Summerfest and the Living's Easy

It's no surprise I'm a fan of Sierra Nevada Brewing Company and their products. The quality of their beer is outstanding, and their commitment to the craft beer community is constant. Everyone knows their Pale Ale, of course, but their German Hefeweizen (Kellerweis) is one of the best I've had from an American brewery. They're coming out with a new seasonal this fall (nixing their Anniversary Ale), named "Tumbler". It's an American Brown in IBUs and original gravity, but hopped with English-style hops (Challenger and Yakima Goldings). But we'll have to wait until late summer/early fall to see that in stores.

You can, however, pick up Summerfest now, and I recommend you do so. It's a Pils brewed with American two-row and Munich malts, and is hopped with both German and Czech noble hops (Perle and Saaz, respectively). The end result is a beer that is light in body, but with plenty of grainy malt flavor and spicy hop aroma and bitterness. There's also a bit of lemon in both aroma and flavor as well, but not enough to take over the beer. The high carbonation and lingering bitterness really make this a thirst-quencher, but a light lager it is not. There's plenty of maltiness there to keep you interested.

I really enjoyed this beer and was disappointed it was the only one I stuck in a mixed six-pack. Next time, an entire sixer it is.

On Tap Around Town

Sure are a lot of new beers going on tap lately.

Barley's out in Shawnee has had some rare Bear Republic kegs on tap the past few weeks. If you haven't had Racer X or Mach 10, they're a (west coast) hoppy treat - and they probably won't be around much longer.

McCoy's in Westport just put on a keg of their Imperial Steam Beer. I haven't had any yet but am looking forward to trying it. I'll be curious to see what an Imperial steam beer is like... I'm guessing lots of sweet & bready flavor with a bit more fruity esters. Most people are probably familiar with Anchor Steam but don't know that it's a lager brewed at ale temperatures. German brewers who immigrated to California in the 1800s didn't have the technology or cold Alpen caves to lager their beers, so they fermented their lagers at California's more temperate climate. Anchor trademarked the "Steam" name, so you might see this style called California Common elsewhere.

Speaking of California Common, Free State just put one on on tap ("Prairie Fog Ale") along with a new Vienna Lager. Vienna Lager is a cousin to the Oktoberfest and Märzen styles and isn't very easy to find (outside of Negra Modello). You can read more about these three closely-related styles in Ray Daniels' Designing Great Beers or George Fix's Vienna/Märzen/Oktoberfest edition of Brewing Classic Styles. I've become a fan of Fix - reading about chemistry seems about as appealing to me as getting jabbed in the eye, but his Principles of Brewing Science was actually really interesting. If you're curious about what happens when you do hop additions during the wort boil or what is actually going on during fermentation, I highly recommend Principles.

But I digress. McCoy's also recently put on a Bohemian Pilsener and should have their Coffee Stout available as well. They'll be coming out with a Winter Warmer here some time soon. I'm not sure when, but it'll be at their Christmas Ale dinner on 12/1. Not to be left out, 75th Street is tapping a keg of their Coffee Porter tonight (11/13) and will have it on nitro to give it more body & a creamy mouthfeel.

And finally, next Thursday Flying Saucer will be tapping a keg of Sierra Nevada's Harvest Estate ale, an American IPA that was made using only hops & barley grown on the brewery's property. With almost all of the brewery's energy coming from their own private solar array and their efforts to use recycled water, perhaps one of these days we'll see a Sierra Nevada "Off The Grid IPA" on the shelves.

So there you go - plans for next week!

(Foamy) Heads Up!

A few things are here and/or coming our way...

• Sierra Nevada's Kellerweis is available at Royal on 435 & State Line. We picked up a sixer the other day and it's fabulous. If you like German-style Hefeweizen (banana & clove esters, citrusy and light), you'll enjoy this one. A lot.
  
