Friday the 13th: Seems Pretty Lucky to Me

Well, it's Friday the 13th and a black cat has indeed crossed my trail (since one of our three cats is black). However, I'd say things are actually pretty lucky right now. The weather is beautiful, if a bit on the cold side for March (-6 F this morning), and there's plenty of good news from the beer world.  So let's get to it.

First off, noon today was the grand opening of Resolution Brewing in Anchorage.  I wrote plenty about this last week, but here are some additional tidbits. To celebrate the opening, Resolution Brewing is releasing another 50 memberships to its "The Uprising" Growler Club. $200 gets you two 32 oz growlers, a limited edition t-shirt and $2 off growler refills for life.

That's a damned fine deal, especially if you live near the brewery and can take maximum advantage. The beers currently on tap at Resolution are Peak 3 APA, Tent City Saison, Father Dyer Belgian Abbey, and Rewind IPA. I got to taste all except the APA a couple of weeks ago, so see my blog on 2/27/2015 for my impressions.

The other big beer news for this weekend is that Bobby Wilken from HooDoo Brewing made the long drive from Fairbanks to Anchorage with a load of beer kegs for some of the more discerning beer spots around town. Look for HooDoo's Kolsch and IPA to be on tap (either simultaneously or sequentially) at Rustic Goat, Cafe Amsterdam, La Bodega, and Humpy's. Unless you're a frequent traveler to Fairbanks, this is a rare chance to sample some of HooDoo's exceptional beers.

Photo courtesy of HooDoo Brewing

Darcy Kniefel from Midnight Sun Brewing Company sent me an email with some details about two upcoming releases. Here's what she had to say:

"The first, AK Grown, was pretty much a dare from Gov. Bill Walker. He was discussing innovation and how Alaskans can work to be more innovative and bring more in to our own economy, his side joke was "If only someone would make a carrot beer...". Challenge Accepted! Marko took to the recipes and together he and Lee came up with a spiced carrot beer, containing 200# of locally grown carrots, ginger, cinnamon and cardamon. The beer will premier at the House Skits event in Juneau on Saturday, March 28th and at the brewery the following day. Clocking in at about 6% expect this ale to reminisce of carrot cake."

"The second brew is our Unite 2015 for United Women's Collaboration Brew Day. We had a great number of ladies from the Great Northern Homebrew Club as well as a local student working on a paper on gender roles in brewing and a new local brew fan join the ladies of MSBC for a day of brewing and hanging out. The recipe, which comes to us through the Pink Boots Society, was supposed to be a 4% Red Ale, to which we took note, and then doubled down. Chelsea worked to create a spicy red double ale. Clocking it at 8%, Double Red Hot Ale is a red  double ale with an addition of cayenne, cinnamon and 50 #'s of red hots. This cinnamon sweetheart will be released at the brewery on Friday March 27th!"

Both of those beers sound completely crazy; more out-of-the-box thinking from the crew at Midnight Sun.

Tonight is the second Friday, so it's Stand-Up Comedy Night at the Snow Goose.

I haven't gotten my copy yet, but the word is that the latest issue of BeerAdvocate (#98) has an article in it about 49th State Brewing Company in Healy.

Down here on the Peninsula, Kenai River Brewing Company put a new beer on tap today: Duck it Down Rye Pale Ale, made in collaboration with Midnight Sun Brewing.  Here's how the new brew is described:

A light, refreshing ale brewed with pale malt, rye and wheat. Hopped with Warrior and Sorachi Ace hops. Earthy spice from the rye that compliments the hints of lemon grass, dill and melon. 6.0% ABV, 50 IBU’s.

Photo courtesy of Kenai River Brewing

Sounds pretty tasty, so I'll be stopping by to sample it myself soon.

Speaking of sampling, I only managed to taste one new brew this week, but it was an excellent one.

Sierra Nevada's Nooner Pilsner: I waxed a bit eloquent last week when I was writing about St. Elias Brewing's Cross Bo Pilsner, saying "There's nothing like a fresh, well-made pilsner to remind you why this style of beer took the drinking world by storm in the latter half of the 19th Century." Well, with Sierra Nevada's latest offering, I find myself wanting to say "Ditto." It poured a crystal clear gold, with a wonderful pillowy white head. The aroma was loaded with crisp noble hop aromas from Saphir, Tettnanger, and Strisselspalt hops. Carbonation was excellent and the mouthfeel was light. On the palate, the flavors were crisp and clean, with a nice balance between the hops and the malt. The beer claims to be a German pilsner, but in my opinion, its actually a bit closer to the Czech version. To me, German pilsners often have a bit more bready notes to them than Nooner does, which suits me fine, as I prefer my pilsners light and hoppy. The beer falls away to an excellent, clean finish, leaving you lusting for the next sip. Overall, an excellent beer, pairing well with almost any food, and a superb choice as a session beer. 5.2% ABV, 38 IBUs.

Well, that's about it for this week. Remember that Anchorage Brewing Company will be holding its rescheduled Grand Opening at from 2 to 8 PM on Saturday, March 21st. Hope to see you there!

Until Next Time, Cheers!