple of years ago) and their stuff is uniformly excellent. Here's what came in last week:
The Bruery
Anniversary (Bois)
Mischief
Oude Tart
Rugbrod
Saison Rue
Tart Of Darkness
If you can find them, buy them.
HooDoo Brewing celebrated their First Anniversary yesterday with a party and the release of their Anniversary Pumpkin Ale, which consumed over 200 pounds of pumpkins.
Silver Gulch Brewing just did a bottling run of their Epicenter Ale.
49th State Brewing closed for the season on Saturday, October 26th. Now we can all look forward to seeing what sort of cold-conditioned beers their long winter slumber will produce!
For the fourth year in a row, one of Denali Brewing Company’s beers took First Place in the People’s Choice Competition at the Mighty Matanuska Brew Fest, held at the State Fair Grounds in Palmer on October 18 & 19th. Slow Down Brown, a brown ale brewed with a proprietary blend of spices from Sri Lanka was this year’s winner. Spices in the mix include cumin, coriander, fennel, fenugreek, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and cayenne. This win means it will be the official beer of the 2014 Alaska State Fair. Denali Brewing also plans to begin packaging this beer in cans in 2014. 49th State Brewing Company of Healy earned the 2ndand 3rd place ribbons for its Golden Dahl Tripel and Equinox Double IPA. In total, thirteen breweries were present at the fest, offering over eighty beers.
This event is coming up soon:
Click to Enlarge
Today is First Firkin Friday at Midnight Sun Brewing. Word is that they'll be tapping a cask of Monk's Mistress spiked with tart cherries.
Alaskan Brewing Company was also recognized with two medals at the European Beer Star 2013 awards ceremony held Sept. 18 in Munich, Germany. Alaskan Oatmeal Stout and Alaskan Smoked Porter were both recognized with Silver Medals, two of the 37 medals won by US brewers in this annual international beer competition. Alaskan has also announced that its beers will now be distributed in New Mexico, bringing the number of states where they are available to fifteen.
King Street Brewing released their Poltergeist Pumpkin Ale on 10/18 and held a costume party on Halloween.
Kassik's Brewery is about to place another order on Monday for Monson snowboards decorated with their Morning Wood IPA logos. Boards are $425 each, with $200 down when you order. Contact the brewery right away if you want one.
When I was in St. Elias Brewing a week ago, they had a nice Munich Helles Lager on draft, and were serving it in 20 oz. glasses.
That's it for now. Short and sweet, as promised. As soon as I finish writing Volume II, I'll get back to my weekly blogging.
Until Next Time, Cheers!
So no reviews or comments this time, just news.
First, the US will be home to the newest Trappist brewery. St. Joseph's Abbey in Massachusetts will be brewing and selling beer under the name Spencer Brewing Company. Word is that they are getting help from Scourmont Abbey (the brewers of Chimay) and Dann Paquette from Pretty Things. I'm looking forward to trying their beer.
Second, Rob Weller of
Specialty Imports
let me know that they have received several beers in from in Southern California. I've reviewed some of there beers here (and got to visit the brewery in person a couple of years ago) and their stuff is uniformly excellent. Here's what came in last week:The Bruery
Anniversary (Bois)
Mischief
Oude Tart
Rugbrod
Saison Rue
Tart Of Darkness
If you can find them, buy them.
HooDoo Brewing celebrated their First Anniversary yesterday with a party and the release of their Anniversary Pumpkin Ale, which consumed over 200 pounds of pumpkins.
Silver Gulch Brewing just did a bottling run of their Epicenter Ale.
49th State Brewing closed for the season on Saturday, October 26th. Now we can all look forward to seeing what sort of cold-conditioned beers their long winter slumber will produce!
