Archive for March, 2009

Shooting Creek Brewery Blog and News

We’ve been following the progress of Shooting Creek Farm Brewery for a while now. I am happy to report that they are finally in the production phase, and the first batches of the brewery’s Buffalo Brown and Rebel Ale have been sent to the distributor. The beer will be available on draft in the Blacksburg area very soon, if it has not started showing up already. Bottled beers should be on shelves soon too.

We won’t see Shooting Creek beers around here yet, so I’m looking for reports from you Floyd County folks. Let us know where you find the beer. Hopefully I’ll be able to track some down this Summer and try it out for myself.

Shooting Creek manager Jason Anderson has started a blog to let folks know what’s going on at the brewery. Visit pint sized ambitions to find out what the Shooting Creek team is up to.

Congratulations to Jason and Brett on reaching this milestone.

The Wine of Spring

Spring brings out the joyous, life-affirming beauty of German riesling. Or maybe it’s the other way around.

It’s Out With the Old and in With the New at Smuttynose

Portsmouth New Hampshire-based Smuttynose Brewing has officially retired their Portsmouth Lager after rumors of the beer’s demise had been swirling for nearly a year. The beer has been replaced in the Smuttynose everyday line up with a new brew entitled, “Star Island Single”. According to David Yarrington, the Smuttynose Executive Brewer,

Several trains of thought converged in the decision process to arrive at this style.  Our first concern was accessibility.  We really wanted a beer that would appeal to a person just getting into craft beer as well our loyal customers looking for a lighter style.  With so much emphasis on Extreme Beers there has been a growing undercurrent of desire for what we like to call session beers.  Star Island Single is our offering into this realm.  The beer itself is our take on a Belgian style single ale brewing to around 5% ABV with generous amounts of Honey Malt as well as Demerara sugar used to lighten the body.  The yeast is our house Belgian strain that adds subtle fruitiness that we’ve balanced with a dash of coriander.  As we’ve been drinking the trial batches we’ve become more and more exited about how this beer is turning out.  Hopefully you’ll  enjoy it as well.

It sounds to me like this new brew will still grab ‘hold of the remaining Smuttynose Lager fans, while pushing the envelope just enough to entice some of the fans of Smuttynose’s ballsier beers. Smuttynose owner Peter
Egelston goes on at length on his blog Smuttynose Tavern about the company’s choice to phase out and eventually completely retire the Portsmouth Lager. Egelston says,

After a slow launch in a down market, and encountering indifference from our local wholesalers and retailers, Portsmouth Lager never gained traction in the market. Cut out of the sets in the supermarket chains, where 80% of the beer is sold in New Hampshire, it became nearly impossible to find in our home state, except on draught at the Portsmouth Brewery, where it has been consistently one of our most popular offerings. People would discover it in a Variety Pack and write to us asking where they could buy it, and we’d shrug helplessly. So while all of our other brands were growing, Portsmouth Lager numbers remained static, buoyed up artificially by the significant volumes that were served at the Portsmouth Brewery and placed in Variety Packs. And the warm embrace we anticipated from Portsmouth’s bars and restaurants never happened; most of them remained perfectly content to offer up Boston Lager as their local beer.

For more of Peter’s thoughts on the elimination of Portsmouth Lager and the introduction of the Star Island Single, read his original Smuttynose Tavern piece on the subject here. And keep your eyes on your favorite Packie’s shelves; Star Island Single should be there any day now. Cheers.

It’s Out With the Old and in With the New at Smuttynose

Portsmouth New Hampshire-based Smuttynose Brewing has officially retired their Portsmouth Lager after rumors of the beer’s demise had been swirling for nearly a year. The beer has been replaced in the Smuttynose everyday line up with a new brew entitled, “Star Island Single”. According to David Yarrington, the Smuttynose Executive Brewer,

Several trains of thought converged in the decision process to arrive at this style.  Our first concern was accessibility.  We really wanted a beer that would appeal to a person just getting into craft beer as well our loyal customers looking for a lighter style.  With so much emphasis on Extreme Beers there has been a growing undercurrent of desire for what we like to call session beers.  Star Island Single is our offering into this realm.  The beer itself is our take on a Belgian style single ale brewing to around 5% ABV with generous amounts of Honey Malt as well as Demerara sugar used to lighten the body.  The yeast is our house Belgian strain that adds subtle fruitiness that we’ve balanced with a dash of coriander.  As we’ve been drinking the trial batches we’ve become more and more exited about how this beer is turning out.  Hopefully you’ll  enjoy it as well.

