Skiing and Homebrewing on the Horizon

Season's Greetings!

With true winter three weeks away, I am gearing up for an exciting next couple months. Not only will I be spending weekends on the slopes of a couple Lake Tahoe resorts, but I will also be taking my interest in craft beer to the next level. Starting at the beginning of next year, I'll begin my adventures in homebrewing. I have some great creations in mind, and hopefully I will get a chance to see at least one of them come to fruition.

There is much to prepare for aside from getting the right kit, so to start I'm diving into John Palmer's third edition of How to Brew. This guide provides readers with a basic understanding of the ingredients and processes that go into brewing--not to mention you can learn a lot about cleaning and sanitizing solutions! What I appreciate about Palmer's third edition is that you can understand the fundamentals without reading more than 20 or 30 pages, but if you want to see the art behind the science, read on with gusto.

In recent weeks, I have engaged in much beer tasting and beer appreciation. The craft beer scene is starting to come alive a little in American society, but it is booming in cyberspace. The learning and interaction potential in sites such as BeerAdvocate and CraftBeer.com will get you buzzing in a matter of a couple minutes. So will tasting a unique spectrum of beers! I myself have picked up a couple favorites from Foam Fest as well as some unfamiliar brews, such as this fantastic smoked Rauchbier I learned about in Randy Mosher's Tasting Beer. You can read up on Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Urbock here on BeerAdvocate. 

Anyway, I'll keep you posted on what I'm thinking about in light of homebrewing, new brews in my glass and everything else beer-related.

You Stay Hoppy California,

Pink

My Twitter

Foam Fest Pt. 2

This is a continuation of Foam Fest pt. 1 for those who would like to read more!

I’d especially like to bring up how a couple breweries, by whom I was previously not impressed, dazzled me with different selections and even some “Beer 101” advice. In my previous entry, I documented my first encounter with the Tied House Brewing and the Blue Frog Brewery, reviewing their Blond Ale and Hefeweizen, respectively. However, despite not caring for either brew, I approached the breweries’ booths and struck up some good conversation. 

With Blue Frog, I learned that briefly inverting the bottle of a Bavarian hefeweizen prior to pouring will allow the yeast sediment at the bottom to disperse evenly enough to give you that great banana/clove/bubblegum flavor. Why I don’t need to do this with a Franziskaner I don’t know, but I do know that April and the rest of her posse at Blue Frog are spoiling the Northeast part of the San Francisco Bay Area with a diverse selection of beers. In short, I’ll give them thumbs up for a crisp, clean-finishing IPA and a raise of my glass for their sweet and spicy, but certainly not overwhelming, La Rana Pazzo (“the crazy frog” in Italian). “Pazzo” alone warrants a brewery tour. 

I also redeemed my experience with San Jose’s Tied House/Hermitage Brewing upon the very aroma of their oak-aged season that, for beer competition purposes, is deemed an “IPA.” With an aged hoppy pale such as TH’s Ale of the Hermit, you discover some unique hop characteristics and less of a bitterness; conversely, you get a little more of a spiced, toasted finish. In addition to Ale of the Hermit, I took my chances with TH’s Ale of the Two Tun, a rich double-porter/imperial stout. A current San Jose resident, I look forward to learning more about the Tied House/Hermitage when I visit them in the near future. A big thanks to Carolyn and her colleague (come on I can only remember so many names in a night!).

My sincere thanks to these outstanding breweries, large and small, and the people of Disabled Sports USA Far West.

You Stay Hoppy California (especially after imbibing your dankest of nectar),

Pink

Foam Fest 2010 pt. 1

Good People of Beer Nation,

I come bearing fruitful wisdom and enlightenment following last night’s Foam Fest beer tasting in Truckee, CA. This was a wonderful event put on by Disabled Sports USA Far West, the Truckee community and the top-flight craft breweries of the West Coast. At Foam Fest one can sample a plethora of beer styles from dozens of unique brewers. You’ll find your staple craft ales bursting with Cascadian hops, complex, rich Belgian varieties and awoken traditions in the form of 45 million year old yeast. Looking back on last year’s affair just across the Nevada border, I can assure you that Foam Fest has become a beer-laden farmer’s market, combining passion, education and style. Regardless of where you are in the Golden State, you should attend this event. 

