Hop Notes non-anniversary party

Posted on May 21, 2013 by Eric Strader

Breakfast Cookies milk stout

I stopped in at Iechyd Da last week and found that they had brought back Breakfast Cookies (milk stout brewed with cocoa nibs and fresh vanilla beans, 6% ABV, IBUs 38). This was a pleasant surprise for me, so I ordered one up and sat down to have a chat with Summer Lewis. Breakfast Cookies is somewhat like a milkshake with a creamy mouth feel, lots of malt, chocolate, and vanilla goodness, with a slight bitter chocolate finish. Yum Yum.

Before I get on about my party, I first want to share about Iechyd Da Brewing’s upcoming first anniversary. It’s hard to believe that they have already been in Elkhart for a full year. And even more exciting is that they are 50% ahead of their expectations. Chip was hoping to brew 350 barrels (10,000 gallons) of beer in their first year, and they are on track to have brewed 525 barrels (15,000 gallons). Summer has estimated that by the time June 8th gets here, they will have served around 50,000 pints of beer. In order to do this, they had to expand the size of the brew house by two fermenters just after the first of the year.

This all deserves some huge congratulations, and to celebrate, they are throwing a party on Saturday, June 8th. They will be open their regular hours that day, but at around 3 PM, they will open the tent party that will be in the alley right next to the brewery. This will include a hog roast, live bands (Venitia Sekema followed by Junior and the Igniters), and a beer garden. Just like inside, this will be a 21+ only event and it will be cash only outside.

There will not be a particular anniversary brew, but Chip has been saving back partial amounts of several of the beers that he has brewed over this first year. He is brewing about 8 batches a month on the big system and he is somewhere around batch 75 to 85. I have a feeling that he is going to brew something exciting for his 100th batch.

Now about my party. You may know that I have been writing Hop Notes (previously Beer Nuts) for over 4 years now, and for no particular reason, I missed out on having my 4th anniversary party this year. So now it’s time to have a non-anniversary party. I am planning with Chip and Summer to celebrate Hop Notes at Iechyd Da Brewing Company on Saturday, July 13. The party will be from 1PM to 4 PM. There are a couple of things planned at this point, including a special brew that I will be assisting with. It will be a maple porter with maple syrup provided from my own backyard sugar shack, and hops from my own hop garden.

There will also be a trivia quiz with some really cool prizes. If you have kept up with your reading, you may have caught the answer to one of the questions recently which is what Grateful Dead song do I play most often in my studio. Here is answer to another trivia question that will be on the list. What is the first Iechyd Da beer that I ever tasted. The answer can be found by clicking here and reading my post from September 16, 2011. I will share more details as we get closer to the date.

So put both of these dates on you calendar and get ready to celebrate.

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New Holland Brewing collaborates for clean water benefit

Posted on May 19, 2013 by Eric Strader

I attended Hope College in Holland, MI for a couple of years before heading off to Western Michigan University. That was before the days of New Holland Brewing Company, but since then I have become quite familiar with their tap room, downtown Holland on 8th Street.

New Holland is the first brewery to team up with Dirty Water Beer, a project started by a Hope College Alumni. Their collaboration project will be a Belgian Brown Ale. From the Dirty Water Beer website: An interesting blend of influences, Dirty Water Beer brings silky, smooth malt character, with a nice underpinning of fruit. Nuts and caramel play along with plum and apricot in a decidedly easy drinker with a soft, pleasing finish.

The Second Dirty Water Beer collaboration will be with Jackie O’s Pub & Brewery located in Athens, OH. Their beer is expected to be available in June.

Here are the details provided in a press release from the brewery:

New Holland Brewing Co. | May 17, 2013

Clean water is an essential ingredient in making great beer, which is something New Holland Brewing Co. knows plenty about. Now it’s time for great beer to help create clean water.

New Holland Brewing Co. has collaborated with Dirty Water Beer on its inaugural batch of beer to raise money for Water.org (a non-profit co-founded by Matt Damon and Gary White) with a lofty, but important goal – to ensure that everyone in the world can take a safe drink of water. The collaboration brew will be officially released on May 22 at New Holland Brewing Co. Pub & Restaurant (66 E. 8th Street Holland, MI) at 6:00 p.m. at their Release:Relief Party and will then be distributed to pubs and restaurants throughout the Midwest.

Dirty Water Beer is a start-up that stemmed from Hope College graduate, Travis Rooke’s Start Garden submission in 2012. The premise is simple. Collaborate with breweries and distributors to create specialty beers and donate funds to support Water.org. The bottom line? Every keg of Dirty Water Beer sold equals clean water for one person – for life.