• Sierra Nevada's also adding another beer to their Estate lineup. This time it's a true "Estate" beer - the barley & hops they put into their beer are grown on brewery property; it's one of the only beers of its kind. Look for it in September (or, since we seem to see a delay with Sierra Nevada's distribution, perhaps October).
• Samuel Smith's is distributing yet another beer to the states, and it sounds like an excellent one. They're joining in on the barrel-aging craze with their Yorkshire Stingo. We get many of their beers, and I hope to see it here in the next couple of months. I'll post here if I see it in stores.
• McCoy's having another beer dinner - this time with Latin flair. Sounds like they'll have a good variety of stuff, including what I'm guessing will be Rogue's Chipotle ale.
• Breckenridge has started canning Avalanche for the Denver market. Perhaps it's just a matter of time before they make their way out here. "We are extremely pleased with the end result of the can from Rexam and see a real future for our craft beers in cans." I sure hope so.
• Speaking of cans, a coworker of mine mentioned that he found Ska Brewing's ESB in Kansas (warning: prepare to hear ska when you click on that link). His first IIPA was Ska's... and lo & behold, they're getting into canning too. They bought their canning line from Oskar Blues and have 2 beers available in cans here, their ESB and Blonde Ale. Looks like their IPA's in cans too, but has yet to be spotted...

That's all I've got for now. Well, sort of. John and I went to St Louis last weekend and tried a bunch of different beers and have some recommendations for you... will be working on that post next. Cheers!

June's Beer Club Selections

I haven't posted about my beer club in months! For those of you who missed it, I've organized a small but fun beer club at work. There are six of us in the club, and we pick a beer style at the beginning of each month. Each of us is responsible for finding a six-pack of beer that fits into the style and bringing it in on the last Friday of each month to trade. At 3pm, we gather together and talk beer while swapping bottles. Sometimes the anticipation gets the better of some of us and we crack open a bottle or two. The last Friday of the month always means that each of us goes home with a horizontal sixer of a given style.

We've done American Pale Ale, Irish beers (3 reds, 3 stouts), Bocks (traditional, mai, doppel, eis - anything bock!), and American IPAs. June's style was German Weizen/Weissbier, and I picked up a six-pack of Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier. (Impress your friends and family - get some free beer wallpaper!) My clubmates brought Flying Dog In-Heat Wheat, Paulaner Hefeweizen, Hofbrau Hefeweizen, and Shiner Hefeweizen (2 of those). This is the 2nd time we've had duplicates, so perhaps it'd be a good idea to just email the group when we pick up our beer. The element of surprise, however, is hard to give up.

German Hefeweizen is significantly different in flavor from the American Wheat style, primarily due to the type of yeast that is used. The German yeast provides a prominent banana or fruity flavor, with undertones of clove or sweet spiciness. Compare that to an American Wheat which should have no detectable banana flavor or tropical fruitiness. It should be light and a little malty with just a hint of citrus or floral taste (depending on the type of hop used). While either style can be served with a lemon slice, you might find yourself at the wrath of Germans and beer purists alike if you add a lemon to your Hefeweizen. I'd advise against it, anyway, as it'll ruin the head retention of that lovely German beer - and mask the delicate but complex flavor of your beer.

But I digress... I was hoping to see Sierra Nevada's new Kellerweis on the shelves before the end of June, so that I could bring that as my selection. Alas, though it's made its way around both coasts, it has yet to appear in Kansas City. I have a feeling, however, it'll be here soon. My mouth is already watering.

Weekend of the Craft Beer Trifecta

Saturday was a great day for beer lovers and makers. First, there was the 6th annual Parkville Microbrew Festival. Second, Flying Saucer's 1st anniversary in KC. And finally, National Homebrew Day. As we were too busy with the first two, we did not participate in National Homebrew Day. Perhaps we'll create our own "National Homebrew Day, Redux" in the near future.

