The Taste of Wood

Well, no blog last week.  Sorry about that; I had a few too many irons in the fire, and it was what fell off the plate.  That means this week's is extra long, as I have lots of news to report.

Former wine barrels waiting to be filled

Last blog I mentioned that I was going to write about my latest home brew project, Captain Merrill's Strong Ale.  The main reason I decided to brew this particular beer (besides the fact that I like drinking home brew) is to explore the effect that wood-aging has on a beer.  You'd think think that that would be something easy to learn, given that every where you turn, someone is offering a barrel-aged version of this or that brew from their stable of beers.  However, I wanted to study the impact of the wood on the beer, not the impact of the wood AND whatever other alcoholic beverage had previously been stored in the barrel.  Darn few brewers out there use fresh barrels (mainly due to their expense); most choose used bourbon or wine barrels, which can be obtained much more cheaply.  So if I wanted to taste a beer aged on fresh oak, it was easiest to make it myself.

The other reason I decided to brew this beer was that in my experience, to really understand something, you have to do it yourself.  You can read all the books you want about beer and brewing, but if you've never actually made a batch of beer (or at the very least helped someone else brew), you can't really understand what it's all about.

My great great great great great grandfather

So to explore the question of oak and ale, I decided to harken back to our colonial days and craft a beer like that my ancestor, Captain Benjamin Merrill, might have drunk in 1771, prior to his execution for treason by the Royal Governor of the then-colony of North Carolina.  It's a little known part of American history, and one I was never taught about in school, but if you would like to learn more about this prelude to the American Revolution, you could start here.

Since the settlers of North Carolina at this time would still have thought of themselves as British, I decided to use classic English hops, East Kent Goldings and Fuggles, and an English yeast, White Labs Dry English Ale Yeast (WLP007).  For specialty malts, the only thing I used was some Crystal 120L, which gave the beer a lovely dark ruby color.  My target was about 8% ABV, and after three weeks of primary fermentation, I racked the beer to a secondary to start the wood aging.  I used three ounces of medium toast American oak cubes and left the beer on them for eight weeks before bottling.  After two more weeks to condition in the bottle, I was ready to give it a try.

Captain Merrill's Strong Ale poured a lovely deep ruby color with  a nice cream-colored head.  The aroma was primarily from the oak aging; hop aroma was pretty non-existent.  On the palate there was good carbonation and a nice mouthfeel, with the oaky notes very prominent and good balance between the malt and hops.  The finish was long and pretty dry, inviting another taste.  I was very pleased with the end result, both as an experiment to study the impact of wood on a beer absent any other alcoholic flavors and as a successful batch of home brew that was very enjoyable to drink.  Here's to you, Captain Merrill!

Moving on to beer news, Midnight Sun in Anchorage is gearing up for their 17th Annual Anniversary Celebration at The Loft this Saturday, April 28th.  They will be tapping a keg of Wolf Spirit Sparkling Ale at 11:00 am; this is a recreation of the first beer that they brewed, which was tapped at the Haines Beer Fest all those many years ago.  Congratulations to Barb, Mark, and the rest of the crew; wish I could be there for the festivities!

I also have some information on upcoming Midnight Sun releases.  This year they are not doing a new "series", such as they have in the past.  Instead, they are doing a Ten Most Wanted, bringing back the ten most popular beers from previous series.  So when you recognize some of the names below, you'll know why.  Here's what I got from Darcy Kniefel, who's now managing The Loft:

Brandie's Panties aka Panty Peeler Tripel Aged in Brandy Barrels: "One of our top selling beers gets a lift from the brandy barrels.  This sold out FAST last summer so we are looking to bottle some up this year.  Tasting this by end of May, we reserve the right to keep it aging if the brandy barrels tell us to do so."

Berserker Imperial Stout: "Rolling out in June, we will have draught and bottle of this Imperial Stout available."

Brewtality: "This was Head Brewer Jeremiah Boone's Brew back when we did the Brew Crew Series and it is back with a vengeance.  This Espresso Black Bier expected to roll in June, bottles and draught."

Sex Machine: "Sour Brown for James Brown will roll out in July.  This is coming in from our Funk Tank Series.  Expect a disco ball extravaganza to bring on the funk!"

New Black: "Tops on the list of most requested returns, this Belgian Dark Strong aged with Brett and black currants had a taste like no other. September is our expected due date on this yum."

Oaked Son of Berserker: "The second running of Berserker Imperial Stout is currently sitting in oak barrels to age up, we should have this out in time for Autumn sipping in September."

Also on the Anchorage front, La Bodega has completed its move from University Center and is now open at the new E. Benson location (right next to Cafe Amsterdam).  One of the benefits of their new place is that now they have space for a growler bar!  Here's their initial line-up of beers, ciders, and mead available:

Kodiak Island Snowshoe Pale Ale

Midnight Sun Oak-Aged T.R.E.A.T.

Sleeping Lady Cherry Grand Cru

King Street IPA

Kenai River Gummi Bear Tripel

Ommegang BPA

De Proef Broederlijke

Green Flash Hop Head Red

Staropramen 

Konigshaven Quadruple

Celestial Meadery Razzery

Angry Orchard Apple Cider

Spire Apple Cider

Owner Pamela Hatzis does ask that you bring a clean growler and a cap, as they have not yet received their shipment of La Bodega growlers.

I got an email from another blogger, Jason; he write The Frugal Dad blog.  He had a recent post on beer and food pairing that included a nice infographic.  Check it out here.

Alaskan Brewing has announced that they will be "exporting" their Rough Draft series outside of Alaska for the first time, by sending them to select bars in the Pacific Northwest.  The first beer to be offered will be their Free Ride American Pale Ale. Click here for the complete press release.