“It was a no-brainer to support Dirty Water Beer,” says Brett VanderKamp, president of New Holland Brewing Co. “As a Hope graduate, beer lover and businessman – what Travis is trying to accomplish speaks to me. New Holland has had a long history of supporting clean water. It’s exciting to see another generation looking for creative solutions to solve big problems.”

New Holland Brewing Co. and distributors, Kent Distributing and Rave Associates are brewing and releasing the batch of Dirty Water Beer – a Belgian Brown Ale – for release in May.

“Water is one of those world problems that is baffling. The struggles that individuals go through on a daily basis to get potable water is mind numbing,” says Dirty Water Beer founder Travis Rooke. “It’s been amazing working with New Holland Brewing Co., who has the same sense of community as Dirty Water Beer. They have helped shoulder the responsibility of providing clean water to others. Their Dirty Water Beer is yet another world-class New Holland brew that can impact our neighbors thousands of miles away.”

The Dirty Water Beer Release Party will take place on May 22 at 6:00 p.m. at the New Holland Brewing Co.’s Beer Garden. Rooke and representatives from Dirty Water Beer will be present to discuss their venture and Dirty Water Beer will be on tap at both the indoor and outdoor bars.

For more on Dirty Water Beer visit www.dirtywaterbeer.org

New Holland beers are distributed and found throughout Michiana. As of the writing of this blog post, I was unable to confirm whether the New Holland Brewing/Dirty Water Beer collaboration will be distributed to our area.

***
About New Holland Brewing Co. 
New Holland Brewing Company’s deep roots in the craft industry go back to 1997. Our role as an integral member of the artisan approach is something we take seriously, yet engage lightheartedly. We believe the art of craft lives in fostering rich experiences for our customers, through creating authentic beer, spirits and food while providing great service. Recognized for our creativity and artistry, our mission to improve the lives of craft consumers everywhere is seen in our diverse, balanced collection of beer and spirits.

New Holland brews and distills at two locations in Holland, Michigan: our production facility on the north side and our Pub & Restaurant in downtown Holland. The restaurant welcomes guests seven days a week and production tours are on Saturday afternoons. We welcome visitors and locals alike, and appreciate the opportunity to share our artisan approach through warm hospitality and enriching education.

With just under 150 employees, New Holland Brewing Co. sells its beer and spirits across a growing regional landscape, while anchored in the upper Midwest. In 2012, our production facility underwent substantial development including the tripling of our brewing capacity through outdoor fermentation, the addition of a centrifuge and the expansion of our Dragon’s Milk cellar. In 2013, the company is expanding its distilling capabilities, renovating the downtown Holland Pub & Restaurant and focusing on the integration of Michigan agriculture; hops, wheat and barley, into several new and existing brands.

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Craft beer section at Chalet Party Shoppe gets an overhaul

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Eric Strader

Section of 12 oz single bottles arranged by style

As anyone who has wandered through a craft beer section of any bottle shop knows, it can be quite overwhelming to navigate through all of the choices. A friend of mine who works at the Cassopolis St. location of Chalet Party Shoppe is well aware of this and decided to make his craft beer section much more user friendly.

Section of larger 22 oz and 750 ML bottles arranged by brewery

Now you will find beer sorted into three sections- single 12 oz. bottles, six and four packs of 12 oz. bottles, and a section for the larger 22 oz. and 750 ml bottles.

The single 12 oz. bottles have been sorted by style. That way if a shopper knows a particular beer that they have enjoyed, they can easily find other brands that they might also enjoy. You will also find “shelf talkers” from RateBeer.com that will also give you further information about specific beers. The Six/Four pack section is organized by region or state, and the larger bottles organized by brewery. The store has received lots of great feedback already from shoppers.

Here are some new arrivals:

Boulevard Brewing Love Child No. 3 (American Wild Ale, 9.5% ABV, IBUs 13) 750 ML corked and caged bottle at $19.97. From the website: Boulevard’s Love Child Series of “wild” ales are barrel-aged with such boisterous cultures as Lactobaccillus and Brettanomyces. These wayward offspring can prove so complex that we employ gauges on the label to convey the intensity of three key personality traits, Funk, Sour, and Fruit, presenting a picture of the ale at the time it was released. It will change as it ages, but don’t we all?

Oak barrels were used to age the majority of beer used for Love Child No. 3—with beer aged from 16 months to nearly six years. Another portion of the beer spent 11 months in stainless tanks, souring on Lactobacillus. While very tart, the sourness is short-lived and the beer finishes dry with a trace of oak.

