Disclaimer: I’m an admitted Deschutes fan-boy.

Mirror Mirror is about to see a  re-release.  Mirror Mirror is a barley wine that kicked off Deschutes’  Reserve series (see Abyss, Dissident, Black Butte XX) back in 2006.  It  is a personal favorite that has seen rare reappearances at the Deschutes pubs  and at special tasting events. I’m really excited that I’m going to have  an opportunity to stock up on another release of it and do a vertical with one  of my few remaining bottles.   It’s been a long while since I’ve cracked  one, so it should be interesting.

Last Wednesday afternoon, I was given an opportunity to go volunteer at the Deschutes Brewery by helping them hand-dip the Mirror Mirror bottles in wax (an aesthetic touch that helps prevent oxygen from getting under the cap  and spoiling the beer as it ages).  They had multiple dipping stations  going, and everyone was in a groove.  Make no mistake … this  is some hard work, and it drove home how out of shape I really am when I  couldn’t straighten my arm all the way the next morning.  They’ve got a  great assembly line put together for this labor of love, and should have no  problem getting this stuff out in time for the April 29th release  date.

During my time there, I picked up a few scraps of information about significant dates for Deschutes products/events.

Mirror Mirror and Red Chair release party
As DeschutesBeer tweeted the other day, the release party for Mirror Mirror will be at the Bend and Portland pubs next Wednesday, April 29th  at 5:00 PM.  Getcha some tastiness!

Red Chair should make it to Austin area
For my Texas family, I was told that there will be an allotment of Red Chair IPA headed to the Austin area.  Keep on the lookout for this special Bond Street  release in 22’s at your finer bottle shops after April 29th.  Get on top  of it, because once it’s gone, it’s gone.  It will most-definitely please your inner hop lover.

New X Taps at the pub
Currently the Bend pub has a  single special tap called the X Tap.  It is there for some of the bolder one-offs or special kegs they’ve set aside (like the occasional unannounced  Mirror Mirror kegs that have popped up every once in a while).  There are  plans for the addition of two more X Taps at the Bend pub.  One will be  reserved for a Portland-brewed beer (will be so glad to finally have easier  access to their stuff), and one will be reserved for a Reserve Series beer …  Reserve series beer available year-round!  If they can pull that off,  there will be beer geeks applauding all over Bend.

Black Butte XXI for the 21st Anniversary Release
The second release of a ramped up, cocoa-infused, coffee-laden version of Black Butte is going to be the special 21st Anniversary release.  The first  release was the Black Butte XX which was originally a Reserve Series release  around the time of their 20th anniversary.  I’m still fighting with  myself to keep from mowing through the remaining bottles in my stash.  It  is my understanding that we’re in for a more-pronounced coffee dimension of  the overall flavor this time, which I think is going to be absolutely  delicious. BRING IT!!!

Additional Beer Geekery
Pics of beers aging in various  barrels!  See the Super Jubel?!?! Yummmmmmmmm!

Thankfully Deschutes Brewery has finally said that Red Chair IPA will be bottled as a Bond Street release.  This has been a huge local’s favorite through its development and testing here at the Bend pub.  I have been hearing for a while that it was going to be bottled, but I couldn’t get anyone to say when and how.  Six Packs?  Bond Street?  I just received the following pointer to their blog post about Red Chair, answering my question.  Their desciption:

Red Chair is a bright copper beauty (think freshly minted penny) with a solid head and perfect lacing that typifies Deschutes ales. It has a plush body with satiny caramel flavors derived from seven varieties of malt including British crystals, German pilsner, and domestic versions of cara-pils and Munich. Despite all of this, Red Chair is still a hop forward ale, but not in the way many have gotten used to. You will find no cloying, mouth puckering bitterness here. In its place a straight up succulent citrus punch to the nose. This is due to the experimental nature of some of the hops, as well as, how late in the process they were added.

Keep your eyes peeled.  This was great at the pub.

Cheers!

People who know me know how much of a fan I am of the Mikkeller beers.  Despite being in Denmark, they are one of my favorites in the world for representing the innovative spirit and flavor profiles that drove the craft beer big bang that’s still being felt to this day.  A couple of their  latest offerings to show why …

Alesmith, Stone, Mikkeller Triple

Now a long-awaited beer has arrived in Denmark. It is the result of a cooperation between Alesmith, Mikkeller and Stone. None of them need any further introduction. This is the top of the pop – the brewers Dream Team.  They have brewed what they describe as a classical and quite traditional Belgian triple, but if you know the three breweries, you might rightly doubt just how traditional the end result is going to be. Beer Geeks all over the world have been waiting for months, but now the wait is over. Belgian Style Triple Ale from Alesmith, Mikkeller, and Stone is finally here.

