Brewed Awakening (A book review)

                                        

    In the attempt to accumulate as much knowledge as I can about my profession and craft beer, I have taken efforts to read more. I have had a few books that are more beer encyclopedias and very hard to read. There are several books available from different breweries chronicling their story and rise to power. I think reading these back to back would be painfully boring and repetitive, so I look for books like Brewed Awakening to mix things up.

    Brewed Awakening is by Joshua Bernstein, and it takes a look at the different avenues that make beer exploration fun. He has been to a lot of places and tried some typical and not so typical beers. I really enjoyed the section at the end where he mentioned a craft beer cans only bar that features a ski-ball league. I am very happy there is a bar that is taking the risk of forcing education on consumers, while offering a different type of entertainment. DO NOT BE SCARED OF BEER IN CANS! I'll take a bar like this in Richmond please! He also preaches support for home brewers and home brew clubs. This is a tough area to break into, but people who brew like to share. I have more confidence in going to the local home brew club and getting to know some people who make their own beer. There is a whole chemistry side to beer that your typical store bought consumer doesn't get, I need this knowledge.

    I appreciate the beers that Joshua highlighted that get unfairly shelved at most bottle shops. There are imported beers made in other countries that are truly craft beers, not imports. I have these beers added to my Untapped wish list soon to be explored. They are more expensive than their domestic cousins. Scotland's Brewdog, made the End of History beer that was packaged in a taxidermied rodent (pictured below), 55% alcohol by the way. Brasserie Dieu di Ciel, Canadian brewery that makes top notch beers, buried in the import section. Norway's Nogne o has proven that they can make craft beers in the American extreme style with much success. I'm not sure I would have ever picked up any of these beers if not for this book. I walk the aisles at total wine totally differently now.  

Diabolik (Mad Fox Brewing)

    Fall's Church Virginia, the little city, is really just the narrow section of route seven right before you get to seven corners. I have to hand in to you nova, you do a good job of hiding the projects, which I found while looking for parking. I have been to mad fox brewery three times since I have been working in the area. My first trip was purely out of curiosity and for a growler. I was without huge box truck and had to check things out. I was blown away how nice the restaurant was. The bar has twelve centrally located taps, and six cask pumps. I ave heard that the food is uber gourmet, but jam waiting to make that weekend trip with friends to eat there.

    I have been told to get the orange whip, which hasn't been available. I have had an English barley wine, and the Belgian strong ale. Both beers have had a high gravity and been a bit on the sweet side. I made the mistake of trying to drink the 64oz growler by myself. From now on I will keep the 32oz growlers in my truck, and they do fit in my lunch bag for travel. I prefer to try the higher gravity selections from this brewery, and eventually I'll get my hands on that orange whip. If you happen in Allstate church, take lots of money and stop by. Remember to bring me back a growler fill. They have a website www.madfoxbrewing.com

Sixty-One (Dogfish Head Brewing)

