HOPpitality

How Exactly A Winemaker Would Make A Beer

BridgePort Brewing Company in Portland, Oregon has built quite a reputation in it's nearly 30 year history (founded in 1984).  With roots literally spreading like a vine, the wine making beginning is prominent in BridgePort’s beers.  Who else could produce Gold Medal winning craft brew from the most populated area in Oregon with locally produced Barley and Hops?  (Besides Dogfish Head, because they can do anything)

Likely the most prominent of BridgePort's creations is their IPA.  In 2000, BridgePort’s IPA won the gold medal and the Champion Ale Trophy at the Brewing Industry International Awards, making it the first American Brewery to win in the 200-year history of the awards.  Pretty impressive!

Being a self proclaimed hophead, I prefer for my IPA's to be right up in your face saying a sort of, "How do you like me now!" kind of thing.  This isn't one of those beers.  I could certainly drink this all day long though.  I can see why BridgePort has won awards with this beer in multiple categories.

Each bottle, keg or cask of BridgePort’s award-winning IPA is naturally-conditioned and double fermented, resulting in a smooth, easy drinking year-round ale. Brewed with a blend of five hop varieties, BridgePort IPA presents a floral, citrusy aroma and full hop flavor, while downplaying the bitterness common in classic IPA-style beers.  BridgePort’s IPA pours smooth in the glass, emitting a signature golden glow.

A brewery with its roots in wine.. sounds fun to me!

Do You Remember Ranger Rick?

The New Belgium Brewing Company in Ft. Collins, Colorado has quite a reputation.  Mostly known for making Fat Tire, but beer aside they are known for the culture they embody.  I was the only one intelligent enough to write about beer when a professor in college asked us to find the best example of sustainability we could.  I received an A because I featured New Belgium (providing samples to the instructor may have helped).

What you really need to know about New Belgium is that their community loves them because they are employee owned.  The world (literally) loves them because of their carbon footprint.  I love them because they are innovative and just produce freakin' awesome beer!  (they are one of my breweries that can do no wrong)

I was sort of kidding when I mentioned Ranger Rick, yes the publication still exists.  The more I thought of it though, if Ranger Rick were to drink beer, this IPA is what he would drink!  Why you say?  Because I decided that he would drink a solid IPA, and he would certainly pick one from New Belgium since his entire mission is to save the environment.

This clear amber beauty bursts out of the starting gate with a buffet of hops.  Cascade, Chinook, and Simcoe lead off the beer, and then the Cascade hits you again for the combo adding the intense dry hop flavor expected from a quality IPA.

I could nurse a few of these, but why bother?  Brewed with pale and dark caramel malts it's harmonized with hop flavor from start to finish.  I recommend sitting down with a few so you don't have to get up and head to fridge when you want the next one!

The Sexy Biloxi Blonde Is Back!

The beer, born at the Beau Rivage Resort and Casino, was lost when the casino's brewery was destroyed in 2005. Yet it was not forgotten by customers.

"It's so much more than a beer. It's really a comeback moment," said Beau Rivage spokeswoman Mary Cracchiolo-Spain.

The Beau Rivage went to the Legislature to get permission for microbreweries and was the first to operate in Mississippi. Copper brew kettles from Germany were installed at the Coast Brewing Co. at the Beau and customers watched the brewers making Biloxi Blonde and six other beers.

"Biloxi Blonde was one of our top-selling beers," said Cracchiolo-Spain.

Brewmaster Brian Bush won the silver medal in the German-Style Kolsch category at the 2004 Great American Beer Festival in Denver, beating Anheuser-Busch's Michelob Amber Bock and other national contenders. When customers kept asking for Biloxi Blonde, the Beau Rivage collaborated with Lazy Magnolia Brewing Company in Hancock County to bring it back.

Along with the brewing equipment, the recipe for Biloxi Blonde was lost to Katrina. Magnolia head brewer Gar Hatcher tasted Biloxi Blonde years ago and with that inspiration he recreated the process and the taste.

Biloxi Blonde, Beau Rivage’s top selling microbrew beer pre-Hurricane Katrina, will be available to guests once again as a result of a partnership between MGM Resorts International and Mississippi’s Lazy Magnolia Brewing Company.