Here on the Kenai, Odie's Deli on the Sterling Highway in Soldotna is now serving beers from Kassik's Brewery and Kenai River Brewing Company, as well as wine and hard cider.  They have five taps, two for each of the local breweries and the fifth for the cider, plus cans of Sunken Isle IPA and Skilak Scottish from Kenai River.  Now that they've got their beer and wine license, Odie's is beefing up their evening schedule with Pub Quiz Trivia every Wednesday night from 6 to 8 PM.  The entry fee is $5 for a team of up to four people and the winning team takes home all the fees.  Pub Trivia Night is a long-standing tradition in many British pubs, so I'm happy to see it getting going here in Soldotna!

Friday nights at Odie's will be live music night, with bands playing from 6 to 8:30 pm.  They will be serving food until 8 all summer long, and once a month there will be a five course set menu dinner, cooked by the talented Chef Joel DeLong.  Look for the dinners to start including beer pairings soon.  The next one is this Saturday, April 28th and costs $40. 

OK, let's do some reviews:

Brasserie Dupont's Posca Rusitca: Since their Saison Dupont is one of my top five or six all-time favorite beers, I was expecting quite a lot from the beer, and it did not disappoint.  The cork released with a loud pop, before pouring a very clear gold in the glass with a huge white head.  The aroma was classic Dupont house yeast -- earthy, spicy, unmistakable, at least to me-- plus spices and floral hops.  The beer description would seem to indicate that no hops are used, just spices and herbs, but I sure seem to taste some in it.  Actually, it seemed very similar to Saison Dupont, though perhaps a little spicier and it had the same wonderfully dry finish.  Overall, another excellent beer from an absolutely classic Belgian farmhouse brewery.  I wouldn't hesitate to pick up a bottle if the saison is unavailable or just for a change of pace.  8% ABV.

Another brew I picked up during my last Anchorage trip: Imperial Gemini Ale from Southern Tier Brewing in New York state.  Southern Tier has been producing some extremely impressive beers lately, so it's become SOP for me to snag any new one I see.  This particular brew is a blend of two of their beers: 50% unfiltered Hoppe and 50%  Unearthly.  I haven't had either yet, so I can't really speak as to which contributes what to Gemini,  but the end result is pretty darn good.

Gemini poured a nice copper color with an off-white head that left excellent lacing on the glass.  The aroma was classic Pacific Northwest hops and a check of the label indicated that they were all in there: Amarillo, Centennial,Cascade, Chinook, & Columbus. On the palate the bitterness was assertive but not excessive; this beer is quite hoppy but not a total hop bomb.  It hides its 9% ABV quite well, and I had no trouble finishing the 22 oz bottle by myself.  Another very nice brew from Southern Tier; I'm very happy that we're seeing their brews up here in Alaska.

The final brew I purchased in Anchorage was a bottle of Old Tom Strong Ale, brewed by Robinson Family Brewers, located in Stockport, UK.  Stockport is in the northwest of England, just southeast of Manchester.  Old Tom is a classic British Strong or Old Ale, and one I had never had the opportunity to try before, despite living in the UK for three years, so I wasted no time in grabbing a bottle.  Beside the original Old Tom, which has been brewed to the same recipe since 1899, there were two other versions available, one brewed with chocolate and one brewed with ginger.  Being something of a traditionalist, I stuck to the original version.

Old Tom poured a lovely deep ruby color, semi-translucent, with a small, cream-colored head.  The aroma is very complex, with elements of wood, dark fruits, and caramel malt.  All the same elements are pleasant on the palate, giving it a real sherry-like flavor.  I can see how this brew has become to be such a classic example of this style; it was absolutely fabulous.  If you like British ales, I strongly recommend you give Old Tom a try if you can.

Drift Wood Old Ale

Finally, let's look at a couple of local brews.  St. Elias Brewing has Drift Wood Old Ale currently on tap. I wrote about it in my last blog.  Here's a full review:

As you can see from the photo, Drift Wood pours a dark chestnut color with a tan head.  The aroma is slightly tart, with malty notes.  The tartness continues on the palate, with a very complex taste, including wood, cherries, and caramel.  The carbonation is nice, and the mouthfeel is good.  This brew is very refreshing and quite drinkable for an Old Ale at 7.5%.  Another delicious if slightly serendipitous brew from Zach Henry at St. Elias.

Over at Kenai River Brewing, they have have M.I.T.H. (Monks In The Hood) Dubbel on tap.  This is an unusual blend of Belgian Abbey Style with American hops.  It poured a dark amber with a small, fast-dissipating tan head.  The Mt. Hood hops announced their presence in the nose, along with the classic Belgian yeast spiciness.  On the palate there were raisins, plums, plenty of hop bitterness, and some other spicy notes.  Overall, I'm not sure the American hops really worked here; they seemed a little too brash for the subtler dubbel flavors, but that's more a matter of personal taste, I'd guess.  M.I.T.H. weighs in at 6.8% and is well-worth trying to see what you think of it.

Well, that's it for this time around.  Get out and enjoy the sun and drink some good craft beer.

Until Next Time, Cheers!

Getting Ahead of the Game

I'm going to be pretty busy toward the end of this week with some big events at work, so I thought I'd try to get this week's blog out a little early.

Alaskan Brewing has announced that they have a great deal of new apparel available in their web store.  You can find it here.

I mentioned this in my last blog, but to reiterate: La Bodega will be closed until Friday, 20 April, for the move to their new location, right next to Cafe Amsterdam on Benson.  They had a big moving sale last weekend, so hopefully people in Anchorage got to take advantage of that.  I'm very much looking forward to seeing their new digs.

Kassik's Brewery will be featured at a three-course beer dinner at the Sitzmark Restaurant of the Alyeska Resort this Sunday, April 15th, from 7 to 10 pm.  Chef Jason Porter will be creating the food, and Kassik's will be providing the beer.  Price is $39 per person and you must be 21 or older to attend.  Find further info here.

Kenai River Brewing reports that their Gummi Bear Tripel is sold out.  It only lasted about ten days, which is a real tribute to its popularity. To replace it, this Friday will see the release of M.I.T.H (Monks In The Hood) Dubbel, a 6.8% Belgian abbey ale using M.t Hood hops, brewed by assistant brewer Cory.  Also, look for their Falconer's Flight Single Hop IPA to be on soon.