The Parkville festival was an overall win, and the selections were plentiful and varied. Upon arrival, we were handed a flyer listing all the breweries and 2 beers for each one. As it turns out, most breweries had at least 3 on tap - several offered at least 5. There were two breweries that impressed me - Little Apple out of Manhattan, KS and Empyrean out of Lincoln, NE. I will definitely drink my fill of their beer given another opportunity to do so, and recommend you do the same. 75th Street offered their IPA pumped through Randall, which contained 100% Simcoe hops (yeah!). It was my #1 favorite at the festival, though not by a large margin (and I will fully admit a bias for Simcoe hops). I asked if they'll be using Randall much at the brewpub and was told that it's a real pain to set up and clean, so they tend to only set it up for special occasions. I will definitely keep my eye out for such occasions and will post about them here.

Free State's Bumper Crop Saison was fantastic as well (and note their new web site). I am not a big Saison person, but do appreciate good versions of them (Boulevard and Rogue included). At 35 IBUs, this one was hoppier than most in the style and definitely not for someone who shies away from hoppy beers. But if you enjoy a good Saison and are not scared by a bit of bitterness, I highly recommend it. This was my #2 favorite at the festival.

The loser of the day, by the widest margin imaginable, was Lucky Bucket's Concentrated Evil - a barrel-aged quad. I have no idea what they were trying to do here, but it was the strangest beer I think I've ever tasted (not including the wormwood beer some friends & I tried making years ago. Bad idea.). It was exactly how I would imagine watered-down rotten prune puree to taste. And, it was the ONLY sample I dumped out prior to finishing. Funny enough, it was KC Hop Head's favorite. I wonder if what I got was ruined or tampered with somehow (it was poured out of a plastic cup) - this should have been something I found delicious and warming, but it wasn't even close. I'd be interested in trying it again in a different environment - say, from a keg for starters.

That said, nearly all the beer I had there ranged from "I'd buy a pint of that" to "I can't wait to have this again." There wasn't one brewery there that I thought should look into doing something else. The only disappointment I had in the event itself was that there wasn't more seating. Some fest tables would have been great - drinking all that beer is hard work!

We headed over to Flying Saucer for their 1-year-in-KC anniversary and ordered a couple of beers. I got a Sierra Nevada Brown Saison (hey, Free State inspired me) which I also found highly enjoyable. This is a very drinkable beer, with a soft mouthfeel, sweet toasty aroma, and slightly spicy saison funk. We were watching the Kentucky Derby and was reminded that saisons are often described as "horsey" - this one is no different. But, true to Sierra Nevada style, it was also well-hopped for a saison - again at 35IBUs. We were there, though, for Bear Republic's Racer X which was tapped at 5pm. The big brother of Racer 5, this Imperial IPA is not to be missed. Not overwhelmingly malty, it provides just enough sweetness to back the citrusy pineyness of the hops. While it won't hit you over the head with bitterness, it is definitely a West Coast IIPA - less sweet and hoppier than its eastern and midwestern counterparts. If you are a hophead, you owe it to yourself to get a pint before they run out (if they haven't already).

In terms of trying new, solidly good beer, this was definitely one of the best beer weekends I've had in a while. I am already looking forward to next year!

Is it hot in here, or is it just my beer?

We went to 75th Street Brewing yesterday and noticed "Hot Chocolate" on their list of draft beers. I gave it a second look since it seemed odd to have that on the list , but figured they were simply highlighting this warm wintertime drink due to the sharp drop in temperature the past couple of days.

Much to my delight, I was wrong - the brewers at 75th Street have put a new spin on a prior release, the Chocolate Ascent. They've added cayenne to this delicious brew and named it - you guessed it - "Hot Chocolate". It's just as rich and chocolatey as the original Chocolate Ascent, with a warming kick at the end. Very drinkable and a really nice alternative to an already-great beer. It reminded me quite a bit of those dark chocolate truffles with chili powder. Rich, slightly bitter, roasted chocolate taste followed by warmness then a slightly sharp pepper flavor. Well done, 75th Street!


In other news, it looks like Sierra Nevada is releasing yet another year-round beer! It's due to arrive some time this summer and is borne of German-style Hefeweizen. They're using open, shallow fermentation tanks rather than those tall, cylindrical fermenters, leading to more complex flavor found in German hefe.

