Local goes Global

According to the Chicago Sun-Times President Obama paid off a soccer bet with British Prime Minister Cameron with 312 Wheat from Chicago's Goose Island.

While I applaud the President for choosing a smaller craft brewery for his payment of choice, I think his choice of beer could have been better. Goose Island makes some good beers, but 312 is not one of them. Perhaps Matilda next time?

Beer of the Week

There's something about a pale, yet flavorful ale, heavy on the hops, that is the perfect crisp smack off the lips on a summer evening. Stone IPA fits the bill, and is our BOTW.

Founded in 1996, the Econdido, CA based brewery has grown from 400 barrels to 98,500 barrels in just 13 short years. Stone's IPA was released shortly after the brewery opened, in 1997.

The beer is a rich golden color, perhaps a little lighter than some other IPAs. The nose is all hops: a mix of Columbus, Chinook, and Centennial. You can really tell this brew was dry-hopped.

The taste reflects the smell: strong hop flavor, as well as bitterness. There is just enough biscuit and grain tasting malts to balance this one out. The beer finishes clean and crisp, leaving a little hop flavor and fruitiness on the tongue.

This is an IPA's IPA: big, bold, and bitter. If you're just getting into hoppy beers, you might want to try a few others first. Not only is this a West Coast hop bomb in terms of aroma and bitterness, it also tops out at 6.9% ABV. Not for the faint of heart.

That said, it truly is a clean and crisp beer. Perfect for patio sipping and savoring on a warm summer evening.

Pack It In

It's summer in the upper-Midwest, and for those of you like me, you want to seize this precious 6 weeks and cram in as much outdoors time as possible.

When it comes to "drive-in" camping, one doesn't have to put much thought into what beer to bring: if it fits in the cooler, it works. When it comes to day-hikes, backpacking, or boating, however, one has to plan a little better.

With hiking, beyond the obvious concern of weight going in (glass is heavier than cans), you have to consider the weight coming out. With hiking or boating, you certainly don't want to leave your trash behind (or toss it in the lake), so whatever you "pack in" you'll have to "pack out." This again, suggests that canned beers are the preferable hiking beers. Finally, bottles break. You don't want broken glass in your pack or in your boat. Bottom line: start looking for cans.

Unfortunately, many, if not most craft beers fail to offer their wares in cans. Fortunately, there are some craft offerings that are both delicious and canned.

BEER ON THE BRAIN'S 2010 HIKING/BOATING BEER GUIDE:

1. Dale's Pale Ale - Oskar Blues (Colorado)

Oskar Blues was the pioneer in canning craft beer. Since 2002, Dale's Pale Ale, Oskar's signature ale, has been offered only in cans.

This American Pale Ale has a nice citrus/grapefruit hops nose and a slightly sweet bready malt body. It's bitter, with a clean hop finish that's perfect on a hot sunny day. Lots of flavor, but not too heavy.

2. Surly Cynic - Surly Brewing (Minnesota)

Surly is a staunch advocate of canned beer, choosing to release their entire line of award-winning craft brews in cans.

The Cynic is a Saison/Farmhouse style ale and pours a rich vibrant gold. You can smell some Belgian-style yeast notes as well as some coriander and spice. The beer has a medium body, smooth, with the perfect level of carbonation. Being Surly, there are a bit more hops in this one then you'll find in others of the same style. Great for a hot day. If you can find a better Saison in a can, well, if can find another Saison in a can, you'll be lucky.

3. Brew Free or Die IPA - 21st Amendment Brewery (California)

Although founded in 2000, 21st Amendment has only recently found its way out the Midwest. We're happy it made it out here. With a six hop punch in the nose, and a nice balanced malt back, their IPA is another solid offering from the Left Coast. Bonus for us flyover-land hikers and boaters? It comes in a can and is generally cheaper than the aforementioned beers.

Honorable Mentions:

Fat Tire - New Belgium Brewing (Colorado)

New Belgium's flagship is also available in a can. Surprisingly, should you take the time to pour one out, it tastes better out of the can, then out of the bottle! This is no coincidence. As Bon Appetit puts it, "New Belgium adds a slurry of active live yeast to its Fat Tire cans just before sealing to take up oxygen and prevent stale off-flavors. The result is a fresher, more complex beer. Think of it as a mini keg."