Cask -conditioned Brass Monkey ESB

At St. Elias Brewing, last Friday was First Firkin Friday, so I made a point to stop by and have a couple of pints of their Brass Monkey ESB from the cask.  Pulled via their hand pump, the pint had that wonderful creamy carbonation that only cask conditioning can provide, plus some added hoppiness from the East Kent Goldings used to dry hop it.  The whole experience was so wonderful (and my buddy Tom was buying) that I just had to have another as soon as I had finished the first one.  I'd say that's pretty much the definition of a session beer...

Now that Vanilla Bean Porter is gone, Zach Henry has put a new beer on tap: Drift Wood Old Ale.  Here's what he had to say about it: "This style recalls the type of beer brewed before the Industrial Revolution, stored for months or years in unlined wooden vats.  The beer would pick up a tart character from wild yeasts and tannins in the woods.  Ours aged in oak barrels over a year, where complex flavors of sweet malt and oak work together with tart fruity nuances to produce a wonderfully complex Old Ale."  I got to taste a small sample a few ago ; it's delicious.

Zach also reports that he's dosed several of his barrels with brettanomyces, so we can look forward to some new and funky brews over the next few months.

That more or less covers the news, so let's hit a couple of reviews.

There's a new brew on sale at Fred Meyer from Ninkasi Brewing Company of  Eugene, Oregon.  Their ReNewAle 2012 Porter, 5.9% ABV and 35 IBUs, is available in both 22 oz bombers and six-packs.  I picked up one of the former to give it a try.  It poured completely opaque, with a nice khaki head. The nose was of bittersweet chocolate, with some hops aroma around the edges.  There was good mouthfeel, with more chocolate flavors, balance by roast malt and hop bitterness, making for a rich and fairly complex taste.   Overall, this is a nice example of a robust porter. Next time around, I think I'll grab a six-pack.

Finally, I had a bottle of Alameda Brewing's Bad Bunny Imperial Cream Ale that a friend brought back from Portland, Oregon.  An Imperial Cream Ale is a bit on an oxymoron as a style, since Cream Ales are typically around 5%, not the 8.2% of this beer.  Still, these days anything can be made "Imperial"; just ratchet up the alcohol level.  Heck, I've even seen an Imperial Mild, and if there's any style which should never be "imperialized", it's that one.

Anyway, this Bad Bunny poured a slightly cloudy gold with a nice white head.  The aroma was of Saaz hops and some fruity ale notes.  Good malt backbone, with some creaminess from the use of flaked maize, and a good amount of bitterness for balance.  A bit unusual in its flavor profile and strength, but still quite enjoyable.  Worth looking up if you find yourself in the Portland area.

Well, that's about it for this week.  I should have some more beers of interest to talk about in my next blog, including my latest home brew, Captain Merrill's Strong Ale.

Until Next Time, Cheers!

Big News

Those of you who actually bother to read this blog to the bitter end have probably been wondering about the cryptic reference to "an exciting piece of news" that I made two weeks ago.  It's taken longer than I thought to lock down the details but here it is at last:

Kevin R. Tubbs, the long-time Alaska Correspondent for the Northwest Brewing News and author of its "Ales on Top of the World" column, is stepping down, and I have been asked to take his place, starting with the June/July issue.  This is very exciting for me and more than a bit scary, as Kevin will be leaving me some very big shoes to fill.  Still, this will hopefully give me even more chances to do one of my favorite things, write about craft beer in Alaska.  By the way, if you aren't subscribed to the Brewing News, you really ought to give it some serious consideration...

On the national beer front, New Belgium Brewing has announced that its hew East Caost brewery will be in Asheville, NC. It will be a 200-bbl brewhouse, with an annual production of 400,00 barrels.  Construction will start next year, with the brewery slated to go on-line in 2015.  By choosing Asheville, they are following in the footsteps of Sierra Nevada Brewing, which announced earlier this year that they would be building their new brewery there.  Looks like Asheville may be finally earning its much-disputed title as the "Best Beer Town in the U.S."

La Bodega in Anchorage will be having a Moving Sale this Friday and Saturday.  It's 5% off everything in the store, buy 6 bottles of beer or wine and get 10% off, buy 12 22 oz or larger bottles of beer and get 15% off, buy 12 bottles of wine and get 15% off, and all sake/liquor is 20% off!  It's a great chance to stock up.  La Bodega will be closed for their big move to their new location starting on Easter Sunday.  They hope to be open for business again on Friday, April 20th.

Last Friday, Kenai River Brewing released their eagerly-awaited Gummi Bear Tripel.  I'm told Friday and Saturday were the two busiest days the brewery has seen, ever!  That's pretty impressive.  There is big demand for this unique brew.  For example, it will be on offer at the Taste of Alaska Beer Festival on Saturday, April 21st at The Pub on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus.  It's 6 to 10 pm, $30 in advance or $35 at the door.

A week later, Kenai River and several other breweries will also be pouring at the 2nd Annual Beer & Mead Social, being held at the Tap Root in Anchorage on April 28th. There will be two session, noon to 3 PM and 4 to 7 PM. Participants will have the opportunity to sample beer, mead, and spirits from Alaska’s best breweries, meaderies, and distilleries, and to discuss the finer points of the libations. Participants will also receive a custom souvenir 6.5 oz glass that they can take home, and 15 tickets each good for a 3 oz pour at any of the participating vendor booths. There will also be food for all ticket holders. A portion of this event’s profits will be donated to Green Star Inc., a local non-profit organization that helps businesses develop green initiatives in the workplace.  You can purchase tickets by clicking here, and see the poster below for a complete list of breweries.

Click to enlarge

Oh, and the next Single Hop IPA that I forgot last week?  Well, no wonder I forgot, since it's not really a single hop!  It will be brewed with Falconer's Flight, the proprietary hop blend from Hop Union.  Should be very interesting.

