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My wife and I just got back from running errands. One of the stops was at Newport Market. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised to finally see some new additions to the beer aisle. AleSmith is one of those new additions, and it’s about damned time! Those guys are crazy-good brewers, and the good folks at Newport pulled in four different styles: Wee Heavy Scotch Ale, Old Numbskull Barley Wine, Grand Cru Belgian Ale, and the ever-popular Speedway Stout. All of these beers are award winners and fantastic examples of the amazing abilities of AleSmith. I spoke with the guys at Newport, and they said that they only have a limited supply. If any of the styles sound appealing, get off your ass and get down there before it is gone.

In addition, they are carrying Caldera’s Pale Ale which is a great example of the new trend of good beer being packaged in cans. Don’t think that this is one of those crappy American beers because it is in 6 pack cans. It is sitting in the section of the beer aisle that it is for a reason. It is a decent beer packaged in a convenient vessel. The can is back bitches! But don’t act now … there’s more.

Green Flash, from San Diego, is represented with their 6 packs of IPA. This is one of my buddy’s favorite IPA’s. Great balance of hop aroma, flavor and they aren’t weak on the bitterness … it is one refreshing beer.

This isn’t just about Newport Market. This is also about all those local beer stores. Let them know that you want to keep those high-quality new beers coming. Let them know their customer base is sophisticated enough to appreciate these non-standards. Let them know we want to see more.

I met some of the members of the Central Oregon Homebrewers Organization (COHO) here in Bend, Oregon over a year ago, and have meant to go check out a meeting for some time. Well, Wednesday was about damned time. I looked up when the meeting was going to take place, and they had it posted that it took place between 6:30 and 9:00. Unfortunately I had another meeting to make at 8:00, but figured some time would be better than none. Have to say it was a good time.

I drove up to the new Homebrew shop (which is at the old homebrew shop location on Division) which is a by-product of opened Tyler selling off that portion of the Silver Moon brewery’s business. I walked in to see a table set up with all kinds of things including ounce bags of hops, small bags of pre-measured grain, individual beers from Dick’s Brewing Company, and other items. I didn’t know it, but they were going to raffle this stuff off. Cool idea. There was pizza from Cibelli’s in the back and a bunch of different beers, some on tap … some in bottles that were within site. Everyone had a beer, and everyone was talking about anything and everything under the brewing sun. Gravity, brewing at altitude, IBUs, competitions, other homebrew clubs, previous trips, group brews … it was great.

I walked in, and several people came up to me and introduced themselves. They quickly directed me to the beers, where I started on my journey for the evening. This was my first homebrew club meeting ever, and it was like what I hear all homebrew club meetings are like in one regard: lots of homebrew. I had two different IPAs, a Rauch-Porter (no it wasn’t too smoky), a Belgian Strong, and a couple of different meads. Now that’s just what I had. Other choices were available, but I wanted to be coherent when I met up with my buddy at 8:00.

Their site had indicated that they were going to cover making a stir plate, and using it to make yeast starters. I know how to make a yeast starter, but I’ve really wanted to make a stir plate, so this was one of the topics that drew me in. I was kind of bummed that that didn’t take place in the time that I was there, and I don’t think that they covered it after I left. They hadn’t done the raffle yet, but who knows.

All in all everyone in the group appears to like one another. Like any group, there are people who are more outspoken than others, and that’s natural. It is good to see that no one is afraid to ask questions, and no one is afraid to be the sage providing the answer. I think that there’s definitely a knowledge dynamic present at homebrew clubs that presents numerous learning opportunities for its members.

It was a good time, and I’ll gladly attend another COHO meeting.

The Deschutes Barrel Tasting was a hell of a lot of fun. Good beers, good people, good times. Outside of almost running over Paul’s foot, it was a flawless evening. I’d say that out of all the beers, the favorites had to be the Nitro Bourbon Porter, the French Oak Mirror Pond, and The Abyss. Every beer was excellent, but these three really shined brightly.

The French Oak Mirror Pond was an amazingly balanced beer that showcased all the subtleties that barrel-aging a beer can give. Great hop flavor from the dry-hopping, excellent woody notes from the oak, and the combination seemed to draw out the malt flavor more than you get in a regular Mirror Pond.

The Nitro Bourbon Porter was too easy to drink. Excellent roasty notes butting up against the sweet bourbon flavor. The velvety mouthfeel from the Nitro presentation made the beer surprisingly refreshing despite the big flavors present in the beer.

And what needs to be said about The Abyss that hasn’t already been said. It rocks. Big roast, warming alcohol, big hop, wood, bourbon, balance … all up in your face!

If you didn’t make the event this year, plan for next year. It sold out for a reason, people. This is, by far, the best beer event they put on in the Mountain Room. If you did make it, I hope you pounded the water when you got home.