    To back track 12 years or so, my curiosity about niche beers began as a gimmick. Good beer tuesday began as a tradition where we would have friends over and share our six packs. Everyone brought a six pack of something they have never had before. Craft beer back then was abita, rogue, georgia brown, newcastle, even the occasional killians. I was bar tending back then and beer was more a novelty, something we drank when we had too much liquor. Well with some craft beers being as strong as 8% they just didn't make the cut. I want to credit Dogfish Head as the first, Non-local, craft beer that I perused. Legend brown, was the first to make regular rotation.
    Dogfish stood out as doing crazy beers, and from the exposure that Sam Calagione received  I loved it. He was crazy, and rebellious. He is responsible for bringing brewing to his state. He was an exciting brewer, and entrepreneur. It now appears that his business and brewing has snow balled at an uncontrollable rate. He has exploded his distribution, and grown his brewery several times in the past 10 years. He has had such a hard time keeping up with production of his IPA's I can tell you several times the Richmond market hasn't had a drop of 60 minute. He also had a national T.V. show, brewmasters, that thrust his brands into the main stream. Did I mention he has a chain of pubs/restaurants?
    Well recently he has collaborated with Sierra Nevada to craft rhizing bines, which is an experimentally hopped IPA. I have not had this beer but was interested until I heard a little info on the 75 minute that came out about the same time. If you go to a Dogfish head brew pub, this beer is a blend of 60 minute and 90 minute. I am guessing that is geared for extremest who just enjoy bitterness. Flavor hops become muddled when over blended, so this beer seemed a bit like a cop out. Then we get 61 minute about a month later, oh lord.
    61 minute, also named and created with little to no imagination, is another blend. As the story goes, one night while drinking with friends, Sam poured a 60 minute into the remainder of his favorite red wine. Will this gimmick provide a new core beer? The first new year round since 2007? It appears so, but I am not buying it. A style known for bitterness from floral hops, wrestled to the ground my grape must? It is confusing and in poor judgement in my opinion. The must is pungent like a mustard seed, and needs some sweetness to tone it into the background. I'm sorry Sam, but grape/wine flavor would probably work better in a darker style.
    For me Dogfish head will remain on the radar, but I will remain ever critical of the choices they make in new beers. If you want to check in and see what is new head on over to www.dogfish.com

IPA 12pk Variety (Dark Horse Brewing)

    Dark Horse Brewing is the strongest brewery I have to play with in Northern Virginia. Customers became quickly educated to the sought after offerings like Scotty Karate, Crooked Tree and all of the before mentioned holiday stout series. I follow the brewery activity on Facebook and frequent their website looking for little nuggets to tease customers with for future opportunities. I was very happy to see this larger package for me to potentially sell. I emailed accordingly and the product was ordered. The rest is what I am still dealing with. I managed to buy this twelve pack and once upon a vine, and despite the 22$ price point I jumped right into this beer.

    The box includes single hopped IPAs that is each hop in crooked tree is the only hop used in each bottle. I began trying the Citra hopped first. The bottle appears to say ARTIC, which is the letters of Citra. There is a heavy earthy flavor, and the bitterness is very traceable. I started with the one that would prove to be my favorite. 

    I continued to try the other two, but really wished I had someone to share this experience with. It has become my new desire to share my beer discoveries with like minded people. It is a fun part of craft beer. I even have 5.5oz sharing glasses that allow me to split 12oz beers perfectly. I am really into sharing, and don't drink as much when doing so. I highly advise you to pick up, share and compare the subtle differences in these our beers. Always keep up with dark horse at www.darkhorsebrewery.com!

Peeper Ale (Maine Brewing Company)

    Maine beer company is a boring looking beer that my eye kept going to while working in northern Virginia. So as I decided to create a wish list of new things to try Maine made it to the top. Most of the beers they make are hoppy, and should be drank fresh. I have methodically taste tested all of their beers except for mean old Tom, which will probably be my favorite. Peeper was the freshest of their pale ale offerings. It had a very light mouth feel and a vegetable freshness in the finish. 

   Maine beer company is running with a common formula that is very earth aware. They also spend money on providing fresh quality ingredients, and no money on marketing. The beer is on the expensive side for a royal pint. I picked up three bottles in NoVa and found two more favors locally. 

   You will not find much on the website but it's still there www.mainebeercompany.com!

MaineBeerCo on Twitter

Daniel on Twitt

Basic Brewing Radio 4/4/13 (Podcast)