Moving on to St. Elias Brewing Company, this Friday is First Firkin Friday.  Stop by and get some delicious Brass Monkey ESB on cask from their hand pump.  This style of beer was created to be served from the cask, so this is your chance to experience it as it was meant to be served.

I don't get over there often enough, but Hooligan's Lodge in Soldotna has some very interesting brews from Alaskan Brewing on tap.  I hear they've got both Ghost Town Brown and Fresh Hop ESB, from Alaskan's Rough Draft series, on tap.  You can only find these Rough Drafts at a couple of places outside Juneau, like Humpy's & Cafe Amsterdam in Anchorage, so we're lucky to have the chance to try them right here in Soldotna.

Let's move on to some reviews:

"Borrowed" from KRB's Facebook page

First up, Kenai River's Gummi Bear Tripel.  If you drink this beer expecting to taste gummi bears, I'm sorry to disappoint you.  The only gummi bear "flavor" you're likely to find is if you eat the candy that the folks at the Kenai River Taproom like to garnish glasses with.  It stands to reason I guess; the candies are pretty much pure sugar, so once they go into the boil...

Regardless, the beer poured a lovely orange-gold, with a small, fast-dissipating  white head.  The aroma is the classic earthy, spicy notes that I always associate with Belgian yeast, followed by a slight bit of alcohol (not surprising since it's 9+% ABV), and some hop.  On the palate it's not too heavy or boozy, but fairly dry, with some good bitterness and a long, nice finish.  It's a very well-executed tripel, right up there with Midnight Sun's Panty Peeler or any of the other American takes on this classic Belgian style.

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Speaking of Belgian beers, I tried a new one: Hop Ruiter Blonde Ale, from De Scheldebrouwerij, in the town of Turnhout,  NE of Antwerp, near the Dutch border. Stylistically, this is a Belgian Strong Golden Ale, like Duvel.  It poured the beautiful clear gold with the massive rocky white head that is typical of the style.  The aroma was bright with delicious hop aroma (Styrian Goldings?) and notes from the Belgian yeast.  On the palate, the beer was almost effervescent from the excellent carbonation, and had good bitterness backed with plenty of hop flavor.  A truly excellent beer, as good as (or dare I say better?) than the style-defining Duvel.  If you like the Strong Golden Ale style, this one is worth seeking out. I found my bottle at La Bodega in Anchorage.

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While at La Bodega, I also picked up a bottle of Ommegang Brewing's Witte.  This brewery always does a great job on their Belgian-style brews, though not always in expected ways.  Case it point, Witte poured a crystal clear gold with a nice white head, rather than the cloudy straw color of a traditional Belgian wit.  The aroma was of coriander and citrus, along with spicy Belgian yeast notes.  The body was light with good carbonation and a nice balance of the flavor elements.  It's not spectacular but it's very refreshing.  It would be just the thing after mowing the lawn on a hot summer day.

Finally, I dipped into some of the plunder from my SoCal trip in February and opened my bottle of The Bruery's Saison De Lente.  I've never been disappointed in a beer from this brewery, and Saison De Lente was no exception.  It poured a slightly cloudy orange-gold with a huge white head.  The aroma immediately confirmed the presence of brettanomyces, with the characteristic barnyard funk, mingling with some citrusy hop aromas.  Carbonation was fantastic, and the beer was nice and dry on the palate, which is how I like my saisons, backed up by a touch of funky tartness from the brett.  Overall, this beer reminded me of a Saison Dupont, with a touch of brett.  Since I consider Saison Dupont to be the benchmark for the style and one of the top ten beers in the world, this is high praise from me.  I just wish we could get these beers here in Alaska.  Hand-importing them from the Lower 48 is getting to be a drag...

Well, that's about it for this week.  Enjoy your spring if you live Outside and try not to get flooded by Break Up, if you're an Alaskan like me.

Until Nest Time, Cheers!

A Tale of Two Beers

With apologies to Charles Dickens, here's my tale of two parts of the beer business.  Let's start with craft brewing.  The Brewers Association has once again totaled up all their statistics for the growth of craft brewing in the last year and presented it in a very cool infographic. Let's look at the highlights.

Craft brewing has finally cracked the 5% volume share of the US beer market; this is even as the total US beer market's volume decline 1.32%.  A growing number of people realize that what's important about beer is flavor and quality, not slick ad campaigns and cheap prices.

Craft beer also continues to grow its retail dollar sales; craft retail sales hit $8.7 billion, which is a 15% growth over last year.  Some of that is due to the general inflation in the economy (the price of everything is going up, thanks to the Federal Reserve's money printing), but not all of it.  Once again, we see that craft beer lovers don't mind paying a little extra for quality.

The volume of craft beer brewed has also continued to increase, jumping another 13.2% since last year, with just under 11.5 million barrels being produced.

 The number of breweries has also hit a new record high, with 1,989 in the US, 1,938 of which are craft breweries or brewpubs.  Openings greatly outnumbered closings, with 250 of the former versus only 37 of the latter, which is more good news.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly in today's economy, small brewing companies employed 103,585 people, a not inconsequential contribution to local economies.

That's the first tale of beer, the tale of craft.  Now let's move on the the second tale of beer.

Reuters reports that because AB-InBev managed to cut its corporate debt two years ahead of schedule, executive bonuses totaling $1.33 billion dollars were triggered. Among the 40 executives who will receive a part of this bonus, Chief Executive Carlos Brito is scheduled to receive over $133 million dollars.  To put that number into perspective, this one executive will receive a bonus that is greater than the entire gross revenue of Stone Brewing & Brooklyn Brewing (two of the largest craft breweries) combined.

Sorta puts things in perspective, doesn't it?

