Beer Brief #35 - Flemish Primitive Wild Ale #3 (Surly Bird)

Brewery - De Proef Brouwerij, Lochristi, Belgium

Beer - Flemish Primitive Wild Ale #3 (Surly Bird)

Style - Belgian Strong Wild Pale Ale

ABV - 9%

Color - Light gold with a persistent white head

Aroma - Lemon, earthy spice, a bit of barnyard funk, stone fruit

Flavor - Apricot, honey, black pepper, slightly tart, definite leathery funk, bitterness starts midway through and carries through beyond the finish

Verdict - I'm really diggin' this brew. The aromas and flavors are complex, yet blend so well together. It's also very easy to drink, especially for a 9% beer. I'm glad I bought 2 bottles, because I'd like to see what the brett does with some age on it!

Beer Brief #34 - Acerbity

Brewery - Pour Decisions Brewing Company, Roseville, Minnesota

Beer - Acerbity

Style - Berliner Weisse

ABV - 2.7%

Color - Pale yellow with an eggshell head

Aroma - Pears, lemon citrus, light toast, cranberry juice?

Flavor - Doughy bread, lemon juice, dry champagne finish, slight acidity hangs through the finish before a quick flash of the bread comes back

Verdict - Very light and highly quaffable Berliner Weisse. I enjoy that it's not all about being sour. There is a nice sweetness in the aroma and some noticeable bready malt in the flavor. This is a tasty brew and the low alcohol means you can drink the whole 750ml bottle without worrying about getting too tipsy. Keep up the good work, Pour Decisions!

Beer Brief #33 - Chimney Sweep

Brewery - August Schell Brewing Company, New Ulm, Minnesota

Beer - Chimney Sweep

Style - Franconian Dark Lager

ABV - 5.2%

IBUs - 31

Color - Dark brown with a strong red tint and a tan head

Aroma - Toffee, cocoa, hint of coffee, smoke

Flavor - Very similar to the aroma. Caramel, roasted coffee beans, tasty wood smoke, and balancing bitterness

Verdict - I was surprised to find out that Schell's will be discontinuing their stout. I know many people who are big fans of that brew will be disappointed to hear that. However, I'm happy that Chimney Sweep is the beer chosen to replace the stout. It has a nice, sweet malt profile with some roastiness and the perfect amount of smoke. I really like this brew and look forward to drinking more of it in the future!

2011 & 2012 Commander Comparo

My wife, Amy, had made plans a while ago to spend this evening with a couple of her friends. I try to encourage her to go out when she can, since she's always home with the kids. This would be a nice, fun break for her, and I would be able to do some PS3 gaming after the kids went to bed...

Unfortunately for my wife, her friends cancelled their plans. (Sorry PS3, you'll have to wait for another night.) Lucky for her, I have a back-up plan! I thought it would be fun for the two of us to sit down and do a little beer tasting for the Lupulin Libations blog.

We're going to compare the 2011 and 2012 versions of the Lift Bridge Commander barleywine. I'm even going to put Amy in front of the computer to type what she thinks! I know. Crazy, right? I've had the itch to do it ever since I gained possession of the 2012 bottle (so, like, a few days ago...).

About the beer: Commander is a 12.5% ABV English-style barleywine brewed with cardamom and aged in bourbon barrels, brewed by Lift Bridge Brewing Company in Stillwater, MN.

Alright, the kids are in bed. I think it might be time to get started. Are you ready? Let's do it!

2011 & 2012 Commander Comparison

Appearance

Nick: These two beers want to be the same color, and might just be. The 2011 is hazy, while the 2012 is crystal clear. That makes it hard to be exact regarding the color. They both have the same light tan head that dissipates fairly quickly into a thin ring of foam along the sides of the glass. Visible carbonation appears nearly identical.

Amy: The 2011 is definitely hazier, but seems similar in every other way. The foam does seem to stay around longer on the 2012.

Aroma

Nick: The 2011 has big wiffs of bourbon, vanilla, cardamom, light alcohol. Wow. The 2012 has the same notes as the 2011, but much more muted and subdued. It comes off more like a light caramel. The 2011 definitely wins this section by a nose. (Sorry, couldn't help the pun.)

Amy: They are so very close to me. The 2011 was easier to pull the aroma out, but the 2012 delivered the same aroma after a few swirls.

Flavor

Nick: Mmmm, delicious. Both have very similar flavors: caramel, vanilla, bourbon, toffee, cinnamon spice, touch of bitterness. The 2011 seems a little sweeter, especially up front. The 2012 is a touch more bitter at the finish. Otherwise, there doesn't seem to be a big difference.

Amy: They are both very yummy! This is a style I really enjoy. They are very similar, but I feel I could pull out more differences in the flavor than I could with the aroma. The 2011 seems to be sweeter and caramely in the beginning with less of a bite throughout. The 2012 has more of an alcohol burn in the middle with a more bitter finish.

Comparison Verdict

Nick: These two years of Commander are surprisingly similar, especially since one has been aging for a year. Both are delicious and are very enjoyable. You can't go wrong with either. I think if I had to choose between them, the 2011 would barely edge out the 2012, due to the more fragrant aroma and the marginally fuller palate from the slightly more sweet beginning.

Amy: I am drawn a little bit more to the 2011 because I tend to favor the sweeter flavors. Overall it just seemed a bit smoother. Both have a very complex flavor base giving it a very rich flavor. That is why I feel like I enjoy this beer so much. There is so much going on in every sip!