Kellerweis is a light and refreshing beer with deep complexity of flavor. The yeast provides hints of fruit flavors and spices, including ripe banana and clove. This hazy-golden beer glows with suspended yeast creating a velvety texture; perfect for a sunny California day.

Is it summer yet?

Drink the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

I got a call from Mark at Gomer's Midtown today to let me know that they received 5 cases of Sierra Nevada's Torpedo. John and I have been waiting for this quite a while, and John raced over after work to pick up a couple six-packs (as well as a sixer of their ESB).

I loved John's review of Torpedo so I'll just post a picture of my glass along with a link to his review. Prost! 

A Slice of Win at Waldo Pizza

Waldo Pizza has some new stuff on tap recently. Unfortunately, their website is out of date and my memory is pretty poor, so I'm going to do my best to recall what they had available... 

• Bell's Hopslam
• Bear Republic Racer 5
• Avery IPA
• HofBrau Hefeweizen
• New Belgium 2 Below
• Boulevard Irish Ale
• Schlafly Coffee Stout
• Lindeman's Raspberry Lambic
• Peroni
• Beamish

There are about twice as many beers on tap there but my memory fails me (shocking, I know). Regardless, the selection right now is fantastic. They're just waiting for the 2 Below to blow out and will replace it with a keg of Sierra Nevada's Bigfoot (2009 is its 25th anniversary!). We asked about Torpedo, but alas - none in sight. YET.

I had a Racer 5, John had the Avery IPA, and we split a pint of the coffee stout. I thought the coffee stout was pretty tasty. It definitely has a rich up-front coffee aroma and taste, with a nice bitter chocolate aftertaste that lingers for a few seconds. The head was tan, creamy, and lingering. Mouthfeel was just about right - not too light but not velvety or creamy. This is a good coffee stout and if you like the style, it's worth getting a pint. It was served just a bit colder than I'd have preferred, but that's easy to fix. 

The bartenders are always friendly and talkative, and they all know their beer. Tonight's experience was no different. We had a nice evening there, and I recommend checking out the current selection and supporting your Best Little Place for Pizza.

Prepare to be Torpedoed into Hopland

I just got off the phone with Lukas Liquor in MO (near 135th & State Line). They're getting Sierra Nevada's Torpedo "two weeks out". Mark your calendar, boys and girls - two weeks isn't long. Gomer's in Midtown took my name & number and will call me when they know they'll have it. Apparently I was the 2nd person to call about it today. Royal in both Brookside and on 103rd didn't know when they'd get it in.

Torpedo is an "Extra IPA"
7.4% ABV
IBUs around 78-80
Bittering hops: Magnum
Finishing hops: Magnum, Crystal, Chinook.
Torpedo: Magnum, Chinook, Citra
More info here and here.


On the Citra hops, sierranevadabill says this on beeradvocate.com:

As far as we know Torpedo will be the first bottled beer EVER to include Citra hops, widely available or otherwise.

We are using Citra in the torpedo because it is not only a really unique flavored hop but also has a ton of alpha-acid...I think 12% don't quote me though. The flavor os somewhere in between the crazy-tropical mango flavor I described, but if used too much, Citra can crank out an intense "catty" flavor... Like Simcoe on steroids.

As the previous poster stated, with a late hop addition, the hops are still subjected to hot wort, therefore, extracting some bitterness. That is, not necissarily why we're not using there, though. i think I mentioned earlier, that there ar only about 3 acres of this hop anywhere in the world. There just isn't that much of it to go around. I was in our hop freezer this aftyernoon, and we have a solid 250lb bale. I think that's it. Total. End of story.

We are using citra in a way to get the most bang for the buck, so to speak, and blending it in with many different hop varieties in the Torpedo for added hop complexity.

Happy Brew Year!

We rung in 2009 on a quiet note this year. Unlike last year, we actually managed to stay up until midnight... We bought some delicious treats at Whole Foods and drank Sierra Nevada's original Harvest Ale and Rogue's Chocolate Stout. John had also picked up a bottle of Achel, but we didn't get to it.