Moving from the global perspective back here to Alaska, there's a pretty cool beer event taking place this weekend in Talkeetna.  Starting at 5 PM on Friday, March 30, and continuing through 1 PM on Sunday, April 1st, Talkeetna Beer Trippin' 2012, the "Dark Side of the Brew" will take place.  This event is organized by the Twister Creek Restaurant, Denali Brewing Company and the Great Northern Brewers of Anchorage, but it is open to the general public.  There are beer and music events scheduled throughout the weekend, so if you can make it to Talkeetna, you should really check it out.

Here's a schedule of events; click on it to enlarge:

 

In more local news, Kenai River Brewing will be releasing their nationally-known Gummi Bear Tripel this Friday, March 30.  I'm not kidding when I say nationally-known; this beer has gotten press (mostly good but some pretty hostile) from coast-to-coast.  Google it if you don't believe me.  Hard to believe no one's ever done it before commercially.  They will also have a new Single Hop IPA on soon; Joe Gilman told me the hop, but I neglected to write it down and now I can't remember it.  Speaking of Joe, he now has his arm brace off and is back to brewing; if you see him, ask him to show you his crazy scar.  Looks like somebody unzipped his arm, which I guess is essentially what they did.  Glad you're back in the game (brewing, not curling), Joe!

Out at Kassik's Brewery, they have a new beer on tap: Vanilla Bean Cream Ale at 5.5% ABV.  Word is, it's pretty popular, so if you're out their way, stop by to give it a try.

I wrote last week about the new brews at St. Elias Brewing Company, Red-Headed StepChild Imperial Red and Brass Monkey ESB.  There's another beer waiting in the wings, name unknown, but it's a barrel-aged Old Ale, with some unique properties.  Stay tuned for more information when it's actually released.  Plus, next Friday, April 6, I'm hoping we'll see a cask of Brass Monkey ESB on hand pump. Definitely not to be missed!  

Finally, a couple of beer reviews.  First, the return of a perennial favorite, Midnight Sun's Arctic Devil Barley Wine, 2011 vintage.  This is one of the top barley wine's in the world, IMHO, and this year's version does not disappoint.  It poured a deep, translucent chestnut, with a cream-colored head.  The aroma was heavy on caramel-malt elements, then oaky notes from the barrel aging and a bit of alcohol.  On the palate, this is definitely an English-style barely wine, with the hops (Challenger, Cascade, & Fuggles) playing back-up to the huge malt flavors, but with a surprisingly dry finish.  At 13.4% ABV and 20 IBUs, this is a huge beer, but it's surprisingly drinkable.  Finishing a 22 oz bottle in 2 or 3 hours after dinner was no struggle.  I made sure to purchase a couple of bottles to cellar, as it's sure to age well.  Another excellent beer from the folks at Midnight Sun!

I also tried a bottle of Avery Brewing's Salvation Belgian Golden Ale that I purchased at La Bodega in Anchorage.  I poured it into my Duvel tulip , and it poured true to style, with a clear gold color and a massive & rocky white head of pinpoint carbonation.  The aroma was primarily the earthy, spicy notes that scream Belgian yeast.  On the palate there was good carbonation and an excellent clean bitterness.  It was not as dry as a Duvel, but was still tremendously refreshing. It also concealed its 9% ABV in a dangerously deceptive way, just like the archetype of the style.  A delicious take on a classic Belgian style from Avery Brewing Company.

Well, that's about it for this week.  I hope all of my fellow Alaskans out there are enjoying break up as much as I am.  Time to trade those snow boots for the Xtra Tuffs.

Until Next Time, Cheers!

Happy Birthday, Ken!

Elaine and I happened to be in Anchorage Sunday evening, which turned out to be quite fortuitous.  It seems March 18 was Ken Pajak's 60th birthday, and since we were in town, we were able to make it to his party at Cafe Amsterdam.  We had an early start the next day, so we didn't stay too late, but the food was great, the beers were exotic and plentiful, and a great time was had by all.  Here's to another 60, Ken!

Since the Alaska State Legislature in currently in session -- meaning no Alaskan's Life, Liberty, or Property is safe-- I thought the following graphic might be a timely reminder of just what greedy b******s they are.  Please note which state is Numero Uno when it comes to having the highest excise tax on beer:

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Now take a look as this graph:

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Look at all the states we're behind! Hell, I'm brewing more than 40 gallons a year.  This is embarrassing; we need to pick up the pace. I'm doing my part; how about you?

On Monday, I was knocking around Anchorage, doing some shopping, while Elaine attended a conference.  After lunch, I dropped by the Snow Goose to see what Gabe Fletcher was up to.  I found him in the middle of brewing another batch of his Galaxy White IPA; while I was there he finished the boil, whirlpooled it, and started moving it down to his oak foudres.  Speaking of foudres, Gabe is in the process of purchasing four more of these huge wooden vessels; this will give him a total of six.  I guess he will need them, given the popularity of Galaxy; Gabe tells me he expects to bottle 5,200 hundred cases of it this year, plus another 1300 cases of it's big brother, Double Galaxy.  According to Gabe, Double Galaxy will be just like it's namesake, just with lots more of everything: more alcohol, more Galaxy hops, more spices, and more 'quat.  Here are some photos I snapped:

Foudre, awaiting filling.

The other foudre

Wine casks awaiting filling with Love Buzz Saison!

Gabe adding the spice bag to the kettle

Seems to me that Gabe's biggest problem is that he keeps outgrowing his space.  Darned if I know how he's going to shoehorn four more foudres in there, but I'm sure glad he's making such great beers for the rest of us to enjoy!

Also from Anchorage, congratulations to Michael Kiker of Celestial Meads, who brought home more medals from the 2012 Mazer Cup Mead Competition in Boulder, CO than any other meadery in the world!   Celestial earned five medals (two Gold, a Silver, and two Bronzes).  Once again, we see that Alaskans produce some of the highest quality products in the entire world.  Well done, Michael!

