The Beer Tap

A few news nuggets

Good news on the beer hunting front.  I have found a solid supply of both craft and import beers just down the road from my house.  Finally!  After searching all of the grocery and liquor stores for miles, I think I finally have a place to source beers for my tastings.  Unfortunately they only sell multi-packs and they sell them at a hefty price.  Hmmmm.  To buy or not to buy?  That is the question.  My first visit I settled on buying.  If I find another place then I can change that decision in the future.  I have a couple other places to try based on recommendations from locals and Rate Beer.  Over all, I would say that Florida appears to be under developed as a craft market by about 4 years by my estimate.  Yes, I can find Sam Adams Boston Lager and a few other fuller flavored beers in a grocery, but the depth and choice is lower than what I have become accustomed to in Houston, LA and Milwaukee.  Luckily Bell's and Flying Dog have recently entered the market so I think things will begin to improve some.  Still a lot that I would like to see added though!  Here is what I picked up this past week and will taste as I have time: Dogfish World Wide Stout, Brooklyn Local 1, and Sam Adams Imperial Pilsner.  The Imperial Pilsner intrigued me because it is a single hop (Hallertau) beer which is always a great study on the bitterness, flavor, and aromas that can be coaxed from that particular variety.  The Pilsner also is a relatively mild base compared to a single hop IPA so the hops should be the star of the show.

Speaking of Sam Adams...anyone read about their cease and desist letter for the guy running for Mayor in Oregon?  Talk about bad PR!  I think this certainly qualifies as "Ready, Fire, Aim!"  Good luck to the lawyer who has to explain to Jim Koch why people are boycotting his beer.

In totally unrelated news, Ian Lendler of Mental Floss compiled a couple of alcohol related stories that I found humorous.  The story was picked up by CNN.  If you are in need of a distraction or a laugh, be sure to check it out.  Drinking Stories That Put Yours to Shame

Bison Farmhouse Ale

While surveying local beer stores on Saturday, I ran into a number of selections from Bison Brewing at a place just around the corner from my new apartment.  Last year at the GABF, a favorite among my friends was an "Organic Belgian" by Bison (or at least that is the title of the beer I wrote down).  My notes also mention that it was light and refreshing and had a nice biscuit flavor on top of the typical Belgian-style flavors.  Of course my notes weren't with me and I could only remember Bison and Belgian at the beer store.  So I grabbed a bottle of their 2007 Brewer's Reserve Farmhouse Ale hoping that this was the same beer.  After reviewing their website, I cannot be sure that this was the beer but it did win a Gold medal in 2006.  All I can do is taste it and see if I notice some of the same characteristics I noted.  Problem is my notes aren't exactly detailed so it might be a stretch.  Oh well...time to drink it and enjoy even if it isn't what I thought it might be.

Description of the beer from the website: "In the past era, hard working rural 'Saisonniers' consumed 5 liters per day of this style beer. We re-created it for today's modern worker using Belgian yeasts and sour mashing for a refreshing spiciness and acidity to enliven your palate. Bottle conditioning leaves some sediment, so decant by slowly pouring into a wide mouth glass."

• Appearance: Cloudy, a very lively gold color, sediment in the bottle and in the glass, creamy head built up on pouring but faded relatively quickly leaving on a small white ring around the inside edge of the glass
• Aroma: Spicy, slightly sweet, orange and another fruit that is hard to place, coriander, maybe a little clove, also some sourness and must but at good levels
• Taste: Begins with mild sweetness that quickly gives way to the spices and a dry, tart finish with the spices lingering; Easy drinking with most of the flavor up front but not overpowering; Well carbonated

After tasting the beer, I am sure this is not what I sampled at GABF last year.  There wasn't even a hint of biscuit or toasted flavors.  However, I was not disappointed that I got the wrong beer.  A tart beer on the mild side that I found refreshing and not overpowering.  A good way to end a long day of unpacking boxes in a city that is still hot and humid.  (Tasting completed on Saturday with the post just getting up today)

Thoughts on GABF Winners

Over the weekend, I finally had the time to print out and ponder all of the winners from last weeks GABF.  I saw a few familiar names, but mostly lots that falls into the category of "Never even heard of".  Let's start with the familiar...

In the Wood- and Barrel-Aged Sour Beers category, Temptation by Russian River took the Silver.  They also picked up another Silver for Blind Pig in the American-Style India Pale Ale category.  Russian River is a brewery that you can trust to put out very enjoyable beers and I certainly missing having access to them now that I am no longer on the West coast. 