Boulevard Brewing Coffee Ale (American Strong Ale, 9.5% ABV, IBUs 26) 750 ML corked and caged bottle. From the website: Neighbors for nearly twenty years, Boulevard Brewing Company and The Roasterie share a passion for making extraordinary beverages. In Coffee Ale, our two celebrated brewing traditions come together in a long-awaited collaboration. Ethiopian Sidamo from Africa’s Great Rift Valley has been carefully blended with rye, oats, and malted barley, and spiced with Perle and Styrian Golding hops. The delightfully fragrant beer presents a glowing, tawny-amber hue. The clean, crisp acidity of the air-roasted coffee mingles with malt on the palate, lingering faintly in a subtly sweet finish.

Greenbush Brother Benjamin

Greenbush Brewing bottles are finally here!! Here in Indiana, we have had Greenbush draft at many pubs, but bottles are here for the first time. Chalet has Anger (American Black Ale, 7.6% ABV, IBUs 85) and Distorter (American Porter, 7.2% ABV, IBUs 50) ready now, and Brother Benjamin (Imperial IPA, 10.1% ABV, IBUs 114), Dunegras (American IPA, 6.7% ABV, IBUs 67), and Sunspot Hefe (6% ABV, IBUs 15) are in the store, but waiting to be entered into the system.

Cold Spring Brewing IPA – 16 oz. Alumi-Tek can

Cold Spring Brewing IPA (6.5% ABV) I was most excited about this beer because it is the first product that I have seen locally in the new 16 oz. resealable Alumi-Tek can that is manufactured by Ball Corporation in Monticello, Indiana. Sun King Brewing and Oskar Blues Brewing of Colorado, pioneered the use of this new can last year with the release of Chaka and The Deuce.

Verhaeghe’s Duchesse de Borgogne (Flanders red-brown, 6% ABV) 750 ML bottles at $11.19

Oud Beersel’s Oude Geuze (8% ABV) 375 ML corked and caged bottle at $7.99

Oud Beersel’s Oude Kriek (lambic, 8% ABV) 375 ML corked and caged bottle at $7.49

Chalet Party Shoppe locations have regular tastings, sometimes hosted by their distributors. This is another great opportunity to explore new beer brands or styles. Thanks to the employees at Chalet Party Shoppe are working hard to bring in new bottles and brands all of the time. If you haven’t stopped in lately, you are very likely to find some new products on the shelf on your next visit.

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Ingredients finalized for Dogfish Head American Beauty strong pale ale

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Eric Strader

Here is another wonderful situation where two of my worlds collide. I’m not sure that I can quite consider myself a dead head, but some of you know that I’m a huge fan of the Grateful Dead. I never attended near as many shows as I would have liked, (is there such a thing as too many Dead shows?), but I have made the pilgrimage to the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame to see Jerry’s guitars. Thanks to my long time buddy Doug for introducing me to the Dead many years ago, and putting up with all my beer ranting!

Dark Star Irish Mocha Stout

Like many Grateful Dead fan/home brewers, many of my early recipes and labels were inspired by the band, like Dark Star Irish Mocha Stout, Jack A Roe Pale Ale, and Full Moon Marzen.

Jack a Roe Pale Ale

According to the Dogfish Head website, they have been “working in that happy place between creative ideas and like-minded people, (and) the off-centered brewery and free-spirited band have been trading ideas for a beer they’re calling “American Beauty.” Several months ago, Dogfish Head announced that they were looking for stories from dead heads and beer enthusiasts, as well as suggestions for the last secret ingredient for American Beauty, the beer. This chosen person would get to brew, with Dogfish Head owner/brewer Sam Calagione, and their suggested ingredient. The beer will be a strong pale ale with all-American hops and barley

Full Moon Marzen

And while I’m on the subject, here is a piece of trivia that you will need to complete the trivia quiz at my upcoming Michiana Hop Notes party at Iechyda Da Brewing Company. (stay tuned for more details to be revealed soon). What Grateful Dead song is played in my studio more than any other? Eyes of the World. So tuck that away in the back of your mind’s trivia data bank.

After sorting through all of the submitted suggestions, the final decision has been made. Here are the details from the recent press release:

(Milton, DE) – More than 1,500 loyal fans of the brewery and band suggested an ingredient idea and the Dead-inspired story behind it. There was no shortage of great suggestions – the red grenadine from “Brown-Eyed Women,” rose hips reminiscent of the motif painted on the Rosemont water tower, jalapenos like the ones burning in one Dead Head’s mouth after he first heard “Mexicali Blues” – but there was one that stood out.