Moving on to the Peninsula, I had a chance to taste Kenai River Brewing's soon to be released Gummi Bear Tripel a week ago.  It will not be released until next Friday, 3/30, but I can tell you that this is one fine-tasting tripel.  Doug and the boys used 20 pounds of Belgian candi sugar plus 15 pounds of gummi bears to produce this 9.2% ABV brew.  Tasting it, I have to say that I couldn't find any gummi flavors, just all the wonderful Belgian yeast notes you'd expect from a tripel.  Regardless of what they used to make it, this is a great beer and I plan to grab more as soon as it's released!

While I was at Kenai River, I finally got some shots of their new Taproom.  Here they are:

This is a great place to hangout and have a beer or two.  There's no food service, but the brewery is happy for folks to bring food in from any of the surrounding restaurants or fast-food joints.  So be sure to stop by and check it out if you haven't already.  Also while I was there, I finally picked up a quart of their excellent Russian Imperial Stout; here's my formal review:

It poured totally opaque, with a nice tan head.  The nose was of caramel and coffee, with a little more emphasis on the former than on the roasty coffee aromas.  On the palate there was good mouthfeel, with the degree of chewiness that I like in a big imperial stout.  The rich flavors of caramel and roasted malt were superbly balanced, with just a touch of alcohol heat around the edges, and a long, lingering finish.  Several of my friends have said they think this is the best beer they've ever had from Kenai River.  As for me, my heart still belongs to their Skilak Wee Heavy, but this Russian Imperial  Stout is a close second.  Nice job, guys!

One last piece of Kenai River news: Odie's Deli in Soldotna is getting a beer and wine license and will be offering Kenai River beers both on tap and in the can.  Besides Skilak Scottish and Sunken Isle IPA in cans, look for two brews on tap, Peninsula Brewers Reserve and another (possibly rotating) selection.  There is also talk on monthly beer dinners; I should have more info on these soon.

Over at St. Elias Brewing, Zach Henry has two new beers on.  One is a return of regular spring visitor, his Brass Monkey ESB.  Besides the standard draft version, Zach has filled his casks with some dry-hopped versions of this brew, so we should all be able to enjoy it on hand pump before too much longer.  This year Zach went back to using exclusively English hops, including Fuggles and East Kent Goldings.  This makes for a beer a little less aggressively hoppy than last year's, which included Amarillo hops.  This year's ESB is also darker, showing a deep ruby color in the glass and has a rich malt backbone for the hops to hang off of.  Very nice and I can't wait to taste it from the cask!

The second new brew is Red-Headed StepChild, an Imperial Red Ale aged for six month in Hungarian oak red wine barrels. The resulting 9% ABV beer is a slightly cloudy, dark red ale with a lovely cream-colored head.  The aroma is fairly hoppy (Citra, I think but I did not confirm this).  On the palate, there's good carbonation and nice mouthfeel, with the bitterness arriving first, followed by some caramel, then a touch of wood.  No perceivable alcohol heat, but this is definitely a sipper not a session brew.  This beer should be particularly attractive to the red wine drinkers out there.

Moving on to bottled beer reviews, Here are a few new beers I tried since my last blog:

Southern Tier Brewing's Imperial Chokolat Stout.  I picked this bottle up at Country Liquors in Kenai.  It poured perfectly opaque with a small tan head.  The aroma was pure dark chocolate, and I mean absolutely pure.  This beer had more chocolate aroma than any other beer I've ever had.  On the tongue the chocolate was a little more restrained than in the nose, but it was still very forceful, balanced by some roastiness from the malts used.  Great mouthfeel and a touch of heat from the 10% ABV on the finish.  If chocolate stouts are your thing, you'll go crazy over this one.

Alaskan Brewing's Birch Bock, latest in their Pilot Series.  This doppelbock made with birch syrup a dark honey-amber with a small, fast-dissipating head.  The aroma is clean caramel, nothing else.  On the tongue, this one expresses as a very clean lager, with good mouthfeel and sweetness from the syrup, falling away gradually to a nice finish.  The 8.5% ABV is well hidden, making this one dangerously drinkable.  A very nice doppelbock, with the Alaskan-made birch syrup very nicely integrated into the flavor profile.

Bridgeport Brewing's Raven Mad Imperial Porter.  I picked this one up at Fred Meyer, with an eye toward recommending it to my friend Curt.  He loves big, whiskey-barrel aged brews, and the label said that 50% of this beer was such, blended with the other 50% aged on oak sans whiskey.  It poured nicely, dark with a big khaki head.  The nose was of coffee and vanilla notes (likely from the oak), but no whiskey.  On the palate, I was a bit disappointed, as the whiskey element was pretty non-existent.  Usually with beers like this, my problem is with too much whiskey, rather than too little.  I like the beer to dominate, and the spirit to play second fiddle.  Here, the whiskey was so far in the background, I couldn't really find it at all.  That being said, the beer had good carbonation, nice mouthfeel, and plenty of roasty flavors.  As a 7.5% ABV imperial porter, it wasn't bad; as a whiskey-barrel aged one, it was a little disappointing.

Victory Brewing's Prima Pils.  This is one of the top craft pilsners in the US, and a beer I've been wanting to try for some time.  I finally picked up a couple from La Bodega during my trip to Anchorage last weekend.  However, when I pulled them out to drink later in the week, I found I'd made a rookie mistake and failed to check the Best By date.  We're a long way from anywhere up here in Alaska, and getting beers in a timely manner is often a problem.  I drank these beers on March 22, exactly two months past their Best By date of 1/22/12.  Given how critical freshness is for pilsners (perhaps more so than any other style), it wouldn't be fair for me to really review this beer based on the samples I drank, so I will limit myself to saying that even two months past due, they were still quite good, and I look forward to grabbing some fresher examples in the future.  If you are reading this somewhere where you can get Prima Pils fresh and you like pilsners, I suggest you give it a try.

Well, that's it for this week.  Stand by for me to share a pretty exciting piece of news next week.  Until then, keep searching out those good craft brews.

Until Next Time, Cheers!