Beer Brief #32 - Imperial Pumpkin Ale

Brewery - Weyerbacher Brewing Company, Easton, Pennsylvania

Beer - Imperial Pumpkin Ale

Style - Pumpkin Ale brewed with cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and cloves

ABV - 8%

Color - Reddish orange with a light tan head

Aroma - All the spices are definitely present in the nose: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and cardamom along with a bit of brown sugar

Flavor - Light sweet caramel, hint of toasted bread, cinnamon and nutmeg dominate to make it spicy, perfect bitterness level at the finish - not too much, not too little

Verdict - This is a tasty pumpkin beer. I do however think the aroma is more pleasing than the flavor. This beer smells just like pumpkin pie. It doesn't taste just like pumpkin pie (which to be fair, I don't think any pumpkin beer does), but it is flavorful and delicious. Much lighter bodied than I expected and could sneak up on the beer drinker who is unaware of the ABV. I think this might just be my second-favorite pumpkin ale...

Beer Brief #31 - Eagle Claw Fist

Brewery - Clown Shoes Beer, Mercury Brewing Company, Ipswich, Massachusetts

Beer - Eagle Claw Fist

Style - Imperial Amber Ale

ABV - 8%

IBUs - 100+

Color - Copper brown with light tan head

Aroma - Brown sugar, biscuits, crackers, molasses, piney, grassy, earthy

Flavor - Toffee, slightly scorched caramel, bread dough, hint of grapefruit, slow building bitterness that turns massive at the finish

Verdict - The sweet and bready malt launches the flavor profile in such a way that I almost thought this was going to be a balanced beer. But then, the bitterness of the hops creeped out and smacked me upside the head! Tasty beer that I'd probably be willing to drink again, but not too often. Definitely check it out if you're a fan of bitter brews.

Beer Brief #30 - The Libertine

Brewery - Fulton Beer, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Beer - The Libertine

Style - Imperial Red Ale

ABV - 8.5%

IBUs - 45

Color - Dark red brown with a light tan head

Aroma - Brown sugar, cotton candy, toast, touch of herbal spice, hint of alcohol

Flavor - Caramel, sourdough bread, raisins, figs, pepper, moderate bitterness

Verdict - Sweet malts and a bit of fruit are balanced well by the bitter finish. After trying this for the first time, it has to be one of my 2 favorites from Fulton (Worthy Adversary is the other). C'mon, why should I have to choose just one, right?

Beer Brief #29 - Rye on Rye

 

Brewery - Boulevard Brewing Company, Kansas City, Missouri

Beer - Rye on Rye (2012 vintage, Bottle No. 9831)

Style - 33% ryewine blended with 67% ryewine aged in rye whiskey barrels

ABV - 11%

IBUs - 47

Color - Reddish brown with a tan head

Aroma - Caramel rolls, earthy spice, whiskey, hint of pear?

Flavor - Toffee, brown sugar, touch of coffee roast, rye bread, balancing bitterness

Verdict - Ryewine and tasty whiskey barrels make for a very tasty combination that will kick your butt if you're not careful!

Beer Brief #28 - Horny Devil

 

Brewery - AleSmith Brewing Company, San Diego, California

Beer - Horny Devil

Style - Belgian Strong Ale brewed with coriander

ABV - 11%

Color - Hazy orange with an off-white head

Aroma - Lemon, apricot, cotton candy, pear, white pepper

Flavor - Cotton candy, bubble gum, clementine citrus, honey, slightly tart apple, touch of alcohol, peppery spice

Verdict - The aroma on this brew is as good if not better than the flavor, and the flavor is quite tasty! Lots of fruit combining with some sugary goodness is balanced by some spice and a dry finish. If you like Belgian strong ales, be sure to hit this one.

Beer Brief #27 - Ovila Quad

 

Brewery - Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Chico, California

Beer - Ovila Quad

Style - Quadrupel

ABV - 10.4%

Color - Dark brown, nearly black, hints of ruby when held to light, and a tan head

Aroma - Toffee, raisins, molasses

Flavor - Brown sugar, figs, light coffee roast, prunes, enough bitterness to balance the sweetness

Verdict - Delicious like crazy! Beautiful full aromas and flavors combine with a superbly luxurious mouthfeel. This an awesome quad! I want to buy a few more bottles...

Beer Brief #26 - Barrel Aged Belgian Style Quad Ale

 

Brewery - Brau Brothers Brewing Company, Lucan, Minnesota

Beer - Barrel Aged Belgian Style Quad Ale

Style - Quadrupel aged in Templeton Rye Whiskey barrels

ABV - 11.5%

Color - Somewhere between brown and red with a light tan head

Aroma - Caramel, chocolate, cherries, whiskey, oaky spice, potent alcohol

Flavor - Mild cocoa, vanilla, toffee, tutti frutti bubble gum, honey, whiskey, alcohol

Verdict - Holy complex beer, Batman! But, in a totally great way. I had to sniff and sniff and sniff to pick up a different and specifically distinctive aromas each time. Then, I had to sip and sip and sip to pick out all the unique flavors. I love beers that make me work and think hard. This is a definite winner in my book!