I rolled up to the Truckee Recreation Center last night with my beer brethren expecting an evening with Northern California’s and Oregon’s main craft beer players—Sierra Nevada, Full Sail, Deschutes, Gordon Biersch, Anderson Valley, Lagunitas etc. Indeed they all made an appearance, showcasing a few of their year-round brews and a couple delicious seasonals and specialties; Sierra Nevada’s 30^th Anniversary Ale and Deschutes’ Jubelale immediately come to mind. However, what distinguished this year’s Foam Fest form last year’s was the innovative nature of the lesser known breweries. I had some of the best beer tasting experiences ever in sampling craft beer’s hidden gems. Brews such as Tied House Brewing’s Oak-aged “IPA,” Knee Deep’s Vanilla Bean Porter and Buckbean’s Orange Blossom (that’s right alpha males, I said ORANGE BLOSSOM) opened a new portal for me and my exploration of the versatility and endless possibilities of beer.

Some of my favorite beers from the night:

Knee Deep’s Vanilla Bean Porter: liquid ice cream!

Alaskan Brewing Company’s Winter Ale: brewed with hand-picked spruce roots!

Stone’s Self Righteous Ale: lovely dark but hoppy ale, perhaps a “Cascade Dark Ale” style

Tied House/Hermitage Ale of the Hermit: oak-aged pale that opens a new frontier

Blue Frog’s La Rana Pazzo: Belgian Wit with notes of honey, coriander and other spices

Mt. Tallac’s Konehead: fresh hop light ale that is German-inspired, grainy and very well balanced

To my personal fortune, I learned to never judge a brewery based on one beer you taste. Two breweries I’ve previously written about threw my judgments out the window and dazzled me with their Foam Fest offerings. I explain this in my pt. II entry.

Foam Fest drew a broader scope of breweries and, to the benefit of craft beer, drew far more people than it did last year. At least 300 people packed the Truckee Rec Center’s gym, going from brewer to brewer and filling their commemorative glasses with something completely different every time. The live music, beyond-the-ballpark food options and welcoming vibe from all attendees made Foam Fest a quality evening for any kind of beer drinker. And, for a beer geek in the making, Foam Fest left me starry eyed and desiring to cuddle with a bottle from each brewer as if it were a stuffed animal.

You Stay Hoppy California,

Pink

Check out my twitter!

 

My enthusiastic brew buddies who just couldn't get enough of Foam Fest and its...offerings!

Session Beers: like going to the beach in a thong...exactly.

What's Up Gang,

Today I'm going to write a little bit about session beers. Inspired by beer guru Jay R. Brooks who is occasionally featured in the San Jose, I decided to explore the basis behind "session beers." You may have heard this term used for a particular brew, but with the direction of craft beer, you probably have no explored the world of session beers too frequently unless you're at Oktoberfest. So this is an appropriate time to bring up session beers!

Session beers are primarily defined by their alcoholic content, which is anywhere at or under 5.0abv. As you may have assumed, it's a beer that you could consume during a "session" with your buddies or family. Session beers are crafted to be enjoyed bottle after bottle but without the intention of getting schnokered. Call up some friends during the World Series or put together a barbecue with some quality brews that will not overwhelm anyone at any point of the evening.

That said, depending on the person, a session beer can be nearly any type of beer. Many German styles of lager and hefeweizen are low in alcoholic content, and many ales from blondes, to ambers, and even dark brews (Guinness is only 4.0abv!) will work for your session as long as they are "flavorful, balanced, and reasonably priced" (Brooks "Subtle delights in session beers").

With everyone vacated from my home town of Monterey, I decided to have my own little session with a couple beers I picked up from BevMo. I turned on some baseball, watched some "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," and poured myself some hefeweizen from the Blue Frog Grog and Grill in Fairfield and Alpine Gold blond ale from the Tied House in San Jose.

Blue Frog's hefeweizen was a bit darker in color than typical German hefeweizens, resembling ecanasia juice in a glass. I got a mild citrus, sort of watery aroma that had no notes of banana/clove. Please note that I poured this into the inappropriate glass. Still, I was unable to taste any of the qualities you find in the German staple. This beer was a little on the sour side, drinking like a watered down version of citrus Airborne (the stuff you take if your immune system isn't up to speed). The bottle has its text upside down and reads that one should store the bottle upside down to let the yeast settle correctly...are they messing with me? When was the last time you drank a hefeweizen from a bottle that was stored upside down? If for some reason one of my buddies has this in his fridge, I'll say one of two things:

1. "Dude, turn it upside down!"

