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

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.

Sad News in the World of Beer

Yesterday morning I learned of the passing of Michael Jackson, one of the world's foremost experts on beer.  I never had the pleasure of meeting Jackson, but did rely upon his writings and books in my quest to find new beers for tastings.  My closest encounter was at the GABF last Fall as many of the attendees descended upon the same bar after the Saturday evening tasting session.  When he entered the bar, everyone noticed and a few even raised their glass in recognition.  He will certainly be missed but his work and effort elevating beer will definitely live on.  Here is the official AP press release.  Beer Advocate also put together a post that includes links to other blogs and beer related sites where people are honoring or memorializing Jackson.

A national toast is being planned for September 30th in honor of the "Beer Hunter" and famed writer with details to follow on Jackson's website.  A very fitting way to honor a man who contributed so much to the beer community.

"The Device"

This is a classic example of having too much time and money on your hands.  Or maybe just being a gadget kind of person.  John Carnett, a staff photographer at PopSci, has built an all-in-one beer making and serving device.  It allows you to brew, ferment, store and serve all on one easy mounted skid.  Not exactly how I would go about spending money on brewing equipment, though.  I would compare this to a bread making machine...functional but lacking in the fun department.  Too much automation and its hard to claim "hand crafted" any more.  (Note: I am hardly one to talk about spending money on brewing equipment, so I won't knock them too much in that department.  I just think it would be more beneficial to buy something like a kegerator.  The beer keeps much longer when stored cold and not in room temperature kegs!)  Total bill for the project?  $4,315.  Yep...that's a decent chunk of change.  But as MasterCard would say...somethings are "priceless".

There is also a You Tube video out there, but I did not want to embed a link.  The details on the brewing process are presented in a manner that I think could lead to confusion.  Watch it at your own risk!  I found the story over at gizmodo.com through a Google search.  Thanks to Matthew Sparkes for posting the story.

Beer News Round Up

I'm headed out on the road for work for the next couple of days so here's a number of news items to report from the last week or two to keep you busy.

Sierra Nevada has taken their annual Anniversary Ale out to the masses.  In the past, it was only available at the brewery.  Since demand for the beer was pretty high (people road tripping to Chico!) they decided to bottle the seasonal and make it available at retail.  I am not going to do a full tasting write up, but I will give it a thumbs up.  If you like their signature Pale Ale, you will most likely enjoy this IPA.  It has that signature Sierra Nevada flavor but is a little higher on the IBU count.  Anniversary Ale is brewed with the same hop varieties as the Pale Ale and adds Munich malt to the recipe.  The final gravity of the IPA is also higher leading to a little more sweetness.

According to the Brewers Association, craft brews continue to grow.  In fact, volume is up +11% over last year and most of the US beer industry growth is coming from craft.  From their press release:

"Overall, the U.S. beer industry sold one million more barrels in the first half of 2007 compared to 2006, with 400,000 of these new barrels produced by craft breweries. This equates to 3.768 million barrels of craft beer sold in the first two quarters of 2007 compared to 3.368 million barrels sold in the first half of 2006."

Beer is also making headlines in the Wall Street Journal for a new trend to explore techniques and ingredients more common to wine (Here's the link to the story).  In fact the author goes so far as to call it "winey beer".  I'm not so sure I like the term since it makes it seem like brewers are merely trying to copy or become wine.  I would also argue that the large format bottles and pricing are not so much an attempt to mimic wine.  First, these beers are higher in alcohol which means that a larger amount of malt or sugar is required.  That adds to the cost and thus increases the price a brewer must charge to make money.  Second, these beers tend to be more labor intensive and take time to produce.  If you put beer into a barrel and have to wait for it to age or to complete a wild fermentation, you have money tied up in that product.  There has to be some sort of return to the brewer for all of this extra cost and effort.  With that in mind, its still worth a read.  Just realize that the author isn't necessarily an expert on beer and the industry.  Jay Brooks over at Brookston Beer Bulletin put together a more detailed response to the article that includes a few points I missed.  Definitely check out his post as well if you venture over to the WSJ.  As always, he puts together a passionate piece with great points.   

