Cigar City brew news

Last Friday we bottled Capricho Oscuro #2. It should be ready in about two weeks. Batch #2 is a barrel aged blend of Bolita, Big Sound and 110K+OT Batch #2. Instead of having an official release party for CO #2 we plan to just make it available at the brewery during normal business hours with a per person limit. There are about 450 bottles of batch #2.

Bolita Double Nut Brown Ale will be bottled tomorrow. Bolita has been released on draft before and the barrel aged version has been released in bottles, but this is the first time out for the bottled version of the regular Bolita. We are expecting around a 100 case yield of 12X750ml bottles. The next bottled brew will be Improvicasion Oatmeal Rye India-style Brown Ale.

After 4 months in business, CCB is expanding, both in the brewery and in distribution. We will be adding a 30 bbl fermenter and brite tank and another 15 bbl brite tank. This will expand our production capacity a great deal. We are also planning to move down to cover South Florida, as I had previously mentioned, and will be sending a limited amount of beer to New York and Denmark in the coming months. Hopefully as we add tanks we'll also be able to add more east coast states.

Weyerbacher ZOTTEN

Weyerbacher Brewing Company, announces the release of Zotten, a Belgian- style Pale Ale and a brand new addition to our seasonal line-up, debuting in June.

Zotten (rhymes with verboten) is bottle conditioned, with a small amount of yeast sediment and carries the distinctive flavors of the house abbey yeast strain that Weyerbacher uses for its Merry Monks’ Ale. At 6% abv, this is one tasty session beer. With a dry hoppiness for balance and fruity notes on the palate the bottle conditioning finishes this beer with a very nice complexity.

Available on draft on June 3, 2009 simultaneously at over 40 different bars in various states. Bottles available in 12 oz. 4-packs will be shipped to wholesalers across Weyerbacher’s market area at the same time. Head brewer Chris Wilson says, “This is a very significant release for us as well as the beer community out there. Here we have a very “sessionable” beer that has significant flavor, complexity and hops to satisfy the most discriminating palate, and its perfect for this time of year as.”

In the Lehigh Valley, PA, Weyerbacher’s home, Zotten will debut on draft at Pearly Bakers’ Ale House, Porters’ Pub, Starters Riverport, Liberty Street Tavern, Tally Ho, Blue Monkey and Bear Creek Mountain Resort and Conference Center.

In the Philly region the following pubs will be pouring Zotten: Craft Ale House, Theresa’s, Capone’s, Spinnerstown Hotel, Ortino’s Northside, The Belgian Café, South Philly Tap Room, Johnny Brenda’s, Standard Tap, Grey Lodge, Brigid’s, Hulmeville Inn, Old Eagle Tavern, and Race Street Café.

In Bucks County: The Blue Dog in Chalfont, Stephanie's in Doylestown, and Spinnerstown Hotel. In Baltimore the following pubs will be pouring Zotten: Max’s, Mahaffeys, Jack’s Bistro, Lures, Racers, Alonzo’s and Frisco’s.

In Washington, DC: Brickskeller, RFD and Pizza Paradiso M Street In Pittsburgh, all 4 Sharp Edge pubs with be pouring Zotten.

Weyerbacher, which bills itself as an “artisanal” brewery makes over 2 dozen different styles of beer throughout the year with such names as Blithering Idiot, Imperial Pumpkin Ale, and Slam Dunkel to name a few. Brewing 5500 barrels in 2008, Weyerbacher is expecting growth of 15-20% in 2009. President & Founder Dan Weirback stated, “ We prefer to grow organically, through word of mouth. We do extremely little advertising as we prefer to put our resources into developing and brewing great beers and providing a meaningful career choice for our fantastic staff.”

Zotten, which is Flemish for “fools”, fits right into the Weyerbacher stable with its jester’s cap icon. The name originates from a time several hundred years ago when an Austrian king, visiting Brugge, Belgium witnessed a parade through town to honor him. Many were dressed as court jesters and king was heard to say, “Brugge is a town full of zotten”.

Zotten release in draft and bottles is June 3 everywhere Weyerbacher is sold.

DEFEAT a proposed federal excise tax on beer

with thanks to the Clipper City website for this handy-dandy copy&paste email to send to your local congressman and congresswoman. remember, just say NO.

"Dear Sir / Madame:

I am writing to you to urge that you stand against the proposed increase in the federal excise tax on beverage alcohol. This proposal is harmful to an already ‘taxed’ economy and would be detrimental to my community. As an active voter I am very much against it.

Sincerely,
Kristyn Lier"

as for just what the excise tax increase proposes, get a load of this:

"BEER INSTITUTE LEGISLATIVE ACTION NETWORK

ACTION ALERT--FEDERAL EXCISE TAX

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) and Ranking Member Charles Grassley (R-IA) held a hearing on Tuesday, May 12th on Financing Comprehensive Healthcare Reform. Senator Baucus invited healthcare policy experts, tax policy experts, and economists to join Finance Committee members to discuss the tax and savings options that the Committee should consider as it works to craft a healthcare reform bill. Senators and experts discussed a wide variety of ideas for looking for funding within and outside the healthcare system, including proposals by two of the witnesses to triple the beer tax and to find savings to pay for healthcare.

It is imperative that you call your member of Congress and your Senators, especially if they are on the Senate Finance Committee and weigh-in on the devastating impact ANY increase on the federal excise tax on beer would have on your business. "

don't know who to contact? you can find out who and how at these two government sites:
http://www.house.gov/
http://www.senate.gov/

Sensory Panel Management Course

the Siebel Institute of Technology and World Brewing Academy course, the Sensory Panel Management Course.

"The Siebel Institute Sensory Panel Management course was created to help you build panels that achieve these results and more. Designed & conducted by brewing industry sensory panel experts, this 3-day course instructs you in the tools & techniques used by the world’s leading brewers to assess their products, analyze resulting data, and take action to ensure the highest possible quality & consistency in your beer."

they also have a wonderful new kit out for those, such as myself, who are at-home beer afficianados. i won't be at home forever though, and whether you are new to tasting or a seasoned veteran, this is the kit you've been waiting for. i know i have been.

http://www.siebelinstitute.com/catalogs/pdfs/Sensory_Kit.pdf

Bold City Brewery feels the baseball love

Hi Everyone,

Hope all is well. Just a quick email to let everyone know that your hometown Brewery will now be available at your hometown baseball team, The Jacksonville Suns, stadium. Starting tonight, Bold City Killer Whale Cream Ale and Duke's Cold Nose Brown Ale will be available in two places. At a kiosk above third base as well as in the Sundowner lounge. Game starts @ 7pm. Hope to see you there.

Cheers,
Brian

BEER WARS retrospective

I love beer. All beer. Good and bad, though obviously with a preference for the good. Why the bad? Because it’s all part and parcel of the package. I can’t and don’t have the luxury to pick and choose what I love and enjoy about the world of beer while ignoring the rest. I have to truly enjoy, explore, taste, and savor all that beer has to offer. How does the saying go… only through folly do we learn to appreciate life’s blessings.

Something like that.

Does this mean I must accept that which is bad within the beer world with nary a whisper, whimper, or growl of protest? Of course not. But that is where hypocrisy comes into play; where beer politics, bullying, and the cold hard dollar can come to rule over a most uneven playing field. At risk: passion. Passion is under constant threat of suppression in order to perpetuate one bastardized bastion of brewing so that it alone can rule from its blood-soaked kingdom over all that it perceives as a threat.

Humans have been drinking beer for millennia and are more than capable of knowing what constitutes good beer and what constitutes bad beer. This is the good fight for good beer which I am proud to be a part of.