For the fourth year in a row, one of Denali Brewing Company’s beers took First Place in the People’s Choice Competition at the Mighty Matanuska Brew Fest, held at the State Fair Grounds in Palmer on October 18 & 19th. Slow Down Brown, a brown ale brewed with a proprietary blend of spices from Sri Lanka was this year’s winner. Spices in the mix include cumin, coriander, fennel, fenugreek, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and cayenne. This win means it will be the official beer of the 2014 Alaska State Fair. Denali Brewing also plans to begin packaging this beer in cans in 2014. 49th State Brewing Company of Healy earned the 2ndand 3rd place ribbons for its Golden Dahl Tripel and Equinox Double IPA. In total, thirteen breweries were present at the fest, offering over eighty beers.
This event is coming up soon:
Click to EnlargeToday is First Firkin Friday at Midnight Sun Brewing. Word is that they'll be tapping a cask of Monk's Mistress spiked with tart cherries.
Alaskan Brewing Company was also recognized with two medals at the European Beer Star 2013 awards ceremony held Sept. 18 in Munich, Germany. Alaskan Oatmeal Stout and Alaskan Smoked Porter were both recognized with Silver Medals, two of the 37 medals won by US brewers in this annual international beer competition. Alaskan has also announced that its beers will now be distributed in New Mexico, bringing the number of states where they are available to fifteen.
King Street Brewing released their Poltergeist Pumpkin Ale on 10/18 and held a costume party on Halloween.
Kassik's Brewery is about to place another order on Monday for Monson snowboards decorated with their Morning Wood IPA logos. Boards are $425 each, with $200 down when you order. Contact the brewery right away if you want one.
When I was in St. Elias Brewing a week ago, they had a nice Munich Helles Lager on draft, and were serving it in 20 oz. glasses.
That's it for now. Short and sweet, as promised. As soon as I finish writing Volume II, I'll get back to my weekly blogging.
Until Next Time, Cheers!
October 14, 2013
Bay Area Beer Blast
So as I said in my last quick post, I was down in the Bay Area of California for a couple of weeks, getting to know my brand-new grandson, Liam Kile Thompson. While beer wasn't the purpose of the trip, I did take the opportunity to enjoy it while I was there.
One thing I didn't get to do was tour Anchor Brewing Company. I've wanted to do that for years. I was last in the area in 2009, for the National Homebrewers Conference in Oakland, but the tours were completely booked up during the conference (no surprise). This time around, I called a month in advance to make reservations (tours are by reservation only), thinking that would be plenty early. Wrong! Tours were booked up for the next two months, so once again, I was out of luck. If you are planning a trip to San Francisco and think you might want to tour Anchor, my advice is to make your reservations the instant you know when you'll be in town.
With Anchor Brewing off the table, the next highest priority was a trip up to Santa Rosa to visit Russian River Brewing Company. The was something I'd been able to do in 2009, but I was looking forward to repeating it. We drove up on a Saturday and arrived at around 1:30, only to be told that it would be a two hour wait for a table! That wasn't going to cut it, so we walked a couple of blocks down to an Irish pub,
Stout Brothers
, and had a very nice lunch, accompanied by some nice local craft beers from Lagunitas and North Coast. On the way back be picked up some bottled beers and a growler of Blind Pig IPA from Russian River. Sorry, Vinnie, but there's no beer in the world worth standing on the sidewalk for two hours in the California sun. In my humble opinion at least...
On the plus side, I did get to visit
Ol Beercafe and Bottle Shop
in downtown Walnut Creek. My experience here was the opposite of that at Russian River. Elaine and I walked in at 1:30 on a weekday afternoon and had the entire place to ourselves. It was a very nice-looking bar, with plenty of dark, old wood and a Belgian vibe to it. It's owned by the same folks who run
The Trappist
in downtown Oakland, where I drank many good brews in 2009, since it was only a couple of blocks from the
Homebrewers Conference
.
At Ol (it's the Danish word for "Ale", by the way), they have 18 taps, plus a very extensive bottle selection. The bottled beers are available in both coolers and on shelves, at two different prices. You can buy a particular beer at a higher price from the cooler and they will serve it to your for no extra charge, or you can buy it warm at a lower price to take home with you. Very cool. I had a nice glass of Monk's Brew, a Belgian Strong Dark Ale from Mikkeller; see below for a review.