Beer Brief #25 - Biere d’ Hougoumont

 

Brewery - Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown, New York

Beer - Biere d’ Hougoumont

Style - Biere De Garde aged on maple and oak

ABV - 7.3%

Color - Red-ish copper with an off-white head

Aroma - Caramel, toast, biscuits, figs

Flavor - Toffee, lightly toasted bread, raisins, figs, hint of nuttiness, matches aroma very well

Verdict - Very tasty beer that drinks very similar to a Belgian Dubbel, but with more subdued fruitiness and more prominent malt character. Truly enjoyable!

Dubrue

This past weekend, I made the journey to Duluth for a fun family trip. While we did many things that entertained the whole family, I managed to sneak in visits to a couple breweries in the midst of our adventures. The saving grace (for my family) of the first brewery: it was really a visit to eat a family lunch with the added benefits of tasting some beer and filling a growler (Fitger's). The other brewery was a much more involved experience for me, and I have to thank my wife and kids for being patient during my discussions with the brewer and examination of their equipment. That brewery was Dubrue.

After checking their website to see about tour possibilities, I found that all tours are done by request either over the phone or through email. I sent them a short-notice tour request by email 2 days before our trip. I received a friendly response notifying me that one of the founders/owners of the brewery would be there on Saturday afternoon brewing a batch of beer, and that I should definitely drop in for a visit.

We ate lunch at Fitger's on Saturday and went back to the hotel to drop off our growler full of Big Boat Oatmeal Stout. Then, we put the kids into the stroller and walked to Dubrue. It was only 5 blocks away, but the walk was up a nice steep hill. When we stepped into the brewery, my legs were burning from pushing 80 pounds of children uphill in an unknown-weight stroller and I had sweat running down my forehead. That made it feel like an even greater experience when I was greeted by Nick Cameron with the question "Want something to drink?" Of course, my answer was yes, and he gave me a glass of their refreshing Pub Ale.

Nick is part owner, executive officer, and brewer at Dubrue. He has a very friendly demeanor and showed me around his brewhouse while in the middle of mashing a batch of Pub Ale. I had many questions (as usual) and he did his best to answer all of them. He encouraged me to email the head brewer, Bob Blair, with the very few recipe/process questions he was unsure of. His laid back attitude and openness about their processes did a lot to win me over. He also was kind enough to let us help ourselves to refills of Pub Ale and India Black Ale when we had empty glasses.

Pub Ale and India Black Ale are both tasty brews. Nick told me that while the Pub Ale recipe is pretty much where they want it to be, they will probably continue to tweak the India Black Ale to reach their desired results. (I think IBA was tasty as is, but, as a homebrewer, I totally understand a brewer's need to get a beer exactly the way they want it.) He also told me that they recently started using a distributor, and it has already started to increase demand for their beers.

While he was checking his mash temps and taking some notes, I looked up on top of their cooler and saw that they had a floor-corker for 750ml bottles. Since they currently only keg their beers, I asked Nick about it. He told me they did a test/experimental batch of Belgian Strong Golden Ale with a couple other brewers. When I asked how it turned out, he was generous enough to go grab a 750 out of their cooler and sent me home with it. (Look for a future post about that beer.)

That sealed the deal. I fully endorse and support this brewery. It is a cool, little local brewery with friendly owners and tasty beer. I was very pleased with my experience there and encourage all of you to keep your eyes on Dubrue. If you ever get a chance to try some of their beer, go for it. For now, they're limited to northern Minnesota. However, with continued success, we might see their beers make it into the Twin Cities metro area in the future. I think it could happen...

Beer Brief #24 - Hopsession

 

Brewery - Brau Brothers Brewing Co., Lucan, Minnesota

Beer - Hopsession Super Pale Ale

Style - Pale Ale

ABV - 4.2%

IBUs - 30

Color - Cloudy copper with an off-white head

Aroma - Honey, citrus, grassy, mango

Flavor - Brief sweet malt, pineapple, grapefruit, moment of tartness, strong lingering bitterness

Verdict - This is a very enjoyable, extremely floral and citrusy, strongly bitter session ale. I really enjoy it and would happily drink a six pack in a single sitting, especially knowing I won't have to worry about being completely blitzed after the fact. Good stuff!

Hastings Coborn's Beer Tasting - TODAY!

I realize this may be a bit short notice, but you should definitely stop by the Hastings Coborn's Liquor today to try some tasty brews. It's Labor Day weekend, after all, and you're going to want to have a selection of awesome beer to consume during your 3-day hiatus from work, right? If so, come sample these:

• Pyramid Hefeweizen
• Pyramid Thunderhead IPA
• Third Street Brewhouse Rise to the Top Cream Ale
• Third Street Brewhouse Lost Trout Brown Ale
• Third Street Brewhouse Bitter Neighbor Black IPA

If you try them all and still can't find quite what you're looking for, I'll be happy to help match you with your perfect brew by answering questions and giving suggestions (if you looking for them). Visit the store anytime from 4:30pm - 8pm and we'll talk and taste beer. Hope to see you there!

Beer Brief #23 - SYX

Brewery - Surly Brewing Company, Brooklyn Center, Minnesota

Beer - SYX

Style - American Strong Ale aged on 6 different species of wood: apple, cherry, ash, hickory, hard & soft maple

ABV - 15%

Color - Copper body with an off-white head

Aroma - Honey, toffee, apple, alcohol

Flavor - Brief sweet malt, light fruit juice, touch of spice, unique bitterness, hot alcohol, and a very dry finish

Verdict - Hmmm. This is probably my least favorite of the Surly anniversary beers, at least at this point. The alcohol is very hot and the bitterness is slightly unpleasant combined with that booziness. I'm glad I purchased 2 bottles, because I really want to see how this one develops with age. I'm guessing the alcohol burn will tame down and some more subtle flavors will begin to emerge. I'll be very excited to try it again in a year.