It sounds to me like this new brew will still grab ‘hold of the remaining Smuttynose Lager fans, while pushing the envelope just enough to entice some of the fans of Smuttynose’s ballsier beers. Smuttynose owner Peter
Egelston goes on at length on his blog Smuttynose Tavern about the company’s choice to phase out and eventually completely retire the Portsmouth Lager. Egelston says,

After a slow launch in a down market, and encountering indifference from our local wholesalers and retailers, Portsmouth Lager never gained traction in the market. Cut out of the sets in the supermarket chains, where 80% of the beer is sold in New Hampshire, it became nearly impossible to find in our home state, except on draught at the Portsmouth Brewery, where it has been consistently one of our most popular offerings. People would discover it in a Variety Pack and write to us asking where they could buy it, and we’d shrug helplessly. So while all of our other brands were growing, Portsmouth Lager numbers remained static, buoyed up artificially by the significant volumes that were served at the Portsmouth Brewery and placed in Variety Packs. And the warm embrace we anticipated from Portsmouth’s bars and restaurants never happened; most of them remained perfectly content to offer up Boston Lager as their local beer.

For more of Peter’s thoughts on the elimination of Portsmouth Lager and the introduction of the Star Island Single, read his original Smuttynose Tavern piece on the subject here. And keep your eyes on your favorite Packie’s shelves; Star Island Single should be there any day now. Cheers.

No Chardonnay in Aisle 3

New York state lawmakers killed a plan to allow wine sales in grocery stores.

Beer Q&A at Kindling Spirits

If you’re a local, or a true road warrior, please join the Beer Philosopher at Kindling Spirits, Food and Florals from 5:30 – 7:30PM tonight for an informal beer Q&A session!

In addition to having all your questions answered (or at least an attempt at an answer!) about your favorite beer(s), we’ll be pouring some terrific samples from a few of craft beer’s finest. On the docket, I believe, is:

Ommegang Rare Vos, Bear Republic’s Hop Rod Rye and Hoppin’ Frog Silk Porter … how’s that for starters? If you haven’t tried any of these beers, it’ll be worth your while to stop in, say hi and enjoy a sample of some of the best, most flavorful craft beers available anywhere, much less Southern Illinois!

Knowing the hospitality that Kindling Spirits shows its customers, too, there will surely be some mouth-watering food samples to accompany the already mouth-watering beer samples! Food AND beer. Kind of a no-brainer, huh?

I hope to see you tonight! Please call (618) 985-2226 if you have additional questions or need directions to the store!

Cheers!

GABF Medals By State

Rick Lyke, who writes the self-titled blog “Lyke to Drink” posted an interesting analysis of Great American Beer Festival winners in the period from 1987 – 2007. The states of California, Colorado, Wisconsin, Oregon and Pennsylvania come out on top with the most awarded beers. Virginia ranks in the upper middle with 48 accumulated medals. Not too shabby if you ask me. Regionally, Maryland checks in with 33, North Carolina at 18, and Washington, DC with 2.

Rick points out that the most awarded beer is Alaskan Smoked Porter, with 6 Gold, 4 Silver, and 5 Bronze medals in the 20 year period. Anheuser-Busch holds top honors for the most awarded brewery. However, what is likely of more interest to readers of this blog are the top craft brewers. They are Rock Bottom Brewery, Alaskan Brewing, and Pizza Port / Port Brewing, who take fourth, fifth, and sixth places respectively, for total number of medals earned.

See Rick’s post GABF Medals: A Few States and Breweries Are Almost Sure Bets for more information and a larger, detailed map.

I missed this interesting article back in October when Rick posted it. I was directed to Rick’s analysis by a reference on Twitter to a post on Strange Maps. Hat tip Chris O’Donnell.

Southern Tier Beer Dinner at The Melting Pot

A few weeks ago I saw a newspaper ad for a beer dinner at The Melting Pot featuring beers from Southern Tier Brewing. I’ve never eaten at the Melting Pot, nor have I had the opportunity to try many Southern Tier beers. This looked like a good time to change both of those conditions, so last night my family headed over to the restaurant and partook of the meal.