Thomas Butler remembers two things from his first Dead show.

When his dad tossed him over the fence at Oklahoma City’s Zoo Amphitheatre (his old man didn’t want to buy a ticket for a 9-year-old) little Thomas ran into a woman wearing only a soaking wet white sheet. It left little to his school-age imagination.

“Hey, it was a Dead show in the middle of summer and I was young,” says Thomas, now 39 and living in California. “I’ll never forget that.”

The other thing he remembers is all the “cigarettes.” He couldn’t figure out why everyone was passing them around. “People here are pretty poor,” his dad told him, “so they have to share.”

That was life in the early ’80s for Thomas and his dad, also named Thomas. When the weekend came, they went to concerts, especially if the Dead were within driving distance. When there was no show to catch, they’d brew a batch of beer in the garage of their Tulsa home.

Little did that wide-eyed boy know that 30 years later, those two grown-up worlds would collide while he was browsing dogfish.com.

On the website, Thomas saw that Dogfish Head and the Dead were seeking ingredient suggestions and stories to help shape their upcoming collaboration. He emailed his dad their story from that first show – the fence-hopping, the woman in the white sheet, the shared smokes – and said he was going to suggest granola as the final ingredient. Granola was the main course in millions of parking lot meals, and they both agreed it would be a sweet and toasty complement to the pale ale’s all-American hops and barley.

“The components of granola – honey, toasted grains, oats and fruit – offer a lot from a beer perspective,” says Thomas, a chemist by day, homebrewer by night. “The idea is to have a sessionable ale that highlights the oats and honey with a nice ‘dank’ hop selection.”

Thomas’ suggestion was one of 1,500. Teams from Dogfish and the Dead read all the stories and thought about how well the ingredients would work in a pale ale. Everything had to be kosher with federal regulators, too. (Sorry, all you folks who suggested ‘magic’ mushrooms.)

“We all loved Thomas’ suggestion and story,” says Dogfish Head Founder and President Sam Calagione. “My wife, Mariah, and I went to our first Dead show about 10 years after Thomas and his dad, and we stopped for sausage sandwiches on the way. I don’t think sausages would’ve been a good ingredient, so let’s all be thankful that Dogfish co-workers weren’t eligible.”

In May, Thomas is planning to join Sam and Grateful Dead audiovisual archivist David Lemieux in Rehoboth Beach, Del., to brew a test batch of American Beauty with granola. The production batch is expected to hit taps and shelves throughout Dogfish’s 27-state distribution network in October 2013.

“I’m excited to brew with these guys,” says Thomas. “The Dead built their own institution, their own identity. It’s a family. And Dogfish culture is big, too. They’re the pioneers of playing with beer.”

The rest of the best
Red Grenadine, Elliott, Middlesex, Vt.
The connection is the song “Brown Eyed Women.” I was at Red Rocks, where the Dead broke out “Dear Mr. Fantasy,” and my tour clan (aka Bagel Family) left me. We had three vehicles (including my VW Vanagon) so I thought I had a ride. I had to hitchhike to Golden Gate State Park where we were camping in the “Mountains (of The Moon), arriving in the “Early Morning (Rain),” after miles of walking (“So Many Roads”) “In the Dark”, coyotes howling nearby, got a ride from a trucker (“Truckin’ ”) en route to Utah (“Friend of the Devil”). It was the time (“Attics) of My Life.”

Jalapeno, Marc, Leesburg, Va.
I heard my first live “Mexicali Blues” at a show in Illinois in 1994. After the show, I devoured a burrito loaded with jalapenos. I still remember my mouth burning, but thought it was fitting after hearing Mexicali during that show.

Rose hips, Andy, Baden, Pa.
Back in 1988, I got tickets for the last two nights of the three-night stay in Rosemont. Three of us left in my friend Mike’s VW beetle. Within one hour it was dead on the side of the road. We found a trucker who was going to Chicago who said he would take all three of us all the way to Rosemont! We were so happy to see the great big water tower there that had a big red rose painted on it. We had missed the first set, but we made it to the shows!

Sassafras root, Michael, Newark, Del.
I’ve worked at Camp Arrowhead in Lewes, Del., for five years and it has been a major influence on me since 2000. The sense of community there compares to nowhere else I’ve seen. Walt LaFontaine, the director of the camp and diehard Dead Head and Dogfish Head, occasionally sails his boat, named Ripple, across Rehoboth Bay to the Rusty Rudder to enjoy a 60 Minute IPA. My fondest memory as a kid was sitting down on the docks between the dawn and dark of night making sassafras root tea and listening to songs played on a harp unstrung.

