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