As I said, we’ve never eaten at Melting Pot and didn’t know what to expect. We ordered an extra plate of food for our son, and our beer dinner began. There was no printed menu to tell us what we’d be eating, or even how many courses to expect, so we just went with the flow. All of the beers were poured from bottles. The first course featured Southern Tier Oak Aged Unearthly Imperial IPA. The beer was paired with a chipotle cheddar, bacon, and garlic dip with honey-wheat and french bread. The beer was also used in preparing the fondue. The Unearthly Imperial IPA was tasty and paired very well with the spicy fondue. The beer has a bitter hop finish that, by the end of the course, was somewhat masked by the chipotle flavor in the cheese.

The beer for the second course was described as “an unfiltered wheat with raspberry.” We didn’t see the bottle but I assume the beer was the aptly named Raspberry Wheat Beer. This was paired with a Strawberry Almond Vinaigrette salad. Neither Colleen nor I are big fans of fruit beers, and Colleen expressed some trepidation over this course. After our first sips of the beer we confirmed our feelings towards this style. However, once we started eating the salad we found the pairing worked quite well, and we enjoyed the beer very much. For my tastes, fruit beers cannot stand on their own, they must be enjoyed with a proper food partner.

Next up was the “main” course. This consisted of shrimp, pork, duck, and beef, along with a vegetable sides of potatoes and broccoli, and a pot-sticker. These were all to be cooked in a vegetable broth fondue. A large assortment of sauces were also served for flavoring the meats. The beer for this course was Big Red Imperial Red Ale. Our son’s platter arrived at this time as well and we all got down to the business of “cooking.” The big malt flavor of the beer is balanced by the bitter Hallertau hops, and was a fine match for the assorted meats. Neither food flavor nor beer overpowered the other.

The final course of the evening featured Jah*va Imperial Coffee Stout. This beer is made with Jamaican coffee and chocolate malt. The beer was paired with an assorted dessert tray consisting of strawberries, brownies, bananas, chocolate covered marshmallows, rice krispie treats, and cheesecake. The accompanying fondue dip was comprised of melted chocolate and Kahlúa. This was accompanied by flaming brandy during the preparation. The Jah*va Stout was robust with strong espresso and chocolate flavors and could be described as “chewy”. By this point in the meal we were all feeling quite stuffed and slowly picked at the desserts.

This was a bold beer dinner for The Melting Pot to put on. Three of the four beers served were high in alcohol. The ABV ratings of the beers, in order served, were 11.0%, 4.5%, 9.5%, and 12.0%. And these weren’t 2 ounce samples either! As much as it pained me, I chose to not empty my glass with each course, except for the Big Red Imperial Ale. The dinner was not a group event, but served individually to diners as they arrived. Each course was introduced by a description of the beer to be enjoyed. The service was prompt and efficient. It would have preferable to have had some printed information available on what foods and beers to expect. Perhaps the bottles could have left on the table for reference as well.

In addition to trying out some new beers, we all enjoyed the fondue experience. We left the restaurant feeling very full after a tasty and fun meal. I understand that The Melting Pot holds regular events such as this. I did sign up for their mailing list so I should be hearing about future happenings. I expect we’ll go back for another. I realized after we left that I never looked at the standard menu, so I don’t know what sort of beers The Melting Pot usually has on hand. Does anyone know? I guess I could make a return visit, purely for research purposes.

Mobile phone photos of the dinner here.

It’s Time to Open That Special Bottle of Beer

The Wall Street Journal reports that February 28 was the 10th annual Open That Bottle Night. Dreamed up by WSJ wine writers Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher in 2000, OTBN takes place on one weekend in February each year. Enthusiasts finally break out that bottle of wine they’ve been saving for a special occasion, but never got around to actually opening. OTBN gatherings are held in restaurants and private homes around the world. Friends and families gather to share a special occasion that otherwise might not ever happen.

Reading the accounts in the Wall Street Journal article made me think about the special beers I’ve been saving, waiting to enjoy at just the right moment. How often do you pick up a bottle of beer, contemplate opening it, only to think, “I’ll save that for…” and set it back down? I know I’ve done that many times. But why? Beer is meant to be consumed. Sure, some of the bottle art is interesting, but nowhere near as enjoyable as the liquid inside.