Recently, I was able to watch the documentary Beer Wars. Supping a divine brew, I set the DVD on spin and prepared to fully engage both sides of my brain. An hour and a half later, I was left clutching an empty glass while thoughts swirled about my head much like the foam and lace had previously swirled about before I supped every last divine drop of liquid bliss.

Overall, far less biased and blindly hateful than I was expecting; this is a good thing. The purpose of the movie would have been completely lost if it had been a mash of hate, spite, and pitiable bitterness. That would have played directly into the hands of the Big3 which Anat Baron was highlighting. A veteran of the beer industry herself, she launched Mike’s Hard Lemonade into the national success it is today before branching out on her own.

The largest point of controversy for the documentary is Rhonda. There are positives and negatives to the heavy coverage her story received which I will cover in depth later. The other two heavily featured characters were Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head Brewing and Jim Koch of Samuel Adams. Not to be outdone, other players in the movie included Charlie Papazian of the American Homebrewers Association, Greg Koch of Stone Brewing, Dick Yuengling of Yuengling, Kim Jordon of New Belgium Brewing, and Carol Stoudt of Stoudts Brewing.

A particularly bright spot of the movie for me was the short interview with the affable Michael Jackson, a gentleman who brought honor and dignity to real beer. I unfortunately entered the world of beer too late to personally meet Michael Jackson at least once, but his passion for both beer and scotch will always be an inspiration. I can only hope to do honor and justice to his memory by also championing beer and scotch with equal grace, romance, and respect.

But I digress.

The nostalgia aspect of Beer Wars with its retro ads, commercials, and inside sales pitch guides on how to undercut your competition in the most politically incorrect ways was ironically amusing in a sad sort of way. At least there was once a time where the Big 3, InBev/AnBusch especially, didn’t try to hide their cold war sales tactics behind false pretenses.

Furthering my bemusement at the expense of the Big 3 was the blind tasting of Miller Lite, Bud Light, and Coors Light.
Spot. On.
Despite what many die-hard fanatics of their label will proclaim, in a blind tasting, you cannot and will not be able to taste the difference. After guessing wrong, one blind taster’s answer as to why he drank Coors Light – habit.
Habit, my friend, is a bitch to break. But, what exactly drives habit?
Simplicity? Laziness? Dullness? Boredom? Acquiescence? Subservience?
All of the above, actually, and I am just as guilty of it at times as everyone else. Habit is habit which means it involves not independent thought, but a dependence on not having to think. Defined specifically as "a settled tendency or usual manner of behavior/an acquired mode of behavior that has become nearly or completely involuntary”, at what point do we stop controlling habit and habit starts controlling us?

So what if the macro light lagers all taste the same? It’s what you like to drink, right? That’s what the commercials, advertisements, and marketers say, right? It tastes great really cold and goes down super fast. But then again, so does water and it’s free at most establishments along with being calorie free and much more refreshing. So, back to my original question then; just what is it that drives the Big 3 to success based on a similarly tasteless overly carbonated watered down alcoholic beverage that is but a pale shadow of its proud beery heritage?

Marketing, the almighty dollar, and mindless habit.

Your life is their livelihood so from childhood unto the grave, they desire nothing more than to keep your culled habits all to themselves. Marketing is what drives the bottom line; it certainly isn’t style, taste, and diversity. If that were the case, people would be more inclined to stop drinking the Big 3’s macro light lagers, choosing instead flavor and diversity to match our expanding palates.

During his Dogfish Head dinner, Sam Calagione struck this head-on by appealing to his patrons’ independence, intelligence, and freedom of choice. Only you and I can know for ourselves what we might like and want in a beer whether by itself or paired with dinner. No fancy multi-million dollar corporate ad can tell me what to drink, what to like, and what to buy.

I am my own person. Are you?

But what about the others? Do craft and import brewers want us to buy their beer? Of course. Do they want to try and actively sell it to us? Of course.

Clearly evidenced in Beer Wars, the main difference is that a little education, dedication, and diversity of flavor culminates in a quality beer. Quality beer goes a long way towards selling itself, and not the other way around. As Greg Koch of Stone commented, quite seriously, his hopped-up malty beer, Arrogant Bastard Ale, told him what its name was, not the other way around.

Beer has personality. It has moods. It wants to please. It wants to be loved. It wants to be cajoled, coveted, and aged whenever appropriately possible. Age is a blessing after all, not a curse as many purveyors of age-defying products would have us believe. Beer also doesn’t want to be dependent of others; it is very independently minded and considerate of its origins. Nature works her best wonders with harmonious cooperation, not cold sterile precision. Beer is love. Beer is beauty. Beer is nourishment and inspiration. Beer is life. Beer is culture, history, religion, ecology and economy. Fear not beer, but embrace her and she shall embrace you.

It wasn’t really addressed in the movie, but go to the InBev/AnBusch website and note their company motto: “Making friends is our business.” Personally and professionally speaking, making enemies is more their business than making friends ever was, is, and will be. If they weren’t such obnoxious jerks, I might be able to semi-respect what InBev/AnBusch has done, whether I agreed with it or not. But no, they take the cake when it comes to sheer evilness. Long before I was a beer geek, they suffered little respect from me, and these days, they suffer none.

That’s not to say that Miller and Coors are all that much better, but the overall prevailing ill will towards the Big 3 lands squarely on the shoulders of InBev/AnBusch. Suffice to say, they have the lawyers to prove it.

It was nice seeing the female side of the real beer movement with Kim Jordon of New Belgium and Carol Stoudt of Stoudts Brewing. I would have enjoyed a bit more time spent with both, especially with Kim in regards to their eco-friendly policies and employee goodwill. I also enjoyed the short-lived GABF footage which featured quips from Garrett Oliver, the brewmaster and beer spokesman for Brooklyn Brewing. Just as he said, far too many people have never enjoyed the visceral pleasures of real beer which is a damn crying shame. Obviously, I have GABF envy and must attend one sooner than later.

Seeing a little bit into the private family lives of all involved offered a much needed human touch to the movie. It is easier to relate on a personal level to the craft beer movement and real beer in general when you feel a human connection with the person brewing the beer. Knowing Sam is not a waffle master, or that Kim rides her red bicycle to work every day takes the brewer out of the world of television and places them in our home. Gathered around the dinner table, stories, laughter, and good food is shared over jolly pints of real beer. Lifelong friendships are made of moments like this.

My retrospective on Beer Wars would not be complete without my thoughts on Rhonda and Moonshot. She produces mixed feelings in pretty much everyone who watches Beer Wars. I’m not everyone though, so I have my own feelings on Rhonda and Moonshot’s role in Beer Wars which some may or may not agree with. I’m not here to be agreed with per say, and so…

Positive Side: A strong focus on Rhonda and Moonshot illuminates just how much personal sacrifice and work is involved to build a brand new beer concept into a successful business. A business venture is not an overnight accomplishment, a fairytale illusion that unfortunately pervades today’s business market. Success is not easy in a very vicious beer-eat-beer world out there where at any given moment your competition will try and crush you, which usually boils down to one of the Big 3 with InBev/AnBusch taking the largest piece of that oppressive corporate pie. It’s the David VS Goliath of the Beer Wars and Rhonda and Moonshot filled that role by showing the new guy on the block struggling against the old hardened headhunters.

Negative Side: Rhonda and Moonshot were featured too heavily, throwing off the otherwise balanced story while lessoning the impact of her personal story. Less Rhonda and Moonshot and more on Carol, Kim, Greg, Jim, or Sam would have balanced the movie’s focus on personal stories.