The brewery that helped "raise" me in my craft beer drinking ways, St Arnold, won Gold in the German Style Kolsch category with their Fancy Lawnmower beer.  In the hot Texas summers, an easy drinking beer is a must.  Luckily they approach easy drinking without sacrificing taste!

Moylan's Brewing took Gold and Silver in the Imperial or Double IPA category for Hopsickle and Moylander respectively.  My first Moylan's experience came years ago on a trip to San Fran for New Years with Kilt Lifter.  A malty Scotch Ale that I always add to the cart when I see it!

Other winners I enjoy: Hog Heaven by Avery (Silver in Imperial or Double Red); Big Bear by Bear Republic (Silver in American-style Stout); Alaskan Smoked Porter 2004 (Bronze in Aged Beer); Four by Allagash (Bronze in Belgian-Style Abbey Ale); Double Cream Stout by Bells (Gold in Sweet Stout) which I have a clone recipe for and love to brew!

And of course the larger brew pubs also had a good showing with various locations of Gordon Biersch, Rock Bottom, and BJ's all taking home a medal.  Its great to see that they encourage the development of new recipes and experimentation even in these more corporate chains.  However, something tells me if they tried to keep the brewers down, there might be a revolt!

The award for complete domination of a category goes to Miller in the American Style Specialty Lager with Icehouse, Mickey's Ice, and Mickey's Malt Liquor winning all of the medals.  With 16 total entrants, I am wondering who else entered outside of the big three. 

So what about the less familiar?  To be honest way more than I'd like to admit fall into this category.  On a positive note...that means there are many more great beers to taste.  Places to seek out when I travel.  One has to have goals in life and it looks like trying to taste every beer made in the US is going to keep me busy!

Also, I found it interesting to discover how many categories there are: 75.  Since I have been digging into the world of finer American beers, there have always been a large number of style categories.  It feels like the list only continues to grow each year.  In no way is that a complaint!  Merely an observation.  Innovation in the brewing world has driven some of that increase.  Look at Barrel-Aged for example.  It was normal practice to store beer in barrels back before stainless kegs, but many of those were coated with pitch and not exposed to the wood.  Now beer is being fermented and stored in barrels after being used in the production of liquor and wine.  And some of those beers are normal alcohol level, strong, or sour leading to three categories just for the use of wood.  The strong ale category was popular as well with 72 total entrants.

The most entered category should be no surprise with 120 in American-style IPA.  Other popular categories among brewers include American-style Strong Pale Ale at 91 entrants, Double IPA and Red near 70, and American-style Pale Ale at 68.  Hops and higher alcohol are always a good direction for me.

Most important observation from studying the list of winners...going to the GABF is the better way to go.  I'll see you in Denver next Fall!

Great American Beer Festival Results

The Great American Beer Festival was last weekend in Denver and the medal results have been posted.  I haven't had a chance to dig through them yet, but plan to this weekend.  If I can find a really good beer store, it might just turn into a shopping list!  Life has settled down a little bit since the move and I should have some free time to beer hunt.

For now, check out this PDF if you just can't wait.

Miller Coors and Distribution

A very big announcement in the beer world today!  SAB Miller and Molson Coors have created a new joint venture to produce, market and sell their brands here in the US.  The deal helps the two companies gain scale while delivering an estimated $500 million dollars in annual savings according to the press release.  They will produce a combine 69 million BBLs which still trails A-B and their US sales of over 100 million BBLs.  I do not usually report too much news on the larger brewers, but I think that this could have an effect on the craft and micros of the brewing world. 

Part of the rationale behind completing the deal is the desire to improve distributor relations and generate efficiencies in distributor operations.  As it is now, a good number of distributors carry both Miller and Coors products while most A-B distributors are exclusive.  With two of the big three in the same house, Miller and Coors end up competing for distributor attention and resources.  If the deal closes, the new Miller Coors will contribute a large portion of the profitability to a distributor.  Add in the fact that a few of these distributors also carry Heineken, Sam Adams and some Mexican imports and its starting to get crowded.  Yes, all of these brands were there before, but on average none of them was the completely dominant player.  With one big supplier and several other important brands needing attention, what happens to a small volume craft or micro?  Will they still be able to get the support they need?  As long as the craft category continues to grow at over 10%, I think that there will be room for these brands.  Some have even established themselves as a solid player in a number of markets.  However, what happens when the category slows down?  While I think that overall craft/micros are here to stay, the growth we are currently witnessing is probably not sustainable.  Just recently, the Wall Street Journal reported on increased hop and malt costs that are having a greater impact on the craft segment.  Using more hops per barrel means a greater effect on costs.  Avoiding corn and rice in favor of using all malt also means that rising malt costs hurt the small guy as well.  The smaller breweries cannot afford to eat these increased costs because their margins are not huge to begin with.  Their only real option is to pass on the increased costs through price increases which may stall some of the growth. 