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.

$500,000 for a bottle of beer

I was surfing yesterday and found this article about an eBay auction for an old bottle of beer.  The final price...$503,300.  The beer was supposedly brewed by Allsopp's Brewery (one of the first to brew IPA) in 1852 and still contains the original beer.  Of course now that the auction is complete, there have been a few questions about whether or not the beer is actually that old.  Between you and me...I don't care how good or how old a beer is.  I am never going to plunk down half a million dollars for it.  For that much money, I could buy 18,000 cases of micro at $6.99 a six pack.  That's a lot of beer!

Check out the original article by Geoff Kaiser over at Seattlest.com: $500,000 for 1 Bottle of Beer?

Lower legal drinking age?

On Sunday morning, I was reading the paper and was rummaging through the ads.  Every week this inner part of the paper also contains Parade magazine.  Usually I toss this into the "already finished" pile without even a cursory flip through its pages.  However, this week I was persuaded to dig in by the cover story: "What to do about underage drinking: Some experts think we're handling a serious problem all wrong"  I grew up in a family that would probably be considered a little more progressive when it came to alcohol so I was interested to see what the experts had in mind.

In summary, the article argues that if a person is old enough to drive, vote, die in a war, serve on a jury, and be held accountable as an adult that maybe they should also be allowed to drink at a younger age.  That by lowering the drinking age, they could remove some of the appeal for those under age to consume alcohol.  In essence, not being able to drink drives some of the desire and helps lead to binge drinking behind closed doors and in remote locations.  Without proper education and social experience drinking alcohol with older adults, the young adults are developing different drinking habits than those of past generations and that often includes binging or other unhealthy behaviors.  The article does provide a response from the CEO of MADD and of course they are completely opposed to any lowering of the age.  Since the age has been increased, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 25,000 fewer Americans have died because of the change.

While the article lacks a really in depth look at the issue, it does raise an interesting point as far as I am concerned: young adults should be taught how to drink responsibly.  Growing up, drinking wine on special occasions was a normal occurrence in my family.  In fact, I think I had my first glass of wine at a holiday dinner when I was about 14 or 15.  I asked and my parents surprisingly said yes I could try some.  I did and of course I didn't like it.  Did my parents know I wouldn't like it and they just used this to trick me?  I can't honestly say, but I think more than anything they were trying to show how an alcoholic beverage can be enjoyed responsibly in the right environment.  There were several other times in the following years where I again tried whatever was being served.  It was an infrequent occurrence, but I think enough to keep me from seeking out ways to "get drunk" during high school.  I also remember numerous conversations about being responsible and not getting behind the wheel if I ever did drink with friends.  As I went off to college, they also warned me about partying too much but were realistic that I was going to probably drink beer before I reached 21.  They were right...I did.  But I think that I never pushed it to the extremes that I saw among some of my peers.  Yeah, I over consumed on occasion, but I also think that it helped me better learn my boundaries and understand the full effects of alcohol on my body.  Maybe I should have even tried a 6 pack before ever leaving home just to understand what that feels like.   

Ultimately I think that it is up to parents to shoulder the responsibility of teaching what they believe to be appropriate drinking behavior.  Some people object to drinking because of religious reasons, so they may choose to teach total abstinence.  That's their choice and I can respect that (although knowledge of how good an IPA tastes makes it difficult to think of going without!).  When I do eventually have kids, I think I will follow my parents lead of demonstrating the proper manner and place for consuming alcohol.  As a beer lover and home brewer, there will always be beer around.  I am hoping that I can pass on my ideas about enjoying a quality pint of beer for its taste and not simply the effects of the alcohol it contains.    

The online version of the Parade story also contains a poll where readers can vote whether or not the age should be lowered.  As I type this post, 51% have voted "No" with a total of 9,635 people participating.  Hardly a true representation of the total population, but it does possibly support further discussions on the topic.  In my opinion, the age will never roll back because its a politically loaded issue.  Who would go on record supporting such a change and risk the guaranteed attacks sure to follow?

So what are your thoughts?  Should the age be lowered?