I wish Rhonda the greatest success with her brand and her business, but I also disagree with a few articles of interest that popped up in her many interviews and monologues. Over one hundred accounts in a very compact and competitive market area is great. Keep them. Build them. When you have a brand established in its core market, then expansion is the next natural step. I also think that her success with Samuel Adams, a huge national brand, has skewed her immediate expectations for Moonshot. (Remember, business ventures don’t succeed overnight). It is my conclusion that she is trying to build too big too fast without having a solid grounding to build from. I also wonder if Rhonda will ever be satisfied with the success of her brand, or if she is seeking that illusory position which was never open to her at Samuel Adams.

Just my two cents.

I applaud what the Alstrom Brothers have done for the online community and real-world community of beer lovers, but during the interview session, they were less than respectful in their comments regarding Moonshot and Rhonda’s objective. I’m not a big advocate of products that blur the line of what could be called beer, but beer with caffeine…how is that any different than the hundreds of coffee stouts and porters that are brewed on a very regular basis by domestic and import craft breweries? Are they two different products? Absolutely. Is one less of a beer than the other? Possibly. Does that make one better than the other? Hard to say, especially when both are meeting a demand. This is a nation of free enterprise, after all, love it or hate it. I’d be curious as to what their real issue is with Moonshot and Rhonda, but that was never addressed or discussed intelligently. Instead, I bore witness to a sad temper tantrum by a grown man who wasn’t happy with somebody’s product that didn’t meet his standards of what he thinks constitutes beer.

Moonshot isn’t my flavor, but I would at least enjoy, even demand, a chance to have a sit-down intelligent discussion with Rhonda about the who, what, when, why, and how of Moonshot.

So what does Beer Wars mean to me?

Being entrenched in the world as both a consumer and retailer, Beer Was presented further affirmation that the Big 3, InBev/AnBusch especially, are in the beer business for money. Their consumer is nothing more than a tool for them to use to make more money and money only. If beer stopped making them money, the Big 3 would just as easily find something else to spend massive amounts of marketing money on to get us to buy it. Monkey see, monkey do. My other affirmation was showing rather clearly that the floundering 3 Tier System is majorly in need of a scrap and rebuild. A system originally meant to fairly manage the big, the little, and the in-between has become yet another corporate conglomerate whose current self-interest is to protect their own self-interests. This very rarely favors the equally worthy specialty craft and import brewers. Last but certainly not least, outdated laws regarding distribution, shipping, and packaging of beer never work in the favor of the specialty brewer and their consumer.

Beer politics aside, at the heart of Beer Wars is the growing interest in real artisanal beers rich with flavor, diversity, and innovation. More and more consumers are growing tired of the same old product and are demanding flavor, diversity, and innovation. Just as in our clothes, our cars, our food, our jobs, and more, we are an ever growing community who wants the better choice for our life. We want the truth, and we’re tired of being fed the same marketing schlock which serves only to cull the already listless masses into buying their tired product. Real beer inspires real choice. Real choice inspires real beer diversity. Real beer diversity inspires real beer freedom.

We are close, but the closer we get to real beer choice, the more the Big 3 feel threatened. Real beer and real choice means that you, the consumer, may choose not to drink their beer anymore. Will the Big 3 go out of business? Hardly, but the reality that I should have a choice to drink real beer, a beer other than theirs, is a choice they don’t want me to have. If freedom of choice isn’t American, than I don’t know what is anymore. Just as in world wars past and long-standing struggles of power, those in power will always cling most desperately to their position and always at the expense of everyone else.

Beer Wars is a must see for anyone and everyone. You don’t have to be a beer geek to enjoy the movie and get at least a little self-reflection out of it.

(an original written work by Kristyn Lier. plagiarism is not tolerated)

current BEER releases and rereleases

New beers and rereleases to look for right now.
(entries in green are available in most of Florida)

• Victor Ale ~ Allagash
• Summer Solstice Cerveza Crema ~ Anderson Valley Brewing
• Peregrine Pilsner, Trail Blaze Organic Brown Ale ~ Appalachian Brewing
• Red Brick Summer Brew ~ Atlanta Brewing
• Anniversary Ale Sixteen ~ Avery
• HotRod Red, Devil’s Tramping Ground Tripel, Big Buck Chocolate Stout ~ Aviator Brewing
• Single-Wide IPA, ZoN, Smokestack, Two Jokers Double Wit ~ Boulevard Brewing
• Jersey Summer Breakfast Ale ~ Cricket Hill Brewing
• Collaboration Ale ~ DeProef/Bell’s
• Red Chair IPA, Black Butte XXI, Twighlight ~ Deschutes Brewing
• Curmudgeon, Cerise ~ Founders Brewing
• Luciernaga, Weizen Bam Biere ~ Jolly Pumpkin
• Stegmaier Midsummer Ale ~ Lion Brewery
• 10 Commandments, Cuvee de Tomme ~ Lost Abbey
• Mama’s Little Yella Pils ~ Oskar Blues Brewing
• Heiferweizen, Surfers Summer Ale ~ Pelican Brewery
• 3rd Anniversary Double IPA, Older Viscosity ~ Port Brewing
• Son of a Peach Wheat Ale ~ RJ Rockers Brewing
• Dad’s Little Helper, American Amber Ale ~ Rogue Brewing
• Mexican Logger ~ Ska Brewing
• Incubus ~ Sly Fox Brewing
• Nude Beach Summer Wheat ~ Stevens Point Brewery
• Imperial Russian Stout, 13th Anniversary Ale ~ Stone Brewing
• Blackheart, Fantabulous Resplendence ~ Three Floyds Brewing
• Stillwater Vanilla Cream Ale ~ Thomas Creek Brewery
• Throwback Lager, Sunrise Weissbier ~ Victory Brewing
• Maibock, Kolsch ~ Wild Rose Brewery

(thanks to the june/july 2009 issue of DRAFT for the list)

2nd Annual Treasure Coast Beer Fest

The 2nd Annual Treasure Coast Beer Festival is fast approaching. Be sure to:

1) Attend and sample as many beers as possible
2) Have FUN!
3) As a vendor or business, buy an advertisement in their brochure which will be handed out to ALL attendees, successfully pimping out your store amongst hundreds of merry revelers.
4) Help out two wonderful charity organizations by attending the 2nd Annual Treasure Coast Beer Fest and having a grande ole time.
5) and most importantly, REAL BEER!

All information can be obtained via their website: Treasure Coast Beer Fest

will read for beer

Finally finished the very painstakingly academic book Ale, Beer, and Brewsters in England: Women’s Work in a Changing World 1300-1600 by Judith M. Bennet. It was highly informative despite its very dry format and extensive reiteration of established facts and thesis. Truly, the book could have been half its length and been just as informative and, even more so, twice as effective. Having effectively shelved that book, I am now currently perusing the book Barleywine: History, Brewing Techniques, Recipes by Fal Allen and Dick Cantwell. Part of the Classic Beer Styles Series of books, I have an eye on about at least a half dozen I want to and will eventually read.

Not reading yet, but just in at my local bookstore, the Vero Beach Book Center, is the brick… er, tome All Belgian Beers/Les Bieres Belges/Alle Belgische Bieren. Weighing in at 1568 pages, it is quite literally exactly what the title says: ALL. BELGIAN. BEERS. (as close as humanly possible, at least). Written/compiled/recorded by Hilde Deweer, it was released June 15th 2008 in bilingual format (Belgian and English) by Stichting Kunstboek Bvba and documents every single beer currently available in Belgium. Suffice to say, I may not have an established favorite beer or beer style, but my favorite country should be quite obvious by now.