 “We are very excited to collaborate with an outstanding local company so that we may bring Biloxi Blonde back in the bottle and on tap throughout the resort,” said Beau Rivage Executive Director of Food & Beverage Ron E. Hall. “Hurricane Katrina may have taken our collection of copper-clad brew tanks and the popular beers they produced, but it didn’t stop us from wanting to give our customers what they request; thanks to our partnership with Lazy Magnolia, we’ve now come full circle. We can please long-time fans, as well as give new customers a chance to try Biloxi Blonde for the first time.”

Before the August 2005 storm, Biloxi Blonde and six other beers were brewed on site at Beau Rivage’s Coast Brewing Company, Mississippi’s first microbrewery. The brewpub was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina and when the resort reopened following a year-long renovation, Coast returned as a nightclub without the brewery.

Lazy Magnolia Brewing Company’s interpretation of Biloxi Blonde is nearly indistinguishable from the original. Biloxi Blonde is a German-style Kolsch beer that features American and European malts for depth of flavor, exceptional drinkability and a refreshing finish. “We had always admired Beau Rivage’s brewmaster Brian Bush and wanted to stay as true to his award-winning recipe as possible with the brewing equipment we use,” said Leslie Henderson, co-founder/brewer of Lazy Magnolia Brewing Company, “the focus remains on quality.”

 

The American Beer Revival

You Dirty Bastard

This 'ol Bastard will kick your ass and steal your girl if you're not careful.  Founders Brewing Company in Grand Rapids, MI is known for not really caring what the masses think of their beers.  They don't brew for the masses.  They brew for the masses that don't give a damn about unremarkable beers.

"Our beers are crafted for a chosen few, a small cadre of renegades and rebels who enjoy a beer that pushes the limits of what is commonly accepted as taste.  In short, we make beer for people like us." - Founders

Scotch Ales can be intense in their own right; this Dirty Bastard fits in with that crowd.  It's a good thing, just be ready for it.  When I first found this beer and took a sip, I thought someone was messing with me and actually put a splash of whiskey in my beer.  Some scotch ales will even use low nitrogen barley dried by peat burning.  This isn't a peaty beer by any means but I still looked around for the whiskey bottle that someone used to pour into my beer.

There's nothing 'pretty' about the Dirty Bastard.  It's 8.5% and murky looking.  It has a full and complex nose that reminds you that something else is in play here.  The beer just took a Gold Medal at the World Beer Cup so you know this beer is solid.  So good it's almost wrong.  Brewed with seven varieties of imported malts.  Complex in finish paired with a malty richness and a right hook of hop power to give it the bad attitude that a beer named Dirty Bastard has to live up to.

Ain't for the wee lads.

You Can Be a Bully!

I think that for the average beer drinker, Porters (and their cousins the Stouts) often get a bad name.  People judge this style so quickly before they ever let their tongues decide.  Despite the name, the Bully! Porter from Boulevard Brewing Company by way of Kansas City, MO is a very palatable beer.  Grab a six-pack and some Carolina ribs and you've got yourself a great day!

The big Bully Porter isn't the stereotypical in your face black coffee stout variety.  Although it is Bottle Conditioned, it has a real clean body to it.  Like most that leave a little finishing to take place in the bottle, it possesses some residual residue but Boulevard made this Porter to be enjoyed by a very large audience.  Some how it reminds me of a Really great homebrew!

The name suggest that this beer is going to be in your face and pretty over powering, which just isn’t true.  A favorite of craft breweries today is the 2-row malt, featuring some Pale and Wheat barley.  I really enjoyed how fresh these lighter malts kept the Porter although it does have the roasted undertones and chocolate nose that you'd expect from a beer of this style.  It's just not a Bulling presence.

Boulevard Brewing Company has grown to be the largest specialty brewer in the Midwest, with full or partial distribution currently in 19 states.  They of course have a flagship or two they rely on, but because of their success Boulevard has really reached into artisanal beers (mostly ales).

Good job KC!

A What Creek?

I have to confess, I went to a specialty beer store just because they told me that they had this beer.  Honestly it wasn't just because of the name, I swear.  Bitch Creek is by Grand Teton Brewing Company in Victor, Idaho and is a 6 time Gold medal winner!!

The name isn't really as creative as you may think.  It was simply named after a creek.  "Bitch Creek perfectly balances big malt sweetness and robust hop flavor for a full bodied, satisfying mahogany ale. Like the stream for which it is named, our Bitch Creek ESB is full of character... not for the timid."

I hadn't had a Grand Teton beer before, and likely would have passed on this one since it acknowledges its Bottle Conditioned.  The reputation and the perfect chill in the air left me craving this ESB so thankfully I bought a decent amount of them.  