We can hope to see this beer released in October of this year, however, Dogfish Head is not currently distributed in Indiana. Those of us searching for a miracle, will have to travel north to Michigan, where Dogfish Head can be found.

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Congratulations to Gr. Rapids – Beer City USA 2013

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Eric Strader

Last year Gr. Rapids, MI shared this title with Asheville, NC. But this year, Gr. Rapids took the title easily for itself with over half the votes cast. And deserve this title they do. There were 50,000 votes cast for 23 qualifying cities, three of which were from Michigan. Here is the breakdown of the top 10 states:

Grand Rapids, MI 27,005 (2012:17,849 tie for 1st)
Kalamazoo, MI 11,150 (2012: none)
Asheville, NC 10,075 (2012:17,849 tie for 1st)
Ann Arbor, MI 847 (2012:581)
Tampa, FL 846 (2012: none)
Richmond, VA 614 (2012: none)
Jacksonville, FL 472 (2012: 379)
Portland, OR 372 (2012: 2,014)
Phoenix-Tempe-Scottsdale, AZ 351 (2012: 596)
Denver, CO 328 (2012: 809)

Michigan was the state with the most votes cast at 29,172. Here are the top 8 states from which more than 1,000 votes were cast:

Michigan 29,172
North Carolina 4,281
Florida 2,595
South Carolina 2,414
California 1,698
Ohio 1,263
Illinois 1,157
Virginia 1,157

Votes were cast from 92 countries.

Even though this vote is not about the quality or quantity of breweries or great bars for enjoying beer, Gr. Rapids has it’s share. Here is a short list: Founders Brewing Company, Brewery Vivant, Perrin Brewing Company, Gr. Rapids Brewing Company, Shmohz Brewing, Hopcat, The Mitten Brewing Company, Harmony Brewing, The Hideout Brewing Company, The B.O.B., and the list goes on and on.

Mark Sellers, owner of four Gr. Rapids establishments including HopCat, Grand Rapids Brewing Co., Stella’s Lounge and McFadden’s, has promised $1.50 pints of Michigan beers at each of his bars next Monday in celebration.

Kalamazoo, MI, which took second place, gave a nod of congratulations to their beer neighbor to the north. “I’ve already spoken to Mayor (George) Heartwell, and I will be going up to Grand Rapids to buy him a beer in celebration of the win,” said Kalamazoo Mayor Bobby Hopewell. “We are discussing how we can continue the larger story about West Michigan as an amazing craft beer region. I am already encouraged at the national visibility that this campaign has brought to both cities and look forward to seeing more visitors come to partake in West Michigan’s beer culture.”

Michigan is truly the Great Beer State, and if you haven’t taken the opportunity to find out why, you are really missing out.

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Sun King Brewery to brew official beer of Gen Con

Posted on May 11, 2013 by Eric Strader

Gen Con Indy is billed as the original, longest-running, best-attended, gaming convention in the world. My family enjoys games, maybe not as intensely as some of the attendees to this convention, but recently we have been introduced to Settler’s of Catan, Forbidden Island, and a few others that we enjoy.

Last summer, not long after Gen Con Indy had taken place, I enjoyed a Sierra Nevada/Russian River Brux with a couple of gaming buddies, one who had just returned from the conference with his son. He told me about a role playing area of the convention held in a large room, where they became knights and fought battles against real life foes, complete with shields and swords. As it says on the Gen Com website, the only way to truly understand this event is to attend.

Here is the press release detailing Sun King Brewery’s participation in the event:

Indianapolis, Ind. (April 30, 2013) – 106 days (95 days as of the writing of this blog post) and counting down until the return of Gen Con Indy for its 11th year in Indianapolis on August 15-18, 2013. Sun King is excited to announce that for the second year in a row, we will brew the Official Beer of Gen Con.

For more than 45 years, Gen Con has set the trend in gaming and has broken attendance records while attracting the biggest names in game design and manufacturing. Last year Gen Con drew more than 41,000 attendees to downtown Indianapolis. This summer’s exhibition will mark some new and exciting things for the Gen Con and Sun King Brewery partnership. Sun King will once again brew the Official Beer of Gen Con and will host the first ever Beer Garden during the festival on Georgia Street.