Waiting in the reading queue are:
The Beer Book by Sam Calagione and Tim Hampson
Imbibe! By David Wondrich
Beer in America: The Early Years 1587-1840 by Gregg Smith
Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails by Ted Haigh
The Ultimate Guide to Spirits and Cocktails
Whiskey by Michael Jackson

(an original written work by Kristyn Lier. plagiarism is not tolerated)

Cigar City Brewing bottle release notice

The first in the Humidor Series and the newest of Cigar City Brewing’s bottled releases is out and on select store shelves in the Treasure Coast. The beer itself is their Jai Alai IPA aged on humidor cedar chips, and is exquisitely delicious. Available in capped 750ml bottles, quantity is very limited and already no longer available for reordering. Grab your bottle while you can, save for yourself or share with friends and, most of all, enjoy.

Locations where Cigar City Brewing beers can be found:

Great Spirits – 824 South US1 32962 – on the corner of US1 and Oslo
Roy’s Liquor – 720 South US1 34950
Vine & Barley – 1680 SW St. Lucie West Blvd 34986
Knightly Spirits – 2603 South Hiawasse Blvd 32835
Redlight Redlight - 745 Bennet Rd 32839

Kid Rock beer - Badass Redneck Lager

honestly, i'm not all that interested or impressed, but i will try it.

my peeve: seeing as how 'badass' and 'different' Kid Rock proposes to be, he goes for the most mainstream, dull, boring, watered-down and unimpressive beer style:

American Standard Lager, aka Macro Light Lager

pardon me if i don't start jumping up & down in excitement.

seriously?
really?
come on Mr. Kid Rock, i know you can do better than that, or are you just a sell out like the rest of them?

know what would have been impressive?

a big ole FUCK YOU to all the mainstream piss that floods the modern domestic beer market by releasing something big, crazy, and rocking with flavor.

and the name? come on. i know who you are selling to, and they aren't buying. they're sticking with the same watery macro light lagers they have drank for decades with blatant disregard and disinterest to anyone who should try to steer them otherwise. habit is a bitch to break, after all.

his drinking crowd? aka targeted demographic market?

they want foo-foo fruity drinks, jaeger-bombs, or the same ole schlock they have been drinking for years, legally and not so legally. they certainly aren't alternative or rebellious, and heaven forbid your beer should have...calories.

unsurprisingly, the craft market could have been the perfect match, but obviously Kid Rock missed that pulse of America.

i'll try it.
i'll write a review of it.
but i won't buy any more than the one bottle i need to do the above.

PS: i'm particularly disturbed by this line from an earlier SPIN article.

"Move over, President Obama -- Kid Rock has a stimulus plan that's guaranteed to save the economy: getting drunk"

{shakes head}
really?
oh great gods of beer and rationality, please save me from the infernally perpetuating stupidity that is the modern marketing culture i am surrrounded most-unwillingly by.

on a more serious note, that is a very damning phrase for the millions of adults who choose to enjoy our beer in a mature, appreciative, artisanal fashion that does not make us look like immature drunk dumbasses. that damning little quip also does very little to educate the young and impressionable as to the many positive ways to enjoy beer, and spirits in general.

(an original written work by Kristyn Lier. plagiarism is not tolerated)

Beer Advocate under cyber-attack

much like Rate Beer a few months ago, Beer Advocate has been suffering a long series of hacker attacks. as a RateBeerian, during RBs hacking previous, we were able to seek refuge to hang and talk about beer at Beer Advocate, so of course RB is extending the same helping hand to BA.

the attacks have lessoned/concluded as of now, but they could as easily rear their ugly heads again.

Beer is Peace.

hackers need not apply -.-

Cigar City Brewing ~ Humidor Jai Alai IPA

having been bottled last week, it started hitting shelves last week in various parts of Florida, and for those who live on the Treasure Coast, it should be arriving this week.

i'm hoping to get 3 cases in at work, and will confirm ASAP.

2 of the 3 cases those are reserved, but 1 case will be shelved so i can start building and pimping Cigar City Brewing beers in the store and all along the Treasure Coast.

as an empowered woman, i drink Real Beer

A well deserved thanks to the current issue of Beers of the World for bringing me the newest corporate machination, BitterSweet Partnership, from Molson/Coors. Beers of the World is a great magazine and the editor comment from Sally Toms along with the in-depth article by Melissa Cole breaks down the overwhelmingly sexist ploy of this new venture by Molson/Coors to “supposedly” empower female beer drinkers.

I am always highly amused by studies that are geared towards, about, and for my gender: Woman. Usually, I find myself an exasperated bundle of aggravation, cynicism, pessimism, irony, amusement, and disgust by just how un-female friendly the surveys actually are. Empowerment? Hah! Don’t make me laugh.

Real female empowerment would make any calculated ploys to cull our likes and dislikes through self-serving advertisement techniques absolutely worthless. Instead, women the world over would have the knowledge and freedom to make up their own minds, choose their own beer, and live by their own standards. This in turn would naturally generate a socio-economic demand for beer diversity and exploration brought about by an openly educated and informed environment which encourages exploration of all things different instead of discouraging them. Craft and import beers have been quenching this multi-gender thirst for beery adventure for generations.

But alas, it would seem that the BitterSweet Partnership by Molson/Coors, headed by an elite panel of women chosen and paid by Molson/Coors, are here to tell me exactly what I really enjoy in a beer, and woe-be-me should I disagree.

Sounds rather totalitarian and sexist to me, but what do I know, right? I’m just a lowly woman who, given the opportunity to openly explore the diverse and exciting world of beer and all its visceral pleasures, would be incapable of forming my own educated opinion of what I like and don’t like. Madness I say, madness! Surely I don’t have the capabilities, skills, and professionalism to explore in depth the history of beer, study the cultural and economical roles it has played throughout history, analyze and savor the best aromas and flavors and richness of palate that beer has to offer, and even better yet, explore the centuries old tradition of cuisine-a-la-bier.

Craziness! I mustn’t think such world-shattering thoughts. The sky shall turn to sackcloth and blood shall rain down upon thy sinful flesh.

~sarcasm OFF~

Remove the billion-dollar polish and what is left is exactly what Molson/Coors wants this panel to be: a panel of influential figures ready to cull the gullible masses into believing only what they tell them which in turn means that they will drink only what they tell them to drink.

What product would that be? Whose product would that be?

Hm… why, I do believe that would be the beer in question that these lovely ladies who have been hired by and are paid by Molson/Coors to sell to you and to me. Sounds like just another fancy sales-pitch to me that continues to perpetuate the sexist marketing of non-beer to women because we can’t handle real beer. By targeting an influential market long ignored, they can control as much of that untapped dollar through smooth-talk, marketing, and perpetuating a continual bastardization of the proud beverage, Beer.

This is no serious study of women and beer. This is just yet another shameless pitch in the great corporate game of who can sell more, brew more, and further their influence over a moldable new market: Women. Surely the BitterSweet Partnership, fellow sister’s-in-arms, must be right. They wouldn’t trick us or lie to us or perpetuate the same level of inequality where women should just be good little girls and let others handle life’s difficulties, even if those others are also women.

Are they saying that I, a female beer drinker, am too ignorant to appreciate the overall beauty of beer on my own? Why yes, I do believe that is what they are saying. Wow. I thought I left that kind of juvenile sexist tripe behind in high-school, but I guess I was wrong.

Women have quaffed beer in quantity and diversity of flavor, styles, and varying strengths for centuries. Yet, what is this expert panel’s answer: a clear fruit-flavored alcopop. It doesn’t come close to being neither beer nor deserving of the name Beer. Catherine The Great and Queen Elizabeth I are surely rolling around in their graves.

The only marketing campaign beer needs is a marketing campaign encouraging information, education, diversity, and fun.