I've been interested in trying the Harvest ale for a while. When we went to Toronado in San Francisco, I had a pint of the Estate Harvest and it was delicious - a nice fresh spicy hop-forward ale at 69 IBUs, with a good malt balance. It's hopped only with hops that the brewery grew on premises (hence, Estate). The original Harvest was similar, though it didn't seem as spicy as the Estate harvest from what I remember. Now I just have the Southern Hemisphere Harvest to try.

While chowing down on our treats and enjoying our beer, we listened to a few episodes from the Brewing Network. While their webcasts are geared toward homebrewers, even the non-homebrewer who knows a bit about the brewing process would appreciate the shows.

The Sunday Session is a general show about homebrewing & craft beer with quite a bit of humor and often features guests, including head brewers from well-known breweries such as Stone, Rogue, BJ's, Gordon Biersch, New Glarus, Dogfish Head, and others. These guys get a little wacky, though, and sometimes it takes a while to wade through banter to get to the meat of the show. It's pretty humorous, though, and if you have some time to dedicate to listening, it's worth checking out.

We spent most of our time listening to the Jamil Show, which is still funny but spends a larger portion of the show talking about the brewing process, tips, brewing to style, and other process-related information. Even if you're not a brewer, if you know a little about the process this is an interesting show. They dedicated each show to a BJCP judging style, going over characteristics of the style and how to achieve them in the brewing process. They dispel myths of the styles, discuss common features and recommended ingredients, and explain how certain characteristics of the styles are achieved.

These shows are worth listening to, for anyone interested in homebrewing or the brewing process. They're also on Facebook and send announcements every so often. Check them out!

Merry Christmas!

Well here we are on yet another Christmas day. We don't really do Christmas, outside of presents and sometimes dinner. This year I couldn't be bothered to make a nice dinner, so beer & presents it is. I made cinnamon rolls for Christmas breakfast, though, so surely that counts for something.

We bottled John's smoked porter today - pictured there on the right. We made it on Thanksgiving with his mom and bottled it on Christmas day. Surely it deserves a holiday-related name. Fireside Smoked Porter? Yuletide Smoked Porter? Shopping Frenzy Smoked Porter, perhaps...

Tuesday night, I picked up an Ommegang Gift Box at Royal off State Line. It contains Chocolate Indulgence, Hennepin, and Three Philosophers, as well as a nice Ommegang glass (essentially a large flute). I can't remember the exact price, but I think it was $23.99. It was somewhere in that neighborhood anyway. We cracked open the Three Philosophers that night and it was enjoyable, as always. Someone was thinking when they blended Kriek with Belgian strong ale. It has a perfect balance of strong, Belgian fruitiness with a dry cherry flavor. It's not sweet like the Framboise lambic is by itself. I've always enjoyed it, but am moving it up on my "beers I enjoy" list as of late. 

I worked half a day on Christmas Eve, then spent the evening at Waldo Pizza (where they have Boulevard Single Wide on tap), enjoying some of a 12" Choice Cut pizza. Whoever decided bacon on pizza was a good idea should win some sort of prize. I enjoyed a delicious Avery Reverend, which they had on tap. John had a Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale, followed by a Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye (my favorite Bear Republic!), both also on draught.

We then came home and polished off the other two Ommegang bottles, which was an extremely good idea. We started with Hennepin... Now, I'm not a big Saison person. I do, however, appreciate a good one when I taste it and Hennepin is one of them. It has more hop profile than a typical Belgian Saison, which I think makes it a more remarkable beer. I found myself wanting to pair it with a cave-aged Gouda (but then, I pretty much want to eat cheese with anything).

Instead, we just moved on to Chocolate Indulgence. This beer is so fantastic, it is worth trying at least once even if you don't think you're going to like it. It's a pretty complex stout, bringing out not only flavors of chocolate, but ones of roasted coffee and caramel as well. The chocolate is definitely detectable, but not overwhelming. The hoppiness is rather forward, which I prefer, and balances the maltiness of the ale extremely well. I highly recommend this one, even if you're not a "chocolate beer" fan. 

Merry Christmas!