“Gen Con is an incredible experience and we’re excited to work with them and Indianapolis Downtown Inc. to expand the scope of the festivities,” said Sun King brewer/owner Dave Colt. “Utilizing Georgia Street is a great way to enhance the experience for attendees, but it also allows everyone the opportunity to enjoy and discover the wonders of Gen Con!”

Again this year, Gen Con will host a naming contest announced on its Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/#!/genconindy) for this year’s beer that will be tapped on Georgia Street on Wednesday, August 14, 2013 at 6:00PM EST to kick-off “The Best Four Days In Gaming!™” Live music, entertainment, and some of Indy’s best food trucks will be on site to celebrate. The beer will also be available at many bars and restaurants throughout central Indiana during the convention.

“Sun King Brewing is an excited and energetic partner. Sun King’s craft beers are truly world-class. Having a local Indianapolis company so committed to growing Gen Con Indy with us is amazing,” said Gen Con Vice President of Sales & Marketing Scott Elliott. “Following the tremendous popularity of food trucks at last year’s show and Sun King’s successful creation of the first-ever official Gen Con beer, we have planned an experience that will be fun for Indy natives and worldwide Gen Con fans alike. This will be a can’t-miss event.”

About Sun King Brewing Company
Sun King Brewing Company is the brainchild of Dave Colt and Clay Robinson. With the help of family and friends – Omar Robinson, Andy Fagg and Steve Koers – the first keg of Sun King beer rolled out the door for delivery in July 2009. Now available on tap and in cans at hundreds of locations around central Indiana, Sun King has grown into the second-largest beer brewer in the state of Indiana. The company’s commitment to handcrafted seasonal and specialty beers has been rewarded with multiple medals at the Indiana Brewers Cup, Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup competitions. Visit http://www.sunkingbrewing.com for more information or contact media@sunkingbrewing.com.

About GenCon
Celebrating its 45th year in 2012, Gen Con “The Best Four Days in Gaming!” has become the largest annual consumer fantasy, electronic, sci-fi and adventure game convention in North America. Each year gaming enthusiasts converge to share their enthusiasm for all things gaming; whether its tournaments, celebrity appearances, exhibit hall booths, electronic games, workshops, seminars, anime, art shows, auctions or countless other activities. Gen Con is a consumer and trade experience dedicated to gaming culture and community. For more information visit the website at http://www.gencon.com or Contact Gen Con’s PR Manager, Stacia Kirby at (206) 478-5841 or stacia@speakeasy.net.

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From Surly with love

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Eric Strader

Surly Brewing Company from Minneapolis MN, is one of my favorite breweries. My niece recently returned from a trip to The Twin Cities with a nice care package containing several Surly beers. Here is a new IPA that I got to taste for the first time - Overrated West Coast IPA (7.3% ABV, IBUs somewhere around 99 – I was not able to actually confirm an actual number).

Whether is was a joke or not, here is the original label that was submitted from Surly, but denied by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB). I don’t think that it takes too much though to figure out why.

Surly Brewing's Overrated IPA Label Rejected for Unicorn, Rainbow Images

Here is from the actual approved label:

It’s been said, “It’s easier to brew an extremely hoppy beer than an extremely balanced beer.” And you know us, we are always looking for the easy way out, so we jumped on the West Coast IPA Bandwagon and brewed this dry and hoppy ale. “Surly’s a little bit of a one-trick pony, they just brew gimmick beers,” and maybe we are OVERRATED, but at the end of the day, it’s just a beer. If you like it, great, so do we. If you only liked us when we were small, then leave this one on the shelf. Let one of the fanboys grab it.

Some Surly fans have wondered whether this new IPA was not the same beer as Bandwagon IPA, a beer that is only served at Target Field, home of the Minnesota Twins baseball team plays. Surly head brewer Todd Haug responded to this on twitter, they are both “Am. IPA’s” so I can only assume that people might think they are similar. New hop variety for us so we’re stoked!” My guess is that he is referring to the El Dorado hops that are used alongside Columbus, Centennial, and Cascade.

Abrasive Ale (double IPA, 9% ABV, IBUs – according to the website 120ish) is a seasonal favorite of mine and was also in the Surly care package. Originally, this beer was named 16 Grit, after a size of abrasive grit used at the abrasive factory, previously on the site of the current brewery.

If you are a hop head, you will love the huge resinous grapefruit and piney hops. After one sip, there is no question that this is a huge flavor-full IPA. It comes in 4 pack 16 oz. cans, is not particularly cheap, and is only available in Minnesota. So if you are looking for this, contact all of your long lost relatives that live in or near Minnesota.