Beer Brief #22 - Unchained Series Batch 10 Belgian Style Abbey Ale

Brewery - Summit Brewing Company, Saint Paul, Minnesota

Beer - Unchained Series Batch 10 - Belgian Style Abbey Ale

Style - Belgian Abbey Ale (Dubbel)

ABV - 8%

IBU - 33

Color - Reddish copper with a light tan head

Aroma - Brown sugar, crackers, earthy, hint of black pepper

Flavor - Caramel, figs, raisins, and a balancing bitterness

Verdict - I'm really enjoying this one! It ranks towards the top of my favorite brews from the Unchained Series. This is a well-done abbey ale.

Beer (Not So) Brief #21 - Samuel Adams IPA Hop-ology

This Beer Brief will be a little different than all past incarnations. I picked up the Samuel Adams IPA Hop-ology 12-pack not too long ago, and I decided it would be fun to do a single post breaking down each of these unique IPAs. I will be skipping Latitude 48 (as I have analyzed that beer before), so that leaves 5 brews for what I'm calling the "Beer (Not So) Brief". Now, on with the beer!

Brewery (for all 5 beers) - Boston Beer Company, Boston, Massachusetts

Beer - Whitewater IPA
Style - Wheat IPA brewed with orange peel and coriander
ABV - 5.8%
IBU - 60
Color - Lightest of the 5, pale yellow body with an off-white head
Aroma - Honey, citrus, herbal spice, hint of bread dough
Flavor - Caramel, herbal and earthy hops, aggressive bitter finish

Beer - Grumpy Monk
Style - Belgian IPA
ABV - 5.7%
IBU - 55
Color - Between yellow and copper with an off-white head
Aroma - Cloves, peppery spice
Flavor - Honey, stone fruit, spice, earthy bitterness

Beer - Tasman Red
Style - Red IPA brewed with Tasmanian hops
ABV - 6.5%
IBU - 60
Color - Red with a light tan head
Aroma - Caramel, slight citrus, bread
Flavor - Brown sugar, butterscotch, toffee, cherry, background grapefruit, and spicy bitter finish

Beer - Dark Depths
Style - Baltic IPA (Baltic porter crossed with an IPA)
ABV - 7.6%
IBU - 55
Color - Darkest of the 5, ruby brown body with a light tan head
Aroma - Sweet bread, black licorice, herbal notes
Flavor - Chocolate, bit of roastiness, toffee, bitter but clean finish

Beer - Third Voyage
Style - Double IPA brewed with Cascade hops from multiple growing regions worldwide
ABV - 8%
IBU - 80
Color - Copper with an off-white head
Aroma - Honey, pine, citrus, maybe even some parsley
Flavor - Caramel, honey, grapefruit, strong bitterness to balance out the sweet malt

Verdict - These 5 beers are all tasty and I highly recommend trying them all. After drinking all of them, I'd be hard pressed to choose a favorite. However, here's my ranking based upon my tastebuds at this moment:

1 - Grumpy Monk
2 - Third Voyage
3 - Whitewater IPA
4 - Dark Depths
5 - Tasman Red

July 28th Coborn's Tasting

That's right. After a bit of a hiatus, I will be pouring tasty beer samples at the Hastings Coborn's Liquor this Saturday, July 28th. There are some brews that are new to the store, and we'd like to share them with you.

• Grand Teton Bitch Creek ESB
• Grand Teton Sweetgrass APA
• Mad River Steelhead Double IPA
• Mad River Steelhead Extra Pale Ale
• Pyramid Apricot Wheat
• Summit Summer Ale

Be sure to stop by the store between 3pm - 6pm, so I can give you a fun little beer tasting experience. Hope to see you there!

Beer Brief #20 - Tart Lychee

Brewery - New Belgium Brewing Co., Fort Collins, Colorado

Beer - Tart Lychee (Lips of Faith Series)

Style - American Wild Ale brewed with lychee fruit and cinnamon sticks

ABV - 8.5%

IBU - 20

Color - Golden and cloudy with a eggshell white head

Aroma - Green apples, cinnamon, honey

Flavor - Very light sweet fruit, prominent lemon tartness, funky earthy twang, cinnamon, touch of bitterness at the finish with a definite alcohol warmth and dryness

Verdict - This is a tasty brew with a nice tart fruitiness complemented very well by cinnamon spice. It has an easy drinking light body and crisp, dry finish. Very appropriate for a warm weather thirst quencher, but be careful of the ABV. It might just sneak up on you...

New Minnesota Beers

We have so much going on in the Minnesota craft beer scene right now. Seems like new breweries are popping up all the time, which is great for people like me who enjoy tasty new brews. What about some of the breweries that aren't so new? I thought it might be cool to list some of the new recipes to come out from some of our more established brewers, along with a couple that are still upcoming.

New and currently available:

• Brau Brothers Hopsession - A new super hoppy session beer (4.2%) from our favorite Lucan brewery.
• Lift Bridge Hop Dish - A new IPA that is a variation on last year's very tasty Hop Prop.
• Schell's Radler - A German-style grapefruit beer? Yep!
• Summit Saga and Summer Ale - Saga is a floral IPA and Summer Ale is a light crisp Kolsch-style brew.