Not far from where my daughter and son-in-law live is a small craft brewery,
Ale Industries
. So I had to pay them a visit, of course. There tap room is in the middle of the brewery, more or less, with fermenters on one side and the brewhouse on the other. Access was through the large roll-up garage door, with some tables scattered about and a small bar to sit at.
My research indicated that they had been doing some interesting stuff with sour ales and barrel aging, so I had a glass of their X-1 Sour Red Ale. I had also heard good things about their Uncle Jessie West Coast Session Ale, so I picked up a couple of bottles of that to try. Reviews for both beers are below. All-in-all, I thought they were a neat little brewery, a bit reminiscent of the smaller guys we have up here in Alaska, though they are bottling some of their brews.
Other than the stops above, my California beer experience was mainly characterized by visits to the local big liquor store BevMo (think Brown Jug Warehouse , but much nicer), where I zeroed in on beers I love that aren't distributed in Alaska anymore, like Flying Dog's Imperial Gonzo Porter and Dogfish Head's 90 Minute IPA. I also snagged bottles from some California breweries that we seldom if ever see up here (reviewed below), as well as bottles to bring back with me from breweries like Allagash and Alesmith. I was pleased to see that some beers from Alaska were on their shelves as well. Besides several beers from Alaskan Brewing Company, I also saw brews from Midnight Sun and Anchorage Brewing Company on offer.
So the Bay Area has plenty to offer a beer-lover, even without going into SF proper or traveling around the area very far.
Of course while I was in California, beer news did not stop here in Alaska. Several breweries/brewpubs had Oktoberfest events of one sort or another while I was gone. Just last Friday, October 11th, Arkose Brewery in Palmer celebrated their 2nd anniversary, while HooDoo Brewing in Fairbanks has their 1st anniversary on Halloween.
Glacier BrewHouse will be having a Hunters Harvest Beer Dinner at 6:30 pm on Thursday, October 24th. Call 274-2739 for reservations. The were also this year's Anchorage Press Picks for:
Best Brew PubBest IngredientsBest SaladBest SeafoodBest Local BrewerySo congratulations to them!
At Midnight Sun, T.R.E.A.T. and Trickster are both available, as is their winter seasonal, CoHoHo Imperial IPA (one of my favorites!). I finally got around to drinking a bottle of their 2013 Berserker Imperial Stout; see my review below.
Gabe Fletcher of Anchorage Brewing Company made an announcement on Facebook a while back:
Gabe left today on his way to Michigan.
Here on the Peninsula, Kassik's Brewery has a Rye IPA on tap, as well as growler koozies and news shirts/hoodies on offer.
I still haven't made it in to Kenai River since I got back from California. I hope this year's Winter Warlock Old Ale is still on tap...
I was in at St. Elias Brewing Company on Friday. They were down to their last 10 gallons of Oktoberfest. As soon as it's gone, look for it to be replaced by a Munich Helles Lager. Still pouring their Fair Trade Porter, Framboise Lambic, and Garden Gnome.
Seward Brewing Company has closed for the season, but they are still filling growlers. Just knock on the door and if there's someone there, they'll help you out!
OK, let's move on to some of the reviews I've promised:
Firestone-Walker Brewing Company's Double Jack DIPA: We do get beers from this excellent brewery here in Alaska, though I have never seen this particular one here. It's an amped up version of their excellent Union Jack IPA, at 9.5% ABV. It poured a clear copper color with an nice white head that left excellent lacing. There was good citrus hop aroma, as you'd expect for a West Coast IPA. There was good carbonation and mouthfeel. Good but not excessive hop bitterness on the attach, followed up with enough maltiness for balance. In fact, this beer is so well-balanced that it is remarkably drinkable for a Double IPA, hiding its strength well. An excellent beer, and one I hope makes it to Alaska.