I am as much a member of this nation of free thinkers as everyone else, and I say it is high time that women be given the proper credit and an equal place in the world of beer. In many countries where beer is a century’s old proud heritage, real beer is beloved by both men and women alike. Women drink what they like not because a flashy billion dollar advertising campaign told them to or because an on-again off-again celebrity told them to. No, they drink beer because it tastes good, having been brought up in a culture rich with diversity, pride, and fairness in regards to beer.

I hold beer tastings weekly at work along with hosting extracurricular tasting events and seminars all while sharing my love for beer every day of my life with as many people as I possibly can. We don’t talk just about hot chics, fast cars, big pick-up trucks, and fruity clear alcopops. Nay, we discuss with great enthusiasm the fun facts of beer, interesting historical tidbits, diversity and sheer variety of beer available (readily and not so readily). We enjoy the appearance, aroma, flavor, and overall achievements of the beers we drink. We explore and taste what beers go best with what foods and why. We socialize. We share pints, nonics, chalices, bollocks, tulips, pilsners, and glasses of all varieties for beers of all varieties. We share our life with beer and are the richer for it, creating memories to last a lifetime. If you brew it, I will drink it. If it is good, no matter how different wild crazy or eclectic, I will like it.

If I can do it, believe you me, every other woman can.

Beer is not exclusively a man’s beverage anymore than it is exclusively a woman’s beverage. Beer is Beer. Beer belongs to and has belonged to both men and women since the beginning of time. Man and woman alike have enjoyed the refreshing, revitalizing, and sociable aspects of beer since its discovery. Despite various attempts to subjugate women and deny them their beer rights, woman has always had a place in the world of beer, big and small.

There are billions of women, myself included, who have discovered the innumerable joys of real beer. The entire world over, we are united at all times in one purpose: the good quest for real beer. How do we do it? With the help of fellow beer friends, an open mind, a little luck, skill, adventure, and a lot of fun.

Beer is a journey. Do you want to sit back and let someone else live it for you, or do you want to grab the wheel in your own two hands and find your own way?

Once more, greedy corporations who have everything to gain by herding our beer drinking interests like sheep and everything to lose should those sheep choose to finally live on their own, have constructed another money-making scheme. The idea to make beer more woman-friendly is a good one with good intentions at heart. Molson/Coors, unfortunately, does not have good intentions at heart. That, my friends, is the difference between a good idea and a bad execution of said good idea. Beer was born woman friendly; it just needs a little help cleaning up a lot of misunderstandings.

My fellow ladies, beer is beautiful. Will you like all of it? Probably not. Is that OK? Of course. In the vein of fun, of exploration, of independence, of forming new friendships, new bonds, and creating new memories that will last a lifetime, come explore the wonderful world of beer with me and the billions of other women (and counting) who are seeing, smelling, and tasting the joys of really damn good beer the world over. Most of all, have an open mind and have fun. You may find you like the most what you thought you would like the least, and like the least what you thought you would like the most. You won’t know if you don’t try, and as adult women, we surely don’t need someone else leaning over our shoulder and telling us what we should like and why.

I know I sure don’t. I can think for myself, thankyouverymuch.

Life is short. Drink good beer.
Kristyn Lier

(an original written work by Kristyn Lier. plagiarism is not tolerated)

Brooklyn Brewery Beer Dinner @ Undertow ~ TONIGHT!

The notice is late but certainly not too late. I’ll be there!!! ^_^
Rich Nowak of Brooklyn Brewing and Undertow in downtown Vero will be hosting a beer dinner with Brooklyn beers Thursday night, June 25th, from 6pm-9pm.
Tickets are $25 + gratuity & tax per person, a bargain if there ever was one. To make reservations, please call: (772) 770-0977

The menu is as follows:

Reception

Passed Hors D'ouerves
->paired with Brooklyn Lager

Dinner Courses
Course 01 - Trio of Soups

Watercress
Blue Crab & Corn
Fired Roasted Tomato Gazpacho
-> paired with Brooklyn Weisse (brand new to the state of Florida)

Course 02:

Wild Mushroom and Boursin Cheese Tart
Balsamic brown butter
-> paired with Brooklyn Local 1

Course 03:

Buttermilk Fried Cornish Game Hen
Granny Smith apple slaw, lemon pecan dressing
-> paired with Brooklyn Brown Ale

Dessert

Sweet Potato Bread Pudding Maker's Mark Bourbon Cream
–> paired with Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout

latest and greatest

Cigar City Brewing’s next two beers, Guava Grove and Humidor Jai Alai IPA, should be getting bottled and headed out for distribution in a week, two at the most. Keep an eye out for it in your local Florida beverage retailer, and if you don’t see it be sure to ASK for it.
(on a side note: if you don’t like their beers, there is something wrong with you)

Blue Point Brewing out of Long Island celebrates 10 years of brewing. To celebrate their success, they will be releasing a series of special 22oz beers. Seeing as how they just moved into a new brewhouse, they should have no trouble accomplishing their new 10th Anniversary line along with other great things in the beery future.

New to New York and the NE beer scene in general, the Good Beer Seal of Approval. Also, July is Good Beer Month in New York City.

Summer releases to look forward to from Southampton Publick House:

• Belgian Amber
• Bavarian Wheat
• Summer Ale
• Burton Ale
• Saison Deluxe

The Long Island Matinecock Masonic Historical Society Cask Ale Festival is being held June 27th from 1-5pm in their society house. Tickets are $40 and info can be found HERE.

Two new breweries being distributed along the East Coast: Twin Lakes and Duck Rabbit.

Northern Virginia Summer Brewfest – Morven Park in Leesburg, Virginia June 27th – June 28th with over 40 breweries representing their beers. Food and live music. Family friendly.

Vermont Brewers Festival July 17th – July 18th with at least 36 craft brewers. Tickets are limited.

Great Brewers breaks out the Beer Sommelier to help novices and experts alike break down the challenges of pairing beer with food. Over 250 dishes and relevant pairings are featured. The website is new, but growing so look forward to hopefully more dishes, more variety, and more Beer+Food awareness.

There are two new additions to the Goose Island Reserve Line of 22oz bomber beers:

• Sofie – a saison-style ale
• Juliet – a sour ale

Harpoon Brewing is set to release a new and their third addition to their unfiltered wheat beers: Harpoon UFO White Ale.

Craft Brewers Conference – Chicago, 2010.

Rare Beer Club buy out

C&H Clubs of Southern California have bought out The Rare Beer Club. little has been said, known, seen, or heard from both parties involved as to what this means.

lost orders? change in selection? total closure/discontinuation? new fees?

all these questions and more are weighing on the minds of current members and potentially new members. what shall happen in the short upcoming months and long-term remains to be seen.

it's kind of sad to see a bastion of Michael Jackson's legacy succumb to the potentially fatal issuance of mass-production, a fatal flaw he humbly dedicated his whole life to, all for the sake of thousands of deliciously diverse beers.

Duvel and Ommegang pick a new CEO

Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat (Duvel, Maredsous, Ommegang) announced that Simon Thorpe will be taking over the position of CEO previously held by Laurent Demuynck.

preciously President and CEO of InBev USA, it remains to be seen in the coming months and years whether the appointment will turn out to be a positive one.

the transition will take place during the month of June.

i'm not a fan of InBev and their nazi-esque corporate cold-war tactics. hopefully Mr. Demuynck isn't with InBev anymore because he didn't share their low standards.

time will tell...

steaming through the books

finished 100 Belgian Beers To Try Before You Die and then started and finished 99 DRAMS of Whiskey: The ACCIDENTAL HEDONIST'S Quest for the Perfect Shot and the History of the Drink by Kate Hopkins.

a bit more of a studious read but enjoyable nonetheless, i am now reading Ale, Beer, and Brewsters in England: Women's Work in a Changing World by Judith M. Bennet.

picked up a new book today and the newest addition of the Beers of the World magazine. for those in the Treasure Coast area, i get my books and magazines at the Vero Beach Book Center.

