I'll take American Craft Beer History for $200, Alex

In the spirit of American Craft Beer Week, here's a little bit of trivia about some true American craft beer pioneering. (I'd say pionbeering, but that might be just a bit too much...)

Back in the 1980s, Scott Birdwell out of Houston was in San Rafael, CA for an annual home beer & wine convention, when he met up with Byron Birch. Byron, owner of a homebrew shop in San Rafael, shared with Scott a recipe for a dark ale named "Purple Passion Dark Ale" (I am not sure I'd admit to that). The recipe made a beer that was dark, malty, a little roasty, quite hoppy - and did very well in state competitions as well as with customers. It was, however, way out of style for any of the BJCP brown ale categories, so it never fared well against style standards or national competitions.

Scott enjoyed the beer so much, however, that he decided to create a new "California Dark" category for Houston homebrew competitions (named such as a nod to his California friends). Within a couple of years, the American Homebrewers Association (AHA) added the dark, hoppy style to its style categorizations and named it "Texan Brown Ale" due to the popularization of the style in regional competitions there. Over time, the AHA renamed the style to...

(drumroll, please)



... American Brown Ale.

Yep, the style we know and love today as American Brown overcame prior lives as Purple Passion, California Dark, and Texas Brown. If it managed to survive those, surely it's worth drinking. So there you have it - an American beer style favored and recognized by homebrewers, then popularized by commercial craft breweries. Truly a great example of the spirit of American Craft Beer week.

Beers within this style should be dark in color and should taste slightly roasty (but not as roasty as a stout or porter), chocolatey, malty, and at least moderately hoppy (if not very hoppy). The hops definitely play a prominent role in American Brown ales, and they're typically American (citrusy, piney, resiny). Contrast this to English brown ales that are sweet and malty with a low hop profile (which aren't really available here) or are dry, caramelly, nutty, and also have a mellow hop flavor and aroma (think Newcastle or Samuel Smith Nut Brown).

Probably the first commercial American Brown was Pete's Wicked Ale (brewed by Pete's Wicked, started by homebrewer Pete Slosberg), but some great examples of the style include Bell's Best Brown, Lost Coast Downtown Brown, and Moose Drool (in cans!).

Speaking of home brewing (and craft beer, while we're at it), did you know Bell's Brewing started out nearly 30 years ago as a homebrew supply shop named Kalamazoo Brewing Company?

Now you do.

Gluten-less Maximus

The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax & Trade Bureau today handed off regulation to the FDA for approval of gluten-free beer to be regulated under gluten-free guidelines. Today, any US brewery can label its beer "gluten-free" without it actually being true (UK and Australian brewers must already meet strict guidelines). Though we have no proof any brewery is doing this, those with Celiac Disease have no way to know whether the gluten-free beer they buy is truly gluten-free. Those days are numbered!


I really hate to do this, but I'm going to link to an article in USA Today. Sigh.

"On Monday, FDA issued its Guidance for Industry covering these non-barley beers. And to the benefit of the one in 133 Americans who can't eat anything containing gluten, these beverages can now officially be labeled gluten-free once they've been tested and confirmed by FDA.

"For the longest time I couldn't put gluten-free on the label, because there wasn't a definition" under TTB regulations, says Russ Klisch, whose Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee makes a sorghum beer, New Grist."

Typically, gluten-free beers are made from sorghum which is a grass native to Africa. As you might guess, sorghum-based beers are popular there and have been brewed in Africa for centuries (one note, however - African sorghum beers typically include some malt as well, so are not gluten-free). Other ingredients might include millet, rice, kamut, buckwheat, or other grains & seeds lacking the gluten protein. It seems using these, however, results in a pretty thin beer with little mouthfeel. I suppose that's a small price to pay for beer that doesn't leave you in severe pain (hangovers not included!).

There are several common options on the shelves these days, though not all of them can be found in Kansas City. To name a few: Redbridge, New Grist, Bard's Tale, Greens, St Peter's, and a handful of others - and the list is growing. It even looks like Schlafly had one a while ago (tap only).

Earlier this year, a fellow beer-lover (whose father also homebrews) started on a gluten-free lifestyle. Unwilling to give up beer without a fight, she set out to find some gluten-free brews that would satisfy her love of beer. She's tried Redbridge so far and said it lacked depth of flavor. Two others by Greens wait in her fridge for a tasting after summer exams. I've only had one Celiac-friendly beer (Greens Endeavor) and it was quite a surprise - it tasted like rum & Coke. Yes, rum and Coke. Not impressive, but it was certainly more than drinkable.

The crowd favorites appear to be St Peter's G-Free and Sprecher's Shakparo. Though they get relatively low ratings (C+ on BA and under 3.0 out of 5 on Rate Beer), they score the highest among their peers. And, of course, I have never seen either one here in KC. I've been looking for G-Free for a while now (I've had this post in the works for about 2 months with the intention of trying it) but can't find it anywhere; I'm left to assume it's just not distributed here. You can try much of the Greens line at Waldo Pizza (while enjoying a gluten-free pie).

There are a few sites that highlight options for gluten free beer, including

• About.com
  
• Bella Online
  
• International availability on GlutenFreePassport.com
  
• MrGoodBeer.com lists general information, including a homebrew recipe
  
  

There's hope for our gluten-intolerant friends and family after all. It'd be a shame for someone to have to give up beer unnecessarily. :)

Beer in a Box

For years, the wine industry has tried to improve the reputation of wine-in-a-box. Shunned by most wine drinkers as a sub-par packaging method, and supported by decades of the only wines-in-a-box being crummy stuff I wouldn't even use for cooking, wine-in-a-box continues to sit on the bottom shelf longing to be taken home. Some wine companies are changing boxed wine's perception, but it's slow to catch on. Since beer doesn't have nearly the particularity in packaging among its consumers or a history of only the worst beers being packaged in that method, there's a shining opportunity here to introduce Beer in a Box. And MillerCoors is running with it.

It seems like a great idea, right? Fits well in the fridge, and - since the bag is hermetically sealed - protects the contents from oxidation or spoilage. Beer stays carbonated for about 1 month after opening (or being filled from a tap), allowing you to drink the 1.5 gallons of it over a period of weeks (rather than days, as is the case with the current mini-kegs on the market).

I lived in Sacramento & surrounding area for about 5 years in the '90s and remember getting beer-in-a-box at Rubicon Brewing Company instead of a glass growler. It seemed like such a weird (and crass) concept before I got one, but it only took one purchase to convince me it was a great idea. No awkward and heavy growlers to carry (or wash), no worries about recycling, no concerns about taking bottles to the beach (well, lake), and no pressure to try to drink it all in a day or two, before it goes flat or stale.

A few other craft breweries across the country also use this method of packaging instead of glass growlers, and the latest article in the WSJ (referenced above) hints at seeing more of this, as it allows the macro companies to quickly change the packaging for seasonal sports and events (much like we see with 12-pack boxes). I guess we'll see how it goes when the results from the 6 test markets are in. Honestly, for fresh beer from local breweries I'm all for it. I'm not convinced it's great for beers that sit on the shelf or in warehouses for a while. How about it, KC breweries??

Thanks to Blaidd0905 on flickr for the picture