Olde Suffolk English Ale from Greene King: This beer is called more accurately Strong Suffolk Vintage Ale in the UK, but over here the ATF forbids the use of the word "Strong" in beer names, hence the change. It's only 6% ABV, which is on the low side for an Old Ale. It pours a deep ruby color with an off-white head that rapidly dissipates to a collar but leaves good lacing on the glass. The nose was of vanilla from the oak barrels, toffee, caramel, and raisins. Carbonation ans adequate, mouthfeel was good.More toffee and wood notes on the palate. Quite complex, much like a fine port. A good example of an English Old Ale, though not quite to the level of Samuel Smith's Stingo.
Big Daddy IPA from Speakeasy Ales & Lagers: Based in San Francisco, this brewery produces several different styles. Their IPA pours a clear gold with a nice white head. The aroma was full of bright hop notes. There's good carbonation and plenty of good, clean hoppiness up front, without being too bitter. A nice, clean, bright West Coast IPA. 6.5% ABV.
Sculpin IPA from Ballast Point Brewing in San Diego: Another IPA with an excellent reputation from a brewery that we don't get here in Alaska. It pours a clear gold with a big white head that leaves good lacing. The aroma is full of tropical fruit notes, like mangoes. There's good up front bitterness, followed by excellent hop flavors and aroma, as well as more fruit flavors. An unusual but excellent IPA, well-deserving its reputation. 7% ABV.
Hop 15 Double IPA from Port Brewing: We do get some beers from Port Brewing here in Alaska, but this is one I haven't yet seen. It poured a honey color with a white head that left good lacing. The aroma was full of piney, resiny West Coast hops. On the palate there was good balance for such a big beer. The 10% ABV is not noticeable, making the beer dangerously drinkable.
Monk's Brew from Mikkeller: This is the beer I had at Ol Beercafe, a quadruple or Belgian Strong Dark Ale at 10% ABV. On draft, it poured opaque with a big, persistent mocha head. There was not much in the way of the nose, just some dark fruit with molasses. Carbonation was good, and there was a nice mouthfeel. The flavor profile has dark fruit, some roasty notes, plus a touch of alcohol heat on the finish.
X-1 Sour Red Ale from Ale Industries: A very deep, almost opaque, ruby color with a small cream-colored head. The nose is full of tart, oaky notes from the barrel aging. Carbonation was good, as was the mouthfeel. On the palate there was plenty of tart, oaky, sour cherry notes, making for a very interesting experimental ale. 6.5% ABV.
Uncle Jessie West Coast Session Ale from Ale Industries: A beer designed to showcase hoppiness without too much alcohol, this beer weighs in at 4.75% ABV. It pours a light copper color with a nice white head that leaves good lacing. The aroma is full of lots of citrusy American hops. There's good carbonation and mouthfeel. There's lots of hop flavor and aroma, but not overly bitter. An excellent session beer, highly drinkable. If you really like hops, you'll love this brew.
Tart of Darkness Sour Stout from The Bruery: Another brewery that we seldom see here in Alaska, The Bruery is a real favorite of mine. I picked this one up mainly because it seemed so unusual. You don't see a lot of sour stouts out there. It poured opaque with a small tan head that dissipated rapidly to a collar. The nose had tart notes plus some oak. The initial attack is quite sour, followed by smooth malt with a bit of roastiness. A very different take on the idea of a sour beer, but one I liked. 7% ABV.
Blind Pig IPA from Russian River Brewing Company: I sampled this beer from a growler we got at the brewery. It poured a clear gold with a nice, off-white head. Great American hop aroma. Good carbonation, nice mouthfeel. Super hop flavor, very clean and crisp, but without excessive bitterness. 6.1% ABV. This is a world-class West Coast IPA that certainly lives up to the hype. Bursting with hoppiness, yet still wonderfully drinkable.
2013 Berserker Imperial Stout from Midnight Sun: This year's version of a perennial favorite. A huge beer at 12.7% ABV and 30 IBUs, this brew comes to the table after aging in bourbon barrels. It poured opaque with no head to speak of. The aroma was of chocolate, coffee, and alcohol. Mouthfeel was good, but carbonation was quite low. The flavor profile was rich, deep, and complex, with notes of chocolate, coffee, molasses, and vanilla, falling away to a long, lingering finish. This beer is certainly a sipper, one to be shared with friends and savored long into the evening.