My wife and I went to the open house at Deschutes today. It was centered around the release of their 19th Anniversary Ale (a continuation of their Bond Street Series). While talking with friends old and new, we found out a couple of interesting facts. First of all, I got a quick sneak-peek at the artwork for the next Jubelale. It is reminiscent of the label from 2001, but distinctly its own. This is one of my favorite labels in a while. I was stoked that we were able to see it.

Second, I saw the new kettles for the Portland pub on the floor of the brewery by the big garage doors. I had seen them being unloaded on my way from work a couple of weeks ago, but didn’t put two and two together to think that they were meant for the Portland pub. After speaking with people at the open house, I learned that they came from Greenshields brew pub in North Carolina. Research on the net showed that they sold out after a fire. The kettles were beautiful and looked like they are in the middle of being dialed in. The new pub is apparently in the demolition phase - tearing out the interior sections of the existing building - in preparation for build-out.

Other than that, they were pouring beers throughout the facility, and everyone was having a good time. In addition to having it tapped in the Mountain Room, they were selling bombers of the 19th Anniversary Golden. It is a really tasty beer that I’d characterize as a NW-American-Belgian. It has a high hop bitterness that balances out the “sweetness” that is more-prevalent in a Golden. I like it a lot. We hung out on the Mountain Room’s balcony catching up with an old friend who works for Deschutes, but lives in Boise right now. Great afternoon.

Deschutes’ is having their 4th annual open house this Saturday from 12:00 to 4:00. If it is like last year’s event, then they will have the brewery open for self-guided tours with people stationed around various spots to tell you about things like how many gallons of beer a vessel holds or how quickly the bottling line runs. It is informative and fun for sure, but the end brings tastings and conversation with staff and volunteers. It’s a nice event. Here’s the email they sent out for it.

Bring Your Family to See Our Family

Complimentary Beer Tastings, Snacks, Self-Guided Tours
& Beer 101 Classes.
$ Gift Shop Open for Retail Therapy $

Help Us Celebrate the Release of Our 19th Anniversary Brew!!

Later that evening, for those lucky ticket holders who planned early, the sold out barrel tasting spirals up at 7:00 in the Mountain Room. I called to try and get a buddy a ticket for his brother-in-law a couple of days ago, and they had a waiting list that was about 30 people deep. The last barrel tasting event was my favorite beer tasting event that Deschutes puts on. Some of the beers are just OK, but some really are pieces of art. One of my favorites last year was a subtly dressed-up Mirror Pond that had been aged in French Oak (not a wine barrel or whiskey barrel). It was just enough to add complexity to an otherwise stable, workhorse beer.

I think the majority of the beers on the list have been featured at one time or another at the pub in downtown Bend, but a night where they’re all lined up for you to tour … nice. Very very nice. Here’s their list for this year’s event:

Bourbon Obsidian Stout
aged 6 weeks in Jack Daniels Bourbon Barrels

French Oak Mirror Pond
aged 2 months in both new and used French Oak Barrels then dry hopped with copious amounts of Cascades

Pinot Jubel
Our 2006 & 2007 Jubelale aged 6 weeks pinot noir barrels then blended with Bachelor Bitter and dry hopped with East Kent Goldings

Mirror Mirror
aged 8 months in French and Oregon Oak Barrels

The Abyss
aged 3 months in both French Oak & Bourbon Barrels

Nitro Bourbon Porter
aged 2 months in Makers Mark Bourbon Barrels

Oregon Oak Cinder Cone Red
aged 6 weeks in all Oregon Oak and then dry hopped with Amarillos

Bourbon Imperial Porter
aged 6 months in Makers Mark Bourbon Barrels

I’ll circle back around after the event to weigh in with impressions. Hope to see you there!

Sometimes the brew gods are on your side. The past 30 days has definitely been a stretch where they’ve been hooking me up in a big way. First, my birthday yielded several brewing books and the all-grain system that I’ve been wanting for a while. I brewed what I think will be a good IPA this month (waiting to pop the first one so that I can update the recipe). And now the July-August issue of Brew Your Own has hit a bulls-eye for what I’m focused on with my brewing.

As I mentioned in a recent post, I’m thinking about brewing a Witbier. I’ve pretty much decided that I’m going to do it. Unfortunately this style traditionally has a grain bill of around 50% unmalted wheat, and my new single infusion mash system is somewhat inadequate to convert that type of grain. I’ve been spending my time away from the site figuring out the recipe and how to pull off the mash (separate post, but one word … decoction).

In addition to thoughts about the next brew, I’ve also been realizing how bummed I’ve been with the initial performance of my starters. They always end up doing the job, but it takes quite a while to start up, and they’re rarely as lively a fermentation as I’d like them to be. I’ve read many articles about using stir plates for stepping up the reproduction rates of yeast in a starter to have a larger colony of yeast to pitch, but when I look at getting one, sticker shock keeps me in the smack-swell-pitch-swirl camp. I’ve also been honest enough to know that if I don’t have good instructions, I’m not going to build my own.

