The Beer Tap

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!

Stone 11th Anniversary

The email just came out today announcing the Stone Brewing 11th Anniversary celebration.  I went last year for their 10th and had a great time.  Lots of breweries on hand and it looks like this year won't be any different.  If you are in SoCal, you need to go.  Don't live there?  Now you have a reason to visit!

Date: Saturday September 8th

Session #1: 11AM - 2 PM

Session #2:  2:45 - 5:45 PM

Cost: $30 for charity

More details can be found on their website.

Dogfish Head: Anything Goes

Two weeks ago at the GABF, I got to spend a good bit of time at the Dogfish Head Brewery table.  Since I was living on the west coast for two years, my access to their full portfolio of beers was limited but I knew they made some very unique brews and were bringing some of their pub only exclusives.  Actually...unique doesn't even come close to describing the beers they make.  Dogfish may be the most innovative brewer in all of the US.  All style guidelines and "rules" get thrown out the window when they create a new beer.  Here are a few of the beers I tried that weekend: 

90 Minute IPA (9% ABV, 90 IBU) Served through "Randal the Enamel Animal" (pictured on the right).  This device is a filter housing packed with a half a pound of whole leafhops and is added to a beer line leaving a keg.  90 Minute is an Imperial IPA, which means its much stronger than your standard IPA in terms of alcohol, hops, and malt.  A beer like this has to have a great malt backbone to stand up to the extreme hopping rate or else the beer would be poorly balanced.  The alcohol in this beer dissolves out the oils from the whole hops in the cylinder adding to the bitterness and hop aroma.  The 90 Minute IPA is a great beer on its own, but the addition of hops right before the glass added a new element of freshness.  Their website says it all...This device "induces the most pungent and glorious fresh hop experience known to man."

Red & White (12% ABV) This is what you get when you take a Belgian Wit (with a lot more alcohol than you would normally see in the style) and put it into French Oak pinot noir barrels for 2 months.

Black & Blue (12% ABV)  According their website, this is a golden Belgian Ale made with over 300 lbs of fresh blackberries and blueberries.  A good combination of flavors: fruit, tart, and Belgian yeast flavors.  The berry flavor was wonderful and one of the best I think I have had.  You can tell that they jammed this beer full of fruit during fermentation!

Festina Lente (7% ABV)  This beer won a bronze medal at the GABF and was another "off-centered" creation.  Much like a normal lambic beer, it is created in a tag team effort using yeast and bacteria which gives the beer a sour flavor.  Festina is then aged on oak chips and 400 pounds of Delaware peaches.  This one really made me pucker!  A bit sour for my tastes, but worth trying if you get a chance.

Liquor de Malt (?% ABV) As you may have guessed, this is malt liquor and like many American beers uses corn as a major ingredient.  However, Dogfish takes a more craft approach and uses red, white, and blue corn.  The corn flavor is apparent immediately but not so overpowering as to make you think you are eating corn from a can.  Packaged in a 40 oz bottle with a logo bearing ghetto cooler. 

Not all of these beers are for everyone, but you can always count on big, bold flavors when drinking a Dogfish Head beer.  If their beer isn't available in your area, be sure to keep an eye out for it when you travel.  I promise its worth the extra effort! 

Sam Calagione, the Dogfish Head founder, pouring Festina at the GABF.

Born on Date: 1993

Last weekend at the GABF, I stopped by the Alaskan Brewing Co. booth because I am a big fan of their Smoked Porter and well…it was right at the entrance.  The beer is very subtle for a smoked beer and well liked by many beer drinkers across the US.  The company smokes some of the malt before brewing using alder wood which is also used to smoke salmon.  For those who have never tried a smoke beer, it probably sounds strange but, if done right it can be a great treat!

Once at their booth, I discovered that they were offering vintage beers as far back as 1993.  Yes…the beer I drank was 13 years old!  I also tried a 1996 and the 2006 again for comparison.  In case you did not know, not all beers go bad a couple of months after their “born on date”.  Many beers do need to be consumed sooner rather than later, but there are some types of beers that, like wine, can age for long periods of time and continue to drink well.

So what allows a beer to age for a long time and still be good?  First, a beer needs to be  handled well to ever have a chance at being good 1, 2, or 3 years down the road.  Alaskan Brewing Co. has kept all of their beer in a dark cooler in their warehouse for the entire 13 years.  Heat and sunlight are enemies to any beer and can cause off flavors.  Second, their beer contains ingredients that have been smoked.  Think about smoked meat and how much longer it lasts.  There is a preservative nature to smoking food.  Finally, their beer contains some yeast which helps to absorb any oxygen added to the bottle during packaging.  The yeast uses the oxygen in their normal reproduction cycle as they continue to live in the bottle.

Smoked beers are not the only ones that can age well. There are a few other styles that also age well.  Barley Wine and Imperial Stout both tend to age well over time.  Each of these beers contains a high level of alcohol, sometimes higher than 10% ABV.  Many enthusiasts will buy extra beer of these styles each year to stash in their fridge to try a year or two on down the road against current batches.

So what happens over time as the beers age?  Flavors mellow.  Hop aroma (if present) fades.  Smoke characteristics tend to be less assertive.  The change in flavor parallels the development of a good Cab that may be a little too tanic when released.  You buy the bottle, cellar it, and open it later.

Overall, I found the 1993 and the 1996 Smoked Porter to be very smooth and the smoke flavors to be very well balanced against the normal roasted grain flavors common to porters.  A wonderful surprise and I hope they continue the tradition next year!