Upcoming:

• Schell's Emerald Rye - A hoppy, bitter lager made with rye in the mash.
• Summit Unchained Batch 10 - A Belgian style abbey ale from brewer Nate Siats.

So there you go. I'm sure that many of you are just as excited as me about all the new breweries in Minnesota. However, let's not forget the breweries that have been around awhile longer, and are still coming up with new brews!

Hastings' Best Craft Beer Bar Re-evaluation?

Hmmm...

Back in January, I made a post about RJ's Tavern in downtown Hastings, calling them the best craft beer bar in town. Now, it appears that things have been changing at some of the other local bars, and I may have to re-evaluate the whole situation.

For example, last night I visited The Bar (yep, that's the name of the place). About a week ago, they finished putting together a whole new tap system that includes 30 beers. And these beers aren't just a collection of products from AB-Inbev and Miller-Coors; craft beers dominate the tap list.

While I was there, it was happy hour. Wednesday's happy hour deal was two-for-ones. The special was pretty nice because, if you bought a craft beer, your second drink could be any of the other craft beers. So, I had 4 tasty brews last night: Lucette The Farmer's Daughter, Deschutes Inversion IPA, Brau Brothers Moo Joos, and Bell's Oberon.

Minnesota craft beers were well represented in the selection, with choices from Summit, Schell's, Fulton, Surly, and Brau Brothers. There are also handy laminated beer lists sitting on the bar to aid people in making their difficult decisions.

I definitely need to reconsider my choice for Best Craft Beer Bar in Hastings, but I may have to do a little more research, first...

Beer Brief #19 - Rye Wyne Ale

 

Brewery - Brau Brothers Brewing Co., Lucan, Minnesota

Beer - Rye Wyne Ale

Style - Rye Wine aged in Templeton Rye Whiskey barrels

ABV - 11%

Color - Dark, deep red-brown with an off-white head

Aroma - Molasses, vanilla, whiskey, oak, rye spice

Flavor - Spicy, sweet, and delicious rye malt, caramel, oaky goodness, slight alcohol, and a bit of friendly whiskey that pops in to say hello

Verdict - Extremely tasty combination of beer and whiskey. I'm lovin' every sip. The alcohol is definitely present, especially noticed by the warming in my throat, but doesn't overwhelm or undermine all the tasty flavors. I'm glad I bought 2 bottles...

2012 St Paul Summer Beer Fest

This past Saturday, I visited the Minnesota State Fairgrounds for the 4th annual Saint Paul Summer Beer Fest. Over the past 4 years, I've only missed one occurrence of this large beer tasting event. This year, there were 103 breweries in attendance from all across the country. Of course, Minnesota was well represented with 26 breweries.

There was much beer to be tasted while listening to the live music playing throughout the course of the event. I tried some brews I loved, some I liked, some that were OK, and some that were just plain bad. I am happy to say that the bad were a huge minority.

My past experiences at beer events like this (not to mention my own personal efforts to taste as many beers as possible) meant that I was already familiar with a majority of the brews available. This caused me to seek out the smaller number of beers/breweries I hadn't tried before, which is what I love to do.

I'd like to mention 2 breweries (amongst the newbies) that stood out in my mind. You should keep your eye on them, as I think they should do pretty well in the future:

1) - Third Street Brewhouse is a new brewery in Cold Spring, MN, and is a division of Cold Spring Brewing Co. I had been hearing good things about their brews and I was not disappointed with any of the three I tasted. And with fun beer names like Lost Trout, Rise to the Top, and Bitter Neighbor, along with a well built website, it looks like they've got their marketing well in hand, too.

2) - Hinterland may not be a new brewery per se (founded in 1995), but they are new to the Twin Cities area. This Green Bay based company entered our market within the last 3 months, and I'm sure they're working hard to make headway in this extremely busy beer climate. I had purchased a 4 pack of their saison a few weeks ago and loved it, so I was excited to see if their other beers were well made. Once again, I was not disappointed. All the brews were tasty and enjoyable.

Beer Brief #18 - Brynhildr's Gift

 
Brewery - Olvalde Farm and Brewing Company, Rollingstone, Minnesota

Beer - Brynhildr's Gift

Style - Farmhouse Ale made with juniper berries

ABV - ???

Color - Copper with a thick, off-white head

Aroma - Citrus, clove, black pepper, hint of earthiness

Flavor - Honey, cotton candy, caramel, ripe pear, herbal hops, low bitterness on the finish, odd funk lingers on the back of the tongue

Verdict - Very enjoyable and unique farmhouse ale with surprisingly low carbonation. It is very lightly hopped, letting the sweet malt profile and yeast flavors run the show. Even though I couldn't find the ABV listed anywhere, I would guess it must be fairly strong. I'm starting to feel it after half a pint!

3 Breweries in San Diego

Last week I was away on a business trip for my day job. I don't travel for work very often, but this was my 3rd trip to San Diego as required by my job duties over the years. In my past 2 journeys, I did the recommended sight-seeing and visited most of the popular attractions in the area. For this trip, I used what little free time I had to seek out a few breweries.