The tasting notes that hit me first were the dry yeast strain they used.  I found it was pretty unique to be reminded of an Amstel Light while drinking an ESB.  What saved the experience was the nice crisp brown malt with a real fresh floral hop bouquet.  Apparently I was smelling my glass too long since my chow/lab mix decided she deserved a taste as well (she loved it by the way).

For a beer this unique, when I got through the drier yeast, I found myself simply enjoying the balance of the brown and thought this would pair awesome with a pepperoni pizza!  More testing will gladly follow since this actually is a beer that you can drink a couple of and not regret.

Some notes about the Grand Teton Brewing Company though are even more unique than their beer.  Sure the brewery was founded in 1988 by Charlie and Ernie Otto and was the first modern “micro” brewery in the state of Wyoming.  Their real claim to fame, was the Growler!

In 1989, the brothers discovered a long forgotten container, a European lidded tin-pail known as a "growler" and reintroduced it in a modern, 64-ounce glass jug version. "Growlers" are now found at breweries throughout the nation. Otto Brothers' Brewing Company enjoys the credit for having recreated this novel and environmentally-friendly idea.

Awards
2011 - Gold Medal, American Brown Ale (US Open Beer Championship) 
2011 - Gold Medal, American Style Brown Ale (Los Angeles International Commercial Beer Competetion) 
2011 - Gold Medal, American Style Brown Ale (North American Brewers Awards)
2009 - Best of the Northwest/Pacific, ESB (United States Beer Tasting Championships)
2009 - Gold Medal, American Brown Ale (North American Brewers Awards)
2008 - Bronze Medal, American-Style Brown Ale (World Beer Cup)
2008 - Gold Medal, American Brown Ale (North American Brewers Awards)
2008 - Bronze Medal, Extra Special Strong Bitter (North American Brewers Awards)
2007 - Gold Medal, American Brown Ale (North American Brewers Awards)
2007 - Bronze Medal, American Brown Ale (Great American Beer Festival)
2006 - Silver Medal, American Brown Ale (North American Brewers Awards)
2005 - Gold Medal, American Brown Ale (Great American Beer Festival)
2004 - Gold Medal, American Brown Ale (Great American Beer Festival)

The 400 Pound Monkey, on my Tongue

Have you ever found a beer  that seemed to make you feel a little high?  I am a self proclaimed Hop-Head and the hops in the 400 Pound Monkey by the Left Hand Brewing Company in Longmont, Colorado made me wonder if I was a little stoned.

I'm not sure if it was from admiring the label, that is tastefully English while still exotically Indian, or maybe they snuck a little wacky Sheesha in with the hops.  Name one other beer that can picture a Constable and a monkey touting an umbrella from Marry Poppins as well as another pair wielding a sword and a turban.  It all works, and very tastily mind you.

Thankfully, I went about my tasting without being distracted by the label.  As usual, I try and get a real good impression of a beer before I'm swayed by the marketing influence on the label.  The boys in Longmont found a winner with this IPA.

The 400 Pound Monkey isn't as intense as the name suggests, it packs a huge floral punch with its Magnum, Boadicea and Sovereign hops (if you're a true hop head).  What makes this beer really palatable, and caused me to pretty much destroy my attempt and drinking this one slowly, is really the clean malt they chose.  I'm told Pale 2-row, Crystal, Munich, and Malted Wheat.  The 2-row seems to be spreading faster than anything else in craft beer right now.  The rest are often favorites with home brewers.

Left Hand is quickly becoming one of my favorites again.  Sadly, I have to admit I started to forget they existed until I found this monkey on my tongue.  English-style IPA's?  Greatest idea ever!

An English-style IPA that separates itself from the ubiquitous bunch. Cartloads of bitter monkeys flinging wasteful amounts of bananas into the jungle . . .we're so done with that. - Left Hand Brewing

By the way, for our Stout fans, Left Hand is delivering a Milk Stout during the first quarter of 2012!

Five Tasty Pilsner's for Superbowl

Pilsner as a style is often overlooked in the craft beer world. It’s doesn’t have quite the same cool factor as a super hopped up IPA or a funky Belgian, but when you just want a crisp beer it’s damn hard to beat. For this reason we rounded up a few of our favorites. These are some of the beers you’ll find in our coolers this weekend, or any weekend for that matter. More and more craft brewers are putting out top notch Pilsners. And, unlike other seasonals, they actually stick around.