GABF Photos

Here is a link to Flickr to check out my photos from the GABF.  More posts on what I saw and learned in the next few days.  I have a ton of stuff to post so keep checking back or sign up for RSS or email.  My move is finally done and I should have time all weekend.

www.flickr.com gt_ramblin's GABF 2006 photoset

Day Two at GABF

Saturday was another great day in Denver at the GABF.  The fetivities kicked off at 12:30 and people were lined up for blocks just to get in!  I began the day by taking some friends from Houston to some of my favorite west coast breweries.  This area also had the stage where medal winners were announced throughout the afternoon.  As winning beers were announced lines quickly formed as people rushed to try those beers.  Some of the highlights of the afternoon...a wood-aged version of Sierra Nevada Bigfoot, a passion fruit beer from Kona, drinking Utopias with Jim Koch (Sam Adams founder), eating at the Wynkoop Brew Pub in LoDo, and drinking one of the local beer bars dry ("Sorry but we are out of that also." was a common phrase!)

Here is a link to the winners.

More to come this week as the movers deliver my computer and I can dowload pictures and video from the festival.

Day One at GABF

I just got back to the hotel after the first day of the GABF and I have to say it was amazing!  Who knew that there were that many fans of great beer.  We tried every beer possible in a few hours and ended up at an after hours party at the Flying Dog brewery.   A good portion of my time was spent at Dogfish Head trying all of the beers they brought as the founder poured and drank with the crowd.  Overall....a great evening to start the festival.  Tomorrow I will spend the afternoon drinking with the brewers and the true fans.  Many pictures and reviews on beers to follow.  Today's beers brought about comments such as "Holy shit!" and "I think I am drinking whiskey!"  Time to call it a night as I am having trouble typing....   

The Great American Beer Festival

I apologize for the lack of posts lately, but I am in the process of moving and have not had as much time as I would like to blog.  I hope to make up for that over the next week...the Great American Beer Festival is this weekend in Denver, CO.  I will be making the trip to taste beer, meet brewers, discover new breweries, and report back to you.  I will post a message each day of the weekend with a quick rundown on the events and then follow up with detailed posts the next week. 

Stone 10th Anniversary

A quick break from Oktoberfest preparations…Over the weekend I drove down to the Stone Brewing Co. tenth anniversary celebration in Escondido, California.  They invited 38 other craft brewers to their new brewery location and threw a pretty good party.  I got to sample beer from 11 different breweries and all I had to do was donate $25 to charity.  A pretty good deal if you ask me!  Check out this link for details on the festivities and a list of every brewer that was there.

Here is what I sampled (Thanks to Victor and Kevin for helping me remember everything after the fact!)  Some of these were new to me and others are solid favorites I was sharing with friends.

Rogue – Hazelnut Brown Nectar

Marin Brewing Co. – IPA

Stone – 10^th Anniversary IPA

Russian River Brewing Co. – Blind Pig IPA

Craftsman – Black Smoked Lager

Dogfish Head – 60 Minute IPA

Pizza Port – Shark Attack

Ommegang – Abbey

Lagunitas – IPA

Avery – Imperial Oktoberfest

Stone – Smoked Porter

Besides all of the great beer, one thing really stuck out.  Stone drinkers really know their beer and breweries!  People lined up almost around the block for the Dogfish Head, a beer not even available in California.  Worth the wait, though.  Dogfish produces some very unique brews at the edge of “normal”.  In fact their motto is even “Off-centered ales for off-centered people”.  If you are on the East Coast or in the Midwest, you should make an effort to try some of their brews.  Not in that locale?  Then Stone and Avery can help provide a similar experience.  And to the best of my knowledge they are available on the West Coast, the Southwest, and a few other spots.  And be sure to pick up the Imperial Oktoberfest if want to really celebrate the next few weeks in style! 

Also be sure to check out Stone co-founder, Greg Koch's vBlog on the event.  I might even be featured plugging my blog once the footage of the event has been posted.

www.flickr.com

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History Of Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest begins in 12 days.  Here is some information on the history of the Munich celebration...

The first "Oktoberfest" took place on October 12^th 1810 to celebrate the marriage on that date of Crown Prince Ludwig (later King Ludwig I) and Princess Therese of Sachsen-Hildburghausen.  The general public was invited to share in his celebration which was not typical of this time.  At this time in history, nobles rarely associated themselves with the general public.  Recognizing this rare opportunity, 40,000 Bavarians attended the celebration in Munich on what is now called Theresienwiese (the Teresa Meadow).  Almost 200 years later, the celebration is still held at the same location.  Although major amounts of beer were consumed at the very first Oktoberfest, the event was initially built around a horse race and a state agricultural show that was added in 1811. The horse race is no longer a part of the celebration, however the agricultural show continues and the festival has added many carnival like activities.  

In the year 1813, the Oktoberfest was called off as Bavaria was involved in the Napoleonic war. In 1816, carnival booths made their first appearance and included main prizes such as silver, porcelain, and jewelry. In 1819, the town fathers of Munich took over the management of the festival to ensure that Oktoberfest was celebrated every year without exception. 

In later years Oktoberfest was lengthened and the start date was pushed earlier into Septemeber to take advantage of the good weather typical to Bavaria that time of the year. The high temperature in the first week of Oktoberfest often nears 85 degrees F which helps to stimulate the thirst of the visitors. Despite the change in dates, the last week of Oktoberfest still falls in October. 

Coming up next...details on the Oktoberfest beer style.