So how will all of this shake out?  I think that only time will tell.  It will be interesting to see how growing brands weather the change.  Will they be able to find new distributors to take their product into new states and regions?  I certainly hope so!  I for one enjoy added variety even if it does mean paying a little more.  I rarely let price stop me in the beer isle because I place great value on enjoying a full flavored, hop filled, malt loaded beer.        

Another key thing to note is that each distributor is ultimately their own business.  Brewers do not have the ability to force changes or limit the brands they carry unless they have agreed to limits as part of their operating agreement with a brewer (typical for A-B).  Most of the time, a brewer's and a distributor's interest aligns so suggestions from a brewer are taken into careful consideration by a distributor.  However, in the end they need to do what is right for their business and portfolio to ensure long term profitability and success.  The rationale may exist for certain houses to aggressively pursue new brands as part of their overall strategy, while not in others.  Especially with an increased reliance on a single supplier (OK...bad joke here but I can't help it.  Porter's 5 forces in action!  See also Porter if you need help with the pun.)

Should be an interesting year to see what changes do take place.  My comments are certainly at the aggregate level and generalizations.  Each market and distributor will shake out in their own way with a number of overarching trends describing the change.  I'll be sure to report back if I hear of any developments.

In the meantime...pop the top off of your favorite beer.  I'm headed to open a Lagunitas IPA right now.

Change is a brewin'

Everything over time evolves and changes.  I've been blogging here for a year now for a variety of reasons and find myself at a fork in the road.  Over the last few days in my new job, I've come to realize that I am going to be much busier than in the past.  In fact I even thought at one point I would have to discontinue The Beer Tap.  As I was pondering how I should proceed, I had a bit of an epiphany.  Right now I am waiting for all of my stuff to arrive on Friday so I am currently living in an apartment with nothing but a couple of suitcases and an inflatable mattress.  During the evenings, I have been entertaining myself via the internet thanks to a gracious neighbor who is "sharing" their wireless.  I have also decided that a good activity would be to try and determine where the best beer stores and beer bars are in the Tampa area.  Hey...I need to know if I am going to have to make trips to fully stock up or can I swing past a local place when the mood strikes.  A fridge without a selection of beers is sad and quite frankly unacceptable in my house.  Tonight as I drove around from store to store, I realized that I am going to put the effort into finding new beers, visiting breweries, going on tours, and occasionally brewing even if I was going to stop blogging.  There really is no reason why I can't put together some posts on those adventures.  Time to step up and live the full beer life!  For the most part, the blog has evolved into a recording of my adventures in beer anyways.  Every so often I throw in some education or opinion pieces, but those are the minority.

So dry those eyes and stop your crying...The Beer Tap will live on!  In fact...I picked up a 4 pack of beers for my first local micro-brew tasting.  Headed to open one right now. 

The first beer in my new apartment is Pipers Pale Ale from Dunedin Brewery.  I had heard of the brewery before and the guy at the store recommended it.  Seemed a good enough reason to purchase a 4 pack.  First lesson in Tampa...don't listen to the people at that store!  The beer opened with a very loud hiss and release foreshadowing the trouble that would follow.  Pouring the beer slowly into a glass at an angle led to an eruption of foam and over flow.  I think I lost a good portion of the 16 oz bottle trying to get something drinkable into the cup.  The aroma was spicy with hints of roasted grain, but the flavors were not as pleasant with a metallic taste/sensation burying everything else.  My first thought was that this bottle had an infection or had been bottle carbonated and over primed.  When I checked out other tasting notes on Rate Beer, I found that others had similar experiences with this brew.  I think I understand what they were trying to accomplish with the beer, yet the execution in my opinion came up short by a good bit.  A disappointing start for the new place, but I am sure I will be able to find better this weekend!