(an original written work by Kristyn Lier. plagiarism is not tolerated)

Quitessential Summer Refreshment

Seeing as I live in Florida, it could be argued, justly so, that it is never not summer.

As a native of this tropical palm tree paradise, I have to say “damn straight”. Year in and year out, I listen to people grumble, bitch, moan, and whine like a spoiled toddler who has lost their pacifier about how HOT it is.

Wah. Wah. Wah.

If you don’t like it, then move. It really is that simple.

Or, you can do as I do if that is your choosing and embrace the sunshine and warmth in the best way possible: Summer Beers. Drinking with the seasons is nothing new, and the summer months are especially renowned for their highly refreshing, tasteful beers of appropriate sessionable strength. If you had been forced to hibernate for months amidst bleak freezing weather of grey misery and deadly icicles, embracing the sunshine would be a literal feat if mankind could hug the sun. As Mr. Sun shines merrily upon my face and a worthy thirst starts to swell, I reach into my fridge or flag the nearest bartender for a thirst-quenching, palate-pleasing brew.

“Here’s your *Bleep* Light.”

STOP!

I want a thirst-quenching and palate-pleasing brew. *Bleep* Light fails the second qualification. If you fail the equally important second qualification, then you have failed both.

*Bleep* Light is nothing you will ever find in my fridge, though it is unfortunately far too prevalent in bars where it looms menacingly over its brothers-in-taps with crushing authority.

So what does every fiber of my being thirst for in the soul-soothing rays of the heat of summer?

Belgian Wit and German Hefeweizen.

Two beer styles of dissimilar origin and taste, yet at their heart, they are long-lost brothers separated by distance but joined forever in spirit. No other beer style, with the exception of Belgian Sour Ales, refreshes and rejuvenates as well as Belgian Wits and German Hefeweizens can and do.

Some personal favorites from abroad and home are:

Belgian Wit:
Blanche de Bruxelles
St. Bernardus Wit
Caracole Troublette
Unibroue Blanche de Chambly
Ommegang Witte
Allagash White

German Hefeweizen:
Paulaner Hefeweizen
Franziskaner Hefeweizen
Ayinger Brau-weisse
Weihenstephaner Hefeweizen
Flying Dog In-Heat Wheat
Sierra Nevada Kellerweisse Hefeweizen

While not related to the Belgian or German family, there are a handful of American Wheat Beers that are simpler but still effectively refreshing with a pleasing palate. The few that have so far impressed me are:

American Wheat:
Bells Oberon
North Coast Blue Star Wheat
Harpoon UFO Hefeweizen
Widmer Hefeweizen

Despite their “hefeweizen” designation, the last two beers do not follow the German Hefeweizen estery palate of pungent cloves, bananas, and yeasty dough. Thus, they are categorized as American Wheat Beers, despite their misleading advertising.

As the summer months persist and the mercury continues its gleefully stubborn rise to fantastic new heights, I’ll be soaking in every moment, Belgian Wit in hand and a German Hefeweizen awaiting her moment in the spotlight. There is no better way to beat the beautiful heat and enjoy it, too.

(an original work written by Kristyn Lier. plagiarism is not tolerated)

Dear Mr. Lew Bryson

Dear Mr. Lew Bryson,

Regarding your “Taking It to the Streets” entry in the June-July 2009 issue of Ale Street News, you erringly stepped in a proverbial ‘steaming pile’ of poo.

“There are whole chunks of American cities with no craft beer; there are whole demographics that aren’t drinking it. How come? It’s not a fear of flavor, or being too cheap: a lot more women drink good wine than drink good beer, gays and lesbians similarly enjoy good wine, and black folk have gone into cognac in a big way. Yes, there are people from those groups drinking craft beer, but not enough.”

Haven’t we beaten the demographic stereotype into the ground enough? Statistics are nothing but what we want them to be and are always manipulated in varying degrees by parties of interest with something to gain. Considering the humongous melting pot that we call the world and within it our small microcosm known as the United States of America, when are we going to get away from short-sighted archaic demographical stereotypes and just let people be people? Are we doomed to live in an endless circle of creating and living by transitory expectations? How about letting the pints land where they may, and then be there to celebrate them.

Since we’re getting personal…

I buzz my head because it is me; it is what my being is most comfortable in. Does that make me a flannel-wearing, softball playing, bud-light drinking, or in your case, wine drinking, truck driving macho butch of a dyke? (since we’re playing the stereotypical demographic game) Anyone who knows me knows that is the furthest from the truth, yet because the stereotype is perpetuated far more than the individuals themselves, a box of single-sighted preconceptions are what I am left to deal with time and time again.

Seeing as craft and import beer can be viewed as much of a victim of stereotyping and demographic pigeon-holing, why would we want to impose on our passionate drinkers, new and old, the same baggage we are trying to break free from?

As a lesbian, I find wide sweeping references such as the one above to be nothing but empty facts based on hearsay and tired stereotypes. No one lives in a one-sided box, least of all myself. Does that mean that there are lesbians and gays that fit that stereotype, as you so put it? Of course. Is that the whole of their person? No. Is it a valid base for a generalized statistic that only serves to perpetuate a tired stereotype? No. Does it perform more harm than good to the Great Beer Quest? Yes.

Enjoy wine, I do not. Good beer, yes. In fact, I greatly enjoy craft and import beer, a dram of Scotch or Irish whisky (water on the side), a snifter of sipping rum, or an expertly crafted classic cocktail. I’ll take all of the above over a good wine any minute of any day.

There will always be those who are satisfied with having someone else define their character, but please don’t try to pull that cheap trick with me. Very little aggravates and frustrates me more than comments made carelessly that thousands of people are going to read and blindly take to heart. We are a culture largely reliant on mass-marketing these days, after all.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion and position and I regularly enjoy your articles, the ones I agree with and even the ones I don’t. As much as a good drink is about individuality, so too are the drinkers. There is only one Kristyn Lier, thankfully, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Prost!
Kristyn Lier
Ambassador of Fine Craft & Import Beers

(an original written work by Kristyn Lier. plagiarism is not tolerated)

currently reading...

i just finished reading Three Sheets to the Wind by Pete Brown and am now working on 100 Belgian Beers to Try Before You Die by Tim Webb & Joris Pattyn.

i thoroughly enjoyed Pete Brown's book, and now i must make sure to get his other book, Man Walks Into A Pub.

i'm also reading the newest issue of All About Beer which should be out on your local magazine stands right now.

(an original written work by Kristyn Lier. plagiarism is not tolerated)

BrewDog to Rock San Diego

on June 12th, at the Hamiltons Tavern in San Diego starting from 5pm until the beer runs dry.

if you think Scotland can only make whisky (granted the best damn whisky out there) they can also make damn good beer. BrewDog is equal parts creative genius and rabid insanity.

if you're in the neighborhood, be sure to check them out.