Here Comes St. Patrick's Day

It's Spring Break Week here at KPC.  I have to wonder why we call it "Spring" Break; I'm thinking "Still Winter Break" might be a better choice.  It was 5F this morning, there's about 3 ft of snow on the ground, and another inch or two forecast for tonight.  If this is spring, we've got problems!

On a national note, many folks lately have been saying that beer is cheaper than gas.  Given how expensive gas in here in Alaska, I'd be tempted to believe it.  However, the folks at KegWorks.com actually went to the trouble to calculate it out.  Check out this graphic:

They decided that the only way to have get beer cheaper than gas was to brew it yourself. Recalculating for Alaska, gas is about $4.45 a gallon here in Soldotna, and a 15.5 gallon keg of Kenai River's Peninsula Brewers Reserve will set you back about $115, or $7.42 a gallon. So we've still got quite a ways to go before beer is cheaper than gas.  Unless you homebrew, otf course...

Lot's of interesting beer news.  First off, I've been hearing rumors that there was a brewpub on the way in Seward at the old Elk's Lodge.  This weekend, I met a nice lady from that town, who gave me some more information, including a name, the Seward Brewing Company, and a website.  Check it out here. I'm told that the owners behind the project are Gene and Sandy Minden, former owners of Chinooks Restaurant at the Seward Boat Harbor, and I hope to get in touch with them at some point for more information.  Meanwhile, check out the website for some very interesting photos.


Next, Pam Hatzis, the owner of La Bodega in Anchorage, has announced that the shop will be moving out of their current hole-in-the-wall place at University Center Mall to a new and much larger location.  The new store will be located on E. Benson, in the same strip mall as Cafe Amsterdam, in the space the formerly housed the Keyboard Cache.  The new store will be much bigger (3,000 square feet) and boast special LED lighting and treated windows to protect the beers from being light-struck by UV radiation.  Best of all, there will be a growler bar, with between 10 and 16 beers on tap at any time.  Look for them to make the big move in late April.  Meantime, they will be having a celebratory Cider & Irish Beer Tasting this Friday (March 16) from 6 to 9 PM at Kinley's Restaurant. Word is it will be casual, buffet style food and plenty of it, along with the beer and cider.  Tickets are on sale at La Bodega, so if you'll be in Anchorage this Friday, you won't want to miss it. (Much of the foregoing info was lifted from my good buddy Jim Robert's most recent Anchorage Press column; read the whole thing here.)

Speaking of beer dinners, Alaskan Brewing will be holding one at Simon and Seafort's in Anchorage next Wednesday, March 21, at 6 PM.  The menu sounds delicious:

Portobello and Crimini Wild Mushroom Soup

Apple wood Smoked Pan-Fried Oysters with tobiko and warmed brie

Cedar Roasted Seafood with Shallot Beurre Blanc

BBQ Wild Boar Spare Ribs with a Citrus-Honey Porter Sauce

Warm Smore with House-made Marsh mellow, Chipotle Brownie, and Triple Sec Chocolate Sauce

As good as the food sounds, the beer choices sound even better, as the will be doing a vertical tasting of the odd years of Alaskan Smoked Porter, from 2003 to 2011. All this for only $65.  Reservations can be made through Michelle Aldana, via email at maldana@r-u-i.com.  If I was going to be in Anchorage next week, I would definitely be there!

Looking a bit further ahead up in Anchorage, on Friday, April 6th, from 6:30 to 9:30 PM at the Performing Arts Center, the 4th Annual Chemistry of Beer, Wine & Sake event will be a taking place. This is a fundraiser for the Alaska Museum of Natural History.  Tickets are available Centertix.net, starting at $45.

There was a very interesting interview with Gabe Fletcher from Anchorage Brewing Company by the blog Embrace the Funk; read the entire interview here. One of the more interesting things Gabe talked about was his upcoming collaboration brews: a wild ale with Mikkeller and and a Belgian Imperial Stout, aged in used cognac barrels with Gigantic Brewing Company. Also, the second batch of Whiteout Wit should be showing up on store shelves anytime now.  So if you missed it the first time round, here's another bite at the apple.

 

Locally, the date and location of the 2nd Annual Kenai Peninsula Beer Festival has been confirmed.  It will take place on Saturday, August 11, 2012, from 4 to 10 PM, at the Soldotna Sports Center.  You can check out my blog of 8/17/2011 for details of last year's festival.  If you'd like to be a part of this year's event, either as a brewer, a vendor, or an entertainer, contact Matt Pyhala at matthew.pyhala@gmail.com.  Last year was a fantastic time and I expect this year will be even better.

It's not exactly beer news, but what the heck.  I finally made contact with Felicia Keith-Jones, one of the people behind the High Mark Distillery, a project being developed in Sterling, not far at all from where I live.  I hope to have much more information in the near future, but I gather they'll be producing several types of spirits, including Arctic Ice Vodka, Nickel Back Apple Jack, and Blind Cat Moonshine.  Not sure about that last one; growing up in the South, I learned to be a little wary of 'shine, as that stuff packs quite a punch.  I think it's great that we'll soon have a local distillery here on the Peninsula to compliment our breweries, meadery, and winery.

In other news, as I reported last week, Kenai River's new Taproom is now open.  I hoped to have some photos of my own of it by now, but when I pulled out my camera last week, the battery had died.  So you'll just have to take my word for now that it's a great place to drop in for a brew.  That's especially true right now, as their new Russian Imperial Stout is on tap.  I had some last week and it's excellent, but I don't think it will last too much longer, so you'd better get it while you can.  Photos next week, I hope.

St. Elias Brewing is celebrating St. Patrick's Day with a week-long special on their Mother's Milk Irish Stout, so stop by and grab a growler before Saturday. Late Addition: There will be live music at St. Elias from 7 to 9 PM on St. Patrick's Day and there's a new beer on tap: Red-Headed Stepchild, an imperial red ale, aged for 6 month in Hungarian red wines casks!