As part of a software user group conference, my work and sleep time were at a hotel on Coronado Island. I did not have a rental car, so choosing a brewery was restricted by the distance (taxi cost) from my lodgings. I checked out the San Diego Brewers Guild website and looked over the long list of members. (I never realized there were so many breweries in the San Diego area.) I picked 3 of the closest that interested me and paid each of them a visit. I did manage to snap some pictures and take some videos with my phone, but was disappointed to find them missing from my device when I returned home. Oh well, I'll make do with some pictures from their websites.

• Coronado Brewing - Located in Coronado, this brewery was nearest to my hotel. Of the three facilities I visited, it felt the most like a modern brewpub (because it is one, although they do bottle their beer for liquor stores as well). I had already eaten, so I did not partake in their tasty looking food menu. However, I did order myself a sampler of their beers: Coronado Golden (pilsner), Orange Ave Wit, Islander Pale Ale (IPA), Mermaid's Red, and Idiot IPA (Double IPA). I also purchased a pint of their Blue Bridge Coffee Stout. The beers were all good and well-made, but nothing that wowed me. I would drink them again, but wouldn't necessarily seek them out.

• Mission Brewery - Just across the bay from Coronado, Mission is near downtown San Diego. I would have never guessed by the exterior of the building that there was such a cool brewery space inside. The brewing and fermenting equipment are located in the same large open space as the taproom. I bought $1 samples of the 7 beers they currently have available: Pilsner, Blonde (Kolsch), Hefeweizen, Amber, IPA, Shipwrecked (Double IPA), and Dark Seas (Russian Imperial Stout). Every single one was extremely tasty. I wanted to stick around longer, but unfortunately didn't have time. I enjoyed the brews so much that I asked if they had any plans to make it up into Minnesota. The guy behind the bar was unsure, but I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope they eventually distribute here. You'll want to try these beers if that happens.

• Monkey Paw Pub & Brewery - Not too far away from Mission Brewery, Monkey Paw is a craft beer bar and brewery. They have an excellent tap list, which includes a number of beers they brew themselves. I tried 5 during my visit: Oatmeal Pale (pale ale), Sweet Georgia Brown (English-style brown), Mandrill IPA, Monkey Stones (unclassifiable), and Rich Man's IIPA. While I really enjoyed all the brews, the most intriguing was Monkey Stones. It was a collaboration recipe created with Stone Brewing and it really doesn't easily fit into any beer classification. (In my mind, it's pretty cool when that happens.) A strong (7.7% ABV) black lager with plenty of citrusy, piney hop aromas and flavors and a bitter finish, it was a memorable beer. While at Monkey Paw, I was lucky enough to chat with Head Brewer and Certified Cicerone Derek Freese. A very friendly man with a lot of beer knowledge, he was more than happy to sit and talk beer with me for a while. After tasting the beers and meeting the brewer, I wish Monkey Paw continued success.

Jeff Williamson: No Longer Brewer for Flat Earth

Yep, I realize this is old news (check out Michael Agnew's blog post if you haven't heard). It's just been eating away at me, so I figured I'd put my thoughts out there.

Jeff founded Flat Earth and made a lot of friends (customers, brewers, etc.) along the way. Over the years, I've chatted with Jeff on several occasions and can definitely understand why. Knowing the friendly man behind the beer helped people appreciate his products for more than just their flavor. They knew the local head brewer on a first name basis, which was pretty sweet.

Another thing that was so cool about Jeff and Flat Earth - he opened the brewery long before the current Minnesota craft brewery explosion took place, which makes him something of a beer pioneer in the Twin Cities. He was ahead of the curve.

Somewhat recently, Flat Earth was in dire financial straights and needed to be saved by an investor. When this happened, many people were relieved when they found out that Jeff would remain head brewer. Apparently, our relief was short-lived.

There's no way for me to know everything that took place behind the scenes in this situation. I can't explain all the details of why Jeff is no longer working for Flat Earth. What I do know is this: if he was forced out under negative circumstances (which seems to be the case at the moment), Flat Earth's sales will almost surely drop. Jeff's fans and friends are loyal, and I don't think they'll support a brewery that fired him.

I wish Jeff good luck in the future and I hope he'll make his way back into the beer business again. I know he'll have a lot of people willing to help him out.

Beer Brief #17 - Persephone Pils

 
Brewery - Grand Teton Brewing Company, Victor, Idaho

Beer - Persephone Pils (2011 Cellar Reserve)

Style - Imperial Pilsner

ABV - 8.76%

IBU - 70

Color - Golden with a billowy white head

Aroma - Faint bread, hint of honey, herbal spice, and lemon peel citrus

Flavor - Biscuity malt, slight tangerine, lemongrass, touch of dry pine, metallic bitterness

Verdict - To be fair, I need to clarify something. This beer was donated to me for a Beer Brief after having sat on a shelf for a little while. I didn't realize how long until I just did a little research before writing this post. Apparently, Grand Teton released this beer in February of 2011. That means it is now well over a year old. That normally wouldn't bother me with a beer this strong, but the Grand Teton website highly recommends drinking Persephone Pils fresh due to the "deep hop flavors" (in case you aren't aware, hop characters dissipate with age). Oops.

Oh well. I still find this beer very enjoyable, but I imagine it was much better last year around this time. It has a nice spice to the aroma and some very pleasant citrus qualities. It's also near impossible after tasting to tell that it's nearing 8% ABV. Very appropriate for the 80+ degree weather today, due to the deceptively light flavors and crisp finish.