So when the new BYO came in the mail, I got the double whammy: an article on the style and recipe formulation of Witbiers, an article on how to build a stir plate, and an in-depth article on starters. What a score given what I’m working on. Thanks, BYO!

I know nothing of Port Townsend Brewing Company excepting the fact that it is in Port Townsend, WA (cool little town). This was another special delivery beer muled in from Seattle. Port Townsend’s site says this weighs in at 5.5% ABV, and is intended to, “Give your mouth a blast of hops with this unique crisp ale”. Let’s take a look.

Discosure: This has been sitting in my frige for about a month, so I can’t say that it is as fresh as it probably should be.

Appearance: Small, white head that settles to a surface covering rather quickly. Hazy straw-orange color with some … wow, this is definitely unfiltered. Plenty of tasty bits suspended in the beer.
Smell: Citrusy grapefruit on top of cotton candy. Some malt, but more sweet citrus than anything else. Nice.
Taste: Good bitterness present. I’m guessing this is so quickly aparent because the malt profile itself seems too understated. This really makes the bitterness hit quickly and take over. The finish is clean with almost no aftertaste.
Mouthfeel: Medium carbonation. It hits with an assertive hop bitterness and flavor, and is gone. Good, clean finish.
Drinkability: I liked it, and am glad I tried it. It isn’t the hit-you-over-the-head-on-all-fronts style of American IPAs that I’m used to. The malts could be more discernable and balanced, but only just a bit. This is a refreshingly crisp, hoppy IPA, and I wouldn’t want to mess with that by sweetening it up with a bunch of malt. Just could use only a touch more malt character.

The days are getting hotter, and I have a brand new all grain system waiting to be christened. What to brew … what to brew? I’ve got two ideas for the inaugural beer that I want to explore here. Because of the growing heat, and because I miss the hell out of the original Celis White (I was born and raised in Texas), I’m inspired to get a nectar-licious Belgian Witbier going ASAP. It truly is difficult to beat the thirst-quenching flavor of the soft, light, citrusy flavors that make up a Belgian Witbier spiced with hints of corriander and orange peel. The only thing is, it has been a while since I’ve done all grain, and working with 45-50% wheat is a scary prospect (stuck mash from the high gluten) when I’ve never lautered with this system.

The other option is more emotional and less seasonal in inspiration. The Cloud Cover winter ale I just finished off was, in a word, awesome, but it was a partial mash interpretation. I was also not able to control the mash quite the way I wanted to. Getting an all grain recipe dialed back in for an all grain beer that I’ve been brewing now for years will be like coming back home. It would be a very appropriate beer to start back up with.

Fearing a stuck mash shouldn’t keep me away from a great summer thirst quencher, and a few handsful of rice hulls should be plenty of insurance. I think it’s going to come down to, what would be a pleasure to drink, and it’s going to be damn hot here again soon … especially when the beer’s finally done. Feel free to register a vote via comments.

The guys over at Hop Talk have the next Session.  This one’s a bit on the abstract side and should yield a broad spectrum of entries. The theme … Atmosphere.

Beer is about more than flavor, IBUs, and the debate over what is a craft beer and what isn’t. It’s about Life. It’s the proverbial icing on the cake.

So, we want to know about the “Atmosphere” in which you enjoy beer. Where is your favorite place to have a beer? When? With whom? Most importantly:

Why?

Because while life isn’t all about beer, beer is all about life.

So pour yourselves something good, and stop to think about it.  When are those occasions where beer was an integral part of the equation that yielded The Perfect Session?  Is it the people or the place or the time?  Is it a favorite joint (no … not that kind)?  What’s the setting?

Weigh in.

Andy Crouch over at Beerscribe.com put together a great article describing observed moves by Anheuser-Busch in relation to trends in the craft beer industry. In the article, Andy sees the recent purchase of 40% of Goose Island by Widmer as history repeating itself.

To give some background, Redhook gave up 25% equity to A-B in 1994. Widmer gave up 27%, also to A-B, in 1996. Both acts gave the breweries access to A-B’s exclusive, far-reaching distribution network. Now, ten years later, Goose Island and Old Dominion have both done the same for keys to the kingdom.

In addition, the article cover’s some of A-B’s various forays into trying to brew their version of craft beer.

Now I have no problem with A-B buying into quality breweries, nor do I think they shouldn’t be competing with craft beer. I do find it interesting that these purchases and courting of the brewing press seem to happen as craft beer sales are eating into A-B’s direct bottom line. It comes down to some larger quality breweries deciding for themselves how bad they want access to A-B’s distribution network to grow their market share.

Andy’s done a good job of aggregating some nice quotes from several heavy-hitters on the subjects, including Dogfish Head’s Sam Calagione, Pizza Port’s Tomme Arthur, Sam Adams’ Jim Koch, and Goose Island’s Greg Hall.

What does it all mean? It’s probably nothing more than A-B trying to protect their bottom line, but you can’t deny that A-B’s got some weight to throw around that the small guys don’t.