Pushing on to reviews, I actually only have one to offer this week: Lectio Divina from Saint Somewhere Brewing Company of Tarpon Springs, Florida. This beer is from a brewer that doesn't distribute in Alaska (Florida's a long way from here), but I managed to acquire a bottle from a friend in the Lower 48. It's a hard beer to peg stylistically, being something like a dark saison crossed with a gueuze.

The beer poured a cloudy amber or honey color, with a big beige head.  The nose on this beer was amazing; hard to believe it came from Florida rather than Flanders, with such a characteristically Belgian aroma.  There were tart, acidic notes like you'd expect from a lambic, dark cherries, caramel, spiciness from the yeast and hops, not to mention some horse blanket funk from the use of Brettanomyces in the bottle.  On the palate, this same amazing complexity continues, with traditional gueuze sourness intertwining with fruity notes (apples, pears, strawberries), all hanging from a substantial caramel backbone and warmed by the 8% alcohol.  This is one extremely complex beer and a real triumph by the brewers at Saint Somewhere; I've had some pretty tame American interpretations of Belgian-style brewing over the years, but this beer certainly isn't one of them.  If you are lucky enough to live somewhere that receives shipments of this brew regularly, be sure to try it.

Well, that's it for this week.  More news and reviews when next we meet.

Until Next Time, Cheers!

Some Long-Promised Beer Reviews

Now that I'm finally over my long running illness (I finally rolled out the big guns and got a prescription for some antibiotics), I can do some serious beer tasting again.  So let's jump right in to some beer reviews.

Back in November of 2010, I reviewed a couple of beers from the Three Musketeers Microbrewery in Quebec.  Recently, I was lucky enough to get my hands on another of their brews, a bottle of their Porter Baltique.  At 10% ABV, this is one serious brew.  It poured absolutely opaque, with a nice tan head.  The aroma was exceedingly complex, with notes of dark fruits, chocolate, caramel, woody vanilla notes, and a touch of smoke.  On the palate, it was a thick, chewy beer, with hints of molasses, coffee, brown sugar, and more woody notes, falling away to an excellent finish.  This is easily one of the best Baltic Porters I've ever had, and an excellent after dinner sipper on a cold winter's evening.  If you get a chance to snag a bottle of this beer, don't hesitate.  In fact, grab all you can afford.  It's that good.

The latest releases from Gabe Fletcher's Anchorage Brewing Company are available in Kenai at Country Liquors (unless they're sold out when you happen to stop by).  First up, there's his Galaxy White IPA.  I've written quite a bit about this brew in the past, mainly because I was fortunate enough to be asked by Gabe to write the back label for it.  In order for me to do so, he described the beer to me before its release.  I got to try it in January in Anchorage during Alaska Beer Week, but circumstances were such that I never had the chance to do a formal review.  Then I got sick.  Finally last weekend, I sat down, opened a bottle, and did a real tasting and review.  Here it is:

The beer poured a crystal clear pale gold into the glass, with a big, rocky white head.  The spices added to the beer were evident in its nose, with the kumquats being especially noticeable.  I also picked up the littlest hint of funk from the brett.  The beer was very light on the palate, with excellent carbonation and a very refreshing balance of bitterness and spiciness.  The brett again makes its presence felt on the finish, though it is still pretty subtle (at least until the beer spends more time in the cellar).  An excellent example of the White IPA style, and one I plan to taste again at regular intervals to monitor the impact of time on its flavor profile.

Next, I opened a bottle of Gabe latest release, the 2012 Fur Rondy Brew, his Running of the Reindeer Saison.  If you're not from Alaska, the name probably makes no sense, so if you're unfamiliar with Anchorage's answer to running with the bulls in Pamplona, you can check out the 5th annual installment here.  But on to the beer.

The saison poured a slightly cloudy gold with a massive white head.  The aroma was full of bright, citrusy hops and a fair amount of brett funk (more than in the Galaxy White IPA).  The beer was nice and dry (the way I like my saisons) and light in the body, with wonderful bitterness and a nice amount of funkiness from the brett.  Quite refreshing and one of the best saisons made with brett I've tasted.


Turning to other beer news, the 2nd Annual Bering Sea Beer Fest will take place at 2 PM on Tuesday, March 13th. It will be held on the sea ice just outside Nome near the Iditarod finish.  If you happen to be in town for the race, this would be a unique chance to drink various beers while standing on the frozen ocean.  Wisely, the organizers suggest that you "bring a coat".

Over at Country Liquors, Sierra Nevada's 2012 Bigfoot Barley Wine has made its annual appearance on the shelves, as well as the latest beer from Alaskan Brewing's Pilot Series, their new Birch Bock, which I wrote about in my last blog.  I haven't had a chance to drink the Bock yet, but I had a Bigfoot the other night and I can confirm that this year's batch is wonderful, just like it always is.

Moving to local breweries, I finally got some of St. Elias Brewing's Vanilla Bean Porter from the cask on Friday, February 24.  I never fail to be impressed with the difference cask conditioning makes in a beer's carbonation, and the extra vanilla flavor from "dry hopping" beans in the cask made this beer particularly delicious.  Zach's got some interesting new beers waiting in the wings to release as soon as some of his current brews tap out.  Also, look for a special price on Mother's Milk Irish Stout next week, in honor of  St. Patrick's Day.

Kenai River Brewing has the biggest news, however.  First, they have brewed a new Abbey-style beer, using Gummi Bears among other things.  It's still working away, but Doug tells me that it smelled delicious going into the fermenter.  Even more exciting, their new tap room is officially open!  As you can see from the photo (which I borrowed from their FB page), it looks gorgeous.  After Kassik's big expansion last year, Kenai River was our only local that lacked a decent place to sit and have a brew, so it's great that they have finally rectified that shortcoming.  The extra room should also makes things go a bit easier on the brewery side, as it will allow them to set up their canning line permanently, rather than having to break it down to get it out of the way after each canning run.

Well that's about it for this week.  Look for more reviews next week, as I work my way through the backlog of interesting beers that I wasn't able to taste, due to being sick.

Until Next Time, Cheers!