Surly Pentagram

Also included in this package was Surly Pentagram (American Wild Ale, 6.66% ABV – brewed only once). This is a 100% Brettanomyces dark beer fermented in stainless and aged in used red wine barrels.

From the label:

This Arcane Seal guards an enigmatic brew that is FUNKY, DARK, and SOUR. If you choose to break the seal, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! 100% Brettanomyces Dark beer fermented in stainless and aged in red wine barrels. “Brett” is a unique yeast strain that produces flavors that would be considered offensive if they were not intentional. Flavors of sour cherry, tobacco, oak, and classic “Brett” barnyard funk balanced by dark Munich malt chewiness. Enjoy immediately or age at cellar temperature for a couple years.

Generally, if I have never previously had a particular beer, I like to drink it fresh. However, I’m not quite ready to crack this one. I’ll keep it in the cellar for awhile until a good occasion arises.

Surly Darkness

Here was the biggest surprise – a bottle of Surly Darkness (Russian Imperial Stout, 10.3% ABV, IBUs 85) from 2011. I’m not exactly sure how she pulled this off, and she is keeping it a secret at this point. Either way, I am very happy as this is one of my all time favorite Russian Imperial Stouts. This beer is only released once annually, most of which is sold at a brewery only event. However, there is some distribution around the Twin Cities area. I have a mini vertical going from 2009 through 2012, only missing the first two – ’07 and ’08. But this extra bottle gave me a chance to enjoy some without breaking into my mini vertical.

This pours a thick dark black and definitely has big roasty, boozy flavors going on. Also good toffee and caramel sweetness up front, with a slight bitter finish. It was a great way to end my birthday last week.

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Goose Island Beer Company to celebrate 25 years

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Eric Strader

Goose Island has put together a 25th Anniversary Ale (6.4% ABV) to commemorate their silver anniversary. Brewmaster Brett Porter, Brewmaster Emeritus Greg Hall, and the Pub Brewmaster Nick Barron have created an Extra Special Bitter, inspired by the special unreleased beer called “Honker’s Deluxe.” It is brewed with Maris Otter malt and dry-hopped with East Kent Goldings. This anniversary ale showcases the rich malt and rustic hop flavors found in the English ales that originally inspired Goose Island’s founder, John Hall (Greg’s father) to open the brewery in 1988.

The beer will be released on May 13, which is also the kick off for American Craft Beer Week. The week long celebration will include ways to celebrate their faithful fans. Goose Island will be giving away a chance to win an Ultimate Pitchfork Music Festival Weekend Experience. Select Chicago bars and restaurants across the city will be choosing their top Goose Island fan and sending them to a private Goose Island party where a Pitchfork Music Festival Weekend Experience winner will be chosen. Also, throughout the week, $1 per each pint of 25th Anniversary Ale sold will be donated to Chicago Cares.

Here is a video from Chicago beer distributor, River North Sales.

I have not been able to confirm whether this beer will be available in package or draft in Michiana as of the writing of this blog post. I’m hoping at least that the 12 oz. bottles will make it our way.

There will be a party at the Goose Island Clybourn Brewpub on Saturday, May 11. A $75 ticket will get you a 25th Anniversary glass, and a huge lineup of beers including old favorites alongside vintage bottles, barrel-aged specialties and a few new experimental beers. No specific tap list has been released as of the writing of this blog post, although it is rumored to be about 30-40 beers long.

Goose Island has also partnered with their longtime friends at Green City Market to create dishes made with local produce to accompany these specialty Goose Island ales and lagers.

The week long event will end with a celebration at Goose Island’s Fulton Street Brewery on Sunday, May 19th from 12 pm to 3 pm. This also is a ticketed event, and for $25 you will again have an opportunity to sample a wide variety of Goose Island beers including their Fulton and Wood and bourbon County collections, as well as beers from breweries such as Virtue, Half Acre, Emmett’s Brewing Company and more. A portion of the proceeds from teh event will be donated to the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild.

Here is the tap list of Goose Island beers published on their facebook page:

312 Urban Wheat Ale
Honkers Ale
IPA
Matilda
Green Line
Summertime
25th Anniversary Ale
Sofie
Dark Traveler
Gran Gas
Golden Goddess
Bourbon County Stout Buffalo Trace
Bourbon County Stout Tempelton
Bourbon County Stout Speyside
Bourbon County Stout Coffee Brazil
Bourbon County Stout Coffee Columbia
Bourbon County Stout Coffee Kenya
Sofie Paradisi
Bourbon County Stout Napa
Boring
Sour Pere Jacques
Scully
Dominique
Bourbon County Stout Rare

For more information about Goose Island’s 25th Anniversary Ale, check out River North Beer’s Facebook page here.