2. "Dude, don't waste your time with this. Drink a Franziskaner instead."

The glass is full. I'm not a fan of this beer. Perhaps Blue Frog excels at some of their other brews.

The Tied House's Alpine Gold blond ale might suit your palate a little better, especially if you plan to head up to the mountains in a couple months. I found this light ale to work as a session beer as there is a fair balance and enough flavor to keep the casual beer drinker satisfied.

Give Alpine Gold a sniff and you'll pick up a light citrus, caramel/nutty, and grainy aroma. You'll taste that same nuttiness that won't overwhelm you and possibly encourage you to get another one. I was hoping for a hoppier jolt that gave the beer a more crisp finish, but then again I'm not too much of an expert on light ales. It's not my brew of choice, but I can recommend it for a larger gathering if people have other beverage options as well.

The glass is half full. This brew has the fundamental aroma but doesn't fully deliver in flavor to make me want another one. 

Next up for Calibrew:

I plan to hit up an Oktoberfest pretty soon and may be doing so when I visit Chicago next week. There are a few events like this in the Bay Area right now, so hopefully I find an opportunity there as well. As always, feel free to keep up with CaliBrew by subscribing (like...now) or following my Twitter right here .

Oh, and check out Jay R. Brooks' sites for lots of fascinating info and insight regarding the best beverage known to man and woman.

You can check out Brooks' material at http://www.ibabuzz.com/bottomsup/.  

Prost!

Pink

Tied Hourse!

Blue Frog!

Back to California and Back to Beer!

Noble Beer Brethren,

As we eye the near shift from summer to fall, I eye my even nearer arrival in California. After five glorious months in Chicago, I have decided to go back out west where the brew is the best. This could not come at a better time for me, as the sun is slowly setting on heat (and humidity if you're in Chicago) and welcoming football of all types. Hopefully you're looking forward to finishing your klölsch or summer shandy in hand and smiling at the arrival of autumn lagers and ales, from the Bavarian hefeweizen, to the always welcoming märzen, to bock varieties, to the pumpkin and fall spiced ales.

Anticipating the new season, I spent one of my last nights in Chicago at my favorite pub for brew, the Map Room, eager to try Orange County's The Bruery's Autumn Maple ale on draft. A seasonal beer brewed with maple syrup and yams? On draft? I couldn't think of a better way to leave Chicago and welcome in the taste of California simultaneously. However, the Map Room was tapped out of this fine ale, leaving me to resort to another exquisite La Trappe Quadruppel.

In addition, I sampled a few other brews from all around. A fan of Unibroue's La Fin du Monde and Maudite, I took a crack at their "Chambly Noire" but was left disappointed. In short, I wasn't sure what Unibroue was trying to achieve with this beer but was sure that this encounter made drinking their more reliable beers a pleasure. I also acquainted myself with Colorado's Left Hand Brewing Company Milk Stout. I hadn't sampled a chocolate stout before, as I usually lean toward a coffee malt, but I found this a fair beer.

But this is a California-based beer blog isn't it? That's why I save the best for last. I had a terrific experience with San Diego's Port Brewing Company. Their "Older" Viscosity ale encapsulates class, flavor, and Iggy Pop-esque "raw power" in a wine glass. Older Viscosity is a specialty brew based off of Port's "Old Viscosity." The beer is aged in bourbon barrels, though from my episode from the tap, I could have sworn it was a cabernet-aged ale or something of that sort. Still, what you get is a midnight colored strong (12.5% abv) ale that has the smooth-sipping consistency of a Belgian trippel/quaruppel. 

Older viscosity combines the chocolate malt of typical dark ales and sophisticates it with what Port states as "hints of vanilla and American oak." People always say that chocolate compliments wine, but I say why not have them together in a glass; it's a similar concept with Older Viscosity. Ironically, the best part of this brew is its aftertaste, one that i can characterize as a toasted caramel/chocolate richness that gives this aged ale one hell of an accent. For someone who has not ventured into beer finely aged, I recommend checking this one out immediately. For other beer enthusiasts, you've simply got to get a hold of this beer.

