Happy National Beer Day! Let's make that Beer Weekend...

Hey Howdy Hey,

So over the last couple days I've heard through Twitter chatter that today is Nation Beer Day. Happy National Beer Day to you! This marks the 78th anniversary of the Cullen-Harrison Act of 1933 which ended prohibition. Of course, craft beer did not emerge as a renown alternative to large breweries and pre-prohibition styles of beer until the 1980s, but without beer, where would we be? That said, I invite you to kick back and relax this weekend with a pint in your hand. Beer Day will hopefully become Beer Weekend for many of us out there!

Remember when I brought up a couple new ideas to bring into my blog? Well, things are looking promising! I'm slowly but surely improving my site here and I'm getting more active on Twitter and YouTube. Getting a younger crowd interested in craft beer is one of my goals, and I think it's time to bring that to the forefront while using beer in California as a focal point/standard. That said, I'm conducting a survey as to what young people's beer preferences are. Will they favor IPA or Hefeweizen? Or will more people answer that they don't drink beer, or nothing outside of Budweiser or Keystone Light? From there, I will examine the socio-cultural context surrounding this and shine some new light on the slowly fermenting craft beer culture of the US and California. Looking forward to this. Cheers!

You Stay Hoppy California,

Pink

Skands: a Danish Craft Brewery

Brew Brethren,

Come gather 'round, for I have a story to tell! I figure now would be an appropriate time to take a break from my beer reviewing and focus a little more on beer experience. With that, I take you back to Fall, 2008 in Copenhagen, Denmark. 

Denmark, exporter of Carlsberg and several other well-known beers around the world, is home to a craft brewery scene that, on a smaller scale, mirrors what we have going on in the United States. Small but strong organizations are allaying together to preserve Denmark's reputation as a beer consumer and fuel the innovation that beer has seen elsewhere (particularly in the States). That's my nugget of an intro.

Skands, a small brewery in the Copenhagen outskirts, is one of these breweries that draws on the successes of Denmark's beers and additionally strives to produce some fun, clever varieties. The co-founder, Birthe (pronounced a little like "Beer-duh") Skands, worked for many years at Carlsberg, so she already brings a lot to the table. I had the fortune of visiting this brewery, which volume-wise is about the size of a barn. You have a couple small vats and, as I recall, a bottling line, plus a couple nice tasting tables, and that's about it. I'm not sure if they do any public tours, as like many Danes they prefer to keep their appearances modest. 

I visited this little gem of a brewery with my international marketing class, which at the time was taught by a Danish gentleman who had worked for Royal, another fairly large Danish brewery, and Pepsi out in New York (he was basically the younger Danish version of Michael Cane both in looks and demeanor!). So this could not have come together any better.

In this class I was to create a detailed marketing report as to how Skands could enter an international market. They [Skands] were pretty set in their Danish confines but were working out a deal with a Japanese airline company, thinking it would be good to take an emerging beer market and present to them a tasty standard to hold and appreciate. Skands had already seen their sales increase as well as their audience; at this point, they were distributing their beer to the Whole Foods equivalent, Irma. In addition, Skands was also creating customized brews, for which I'm sure they would charge a pretty penny (it's expensive over there!). Now where have you seen something like this before? Sam Adams Utopias? 55% abv "beer" that comes in taxidermied animals? This is something that, even if on a smaller scale, definitely happens overseas as well.

With Denmark, there is no distinct popular style of craft beer. The Danish pilsner might be the closest guess. It's not spicy like a Czech pilsner and can vary from moderately malty, such as the popular Tuborg, to lightly hoppy. Skands' Danish pilsner, called Hymlefryd (something like "Hoom-leh-fru"), is, to my recollection, more on the hoppy side of a pilsner. I don't remember liking it at the time, but I'm sure I would upon second taste. Danes are also known to import the British and American IPAs as well as produce rye ales. If you look at a previous review, you'll see I found this style of beer out in California. Furthermore, Denmark thrives on "Julebryg," or "Christmas Beer," during the months of November and December. That's a rich story in its own!

Looking at this diverse beer portfolio, we go back to Skands, which incorporates styles from all over the world. From their Danish pilsner, to their English pub ale, to their Christmas beer and dark Czech lager, Skands has just about something for everyone. All you have to do is cough up a couple dozen kroners (Danish currency) at Irma and you will enter a familiar, but unique world of Danish craft beer. I had sampled Hymlefryd, Elmegade IPA, New Stout (Czech dark lager) and a couple others and overall enjoyed them to the point at which I sought them out in my remaining weeks abroad. I even drank a bottle of Elmegade IPA on my 21st birthday over there, and even though I was in my freezing studio in my sweats and had no one with which to consume, I will always remember it as a happy time. Hmm, it seems as if Danish humor has rubbed off on me as well!

You Stay Hoppy California,

Pink

PS: I've got more to come, so stay tuned!

Check out Skands!