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Beer City USA 2013 polls are open

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Eric Strader

Now, through Friday, May 10, you can cast a vote for your favorite Beer City. The final ba Vote_Kzoo_BeerCity_FB_ProfilePic-01[13].jpg llot has been created from all cities that received 400 or more votes in the 2012 BeerCity USA poll or received 400 or more votes during the nominating process which is now closed. Twenty two cities made the final cut. This is not a vote for the most breweries, or the best quality, but rather the best beer culture.

Here is a list of the cities on this year’s ballot:

Ann Arbor, MI
Asheville, NC
Bend, OR
Chicago, IL
Cleveland, OH
Denver, CO
Durango, CO
Fort Collins, CO
Grand Rapids, MI
Jacksonville, FL
Kalamazoo, MI
Madison, WI
Milwaukee, WI
Missoula, MT
Philadelphia, PA
Phoenix-Tempe-Scottsdale, AZ
Portland, OR
Raleigh, NC
Richmond, VA
San Diego, CA
St. Louis, MO
Tampa, FL

Now, not to influence your vote, but yes, that’s what I’m going to do. I have many long standing connections with Kalamazoo as a beer city, and I would love to see them win the nomination this year. More than 2,000 people cast their votes for this dear beer city, sweeping the nominations with 61% of the votes cast. Not to mention that Kalamazoo is the closest city to Michiana on the ballot.

“While we need the support of the whole community for this title, this contest isn’t just about winning Beer City USA,” Discover Kalamazoo president and CEO Greg Ayers said. “This is about harnessing the passion and pride that our residents have for our community. This is about uplifting our friends and neighbors, sharing our local history and coming together to tell the world about our love for Kalamazoo and its rapidly expanding craft beer scene,” he continued.

The Kalamazoo beer community is invited to a voting kick-off celebration from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, May 6 at Bell’s Eccentric Café in downtown Kalamazoo. Organizers are asking attendees to bring their friends, smart phones, tablets and laptops to cast their ballots for Kalamazoo as Beer City USA.

Only one vote is permitted per IP address and computer. So, if you are using a company or other network, it is likely only one person on the network will be permitted to vote. Click here to cast your vote - Vote Here.

If you would like to show your pride for Kalamazoo on your Facebook, e-mail kkiley@discoverkalamazoo.com for “Vote Kalamazoo for Beer City USA” digital graphics, including a Facebook cover photo, profile picture and poster.

Facebook page: www.Facebook.com/Beer4Kzoo; Twitter handle: @Beer4Kzoo; Hashtag: #Beer4Kzoo; Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/discoverkzoo/beer4kzoo/.

This year, real time voting results will not be viewable during voting. Total votes cast will be periodically tweeted at follow @charliepapazian

Poll results will be announced on Monday, May 13 at 12 noon, Mountain Time. Based on an estimated margin of anomalies in this unscientific poll, a statistical tie will be proclaimed if there is a 3% or less difference between the number of votes the top vote getters receive. Last year’s title was shared between Gr. Rapids, MI and Asheville, NC.

And just in case you are not familiar with Kalamazoo Beer Culture, here is a small list of places to visit:

Bell’s Brewery

Olde Peninsula Brewpub

Central City Tap House

O’duffy’s Pub

Kalamazoo Beer Exchange

Drake’s Party Center

Tiffany’s Wine and Spirits

Bacchus Wine and Spirits

It may be a small list, but 8 very solid reasons why I think that Kalamazoo deserves to be Beer City USA 2013!

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May the Fourth be with you

Posted on May 4, 2013 by Eric Strader

It’s not every day that I get to share two of my geeky interests. But today is Star Wars Day.

New England Brewing Company has a great beer with a great name – Imperial Stout Trooper (Russian Imperial Stout, 8.5% ABV). So today I get to have some fun. I still had a bottle from ’08 with the original label and in a 12 oz. bottle. I decided to share that one with Darth.

Then I got out a sampling of bottles from other years.From L-R in the photo above. Barrel aged version ’09, regular version (old label) ’09, bottle with new label from ’11, and the original 12 oz. label bottle from ’08. George Lucas did not take a liking to the likeness of his storm troopers on the label and sent a cease and desist to New England Brewing. Lucas can be quite the kill joy. So they came up with the new label that has a slight twist to the face. Happy Star Wars Day.