Hamm's Lager - Hamm's (Wisconsin)

It might be owned my MillerCoors now, but those of us in the "Land of Sky Blue Waters" still know that a Hamm's tastes great out on the canoe. Lest you think I'm succumbing to nostalgia and clever marketing, Hamm's won the gold for best American Lager at the Great American Beer Festival in 2007.

Back in the Sixer Again...

I've tried to resurrect this blog before, but hopefully with some new inspiration, this one will stick.

Beer of the Week

It's been a while since we went back to the "Old World" to find a beer of the week. This beer of the week is both Old World and Old School.

The Hacker-Pschorr brewery of Munich traces its legacy back almost 600 years, to 1417. Our beer of the week, Hacker-Pschorr's Anno 1417, takes its name from the year of the brewery's founding.

Anno 1417 is a Kellerbier, or Cellar Beer in English. The Kellerbier is common in Franconia, a region in northern Bavaria. Kellerbier has very little carbonation, due to the fact that the bung is not inserted tightly into the fermenting barrel, allowing the carbon dioxide to escape. Generally, the beer is then drank right out of the keg, with no filtration, giving the lager a cloudy appearance (Naturtrüb or "naturally cloudy" auf Deutsch) and a smooth yeasty taste.

A few Kellerbiers, also known as Zwickel Beers, are available in bottles, such as Hacker-Pschorr's and St. Georgenbraü.

Hacker's brew pours a light and cloudy amber, with a creamy off-white head. The brew smells of toasted malts and just a touch of hops.

The smooth and light mouthfeel is accentuated by the dryness of the malts, and the richness of the yeast. The hops are definitely present in balance, but do not overpower the malts. The beer finishes rich and earthy.

Although Kellerbiers may be hard to find at your local store, this Old World tradition is worth the hunt. Prost!

Links of Interest:

Hacker-Pschorr (Auf Deutsch!)

Beer of the Weekend - My Beer

With as much as I have to say about beer, I am inexperienced in the art and science of its creation. I merely sit on the sidelines, quaffing the rewards, throwing barbs and compliments towards people I don't even know. I am in essence, the equivalent of a theater critic, an armchair quarterback.

To broaden my both my figurative and literal palette, I decide it was time to make the jump into brewing myself.

I had inherited some brewing equipment from an old brewer, and bought some new pieces at my local homebrew store. I picked out some ingredients, enlisted the help of my fiance Amber, and my friend John, and off we went.

I had decided that my first attempt would be an American Style Amber Ale. It seemed that there was a lower probability of screwing that style up, and besides, Amber & I both love it.

We steeped some speciality grains in the mix for some flavor and color, but the base of the brew was from extract. Eventually I'd like to get to all grain brewing, but for now, I'm letting the pros do the mashing.


We used Cascade hops for the bittering, and IPA lovers, it smelled wonderful as soon as it hit the wort. It changed the color of the mix and released a citrus smell throughout the kitchen.

After letting the wort boil for an hour, it was time to cool it down and add the yeast. We used an immersion wort chiller and it worked like a charm. If you're an aspiring home brewer, I highly recommend the investment in this piece of equipment. I've heard that cooling in the sink or tub can take an hour; this took less than 15 minutes.

After that we added distilled water to make up for some lost in the boil, and sealed it up. I'm happy to report that it's bubbling away in the basement and smells delicious. I'll report back on the process as it goes along.

Beer of the Week

Lagunitas (lah-goo-nee-tahs) is a can't miss brewery for those of you into that hopped up, west coast style. Their IPA is a standard setter (especially if you like those citrus, grapefruit IPAs), and their Lil' Sumpin' ale is outstanding.

Located in beautiful Petaluma, California, Lagunitas is located in the Beer Mecca of the US, the Pacific Northwest (sorry Colorado). Similar to other breweries in the area, Lagunitas is known for flavorful ales heavy on the hops.

The Imperial Red (now available in sixers!) is different in that it features the malts more than any other Lagunitas beer I've had. The malts are smooth, caramel, and along with the alcohol, give this beer a huge mouth feel. Despite the relatively "big" presence of this beer on the palette, the smoothness makes it sessionable. Note: at 9.6% ABV, don't "session" too many of these in one sitting.

There are hops present, and they have that signature Lagunitas nose about them: grapefruit and a general citrus. Unlike the brewery's "Maximus" or "Hop Stoopid," however, the hops aren't the feature, but equally, the aren't to be overlooked. This isn't a malt bomb, this is a well balanced ale.

Links of Interest:

Lagunitas Brewing Company