Delay no more. Open that special bottle of beer. There will always be another special beer, for another special occasion. What beer are you saving for just the right moment? Drinking it will certainly bring more pleasure than just contemplating it.

There’s also a web site devoted to Open That (Wine) Bottle Night at openthatbottlenight.com.

Southern Tier Beer Dinner at The Melting Pot

A few weeks ago I saw a newspaper ad for a beer dinner at The Melting Pot featuring beers from Southern Tier Brewing. I’ve never eaten at the Melting Pot, nor have I had the opportunity to try many Southern Tier beers. This looked like a good time to change both of those conditions, so last night my family headed over to the restaurant and partook of the meal.

As I said, we’ve never eaten at Melting Pot and didn’t know what to expect. We ordered an extra plate of food for our son, and our beer dinner began. There was no printed menu to tell us what we’d be eating, or even how many courses to expect, so we just went with the flow. All of the beers were poured from bottles. The first course featured Southern Tier Oak Aged Unearthly Imperial IPA. The beer was paired with a chipotle cheddar, bacon, and garlic dip with honey-wheat and french bread. The beer was also used in preparing the fondue. The Unearthly Imperial IPA was tasty and paired very well with the spicy fondue. The beer has a bitter hop finish that, by the end of the course, was somewhat masked by the chipotle flavor in the cheese.

The beer for the second course was described as “an unfiltered wheat with raspberry.” We didn’t see the bottle but I assume the beer was the aptly named Raspberry Wheat Beer. This was paired with a Strawberry Almond Vinaigrette salad. Neither Colleen nor I are big fans of fruit beers, and Colleen expressed some trepidation over this course. After our first sips of the beer we confirmed our feelings towards this style. However, once we started eating the salad we found the pairing worked quite well, and we enjoyed the beer very much. For my tastes, fruit beers cannot stand on their own, they must be enjoyed with a proper food partner.

Next up was the “main” course. This consisted of shrimp, pork, duck, and beef, along with a vegetable sides of potatoes and broccoli, and a pot-sticker. These were all to be cooked in a vegetable broth fondue. A large assortment of sauces were also served for flavoring the meats. The beer for this course was Big Red Imperial Red Ale. Our son’s platter arrived at this time as well and we all got down to the business of “cooking.” The big malt flavor of the beer is balanced by the bitter Hallertau hops, and was a fine match for the assorted meats. Neither food flavor nor beer overpowered the other.

The final course of the evening featured Jah*va Imperial Coffee Stout. This beer is made with Jamaican coffee and chocolate malt. The beer was paired with an assorted dessert tray consisting of strawberries, brownies, bananas, chocolate covered marshmallows, rice krispie treats, and cheesecake. The accompanying fondue dip was comprised of melted chocolate and Kahlúa. This was accompanied by flaming brandy during the preparation. The Jah*va Stout was robust with strong espresso and chocolate flavors and could be described as “chewy”. By this point in the meal we were all feeling quite stuffed and slowly picked at the desserts.

This was a bold beer dinner for The Melting Pot to put on. Three of the four beers served were high in alcohol. The ABV ratings of the beers, in order served, were 11.0%, 4.5%, 9.5%, and 12.0%. And these weren’t 2 ounce samples either! As much as it pained me, I chose to not empty my glass with each course, except for the Big Red Imperial Ale. The dinner was not a group event, but served individually to diners as they arrived. Each course was introduced by a description of the beer to be enjoyed. The service was prompt and efficient. It would have preferable to have had some printed information available on what foods and beers to expect. Perhaps the bottles could have left on the table for reference as well.

In addition to trying out some new beers, we all enjoyed the fondue experience. We left the restaurant feeling very full after a tasty and fun meal. I understand that The Melting Pot holds regular events such as this. I did sign up for their mailing list so I should be hearing about future happenings. I expect we’ll go back for another. I realized after we left that I never looked at the standard menu, so I don’t know what sort of beers The Melting Pot usually has on hand. Does anyone know? I guess I could make a return visit, purely for research purposes.

Mobile phone photos of the dinner here.