Well, that's about it for this week. Blogging may be spotty for the rest of the mouth, as I am pushing hard to try to finish Volume II of Beer on the Last Frontier , but I will try to pound out a short one to spread the word about any beer events that I hear of.
Until Next Time, Cheers!
One thing I didn't get to do was tour Anchor Brewing Company. I've wanted to do that for years. I was last in the area in 2009, for the National Homebrewers Conference in Oakland, but the tours were completely booked up during the conference (no surprise). This time around, I called a month in advance to make reservations (tours are by reservation only), thinking that would be plenty early. Wrong! Tours were booked up for the next two months, so once again, I was out of luck. If you are planning a trip to San Francisco and think you might want to tour Anchor, my advice is to make your reservations the instant you know when you'll be in town.
With Anchor Brewing off the table, the next highest priority was a trip up to Santa Rosa to visit Russian River Brewing Company. The was something I'd been able to do in 2009, but I was looking forward to repeating it. We drove up on a Saturday and arrived at around 1:30, only to be told that it would be a two hour wait for a table! That wasn't going to cut it, so we walked a couple of blocks down to an Irish pub,
Stout Brothers
, and had a very nice lunch, accompanied by some nice local craft beers from Lagunitas and North Coast. On the way back be picked up some bottled beers and a growler of Blind Pig IPA from Russian River. Sorry, Vinnie, but there's no beer in the world worth standing on the sidewalk for two hours in the California sun. In my humble opinion at least...
On the plus side, I did get to visit
Ol Beercafe and Bottle Shop
in downtown Walnut Creek. My experience here was the opposite of that at Russian River. Elaine and I walked in at 1:30 on a weekday afternoon and had the entire place to ourselves. It was a very nice-looking bar, with plenty of dark, old wood and a Belgian vibe to it. It's owned by the same folks who run
The Trappist
in downtown Oakland, where I drank many good brews in 2009, since it was only a couple of blocks from the
Homebrewers Conference
.At Ol (it's the Danish word for "Ale", by the way), they have 18 taps, plus a very extensive bottle selection. The bottled beers are available in both coolers and on shelves, at two different prices. You can buy a particular beer at a higher price from the cooler and they will serve it to your for no extra charge, or you can buy it warm at a lower price to take home with you. Very cool. I had a nice glass of Monk's Brew, a Belgian Strong Dark Ale from Mikkeller; see below for a review.
Not far from where my daughter and son-in-law live is a small craft brewery,
Ale Industries
. So I had to pay them a visit, of course. There tap room is in the middle of the brewery, more or less, with fermenters on one side and the brewhouse on the other. Access was through the large roll-up garage door, with some tables scattered about and a small bar to sit at.My research indicated that they had been doing some interesting stuff with sour ales and barrel aging, so I had a glass of their X-1 Sour Red Ale. I had also heard good things about their Uncle Jessie West Coast Session Ale, so I picked up a couple of bottles of that to try. Reviews for both beers are below. All-in-all, I thought they were a neat little brewery, a bit reminiscent of the smaller guys we have up here in Alaska, though they are bottling some of their brews.
Other than the stops above, my California beer experience was mainly characterized by visits to the local big liquor store BevMo (think Brown Jug Warehouse , but much nicer), where I zeroed in on beers I love that aren't distributed in Alaska anymore, like Flying Dog's Imperial Gonzo Porter and Dogfish Head's 90 Minute IPA. I also snagged bottles from some California breweries that we seldom if ever see up here (reviewed below), as well as bottles to bring back with me from breweries like Allagash and Alesmith. I was pleased to see that some beers from Alaska were on their shelves as well. Besides several beers from Alaskan Brewing Company, I also saw brews from Midnight Sun and Anchorage Brewing Company on offer.
So the Bay Area has plenty to offer a beer-lover, even without going into SF proper or traveling around the area very far.