The glass is empty. A superb beer!

One last thing gang. Since it is September and since I'm going to be back in beer country, expect some good things from CaliBrew! I'll be looking into getting some better digital content uploaded onto the site and have some ideas for capturing Oktoberfest in the Bay Area and/or elsewhere. Please subscribe to my blog and check out my attempt at being cool on My Twitter

I've also posted a couple useful links.

Port Brewing Co!

The Map Room Chicago! 

You Stay Hoppy California,

Pink

Drinking Beer: What else is there to do in Finland (apart from reindeer hunting)?

Hey Guys,

Beer's such a fascinating topic because, like many other great products such as music, art, and wine, it comes from all over the world and has so much room for innovation and accent. Two weeks ago, I dropped a review on a Danish-style ale brewed in Orange County CA. California beer may be my specialty, but I see so much diversity in brewing within the state itself. Like other key states of the Craft Beer Movement, we're seeing microbreweries turn classic beers from other regions of the world into revamped beer offspring. Go to a BevMo or a beer tasting and you'll see what I mean. Coastal wheats, California pale ales, and fruit-inspired beers are just a few examples of what's taking place not only in the massive US, but also in concentrated beer hubs such as the New England/mid-Atlantic region, Oregon, Colorado, Northern California, San Diego, etc. 

That said, I have done some exploring with lesser known beers from around the world, such as the Christmas ale that I believe inspired The Bruery's "Rugbrød" ale, which have gotten some big players in craft brewing to start scratching their beards. In this entry, I talk a little bit about a signature Finnish beer type known as sahti. Being a lesser known brew from a lesser known country, I am not surprised that its popularity in the American craft beer industry does not come to mind. However, I'm sure there are breweries out there investigating its properties and seeing what they can do to generate some interest from the American palette. For example, Dogfish Head brewery has already issued their own sahti. You can watch a great behind-the-scenes video here. 

The particular sahti I went after comes from the Kataja brewery; I am unsure as to where this brewery is located in Finland. Upon first pour, you'll notice that the beer pours out no defined head. As assumed, the carbonation of the beer is very low, allowing it to come off as more of a juice. Even when you look at it, you think to yourself "that can't be beer" because it looks more like an unfiltered dark apple juice. Regarding its taste, you will be surprised by the potpourri of flavors hitting your tongue. It's an unusual bombardment that I only can characterize as a liquid flower bed fused with a sour ale or cider. The beer is very complicated for my tasting experience, so I cannot give out the flavors confidently. That said, I did my research and found it interesting that the beer is commonly brewed with a strong use of juniper. It would be logical to an American beer drinking to see something like this more present in a hoppy ale, one that called for a kick to a higher level of carbonation. I cannot give a definitive conclusion about this beer other than that if you like skunky, sour tasting  beer and want to give Finland's finest a shot, I will not shake my head at you. I appreciate this beer for its cultural uniqueness, though I do not see myself purchasing it again. I will look into shati another time, but for now it's off to my fridge for a bottle of Unibroue Maudite. The glass is half full.

Cheers lads and ladies!
Pink

California Beer in Chicago

Hello Everyone!

Well, I'm not going out on a limb to say it has been a while, but I wanted to post another entry and hopefully continue to stick with my blog here once in a while. What inspired me to get back on the blog? Honestly it's a secret, but I can assure you that I have the best intentions when it comes to getting back to the business of expressing my love for beer! I was at a Binny's in Chicago today and stumbled upon the best of both worlds...a Danish-style ale brewed in California! So here's a little about the "Rugbrød" ale from the Placentia, CA (SoCal) brewery "The Bruery." Jordan, my brother and fellow DIS alum, this one's for you.

"Rugbrød" is the Danish word for rye bread. Rye bread plays an integral role in the diet of the Danes, particularly in the Danish sandwich, the "smørrebrød;" this is an open-faced sandwich that can contain a wide variety of meat, fish, vegetables, spreads, etc. Orange County's "The Bruery" has created a rye-inspired beer that shares a couple characteristics with its solid form. Their Rugbrød ale is a dense, but not overwhelming ale that works well with not only what food it complements, but also the time of year it can be consumed. It's 90 degrees in Chicago, so although it's not an ideal time to conquer this Great Dane, it's great to give it a shot with some beef and gravy. Such a dish would go well with dark rye bread, and in this case the liquid substitution is just as effective. You really get a punch of caramel malt, allowing the ale to finish more like a mellower English bitter. 