My Twitter

Gnarlywine: Only in California

Only in California will you find the use of "gnarly" so inviting that a brewery will incorporate such a word into a beer. Often considered a winter warmer, a barleywine is something I find very appropriate for the coming of spring as well. Barleywines, first conceived by the British, are known for deep complexity, a good dose of hops, plenty of aging and, consequently, a high alcohol percentage. It's those strong beers that are supposed to get us through the long, cold winters. But this is beer in California, so we don't have much of that around here. Why not take this brew to the West Coast and add a little Northern California signature to it? 

That's exactly what Laguintas in Petaluma, CA have done with their Olde Gnarlywine, a 10.6% abv barleywine that is pleasant from start to finish. Gnarly is a beautiful sight to behold with its deep amber-red hue, something that deviates a little from the norm. The yeast does not accumulate too much foam but retains a notable layer that catalyzes the tasting experience (I like that word, catalyze!). When you take in the Gnarly aroma, you'll get something that is a hybrid of a fresh hop ale and a barrel aged brew. Citrus and a plethora of flora will Eskimo kiss your nose with gusto. A spice somewhere between coriander and clove will make its way through your nostrils as will a woody-like aroma — possibly cedar. I'd also like to note that while you get a representation of West Coast hops, you don't pull in the piny sensations that West Coast brewers are so loyal  to; this is refreshing to me. I'll give aroma a spot-on 5/5.

When you sip this brew, you'll get a little more maltiness than expected — after all, you've inhaled something deceivingly hoppy — thus staying true to its English roots. It's a little difficult to capture the specific flavors since a rush of alcohol scoots across your palette and gives you a bit of a tingle in your gulliver. But its rich, malty taste driven by its citric hops and aging comes together in a smooth, syrup-like libation. It would have been interesting had Lagunitas dry-hopped this; maybe they did and did not post it on their website. I would have liked to see the balance come full circle, but I think with a barleywine that might be asking too much.

The great thing about a Barleywine is that the flavor will evolve over time, often for the better. According to Lagunitas you'll pick up more toffee and caramel notes if you age this beer. So perhaps I procured a young Gnarly in its first or second life stage. I would be wise to purchase one of these up and store it somewhere for next year or the year after. An excellent beer.

4/5 an excellent beer, an innovative West Coast take on a barleywine.

You Stay Hoppy California,

Pink

Lagunitas online!

My Twitter

Kicking Around Some Ideas

Hey Guys,

So I've decided to kick around some ideas on how I can make Calibrew more interesting. 

I think one important attribute that I bring to the table is my youth. Not all too many people at 23 are into craft beer (especially to the degree that I am). What would strengthen my ability to channel the positive qualities of craft beer is contextualizing craft beer a little more. I could talk about craft beer's current role in Californian, American and international beer culture. I could breed a new generation of brew disciples and do so as one of them.

The essence of Calibrew is capturing the craft beer scene in California, particularly in Northern California. That's a lot of beer country to cover, so perhaps I'll confine my segment to the Bay Area and perhaps a little beyond. You've got fantastic breweries from Anchor, to Drake, Russian River and a large homebrewing culture. But even so, I'm not sure how much more light I would be shining down for that scene. Taking beer trips is a great way to gain exposure to beer and the stories around it. Too bad I'm short on money, a definite downside of being 23 years old.

Another idea would for me to accompany my reviews and commentary with more of my stories around craft beer. I have some great stories indeed, such as my microbrewery project in Copenhagen to my nights at the Map Room in Chicago. There's much more to beer besides tasting the beer, so perhaps it's time for me to capture this a little better.

If you have any ideas for me, please feel free to share them here. I always welcome outside feedback!

You Stay Hoppy California,
Pink

Ninkasi Re-newal Irish Style Red Ale Review

Happy Saturday to all of you out there,

Here's a review of the Irish Style Red Ale from Eugene, OR brewery Ninkasi. It's a unique Irish red inthat it's actually a little more balanced. Irish reds are conventionally all-malt beers that take on a moderate-full body. They're a little bit of a step down from a stout in body and frequently use roasted malt and sometimes a touch of chocolate malt. You'll usually find one of these beers to be of a moderate alcohol level.

Ninkasi's rendition of the Irish red almost comes off as a session beer at 5.2% abv, and with a warming mouthfeel that does not distort you with maltiness, you finish the beer with the impression of consuming another one. The roasted malt is the main characteristic of the tasting experience, and in a way it subdues the malty complexion. Head retention is good, and as with other Irish reds, you get a pleasant rubybrown hye. I was hoping to get some of the chocolate malt in this beer, and I wish the finish pulled along the roasted malt a little more. Of course this is characteristic of the beer anyway. I'm not too keen on Irish reds, but I find Ninkasi's Re-newel a welcoming addition to the beers I've had. If you find a cool spot in your April (it's already getting warm in Northern California), then I recommend you pick this brew up.The glass is half empty - a 3/5 beer recommended by yours truly.

By the way, see my video review and some other cool coverage of craft beer right here at My YouTube Channel. And be also sure to follow me on Twitter at CaliBrew Twitter. 

You Stay Hoppy California,

Pink