Of course while I was in California, beer news did not stop here in Alaska. Several breweries/brewpubs had Oktoberfest events of one sort or another while I was gone. Just last Friday, October 11th, Arkose Brewery in Palmer celebrated their 2nd anniversary, while HooDoo Brewing in Fairbanks has their 1st anniversary on Halloween.
Glacier BrewHouse will be having a Hunters Harvest Beer Dinner at 6:30 pm on Thursday, October 24th. Call 274-2739 for reservations. The were also this year's Anchorage Press Picks for:
Best Brew PubBest IngredientsBest SaladBest SeafoodBest Local BrewerySo congratulations to them!
At Midnight Sun, T.R.E.A.T. and Trickster are both available, as is their winter seasonal, CoHoHo Imperial IPA (one of my favorites!). I finally got around to drinking a bottle of their 2013 Berserker Imperial Stout; see my review below.
Gabe Fletcher of Anchorage Brewing Company made an announcement on Facebook a while back:
"I'll be traveling to Michigan to brew a beer with Ron Jeffries of Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales. This is a real honor for me personally. The beers Ron has made have inspired me as I have grown as a brewer over the years. We will be making a Saison named Calabaza Boreal. 100 bbls will be produced and we hope to release it at The Culmination festival sometime in April. Ron will hopefully be joining us in Anchorage for the fest and the release, where we will brew the same beer again at Anchorage Brewing. Just another reason to come to The Culmination next year!"
Gabe left today on his way to Michigan.
Here on the Peninsula, Kassik's Brewery has a Rye IPA on tap, as well as growler koozies and news shirts/hoodies on offer.
I still haven't made it in to Kenai River since I got back from California. I hope this year's Winter Warlock Old Ale is still on tap...
I was in at St. Elias Brewing Company on Friday. They were down to their last 10 gallons of Oktoberfest. As soon as it's gone, look for it to be replaced by a Munich Helles Lager. Still pouring their Fair Trade Porter, Framboise Lambic, and Garden Gnome.
Seward Brewing Company has closed for the season, but they are still filling growlers. Just knock on the door and if there's someone there, they'll help you out!
OK, let's move on to some of the reviews I've promised:
Firestone-Walker Brewing Company's Double Jack DIPA: We do get beers from this excellent brewery here in Alaska, though I have never seen this particular one here. It's an amped up version of their excellent Union Jack IPA, at 9.5% ABV. It poured a clear copper color with an nice white head that left excellent lacing. There was good citrus hop aroma, as you'd expect for a West Coast IPA. There was good carbonation and mouthfeel. Good but not excessive hop bitterness on the attach, followed up with enough maltiness for balance. In fact, this beer is so well-balanced that it is remarkably drinkable for a Double IPA, hiding its strength well. An excellent beer, and one I hope makes it to Alaska.Olde Suffolk English Ale from Greene King: This beer is called more accurately Strong Suffolk Vintage Ale in the UK, but over here the ATF forbids the use of the word "Strong" in beer names, hence the change. It's only 6% ABV, which is on the low side for an Old Ale. It pours a deep ruby color with an off-white head that rapidly dissipates to a collar but leaves good lacing on the glass. The nose was of vanilla from the oak barrels, toffee, caramel, and raisins. Carbonation ans adequate, mouthfeel was good.More toffee and wood notes on the palate. Quite complex, much like a fine port. A good example of an English Old Ale, though not quite to the level of Samuel Smith's Stingo.
Big Daddy IPA from Speakeasy Ales & Lagers: Based in San Francisco, this brewery produces several different styles. Their IPA pours a clear gold with a nice white head. The aroma was full of bright hop notes. There's good carbonation and plenty of good, clean hoppiness up front, without being too bitter. A nice, clean, bright West Coast IPA. 6.5% ABV.
Sculpin IPA from Ballast Point Brewing in San Diego: Another IPA with an excellent reputation from a brewery that we don't get here in Alaska. It pours a clear gold with a big white head that leaves good lacing. The aroma is full of tropical fruit notes, like mangoes. There's good up front bitterness, followed by excellent hop flavors and aroma, as well as more fruit flavors. An unusual but excellent IPA, well-deserving its reputation. 7% ABV.