     In my attempts to further my beer education I have continued listening to stitcher radio to and from NoVa on almost a daily basis. I have started reading the episode summary because I have listened to a lot of bad pod casts. I have been subjected to an hour of moronic twenty somethings struggling to describe what they are drinking, while fighting each other with the frequent Star Wars or video game reference. Finally I landed on Basic Brewing Radio, which was a informative and eye opening program. The episode starts and the host, with the classic NPR voice, gives very little background and goes right into the recorded House of Representatives debate. Brace yourself . . .
    I will sound nearly as ignorant by not going back for transcripts of the program, or giving proper names for those that spoke. The fine representatives of the state of Alabama are as classic as the characters portrayed in Forrest Gump and the accents were dead on. The children they explained, who will keep this evil from the children. I should of prefaced that by saying that everyone that approached the mic first started by stating their religious affiliation and friendship with the speaker. It was quite clear that the representatives didn't understand that home brewers are not, to my knowledge, the same as backwoods moonshiners. I have never been exposed to the seedy underbelly of the home brew bottle share. In my mind, home brewers are beer enthusiast who simply want to make beer for themselves, and enjoy the tribulations of doing so. In recent months this hobby has been able to grow into spawning breweries.
     So in the state of Alabama you can buy beer and pay the state tax on it to fund this governing body. Lets not forget the lobbyist who are the second biggest contributors for most campaigning? Who is number one? The teachers unions who are protecting the old angry bags who are really ruining your child's potential. The issue kept getting confused as to who was going to regulate the quality of what was produced? It doesn't matter it is not to be sold, different law governing that all together. There was a bit of comedy relief when several local winos got a microphone and insisted on knowing who would be making this wine and where they could procure some.
    The biggest push for this law comes out of Madison county Alabama, where apparently there is some NASA offices nearby. It appears that these well paid scientist like to dabble in good beer on the weekend. This is clearly the gateway to Satan worship, and criminal enterprise. If you want a good drinking game, listen to the end of the podcast and take a drink every time the female representative says "at the end of the day". I grew to hate that phrase in about 2 minutes after listening to this podcast. The other would be to drink every time the word alcohol is mentioned. Why can't they just say brewing beer, that is what the bill is called, the home brewing bill.
    Alabama, don't be excited that you are the last state to legalize home brewing, be embarrassed. You need to have your eyes opened to the good folks that have started breweries out of this hobby. These are all things that this economy needs. We are not a country of well built affordable cars anymore. This maybe out new economical stronghold on today's global economy. Well check it out on your own, the debate runs about 40 minutes, and it is sad and funny for similar reasons.

http://www.basicbrewing.com/index.php?page=radio

Aleheads (Podcasts)

     Right when you think you have cornered all the avenues on keeping up with your hobbies and interest, podcasts! Damn you Dan Mazzio, between Facebook, blogs, websites, tasting room chatter, and beer apps I get plenty of info about the business I love. Since I started in nova just keeping up with what is hot week from week has gotten impossible, now I can kill time driving listening to almost anything via my iPhone. A good friend of mine recently started a podcast that's two guys having a good time talking about shit that makes them laugh. I have been tricked into getting into the banter, but a call in is impossible, it's recorded. Padric, of Dan & Padric, mentions he is into listening to podcasts, so with only 7 episodes so far, I wandered into the beer section. Imagine that!
    The first station I stumbled across was three guys who didn't seem to know anything about beer. In the first 5 minutes they hated on their boss and said fuck 1000 times, Tarantino style. The second selection that popped up was Aleheads, with an interview of Greg Koch, founder and CEO of stone brewing company. This year Greg released the enjoy by series, in which he discussed the importance of beer getting to the public in a timely fashion. Enjoy by is a series that is meant to be had fresh. If you see one out of date, and you drink it, that's not the fresh offering that stone intended. Like most brewers, Greg lays the blame on all that is evil in beer squarely on the distributor, nice guy. It's always the shit that rises to the top on that matter. As an employee of a distributor, I place the blame on the retailer. There needs to be more education, which needs to be a team effort between the supplier and distributor. If you are curious about what education I am referring to, comment below.
    Overall I can see hear hard it is to develop rhythm and voice doing radio. Engaging an audience constantly, and not talking yourself into dead ends. Greg Koch wouldn't shut up, but I will tune in to Aleheads again tomorrow AM. I found myself laughing, thinking how bored you have to be, or what you do to stumble into podcasts. I shall use it to break up trying to figure out what my pandora mood is and to avoid fm radio.

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