This beer also works great as a "Julebryg," or Christmas-time beer, as it is darker than most Danish pilsners or common summer/early autumn beers. In Germanic and Nordic countries, it is very common for breweries of all shapes and sizes to release beers that reflect the change in weather and the lingering interest toward Christmas. For example, Denmark has an unofficial "Jule Dag" in early November that denotes the issuing of the various Christmas beers; it's quite an exciting time, that is, if you can catch a pub that still has such a brew on tap! The Bruery's Danish concoction is not as heavy in spices as a typical holiday-season beer, but it will surely not disappoint your palette. I see this more of an October/November beer, one that will draw your attention from the pumpkin ales and the heavy porters/stouts (not that I don't LOVE those beers). So once again, check out The Bruery's selection at this URL 

All in all, I'm not blown away by the brew itself, though I do admire The Bruery's effort to tap into one of beer's sacred markets. The glass is half empty: go out and fancy yourself a bottle! 

 In addition, I will be trying out a Finnish beer brewed in the "sahti" style. This will be a lighter beer but will have a strong presence of juniper. I'm stoked, but in the meantime, I have to finish my bottle of Danish-inspired deliciousness. 

All the best,

Pink

I know it has been 4 months, come on!

Hey Everyone! 

So I have not touched this blog in quite some time. Come to think of it, I almost forgot I had this blog to begin with! But despite all of this, there is one thing about me that remains constant and unaffected...

I. STILL. LOVE. BEER.

That's right my beer comrades. Just because I've stopped writing about beer doesn't mean I appreciate it any less. Come to think of it, entering my final weeks as an undergraduate, you might say I've enjoyed beer EVEN MORE and just "haven't gotten around" to writing about it. Thanks to my wonderful sister, who just began her blog right, I have been inspired to once again take up CaliBrew and give back to California's beer lovers. I can't say how much I'll be able to dedicate to this though, as I'm already running another blog (and big project) that I'll reveal toward the bottom of this entry.
So what I have I been up to the in the beer world? Last Friday, I introduced some of my mates to beers from the three NorCal breweries I visited last summer. I started out with a delicious, always crisp Lagunitas IPA. From there we moved onto a beer I had not had before, Moylan's Irish Style Red Ale. I normally don't dig red ales, but this one was 4/5 fantastic! The overall ratings weren't as pleasant but still decent on Beer Advocate but I still highly recommend this malty "nectar of the gods." Lastly, we concluded with one of my personal favorites, the Hoppy Brewing Company's Total Eclipse Black Ale. For more on that, see my review of it in a previous entry. 
I've tried some other good beers from California recently, though not as many as I hoped for. The ones that come to mind are the Bear Republic Blackout Stout, which I remember to be pretty good, as well as the Marin Brewing Co.'s Hefe Doppel Weizen, which was good too. 
Of course, many other beers I tried were at Foam Fest 2009 in Tahoe. That was four months ago, so it's a little hard to recall all the brews that I took back with pride and appreciation haha. I remember being particularly impressed with Fox's pear cider and the tangerine brew from Lost Coast in Eureka. There were definitely some winners from that trip, so I recommend checking it out next October. Besides, the proceeds go to Disabled Sports USA. I really enjoyed that brief trip to Tahoe, from my stop to the Hoppy Brewing Company, to my beer tasting experience at the Tahoe Biltmore Casino, to my trip to the Log Cabin for a scrumptious breakfast.

So is there a future for CaliBrew? Well, maybe it's not the one I was hoping for, as I am currently pursuing a JOB and musical endeavors. I'm currently rockin out in the studio as nm@p^3, producing rap-based music. This is a new-found love of mine that compliments my appreciation for beer and just culture in general. You can check out my music on my MySpace page.
The good thing is that I may be taking another beer trip soon, and when I mean soon, I mean within the next month. My buddy George wants the CaliBrew experience, so I may be accompanying him up to the Eureka area or up to Mendocino and Ukiah. Regardless, I'm eager to get back in my truck and drive a couple miles to where the beer flows. Man, all of this writing has made me pretty thirsty. Shall I take a trip to the fridge?
You Stay Hoppy California,
Pink