Homebrewing Demonstration

Ever wondered what it takes to make a batch of home brewed beer? Considering getting into making your own beer, but holding back because you don't know how it's done? Then stop by Dugarel's Bar and Grill in Hastings this Saturday, May 5th between 11am-5pm. My local homebrew club is putting on a brewing demo for the AHA Big Brew Day. We'll be out on the patio brewing 2 batches of beer (one extract and one all-grain) and answering your questions. Should be a great time! I hope to see you there.

It's Happening Today!

Yep, spring is here. Today's weather won't be as beautiful as the last couple days, but hey, the sun's still shining. Maybe you'll find something for yourself to do outside, even with the lower temps, or maybe you won't want to venture out of the house. I can't know for sure...

What I do know is this: the Hastings Coborn's Liquor big craft beer tasting is today! If you're interested in learning about craft beer, tasting some new brews, or just need help deciding which six-pack to get for watching the NFL Draft tonight, you need to stop by the store between 4-8pm. We'll have some knowledgable beer folks on hand to pour 33 different brews for you to sample.

I'll be wandering around the store answering your beer questions. Need a recommendation? I can handle that. Want to know more about how a particular style is brewed? I'll give you the details. Curious about the history behind a beer? Not a problem.

I hope to see you all there!

Details on the Big Coborn's Tasting

Alright. Last week, I made a post regarding the upcoming biggest craft beer tasting at the Hastings Coborn's Liquor. Today, I'm posting the official list of brews that will be opened for this tasting. Ready? Here we go:

• Fulton Lonely Blonde
• Fulton Sweet Child of Vine
• Blue Moon Summer Honey Wheat
• Grain Belt Nordeast
• Rush River Amber
• Bell's Oberon
• Big Sky IPA
• Lucky Bucket Lager
• Lucky Bucket IPA
• Lucky Bucket Certified Evil
• Great River Brewery Redband Stout
• Chick Beer
• Odell IPA
• Odell Myrcenary Double IPA
• Ommegang Hennepin
• Anchor Steam
• Summit Horizon Red
• Summit Unchained Batch 09 - Dunkel Weizen
• Brau Brothers Bancreagie Scotch Ale
• Breckenridge Vanilla Porter
• Wells Bombardier
• Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout
• Schell's Pils
• New Belgium Ranger IPA
• New Belgium Fat Tire
• New Belgium 1554 Black Ale
• Deschutes Black Butte Porter
• Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale
• Deschutes Red Chair NWPA
• Alaskan Amber
• Samuel Adams Alpine Spring
• Crispin Cider
• Sol

What do you think? That's 33, count 'em, 33 beers for your sampling pleasure. I hope to see you tasting them on Thursday, April 26 from 4 - 8pm.

Biggest Coborn's Tasting Yet

On Thursday, April 26th, there will be a craft beer tasting at the Hastings Coborn's Liquor. This isn't one of my regular 6-beer sampling sessions, though. What makes this tasting different? Hmmm...

I'm pretty sure that we're going to have a few more beers than usual. In fact, I know that we'll have 30 different brews open, ready to delight your tastebuds. This will be a great opportunity for you to try some of the beers you've been wondering about. Want to plan for it? The beer will be flowing from 4-8pm.

I'll be making another post with details regarding which specific beers we'll be sampling. Keep your eyes open for it!

Beer Brief #16 - Seizoen Bretta

Brewery - Logsdon Farmhouse Ales, Hood River, Oregon

Beer - Seizoen Bretta

Style - Farmhouse Ale fermented with brettanomyces

ABV - 8%

Color - Cloudy orange with a sticky, off-white head

Aroma - Hay, apricots, old leather, and a hint of sourness

Flavor - Brief stone fruit sweetness, funky, earthy and minerally, lemon tartness, metallic bitterness and dry finish

Verdict - Wow. This is a complex and delicious wild ale. If you dig some funk and a touch of sour in your Belgian farmhouse ales, you definitely need to see if you can get some of this! I had to fly to Oregon to get it...

Beer Brief #15 - Cherry Bean Coffee Stout

Brewery - Brau Brothers Brewing Company, Lucan, Minnesota

Beer - Cherry Bean Coffee Stout

Style - American Stout (made with coffee beans)

ABV - 7.5%

Color - Black with a tan head

Aroma - Roasted coffee beans, chocolate, hint of fruit

Flavor - Sweet malt, touch of cherry, dark chocolate, coffee bitterness

Verdict - Very good stuff, especially if you like stouts and coffee. Beautifully rich mouthfeel with coffee aromas and flavors balanced perfectly with a sweet malt backbone. I would drink this all the time if it was available year-round.

The Brewery I Enjoyed Most in Portland...

Since I've returned from Oregon, I've been extremely busy with my day job and making an effort to relax when I get home from work. Believe it or not, taking a week-long beer trip that involves visiting 22 locations (breweries, brewpubs, and beer bars) in 7 days can wear out even the most enthusiastic beer appreciator. Thinking back on the trip, it wasn't too hard to pick out my favorite location of the journey: Hair of the Dog Brewing Company.

I had been pretty excited to visit this brewery, especially after reading, hearing, and watching (a documentary) so much about it. Then, I saw the beer menu after sitting down at the bar...

After tasting all the beers in a sample-sized glass, it wasn't hard to realize that every single one was phenomenal. One of them definitely stood out above the rest in my mind, though. I enjoyed this particular brew so much that I asked the bartender for a piece of paper to make a note of it.