New Releases for the Spring/Summer 2009

Boulevard Brewing:
*Unfiltered Wheat Beers are now available in 16oz aluminum bottles

Widmer Brewing:
*Drifter Pale Ale
*84/09 (ltd edition release to commenorate their 25th anniversary)

Alaskan Brewing:
*Alaskan White Ale
*Alaskan Summer Ale

Abita Brewing:
*Andygator
*Abbey Ale

Sierra Nevada Brewing:
*Kellerweis Hefeweizen

Uinta Brewing:
*Anniversary Barleywine

Four + Brewing Company (Uinta's Organic Beer Line)
*WYLD
*HIVE
*SUM'R

Port Brewing/Lost Abbey:
*Third Anniversary
*Cuvee de Tomme '09
*10 Commandments
*Summer Pale Ale
*Christmas in July

new from importer Eurobrew:
*McAuslan's St-Ambroise Vintage Ale
*Yanjing Beer

Moosbacher Brewery:
*Weissbier
*Schwarz Weiss
*Kellerbier
*Lager

Troegs Brewing:
*The FLying Mouflan

Allagash Brewing:
*Allagash Confluence

Gritty's McDuff:
*Vacationland Summer Ale

Stoudt's Brewing:
*Heifer-in-Wheat

Leinenkugel Brewing:
*Classic Amber

Deschutes Brewery:
*Red Chair IPA
*Black Butte XXI (same as last year but with more coffee)
*Twighlight Ale

Fireman's Brew:
*Blonde
*Redhead
*Brewnette

Wolaver's Organic Ale:
*White Ale

Newest & Brewest From Avery Brewing

Good afternoon!

So, we FINALLY got Federal label approval on SIXTEEN Anniversary Ale! Took nearly 8 weeks for what is usually no more than a three week process. My apologies to you and your retailers for the delay. That said, it is WELL worth the wait! The extra tank time actually improved the beer a bit too. We used the Dupont yeast strain, added Jasmine, Peaches and Honey (this beer has become affectionately known as the "3 Strippers" here at the brewery) to the mix and created one badass SAISON. Super dry, unfiltered with all the aforementioned ingredients making an appearance in both aroma and flavor but no one dominating the mix. Truly integrated and quite refreshing for the abv. Dangerously drinkable is not an overstatement!

I held on to some 1/2 bbl kegs of FIFTEEN from last year to age for release this year with the SIXTEEN. My intention was to style out the very best Avery Tap accounts so they could have both on tap side by side. It has cellared beautifully, a bit more tart and sharper in flavor, less muddled than when fresh. Hibiscus is still there nicely in the aroma as is the pepper on the side of the tongue. Figs maybe just now peeking out a little bit more. First come, first served so let Steve or myself know how many you want!

Gemini IPA update:
Has been pushed back once again! Hop shortage is still a problem as we try to source enough of the hops we want to brew with without endangering production of our current beers. Yeah, yeah, yeah, we want to drink it too!! Sorry again for the delay but we want to create the PERFECT double IPA! All of course for our own selfish drinking pleasure! Ok, and for all those die-hard hopheads too!

Barrel-aged Series update:
Brabant was quite a success and I saw firsthand at Savor in DC last week how well it was received among true beer aficionados! Next out of those zinfandel barrels: A sour cherry 100% brett = fermentation concoction. Knowing the zin flavor will be muted vs. the Brabant, we figured the sour cherries and lighter wine flavor profile would marry well. 3 months into aging, we are PSYCHED on what is forming! Probably at least another 4-5 months to peak and then we bottle and keg. Yep, keg! Just a VERY limited number destined for the top Avery publicans across the country. You know who they are- multiple handles and bottles year round!! Love those guys and gals!

We just filled another set of barrels last week. I found some Gosling rum casks, one of my fav rums, and had them shipped in. Brewed up a nice, thick, chewy deliciously rich Imperial Oatmeal Stout. Tons of body and mouthfeel to stand up to the rum. Normal fermentation on this beer. No bugs or critters allowed! Proly early 2010 release. Will keep you updated as it matures.

And finally, just acquired yet another set of barrels. These I found at the Plumpjack Vineyard. Yep, award winning cabernet sauvignon! They do it right there. Only the best for our beer! These will house and mature our sour beer line up. First brew to go in next week. Lactobacillus will be the main acid producer and we have a strain and mix of bugs we've developed over the course of a few years of experimentation here at the brewery. Will be a mouth puckering
wild sour ale! Ready when it says it's ready! Year?!?!? Ok, that's the scoop on the new weird from Avery.

Hope all are having a fabulous day.

Adam President/Brewmaster
Avery Brewing Company
5763 Arapahoe Avenue
Boulder, CO 80303

Better Beer VS Better Marketing ~ the quest for inspirational diversity in a sea of borish conformity

As a beer ambassador, it can be rather tiresome coming across the same old tired prejudice of what beer should taste like.

“I don’t like the taste of beer. It’s gross”.

Well, you know what, I don’t like the taste of that “beer” either, if you can even really call it beer since it is so far removed from what beer was, is, and should be.

Take your standard macro light lager, for example. It’s watery, artificially carbonated, brewed at lightning speeds in massive quantities with the smallest amount of the necessary ingredients and as many thinning adjuncts as possible so that you, the glorified pounder, can drink as many of their watery, spritzy flavored beverages as possible and not worry about calories. Taste is not a factor because there is nothing to taste which is why it must be served tastebud freezing cold. Getting drunk is not a factor either because the sheer volume you would have to drink leads to fullness and bloating long before it leads to euphoria. Of course, that defeats the purpose of sipping a light beer, but that’s another matter for another day. So, why drink it? Water at this point becomes the cheaper, tastier, and more health-conscious quaffing beverage; not some unnaturally light beer.

The pushers of tasteless macro light beers are very aware of what they are doing, and it all boils down to marketing and numbers, none of which actually involves the end product. Take Michelob Ultra for example. If it stopped making Budweiser money, they would drop it like the Bubonic Plague and another highly marketed tasteless beer would take its place with nary a salty tear or lonesome cry of sorrow. Realizing their dilemma of flavorlessness, Budweiser has recently released a line of flavored alcopop beverages under their Michelob Ultra brand, one of which competes directly with Bud Light Lime, a division of their own company. This means they are ultimately looking to squeeze as much money as possible from that beer category until the lake dries up, at which point the machine will roll out the next big fad. Why? For money. It’s most certainly not because they care about their product, their consumers, and their ability as adult men and women to drink freely, choose freely, and to find for themselves the joys of better beer.

Over the last few years I have found that a large part of it boils down to taste: the main component of any beer and of beer in general since around 5000BC. Granted, beer was rather crude back then, but even so, despite of or maybe because of its life-saving properties and magical euphoria, all the more reason it should be pleasant to drink, carrying flavors and aromas which were both enjoyable and readily accessible. Beer itself was a source of money and trade for centuries, its value determined by quality, taste, and the ability to age well. A beer that could last a hot summer season and still taste good, maybe even better, was a blessing and prized amongst all. I dare say our Ale-Wives, Brew-Mistresses, and Brewers of yore are crying rivers while howling in their graves. If they could rise again, they’d probably shoot themselves to escape the pain of bad beer; that or settle down where the craft beer flows freely and imports are as easy to find as McDonald’s. Our founding fathers, homebrewers and beer enthusiasts themselves would lament the apparent corruption of a proud, flavorful beverage of refreshment and history.

In a way, craft brewers and many import brewers are vital protectors of history, culture, local flavors, traditions, and taste. There are many beer styles which have since gone extinct, but there are many which still thrive to this day almost exactly as they were. A lot of the import beers which are available in the States are the foreign equivalent of craft and/or artisanal beers. They just happen to not be brewed in the good ole US of A, thus imports. There are beer styles which had been extinct for ages but were lovingly revived and given a new breath of life by the brewers and drinkers who humbly enjoy them for all they represent: diversity, taste, history, culture, pride, and passion.

Thankfully, the craft beer scene is alive and well and thriving despite our current economic situation. Whereas macro beers have remained in a market-growth stalemate over the last few years, craft and import beers have continued to grow, oft times in double digits. They may not hit the double digit mark this year as they had been doing so for the last few years, but they will still continue to grow. The movement towards quality of beer and in doing so, quality of life in America is growing and spreading. If only one person and one beer at a time, it is still growth which is far more than the macros can say for themselves and their tired, watered down products. Even after dabbling in the craft beer scene, the Big 3 still cannot break their stagnancy. Because they focus on marketing and sales and not the actual time-consuming detail-oriented process of crafting a better beer, their product eventually ends up sitting on the beer shelves collecting dust while the craft and import beer selection continues to diversify and grow.