And from their newsletter …

Beer Geek Brunch Weasel

I can already reveal the first new beer of 2009 – a tuned version of the legendary Beer Geek Breakfast, called Beer Geek Brunch Weasel. This is an imperial Oatmeal stout brewed with one of the world’s most expensive coffees Cà Phê Chòn, made from droppings of weasel-like civet cats. The fussy Southeast Asian animals only eat the best and ripest coffee berries. Enzymes in their digestive system help to break down the bean. Workers collect the bean-containing droppings for Civet or Weasel Coffee. The beer will be available from the beginning of 2009.

If anyone has a line on where to pick these up, I’d love a pointer.

Happy New Year!

Just got an email from Red, White and Brew author Brian Yaeger.  He let me know that he’s currently in NY on a book tour and plans on heading up to Portland to read at Wordstock (November 8-9).  Also, he’s apparently a fan of Rogue’s Chocolate Stout, but then again … who in their right mind wouldn’t be?  I haven’t read Brian’s book yet, but how can you not support a guy who drove around the country for a book about breweries and brewers around the US?

Update … just got the details from Brian about where and when he’ll be at Wordstock:

… I just found out my exact time. I’m on Sat, Nov 8 at 5pm and best part is I’m on the McMenamin’s stage! Perfect, right?

Of course, I’m also looking forward to returning to my favorite brewpub there, the Lucky Lab on Hawthorne, with all those dogs. Puppies and beer are a great pairing.

Cheers,

Brian

So get out there and support a fellow beer lover.

Cheers Brian!

Wednesday afternoon I had the pleasure of attending an interesting marketing event for the San Francisco-based 21st Amendment Brewery who has announced their intention of growing their distribution.  They are one of the leading pack of brewers embracing a shift that’s ever-so-slowly creeping into the craft-beer-buying consciousness.  CANS!

Cans people!  Cans.  In my opinion, cans are the absolute doo doo as far as craft beer packaging is concerned.  Zero light, minimal head space, ease of transportation … not to mention the business benefits of cheaper distribution costs.  There is a long-standing war between proponents of bottles and cans that dates back to the mid-30s when the beer industry first started playing with canning their product.  The biggest legitimate issue the anti-can crowd had was that the beer resting against the metal interior would facilitated a chemical reaction that introduced off flavors, ruining the taste of the beer.  This has been a non-issue for decades since the introduction of a non-reactive, water-based polymer liner that protects the beer from reacting with the metal.

Ultimately, I’m not saying that I’m a fan of one vessel over the other.  I’m just saying that excellent beer DOES come in cans.

Which brings me to 21st Amendment and their recently-held weBEERnar (I know, right?).  They shipped each participant a package with the two beers they are focused on distributing: The Hell or High Watermelon Wheat and The Brew Free Or Die IPA.  Also included were instructions asking to hold off on drinking the beer for the event.  In addition we were given the URL to the WebEx session.

The event was essentially a description of the beers and distribution goals followed by an informal Q&A.  Shaun O’Sullivan and Niko Freccia were the two representatives from 21A.  They covered topics like the rise of canning in craft beer, a few high-level logistics of contract brewing through Cold Spring Brewery in Minnesota, and future plans for expansion.  They began distributing their beer in San Francisco in July, and are actively focused on expanding throughout the Bay Area and Alaska with the ultimate goal of making their beer available across the nation.

As for the beer?  Well it’s pretty damned good.  I’ll let the BeerAdvocate and RateBeer cover the beer-drinking public perception, but I can see how the Watermelon Wheat would be a monster thirst quencher in the summer, and the IPA is a good example of a solid West Coast version of the style

So raise a glass (poured from a can) to 21st Amendment, and wish them success.

Cheers!

Brew Free! of Die IPA
BeerAdvocate [A-] http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/735/20781
RateBeer [94] http://www.ratebeer.com/Ratings/Beer/Beer-Ratings.asp?BeerID=8189

Hell or High Watermellon Wheat
BeerAdvocate [B-] http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/735/4202
RateBeer [26] http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/21st-amendment-hell-or-high-watermelon-wheat/8187/