Hop 15 Double IPA from Port Brewing: We do get some beers from Port Brewing here in Alaska, but this is one I haven't yet seen. It poured a honey color with a white head that left good lacing. The aroma was full of piney, resiny West Coast hops. On the palate there was good balance for such a big beer. The 10% ABV is not noticeable, making the beer dangerously drinkable.
Monk's Brew from Mikkeller: This is the beer I had at Ol Beercafe, a quadruple or Belgian Strong Dark Ale at 10% ABV. On draft, it poured opaque with a big, persistent mocha head. There was not much in the way of the nose, just some dark fruit with molasses. Carbonation was good, and there was a nice mouthfeel. The flavor profile has dark fruit, some roasty notes, plus a touch of alcohol heat on the finish.
X-1 Sour Red Ale from Ale Industries: A very deep, almost opaque, ruby color with a small cream-colored head. The nose is full of tart, oaky notes from the barrel aging. Carbonation was good, as was the mouthfeel. On the palate there was plenty of tart, oaky, sour cherry notes, making for a very interesting experimental ale. 6.5% ABV.
Uncle Jessie West Coast Session Ale from Ale Industries: A beer designed to showcase hoppiness without too much alcohol, this beer weighs in at 4.75% ABV. It pours a light copper color with a nice white head that leaves good lacing. The aroma is full of lots of citrusy American hops. There's good carbonation and mouthfeel. There's lots of hop flavor and aroma, but not overly bitter. An excellent session beer, highly drinkable. If you really like hops, you'll love this brew.
Tart of Darkness Sour Stout from The Bruery: Another brewery that we seldom see here in Alaska, The Bruery is a real favorite of mine. I picked this one up mainly because it seemed so unusual. You don't see a lot of sour stouts out there. It poured opaque with a small tan head that dissipated rapidly to a collar. The nose had tart notes plus some oak. The initial attack is quite sour, followed by smooth malt with a bit of roastiness. A very different take on the idea of a sour beer, but one I liked. 7% ABV.Blind Pig IPA from Russian River Brewing Company: I sampled this beer from a growler we got at the brewery. It poured a clear gold with a nice, off-white head. Great American hop aroma. Good carbonation, nice mouthfeel. Super hop flavor, very clean and crisp, but without excessive bitterness. 6.1% ABV. This is a world-class West Coast IPA that certainly lives up to the hype. Bursting with hoppiness, yet still wonderfully drinkable.
2013 Berserker Imperial Stout from Midnight Sun: This year's version of a perennial favorite. A huge beer at 12.7% ABV and 30 IBUs, this brew comes to the table after aging in bourbon barrels. It poured opaque with no head to speak of. The aroma was of chocolate, coffee, and alcohol. Mouthfeel was good, but carbonation was quite low. The flavor profile was rich, deep, and complex, with notes of chocolate, coffee, molasses, and vanilla, falling away to a long, lingering finish. This beer is certainly a sipper, one to be shared with friends and savored long into the evening.
Well, that's about it for this week. Blogging may be spotty for the rest of the mouth, as I am pushing hard to try to finish Volume II of Beer on the Last Frontier , but I will try to pound out a short one to spread the word about any beer events that I hear of.
Until Next Time, Cheers!
October 11, 2013
It's Coming, It's Coming...
Me and LiamYes, my blog is coming. But not just yet. I just got back in town after two weeks in the Bay Area of California to see my brand-new grandson, Liam Kile Thompson. While beer wasn't the purpose of the trip, I couldn't go down there and not drink some very cool stuff, which I will be writing about.Due to being out-of-pocket for so long, I'm working hard to catch up on many things, including this blog. I hope to have it out early next week.
Until Then, Cheers!
September 24, 2013
A Fermented Affair Radio Interview
A few weeks ago, I did an interview with
A Fermented Affair
, a blog-radio program out of Colorado. They have posted it, so if you like to listen, click here.