Appreciation of good beer brewed from only 100% natural ingredients cannot but help to eventually bleed into one’s other Life Choices. Eating, drinking, exercising, entertainment, reflection…choosing quality beer is a state of mind. Much like dieting is a pointless waste of time if one doesn’t address the root of the issue, the same is true with beer. I am living testament to this fact. The affable Michael Jackson is a personal hero of mine who passed before I had the opportunity to tell him so. Garrett Oliver stirs my often-times neglected love for good artisanal foods, the perfect accompaniment to hand-crafted artisanal beers. It’s my life and yours, so the choices you make are yours alone, but I challenge anyone who is brave enough to take an honest step back and look at the whole picture of Beer. Is it a personal choice born of knowledge, education, information, and experience? Or is it a product of flashy ads, catchy jingles, and multi-billion dollar campaigns making that decision for you? Am I a drone? Or am I free thinker? Only you can make that choice, and it is your choice alone.

Beer is a time-honored and treasured beverage, quite literally a “water of life”, rich with flavors, aromas, and history. I love it. It stimulates my senses, my mind, and my drive for quality of life. Quality in terms of quantity is OK, too, but balance is always important. I believe that choice leads to abundance in one’s life which can stand the rigors of time.

To Beer – She will not fail me no matter the year, place, and time. May she forever shine brightly in my heart, accompanied by her near and dear sister, whisky. Eyes closed, mind open, and nose to the passing winds, I place myself deep within the embrace of Life.

(an original written work by Kristyn Lier. plagiarism is not tolerated)

Shizuoka Natsumikan Ale ~ Baird Brewing

Japan is known for many things: anime, manga, sushi, sake, samurai, bushido, tamagotchi, onsens, whisky, and yes, beer. Until the last few years though, the Japanese beer scene was as dull, bland, and barren as ours was just a couple decades ago. Archaic laws stunted any desire and ability to craft brew on a small scale similar to here in the states. That is changing, and at a progressively faster pace. Just recently, Japan changed the minimum output a brewery had to produce to be legally recognized as a business. In the wake of and despite of, an outcry for good beer, for craft beer has fueled the growth of many artisanal breweries scattered throughout Japan. As with all things Japanese, imported and native, the rebellious and innovative Japanese craft brewers are drawing their inspiration from Europe and the West, all while retaining a unique Japanese personality when it comes to styles, tastes, and ingredients. This brings me to the Baird Brewery in Shizuoka, Japan and their Shizuoka Natsumikan Ale, aka Baird Summer Ale.

Even more uniquely Japanese is the fact that the Baird Brewery was formed by foreigners who, having fallen in love with Japan, naturally transplanted his love for good, craft beer along with his life. I’ve never had a Natsumikan ever in my whole life so I couldn’t tell you how it tastes; once more, the Japanese make an imported idea uniquely theirs. The Shizuoka Natsumikan Ale is a beer native to Japan which you will not be able to find anywhere else. That alone sends multiple layers of goosepimply excitement up and down my spine.

She poured a hazy, almost dirty straw into my glass. Little head or carbonation to speak of at the moment, but a few playful swirls produces an impressive white head. Still no lace though. Her appearance might be off-putting to some who rely too much on visual stimuli to formulate a pre-conclusive decision, but I am not such. At least, I try not to be. Her nose is tossed with mushrooms, oranges, moss, and damp leather while sour zest and lemon drops tease and tingle in the background. Further interesting players of sliced cucumber, mint leaves, buckwheat noodles, and dank, wet wood. Fascinatingly different, my curiosity has been piqued and my interest intrigued. This is a virgin beer voyage on many levels; multiple native Japanese ingredients that are foreign to one such as myself are evident in her nose which I am sure applies to her palate, also. All of my beer geek senses are tingling. My first quaff is clean, light, and mild. Gentle waves of cucumber and mint leaves leave a tinge of dryness on top of my tongue while spruce and herbs continue to flesh out her developing palate. What I had thought was clean is still true, but simple, not hardly. Her palate is a double challenge also in that I am trying to place my finger on as many aromas and tastes as I can, even despite the fact that a good many of them I have never heard of, touched, smelled, or tasted. A subtle undercurrent of sour esters carries her palate past my tastebuds each time, though she doesn’t have a long, lingering presence at all. Besides being clean, her body is soft and earthy, resembling the buckwheat noodles, mushrooms, and oranges I smelled earlier. Wow. I could spend forever trying to break apart this fabulous beer, and never be able to get everything down. This is as foreign as a foreign beer can get. Placing my pen and pad down, I close my eyes to savor the last of my Baird Shizuoka Natsumikan Ale, and as I open them, for just a moment, I am in Japan.

I seriously cannot rave about this beer enough. It may be very hard to approach for a lot of people because it is just so different, but for me, that draws me ever closer. It’s not often I get to enjoy a beer that so expertly represents its people, its culture, and its passion, and yet, at one time, it was as foreign in Japan as sushi and sake were here in America. Truly, we are an international world, and Baird Brewing is pushing the borders with their Shizuoka Natsumikan Ale and others.

O'Hanlon's to Stop Producing Thomas Hardy's Ale

FUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

buy it while you can. remember, it ages beautifully and is worth every single penny you spend on it.

a beautifully sad yet uplifting and still enlightening article on the rise and fall and rise and now again-apparent fall of the classic Thomas Hardy's Ale.
CLICK ME

i sincerely hope, wish, beg that some angelic savior of beer rescues Thomas Hardy's Ale so that future generations can enjoy her as much as i have, both fresh and vintage.

(an original written work by Kristyn Lier. plagiarism is not tolerated)

Catastrophic Devastation to German Hallertauer Hops

unfortunately, Mother Nature struck with her worst. while i doubt highly that the Hallertauer Hops will fade into extinction from this unforseen tragedy, they will not doubt face years of rebirth and growth. whether or not they will ever come back to their original force will be seen.

and on the other side of things, who is to say that other families of hops haven't suffered similar tragedies over the centuries. the evidence isn't there to support it, but the nature of Mother Nature (and mankind) pretty much dictates that this isn't the first time a hop family has faced extinction or even gone extinct.

i hope they don't, but if they do... sometimes tragedy is the great mother of innovation and invention. maybe this is what Germany needs to reevaluate their tired purity law and certain floundering brewing practices.

just my .02 cents

a bit more info on the devastation with more facts and less hype:
CLICK ME

Maui Mana Wheat

brand new to the wonderful line-up of canned craft beers from Maui Brewing based in ~drumroll~ Maui, Hawaii is their Mana Wheat.

a belgian wit of delectable proportions, the only crime is that their beers aren't distributed to any satiating degree in the USofA.

Florida is warm and sunny. so is Maui, Hawaii. i don't see why we can't get their beers. they would sell well. i know i would drink them well ^_^

Sierra Nevada Kellerweis Hefeweizen

with Sierra Nevada retiring their Wheat beer (which wasn't very stellar), they have in the last few months rolled out their new Torpedo, a coveted and highly quaffable Imperial IPA.

the next newest addition to their brewy portfolio is the Kellerweis Hefeweizen. it should officially be rolling out to shelves near and dear to you in the next few weeks. a new rollout takes time and i have no doubt that some regions will get theirs sooner then others.

take a deep breath.

be patient.

and if the Kellerweis Hefeweizen is anything like the Torpedo, order a few cases right from the get-go because demand has been far out-pacing production.