Victory Prima Pils

This pilsner is crisp, clean and refreshing. As you might expect from Victory there’s an extra hop edge to this beer, but it’s certainly not so much that it dominates the flavor profile. There’s a great citrus hop aroma top this beer. We love this paired with a burger with a nice chunk of sharp cheddar on it.

 

Notch Session Pilsner

You will love this beer for its crisp hops and biscuity malt. The low ABV (4%) makes it a great addition for the days when you’re looking to have more than a few beers. I find my boccie skills stay intact even after having a few of these. This beer continues to be a staple in my fridge. I thought by now I’d have gotten bored of it, but that doesn’t appear to be happening any time soon.

 

Sixpoint Crisp

Sixpoint Crisp is well...crisp...I know, shocking right? I’ve written about this beer before and probably will again. It’s crazy refreshing, nicely hopped but not too bitter and seems to go well with pretty much anything off the grill. Plus it looks cool, who doesn’t love a tall boy can? The great thing about this beer is that it seems to have universal appeal, wherever I take it it’s the first beer to be finished from my cooler. It’s a bit hoppier than a couple of the other Pilsners on the list, so if that’s your thing you’ll like this.

 

Troegs Sunshine Pils

This beer trends more towards the traditional side of things. There’s some nice bready malt flavors and a touch of spice from the hops but overall it’s one of the mellower Pilsners we sampled here. This is not to take away from this beer in any way, but there’s a good chance some of your Macro drinking friends might like it. Think of it as a good gateway beer, but not one that’s sacrificed anything along the way.

 

Oskar Blues Mama’s Little Yella Pils

We couldn’t write an article without including at least one more canned craft beer. It’s actually embarrassing how long it’s been since I last had this beer. Sometimes half the fun of writing this type of article is reminding yourself how good some beers are. I’m going to add a caveat though, this isn’t my favorite Pilsner out there, but it’s really really good with buffalo chicken. That may sound random but, hey, it’s true. This beer has a nice malt base to it which goes well with spicy foods. For me this beer is always better with food than on its own. 

We know there’s lots of other great Pilsners out there. If we missed one of your favorites sound of below in the comments and have some fun this weekend!

Anheuser-Busch Shakes Up Their Brands

I could make a very solid argument that even though the "big three" still own over 90% of the market share of beer sales in the United States, we're on the brink of a beer revolution.  We are on the cusp of having as many breweries as we did pre-prohibition, finally.  (Mississippi is struggling to contribute, but visit these guys for that story)

Soon the rest of the country will be able to try several new releases from the beer giants as they try to take all market share from the little guys that we love.  Being an equal opportunist when it comes to my taste I always welcome new innovation and fresh styles of beer.  Last weekend I was offered a sneak peek of two of the new arrivals.

Anheuser-Busch is aiming to break out of its longtime status as a tailgating staple and step into the nightlife scene with Bud Light Platinum, a new higher-alcohol-content offering.

AB InBev describes Bud Light Platinum as having a slightly sweeter taste and more alcohol than Bud Light. According to their third-quarter earnings report, the beer is "a trendy blue-bottle line extension that appeals to a key group of beer drinkers and expands consumer occasions."

The newest full-time addition to the Shock Top family, Shock Top Wheat IPA is a unique hybrid style that brings the refreshment and smoothness of a wheat beer and marries it with the crisp, hoppy bitterness of an India Pale Ale (IPA).

To create the new beer, brewmasters started with Shock Top’s signature recipe, adding citrusy Cascade and Magnum hops and dry hopping the beer for several days to give Wheat IPA the rich, hoppy aroma that is the signature of IPAs. Containing 5.8% alcohol by volume (ABV), Shock Top Wheat IPA will be sold nationwide in six- and 24-packs of 12-ounce bottles and on draught and I'm ready to rock with this one.

“Wheat beers and IPAs are among the fastest growing styles of beer, and as we look to build the Shock Top family, we wanted to try our hand at developing a hybrid of these two styles and make it available to beer drinkers across the country,” said Jill Vaughn, brewmaster for Shock Top. “Shock Top’s smooth, wheat malt base provides great balance of flavor to the citrusy hops – giving Wheat IPA a rich, hoppy flavor that’s very drinkable and refreshing.”

I can honestly say that  I'm looking forward to drinking more of both these contenders.  I went in with an open mind (I was really looking forward to the IPA) and can say that both really intrigued me.  I'm looking forward to seeing if these will have more staying power than Anheuser World Select did.  RIP