 
Cherry Adam from the Wood. Wow, what an amazing beer. At 14% ABV, it definitely helped to get me buzzing quick (which I was trying to avoid on this trip, so I could make sure to remember every sample). However, the flavor was worth it. This decadently rich and aromatic brew was a sipper, but also the most flavorful beer of my trip. Eventually, my buddy and I decided we each needed to order a full glass of tasty brew before we left. Of course, I chose the Cherry Adam from the Wood. He chose the Blue Dot double IPA, which was also fantastic.

As we walked out the door of this spectacular establishment, I decided I had to run over and take a quick picture through the viewing window to the brewery.

I will definitely remember my visit to Hair of the Dog for a long time, even though they'll probably never distribute all the way to Minnesota. In fact, I think that fact makes this memory even more valuable...

Widmer Gasthaus

On my beer journeys through Portland, I thought it would be appropriate to visit one of the oldest and most well know craft brewers in the city: Widmer Brothers.

Part of one of Jeff Alworth's pub crawls, the Widmer Gasthaus was an easy option. However, what I didn't realize is that the actual production brewery is located right next door. They offer free tours, but we had missed both timeslots. Oh well, just another excuse to find my way back to Portland...

Onto the Gasthaus. When we stopped in at 3pm, it was a pretty busy place. We were seated and took a look at the beer list. Since Widmer beers are easy to find in MN, I had already tried many of the brews on the list. However, there were enough which I hadn't had, so we ordered a taster tray. The waitress gave us a slip of paper that allowed us to create our own sampler.

The first 5 were the ones I hadn't tried, and my buddy chose the last one.

All the beers were good, but I liked the Marionberry Gose and the Spiced IPA for my top 2. I ordered a tasty pastrami sandwich with a side of spaetzle (which seems to be popular around here). The food was delicious and the beer was tasty. Overall, a good experience at the Widmer Gasthaus.

Upright Brewing

Part of the reason I decided to visit Oregon for my beer trip was the wonderful beer writings of Jeff Alworth. I've mentioned in a few of my last couple posts that I visited places based on the recommendation of another beer blogger. Well, he is that blogger. His blog, Beervana, is my personal favorite and I read it on a regular basis.

On his blog, Jeff had created a series of 4 "craft beer crawls" in Portland. They each contained no more than 4 places to visit, so as to keep things reasonable. After checking those out, I also emailed Jeff. He was kind enough to help me as I played with other ideas for exploring Oregon's beer scene. Thanks Jeff.

Yesterday, we started with Jeff's crawl titled "The Northern Expedition". This took us to Upright, Widmer Gasthaus, Hopworks, and Lompoc Sidebar.

I was really looking forward to visiting Upright brewing, as their house yeast is a saison strain. Hidden in the basement of a multiple-story business building, they use open fermentors and do a lot of barrel aging.

Yep, this seemed like my kind of place. I was extremely excited to taste these brews.

They had 9 brews on tap and, as usual, we went with the sampler.

All the beers were great and I could have stayed their all day drinking more tasty goodness. My personal favorite was the De La Seven. They took their Seven (which is a more traditional saison), added Brettanomyces, aged it in wine and gin barrels, and blended it to taste. They did a great job, at least in my opinion. It was tasty, tasty stuff.

Full Sail & Double Mountain

After visiting Everybody's Brewing and Big Horse on Thursday, we still had another 2 breweries to check out in Hood River. One was a big factor in my choice to visit this city, while the other was highly recommended by many Oregon beer lovers.

Full Sail's main production brewery is located in Hood River. I have been a fan of their beers for a while; especially the LTD and Brewmaster Reserve Series. My familiarity with their brews was a large factor in my decision to travel to Hood River. The brewery offers free tours at 1, 2, 3, and 4pm, and we hit the 4 o'clock timeslot. Surprisingly we were the only 2 people on the tour, so we got a very detailed version reserved for home brewers.

After the tour, we got the sampler of their Brewmaster Reserve and Brewer's Share beers. (The Brewer's Share series lets each employee of the brewery take a turn creating a beer.)

Here's how the tray looked after we decimated it.

All of the beers were tasty (as I expected), but my clear favorite was the Top Sail Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Porter. Delicious, especially if you're a fan of bourbon like I am.

We left Full Sail happy, and moved on to our last brewery of the day: Double Mountain. I chose to visit there based on the recommendation of a Portland beer blogger. When we got into Oregon, everyone I talked to about Hood River breweries highly recommended Double Mountain. Nobody even mentioned Full Sail. This led me to believe that Double Mountain might just be the local favorite...

When we stepped into Double Mountain, it was immediately apparent that this was a popular place. I believe "packed house" might be the best descriptor. It was a hoppin' atmosphere with dim lighting, lots of conversation, and roller derby on the big screen (sorry for the picture quality - like I said, the lighting was dim).

 
Believe it or not, we didn't get a sampler at this brewery. One of the bartenders said he could just give us a taste of whichever beers we were interested in so we could make our full beer decisions. Here's a look at the beer list.

Based off the samples, I was quite impressed with their brews. I ultimately settled on having a Peche Mode and a Devil's Kriek. Both were awesome, but I think the Peche Mode is my favorite beer of my entire Oregon trip thus far. Yep, this may be a tough one to beat.

Yesterday was our transition day. We left the beautiful countryside of Hood River and moved into the urban beer environment of downtown Portland. This has been a great trip so far, and I'm looking forward to continuing the beer saga today. Alright, I'm off to the next brewery...